Exposure control method and device for multiple cameras, terminal and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides an exposure control method and device of a multi-path camera, a terminal and a storage medium, the method is applied to a multi-path camera system comprising a binocular camera serving as a main camera and a plurality of slave cameras, and the method comprises the following steps: generating a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the main camera, sending the hardware synchronization signal to a plurality of slave cameras; and when the plurality of slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the main camera, each slave camera triggers a corresponding exposure operation so as to simultaneously start exposure and image acquisition with the main camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal. The exposure time of the slave cameras is accurately synchronized based on the mode that the master camera sends the hardware synchronization signal, so that synchronization of the master camera and the slave cameras at the pixel level is achieved, and it can be ensured that all the cameras start exposure at the same moment; the problem that in a traditional binocular camera system, an existing image synchronization and data alignment technology cannot meet the high-precision synchronization requirement in a scene with the high real-time requirement is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular to an exposure control method, device, terminal and storage medium for a multi-channel camera. Background Art

[0002] At present, although the existing multi-channel camera synchronization technology has relatively mature solutions for frame-level synchronization, it still has shortcomings in pixel-level synchronization and real-time performance. In particular, in scenarios that require high precision and high real-time performance, there are problems such as high hardware complexity, high latency, and poor adaptability of distributed systems. In addition, traditional binocular camera systems usually use large caches and subsequent algorithms for data alignment, or rely on software solutions to transfer binocular images and other types of images, such as infrared camera images, to computers for processing. Although these solutions can work effectively in some applications, when dealing with dynamic scenes and tasks with high real-time requirements, such as stereo vision matching and depth reconstruction, their accuracy, latency, and synchronization accuracy cannot meet high-precision requirements.

[0003] For example, systems that require multi-sensor fusion, such as the combined use of binocular cameras with infrared cameras, lidar, etc., usually rely on software alignment, and the data collected by all sensors is transferred to the computer for timestamp alignment. Although such methods can effectively synchronize data under certain conditions, in actual applications, especially in high-speed mobile scenarios, data alignment errors between sensors often lead to reduced accuracy and even affect the overall performance of the system.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a technical solution to solve the problem that the existing image synchronization and data alignment technologies in traditional binocular camera systems cannot meet the high-precision synchronization requirements in scenarios with high real-time requirements is a problem that technical personnel in this field currently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in view of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, an exposure control method, device, terminal and storage medium for multiple cameras are provided, which can accurately and quickly control the exposure moments of multiple cameras, realize pixel-level time synchronization, and ensure the synchronization of images of each camera.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is as follows:

[0007] A method for controlling exposure of a multi-channel camera, wherein the method is applied to a multi-channel camera system including a binocular camera as a master camera and a plurality of slave cameras, the method comprising:

[0008] Generating a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the master camera, and sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras;

[0009] When the plurality of slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, each of the slave cameras triggers a corresponding exposure operation to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the master camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

[0010] In one implementation, sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras includes:

[0011] The hardware synchronization signal is sent to the plurality of slave cameras through a pre-built target hardware interface.

[0012] In one implementation, the exposure control method for multiple cameras further includes:

[0013] Dynamically adjusting the generation frequency of the hardware synchronization signal based on basic image timing parameters by the main camera; wherein the basic image timing parameters include a preset image resolution, a position and size of an image blanking area, and a preset image frame rate;

[0014] The step of generating a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure by the master camera and sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras comprises:

[0015] A hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure is generated by the main camera according to the generation frequency.

[0016] In one implementation, triggering a corresponding exposure operation to start exposing and collecting images simultaneously with the main camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal includes:

[0017] The corresponding exposure operation is triggered to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera through the electronic shutter or the hardware shutter under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

[0018] In one implementation, the exposure control method for multiple cameras further includes:

[0019] Dynamically adjust the exposure start time based on image timing requirements, camera sensor characteristics, and signal transmission delay;

[0020] The triggering of the corresponding exposure operation to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal includes:

[0021] The corresponding exposure operation is triggered to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera based on the exposure start time according to a preset timestamp synchronization mechanism under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

[0022] In one implementation, in the exposure control method for multiple cameras, the slave camera is a binocular camera and / or a monocular camera.

[0023] In one implementation, the exposure control method for multiple cameras further includes:

[0024] When a new slave camera is added to the multi-channel camera system, the hardware synchronization signal is sent to the new slave camera through a cascade synchronization distribution mechanism.

