Camera system, exposure control method and vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a camera system, an exposure control method and a vehicle, and the camera system comprises at least two camera modules with a view field having an overlapping region, and the at least two camera modules comprise a first camera module and a second camera module; wherein the first camera module generates a first trigger signal after exposure, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module, so as to trigger the second camera module to realize time-sharing exposure. The two camera modules are prevented from being exposed at the same time, so that the phenomenon of mutual interference when the two camera modules are exposed at the same time is prevented, and the quality of shot images is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of photography, and more specifically to a camera system, an exposure control method and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the booming development of smart cockpits, the user experience of the cockpit is constantly improving. In order to provide a better user experience, more and more cameras are used in the cockpit, such as the DMS (Driver Monitoring System) camera and the OMS (Occupant Monitoring System) camera in the cabin. The field of view (FOV) of the OMS camera and the DMS camera often overlap, so when the OMS camera and the DMS camera are exposed at the same time, each camera will affect the imaging of the other cameras, resulting in poor image quality. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention is proposed to solve at least one of the above problems. According to a first aspect of the present application, a camera system is provided, the camera system comprising: at least two camera modules with overlapping fields of view, the at least two camera modules comprising a first camera module and a second camera module; wherein, after exposure, the first camera module generates a first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to achieve time-sharing exposure.

[0004] In one embodiment of the present application, triggering the second camera to achieve time-sharing exposure includes: the second camera module performs exposure after receiving the image acquisition instruction and the first trigger signal.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present application, the first camera module performs exposure after receiving an image acquisition instruction.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present application, the first camera module performs exposure after receiving an image acquisition instruction and a second trigger signal; wherein the second trigger signal is sent by a controller or by other camera modules.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present application, each of the camera modules is connected to a controller; the first camera module sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the controller.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present application, the first camera module and the second camera module are connected via a deserializer; the first camera module sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module via the deserializer.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present application, each of the camera modules includes a serializer; the serializer of each of the camera modules is connected to the deserializer; after exposure, the first camera module generates the first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the deserializer, the first camera module and the serializer of the second camera module.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, the deserializer includes at least two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits; each of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits is electrically connected to a serializer, and at least two of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits are electrically connected.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present application, at least two setting interfaces are provided on the deserializer; each of the setting interfaces corresponds to a serial-to-parallel conversion circuit and is connected to the corresponding serial-to-parallel conversion circuit; and at least two of the setting interfaces are electrically connected.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present application, each of the setting interfaces is a GPIO interface.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present application, the number of the deserializers is one, at least two of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits are arranged in the same deserializer, and at least two of the setting interfaces are arranged on one of the deserializers.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present application, the number of the deserializers is at least two, each of the deserializers is provided with one of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits, and each of the deserializers is provided with one of the setting interfaces.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present application, the deserializer and the serializer are electrically connected via a coaxial cable.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present application, the camera module is an infrared camera module.

[0017] According to the second aspect of the present application, an exposure control method for a camera system is also provided, wherein the camera system includes at least two camera modules having overlapping fields of view, wherein the at least two camera modules include a first camera module and a second camera module, and the exposure control method includes: after the first camera module is exposed, the first camera module generates a first trigger signal and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module; and the second camera module is exposed after receiving the first trigger signal.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present application, the exposure control method also includes: the first camera module performs exposure after receiving an image acquisition instruction; or, the first camera module performs exposure after receiving an image acquisition instruction and a second trigger signal; wherein the second trigger signal is sent by a controller or by other camera modules.

[0019] According to a third aspect of the present application, a vehicle is further provided, comprising: a cockpit, and any one of the above-mentioned camera systems, wherein the field of view of at least two of the camera modules covers the cockpit.

[0020] According to the camera system, exposure control method and vehicle provided in the embodiments of the present application, after exposure, the first camera module of the two camera modules with overlapping fields of view generates a first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to realize time-sharing exposure, thereby avoiding simultaneous exposure of the two infrared camera modules, thereby preventing mutual interference when the two camera modules are exposed at the same time and improving the quality of the captured image. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a camera system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a camera system provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 A flow chart of generation and transmission of a first trigger signal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 A flowchart of a camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 A flowchart of a camera system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a camera system provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A flow chart of the trigger signals generated by each camera module in the camera system is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention more obvious, the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments of the present invention, and it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present invention described in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] In the following description, a large number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present invention, some technical features well known in the art are not described.

