JP6652463B2 - Vehicle-mounted camera device, vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device, and vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted camera device mounted on a vehicle, a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device, and a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system.

  In recent years, an in-vehicle camera has been used as an external recognition sensor of an in-vehicle safety device or a driving assistance device. Such an in-vehicle camera recognizes an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, road information, and the like outside the vehicle by processing the captured image. By appropriately controlling the vehicle based on the recognition result, preventive safety and driving assistance are realized.

  In order to use the recognition result for vehicle control, it is necessary to accurately detect the position of the recognized object. Therefore, it is necessary to consider a mechanism for adjusting the manufacturing tolerance of the in-vehicle camera and a mechanism for evaluating the recognition result, and the in-vehicle camera needs to communicate control information required for adjustment and evaluation.

  Since the image processing by the in-vehicle camera is basically performed in units of one image frame, control information for adjustment, evaluation, image capturing control, and recognition processing is synchronized in whole or in part with each frame of the image. It is common to communicate.

  As an apparatus for performing communication of control information in synchronization with each frame of an image, there is an apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Literature 1 describes that information is superimposed on an image signal using a blanking period of the image signal, and the information is transmitted in synchronization with an image.

JP 2014-72603 A

  However, when a control signal is superimposed on an image signal, particularly when an image has a high resolution or a high frame rate, it is necessary to incorporate a part of a circuit that handles control information into a high-speed circuit that handles an image system. Will be transformed.

  As a result, due to an increase in circuit delay in a high-speed circuit portion or an effect of optimization of the high-speed circuit, the logic becomes larger than the function to be handled, or it becomes difficult to operate at a required operating frequency, and an inexpensive FPGA (Field-Programmable There is a problem that a low-cost integrated circuit such as a gate array cannot be used in some cases.

  An object of the present invention is to suppress the complexity of a high-speed circuit even when a circuit for processing an image-based signal becomes high-speed due to handling of an image having a high resolution and a high frame rate. A vehicle-mounted camera device, a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device, and a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system that can use a low-cost integrated circuit such as a simple FPGA.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

  (1) In a vehicle-mounted camera device, an image capturing unit that captures an image, an image processing unit that processes an image captured by the image capturing unit, and an image signal transmitting unit that outputs image information processed by the image processing unit And a control signal communication unit for communicating control information having information on image processing performed by the image processing unit based on the image information output by the image signal transmission unit, wherein the control signal communication unit includes the image signal The control information is communicated after a preset time based on a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information output from the transmitting unit, and the image processing unit performs image processing in response to the control information.

(2) An in-vehicle camera adjustment device that adjusts the in-vehicle camera device, the image signal receiving unit receiving image information from the in-vehicle camera device, and a signal processing unit that generates control information based on the received image information. And a control signal communication unit that communicates control information with the on-vehicle camera device in synchronization with the received image information. The control signal communication unit is included in the image information received by the image signal reception unit. After a predetermined time has elapsed based on the reference signal in the image frame, control information is output to the vehicle-mounted camera device, and the predetermined time is set based on a time required for the vehicle-mounted camera device to process the image information. .

(3) In the vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system having the vehicle-mounted camera device and the vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device, the vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device controls the image signal receiving unit that receives image information from the vehicle-mounted camera device, and synchronizes with the image information. A control signal communication unit for transmitting information to the on-vehicle camera device, wherein the control signal communication unit of the on-vehicle camera adjustment device transmits a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information by the image signal receiving unit. received from after a predetermined time has elapsed, Outputs the control information to the vehicle camera system, the upper Kisho constant time, the vehicle camera system is based on the time required to process the image information setting Is done.

  (4) In the vehicle-mounted camera unit, in the configuration in which the vehicle-mounted camera unit having an imaging function and the image processing unit that receives the image information output of the vehicle-mounted camera unit and performs the image recognition processing are separated, And the image processing unit communicate control information with each other, the image processing unit includes an image signal receiving unit that receives image information from the on-vehicle camera unit, and a control signal that transmits the control information in synchronization with the image information. A communication unit, the control signal communication unit, after receiving a reference signal in the image frame included in the image information received by the image signal receiving unit after a predetermined time has elapsed, to the vehicle-mounted camera unit The predetermined time is set based on the time required for the on-vehicle camera unit to process the image information. That.

  According to the present invention, even when an image has a high resolution or a high frame rate, a low-speed integrated circuit such as an inexpensive FPGA or the like does not involve a complicated high-speed circuit for processing an image signal. A vehicle-mounted camera device, a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device, and a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system that can use the present invention can be realized.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle-mounted camera device and an external device (a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device and the like) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device and control communication with an external device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of timing when an external device performs communication using a control signal with a vehicle-mounted camera device in the first embodiment. 6 is a time chart when a control signal is transmitted and received between the vehicle-mounted camera device and the external device in the first embodiment, and the external device sets a value for internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device. 6 is a control signal time chart when the external device sets a processing parameter of the vehicle-mounted camera device and the external device acquires an internal processing result of the vehicle-mounted camera device. 6 is a control signal time chart when an external device acquires an internal processing result of the vehicle-mounted camera device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between an in-vehicle camera internal process and control communication when an external device writes adjustment data to the in-vehicle camera device according to the first embodiment. 6 is a time chart of a control signal when the external device transfers a processing X request and adjustment data to the vehicle-mounted camera device in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between on-vehicle camera internal processing and control communication when returning the in-vehicle camera device to an operation synchronized with an image frame after transfer of adjustment data. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of each signal line which comprises a control signal when an in-vehicle camera device shifts from processing X to a normal processing state. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between internal processing of the on-vehicle camera device and control communication with an external device according to the second embodiment. 9 is a time chart of transmission / reception of control signals between the on-vehicle camera device and the external device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between an in-vehicle camera internal process and control communication when an external device writes adjustment data to the in-vehicle camera device according to the second embodiment. 10 is a time chart of a control signal when an external device transfers a processing X request and adjustment data to a vehicle-mounted camera device in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between internal processing of a vehicle-mounted camera device and control communication with an external device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an example of timing when an external device communicates with a vehicle-mounted camera device using a control signal in a third embodiment. 5 is a control signal time chart when an external device acquires a processing result of the image processing circuit A of the vehicle-mounted camera device. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle-mounted camera device including a vehicle-mounted camera unit and an image processing unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between control communication between an in-vehicle camera unit and an image processing unit according to a fourth embodiment and internal processing of the in-vehicle camera unit.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Example 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle-mounted camera device and a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system is configured by a vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and an external device 500 that is a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device. The external device 500 corresponds to a device used for adjusting the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 or a device used for acquiring and debugging operation information.

