WO2022134630A1 - Camera module and control method and apparatus therefor, vehicle, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a camera module and a control method and apparatus therefor, a vehicle, and a storage medium. The camera module may comprise: light supplement lamps, the number of the light supplement lamps being less than or equal to a preset value; and a processor, the processor being used for measuring, when the light supplement lamps are turned on, image brightness of an image acquired by the camera module, and adjusting a photographing parameter of the camera module according to the image brightness of the image acquired by the camera module.

Description

Camera module and its control method and device, vehicle, storage medium

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This disclosure claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed on December 24, 2020, with the application number of 202011553948.1 and the invention titled "Camera Module and Control Method and Device, Vehicle, and Storage Medium", which is published The entire contents of are incorporated herein by reference.

technical field

The present disclosure relates to intelligent vehicle cabin technology, in particular to a camera module and a control method and device thereof, a vehicle, and a storage medium.

Background technique

At present, the smart car cabin has a camera module that realizes the function of DMS (Driver Monitoring System, driver monitoring system), wherein the camera module needs sufficient illumination when collecting images, so that the collected images meet the requirements of image detection, For example, the brightness of the collected images should be able to meet the brightness requirements required by the driver fatigue detection algorithm to identify the driver's fatigue state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide at least a camera module and a control method and device thereof, a vehicle, and a storage medium.

In a first aspect, a camera module is provided, and the camera module includes:

fill light, the number of the fill light is less than or equal to a preset value;

a processor, which is configured to detect the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on, and adjust the camera according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module The shooting parameters of the module.

In a second aspect, a vehicle is provided, and the vehicle includes the camera module described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

A third aspect provides a control method for a camera module, the camera module includes a fill light and a processor, and the number of the fill light is less than or equal to a preset value; the control method includes: in the When the fill light is turned on, the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module is detected; the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module.

In a fourth aspect, a control device for a camera module is provided, the camera module includes a fill light and a processor, and the number of the fill light is less than or equal to a preset value; the control device includes: an image detection module is used to detect the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on; a parameter adjustment module is used to adjust the camera module according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module group shooting parameters.

In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, implements the control method for a camera module described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the camera module and its control method and device, vehicle, and storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor in the camera module adjusts the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness of the image when the fill light is turned on. , so that the number of fill lights in the camera module can be set more flexibly. For example, a small number of fill lights can be set. In this case, even if the illumination of the light source provided is insufficient due to the reduction of the number of fill lights, it is possible to adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module to make up for the decrease in the illumination of the light source. The influence of brightness; and the flexibility of the number of fill lights can also help to flexibly set the volume of the camera module according to the actual product requirements, avoiding greater integration difficulties and costs.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the accompanying drawings that are used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some of the embodiments described in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, the drawings can also be used according to the drawings. Get additional drawings.

1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a camera module provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method for controlling a camera module provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a camera module provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows an exposure control process provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic flowchart of a parameter adjustment provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a QE curve of a sensor provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic structural diagram of a lens provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic structural diagram of a control device for a camera module provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the following will describe the technical solutions in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The technical solutions are clearly and completely described, and obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all of the embodiments. Based on one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a camera module. As shown in FIG. 1 , the camera module may include a processor 11 and a fill light 12 . The number of the fill lights 12 may be less than or equal to a certain preset value, wherein the preset value is a positive integer, and the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the specific value of the preset value. For example, the preset value may be 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., and the specific value of the preset value may be determined according to the actual product requirements of the camera module. For example, in the case that the volume of the camera module is expected to be as small as possible in actual product requirements, the preset value may be 1.

The camera module can collect the image of the detected object when the fill light is turned on. The camera module can be set in various environments, and the detected object can be a solid object or a spatial area. For example, when the camera module is installed in the vehicle, the detected object may be the occupant of the vehicle, or at least one of the driver area, the passenger area, the front seat area, the rear seat area, the trunk area, and the like of the vehicle. One, the camera module can capture images of the occupant or at least one of the above-mentioned areas.

The processor 11 in the camera module may be a chip or a processing circuit disposed on a PCB mainboard inside the camera module. The processor 11 can detect the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module, and adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness.

