1. A mutual exclusion mechanism for a hazardous machine, wherein at least a portion of the machine and at least a portion of an operator can move into and out of a mutual exclusion zone during operation of the machine, but not at the same time, the mechanism comprising:
a sensor that detects a first entrance of one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the mutual exclusion zone via any of a plurality of border segments bordering the mutual exclusion zone, wherein the sensor and the mutual exclusion zone do not move with the moving portion of the machine; and
a controller that receives information from the sensor regarding the first entrance into the mutual exclusion zone, and controls the machine based on a second entrance of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the mutual exclusion zone via a second segment bordering the mutual exclusion zone, wherein when a portion of the operator enters the mutual exclusion zone the controller prevents a portion of the machine from entering the mutual exclusion zone until the portion of the operator exits the mutual exclusion zone, at which time the controller allows the portion of the machine to enter the mutual exclusion zone.
2. The mutual exclusion mechanism of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises multiple sensors.
3. The mutual exclusion mechanism of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a safety camera.
4. The mutual exclusion mechanism of claim 1 wherein the sensor also detects the presence of one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine within the mutual exclusion zone.
5. The mutual exclusion mechanism of claim 1 wherein the controller tracks multiple states of the mutual exclusion zone selected from the group consisting of safe, empty and unsafe.
6. A mutual exclusion mechanism for a hazardous machine, wherein at least a portion of the machine and at least a portion of an operator can move into and out of a mutual exclusion zone during operation of the machine, the mechanism comprising:
a sensor that detects a first entrance of one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the mutual exclusion zone via any of a plurality of border segments bordering the mutual exclusion zone, wherein the sensor and the mutual exclusion zone do not move with the moving portion of the machine;
a controller that receives information from the sensor regarding the first entrance into the mutual exclusion zone, and controls the machine based on a second entrance of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the mutual exclusion zone via a second segment bordering the mutual exclusion zone; and
wherein the controller generates a trigger list of further segments bordering the mutual exclusion zone when one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine have entered the mutual exclusion zone via one segment.
7. The mutual exclusion mechanism of claim 6 wherein entrance by a second of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into a segment on the trigger list results in generation of a safety violation.
8. The mutual exclusion mechanism of claim 6 wherein some segments are on the trigger list prior to any segment being entered.
9. A mutual exclusion mechanism for a hazardous machine, wherein at least a portion of the machine and at least a portion of an operator can move into and out of a mutual exclusion zone during operation of the machine, the mechanism comprising:
a sensor that detects a first entrance of one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the mutual exclusion zone via any of a plurality of border segments bordering the mutual exclusion zone, wherein the sensor and the mutual exclusion zone do not move with the moving portion of the machine;
a controller that receives information from the sensor regarding the first entrance into the mutual exclusion zone, and controls the machine based on a second entrance of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the mutual exclusion zone via a second segment bordering the mutual exclusion zone; and
wherein the sensor also detects the presence of one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine within the mutual exclusion zone, the controller generates a trigger list of further segments bordering the mutual exclusion zone when one of the portion of the operator and the portion of the machine have entered the mutual exclusion zone via one segment, and wherein entrance by a second of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into a segment on the trigger list results in generation of a safety violation.
10. A method for detecting an object entering a region of interest and controlling entry of objects into the region of interest, the method comprising:
providing a controller and a sensor;
the controller defining a border of the region of interest;
the controller defining two or more border segments of the border;
the controller identifying a set of permissible border segments through which access to the region is permissible;
the sensor sensing when a permissible segment of the border has been crossed; and
the controller determining the set of permissible border segments through which further access to the region is permissible based on which segment of the border has already been crossed.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein after the region of interest has been accessed via a border segment, the set of border segments through which further access to the region is permissible only includes the border segment through which the region of interest has already been accessed.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
the controller restoring the set of permissible border segments through which access to the region of interest is permissible to its initial state when the sensor senses that the interior of the region of interest is no longer occupied.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the sensor includes a camera and the border crossing and occupancy determinations are made using the camera.
