JPH11306489A - Camera system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To call the attention to a driver through display on a monitor by controlling a camera and a lens so that a signal device or road sign, to which an infrared light source is added, can be made into fixed angle of view. SOLUTION: When the image of an infrared light source 2 added to the prescribed part of the signal device or road sign is picked up by a camera 2 having a CCD with sensitivity in a visible light area and further another or the same CCD forming a light receiving part having sensitivity in an infrared light area in addition to the visible light area, panning/tilting is performed so that the signal device or road sign can come to the center of a picture, further, zooming/focusing is performed so as to provide a certain size, the camera and the lens are controlled so as to form a certain viewing angle and the image is displayed on the nonitor and the attention of the driver is called or image recognizing processing can be easily performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera system, and more particularly, to a camera equipped with a CCD having a light receiving portion having sensitivity in an infrared light region in addition to a visible light region, and an infrared light source picked up by the camera. The camera and the lens are controlled so that the given traffic light or road sign has a certain angle of view, and a monitor display is performed to draw the driver's attention.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a traffic light, a traffic light having visible light sources of blue, yellow, and red is generally used, and a driver controls the operation of an automobile by visually recognizing the contents of those signals.

Conventionally, as a road sign, a driver visually recognizes a sign displayed on a display board to control the operation of a vehicle.

[0004] Conventionally, a vehicle having a CCD camera mounted on a vehicle is merely mounted as a substitute for human eyes in a so-called blind spot, which is difficult for a driver to see.

[0005] Under these circumstances, the driver's attention is relied on for traffic safety in one or two ways.
There is a problem that even if a CD camera is mounted, it is not always sufficient to assist the driver.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a camera system which not only depends on the driver's attention but also helps the driver better. It is assumed that.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A camera system according to the present invention further comprises a CCD having a sensitivity in a visible light region, and further comprises:
In addition to the visible light range in one CCD or in the same CCD,
When an infrared light source added to a predetermined position of a traffic light or a road sign is imaged by a camera having a CCD having a light receiving portion having sensitivity in an infrared light region, the signal or the road sign is panned so as to be at the center of the screen. / Tilting, zooming / focusing to a certain size, controlling the camera and lens so that a certain angle of view is displayed on the monitor to alert the driver, It is characterized by facilitating image recognition processing and the like.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A CCD that has sensitivity in the visible light range and another CC
When the infrared light source added to a predetermined position of the traffic light is imaged by a camera having a CCD having a light receiving portion having sensitivity in the infrared light region in addition to the visible light region in D or in the same CCD, the traffic light is displayed on the screen. Pan /
A camera system for tilting, zooming / focusing to a certain size, controlling a camera and a lens so as to have a certain angle of view, displaying on a monitor to draw a driver's attention, and This has the effect of controlling the camera and the lens so that the traffic light has a certain fixed angle of view, performing monitor display to draw the driver's attention, and facilitating image recognition processing and the like.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light receiving section having sensitivity to an infrared light region in addition to a visible light region in a CCD having sensitivity in a visible light region, another CCD or the same CCD. When an infrared light source added to a predetermined portion of a road sign is imaged by a camera having a CCD formed with an image, a pan / tilt is performed so that the road sign is at the center of the screen, and the size of the panorama is further increased. A camera system that performs zooming / focusing, controls the camera and lens so that a certain angle of view is displayed, displays the result on a monitor, and draws the driver's attention. Thus, the camera and the lens are controlled so that they are displayed on the monitor to alert the driver and to facilitate the image recognition processing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the first aspect, an infrared light source added to a predetermined portion of a display device such as a speed limit installed on a top surface in the tunnel is imaged. In some cases, the displayed warning information is captured by a camera having the CCD, panning / tilting is performed so that the warning information is at the center of the screen, and zooming / focusing is performed so as to have a certain size. This is a camera system that controls the camera and lens so as to have a constant angle of view and displays it on a monitor to draw the driver's attention, so that the warning information displayed on the display device has a certain angle of view. Control the camera and lens to provide a monitor display to alert the driver,
This has the effect of facilitating image recognition processing and the like.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the camera system according to the first aspect, wherein the camera having the CCD detects an alarm signal from an infrared light source installed in an alarm device such as a takeoff to take the takeoff. This is a camera system that warns the driver by displaying a warning signal of a warning signal from an infrared light source installed in a warning device such as a railroad crossing, and warns the warning signal such as a railroad crossing. It has the effect of displaying and alerting the driver.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the first aspect, the camera having the CCD captures an image of an infrared light emitting element installed on a license plate of the vehicle, and zooms in on the infrared light emitting element. This is a camera system capable of displaying a registration number, and has an effect of capturing an image of an infrared light emitting element installed on a license plate of a vehicle, zooming it up and displaying the vehicle registration number.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the first aspect, an infrared light emitting element is mounted on a mirror installed at a sharp curve in a mountain area, and an image is taken by a camera having the CCD. It is a camera system that zooms it up so that the blind spot can be seen up close, and images the infrared light emitting element mounted on the mirror installed on the sharp curve, This has the effect of allowing you to see the part where it is up.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the sixth aspect, the infrared light emitting element mounted on the mirror can emit light by a solar cell, thereby eliminating the need for a commercial power supply for light emission. A camera system in which the camera having the CCD detects an infrared light emitting element mounted on the mirror, wherein the infrared light emitting element mounted on the mirror is caused to emit light by a solar cell, and a commercial power supply for light emission is provided. Is unnecessary.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the seventh aspect, the power generated by the solar cell is stored in the battery during the day, and the stored power is used to emit infrared light at night. This is a camera system in which an image can be picked up by a camera having the CCD, and has an effect that infrared light is emitted only at night with the stored electric power and the infrared light can be detected.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the eighth aspect, an infrared reflective film is coated on the surface of the solar cell, and power is generated in the daytime by visible light to supply power to the battery. And the reflected infrared light can be imaged by a camera having the CCD, and at night, the infrared light emitting element is caused to emit light by the power stored during the day, and the image is captured by the camera having the CCD. This is a camera system, which has the effect of emitting infrared light at night with stored power and detecting it.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows a schematic configuration of a traffic light related to the embodiment. In FIG. 1, a traffic light is configured by adding an infrared light source 1 to a predetermined portion of a traffic light having blue, yellow, and red visible light sources, for example, below a yellow light source unit of the traffic light.