For example, when the processor 11 adjusts the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness, one way may be to compare the image brightness with the reference brightness, and adjust the shooting parameters according to the comparison result. The reference brightness can be used as a criterion for determining whether the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module is suitable. If the image brightness can reach the reference brightness, it means that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module meets the requirements, otherwise , indicating that the image brightness does not meet the requirements, and the camera module can re-collect the image. The reference brightness can be determined according to a priori product experience. For example, according to experience, the image brightness of the image needs to reach a certain value to meet the detection requirements, then the value can be used as the reference brightness. Exemplarily, in an application scenario of imaging a driver of a vehicle, the reference brightness may be a brightness that can clearly identify the state of the driver's face. The reference brightness can be preset in the camera module. If the image brightness does not reach the preset reference brightness, the processor 11 can adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module, so that when the camera module collects images according to the adjusted shooting parameters, the image brightness reaches the reference brightness. The shooting parameters are adjustable parameters of the camera module. Exemplarily, the shooting parameters of the camera module may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: exposure time, analog gain or digital gain.

In addition, adjusting the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the reference brightness is only an example. In actual implementation, the processor 11 may control the shooting parameters of the camera module in other ways than according to the reference brightness. Exemplarily, the processor 11 may preset the mapping relationship between the image brightness and the shooting parameters, and when detecting that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module is within a certain brightness range, determine the shooting parameters corresponding to the brightness range, The shooting parameters may be preset parameters suitable for use when the brightness of the image is detected. For another example, when the image brightness of the detected image is at a certain brightness value, the parameter adjustment amount of the corresponding module shooting parameter may also be preset. For example, when the image brightness is S1, the exposure time is correspondingly increased by T1, or the analog gain is correspondingly increased by M1; when the image brightness is S2, the exposure time is correspondingly increased by T2, and so on. The corresponding relationship between the image brightness and the above-mentioned adjustment amounts such as S1/S2 can be set.

Corresponding to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 illustrates a control method of a camera module. The control method describes the imaging process of the camera module shown in FIG. 1 . The execution body of the control method may be the processor in FIG. 1 , or may be an external processor or other electronic device. Whether it is an internal or external processor of the camera module, as long as the processor establishes a communication connection with the camera module, the processor can detect the image of the camera module, and the shooting parameters of the camera module can be processed by executing the automatic exposure algorithm. Control it. For example, the external processor can establish a communication channel with the circuit board in the camera module through an IIC bus (Inter-Integrated Circuit Bus, integrated circuit bus), and control the shooting parameters of the sensor in the camera module. Taking the processor inside the camera module as an example for illustration, as shown in FIG. 2 , the control method may include steps 200 and 202 .

In step 200, when the fill light is turned on, the image brightness of the image captured by the camera module is detected.

In this embodiment, the camera module may include a fill light and a processor, wherein the number of the fill light is less than or equal to a preset value. In this step, the camera module can collect the image of the detected object when the fill light is turned on. For example, the detected object may be a human face, and the image may include a human face. The processor can detect the image brightness of the above-mentioned images collected by the camera module.

In step 202, the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module.

In this step, the processor may adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module. For example, one of the ways to adjust the shooting parameters according to the image brightness may be according to the reference brightness. It can be determined whether the image brightness of the image reaches the preset reference brightness, and if the image brightness reaches the reference brightness, the next image processing can be performed on the image. For example, in the application of vehicle DMS, driver fatigue or distraction detection can be performed based on the driver's face in the image. And if the image brightness does not reach the reference brightness, the processor can adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module, for example, the exposure time and the gain can be adjusted.

After the processor adjusts the shooting parameters, the camera module will continue to collect the image of the detected object using the adjusted shooting parameters, and similarly, the processor will also detect whether the image brightness of the collected image reaches the reference brightness. If the image brightness still does not reach the reference brightness, the processor may continue to adjust the shooting parameters, for example, continue to increase the exposure time or digital gain, and return to step 200 to continue image acquisition by the camera module according to the newly adjusted shooting parameters. Therefore, steps 200 and 202 in this embodiment can be performed cyclically until the image brightness of the obtained image is sufficient.

In the camera module provided by the above-mentioned embodiment, when the processor of the camera module is turned on in response to the fill light, the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module, so that the camera module can be more flexible. to set the number of fill lights in the camera module.