14. A method of controlling a machine, wherein at least a portion of the machine and at least a portion of an operator can move into and out of a predefined mutual exclusion zone during operation of the machine, but not at the same time, the method comprising:
providing a controller and a sensor;
detecting with the sensor whether the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine have entered the predefined mutual exclusion zone;
if the sensor has detected that the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine has entered the mutual exclusion zone, monitoring with the sensor whether one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are still in the predefined mutual exclusion zone; and
if one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are still in the predefined mutual exclusion zone, controlling the machine with the controller based on the entrance of the other of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the predefined mutual exclusion zone such that only one of either the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are positioned within the predefined mutual exclusion zone at any given time, such that if a portion of the operator is in the mutual exclusion zone, the controller prevents the machine from entering the mutual exclusion zone until the portion of the operator leaves the mutual exclusion zone, at which time the controller allows the machine to enter the mutual exclusion zone.
15. A method of detecting a hazardous condition for an operator of a machine, wherein at least a portion of the machine and at least a portion of the operator can move into and out of a fixed mutual exclusion zone during operation of the machine, but not at the same time, the method comprising:
monitoring the fixed mutual exclusion zone with a sensor;
detecting with the sensor whether the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine have entered the fixed mutual exclusion zone;
if the sensor has detected that the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine has entered the fixed mutual exclusion zone, monitoring whether one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are still in the fixed mutual exclusion zone; and
if one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are still in the fixed mutual exclusion zone, a controller generating a signal based on the entrance of the other of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the fixed mutual exclusion zone;
wherein once the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine leaves the fixed mutual exclusion zone, the other of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are allowed to enter the fixed mutual exclusion zone.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the signal comprises a stop machine signal or a safety warning signal.
17. An apparatus for controlling the operation of a machine, wherein at least a portion of the machine and at least a portion of an operator can move into and out of a defined mutual exclusion zone during operation of the machine, but not at the same time, comprising:
a detector for detecting whether the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine have entered the defined mutual exclusion zone;
a controller coupled to the detector for monitoring whether one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are still in the defined mutual exclusion zone, and if one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine are still in the mutual exclusion zone, deactivating the machine if the other of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine enter into the defined mutual exclusion zone, wherein if the portion of the operator enters the mutual exclusion zone and then exits, the controller allows the portion of the machine to enter the mutual exclusion zone.
18. A mutual exclusion mechanism for a hazardous machine, wherein at least a portion of the machine and at least a portion of an operator can move into and out of a predefined mutual exclusion zone during operation of the machine, but not at the same time, the mechanism comprising:
a sensor that detects a first entrance of one of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the predefined mutual exclusion zone; and
a controller that receives information from the sensor regarding the first entrance into the mutual exclusion zone, and deactivates the machine based on a second entrance of the portion of the operator or the portion of the machine into the mutual exclusion zone such that the machine is activated when only one of either the portion of the machine or the portion of the operator are within the predefined mutual exclusion zone.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An imaging system, comprising:
an array of image sensor pixels, wherein the array of image sensor pixels comprises:
a first group of image sensor pixels configured to generate first image signals in response to light of a first color;
a second group of image sensor pixels configured to generate second image signals in response to light of a second color that is different from the first color;
a third group of image sensor pixels configured to generate third image signals in response to light of at least two colors; and
a group of infrared image sensor pixels configured to generate infrared image signals in response to infrared light.
2. The imaging system defined in claim 1, wherein the at least two colors are selected from a group consisting of: red, green, and blue.
3. The imaging system defined in claim 2, wherein the array of image sensor pixels comprises a plurality of repeating unit cells of image sensor pixels, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises a first image sensor pixel from the first group of image sensor pixels, a second image sensor pixel from the second group of image sensor pixels, a third image sensor pixel from the third group of image sensor pixels, and an infrared image sensor pixel from the group of infrared image sensor pixels.
4. The imaging system defined in claim 3, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises an additional infrared image sensor pixel from the group of infrared image sensor pixels.
5. The imaging system defined in claim 4, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises eight image sensor pixels arranged in first and second rows, wherein the first row comprises a first pair of image sensor pixels from the third group, and wherein the second row comprises a second pair of image sensor pixels from the third group.
6. The imaging system defined in claim 4, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises eight image sensor pixels arranged in first and second columns, wherein the first column comprises a first pair of image sensor pixels from the third group, and wherein the second column comprises a second pair of image sensor pixels from the third group.
