Electronic device, control method, and control program

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device, a control method, and a control program that can easily reduce the influence of light emitted from other vehicles on image data. [Solution] The electronic device 10 includes a control unit 14 that changes the shooting mode of the shooting device 20 when there are two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data captured by the shooting device 20.

Description

Technical Field

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[0007] , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a control method, and a control program.

Background Art

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle night vision system is known in which a first night vision pulse signal is shifted in a direction different from the pulse from the second night vision pulse signal until prevention of blinding of the first night vision pulse signal by the second night vision pulse signal is achieved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008] A control program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes causing an electronic device to change the shooting mode of the shooting device when there are two parallel high-intensity regions in the image data captured by the shooting device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to an electronic device, control method, and control program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the influence of light emitted from other vehicles on image data can be easily reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the control system related to this disclosure. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an example of the relative positions of your vehicle and an oncoming vehicle. [Figure 3] This is an example of image data taken of an oncoming vehicle that was not illuminated with infrared light. [Figure 4] This is an example of image data taken of an oncoming vehicle emitting infrared light. [Figure 5] This is an example of a timing chart for infrared light irradiation and imaging. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for changing the shooting timing. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for changing the wavelength used for imaging. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Vehicles are sometimes equipped with systems that detect surrounding objects by emitting light and capturing the light that reflects back from the surroundings. If other vehicles are equipped with the same system, the light emitted by those other vehicles may cause the light detection intensity in at least some pixels of the image data to saturate. The inclusion of pixels with saturated light detection intensity in the image data can reduce the accuracy of object detection from the image data. To maintain or improve the accuracy of object detection from image data even when other vehicles are equipped with light-emitting systems, there is a need to easily reduce the influence of light emitted from other vehicles on the image data. Hereinafter, an embodiment of a control system 1 (see Figure 1) that can easily reduce the influence of light emitted from other vehicles on image data will be described.

[0012] (Example configuration of control system 1) As shown in Figure 1, a control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an electronic device 10, a camera 20, and a lighting device 30. In this disclosure, the camera 20 and the lighting device 30 are mounted on a vehicle 70 that travels on the ground 80, i.e., a road surface, as shown in Figure 2. The vehicle 70 may also be equipped with the electronic device 10. The vehicle 70 equipped with the control system 1 is also referred to as the vehicle itself. The control system 1 may be mounted on other mobile bodies. The control system 1 is not limited to mobile bodies and may be mounted on various devices.

[0013] <Electronic equipment 10> The electronic device 10 comprises an acquisition unit 12, a control unit 14, an output unit 16, and a storage unit 18.

[0014] The acquisition unit 12 acquires image data from the imaging device 20. The acquisition unit 12 may acquire various other data or information. The acquisition unit 12 may be equipped with a communication interface for wired or wireless communication with the imaging device 20 or other devices. The communication interface may be configured to communicate using communication methods based on various communication standards. The communication interface may be configured based on known communication technologies.

[0015] The acquisition unit 12 may include an input device that receives an input from the user. The input device may include, for example, a keyboard or physical keys, or may include a touch panel or touch sensor or a pointing device such as a mouse. The input device is not limited to these examples and may be configured to include various other devices. The acquisition unit 12 may be configured to communicate with an external input device.

[0016] The control unit 14 controls the imaging device 20 and the illumination device 30. The control unit 14 may include at least one processor to provide control and processing capabilities for executing various functions. Each function of the control unit 14 may be realized by one processor or may be realized by several processors. The combined functions of the control unit 14 may be realized by one processor. The processor may be realized as a single integrated circuit (IC). The processor may be realized as a plurality of communicably connected integrated circuits or discrete circuits. The processor may be realized based on various other known technologies.

[0017] The processor may include a general-purpose processor that reads a specific program to execute a specific function, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The general-purpose processor may include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The dedicated processor may include an application-specific IC (ASIC; Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The processor may include a programmable logic device (PLD; Programmable Logic Device). The PLD may include an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 14 may include either a system-on-a-chip (SoC) in which one or more processors cooperate or a system in a package (SiP).

[0018] The storage unit 18 may include an electromagnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk, or may include a memory such as a semiconductor memory or a magnetic memory. The storage unit 18 stores various information. The storage unit 18 stores programs and the like executed by a processor or the like that functions as the control unit 14. The storage unit 18 may be configured as a non-temporary readable medium. The storage unit 18 may function as a work memory of the control unit 14. At least a part of the storage unit 18 may be integrally configured with the control unit 14.

[0019] The output unit 16 outputs information for the control unit 14 to control the imaging device 20 and the illumination device 30. It may output various other data or information. The output unit 16 may include a communication interface for wired or wireless communication with the imaging device 20, the illumination device 30, or other devices. The communication interface may be configured to communicate by a communication method based on various communication standards. The communication interface may be configured based on known communication technologies. The communication interface of the output unit 16 may be configured the same as or similar to the communication interface of the acquisition unit 12. The acquisition unit 12 and the output unit 16 may share a common communication interface.

[0020] The output unit 16 may include a display device such as a display. The display may include various types of displays such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), or an inorganic EL display. The output unit 16 may include an audio output device such as a speaker. The output unit 16 may include various other devices not limited to these examples.

[0021] At least a portion of the electronic device 10 may not be mounted on the vehicle 70 but installed externally. If a portion of the electronic device 10 is installed externally, the externally installed portion of the electronic device 10 may perform its functions by being communicated with the imaging device 20 and lighting device 30 mounted on the vehicle 70, as well as the portion of the electronic device 10 mounted on the vehicle 70. If all of the electronic device 10 is installed externally, the electronic device 10 may perform its functions by being communicated with the imaging device 20 and lighting device 30 mounted on the vehicle 70. At least a portion of the functions of the externally installed portion of the electronic device 10 may be performed by a cloud service.

