Method for recognizing a band-limiting malfunction of a camera, camera system, and motor vehicle

• US 9,942,542 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Connaught Electronics Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Connaught Electronics Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Russell, Laura, Deegan, Brian Michael Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): FINDLEY, CHRISTOPHER G
• Application Number:
  US15/379,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20024 Filtering details
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20048 Transform domain processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/10 using non-spatial domain filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for recognizing a band-limiting malfunction of a camera (3) of a motor vehicle (1), in which during the operation of the motor vehicle (1) an image (12) of a measurement object (9), which is external to the motor vehicle, is captured by means of the camera (3) arranged on the motor vehicle (1), and in the image (12) a point spread function (14) is determined on the basis of a brightness distribution (16) along a profile through a pixel with a brightness, which exceeds a brightness threshold value, of the measurement object (13) shown in the image (12), and on the basis of the determined point spread function (14) a property value of a property of the camera (3) is determined, and the band-limiting malfunction of the camera (3) is recognized, in case the property value of the camera (3) is smaller than a property threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for recognizing a band-limiting malfunction of a camera of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

capturing, during operation of the motor vehicle, an image of a measurement object external to the motor vehicle, by the camera arranged on the motor vehicle;

determining, in the image, a point spread function on the basis of a brightness distribution along a profile through a pixel with a brightness, which exceeds a brightness threshold value, of the measurement object shown in the image; and

on the basis of the determined point spread function, determining a property value of a property of the camera, and recognizing the band-limiting malfunction of the camera, in case the property value of the camera is smaller than a property threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the brightness distribution along a profile is determined through the brightest pixel of the measurement object shown in the image.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, as the property of the camera, an achievable resolution of the camera, and recognizing the band-limiting malfunction of the camera, in case the achievable resolution of the camera, which represents a property value, is smaller than a resolution threshold value characterizing the property threshold value.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the achievable resolution of the camera is determined in dependence on a width of the brightness distribution half-way up the height between the intensity maximum of the brightness distribution and the intensity minimum of the brightness distribution.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement object is provided as a test pattern and/or as light, radiated in a dot-shaped manner, of a luminous light source.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the test pattern is provided in an environmental area of the motor vehicle and/or is arranged on a motor vehicle component of the motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the light of the light source is generated by an illumination unit of a further motor vehicle in an environmental area of the motor vehicle and/or is generated by a street lighting in the environmental area.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a change in the position of the motor vehicle and/or a change in the position of the measurement object is determined, and the image of the measurement object is only captured, in case the change in the position of the motor vehicle and/or the change in the position of the measurement object is smaller than a change-in-position threshold value.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement object shown in the image is determined automatically by means of a method of machine vision in the image.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating, on the basis of the determined property value, an image enhancement filter for the camera, wherein at least one further image consecutive to the image is adapted by the image enhancement filter.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting, on the basis of the determined property value, an image enhancement filter for the camera from an image processing filter collection, wherein at least one further image consecutive to the image is adapted by the image enhancement filter.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the image enhancement filter is determined in dependence on a Fourier transformation.

13. A camera system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a camera, which comprises an objective lens and an image sensor; and

an evaluation unit, which is configured for performing a method according to claim 1.

14. A motor vehicle comprising a camera system according to claim 13.