JP2023055317A - Imaging system and imaging method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an imaging system and imaging method which can obtain an image with which a condition of an object space in the occurrence of fog can be more accurately recognized.SOLUTION: A method comprises the steps of: generating first saturation image data by saturating the luminance of each pixel of a first portion corresponding to first irradiation light of first image data corresponding to irradiation timing of the first irradiation light to the maximum value; generating second saturation image data by saturating the luminance of each pixel of a second portion corresponding to second irradiation light of second image data corresponding to irradiation timing of the second irradiation light to the maximum value; generating first replacement image data by replacing the luminance of each pixel of the first portion of the first saturation image data with a specific value; generating second replacement image data by replacing the luminance of each pixel of the second portion of the second saturation image data with a specific value; and generating composite image data by combining the first replacement image data and the second replacement image data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present disclosure relates to imaging systems and imaging methods.

In Japanese Patent No. 4019182 (Patent Document 1), a lighting light source that is installed in the upper part of the vehicle and illuminates the front area of the vehicle, and a lighting light source that is installed below the lighting light source in the vehicle and is illuminated by the light source A first camera for road surface imaging showing sensitivity in the visible light or near-infrared frequency band that captures an area, and a first camera installed in a vehicle that picks up the same direction as the first camera and is sensitive to the infrared frequency band around 10 μm. a second camera for imaging an obstacle such as a human being that emits infrared rays indicating the The illumination light opening angle and the viewing angle of the first camera are smaller than the angle formed by the optical axis of the illumination light and the optical axis of the reflected light from the illumination area to the first camera. A vision device is described, characterized by an arrangement of a light source and a first camera.

Japanese Patent No. 4019182

One of the purposes of the specific aspect of the present disclosure is to obtain an image that enables more accurate recognition of the situation of the target space (for example, the front of the vehicle) when fog occurs.

[1] An imaging system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: (a) a light source that emits light in a near-infrared wavelength or an infrared wavelength; (b) a camera that captures a target space to generate image data; (c) a controller that performs image processing using the image data obtained from the camera; (e) the controller (e1) first image data corresponding to the irradiation timing of the first irradiation light and the irradiation timing of the second irradiation light; (e2) obtaining the second image data from the camera; first saturated image data is generated by adjusting the overall luminance of one image data, and the luminance of each pixel of the second portion corresponding to the second irradiation light of the second image data is maximized; and (e3) setting the luminance of each pixel of the first portion of the first saturated image data to a specific value. and generating second replacement image data by replacing the brightness of each pixel of the second portion of the second saturated image data with the specific value, e4) The imaging system generates synthetic image data by synthesizing the first replacement image data and the second replacement image data.
[2] An imaging method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: (a) a first irradiation light and a second irradiation light, each of which is a beam from a light source that emits light of a near-infrared wavelength or an infrared wavelength, to a target space; (b) the controller outputs first image data corresponding to the irradiation timing of the first irradiation light and second image data corresponding to the irradiation timing of the second irradiation light; from a camera, and (c) the controller causes the first first saturated image data is generated by adjusting the brightness of the entire image data, and the brightness of each pixel of the second portion corresponding to the second irradiation light of the second image data is maximized; generating second saturated image data by adjusting the overall brightness of said second image data to be saturated; generating first replacement image data by replacing luminance with a specific value, and generating second replacement image data by replacing luminance of each pixel of the second portion of the second saturated image data with the specific value; (e) the controller generating synthetic image data by synthesizing the first replacement image data and the second replacement image data.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain an image that makes it possible to more accurately recognize the situation of the target space (for example, the front of the vehicle) when fog occurs.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an imaging system. FIG. 1B is a diagram for explaining the orientation angle of the irradiation light emitted from the lamp unit. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging system. FIG. 3 shows an example of a computer for configuring the controller. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining narrow-angle irradiation light emitted from each lamp unit. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the state of light emitted from each lamp unit. FIG. 6A is a diagram schematically showing an example of image data obtained by a camera when fog occurs. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of first saturated image data. FIG. 7A is a diagram schematically showing an example of image data obtained by a camera when fog occurs. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of the second saturated image data. FIG. 8A is a diagram schematically showing an example of first luminance-substituted image data. FIG. 8B is a diagram schematically showing an example of second luminance-substituted image data. FIG. 8C is a diagram schematically showing an example of synthesized image data. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation procedure of the controller of the imaging system.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an imaging system. The illustrated imaging system is mounted on a vehicle 1 and captures an image of a space (target space) in front of the vehicle 1 to generate an image. , a driver (irradiation control unit) 13, and a pair of lamp units 14L and 14R. This imaging system emits light 15 in the near-infrared wavelength range from the lamp units 14L and 14R toward the front of the vehicle, and performs predetermined image processing using the image data obtained by the camera 10 at that time. To generate an image capable of accurately recognizing the situation in front of a vehicle even when fog is generated. Specific contents of the image processing will be described later.

