Camera device and method for capturing a surrounding region of a vehicle in a situation-adapted manner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10798319-B2
Application number	US-201716461172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2017
Priority date	Dec 6, 2016
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A camera device includes an optronics system and an image capture control unit, for acquiring a sequence of images of a surrounding region of a vehicle. The optronics system includes a wide-angle optical system and a high-resolution image acquisition sensor. The optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to generate a reduced-resolution binned image of the entire capture region of the optronics system, or to capture an unbinned high-resolution image of a subregion of the capture region, respectively for each individual image of the sequence of images, depending on a current traffic and/or surrounding situation. A height and a width of the subregion are set depending on the current situation. A size of the subregion is set such that the pixel count of the high-resolution image of the subregion is no greater than the pixel count of the reduced-resolution image of the entire capture region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A camera device for capturing a surrounding region of a vehicle, the camera device comprising:
an optronics system and an image capture control unit, which are configured to acquire a sequence of images of the surrounding region,
wherein:
the optronics system comprises a wide-angle optical system and a high-resolution image acquisition sensor, and
the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured:
to produce, respectively for each individual image of the sequence of images, either a reduced-resolution image as a binned image, which has a reduced resolution that is reduced by pixel binning, of an entire capture region of the optronics system, or a high-resolution image as an unbinned image with a maximum resolution of a subregion of the capture region of the optronics system, depending on a current traffic and/or surrounding situation, wherein an image height and an image width of the subregion in the high-resolution image are set depending on the current traffic and/or surrounding situation, and wherein a size of the subregion is set such that a pixel count of the high-resolution image of the subregion is no greater than a pixel count of the reduced-resolution image of the entire capture region of the optronics system; and
to control the image height and/or the image width of the subregion in a current image of the sequence of images in response to a recognized content that is recognized in at least one previous image of the sequence of images.

2. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to acquire the sequence of images so that a center point of each said subregion is identical to a center point of the entire capture region of the optronics system.

3. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to shift a vertical position of the subregion as a function of the current traffic and/or surrounding situation.

4. The camera device according to claim 3 , wherein the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to shift a horizontal position of the subregion as a function of the current traffic and/or surrounding situation.

5. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to acquire the sequence of images so that the pixel count of the high-resolution image of the subregion amounts to 2.5 megapixels at most.

6. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to acquire the sequence of images so that the pixel count of the high-resolution image of the subregion is constant during acquisition of the sequence of images of the surrounding region.

7. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein a prediction of the recognized content for the current image is taken into account for controlling the image height and/or the image width of the subregion.

8. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to acquire the sequence of images so that the sequence of images includes, periodically alternatingly, the reduced-resolution image of the entire capture region and the high-resolution image of the subregion.

9. A method of capturing a surrounding region of a vehicle by an optronics system, wherein the optronics system comprises a wide-angle optical system and a high-resolution image acquisition sensor, and the method comprises acquiring a sequence of images of the surrounding region, which includes: of e ego-vehicle,
producing, respectively for each individual image of the sequence of images, either a reduced-resolution image as a binned image, which has a reduced resolution that is reduced by pixel binning, of an entire capture region of the optronics system, or a high-resolution image as an unbinned image with a maximum resolution of a subregion of the capture region of the optronics system, depending on a current traffic and/or surrounding situation,
a setting an image height and an image width of the subregion respectively in each said high-resolution image depending on the current traffic and/or surrounding situation,
setting a size of the subregion such that a pixel count of the high-resolution image of the subregion is no greater than a pixel count of the reduced-resolution image of the entire capture region of the optronics system, and
controlling the image height and/or the image width of the subregion in a current image of the sequence of images in response to a recognized content that is recognized in at least one previous image of the sequence of images.

10. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the optronics system and the image capture control unit are configured to shift a horizontal position of the subregion as a function of the current traffic and/or surrounding situation.

Assignees

• Conti Temic Microelectronic Gmbh

Inventors

• Breuer Karsten
• Kroekel Dieter
• Thiel Robert
• Pfitzer Martin

Classifications

• H04N25/42 Primary

  by switching between different modes of operation using different resolutions or aspect ratios, e.g. switching between interlaced and non-interlaced mode · CPC title

• G06V20/56 Primary

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title

• H04N25/46

  by combining or binning pixels · CPC title

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title