Camera apparatus of vehicle

• US 10,155,476 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Junghum
• Primary Examiner(s): Ustaris, Joseph G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adrovel, William
• Application Number:
  US14/234,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20140176718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/00 Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/16 Type of output information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/173 Reversing assist
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/48 for parking purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/08 involving special optical features, e.g. avoiding blind spots , e.g. convex mirrors; Side-by-side associations of rear-view and other mirrors B60R1/025, B60R1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 : Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 : Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/93 : for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 : Parking operations
• 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 20/586 : of parking space
• 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: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 : Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 : Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/50 : Control of the SSIS exposure

Abstract

A camera apparatus of a vehicle is disclosed. The camera apparatus is such that an image quality of an image can be adequately changed in response to brightness of an optical image of a subject to allow a driver to view a bright image even in the night, thereby preventing an accident and enabling a safe driving, a width of a maximally opened door of a vehicle and a width of a parking space are compared to allow a character of whether to park to be combined with an image of a subject and displayed, thereby enabling a driver to safely park the vehicle, and a driver can view a moving object or obstacle at the rear of a vehicle when the driver is driving the vehicle backward, thereby preventing an accident from happening.

Claims

1. A camera apparatus of a vehicle, comprising:

an image sensor converting an optical image of a subject to an electric signal, wherein the image sensor is formed therein with registers capable of setting values for controlling an operation of the image sensor relative to an image quality of the optical image of the subject;

a brightness measurer configured to measure brightness of the image sensor;

a storage comprising a first storage storing a LUT (Lookup Table) comprising register values capable of changing the image quality of the optical image of the subject in response to the brightness of the image sensor and a second storage storing data of a width of the vehicle;

an image processor processing the optical image of the subject;

a display unit displaying the image processed by the image processor on a screen; and

a processor configured to;

control the image quality of the optical image of the subject using data in the LUT of the first storage,

determine whether to park in response to the width of the vehicle stored in the second storage, and

control the image processor so that an area where at least one of a relevant moving object and a relevant moving obstacle is located is indicated,

wherein the camera apparatus is configured to detect a width corresponding to a space for a vehicle parking and detect at least one of a moving object and a moving obstacle,

wherein the register values of the first storage comprise at least any one of gamma, white balance, sharpness and contrast,

wherein the processor is configured to read the register values in the LUT of the first storage and output the register values to the image sensor for controlling the image sensor to change the image quality of the optical image of the subject in response to the brightness of the image sensor,

wherein the storage uses a flash memory,

wherein the processor compares a width of a opened door of a vehicle and a width of a first parking space defined by a width between vehicles parked near to the space for vehicle parking and then the processor compares a width of a closed door of the vehicle and a width of a second parking space defined by a distance between parking lines of the space for vehicle parking so that the processor determines whether or not the vehicle is parked,

wherein the camera apparatus is configured to;

determine whether a parking space is available,

control an audio processor to output a sound indicating that the parking space is available, and

display, on the display unit, an image of the available parking space together with at least one adjacent parking space and a parking allowed character indicating that parking is available,

wherein the image processor cuts out a cut-out area where at least one of the moving object and the moving obstacle are available from the optical image of the subject at a rear side of the vehicle and displays the cut-out area on the display unit, and

wherein the cut-out area has an area smaller than the area of the optical image of the subject and is displayed on an entire portion of the display unit.

2. The camera apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an audio output unit outputting information on whether to park in audio sound in response to the control of the processor.

3. The camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein a dark optical image of the subject photographed at night is changed to a bright clear image by the processor.

4. The camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor combines a parking non-allowed character with the optical image of the subject in the space for vehicle parking, in a case the width of the opened door of the vehicle is greater than the width of the first parking space defined by the width between vehicles parked near to the space for vehicle parking.

5. The camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor combines a parking non-allowed character with the optical image of the subject in the space for vehicle parking, in a case the width of the closed door of the vehicle is greater than the width of the second parking space defined by the distance between parking lines of the space for vehicle parking.

6. The camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor reads out the parking allowed character to combine with the optical image of the subject in the space for vehicle parking, in a case the width of the closed door of the vehicle is shorter than the width of the second parking space defined by the distance between parking lines of the space for vehicle parking and the width of the closed door of the vehicle is shorter than the width of the second parking space defined by the distance between parking lines of the space for vehicle parking.

7. The camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein the moving object comprises at least one of a man, an animal, a bicycle, a motorbike, a vehicle, a rolling object and a falling object.

8. A vehicle, comprising the camera apparatus of claim 1 disposed on at least one of a front side, a rear side and both the front and rear sides of the vehicle.