JP7630968B2 - CONTROL DEVICE, CONTROL SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR STORING PHOTO IMAGE DATA - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control device, a control system, and a method for storing captured image data, and is particularly suitable for use in a control device that acquires captured image data from a camera that captures images of the vehicle's surroundings, a control system that includes the control device and the camera, and a method for storing captured image data by the control device.

In recent years, drive recorders have become popular that use a camera to capture images of the vehicle's surroundings, store the captured image data based on the camera's capture results in a storage unit, and allow the user to refer to images based on the captured image data after the fact. The captured image data stored by the drive recorder's functions can be used to verify the behavior of other vehicles and the situation around the vehicle after the fact, for example, when the vehicle is involved in an accident.

Patent Document 1 describes a technology for drive recorders in which the check data portion (such as license plates, traffic lights, walls, etc.) of captured image data (image data) is compressed at a lower compression rate than other portions before the captured image data is stored, thereby reducing the size of the stored data while preventing deterioration in the quality of important portions.

JP 2009-175848 A

However, in conventional drive recorders, highlighting occurs in captured image data, and information in the areas where highlighting occurs is sometimes lost. "Information loss" refers to a state in which, when an image based on captured image data is displayed, information that should be displayed in a certain area of the image becomes invisible due to highlighting. In particular, information recorded on the license plate of another vehicle located in front of the vehicle (such as a vehicle number) can be important information for subsequent verification, but the light projected by the headlights of the vehicle can cause highlighting in the area of the license plate of the vehicle in front in the captured image data, resulting in the information recorded on the license plate being lost.

The present invention was made to solve such problems, and aims to prevent situations where necessary information cannot be obtained due to whiteout in a device that stores captured image data based on the results of photographing the surroundings of a vehicle.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention obtains a first type of captured image data generated by capturing images of the surroundings of a vehicle using a camera with a first exposure setting, and a second type of captured image data generated by capturing images with a second exposure setting that is smaller than the first exposure setting, and stores the second type of captured image data in a storage unit separately from the first type of captured image data or data based on the first type of captured image data.

According to the present invention configured as described above, the storage unit stores image data captured with a low exposure setting when the image was taken, i.e., image data with suppressed whiteout, separately from the image data captured with a high exposure setting when the image was taken. This makes it possible to obtain information lost due to whiteout in the image data captured with a high exposure setting when the image was taken from the image data captured with a low exposure setting when the image was taken, and prevents a situation in which necessary information cannot be obtained due to whiteout in a device that stores image data based on the results of photographing the periphery of a vehicle.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control system and an example of the functional configuration of a control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention and an example of the functional configuration of a control device. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system 1 according to this embodiment, and a functional configuration example of a control device 2 provided in the control system 1. The control device 2 is a so-called drive recorder mounted on a vehicle. A camera 3 is connected to the control device 2. The camera 3 is an imaging device that captures an image in front of the vehicle. The camera 3 is provided, for example, on the back side of a rearview mirror.

The camera 3 according to this embodiment captures images in the following manner. That is, the camera 3 captures images at capture timings that occur at a set predetermined cycle (frame rate), generates captured image data based on the capture results, and outputs the generated captured image data to the control device 2. At each capture timing, the camera 3 captures images with the exposure setting at the first setting value (however, as will become clear later, the camera 3 captures images with a setting value different from the first setting value once in ten times). The exposure setting is a collective term for the lens aperture, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity, which are parameters that adjust the brightness of the captured image data generated by capture.

A larger exposure setting refers to a state in which the values of each parameter are adjusted so that dark areas in the captured image data have a more appropriate brightness. For example, if the lens aperture and ISO sensitivity are constant, the longer the shutter speed, the larger the exposure setting. Also, for example, if the lens aperture and shutter speed are constant, the higher the ISO sensitivity, the larger the exposure setting. The larger the exposure setting, the more likely it is that so-called blown-out highlights will occur in the captured image data. On the other hand, a smaller exposure setting refers to a state in which the values of each parameter are adjusted so that bright areas in the captured image data have a more appropriate brightness. If the lens aperture and ISO sensitivity are constant, the shorter the shutter speed, the smaller the exposure setting, and if the lens aperture and shutter speed are constant, the lower the ISO sensitivity, the smaller the exposure setting.