[0031] It should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in different forms and should not be interpreted as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0032] In order to fully understand the present invention, a detailed structure will be proposed in the following description to illustrate the technical solution proposed by the present invention. The optional embodiments of the present invention are described in detail as follows, but in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention may also have other implementations.

[0033] Some embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0034] An embodiment of the present application provides a camera system, which includes: at least two camera modules with overlapping fields of view, the at least two camera modules including a first camera module and a second camera module; wherein, after exposure, the first camera module generates a first trigger signal and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to achieve time-sharing exposure.

[0035] In the above scheme, after exposure, the first camera module of the two camera modules with overlapping fields of view generates a first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to realize time-sharing exposure, thereby avoiding simultaneous exposure of the two camera modules, thereby preventing mutual interference when the two camera modules are exposed at the same time, and improving the quality of the captured image. The above structures are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0036] The number of camera modules included in the camera system is at least two, and the fields of view of at least two camera modules have overlapping areas. Exemplarily, the number of camera modules is two, three, four, five, etc. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, there are two camera modules, namely a first camera module and a second camera module. Figure 6 As shown, the number of camera modules is N, namely, a first camera module, a second camera module, ..., an Nth camera module. Exemplarily, the camera module may be an infrared camera module. Of course, in other embodiments, the camera module may also be other types of non-infrared camera modules.

[0037] Exemplarily, when at least two camera modules are infrared camera modules, each infrared camera module is a camera module with infrared function. Figure 1 and Figure 2 , each infrared camera module includes an infrared lamp for infrared fill light. The fields of view of at least two infrared camera modules have overlapping areas, that is, only the areas that can be photographed by the two infrared camera modules have overlapping areas. Specifically, the fields of view of at least two infrared camera modules can be completely overlapped, or the fields of view of at least two infrared camera modules can be partially overlapped. Exemplarily, when the camera system is a camera system on a vehicle, at least two infrared camera modules can be arranged in the vehicle to cover the cockpit area. That is, each infrared camera module can cover the cockpit area. Exemplarily, the first camera module of the at least two camera modules can be an OMS camera, and the second camera module can be a DMS camera.

[0038] It should be explained that the camera system may only include two camera modules with overlapping fields of view. In this case, the two camera modules in the camera system are the first camera module and the second camera module shown in the embodiment of the present application. Of course, in other embodiments, the camera system may include three or more camera modules with overlapping fields of view. In this case, any two of these camera modules can be used as the first camera module and the second camera module shown in the embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Among them, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the first camera module can be exposed to capture images, and after exposure, a first trigger signal is generated, and the first trigger signal is sent to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to realize time-sharing exposure. Avoid exposing the two camera modules at the same time, thereby preventing mutual interference when the two camera modules are exposed at the same time, and improving the quality of the captured images. Exemplarily, when the first camera module and the second camera module are both infrared camera modules, mutual infrared interference when the two infrared camera modules are exposed at the same time can be prevented, avoiding the reddish phenomenon of the images captured by the infrared camera modules, and improving the user experience.

[0040] Exemplarily, when the first camera module triggers the second camera module to realize time-sharing exposure through the first trigger signal, multiple methods can be used. Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the second camera module can be exposed after receiving the image acquisition instruction and the first trigger signal simultaneously or successively. Specifically, the second camera module can receive the image acquisition instruction at the same time, or can receive the first trigger signal successively. For example, the second camera module can first receive the image acquisition instruction, and then receive the first trigger signal. Among them, the image acquisition instruction can be an image acquisition instruction sent by various types of controllers such as but not limited to vehicle-mounted terminals to the second camera module to open and acquire images. Of course, in other embodiments, if the second camera module is in the automatic monitoring state of the target, the second camera module detects the target object and receives the first trigger signal after exposure, thereby realizing automatic exposure of the two camera modules. It should be noted that the definition of the first camera module and the second camera module mentioned above is not fixed. As long as the camera module that is exposed first in any two camera modules can be used as the first camera module, generate the first trigger signal, and send the first trigger signal to the second camera module that is exposed later. That is, the camera module that is not exposed first can be used as the second camera module.

[0041] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2, each camera module can be connected to the controller. That is, the first camera module and the second camera module are both connected to the controller. In some embodiments, the first camera module can send the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the controller. That is, after the first camera module generates the first trigger signal, it first sends the first trigger signal to the controller connected to the first camera module, and then the controller forwards the first trigger signal to the second camera module. Of course, it should be noted that the way the first camera module sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module is not limited to the way of forwarding through the controller. In addition to this, other ways can also be used.

