Wide dynamic range vision sensor for vehicles

The dynamic range of brightness on road scenes is very wide, because the lighting condition dynamically varies with various weather and road conditions. Therefore, the dynamic range of conventional TV cameras is insufficient to input the images of road scenes. The authors have developed a method for expanding the dynamic range of TV cameras. Also, they have developed an experimental vision sensor system with a wide dynamic range based on the method applicable to the vision systems for vehicles. The effectiveness of the sensor in comparison with conventional TV cameras was confirmed from the experiments on highways under various lighting conditions. >