[0025] The present invention also discloses an exposure control device for a multi-channel camera, which is applied to a multi-channel camera system including a binocular camera as a master camera and a plurality of slave cameras, and the device comprises:

[0026] A synchronization signal generating module, used to generate a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the main camera;

[0027] A signal sending module, used for sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras;

[0028] The exposure control module is used to trigger corresponding exposure operations when the multiple slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, so as to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the master camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

[0029] The present invention also discloses a terminal, which includes: a memory, a processor, and an exposure control program for multiple cameras stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the exposure control program for multiple cameras is executed by the processor, the steps of the exposure control method for multiple cameras as described above are implemented.

[0030] The present invention also discloses a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program can be executed to implement the steps of the exposure control method for multiple cameras as described above.

[0031] The present invention provides a method, device, terminal and storage medium for controlling exposure of multiple cameras. The method for controlling exposure of multiple cameras is applied to a multiple camera system including a binocular camera as a master camera and multiple slave cameras. The method includes: generating a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the master camera, and sending the hardware synchronization signal to multiple slave cameras; when multiple slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, each slave camera triggers a corresponding exposure operation to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the master camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal. It can be seen that the present invention solves the problem that the existing image synchronization and data alignment technology in the traditional binocular camera system cannot meet the high-precision synchronization requirements in the scene with high real-time requirements through the signal synchronization mechanism, and improves the synchronization accuracy and real-time performance of the multi-channel camera system, that is, in the multi-channel camera system, a binocular camera as a master camera generates a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure, and after the slave camera receives the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, all cameras start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously under the control of the hardware synchronization signal. Among them, the hardware synchronization signal is directly generated and sent from the master camera, with the advantages of fast response and low latency. It can simultaneously control the exposure of the master camera and the slave camera in the multi-channel camera system, thereby reducing the synchronization delay between the multi-channel cameras and controlling the synchronization difference between the multi-channel images at the pixel level. That is, the technical solution of the present application is based on the master camera to generate and send hardware synchronization signals, accurately synchronize the exposure time of multiple slave cameras, thereby achieving synchronization of the master and slave cameras at the pixel level. It can not only ensure that all cameras start exposure at the same time, but also avoid the timing error in the traditional multi-channel camera synchronization technology, and can also improve the real-time and stability of the entire system through low-latency synchronization signal control, and meet the high-precision synchronization requirements for real-time dynamic image capture in scenes such as binocular stereo vision, autonomous driving, robot vision, industrial inspection, and high-precision stereo vision. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the exposure control method of multiple cameras in the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 is a specific schematic diagram of a multi-channel camera disclosed in the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a specific fsync synchronization signal generation and distribution timing diagram disclosed in the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 It is a functional principle block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the exposure control device for multiple cameras in the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5It is a functional principle block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the terminal in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer and more specific, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0038] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of the exposure control method of multiple cameras in the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the exposure control method of a multi-channel camera according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a multi-channel camera system including a binocular camera as a master camera and multiple slave cameras, and the method includes:

[0039] Step S11: Generate a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the master camera, and send the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras.

[0040] In this embodiment, a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure is generated by the main camera in the multi-channel camera system. The core function of the hardware synchronization signal is to ensure that all cameras in the multi-channel camera system start exposure at the same time by controlling the exposure start time of the camera, thereby achieving pixel-level synchronization.

[0041] For example, a dedicated module for multi-channel camera synchronization, namely, an internal synchronization module, can be integrated on a dedicated chip inside a binocular camera serving as a master camera, and then a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure can be directly generated and sent out through the internal synchronization module of the master camera. This has the advantages of fast response and low latency, and can simultaneously control the exposure of the master camera and slave cameras in a multi-channel camera system.

[0042] In this embodiment, the master camera in the multi-channel camera system generates a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure, and simultaneously sends the hardware synchronization signal to multiple slave cameras in the multi-channel camera system. When the master camera generates a hardware synchronization signal, it immediately sends the hardware synchronization signal to the slave camera, and there is no time difference between the generation and distribution of the synchronization signal of the master camera.

