MULTI-CHANNEL GLARE-SUPPRESSION DEVICE OF A DIGITAL IMAGE SYSTEM

A multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system first acquires a spatial image, and at least one first lens set then collects light from the spatial image and generates an optical image. The optical image then passes through or is reflected by an optical modulation module to generate a modulated image. At least one second lens set further scales the modulated image and focuses the modulated image to generate a scaled image on a photo-sensing module for the photo-sensing module to convert the scaled image into an image signal. A processing module senses the photo-sensing module. When detecting a current higher than a threshold generated in a region of the photo-sensing module, the processing module then generates the control signal to modulate a region of the modulated image so as to attenuate the glare in the region of the modulated image.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system, and, more particularly, to a multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system using a multi-channel optical modulation module to perform light intensity modulation of image signals.

2. Description of the Related Art

During an imaging process of a digital image, glare oftentimes arises because of exposure to high ambient light intensity. Regular glare-suppression approaches primarily include the use of optical full-field measurement, electronic hardware and software algorithm.

The approach of optical full-field measurement is performed by a filtering lens mounted on a lens to achieve a function of suppressing glare. However, such approach lowers light intensity of light sources in the environment, and is not preferred accordingly. The approach using electronic hardware to suppress glare adds an adjustment unit for each light-sensing element to independently configure a time for obtaining an integral of intensity of each pixel of an image to be taken, rendering the approach only applicable to occasions having light sources with higher light intensity. However, such approach usually causes lower intensity of pixels in the image and is therefore not ideal enough. The approach using software algorithm to suppress glare needs image manipulation software, such as mask operation of digital image, a thresholding operation for reducing intensities of pixels higher than a threshold, and the like, to combine and average images taken with different exposure times before imaging. However, such approach lowers resolution of images and takes longer time for computation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-channel glare suppression device of a digital image system using a multi-channel optical modulation to suppress glare through light intensity modulation of an image.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system has at least one first lens set, a multi-channel optical modulation module, at least one second lens set, a photo-sensing module and a processing module.

The at least one first lens set collects light from a spatial image and generates an optical image.

The multi-channel optical modulation module is penetrated through by or reflects the optical image to generate a modulated image.

The at least one second lens set receives the modulated image and focuses the modulated image to generate a scaled image.

The photo-sensing module receives the scaled image and converts the scaled image into an image signal.

The processing module is electrically connected to the multi-channel optical modulation module and the photo-sensing module, senses the photo-sensing module, and generates a control signal when detecting a current higher than a threshold in a region of the photo-sensing module to instruct the multi-channel optical modulation module to modulate a region in the modulated image corresponding to the region of the photo-sensing module so as to attenuate glare higher than an light intensity in the region of the modulated image.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-channel glare suppression device of a digital image system promptly and inexpensively suppressing glare in an image by means of hardware.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system has at least one first lens set, at least one second lens set, a multi-channel optical modulation module, a photo-sensing module and a processing module.

The at least one first lens set performs a first light collection and a first image scaling on the spatial image and generates an optical image.

The at least one second lens set performs a second light collection and a second image scaling on the optical image to generate a scaled image.

The multi-channel optical modulation module receives the scaled image for the scaled image to penetrate through the multi-channel optical modulation module and generate a modulated image.

The photo-sensing module receives the scaled image and converts the scaled image into an image signal.

The processing module is electrically connected to the multi-channel optical modulation module and the photo-sensing module, senses the photo-sensing module, and generates a control signal when detecting a current higher than a threshold in a region of the photo-sensing module to instruct the multi-channel optical modulation module to modulate a region in the modulated image corresponding to the region of the photo-sensing module so as to attenuate glare higher than an light intensity in the region of the modulated image.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference toFIG. 1, a first embodiment of a multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system in accordance with the present invention has at least one first lens set11, a multi-channel optical modulation module12, at least one second lens set13, a photo-sensing module14and a processing module15.

The at least one lens set11collects light from a spatial image, and generates an optical image A′, and is an objective lens formed by multiple lens.

The multi-channel optical modulation module12is provided for the optical image A′ to pass through or reflects the optical image A′, so as to generate a modulated image A″. The optical modulation module12may be a transmissive liquid crystal element or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS).

The at least one second lens set13serves to receive the modulated image A″ and focus the modulated image A″ to generate a scaled image A′″. The at least one second lens set13is a scaling lens formed by multiple lens.

The photo-sensing module14serves to receive the scaled image A′″ and generate an image signal according to the scaled image A′″.

The processing module15is electrically connected to the optical modulation module12and the photo-sensing module14and senses the photo-sensing module. When the processing module15senses a current that is higher than a threshold and is generated in a region of the photo-sensing module14, it indicates that high-intensity glare takes place in the region, and the processing module15generates a control signal so that the multi-channel modulation module12modulates a region inside the modulated image A″ corresponding to the region inside the photo-sensing module14to attenuate the high-intensity glare in the region of the modulated image A″.

In the present embodiment, the at least one second lens set13serves to focus and scale the modulated image so as to generate a scaled image on the photo-sensing module14. The photo-sensing module14may be a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensing element or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensing element.

