In-vehicle camera control device

Abstract

This on-vehicle camera is provided with: an infrared light source that is able to project infrared light; a camera portion that has a lens part and an imaging element part and that has a sensitivity with respect to a wavelength of the infrared light; and a substrate to which the infrared light source and the camera portion are mounted.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present technology relates to an in-vehicle camera, a control device for an in-vehicle camera, a control method, and an in-vehicle camera system. [Background technology]

[0002] When changing lanes, the driver of a vehicle visually checks the rearward situation of the adjacent lane using the rearview mirror, side mirrors, etc. In recent years, as vehicles have become mirrorless, technologies have become known that provide the driver with information about the situation of the adjacent lane using cameras and displays instead of conventional mirrors. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a camera is mounted on a side portion of the vehicle, such as a front pillar, instead of a side mirror.

[0003] However, in order to safely use images captured by side cameras in autonomous driving, the accuracy of object recognition from the side images is important. To achieve this, it is necessary to obtain images with sufficient contrast, but it is difficult to install lights with sufficient illuminance on the sides of the vehicle due to space constraints. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-097344 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present technology aims to provide an on-board camera that is small enough to be incorporated into the side of a vehicle and that can obtain images with sufficient recognition accuracy for side monitoring, a control device and control method for this on-board camera, and an on-board camera system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an in-vehicle camera according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: an infrared light source capable of projecting infrared light; a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to infrared light wavelengths; a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted; It is equipped with:

[0007] The vehicle-mounted camera may further include a housing that houses the board and has a transparent material portion that is capable of transmitting the infrared light. The transparent material portion may be bonded to the housing by laser welding.

[0008] The camera unit may have a light blocking unit that blocks infrared light from the infrared light source from reaching an imaging surface of the imaging element unit.

[0009] An in-vehicle camera according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a back channel capable of superimposing and transmitting control information for the camera unit and control information for the infrared light source, and a serializer having a forward channel capable of transmitting pixel signals obtained by the camera unit.

[0010] The infrared light source may be composed of a plurality of infrared projectors having the same or different directivities.

[0011] The transparent material portion of the housing may be disposed on one surface of the housing through which the optical axis of the camera unit passes.

[0012] The vehicle-mounted camera may further include a mirror that refracts the light emitted by the infrared projector that has passed through the transparent material portion in a direction along the optical axis of the camera unit.

[0013] The control device for an in-vehicle camera according to the present disclosure is an in-vehicle camera disposed on a side of a vehicle, the control device for an in-vehicle camera comprising an infrared light source, a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to infrared light wavelengths, and a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted, The vehicle includes a control unit that controls turning on the infrared light source based on the recognition result of the image obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0014] The control unit may be configured to determine whether or not to turn left or right at an intersection, taking into consideration the recognition result of the image obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0015] The control unit may be configured to set the infrared light source of the on-board camera to on when the ambient brightness does not satisfy a predetermined condition and when it determines from the internal state of the vehicle that an overtaking attempt is being planned.

[0016] The control unit may be configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that the following vehicle is turning on its turn signal.

[0017] The control unit may be configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that there is another vehicle approaching at an increasing relative speed within a predetermined distance behind the vehicle in another lane.

[0018] The control unit may be configured to turn on the infrared light source of the on-board camera when it determines that there is another vehicle approaching at a reduced relative speed in another lane within a predetermined distance ahead.