For example, a small number of fill lights can be set. In this case, even if the illuminance of the provided light source is reduced due to the reduction of the number of fill lights, the processor can adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module to make up for the decrease in the illuminance of the light source. The impact on image brightness; the flexibility of the number of fill lights can also help reduce the installation difficulty and cost of the camera module. For example, in one example, only a small number of fill lights can be set in the camera module, such as a single fill light, thereby reducing the volume of the camera module, making it easier to install and integrate, and reducing the cost of the whole vehicle . For example, after reducing the number of fill lights in the camera module, the volume of the camera module can be reduced. For example, the total horizontal length of the camera module is 30mm to 45mm, and the vertical window size of the camera module is 20mm to 35mm, and the total longitudinal length of the camera module is 30mm to 45mm.

In addition, it should also be noted that this method of adjusting the image brightness of the image captured by the camera module by adjusting the shooting parameters of the camera module can be more effective than the method of increasing the power of the fill light. The problem of heat dissipation of the fill light. If the image brightness is improved by increasing the power of the fill light, the heat of the fill light will increase, resulting in heat dissipation problems. The solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, on the basis of not causing the problem of heat dissipation, can allow flexible setting of the number of fill lights in the camera module. For example, setting fewer fill lights can also ensure the quality of the collected images. The image brightness takes into account the considerations of cost, brightness, integration difficulty and heat dissipation, thereby reducing the volume and cost of the camera module while ensuring the brightness requirements of the image captured by the camera module without causing heat dissipation problems.

Please refer to the camera module shown in FIG. 3 , the camera module may include a fill light 31 , a light plate 32 , a cover plate 33 , a lens 34 and a circuit board 35 .

The fill light 31 is fixedly arranged on the light board 32, the light board 32 can be used to provide fill light control signals to the fill light 31, and the material of the light board 32 can be an aluminum substrate. The supplementary light wavelength of the supplementary light 31 may be 850 nm to 1000 nm.

The cover plate 33 can be made of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate, polymethyl methacrylate) material, for example. As shown in FIG. 3 , the cover plate 33 is equivalent to a protective cover of the camera module, and can cover the fill light 31 and other components inside the camera module.

Included in the lens 34 is an infrared filter (IR filter, illustrated in the subsequent FIG. 7 ). 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the lens 34 in FIG. 3 . In Fig. 7, the left side of the lens can receive the light transmitted by the cover plate 33, and the light is incident along the optical axis of the lens to the infrared filter on the right side of the lens, and the light is filtered by the infrared filter. , into the photosensitive surface of the sensor. In addition, it can also be seen from FIG. 3 that the cover plate 33 can be covered on the lens 34 and the fill light 31, and the fill light 31 and the lens 34 are arranged in parallel along the aperture direction of the camera module. The lens 34 may be a visible light-infrared integrated lens, or may also be a single infrared lens.

A sensor may be provided on the circuit board 35, and the sensor is provided at one end of the lens 34 along the optical axis direction, and is used for sensing the light entering the camera module through the lens. Moreover, when the image is captured, the light can reach the sensor on the circuit board 35 through the above-mentioned cover plate 33 and the infrared filter in the lens 34 . The sensor can convert the photons of the received light into electrons, and then convert the electrons into analog signals, and the analog signals are amplified by the processing of analog gain. Then, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the amplified analog signal to obtain a digital signal, and perform digital gain processing to amplify the digital signal, and then perform image processing on the digital signal through an image processing system to obtain a final image, which includes the above-mentioned The detected object, for example, the detected object may be the human face of a car driver.

In addition, the processor in the camera module may be, for example, a chip or a processing circuit on the circuit board 35 .

In the camera module of the embodiment of the present disclosure, an automatic exposure algorithm may be executed by the processor to control the exposure of the camera module, specifically, the exposure control may be performed on the sensor on the circuit board in the camera module to ensure that the camera module The brightness of the generated image can stably reach the preset reference brightness, for example, the image brightness meets the image detection requirements of the DMS (Driver Monitoring System, driver monitoring system). For example, when fatigue detection or dangerous action detection is performed on the driver through the DMS system, the driver's image is required to have sufficient image brightness to obtain a more accurate detection result.

