Patent Publication Number: US-2022222465-A1

Title: Camera assembly for a facial recognition system of a motor vehicle

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to facial recognition systems for motor vehicles, and more particularly, to a camera assembly for a facial recognition system that includes a cosmetic panel concealing an infrared camera. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Modern vehicles can have complex display systems with multiple exterior-facing cameras to view vehicle surroundings. Drivers often compensate for the viewing angle restricted by the A-pillars and B-pillars by adjusting their position while driving. For this reason, the system can include the exterior-facing cameras mounted on the outside of the vehicle to send images from the immediate vehicle environment to displays, which are integrated into the A-pillars and B-pillars inside the car. The live recordings of the external cameras, in conjunction with the recording of the driver&#39;s head movements, offer the driver a dynamic perspective of the vehicle&#39;s surroundings. This system opens up a spatial field of vision that is intended to look more like a view through an extended window than a video recording. Because these cameras capture live videos that must be displayed to the driver, the cameras are RGB cameras that must be covered by transparent panels such that light in the visible spectrum from the vehicle&#39;s surroundings can transmit through the panels to the RGB cameras. Unfortunately, the cameras can be seen through the transparent panels and substantially interrupt the cosmetic appearance of the vehicle. In addition, the view captured by the RGB cameras can be obstructed by fog, smoke, blowing dust, and poor lighting. While these systems assist a driver with viewing surroundings that could have been obscured by piilars, these systems do not assist with facial recognition for determining authority to enter a vehicle. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a camera assembly for a facial recognition system that selectively permits entry into a motor vehicle without the cameras being visible from the surroundings of the vehicle. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to several aspects, a camera assembly is provided for a facial recognition system of a motor vehicle. The camera assembly includes a cosmetic panel adapted to be attached to the motor vehicle. The cosmetic panel has an outboard side and an inboard side facing the motor vehicle. The cosmetic panel is opaque to visible light and transmissive to an infrared light. The camera assembly further includes a single infrared camera adapted to be disposed adjacent to the inboard side of the cosmetic panel. The single infrared camera generates an image signal, in response to the single infrared camera receiving the infrared light transmitted through cosmetic panel. 
     In one aspect, the cosmetic panel includes a peripheral edge that defines a perimeter and an intermediate portion spaced from the perimeter. The single infrared camera is attached to the intermediate portion, such that the cosmetic panel covers the infrared camera. 
     In another aspect, the camera assembly further includes a header for attaching the single infrared camera to the intermediate portion of the cosmetic panel. 
     In another aspect, the camera assembly further includes an infrared illuminator disposed adjacent to the single infrared camera for emitting the infrared light through the intermediate portion of the cosmetic panel, such that an object facing the outboard side of the cosmetic panel reflects the infrared light back through the intermediate portion to the infrared camera. 
     In another aspect, the cosmetic panel is a single-piece panel having an opacity that blocks visible light and a translucence for transmitting the infrared light. 
     In another aspect, the cosmetic panel is a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) material. 
     In another aspect, the cosmetic panel is a composite including germanium and/or silicon. 
     According to several aspects, a motor vehicle includes a body and a door, which is attached to the body and movable between open and closed positions. The motor vehicle further includes a lock device that is coupled to at least one of the door and the body. The lock device is movable to a locked state for holding the door in the closed position and an unlocked state where the door is movable to the open position. The motor vehicle further includes an actuator for moving the lock device between the locked and unlocked states. The motor vehicle further includes a facial recognition system having a camera assembly. The camera assembly includes a cosmetic panel that is adapted to be attached to one of the door and the body. The cosmetic panel has an outboard side and an inboard side facing one of the door and the body. The cosmetic panel is opaque to visible light and transmissive to an infrared light. The camera assembly further includes a single infrared camera that is adapted to be disposed adjacent to the inboard side of the cosmetic panel. The single infrared camera generates an image signal, in response to the single infrared camera receiving the infrared light transmitted through cosmetic panel. The facial recognition system further includes a processor coupled to the infrared camera. The facial recognition system further includes a memory including instructions, such that the processor is programmed to determine an image in response to the processor receiving the image signal from the infrared camera. The processor is further programmed to compare the image to at least one authorized image stored in the memory. The processor is further programmed to generate an actuation signal, in response to the processor determining that the image corresponds with the at least one authorized image. The actuator moves the lock device to the unlocked state, in response to the actuator receiving the actuation signal from the processor. 
     In one aspect, the body includes at least one of an A-pillar, a B-pillar, and a C-pillar, with the camera assembly attached to one of the A-pillar, the B-pillar, and the C-pillar. 
     In another aspect, the motor vehicle further includes a motor coupled to the processor, and the motor moves the door to the open position in response to the motor receiving the actuation signal from the processor. 
     In another aspect, the cosmetic panel includes a peripheral edge defining a perimeter and an intermediate portion spaced from the perimeter, with the single infrared camera attached to the intermediate portion such that the cosmetic panel covers the infrared camera. 
