Vehicle Camera Exposure Control for Tunnel Illuminance Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photographing systems for moving apparatuses face challenges in providing comprehensive and stable image monitoring, particularly in varying light conditions and environments, such as when entering or exiting tunnels, due to manual control difficulties and abrupt changes in illuminance, which affect image quality and driver visibility.
Innovation Solution
A photographing system comprising multiple image pickup units with a system control unit that adjusts exposure quantity, time constant, white balance, focus, optical axis, and angle of view based on position information and map data, ensuring coordinated control with time lags to maintain consistent image quality across different environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple image pickup units are mounted to monitor various directions, then driver visibility is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple image pickup units into a coordinated system controlled by a single control unit. The control unit integrates control signals for multiple image pickup units, allowing them to work together as a unified system rather than independent units, thus enhancing driver visibility while managing system complexity through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit is designed to universally control multiple image pickup units with different functions (front, rear, side monitoring). This multi-functional control approach allows a single control unit to manage diverse imaging tasks, reducing the need for separate control mechanisms for each unit and thereby managing complexity while maintaining versatility.
2Ease of operation
If manual control is used for photographing system, then operation simplicity is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to driver burden
Solution Approach 1:
The photographing system performs automatic control of image pickup units without requiring manual intervention from the driver. The control unit automatically adjusts exposure quantity, focus, and other parameters based on detected conditions, making the system self-regulating and eliminating the burden of manual control while maintaining operational simplicity for the driver.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms where the control unit detects conditions (such as illuminance changes) and automatically adjusts image pickup parameters accordingly. This closed-loop control allows the system to adapt to changing conditions automatically, providing ease of operation while managing complexity through intelligent automation rather than simple manual controls.
3Manufacturing precision
If exposure quantity is adjusted for each image pickup unit independently, then image quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit merges the exposure control functions for multiple image pickup units into a coordinated system. By integrating control signals and using shared resources (such as illuminance detection and control algorithms), the system achieves consistent image quality across multiple units while reducing the complexity that would result from completely independent control of each unit's exposure settings.
Data Source
AI summary
A photographing system having plural image pickup units for a moving apparatus with enhanced user's visibility of images for a driver of the apparatus. A system control part controls the image pickup units. Image pickup unit picks up images ahead of the moving apparatus. Image pickup unit picks up images aback. System control unit predicts surrounding state of the moving apparatus based on map information or position information and, when the moving apparatus enters a tunnel, issues a control instruction to image pickup unit so as to increase exposure quantity of image pickup device thereof, and then, when level of output image signal of the image pickup unit enters within a specified range, issues a control instruction to image pickup unit so as to increase exposure quantity of the image pickup device thereof.