[0019] Furthermore, a control method for an in-vehicle camera according to the present technology is a control method for an in-vehicle camera arranged on a side of a vehicle, the control method including an infrared light source, a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor and having sensitivity to wavelengths of infrared light, and a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted, The infrared light source is controlled to be turned on based on the recognition result of the image obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0020] Furthermore, the in-vehicle camera system according to the present technology includes: an infrared light source capable of projecting infrared light; a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to infrared light wavelengths; a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted; an in-vehicle camera having a control device including a control unit that controls turning on the infrared light source based on a recognition result of an image obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera; It has. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera according to a first embodiment of the present technology. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of signal connections between an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera 1 and an autonomous driving recognition ECU. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle system employing an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the control of the infrared light source 11. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the determination in step S100. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing details of the overtaking prediction determination in step S150. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the details of the determination in step S180. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart of a lane change control to the right. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the details of step S302. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a left lane change control. [Figure 11]1 is a flowchart of right turn control at an intersection. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart of left turn control at an intersection. [Figure 13] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera according to the present technology. [Figure 14] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modified example of an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera according to the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera according to a first embodiment of the present technology. The infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera 1 of this embodiment has an infrared light source 11, a camera unit 12, a main board 13 on which the infrared light source 11 and the camera unit 12 are mounted, and a housing 14 that houses these components.

[0023] The infrared light source 11 is capable of projecting infrared light, such as an infrared LED. The camera unit 12 is sensitive to infrared light wavelengths and is composed of a lens unit 15, an image sensor unit 16, a lens holder 17, etc. The image sensor unit 16 can be composed of, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor. The lens holder 17 holds the lens unit 15 and has a light-shielding portion 18 that blocks infrared light from the infrared light source 11 from reaching the imaging surface of the image sensor unit 16 mounted on the main board 13. The lens holder 17 is attached to the surface of the main board 13 by an adhesive portion 19 so as to surround the image sensor unit 16 in a planar manner.

[0024] In order to project infrared light from infrared light source 11 to the outside of housing 14, one surface of housing 14, through which the optical axis of camera unit 12 passes, is made of transparent material 20. That is, one end of housing 14 is fully open, and a transparent panel is joined by laser welding or the like to the end face surrounding this opening so as to close the opening. The lens barrel portion of lens holder 17 is exposed to the outside through hole 20a provided in transparent material 20 of housing 14.

[0025] Furthermore, a signal connection section 21 for signal connection with an autonomous driving recognition ECU (described later) is provided on the surface of the housing 14 opposite to the side on which the transparent material 20 is arranged. A connection board 23 electrically connected to the main board 13 via a first connector 22 is arranged inside the housing 14, and this connection board 23 is connected to the signal connection section 21 for signal connection with the autonomous driving recognition ECU via a second connector 24 and flexible wiring 25. This electrically connects the image sensor section 16 and infrared light source 11 mounted on the main board 13 to the autonomous driving recognition ECU (described later).

[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of signal connections between the infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera 1 and the autonomous driving recognition ECU. As shown in the figure, the infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera and the autonomous driving recognition ECU are connected via a serializer 26, such as an LVDS serializer. The serializer 26 has a back channel that can superimpose and transmit control information for the camera unit 12 and control information for the infrared light source 11, and a forward channel that can transmit pixel signals obtained by the camera unit 12. Note that, for example, I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) or the like can be used as a transmission protocol for the control information for the camera unit 12. For example, MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) or the like can be used as a transmission protocol for the pixel signals obtained by the camera unit 12. For example, GPIO (General-purpose input / output), I2C, or the like can be used as a transmission protocol for the control information for the infrared light source 11. As a result, the signal connection wiring between the infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera 1 and the autonomous driving recognition ECU can be one system per infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera 1, thereby reducing the overall number of wires.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle system that employs an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera according to this embodiment. The vehicle system is configured with an automatic driving recognition ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 100, a front inspection sensor 110, a side monitoring sensor 120 consisting of the infrared floodlight integrated vehicle camera 1 of this embodiment, a rear monitoring sensor 130, a positioning sensor 140, an illuminance sensor 150, a communication means 160 with the outside such as the Internet, a map data acquisition means 170, and a vehicle control ECU 200.