7. The imaging system defined in claim 3, wherein the array of image sensor pixels further comprises:
a fourth group of image sensor pixels configured to generate fourth image signals in response to light of a third color that is different from the first and second colors, and wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells further comprises:
a fourth image sensor pixel from the fourth group of image sensor pixels.
8. The imaging system defined in claim 7, wherein the first image sensor pixel comprises a red image sensor pixel, wherein the second image sensor pixel comprises a blue image sensor pixel, wherein the fourth image sensor pixel comprises a green image sensor pixel, and wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises three additional image sensor pixels from the third group of image sensor pixels.
9. The imaging system defined in claim 7, wherein the first image sensor pixel comprises a red image sensor pixel, wherein the second image sensor pixel comprises a blue image sensor pixel, wherein the fourth image sensor pixel comprises a green image sensor pixel, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells further comprises:
an additional red image sensor pixel;
an additional blue image sensor pixel;
an additional green image sensor pixel;
an additional infrared image sensor pixel; and
seven additional image sensor pixels from the third group of image sensor pixels.
10. The imaging system defined in claim 9, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises sixteen image sensor pixels arranged in first, second, third, and fourth rows, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth rows of image sensor pixels comprises a respective pair of image sensor pixels from the third group of image sensor pixels.
11. The imaging system defined in claim 7, further comprising:
processing circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform filtering operations on the first, second, third, and fourth image signals that increase noise correlations associated with first, second, third, and fourth image signals.
12. The imaging system defined in claim 3, wherein the first image sensor pixel comprises a red image sensor pixel, wherein the second image sensor pixel comprises a blue image sensor pixel, and wherein the third image sensor pixel comprises a clear image sensor pixel.
13. A method of generating images with an imaging system, wherein the imaging system comprises an array of image sensor pixels arranged in a plurality of repeating unit cells of image sensor pixels, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises a first, second, third, and fourth image sensor pixel, the method comprising:
with the first image sensor pixel, capturing first image signals in response to light of a first color;
with the second image sensor pixel, capturing second image signals in response to light of a second color that is different from the first color;
with the third image sensor pixel, capturing third image signals in response to light of at least two of the first color, the second color, and a third color that is different from the first and second colors; and
with the fourth image sensor pixel, capturing infrared image signals in response to infrared light.
14. The method defined in claim 13, wherein the imaging system further comprises processing circuitry, the method further comprising:
with the processing circuitry, performing chroma demosaicking operations on the captured first, second, and third image signals to form first, second, and third sets of image data.
15. The method defined in claim 14, further comprising:
with the processing circuitry, performing infrared light contamination subtraction operations on the first, second, and third sets of image data.
16. The method defined in claim 14, further comprising:
with the processing circuitry, applying a color correction matrix to the first, second, and third sets of image data to generate standard red, standard green, and standard blue image data; and
with the processing circuitry, performing point filter operations on the standard red, standard green, and standard blue image data.
17. The method defined in claim 16, further comprising:
with the processing circuitry, computing a weighted sum of the captured first, second, third and infrared image signals to generate an original luminance value; and
with the processing circuitry, performing the point filter operations on the standard red, standard green, and standard blue image data based on the generated original luminance value.
18. The method defined in claim 13, further comprising:
with the processing circuitry, performing demosaicking operations on the infrared image signals based on at least the first, second, and third image signals.
19. A system, comprising:
a central processing unit;
memory;
input-output circuitry; and
an imaging device, wherein the imaging device comprises:
an array of image pixels arranged in rows and columns, wherein the array of image pixels comprises a first group of image pixels configured to generate first pixel values in response to light of a first color, a second group of image pixels configured to generate second pixel values in response to light of a second color, a group of infrared image pixel configured to generate infrared pixel values in response to infrared light, and a group of clear image pixels configured to generate clear pixel values in response to light of at least two colors.
20. The system defined in claim 19, wherein the group of clear image pixels is arranged in a checkerboard pattern on the array of image pixels and wherein each row and each column in the array comprises at least one clear image pixel from the group of clear image pixels.
21. The system defined in claim 20, wherein the at least two colors are selected from a group consisting of: the first color, the second color, and a third color that is different from the first and second colors.