[0022] <Photography device 20> The imaging device 20 includes an image sensor that contains pixels for detecting and capturing incident light. The image sensor may be, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device Image Sensor) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor.

[0023] In this disclosure, the imaging device 20 includes an image sensor that detects and captures infrared light and an image sensor that detects and captures visible light. The imaging device 20 may include only the infrared light image sensor or only the visible light image sensor. The imaging device 20 may include an image sensor that detects and captures both infrared light and visible light. The image sensor that detects and captures both infrared light and visible light may be configured to include pixels that have detection sensitivity to both infrared light and visible light. The imaging device 20 may include an image sensor that includes both pixels that have detection sensitivity to infrared light and pixels that have detection sensitivity to visible light.

[0024] In this disclosure, infrared light is defined as light in the wavelength range of 780 nm to 1000 nm. Infrared light may also be light in the near-infrared wavelength range. Visible light is defined as light in the wavelength range of 380 nm to 780 nm. The wavelength ranges of infrared light and visible light are not limited to the above values ​​and may be changed as appropriate when implementing the configuration examples related to this disclosure. In this disclosure, the wavelength ranges of infrared light and visible light may partially overlap. Furthermore, a wavelength band may be set between the wavelength ranges of infrared light and visible light to separate them.

[0025] The imaging device 20 may be configured to capture at least one of infrared light or visible light in a time-division manner. The imaging device 20 may also be configured to capture at least one of infrared light or visible light continuously.

[0026] The imaging device 20 may be configured to switch between two or more wavelengths of infrared light when detecting and imaging infrared light. In this disclosure, the imaging device 20 is configured to be controllable to either a state in which it detects and images infrared light with a wavelength of 850 nm, or a state in which it detects and images infrared light with a wavelength of 940 nm. Infrared light with a wavelength of 850 nm is used as infrared light suitable for object detection. Infrared light with a wavelength of 940 nm is used as infrared light suitable for reducing the influence of the sunlight spectrum. The wavelengths of infrared light that the imaging device 20 can detect and image are not limited to 850 nm or 940 nm, and may include other wavelengths.

[0027] The imaging device 20 may switch the wavelength of infrared light to be detected by providing two or more image sensors that detect infrared light of different wavelengths. The imaging device 20 may switch the wavelength of infrared light to be detected by providing two or more filters that transmit infrared light of different wavelengths.

[0028] In this disclosure, the camera 20 is mounted on the vehicle 70 to photograph the area in front of the vehicle 70. The camera 20 may be mounted on the vehicle 70 to photograph various directions, not limited to the front of the vehicle 70, such as the rear or sides. The number of camera 20s is not limited to one, but may be two or more.

[0029] <Lighting device 30> The lighting device 30 includes an infrared light irradiating unit that emits infrared light. The lighting device 30 may also include a visible light irradiating unit that emits visible light. The lighting device 30 may include, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a halogen lamp as a light source for infrared or visible light.

[0030] The illumination device 30 is configured to be controllable to either an illumination state or a non-illumination state. The illumination device 30 may be configured to turn on the light source when illuminating and to turn off the light source when not illuminating. The illumination device 30 may be configured to keep the light source lit, to transmit light emitted from the light source to the outside when illuminating and to block light emitted from the light source when not illuminating. If the illumination device 30 is configured to emit infrared light, it may be controlled to emit infrared light when the imaging device 20 is capturing infrared light and to not emit infrared light when the imaging device 20 is not capturing infrared light.

[0031] The infrared light irradiation unit may be configured to switch the wavelength of the infrared light it irradiates between two or more wavelengths. In this disclosure, the infrared light irradiation unit is configured to be controllable to either irradiate infrared light with a wavelength of 850 nm or irradiate infrared light with a wavelength of 940 nm. The wavelength of the infrared light irradiated by the infrared light irradiation unit is not limited to 850 nm or 940 nm and may include other wavelengths.

[0032] The irradiation unit may switch the wavelength of the infrared light being irradiated by providing two or more light sources that emit infrared light of different wavelengths. The infrared light irradiation unit may switch the wavelength of the infrared light being irradiated by providing two or more filters that transmit infrared light of different wavelengths. The infrared light irradiation unit may irradiate infrared light such that the full widths at half maximum of the spectra of infrared light of different wavelengths do not overlap.

[0033] In this disclosure, the lighting device 30 is mounted on the vehicle 70 as a headlight for the vehicle 70, illuminating the area in front of the vehicle 70. The area illuminated by the lighting device 30 is also referred to as the illumination range 32. The lighting device 30 is not limited to the front of the vehicle 70, but may be mounted on the vehicle 70 to illuminate in various directions such as the rear or sides. The number of lighting devices 30 is not limited to one, but may be two or more. If the lighting device 30 is a headlight for the vehicle 70, the lighting device 30 is installed in two locations, on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle 70.

[0034] (Example of operation of control system 1) In the control system 1 according to this disclosure, the imaging device 20 generates image data of an imaging range that includes at least a portion of the illumination range 32 irradiated with infrared light by the illumination device 30. Here, as illustrated in Figure 2, if a vehicle 100 traveling in the opposite lane to vehicle 70 is located within the imaging range of the imaging device 20, the imaging device 20 generates image data of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 traveling in the opposite lane to vehicle 70 is also referred to as an oncoming vehicle.