The first setting value is a value set so that the brightness of the captured image data is normal brightness (the value to which the lens aperture, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity settings are adjusted in this way), and is set with emphasis on ensuring that the brightness of the captured image data is a natural brightness that does not look unnatural, rather than suppressing blown-out highlights. Hereinafter, captured image data captured and generated with the exposure setting at the first setting value will be referred to as the "first type of captured image data."

Meanwhile, during a shooting timing, once every 10 times, instead of shooting with the exposure setting at the first setting, the camera 3 shoots with the exposure setting at the second setting. The second setting is a value set for the purpose of suppressing whiteout (the lens aperture, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity settings are thus adjusted), and is set with emphasis on suppressing whiteout rather than making the brightness of the captured image data a natural brightness that does not look unnatural. Therefore, for the captured image data that is shot and set with the exposure setting at the second setting, the occurrence of whiteout is suppressed as much as possible. Naturally, the second setting is smaller than the first setting.

As a simple example of operation assuming that the lens aperture and ISO sensitivity are constant, for example, camera 3 repeatedly performs a process of capturing images at a shutter speed of X seconds at each of nine consecutive capture timings, and then capturing images at a shutter speed of Y seconds (Y<X) at the next capture timing. Hereinafter, captured image data generated when the exposure setting is the second setting value will be referred to as "second type of captured image data."

As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 2 has a control unit 10 as a functional configuration. The control unit 10 can be configured as hardware, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or software. For example, when configured as software, the control unit 10 is actually configured with a computer's CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and is realized by the operation of a program stored in a recording medium such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory. This is also true for the functional blocks of the second embodiment. The control device 2 also has a memory unit 11 as a storage means.

The control device 2, which functions as a drive recorder, stores captured image data based on the results of shooting by the camera 3 in the storage unit 11, thereby enabling subsequent reference of images based on the captured image data. An image based on captured image data means a still image displayed on a display device based on the captured image data, or a moving image displayed on a display device based on successive captured image data. Images based on captured image data are referenced, for example, when a vehicle is involved in an accident, to verify the behavior of other vehicles and the situation around the vehicle. In conventional drive recorders, whiteout occurs in the stored captured image data, and information on the parts where whiteout occurs is sometimes missing. Lack of information refers to a state in which information cannot be seen in an image based on captured image data due to whiteout.

In particular, information recorded on the license plate of another vehicle located in front of the vehicle (such as the vehicle number) can be important information for subsequent verification, but the light from the vehicle's headlights can cause the license plate of the vehicle in front to be overexposed in the captured image data, resulting in the information recorded on the license plate being missing. In consideration of the above circumstances, the control device 2 according to this embodiment executes the following process. The operation of the control device 2 will be described in detail below.

As described above, the camera 3 basically outputs the first type of captured image data at a predetermined cycle, while outputting the second type of captured image data once every ten times. The control unit 10 acquires the captured image data output by the camera 3 at a predetermined cycle. Then, the control unit 10 stores the first type of captured image data continuously in the first area of the storage unit 11 each time the control unit 10 acquires the first type of captured image data. On the other hand, the control unit 10 stores the second type of captured image data continuously in the second area (≠ the first area) of the storage unit 11 each time the control unit 10 acquires the second type of captured image data.

For example, the control unit 10 acquires a first type of captured image data at each of timings T1, T2, ... T9, acquires a second type of captured image data at the following timing T10, acquires the first type of captured image data at each of the following timings T11, T12, ... T19, and acquires the second type of captured image data at the following timing T20.

In this case, at each of the timings T1, T2, ... T9, the control unit 10 stores the first type of photographed image data in the first area of the storage unit 11 in a continuous manner. At the following timing T10, the control unit 10 stores the second type of photographed image data in the second area (≠ the first area) of the storage unit 11. At each of the following timings T11, T12, ... T19, the control unit 10 stores the first type of photographed image data acquired at each timing in the first area of the storage unit 11 in a continuous manner, following the first type of photographed image data stored at timing T9. At the following timing T20, the control unit 10 stores the second type of photographed image data acquired at timing T20 in the second area of the storage unit 11 in a continuous manner, following the second type of photographed image data stored at timing T10.