FIG. 1B is a diagram for explaining the orientation angle of the irradiation light emitted from the lamp unit. In this embodiment, the angle representing the range in which the irradiation light 15 emitted from the light emitting point 16 of the lamp unit 14L (or 14R) has a predetermined light intensity centered on the optical axis (main traveling direction of light) a is It is defined as the directivity angle of the illumination light 15 . In the present disclosure, the directivity angle indicates a directivity half-value angle when the light source used in the lamp unit is an LED, and indicates a divergence angle when the light source used in the lamp unit is an LD (laser diode). In this embodiment, since an LED is assumed to be the light source used in the lamp unit, the light emitted from the LED is made incident on the condensing optical means to increase the directivity, and the light intensity of the irradiation light 15 is the central value (the position of the optical axis a Consider a range defined by a cone of 2° as shown in the figure, where the range (half-value angle of directivity) is 2°. In this case, the directivity half-value angle, which is the directivity angle, is 2°. The angle between the optical axis a and the road surface is set, for example, to be parallel to the road surface (0°) or 1° to 2° upward with respect to the road surface.

The directivity angle of the irradiation light 15 is preferably set within 2°. By setting the directivity angle of the irradiation light 15 to within 2°, it is possible to reduce the area in which luminance is replaced from a saturated image described later, increase the light intensity within the directivity angle, and scatter due to the fog irradiated to the surrounding area. Can increase light. If the light source is an LD, the divergence angle, which is the directivity angle, should be within 2°.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging system. The imaging system includes a camera 10, a controller 11, a display 12, a driver 13, and a pair of lamp units 14L and 14R. Controller 11 is interconnected with camera 10, display 12, and driver 13, respectively. Each lamp unit 14L, 14R is connected to the driver 13. FIG. The controller 11 is configured using a computer including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc., as shown in FIG. 3, which will be described later, for example. Here, in order to facilitate understanding of the functions, functional blocks are used for explanation. do.

The camera 10 is arranged at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior (for example, the upper part of the windshield), captures the space ahead of the vehicle 1, generates image data, and outputs the image data. The camera 10 of this embodiment includes at least a light-receiving element capable of receiving near-infrared light (for example, a wavelength of about 800 nm to 1000 nm). Camera 10 may also be capable of receiving light in visible wavelengths. In this embodiment, the camera 10 is assumed to be capable of generating monochrome image data, but it may be capable of generating color image data.

The controller 11 performs predetermined image processing using the image data output from the camera 10 to generate an image (image data) that allows the situation in front of the vehicle to be grasped when fog occurs. It includes a generation unit 21 , a luminance-replaced image generation unit 22 , and a composite image generation unit 23 .

The display 12 is arranged at a predetermined position inside the vehicle and displays images generated by the controller 11 . Various display devices such as a liquid crystal display device and an organic EL display device can be used as the display 12 . The display on the display 12 is optional, and the composite image can be used for other information processing such as object recognition, signal transmission, and vehicle control. For example, it is also possible to transmit only the object recognition result (direction where the object exists, type of object) as a message to a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus.

