Active night vision cooling system
AssigneeLear Corporation
InventorsAlexander B. Faytlin, Mark Moore
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal control system (11) for a light source (46) of a vision system (10) includes a cooling assembly (61) that has a cooling device (62) and is thermally coupled to the light source (46). A thermal sensor (60) is thermally coupled to the light source (46) and generates a light source temperature signal. A control circuit (50) is coupled to the cooling assembly (61) and to the thermal sensor (60) and operates the cooling device (62) when the light source temperature signal is above a minimum temperature limit.
Claims22
A thermal control system for a light source of a vision system comprising:
- a cooling assembly having a cooling device and being thermally coupled to the light source;
- a thermal sensor thermally coupled to the light source and generating a light source temperature signal;
- and
- a control circuit coupled to said cooling assembly and to said thermal sensor, said control circuit operating said cooling device when said light source temperature signal is above a minimum temperature limit.
A vision system of a vehicle comprising:
- an illuminator assembly having a light source and generating an illumination beam;
- a thermal control system having a cooling device thermally coupled to said illuminator assembly;
- a receiver assembly generating an image signal in response to at least a reflected portion of said illumination beam;
- and
- at least one controller controlling generation of said illumination beam and said image signal and thermally controlling operating range of said light source through operation and duration adjustment of said cooling device.
A method of thermally controlling operating range of a light source of a vision system for a vehicle comprising:
- generating a light source temperature signal in response to temperature of the light source;
- and
- cooling the light source in response to said temperature signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.