DE102022116331A1 - Camera for a vehicle, method for operating a camera and system with a camera, e.g. for use as a camera monitor system or all-round view system - Google Patents

Abstract

A camera (100) for a vehicle (EGO) comprises an arrangement of optical elements (20) and has a viewing cone (24) with an angle and a direction. The arrangement of optical elements (20) comprises a first liquid cell (10) to which a first voltage (V1) can be applied, whereby the size of the angle of the viewing cone (24) is adjusted. The arrangement of optical elements (20) comprises a second liquid cell (12) to which a second voltage (V2) can be applied, whereby the direction of the viewing cone (24) is adjusted. The application further relates to a method for operating a camera and a system , which includes a camera and a control device.

Description

Technical area

The present application relates to a camera for a vehicle, a method for operating a camera and a system with a camera and a control device.

background

Devices for carrying out control tasks in vehicles are referred to as electronic control units (ECUs). Electronic control units in vehicles, in particular in motor vehicles, can have at least one processing unit, memory, interfaces and possibly further components that are required to process input signals with input data and to generate control signals with output data. The interfaces are used to receive the input signals or to output the control signals. Electronic control devices for the operation of driving functions, both for driver assistance systems (ADAS, advanced driver assistance systems) and for autonomous or semi-autonomous driving, can receive sensor data from various sensors including cameras as input data.

With the increasing integration of driver assistance systems and autonomous or semi-autonomous systems into motor vehicles, the number of cameras installed in vehicles is increasing significantly. In autonomous or semi-autonomous systems, the cameras can output image information that can be input into an electronic control unit to assist driving operations, such as lane monitoring, sign recognition, collision avoidance, etc.

There are one or more front cameras, mainly used for machine vision (computer vision), for lane monitoring, sign recognition, collision avoidance, etc. There are one or more parking cameras primarily used for human image recognition to display what is directly behind the vehicle to assist the driver in parking. There is at least one camera monitor system (CMS), which is mainly used for human image recognition to display the rear view of the vehicle and replace side mirrors. There is a Surround View System (SVS), which is mainly used for machine vision to monitor the entire surroundings of the vehicle. There may also be cameras inside the vehicle that can be used to record a driver or passenger. These can be used for human image recognition and/or machine vision, for example authorizing drivers, eye tracking, etc.

Human image recognition refers to humans' sense of vision and their ability to convert light entering through the eyes into images. For example, images for human image recognition in a vehicle can be displayed on a display for a human.

Machine image recognition is a field of artificial intelligence that deals with how computers can gain comprehensive understanding from digital images or videos. From a technical perspective, it's about understanding and automating tasks that the human visual system is capable of. The image data can be in many forms, e.g. as video sequences, views from multiple cameras, etc. Sub-areas of machine vision in the automotive sector include, for example, scene reconstruction, object detection, object recognition, etc.

In the US10609148 describes an intelligent car with a series of sensors. The sensors include a camera with a lens that absorbs fluid to change a focal length of the lens.

In the US2014036084 A vehicle camera with a lens arrangement, a housing and an image sensor is described. The lens assembly includes an adjustable lens whose radius of curvature can be controlled via an appropriate voltage on the lens.

In the US2014340510 A vision system for a vehicle with multiple cameras is described. At least one of the cameras may have a tunable lens that allows the focal length of the lens to be adjusted.

In the US2015156383 A vision system of a vehicle includes a camera that is arranged on a vehicle and has a field of view. The camera contains an image converter and a lens, the lens having liquid optics. A controller may vary a voltage on the liquid optics to adjust the liquid optics to adjust (i) a tilt of the lens and/or (ii) a focal length of the lens.

In the US2016021312 A surround-view vehicle monitoring system is described. The surround view monitoring system and an active security system use together a camera. The camera may contain a liquid lens with both narrow-angle and wide-angle capabilities. The liquid lens can be controlled to have the wide angle characteristic while the surround view monitoring system is in operation, and the liquid lens can be controlled to have the narrow angle characteristic while the active security system is in operation.

In the WO2012145313 A vehicle camera is presented with a lens arrangement that includes a group of lenses. The lens assembly includes a lens that can change shape to adjust its focal distance to adjust the effective focal length of the group of lenses in the lens assembly.

In the US2019306430 discloses a camera module that includes a liquid lens that is electronically adjustable to perform an autofocus function or an optical image stabilization function.

