JP2001213240A - On-vehicle camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use an inexpensive camera in an automobile conventionally unusable due to harsh operating environment conditions and high costs. SOLUTION: Inexpensive parts can be used by constituting this device so that an environmental state of the camera can be grasped by a means detecting an internal environmental status of the camera, and when there is a gap between the environmental status and an operating environment of the parts (elements) used, an air conditioner can be operated so as to suppress the status within the operating environment. Moreover, by constituting the device so that it can control electrical apparatus installed in a vehicle, lighting of lights or wiper operation or the like can be made possible for enhancing image processing ability (recognition ability) of the camera.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera apparatus which is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and which operates a vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus according to the situation while monitoring a camera environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle-mounted electronic device employs a standard product which can sufficiently withstand a use environment of a vehicle, so that development cost and product cost are extremely high.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an air conditioner, a wiper, a headlight, etc. already provided in a vehicle so that it can be used for a vehicle with severe environmental conditions while using a commonly used image pickup device. Use the equipment effectively,
The purpose is to reduce the environment of the imaging device.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a control device for centrally controlling each electric component is arranged near a place where electric components are concentrated, and connected by a multiplex communication network (in-vehicle LAN). . The device in which the image pickup device is incorporated is similarly connected via the in-vehicle LAN, and issues an operation command to each electric component control device based on the means for detecting the environment of the image pickup device and the result of the image processing. Thereby, for example, it becomes possible to lower the temperature by operating the air conditioner or to remove dew.

[0005] Therefore, by maintaining the environment in the vehicle cabin (usually, the temperature range of use of the image pickup device is wider than the comfortable environment of humans) within the temperature range of the use environment of the inexpensive image pickup device, it is severe. It can be used in an automotive environment.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing the entire system. The ECU 1 is an electric load control device disposed in front of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the ECU 1 controls turning on / off of a headlight, switching between an upward beam and a downward beam, and the like. The electric load control device is disposed in the vicinity of the windshield, and controls the wiper, the operation of a hot wire described later, and the like. The imaging device (camera) 3 is installed near the windshield in the vehicle interior and performs image processing in front of the vehicle. The ECU 4 is mainly for controlling the air conditioner and taking in the states of various operation switches installed near the driver's seat. Each device has multiple communication lines 5
, A so-called in-vehicle LAN is constructed, and the operation control and state of each electrical component can be freely determined.

FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the ECU 1. In this embodiment, in particular, the apparatus is provided as an apparatus for controlling the turning on and off of the headlight. A power supply line from the battery is connected to a power supply circuit 10 for generating an internal power supply, and FETs 16 and 19, which are power supply elements for turning on a headlamp (Hi) 22 and a headlamp (Lo) 23. I have. The internal power generated by the power supply circuit 10 is supplied to the communication IC 13 and the microcomputer 12 via the power supply line 14. The communication IC 13 is for exchanging information with another control device through the multiplex communication line 5, and the control of this IC is entirely controlled by the microcomputer 12 through the data bus 15. The FET 16 is connected to a connection line 18.
To turn on the headlamp (Hi) 22 through
A switching element that supplies power, and is ON / OFF
Can be controlled by the signal line 17. Similarly, the headlight (Lo) 23 is turned on, but omitted.

FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram of the ECU 2. The difference from FIG. 2 is only the electric load connected to the FETs 31 and 35. The FET 31 operates the wiper motor 33 via the connection line 32, and the FET 35 similarly operates the heating wire 37 via the connection line 36. To work. Heating wire 37
Is for melting snow and ice stuck to a windshield of a vehicle entering a viewing angle of the camera 3, which will be described later, and is for supplementing a view of the camera 3. Normally, the camera 3 is installed within a wiper wiping range. However, in the present invention, the camera 3 is installed so that a camera view can be secured in a short time even in a winter period.

FIG. 4 is an internal configuration diagram of the ECU 4. This is also substantially the same as the configuration in FIG. 2 except that the signal from the switch group 56 is converted by the input circuit 55 and the signal line group 5
4 is input to the microcomputer 12. In the case of the present embodiment, the switch group 56 includes an outside air temperature sensor,
It is assigned to a wiper switch, a headlight switch, and a headlight upward switch. In addition,
Although not described, the ECU 4 controls the air conditioner, and can freely adjust the temperature, the air volume, and the wind direction. The control method is not related to the present invention, and thus will be omitted. I have.

