Camera positioning device

Abstract

The present invention provides a camera positioning device that can reduce the number of in-vehicle components while suppressing incorrect connections between the camera and the processing unit. [Solution] The camera position identification device 1 comprises a camera ECU 6 connected to a plurality of cameras 2, and a storage unit 7 that stores a plurality of video search range data 10 including a video search range 11 that is set in advance for each mounting position of the plurality of cameras 2. The camera ECU 6 includes a video acquisition unit that acquires video data from the plurality of cameras 2, a determination unit 22 that determines whether the detection of the target marker 12 has been successful by determining whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of the plurality of cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the plurality of video search range data 10, and a mounting position determination unit 23 that determines the mounting position of the camera 2 based on the video search range 11 that matches the target marker 12 when it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 has been successful.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a camera position identification device.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a video transmission system mounted on a vehicle. The video transmission system described in Patent Document 1 includes a rear camera, a front camera, and a plurality of side cameras, and a camera ECU that is connected to these cameras according to the MIPI standard and processes video signals acquired by the cameras.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above prior art, the camera ECU, which is a processing unit, communicates with a plurality of cameras based on a uniquely designed (set) video communication setting or the like. Then, the camera ECU performs internal processing such as image processing and video display on the premise that the input video of each camera is a video arranged at the designed mounting position. Each camera and the camera ECU are interconnected by a harness or a video cable. The camera ECU cannot automatically determine the mounting position of each camera. Therefore, even when the connection destination of the camera is incorrect, the camera ECU performs internal processing without correcting the assumed communication setting or the like. As a result, system inconsistencies may occur. Therefore, when connecting a plurality of the same cameras to one camera ECU, in order to prevent incorrect connection of the cameras, it is conceivable to distinguish the shapes, colors, etc. of in-vehicle parts such as cables or connectors for each camera. However, in this case, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of in-vehicle parts according to the number of cameras used.

[0005] The objective of the present invention is to provide a camera positioning device that can reduce the number of in-vehicle components while suppressing incorrect connections between the camera and the processing unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a camera position identification device for identifying the mounting positions of a plurality of cameras that photograph different directions of a vehicle, comprising a processing unit connected to the plurality of cameras and a storage unit that stores a plurality of image search range data including an image search range set in advance for each mounting position of the plurality of cameras, wherein the processing unit includes an image acquisition unit that acquires image data from the plurality of cameras, a determination unit that determines whether the detection of a target marker has been successful by determining whether the target marker displayed in the image data of the plurality of cameras acquired by the image acquisition unit matches the image search range included in the plurality of image search range data stored in the storage unit, and a mounting position determination unit that, when the determination unit determines that the detection of the target marker has been successful, determines the mounting position of the camera based on the image search range that matches the target marker.

[0007] (2) In (1) above, the determination unit may determine whether the target marker displayed in the video data of the remaining cameras matches the video search range included in the video search range data other than the video search range data of the camera whose mounting position has been determined by the mounting position determination unit, without using the video search range data of the multiple video search range data that corresponds to the camera whose mounting position has been determined.

[0008] (3) In (1) or (2) above, if the determination unit determines that the target marker displayed in the video data of any of the multiple cameras matches the video search range included in any of the multiple video search range data, it does not need to determine whether the target marker displayed in the video data of any of the cameras matches the video search range included in the remaining video search range data.

[0009] (4) In any of (1) to (3) above, the processing unit may further include an interface setting unit that sets up a communication interface with the multiple cameras after the mounting position determination unit has determined the mounting positions of all the multiple cameras.

[0010] (5) In any of the above (1) to (4), the number of cameras is four, and the four cameras may each photograph the front, rear, right side and left side of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of in-vehicle components while suppressing incorrect connections between the camera and the processing unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a camera positioning device according to one embodiment of the present invention, along with four cameras. [Figure 2] This figure shows the shooting range of the four cameras and how the camera ECU cannot determine the mounting position of the four cameras when all four cameras are connected to the camera ECU. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of four video search range data sets, including the video search range. [Figure 4] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a function that determines whether the target marker displayed in the camera's video data matches the video search range included in the video search range data, thereby identifying the mounting positions of the four cameras. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the procedure for camera position identification processing performed by the camera ECU. [Figure 6] This diagram shows how the mounting positions of four cameras are determined using four video search range data sets, including the video search range itself. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a camera positioning device according to one embodiment of the present invention, along with four cameras. In Figure 1, the camera positioning device 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 3 (see Figure 2(a)) along with four cameras 2 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as cameras 2A to 2D).