[0035] In this disclosure, it is assumed that the vehicle 100, i.e., the oncoming vehicle, is equipped with a camera 120 and an illumination device 130 as a system identical or similar to the control system 1. The illumination device 130 illuminates the illumination range 132 with infrared light when the camera 120 captures infrared light.

[0036] Vehicle 100 may be equipped only with a lighting device 130 without a camera 120. The lighting device 130 may be a device that emits infrared light independently of the control system 1.

[0037] When the vehicle 70, i.e., the imaging device 20 mounted on the vehicle, captures infrared light when the vehicle is outside the illumination range 132, or when the illumination device 130 mounted on the vehicle 100 is not emitting infrared light, it generates image data as illustrated in Figure 3. When the imaging device 20 captures infrared light when the vehicle is located within the illumination range 132 and the illumination device 130 is emitting infrared light, it generates image data as illustrated in Figure 4.

[0038] In comparing the image data in Figures 3 and 4, the image data in Figure 4 includes a high-intensity region 50 that is not present in the image data in Figure 3. The high-intensity region 50 is a region where the detection intensity of infrared light is high. The high-intensity region 50 is a region that is generated by the influence of infrared light emitted from the lighting device 130 mounted on the vehicle 100, i.e., the oncoming vehicle. Conversely, the image data in Figure 3 does not include the high-intensity region 50 because it was taken when infrared light was not being emitted from the lighting device 130 of the vehicle 100.

[0039] The high-intensity region 50 may be defined as a region consisting of pixels whose infrared light detection intensity is equal to or greater than an intensity threshold. The high-intensity region 50 may be defined as a region containing pixels whose infrared light detection intensity is equal to or greater than an intensity threshold. The intensity threshold is a value set appropriately to define the high-intensity region 50. The intensity threshold may be set as a value obtained by multiplying the maximum intensity that the infrared light image sensor can detect by an intensity coefficient. The intensity coefficient may be a value such as 80% or 90%. The high-intensity region 50 may also be defined as a region consisting of pixels whose infrared light detection intensity is saturated, that is, pixels whose infrared light detection intensity has reached its maximum value. The high-intensity region 50 may also be defined as a region containing pixels whose infrared light detection intensity is saturated.

[0040] In the image data of Figure 4, vehicle 100 is depicted as completely black due to the large difference in brightness between it and the high-intensity region 50. Also in the image data of Figure 4, the lighting device 130 is indistinguishable due to the presence of the high-intensity region 50 and is represented by a dashed line. On the other hand, in the image data of Figure 3, vehicle 100 and lighting device 130 are depicted in a way that makes them easily distinguishable because the high-intensity region 50 is not present.

[0041] When detecting an object from image data illustrated in Figure 4, the detection accuracy may be lower than when detecting an object from image data illustrated in Figure 3 due to the influence of the high-intensity region 50. Therefore, the control unit 14 of the electronic device 10 changes the mode in which the imaging device 20 mounted on the vehicle 70 captures infrared light in order to reduce the influence of the high-intensity region 50 in object detection from image data. The control unit 14 may change the imaging mode of the imaging device 20 if there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data. The control unit 14 determines whether there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data caused by the influence of infrared light irradiated by the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle, and may change the imaging mode of the imaging device 20 if it determines that there is a high-intensity region 50.

[0042] If the control unit 14 determines that there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data caused by the influence of infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of an oncoming vehicle, it may change the infrared light shooting mode of the imaging device 20. The control unit 14 may change the infrared light shooting mode of the imaging device 20 so that the high-intensity region 50 is eliminated from the image data, or so that the high-intensity region 50 in the image data is reduced in size.

[0043] As one example of modifying the imaging mode of the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may change the imaging mode of the imaging device 20 so that the period during which the imaging device 20 captures infrared light is staggered with the period during which the lighting device 130 mounted on the vehicle 100 emits infrared light. Alternatively, as another example of modification, the control unit 14 may change the imaging mode of the imaging device 20 so that the imaging device 20 detects and captures infrared light with a different wavelength than the infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130. The following describes an example of how the control unit 14 controls the infrared light imaging mode of the imaging device 20.

[0044] <Determination of high-intensity region 50> The control unit 14 detects infrared light from the imaging device 20 and acquires image data. Based on the detected infrared light intensity in each of the multiple pixels included in the image data, the control unit 14 determines whether there are high-intensity regions 50 in the image data caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130. If the control unit 14 determines that there are high-intensity regions 50 caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, it may change the infrared light imaging mode of the imaging device 20 to reduce the influence of the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130.

[0045] The control unit 14 may determine that the image data contains two parallel high-intensity regions 50 caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, if such regions are present in the image data. The two parallel high-intensity regions 50 may include two high-intensity regions 50 aligned along the ground 80. This determination criterion is based on the fact that when high-intensity regions 50 in the image data are caused by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, the oncoming vehicle has its lighting device 130 installed as two headlights, resulting in the high-intensity regions 50 being generated as two parallel regions.

[0046] The control unit 14 may determine that a high-intensity region 50, detected as two parallel regions from the image data, is present in the image data if the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 is greater than or equal to the oncoming vehicle illumination threshold. The oncoming vehicle illumination threshold may be set as appropriate. The oncoming vehicle illumination threshold may be calculated, for example, based on data that associates the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the image data with the correct data indicating whether the high-intensity region 50 was caused by the oncoming vehicle's illumination. By making a determination based on the oncoming vehicle illumination threshold, the possibility of incorrectly determining that a high-intensity region 50 is present in the image data is caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's illumination.