In FIG. 2, the traffic lights are blue, yellow,
Infrared light sources 1 are respectively added to predetermined locations at both ends of a traffic light having a red visible light source, for example, below a blue light source section of the traffic light and below a red light source section of the traffic light.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a description will be given of how to use the traffic signals shown in FIGS. In FIG. 4, the vehicle has an on-vehicle camera 2 mounted on the vehicle, a CCD having sensitivity in the visible light range, another CCD or the same CCD.
A light receiving portion having sensitivity in the infrared light region in addition to the visible light region is formed in the CD. Therefore, since the automobile is equipped with the CCD camera having the light receiving section having sensitivity in the infrared light range, it is possible to image the infrared light source emitted from the traffic light shown in FIGS. . FIG. 2 is different from FIG. 1 in that the infrared light sources
From the viewpoint of the CD camera, there is an advantage that the infrared light source can be more easily captured as compared with FIG. However, there is a disadvantage that the cost is increased accordingly.

When a traffic light to which an infrared light source is added is imaged, a PAN (pan) is set so that the traffic light is at the center of the screen.
/ TILT (tilt), and ZOOM (zoom) / FOCUS (focus) so as to have a certain size, and control the camera and lens so that the traffic light has a certain angle of view. Thus, the traffic light can be clearly displayed on the monitor.

The outline of the camera system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5, but a portion related to image processing of a traffic light having an infrared light source captured by the above-described CCD camera will be described. Others are not directly related to the present invention and will not be described.