[0015] Cameras 2A to 2D, as shown in Figure 2, capture images in different directions and acquire video data. Camera 2A is located at the front of vehicle 3. Camera 2A captures the front of vehicle 3 and acquires video data of the front of vehicle 3. Camera 2B is located at the rear of vehicle 3. Camera 2B captures the rear of vehicle 3 and acquires video data of the rear of vehicle 3. Camera 2C is located on the right side of vehicle 3. Camera 2C captures the right side of vehicle 3 and acquires video data of the right side of vehicle 3. Camera 2D is located on the left side of vehicle 3. Camera 2D captures the left side of vehicle 3 and acquires video data of the left side of vehicle 3.

[0016] The camera positioning device 1 is a device that determines the mounting position of each camera 2. The camera positioning device 1 comprises a camera ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 6 connected to each camera 2 via a video cable 4 and a connector 5, and a storage unit 7, which is an external memory connected to the camera ECU 6. The storage unit 7 may be a memory built into the camera ECU 6.

[0017] The video cable 4 is connected to the camera 2. The connector 5 is composed of a connector adapter 8 attached to the camera ECU 6 and a connector plug 9 mounted on the tip of the video cable 4 and mating with the connector adapter 8. By fitting the connector plug 9 to the connector adapter 8, the camera 2 and the camera ECU 6 are physically and electrically connected. The types and colors of the video cables 4 are all the same. The types and colors of the connectors 5 are also all the same. The video cable 4 and the connector 5 are in-vehicle components mounted on the vehicle 3.

[0018] The camera ECU 6 is a processing unit composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, input / output interfaces, etc. The camera ECU 6, for example, loads a program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executes the program loaded into the RAM with the CPU.

[0019] When the hardware and internal information of the cameras 2A to 2D are common, the camera ECU 6 has no camera identification information for distinguishing the cameras 2A to 2D. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2(b), if the cameras 2A to 2D are only connected to the camera ECU 6 by the video cable 4 and the connector 5, the camera ECU 6 itself does not know the mounting positions of the cameras 2A to 2D by itself. Therefore, the camera ECU 6 performs a process of specifying the mounting positions of the cameras 2A to 2D by software using the information stored in the storage unit 7.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the storage unit 7 stores four video search range data 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as video search range data 10A to 10D). The video search range data 10 is data including a video search range (ROI: Region of interest) 11 preset (designed) for each mounting position of the camera 2. The video search range data 10A corresponds to the mounting position (front part) of the camera 2A. The video search range data 10B corresponds to the mounting position (rear part) of the camera 2B. The video search range data 10C corresponds to the mounting position (right side part) of the camera 2C. The video search range data 10D corresponds to the mounting position (left side part) of the camera 2D.

[0021] Here, in the video search range data 10A to 10D, the number of the video search ranges 11 is three. The shape of the video search range 11 is, for example, rectangular. The arrangement positions and sizes of the video search ranges 11 in the video search range data 10A to 10D are different depending on the mounting positions of the cameras 2A to 2D.

[0022] The video search range data 10A to 10D is basically used when adjusting the optical axes of the cameras 2A to 2D. When adjusting the optical axes of the cameras 2A to 2D, as shown in FIG. 4, target markers 12 such as ○× are projected as visual guides onto the video data Dp of the cameras 2A to 2D, respectively. The target markers 12 are arranged at the specified positions of the video data Dp of the cameras 2A to 2D. The target markers 12 are arranged in the video data Dp of the cameras 2A to 2D so as to fall within the video search ranges 11 of the video search range data 10A to 10D.

[0023] When adjusting the optical axes of the cameras 2A to 2D, the target markers 12 displayed on the video data Dp of the cameras 2A to 2D are detected (for example, searching for the ○× intersection points), and the optical axes of the cameras 2A to 2D are corrected for the variations in the mounting positions of the cameras 2A to 2D. Note that the video search ranges 11 of the video search range data 10A to 10D are designed by calculating how the target markers 12 look for each mounting position of the cameras 2A to 2D in simulation.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 1, the camera ECU 6 executes a process of specifying the mounting positions of the cameras 2A to 2D by using the function of adjusting the optical axes of the cameras 2A to 2D. The camera ECU 6 includes a video data conversion unit 20, an image processing unit 21, a determination unit 22, a mounting position discrimination unit 23, an interface setting unit 24, and a communication processing unit 25.