[0047] The control unit 14 may acquire image data captured at two different times from the imaging device 20. The control unit 14 may determine that the high-intensity regions 50 detected as two parallel regions from the image data captured at two different times are in substantially the same position, and that the high-intensity regions 50 are present in the image data due to the influence of infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130. This determination criterion is based on the fact that when the oncoming vehicle becomes visible to the vehicle, it approaches the vehicle almost head-on, so the positions of the two headlights, which are the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, hardly change from the perspective of the vehicle.

[0048] The control unit 14 may determine that there are high-intensity regions 50 in the image data that are caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 if the area of ​​high-intensity regions 50 detected as two parallel regions from the image data captured later is larger than the area of ​​high-intensity regions 50 detected as two parallel regions from the image data captured earlier, which was captured at two different times. This determination criterion is based on the fact that as the oncoming vehicle approaches the vehicle, the brightness of the infrared light emitted from the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 increases as seen from the vehicle.

[0049] The control unit 14 can improve the accuracy of determining whether the high-intensity region 50 is caused by the infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of an oncoming vehicle by adopting the judgment criteria for the high-intensity region 50 related to the headlights described above.

[0050] The control unit 14 may output from the output unit 16 a determination result of whether there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data caused by the influence of infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle. For example, the output unit 16 may superimpose a figure or the like that identifying the high-intensity region 50 detected from the image data onto the image data.

[0051] <Change in shooting timing> The situation in which image data, as illustrated in Figure 4, is captured, includes a high-intensity region 50 caused by the influence of infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, when vehicle 70, i.e., its own vehicle's imaging device 20, captures infrared light while vehicle 100, i.e., the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, is emitting infrared light. Below, an example of operation to change the timing at which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging in order to resolve or mitigate this situation will be described.

[0052] In this example, both the camera 20 mounted on the vehicle itself and the camera 120 mounted on the oncoming vehicle alternately capture visible light and infrared light at the same cycle. Additionally, the lighting device 30 mounted on the vehicle itself illuminates with infrared light when the camera 20 captures infrared light. Furthermore, the lighting device 130 mounted on the oncoming vehicle illuminates with infrared light when the camera 120 captures infrared light.

[0053] Figure 5 shows a timing chart illustrating the relationship between the timing of visible light photography and infrared light irradiation and photography of the own vehicle, and the timing of visible light photography and infrared light irradiation and photography of the oncoming vehicle in this example. The horizontal axis of the timing chart corresponds to time, with time progressing from left to right. Rectangles with upward-sloping hatching represent the period during which photography or irradiation is performed.

[0054] The vehicle's imaging device 20 is controlled to alternately perform visible light imaging and infrared light imaging at predetermined intervals. The vehicle's lighting device 30 is also controlled to perform infrared light irradiation during the period when the imaging device 20 is performing infrared light imaging. For example, the imaging device 20 performs visible light imaging from time T0 to T1 and infrared light imaging from time T1 to T2. The lighting device 30 also performs infrared light irradiation from time T1 to T2.

[0055] The oncoming vehicle's camera 120 is controlled to alternately perform visible light photography and infrared photography at the same cycle as the oncoming vehicle's camera 20. The oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 is also controlled to perform infrared light illumination during the period when the camera 120 is performing infrared photography. For example, the camera 120 performs visible light photography from time T0 to T1, and infrared photography from time T1 to T2. The lighting device 130 also performs infrared light illumination from time T1 to T2.

[0056] During the period from time T1 to T2, the period in which the vehicle's imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging overlaps with the period in which the opposing vehicle's lighting device 130 performs infrared light irradiation. The length of the overlap between the infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 and the infrared light irradiation of the lighting device 130 is represented by D1. D1 is equal to the length of the period in which infrared light imaging is performed. In other words, the period in which the vehicle's imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging overlaps with the period in which the opposing vehicle's lighting device 130 performs infrared light irradiation throughout. Also, during the period from time T1 to T2, the phase of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 coincides with the phase of infrared light irradiation of the lighting device 130.

[0057] The overlap between the period of infrared light imaging by the vehicle's imaging device 20 and the period of infrared light irradiation by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 creates a situation where the vehicle's imaging device 20 captures infrared light while the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 is irradiating infrared light. Therefore, the image data generated by the vehicle's imaging device 20 performing infrared light imaging during the period from T1 to T2 includes a high-intensity region 50, as illustrated in Figure 4.

[0058] The control unit 14 changes the timing at which the vehicle's camera 20 performs infrared light imaging so as to shorten the period during which the vehicle's camera 20 performs infrared light imaging and the period during which the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 performs infrared light irradiation.

[0059] In the timing chart of Figure 5, the control unit 14 causes the imaging device 20 to perform infrared imaging during the period from time T3 to T4, indicated by the dotted rectangle, if it wants to maintain the infrared imaging cycle of the imaging device 20. However, the control unit 14 does not maintain the infrared imaging cycle of the imaging device 20, that is, it shifts the phase of infrared imaging, delaying the period during which the imaging device 20 performs infrared imaging to the period before and after T4, indicated by the rectangle with upward-sloping hatching. The control unit 14 also changes the timing of infrared irradiation by the illumination device 30 in accordance with the change in the timing of infrared imaging by the imaging device 20.

[0060] On the other hand, the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle maintains the period of infrared light irradiation of the lighting device 130 and performs infrared light irradiation during the period from time T3 to T4. In this case, the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 is shifted relative to the timing of infrared light irradiation by the lighting device 130. In other words, the phase of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 is shifted relative to the phase of infrared light irradiation by the lighting device 130. As a result, the length of the overlapping period between the period during which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging and the period during which the lighting device 130 performs infrared light irradiation is shortened to D2, which is shorter than D1.

