Something to watch over me. (WIP).In the not too distant Future, vehicles will be outfitted with a host of tiny hidden cameras. Emerging driver assistance systems like lane keeping that warns drivers when they are straying across the yellow line, or obstacle avoidance In robotics, obstacle avoidance is the task of satisfying some control objective subject to non-intersection or non-collision position constraints. Normally obstacle avoidance is considered to be distinct from path planning in that one is usually implemented as a reactive control functions that notify drivers of nearby pedestrians, or even Facial monitoring that can detect drowsiness drows·i·ness n. A state of impaired awareness associated with a desire or inclination to sleep. Also called hypnesthesia. drowsiness Medtalk Semiconsciousness; grogginess, sleepiness , all revolve around Verb 1. revolve around - center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work" center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about diminutive cameras strategically embedded throughout a vehicle. (See 'Danger Ahead" on p. 46.) One problem with currently available cameras is that they are less effective in very bright or very dim light scenarios. In Fact, they can be temporarily blinded by big changes in light levels such as when a car emerges from a tunnel into bright sunlight. But Omron Automotive Electronics, Inc. (Novi, MI) has just introduced a technology that should help to alleviate this problem. The company's CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) camera can detect light levels over 120 dB--said to be a significant improvement over available units. According to Jerry Bricker, vp and general sales manager, Omron Automotive, "It provides vision similar to the human eye." The camera does this by logarithmically log·a·rithm n. Mathematics The power to which a base, such as 10, must be raised to produce a given number. If nx = a, the logarithm of a, with n as the base, is x; symbolically, logn a = x. converting optical images corrupted by high and low light levels into clear electrical images which are then fed into driver assistance systems. The camera is able to irradiate irradiate /ir·ra·di·ate/ (i-rad´e-at) to treat with radiant energy. ir·ra·di·ate v. 1. To expose to radiation, as for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. 2. near-infrared light to identify objects outside of headlight range. The CMOS camera is still early in the prototype stage of development. Omron expects it to hit the market late in this decade. The technology was originally developed at the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany], but Omron has acquired exclusive selling rights For the automotive market. |
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