Short presentation

A camera for a vehicle includes an arrangement of optical elements and has a cone of vision with an angle and a direction. The arrangement of optical elements comprises a first liquid cell to which a first voltage can be applied, whereby the size of the angle of the viewing cone of the camera to which the arrangement of optical elements belongs is adjusted. The first liquid cell is an optical lens that includes at least one liquid. The first liquid cell has an electrically variable focal length. The variable focal length of the first liquid cell is associated with the changeability of the angle of the viewing cone of the arrangement of optical elements, to which the first liquid cell belongs. Therefore, by applying a first voltage to the first liquid cell, the width of the camera's field of view can be changed. This allows the camera to be adjusted between a wider and a narrower field of view. The first liquid cell enables the focal length of the camera to be adjusted by applying a first voltage to the first liquid cell. Changing the focal length corresponds to a change in the camera's field of view. The arrangement of optical elements further comprises a second liquid cell to which a second voltage can be applied, whereby the direction of the cone of vision of the camera to which the arrangement of optical elements belongs is adjusted. The second liquid cell is an optical lens that includes at least one liquid. It has an electrically adjustable optical axis. The changeability of the optical axis corresponds to the direction of the cone of vision of the arrangement of optical elements to which the second liquid cell belongs.

A liquid cell with an adjustable viewing cone angle and/or adjustable viewing cone direction is sometimes also referred to as a liquid lens with an adjustable viewing cone angle and/or adjustable viewing cone direction. The viewing cone angle refers to the opening angle of the cone, with the apex of the cone being the apex of the angle.

A liquid cell can, for example, be a two-phase liquid cell, also called a liquid lens. A two-phase liquid lens can use two immiscible liquids (e.g. aqueous and oil) with the same density as possible but different refractive indices and electrical properties in one chamber. In some embodiments, an electrical voltage may control the electrical field, which changes the curvature of the polar liquid (aqueous, e.g., water). This causes the lens to change its focal length. This enables focusing or zooming. In some embodiments, four radially arranged electrodes may enable metered wedge-shaped distortion or displacement of the polar liquid. In other examples, a single-phase liquid cell, also called a single-phase liquid lens in MEMS technology (MEMS: Micro Electro Mechanical System), can be used. MEMS can be used to deform a transparent membrane to give a volume of liquid a different shape that has the desired refractive effect.

In other examples, a liquid crystal lens can be used as a liquid cell. A tunable liquid crystal lens can be made by placing a liquid crystal layer between two electrodes. Tunability can be achieved by applying an electrical voltage to the electrodes.

Examples of liquid cells described in this application may refer to any liquid lens technology that allows the cone of view angle and/or direction of view to be adjusted, e.g., liquid lenses, liquid crystal lenses, and any other technology that uses liquid lenses. The arrangement of optical elements includes a sequence of optical elements, also called a stack. The optical elements can include, for example, one or more lenses, one or more prisms or other optical elements. The arrangement of optical elements is therefore sometimes referred to as a lens stack.

In one embodiment, the second liquid cell is located at an end of the sequence that faces an image converter of the camera. The second liquid cell can act like a prism or a Fresnel prism to deflect the light passing through the array of optical elements. The second liquid cell is used to realign the camera's cone of view. The second liquid cell makes this possible without the arrangement of optical elements having to be moved mechanically. The second liquid cell thus makes it possible to move an object in the camera's cone of vision, for example from an edge region to a central region of the cone of vision.

In one embodiment, the arrangement of optical elements comprises a sequence of lenses, with an eyepiece lens located between the first liquid cell and the second liquid cell. The eyepiece lens is a type of lens that is usually located closest to the point where the image is actually formed, which in the case of the camera is the image. The eyepiece lens can determine the image focal length, i.e. the location where the image is created. It is used to enlarge the image. In this embodiment, the eyepiece lens is located in front of the second liquid cell, so that the image magnified by the eyepiece lens can be deflected onto the image converter by the second liquid cell.

In one embodiment, the sequence of lenses includes an entrance lens facing the cone of view of the camera and at least one correction lens. The corrective lens is located between the entrance lens and the first liquid cell. The entrance lens serves to determine the field of view of the arrangement of optical elements. The correction lens or lenses serve to compensate for various imaging errors in the camera. Specifically, the one or more correction lenses serve to compensate for image curvature or the like.