[0043] For example, an external synchronization signal source, such as a hardware trigger signal, can be used according to a fixed timing mechanism to trigger the controller (internal synchronization module) inside the master camera to generate an fsync signal (hardware synchronization signal). When the fsync signal is generated, the fsync signal is sent to multiple slave cameras. Specifically, the hardware synchronization signal can be sent to multiple slave cameras through a pre-built target hardware interface. It is understandable that after the master camera generates the fsync signal, it must be transmitted to all slave cameras in a reliable manner to ensure that each camera starts exposure at the same time. Therefore, in order to ensure accurate signal transmission and reduce delay, the fsync signal is usually transmitted from the master camera to multiple slave cameras through dedicated hardware interfaces, such as GPIO (General-Purpose Input / Output Ports), LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling), MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) and other hardware interfaces. These hardware interfaces can select low-latency, high-bandwidth communication methods to reduce delays and noise interference during signal transmission. For example, LVDS can be used for high-precision synchronization applications due to its high transmission speed and anti-interference characteristics.

[0044] It should be noted that in the multi-channel camera pixel-level synchronization technical solution of the present invention, the generation and distribution of fsync signals is one of the core links to achieve precise synchronization. Therefore, in order to adapt to different image acquisition requirements, the generation frequency of the fsync signal can be dynamically adjusted, that is, the generation frequency of the hardware synchronization signal is dynamically adjusted by the master camera based on the basic image timing parameters; wherein the basic image timing parameters include a preset image resolution, the position and size of the image blanking area, and a preset image frame rate, and then the master camera generates a hardware synchronization signal for controlling the camera exposure according to the generation frequency, and immediately sends the hardware synchronization signal to multiple slave cameras.

[0045] It is understandable that in order to meet the time synchronization requirements in different application scenarios, the generation of the fsync signal not only relies on the standard trigger mechanism, but can also be dynamically adjusted according to the preset image resolution, image blanking area, and image frame rate of the multi-channel camera system to ensure that even under complex shooting conditions, the exposure time of all cameras can remain consistent to achieve high-precision synchronization. In other words, the generation frequency of the fsync signal depends on the basic image timing parameters of image capture, which include image resolution, image blanking area, and image frame rate.

[0046] Among them, the image resolution determines the total number of pixels per frame and the working bandwidth of the camera sensor. In high-resolution image acquisition, the camera needs a longer time to complete the exposure and data reading of each frame. Therefore, in order to ensure that the exposure start time of each pixel is consistent, the main camera can dynamically adjust the generation and distribution of the fsync signal according to the preset image resolution to match the image exposure cycle; the blanking area refers to the part of the sensor that is not effectively exposed during the image scanning process. The size and position of the image blanking area will affect the start time of exposure. For different types of images and camera sensors, the dynamic adjustment of the blanking area will affect the camera's effective exposure area and scanning timing. Therefore, when the fsync signal is generated, the timing of the exposure control signal (hardware synchronization signal) is dynamically calculated according to the position and size of the blanking area to ensure that the exposure start time of the master camera and the slave camera are completely synchronized. Even when the blanking area changes, the exposure timing of each camera can be guaranteed not to be affected. The image frame rate determines the number of images captured per second, which directly affects the generation frequency of the fsync signal. In high frame rate applications, the camera needs to expose and capture data more frequently. In order to adapt to this change, the generation of the fsync signal will adjust its periodicity according to the set image frame rate to ensure that each frame of the image is exposed at the right time. Under low frame rate conditions, the master camera will extend the exposure time of each frame. light cycle, thereby maintaining a stable synchronization signal for a long time, while keeping the exposure start time of each camera consistent to avoid image mismatch caused by time misalignment. Under high frame rate conditions, the master camera will calculate the exposure cycle of each frame in advance and make timing adjustments according to the exposure control characteristics of the slave camera. That is, the master camera will speed up the signal generation frequency (shorten each exposure cycle) to ensure that each frame can trigger the camera exposure at a precise time point. In other words, the generation frequency of the fsync signal not only depends on a fixed timing mechanism, but also makes real-time adjustments according to the changes in the above-mentioned image parameters. Therefore, images with different resolutions, blanking areas and frame rates can be dynamically adapted to achieve high-precision synchronization control.

[0047] That is to say, since the generation of the fsync signal is dynamically adjusted based on the image timing requirements, in different shooting scenarios, the fsync signal is not just a simple trigger signal, it also needs to be closely coordinated with the image timing, that is, the master camera and the slave camera perform accurate timing calculations based on the preset image resolution, image blanking area, and image frame rate, and adjust the generation frequency of the fsync signal based on these parameters to ensure that the exposure of each frame is always synchronized. And in high-speed motion or low-light environments, the generation frequency of the fsync signal can be dynamically adjusted in combination with high frame rate and long exposure time to ensure that the exposure synchronization of the binocular camera will not be affected by environmental changes.

