Patents by Inventor Dieter Krökel

Dieter Krökel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240233391
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for the detection and determination of the height of objects by means of an environment detection system, including a first environment detection sensor and a second environment detection sensor of a vehicle, wherein at least one of the environment detection sensors is a mono camera. The method includes the following steps: capturing a mono image using the camera; capturing an environment representation using the second environment detection sensor; carrying out object detection in the mono image; carrying out object detection in the environment representation of the second environment detection sensor; measuring the distance from the object in the environment representation of the second environment detection sensor; and carrying out height determination of the detected object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Applicant: Continental Autonomous Mobility Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Krökel, Jonathan Wache, Stefan Heinrich, Martin Pfitzer, Thomas Fechner
  • Publication number: 20240212186
    Abstract: A method for determining depth information relating to image information by an artificial neural network in a vehicle, comprising providing at least one emitter and first and second receiving sensors being spaced apart from one another; emitting electromagnetic radiation by the emitter; receiving reflected proportions of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter by the receiving sensors and generating first image information by the first receiving sensor and second image information by the second receiving sensor on the basis of the received reflected proportions; comparing the first and second image information for determining an image area unequally illuminated in the first and second image information which occurs by parallax due to the spaced-apart arrangement of the receiving sensors; evaluating geometric information of the unequally illuminated image area and estimating depth information by the artificial neural network on the basis of the evaluation of the geometric information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Inventors: Stefan HEINRICH, Dieter KRÖKEL, Thomas FECHNER, Heiko Gustav KURZ
  • Patent number: 12015840
    Abstract: A camera system and method for controlling same, including capturing images of surroundings of a vehicle for a driver assistance system thereof. The camera system includes a first rolling shutter camera having a first aperture angle, a second rolling shutter camera having a second aperture angle, and control electronics. The first and second cameras are suitable for generating wide-angle and tele camera images, respectively. The first aperture angle is greater than the second aperture angle. The two cameras are designed such that both camera images have an overlap region. The control electronics synchronizes the two cameras. The geometric arrangement of the two cameras with respect to one another, and the position of the overlap region in the wide-angle image and in the tele camera image, are determined by continuous estimation. The stored geometric arrangement and position are taken into consideration during synchronization of the first and second cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: CONTI TEMIC MICROELECTRONIC GMBH
    Inventors: Aless Lasaruk, Reik Müller, Simon Hachfeld, Dieter Krökel, Stefan Heinrich
  • Patent number: 12014632
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detecting beacons (4) in the surroundings of an ego vehicle (5), comprising the steps of: capturing (S1) a sequence of camera images (1) of a section of the surroundings by means of a-camera system (6) of the ego vehicle (5), detecting (S2) bright light spots in the recorded camera image (1), cutting out (S3) regions (3) containing the detected bright light spots in the camera image (1), classifying (S4) the cut-out regions (3), classing (S5) the bright light spots as beacons (4) if the classified bright light spots are detected repeatedly and therefore a threshold value of a counter is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: CONTI TEMIC MICROELECTRONIC GMBH
    Inventors: Elias Strigel, Martin Pfitzer, Stefan Heinrich, Dieter Kroekel
  • Publication number: 20240174260
    Abstract: A method for determining information about the ego-motion of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle comprises a stereo camera system with at least two cameras for capturing stereo images of the area surrounding the vehicle and an artificial neural network for processing the image information provided by the stereo camera system, wherein the stereo camera system captures image sequences which contain a plurality of image information at different points in time by means of the at least two cameras during the movement of the vehicle, wherein the artificial neural network receives the image information and, based thereon, generates stereo images with distance information, and the artificial neural network provides information regarding the ego-motion of the vehicle at an output interface on the basis of the image information of the stereo camera system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Publication date: May 30, 2024
    Inventors: Dieter KRÖKEL, Stefan HEINRICH, Thomas Fechner, Heiko Gustav Kurz
  • Publication number: 20240135720
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for the detection and determination of the height of objects by means of an environment detection system, including a first environment detection sensor and a second environment detection sensor of a vehicle, wherein at least one of the environment detection sensors is a mono camera. The method includes the following steps: capturing a mono image using the camera; capturing an environment representation using the second environment detection sensor; carrying out object detection in the mono image; carrying out object detection in the environment representation of the second environment detection sensor; measuring the distance from the object in the environment representation of the second environment detection sensor; and carrying out height determination of the detected object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Applicant: Continental Autonomous Mobility Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Krökel, Jonathan Wache, Stefan Heinrich, Martin Pfitzer, Thomas Fechner