[0028] The forward inspection sensor 110 is a sensor for monitoring the area ahead from the vehicle's perspective, and is capable of detecting information necessary for recognizing the type, distance, position, etc. of objects ahead using, for example, LiDAR (light detection and ranging), a camera, or radar. The side monitoring sensors 120 are sensors for monitoring the sides of the vehicle, particularly the rear of other lanes, and are configured with the above-described infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted cameras 1. The side monitoring sensors 120 are placed opposite each other on the left and right sides of the vehicle, and can be disposed, for example, on the left and right front piers. The rear monitoring sensor 130 is a sensor for monitoring the rear from the perspective of the vehicle itself, and is a sensor that can detect information necessary for recognizing the type, distance, position, etc. of objects present behind the vehicle using, for example, LiDAR, a camera, or radar.

[0029] The positioning sensor 140 is a sensor that acquires the position of the vehicle using, for example, a global positioning system (GPS) or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The illuminance sensor 150 is a sensor that detects the brightness around the vehicle, and is used particularly to determine whether the vehicle is in the daytime, at night, inside a tunnel, or the like. The external communication means 160 is a means for communicating with a network such as the Internet. The map data acquisition means 170 is a means for acquiring map data necessary for automatic driving.

[0030] The autonomous driving recognition ECU 100 is a controller that controls each part and generates vehicle control information to be supplied to the vehicle control ECU 200 based on, for example, recognition data from images obtained by the front monitoring sensor 110, the side monitoring sensor 120, and the rear monitoring sensor 130, information obtained by the positioning sensor 140, the illuminance sensor 150, the external communication means 160, and the map data acquisition means 170, and further information notified by the vehicle control ECU. The vehicle control ECU 200 is a controller that controls various parts of the vehicle, such as the turn signals, accelerator, steering, and brakes, based on vehicle control information supplied from the automatic driving recognition ECU 100, for example.

[0031] More specifically, the autonomous driving recognition ECU 100 includes a first I / F unit 101, a second I / F unit 102, an object recognition unit 103, a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication unit 104, and a control unit 105. The first I / F unit 101 is an interface with the front inspection sensor 110, the side monitoring sensor 120, and the rear monitoring sensor 130. The first I / F unit 101 supplies images obtained by the front inspection sensor 110, the side monitoring sensor 120, and the rear monitoring sensor 130 to the object recognition unit 103. The second I / F unit 102 is an interface with the infrared light source 11 in the side monitoring sensor 120, the positioning sensor 140, the illuminance sensor 150, the external communication means 160, and the map data acquisition means 170. The object recognition unit 103 recognizes the type of object, distance from the vehicle, movement, etc. based on images obtained by the front inspection sensor 110, side monitoring sensor 120, and rear monitoring sensor 130 via the first I / F unit 101. The CAN communication unit 104 processes communication between the autonomous driving recognition ECU 100 and the vehicle control ECU 200. The control unit 105 controls the infrared light source 11 in the side monitoring sensor 120, determines whether or not a lane change is possible, and determines whether or not a left / right turn is possible at an intersection, based on the positioning data input through the second I / F unit 102, illuminance data, information acquired from the network, map data acquired by the map data acquisition means 170, recognition data from the object recognition unit 103, etc.

[0032] (Control of infrared light source 11) Next, the control of the infrared light source 11 of the infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control of the infrared light source 11.

[0033] The recognition ECU 100 for autonomous driving (hereinafter referred to as "recognition ECU 100") first determines whether or not the environment is one in which infrared projection is effective (step S100). The processing of this step S100 will be described in more detail later. If the recognition ECU 100 determines that the environment is not one in which infrared projection is effective, it sets the left and right infrared light sources 11 to OFF (step S110). After this, the process returns to the beginning of step S100.

[0034] If the recognition ECU 100 determines that the environment is one in which infrared projection is effective, it determines whether the host vehicle is within 5 meters of the intersection (step S120). This determination may be made, for example, based on the positioning data acquired by the positioning sensor 140 and the map data acquired by the map data acquisition means 170. If it is determined that the host vehicle is within 5 meters of the intersection, the recognition ECU 100 turns on the infrared light sources 11 of the left and right side monitoring sensors 120 (steps S130 and S140), and returns to the beginning of step S100. That is, each time it is determined that the host vehicle is about to enter an intersection, the infrared light sources 11 of the left and right side monitoring sensors 120 are turned on, and images can be obtained by the cameras 12 of the left and right side monitoring sensors 120. Note that "5 meters" is just an example, and any other predetermined distance may be used.