[0048] It should be noted that see Figure 2As shown, the slave camera in the multi-channel camera system can be a binocular camera and / or a monocular camera, and when a new slave camera is added to the multi-channel camera system, the hardware synchronization signal generated by the master camera can be directly sent to the new slave camera through the cascade synchronization distribution mechanism. That is to say, when the system needs to increase the number of cameras, the fsync signal can be accurately transmitted to the newly added camera based on the cascade synchronization distribution mechanism through the cascade synchronization distribution module, without reconfiguring the entire multi-channel camera system. The scalability of the system ensures that high-precision synchronization effects can still be maintained in complex shooting environments. Supporting the expansion of multi-channel camera systems, through a simple signal distribution mechanism, it can support the synchronous control of dozens of cameras. The fsync signal received by each camera can ensure the time consistency of exposure in a global range. No matter how the number of cameras increases, all cameras can start exposure at the same time, thereby realizing pixel-level synchronization of large-scale multi-channel camera systems. Therefore, for large-scale camera array systems, it is also possible to ensure the exposure synchronization of all cameras through a distributed fsync signal generation and distribution mechanism to adapt to the needs of large-scale perception systems, that is, it can accurately control the synchronous start time of multiple cameras or sensors, and will not be limited by the scale of the system, and has better scalability.

[0049] For example, see Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the multi-channel camera system consists of a master camera and three slave cameras. An fsync signal is generated at the beginning of each frame image to start the camera exposure. The time between two fsync signals is the time of a whole frame image (frame time). The three slave cameras receive the fsync signal of the master camera through the hardware interface, and after a very small delay, they start their own exposure, thereby maintaining pixel-level synchronization with the master camera.

[0050] Step S12: When the plurality of slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, each of the slave cameras triggers a corresponding exposure operation to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the master camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

[0051] It is understandable that when the slave camera receives the fsync signal sent by the master camera, the slave camera will trigger the exposure operation, thereby ensuring that the exposure moment of all cameras is consistent, and the exposure control can remain synchronized even at different resolutions, frame rates or image formats.

[0052] Specifically, the corresponding exposure operation is triggered to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera through the electronic shutter or hardware shutter under the control of the hardware synchronization signal. It should be pointed out that in each camera, exposure control can be implemented by a hardware shutter mechanism or an electronic shutter mechanism, wherein the hardware shutter controls the opening and closing of exposure through a physical mechanical device, while the electronic shutter controls the exposure time by changing the readout mode of the sensor; the electronic shutter is usually used to achieve higher-precision synchronization control because it can achieve precise exposure start and stop with a shorter response time. For example, when the fsync signal reaches the slave camera, the slave camera will start exposure at the millisecond or even microsecond level through the electronic shutter.

[0053] Among them, exposure control and synchronization are the key links to ensure the synchronization of multi-channel camera systems at the pixel level. The fsync signal sent by the master camera can accurately control the exposure time of all cameras, thereby ensuring that the exposure start time of each camera is highly consistent. Specifically, the exposure start time can be dynamically adjusted according to the image timing requirements, camera sensor characteristics, and signal transmission delay. Then, each slave camera triggers the corresponding exposure operation to start the exposure acquisition image at the same time as the master camera based on the exposure start time according to the preset timestamp synchronization mechanism under the control of the hardware synchronization signal. This ensures that the image data collected by each camera has the same exposure start time, thereby avoiding image mismatch caused by exposure time difference, especially in high-speed dynamic scenes, ensuring the accuracy of subsequent processing such as stereoscopic vision or three-dimensional reconstruction. That is to say, in a multi-sensor system, in addition to fsync signal synchronization, the timestamp synchronization mechanism can also be combined to ensure that the data between sensors have a unified time reference, thereby further improving the accuracy of data fusion.

[0054] It should be specifically noted that in this application, the exposure start time of the camera is directly controlled at the hardware level through the fsync signal to ensure that each camera starts exposure at the same time, avoiding image distortion and mismatch caused by time difference, thereby improving the accuracy and real-time performance of depth calculation and 3D reconstruction. This hardware-level fsync signal synchronization mechanism has significant advantages: the fsync signal directly controls exposure through electrical signals, greatly reducing the generation of synchronization errors; through hardware triggering rather than relying on post-processing algorithms, the exposure synchronization delay is greatly reduced to meet the needs of high-dynamic scenes; it saves a lot of cache and subsequent calculations, reduces the consumption of computing resources, and improves real-time performance.