  The in-vehicle camera device 100 includes two image sensor modules (image capturing units) 110A and 110B that capture images and convert the images into electric signals, an image processing circuit (image processing unit) A120 that functions as an accelerator for image processing, and an image processing unit. A microcomputer A140 for controlling the circuit A120, image processing by software, and overall control of the on-vehicle camera device 100; an image signal transmission unit 130 serving as an interface for outputting a captured image and an image processed by the image processing circuit A120; A control signal communication unit 150 serving as a communication interface for control information required by A140.

  The image processing circuit A120 performs processing that is inefficient when performed by the microcomputer A140 and requires execution time for the processing content, for example, image exposure correction, distortion correction, and edge extraction processing. The on-vehicle camera device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a camera device having a function of detecting a distance to an object by stereoscopic vision, and thus has two image sensor modules 110, and the image processing circuit A120 has a It also has a function (parallax image generation function) of detecting the magnitude of parallax for a pixel group (pixels bundled in units of several pixels vertically and horizontally).

  The microcomputer A140 is connected to a CAN (Controller Area Network) and can communicate with other control devices (not shown) existing in the vehicle by CAN signals.

  The external device 500 includes an image signal receiving unit A530 serving as an interface for receiving the image signal 800 output from the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, and a control signal communication unit A550 serving as an interface for mutually communicating the control signal 820 with the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. And control information output to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 by using the control information acquired from the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 by analyzing the image signal 800 (adjustment of image exposure correction, distortion correction, edge extraction processing, and the like performed by the image processing circuit A120). And a synchronization information (vertical synchronization signal, horizontal synchronization signal, or a specific data pattern in the image signal 800) included in the image signal 800. Signal, and outputs a signal after a lapse of a specific time from that timing. It includes a timing generator 560 which, in accordance with an instruction from the signal and the signal processing unit 540 from the timing generator 560, and a command generation unit 570 generates a command for control.

  The signal processing unit 540 included in the external device 500 may be a dedicated device or a combination of a personal computer and dedicated software.

  With the above-described configuration, the external device 500 can communicate control information aiming at a specific timing in a frame of an image based on a timing that can be detected from the image signal 800.

  The adjustment of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 is performed before shipment of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 as a product or the like. This means that, for example, several geometric patterns, which are predetermined by the two image sensor modules 110A and 110B, are imaged, and the image signal 800 output via the image processing circuit A120 and the image signal transmitting unit 130 is output to an external device. 500 receives and determines from the received signal whether or not, for example, distortion correction or shading correction of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 is necessary, and if these corrections are required, outputs a correction signal to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. . The on-vehicle camera device 100 performs distortion correction and shading correction according to the received correction signal.

  The present invention relates to a technique for transmitting and receiving control information between the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and an external device 500 that is a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and control communication with the external device 500 according to the first embodiment. An example of a relationship between internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and communication of control information (control communication) between the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and the external device 500 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The vehicle-mounted camera device 100 sequentially outputs image frames 210 and 220 according to the image signal 800. There is a vertical synchronization period 201 between the image frames 210 and 220. The in-vehicle camera device 100 internally performs image processing in accordance with an image frame. Since the internal processing of the on-vehicle camera device 100 is performed in units of the entire frame, the processing is performed on the image of the immediately preceding frame.

  Inside the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, there are a normal process in which processes are sequentially executed and an interrupt process in which an interrupt process is performed for the normal process. The normal processing is realized by the cooperative operation of the image processing circuit A120 and the microcomputer A140, and the interruption processing is performed by using the interrupt execution function of the microcomputer A140.

  The cooperative operation between the image processing circuit A120 and the microcomputer A140 is realized by instructing the microcomputer A140 to start the image processing function to be executed by the image processing circuit A120 at a necessary timing.

  Processing A230 (exposure correction), processing B240 (distortion correction), and processing C250 (object recognition) are executed as normal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. In the interrupt processing, exchange of control information accompanying control communication is performed. Note that these processes are merely examples, and normal processes can be added, deleted, or changed by the function of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, and processes other than those shown in FIG. 2 may be performed in the interrupt process.

  Process A230 (exposure correction) is a process for correcting sensitivity variations of the image sensor module 110 and sensitivity variations due to pixels. In process B240 (distortion correction), the deformation of the image generated in the optical system is corrected. In process C250 (object recognition), an object is detected from the image by the image recognition process, and a three-dimensional estimated position of the object is calculated. In process C250, an edge detection process and a parallax image generation process are also performed first if necessary.