[0035] When the host vehicle is not within 5 meters before the intersection, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether another vehicle traveling in the right lane as seen from the host vehicle is expected to overtake the host vehicle, or whether the host vehicle is expected to overtake another vehicle traveling in the right lane (step S150). Details of this determination will be described later. When either of the above overtaking events is expected, the recognition ECU 100 sets the right infrared light source 11 to ON (step S160). When neither of the above overtaking events is expected, the recognition ECU 100 sets the right infrared light source 11 to OFF (step S170).

[0036] Next, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether another vehicle traveling in the left lane as seen from the host vehicle is expected to overtake the host vehicle, or whether the host vehicle is expected to overtake another vehicle traveling in the left lane (step S180). Details of this determination will be described later. If either of the above overtaking events is expected, the recognition ECU 100 sets the right infrared light source 11 to ON (step S190). If neither of the above overtaking events is expected, the recognition ECU 100 sets the right infrared light source 11 to OFF (step S200). Then, the process returns to the beginning of step S100.

[0037] (Details of the decision in step S100) Whether or not the environment is one in which infrared projection is effective can be determined, for example, as follows. As shown in FIG. 5, the recognition ECU 100 first determines whether it is nighttime or daytime based on the time on the Internet (step S101). If it is not nighttime, the recognition ECU 100 determines that the environment requires infrared projection. If it is nighttime, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether the host vehicle is in a tunnel based on the positioning data acquired by the positioning sensor 140 and the map data acquired by the map data acquisition means 170 (step S102). If the host vehicle is in a tunnel, the recognition ECU 100 determines that the environment requires infrared projection and turns on the left and right infrared light sources 11. If it is not determined that the host vehicle is in a tunnel, the recognition ECU 100 next checks whether the location of the host vehicle is cloudy / rainy / foggy based on the positioning data acquired by the positioning sensor 140 and information acquired from the Internet (step S103). If cloudy / rainy / foggy, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether it is early morning / evening based on the time on the Internet (step S104). If it is early morning / evening, the recognition ECU 100 determines that infrared projection is effective and sets the left and right infrared light sources 11 to ON. If there is no cloudy / rainy / fog, or if there is cloudy / rainy / fog but it is not early morning / evening, the recognition ECU 100 sets the left and right infrared light sources 11 to OFF.

[0038] (Details of the decision in step S150) The determination of whether or not overtaking is anticipated in step S150 can be performed, for example, as follows. As shown in FIG. 6, the recognition ECU 100 first determines whether the following vehicle is activating its right blinker based on a rear image captured by the camera of the rear monitoring sensor 130 (step S151). If the following vehicle is activating its right blinker, the recognition ECU 100 turns on the right infrared light source 11 in anticipation of overtaking (step S160). If the following vehicle is not activating its right blinker, the recognition ECU 100 then determines whether there is another vehicle approaching the host vehicle at an increasing relative speed within 5 m behind the host vehicle in the two lanes on the right based on information obtained by the rear monitoring sensor 130 (step S152). If it is determined that such another vehicle is present, the recognition ECU 100 turns on the right infrared light source 11 in anticipation of overtaking (step S160). If there is no such vehicle, the recognition ECU 100 then determines whether there is a vehicle approaching the host vehicle while reducing its relative speed within 5 meters ahead of the host vehicle in the two lanes on the right side of the host vehicle, based on information obtained by the forward monitoring sensor 101 (step S153). If it is determined that there is such a vehicle, the recognition ECU 100 sets the right infrared light source 11 to ON (step S160). If there is no such vehicle, the recognition ECU 100 sets the right infrared light source 11 to OFF (step S170).

