JP2015043485A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for reducing the number of lenses of an imaging apparatus.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus 100 at a prescribed mode includes: an imaging element 120; and a lens section 140 for including a first image forming section 142 which image-forms a far region of a vehicle in the imaging element 120 and a second image forming section 144 which image-forms a near region of the vehicle in the imaging element 120. The first image forming section 142 is constituted so that it includes a large distortion section where distortion of a subject is large and a small distortion section where the distortion of the subject is smaller than the large distortion section, and a region where the image is formed by the large distortion section in the far region becomes a center side in a vehicle width direction compared to the region where the image is formed by the small distortion section.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus for acquiring image information used for light distribution control of a vehicular lamp.

  In recent years, a technique for controlling the light distribution of a vehicular lamp according to the presence of another vehicle in front of the host vehicle has been proposed. The presence of another vehicle is detected by an imaging device such as a camera mounted on the vehicle, for example. As an image pickup apparatus for detecting a vehicle, for example, Patent Document 1 can take a large image of a distant object with a single camera, and image an object existing in a wide range with respect to a nearby object. A vehicle surveillance camera is disclosed.

JP 2010-263272 A

  In general, an imaging apparatus is required to have as little distortion of a subject as possible. For this reason, the imaging apparatus is configured by combining a plurality of lenses. Usually, the more lenses that are combined, the more the distortion of the subject can be reduced. On the other hand, as with vehicle lamps and other in-vehicle devices, there is always a demand for cost reduction of imaging devices. On the other hand, having a plurality of lenses has hindered cost reduction of the imaging apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for reducing the number of lenses of an imaging apparatus.

  An imaging device according to an aspect of the present invention is an imaging device for acquiring image information used for light distribution control of a vehicular lamp. The imaging device and a first area that forms an image of a far region of a vehicle on the imaging device. An image forming unit, and a lens unit including a second image forming unit that forms an image of a region near the vehicle on the image sensor. The first imaging unit has a large distortion part where the distortion of the subject is large and a small distortion part where the distortion of the subject is smaller than that of the large distortion part. It is comprised so that it may become a vehicle width direction center side rather than the area | region to which an image is formed. According to this aspect, the number of lenses of the imaging device can be reduced.

  In the above aspect, the second imaging unit has a large distortion part with a large distortion of the subject and a small distortion part with a distortion of the subject smaller than the large distortion part, and forms an image of the large distortion part in the vicinity region. The region may be configured to be on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the region on which the small distortion portion is imaged. Thereby, the number of lenses of the imaging device can be further reduced. In any one of the above aspects, the region on which the large distortion portion of the first imaging portion forms an image may be a region including a vanishing point.

  An imaging apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is an imaging apparatus for acquiring image information used for light distribution control of a vehicular lamp, and forms an imaging element and a far region of the vehicle on the imaging element. And a lens unit including a second imaging unit that images a region near the vehicle on the imaging device. The first imaging unit has a large distortion part with a large distortion of the subject and a small distortion part with a distortion of the subject smaller than the large distortion part, and is an area included in a distant area and included in the area The light spot is configured so that the large distortion portion forms an image in an area where it can be determined that the vehicle is present. Also according to this aspect, the number of lenses of the imaging device can be reduced. Note that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, and those obtained by replacing the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention with each other among methods, apparatuses, systems, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique for reducing the number of lenses of an imaging device can be provided.

1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a vehicular lamp in which imaging information of an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 is used. It is a schematic perspective view of a rotation shade. It is a functional block diagram explaining operation | movement cooperation with the lamp control part of a vehicle lamp, and the vehicle control part by the side of a vehicle. 4A to 4F are explanatory diagrams showing the shape of the light distribution pattern. FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating a schematic structure of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating an image formed on the image sensor. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic structure of an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG.

  The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. The embodiments do not limit the invention but are exemplifications, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a vehicular lamp in which imaging information of an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 is used. The vehicular lamp 1 according to the present embodiment is a vehicular headlamp device having a pair of headlamp units arranged on the left and right sides in front of the vehicle. Since the pair of headlamp units have substantially the same configuration except that they have a symmetrical structure, FIG. 1 shows the structure of one headlamp unit as the vehicular lamp 1.