[0042] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the first camera module and the second camera module can be connected through a deserializer. At this time, the first camera module can also send the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the deserializer. Since this transmission path does not need to be forwarded by the controller, it not only does not need to occupy the transaction processing channel and processing resource capacity of the controller, but also can reduce the forwarding processing delay of the controller for the first trigger signal, and increase the rate at which the first camera module sends the first trigger signal to the second trigger signal.

[0043] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 , all camera modules in the camera system can be connected through the deserializer. For example, in some embodiments, reference Figure 6 , all camera modules can be connected in series in sequence through the deserializer, and the first camera module and the second camera module can be any two camera modules connected in series. In other embodiments, each camera module can be directly connected to each other camera module through the deserializer, and the first camera module and the second camera module can be any two camera modules among all the camera modules.

[0044] When realizing the connection between the first camera module and the second camera module through a deserializer, multiple methods may be used.

[0045] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6, each camera module may include a serializer. The serializer of each camera module is connected to the deserializer. After the first camera module is exposed, it generates a first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the deserializer, the first camera module and the serializer of the second camera module. At this time, the serializers of the first camera module and the second camera module are both connected to the deserializer, so that the first camera module can send the first trigger signal to the deserializer through its own serializer, and the deserializer forwards the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the serializer of the second camera module.

[0046] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 , each camera module may also include a photosensitive chip connected to the serializer, which is used not only for exposure but also for generating a trigger signal after exposure. For example, the photosensitive chip of the first camera module generates a first trigger signal after exposure, and sends the first trigger signal to the serializer of the first camera module, which is then forwarded to the serializer of the second camera module through the deserializer, and the serializer of the second camera module sends the first trigger signal to the photosensitive chip of the second camera module, which is then exposed in time.

[0047] Exemplarily, when the camera module is an infrared camera module, when setting each infrared camera module, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In addition to the infrared light, each infrared camera module may also include an infrared camera and a serializer. For example, the infrared camera may be composed of a photosensitive chip and an image processing chip. Regarding the connection method, a variety of connection methods may be used. Figure 1 As shown, it can be used as Figure 1 The connection mode of the first camera module shown in the figure is that the infrared lamp is connected to the controller through a power line, the photosensitive chip is connected to the image processing chip, and the image processing chip is connected to the serializer. Figure 1 In the connection mode of the second camera module shown, the infrared light is connected to the photosensitive chip, the photosensitive chip is connected to the image processing chip, the image processing chip is connected to the serializer, and the second camera module is connected to the controller through a power cord. The serializer and the deserializer can be connected in a manner such as, but not limited to, a coaxial cable.

[0048] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2, the deserializer connects each serializer, and the controller and each camera module can communicate through the deserializer. The controller can be a device with control function such as but not limited to Dilink host, vehicle terminal, mobile terminal, etc. as the controller. For example, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The controller may also include a processor, and the processor may use a SOC (system on chip) to improve the function of the processor. Of course, in other embodiments, the processor may use an MCU (microcontroller unit). Exemplarily, the deserializer and the serializer may be electrically connected by, for example, but not limited to, a coaxial cable.

[0049] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 , when the Dilink host detects that at least two camera modules are turned on, the first camera module of the at least two camera modules can generate a first trigger signal to control the exposure of the second camera module, and send the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the deserializer, so that the two camera modules are exposed at the same time. That is, when both camera modules are turned on, the controller can configure the first camera module of the at least two camera modules as the main control camera module, and the main control camera module can generate a first trigger signal, and transmit it to the second camera module through the deserializer to control the two camera modules to be exposed at the same time, thereby preventing the mutual infrared interference phenomenon when the two infrared camera modules are exposed at the same time, and avoiding the phenomenon that the images taken by the infrared camera modules are reddish.

[0050] Exemplarily, the first trigger signal can use an electrical signal such as but not limited to a PWM waveform as a trigger signal, so that the second camera module can be exposed according to the first trigger signal. That is, the exposure control method shown in the above embodiment controls the exposure time of the second camera module by the first trigger signal generated by the first camera module to achieve time-sharing exposure. Figure 3 The method includes the following steps: after the first camera module completes exposure, the second camera module performs exposure again, using a time-sharing exposure method. After the first camera module completes exposure, it will send a first trigger signal to the second camera module, and the second camera module will perform exposure again after receiving the first trigger signal.