It should be noted that, in the control method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, the execution subject of the control method may be a processor inside the camera module or an external processor or other electronic control equipment, and the camera module is used in the description. Take the internal processor as an example. FIG. 4 illustrates a flow of a method for controlling exposure of a camera module by a processor in the vehicle-mounted camera module when the camera module is a vehicle-mounted camera module. As shown in FIG. 4 , the method may include steps 400 and 402 .

In step 400, when the fill light is turned on, the image brightness of the image collected by the vehicle-mounted camera module is detected.

For example, as described above, the vehicle camera module can capture images. Among them, the vehicle camera module can convert the incident light into electrons, and digitize the electrons for image processing to obtain the image of the detected object.

In this step, the processor may acquire the image brightness of the image. In an exemplary implementation, the processor may acquire the image brightness of a predetermined area in the image, and use the image brightness of the predetermined area in the image as the image brightness of the image, where the predetermined area includes a predetermined object in the image the area in which it is located.

For example, it is assumed that the predetermined object is the driver's face, so as to identify whether the driver is in a fatigued state through face detection. Then, the area where the predetermined object is located may be an image area including the driver's face. In specific implementation, the image may be divided into multiple sub-images according to different regions, and then some sub-images in the central region are acquired as the region where the predetermined object is located, and the image brightness of the region is determined. The specific scope of the central area can be defined independently, as long as it can cover the predetermined object.

In step 402, if the brightness of the image is lower than the preset reference brightness, the shooting parameters of the sensors in the vehicle-mounted camera module are adjusted to obtain an image with the reference brightness.

In this step, the preset reference brightness may be a preset image brightness value, and the image brightness value can meet the brightness requirement of DMS detection. Of course, in other application scenarios other than DMS detection, the brightness value required by the scene can be set as the reference brightness.

If the image brightness is lower than the preset reference brightness, the shooting parameters of the sensor in the vehicle camera module can be adjusted. The shooting parameters include at least one of the following: exposure time, analog gain or digital gain.

In one example, the processor may adjust the exposure time of the sensor to enable the vehicle-mounted camera module to obtain an image with the reference brightness according to the adjusted parameters.

In another example, the processor cannot adjust the exposure time of the sensor to make the image brightness reach the reference brightness. In this case, the exposure time and at least one of the analog gain and the digital gain need to be adjusted to make the vehicle camera model The group obtains an image that reaches the reference brightness according to the adjusted parameters.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exposure control method in which the processor adjusts the exposure time, the analog gain and the digital gain, so that the camera module obtains an image with a reference brightness. It can be understood that, in actual implementation, it is not necessary to adjust all the three parameters, and only some of the parameters may need to be adjusted.

In step 500, when it is determined that the image brightness of the image of the vehicle-mounted camera module does not reach the reference brightness, the exposure time of the sensor in the vehicle-mounted camera module is adjusted.

In this embodiment, the exposure time can be adjusted preferentially. The longer the exposure time is, the more light enters, which is more helpful to improve the image brightness of the image. This embodiment also sets a maximum exposure time, for example, the maximum exposure time may be set to 6ms, so as to avoid the negative impact on image quality caused by too long exposure time.

In addition, the adjustment of the exposure time of the sensor in this embodiment is actually the adjustment of the exposure time of the shutter in the sensor.

In this step, the processor may repeatedly perform the first adjustment operation until the exposure time of the camera module reaches the preset maximum exposure time or the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module reaches the reference brightness. Wherein, the first adjustment operation includes: increasing the exposure time of the camera module and using the camera module to capture images.

For example, the processor can first increase the exposure time by a certain value, and then the camera module can collect images according to the increased exposure time. If the processor finds that the image brightness of the image obtained at this time still cannot reach the reference brightness, it can continue to increase the exposure time until the image brightness meets the requirements.

If the image brightness of the image captured by the camera module still does not reach the reference brightness when the exposure time of the camera module reaches the maximum exposure time, the processor may repeat the second adjustment operation until the image brightness reaches the reference brightness brightness. The second adjustment operation may include: adjusting at least one of an analog gain and a digital gain of the camera module, and using the camera module to capture images.

The following takes steps 502 and 504 as examples to illustrate a process of adjusting the analog gain and the digital gain.

In step 502, when the exposure time reaches a preset maximum exposure time and the image brightness is lower than a preset reference brightness, the analog gain is continued to be adjusted.