  The vehicular lamp 1 includes a lamp body 212 having an opening on the front side of the vehicle, and a translucent cover 214 that covers the opening. The lamp unit 10 is housed in a lamp chamber 216 formed by the lamp body 212 and the translucent cover 214. The lamp unit 10 is supported by a lamp bracket 218 having a pivot mechanism 218a serving as a swing center in the vertical and horizontal directions of the lamp unit 10. The lamp bracket 218 is screwed with an aiming adjustment screw 220 rotatably supported on the wall surface of the lamp body 212. A rotation shaft 222 a of the swivel actuator 222 is fixed to the lower surface of the lamp unit 10. The swivel actuator 222 is fixed to the unit bracket 224.

  A leveling actuator 226 disposed outside the lamp body 212 is connected to the unit bracket 224. The leveling actuator 226 is constituted by, for example, a motor that expands and contracts the rod 226a in the directions of arrows M and N. On the inner wall surface of the lamp chamber 216 below the lamp unit 10, a lamp control unit 228 that performs lighting on / off control of the lamp unit 10, light distribution pattern formation control, optical axis adjustment of the lamp unit 10, and the like is disposed. The lamp control unit 228 also controls the swivel actuator 222, the leveling actuator 226, and the like. The lamp control unit 228 may be provided outside the vehicular lamp 1.

  The lamp unit 10 includes a shade mechanism 18 including a rotary shade 12, a bulb 14 as a light source, a lamp housing 17 that supports a reflector 16 on an inner wall, and a projection lens 20. As the bulb 14, for example, an incandescent bulb, a halogen lamp, a discharge bulb, an LED, or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, an example in which the bulb 14 is constituted by a halogen lamp is shown. The reflector 16 reflects the light emitted from the bulb 14. A part of the light from the bulb 14 and the light reflected by the reflector 16 is guided to the projection lens 20 through the rotary shade 12. In addition, in FIG. 1, illustration of the shade plate 24 mentioned later is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary shade. The rotary shade 12 is a cylindrical member that can rotate around a rotary shaft 12a. The rotary shade 12 has a cutout portion 22 that is partially cut off in the axial direction, and holds a plurality of shade plates 24 on the outer peripheral surface 12 b other than the cutout portion 22. The rotary shade 12 can move either the notch 22 or the shade plate 24 to the rear focal position of the projection lens 20 on the optical axis O according to the rotation angle. Thereby, the light distribution pattern according to the notch part 22 or the shade plate 24 arrange | positioned on the optical axis O is formed.

  Returning to FIG. 1, at least a part of the reflector 16 has an elliptical spherical shape, and this elliptical spherical surface is set so that the cross-sectional shape including the optical axis O of the lamp unit 10 is at least a part of an elliptical shape. The The elliptical spherical portion of the reflector 16 has a first focal point substantially at the center of the bulb 14 and a second focal point on the rear focal plane of the projection lens 20. The projection lens 20 is disposed on the optical axis O extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The bulb 14 is arranged behind the rear focal plane, which is a focal plane including the rear focal point of the projection lens 20. The projection lens 20 is a plano-convex aspheric lens having a convex front surface and a flat rear surface, and projects a light source image formed on the rear focal plane in front of the lamp as a reverse image. The configuration of the lamp unit 10 is not particularly limited to this, and may be a reflective lamp unit without the projection lens 20.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram for explaining the operation cooperation between the lamp control unit of the vehicular lamp configured as described above and the vehicle control unit on the vehicle side. Since the left and right headlamp units have basically the same configuration as described above, the left and right headlamp units are collectively referred to as the vehicular lamp 1 in FIG. Further, the lamp control unit 228 and the vehicle control unit 302 are realized by elements and circuits including a CPU and a memory of a computer as a hardware configuration, and are realized by a computer program as a software configuration, but in FIG. It is depicted as a functional block realized by their cooperation. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  The lamp control unit 228 controls the power supply circuit 230 based on information obtained from the vehicle control unit 302 mounted on the vehicle 300, and performs lighting control of the bulb 14. The lamp control unit 228 controls the variable shade control unit 232, the swivel control unit 234, and the leveling control unit 236 based on information obtained from the vehicle control unit 302. The variable shade control unit 232 controls the motor 238 connected to the rotary shaft 12a of the rotary shade 12, and moves the notch 22 or the desired shade plate 24 onto the optical axis O. The swivel control unit 234 controls the swivel actuator 222 to adjust the optical axis O of the lamp unit 10 in the vehicle width direction. Further, the leveling control unit 236 controls the leveling actuator 226 to adjust the optical axis of the lamp unit 10 in the vehicle vertical direction.

