Vehicle Camera Light Shielding for Flare-Free Wide-Angle Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle-mounted camera systems face challenges in capturing high-quality images due to flare, ghost, and halation issues caused by sunlight and street lamps, especially when trying to monitor both the periphery and rear of a vehicle with a single wide-angle lens, which requires a balance between image resolution and light shielding.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-mounted camera apparatus with a light shielding unit that limits the incident angle of light rays on the lens, combined with an image processing unit that generates and corrects images based on calculated image height characteristics, ensuring high-quality image generation while minimizing external protrusions and maintaining visibility during rainy conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a wide-angle lens is used to capture the periphery of the vehicle, then the angle of view is widened to monitor the periphery, but sunlight and street lamp light are easily incident on the lens causing flare and ghost
Solution Approach 1:
The light shielding unit is divided into multiple light shielding portions, each corresponding to different angular ranges of incident light. This segmentation allows selective blocking of harmful light from specific directions (upper side where sunlight and street lamps occur) while preserving the wide-angle view capability for periphery monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The light shielding unit is positioned specifically on the upper side of the lens where harmful light incident angles occur, rather than uniformly around the entire lens. This local placement provides targeted protection against flare and ghost from sunlight and street lamps while maintaining the wide-angle field of view for periphery monitoring.
2Manufacturing precision
If the optical axis is brought closer to the display position for smart room mirror, then image resolution is improved, but the depression angle must be small causing wider upper side capture and increased light incidence
Solution Approach 1:
The light shielding unit is segmented into multiple light shielding portions that correspond to different angular ranges, allowing selective blocking of harmful light from the upper side while preserving the optical configuration needed for high-resolution smart room mirror imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The light shielding unit is locally positioned on the upper side of the lens where harmful light incident angles occur, providing targeted protection against flare and ghost from sunlight and street lamps while maintaining the optical axis positioning required for high-resolution imaging.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a light shielding unit is placed on the input surface side of the lens, then flare and ghost are suppressed, but the device complexity and external protrusion increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light shielding unit serves multiple functions: it blocks harmful light from the upper side to prevent flare and ghost, while its multiple light shielding portions also enable selective angular control. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby managing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The light shielding unit is configured with light shielding portions arranged in the angular direction rather than simply as a physical protrusion. This angular/directional arrangement provides effective light blocking while minimizing external protrusion and maintaining a compact device structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents flare, ghost, and halation, maintains image quality for both peripheral and rear monitoring, and corrects distortion, ensuring high-resolution images for smart room mirrors without affecting the image analysis or distance measurements.
Implementation Method 1
a light shielding unit that shields a light ray corresponding to a part of an image capture region of the image capture device unit on an incident surface side of the lens
Data Source
AI summary
An vehicle-mounted camera apparatus is an vehicle-mounted camera apparatus capable of imaging at least one of a front, a rear, and a side of a vehicle, and includes a lens, an image capture device unit that converts light imaged by the lens into an electrical signal to generate a captured image, and a light shielding unit that shields a light ray corresponding to a part of an image capture region of the image capture device unit on an incident surface side of the lens.