By adjusting the first and second voltages, the width of the field of view and the direction of the field of view of the camera can be adjusted. In this way it is possible to achieve various purposes with just one properly adjusted camera. For example, the camera can serve as an SBS camera that replaces the two exterior mirror cameras, and it can serve as a CMS camera. The purpose of the camera then depends on the first and second voltages applied to the first and second liquid cells.

In one example of the camera, the size of the viewing cone angle is adjustable between just over 0° and approximately 210°, in particular between approximately 30° and approximately 195°. The direction of the camera's viewing cone can also be adjusted up to 90° in both directions. The wider cone of view angle (with a correspondingly shorter focal length) can be used, for example, for a camera that serves a close-field purpose, such as parking tasks. The camera with a narrower cone of vision (with a correspondingly longer focal length) can be used, for example, to support driving functions.

In addition, the angle of the viewing cone can be adjustable to a value between 20° and 40°, in particular approximately 30°. Alternatively or additionally, the angle of the viewing cone can be set to a value between 110° and 130°, in particular approximately 120°. Alternatively or additionally, the angle of the viewing cone can be set to a value between 170° and 210°, in particular approximately 195°. This allows one camera to be used as a camera with three different field of view widths. This can be, for example, a far-field front/rear camera, a near-field front/rear camera, a rear traffic camera or a side camera with different viewing angles.

In one embodiment, the size of the viewing cone angle can be adjusted to a value between 60° and 80°, in particular approximately 70°. This specific angle of the viewing cone can be used for side, front or rear cameras, for example.

In one embodiment, the image data output by the camera is suitable for machine image recognition and/or human image recognition. This means that the camera can serve as a camera whose generated image data is displayed to a user in the vehicle, or it can be used as a camera whose output image data is input to an electronic control unit of the vehicle to be used for driving control functions.

In one embodiment, the camera is configured to be mounted on a vehicle with a cone of vision outside the vehicle. In this embodiment, the camera may be configured to operate as a surround-view camera or as a camera that produces output that may be used by a driving support system. It can also be used as a parking camera or as a replacement camera for the vehicle's side mirrors. Usage depends on the settings made to the first and second liquid cells of the camera's optical element array.

In another embodiment, the camera is configured to be mounted on a vehicle with a cone of vision within the vehicle. The camera may be configured to be used as a camera for recording a driver and/or one or more passengers, depending on how the first and second liquid cells of the optical element array are set. Recording a driver or a passenger of the vehicle can be done with one and the same camera by simply adjusting the voltage applied to the first and second liquid cells.

In a method of operating one of the cameras described above, one or more input signals are received and a first voltage is applied to the first liquid cell, thereby adjusting the size of the camera's cone of view angle. The first voltage depends on the one or more input signals. A second voltage is applied to the second liquid cell, thereby adjusting the direction of the camera's cone of view. The second voltage depends on the one or more input signals. This method allows the camera to be adapted to different users as described above.

A system configured to perform the method described above includes one of the cameras described above and a controller. The control device can be contained in an electronic control unit of the vehicle.

Short description of the characters

• 1a und 1b veranschaulichen schematisch eine Anordnung optischer Elemente mit einer Flüssigzelle
• 2a und 2b veranschaulichen schematisch eine Anordnung optischer Elemente mit zwei Flüssigzellen.
• 3a, 3b und 3c veranschaulichen schematisch Objekte in einem Sichtkegel einer Kamera.
• 4 veranschaulicht schematisch eine Kamera und eine elektronische Steuereinheit.
• 5 veranschaulicht schematisch ein Fahrzeug mit zwei Kameras. 6 veranschaulicht schematisch ein Fahrzeug mit mehreren Kameras.

By way of example only, some embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same elements are designated with the same reference numerals throughout. The illustrations are not necessarily to scale.

• 1a and 1b schematically illustrate an arrangement of optical elements with a liquid cell
• 2a and 2 B schematically illustrate an arrangement of optical elements with two liquid cells.
• 3a , 3b and 3c schematically illustrate objects in a camera's cone of view.
• 4 schematically illustrates a camera and an electronic control unit.
• 5 schematically illustrates a vehicle with two cameras. 6 schematically illustrates a vehicle with multiple cameras.

Detailed description

1a shows an arrangement of optical elements 20 and an image converter 22 of a camera 100. The arrangement of optical elements 20 includes a sequence of optical elements, for example lenses, a so-called stack. At one end of the stack there is an entrance lens 14 which faces the viewing cone 24 of the camera 100. The entrance lens 14 determines the cone of vision of the arrangement of optical elements 20. In one embodiment, the entrance lens can be a wide-angle lens, for example a fisheye or a panomorph lens, which enables a very wide angle of view.