  In the control communication, the external device 500 outputs a communication request signal serving as a command for designating a communication operation at an appropriate timing based on synchronization information included in the image signal 800 output from the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. The external device 500 outputs the communication request B360 at a timing before the start of the process B240, and subsequently outputs the process B setting 361 for setting the operation of the process B240 to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100.

  After the completion of the process A230 and at the timing before the start of the process C, the external device 500 issues a communication request aC350, and subsequently outputs the process C setting 351 for performing the operation setting of the process C250 to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. At this time, in consideration of the processing time for processing the communication request instruction in the vehicle-mounted camera apparatus 100, if it can be guaranteed that the collection of data necessary for communication of the processing A result 315 after the completion of the processing A230, the processing before the completion of the processing A230 is performed. The output of the communication request aC350 may be started from the timing.

  The same applies to the acquisition of the result of the process B240, and the external device 500 sends the communication request b365 at a timing that can guarantee that the in-vehicle camera device 100 starts collecting data necessary for communication of the process B result 325 after the completion of the process B240. Output.

  In a communication request for acquiring a processing result from the on-vehicle camera device 100, such as a communication request aC350 or a communication request b365, processing results necessary for communication are collected in the communication process 290 of the on-vehicle camera device 100, and the control signal communication unit B150 is automatically activated. Set to output the processing result. The external device 500 outputs a communication request to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 via the control signal 820 at the timing when the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 can output the processing result, and the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 performs processing corresponding to the communication request. The result, that is, the processing A result 315 for the communication request aC350 and the processing B result 325 for the communication request b365 are transmitted to the external device 500.

  Since the communication request cA355 is a request for acquiring the result of the process C250 and setting the process A230, the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 processes the communication request after the process C250 is completed, and Output from the external device 500 at a timing in time for the setting of the process A230.

  For the purpose of adjustment and evaluation, only a part of control communication may be performed. Further, instead of issuing both a request for setting to the on-vehicle camera device 100 and obtaining a result of the internal processing of the on-vehicle camera device 100 as in the case of the communication request aC350, a function of issuing a request to execute only the result of the process A230 has been added. Good. For example, when adjusting the exposure correction, it is conceivable that only the setting of the process A230 and the acquisition of the result are performed while an image having a uniform brightness is photographed by the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. In this case, a communication request for performing only the processing A setting 356 is prepared instead of the communication request cA355, and a communication request for only obtaining the processing A result 315 is prepared instead of the communication request aC350. It could be used.

  In the exposure correction adjustment process, a loop process of temporarily setting a brightness correction value for the process A230 and updating the set value based on the brightness unevenness of the image acquired via the image signal 800 is performed. In addition, the statistical information (the highest luminance, the lowest luminance, the luminance distribution tendency, etc.) acquired by the image processing of the on-vehicle camera device 100 in the processing A230 is acquired as a result of the processing A230, and is used for update control of the set value and determination of adjustment end. I do.

  The same applies to the adjustment processing of the distortion correction, and a communication request for performing only the setting and the result acquisition for the processing B240 may be prepared and used.

  In the adjustment process of the distortion correction, an image on which a fixed pattern is printed is photographed by the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, a provisional distortion correction value is obtained from the difference between the image acquired via the image signal 800 and the ideal image, and the process B240 is set. Perform loop processing to update the value. The statistical information acquired by the image processing of the on-vehicle camera device 100 in the process B240 is also used as a reference for the update control of the set value and the determination of the end of the adjustment. However, when the image processing result of the in-vehicle camera device 100 in the process B240 is unnecessary, a communication request for acquiring the process B result 325 is also unnecessary.

  Note that the in-vehicle camera device 100 may have a different frame output start timing and internal process start timing.

  That is, the in-vehicle camera device 100 can communicate the control signal at a timing independent of the reference signal of the image signal output from the image signal transmission unit 130. By appropriately setting the reference timing in the timing generation unit 560 of the external device 500, it is possible to cope with the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 in which the frame timing and the internal processing timing are different.

  Next, the timing when the external device 500 performs communication using the control signal 820 with the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of timing when the external device 500 performs communication using the control signal with the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 in the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, in the first embodiment, each of the internal processes of the on-vehicle camera device 100 is controlled so as to be executed within a range of fluctuation Tf for a certain period of time in order to realize real-time processing. The allowable time fluctuation Tf is the fluctuation time of the processing of the microcomputer A140, and fluctuates around the dotted line between the processing A and the processing B and the dotted line between the processing B and the processing C as shown.

  The communication timing is set by configuring the image processing circuit A120 of the in-vehicle camera device 100 to execute a specific process in a fixed time, or by executing a software process executed by the microcomputer A140 and terminating the process. That is, it is determined that the process A230 ends after the time Tai and before Taa from the reference timing (reference timing) determined based on the image frame, and the process B240 ends after the time Tbi and before Tba. Similar restrictions are imposed on the end timing for other processes.

  The external device 500 sets the timing generation unit 560 so that necessary control communication can be performed at a desired timing in advance. That is, the timing Tas for performing the communication request B and the process B setting 362 is set to a timing earlier than the time Tai (the end time of the process A). The timing Tbs at which the communication request aC and the processing C setting 352 are performed is set to a timing at which the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 processes the communication request after Taa and before Tbi.

  At the timing Tbr at which the external device 500 takes in the processing A result 315 from the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, the communication request is processed by the communication process 290 on the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 side, and the result of the process A230 can be transmitted to the external device 500. Is set at a time interval from Tbs so that the time required to satisfy the condition can be secured.