[0061] In the timing chart of Figure 5, the control unit 14 causes the imaging device 20 to perform infrared imaging during the period from time T5 to T6, indicated by the dotted rectangle, if it wants to maintain the infrared imaging cycle of the imaging device 20. However, the control unit 14 does not maintain the infrared imaging cycle of the imaging device 20, that is, it further shifts the phase of infrared imaging, delaying the period during which the imaging device 20 performs infrared imaging to the period from time T6 to T7, indicated by the rectangle with upward-sloping hatching. The control unit 14 also changes the timing of infrared irradiation by the illumination device 30 in accordance with the change in the timing of infrared imaging by the imaging device 20.

[0062] On the other hand, the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle maintains the period of infrared light irradiation of the lighting device 130 and performs infrared light irradiation during the period from time T5 to T6. In this case, the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 and the timing of infrared light irradiation by the lighting device 130 are completely opposite. In other words, the phase of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 is shifted by 180 degrees relative to the phase of infrared light irradiation by the lighting device 130, resulting in opposite phases. As a result, the period during which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging and the period during which the lighting device 130 performs infrared light irradiation do not overlap at all.

[0063] The imaging device 20 generates image data by integrating the detection results of incident infrared light during the period in which infrared light imaging is performed. Therefore, the shorter the overlap period between the period in which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging and the period in which the illumination device 130 performs infrared light irradiation, the smaller the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 generated in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 becomes.

[0064] In the timing chart of Figure 5, when the length of the overlap period between the period during which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging and the period during which the illumination device 130 performs infrared light irradiation is shortened to D2, the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the captured image data is expected to be smaller than the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the image data captured when the length of the overlap period is D1. Furthermore, when the imaging device 20 is made to perform infrared light imaging in such a way that the period during which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging and the period during which the illumination device 130 performs infrared light irradiation do not overlap at all, it is expected that the high-intensity region 50 will disappear from the captured image data.

[0065] If the control unit 14 can obtain the timing at which the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 performs infrared light irradiation, it may change the timing at which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging to minimize the overlap period between the period during which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging and the period during which the lighting device 130 performs infrared light irradiation. In addition, the control unit 14 changes the timing of the infrared light irradiation of the lighting device 30 in accordance with the change in the timing of the infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20.

[0066] If the control unit 14 cannot obtain the timing for the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 to perform infrared light irradiation, it may appropriately change the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 and determine whether there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 after the change. For example, the control unit 14 may compare the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the image data captured before changing the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 with the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the image data captured after changing the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20.

[0067] If the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 decreases by delaying the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may further delay the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20. If the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 decreases by advancing the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may further advance the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20.

[0068] If the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 increases by delaying the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may, conversely, advance the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20. If the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 increases by advancing the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may, conversely, delay the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20.

[0069] The control unit 14 may appropriately set the length of time for delaying or advancing the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20. For example, the control unit 14 may delay or advance the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 by a time equal to the period of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 multiplied by a change coefficient. The change coefficient may be, for example, the reciprocal of a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

[0070] The control unit 14 may continue to change the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 when it is unable to obtain the timing for the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 to perform infrared light irradiation, as described above, until the high-intensity region 50 disappears from the image data. The control unit 14 may continue to change the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 until the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 is less than the area determination threshold. The area determination threshold may be set as appropriate. The area determination threshold may be set, for example, based on the relationship between the accuracy of detecting an object from the image data and the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the image data. The area determination threshold may be set to a value greater than the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 when an object can be detected from the image data with the desired accuracy. The area determination threshold may be set to an area less than or equal to the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 when an object cannot be detected from the image data with the desired accuracy.

[0071] The control unit 14 may, after changing the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20, determine whether the high-intensity region 50 has disappeared from the image data captured by the imaging device 20, or whether the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 has fallen below the area determination threshold. The control unit 14 may further change the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 if the high-intensity region 50 has not disappeared from the image data, or if the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the image data is equal to or greater than the area determination threshold. The control unit 14 may also revert the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 back to the timing before the change. The control unit 14 may also change the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 to a timing different from the timing before the change and the current timing.

[0072] The system installed in the oncoming vehicle may have a function to change the timing of infrared light capture by the imaging device 120 and the timing of infrared light irradiation by the illumination device 130 in order to reduce the influence of infrared light emitted by the vehicle's own illumination device 30. If the change in the timing of infrared light capture by the vehicle's own illumination device 20 and the change in the timing of infrared light irradiation by the oncoming vehicle's illumination device 130 are synchronized, the high-intensity region 50 in the image data may not change.

[0073] The control unit 14 may randomly change the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20. For example, the control unit 14 may randomly decide whether to delay or advance the timing in at least one change of the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20. The control unit 14 may randomly decide the time interval for changing the timing. The control unit 14 may randomly change the timing in the first change of the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20.

[0074] As a method for randomly changing the timing, a random number table or random number generation algorithm capable of calculating values ​​that simulate random numbers may be used. A random number generator may also be used.

[0075] By randomly changing the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20, the possibility of the change in the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 of the vehicle itself synchronizing with the change in the timing of infrared light irradiation by the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle is reduced.

[0076] If the control unit 14 determines that there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, it may wait for a specified grace period after the determination before starting to change the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20. The control unit 14 may determine the grace period randomly. In other words, the control unit 14 may stagger the timing at which it starts to change the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20. By staggering the timing at which it starts to change the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20, the possibility of the change in the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 of the vehicle itself synchronizing with the change in the timing of infrared light irradiation by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 is reduced.

[0077] After changing the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may output from the output unit 16 a determination result indicating whether the high-intensity region 50 caused by the influence of infrared light irradiated by the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle has disappeared or become smaller in the image data.

