In-Vehicle Camera and In-Vehicle Camera System

• US 20130335561A1
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kourogi, Naoki, Monji, Tatsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,878,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/140
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

In the present invention, images at a front side or a rear side of a vehicle are obtained from a plurality of image capturing devices and a disparity and a distance to the captured object are calculated from the images, if the disparity is not sufficiently obtained, pattern light is irradiated onto a capturing object and an image of the object onto which the pattern light is irradiated is obtained again from the plurality of image capturing devices and the disparity and the distance to the captured object are calculated. Therefore, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle camera and system that recognizes an obstacle even in a situation where it is difficult to obtain the disparity of the obstacle around the vehicle.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle camera, comprising:

a plurality of image capturing devices that captures an image outside a vehicle;

a disparity calculating unit that calculates disparity information from a plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturing devices;

a distance calculating unit that calculates distance information to an object that is present outside the vehicle based on the disparity information calculated in the disparity calculating unit;

an irradiating timing determining unit that determines whether the disparity information is calculated in the disparity calculating unit within a predetermined set time and determines whether to irradiate invisible pattern light or visible pattern light to the outside of the vehicle based on the result of determination; and

a collision determining unit that determines a probability of collision based on the distance information calculated in the distance calculating unit,

wherein even when the disparity information is not calculated in the disparity calculating unit within the predetermined set time, if the plurality of image capturing devices captures an image of the irradiating region after the irradiating timing determining unit outputs a signal to irradiate the pattern light and the disparity calculating unit calculates the disparity information from the captured image data, the distance calculating unit calculates distance information from the disparity information.

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

an image processing unit that obtains feature amounts of the plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturing devices; and

a pattern light type determining unit that selects a type of the pattern light based on the feature amounts obtained in the image processing unit,

wherein if the irradiating timing determining unit determines that the disparity information is not calculated within the predetermined set time, the type of the pattern light and the irradiation formation to irradiate the pattern light are output.

3. An in-vehicle camera system, comprising:

the in-vehicle camera according to claim 1; and

a pattern light irradiating device that irradiates pattern light outside a vehicle based on a signal to irradiate the pattern light from the in-vehicle camera.

4. An in-vehicle camera system, comprising:

the in-vehicle camera according to claim 1; and

a control device that, when the collision determining unit of the in-vehicle camera determines that there is a probability that the vehicle collides with an obstacle, generates and outputs a control signal to generate a breaking force to each wheel.

5. An in-vehicle camera system, comprising:

the in-vehicle camera according to claim 1; and

a warning device that, when the collision determining unit of the in-vehicle camera determines that there is a probability that the vehicle collides with an obstacle, issues an alert to notify a danger to a driver.