  The operation of each signal line constituting the control signal 820 when the vertical synchronization timing of the image frame is used as a reference will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a time chart when the control signal is transmitted and received between the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and the external device 500 according to the first embodiment, and the external device 500 sets a value for the internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. 5 and 6 are control signal time charts when the external device 500 acquires the internal processing result of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. FIG.

  4 to 6, a control signal 820 includes a control signal C821 serving as a clock for data communication, a control signal Dm825 serving as a data signal communicated from the external device 500 to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, and a control signal Cm821 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 to the external device. The control signal Ds826 is a data signal for communicating with the control signal 500. The clock for data communication is always output from the external device 500. The vertical synchronization information 810 is information included in the image signal 800, and a portion indicating the vertical synchronization period 201 is described as an H state (high level state) for convenience.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating communication related to the communication request B360 illustrated in FIG. 2 as an example in which the external device 500 sets a value for internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. In FIG. 4, a clock is output from the external device 500 to the control signal C821 after the elapse of the Tas time from the reference timing, which is the fall time of the vertical synchronization period, and the bit string indicating the communication request B360 and the processing B setting 361 are synchronized with this clock. The corresponding bit sequence is output as control signal Dm825.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating communication related to the communication request aC350 as an example in which the external device 500 sets a value for internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and further obtains a result from the internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. In FIG. 5, a clock is output to the control signal C821 from the external device 500 after a lapse of Tbs from the reference timing, which is the fall time of the vertical synchronization period, and the bit string indicating the communication request aC350 and the processing C setting 351 are set in accordance with the clock. Is output to the control signal Dm825. Once the clock of the control signal C821 is stopped, the clock is output again from the external device 500 to the control signal C821 after a lapse of Tbr from the reference timing. In accordance with this clock, the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 outputs a bit string corresponding to the processing A result 315 to the control signal Ds826.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating communication related to the communication request B360 as an example in which the external device 500 acquires the result of the internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. In FIG. 6, Tcs and Tcr are determined based on the fluctuation range of the end time of the process C250 in the same way as the communication request aC350. A clock is output from the external device 500 to the control signal C821 after a lapse of Tcs from the reference timing, which is the fall time of the vertical synchronization period, and a bit string indicating the communication request b365 is output to the control signal Dm825 in accordance with the clock. Once, the clock of the control signal C821 is stopped, and after a lapse of Tcr from the reference timing, the clock is output again from the external device 500 to the control signal C821. In accordance with this clock, the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 outputs a bit string corresponding to the processing B result 325 to the control signal Ds826.

  The configuration of the control signal 820 described above is an example, and any other configuration may be used as long as the same function can be realized. Also, the bit length corresponding to the communication request, the bit length used for communication of the setting data, and the bit length used for communication of the processing result may be changed according to the required data amount. However, the bit length of the communication request is fixed, and the bit length of the setting data and the bit length of the processing result can be uniquely determined from the content of the communication request. It must be prevented from occurring.

  Next, the relationship between the in-vehicle camera internal processing and the control communication when writing the adjustment data 381 of the in-vehicle camera device 100 determined using the external device 500 to a flash memory or the like mounted on the microcomputer A140 of the in-vehicle camera device 100 is shown in FIG. This will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between the in-vehicle camera internal processing and the control communication when the external device 500 writes the adjustment data into the in-vehicle camera device 100 according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, it is necessary to write parameters (luminance correction value, distortion correction value) for each pixel or every several to several tens of pixel units in the adjustment data 381, and the control signal has a large data amount and a low communication speed. In 820, communication may not be completed within one frame. Therefore, a communication mode in which communication is performed using the control signal 820 at an independent timing regardless of the image frame timing is prepared.

  To write the adjustment data 381 into the on-vehicle camera device 100, the external device 500 outputs a processing X request 380 using the control signal 820. The in-vehicle camera device 100 that has received the process X request 380 performs a process corresponding to the process X request 380 in the communication process 290, and sets a flag for shifting the normal process of the in-vehicle camera device 100 to process X280 (writing adjustment information). The in-vehicle camera device 100 checks the flag at the break of the process A230, and shifts the normal process to the process X280.

  Waiting for the time when the in-vehicle camera device 100 surely shifts to the process X280, the external device 500 starts outputting the adjustment data 381, and the in-vehicle camera device 100 writes the adjustment data received in the process X280 into the flash memory in the microcomputer A140. . When the data transfer speed of the control signal 820 is higher than the write speed of the flash memory, the external device 500 transmits the control signal C821 to the RAM of the microcomputer A140 and transmits the adjustment data 381 every fixed data transfer. For example, the clock is temporarily stopped to secure time for writing to the flash memory.

  Next, the operation of each signal line constituting the control signal 820 accompanying the transfer of the processing X request 380 and the adjustment data 381 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a time chart of a control signal when the external device 500 transfers the processing X request and the adjustment data to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 in the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 8, when writing the adjustment data 381 from the external device 500 to the in-vehicle camera device 100, a clock is output from the external device 500 to the control signal C821 at an arbitrary timing when other communication is not performed by the control signal 820, A bit string corresponding to the processing X request 380 is output to the control signal Dm825 in synchronization with this clock. After outputting the bit sequence of the processing X request 380, the external device 500 outputs a clock to the control signal C821 again after the elapse of the Txw time from the start of the processing X request, and outputs the bit sequence corresponding to the adjustment data 381 in accordance with the clock. I do.