After the entrance lens 14 there are two correction lenses 16. The correction lenses 16 serve to compensate for imaging errors. The imaging errors include inaccuracies in the image generation by the optical system of the camera 100. The optical system, also called optics, of the camera 100 includes, for example, the arrangement of optical elements 20.

The two correction lenses 16 are followed by a first liquid cell 10. A first voltage V1 can be applied to the first liquid cell 10, whereby the width of the field of view of the liquid cell 10 is adjusted. The focal length of the lens is related to the width of the field of view. Both the field of view and the focal length of the liquid cell 10 can be adjusted by applying a first voltage V1 to the first liquid cell 10. The first liquid cell 10 is followed by an eyepiece lens 18. The eyepiece lens 18 defines the image focal length of the arrangement of optical elements 20. It serves to enlarge the image that is generated on the image converter 22. In the in 1a In the embodiment shown, the eyepiece lens is located at the end of the lens stack adjacent to the image converter 22.

1b shows the same structure as 1a . Here the first voltage was applied to the first liquid cell 10, whereby the width of the viewing cone 24 of the camera 100 was adjusted. This is in 1b shown in which the width of the viewing cone 24 is smaller than in 1a . This means that a smaller part of the surroundings of the camera 100 is reflected into the arrangement of optical elements 20 and converted into an image by the image converter 22. Therefore, in the arrangement of optical elements 20, as in 1a and 1b shown, the size of the angle of the viewing cone 24 of the camera 100 by applying a first voltage V1 to the first liquid cell 10 or by changing the voltage to the first liquid cell 10 applied first voltage V1 can be adjusted.

In the 2a and 2 B Elements of the camera 100 shown are the same as in 1a and 1b . In 2a and 2 B a second liquid cell 12 has been added to the arrangement of optical elements 20. At the in 2a In the arrangement of optical elements 20 shown, the same first voltage V1 is applied to the first liquid cell 10 as in 1b . Therefore, the size of the angle of the viewing cone is 24 in 1b same size as in 2a . The second liquid cell 12 was added between the eyepiece lens 18 and the imager 22. The second liquid cell 12 acts like a prism or Fresnel prism. As in 2a can be seen, the direction of the light beam passing through the second liquid cell 12 is deflected, and not all of the light passing through the second liquid cell 12 can be detected by the image converter 22. Then in 2 B a second voltage V2 is applied to the second liquid cell 12 or the second voltage V2 applied to the second liquid cell 12 is in 2 B opposite 2a changed. The second voltage V2, which is in 2 B is applied to the second liquid cell, causes a deflection of the light passing through the second liquid cell 12. This results in the direction of the viewing cone 24 of the camera 100 being changed. As in 2 B can be seen, the light passing through the second liquid cell 12 reaches the image converter 22. The image converter 22 generates an image that corresponds to the viewing cone 24 2 B corresponds. In particular, the width of the viewing cone is influenced by the first voltage V1 applied to the first liquid cell 10 and the direction of the viewing cone 24 is influenced by the second voltage V2 applied to the second liquid cell 12. The second liquid cell 12 therefore acts as a prism or Fresnel prism within the arrangement of optical elements 20.

3a shows an image, for example from the in 1a camera 100 shown is generated. In the in 3a In the embodiment shown, the camera 100 could, for example, be attached to a vehicle EGO with a viewing cone outside the vehicle EGO. Within the viewing cone 24 of the camera 100 there is an object 26, which is a vehicle 26 in the vicinity of the vehicle EGO.

As in 3a shown, the viewing angle in this example is large and corresponds to a large angle of the viewing cone 24. An object O was identified at the edge of the viewing cone 24. Identification was marked by drawing a box around object O. The identification of the object O can be carried out, for example, by image processing software that runs on another control device C2 ( 4 ).

By introducing the second liquid cell 12 into the array of optical elements 20, the direction of the viewing cone 24 can be changed so that it is centered on the object O, for example in 3b shown. This could be done, for example, by a structure like in 2a or 2 B happen, with the exception that when viewing 3b the first voltage V1 applied to the first liquid cell 10 is such that the size of the viewing cone 24 is still large and the view is wide. The situation in 3b is so that the viewing angle is still wide and that a second voltage V2 was applied to the second liquid cell 12 so that the object O was moved to the center of the viewing cone 24. In 3c a first voltage V1 is now applied to the first liquid cell 10 - or the first voltage applied to the first liquid cell 10 has been changed - so that the size of the angle of the viewing cone 24 becomes smaller. This means that the field of view of the camera 100 is now smaller and the object O is not only centered, but also appears larger and closer to the camera 100.