  • Publication number: 20240096112
    Abstract: A method for creating a lane model by at least one first and at least one second environment detection sensor of an ego-vehicle, including: recording the environment of the ego-vehicle with the at least one first and the at least one second environment detection sensor; evaluating the sensor data from the sensor recording; determining a roadway from the sensor data; extracting detections of the at least one first environment detection sensor, which may be assigned to the roadway; estimating a ground plane and/or ground curvature based on the sensor data of the at least one first environment detection sensor; providing the estimation of the ground plane and/or ground curvature; creating a lane model, wherein the estimation of the ground plane and/or ground curvature as well as the sensor data of the at least one second environment detection sensor are fused to produce the lane model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Continental Autonomous Mobility Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Jonathan Wache, Dennis Kinder, Andreas Löffler, Dieter Krökel
  • Patent number: 11876540
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to an ADAS sensor data processing unit, to an ADAS sensor system and to an ADAS sensor data evaluation method for use in driver assistance systems or systems for the automated driving of a vehicle. The ADAS sensor data processing unit includes an input interface, a decompression module, a processing unit and an output unit. The input interface is designed to receive data of an ADAS sensor that have been subjected to lossy compression by a compression module. The decompression module is designed to decompress the compressed data of the ADAS sensor. The processing unit is designed to process the decompressed data (IdSD) of the ADAS sensor, information relevant to an ADAS/AD function being ascertained from the decompressed sensor data. The output unit is designed to output the ascertained information relevant to the ADAS function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Elias Strigel, Stefan Heinrich, Dieter Krökel, Thomas Fechner, Martin Pfitzer, Robert Thiel
  • Publication number: 20230421739
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and system for extracting disparity information out of a pair of stereo camera images for processing images of camera sensors for Automated Driving or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in a vehicle. The method includes: a) receiving a pair of unrectified stereo camera images, b) performing a 2D-matching of the received pair of images using a trained convolutional neural network and providing the 2D-displacement on a pixel-by-pixel level as disparity information, and c) outputting the 2D-displacement on pixel level. The method is robust which does not require a high precision rectification. Applying rectification on the disparity values after the matching process leads to reduced algorithmic complexity with simultaneous preservation of all information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Applicant: Continental Autonomous Mobility Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Fechner, Stefan Heinrich, Dieter Krökel, Elias Strigel
  • Publication number: 20220309776
    Abstract: A method for determining the roadway plane in the surrounding area of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a stereo camera system for capturing stereo images of the surrounding area of the vehicle and an artificial neural network for processing the image information provided by the stereo camera system, wherein the neural network determines disparity information of the surrounding area of the vehicle, wherein, on the basis of the disparity information, distance information is calculated which contains information regarding the distance of the objects displayed on the image information from the stereo camera system or the vehicle, wherein roadway distance information is extracted from the distance information, wherein the roadway plane is determined on the basis of the roadway distance information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Fechner, Stefan Heinrich, Dieter Krökel, Heiko Gustav Kurz
  • Publication number: 20220294467
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to an ADAS sensor data processing unit, to an ADAS sensor system and to an ADAS sensor data evaluation method for use in driver assistance systems or systems for the automated driving of a vehicle. The ADAS sensor data processing unit includes an input interface, a decompression module, a processing unit and an output unit. The input interface is designed to receive data of an ADAS sensor that have been subjected to lossy compression by a compression module. The decompression module is designed to decompress the compressed data of the ADAS sensor. The processing unit is designed to process the decompressed data (IdSD) of the ADAS sensor, information relevant to an ADAS/AD function being ascertained from the decompressed sensor data. The output unit is designed to output the ascertained information relevant to the ADAS function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Elias Strigel, Stefan Heinrich, Dieter Krökel, Thomas Fechner, Martin Pfitzer, Robert Thiel
  • Publication number: 20220038646
    Abstract: The invention relates to a camera system, and to a method for controlling the camera system, for capturing images of the surroundings of a vehicle for a driver assistance system of the vehicle. The camera system comprises a first rolling shutter camera (1) having a first aperture angle ?, a second rolling shutter camera (2) having a second aperture angle ?, and control electronics. The first camera (1) is suitable for generating a wide-angle camera image, that is, the first aperture angle ? is greater than the second aperture angle ? of the second camera (2) which is suitable for generating a tele camera image. The two cameras (1, 2) are designed in such a way that both camera images have an overlap region. The control electronics is configured to synchronize the two cameras (1, 2). The geometric arrangement of the two cameras (1, 2) with respect to one another, and the position of the overlap region (10) in the wide-angle image and in the tele camera image, are determined by means of continuous estimation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Aless Lasaruk, Reik Müller, Simon Hachfeld, Dieter Krökel, Stefan Heinrich