[0039] (Details of the decision in step S180) As shown in Fig. 7, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether the host vehicle is planning to overtake based on the internal state of the host vehicle, such as the state of the blinker, the driving speed, the speed change, the steering state, etc. (step S181). If it is determined that the host vehicle is planning to overtake, the recognition ECU 100 turns on the left infrared light source 11 in anticipation of the overtaking (step S190). If the host vehicle is not planning to overtake, the recognition ECU 100 determines, based on information obtained by the rear monitoring sensor 103, whether there is another vehicle approaching the host vehicle while increasing its relative speed within 5 m behind the host vehicle in the two lanes on the left side (step S182). If it is determined that there is such another vehicle, the recognition ECU 100 turns on the left infrared light source 11 in anticipation of the overtaking (step S190). If there is no such vehicle, the recognition ECU 100 then determines whether there is a vehicle approaching the host vehicle while reducing its relative speed within 5 meters ahead in the two lanes on the left side, based on information obtained by the forward monitoring sensor 101 (step S183). If it is determined that there is such a vehicle, the recognition ECU 100 sets the left infrared light source 11 to ON (step S190). If it is determined that there is no such vehicle, the recognition ECU 100 sets the left infrared light source 11 to OFF (step S200).

[0040] (Lane change control) FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the right lane change control. This lane change control can be performed when the infrared light sources 11 of the left and right side monitoring sensors are ON. The recognition ECU 100 resets the deceleration flag (step S301). Next, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether a lane change to the right is possible (step S302). Details of this determination will be described later. If it is determined that a lane change is possible, the recognition ECU 100 outputs control information to the vehicle control ECU 200 to change to the right lane. This causes the lane change to the right lane (step S303).

[0041] If a lane change to the right is not possible, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether the deceleration flag is set (step S304). The deceleration flag being set means that the host vehicle is decelerating. If the deceleration flag is not set, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether the vehicle speed can be increased by 5 km / h or more based on, for example, the vehicle speed, positioning data, map data, and sign information recognized from a forward image acquired by the forward monitoring sensor 101 (step S305). If the result is Yes, the recognition ECU 100 outputs control information to the vehicle control ECU 200 to accelerate the vehicle by 5 km / h (step S306), waits a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds (step S307), and returns to step S302.

[0042] On the other hand, if the deceleration flag is set or if it is not possible to increase the vehicle speed by 5 km / h or more, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether it is possible to decrease the vehicle speed by 5 km / h or more based on, for example, the vehicle speed, positioning data, map data, sign information recognized from a forward image acquired by the forward monitoring sensor 101, etc. (step S308). If it is possible, the recognition ECU 100 sets the deceleration flag (step S309), outputs control information to the vehicle control ECU 200 to decelerate by 5 km / h (step S310), waits for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds (step S311), and returns to step S302. If it is not possible to decrease the vehicle speed by 5 km / h or more, the recognition ECU 100 cancels the lane change to the right (step S312).

[0043] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the details of step S302. The recognition ECU 100 determines whether there is a lane in front of the host vehicle to the right where a lane change is possible, based on the map data acquired by the map data acquisition means 170 and the forward image acquired by the forward monitoring sensor 110 (step S3021). If there is no lane in front of the host vehicle to the right where a lane change is possible, the recognition ECU 100 returns to step S3021 and repeats the determination of whether there is a lane in front of the host vehicle to the right. If there is a lane in front of the host vehicle to the right where a lane change is possible, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether there is another vehicle in the lane immediately to the right of the host vehicle, based on the image acquired by the side monitoring sensor 102 (step S3022). If there is another vehicle in the lane immediately to the right, the process proceeds to the determination in step S304. If there is no other vehicle in the lane one to the right, the recognition ECU 100 next determines whether there is another vehicle in the lane two to the right (step S3023), and if the other vehicle in the lane two to the right is activating its left blinker (step S3024), it determines that a lane change to the right is not possible, and proceeds to step S304. Also, if there is no other vehicle in the lane two to the right, or if there is a vehicle but it is not activating its left blinker, it determines that a lane change to the right is possible, and proceeds to step S303.

