Vehicle Surroundings Monitoring Device

• US 20150172582A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Kiyohara, Masahiro, Takemura, Masayuki, Irie, Kota, Muramatsu, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 9,473,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0848 Cleaning devices for cameras on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/56 specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0015 characterised by the lens design
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/811 by dust removal, e.g. from surfaces of the image sensor or processing of the image signal output by the electronic image sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/71 Charge-coupled device [CCD] sensors; Charge-transfer registers specially adapted for CCD sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/713 Transfer or readout registers; Split readout registers or multiple readout registers

Abstract

A vehicle surroundings monitoring device includes: a captured image acquisition unit that acquires an image of surroundings of a vehicle by an image capturing unit mounted on the vehicle; an attachment detection unit that decides a state in which foreign matter adheres to a lens of the image capturing unit; a state decision unit that decides that the lens is in a lens state in which performance of image recognition is reduced in case that the attachment detection unit decides that the foreign matter adheres to the lens; a lens state recording unit that records the lens state in a recording unit upon termination of a system; and a lens state read-out unit that reads out the lens state recorded in the recording unit upon start of the system.

Claims

1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring device comprising:

a captured image acquisition unit that acquires an image of surroundings of a vehicle by an image capturing unit mounted on the vehicle;

an attachment detection unit that devices a state in which foreign matter adheres to a lens of the image capturing unit;

a lens state decision unit that decides that the lens is in a lens state in which performance of image recognition is reduced in case that the attachment detection unit devices that the foreign matter adheres to the lens;

a lens state recording unit that records the lens state in a recording unit upon termination of a system; and

a lens state red-out unit that reads out the lens state recorded in the recording unit upon start of the system; and

a lens washing unit that outputs a start signal that commands start of a washing unit based upon a result of decision by the lens state decision unit.

2. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the lens state in which performance of image recognition is reduced includes a state that image recognition is inoperable;

the lens state recording unit records to the recording unit information as to whether or not image recognitions is inoperable upon termination of the system; and

the lens state read-out unit reads out the information as to whether or not the image recognition is inoperable recorded to the recording unit upon start of the system.

4. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image recognition preventing unit that decides whether or not operation of the image recognition based upon the image is possible based upon the lens state read out at the lens state read-out unit.

5. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 4, wherein

the lens washing unit outputs a start signal that commands start of a washing unit based upon a result of decision at the image recognition preventing unit.

6. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 4, further comprising:

an image recognition unit that executes at least one of vehicle detection processing, pedestrian detection processing, lane line recognition processing and traffic mark recognition processing in case that the image recognition preventing unit decides that operation of the image recognition is possible.

7. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the attachment detection unit includes a change detection unit that decides a surrounding light source environment based on the acquired image and decides the state in which the foreign matter adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit based on the surrounding light source environment;

the lens state recording unit records information about the lens state and the surrounding light source environment upon termination of the system; and

the lens state read-out unit reads out the information about the lens state and the surrounding light source environment recorded in the recording unit upon start of the system.

8. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the attachment detection unit detects attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit;

the lens state decision unit decides whether or not the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit detected by the attachment detection unit increased; and

the lens washing unit outputs a start signal that commands start of a washing device that washes the lens of the image capturing unit, in case that the lens state decision unit decides that the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit increased, and outputs no start signal that commands start of the washing device that washes the lens of the image capturing unit in case that the lens state decision unit does not decide that the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit increased.

9. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 8, wherein:

the lens state recording unit, upon termination of the system, records to the recording unit a state of the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit detected by the attachment detection unit,

the lens state read-out unit, upon start of the system, reads out the state of the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit recorded in the recording unit,

the attachment detection unit, upon start of the system, detects the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit,

the lens state decision unit decides upon start of the system whether or not the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit detected by the attachment detection unit increased as compared with that upon termination of the system, based upon the state of the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit detected by the attachment detection unit upon start of the system and the state of the attachment that adheres to the lens of the image capturing unit read out by the lens state read-out unit; and

the lens washing unit, upon start of the system, decides whether or not the start signal that commands start of the washing device based upon a result of decision by the lens state decision unit.

3. (canceled)