The embodiment shown in the previous figures illustrates how the same camera 100 can be used for different purposes, with a wider or narrower angle of view and changing the direction of the cone of view without having to mechanically move the camera. This increases the robustness of the structure and reduces costs.

In 4 A system is shown that includes the camera 100 and an electronic control unit ECU. The camera 100 includes the arrangement of optical elements 20 and the image converter 22. The camera 100 includes further camera electronics 34, such as further data storage. The electronic control unit ECU includes a controller C1 configured to control the first and second voltages V1, V2 to be applied to the first and second liquid cells 10, 12 of the optical element array 20. Another control device C2 of the electronic control unit ECU controls the function of the camera 100. For example, it receives input signals that relate to the intended use of the camera 100. It communicates with the control device C1 about the first and second voltages V1, V2 that are to be applied to the first and second liquid cells 10, 12. The other control device C2 can also carry out the image processing of the image data received from the camera 100. The electronic control unit ECU includes further electronics 32, such as the input and output interfaces, memory and/or other processing units.

5 shows an embodiment of the vehicle EGO. Two cameras 100 are attached to the vehicle EGO. Each of the cameras 100 has an adjustable cone of view 24. The settings can be made as above in conjunction with 1 until 4 described. In the in 5 In the embodiment shown, there is a camera on each side of the EGO vehicle.

The two cameras 100, which are located on both sides of the EGO vehicle, can be used, for example, as a replacement for exterior mirrors of the EGO vehicle. For such use, the viewing cone could be, for example, about 120° or, for example, about 70°. In this mode of operation, the cameras 100 mounted on the side of the vehicle could be used, for example, as a camera monitor system primarily for human image recognition to display the rear of the vehicle to replace the side mirrors. When supporting parking operations, the angle of the viewing cone 24 of the two cameras 100, which are located on both sides of the vehicle EGO, could be, for example, 195°. In this operating mode, the cameras 100 mounted on the side of the vehicle could be used, for example, as an all-round vision system in order to monitor the entire surroundings of the EGO vehicle using machine image recognition.

In one embodiment, the electronic control unit ECU can have all vehicle information such as distance measurement, gear, etc. This information can be used by the electronic control unit ECU to detect whether the vehicle EGO is in a normal driving or parking maneuver state. During normal driving, the electronic control unit ECU can leave one or more of the cameras 100 configured on a camera monitor system, and as soon as the electronic control unit ECU detects that the driver is initiating a parking maneuver, the electronic control unit ECU would parallelly cause the control device C1 to do so Adjust the angle and direction of the viewing cone 24 of the one or more cameras 100 and switch to the all-round view system mode. As soon as the driver completes parking and drives off again, the electronic control unit ECU would trigger the control device C1 again to adjust the angle and direction of the viewing cone 24 of the one or more cameras 100 so that they act as a camera monitor system act. This brings with it the possibility of using a camera 100 in place of each side mirror, operating as a panoramic view system or a camera monitor system, depending on requirements.

6 shows another embodiment of the vehicle EGO. Four cameras 100 are attached to the vehicle EGO. Each of the cameras 100 has an adjustable cone of view 24. The settings can be made as above in conjunction with 1 until 4 described. In the in 5 In the embodiment shown, there is a camera 100 on the front of the vehicle EGO, another on the back of the vehicle EGO and one camera on each side of the vehicle EGO. The two cameras 100 can be used as above 5 work described.

The front camera 100, which is on the left side of 6 is located, can serve, for example, as a front camera to support driving functions, with the viewing cone 24 being narrow (eg 30°) and having a large focal length. The use to support driving operations could, for example, be used for machine image recognition. Another possible use of such a front camera could be a camera with a wide cone of vision 24 (eg approximately 195°) and a correspondingly shorter focal length, for example to support parking operations. Use to assist parking operations could, for example, involve machine vision and human vision recognition. Machine image recognition for parking processes could, for example, be used for an automatic parking function. Human image recognition for parking operations could, for example, be used to show the front of the vehicle on a display to assist the driver performing the parking operation themselves. The camera 100, which is located at the rear of the EGO vehicle on the right side 6 may have a similar use to the front camera 100 and may be similarly adjustable in use.

