Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Using multiple exposures to improve image processing for autonomous vehicles
-
Application No.: US13960969Application Date: 2013-08-07
-
Publication No.: US09654738B1Publication Date: 2017-05-16
- Inventor: David I. Ferguson , Abhijit S. Ogale
- Applicant: Google Inc.
- Applicant Address: US CA Mountain View
- Assignee: Waymo LLC
- Current Assignee: Waymo LLC
- Current Assignee Address: US CA Mountain View
- Agency: Lerner, David, Littenberg, Krumholz & Mentlik, LLP
- Main IPC: H04N7/18
- IPC: H04N7/18 ; B60R1/00 ; G06K9/00

Abstract:
The invention relates to collecting different images using different camera parameters. As an example, a single camera may capture two different types of images: a dark exposure for light emitting objects and a normal exposure for passive objects. The camera may first capture an image. This first image may be processed to determine the ideal camera settings for capturing the average intensity of the environment. Fixed offset values may be added to these ideal camera settings and the dark exposure may be captured. The ideal camera settings are then used to capture a normal exposure, which in turn may be processed to determine new ideal camera settings. Again, the fixed offset values may be added to the new ideal camera settings and a dark exposure is captured. This process may repeat continuously and periodically, and the resulting images may be processed to identify emissive and passive objects.
Information query