In-vehicle camera and vehicle control system

• US 10,046,716 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okuda, Syo, Murao, Toshikazu, Shiota, Kentarou, Sugiyama, Naoki, Kimura, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Linda B
• Application Number:
  US14/919,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20160039358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/085 Taking automatic action to adjust vehicle attitude in preparation for collision, e.g. braking for nose dropping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/133 including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

An in-vehicle camera is provide which has a case and a lens, and which is attached in a vehicle interior so that the lens is exposed at a top face of the case and the top face is opposed to a windshield or another window. The top face has an angular shape bent at a ridge line passing through the top face. The lens is positioned in the vicinity of the ridge line. The in-vehicle camera includes a hood attached to a front portion of the case, the front portion being positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle camera which has a case and a lens, and which is attached in a vehicle interior so that the lens is exposed at a top face of the case and the top face is opposed to a windshield or another window, wherein

the top face has an angular shape bent at a ridge line passing through the top face,

the lens is positioned in the vicinity of the ridge line,

the in-vehicle camera includes a hood attached to a front portion of the case, the front portion being positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens,

the hood includes a bottom face and side faces that stand at each of right and left sides of the bottom face,

the top face has a lens mounted surface through which the lens is exposed at a front side of the case with respect to the ridge line,

rear ends of the side faces of the hood are positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens mounted surface via a gap in a longitudinal direction of the case, the gap being between the lens mounted surface and the rear ends of the side faces of the hood, and

tops of the rear ends of the hood are higher than a top of the lens.

2. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein

the in-vehicle camera includes a biasing member which biases the case laterally from a lateral of the case.

3. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein

the top face is configured by a first face and a second face,

the lens is positioned in the vicinity of a border between the first face and the second face, and

the case is fixed to the windshield or another window so that an optical axis of the lens is directed to the front side.

4. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light-receiving section which has a plurality of filters having different pass bands, and a plurality of light-receiving elements, each of which receives incident light via any one of the filters;

an image data generation section which, when receiving general image data which is an output of the light-receiving section, extracts outputs of the light-receiving elements correlated to the filters to generate discrete image data, which is image data for each of the filters;

an image data processing section which detects, based on the discrete image data generated by the image data generation section or composite image data generated by combining the discrete image data, at least one object included in a group of an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, a preceding pedestrian, a preceding object, a stationary vehicle, a stationary pedestrian, a stationary object, an on-coming vehicle, an on-coming pedestrian, an on-coming object, a lane, a road surface condition, a road shape, a light source, a road sign, a traffic signal, an entity which cuts off a field of view of the light-receiving section, and an environmental feature outside a vehicle; and

a vehicle control section which performs, according to the object detected by the image data processing section, vehicle control regarding at least one of collision avoidance, speed warning, lane departure prevention, rear-end collision warning, inter-vehicle warning, lane departure warning, auto high beam, sign indication, full speed range adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, lane change accident prevention, blind spot warning, blind spot monitoring, automatic lane change, forward cross traffic warning, rearward cross traffic warning, erroneous pedal usage prevention, and automatic parking.

5. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light-receiving section which has a plurality of filters having different pass bands, and a plurality of light-receiving elements, each of which receives incident light via any one of the filters;

an image data generation section which, when receiving general image data which is an output of the light-receiving section, extracts outputs of the light-receiving elements correlated to the filters of the light-receiving section to generate discrete image data, which is image data for each of the filters;

a receiver section which has a plurality of receiving elements, each of which receives electromagnetic waves;

a data processing section which detects, based on the discrete image data generated by the image data generation section or composite image data generated by combining the discrete image data, and scan data outputted from the receiver section, at least one object included in a group of an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, a preceding pedestrian, a preceding object, a stationary vehicle, a stationary pedestrian, a stationary object, an on-coming vehicle, an on-coming pedestrian, an on-coming object, a lane, a road surface condition, a road shape, a light source, a road sign, a traffic signal, an entity which cuts off a field of view of the light-receiving section or the receiver section, and an environmental feature outside a vehicle; and

a vehicle control section which performs, according to the object detected by the data processing section, vehicle control regarding at least one of collision avoidance, speed warning, lane departure prevention, rear-end collision warning, inter-vehicle warning, lane departure warning, auto high beam, sign indication, full speed range adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, lane change accident prevention, blind spot warning, blind spot monitoring, automatic lane change, forward cross traffic warning, rearward cross traffic warning, erroneous pedal usage prevention, and automatic parking.

6. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein

the bottom face of the hood projects toward a front side of the case with respect to a front end of the case.

7. An in-vehicle camera which has a case and a lens, and which is attached in a vehicle interior so that the lens is exposed at a top face of the case and the top face is opposed to a windshield or another window, wherein

the top face has an angular shape bent at a ridge line passing through the top face,

the lens is positioned in the vicinity of the ridge line,

the in-vehicle camera includes a hood attached to a front portion of the case, the front portion being positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens,

the hood includes a bottom face and side faces that stand at each of right and left sides of the bottom face,

the top face has a lens mounted surface through which the lens is exposed, at a front side of the case with respect to the ridge line,

rear ends of the side faces of the hood are positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens mounted surface via a gap between the lens mounted surface and the rear ends of the side faces of the hood, and

an inclination angle of a cross section of the lens mounted surface in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle substantially agrees with an inclination angle of the rear ends of the side faces of the hood.

8. An in-vehicle camera which has a case and a lens, and which is attached in a vehicle interior so that the lens is exposed at a top face of the case and the top face is opposed to a windshield or another window, wherein

the top face has an angular shape bent at a ridge line passing through the top face,

the lens is positioned in the vicinity of the ridge line,

the in-vehicle camera includes a hood attached to a front portion of the case, the front portion being positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens,

the hood includes a bottom face and side faces that stand at each of right and left sides of the bottom face,

the top face has a lens mounted surface, through which the lens is exposed, at a front side of the case with respect to the ridge line and a concave portion at a front side of the case with respect to the lens mounted surface,

rear ends of the side faces of the hood are positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens mounted surface via a gap in a longitudinal direction of the case, the gap being between the lens mounted surface and the rear ends of the side faces of the hood, and

the bottom face of the hood is at least partially nested in the concave portion.

9. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 8, wherein

the concave portion is brought into contact with the bottom face of the hood.