In-vehicle imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9723282-B2
Application number	US-201314419025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2013
Priority date	Aug 3, 2012
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

An in-vehicle imaging device is provided with a detection region setting unit for setting a detection region, which corresponds to a predetermined object to be detected within an imaging screen; a color signal determination unit for setting a specific color corresponding to the object to be detected, and for determining whether the color data of pixels contained in the detection region are close to the specific color; and a gain control unit for averaging the color data of pixels (approximate color pixels) that were determined to be close to the specific color within the detection region and for adjusting the color gain of the image signal on the basis of a differential value of the color data of the specific color and the average value of the color data of the approximate color pixels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An in-vehicle imaging device that images a photographic subject by an imaging unit loaded on a vehicle, comprising:
a detection region setting unit for setting a detection region corresponding to a predetermined object to be detected in an imaging screen, for an image signal from the imaging unit;
a color signal determination unit for setting a specific color corresponding to the object to be detected and determining, in regard to pixels included in the detection region, whether color data thereof are present in the vicinity of the specific color;
a gain control unit for averaging the color data of the pixels (hereinafter, approximate color pixels) that have been determined to be present in the vicinity of the specific color by the color signal determination unit concerned in the detection region, and adjusting a color gain of the image signal on the basis of a difference value between an average value of the color data of the approximate color pixels concerned and color data of the specific color; and
a vehicle speed determination unit for determining a vehicle speed of the vehicle;
wherein the detection region setting unit selects, based on the vehicle speed, one from a plurality of kinds of objects to be detected and sets the detection region corresponding to the selected object; and
wherein the color signal determination unit selects, based on the vehicle speed, the one of the plurality of kinds of objects to be detected and sets the specific color corresponding to the selected object.

2. The in-vehicle imaging device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of detection region setting units for setting mutually different detection regions, as the detection region setting unit;
a plurality of color signal determination units for setting specific colors corresponding to the respective detections regions that the plurality of detection region setting units concerned have set and determining, in regard to the pixels included in the respective detection regions concerned, whether color data thereof are present in the vicinity of the respective specific colors, as the color signal determination unit; and
a detection region selection unit for selecting a detection region that the number of pixels that have been determined as the approximate color pixels by the plurality of color signal determination units concerned is included in excess of a predetermined value, from within the plurality of detection regions,
wherein the gain control unit adjusts the color gain of the image signal on the basis of the color data of the approximate color pixel in the detection region that has been selected by the detection region selection unit concerned and the color data of the specific color corresponding to the detection region concerned.

3. The in-vehicle imaging device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a recognition unit for recognizing the object to be detected from the image signal,
wherein the detection region setting unit sets the detection region for the object to be detected on the basis of a result of recognition by the recognition unit, and
the color signal determination unit sets the specific color for the object to be detected on the basis of the result of recognition by the recognition unit.

4. The in-vehicle imaging device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a recognition unit for recognizing the object to be detected from the image signal,
wherein the detection region setting unit sets the detection region for the object to be detected on the basis of a result of recognition by the recognition unit.

5. The in-vehicle imaging device according to claim 4 , comprising:
a plurality of color signal determination units for setting a plurality of mutually different specific colors for the object to be detected and determining, in regard to pixels included in the detection region, whether color data thereof are present in the vicinity of the respective specific colors, as the color signal determination unit; and
a specific color selection unit for selecting a specific color that the number of pixels determined to be approximate color pixels by the plurality of color signal determination units concerned is maximized, from within the plurality of specific colors,
wherein the gain control unit adjusts the color gain of said image signal on the basis of the color data of the approximate color pixel corresponding to the specific color selected by the specific color selection unit concerned and the color data of the specific color concerned.

Assignees

• Clarion Co Ltd

Inventors

• Usui Tsutomu
• Sai Hirotomo

Classifications

• H04N23/88 Primary

  for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control · CPC title

• G06T7/90 Primary

  Determination of colour characteristics · CPC title

• H04N9/77

  Circuits for processing the brightness signal and the chrominance signal relative to each other, e.g. adjusting the phase of the brightness signal relative to the colour signal, correcting differential gain or differential phase (circuits for matrixing H04N9/67) · CPC title

• G06K2207/1012

  Special detection of object · CPC title

• G06K9/00798

  Physics · mapped topic