In FIG. 5, a camera 2 is connected via a lens 3.
Image of a traffic light having an infrared light source. The traffic light having the imaged infrared light source is amplified by the video amplifier 4, and after extra information is removed by the video filter 5, A / D converted by the A / D converter 6 and passed to the control CPU 7. It is. In the CPU 7, an infrared angle-of-view processing unit for processing the infrared light source to a predetermined angle of view is provided in the CPU 7, and when a traffic signal having the infrared light source is detected, a PAN (pan) is set so that the traffic light becomes the center of the screen. )
/ TILT (tilt) is controlled by the camera, and ZOOM (zoom) / FOCU is adjusted to a certain size.
By controlling a lens called S (focus), a traffic signal having an infrared light source is processed so as to have a predetermined angle of view. After that, the traffic light is displayed on the monitor 8.

In the above, it is also possible to determine what kind of signal the infrared ray light source has by comparing the contents stored in the memory 9 in advance with the CPU 7. The result of the determination is subjected to character conversion by a character converter 10 or voice conversion by a voice converter 11 and mixing by a mixing circuit 12 so that character information is sent to a monitor 8 and voice information is sent to a speaker attached to the monitor 8. 13 can also be notified.

In the above description, the traffic signal has been described exclusively, but the contents of the above-described embodiment are, for example, as follows.
Detection of warning signals from alarms installed at railroad crossings, zoom-up reading of display devices such as speed limits installed on the top of tunnels, and zoom-in reading of vehicle registration numbers on vehicle license plates The present invention can be applied to, for example, a zoom-in monitoring of a mirror in a mountain area. At that time, since there is a possibility that appropriate electric power cannot be secured in the mountainous area, it is necessary to devise a device such that a solar cell panel is installed so that infrared light can be emitted even at night. In the daytime, the solar cell may be coated with an infrared reflecting film together with power generation, and the reflected light may be used.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a configuration in which an infrared light source 1 is added to a predetermined location of a road sign, for example, a predetermined location of a road sign which is not allowed to enter.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, how to use the road sign shown in FIG. 3 will be described. In FIG. 4, the vehicle has a CC having sensitivity in the visible light range as the vehicle-mounted camera 2 mounted on the vehicle.
In D, a light receiving portion having sensitivity in the infrared light region in addition to the visible light region is formed in another CCD or in the same CCD. Therefore, since the automobile is equipped with a CCD camera having a light receiving section sensitive to infrared light,
An infrared light source emitted from the road sign shown in FIG. 3 can be imaged.

When a road sign to which an infrared light source is added is imaged, the PAN is set so that the road sign is at the center of the screen.
(Pan) / TILT (tilt), and ZOOM (zoom) / FOCUS (focus) so as to have a certain size, and control the camera and lens so that the road sign has a certain angle of view. Thus, the road sign can be clearly displayed on the monitor.

The outline of a camera system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5, but a part related to image processing of a road sign having an infrared light source captured by the above-described CCD camera will be described. Others are not directly related to the present invention and will not be described.

In FIG. 5, a camera 2 is connected via a lens 3.
Image a road sign having an infrared light source. The road sign having the imaged infrared light source is amplified by the video amplifier 4 and after extra information is removed by the video filter 5, A / D converted by the A / D converter 6, and sent to the control CPU 7. Passed. The CPU 7 is provided with an infrared angle-of-view processing unit for processing the infrared light source so as to have a predetermined angle of view in the CPU 7, and when a road sign having the infrared light source is detected, the PA 7 is set so that the road sign becomes the center of the screen.
The camera is controlled by N (pan) / TILT (tilt), and ZOOM (zoom) /
By controlling a lens called FOCUS (focus), a road sign having an infrared light source is processed to have a predetermined angle of view. After this, the road sign is displayed on the monitor 8.

