Photographing system for a moving apparatus

• US 7,612,798 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takenaga, Hiroshi, Kinugasa, Toshiro, Asoh, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Nhan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yoder, III; Chriss S
• Application Number:
  US11/519,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 348/48, 348/143, 348/148, 348/159, 348/211.11, 348/36, 348/47, 348/207.11, 348/208.16, 348/211.4, 348/211.6, 348/211.9, 348/211.99
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene

Abstract

A photographing system having plural image pickup units for a moving apparatus with enhanced user'"'"'s visibility of images for a driver of the apparatus. A system control part controls the image pickup units. Image pickup unit picks up images ahead of the moving apparatus. Image pickup unit picks up images aback. System control unit predicts surrounding state of the moving apparatus based on map information or position information and, when the moving apparatus enters a tunnel, issues a control instruction to image pickup unit so as to increase exposure quantity of image pickup device thereof, and then, when level of output image signal of the image pickup unit enters within a specified range, issues a control instruction to image pickup unit so as to increase exposure quantity of the image pickup device thereof.

Claims

1. A photographing system for a moving apparatus mounted on a moving apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image pickup units each having at least an image pickup device, a signal process unit for generating an image signal from an output signal of said image pickup device, and an image pickup control unit for controlling said image pickup device and said signal process unit;

a system control unit for controlling said plurality of image pickup units; and

a display and recording unit for displaying or recording the image signals output from said plurality of image pickup units,

wherein said system control unit predicts a subsequent surrounding state surrounding said moving apparatus, by a movement of said moving apparatus based on position information of said moving apparatus or map information including a range of movement of said moving apparatus, and controls said plurality of image pickup units such that said image pickup units are controlled in advance with a mutual time lag, according to the predicted surrounding state.

2. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein the object of said control executed by said system control unit is an exposure quantity of said image pickup units.

3. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit is a time constant for exposure quantity control of each of said image pickup units.

4. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit is a focus of each of said image pickup units.

5. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit is a white balance of each of said image pickup units.

6. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit is an optical axis of each of said image pickup units.

7. The photographing system according to claim 1, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit is a field angle of each of said image pickup units.

8. A photographing system for a moving apparatus mounted on a moving apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image pickup units each having at least an image pickup device, a signal process unit for generating an image signal from an output signal of said image pickup device, and an image pickup control unit for controlling said image pickup device and said signal process unit;

a system control unit for controlling said plurality of image pickup units; and

a display and recording unit for displaying or recording image signals output from said plurality of image pickup units,

wherein said system control unit predicts a subsequent surrounding state surrounding said moving apparatus, by a movement of said moving apparatus based on position information of said moving apparatus or map information including a range of movement of said moving apparatus, and sequentially controls said plurality of image pickup units in advance, according to the predicted surrounding state.

9. The photographing system according to claim 8, wherein an object of said sequential control executed by said system control unit on said plurality of image pickup units is an exposure quantity of each of said image pickup units.

10. The photographing system according to claim 8, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit on said plurality of image pickup units is a time constant for exposure quantity control of each of said image pickup units.

11. The photographing system according to claim 8, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit on said plurality of image pickup units is a white balance control of each of said image pickup units.

12. The photographing system according to claim 8, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit on said plurality of image pickup units is a focus control of each of said image pickup units.

13. The photographing system according to claim 8, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit on said plurality of image pickup units is an optical axis of each of said image pickup units.

14. The photographing system according to claim 8, wherein an object of said control executed by said system control unit on said plurality of image pickup units is a field angle of each of said image pickup units.

15. A photographing system for a moving apparatus mounted on a moving apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image pickup units each having at least an image pickup device, a signal process unit for generating an image signal from an output signal of said image pickup device, and an image pickup control unit for controlling said image pickup device and said signal process unit;

a system control unit for controlling said plurality of image pickup units; and

a display and recording unit for displaying or recording the image signals output from said plurality of image pickup units,

where said system control unit predicts a subsequent surrounding state surrounding said moving apparatus, by a movement of said moving apparatus based on position information of said moving apparatus or map information including a range of movement of said moving apparatus, and to control said plurality of image pickup units such that said image pickup units are each controlled in advance with a time lag determined according to the predicted surrounding state.