Method for Detecting Lost Image Information, Control Apparatus for Carrying Out a Method of this Kind, Detection Device Having a Control Apparatus of this Kind and Motor Vehicle Having a Detection Device of this Kind

Abstract

A method for detecting lost image information via a lighting device and an optical sensor. The lighting device and the optical sensor are controlled so as to be chronologically aligned with each other. A visible spacing region in an observation region of the optical sensor is determined from the chronological alignment of the control of the lighting device and the optical sensor. A recording of the observation region with the optical sensor is generated via the aligned control. Image information is identified in the recording in regions outside of the spacing region visible in the image, so as to make the identified image information accessible.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A method for detecting lost image information by means of a lighting device and an optical sensor, comprising: controlling the lighting device and the optical sensor so as to be chronologically aligned with each other; determining a visible spacing region in an observation region of the optical sensor from the chronological alignment of the control of the lighting device and the optical sensor; generating a recording of the observation region with the optical sensor via the aligned control; and identifying image information in the recording in regions outside of the spacing region visible in the image, so as to make the identified image information accessible.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: generating a line histogram is over all the image lines allocated to an evaluation region in the observation region on the optical sensor via a summation of the lighting intensities per image line of the optical sensor for an identification of the spacing region visible in the image; determining a start image line and an end image line via the line histogram; and identifying the regions of the recording outside of the spacing region visible in the image via the start image line and the end image line.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the search for and the detection of the image information is carried out by means of pattern recognition.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the search for and the detection of the image information is carried out by means of deep learning.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the detected image information is restored and saved.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein two recordings are recorded with the optical sensor by means of two differently chronologically aligned controls, and wherein the recordings and the detected image information are combined into a complete recording.

16. A control apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to carry out the method of claim 10.

17. A detection device, comprising: a lighting device; an optical sensor; and the control apparatus of claim 16.

18. A motor vehicle, comprising: the detection device of claim 17.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a schematic depiction of an exemplary embodiment of a motor vehicle having an exemplary embodiment of a detection device;

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a schematic depiction of a recording that is recorded within an embodiment of the method with an optical sensor, and

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a schematic depiction of a line histogram that is used in an embodiment of the method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a schematic depiction of an exemplary embodiment of a motor vehicle 1 having an exemplary embodiment of a detection device 3. The detection device 3 has a lighting device 5 and an optical sensor 7. The detection device 3 also has a control apparatus 9 that is only schematically depicted here, and that is operatively connected in a manner not explicitly depicted to the lighting device 5 and the optical sensor 7 for their respective control. A lighting frustum 11 of the lighting device 5 and an observation region 13 of the optical sensor 7 are in particular depicted in FIG. 1.

[0036] A visible spacing region 15 is additionally depicted in a hatched manner, said spacing region being a partial quantity of the observation region 13 of the optical sensor 7.

[0037] A traffic sign 17 is arranged in the visible spacing region 15. A traffic sign 19 is arranged outside of the visible spacing region 15.

[0038] A beginning 21 and an end 23 of the visible spacing region 15 are also indicated in FIG. 1.

[0039] The control apparatus 9 is in particular equipped to carry out an embodiment, described in more detail in the following, of a method for detecting lost image information in a recording 25 generated by means of a lighting device 5 and an optical sensor 7.

[0040] The lighting device 5 and the optical sensor 7 are here controlled in a manner chronologically aligned with each other, wherein a visible spacing region 15 in the observation region 13 is given from the chronological alignment of the control of the lighting device 5 and the optical sensor 7. A recording of the observation region 13 is recorded with the optical sensor 7 by using the aligned control.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a schematic depiction of a recording 25 of this kind in an image plane of the optical sensor 7. A start image line 27 for the beginning 21 and an end image line 29 for the end 23 of the visible spacing region 15 in the recording 25 is here depicted in FIG. 2. The images of the traffic signs 17 and 19 are also depicted in the recording 25. The image of the traffic sign 17 is denoted with 17′, and the image of the traffic sign 19 is denoted with 19′ in the recording 25. No markings can be seen in the image of the traffic sign 17′ due to the retroreflecting property of the traffic signs 17 and 19. The traffic sign 19 was located in the visible spacing region on the object a few moments before the recording 25 was created. The markings can be clearly recognised in the image of the traffic sign 19′ via the photoluminescent property of the traffic sign 19.

[0042] A method for detecting lost image information is then used in the regions above the end image line 29 and below the start image line 27 in order to search for image information, preferably objects having a photoluminescent property. If image information 19′ is found then this image information is detected and made available to the control apparatus 9, and thus to the motor vehicle 1 and/or to the driver.

[0043] The method for searching for and detecting lost image information is preferably based on pattern recognition or deep learning.

[0044] An evaluation region 31 is additionally indicated in FIG. 2 that can in particular be determined via a GPS preview and/or via a method for optical lane tracking. The evaluation region 31 is here smaller as an area of interest than the observation region 13. It can also coincide with said observation region.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a schematic depiction of a line histogram 33 of the recording 25 according to FIG. 2 or the evaluation region 31 of the recording 25. The individual image lines of the optical sensor 7 are plotted on the abscissa in this line histogram 33, wherein a sum of the lighting intensities per image point over all the image points of the respective image line in the evaluation region 31 is plotted on the ordinates for each image line. This line histogram 33 is created over all the image lines assigned to the evaluation region 31 on the optical sensor 7 by means of summation of the lighting intensities per image line of the optical sensor 7. The start image line 27 and the end image line 29 are then provided by means of the line histogram 33, wherein clear jumps can be recognised in intensity in the start image line 27, on the one hand, and in the end image line 29, on the other, in particular due to the chronologically aligned control of the lighting device 5 and the optical sensor 7.