  Since the in-vehicle camera device 100 operates regardless of the image frame during the execution of the processing X280, the transfer of the adjustment data 381 can be continued regardless of the output timing of the vertical synchronization information of the vertical synchronization information 810.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the in-vehicle camera internal processing and the control communication when the in-vehicle camera device 100 returns to the operation synchronized with the image frame after the transfer of the adjustment data 381.

  In FIG. 9, after the reception of the adjustment data 381 is completed, the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 shifts to a process Y285 (waiting for instruction) state. When the external device 500 outputs the return request 385 via the control signal 820 in this state, the in-vehicle camera device 100 enters a process Z289 (waiting for mode transition). After entering the processing Z289 state, the vehicle-mounted camera apparatus 100 waits for the completion of the vertical synchronization period 201 (specific timing), and then shifts to processing A (exposure correction) 230, which is a normal processing state.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of each signal line constituting the control signal 820 when the in-vehicle camera device 100 shifts from the process X280 to the normal processing state.

  As shown in FIG. 10, after the communication of the adjustment data 381 is completed, the external device 500 stops outputting the clock to the control signal C821. When the external device 500 wants to shift the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 to the normal processing state again, it outputs a clock to the control signal C821 at an arbitrary timing and outputs a bit sequence corresponding to the return request 385 to the control signal Dm825 according to the clock. I do. Then, after waiting for the next vertical synchronization information 810 to be released, the in-vehicle camera device 100 and the external device 500 shift to the normal processing state (processing state synchronized with the image frame).

  If the processing state synchronized with the image frame is not based on the vertical synchronization, the processing may shift to the normal processing state at the reference timing.

  Also, by issuing a communication request from the external device 500 during the processing inside the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and acquiring the internal state at that time as a result, debugging of the processing performed inside the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and investigation of the processing speed are performed. It can be used for

  Further, depending on the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, the image frame time may be different depending on the frame. In such a case, for example, during the vertical synchronization period 201, the external processing device 500 issues a communication request to acquire information of a frame type corresponding to the frame time of the next image frame, and acquires the frame in the same manner as the procedure of acquiring other processing results. It is also possible to acquire the result of the type and change the next communication request issue timing (Tas, Tbs, Tbr, etc.) to the timing corresponding to the frame type based on this information.

  When the adjustment of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 by the external device 500 ends, the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and the external device 500 are separated.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the external device 500 (the on-vehicle camera adjustment device) sets the processing result (exposure) of the on-vehicle camera device 100 Processing, distortion correction processing, object recognition processing), a request signal is output to the on-vehicle camera apparatus 100, and the on-vehicle camera apparatus 100 sends the processing result information to the external apparatus 500 by an interrupt processing different from the normal processing. And output the adjustment data 381 from the external device 500 to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. The mutual communication between the request signal, the processing result information, and the control information such as the adjustment data between the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and the external device is performed by vertical synchronization. The configuration is such that it can be executed not only during the period 201 but also during the image frame times 210 and 220.

  Therefore, the control signal can be separated from the image signal even in the case of the communication of the control signal operating at the timing based on the video signal, and the image can be separated even if the image has a high resolution or a high frame rate. The in-vehicle camera device 100 and the in-vehicle camera adjustment device 500 that can use a low-cost integrated circuit such as an inexpensive FPGA without complicating a high-speed circuit that processes system signals can be realized.

  Further, it is possible to realize a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system (100, 500) in which the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and the vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device 500 are combined.

  In addition, since the communication timing of the control information can be adjusted by the on-vehicle camera adjustment device 500, which is the device to which the on-vehicle camera device 100 is connected, it is also used at a specific timing to check the internal state of the on-vehicle camera device 100. Thus, the present invention can be applied to debugging of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100.

(Example 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The second embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in the procedure when a communication request is issued from the external device 500 to simultaneously perform the setting to the in-vehicle camera device 100 and the reading of the result, and the procedure for shifting to the process X280. The overall configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the example shown in FIG. 1, so that illustration and detailed description are omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and control communication with the external device 500 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 illustrates a relationship between the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 and the external device 500 according to the second embodiment. 5 is a time chart of transmission and reception of control signals.

  With reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, a description will be given of a configuration in which a procedure when a communication request for simultaneously performing setting to the in-vehicle camera 100 and reading the result from the external device 500 is issued is different.

  In FIG. 11, the setting for the in-vehicle camera device 100 and the result acquisition are simultaneously performed from the external device 500 following the communication request aC350 and the communication request cA355.

  That is, after the communication request aC350, the communication of the processing A result 315 and the processing C setting 351 are performed simultaneously, and after the communication request cA355, the communication of the processing C result 335 and the processing A setting 356 are performed simultaneously.

  FIG. 12 shows the operation of each signal line of the control signal 820 corresponding to the communication request aC350 in FIG. In FIG. 12, a clock is output from the external device 500 to the control signal C821 after a lapse of Tbs from the reference timing that is the fall of the vertical synchronization signal 810, and a bit string indicating the communication request aC350 is output to the control signal Dm825 in accordance with the clock. Is done. Once the clock of the control signal C821 is stopped, the clock is output again from the external device 500 to the control signal C821 after a lapse of Tbb from the reference timing. In accordance with this clock, the external device 500 outputs a bit sequence corresponding to the process C setting 351 to the control signal Dm825, and the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 outputs a bit sequence corresponding to the process A result 315 to the control signal Ds826.

  When the bit string corresponding to the processing C setting 351 and the bit string corresponding to the processing A result 315 are different from each other, the clock output to the control signal C821 is output according to the long bit length. The side receiving the short bit-length data (the on-vehicle camera device 100 or the external device 500) ignores the extra data added to the end of the bit string. This procedure in the second embodiment has an advantage that the time used for the communication of the process C351 can be reduced compared to the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the in-vehicle camera internal processing and control communication when the external device 500 writes adjustment data to the in-vehicle camera device 100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a time chart of a control signal when the external device 500 transfers the processing X request and the adjustment data to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 in the second embodiment.

