Patent ID: 11877069
Assignee: VALEO COMFORT AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  H  G | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. An image-capturing device comprising:
an image sensor comprising:
an array of optical filters receiving electromagnetic radiation and comprising first optical filters each able to transmit a first portion of the electromagnetic radiation contained in a given infrared wavelength range, and second optical filters each able to transmit at least one component of a second portion of the electromagnetic radiation located in the visible, and
a matrix array of photosensitive pixels comprising first photosensitive pixels arranged so as to receive the first portion of the electromagnetic radiation transmitted by the first optical filters, as well as second photosensitive pixels arranged so as to receive the component transmitted by the second optical filters, each of the first and second photosensitive pixels producing via the photoelectric effect an electric charge or an electric voltage depending on the power of the electromagnetic radiation that it receives; and

a computer programmed to:
a1) determine an ambient brightness in the infrared range,
a2) determine an ambient brightness in the visible range,
b1) command the image sensor to perform a first image capture, during which each of the first photosensitive pixels delivers a pixel signal representative of the electric charge or of the electric voltage that it produces, this electric charge or voltage having been accumulated by this first photosensitive pixel during a first integration time,
b2) command the image sensor to perform a second image capture, during which each of the second photosensitive pixels delivers a pixel signal representative of the electric charge or of the electric voltage that it produces, this electric charge or voltage having been accumulated by this second photosensitive pixel during a second integration time,
c1) command a preprocessing module to multiply each of the pixel signals produced in step b1) by a first gain value,
c2) command the preprocessing module to multiply each of the pixel signals produced in step b2) by a second gain value,
d1) compose a first image, from the pixel signals produced by the first photosensitive pixels in the first image capture, said pixel signals having been multiplied by the first gain value,
d2) compose a second image, from the pixel signals delivered by the second photosensitive pixels in the second image capture, said pixel signals having been multiplied by the second gain value,
the first integration time or the first gain value being determined by the computer depending on the ambient brightness in the infrared range, and
the second integration time or the second gain value being determined by the computer depending on the ambient brightness in the visible range.