[0078] <<Example of procedure for changing the shooting timing>> The control unit 14 may change the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 by executing a control method that includes the steps of the flowchart illustrated in Figure 6. The control method may be implemented as a control program to be executed by a processor that functions as the control unit 14. The control program may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable medium.

[0079] The control unit 14 determines whether there are two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 (step S1). If there are no two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data (step S1: NO), the control unit 14 terminates the execution of the procedure in the flowchart of Figure 6.

[0080] If the image data contains two parallel high-intensity regions 50 (step S1: YES), the control unit 14 changes the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 (step S2).

[0081] The control unit 14 determines whether the two parallel high-intensity regions 50 have disappeared in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 after changing the timing of infrared light imaging by the imaging device 20 (step S3).

[0082] If the two parallel high-intensity regions 50 are still present in the image data (step S3: NO), the control unit 14 repeats the procedure for changing the timing of infrared light imaging of the imaging device 20 in step S2.

[0083] If the control unit 14 determines that there are no longer two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data (step S3: YES), it terminates the execution of the steps in the flowchart of Figure 6.

[0084] <<Summary of changes to the timing of the photo shoot>> As described above, by changing the timing at which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging, the influence of infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 on the image data captured by the imaging device 20 is reduced.

[0085] <Changing the wavelength used for shooting> In order to eliminate or mitigate a situation in which infrared light emitted by a lighting device 130 mounted on an oncoming vehicle affects image data captured by a camera 120 mounted on the vehicle itself, the control unit 14 may change the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the camera 20.

[0086] In this example of operation, under normal circumstances, the vehicle's camera 20 and the oncoming vehicle's camera 120 capture infrared light with a wavelength of 850 nm. Additionally, the vehicle's lighting device 30 and the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 emit infrared light with a wavelength of 850 nm. In this example of operation, "normal circumstances" means that there are no high-intensity regions 50 in the image data captured by the camera 20 that are caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130.

[0087] If the control unit 14 determines that there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 that is caused by the infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of an oncoming vehicle, it may change the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 from 850 nm to 940 nm. If the control unit 14 changes the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to 940 nm, it will change the wavelength of the infrared light emitted by the lighting device 30 from 850 nm to 940 nm in accordance with that change.

[0088] On the other hand, the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle maintains the wavelength of the infrared light it emits at 850 nm. In this case, the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the vehicle's camera 20 and the wavelength of the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 become different. As a result, the influence of the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 is reduced in the image data generated when the camera 20 performs infrared light imaging.

[0089] The control unit 14 may continue changing the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 until the high-intensity region 50 disappears from the image data. The control unit 14 may also continue changing the timing of infrared light capture by the imaging device 20 until the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 falls below the area determination threshold. The area determination threshold may be set to the same value as in the example of changing the capture timing.

[0090] The control unit 14 may, after changing the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20, determine whether the high-intensity region 50 has disappeared from the image data captured by the imaging device 20, or whether the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 has fallen below the area determination threshold. If the high-intensity region 50 has not disappeared from the image data even after changing the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20, or if the area of ​​the high-intensity region 50 in the image data is greater than or equal to the area determination threshold, the control unit 14 may further change the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20. If there are only two switchable wavelengths for the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may return the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to the wavelength before the change. If there are three or more switchable wavelengths for the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may change the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to a wavelength different from the wavelength before the change and the current wavelength.

[0091] The system installed in the oncoming vehicle may have a function to change the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 120 and the wavelength of infrared light emitted by the illumination device 130 in order to reduce the influence of the infrared light emitted by the vehicle's own illumination device 30. If the change in the wavelength of infrared light captured by the vehicle's own illumination device 20 and the change in the wavelength of infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's illumination device 130 are synchronized, the high-intensity region 50 in the image data may not change.

[0092] If the control unit 14 determines that there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130, it may wait for a wavelength change grace period after the determination before starting to change the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20. The control unit 14 may randomly determine the wavelength change grace period. In other words, the control unit 14 may stagger the timing of when the imaging device 20 starts changing the wavelength of the infrared light captured. By staggering the timing of when the imaging device 20 starts changing the wavelength of the infrared light captured, the possibility of the change in the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 of the own vehicle synchronizing with the change in the wavelength of the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 is reduced.

[0093] If the imaging device 20 is configured to be able to switch between three or more wavelengths of infrared light, for example, including 850 nm and 940 nm, the control unit 14 may select and change the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to one wavelength from the three or more wavelengths. The control unit 14 may also change the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to a wavelength randomly selected from the three or more wavelengths. By making it possible to select and switch between three or more wavelengths of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20, the possibility of the change in the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 of the vehicle itself synchronizing with the change in the wavelength of infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of the oncoming vehicle is reduced.

[0094] After changing the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20, the control unit 14 may output from the output unit 16 a determination result indicating whether the high-intensity region 50 caused by the influence of infrared light irradiated by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 has disappeared or become smaller in the image data.

[0095] The control unit 14 may change the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to a wavelength other than the normally used 850 nm, and after determining that the high-intensity region 50 caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 has disappeared or decreased in size in the image data, it may return the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to the normally used 850 nm wavelength. The control unit 14 may return the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to the normally used 850 nm wavelength when the release condition is met. The release condition may include, for example, the fact that the oncoming vehicle is no longer detected in the image data when detecting an object from the image data using an object detection model, etc., as described later. The release condition may also include, for example, the fact that a waiting time until release has elapsed after determining that the high-intensity region 50 caused by the infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 has disappeared or decreased in size in the image data. The waiting time until release may be set based on the expected value of the time it takes for the oncoming vehicle to pass the vehicle. The waiting time until release may be set to, for example, 10 seconds.