  The shift procedure to the process X280 will be described with reference to FIGS. This procedure is used when it is difficult to determine the time Txw in FIG. 8 described in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the in-vehicle camera internal processing and the control communication. After the external device 500 outputs the processing X request 380, the in-vehicle camera device 100 can receive the adjustment data 381, that is, executes the processing X280. The status is confirmed by polling the in-vehicle camera device 100 from the external device 500.

  The polling is performed by outputting a status confirmation 387 from the external device 500 to the control signal 820, and responding to this by the in-vehicle camera device 100 responding with the status NG345 or the status OK346 via the control signal 820.

  FIG. 14 shows the operation of each signal line of the control signal 820 corresponding to the communication procedure of FIG. 14, the external device 500 outputs a clock as a control signal C821, and outputs a bit string corresponding to the processing X request 380 as a control signal Dm825. After the clock is output as the control signal C821, the clock is output again as the control signal C821 in order to output the state confirmation 387 after the elapse of the Tpfw time, and the control signal Dm825 is changed to the bit string corresponding to the state confirmation 387 as the control signal Dm825. Output to

  The output of the state confirmation 387 is performed at an interval Tpw until the state OK 346 is received from the vehicle-mounted camera device 100. When the output of the state confirmation 387 is completed, the clock output to the control signal C821 is stopped.

  After outputting the status confirmation 387, the external device 500 waits until the time Tp elapses to secure the time required for the in-vehicle camera device 100 to prepare the response data, and the external device 500 outputs a clock again to the control signal C821, and the in-vehicle camera device 100 outputs the status NG345 Alternatively, a bit string corresponding to state OK346 is received.

  Upon receiving the bit string corresponding to the state OK 346, the external device 500 starts transmitting the adjustment data 381 to the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 together with the clock.

  The method of the external device 500 polling the in-vehicle camera device 100 and confirming the state of the in-vehicle camera device 100 is not limited to confirming that the processing has shifted to the processing X280, but is assumed inside the in-vehicle camera device 100. It can also be applied to check whether it has been done. For example, if a function for confirming the execution of the process A230 is provided in the status confirmation, it is possible to detect whether or not the process A230 is being executed. It can be used for confirming whether or not the assumed control communication is performed between the devices 100.

  According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the time required for a communication request from the external device 500 to the on-vehicle camera device 100 can be reduced.

(Example 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The third embodiment of the present invention is an example in which the timing at which a communication request from the external device 500 to the in-vehicle camera 100 is issued is different from the first embodiment. The overall configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the example shown in FIG. 1, so that illustration and detailed description are omitted.

  The third embodiment has a large allowable range of fluctuation of the execution time of each process performed inside the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, and issues a communication request from the external device 500 after a lapse of a specific time from the reference timing based on the image signal 800. This is an example that can cope with the case where it is difficult to obtain the target setting or result.

  Third Embodiment A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between internal processing of the on-vehicle camera device 100 and control communication with the external device 500 according to the third embodiment. 15, the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a completion notification 349 is transmitted from the control signal communication unit B150 of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 to the external device 500. Upon receiving the completion notification 349, the external device 500 can determine the timing at which the next communication request is output.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of timing when the external device 500 performs communication using the control signal with the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 16 illustrates a signal corresponding to the processing A result 315 in FIG. The timing is shown.

  In FIG. 16, the communication request B and the process B setting 362 are output from the external device 500 to the on-vehicle camera device 100 after a lapse of Tas from the reference timing because the fluctuation range of the process time of the process A230 is kept constant. However, the communication request aC and the process C setting 352 need to consider the process time fluctuation of the process B240 in addition to the process time fluctuation of the process A230, and it is difficult to issue a communication request at a specific timing from the external device 500.

  Therefore, after confirming the completion notification 349 from the vehicle-mounted camera 100, the communication request aC and the process C setting 352 are issued, so that the control communication is performed at an appropriate timing according to the progress of the process of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100.

  FIG. 17 is a control signal time chart when the external device 500 acquires the processing result of the image processing circuit A120 of the on-vehicle camera device 100. The operation of each signal line of the control signal 820 related to the communication request aC350 in FIG. Is shown.

  In FIG. 17, since the completion notification 349 is mainly output from the vehicle-mounted camera device 100, when the clock of the control signal C821 is stopped, the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 outputs a pulse indicating the completion notification 349 to the control signal Ds826. The pulse width Tfw of the completion notification 349 is set to three periods of a clock to be put on the control signal C821, and the external device 500 can continuously sample twice at a normal sampling rate of the communication performed by the control signal 820, whereby the control signal It is possible to stably obtain the completion notification 349 while filtering short-time noises on the Ds826.

  When the external device 500 issues the next communication request after waiting for each internal process of the on-vehicle camera device 100, collision with the normal communication of the control signal Ds826 (communication synchronized with the clock of the control signal C821) does not occur. However, if a communication request is issued from the external device 500 during the processing inside the on-vehicle camera device 100 and the internal state at that time is obtained as a result, there is a possibility of collision, so that the clock from the external device 500 is output to the control signal C821. During the output period, the on-vehicle camera device 100 masks the output of the completion notification 349 and gives priority to communication corresponding to the clock.