The driver 13 operates under the control of the controller 11 to generate and output signals for controlling the operations of the lamp units 14L and 14R. This driver 13 can be constructed, for example, using an integrated circuit designed for controlling the operation of LEDs.

The lamp unit 14L is arranged on the front left side of the vehicle 1, and emits near-infrared light toward the front of the vehicle 1 in the shape of a beam at a narrow angle. emitting diodes) 31 and 32. Similarly, the lamp unit 14R is arranged on the front right side of the vehicle 1, and emits near-infrared light beam-like irradiation light at a narrow angle toward the front of the vehicle 1. It is configured including LEDs 33 and 34 . Light irradiation by the two infrared LEDs 31 and 32 of the lamp unit 14L and the two infrared LEDs (light sources) 33 and 34 of the lamp unit 14R are performed at different irradiation times. This control is performed by the driver 13 .

Based on the image data acquired from the camera 10, the saturated image generator 21 adjusts the brightness of the entire image so that the brightness of the portion corresponding to the narrow-angle illumination light from the lamp units 14L and 14R in the image is saturated to the maximum value. Image data with adjusted brightness (hereinafter referred to as "saturated image data") is generated. This saturated image data corresponds to the light irradiation by the two infrared LEDs 31 and 32 of the lamp unit 14L (hereinafter referred to as "first saturated image data"), and the two infrared LEDs 33 and 34 of the lamp unit 14R. (hereinafter referred to as "second saturation image data") corresponding to the time of light irradiation by . The details of the method of generating each saturated image data will be described later. In the saturated image generation, the portion corresponding to the illumination light (that is, the portion where the luminance value is converted to the maximum value) is an arbitrary area including the optical axis of the illumination light, and the area corresponding to the illumination within the directivity angle. Preferably.

The luminance-replaced image generation unit 22 generates the first saturated image data and the second saturated image data generated by the saturated image generation unit 21, corresponding to the narrow-angle illumination light from the lamp units 14L and 14R in the image. Luminance-replaced image data is generated by replacing the luminance of the part with a specific value that is lower than a predetermined value (eg, 0) and extremely low in luminance compared to the maximum value. This brightness-replaced image data corresponds to the first saturation image data (hereinafter referred to as "first brightness-replaced image data") and the second saturation image data (hereinafter referred to as "second brightness-replaced image data"). data”) is generated. The details of the method of generating each brightness-replaced image data will be described later.

The composite image generation unit 23 generates composite image data by combining the first luminance-substituted image data and the second luminance-substituted image data generated by the luminance-substituted image generation unit 22 . The resulting composite image data is provided to another device/system (not shown). Also, an image based on the synthesized image data is displayed on the display 12 . The "other device/system" referred to here is not particularly limited, and for example, dynamically sets the irradiation range and dimming range of the high beam according to the positions of the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle existing in front of the vehicle 1. Various systems are conceivable, such as a vehicle lighting system, a system for controlling automatic operation of a vehicle, and a car navigation system.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a computer for configuring the controller. The illustrated computer includes a CPU (central processing unit) 101 , a ROM (read only memory) 102 , a RAM (temporary memory) 103 , a nonvolatile memory 104 and an external IF (interface) 105 . These CPUs 101 and the like are connected to each other by a bus. The CPU 101 performs information processing by executing programs. The ROM 102 stores basic control programs and the like required for the operation of the CPU 101 . The RAM 103 temporarily stores data necessary for information processing by the CPU 101 . These components constitute the controller 11 described above. The nonvolatile memory 104 is a storage device for storing data, and stores application programs and data for realizing each function of the controller 11 described above. The external I/F 105 connects the camera 10, the display 12, the driver 13 and the CPU 101 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining narrow-angle irradiation light emitted from each lamp unit. Here, a state in which the vehicle 1 is viewed from above is schematically shown. In this embodiment, the illumination light 151 extending obliquely to the left of the vehicle 1, the illumination light 152 extending slightly leftward from the traveling direction b of the vehicle 1, and the illumination light 153 extending slightly rightward from the traveling direction b of the vehicle 1. , and an illumination light 154 extending obliquely to the right and forward of the vehicle 1 are emitted. Each of the irradiation lights 151, 152, 153, and 154 corresponds to the above-described irradiation light 15, and each directivity angle is also the same. The irradiation light 151 is formed by the infrared LED 31 of the lamp unit 14L, the irradiation light 152 is formed by the infrared LED 32 of the lamp unit 14L, the irradiation light 153 is formed by the infrared LED 33 of the lamp unit 14R, and the irradiation light 154 is formed by the lamp It is formed by the infrared LEDs 34 of the unit 14R. The light source used for each lamp unit is not limited to LEDs, and LDs (laser diodes) can also be used.