FIG. 5 is an internal configuration diagram of the camera 3. This is also partly the same as the configuration in FIG. 2, but the description of that part is omitted. The microcomputer 12 includes an image processing IC 6
1 through a control signal line group 60,
Further, the result and information calculated by the image processing IC 61 are arranged and transmitted to and received from other control devices by using the communication IC 13. In the present embodiment, hereinafter, it is assumed that the camera 3 is used for recognizing the traveling lane of the vehicle, and how the present invention is used will be described. Therefore, the processing content relating to the traveling lane (white line recognition), the control device for executing the control, the flow of data, and the like are not related to the present invention and are omitted, but the white line recognition is performed to warn or prevent lane departure. It should be interpreted that the camera of the present invention is used in a system that performs the above.

The image processing IC 61 is connected to an image sensor 63 via a signal line 62. The image sensor 63 is a device for converting light entering from a lens 64 into an image. Generally, the image sensor 63 is a C type widely used in video cameras and the like.
Although a CD device is used, there are few devices that function normally under the temperature environment of an automobile, and there is a problem that the cost is high. An object of the present invention is to provide means for controlling an electric load control device so as to quickly match the environment in a vehicle cabin with the temperature environment of a device that is widely used, thereby enabling use of an image pickup device with low cost. It is in.

The temperature sensor 65 is a sensor for measuring the internal temperature of the camera 3, and a signal from this sensor is input to the microcomputer 12. The dew condensation sensor 66 is a sensor used for detecting the dew condensation of the lens 64, and is similarly input to the microcomputer 12. An object of the present invention is to operate an air conditioner or the like when the environment inside the vehicle interior is out of the usage environment of the imaging device by using these sensors and to keep the environment within the usage environment of the device.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to flowcharts.

First, a portion where the ECU 4 takes in the signal of the switch group 56 will be described with reference to FIG. This process
This is performed in a fixed-time interrupt process that is repeatedly executed at regular intervals by the microcomputer 12 of the ECU 4.
The reason why the processing is performed in a fixed time is that the filter processing for removing the chattering of the switch is easily performed. First, it is determined in step 101 whether the headlight switch is ON. If it is ON, "LITE (O)" indicating that the headlight switch is ON in step 102
N) flag is set to “1”. If not, the flag is cleared to "0" in step 103.

Subsequently, at step 104, it is determined whether or not the switch for switching the optical axis of the headlight is ON. If the optical axis is upward, step 10
At step 5, the flag "LITE (Hi)" is set to "1", and if not, the flag is cleared to "0" at step 106.

Next, at step 107, the operation state of the wiper switch is checked.
At step 8, the flag "WIPE (ON)" is set to "1", and if not, the flag is cleared to "0" at step 109.

Finally, in step 110, the state of the outside air temperature is confirmed. If the temperature is below freezing, the flag "ICE (ON)" is set to "1" in step 111; Is cleared to "", and the process ends. From the above, it can be understood that the process of FIG. 6 is a process of detecting the lighting state of the headlight, the operating state of the wiper, and the outside air temperature.

FIG. 7 shows the processing performed by the microcomputer 12 of the camera 3 in the fixed-time interrupt processing that is executed at regular intervals, similarly to FIG. First, step 201
Then, the A / D conversion of the temperature sensor 65 is performed, and the voltage output by the temperature sensor 65 is converted into a temperature. In step 202, similarly, the voltage output from the condensation sensor 66 is A
It is determined whether or not condensation has occurred due to / D conversion. In step 203, flags to be used thereafter are initialized. First, in step 204, it is determined whether the temperature is low. Here, the specified value (1) means the minimum operating temperature of the element to be used, and if the temperature detection result in step 201 is lower than the specified value (1), step 2
05, the flags "HEAT (ON)", "FAN (O)
N) "is set to" 1 ", and a heating request is issued to increase the temperature in the passenger compartment. If it is higher than the specified value (1), it is determined in step 206 whether the temperature is high. Similarly, the specified value (2) is the maximum operating temperature of the element used. Temperature detection result is specified value (2)
If the value is higher than the flag “CO
"OL (ON)" and "FAN (ON)" are set to "1", and a cooling request is issued to lower the temperature in the passenger compartment. Next, when the temperature detection result is within the operating temperature range of the element, in step 208, the dew condensation detection result in step 202 is discussed, and when the dew condensation is occurring, in step 209,
Flags “A / C (ON)” and “FAN (ON)” are “1”
And a request is made to dehumidify.

FIG. 8 shows the processing performed by the microcomputer 12 in the same manner as in FIG. 7. In step 301, the processing for detecting the traveling lane specialized in this embodiment is performed. The details are not related to the present invention and will not be described. If the lane recognition in step 301 cannot be successfully performed in step 302, the headlight lighting determination processing in step 400, and step 50
The wiper operation determination process of 0 and the hot-wire operation determination process of step 600 are sequentially executed. As will be described later, these processes are processes for making lane recognition successful by making full use of the equipment on the vehicle side. And step 70
An air conditioner operation determination process of 0 is performed.