[0055] That is, the hardware-level fsync signal synchronization mechanism not only eliminates the timing problem of image data, but also greatly reduces the delay of data transmission and processing. Through the hardware-level synchronization of the fsync signal, the camera does not need to cache the image and align it during subsequent processing, but directly ensures the synchronization of each camera image at the moment of image capture. This method is particularly suitable for application scenarios that require real-time feedback and high-precision synchronization, such as autonomous driving and robot vision. Through the precise synchronization of the fsync signal, the real-time and accuracy of image capture is ensured, greatly improving the response speed of the system. Through the hardware synchronization of the fsync signal, the solution of large cache and subsequent data alignment is abandoned, fundamentally improving the binocular camera in a multi-channel camera system. The efficiency and synchronization accuracy between cameras are improved. The camera no longer needs to wait for image data in the cache, nor does it need to rely on complex subsequent algorithms for image alignment, which significantly reduces the processing burden of the system, reduces the consumption of hardware and computing resources, and avoids synchronization problems caused by cache overflow. The fsync signal controls the exposure time of all sensors at the hardware level to ensure the synchronous capture of data from multiple sensors (including binocular cameras, infrared cameras, etc.). This synchronization method not only improves the internal synchronization accuracy of the binocular camera, but also makes the fusion between multiple sensors closer, further improving the accuracy and stability of the system. In scenarios such as autonomous driving and intelligent monitoring, high-precision synchronization of multiple sensors is the basis for accurate perception and decision-making.

[0056] It can be seen that in the embodiments of the present invention, the problem that the existing image synchronization and data alignment technologies in the traditional binocular camera system cannot meet the high-precision synchronization requirements in scenarios with high real-time requirements is solved through the signal synchronization mechanism, and the synchronization accuracy and real-time performance of the multi-channel camera system are improved. That is, in the multi-channel camera system, a binocular camera serving as a main camera generates a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure, and after the slave camera receives the hardware synchronization signal sent by the main camera, all cameras start exposing and collecting images at the same time under the control of the hardware synchronization signal. Among them, the hardware synchronization signal is directly generated and sent from the master camera, with the advantages of fast response and low latency. It can simultaneously control the exposure of the master camera and the slave camera in the multi-channel camera system, thereby reducing the synchronization delay between the multi-channel cameras and controlling the synchronization difference between the multi-channel images at the pixel level. That is, the technical solution of the present application is based on the master camera to generate and send hardware synchronization signals, accurately synchronize the exposure time of multiple slave cameras, thereby achieving synchronization of the master and slave cameras at the pixel level. It can not only ensure that all cameras start exposure at the same time, but also avoid the timing error in the traditional multi-channel camera synchronization technology, and can also improve the real-time and stability of the entire system through low-latency synchronization signal control, and meet the high-precision synchronization requirements for real-time dynamic image capture in scenes such as binocular stereo vision, autonomous driving, robot vision, industrial inspection, and high-precision stereo vision.

[0057] For example, when a multi-channel camera system is composed of a binocular camera as the main camera and other cameras as slave cameras, such as ordinary cameras, infrared cameras, etc., the fsync signal generated by the binocular camera can accurately and quickly control the exposure time of multiple cameras to achieve pixel-level time synchronization. This solution is suitable for large-scale camera systems, and can still ensure high-precision synchronization in high-speed dynamic scenes. The system has extremely high real-time and scalability. Whether it is autonomous driving, robot vision, or high-precision stereo vision, 3D modeling and other applications, it can achieve higher quality data acquisition and processing effects, and meet the stringent requirements of various application scenarios for image synchronization. The technical solution of the present application can be used to synchronize images captured by different types of cameras in a multi-channel camera system with high precision at the pixel level, so that the multi-channel camera system can meet the scene requirements of high precision and high real-time performance.

[0058] In one embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown, based on the above-mentioned exposure control method of multiple cameras, the present invention also provides an exposure control device for multiple cameras, which is applied to a multiple camera system including a binocular camera as a master camera and multiple slave cameras, and the device includes:

[0059] A synchronization signal generating module 11, used to generate a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the main camera;

[0060] A signal sending module 12, used for sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras;

[0061] The exposure control module 13 is used to trigger corresponding exposure operations when the multiple slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, so as to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the master camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

[0062] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application. The terminal may include:

[0063] A memory 501 , a processor 502 , and a computer program stored in the memory 501 and executable on the processor 502 .