As described above, the camera 3 performs shooting with a small exposure setting once every 10 times during the shooting timing to generate the second type of shooting image data, and the control unit 10 stores the second type of shooting image data in the storage unit 11. This configuration provides the following effects. That is, suppose that an image based on the first type of shooting image data generated and stored during a certain time period has whiteout in a certain area, causing a loss of information recorded in that area. In this case, in the second type of shooting image data generated and stored during the same time period, it is highly likely that whiteout does not occur in the corresponding area, and there is also a high possibility that there is no loss of information recorded in that area. Therefore, the user can obtain information from the second type of shooting image data that could not be obtained from the first type of shooting image data.

For example, consider a situation in which a user uses a display device (not shown) connected to the control device 2 to verify the contents of an image based on captured image data stored in the memory unit 11. In this situation, as a result of verifying the contents of an image based on a first type of captured image data generated during a certain time period, it is found that the image contains an image of a license plate, and that the license plate image has been blown out and the information recorded on the license plate (such as the vehicle number) is missing. In such a case, it is highly likely that the license plate image will not have been blown out in the image based on a second type of captured image data generated during the same time period, and the user will be able to obtain the information recorded on the license plate (such as the vehicle number) from the image based on the second type of captured image data generated during the same time period.

In particular, in this embodiment, the system is constructed using the existing camera 3, without providing a separate camera dedicated to taking pictures with a small exposure setting. Therefore, the above-mentioned effects can be obtained while keeping costs down.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device 2 according to this embodiment. This flowchart shows a method for storing captured image data by the control device 2. The flowchart in Fig. 2 shows the processing of the control unit 10 when captured image data is acquired. In other words, the control unit 10 executes the processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 2 at a predetermined cycle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 10 acquires captured image data from the camera 3 (step SA1). Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the type of captured image data acquired in step SA1 is the first type or the second type (step SA2). If it is the first type (step SA2: "first type"), the control unit 10 stores the captured image data acquired in step SA1 (= first type of captured image data) in the first area (step SA3). If it is the second type (step SA2: "second type"), the control unit 10 stores the captured image data acquired in step SA1 (= second type of card house image data) in the second area (step SA4).

As described above, the control device 2 according to this embodiment acquires a first type of photographed image data generated by the camera 3 photographing the periphery of the vehicle with the exposure setting set to a first setting value, and a second type of photographed image data generated by the camera 3 photographing the periphery of the vehicle with the exposure setting set to a second setting value smaller than the first setting value, and stores the second type of photographed image data in the storage unit 11 separately from the first type of photographed image data. According to this configuration, the second type of photographed image data, which is photographed with a small exposure setting and generated, that is, photographed image data in which whiteout is suppressed, is stored in the storage unit 11 separately from the first type of photographed image data photographed with a non-small exposure setting and generated. Therefore, it is possible to obtain information lost in the first type of photographed image data due to whiteout from the second type of photographed image data. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which necessary information cannot be obtained due to whiteout from a device that stores photographed image data based on the photographing results in front of the vehicle.

<First Modification of First Embodiment>
Next, a first modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. In the above-described first embodiment, the control unit 10 stores all of the second type of captured image data acquired from the camera 3 in the storage unit 11. On the other hand, the control unit 10 according to this modified example executes the following process.

The control unit 10 according to this modified example executes the following processing when the first type of captured image data is acquired at the shooting timing immediately preceding the shooting timing at which the second type of captured image data is acquired. The shooting timing immediately preceding the shooting timing at which the second type of captured image data is acquired is, for example, as follows. That is, for example, in the succession of timings T1, T2, T3, etc., if the second type of captured image data is acquired at timings T10, T20, T30, T40, etc., then each of timings T9, T19, T29, T39, etc. corresponds to the shooting timing immediately preceding the shooting timing at which the second type of captured image data is acquired.

When the control unit 10 according to this modified example acquires the first type of captured image data at the capture timing one before the capture timing at which the second type of captured image data is acquired, the control unit 10 analyzes the acquired first type of captured image data by image processing to determine whether or not an image of a license plate of another vehicle is included. This determination can be made, for example, by pattern matching using template data prepared in advance or by feature matching. This determination can also be made using a model that uses the captured image data as one of the inputs and outputs a value indicating whether or not an image of a license plate is included (or a value indicating the possibility that an image of a license plate is included). In this case, the model can be a model trained by machine learning using a predetermined machine learning method (for example, deep learning).