  The light distribution pattern formed by the lamp unit 10 can be switched according to the operation content of the light switch 304 by the driver. In addition, the lamp unit 10 automatically controls so as to form a light distribution pattern that is optimal for the state of the vehicle 300 and the vehicle surroundings by detecting various conditions around the vehicle regardless of the operation of the light switch 304. be able to. For example, when a preceding vehicle including a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle is detected in front of the host vehicle, the lamp control unit 228 forms an optimal light distribution pattern according to the presence state of the preceding vehicle. ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam ) Control or AHB (Automatic High Beam) control. Automatic control such as ADB control is executed when automatic control is instructed by the light switch 304, for example.

  In order to detect the preceding vehicle, the imaging apparatus 100 is connected to the vehicle control unit 302 as an object recognition unit. The structure of the imaging device 100 will be described in detail later. The image data captured by the imaging apparatus 100 is subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing unit 306, and the result is provided to the vehicle control unit 302. For example, when the result data provided from the image processing unit 306 includes data including characteristics indicating the vehicle that the vehicle control unit 302 holds in advance, the vehicle control unit 302 recognizes the presence of the preceding vehicle. The information is provided to the lamp control unit 228. The lamp control unit 228 receives information on the preceding vehicle from the vehicle control unit 302 and forms an optimal light distribution pattern in consideration of the preceding vehicle. Here, the “feature indicating the vehicle” is, for example, the shape of the imaged object, the presence of a predetermined light spot, the moving speed of the light spot, and the like. The vehicle control unit 302 according to the present embodiment determines the presence of a forward vehicle based on the presence of a light spot and its moving speed for a remote region R1 described later, and forwards based on the shape of the object for a nearby region R2. Determine the presence of the vehicle. Note that the image processing unit 306 may hold characteristic information indicating a vehicle in advance and determine the presence of a preceding vehicle.

  The light distribution patterns that can be formed by the vehicular lamp 1 are as follows. 4A to 4F are explanatory diagrams showing the shape of the light distribution pattern. 4A to 4F show a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen arranged at a predetermined position in front of the lamp, for example, at a position 25 m ahead of the lamp. The light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 4A is a low beam light distribution pattern Lo. The light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 4B is a high-beam light distribution pattern Hi1. Since the shapes of the low-beam light distribution pattern Lo and the high-beam light distribution pattern Hi1 are known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 4C is a left-side high light distribution pattern Hi2. The left high-side light distribution pattern Hi2 is a special high-beam light distribution pattern that blocks the opposite lane side of the high-beam light distribution pattern Hi1 when left-handed and irradiates only the own lane side in the high-beam region. The left-side high light distribution pattern Hi2 can enhance the driver's visibility by applying high beam irradiation only on the own lane without giving glare to the oncoming vehicle. The light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 4D is a right-side high light distribution pattern Hi3. The right-side high light distribution pattern Hi3 is a special high-beam light distribution pattern that shields the own-lane side of the high-beam light distribution pattern Hi1 in the case of left-hand traffic and irradiates only the opposite lane side in the high-beam region. The right-side high light distribution pattern Hi3 can improve visibility by giving high-beam irradiation only on the opposite lane without giving glare to the preceding vehicle.

