IP Library Granted Patent US 12,275,437
Granted Patent B1
US 12,275,437 · App. 18/502,300 · Granted Apr 15, 2025

Modifying autonomous vehicle cameras based on detected lighting boundaries

Inventors: John Hayes (Mountain View, CA); Volkmar Uhlig (Cupertino, CA); Nima Soltani (Los Gatos, CA)
Assignee: Applied Intuition, Inc.
B60W60/0025B60W50/06G06N5/04B60W2420/403
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,275,437
App. No.
18/502,300
Granted
Apr 15, 2025
Kind
B1
Abstract

Modifying autonomous vehicle sensors cameras based on detected lighting boundaries, including: determining, based on video data, that a vehicle will pass through a lighting boundary; determining, based on the video data, that an illumination of a predicted input to a camera of the vehicle after passing the lighting boundary falls outside a range of illumination based on a current exposure setting of the camera; and modifying, in response to determining that the illumination of the predicted input falls outside the range of illumination, an exposure setting of one or more cameras.

Claims (32)

1. A method comprising:

determining, based on video data, that a vehicle will pass through a lighting boundary;

determining, based on the video data, that an illumination of a predicted input to a camera of the vehicle after passing the lighting boundary falls outside an operating range of the camera, wherein the operating range of the camera comprises a range of illumination based on a current exposure setting of the camera;

modifying, in response to determining that the illumination of the predicted input falls outside the operating range of the camera, an exposure setting of a second camera distinct from the camera; and

modifying, after modifying the exposure setting, a switched fabric to provide video data to the vehicle from the second camera instead of the camera.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a time when the vehicle will pass through the lighting boundary; and

wherein modifying the exposure setting of the one or more cameras comprises modifying the exposure setting of the second camera based on the determined time.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating the modified exposure setting based on the illumination of the predicted input.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the modified exposure setting from a selection of exposure settings.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein selecting the modified exposure setting from the selection of exposure settings is based on the illumination of the predicted input.

6. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

determining, based on video data, that a vehicle will pass through a lighting boundary;

determining, based on the video data, that an illumination of a predicted input to a camera of the vehicle after passing the lighting boundary falls outside an operating range of the camera, wherein the operating range of the camera comprises a range of illumination based on a current exposure setting of the camera;

modifying, in response to determining that the illumination of the predicted input falls outside the operating range of the camera, an exposure setting of a second camera distinct from the camera; and

modifying, after modifying the exposure setting, a switched fabric to provide video data to the vehicle from the second camera instead of the camera.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the steps further comprise:

determining a time when the vehicle will pass through the lighting boundary; and

wherein modifying the exposure setting of the one or more cameras comprises modifying the exposure setting of the second camera based on the determined time.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the steps further comprise calculating the modified exposure setting based on the illumination of the predicted input.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the steps further comprise selecting the modified exposure setting from a selection of exposure settings.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein selecting the modified exposure setting from the selection of exposure settings is based on the illumination of the predicted input.

11. A computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system of an autonomous vehicle to carry out the steps of:

determining, based on video data, that a vehicle will pass through a lighting boundary;

determining, based on the video data, that an illumination of a predicted input to a camera of the vehicle after passing the lighting boundary falls outside an operating range of the camera, wherein the operating range of the camera comprises a range of illumination based on a current exposure setting of the camera;

modifying, in response to determining that the illumination of the predicted input falls outside the operating range of the camera, an exposure setting of a second camera distinct from the camera; and

modifying, after modifying the exposure setting, a switched fabric to provide video data to the vehicle from the second camera instead of the camera.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the steps further comprise:

determining a time when the vehicle will pass through the lighting boundary; and

wherein modifying the exposure setting of the one or more cameras comprises modifying the exposure setting of the second camera based on the determined time.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the steps further comprise calculating the modified exposure setting based on the illumination of the predicted input.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the steps further comprise selecting the modified exposure setting from a selection of exposure settings.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2024
From: GHOST AUTONOMY, INC.
To: APPLIED INTUITION, INC.
Reel/Frame 068982/0647 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 6, 2023
From: HAYES, JOHN; UHLIG, VOLKMAR; SOLTANI, NIMA
To: GHOST AUTONOMY INC.
Reel/Frame 065467/0389 →
Continuity (1)
Continuation 16906305 · Jun 19, 2020
References Cited (18)
US 10097746B2 · Lasher et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10379535B2 · Migneco et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10712742B2 · Valois · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11468285B1 · Tang et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20060208169A1 · Breed et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20150253772A1 · Solyom et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20180032075A1 · Valois · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180205944A1 · Seo et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190180118A1 · Kraeling et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190180502A1 · Englard et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190243376A1 · Davis · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200086879A1 · Lakshmi Narayanan · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200164814A1 · Solar et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200356835A1 · Robinson et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210029287A1 · Lee · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210394795A1 · Hayes et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020178193A · 2019 [cited by examiner]
O'Malley et al., “Vision-based detection and tracking of vehicles to the rear with perspective correction in low-light conditions”, 2010 IET Intelligent Transport Systems, vol. 5, Issue 1, pp. 1-10. [cited by applicant]