  In this case, since the external device 500 may not be able to detect the completion notification 349, the communication procedure described in the second embodiment may be performed when communicating the setting or processing result corresponding to the communication request from the external device 500. In this case, the bit sequence indicating the state of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 is always included in the bit sequence communicated by the control signal Ds826, so that the external device 500 can grasp the processing state of the vehicle-mounted camera device 100 through normal communication.

  In the third embodiment, the communication is performed according to the procedure described in the first embodiment except that the completion notification 349 is used. Alternatively, the communication may be performed according to the procedure described in the second embodiment.

  According to the third embodiment of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the permissible range of fluctuation of the execution time of each process performed by the on-vehicle camera device 100 is large. Even in this case, there is an effect that control communication can be performed at appropriate timing.

(Example 4)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle-mounted camera device 100A according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, which includes vehicle-mounted camera units 115A and 115B and an image processing unit 505.

  In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the on-vehicle camera device 100 is divided into the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B, and the communication of the control signal 820 between the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B and the image processing unit 505 is performed. 3 is an example of a configuration using any one of the communication procedures.

  In FIG. 18, a plurality of vehicle-mounted camera units 115A and 115B can be connected to one image processing unit 505. The in-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B are mainly units for imaging, and have a light image processing and mutual communication function with the image processing unit 505. The image processing unit 505 controls the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B via control signals 820A and 820B. Further, the image processing unit 505 performs an image recognition process based on the image data acquired from the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B.

  In the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B, the outputs of the image sensor modules 110A and 110B are input to the image processing circuit C135, and after performing simple image processing (calculation of statistical information such as average luminance related to exposure), the image is processed. The image signals 800A and 800B are output via the signal transmission unit 130. Further, the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B receive the communication request of the control signals 820A and 820B from the image processing unit 505 using the control signal communication unit F155, and set the operation of the image processing circuit C135. The operation timing of the modules 110A and 110B, exposure control parameters, and the like are set, and information obtained by the image processing circuit C135 is returned to the image processing unit 505 in accordance with a communication request from the image processing unit 505.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between control communication between the vehicle-mounted camera units 115A and 115B and the image processing unit 505 according to the fourth embodiment and internal processing of the vehicle-mounted camera unit 505.

  In FIG. 19, when the processing H760 (exposure statistics) is completed, the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B output a completion notification 349. The image processing unit 505 receives the completion notification 349 and outputs a communication request h710, and the in-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B return a processing H result 712 to the image processing unit 505 in response to the communication processing 290.

  The image recognition unit 505 outputs data corresponding to the communication request I720 and the subsequent processing I setting 722 using the synchronization information included in the image signal 800A or 800B from one of the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B as a reference timing.

  Upon receiving the processing I setting 722, the in-vehicle camera unit 505 executes processing I770 (exposure start timing correction). In the processing I770, the exposure start of the next frame is performed based on the clock edge output from the image processing unit 505 to the control signal C821 of the control signals 820A and 820B and the waiting time until the start of exposure included in the data of the processing I setting 722. Adjust the time. In particular, when the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B acquire a left image and a right image in stereo vision, the exposure timing needs to be matched between the left and right, so that the processing I770 is required.

  The communication between the in-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B and the image processing unit 505 shown in the fourth embodiment uses the completion notification 349, so that the control signals 820A and 820B are communicated in the procedure shown in the third embodiment. However, when the processing H720 substantially coincides with the time of one frame, the timing of the communication request h710 can be determined by the elapsed time from the reference time determined from the image signal 800. It is also conceivable to respond by the procedure shown in FIG.

  According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the control signal can be separated from the image signal even in the case of the communication of the control signal operating at the timing based on the video signal, and when the image has a high resolution or a high frame rate. Even in the case of (1), a high-speed circuit for processing image signals is not complicated, a low-cost integrated circuit such as an inexpensive FPGA can be used, and the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B and the image processing unit 505 can be used. Can be realized.

  Further, according to the present invention, by utilizing the fact that the communication timing of control information can be adjusted to a timing based on a video signal by the image processing unit 505, synchronization of the exposure timing of the on-vehicle camera units 115A and 115B is achieved. Control can also be performed.

  100, 100A: on-board camera, 110A, 110B: image sensor module, 115A, 115B: on-board camera unit, 120: image processing circuit A, 130: image signal transmitting unit, 134 Image processing circuit B, 135 image processing circuit C, 140 microcomputer A, 145 microcomputer B, 150 control signal communication unit B, 155 control signal communication unit F, 201 ... vertical synchronization period, 210 ... frame 1, 220 ... frame 2, 230 ... processing A (exposure correction), 240 ... processing B (distortion correction), 250 ... processing C ( Object recognition), 280 processing X (adjustment information writing), 285 processing Y (waiting for instruction), 289 processing Z (waiting for mode transition), 290 communication processing, 315 ... Processing A 325: Process B result, 335: Result, 345: G, 346, K: 349, Completion notification, 350: Communication request aC, 351: Process C setting, 352: Communication request aC and processing C setting, 355: Communication request cA, 356: Processing A setting, 360: Communication request B, 361: Processing B setting, 362: Communication request B and processing B setting, 380 processing X request, 381 adjustment data, 385 recovery request, 387 state confirmation, 500 external device (vehicle camera adjustment device), 530 ..Image signal receiving sections A, 535... Image signal receiving sections B, 540... Signal processing sections, 550... Control signal communication sections A, 555... Control signal communication sections E, 560. Timing generation unit, 570... Command generation unit, 7 0: Communication request h, 712: Processing H result, 720: Communication request I, 722: Processing I setting, 760: Processing H (exposure statistics), 770: Processing I ( Exposure start timing correction), 800, 800A, 800B ... image signal, 820, 820A, 820B ... control signal, 810 ... vertical synchronization information, 821 ... control signal C (clock), 825 ... Control signal Dm, 826 ... control signal Ds