[0025] The video data conversion unit 20 converts the video data from cameras 2A to 2D into a format that can be processed by the image processing unit 21. The image processing unit 21 performs preprocessing such as filtering, and image processing such as edge detection and feature extraction on the video data converted by the video data conversion unit 20. The video data conversion unit 20 and the image processing unit 21 constitute a video acquisition unit that acquires video data from multiple cameras 2. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the image processing unit 21 acquires video data Dp from four cameras 2.

[0026] The determination unit 22 determines whether the detection of the target marker 12 was successful by determining whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of cameras 2A to 2D acquired by the image processing unit 21 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10A to 10D stored in the storage unit 7.

[0027] Specifically, when it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2A matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10A, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 matching the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10A has been successful (see Figure 6(d)).

[0028] When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2B matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10B, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 matching the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10B has been successful (see Figure 6(b)).

[0029] When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2C matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10C, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 matching the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10C has been successful (see Figure 6(a)).

[0030] When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2D matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10D, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 matching the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10D has been successful (see Figure 6(c)).

[0031] The determination unit 22 determines whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of the remaining camera 2 of the four cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10 other than the video search range data 10 corresponding to the camera 2 whose mounting position has been determined by the mounting position determination unit 23 described later, from among the video search range data 10A to 10D.

[0032] When the determination unit 22 determines that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of any of the four cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in any of the four video search range data 10, it does not determine whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of any of the four cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the remaining video search range data 10.

[0033] When the determination unit 22 determines that the detection of the target marker 12 has been successful, the mounting position determination unit 23 determines the mounting positions of the four cameras 2 based on the video search range 11 that matches the target marker 12. When the mounting position determination unit 23 determines that the detection of the target marker 12 has been successful, the mounting position determination unit 23 determines the mounting positions of the cameras 2 from the video search range data 10 which includes the video search range 11 that matches the target marker 12.

[0034] Specifically, when it is determined that the detection of a target marker 12 that matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10A has been successful, the camera 2 is identified as camera 2A mounted on the front of the vehicle 3.

[0035] When it is determined that the detection of a target marker 12 that matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10B has been successful, the camera 2 is determined to be camera 2B mounted on the rear of the vehicle 3.

[0036] When it is determined that the detection of a target marker 12 that matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10C has been successful, the camera 2 is identified as camera 2C mounted on the right side of the vehicle 3.

[0037] When it is determined that the detection of a target marker 12 that matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10D has been successful, the camera 2 is identified as camera 2D mounted on the left side of the vehicle 3.

[0038] The interface setting unit 24 sets the communication interface with each camera 2 after the mounting position determination unit 23 has determined the mounting positions of all four cameras 2. At this time, the communication interface between the camera ECU 6 and the four cameras 2 with the correct mounting positions is set.

[0039] The communication processing unit 25 communicates with the four cameras 2 according to the communication interface set by the interface setting unit 24.

[0040] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for determining the camera mounting position, which is performed by the camera ECU 6. At the start of this process, the variable N is initially set to 0.

[0041] In Figure 5, the camera ECU 6 first acquires video data from each camera 2 (procedure S101). The camera ECU 6 also acquires the video search area data 10 (ROI data) stored in the memory unit 7 (procedure S102).

[0042] Next, the camera ECU 6 determines whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 (ROI) included in the video search range data 10 (procedure S103). At this time, the camera ECU 6 determines for each camera 2 whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10.

[0043] If the camera ECU 6 determines that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2 does not match the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10, it determines that detection of the target marker 12 has failed (procedure S104). Then, the camera ECU 6 repeats procedure S103 to determine whether the target marker 12 displayed in the same video data of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 included in other video search range data 10.

[0044] When the camera ECU 6 determines that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10, it determines that the detection of the target marker 12 has been successful (procedure S105).

[0045] Then, the camera ECU 6 determines the mounting position of camera 2 where the detected target marker 12 is visible in the video data (procedure S106). Based on the video search range data 10 which includes the video search range 11 that matches the detected target marker 12, the camera ECU 6 determines the mounting position of camera 2.

[0046] Next, the camera ECU 6 excludes the video search range data 10 corresponding to camera 2 whose mounting position has been determined (procedure S107). In other words, the camera ECU 6 excludes the video search range data 10 that includes the video search range 11 that matches the successfully detected target marker 12. Next, the camera ECU 6 increments the variable N (procedure S108).

[0047] Next, the camera ECU 6 determines whether the mounting positions of all cameras 2 have been determined by checking whether the variable N has become n (4 in this case) (procedure S109). If the camera ECU 6 determines that the mounting positions of all cameras 2 have not been determined, it repeats procedure S103 above to determine whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of the other cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10 that has not been excluded.

