Methods and apparatus for an active pulsed 4d camera for image acquisition and analysis

An active camera system configured to generate and present views of low-visibility objects on a vehicle display system inside a vehicle, comprising:

• at least one emitter configured to generate and emit light within a defined frequency range throughout a field of view of a scene that is in-motion relative to the vehicle;
• an array of detectors configured to receive light within the defined frequency range for a field of view of the array, the field of view of the scene defined by the field of view of the array of detectors;
• control circuitry operably coupled to the at least one emitter and the array of detectors and configured to:
• control a start time and a cycle duration of a detector integration for the array of detectors for each of the two or more frames, a start time of an emitter pulse sequence and an amount of timing overlap between a cycle duration of the emitter pulse sequence and the cycle duration of the detector integration;
• and
• produce at least two frames of image data of the scene to be stored in one or more frame buffers for which the amount of timing overlap between the emitter pulse sequence and the detector integration is different for each frame;
• and
• a processing system operably coupled to the control circuitry and the one or more frame buffers and configured to:
• correlate pixels for each of the at least two frames such that intensity values from common points in the scene are assigned to corresponding image pixels in an image of the scene;
• and
• display a plurality of images of the scene on the vehicle display device inside the vehicle such that one or more low-visibility objects are displayed based on the intensity values of image pixels in the scene corresponding to the one or more low-visibility objects.

A method of generating and displaying images of low-visibility objects on a vehicle display system inside a vehicle, comprising:

• causing at least one emitter to generate and emit light within a defined frequency range throughout a field of view of a scene that is in-motion relative to the vehicle;
• causing an array of detectors to receive light within the defined frequency range for a field of view of the array, the field of view of the scene defined by the field of view of the array of detectors;
• controlling a start time and a cycle duration of a detector integration for the array of detectors for each of the two or more frames, a start time of an emitter pulse sequence and an amount of timing overlap between a cycle duration of the emitter pulse sequence and the cycle duration of the detector integration;
• producing at least two frames of image data of the scene to be stored in one or more frame buffers for which the amount of timing overlap between the emitter pulse sequence and the detector integration is different for each frame;
• and
• utilizing a processing system operably coupled to the one or more frame buffers to:
• correlate pixels for each of the at least two frames such that intensity values from common points in the scene are assigned to corresponding image pixels in an image of the scene;
• and
• display a plurality of images of the scene on the vehicle display device inside the vehicle such that one or more low-visibility objects are displayed based on the intensity values of image pixels in the scene corresponding to the one or more low-visibility objects.

An active camera system configured to generate image data representing low-visibility objects viewed from a vehicle, comprising:

• at least one emitter configured to generate and emit light within a defined frequency range throughout a field of view of a scene that is in-motion relative to the vehicle;
• an array of detectors configured to receive light within the defined frequency range for a field of view of the array, the field of view of the scene defined by the field of view of the array of detectors;
• means for controlling a start time and a cycle duration of a detector integration for the array of detectors for each of the two or more frames, a start time of an emitter pulse sequence and an amount of timing overlap between a cycle duration of the emitter pulse sequence and the cycle duration of the detector integration;
• means for producing at least two frames of image data of the scene to be stored in one or more frame buffers for which the amount of timing overlap between the emitter pulse sequence and the detector integration is different for each frame;
• means for correlating pixels for each of the at least two frames such that intensity values from common points in the scene are assigned to corresponding image pixels in an image of the scene;
• and
• means for delivering the image data of the scene to an autonomous vehicle control system within the vehicle.

An active camera system configured to generate image data representing low-visibility objects viewed from a vehicle, comprising:

• at least one emitter configured to generate and emit light within a defined frequency range throughout a field of view of a scene that is in-motion relative to the vehicle;
• an array of detectors configured to receive light within the defined frequency range for a field of view of the array, the field of view of the scene defined by the field of view of the array of detectors;
• control circuitry operably coupled to the at least one emitter and the array of detectors and configured to:
• control a start time and a cycle duration of a detector integration for the array of detectors for each of the two or more frames, a start time of an emitter pulse sequence and an amount of timing overlap between a cycle duration of the emitter pulse sequence and the cycle duration of the detector integration;
• and
• produce at least two frames of image data of the scene to be stored in one or more frame buffers for which the amount of timing overlap between the emitter pulse sequence and the detector integration is different for each frame;
• and
• a processing system operably coupled to the control circuitry and the one or more frame buffers and configured to:
• correlate pixels for each of the at least two frames such that intensity values from common points in the scene are assigned to corresponding image pixels in an image of the scene;
• and
• deliver the image data to an autonomous vehicle control system within the vehicle such that one or more low-visibility objects are computer-analyzed based on the intensity values of image pixels in the scene corresponding to the one or more low-visibility objects.