[0096] <<Example of procedure for changing the wavelength to be photographed>> The control unit 14 may change the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 by executing a control method that includes the steps in the flowchart illustrated in Figure 7. The control method may be implemented as a control program to be executed by a processor that functions as the control unit 14. The control program may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable medium.

[0097] The control unit 14 determines whether there are two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 (step S11). If there are no two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data (step S11: NO), the control unit 14 terminates the execution of the procedure in the flowchart of Figure 7.

[0098] If there are two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data (step S11: YES), the control unit 14 changes the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 (step S12).

[0099] The control unit 14 determines whether the two parallel high-intensity regions 50 have disappeared in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 after changing the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 (step S13).

[0100] If the two parallel high-intensity regions 50 are still present in the image data (step S13: NO), the control unit 14 repeats the procedure for changing the wavelength captured by the imaging device 20 in step S12.

[0101] The control unit 14 determines whether the release condition has been met (step S14) if there are no longer two parallel high-intensity regions 50 in the image data (step S13: YES). If the release condition has not been met (step S14: NO), the control unit 14 repeats the determination procedure in step S14 until the release condition is met.

[0102] If the release condition is met (step S14: YES), the control unit 14 returns the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 to 850 nm, which is used under normal circumstances (step S15). After executing the procedure in step S15, the control unit 14 terminates the execution of the procedure in the flowchart of Figure 7.

[0103] <<Summary of changing the wavelength used for imaging>> As described above, by changing the shooting mode of the shooting device 20, the influence of infrared light emitted by the oncoming vehicle's lighting device 130 on the image data captured by the shooting device 20 is reduced by changing the wavelength of the infrared light captured by the shooting device 20.

[0104] The control unit 14 may combine changing the timing at which the imaging device 20 performs infrared light imaging and changing the wavelength of infrared light captured by the imaging device 20 as a change in the imaging mode of the imaging device 20. The control unit 14 may select and execute either changing the imaging timing or changing the wavelength captured. The control unit 14 may randomly select and execute either changing the imaging timing or changing the wavelength captured.

[0105] <Object detection model> In the control system 1, the control unit 14 may use an object detection model to detect objects in the image data. The object detection model is configured to output the detection result of objects in the image data when image data is input. In this disclosure, objects that the object detection model can recognize may include pedestrians, moving objects, animals, rocks, or other appropriate objects. Pedestrians may include people standing still, i.e., people at rest, or people jogging. Moving objects may include wheelchairs, bicycles, motorcycles, or automobiles. Animals may include dogs or cats.

[0106] The object detection model may be a rule-based model that identifies rules for extracting features of objects depicted in image data. The object detection model may be a trained model generated by performing machine learning using training data that associates image data with ground truth data of the positions of objects depicted in the image data. The machine learning method may include, for example, a method using Haar-like features or Hog features, or derived methods such as Joint Haar-like, Joint HoG, or Shapelet. The object detection model may be generated by deep learning. The deep learning model may be, for example, a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) model such as Renet or DenseNet, or a Transformer model such as ViT.

[0107] The control unit 14 may generate an object detection model by performing learning on its own. The control unit 14 may also obtain an object detection model from an external device.

[0108] The control unit 14 inputs image data to the object detection model described above and obtains the object detection result output from the object detection model. The control unit 14 may output the object detection result to the outside using the output unit 16. If the electronic device 10 is mounted on the vehicle 70, the control unit 14 may notify the driver of the vehicle 70 of the object detection result using the output unit 16.

[0109] The control system 1 may include an object detection device in addition to the electronic device 10. The electronic device 10 may provide image data to the object detection device. The control system 1 may also provide image data to an external object detection device.

[0110] If the image data input to the object detection model contains high-intensity regions 50 caused by the influence of infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of an oncoming vehicle, the accuracy of object detection from the image data may decrease. The electronic device 10 according to this disclosure can maintain or improve the accuracy of object detection from image data by reducing the influence of infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of an oncoming vehicle in the image data captured by the imaging device 20.

[0111] (summary) As described above, according to the control system 1, electronic equipment 10, control method, and control program of this disclosure, if there is a high-intensity region 50 in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 that is caused by the influence of infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of an oncoming vehicle, the imaging mode of the imaging device 20 is changed. By changing the imaging mode of the imaging device 20, the influence of infrared light emitted by the lighting device 130 of an oncoming vehicle in the image data captured by the imaging device 20 is easily reduced. As a result, the object detection accuracy from the image data is maintained or improved.

[0112] When the imaging device 20 is imaging the rear or side of its own vehicle, the electronic device 10 may change the imaging mode of the imaging device 20 to reduce the influence of infrared light emitted from following vehicles, vehicles traveling alongside, or vehicles passing by. In other words, the electronic device 10 can easily reduce the influence of infrared light emitted from other vehicles on image data.

[0113] In the control system 1, the illumination device 30 may be configured to emit light other than infrared light or electromagnetic waves. The imaging device 20 may be configured to detect and capture light or electromagnetic waves emitted from the illumination device 30, reflected by surrounding objects, and returned. The electronic equipment 10 may change the imaging mode of the imaging device 20 to reduce the influence of light other than infrared light or electromagnetic waves emitted from other vehicles. In other words, the electronic equipment 10 can easily reduce the influence of light or electromagnetic waves emitted from other vehicles on image data.

[0114] The diagrams illustrating the embodiments described herein are schematic. Dimensions and proportions shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions.

