Controlling device and method of vehicle camera

• US 9,538,073 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HL Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Kyong Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Chio, Tat
• Application Number:
  US14/316,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20150189172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20224 Image subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A control device for a vehicle camera may include: a wiper relay connected to a multi-function switch to operate a vehicle wiper at a predetermined cycle; a camera controller connected to the wiper relay, and synchronizing the operation cycle of the wiper with an imaging cycle of the vehicle camera such that the vehicle camera images the front of the vehicle according to the operation period of the wiper; and an image filter connected to the camera controller, estimating the position of the wiper from edge information of the images taken by the camera, and searching and removing the wiper in the taken images.

Claims

1. A control method of a vehicle camera, comprising:

manipulating a multi-function switch to operate a wiper connected to a wiper relay at a predetermined cycle;

synchronizing, by a camera controller connected to the vehicle camera, an imaging operation of the vehicle camera to image the front of the vehicle with the operation of the wiper;

estimating, by an image filter connected to the camera controller, a position of the wiper based on a cycle of the operation of the wiper; and

when the position of the wiper is estimated, setting, by the image filter, the estimated position of the wiper as a region of interest, and removing the wiper in an image taken by the vehicle camera by extracting an edge within the region of interest.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein in the synchronizing of the imaging operation of the vehicle camera with the operation of the wiper,

an imaging cycle at which the vehicle camera images the front of the vehicle is synchronized with an operation period in which the wiper reciprocates on the front windshield glass of the vehicle and a suspension period in which the operation of the wiper is suspended after the operation period.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein in the synchronizing of the imaging operation of the vehicle camera with the operation of the wiper,

the time during which the vehicle camera images the front of the vehicle is equal to the sum total of a first imaging period corresponding to 1/n multiple of the time required for the operation period in which the wiper reciprocates on the front windshield of the vehicle and a second imaging period corresponding to 1/n multiple of the time required for the suspension period in which the operation of the wiper is suspended after the operation period, where n is a positive integer equal to or larger than 2, and

the position of the wiper is estimated through image information based on the sum total.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the cycle of the operation of the wiper is a

½

cycle of a reciprocation signal transmitted to the wiper from the wiper relay, or a cycle at which the wiper is moved from the left side to the right side or from the right side to the left side.

5. A control device for a vehicle camera, comprising:

a wiper relay connected to a multi-function switch to operate a vehicle wiper at a predetermined cycle;

a camera controller connected to the wiper relay, and synchronizing the operation cycle of the wiper with an imaging cycle of the vehicle camera such that the vehicle camera images the front of the vehicle according to the operation period of the wiper; and

an image filter connected to the camera controller, estimating a position of the wiper based on the operation cycle, setting the estimated position of the wiper as a region of interest, and removing the wiper in an image taken by the vehicle camera by extracting an edge within the region of interest.

6. The control device of claim 5, wherein the camera controller synchronizes the imaging cycle at which the vehicle camera images the front of the vehicle with the operation period in which the wiper reciprocates on the front windshield glass of the vehicle and a suspension period in which the operation of the wiper is suspended after the operation period.

7. The control device of claim 5, wherein the camera controller controls so that the time during which the vehicle camera images the front of the vehicle is equal to the sum total of a first imaging period corresponding to 1/n multiple of the time required for the operation period in which the wiper reciprocates on the front windshield of the vehicle and a second imaging period corresponding to 1/n multiple of the time required for the suspension period in which the operation of the wiper is suspended after the operation period, where n is a positive integer equal to or larger than 2, and the position of the wiper is estimated through image information based on the sum total.

8. The control device of claim 5, wherein the operation cycle is a ½

cycle of a reciprocation signal transmitted to the wiper from the wiper relay, or a cycle at which the wiper is moved from a left side to a right side or from the right side to the left side.