FIG. 9 shows a headlight lighting determination process 400.
This is the internal flow of FIG. In step 401, the lighting state of the headlight is checked. This state can be confirmed by checking the flag set in the signal fetching process of FIG. 6, so that if the headlight is OFF, that is, if the flag “LITE (ON)” is “0”, step 402
Sets the headlight lighting request. In addition, the headlight is turned on downward, that is, the flag “LITE (O
N) is "1" and "LITE (Hi)" is "0", the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle is checked in step 403 (this process is not described because it is not related to the present invention, but image recognition is not performed). If there is no oncoming vehicle, a request to turn on the headlights upward is set in step 404. If it is determined in step 401 that the headlight has already been turned on, the process ends without performing any operation.

Therefore, it can be understood that the processing in FIG. 9 is a processing content assuming a condition in which the lane can be recognized by turning on and operating the headlight.

FIG. 10 is an internal flow of the wiper operation determination processing 500. In step 501, it is checked whether the wiper is operating. This is also possible by confirming the flag set in the signal capturing process of FIG. 6. If the wiper is not operating, that is, if the flag “WIPE (ON)” is “0”, Set the wiper operation request. It can be seen that this process is also a process that assumes a condition that enables lane recognition by operating the wiper.

FIG. 11 is an internal flow of the hot-wire operation determination processing 600. In this process, similarly, the outside air temperature which can be confirmed by checking the flag set in the signal fetching process of FIG.
If (ON) is “1”, that is, if the outside air temperature is below freezing, a hot-wire activation request is set. Is the condition of lane recognition worsening due to the accumulation of snow and ice? This is the processing content that concerned that.

FIG. 12 is an internal flow of the air conditioner operation determination processing 700. This process is a process of checking a flag set in the camera environment detection process of FIG. 7 and outputting an air conditioner operation request to the ECU 4 which is also an air conditioner control device. First, if it is determined in step 701 that the temperature inside the camera is high (the flag “COOL (ON)” = “1”), a cooling operation instruction is issued in step 702. If the temperature is not high, it is determined in step 703 whether the temperature is low (flag "HEAT (ON)" =
If the temperature is low, a heating operation instruction is issued in step 705. If not, step 704 checks whether condensation has occurred. If the condensation is confirmed, in the case of the camera, a heating operation instruction is issued in step 705 to perform dehumidifying heating because there is a concern that an image may not be formed properly due to water droplets on the lens surface.

These operation requests do not need to be directly reflected in the control, but are transmitted as information on the in-vehicle LAN in the form of a request, and are finally determined based on each information. This is usually left to the processing of each ECU. For example, even if a request to turn on the headlights is issued, if the ECU 1 detects the external illuminance and determines that there is no need to turn on the headlights, there is no need to turn on the headlights, and even if a wiper is used. However, if there is no improvement effect after wiping several times, the operation may be stopped. In addition, since the use status of the air conditioner also varies, it is necessary to set priorities.

As described above, the environmental condition is grasped by the means for detecting the internal environmental condition of the camera, and if the environmental condition is different from the operating environment of the component (element) to be used, the environment is determined based on the situation. In order to control, the air conditioner can be operated so that low-cost parts can be used. In addition, the image processing capability of the camera can be controlled by controlling the electrical components installed in the vehicle. Can be increased.

[0028]

According to this embodiment, a camera mounted on a vehicle and a method for driving an electric component load of the vehicle are mainly used. By cooperating with each other, a low-cost camera can be used. This has the effect of increasing the image processing capability (detection capability).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a control device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a control device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a control device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a control device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation principle of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation principle of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation principle of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation principle of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation principle of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation principle of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation principle of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, 4 ... ECU, 3 ... camera, 5 ... multiplex communication line, 1
2 ... microcomputer, 13 ... communication IC.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Fukuhara 2477 Takaba, Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2H100 EE00 EE05 EE06 3D020 BA20 BB01 BC02 BD05 BE03 5C022 AA04 AC41 AC54 AC69 5C054 AA01 FC12 HA30

Claims (4)

[Claims] A camera having a built-in image sensor, said camera being connected to a multiplex communication network (vehicle LAN) in a vehicle;
Based on the information from the means for detecting the internal environmental state of the camera, an operation request is issued to various electric components in the vehicle connected by the in-vehicle LAN, and the environmental conditions inside the camera are within a normal operable range. An in-vehicle camera device, characterized in that it is controlled so as to keep the camera position. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein:
An in-vehicle camera device comprising a means for detecting a temperature. 3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein:
An in-vehicle camera device provided with a means for detecting humidity. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein one of the electric components is:
An on-vehicle camera device, characterized in that it is a heating element provided partially or entirely in a windshield within the viewing angle of the camera.