If the first type of photographed image data contains an image of a license plate, the control unit 10 according to this modified example analyzes the image of the license plate through image processing to determine whether or not the image has been blown out. If blown out highlights have occurred, the control unit 10 according to this modified example stores the acquired second type of photographed image data in the second area when the second type of photographed image data is subsequently acquired. On the other hand, in other cases, that is, if the first type of photographed image data does not contain an image of a license plate or contains an image of a license plate but has not been blown out, the control unit 10 according to this modified example discards the acquired second type of photographed image data when the second type of photographed image data is subsequently acquired without storing it in the second storage area.

This modified example provides the following effects. That is, the control system 1 according to this modified example prevents information recorded on the license plate of another vehicle from becoming unavailable after the fact (conversely, other information is tolerated as being missing due to whiteout). And according to this modified example, as in the first embodiment, even if information recorded on the license plate is missing in an image based on the first type of captured image data, it is possible to obtain that information by using the second type of captured image data.

In addition, this modified example has the following effect. That is, if the first type of photographed image data acquired by the control unit 10 at a certain photographing timing does not include a license plate image, or if the image of the license plate is included but there is no whiteout, it may be assumed that the second type of photographed image data acquired by the control unit 10 at the next photographing timing also does not include a license plate image, or includes a license plate image but there is no whiteout. Based on this, this modified example can prevent photographed image data that does not include a license plate image or photographed image data that includes a license plate but there is no whiteout, that is, photographed image data that is not used to compensate for the loss of information recorded on the license plate in the first type of photographed image data, from being stored in the memory unit 11, and the amount of data stored can be reduced.

Although the modified example of the first embodiment has been described above, the modified example of the first embodiment may have the following configuration. That is, in the modified example, the target that was a license plate may be a specified type of object other than a license plate, or may be multiple types of objects (which may or may not include a license plate).

The control unit 10 may also be configured to store in the first area, when a license plate image is included in a first type of captured image data acquired at a certain timing, a second type of captured image data acquired at the next timing, regardless of whether or not the image has been blown out.

In addition, the timing for determining whether or not to store the second type of captured image data does not have to be the timing immediately before the capture timing at which the second type of captured image data is acquired, but may be a timing close in time.

<Second Modification of First Embodiment>
Next, a second modified example of the first embodiment will be described. The control unit 10 according to this modified example executes the following process when acquiring the second type of photographed image data. That is, the control unit 10 according to this modified example analyzes the second type of photographed image data by image processing to detect whether or not overexposure has occurred. The occurrence of overexposure means that the current second setting value may be larger than an appropriate value. In consideration of this, the control unit 10 changes the specific value of the second setting value so that the specific value of the second setting value becomes smaller. The extent to which the second setting value is to be reduced is determined in advance. The specific value of the second setting value is changed, for example, by outputting a control signal to the camera 3 according to a protocol, or by rewriting a setting file referenced by the control mechanism of the camera 3. Note that in this modified example, the control unit 10 can be configured to change the second setting value when overexposure has occurred for a specific type of object. In this case, the specific type of object can be the license plate of another vehicle.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description of the second embodiment, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system 1A according to this embodiment, and a functional configuration example of a control device 2A provided in the control system 1A. As is clear from a comparison between Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the control system 1A includes a control device 2A and a camera 3A. The control device 2A includes a control unit 10A and a storage unit 11A.

The camera 3A according to this embodiment generates and outputs three sets of photographed image data with different exposure settings at each photographing timing. The three sets of photographed image data are data for high dynamic range synthesis, and include photographed image data with the highest exposure setting (hereinafter referred to as "large-exposure photographed image data"), photographed image data with the next highest exposure setting (hereinafter referred to as "medium-exposure photographed image data"), and photographed image data with the lowest exposure setting (hereinafter referred to as "small-exposure photographed image data"). The small-exposure photographed image data is data in which the possibility of whiteout occurring is suppressed. The large-exposure photographed image data and the medium-exposure photographed image data correspond to the "first type of photographed image data" in the claims, and the small-exposure photographed image data corresponds to the "second type of photographed image data" in the claims.

The control unit 10A acquires three pieces of photographed image data from the camera 3A at each photographing timing, and executes the following processing. That is, the three pieces of photographed image data are subjected to high dynamic range synthesis, and tone mapping is performed as necessary, to generate composite image data. The control unit 10A stores the composite image data generated at each photographing timing continuously in the third area of the storage unit 11A. The composite image data corresponds to "data based on the first type of photographed image data" in the claims.