     In another aspect, the camera assembly further includes a header for attaching the single infrared camera to the intermediate portion of the cosmetic panel. 
     In another aspect, the camera assembly further includes an infrared illuminator disposed adjacent to the single infrared camera for emitting the infrared light through the intermediate portion of the cosmetic panel, such that an object facing the outboard side of the cosmetic panel reflects the infrared light back through intermediate portion to the infrared camera. 
     In another aspect, the cosmetic panel is a single-piece panel having an opacity that blocks visible light and a translucence for transmitting the infrared light. 
     In another aspect, the cosmetic panel is made of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) material. 
     In another aspect, the cosmetic panel is a composite including germanium and/or silicon. 
     According to several aspects, a method of is provided for operating a camera assembly of a facial recognition system for a motor vehicle. The camera assembly includes a cosmetic panel having an outboard side and an inboard side facing the motor vehicle. The camera assembly further includes a single infrared camera adapted to be disposed adjacent to the inboard side of the cosmetic panel. The method includes the cosmetic panel transmitting an infrared light to the infrared camera. The method further includes the cosmetic panel blocking a visible light from the infrared camera. The method further includes the single infrared camera generating an image signal, in response to the single infrared camera receiving the infrared light transmitted through cosmetic panel. 
     In one aspect, a header attaches the single infrared camera to an intermediate portion of the cosmetic panel that is spaced from a perimeter of the cosmetic panel, such that the cosmetic panel covers the infrared camera. 
     In another aspect, an infrared illuminator emitting the infrared light through the intermediate portion of the cosmetic panel, such that an object facing the outboard side of the cosmetic panel reflects the infrared light back through the intermediate portion to the infrared camera. 
     In another aspect, a processor determines an image, in response to the processor receiving the image signal from the infrared camera. The processor compares the image to one or more authorized images stored in a memory. The processor generates an actuation signal, in response to the processor determining that the image corresponds with one or more of the authorized images. An actuator moves the lock device to the unlocked state, in response to the actuator receiving the actuation signal from the processor. 
     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one example of a motor vehicle having an A-pillar, a B-pillar, a C-pillar, and a facial recognition system with a camera assembly integrated in one or more of the pillars. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the camera assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the camera assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the camera assembly of  FIG. 3 , as taken along line  4 - 4 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of one exemplary method of operating the facial recognition of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. Although the drawings represent examples, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain a particular aspect of an illustrative example. Any one or more of these aspects can be used alone or in combination within one another. Further, the exemplary illustrations described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limiting or restricting to the precise form and configuration shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description. Exemplary illustrations are described in detail by referring to the drawings as follows: 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one example of a motor vehicle  100  includes a body  102  having an A-pillar  104 , a B-pillar  106 , and a C-pillar  108 . The motor vehicle  100  further includes a door  110  attached to the body  102 , with the door  110  movable between an open position  112  and a closed position  114 . The motor vehicle  100  further includes a lock device  116  coupled to at least one of the door  110  and the body  102 , with the lock device  116  being movable to a locked state for holding the door in the closed position and an unlocked state where the door is movable to the open position. The motor vehicle  100  further includes an actuator  118  for moving the lock device  116  between the locked and unlocked states. The motor vehicle  100  further includes a facial recognition system  120  including one or more camera assemblies  122  as described in detail below. 
     The camera assembly  122  is attached to one of the A-pillar  104 , the B-pillar  106 , and the C-pillar  108 . While this example of the camera assembly  122  is integrated in the B-pillar, it is contemplated that the camera assembly can be integrated in the A-pillar, the C-pillar, a rear view mirror assembly, a reverse backup camera assembly, a brake light, other suitable portions of the vehicle, or any combination of the same. It is contemplated that the motor vehicle can have any number of camera assemblies. For instance, the motor vehicle can have a plurality of the camera assemblies for an associated one of doors, liftgates, trunk lids, hoods, compartment doors, or other closure panels. 
     As best shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the camera assembly  122  includes a cosmetic panel  124  adapted to be attached to one of the door  110  and the body  102  ( FIG. 1 ). The cosmetic panel  124  has an outboard side  126  and an inboard side  128  facing one of the door  110  and the body  102 , with the cosmetic panel  124  being opaque to visible light and transmissive to an infrared light. The cosmetic panel  124  includes a peripheral edge  130  defining a perimeter  132  and an intermediate portion  134  spaced from the perimeter  132 . The cosmetic panel  124  is a single-piece panel  136  having an opacity that blocks visible light and a translucence for transmitting the infrared light. The cosmetic panel  124  is made of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) material. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, or plexiglass, as well as by the trade names CRYLUX, PLEXIGLAS, ACRYLITE, ASTARIGLAS, LUCITE, PERCLAX, and PERSPEX, among several others. PMMA is a transparent thermoplastic often used in sheet form as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. In other examples, the cosmetic panel is a composite including at least one of germanium, silicon, sapphire (crystalline alumina), yttria, yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), opaque filters, e.g., Wratten 87, or other suitable materials. 