  • Patent number: 11159736
    Abstract: A camera device and a method are for optimally capturing a region surrounding a vehicle. The camera device includes an optronic unit and an image capturing control unit which are configured to acquire an image sequence of the surrounding region. The optronic unit includes a wide-angle lens and a high-resolution image acquisition sensor. The optronic unit and the image capturing control unit are configured to use at least two different exposure modes of the image acquisition sensor in combination with at least two different binning modes during the acquisition of the image sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Karsten Breuer, Dieter Kroekel
  • Patent number: 11146719
    Abstract: A stereo camera system for a driver assistance system includes a first camera having a first aperture angle and a second camera having a second aperture angle, wherein the first camera produces a wide-angle camera image, the second camera produces a telephoto camera image, and the two camera images have an area of overlap. The first camera is a rolling shutter camera and the second camera is a global shutter camera. The two cameras' shutters are synchronized with one another in particular manners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Kroekel, Stefan Hegemann, Stefan Heinrich, Simon Hachfeld, Aless Lasaruk, Reik Mueller
  • Patent number: 11116076
    Abstract: A flexible conductor track (10) for connecting electronic modules, includes conductor track structures (12), two connecting regions (14, 16) for electrically connecting the conductor track structures (12) to corresponding conductor tracks of electronic modules, and at least one long slit (18, 20) in a region (11) in the conductor track (10) located between the two connecting regions. At least one of the connecting regions is designed to be connected to a corresponding connecting region of an electronic module by anisotropic conductive film adhesive (ACFA) bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Konrad Rothenhaeusler, Franz Pfeiffer, Thilo Berg, Jos Becher, Andreas Schleinkofer, Martin Vallendor, Matthias Dropmann, Oscar Torres Alsina, Steffen Goermer, Patrick Albrecht, Hendrik Powileit, Dieter Kroekel
  • Patent number: 11073379
    Abstract: A camera device for a vehicle for 3-D environment sensing includes at least two camera modules having at least partly overlapping sensing ranges, a camera control unit, an evaluation unit and a point light projector. The point light projector is arranged and configured in such a way that the point light projector projects a light pattern of measurement points into the vehicle environment. The at least two camera modules are arranged and configured in such a way that at least part of the projected light pattern is imaged in the overlapping sensing range. The evaluation unit is configured to determine the 3-D position of measurement points in the vehicle environment from image data captured with the at least two camera modules. The point light projector is configured to produce a series of “pseudo-noise patterns” as the light pattern, the “pseudo-noise patterns” being projected into the vehicle environment in temporal succession.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Inventors: Stefan Heinrich, Joachim Massen, Dieter Krökel, Thomas Fechner
  • Patent number: 11007936
    Abstract: A camera system for a vehicle includes a camera and an image evaluating unit. The camera is arranged in an interior of the vehicle behind a windowpane of the vehicle so that the camera can record an image sequence with a plurality of external recordings of external surroundings of the vehicle through the windowpane. The image evaluating unit is adapted to detect static image components that are projected into the external recordings by reflections on the windowpane, and to extract the detected static image components from the external recordings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Fechner, Karsten Breuer, Dieter Kroekel
  • Publication number: 20210089797
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detecting beacons (4) in the surroundings of an ego vehicle (5), comprising the steps of: capturing (S1) a sequence of camera images (1) of a section of the surroundings by means of a-camera system (6) of the ego vehicle (5), detecting (S2) bright light spots in the recorded camera image (1), cutting out (S3) regions (3) containing the detected bright light spots in the camera image (1), classifying (S4) the cut-out regions (3), classing (S5) the bright light spots as beacons (4) if the classified bright light spots are detected repeatedly and therefore a threshold value of a counter is exceeded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Elias STRIGEL, Martin PFITZER, Stefan HEINRICH, Dieter KROEKEL
  • Publication number: 20210084210
    Abstract: The invention relates to a camera device (1) and a method for optimally capturing a region surrounding a vehicle. The camera device comprises: an optronic unit and an image capturing control unit (3) which are designed to acquire an image sequence (21, 22, 23; 31, 32, 33) of the surrounding region, wherein the optronic unit comprises a wide-angle lens and a high-resolution image acquisition sensor (2), and the optronic unit and the image capturing control unit (3) are designed to use at least two different exposure modes of the image acquisition sensor in combination with at least two different binning modes during the acquisition of the image sequence (21, 22, 23; 31, 32, 33).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Karsten BREUER, Dieter KROEKEL
  • Patent number: 10869002
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle camera device for capturing the surroundings of a motor vehicle, having a first and a second optronic unit, wherein the first and second optronic units each comprise an optical device and an image sensor, wherein the first optronic unit is designed to capture a first detection area and the second optronic unit is designed to capture a second detection area of the surroundings, wherein the first and second optronic units have different image angles with an overlapping section of the detection areas, wherein the overlapping section which is captured by the first optronic unit has a different angular resolution from the rest of the first detection area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventor: Dieter Krökel