As shown, the irradiation lights 151, 152, 153, and 154 are formed so that the directivity angle ranges do not overlap each other. Specifically, each of the irradiation lights 151 to 154 is oriented in such a manner that the arrangement angles θ ₁₂ , θ ₂₃ , and θ ₃₄ defined between the optical axes a1, a2, a3, and a4 have predetermined sizes. is preserved. The arrangement angle _θ12 is the angle between the optical axis a1 of the irradiation light 151 and the optical axis a2 of the irradiation light 152, and the arrangement angle _θ23 is the angle between the optical axis a2 of the irradiation light 152 and the optical axis a3 of the irradiation light 153. The arrangement angle θ ₃₄ is the angle between the optical axis a 3 of the irradiation light 153 and the optical axis a 4 of the irradiation light 154 . As an example, these arrangement angles are set to 3.7° to 3.8° for _θ12 , 2.2° to 3.0° for _θ23 , and 3.7° to 3.8° for _θ34 . is preferred. These set values are suitable, for example, for illuminating 30 to 50 m ahead of the vehicle 1 and grasping the situation.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the state of light emitted from each lamp unit. Similar to FIG. 4 described above, the vehicle 1 is schematically shown as viewed from above. At a certain time, light irradiation is performed by the infrared LED 31 of the lamp unit 14L and the infrared LED 33 of the lamp unit 14R, and irradiation lights 151 and 153 are formed in front of the vehicle 1. FIG. At another time, the infrared LEDs 32 of the lamp unit 14L and the infrared LEDs 34 of the lamp unit 14R emit light, and irradiation lights 152 and 154 are formed in front of the vehicle 1 . In this way, the formation of the irradiation lights 151 and 153 and the formation of the irradiation lights 152 and 154 are alternately and repeatedly executed.

These irradiation lights are switched in synchronization with the imaging cycle of the camera 10 . For example, if the frame rate of the camera 10 when photographing is 30 fps, the formation of the irradiation lights 151 and 153 and the formation of the irradiation lights 152 and 154 are switched at a cycle of 1/30 second in synchronization with this. Such control is executed by the driver 13 using a trigger signal output from the camera 10 and synchronized with the exposure operation.

FIGS. 6A and 7A are diagrams schematically showing an example of image data obtained by a camera when fog occurs. FIG. 6A shows an example of image data when irradiation lights 151 and 153 are applied, and FIG. 7A shows an example of image data when irradiation lights 152 and 154 are applied. It is As shown in FIG. 6A, most of the image data 160a obtained by photographing the space ahead of the vehicle 1 when fog occurs has low luminance, and it is difficult to distinguish objects such as preceding vehicles and lanes. Become. The image data 160 a also includes optical images 161 and 163 corresponding to reflected light from the irradiation light 151 and 153 . The optical images 161 and 163 are areas with relatively high brightness. The surroundings of the light images 161 and 163 have low luminance, and are obtained by scattering and reflecting the illumination light 151 and 153 due to fog or the like. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7A, the image data 160b is mostly of low luminance and includes light images 162, 164 corresponding to the illumination lights 151, 153. FIG.