[0051] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2, when each camera includes a photosensitive chip connected to a serializer, when both the first camera module and the second camera module are turned on, the photosensitive chip in the first camera module can generate a first trigger signal to control the exposure of the photosensitive chip in the second camera module, and transmit the first trigger signal to the photosensitive chip in the second camera module through the serializer and deserializer, so that the two photosensitive chips are exposed in time-sharing. That is, the first trigger signal is generated by the photosensitive chip in the first camera module, and transmitted to the photosensitive chip in the second camera module through the serializer and deserializer, so that the two photosensitive chips are exposed in time-sharing. For specific transmission, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , taking the first camera module as the main control camera module when at least two camera modules are turned on at the same time as an example, the generation and transmission method of the first trigger signal are explained. First, refer to Figure 3 After the photosensitive chip of the first camera module completes exposure, it generates a first trigger signal and transmits the first trigger signal directly to the serializer in the first camera module. The serializer in the first camera module then sends the first trigger signal received from the photosensitive chip to its corresponding deserializer. The deserializer then sends the first trigger signal to the serializer in the second camera module. The serializer in the second camera module then sends the first trigger signal received from the corresponding deserializer to the photosensitive chip of the second camera module, so that the photosensitive chip of the second camera module is exposed, thereby realizing time-sharing exposure of the two photosensitive chips.

[0052] When setting the deserializer, a variety of methods can be used. Exemplarily, the deserializer may include at least two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits. Each serial-to-parallel conversion circuit corresponds to an electrically connected serializer, and at least two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits are electrically connected. That is, each serial-to-parallel conversion circuit corresponds to a serializer and is electrically connected to the corresponding serializer. The specific connection method can be a method such as but not limited to a coaxial cable, so that different types of trigger signals such as a first trigger signal, a second trigger signal, and a third trigger signal are transmitted between each serial-to-parallel conversion circuit and the corresponding serializer. And the two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits are also electrically connected to each other to transmit different types of trigger signals such as a first trigger signal, a second trigger signal, and a third trigger signal between the two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits, so as to realize that at least two camera modules transmit different types of trigger signals such as a first trigger signal, a second trigger signal, and a third trigger signal through the deserializer. There is no need to transmit the first trigger signal through the processor in the controller, simplify the control logic, reduce the delay, and improve the accuracy of time-sharing exposure.

[0053] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2, at least two setting interfaces can be provided on the deserializer. Each setting interface corresponds to a serial-to-parallel conversion circuit and is connected to the corresponding serial-to-parallel conversion circuit to transmit different types of trigger signals such as the first trigger signal, the second trigger signal, and the third trigger signal between the corresponding serial-to-parallel conversion circuit. The specific connection method can be achieved by the bus in the deserializer. And at least two setting interfaces are electrically connected. The specific connection method can be achieved through the bus in the deserializer, or through the wiring set outside the deserializer to achieve the connection between the two setting interfaces, so as to transmit the first trigger signal between the two setting interfaces. Thereby realizing the transmission of different types of trigger signals such as the first trigger signal, the second trigger signal, and the third trigger signal between different serial-to-parallel conversion circuits.

[0054] When setting each setting interface, multiple methods can be used. For example, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , each setting interface can be a GPIO interface. Specifically, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, GPIO1 represents the GPIO interface corresponding to the first camera module, and GPIO2 represents the GPIO interface corresponding to the second camera module.

[0055] When at least two setting interfaces are electrically connected, multiple methods can be used. Exemplarily, at least two setting interfaces can be connected in series in pairs, so that at least two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits can be connected in series in pairs, so that at least two camera modules can be connected in series in sequence through a deserializer. At this time, the first camera module and the second camera module can be any two camera modules connected in series.

[0056] In other embodiments, each setting interface can be electrically connected to each other setting interface, so that each serial-to-parallel conversion circuit is connected to each other serial-to-parallel conversion circuit, and thus each camera module is connected to each other camera module. In this case, the first camera module and the second camera module can be any two camera modules of the at least two camera modules.

[0057] When determining the number of deserializers, multiple methods can be used. For example, refer to Figure 2 , the number of deserializers can be one, at least two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits are arranged in the same deserializer, and at least two setting interfaces are arranged on one deserializer. To reduce the number of deserializers. In other embodiments, reference Figure 1 The number of deserializers may be at least two, each deserializer is provided with a serial-to-parallel conversion circuit, and each deserializer is provided with a setting interface. Figure 1As shown, deserializer 1 corresponds to the first camera module, and deserializer 2 corresponds to the second camera module.

