Image capture device and vehicle

• US 10,279,742 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shiga, Akiko, Miyakoshi, Toru, Yamaguchi, Satoshi, Kinoshita, Akira, Yoshino, Kaoru, Naganuma, Hitomi, Kuriyama, Takashi, Fukuda, Koichi, Kita, Yuki, Nagaoka, Koji, Nakagawa, Tomoya, Sekiguchi, Masakazu, Shionoya, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US15/314,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20170267178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 348148, 348143, 348149, 348142, 348135, 386224, 386223, 386226
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/18 Information management
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14645 Colour imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/44 : by partially reading an SSIS array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/443 : by reading pixels from selected 2D regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/533 : by using differing integration times for different sensor regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/704 : Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An image capture device is mounted in a vehicle. The image capture device includes: an image capture unit; and a setting unit that sets an image capture condition for each region of the image capture unit each having a plurality of pixels, or for each pixel, based upon at least one of a state exterior to the vehicle and a state of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An image capture device that is mounted to a vehicle, comprising:

an image capture unit that has a plurality of imaging regions, an imaging condition for each imaging region being changeable; and

a setting unit that sets an imaging region used for control of the vehicle and an image capture condition for the imaging region, based upon at least one of a state of the vehicle and a state of a photographic subject that is other than the vehicle and is captured by the image capture unit.

2. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein:

the state of the vehicle includes a traveling state of the vehicle.

3. The image capture device according to claim 2, wherein:

the traveling state of the vehicle includes a direction of travel of the vehicle.

4. The image capture device according to claim 3, wherein:

the setting unit sets the imaging region used for control and the image capture condition for the imaging region used for control, based upon a rotational angle of a steering wheel as the direction of travel of the vehicle, the rotational angle being an amount of an angle by which the steering wheel is turned from a position for the vehicle to go straight.

5. The image capture device according to claim 4, wherein:

the setting unit sets a position of the imaging region used for control, based upon the rotational angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle.

6. The image capture device according to claim 5, further comprises:

an input unit to which information concerning a pedestrian in a vicinity of the vehicle is input, wherein;

the setting unit sets an image capture condition for an imaging region in which an image of the pedestrian is captured as information on a distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian changes.

7. The image capture device according to claim 6, wherein:

the setting unit changes the image capture condition for the imaging region in which the image of the pedestrian is captured as the information on the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian changes.

8. The image capture device according to claim 4, wherein:

the image capture condition for the imaging region includes a frame rate; and

the setting unit sets the frame rate for the imaging region used for control, based upon the rotational angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle.

9. The image capture device according to claim 8, wherein:

the setting unit increases the frame rate for the imaging region used for control, based upon an amount of the rotational angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle.

10. The image capture device according to claim 2, wherein:

the traveling state of the vehicle includes speed of the vehicle.

11. The image capture device according to claim 10, wherein:

the setting unit sets a position of the imaging region used for control based upon the speed of the vehicle.

12. The image capture device according to claim 10, wherein:

the image capture condition for the imaging region includes a frame rate; and

the setting unit sets the frame rate for the imaging region based upon the speed of the vehicle.

13. The image capture device according to claim 12, wherein:

the setting unit increases the frame rate for the imaging region based upon the speed of the vehicle.

14. The image capture device according to claim 13, wherein:

the setting unit increases the frame rate for the imaging region with increase in the speed of the vehicle.

15. The image capture device according to claim 13, wherein:

the setting unit increases the frame rate for the imaging region as the vehicle decelerates.

16. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein:

the state of the photographic subject that is other than the vehicle and is captured by the image capture unit includes a distance between the vehicle and the photographic subject.

17. The image capture device according to claim 16, wherein:

the distance between the vehicle and the photographic subject is a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle other than the vehicle.

18. The image capture device according to claim 17, wherein:

the setting unit sets a decimation ratio for signals to be read from the imaging region used for control as the image capture condition for the imaging region used for control, and decreases the decimation ratio based on the distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle.

19. The image capture device according to claim 18, wherein:

the setting unit increases a size of the imaging region used for control as the distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle becomes shorter.

20. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein:

the state of the photographic subject that is other than the vehicle and is captured includes a luminance of the photographic subject which is captured by the image captured unit.

21. The image capture device according to claim 20, wherein:

as the image capture condition for the imaging region used for control, the setting unit sets a frame rate for the imaging region used for control to be higher than a frame rate for an imaging region other than the imaging region used for control.

22. The image capture device according to claim 21, wherein:

as the image capture condition for the imaging region used for control, the setting unit increases an exposure for a part of the photographic subject in the imaging region used for control if the luminance of the part of the photographic subject is lower than that of another part of the photographic subject.

23. The image capture device according to claim 22, wherein:

as the image capture condition for the imaging region used for control, if the photographic subject contains an entry to a tunnel, the setting unit increases an exposure for a portion corresponding to the entry to the tunnel in the imaging region used for control.

24. The image capture device according to claim 23, wherein:

the setting unit increases the exposure for the portion corresponding to the entry to the tunnel by decreasing a frame rate for the portion corresponding to the entry to the tunnel.

29. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein:

the setting unit sets an imaging region through which the vehicle passes as the imaging region used for control of the vehicle.

30. A vehicle to which the image capture device according to claim 1 is mounted.

25. An image capture device that is mounted to a vehicle, comprising:

an image capture unit that has a plurality of imaging regions, an imaging condition for each imaging region being changeable; and

a setting unit that sets an imaging region used for control of the vehicle, based upon information about an exterior of the vehicle.

26. The image capture device according to claim 25, wherein:

the information about the exterior of the vehicle includes information concerning change of a vehicle lane for the vehicle.

27. The image capture device according to claim 26, wherein:

the information concerning change of the vehicle lane for the vehicle is obtained from a navigation device.

28. The image capture device according to claim 27, wherein:

the setting unit sets an image capture condition for the imaging region used for control, based on the information concerning change of the vehicle lane for the vehicle.

31. An image capture device that is mounted to a vehicle, comprising:

an image capture unit that has a plurality of imaging regions, an imaging condition for each imaging region being changeable; and

a setting unit that sets an imaging region used for supporting a driver of the vehicle and an image capture condition for the imaging region, based upon at least one of a state of the vehicle and a state of a photographic subject that is other than the vehicle and is captured by the image capture unit.

32. An image capture device that is mounted to a vehicle, comprising:

an image capture unit that has a first imaging region and a second imaging region that is different from the first imaging region, an image capture condition for the first imaging region being changeable, positions of the first imaging region and the second imaging region being changeable; and

a setting unit that sets the first imaging region used for control of the vehicle and the second imaging region and the image capture condition for the first imaging region, based upon at least one of a state of the vehicle and a state of a photographic subject that is other than the vehicle and is captured by the image capture unit.