Vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus

• US 8,115,809 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software AB (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Fuminori, Hattori, Hiroshi, Hashimoto, Hideki, Nagaoka, Nobuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, THIERRY L
• Application Number:
  US11/287,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20060115120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,269 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 348/180, 348/184, 348/185, 348/187, 348/189, 348/207.99, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/208.16
• 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/106 using night vision cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• 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 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus which includes: an imaging device that captures a surroundings of a vehicle; a temperature measuring device that measures a temperature of the imaging device; and an OFF signal output device that outputs a command signal to set a power supply of the imaging device to the OFF state in accordance with the temperature of the imaging device measured by the temperature measuring device.

Claims

1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus comprising:

an imaging device that captures a surroundings of a vehicle;

a temperature measuring device that measures a temperature of the imaging device;

an OFF signal output device that outputs a command signal to set a power supply of the imaging device to the OFF state in accordance with the temperature of the imaging device measured by the temperature measuring device;

a reset determining device that determines whether or not a state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state;

a restart device that restarts the imaging device with the power supply set to the OFF state when the state of the imaging device is determined to be a specified resettable state by the reset determining device;

a vehicle speed measuring device that measures the speed of the vehicle; and

a vehicle temperature state measuring device that measures a temperature state of the vehicle,

wherein the reset determining device determines that the state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state when the speed of the vehicle measured by the vehicle speed measuring device is not less than a specified speed and the temperature state of the vehicle measured by the vehicle temperature state measuring device is not more than a specified temperature.

2. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an elapsed time measuring device that measures an elapsed time from a moment the command signal is output by the OFF signal output device, wherein the reset determining device determines that the state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state when when the speed of the vehicle measured by the vehicle speed measuring device is not less than a specified speed, the temperature state of the vehicle measured by the vehicle temperature state measuring device is not more than a specified temperature, and the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring device is equal to or longer than a predetermined value.