[0058] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the deserializer and the serializer are electrically connected via a coaxial cable, and exemplary, the deserializer can be electrically connected to each serializer via a coaxial cable. Figure 1 As shown, deserializer 1 is connected to the serializer in the first camera module via a coaxial cable, and deserializer 2 is connected to the serializer in the second camera module via a coaxial cable. Figure 2 As shown, the deserializer leads out two coaxial cables, which are respectively connected to the serializers in the first camera module and the second camera module.

[0059] In addition, when the first camera module is exposed, the exposure can be triggered by some prerequisites. Exemplarily, the first camera module can be exposed after receiving an image acquisition instruction. The image acquisition instruction can be an image acquisition instruction sent by various types of controllers such as but not limited to vehicle-mounted terminals to the first camera module to open and acquire images. Among them, the image acquisition instruction received by the first camera module is used to instruct the first camera module to acquire images, which is different from the image acquisition instruction received by the aforementioned second camera module. The image acquisition instruction received by the second camera module is used to instruct the second camera module to acquire images. Exemplarily, the image acquisition instructions received by the first camera module and the second camera module respectively can come from the same controller or from different controllers. At this time, exemplarily, the first camera module can be the first camera module to be exposed among all camera modules that have received image acquisition instructions.

[0060] In other embodiments, the first camera module may be exposed after receiving the image acquisition instruction and the second trigger signal. The second trigger signal may be sent by the controller or by other camera modules. For example, in some embodiments, the second trigger signal may be sent by the controller, in which case both the image acquisition instruction and the second trigger signal may be sent by the controller. It should be noted that the image acquisition instruction may be generated by the controller and sent to the first camera module. However, the second trigger signal may be generated by the controller and sent to the first camera module, in which case the first camera module may be the first exposed camera module among all camera modules that receive the image acquisition instruction. Of course, in other embodiments, the second trigger signal may be generated by other camera modules and sent to the first camera module through the controller. For example, the second trigger signal may be generated by the third camera module or other camera modules after the third camera module is exposed, and the second trigger signal may be sent to the controller. The controller forwards the second trigger signal to the first camera module. In other embodiments, the second trigger signal may be sent directly to the first camera module by other camera modules without passing through the controller. That is, the image acquisition instruction and the second trigger signal come from different subjects. At this time, the first camera module may be a camera module that is not the first to be exposed among all the camera modules that have received the image acquisition instruction.

[0061] exemplary, exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the processor in the controller is connected to the two setting interfaces of the deserializer. When the first camera module is turned on, the processor is used to generate a second trigger signal, and send the second trigger signal to the first camera module through the setting interface and the serial-to-parallel conversion circuit corresponding to the first camera module to control the exposure of the first camera module. Exemplary, reference Figure 4 , the processor in the controller can generate a second trigger signal by enabling the setting interface corresponding to the first camera module, and enable the deserializer corresponding to the first camera module to send the second trigger signal to the serializer in the first camera module, thereby controlling the first camera module to be exposed.

[0062] Exemplary, reference Figure 3 When the camera system includes N camera modules and the N camera modules are connected in series, the first camera module and the second camera module can be as follows: Figure 6 and Figure 7 The first two camera modules in the Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, after the second camera module is exposed, it will also generate a trigger signal and transmit it to the next camera module, which will then expose the image, and so on, until the Nth camera module is transmitted. Figure 6 and Figure 7 In addition to the first two camera modules in the figure, it can also be any two adjacent camera modules at other positions.

[0063] Exemplary, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the processor in the controller is connected to the two setting interfaces of the deserializer. Figure 4 When only the first camera module among at least two camera modules is turned on, the processor is used to generate a third trigger signal and send the third trigger signal to the first camera module through the setting interface and serial-to-parallel conversion circuit corresponding to the first camera module to control the exposure of the first camera module.

[0064] Exemplary, reference Figure 4 When the controller detects that only one of the first camera modules is turned on and the second camera module is not turned on, at this time, the processor in the controller can generate a third trigger signal by enabling the setting interface corresponding to the first camera module, and enable the deserializer corresponding to the first camera module to send the third trigger signal to the serializer in the first camera module, thereby controlling the first camera module to be exposed.

[0065] In the relevant method, at least two infrared cameras are two independent camera modules, each of which will have an infrared light (IR-LED), and the IR-LED is also powered by the Dilink host. When the user uses one of the infrared cameras or uses the functions of these two infrared cameras at the same time, the camera 1 module and the camera 2 module can be exposed according to their own usage scenarios, and the Dilink host will not interfere with the exposure control of the camera module. In the scenario where any camera is used alone, the functions do not affect each other, and the infrared lights are turned on according to the use of the camera. When the user uses the functions of these two infrared cameras at the same time, the infrared light of camera 1 will be turned on together with the infrared light of camera 2, and the infrared light of one camera is very likely to interfere with the function of the other camera.