In parallel with the above process, the control unit 10A executes the following process. That is, the control unit 10A stores the small-exposure image data acquired at each shooting timing continuously in the fourth area (≠ the third area).

The configuration of this embodiment provides the following effects. That is, suppose that in composite image data generated during a certain time period, whiteout occurs in a certain area, causing a loss of information recorded in that area. In this case, in small-exposure photographed image data generated and stored during the same time period, there is a high probability that whiteout does not occur in the corresponding area, and there is a high probability that no information recorded in that area is lost. Therefore, the user can obtain information from the small-exposure photographed image data (second type of photographed image data) that could not be obtained from the composite image data (first type of photographed image data).

In addition, in this embodiment, the processing is performed using an existing camera 3A that has the function of outputting multiple captured image data for high dynamic range synthesis, so there is no need to provide a separate camera dedicated to capturing images with a small exposure setting, and the above-mentioned effects can be obtained while keeping costs down.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device 2A according to this embodiment. The flowchart in Figure 4 shows the processing of the control unit 10A when photographed image data is acquired. In other words, the control unit 10A executes the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 4 at a predetermined interval.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 10A acquires large exposure image data, medium exposure image data, and small exposure image data from the camera 3A (step SB1). Next, the control unit 10A generates composite image data based on the three pieces of photographic image data acquired in step SB1 (step SB2). Next, the control unit 10A stores the composite image data generated in step SB2 in the third area of the storage unit 11A (step SB3). Next, the control unit 10A stores the small exposure image data, of the photographic image data acquired in step SB1, in the fourth area (≠ the third area) (step SB4). Note that the processing of steps SB2, SB3, and SB4 can be performed in any order.

<Modification of the second embodiment>
Next, a modified example of the second embodiment will be described. In the above-mentioned second embodiment, the control unit 10A stores all of the small-exposure photographed image data acquired at each photographing timing in the storage unit 11A. In this regard, the control unit 10A according to this modified example stores the small-exposure photographed image data in the storage unit 11A once every several photographing timings (for example, 10 times). With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of data stored in the storage unit 11A.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, each embodiment merely shows one example of a concrete implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limiting manner based on the embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics of the present invention.

For example, in the first embodiment (including modified examples) described above, the control device 2 was provided with the storage unit 11 in which the control unit 10 stores the captured image data, but the storage unit that stores the captured image data may be a storage unit connected to the control device 2 directly or via a network. As an example, a USB memory connected to the control device 2, an external storage medium connected via a network, a server connected via a network, etc. can function as the storage unit. The above also applies to the second embodiment (including modified examples).

In the first embodiment, the camera 3 is an imaging device that captures images in front of the vehicle, but the camera 3 is not limited to this type of camera and may be, for example, an imaging device that captures images of the sides or rear of the vehicle. The above also applies to the second embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the control unit 10 stores the captured image data in the storage unit 11 without encoding it, but the control unit 10 may be configured to encode the captured image data (or a group of captured image data) using a specified codec and store it as a still image file (or a video file) in a specified format.

In the first embodiment, the camera 3 was configured to generate the second type of captured image data once every 10 captures, but the frequency with which captured image data is generated is not limited to the example. The same applies to the frequency with which small-exposure captured image data is stored in the modified example of the second embodiment.

In addition, some or all of the processes executed by the functional blocks of the control device 2 may be executed by the control device 2 in cooperation with an external device, or by the external device alone. In this case, the control device 2 and the external device cooperate to function as the "control device" in the claims.

1, 1A Control system 2, 2A Control device 3, 3A Camera 10, 10A Control device 11, 11A Memory unit

Claims (9)