[0064] When the processor 502 executes the program, the exposure control method for multiple cameras provided in the above embodiment is implemented.

[0065] Furthermore, the terminal further includes:

[0066] The communication interface 503 is used for communication between the memory 501 and the processor 502 .

[0067] The memory 501 is used to store computer programs that can be executed on the processor 502 .

[0068] The memory 501 may include a high-speed RAM memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk memory.

[0069] If the memory 501, the processor 502 and the communication interface 503 are implemented independently, the communication interface 503, the memory 501 and the processor 502 can be connected to each other through a bus and communicate with each other. The bus can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0070] Optionally, in a specific implementation, if the memory 501, the processor 502 and the communication interface 503 are integrated on a chip, the memory 501, the processor 502 and the communication interface 503 can communicate with each other through an internal interface.

[0071] The processor 502 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application.

[0072] This embodiment further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the exposure control method for multiple cameras as described above is implemented.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present invention after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in this application. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present invention are indicated by the claims.

[0074] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or N embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0075] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, which can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by an instruction execution system, apparatus or device (such as a computer-based system, a system including a processor or other system that can read instructions from an instruction execution system, apparatus or device and execute instructions), or used in combination with these instruction execution systems, apparatuses or devices.

[0076] It should be understood that the various parts of the present application can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the above embodiment, the N steps or methods can be implemented by software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. If implemented by hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented by any one of the following technologies known in the art or their combination: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function for a data signal, a dedicated integrated circuit having a suitable combination of logic gate circuits, a programmable gate array (PGA, Programmable Gate Array), a field programmable gate array (FPGA, Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc.

[0077] It should be understood that the application of the present invention is not limited to the above examples. For ordinary technicians in this field, improvements or changes can be made based on the above description. All these improvements and changes should fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling exposure of multiple cameras, characterized in that: Applied to a multi-channel camera system including a binocular camera as a master camera and a plurality of slave cameras, the method comprises: Generating a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the master camera, and sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras; When the plurality of slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, each of the slave cameras triggers a corresponding exposure operation to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the master camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

2. The exposure control method for multiple cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras comprises: The hardware synchronization signal is sent to the plurality of slave cameras through a pre-built target hardware interface.

3. The exposure control method for multiple cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Dynamically adjusting the generation frequency of the hardware synchronization signal based on basic image timing parameters by the main camera; wherein the basic image timing parameters include a preset image resolution, a position and size of an image blanking area, and a preset image frame rate; The step of generating a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the main camera includes: A hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure is generated by the main camera according to the generation frequency.

4. The exposure control method for multiple cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that: The triggering of the corresponding exposure operation to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal includes: The corresponding exposure operation is triggered to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera through the electronic shutter or the hardware shutter under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

5. The exposure control method for multiple cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Dynamically adjust the exposure start time based on image timing requirements, camera sensor characteristics, and signal transmission delay; The triggering of the corresponding exposure operation to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal includes: The corresponding exposure operation is triggered to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the main camera based on the exposure start time according to a preset timestamp synchronization mechanism under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

6. The exposure control method for multiple cameras according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The slave camera is a binocular camera and / or a monocular camera.

7. The exposure control method for multiple cameras according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: When a new slave camera is added to the multi-channel camera system, the hardware synchronization signal is sent to the new slave camera through a cascade synchronization distribution mechanism.

8. An exposure control device for multiple cameras, characterized in that: Applicable to a multi-channel camera system including a binocular camera as a master camera and multiple slave cameras, the device comprises: A synchronization signal generating module, used to generate a hardware synchronization signal for controlling camera exposure through the main camera; A signal sending module, used for sending the hardware synchronization signal to the plurality of slave cameras; The exposure control module is used to trigger corresponding exposure operations when the multiple slave cameras receive the hardware synchronization signal sent by the master camera, so as to start exposure and image acquisition simultaneously with the master camera under the control of the hardware synchronization signal.

9. A terminal, characterized in that: include: A memory, a processor, and an exposure control program for multiple cameras stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the exposure control program for multiple cameras, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the exposure control method for multiple cameras as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which can be executed to implement the steps of the exposure control method for multiple cameras as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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