An imaging system for a vehicle includes an imaging device having a field of view exteriorly and forward of the vehicle in its direction of travel, and an image processor operable to process the captured images in accordance with an algorithm. The algorithm comprises a sign recognition routine and a character recognition routine. The image processor processes the image data captured by the imaging device to detect signs in the field of view of the imaging device and applies the sign recognition routine to determine a sign type of the detected sign. The image processor is operable to apply the character recognition routine to the image data to determine information on the detected sign. The image processor applies the character recognition routine to the captured images in response to an output of the sign recognition routine being indicative of the detected sign being a sign type of interest.

Imaging system for vehicle

A forward-facing vision system for a vehicle includes a forward-facing camera disposed in a windshield electronics module attached at a windshield of the vehicle and viewing through the windshield. A control includes a processor that, responsive to processing of captured image data, detects taillights of leading vehicles during nighttime conditions and, responsive to processing of captured image data, detects lane markers on a road being traveled by the vehicle. The control, responsive to lane marker detection and a determination that the vehicle is drifting out of a traffic lane, may control a steering system of the vehicle to mitigate such drifting, with the steering system manually controllable by a driver of the vehicle irrespective of control by the control. The processor, based at least in part on detection of lane markers via processing of captured image data, determines curvature of the road being traveled by the vehicle.

Vision system for vehicle

A vehicular vision system includes a camera having a lens and a CMOS photosensor array having a plurality of photosensor elements. The camera is disposed at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular vision system. The camera one of (i) views exterior of the equipped vehicle through the windshield of the equipped vehicle and forward of the equipped vehicle and (ii) views from the windshield of the equipped vehicle into the interior cabin of the equipped vehicle. A control includes an image processor that processes image data captured by the photosensor array. The image processor processes captured image data to detect an object viewed by the camera. The photosensor array is operable at a plurality of exposure periods and at least one exposure period of the plurality of exposure periods is dynamically variable.

Vehicular vision system

An electro-optical device having a plurality of pixels including a plurality of EL elements, wherein the electro-optical device provides a gray scale display by controlling a period of time at which the plurality of the EL elements emit light in one frame period; the plurality of the EL elements have a first electrode and a second electrode; the first electrode is held at a constant potential; and a potential of the second electrode changes in such a manner that a polarity of an EL driving voltage, which is a difference between the potentials applied to the first and second electrodes, is inverted for each one frame period.

Electro-optical device

Light from an image displayed on a display screen (10) is transmitted to an observer's eye (11) by way of a dynamic optical element (12) (such as a spatial light modulator or an electrically switchable holographic composite) which acts as a lens. Emitters (17) on the display screen (10) emit infrared radiation which is projected by the dynamic lens (12) as a broad wash onto the eye (11). Infrared radiation reflected back from the eye (11) is focused by the dynamic lens (12) onto detectors (18) also provided on the display screen (10). The detectors (18) are thus able to sense the direction of eye gaze, and the dynamic lens (12) is controlled in dependence on this to create an area of high resolution in an area of interest centred on the direction of gaze, which is moved to follow the eye gaze as its direction alters. Other than in the area of interest, the dynamic lens (12) has a relatively low resolution.

Method of and apparatus for viewing an image

An image display device comprises an optical imaging arrangement for providing image information to illumination light and for transmitting the light as an optical image signal; a display for receiving the optical image signal and for displaying an image based on the image information; and a projecting optical arrangement including a reflecting part having a reflecting surface for reflecting the optical image signal, and a refracting optical part having a refracting surface for projecting the optical image signal onto the reflecting part. At least one of the reflecting surface and the refracting surface is aspherical.

Image display device and adjustment for alignment

The projection-type display device has a light source emitting a parallel luminous flux, a liquid crystal light valve disposed on the luminous flux and outputs a rectangular two-dimensional image to be projected on a screen, and a projection lens magnifying the rectangular two-dimensional image output. The light source has a first concave mirror (parabolic mirror) the reflective surface of which is oriented in the direction of emission of the luminous flux, a lamp laced in front of the first concave mirror, and a second concave mirror (parabolic mirror or spherical mirror), the reflective surface of which is oriented toward the first concave mirror. In the second concave mirror is formed an aperture window, which is a rectangle of substantially similar to that of the liquid crystal light valve and emits a rectangular luminous flux. The beam from the lamp is reflected by the first concave mirror, and one or more times by the second concave mirror, becoming a parallel beam oriented in the direction of the optical axis. The parallel light beam is made into a luminous flux of rectangular cross section by the rectangular aperture window. Accordingly, luminous flux is not blocked wastefully, but serves to increase the brightness of the projected image.

Projection-type display device having light source means including a first and second concave mirrors

A regulator means (8) or (9) for varying the distance on the optical axis between a light source (1) such as a semiconductor laser and a condenser (2) is provided in an optical head device. A spherical aberration component, which is a fault inherent in an optical system, can be offset by the spherical aberration caused by the operation of the regulator means, to thereby reduce the wavefront aberration included in a condensed beam, whereby the aberration characteristics and the condensation performance of the condenser system are improved.

Optical head device

In a light source apparatus for use with a projection type display, at least one light source is provided for emitting light. A reflector is provided correspondingly to the light source in order to gather the light emitted from the light source into a small area to form a converged luminous flux. A light guide has at least one light input section into which the luminous flux is coupled. The light input section is provided correspondingly to the light source. The light guide combines the luminous flux received through the light input sections into a single beam of luminous flux. The light-guide has at least one light output section from which said luminous flux is output. The light source apparatus may also include light-refracting element provided between the reflector and the light-guide. The light-refracting element receives the converged luminous flux from the reflector to refract the converged luminous flux so as to couple the converged luminous flux, as a uniform luminous flux, into the light-guide.

Projection type display

A light source device including a light emitting element emits a luminous flux, which is converged by a reflecting mirror. A conical light-refracting element receives the luminous flux converged by the reflecting mirror and changes the cone angle of the luminous flux. The luminous flux exiting the conical light-refracting element is diffused by a holographic diffuser and is then converged by at least one lens. The reflecting mirror may have an elliptic curvature or a parabolic curvature. The light source device is also used to form a projector for a projection type display apparatus. In the projector, the luminous flux emitted from the light source device may be separated by color separators into a plurality of colors of light. Then, each color of light is directed to the corresponding one of a plurality of light valves. Then, a color synthesizer synthesizes the colors of light emitted from the light valves into a composite image which in turn is projected onto a screen. A plurality of such projectors are used to construct a multiscreen projection type display system where each of the projectors projects a corresponding image. At least one reflecting mirror for bending a corresponding one of the images is included in the multiscreen projection type display system. The reflecting mirror projects the image onto a screen so that the images emitted from the plurality of projectors are combined into a composite image on the screen.

Shinsuke Shikama

Papers

Image display device and adjustment for alignment

Projection-type display device having light source means including a first and second concave mirrors

Optical head device

Projection type display

Projection type display including a holographic diffuser