  The light distribution pattern shown in FIG. 4E is a split light distribution pattern Hi4. The split light distribution pattern Hi4 is a special high beam light distribution pattern having a non-irradiation area UA at the center above the horizontal line and having high beam areas on both sides in the horizontal direction of the non-irradiation area UA. The split light distribution pattern Hi4 is, for example, a left-side high light distribution pattern Hi2L formed by the left headlight unit (for convenience of explanation, the light distribution pattern formed by the left headlight unit includes The light distribution pattern formed by the right headlamp unit is denoted by “L” after the reference numeral, and the symbol “R” is appended after the light distribution pattern code). It can be formed by overlapping the formed right-side high light distribution pattern Hi3R.

  As shown in FIG. 4F, the split light distribution pattern is obtained by swiveling the lamp unit 10 and moving at least one of the left-side high light distribution pattern Hi2L and the right-side high light distribution pattern Hi3R in the horizontal direction. The range of the Hi4 non-irradiation area UA can be changed in the horizontal direction. For example, when the vehicle control unit 302 detects the presence of the preceding vehicle based on information obtained from the imaging device 100, the lamp control unit 228 that has received the information from the vehicle control unit 302 includes the preceding vehicle in the non-irradiation area UA. A split light distribution pattern Hi4 is formed (see FIG. 4E). Further, the lamp control unit 228 deforms the non-irradiation area UA in accordance with the position of the moving front vehicle based on the information from the vehicle control unit 302 (see FIG. 4F).

  Next, the structure of the imaging device 100 will be described in detail. FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating a schematic structure of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating an image formed on the image sensor. The imaging apparatus 100 is an apparatus for acquiring image information used for light distribution control of the vehicular lamp 1, and includes an imaging element 120 and a lens unit 140. The imaging device 100 is disposed, for example, above or below the windshield interior side of the windshield and captures an image (video) in front of the vehicle.

  The image sensor 120 is configured by, for example, a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. The image sensor 120 has a rectangular light receiving surface, and the long side of the light receiving surface is substantially orthogonal to the arrangement direction of a first image forming unit 142 and a second image forming unit 144 described later of the lens unit 140. Placed in. Further, the image sensor 120 is arranged (horizontal arrangement) so that the long side of the light receiving surface extends in a substantially horizontal direction and the short side extends in a substantially vertical direction.

  The lens unit 140 includes a first imaging unit 142 and a second imaging unit 144. The first imaging unit 142 is formed by combining a plurality of optical members 146 such as lenses and prisms having different shapes. Similarly, the second imaging unit 144 is formed by combining a plurality of lenses, prisms, and other optical members 148 having different shapes. By overlapping a plurality of types of optical members 146 and 148, the distortion of the subject imaged by the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144 can be reduced. The optical member 146 of the first imaging unit 142 and the optical member 148 of the second imaging unit 144 are accommodated in a substantially cylindrical support member 150 so that each image forms an image on a predetermined region of the image sensor 120. Fixed to.

  The optical member 146 and the optical member 148 are accommodated in a common support member 150. Thereby, the distance of the 1st image formation part 142 and the 2nd image formation part 144 can be shortened. For this reason, the image imaged by the first image forming unit 142 and the image imaged by the second image forming unit 144 can be formed on the common image sensor 120. As a result, the number of image sensors 120 and the processing of the image processor 306 are compared with the case where the image of the first image forming unit 142 and the image of the second image forming unit 144 are formed on separate image sensors 120. Can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the first imaging unit 142 forms an image of the far region R1 of the vehicle on the image sensor 120. The second imaging unit 144 forms an image on the image sensor 120 in the vicinity region R2 of the vehicle. The vicinity region R2 is a wide region in the vicinity of the vehicle and has, for example, an expansion of 40 ° in the vehicle width direction. Further, the far region R1 has, for example, a 20 ° spread in the vehicle width direction, and is farther from the vicinity region R2, for example, a region 600 to 800 m ahead of the vehicle. The far region R1 is a region including a vanishing point P that is an intersection of a horizontal line and a vertical line, for example.