In the above, the contents of the road sign having the infrared light source are stored in the memory 9 in advance.
Can be determined by comparing the content stored in the CPU 7 with the CPU 7. The result of the determination is subjected to character conversion by the character converter 10 or the voice converter 11
The character information can be notified to the monitor 8 and the voice information can be notified by the speaker 13 attached to the monitor 8 by performing the sound conversion by the mixing circuit 12 and mixing.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to a CCD having sensitivity in the visible light region, another CCD or the same CCD, in addition to the visible light region, a light receiving device having sensitivity in the infrared light region is provided. When an infrared light source added to a predetermined position of a traffic light or a traffic sign is imaged by a camera having a CCD having a section, a pan / tilt is performed so that the traffic light or the traffic sign is at the center of the screen, and furthermore, a certain size is obtained. A camera that controls the camera and lens so that the angle of view is adjusted to a certain angle of view and displays it on a monitor to alert the driver and facilitate image recognition processing. This is a system that controls the camera and lens so that a traffic light or road sign has a certain angle of view and displays it on the monitor to alert the driver. Or, it is possible to easily perform the image recognition processing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic signal related to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of another traffic signal related to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a road sign related to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining how to use a traffic light or a road sign according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a camera system according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Infrared light source 2 In-vehicle camera 3 Lens 4 Image amplifier 5 Image filter 6 A / D converter 7 CPU 8 Monitor 9 Memory 10 Character converter 11 Audio converter 12 Mixing circuit 13 Speaker

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Mitsumasa Sugimoto 4-3-1 Tsunashima Higashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasunori Kito Tsunashima-Higashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 4-3-1, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A camera having a CCD having a sensitivity in the visible light region, a CCD having another light receiving portion having sensitivity in the infrared light region in addition to the visible light region in another CCD or in the same CCD. When an infrared light source added to a predetermined position of a traffic light is imaged, pan / tilt is performed so that the traffic light is at the center of the screen, and zoom / focus is performed so that the traffic light has a certain size. A camera system that controls a camera and a lens so as to form a corner and displays it on a monitor to draw the driver's attention. 2. A camera having a CCD having a sensitivity in the visible light region, a CCD having a light receiving portion having sensitivity in the infrared light region in addition to the visible light region in another CCD or in the same CCD. When an infrared light source added to a predetermined portion of a road sign is imaged, pan / tilt is performed so that the road sign is at the center of the screen, and zoom / focus is performed so that the size becomes a certain size. A camera system that controls a camera and a lens so that a fixed angle of view is displayed on a monitor to draw a driver's attention. 3. The camera system according to claim 1, wherein when an infrared light source attached to a predetermined portion of a display device such as a speed limit installed on a top surface in the tunnel is imaged, the displayed warning information is displayed. An image is taken by the camera having the CCD, panning / tilting is performed so that the warning information is at the center of the screen, and zooming / focusing is performed so as to have a certain size, so that the camera has a certain angle of view. And a camera system for controlling the lens and displaying it on a monitor to draw the driver's attention. 4. The camera system according to claim 1, wherein the camera having the CCD detects a warning signal from an infrared light source installed on a warning device such as a railroad crossing.
A camera system that warns the driver by displaying a warning signal such as a railroad crossing. 5. The camera system according to claim 1, wherein the camera having the CCD captures an image of an infrared light emitting element installed on a license plate of the vehicle, and zooms up the image to display a vehicle registration number. Camera system. 6. The camera system according to claim 1, wherein an infrared light emitting element is mounted on a mirror provided at a sharp curve in a mountainous area, an image is taken by a camera having the CCD, and the image is zoomed up and blinded. A camera system that allows you to see up-closed areas. 7. The camera system according to claim 6, wherein the infrared light emitting element mounted on the mirror is capable of emitting light from a solar cell, thereby eliminating the need for a commercial power supply for light emission.
A camera system wherein a camera having a CD detects an infrared light emitting element mounted on the mirror. 8. The camera system according to claim 7, wherein during the daytime, the power generated by the solar cell is stored in the battery,
A camera system in which infrared light is emitted by stored power at night and an image can be captured by a camera having the CCD. 9. The camera system according to claim 8, wherein the solar cell is coated with an infrared reflective film on its surface, and in the daytime, power is generated by visible light to store power in the battery and the reflected infrared light. Can be imaged by a camera having the CCD, and at night, the infrared light emitting element is caused to emit light by the power stored during the day, so that the CC
A camera system that captures an image with a camera having D.