Assuming that the exposure time has reached the maximum exposure time, an image generated after adjusting the exposure time can be obtained, and it can be determined whether the image brightness of the image reaches the reference brightness. If the judgment result is YES, an image is obtained. If the judgment result is no, you can continue to adjust the gain.

This embodiment takes the priority adjustment of the analog gain as an example.

In step 504, when the analog gain reaches the maximum analog gain, and the image brightness is lower than the preset reference brightness, the digital gain is continuously adjusted until an image that reaches the reference brightness is obtained.

Usually, the gain will also have an adjusted maximum value. If the image brightness is still lower than the preset reference brightness after the analog gain adjustment reaches the maximum analog gain, continue to adjust the digital gain until the image with the reference brightness is obtained.

In the exposure control method of this embodiment, when it is detected that the brightness of the image does not reach the reference brightness, the shooting parameters are adjusted, so that the adjusted vehicle-mounted camera module can obtain an image that reaches the reference brightness. This method enables the camera module to set up a small number of fill lights, combined with exposure control to obtain sufficient image brightness.

It is precisely because of the above exposure control method that the camera module can be provided with a small number of supplementary lights. For example, a vehicle camera module can be provided with one supplementary light. Although a fill light is set, because the processor can adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module through the exposure control method shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 , the camera can still be improved even with one fill light. The image brightness of the mod's image.

For example, at night, a fill light can be turned on. At this time, the image brightness of the image of the vehicle camera module is low and has not yet reached the brightness requirement for DMS detection. Then, when the processor determines that the image brightness is lower than the reference brightness, it can increase the exposure time of the sensor in the camera module, or increase the value of the analog gain or digital gain of the sensor. The image still achieves sufficient image brightness in the case of a fill light. For the whole vehicle, the setting of a fill light reduces the cost of the camera module, and also reduces the integration difficulty of the fill light. In addition, the design of a fill light reduces the size of the camera module, which is beneficial to reduce the impact of the camera module on the driver when the camera module is applied to the DMS in the car.

In yet another embodiment, in order to save the consumption of the fill light, improve the service life of the fill light, and further improve the reliability and durability of the entire vehicle-mounted camera module, in this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted camera module can also be performed as follows: Improve:

The cover plate 33 and the infrared filter in the lens 34 can be provided, so that the cover plate 33 and the infrared filter can transmit more near-infrared light. For example, by adjusting the mixing ratio of raw materials such as PMMA in the cover plate 33, the cut-off wavelength of the cover plate can be set to be smaller than the first wavelength threshold. Exemplarily, the first wavelength threshold can be 750 nm, so that the light transmitted by the cover plate is in the Including near-infrared light above the 750nm band. The more light that passes through, the more electrons the sensor converts, and the brighter the final image. In the same way, the cutoff wavelength of the infrared filter in the lens can also be set to be smaller than the second wavelength threshold. Exemplarily, the second wavelength threshold can be the same as the first wavelength threshold, for example, set to 750nm, so as to transmit more near infrared light.

In addition, one of the performance metrics of the sensor on the circuit board can be QE (Photodiode quantum efficiency, photodiode quantum efficiency), which refers to the ratio of the number of converted electrons to the number of incident photons. Generally speaking, the more electrons that are converted, the more it helps to brighten the image, and the quality of the image will be better. In addition, in the above-mentioned process of digital conversion of electrons, the function of gain is to amplify the image signal, so as to enhance the brightness of the image picture. The unit of gain can usually be expressed in "multiples", such as 1x, 2x, 3x, etc.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensors on the circuit board can be further adjusted, and a sensor with higher QE performance can be selected. For example, the quantum efficiency of the sensor at the first wavelength may not be lower than the first preset efficiency value, wherein the first wavelength may not exceed 750 nm, and the first preset efficiency value may not be lower than 50%; and the sensor may be set at the first wavelength. The quantum efficiency of the two wavelengths is not lower than the second preset efficiency value, wherein the second wavelength may be not less than 950 nm, and the second preset efficiency value may be not lower than 10%.