  In the present embodiment, the second imaging unit 144 causes the image sensor 120 to form an image of a wide-angle region (WIDE region) including the far region R1 and the nearby region R2. In addition, the first imaging unit 142 enlarges the far-field region R1 (TELE region) with a narrower angle and forms an image on the image sensor 120. In other words, the far region R1 is imaged on the same number of elements as the neighboring region R2 while being a narrower region than the neighboring region R2. As a result, the forward vehicle existing far away from the vehicle can be detected with higher accuracy, and ADB control or the like can be executed with higher accuracy. In addition, since the image is magnified by the first imaging unit 142, an image sensor with relatively low pixels matched to the vicinity region R2 side can be used for the image sensor 120.

  The first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144 are arranged so that the far region R1 and the neighboring region R2 are arranged vertically on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 120, that is, far from the short side of the image sensor 120. An image is formed on the image sensor 120 so that the arrangement directions of the region R1 and the neighboring region R2 are parallel to each other. Therefore, the horizontal direction in the images of the far region R1 and the near region R2 imaged on the image sensor 120 and the long side of the light receiving surface of the image sensor 120 are parallel to each other.

  As in the case where the optical member 146 and the optical member 148 are accommodated in separate support members, in the configuration in which the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144 are separated from each other, each of the imaging elements 120 is provided. In order to form the image, it is necessary to arrange the far region R1 and the neighboring region R2 in the long side direction of the image sensor 120. In this case, the image sensor 120 has to be arranged (vertically arranged) so that the long side of the light receiving surface extends in the vertical direction. When the image sensor 120 is placed vertically, the horizontal direction in the image of the far region R1 and the near region R2 coincides with the short side direction of the image sensor 120. On the other hand, in general, the image sensor 120 is determined so that the short side direction of the element group arranged in a matrix matches the vertical direction, and the long side direction matches the horizontal direction. For this reason, in the configuration in which the horizontal direction of the far region R1 and the near region R2 and the short side direction of the image sensor 120 coincide with each other, it is necessary for the image processing unit 306 to convert the vertical and horizontal position information in the image information. The burden on 306 is increased.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144 are accommodated in the common support member 150, the distance between them can be reduced. The distant region R1 and the near region R2 can be arranged side by side and imaged in the short side direction of the image sensor 120. Thereby, the horizontal direction in the image of the far region R1 and the near region R2 can be matched with the long side direction of the image sensor 120. As a result, since it is not necessary to convert the vertical and horizontal position information in the image information described above, the burden on the image processing unit 306 can be reduced.

  In addition, the first imaging unit 142 includes a large distortion part where the distortion of the subject is large and a small distortion part where the distortion of the subject is smaller than the large distortion part. The reason why this large distortion portion occurs is as follows. That is, as described above, the first imaging unit 142 can reduce the distortion of the subject by combining the plurality of optical members 146. On the other hand, the imaging apparatus is required to reduce costs, reduce the number of parts, and the like. In order to meet this requirement, it is conceivable to reduce the number of optical members 146. However, due to the reduction in the number of optical members 146, a large distortion portion is generated in the first imaging portion 142, and a light distribution pattern is formed. This can lead to a reduction in control accuracy.

  On the other hand, in the first imaging unit 142 of the present embodiment, the region R1a on which the large distortion portion is imaged in the far region R1 is located on the center side in the vehicle width direction relative to the region R1b on which the small distortion portion is imaged. Configured. The region R1a imaged by the large distortion portion has a larger distortion than the region R1b imaged by the small distortion portion. On the other hand, the region on the center side in the vehicle width direction far from the vehicle is a region in which, when a light spot is detected in the region, it can be estimated that the light spot is derived from a headlamp or a marker lamp of the vehicle ahead is there. Therefore, when a light spot is detected in this region, the vehicle control unit 302 can determine that the light spot is a preceding vehicle without performing image processing by the image processing unit 306. That is, if the image is distorted in the vehicle width direction center region far away from the vehicle, detection of the vehicle ahead is not hindered.

