Imaging apparatus and a camera for vehicles

• US 8,013,901 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Monji, Tatsuhiko, Furusawa, Isao, Fukuhara, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIEP, TRUNG T
• Application Number:
  US10/964,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20050117027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,517 Days
• Field of Search: 348/364, 348/340, 348/208.1, 355/61
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/205 Neutral density filters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components

Abstract

A camera apparatus for vehicles including an imaging element and a lens comprises a gradation generation unit for stepwise changing the light amount reaching a whole or part of the imaging element. By this, a gradation region is formed on the imaging element and it absorbs assembling errors during manufacturing and positional shifts attributed to a road surface slope or the like. Even when an inverse light state is caused, it is possible to improve the image processing performance with an ecconomical configuration.

Claims

1. A camera apparatus for vehicles having an imaging element and a lens comprising:

a gradation generation unit for passively stepwise changing an amount of light reaching a whole or part of the imaging element in a direction corresponding to an up and down direction,

in which said gradation generation unit is a light shielding plate arranged between the imaging element and the lens;

in which said gradation generation unit decides the concentration and area of the gradation according to the size and the position of the light shielding plate; and

in which said gradation region is generated between a light shielding region where the light incident from the lens is substantially shielded and a valid information region where the light incident from the lens is transmitted substantially as it is, and when a horizon is defined in the imaging region, the amount of light reaching the imaging element is changed stepwise in a part region of upper side and lower side of the horizon, respectively.

2. A camera apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said gradation generation unit is an ND filter arranged between the imaging element and the lens.

3. A camera apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said gradation generation unit is a gradation sheet arranged in front of the lens.

4. A camera apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which when said camera apparatus is mounted on a vehicle, the valid information region is positioned above the light shielding region.

5. An image processing apparatus for vehicles comprising:

a camera unit having an imaging element and a lens, and

an image processing unit for processing image data imaged by said camera unit, and

in which said camera unit comprises a gradation generation unit for passively stepwise changing the amount of light reaching a whole or a part of the imaging element in a direction corresponding to an up and down direction,

in which said gradation generation unit is a light shielding plate arranged between the imaging element and the lens;

in which said gradation generation unit decides the concentration and area of the gradation according to the size and the position of the light shielding plate; and

in which said gradation region is generated between a light shielding region where the light incident from the lens is substantially shielded and a valid information region where the light incident from the lens is transmitted substantially as it is, and when a horizon is defined in the imaging region, the amount of light reaching the imaging element is changed stepwise in a part region of upper side and lower side of the horizon respectively.

6. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which said gradation generation unit is an ND filter arranged between the imaging element and the lens.

7. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which said gradation generation unit is a gradation sheet arranged in front of the lens.

8. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which when said camera unit is mounted on a vehicle, the valid information region is positioned above the light shielding region.

9. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which said image processing unit uses pixel data having a coordinate of longitudinal direction greater or smaller than a predetermined value among pixels of the imaging element.

10. A camera apparatus for vehicles having an imaging element and a lens comprising:

a gradation generation unit for stepwise changing an amount of light reaching a whole or part of the imaging element, wherein said gradation generation unit is permanently fixed relative to said imaging element and said lens, wherein said gradation generation unit generates a gradation region in between a light shielding region and a valid information region, and wherein when said camera apparatus is mounted on a vehicle, the valid information region is positioned above the light shielding region.

11. A camera apparatus for vehicles having an imaging element and a lens comprising:

“

a gradation generation unit for passively stepwise changing an amount of light reaching a whole or part of the imaging element, wherein said gradation generation unit is permanently fixed relative to said imaging element and said lens, wherein said gradation generation unit generates a gradation region in between a light shielding region and a valid information region, and wherein when said camera apparatus is mounted on a vehicle, the valid information region is positioned above the light shielding region.”

12. An image processing apparatus for vehicles comprising:

a camera unit having an imaging element and a lens, and an image processing unit for processing image data imaged by said camera unit, and in which said camera unit comprises a gradation generation unit for passively stepwise changing the amount of light reaching a whole or a part of the imaging element, and said image processing unit uses image data outputted from the part of the imaging element among the image data imaged, wherein said gradation generation unit is permanently fixed relative to said imaging element and said lens, wherein said gradation generation unit generates a gradation region in between a light shielding region and a valid information region, and wherein when said camera unit is mounted on a vehicle, the valid information region is positioned above the light shielding region.