For example, see FIG. 6 , which illustrates the QE curve of a sensor selected in this embodiment. According to the QE curve, it can be seen that the quantum efficiency of the sensor for light in the 750 nm band is not lower than 50%. , that is, at least half of the photons in the light in the 750nm band can be converted into electrons; the quantum efficiency for the light in the 950nm band is not less than 10%, that is, at least one tenth of the photons in the light in the 950nm band can be converted. for electrons. In addition, the dotted curve in FIG. 6 is the QE performance curve of the sensor used before adjustment, and the solid line curve is the QE performance curve of the sensor used after adjustment. It can be seen that the sensor selected in this embodiment is better than the sensor used before adjustment. The QE value of the sensor has been increased. The improvement of the QE performance of the sensor will allow more electrons to be converted, which will help improve the image quality.

After the above-mentioned measures to increase the transmitted near-infrared light or improve the QE are carried out on the cover plate, lens, sensor, etc. of the camera module, the sensor can receive more light or convert more photons into electrons, thereby More electrons are available, and the resulting images will be brighter and of higher quality based on signal processing after the electrons are digitized.

Due to the above arrangement of the cover plate, the infrared filter and the sensor, the supplementary light can also be saved. For example, in a daytime scene, the sun will generate a considerable amount of near-infrared light. This part of the light passes through the cover plate and the lens to reach the sensor for imaging. If this part of the ambient light is strong enough, the final image brightness obtained by the camera module may also be The reference brightness can be achieved, and the fill light can be turned off. In this way, the consumption of fill light can be saved. When the fill light in the camera module is not turned on, the processor can adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module in response to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module not reaching the reference brightness, such as adjusting the sensor in the camera module. At least one of exposure time, digital gain, or analog gain.

Of course, no matter whether the fill light is turned on or not, the processor can continuously perform exposure control, monitor the image brightness in real time, and can control the camera module according to the detected image brightness. The following examples of two control methods, the processor can execute at least one of the following two examples: wherein, in an example, in the case that the fill light is not turned on, if it is found that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module does not reach The preset reference brightness can adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module. For example, if the image brightness of the image is lower than the reference brightness, the exposure time of the camera module is increased to increase the brightness of the image captured by the camera module. In another example, when the fill light is not turned on, if the shooting parameters of the camera module have been adjusted to the preset threshold, for example, the exposure time has reached the maximum exposure time, and the camera module captures If the image brightness of the image has not yet reached the reference brightness, the fill light in the camera module can be turned on. For example, if the processor adjusts the shooting parameters of the camera module to a preset threshold, for example, the exposure time reaches the maximum exposure time, and the gain is also adjusted to the corresponding maximum gain, but the image captured by the camera module has If the image brightness has not yet reached the reference brightness, the processor can control the fill light in the camera module to turn on.

In the night scene, the near-infrared light energy in the environment is weakened, and the illumination required for imaging mainly comes from the fill light of the camera module itself. Likewise, the processor will monitor whether the image brightness of the image can reach the reference brightness, and if not, it can perform exposure control, such as adjusting at least one of exposure time, analog gain or digital gain, so that the final image reaches the desired level quality.

It can be seen from the above description that the camera module according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be provided with a small number of supplementary lights. By cooperating with the exposure control strategy of the processor, a smaller number of fill lights (for example, a single fill light) can also achieve the preset image reference brightness, thereby reducing the cost of the camera module and reducing the number of cameras. The module volume also reduces the integration difficulty of the camera module.

FIG. 8 provides a control device for a camera module, which can be applied to a device that controls the camera module, such as a processor inside the camera module or an external control device, so that the device can perform any of the tasks of the present disclosure. A method for controlling a camera module according to an embodiment. Wherein, the camera module includes a fill light and a processor, and the number of fill lights is less than or equal to a preset value. As shown in FIG. 8 , the apparatus may include an image detection module 81 and a parameter adjustment module 82 .

The image detection module 81 is configured to detect the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on.

The parameter adjustment module 82 is configured to adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module.

In an example, the image detection module 81 is specifically configured to acquire the image brightness of a predetermined area in the image, and use the image brightness of the predetermined area in the image as the image brightness of the image, where the predetermined area includes the The area in the image where the predetermined object is located.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the device may further include: a light control module 83 for adjusting the shooting parameters of the camera module to a preset threshold value in response to the fact that the fill light is not turned on When the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module does not reach the reference brightness, the fill light in the camera module is controlled to be turned on.

In some embodiments, the foregoing apparatus may be configured to execute any corresponding method described above, which is not repeated here for brevity.