a control unit that acquires a first type of photographed image data generated by a camera that photographs the periphery of a vehicle with an exposure setting of a first set value and a second type of photographed image data generated by a camera that photographs the periphery of the vehicle with an exposure setting of a second set value that is smaller than the first set value, and stores the second type of photographed image data in a storage unit separately from the first type of photographed image data or data based on the first type of photographed image data,
the camera generates the first type of photographed image data at a photographing timing that occurs at a predetermined cycle, and generates the second type of photographed image data in place of the first type of photographed image data once every several times;
The control unit is
The second type of photographed image data is obtained once every several times.
A control device characterized by analyzing a first type of photographic image data by image processing, and if the data contains an image of a specified object, storing in the memory unit the second type of photographic image data obtained at a timing close to that of the first type of photographic image data. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined object is a license plate of another vehicle. a control unit that acquires a first type of photographed image data generated by a camera that photographs the periphery of a vehicle with an exposure setting of a first set value and a second type of photographed image data generated by a camera that photographs the periphery of the vehicle with an exposure setting of a second set value that is smaller than the first set value, and stores the second type of photographed image data in a storage unit separately from the first type of photographed image data or data based on the first type of photographed image data,
the camera generates the first type of photographed image data at a photographing timing that occurs at a predetermined cycle, and generates the second type of photographed image data in place of the first type of photographed image data once every several times;
The control unit is
The second type of photographed image data is obtained once every several times.
A control device characterized by analyzing a first type of captured image data by image processing, and if the data contains an image of a specified object and the image of the specified object has whiteout, storing in the memory unit the second type of captured image data obtained at a timing close to that of the first type of captured image data. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined object is a license plate of another vehicle. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit analyzes the acquired second type of captured image data by image processing, and changes a specific value of the second setting value. A camera that captures an image of the surroundings of a vehicle and a control device connected to the camera,
The control device includes:
a control unit that acquires a first type of photographed image data generated by the camera using a first exposure setting and a second type of photographed image data generated by the camera using a second exposure setting that is smaller than the first exposure setting, and stores the second type of photographed image data in a storage unit separately from the first type of photographed image data or data based on the first type of photographed image data;
The camera includes:
The first type of photographed image data is generated at a photographing timing that occurs at a predetermined cycle, while the second type of photographed image data is generated in place of the first type of photographed image data once every several times;
The control unit is
The second type of photographed image data is obtained once every several times.
A control system characterized by analyzing a first type of photographic image data by image processing, and if the data contains an image of a specified object, storing in the memory unit the second type of photographic image data obtained at a timing close to that of the first type of photographic image data. A camera that captures an image of the surroundings of a vehicle and a control device connected to the camera,
The control device includes:
a control unit that acquires a first type of photographed image data generated by the camera using a first exposure setting and a second type of photographed image data generated by the camera using a second exposure setting that is smaller than the first exposure setting, and stores the second type of photographed image data in a storage unit separately from the first type of photographed image data or data based on the first type of photographed image data;
The camera includes:
The first type of photographed image data is generated at a photographing timing that occurs at a predetermined cycle, while the second type of photographed image data is generated in place of the first type of photographed image data once every several times;
The control unit is
The second type of photographed image data is obtained once every several times.
A control system characterized by analyzing a first type of captured image data by image processing, and if the data contains an image of a specified object and the image of the specified object has whiteout, storing in the memory unit the second type of captured image data obtained at a timing close to that of the first type of captured image data. A first step in which a control unit of the control device acquires a first type of captured image data generated by a camera that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle with an exposure setting of a first set value, and a second type of captured image data generated by a camera that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle with an exposure setting of a second set value that is smaller than the first set value;
a second step in which the control unit of the control device stores the second type of photographed image data in a storage unit separately from the first type of photographed image data or data based on the first type of photographed image data,
the camera generates the first type of photographed image data at a photographing timing that occurs at a predetermined cycle, and generates the second type of photographed image data in place of the first type of photographed image data once every several times;
In the first step, the control unit acquires the second type of photographed image data that is generated once every several times,
a control unit that performs image processing to analyze a first type of captured image data in the second step, and if an image of a specified object is included in the data, stores in the memory unit the second type of captured image data that was acquired at a timing close to that of the first type of captured image data. A first step in which a control unit of the control device acquires a first type of captured image data generated by a camera that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle with an exposure setting of a first set value, and a second type of captured image data generated by a camera that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle with an exposure setting of a second set value that is smaller than the first set value;
a second step in which the control unit of the control device stores the second type of photographed image data in a storage unit separately from the first type of photographed image data or data based on the first type of photographed image data,
the camera generates the first type of photographed image data at a photographing timing that occurs at a predetermined cycle, and generates the second type of photographed image data in place of the first type of photographed image data once every several times;
In the first step, the control unit acquires the second type of photographed image data that is generated once every several times,
A method for storing photographic image data, characterized in that in the second step, the control unit analyzes a first type of photographic image data by image processing, and if the data contains an image of a specified object and the image of the specified object has whiteout, stores in the memory unit the second type of photographic image data obtained at a timing close to that of the first type of photographic image data.