Camera arrangement for a vehicle and method for calibrating a camera and for operating a camera arrangement

• US 10,079,979 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Wedajo, Brouk, Quelquejay, Yan, Ahiad, Samia, Petit, Julia, Robert-Landry, Caroline
• Primary Examiner(s): Bailey, Frederick D
• Application Number:
  US14/117,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,685 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/402 Image calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 43/00 Testing correct operation of photographic apparatus or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/08 Control effected solely on the basis of the response, to the intensity of the light received by the camera, of a built-in light-sensitive device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a camera (12), wherein by means of the camera arrangement a brightness of the surroundings of the camera is determinable. The camera arrangement comprises a storage device (38) in which is stored at least one brightness reference value (34) capturable by the camera. This reference value (34) is correlated with a corresponding value (36) indicative of a photometric quantity measurable by means of a photometer (14) at this brightness. An evaluation unit of the camera arrangement is designed for comparing a brightness value determined by the camera with the brightness reference value (34). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for calibrating a camera (12) and for operating a camera arrangement.

Claims

1. A camera arrangement for a vehicle, comprising:

a camera that captures a picture of a surrounding of the vehicle and determines a grayscale value for each pixel from a plurality of pixels of the picture;

a storage device that stores a plurality of reference brightness values previously obtained by a photometer during a calibration process of exposing the camera and a photometer to a same light source, wherein the plurality of reference brightness values are correlated to a plurality of gray scale values obtained by the camera during the calibration process; and

an evaluation unit that compares the grayscale value determined by the camera in the picture with the plurality of gray scale values obtained during the calibration process and stored in the storage device, and determines a reference brightness value corresponding to the grayscale value from the plurality of reference brightness values stored in the storage device,

wherein, during the calibration process, the camera measures grayscale values corresponding to different luminous flux for each pixel from the plurality of pixels of a picture sensor of the camera, and wherein an integration time and a gamma value are set before measuring the grayscale value.

2. The camera arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the camera arrangement determines a brightness of the surrounding of the vehicle by summing the brightness values for each pixel from a plurality of pixels of the picture captured by the camera.

3. The camera arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the reference brightness values correspond to different gamma values of the camera or to different integration times during which a picture sensor of the camera accumulates charge carriers as the camera captures a picture.

4. The camera arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of reference brightness values which are captured by the photometer during the calibration process and the corresponding grayscale values obtained during the calibration process are stored in a lookup-table provided in the storage device.

5. The camera arrangement according to claim 4, wherein a portion of the lookup-table is pre-determined based on a preset gamma value or a preset integration time of the camera.

6. The camera arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the reference brightness values are indicative of a brightness perceivable by the human eye.

7. The camera arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the reference brightness values are stored as the grayscale values if the camera is a black and white camera.

8. A method for calibrating a camera of a vehicle, comprising:

exposing the camera and a photometer to different luminous flux of a light source;

measuring, using the photometer, reference brightness values of the luminous flux of the light source corresponding to the different luminous flux;

measuring, using the camera, grayscale values corresponding to the different luminous flux for each pixel from a plurality of pixels of a picture sensor of the camera, wherein an integration time and a gamma value are set before measuring the grayscale value; and

storing the reference brightness values of the different luminous flux of the light source and the grayscale values of the different luminous flux in a storage device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the reference brightness values and the corresponding grayscale values are stored in a lookup-table provided in the storage device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the camera and the photometer are exposed to the light source simultaneously.

11. The method according claim 8, wherein the camera and the photometer capture respective angles of view of a same quantity.

12. A method for operating a camera arrangement including a camera for a vehicle, the method comprising:

capturing a picture of a surrounding of the vehicle using the camera;

determining a grayscale value for each pixel from a plurality of pixels of the picture;

accessing a storage device of the camera arrangement to retrieve a reference brightness value from a plurality of reference brightness values corresponding to the grayscale value for each pixel from the plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of reference brightness values are previously obtained by a photometer during a calibration process of exposing the camera and the photometer to a same light source, and wherein the plurality of reference brightness values are correlated to the plurality of gray scale values obtained during the calibration process;

summing the reference brightness values corresponding to the grayscale values for the plurality of pixels; and

determining the sum of the reference brightness values as the brightness of the surrounding of the vehicle,

wherein, during the calibration process, the camera measures grayscale values corresponding to different luminous flux for each pixel from the plurality of pixels of a picture sensor of the camera, and wherein an integration time and a gamma value are set before measuring the grayscale value.