[0044] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the left lane change control. The control in this case is substantially the same as the control for changing lanes to the right, except for the left and right, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0045] (Right and left turn control at intersections) FIG. 11 is a flowchart of right turn control at an intersection. The recognition ECU 100 transmits control information to the vehicle control ECU 200 to cause the host vehicle to enter an intersection and temporarily stop (step S501). Next, the recognition ECU 100 determines whether or not there are obstacles, such as other vehicles or pedestrians, in the traveling direction, based on the image obtained by the forward monitoring sensor 101 (step S502). If the determination is "Yes," the recognition ECU 100 waits for a predetermined time, e.g., one second (step S506), and returns to the determination in step S502. If there are no obstacles, such as other vehicles or pedestrians, in the traveling direction, the recognition ECU 100 next determines, based on the image obtained by the forward monitoring sensor 101, whether or not there are obstacles, such as other vehicles or pedestrians, that may enter the traveling direction before the right turn is completed (step S503). If the determination is "Yes," the recognition ECU 100 waits for a predetermined time, e.g., one second, as described above (step S506), and returns to the determination in step S502.

[0046] If the determination result in step S503 is No, the recognition ECU 100 next determines whether or not a motorcycle, pedestrian, or other object that may be hit is approaching from the right side, based on the image obtained by the right side monitoring sensor 102 (step S504). If the determination result is Yes, the recognition ECU 100 waits for a certain period of time, for example, one second, as described above (step S506), and returns to the determination in step S502. If the determination result is No, the recognition ECU 100 outputs control information to the vehicle control ECU 200 to make the host vehicle turn right at the intersection (step S505).

[0047] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of left turn control at an intersection. The control in this case is substantially the same as the right turn control at an intersection, except that the left and right are different, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, for example, at night, in a tunnel, in bad weather, etc., the infrared light source 11 of the side monitoring sensor 120 can be set to ON to obtain side images with sufficient brightness for recognition accuracy. This enables safer driving or automatic driving by adding side images to the driver's field of view or the field of view during automatic driving. In addition, the vehicle-mounted camera 1 of this embodiment can be made compact by mounting the camera unit 12 and the infrared light source 11 on the same surface of a single main board 13, and therefore can be easily attached to the front pillar of a vehicle, etc.

[0049] <Variation 1> FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of an infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera. This infrared projector-integrated vehicle-mounted camera is equipped with multiple infrared light sources 11, 31. These multiple infrared light sources 11, 31 may have different directivities. These multiple infrared light sources 11, 31 may be selected one by one and turned on, or may be turned on simultaneously. Furthermore, the multiple infrared light sources 11, 31 may have the same directivity. The multiple infrared light sources 11, 31 to be used may be changeable depending on the recognition accuracy of the side image, etc.

[0050] <Variation 2> In the above embodiment, the infrared light source 11 is oriented so that infrared light is emitted in a direction along the optical axis of the camera unit 12, and a transparent material 20 is arranged on one side of the housing 14 through which the optical axis of the camera unit 12 passes. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the direction of the infrared light can be changed using a reflector 32, thereby changing the direction of the infrared light, thereby changing the direction of the infrared light source 11 and the position of the transparent material 20 on the housing 14.