     The camera assembly  122  further includes a single infrared camera  138  adapted to be disposed adjacent to the inboard side  128  of the cosmetic panel  124  for generating an image signal, in response to the single infrared camera  138  receiving the infrared light transmitted through cosmetic panel  124 . The camera assembly  122  further includes a header  140  for attaching the single infrared camera  138  to the intermediate portion  134  of the cosmetic panel  124 , such that the cosmetic panel covers the infrared camera. It is contemplated that the camera assembly can have any suitable fastener for attaching the infrared camera to the vehicle and disposing the infrared camera adjacent to the intermediate portion of the cosmetic panel. The single infrared camera  138  is an infrared thermal imaging camera configured to capture thermal images in the spectrum of wavelengths from 800 nanometers to 2,500 nanometers with or without visible illumination. The single infrared camera  138  can detect thermal radiation from objects even in the lack of proper lighting and the presence of rain, snow, fog, smoke, and blowing sand or dust. 
     The camera assembly  122  further includes an infrared illuminator  142  or infrared light source disposed adjacent to the single infrared camera  138  for emitting the infrared light through the intermediate portion  134  of the cosmetic panel  124 , such that an object, e.g. an individual&#39;s face, facing the outboard side  126  of the cosmetic panel  124  reflects the infrared light through intermediate portion  134  to the infrared camera  138 . 
     The facial recognition system  120  further includes computer  144  having a processor  146  coupled to the infrared camera  138 . The computer  144  further includes a memory  148  including instructions such that the processor  146  is programmed to determine an image, in response to the processor  146  receiving the image signal from the infrared camera  138 . The processor  146  is further programmed to compare the image to at least one authorized image stored in the memory  148 . The processor  146  is further programmed to generate an actuation signal, in response to the processor  146  determining that the image corresponds with one or more authorized images, and the actuator  118  moves the lock device  116  to the unlocked state, in response to the actuator  118  receiving the actuation signal from the processor  146 . The facial recognition system  120  further includes a motor  150  coupled to the processor  146 . The motor  150  moves the door  110  to the open position, in response to the motor  150  receiving the actuation signal from the processor  146 . In this example, the processor  146  is an ECU of a Passive Entry Passive Start module (PEPS module), and the PEPS module and the associated facial recognition hardware and software may be native components of the motor vehicle adapted to communicate with the system  120  via a CAN interface. In other examples, the processor, the motor, the camera assembly, and other aforementioned components can be dedicated parts of a system that is independent from the PEPS module or other native systems of the vehicle. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a method  200  of operating the camera assembly  122  of the facial recognition system is provided. The method  200  commences at block  202  with the header  140  attaching the single infrared camera  138  to an intermediate portion  134  of the cosmetic panel  124  that is spaced from the perimeter  132  of the cosmetic panel  124 , such that the cosmetic panel  124  covers the infrared camera  138 . 
     At block  204 , the infrared illuminator  142  emits the infrared light through the intermediate portion  134  of the cosmetic panel  124 , such that an object, e.g. an individual&#39;s face, facing the outboard side  126  of the cosmetic panel  124  reflects the infrared light through intermediate portion  134  to the infrared camera  138 . The cosmetic panel  124  blocks the transmission of light in the visible spectrum and allows the transmission of infrared light, such that the infrared camera  138  is concealed by the cosmetic panel  124 . 
     At block  206 , the processor  146  determines an image, in response to the processor  146  receiving the image signal from the infrared camera  138 . 
     At block  208 , the processor  146  compares the image to one or more authorized images stored in the memory  148 . 
     At block  210 , the processor  146  generates the actuation signal, in response to the processor  146  determining that the image corresponds one or more of the authorized images. 
     At block  212 , the actuator  118  moves the locked device  116  to the unlocked state, in response to the actuator  118  receiving the actuation signal from the processor  146 . 
     At block  214 , the motor  150  moves the door  110  to the open position, in response to the motor  150  receiving the actuation signal from the processor  146 . 
     The system  120  includes a computer  144  having the processor  146  and memory  148 . Computers and computing devices generally include computer executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices such as those listed above. Computer executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of programming languages and/or technologies. Some of these applications may be compiled and executed on a virtual machine. In general, the processor  146  (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory  148 , a computer readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer readable media. A file in a computing device is generally a collection of data stored on a computer readable medium, such as a storage medium, a random-access memory, etc. 
     Memory  148  may include a computer readable medium (also referred to as a processor readable medium) that includes any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may include, for example, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes a main memory. Such instructions may be transmitted by one or more transmission media, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled to a processor of an ECU. Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read. 
     In some examples, system elements may be implemented as computer readable instructions (e.g., software) on one or more computing devices (e.g., servers, personal computers, etc.), stored on computer readable media associated therewith (e.g., disks, memories, etc.). A computer program product may comprise such instructions stored on computer readable media for carrying out the functions described herein. 
     With regard to the media, processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It further should be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, that other steps may be added, or that certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed so as to limit the claims. 
     Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims. 
     All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their plain and ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary. 
     The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the gist of the present disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.