For the image data 160a as described above, the saturated image generation unit 21 performs the image data 160a as a whole so that the brightness of the light images 161 and 163 corresponding to the irradiation lights 151 and 153 is saturated to the maximum value. Adjust brightness. The range in which the optical images 161 and 163 corresponding to the irradiation lights 151 and 153 are formed in the image data 160a is determined by information such as characteristics such as the angle of view of the camera 10 and the orientation angles of the irradiation lights 151 and 153 from the lamp unit 14L. can be specified in advance from For this reason, the brightness of each pixel included in each range of the optical images 161 and 163 is extracted, and a coefficient that saturates the brightness of the pixel with the lowest brightness among them is obtained. For example, if the maximum brightness value that can be set for each pixel is 255, and the brightness of the pixel with the lowest brightness within the range of the optical image 161 is 100, the brightness of this pixel can be saturated to the maximum value. Multiply by 2.55 (=255/100) as a coefficient. Further, the luminance of other pixels of the optical image 161 is also multiplied by this coefficient. At this time, if the luminance after multiplication by the coefficient exceeds the maximum value of 255, it is set to 255. Each pixel within the optical image 163 is similarly processed. The saturated image generation unit 21 also performs the same processing as described above on the image data 160b.

In addition, each luminance of the other pixels of the image data 160a and 160b is also multiplied by the coefficient obtained as described above. As a result, the luminance value of each pixel, which was difficult to distinguish due to its low luminance before processing, is increased, and a distinguishable portion is obtained. An example of the first saturated image data 170a obtained in this way is shown in FIG. 6(B). As shown in the figure, the first saturated image data 170a is such that the portions 171 and 173 corresponding to the illumination lights 151 and 153 are all saturated at the upper limit of luminance (so-called whiteout). In addition, the first saturated image data 170a is such that the illumination light 151 and 153 propagates to the periphery by Mie scattering in the fog and is irradiated, so that the road surface and objects on the road around the illumination light 151 and 153 can be distinguished. The brightness is raised to the bottom. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7B, the second saturated image data 170b is such that the portions 172 and 174 corresponding to the illumination lights 152 and 154 are all saturated to the upper limit of luminance, and the illumination lights 152 and 154 The brightness is raised to the extent that the road surface, etc., in the surrounding area can also be distinguished.

FIG. 8A is a diagram schematically showing an example of first luminance-substituted image data. FIG. 8B is a diagram schematically showing an example of second luminance-substituted image data. The brightness-replaced image generation unit 22 sets the brightness of each pixel included in each of the portions 171 and 173 corresponding to the irradiation lights 151 and 153 to a specific value that is much lower than the maximum brightness for the first saturated image data 170a. (In this embodiment, the luminance value is 0) to generate luminance-replaced image data 180a (see FIG. 8A). In the first luminance-replaced image data 180 a , a low-luminance area 181 is formed in the range corresponding to the portion 171 and a low-luminance area 183 is formed in the range corresponding to the portion 173 . Similarly, the brightness-replaced image generation unit 22 generates brightness-replaced image data 180b based on the second saturated image data 170b (see FIG. 8B). In the second luminance-replaced image data 180b, a low-luminance region 182 is formed in the range corresponding to the portion 172, and a low-luminance region 184 is formed in the range corresponding to the portion 174. FIG.

The specific value for forming the low luminance area is preferably 0. Note that the specific value for forming the low-luminance region is not limited to 0, and may be any value that can be said to be substantially low-luminance. For example, a value that is 5% or less of the maximum value may be set. If the brightness of each pixel is specified within the range of 0 as the minimum value and 255 as the maximum value, a value of 12 or less can be set.