An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a vehicle, and the vehicle includes the camera module described in any embodiment of the present disclosure. For the specific structure of the camera module, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, which will not be described in detail. The camera module can be installed at the position of the A-pillar on the driver's side in the vehicle, or installed under the front windshield on the driver's side.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, implements the method of any embodiment of the present disclosure, and the method can perform a procedure on a camera module. control.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a method, system or computer program product. Accordingly, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may employ a computer program implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein form of the product.

Wherein, "and/or" in the embodiments of the present disclosure means at least one of the two. For example, "A and/or B" includes three schemes: A, B, and "A and B".

The various embodiments in the present disclosure are described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the various embodiments may be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the data processing device embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and for related parts, please refer to the partial description of the method embodiment.

The foregoing describes specific embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the acts or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the embodiments and still achieve desirable results. Additionally, the processes depicted in the figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

Embodiments of the subject matter and functional operations described in this disclosure can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, in tangible embodied computer software or firmware, in computer hardware including the structures disclosed in this disclosure and their structural equivalents, or in a combination of one or more. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented as one or more computer programs, ie, one or more of computer program instructions encoded on a tangible, non-transitory program carrier for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. multiple modules. Alternatively or additionally, the program instructions may be encoded on an artificially generated propagating signal, such as a machine-generated electrical, optical or electromagnetic signal, which is generated to encode and transmit information to a suitable receiver device for interpretation by the data. The processing device executes. The computer storage medium may be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory device, or a combination of one or more of these.

The processes and logic flows described in this disclosure can be performed by one or more programmable computers executing one or more computer programs to perform corresponding functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

Computers suitable for the execution of a computer program include, for example, general and/or special purpose microprocessors, or any other type of central processing unit. Typically, the central processing unit will receive instructions and data from read only memory and/or random access memory. The basic components of a computer include a central processing unit for implementing or executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic, magneto-optical or optical disks, to receive data therefrom or to It transmits data, or both. However, the computer does not have to have such a device. Additionally, the computer may be embedded in another device, such as a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile audio or video player, game console, global positioning system (GPS) receiver, or a universal serial bus (USB) ) flash drives for portable storage devices, to name a few.

Computer-readable media suitable for storage of computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and memory devices, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices (eg, EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices), magnetic disks (eg, internal hard disks or flash memory devices). removable disks), magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory may be supplemented by or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.

Although this disclosure contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of any disclosed or claimed, but rather as describing features of particular embodiments of particular disclosure. Certain features that are described in this disclosure in multiple embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the other hand, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may function as described above in certain combinations and even be originally claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be removed from the combination and the claimed A protected combination may point to a subcombination or a variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, although operations are depicted in the figures in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring the operations to be performed in the particular order shown or sequentially, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the separation of the various system modules and components in the above-described embodiments should not be construed as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may generally be integrated together in a single software product , or packaged into multiple software products.

The above descriptions are only some examples of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. All within the spirit and principles of the one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, all Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made should be included within the protection scope of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims (20)

1. A camera module, the camera module comprises:

   fill light, the number of the fill light is less than or equal to a preset value;

   a processor, which is configured to detect the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on, and adjust the camera according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module The shooting parameters of the module.
2. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein,

   The camera module further includes a lens and a cover, and the cover is covered on the lens and the fill light;

   the cut-off wavelength of the cover plate is less than the first wavelength threshold; and/or

   The lens includes an infrared filter, and the cutoff wavelength of the infrared filter is smaller than the second wavelength threshold.
3. The camera module according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a sensor, the sensor is arranged at one end of the lens of the camera module along the optical axis direction, and is used for sensing the entering through the lens. the light of the camera module;

   The quantum efficiency of the sensor at the first wavelength is not lower than the first preset efficiency value, and the quantum efficiency at the second wavelength is not lower than the second preset efficiency value;

   The first wavelength is not more than 750 nm, the second wavelength is not less than 950 nm, the first preset efficiency value is not less than 50%, and the second preset efficiency value is not less than 10%.
4. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-3, further comprising a lamp board for providing a fill light control signal to the fill light, and the fill light is fixed on the light board superior.
5. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the camera module comprises a single fill light.
6. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein,