[0048] When the camera ECU 6 determines that the mounting positions of all cameras 2 have been determined, it sets up a communication interface with each camera 2 (procedure S110). Then, the camera ECU 6 communicates with each camera 2 according to the communication interface (procedure S111).

[0049] Here, the video data conversion unit 20 and the image processing unit 21 execute procedure S101. The determination unit 22 executes procedures S102 to S105. The mounting position determination unit 23 executes procedures S102, S106 to S109. The interface setting unit 24 executes procedure S110. The communication processing unit 25 executes procedure S111.

[0050] In the camera positioning device 1 described above, when determining the mounting positions of the four cameras 2, as shown in Figure 6, it is determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of the camera 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10.

[0051] First, as shown in Figure 6(a), the mounting position of the first camera 2 (N=1) out of the four cameras 2 is identified. Specifically, it is first determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp1 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A.

[0052] If it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp1 of camera 2 does not match the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A, then it is determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp1 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10B.

[0053] If it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp1 of camera 2 does not match the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10B, then it is determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp1 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10C.

[0054] When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp1 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10C, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 was successful. This identifies the video data Dp1 of camera 2 as the video data Dp of camera 2C mounted on the right side of vehicle 3.

[0055] Subsequently, the determination of whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp1 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10D is skipped. Then, the video search range data 10C that includes the video search range 11 that matched the successfully detected target marker 12 is excluded.

[0056] Next, as shown in Figure 6(b), the mounting position of the second camera 2 (N=2) out of the four cameras 2 is identified. Specifically, it is first determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp2 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A.

[0057] If it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp2 of camera 2 does not match the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A, then it is determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp2 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10B.

[0058] When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp2 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10B, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 was successful. This identifies the video data Dp2 of camera 2 as the video data Dp of camera 2B mounted on the rear of vehicle 3.

[0059] Subsequently, the determination of whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp2 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 in the video search range data 10C and 10D is skipped. Then, the video search range data 10B that includes the video search range 11 that matched the successfully detected target marker 12 is excluded.

[0060] Next, as shown in Figure 6(c), the mounting position of the third camera 2 (N=3) out of the four cameras 2 is identified. Specifically, it is first determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp3 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A.

[0061] If it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp3 of camera 2 does not match the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A, then it is determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp3 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10D. In other words, the determination of whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp3 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10B and 10C is skipped.

[0062] When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp3 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10D, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 was successful. As a result, the video data Dp3 of camera 2 is identified as the video data Dp of camera 2D mounted on the left side of vehicle 3. Subsequently, the video search range data 10D that includes the video search range 11 that matched the successfully detected target marker 12 is excluded.

[0063] Next, as shown in Figure 6(d), the mounting position of the fourth camera 2 (N=4) out of the four cameras 2 is identified. Specifically, it is determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp4 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A.

[0064] When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp4 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10A, it is determined that the detection of the target marker 12 was successful. This identifies the video data Dp4 of camera 2 as the video data Dp of camera 2A mounted on the front of vehicle 3. The determination of whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data Dp4 of camera 2 matches the video search range 11 of the video search range data 10B to 10D is skipped. Subsequently, the video search range data 10A that includes the video search range 11 that matched the successfully detected target marker 12 is excluded.

[0065] Based on the above, the mounting positions of the four cameras 2 are identified in the camera ECU 6. Then, a communication interface is set up between the camera ECU 6 and each camera 2, and communication takes place between the camera ECU 6 and each camera 2.

