On-vehicle camera apparatus capturing image in front of vehicle and performing vehicle control

• US 10,144,364 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Furutake, Yasuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, Frank F
• Application Number:
  US15/240,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/02 with non-spherical faces G02B3/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/208 for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/133 including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An on-vehicle camera apparatus capturing an image in front of a vehicle includes: a camera module outputting image data and a control circuit board. The camera module includes an optical element that refracts incident light so as to diverge or focus the incident light, and an image sensor element in which incident light transmitted through the optical element forms an image. The control circuit board executes, based on the image data outputted by the camera module, a recognition process recognizing a state in front of the own vehicle, and also executes at least two vehicle control processes among a headlight control process, a forward collision preventing process and a lane departure warning process, as a result of the recognition process. According to the on-vehicle camera apparatus, a resin-made lens is used for the optical element.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle camera apparatus mounted in a vehicle cabin, capturing an image in front of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a camera module including an optical element that refracts incident light so as to diverge or focus the incident light, and an image sensor element in which incident light transmitted through the optical element forms an image, the camera module outputting image data based on a signal to which a photoelectric conversion is applied by the imaging sensor element; and

a control circuit board executing, based on the image data outputted by the camera module, a recognition process recognizing a state in front of the own vehicle, and executing, based on a recognition result of the recognition process, at least two vehicle control processes among a headlight control process, a forward collision preventing process and a lane departure warning process,

wherein a resin-made lens is used for the optical element,

the camera module further comprises an optical filter that attenuates the incident light entering the image sensor element, and

the optical filter has spectral characteristics which transmits light having a wavelength more than or equal to a predetermined lower cutoff wavelength, the predetermined lower cutoff wavelength being determined based on a change ratio of a transmittance of the resin-made lens which changes before/after yellowing of the resin-made lens.

2. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower cutoff wavelength is selected from a wavelength region ranging from 400 nm to 500 nm.

3. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the camera module further comprises optical filter that attenuates the incident light entering the image sensor element;

and

the optical filter has spectral characteristics which transmits light having a wavelength less than or equal to a predetermined upper cutoff wavelength to cut off infrared light.

4. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the upper cutoff wavelength is selected from a wavelength region ranging from 650 nm to 750 nm.

5. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an aspherical lens is used as the optical element.

6. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the camera module further comprises a lens barrel member accommodating a plurality of resin-made lenses;

and

nitrogen is purged in the lens barrel member.

7. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the camera module further comprises RCCC Bayer which is a group of color filters, each of the color filters having a pass band which is a wavelength region corresponding to red or transparent color;

and

each of the image sensor elements receives the incident light through any one of color filters which composes the RCCC Bayer.

8. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the camera module and the control circuit board are accommodated separately in different casings.

9. The on-vehicle camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the camera module is operable under a temperature condition of 105°

C. or less.