[0066] For example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 Two hardware block diagrams specifically implemented in this application. Figure 1It is a schematic block diagram of two camera modules connected to different deserializers. After the processor (SOC) in the controller (host-side Dilink) configures the deserializers corresponding to the two camera modules through I2C1 and I2C2, the first trigger signal is completed by the hardware connection between the two deserializers and the hardware connection between the two cameras to complete the hardware transmission link control. Therefore, the first trigger signal is only transmitted by the deserializers corresponding to the two camera modules through the GPIO interface on the host side. Figure 2 It is a schematic block diagram of two camera modules connected to the same deserializer. After the SOC (processor) configures the deserializer through I2C1, the first trigger signal is the hardware transmission link control completed by the hardware connection of the two GPIO interfaces of the deserializer and the hardware connection between the two camera modules. For the SOC in the host, these two solutions do not need to participate in the control logic related to the first trigger signal. The photosensitive chip (Sensor) on the first camera module end connects the first trigger signal to the GPIO interface of the serializer. The GPIO interface transmits the first trigger signal to the deserializer corresponding to the first camera module through the serializer, and transmits the first trigger signal to the GPIO interface corresponding to the second camera module or the GPIO interface corresponding to the second camera module on the deserializer through the GPIO interface corresponding to the first camera module on the deserializer. Then it is transmitted to the deserializer corresponding to the second camera module. The deserializer corresponding to the second camera module then transmits the GPIO interface to the serializer on the second camera module end, and then the serializer of the second camera module connects the GPIO interface to the photosensitive chip of the second camera module. At this time, the photosensitive chip of the second camera module performs time-sharing exposure operation after receiving the first trigger signal.

[0067] Exemplary, reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 After the Dilink host is powered on, it will identify all the inserted camera modules and check whether which camera module is inserted. If it detects that two camera modules are turned on at the same time, one camera module will control the exposure of the other camera module. Otherwise, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 ,If the Dilink host is equipped with only one camera module, the exposure of this camera module can be controlled through the corresponding host-side deserializer. Figure 3 This means that when two camera modules are installed at the same time, one camera module is needed to control the exposure of another camera module. In this case, the first trigger signal will be controlled in two ways according to different configurations and usage scenarios. Figure 5The control method when these two cameras are installed on the vehicle at the same time is shown. The first step is to power on the Dilink host. The second step is to identify the camera module. After identifying the two camera modules, the corresponding deserializer and the serializer on the module end will be configured. After configuration, the photosensitive chip end of the first camera module will send a first trigger signal to the serializer. The serializer sends the first trigger signal to the deserializer corresponding to the first camera module on the host end, and then the deserializer corresponding to the first camera module passes the first trigger signal to the deserializer corresponding to the second camera module. If the two camera modules are connected to the same deserializer at the same time, the first trigger signal of the first camera module is transmitted to another GPIO interface of the deserializer, and the corresponding deserializer of the second camera module then transparently transmits the first trigger signal to the serializer on the second camera module end. The serializer on the second camera module end then sends the first trigger signal to the photosensitive chip on the second camera module end. At this time, the second camera module end starts to expose.

[0068] Figure 4 The exposure control process when there is only one camera module is shown. There are two situations when there is only one camera module. The first is that the vehicle is equipped with two camera modules, and one of the camera modules can be turned off through the APP. The other is that the vehicle is directly equipped with only one camera module. Therefore, when the Dilink host is powered on, it is necessary to identify the camera module and determine whether the host has two camera modules inserted at the same time. When the host makes a judgment, it will execute different control processes for different inserted camera modules.

[0069] Exemplary, reference Figure 4 For the first case where two camera modules are inserted at the same time, the Dilink host needs to complete the relevant configuration of the deserializer and serializer of the two camera modules first. The next step is to determine whether the user has used the APP to turn off one of the camera modules. If one of the camera modules is not turned off, the first camera module will always be used to control the exposure method of the second camera module. In another case, if the user turns off one of the camera modules at a certain moment, the Dilink host needs to enable the deserializer GPIO interface corresponding to the other camera module, so that the deserializer corresponding to this camera module can send a third trigger signal, so that this camera module can perform normal exposure operations in the absence of another camera module. The above is the application of the trigger signal in the first case where there are two camera modules on the vehicle at the same time.