   The processor is configured to adjust at least one of the following shooting parameters of the camera module: exposure time, Analog gain, digital gain.
7. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein,

   The processor is configured to adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module in the following manner in response to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on does not reach the reference brightness:

   The first adjustment operation is repeatedly performed until the exposure time of the camera module reaches a preset maximum exposure time or the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module reaches the reference brightness; the first adjustment operation includes: increasing the exposure time of the camera module and use the camera module to capture images;

   In response to the image brightness of the image captured by the camera module not reaching the reference brightness when the exposure time of the camera module reaches the maximum exposure time, the second adjustment operation is repeatedly performed until the image captured by the camera module is The image brightness reaches the reference brightness; the second adjustment operation includes: adjusting at least one of the analog gain and the digital gain of the camera module, and using the camera module to capture images.
8. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein,

   The processor is further configured to acquire the image brightness of a predetermined area in the image, and use the image brightness of the predetermined area in the image as the image brightness of the image, where the predetermined area includes predetermined objects in the image the area in which it is located.
9. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein,

   The processor is also used to:

   In response to the fact that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module does not reach the reference brightness when the fill light is not turned on, adjusting the shooting parameters of the camera module; and/or,

   In response to the fact that when the fill light is not turned on, the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted to the preset threshold value does not reach the reference brightness, the control system is controlled. The fill light in the camera module is turned on.
10. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the fill light and the lens of the camera module are arranged in parallel along the aperture direction of the camera module; and/or

    The fill light wavelength of the fill light is 850nm to 1000nm; and/or

    The total horizontal length of the camera module is 30mm to 45mm, the vertical window size of the camera module is 20mm to 35mm, and the total vertical length of the camera module is 30mm to 45mm; and/or

    The camera module includes a vehicle-mounted camera module.
11. A vehicle comprising the camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
12. A control method for a camera module, wherein the camera module includes a fill light and a processor, and the number of the fill light is less than or equal to a preset value;

    The control method includes:

    When the fill light is turned on, detecting the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module;

    According to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module, the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the adjusting the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module comprises:

    In response to detecting that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on does not reach the reference brightness, adjust at least one of the following shooting parameters of the camera module: exposure time, analog gain, digital gain.
14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the adjusting the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module comprises:

    In response to detecting that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on does not reach the reference brightness, the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted as follows:

    The first adjustment operation is repeatedly performed until the exposure time of the camera module reaches a preset maximum exposure time or the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module reaches the reference brightness; the first adjustment operation includes: increasing the exposure time of the camera module and use the camera module to capture images;

    In response to the image brightness of the image captured by the camera module not reaching the reference brightness when the exposure time of the camera module reaches the maximum exposure time, the second adjustment operation is repeatedly performed until the image captured by the camera module is The image brightness reaches the reference brightness; the second adjustment operation includes: adjusting at least one of the analog gain and the digital gain of the camera module, and using the camera module to capture images.
15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the detecting the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module comprises:

    The image brightness of the predetermined area in the image is acquired, and the image brightness of the predetermined area in the image is used as the image brightness of the image, and the predetermined area includes the area where the predetermined object in the image is located.
16. The method of any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein,

    The method also includes:

    In response to the fact that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module does not reach the reference brightness when the fill light is not turned on, adjusting the shooting parameters of the camera module; and/or

    In response to the fact that when the fill light is not turned on, the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted to the preset threshold value does not reach the reference brightness, the control system is controlled. The fill light in the camera module is turned on.
17. A control device for a camera module, wherein the camera module includes a fill light and a processor, and the number of the fill light is less than or equal to a preset value;

    The control device includes:

    an image detection module, configured to detect the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module when the fill light is turned on;

    The parameter adjustment module is configured to adjust the shooting parameters of the camera module according to the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein,

    The image detection module is configured to acquire the image brightness of a predetermined area in the image, and use the image brightness of the predetermined area in the image as the image brightness of the image, where the predetermined area includes predetermined objects in the image the area in which it is located.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 or 18, further comprising:

    The light control module is used to respond that the image brightness of the image collected by the camera module is not changed when the shooting parameters of the camera module are adjusted to a preset threshold value when the fill light is not turned on. When the reference brightness is reached, the fill light in the camera module is controlled to be turned on.
20. A computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 12-16.

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