FIG. 8C is a diagram schematically showing an example of synthesized image data. The composite image generator 23 generates composite image data 190 by combining the first luminance-substituted image data 180a and the second luminance-substituted image data 180b. For example, the brightness of each pixel of the combined image data 190 can be obtained by summing the brightness of corresponding pixels in the first brightness-replaced image data 180a and the second brightness-replaced image data 180b and multiplying this value by 1/2. . As a result, it is possible to obtain image data that facilitates recognition of lanes and road objects (for example, preceding vehicles).

At this time, in each pixel of the low-luminance areas 181 and 183 of the first luminance-replaced image data 180a and each pixel of the second luminance-replaced image data 180b corresponding thereto, the luminance is simply added up, and the luminance is reduced to 1/2. It is also preferable not to multiply . Similarly, in the pixels of the low-luminance regions 182 and 184 of the second luminance-permuted image data 180b and the corresponding pixels of the first luminance-permuted image data 180a, the luminances are simply summed up to obtain 1/2. It is also preferable not to multiply . By not multiplying these pixels by 1/2 after summation, an effect equivalent to replacing the brightness of each region of the corresponding second brightness-replaced image data 180b in each of the low brightness regions 181 and 183 can be obtained. , in each of the low luminance areas 182 and 184, an effect equivalent to that of replacing the luminance of each area of the corresponding first luminance-replaced image data 180a is obtained. It is possible to mitigate the difference in luminance between them.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation procedure of the controller of the imaging system. It is assumed that the operation procedure shown here is repeatedly performed corresponding to the imaging cycle of the camera 10 when fog is generated. A well-known method can be used to detect that fog is occurring. For example, it can be detected based on image data obtained by the camera 10 . Alternatively, the fact that fog is occurring may be input by the driver using an operation unit or the like (not shown). Further, in the illustrated flowchart, the order of the illustrated processing blocks may be changed as long as there is no contradiction or inconsistency in the information processing results, and other processing blocks (not illustrated) may be added. Such embodiments are not excluded.

The saturated image generator 21 of the controller 11 acquires image data from the camera 10 (step S11). As described above, the image data 160a (see FIG. 6A) is obtained corresponding to the irradiation of the irradiation lights 151 and 153, and the image data 160b (FIG. 7A) is obtained corresponding to the irradiation of the irradiation lights 152 and 154. ) reference) is obtained.

The saturated image generator 21 generates saturated image data based on the acquired image data 160a and 160b (step S12). As described above, first saturated image data 170a is generated based on image data 160a (see FIG. 6B), and second saturated image data 170b is generated based on image data 160b (see FIG. 7B). )reference).

Next, the brightness-replaced image generation unit 22 generates brightness-replaced image data based on each saturated image data generated by the saturated image generation unit 21 (step S13). As described above, the first luminance-permuted image data 180a is generated based on the first saturated image data 170a (see FIG. 8A), and the second luminance-permuted image data 180b is generated based on the second saturated image data 170b. generated (see FIG. 8(B)).

Next, the composite image generator 23 generates composite image data based on each luminance-replaced image data (step S14). As described above, the synthesized image data 190 is generated by synthesizing the first luminance-replaced image data 180a and the second saturated image data 180b (see FIG. 8C). The generated synthetic image data 190 is provided to another device/system (not shown). Also, an image based on the composite image data 190 is displayed on the display 12 . After that, the process returns to step S11.

According to the embodiment as described above, it is possible to obtain an image that enables more accurate recognition of the situation of the target space (for example, the front of the vehicle) when fog occurs.

It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. For example, in the above-described embodiments, as an example of the use of the imaging system, the case of being mounted on a vehicle has been given, but the use is not limited to this.

In the above-described embodiment, two pieces of irradiation light are formed at two timings to obtain image data, but one piece of irradiation light or three pieces of irradiation light may be formed at each timing. or more.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, two lamp units each having two infrared LEDs are used to form irradiation light, but the lamp units may be integrally configured. Alternatively, a lamp unit capable of forming a plurality of irradiation lights may be used by scanning laser light from a laser element with a MEMS mirror element, or a liquid crystal element may be used to form a plurality of irradiation lights using light from a light source such as an LED. A lamp unit capable of forming light may be used, or a lamp unit capable of forming a plurality of irradiation lights may be used by variably setting the direction of a light source such as an LED using a mechanical configuration such as an actuator. good.