[0070] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5Another situation is when there is only one camera module on the whole vehicle. After the Dilink host is powered on and recognizes that there is only one camera module, it only needs to initialize the deserializer and serializer of this camera module. After configuration, the deserializer corresponding to this camera module can send a third trigger signal, which is then transmitted to the serializer on the camera module end. The serializer then sends the third trigger signal to the photosensitive chip to realize the exposure operation of this camera module. Regardless of the configuration of only one camera module or the scenario of one of the camera modules, the SOC configuration process of the deserializer corresponding to this mounted camera module or the camera module that is not turned off is as follows Figure 5 As shown, when the Dilink host knows that there is only one camera module through I2C host access, it will configure the GPIO interface on the deserializer corresponding to the camera module through I2C, so that the GPIO interface outputs a third trigger signal and transmits it to the camera module end. After the serializer on the camera module end receives the third trigger signal sent by the host end, it transmits the third trigger signal to the photosensitive chip end to enable the exposure function of the photosensitive chip end.

[0071] Compared with the related art that only relies on each infrared camera module for exposure control, the present application controls through the setting interface interconnection method on the deserializer of the controller in some embodiments, so that there is no need to increase the complex control logic of the controller end for the trigger signal in the software, and the time-sharing exposure of at least two camera modules can be realized by only configuring the deserializer setting interface. The method shown in the present invention is not based on the method of controlling the trigger signal by a controller such as SOC or MCU, and the first trigger signal needs to be generated in the form of a PWM wave. If SOC or MCU is used for control, the requirements for the accuracy and delay of the controller will be relatively high. Moreover, if SOC or MCU is used for control, the logic complexity of the controller end will also be increased. In some embodiments of the present invention, the GPIO interface interconnection method between deserializers is adopted. Through the GPIO interface connection on the hardware, the first trigger signal is transparently transmitted from the deserializer end corresponding to one camera module to the deserializer GPIO interface corresponding to another camera module. If two camera modules are connected to the same deserializer of the controller, they are also interconnected through the GPIO interface, and one GPIO interface of the deserializer is pulled to another GPIO interface of the deserializer, and then the GPIO function of the serial deserializer is transparently transmitted to trigger the exposure of the other camera module. This method avoids the complex logical control of the first trigger signal by the controller, and because it is a hardware GPIO connection implementation method, the delay of the first trigger signal can also be better controlled. The exposure control method of the present invention can prevent the infrared light of one camera module from affecting the function of another camera module, thereby avoiding poor display of camera images and thus bringing a bad experience to users.

[0072] In the various embodiments shown above, after exposure, the first camera module of the two camera modules with overlapping fields of view generates a first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to achieve time-sharing exposure, thereby avoiding simultaneous exposure of the two camera modules, thereby preventing mutual interference when the two camera modules are exposed at the same time and improving the quality of the captured image.

[0073] In some of the embodiments shown above, by connecting each serializer to a deserializer; when both camera modules are turned on, the first camera module of the two infrared camera modules can generate a first trigger signal to control the exposure of the second camera module, and send the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the deserializer, so that the two camera modules are exposed at the same time, avoiding the simultaneous exposure of the two infrared camera modules, thereby preventing the mutual infrared interference phenomenon when the two infrared camera modules are exposed at the same time, avoiding the phenomenon that the images taken by the infrared camera modules are reddish, and improving the user experience. In order to meet the normal use scenarios of different infrared camera modules and the algorithm requirements of the corresponding infrared camera modules, the above-mentioned scheme can avoid the infrared light of one infrared camera module from causing infrared interference to the imaging of another infrared camera module. In some embodiments, the OMS camera can be imaged normally without affecting the function of the DMS camera.

[0074] Furthermore, the embodiment of the present application also provides an exposure control method for a camera system, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 , wherein the camera system includes at least two camera modules having overlapping fields of view, and the at least two camera modules include a first camera module and a second camera module. Figure 3 , the exposure control method comprises:

[0075] Step 1: After exposure, the first camera module generates a first trigger signal and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module;

[0076] Step 2: The second camera module performs exposure after receiving the first trigger signal.

[0077] In the above scheme, after exposure, the first camera module of the two camera modules with overlapping fields of view generates a first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to realize time-sharing exposure, thereby avoiding simultaneous exposure of the two camera modules, thereby preventing mutual interference when the two camera modules are exposed at the same time and improving the quality of the captured image.