[0115] While embodiments relating to this disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications or alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components can be combined into one or separated. These are also to be understood as being included within the scope of this disclosure.

[0116] All of the constituent elements described in this disclosure, and / or all of the disclosed methods or steps of processing, can be combined in any combination except for any combination in which these features are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, each of the features described in this disclosure can be replaced by an alternative feature that works for the same, equivalent, or similar purposes, unless expressly disregarded. Thus, unless expressly disregarded, each of the disclosed features is merely an example of a comprehensive set of identical or equivalent features.

[0117] Furthermore, the embodiments relating to this disclosure are not limited to any specific configuration of the embodiments described above. The embodiments relating to this disclosure can be extended to all novel features or combinations thereof described herein, or all novel methods or processing steps or combinations thereof described herein.

[0118] Vehicles 70 relating to this disclosure may include, for example, automobiles, industrial vehicles, railway vehicles, residential vehicles, or fixed-wing aircraft that travel on runways. Automobiles may include, for example, passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, or trolleybuses. Industrial vehicles may include, for example, industrial vehicles for agriculture or construction. Industrial vehicles may include, for example, forklifts or golf carts. Industrial vehicles for agriculture may include, for example, tractors, cultivators, transplanters, binders, combines, or lawnmowers. Industrial vehicles for construction may include, for example, bulldozers, scrapers, excavators, cranes, dump trucks, or road rollers. Vehicles 70 may include those that are powered by human effort. The classification of vehicles 70 is not limited to the examples given above. For example, automobiles may include industrial vehicles that can travel on roads. Vehicles 70 of the same form may be included in multiple classifications.

[0119] The mobile entity relating to this disclosure may include, in addition to the vehicle 70, an aircraft or a ship, etc.

[0120] While embodiments of the control method using the control system 1 have been described above, embodiments of the present disclosure can also include not only methods or programs for implementing the apparatus, but also storage media on which the program is recorded (for example, optical discs, magneto-optical discs, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tapes, hard disks, or memory cards).

[0121] Furthermore, the implementation form of the program is not limited to application programs such as object code compiled by a compiler or program code executed by an interpreter, but may also be in the form of a program module embedded in an operating system. In addition, the program may or may not be configured so that all processing is performed only on the CPU on the control board. The program may also be configured so that some or all of its processing is performed by another processing unit implemented on an expansion board or expansion unit attached to the board, as needed.

[0122] In one embodiment, (1) the electronic device includes a control unit that changes the shooting mode of the shooting device when there are two parallel high-intensity regions in the image data captured by the shooting device.

[0123] (2) In the electronic device described in (1) above, the control unit may change the shooting timing as the shooting mode of the shooting device.

[0124] (3) In the electronic device described in (1) or (2) above, the control unit may change the wavelength to be captured as the shooting mode of the shooting device.

[0125] (4) In the electronic device described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the control unit may continue to change the shooting mode of the shooting device until the two high-intensity regions disappear from the image data, or until the area of ​​the two high-intensity regions falls below the area determination threshold.

[0126] (5) In the electronic device described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the control unit may change the shooting mode of the shooting device in at least one of the following cases: when the area of ​​the two high-intensity regions in the image data is greater than or equal to the oncoming vehicle illumination threshold; when the positions of the two high-intensity regions are the same in the image data captured at two different times; or when the area of ​​the two high-intensity regions is larger in the image data captured later than in the image data captured earlier.

[0127] (6) In the electronic device described in any one of (1) to (5) above, the image data may include data captured by the imaging device in the form of infrared light, or data captured by the imaging device in the form of visible light and infrared light.

[0128] (7) In the electronic device described in (6) above, the control unit may change the manner in which the illumination device emits infrared light in accordance with the change in the shooting mode of the imaging device.

[0129] In one embodiment, (8) the control method includes the electronic device changing the shooting mode of the shooting device when there are two parallel high-intensity regions in the image data captured by the shooting device.

[0130] In one embodiment, (9) the control program includes instructing an electronic device to change the shooting mode of the shooting device when there are two parallel high-intensity regions in the image data captured by the shooting device. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0131] 1. Control System 10 Electronic equipment (12: acquisition unit, 14: control unit, 16: output unit, 18: storage unit) 20 Imaging device 30 Lighting device (32: Irradiation range) 50 High intensity region 70 vehicles 80 ground 100 vehicles (120: camera equipment, 130: lighting equipment, 132: illumination range)

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a control unit that changes the shooting mode of the shooting device when there are two parallel high-intensity regions in the image data captured by the shooting device.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the shooting timing as the shooting mode of the shooting device.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the wavelength to be captured as the shooting mode of the shooting device.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit continues to change the shooting mode of the shooting device until the two high-intensity regions disappear from the image data, or until the area of ​​the two high-intensity regions falls below an area determination threshold.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the shooting mode of the shooting device in at least one of the following cases: when the area of ​​the two high-intensity regions in the image data is greater than or equal to the oncoming vehicle illumination threshold; when the positions of the two high-intensity regions are the same in the image data captured at two different times; or when the area of ​​the two high-intensity regions is larger in the image data captured later than in the image data captured earlier.

6. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the image data includes data captured by the imaging device in the form of infrared light, or data captured by the imaging device in the form of visible light and infrared light.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit changes the mode in which the illumination device irradiates infrared light in accordance with a change in the shooting mode of the shooting device.

8. A control method for electronic equipment, which includes changing the shooting mode of the shooting device when there are two parallel high-intensity regions in the image data captured by the shooting device.

9. A control program for an electronic device that includes changing the shooting mode of the shooting device when there are two parallel high-intensity regions in the image data captured by the shooting device.

Images