  Therefore, as described above, the first imaging unit 142 is configured so that the large distortion portion images the region on the center side in the vehicle width direction. That is, the first imaging unit 142 is an area included in the far region R1, and the large distortion part images an area where it can be determined that the light spot included in the area indicates the presence of the vehicle. Configured. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a decrease in accuracy of the light distribution pattern formation control by the vehicular lamp 1 while allowing the first image forming unit 142 to be distorted. Therefore, the number of optical members 146 can be reduced. The region where the light spot can be estimated to be derived from the vehicle ahead, that is, the region R1a imaged by the large distortion portion of the first imaging unit 142 is a region including the vanishing point P, for example. The position of the vanishing point P is displaced within the angle of view of the lens unit 140 in accordance with the change in the vehicle posture, but the image processing unit 306 corrects the position of the vanishing point P so that it is always located at the center of the image data. Execute the process.

  When a light spot is detected in the region R1b outside the vehicle width direction, whether or not the light spot is a forward vehicle is based on the fact that the front vehicle moves on the road while the signboard does not move on the road. Can be determined. For example, a light spot derived from an oncoming vehicle moves faster than a light spot derived from a fixed object on the road. In addition, if the light spot is derived from the preceding vehicle, the movement is slower than the light spot derived from the fixed object on the road or does not move. Therefore, the presence of the vehicle ahead can be determined from the difference in the amount of movement of the light spot per unit time.

  In addition, the second imaging unit 144 of the present embodiment includes a large distortion portion where the distortion of the subject is large, and a small distortion portion where the distortion of the subject is smaller than the large distortion portion. The reason why this large distortion portion is generated is the same as in the case of the first imaging portion 142. On the other hand, the second image forming unit 144 is configured such that the region R2a on which the large distortion portion is imaged in the vicinity region R2 is located outside the region R2b on which the small distortion portion is imaged. The region R2a imaged by the large distortion portion is larger in distortion than the region R2b imaged by the small distortion portion. On the other hand, the area outside the vehicle width direction in the vicinity of the vehicle has a shorter distance from the subject vehicle to the subject than the area on the center side in the vehicle width direction, and thus the subject is imaged larger. That is, the image of the subject is configured with more pixels in the image sensor 120. For this reason, when a forward vehicle exists in this area, the vehicle control unit 302 can determine that the vehicle is a forward vehicle from the shape of the distorted subject. In other words, the region outside the vehicle width direction in the vicinity of the vehicle is less affected by the distortion of the image in detecting the preceding vehicle than the center side in the vehicle width direction.

  Therefore, as described above, the second imaging unit 144 is configured so that the large distortion portion images the region outside in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a decrease in accuracy of the light distribution pattern formation control while allowing the second image forming unit 144 to generate distortion. Therefore, the number of optical members 148 can be reduced. When an object is detected in the region R2b, the vehicle control unit 302 that has acquired the image information from the image processing unit 306 determines whether the detected object is a forward vehicle based on the shape of the object. Since a method for forming the optical members 146 and 148 so that the imaging regions of the large distortion portion and the small distortion portion are at predetermined positions is known, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes the first imaging unit 142 in which the lens unit 140 forms an image of the far region R1 of the vehicle on the imaging device 120. The first imaging unit 142 includes a large distortion part where the distortion of the subject is large, and a small distortion part where the distortion of the subject is smaller than the large distortion part, and an image of the large distortion part in the far region R1 is imaged. R1a is configured to be closer to the center in the vehicle width direction than the region where the small distortion portion forms an image. In other words, the first image formation unit 142 is an area included in the distant area R1, and the large distortion part images an area where it can be determined that the light spot included in the area indicates the presence of the vehicle. Configured as follows. Thereby, the distortion which generate | occur | produces in the lens part 140 can be accept | permitted, maintaining the precision of the formation control of the light distribution pattern which the vehicle lamp 1 implements. Therefore, the number of optical members 146 such as lenses can be reduced.

  In addition, the lens unit 140 includes a second image forming unit 144 that forms an image of the vicinity region R2 of the vehicle on the image sensor 120. The second imaging unit 144 includes a large distortion part with a large distortion of the subject and a small distortion part with a distortion of the subject smaller than the large distortion part, and forms an image of the large distortion part in the vicinity region R2. The region R2a is configured to be on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the region R2b on which the small distortion portion is imaged. Thereby, the number of optical members 148 such as lenses can be reduced also in the second imaging unit 144.