1: Vehicle, 10: Camera, 11: Controller, 12: Display, 13: Driver, 14L, 14R: Lamp unit, 15: Irradiation light, 16: Light output point, 21: Saturated image generator, 22: Brightness replacement image generation Section 23: Synthetic image generating section 31, 32, 33, 34: Infrared LEDs 151, 152, 153, 154: Irradiation light 160a, 160b: Image data 170a: First saturated image data 170b: Second 2 saturated image data, 180a, first luminance-replaced image data, 170b: second luminance-replaced image data, 190: synthesized image data

Claims (8)

a light source that emits light of near-infrared wavelengths or infrared wavelengths;
a camera that captures a target space and generates image data;
a controller that performs image processing using the image data obtained from the camera;
including
wherein the light source irradiates the target space with first irradiation light and second irradiation light, each of which is in the form of a beam, at different times;
The controller is
Acquiring from the camera first image data corresponding to the irradiation time of the first irradiation light and second image data corresponding to the irradiation time of the second irradiation light,
first saturation by adjusting the brightness of the entire first image data so that the brightness of each pixel in the first portion corresponding to the first irradiation light of the first image data is saturated to a maximum value; image data is generated, and the overall brightness of the second image data is adjusted so that the brightness of each pixel of the second portion corresponding to the second irradiation light of the second image data is saturated at a maximum value; generating second saturated image data by adjusting;
generating first substituted image data by replacing the luminance of each pixel of the first portion of the first saturated image data with a specific value, and luminance of each pixel of the second portion of the second saturated image data; is replaced with the specific value to generate second replacement image data,
generating synthesized image data by synthesizing the first replacement image data and the second replacement image data;
imaging system. the specific value of the luminance is a value of 5% or less of the maximum value;
The imaging system of Claim 1. The first irradiation light and the second irradiation light are light having a directivity angle of 2° half angle around each optical axis,
3. An imaging system according to claim 1 or 2. the first portion of the first image data and the second portion of the second image data are portions corresponding to the range of the directivity angle;
4. The imaging system according to claim 3. The light source irradiates each of the first irradiation light and the second irradiation light so that the ranges defined by the directivity angles do not overlap.
The imaging system according to claim 3 or 4. The first illumination light and the second illumination light each include two illumination lights,
The imaging system according to any one of claims 1-5. The controller adds luminances of corresponding pixels in the first portion of the first luminance-substituted image data and the second portion of the second luminance-substituted image data when generating the combined image data. In the portions other than the first portion and the second portion, the sum of the luminances of the corresponding pixels is multiplied by 1/2 to obtain the luminance of each pixel. generating the composite image data by
The imaging system according to any one of claims 1-8. irradiating the target space with the first irradiation light and the second irradiation light, each of which is in the form of a beam, from a light source that emits light of a near-infrared wavelength or an infrared wavelength, at different times;
a controller obtaining from a camera first image data corresponding to the irradiation timing of the first irradiation light and second image data corresponding to the irradiation timing of the second irradiation light;
The controller adjusts the overall brightness of the first image data such that the brightness of each pixel of the first portion corresponding to the first irradiation light of the first image data is saturated to a maximum value. to generate first saturated image data, and to generate the second image data so that the brightness of each pixel in the second portion corresponding to the second irradiation light of the second image data is saturated to a maximum value. generating second saturated image data by adjusting the overall brightness;
The controller generates first replacement image data by replacing luminance of each pixel of the first portion of the first saturated image data with a specific value, and generates first replacement image data of the second portion of the second saturated image data. generating second replacement image data by replacing the brightness of each pixel with the specific value;
the controller generating synthesized image data by synthesizing the first replacement image data and the second replacement image data;
An imaging method, comprising:

Images