In one embodiment, the electronic control unit ECU can have all vehicle information such as distance measurement, gear, etc. This information can be used by the electronic control unit ECU to detect whether the vehicle EGO is in a normal driving or parking maneuver state. When such scenarios are detected, the electronic control unit ECU may activate the side cameras 100 as in conjunction with 5 operate as described.

In a normal driving situation, the electronic control unit ECU can leave the front and/or rear camera 100 configured as a wide-view camera supporting the driving operation, and as soon as the electronic control unit ECU detects that the driver is starting a parking maneuver, the electronic control unit ECU would parallel the control device Trigger C1 to adjust the angle and direction of the viewing cone 24 of the front and/or to adapt the rear camera 100 and put it in a mode suitable for parking, for example the all-round view system mode. As soon as the driver completes the parking maneuver and starts driving again, the electronic control unit ECU would trigger the control device C1 again to adjust the angle and direction of the viewing cone 24 of the front and/or rear camera 100.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• US 10609148 [0007]
• US 2014036084 [0008]
• US 2014340510 [0009]
• US 2015156383 [0010]
• US 2016021312 [0011]
• WO 2012145313 [0012]
• US 2019306430 [0013]

Claims (12)

Camera (100) for a vehicle (EGO), the camera (100) comprising an arrangement of optical elements (20) and having a viewing cone (24) with an angle and a direction, wherein the arrangement of optical elements (20) comprises a first liquid cell (10) to which a first voltage (V1) can be applied, whereby the size of the angle of the viewing cone (24) is adjusted, wherein the arrangement of optical elements (20) comprises a second liquid cell (12) to which a second voltage (V2) can be applied, whereby the direction of the viewing cone (24) is adjusted. camera Claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of optical elements (20) comprises a sequence of optical elements, the second liquid cell (12) being located at the end of the sequence facing an image converter (22) of the camera (100). camera Claim 1 or 2 , wherein the arrangement of optical elements (20) comprises a sequence of optical elements, an eyepiece lens (18) being located between the first liquid cell (10) and the second liquid cell (12). camera Claim 3 , wherein the sequence of optical elements comprises an entrance lens (14) facing the viewing cone (24) of the camera (100) and at least one correction lens (16), the correction lens (16) being between the entrance lens (14) and the first liquid cell (10 ) is located. Camera according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the size of the angle of the viewing cone (24) is adjustable between just over 0° and approximately 210°, in particular between approximately 30° and approximately 195°, and/or the direction of the viewing cone (24) to Can be adjusted to 90° in both directions. camera Claim 5 , wherein the size of the angle of the viewing cone (24) is set to a value between 20° and 40°, in particular approximately 30°, and/or a value between 110° and 130°, in particular approximately 120°, and/or a value between 170 ° and 210°, in particular approximately 195°, is adjustable. camera Claim 6 , the size of the angle of the viewing cone (24) being adjustable to a value between 60° and 80°, in particular approximately 70°. Camera according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the output image data of the camera (100) is suitable for machine image recognition and/or human image recognition. camera Claim 8 , wherein the camera (100) is configured to be mounted on a vehicle (EGO) with a cone of vision (24) outside the vehicle (EGO), the camera (100) being configured to be mounted depending on the settings of the first and the second liquid cell (10, 12) of the arrangement of optical elements (20) as an all-round view camera (100) or as a camera (100) that generates an output signal that can be used by a system that supports driving, or as a parking camera (100) or as Camera that replaces the vehicle's side mirrors (EGO) to be operated. camera Claim 8 , wherein the camera (100) is configured to be mounted on a vehicle (EGO) with a cone of vision (24) within the vehicle (EGO), the camera (100) being configured to be mounted depending on the settings of the first and the second liquid cell (10, 12) of the arrangement of optical elements (20) to be used as a camera (100) for recording a driver and/or one or more passengers. Method for operating a camera (100) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps: • Receiving one or more input signals, • Applying a first voltage (V1) to the first liquid cell (10), thereby adjusting the size of the angle of the viewing cone (24) of the camera (100), the first voltage (V1) depending on the one or more input signals, • Applying a second voltage (V2) to the second liquid cell (12), thereby adjusting the direction of the cone of view (24) of the camera (100), the second voltage (V2) depending on the one or more input signals. System used to carry out the procedure Claim 11 is configured, comprising the camera (100) according to one of the Claims 1 until 10 and a control device (C1).

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