[0051] [Another configuration of this technology] The present technology can also be configured as follows. (1) an infrared light source capable of projecting infrared light; a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to infrared light wavelengths; a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted; An in-vehicle camera comprising: (2) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (1), The vehicle-mounted camera further includes a housing that houses the substrate and has a transparent material portion that is capable of transmitting the infrared light. (3) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (2), The transparent material portion is bonded to the housing by laser welding. In-car camera. (4) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (1) to (3), The camera unit has a light blocking unit that blocks infrared light from the infrared light source from the imaging surface of the imaging element unit. In-car camera. (5) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (1) to (4), The infrared light source is composed of a plurality of infrared projectors having the same or different directivities. In-car camera. (6) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (1) to (5), a mirror that refracts the light of the infrared light source that has passed through the transparent material portion in a direction along the optical axis of the camera unit; It also has an onboard camera. (7) A control device for an on-board camera arranged on the side of a vehicle, the control device comprising an infrared light source, a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to infrared wavelengths, and a board on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted, A control device for an in-vehicle camera, comprising a control unit that controls turning on the infrared light source based on the recognition result of the image obtained by the in-vehicle camera. (8) The control device for an in-vehicle camera according to (7), The control unit is configured to determine whether or not to turn left or right at an intersection, taking into account the recognition result of the image obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera. Control device for in-vehicle cameras. (9) The control device for an in-vehicle camera according to (7) or (8), The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that an overtaking attempt is being planned based on the internal state of the vehicle and when the ambient brightness does not satisfy a predetermined condition. Control device for in-vehicle cameras. (10) The control device for an in-vehicle camera according to any one of (7) to (9), The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that the following vehicle is activating a turn signal. Control device for in-vehicle cameras. (11) The control device for an in-vehicle camera according to any one of (7) to (10), The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that there is another vehicle approaching at an increasing relative speed within a predetermined distance behind the vehicle in another lane. Control device for in-vehicle cameras. (12) The control device for an in-vehicle camera according to any one of (7) to (11), The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that there is another vehicle approaching at a reduced relative speed within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle in another lane. Control device for in-vehicle cameras. (13) A method for controlling an in-vehicle camera disposed on the side of a vehicle, the in-vehicle camera comprising an infrared light source, a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to wavelengths of infrared light, and a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted, A method for controlling an on-board camera, which controls turning on the infrared light source based on the recognition result of an image obtained by the on-board camera. (14) an infrared light source capable of projecting infrared light; a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to infrared light wavelengths; a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted; an in-vehicle camera having a control device including a control unit that controls turning on the infrared light source based on a recognition result of an image obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera; An in-vehicle camera system having: (15) The in-vehicle camera system according to (14), The vehicle-mounted camera system further includes a housing that houses the substrate and has a transparent material portion that can transmit the infrared light. (16) The in-vehicle camera system according to (15), The transparent material portion is bonded to the housing by laser welding. In-car camera system. (17) The vehicle-mounted camera system according to any one of (14) to (16), The camera unit has a light blocking unit that blocks infrared light from the infrared light source from the imaging surface of the imaging element unit. In-car camera system. (18) The vehicle-mounted camera system according to any one of (14) to (17), The infrared light source is composed of a plurality of infrared projectors having the same or different directivities. In-car camera system. (19) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (14) to (18), The vehicle-mounted camera includes a mirror that refracts the light from the infrared light source that has passed through a transparent material portion in a direction along the optical axis of the camera unit. Further provided is an in-vehicle camera system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 11...Infrared light source 12...Camera section 13...Main board 14...Housing 15...Lens section 16...Image sensor section 17...Lens holder 18...Light blocking part 20...Transparent material 21...Signal connection part 26...Serializer 100…Autonomous driving recognition ECU 105...Control unit 120...Side monitoring sensor

Claims

1. A control device for an on-board camera arranged on the side of a vehicle, the control device comprising: an infrared light source; a camera unit having a lens unit and an image sensor unit and having sensitivity to infrared wavelengths; and a substrate on which the infrared light source and the camera unit are mounted, a control unit that controls turning on of the infrared light source based on a recognition result of an image obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera; The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that an overtaking attempt is being planned based on the internal state of the vehicle and when the ambient brightness does not satisfy a predetermined condition. Control device for in-vehicle cameras.

2. A control device for an in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that the following vehicle is activating a turn signal. Control device for in-vehicle cameras.

3. A control device for an in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that there is another vehicle approaching at an increasing relative speed within a predetermined distance behind the vehicle in another lane. Control device for in-vehicle cameras.

4. A control device for an in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, The control unit is configured to turn on the infrared light source of the vehicle-mounted camera when it determines that there is another vehicle approaching at a reduced relative speed within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle in another lane. Control device for in-vehicle cameras.

Images