Claims (16)

An image capturing unit for capturing an image,
An image processing unit that performs processing on the image captured by the image capturing unit;
An image signal transmitting unit that outputs image information processed by the image processing unit;
A control signal communication unit that communicates control information having information on image processing performed by the image processing unit based on the image information output by the image signal transmission unit;
The control signal communication unit communicates the control information after a preset time based on a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information output from the image signal transmission unit, and the image processing unit An on-vehicle camera device mounted on a vehicle, which performs image processing in response to the control information. The vehicle-mounted camera device according to claim 1,
When performing communication of the control information after a preset time based on the reference signal in the image frame included in the image information output from the image signal sending unit, the image processing unit includes: An in-vehicle camera device, which receives information for setting an image processing operation to be performed and outputs a result of image processing according to the control information to the control signal communication unit. The vehicle-mounted camera device according to claim 1,
The in-vehicle camera device, wherein the control signal communication unit performs an operation of communicating the control information at a timing independent of a timing of a reference signal in the image frame in accordance with an instruction based on the control information. The vehicle-mounted camera device according to claim 3,
After performing the communication of the control information at a timing independent of the timing of the reference signal in the image frame, in accordance with the instruction by the control information, to return to the operation based on the timing of the reference signal in the image frame. An on-vehicle camera device which waits until a specific reference signal in a reference signal frame in the image frame, and thereafter performs an operation based on the timing of the reference signal in the image frame. The vehicle-mounted camera device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The image processing unit outputs the result of image processing according to the control information to the control signal communication unit at the same time as receiving information for setting an image processing operation performed by the image processing unit. Camera device. The vehicle-mounted camera device according to claim 4,
When the control information is communicated at a timing independent of the timing of the reference signal in the image frame, the control information is communicated at the independent timing. An in-vehicle camera device having a function of performing polling using information. The vehicle-mounted camera device according to claim 2,
The in-vehicle camera device, wherein the control signal communication unit outputs a processing completion notification as the control information for each processing unit of the image processing unit. An in-vehicle camera adjustment device for adjusting an in-vehicle camera device,
An image signal receiving unit that receives image information from the vehicle-mounted camera device,
A signal processing unit for generating control information based on the received image information;
A control signal communication unit that communicates control information with the vehicle-mounted camera device in synchronization with the received image information,
The control signal communication unit, after a predetermined time based on a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information received by the image signal receiving unit, outputs control information to the vehicle-mounted camera device, The vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device is characterized in that the predetermined time is set based on a time required for the vehicle-mounted camera device to process image information. The vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device according to claim 8,
The control signal communication unit outputs control information to the in-vehicle camera device after a lapse of a predetermined time after the image signal receiving unit receives the reference signal in the image frame included in the image information, After outputting the control information, after a lapse of a specific time, the in-vehicle camera device outputs a clock used to output a signal for responding to the control information output by the control signal communication unit. In-vehicle camera adjustment device. The vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device according to claim 8,
The vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device further comprising a communication mode in which the control signal communication unit communicates the control information regardless of a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information received by the image signal reception unit. . The in-vehicle camera adjustment device according to claim 10,
Regardless of the reference signal in the image frame included in the image information received by the image signal receiving unit, when the control signal communication unit transitions to the communication mode for communicating the control information, An in-vehicle camera adjustment device, characterized in that polling is performed using the control information to confirm that the mode has shifted to the communication mode. The in-vehicle camera adjustment device according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
A function in which the control signal communication unit outputs control information to the in-vehicle camera device after a lapse of a predetermined time after receiving a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information received by the image signal receiving unit. And a function of outputting the control information to the in-vehicle camera device using a completion notification in which the in-vehicle camera device outputs control information for each internal processing unit. In a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system having a vehicle-mounted camera device and a vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device,
The vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device includes an image signal receiving unit that receives image information from the vehicle-mounted camera device, and a control signal communication unit that transmits control information to the vehicle-mounted camera device in synchronization with the image information,
The control signal communication unit of the in-vehicle camera adjustment device controls the in-vehicle camera device after a lapse of a predetermined time after the image signal receiving unit receives a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information. vehicle camera system for adjusting Outputs information, the upper Kisho constant time, the vehicle camera system is characterized in that it is set based on the time required to process the image information. 14. The vehicle-mounted camera adjustment system according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle-mounted camera device has a function of outputting a completion notification to the vehicle-mounted camera adjustment device in units of internal processing, and the vehicle- mounted camera adjustment device uses the completion notification. And a function of outputting the control information to the on- vehicle camera device . In the in-vehicle camera device,
An in-vehicle camera unit having an imaging function,
An image processing unit that receives the image information output of the vehicle-mounted camera unit and performs an image recognition process;
With
The in-vehicle camera unit and the image processing unit communicate control information with each other,
The image processing unit has an image signal receiving unit that receives image information from the vehicle-mounted camera unit, and a control signal communication unit that transmits the control information in synchronization with the image information,
The control signal communication unit outputs the control information to the on-vehicle camera unit after a lapse of a predetermined time after receiving a reference signal in an image frame included in the image information received by the image signal receiving unit. The vehicle-mounted camera, wherein the predetermined time is set based on a time required for the vehicle-mounted camera unit to process image information. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 15,
A vehicle-mounted camera having a function of controlling exposure timing of the vehicle-mounted camera unit using the control information.

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