[0066] As described above, in this embodiment, the four cameras 2 that photograph different directions of the vehicle 3 are connected to the camera ECU 6. The storage unit 7 stores four video search range data 10, each containing a pre-set video search range 11 for each mounting position of the four cameras 2. The camera ECU 6 first acquires video data from the four cameras 2. Then, the camera ECU 6 determines whether the detection of the target marker 12 has been successful by determining whether the target marker 12 displayed in the acquired video data from the four cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the four video search range data 10 stored in the storage unit 7. When the camera ECU 6 determines that the detection of the target marker 12 has been successful, it determines the mounting position of the camera 2 based on the video search range 11 that matches the target marker 12. Therefore, the mounting positions of the four cameras 2 connected to the camera ECU 6 are identified by software processing. Consequently, there is no need to differentiate the shape or color of mounting components such as cables and connectors for connecting the camera ECU 6 and the four cameras 2. This reduces the number of in-vehicle components while suppressing incorrect connections between camera 2 and camera ECU 6. As a result, inconsistencies caused by incorrect connections of connector 5 between camera ECU 6 and camera 2 are suppressed, eliminating the need to reconnect connector 5. In addition, it prevents camera 2's image from being displayed due to communication inconsistencies between camera ECU 6 and camera 2.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, instead of using the video search range data 10 corresponding to the camera 2 whose mounting position has been determined from among the four video search range data 10, it is determined whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of the remaining camera 2 of the four cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10 other than the video search range data 10 corresponding to the camera 2 whose mounting position has been determined from among the four video search range data 10.Therefore, after the mounting position of any of the four cameras 2 has been determined, it is not necessary to use the video search range data 10 corresponding to the camera 2 whose mounting position has been determined when determining the mounting position of the remaining camera 2.This simplifies the processing by the camera ECU 6.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of any of the four cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in any of the four video search range data 10, the determination of whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of any of the four cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the remaining video search range data 10 does not occur. When it is determined that the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of any of the cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in any of the video search range data 10, the mounting position of any of the cameras 2 is determined based on that video search range 11. Therefore, it is not necessary to determine whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of any of the cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the remaining video search range data 10. Accordingly, the processing by the camera ECU 6 is simplified.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the mounting positions of all cameras 2 are identified, the camera ECU 6 can communicate with all cameras 2 that are correctly connected to it by setting up a communication interface between the camera ECU 6 and each camera 2.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front, rear, right, and left sides of the vehicle 3 are captured by the four cameras 2, respectively, thus providing front, rear, left, and right video data for the vehicle 3.

[0071] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, after the mounting position of camera 2 is determined, the camera ECU 6 determines whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of the remaining cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the video search range data 10 other than the video search range data 10 corresponding to the determined camera 2, without using the video search range data 10 corresponding to the determined camera 2. However, the invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The camera ECU 6 may also determine whether the target marker 12 displayed in the video data of the remaining cameras 2 matches the video search range 11 included in the four video search range data 10 even after the mounting position of camera 2 is determined.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, four cameras 2 are mounted on the vehicle 3 to photograph the front, rear, right side, and left side of the vehicle 3, but the configuration is not limited to this, and it is sufficient for multiple cameras 2 to be mounted on the vehicle 3 to photograph different directions of the vehicle 3. In this case, the number of video search range data 10 is also multiple. The number of video search range data 10 is, for example, the same as the number of cameras 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1...Camera position identification device, 2...Camera, 2A~2D...Camera, 3...Vehicle, 6...Camera ECU (processing unit), 7...Storage unit, 10...Video search range data, 10A~10D...Video search range data, 11...Video search range, 12...Target marker, 20...Video data conversion unit (video acquisition unit), 21...Image processing unit (video acquisition unit), 22...Determination unit, 23...Mounting position determination unit, 24...Interface setting unit, 25...Communication processing unit, Dp...Video data, Dp1~Dp4...Video data.

Claims

1. A camera positioning device that identifies the mounting positions of multiple cameras that photograph different directions on a vehicle, A processing unit connected to the aforementioned multiple cameras, The system includes a storage unit that stores multiple image search range data, including an image search range pre-set for each mounting position of the multiple cameras, The aforementioned processing unit is A video acquisition unit that acquires video data from the aforementioned multiple cameras, A determination unit determines whether the detection of the target marker was successful by determining whether the target marker displayed in the video data of the multiple cameras acquired by the video acquisition unit matches the video search range included in the multiple video search range data stored in the storage unit. A camera position identification device comprising: a determination unit that determines the mounting position of the camera based on the image search range that matches the target marker when the determination unit determines that the detection of the target marker has been successful; and a mounting position determination unit.

2. The camera position identification device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the target marker displayed in the video data of the remaining cameras among the plurality of cameras matches the video search range included in the video search range data other than the video search range data of the camera whose mounting position has been determined by the mounting position determination unit, without using the video search range data of the plurality of video search range data corresponding to the camera whose mounting position has been determined.

3. The camera position identification device according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that a target marker displayed in the video data of any of the multiple cameras matches the video search range included in any of the multiple video search range data, it does not determine whether the target marker displayed in the video data of any of the multiple cameras matches the video search range included in the remaining video search range data.

4. The camera position identification device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit further includes an interface setting unit for setting a communication interface with the plurality of cameras after the mounting position determination unit has determined the mounting positions of all the plurality of cameras.

5. The number of cameras is four. The camera position identification device according to claim 1, wherein the four cameras each capture images of the front, rear, right, and left sides of the vehicle, respectively.

Images