[0078] In some embodiments, the exposure control method further includes: the first camera module performs exposure after receiving the image acquisition instruction. For specific implementation methods, refer to the corresponding description of the camera system part above, which will not be repeated here.

[0079] In other embodiments, the exposure control method further includes: the first camera module performs exposure after receiving the image acquisition instruction and the second trigger signal. The second trigger signal is sent by the controller or by other camera modules. For the specific implementation method, refer to the corresponding description of the camera system part above, which will not be repeated here.

[0080] The exposure control method shown in some of the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to the camera module in the cabin of the whole vehicle or to the scenario where camera modules with different infrared lights are used in the same environment. This method can prevent different cameras with infrared functions from being affected by infrared lights on the imaging, algorithm and other functions of another camera in the same scenario, thereby improving the user experience and the accuracy of the algorithm.

[0081] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides a vehicle, which includes: a cockpit, and any one of the above-mentioned camera systems, wherein the field of view of the two camera modules covers the cockpit. The vehicle may be a vehicle such as, but not limited to, a fuel vehicle, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like. Exemplarily, the cockpit may be the front cockpit of the vehicle, or the rear cockpit of the vehicle. Exemplarily, each camera module may be an infrared camera module to improve the quality of image capture. Exemplarily, the first camera module and the second camera module in the camera system may be an OMS camera and a DMS camera, respectively. That is, one of the camera modules may be an OMS camera, and the other camera module may be a DMS camera. The field of view of the two camera modules covers the cockpit, so that the cockpit area serves as the overlapping area of ​​the field of view of the two camera modules.

[0082] The present invention has been described by the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are only for the purpose of example and description, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present invention, and these variations and modifications all fall within the scope of the protection claimed by the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A camera system, It is characterized in that include: At least two camera modules having overlapping fields of view, wherein the at least two camera modules include a first camera module and a second camera module; After exposure, the first camera module generates a first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module to trigger the second camera to achieve time-sharing exposure.

2. The camera system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The triggering the second camera to realize time-sharing exposure includes: The second camera module performs exposure after receiving the image acquisition instruction and the first trigger signal.

3. The camera system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first camera module performs exposure after receiving the image acquisition instruction.

4. The camera system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first camera module performs exposure after receiving the image acquisition instruction and the second trigger signal; The second trigger signal is sent by a controller or other camera modules.

5. The camera system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that Each of the camera modules is connected to a controller; The first camera module sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the controller.

6. The camera system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first camera module and the second camera module are connected via a deserializer; The first camera module sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the deserializer.

7. The camera system according to claim 6, It is characterized in that Each of the camera modules includes a serializer; the serializer of each of the camera modules is connected to the deserializer; After exposure, the first camera module generates the first trigger signal, and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module through the deserializer, the first camera module and the serializer of the second camera module.

8. The camera system according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The deserializer includes at least two serial-to-parallel conversion circuits; Each of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits is electrically connected to a serializer, and at least two of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits are electrically connected.

9. The camera system as claimed in claim 8, It is characterized in that The deserializer is provided with at least two setting interfaces; Each of the setting interfaces corresponds to a serial-to-parallel conversion circuit and is connected to the corresponding serial-to-parallel conversion circuit; and at least two of the setting interfaces are electrically connected.

10. The camera system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that Each of the setting interfaces is a GPIO interface.

11. The camera system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The number of the deserializers is one, at least two of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits are arranged in the same deserializer, and at least two of the setting interfaces are arranged on one of the deserializers.

12. The camera system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The number of the deserializers is at least two, each of the deserializers is provided with one of the serial-to-parallel conversion circuits, and each of the deserializers is provided with one of the setting interfaces.

13. The camera system according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The deserializer and the serializer are electrically connected via a coaxial cable.

14. The camera system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The camera module is an infrared camera module.

15. An exposure control method for a camera system, the camera system comprising at least two camera modules having overlapping fields of view, the at least two camera modules comprising a first camera module and a second camera module, It is characterized in that The exposure control method comprises: After exposure, the first camera module generates a first trigger signal and sends the first trigger signal to the second camera module; The second camera module performs exposure after receiving the first trigger signal.

16. The exposure control method according to claim 15, It is characterized in that Also includes: The first camera module performs exposure after receiving the image acquisition instruction; or, The first camera module performs exposure after receiving an image acquisition instruction and a second trigger signal; wherein the second trigger signal is sent by a controller or by other camera modules.

17. A vehicle, It is characterized in that include: A cockpit, and a camera system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the fields of view of at least two of the camera modules cover the cockpit.

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