(Embodiment 2)
The imaging apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration and effects as those of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, except that the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144 are integrally configured. Prepare. Hereinafter, the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure same as Embodiment 1, and the description and illustration are abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic structure of the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment. The imaging device 100 includes an imaging element 120 and a lens unit 140. The lens unit 140 includes a first imaging unit 142 and a second imaging unit 144. In the present embodiment, the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144 are integrally configured. Specifically, the lens unit 140 is configured by superposing a plurality of optical members 152 such as lenses and prisms having different shapes. Each of the optical members 152 includes a region for imaging the far region R1, that is, a region 152a constituting a part of the first imaging unit 142, and a region for imaging the neighboring region R2, that is, the second imaging unit. 144, and a region 152b constituting a part of 144. A plurality of optical members 152 are combined to form a first imaging unit 142 and a second imaging unit 144. Since a method of forming the region 152a for the first image forming unit 142 and the region 152b for the second image forming unit 144 in one optical member 152 is known, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, by integrally configuring the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144, the distance between the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144 can be further shortened. For this reason, it becomes easier to place the image sensor 120 horizontally and form an image by arranging the far region R1 and the near region R2 side by side in the short side direction of the image sensor 120. Further, the image pickup apparatus 100 can be further reduced in size.

  When the region 152a for the first image forming unit 142 and the region 152b for the second image forming unit 144 are formed in one optical member 152, the first image forming unit 142 and the second image forming unit 144 are greatly distorted. Part is more likely to occur. On the other hand, in the imaging apparatus 100, the large distortion part images the areas where the distortion of the subject in the far area R1 and the near area R2 is allowed due to the characteristics of the light distribution pattern formation control by the vehicular lamp 1. Composed. Thereby, the number of the optical members 152 of the imaging device 100 can be reduced, and the optical member 152 having two functions (the first imaging unit 142 and the second imaging unit 144) in the imaging device 100 as a single sheet. Can be used.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the embodiments can be combined, and various modifications such as design changes can be added based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Embodiments added or modified are also included in the scope of the present invention. A new embodiment produced by a combination of the above-described embodiments and a new embodiment in which a modification is added to each of the above-described embodiments have the effects of the combined embodiment and the modification.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle lamp, 100 Image pick-up device, 120 Image pick-up element, 140 Lens part, 142 1st image formation part, 144 2nd image formation part, 300 Vehicle, P vanishing point, R1 far region, R2 vicinity region.

Claims (4)

An imaging device for acquiring image information used for light distribution control of a vehicle lamp,
An image sensor;
A first imaging unit that forms an image of a distant region of a vehicle on the image sensor, and a lens unit that includes a second imaging unit that forms an image of a region near the vehicle on the image sensor,
The first imaging unit includes a large distortion part with a large distortion of the subject and a small distortion part with a distortion of the subject smaller than the large distortion part. An image pickup apparatus configured to be located closer to the center side in the vehicle width direction than an area where the small distortion portion forms an image.   The second imaging unit has a large distortion part where the distortion of the subject is large and a small distortion part where the distortion of the subject is smaller than that of the large distortion part, and an area in which the large distortion part forms an image in the neighboring area The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is configured to be outside in a vehicle width direction with respect to an image formation area of the small distortion portion.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region on which the large distortion portion of the first imaging portion forms an image is a region including a vanishing point. An imaging device for acquiring image information used for light distribution control of a vehicle lamp,
An image sensor;
A first imaging unit that forms an image of a distant region of a vehicle on the image sensor, and a lens unit that includes a second imaging unit that forms an image of a region near the vehicle on the image sensor,
The first imaging unit has a large distortion part with a large distortion of the subject and a small distortion part with a distortion of the subject smaller than the large distortion part, and is an area included in the far region, An imaging apparatus, wherein the large distortion portion forms an image in an area where it can be determined that a light spot included indicates the presence of a vehicle.

Images