The spatial image A is easily affected by lighting, vehicular headlight, and the like in the nearby outdoors or indoors during nighttime to result in high-intensity glare thereon partially. When the multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system performs image acquisition on the spatial image A, the at least one first lens set11generates the optical image A′ after collecting light from the spatial image A. The optical image A′ then passes through the multi-channel optical modulation module12to generate the modulated image A″. Subsequently, the at least one second lens set13performs image scaling on the modulated image A″, and focuses the modulated image A″ to generate the scaled image A′″ that is projected onto the photo-sensing module14. When the scaled image A′″ is projected onto the photo-sensing element14, the processing module15senses the photo-sensing module14. When detecting that there is a current higher than a threshold generated in a region of the photo-sensing module14, indicating that high-intensity glare exists in the region, the processing module15generates the control signal to instruct the multi-channel optical modulation module12to modulate a region of the modulated image A″ corresponding to the region in the photo-sensing module14for attenuating the high-intensity glare in the region of the modulated image A″. Lastly, glare existing in the image signal affecting the image quality demonstrated by the image signal is reduced, thereby achieving the objective of suppressing glare in an image using hardware means, and providing a fast and low-cost glare-suppression solution.

Moreover, the multi-channel optical modulation module12can be changed from the transmissive liquid crystal element to an LCOS. With reference toFIG. 2, a second embodiment of a multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system in accordance with the present invention has at least one first lens set21, a multi-channel optical modulation module22, at least one second lens set23, a photo-sensing module24and a processing module25.

The multi-channel optical modulation module22is an LCOS. According to the concept of the present invention, the multi-channel optical modulation module22, the at least one second lens set23and the photo-sensing module24can be arranged on different locations depending on an optical path of the multi-channel optical modulation module22, the at least one second lens set23and the photo-sensing module24. When the multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system performs image acquisition, the at least one first lens set21collects light from a spatial image A and then generates an optical image A′. The optical image A′ is reflected by the multi-channel optical modulation module to generate a modulated image A″ on the at least one second lens set23for the at least one second optical lens23to perform image scaling on the modulated image A″ and to focus the modulated image A″ to generate a scaled image A′″ on the photo-sensing module24. The photo-sensing module24converts the scaled image A′″ into an image signal. The processing module25senses the photo-sensing module24, and generates a control signal to instruct the multi-channel optical modulation module22to modulate a region in the modulated image A″ corresponding to the region in the photo-sensing module24when detecting a current higher than a threshold generated in a region of the photo-sensing module24, indicating that high-intensity glare occurs on the region. Accordingly, the high-intensity glare in the region of the modulated image A″ can be attenuated to finally reduce the intensity of glare in the image signal and improve image quality demonstrated by the image signal.

With reference toFIG. 3, a third embodiment of a multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system in accordance with the present invention has at least one lens set31, at least one second lens set32, a multi-channel optical modulation module33, a photo-sensing module34and a processing module35.

The optical modulation module33is mounted between the at least one second lens set32and the photo-sensing module34. When the multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system performs image acquisition and collects light from a spatial image B, the first lens set31performs a first light collection and a first image scaling on the spatial image B and then generates an optical image B′. The at least one second lens set32performs a second light collection and a second image scaling on the optical image B′ to generate a scaled image B″. The scaled image B″ passes through the multi-channel optical modulation module33to generate a modulated image B′″ on the photo-sensing module34. The photo-sensing module34converts the scaled image B′″ into an image signal. The processing module35senses the photo-sensing module34, and generates a control signal to instruct the multi-channel optical modulation module33to modulate a region in the modulated image B″ corresponding to the region in the photo-sensing module34when detecting a current higher than a threshold generated in a region of the photo-sensing module34, indicating that high-intensity glare occurs on the region. Accordingly, the high-intensity glare in the region of the modulated image B″ can be attenuated to finally reduce the intensity of glare in the image signal and improve image quality demonstrated by the image signal.

From the foregoing, after the multi-channel glare-suppression device of a digital image system acquires the spatial image A, the at least one first lens set11collects light from the spatial image A and generates the optical image A′. The optical image A′ then passes through or is reflected by the optical modulation module12to generate the modulated image A″. The at least one second lens set13further scales the modulated image A″ and focuses the modulated image A″ to generate the scaled image A′″ on the photo-sensing module14for the photo-sensing module14to convert the scaled image A′″ into the image signal. Meanwhile, the processing module15senses the photo-sensing module. When detecting a current higher than a threshold generated in a region of the photo-sensing module14, indicating that high-intensity glare occurs in the region, the processing module15generates the control signal to instruct the multi-channel optical modulation module12to modulate a region of the modulated image A″ corresponding to the region in the photo-sensing module14so as to attenuate the high-intensity glare in the region of the modulated image A″. Accordingly, the image quality demonstrated by the image signal is not affected the high-intensity glare in the image signal, thereby achieving the object of promptly and inexpensively suppressing glare in an image by means of hardware.