In-vehicle camera and vehicle control system

Abstract

An in-vehicle camera is provide which has a case and a lens, and which is attached in a vehicle interior so that the lens is exposed at a top face of the case and the top face is opposed to a windshield or another window. The top face has an angular shape bent at a ridge line passing through the top face. The lens is positioned in the vicinity of the ridge line. The in-vehicle camera includes a hood attached to a front portion of the case, the front portion being positioned at a front side of the case with respect to the lens.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An in-vehicle camera that is attached in a vehicle interior so as to be opposed to a windshield of the vehicle, the in-vehicle camera comprising:
 a lens; and   a case;   wherein   images taken by the in-vehicle camera are used for assistance for driving the vehicle,   the lens is exposed at a top face of the case,   an optical axis of the lens is directed to a front side,   the in-vehicle camera has a structure,   the structure includes two pairs of components,   one of the two pairs is provided to a front and right portion and a front and left portion of the case, and the other of the two pairs is provided to a rear and right portion and a rear and left portion of the case, and   the structure is provided to an upper portion of the case of the in-vehicle camera.   
     
     
         2 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member which biases the case forward from a rear side of the case. 
     
     
         3 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member which biases the case laterally from a lateral of the case. 
     
     
         4 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 1 , further comprising a bracket attached to the case from a side of the top face and fixes the case to the windshield so that the optical axis of the lens is directed to a front side of the vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the top face is configured by a first face and a second face,   the lens is positioned in the vicinity of a border between the first face and the second face, and   the case is fixed to the windshield so that the optical axis of the lens is directed to the front side.   
     
     
         6 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light-receiving section which has a plurality of filters having different pass bands, and a plurality of light-receiving elements, each of which receives incident light via any one of the filters;   an image data generation section which, when receiving general image data which is an output of the light-receiving section, extracts outputs of the light-receiving elements correlated to the filters to generate discrete image data, which is image data for each of the filters;   an image data processing section which detects, based on the discrete image data generated by the image data generation section or composite image data generated by combining the discrete image data, at least one object included in a group of an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, a preceding pedestrian, a preceding object, a stationary vehicle, a stationary pedestrian, a stationary object, an on-coming vehicle, an on-coming pedestrian, an on-coming object, a lane, a road surface condition, a road shape, a light source, a road sign, a traffic signal, an entity which cuts off a field of view of the light-receiving section, and an environmental feature outside a vehicle; and   a vehicle control section which performs, according to the object detected by the image data processing section, vehicle control regarding at least one of collision avoidance, speed warning, lane departure prevention, rear-end collision warning, intervehicle warning, lane departure warning, auto high beam, sign indication, full speed range adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, lane change accident prevention, blind spot warning, blind spot monitoring, automatic lane change, forward cross traffic warning, rearward cross traffic warning, erroneous pedal usage prevention, and automatic parking.   
     
     
         7 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light-receiving section which has a plurality of filters having different pass bands, and a plurality of light-receiving elements, each of which receives incident light via any one of the filters;   an image data generation section which, when receiving general image data which is an output of the light-receiving section, extracts outputs of the light-receiving elements correlated to the filters of the light-receiving section to generate discrete image data, which is image data for each of the filters;   a receiver section which has a plurality of receiving elements, each of which receives electromagnetic waves;   a data processing section which detects, based on the discrete image data generated by the image data generation section or composite image data generated by combining the discrete image data, and scan data outputted from the receiver section, at least one object included in a group of an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, a preceding pedestrian, a preceding object, a stationary vehicle, a stationary pedestrian, a stationary object, an on-coming vehicle, an on-coming pedestrian, an on-coming object, a lane, a road surface condition, a road shape, a light source, a road sign, a traffic signal, an entity which cuts off a field of view of the light-receiving section or the receiver section, and an environmental feature outside a vehicle; and   a vehicle control section which performs, according to the object detected by the data processing section, vehicle control regarding at least one of collision avoidance, speed warning, lane departure prevention, rear-end collision warning, inter-vehicle warning, lane departure warning, auto high beam, sign indication, full speed range adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, lane change accident prevention, blind spot warning, blind spot monitoring, automatic lane change, forward cross traffic warning, rearward cross traffic warning, erroneous pedal usage prevention, and automatic parking.   
     
     
         8 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 4 , further comprising a plate spring that is provided between the bracket and a top face of the in-vehicle camera and biases the top face of the in-vehicle camera. 
     
     
         9 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 4 , wherein
 a projection is provided to a side face of the in-vehicle camera, and   the projection contacts an L-shaped latch of the bracket so that the projection is latched by the bracket.   
     
     
         10 . An in-vehicle camera that is attached in a vehicle interior so as to be opposed to a windshield of the vehicle, the in-vehicle camera comprising:
 a lens;   a case; and   a concave portion in a top face of the case, the concave portion being concave with respect to a periphery of the concave portion,   wherein   images taken by the in-vehicle camera are used for assistance for driving the vehicle,   the lens is exposed at the top face of the case,   an optical axis of the lens is directed to a front side,
 the in-vehicle camera has a structure, 
   the structure includes two pairs of components, and   one of the two pairs is provided to a front and right portion and a front and left portion of the case, and the other of the two pairs is provided to a rear and right portion and a rear and left portion of the case.   
     
     
         11 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 10 , further comprising a biasing member which biases the case forward from a rear side of the case. 
     
     
         12 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 10 , further comprising a biasing member which biases the case laterally from a lateral of the case. 
     
     
         13 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 10 , further comprising a bracket attached to the case from a side of the top face and fixes the case to the windshield so that the optical axis of the lens is directed to a front side of the vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the top face is configured by a first face and a second face,   the lens is positioned in the vicinity of a border between the first face and the second face, and   the case is fixed to the windshield so that the optical axis of the lens is directed to the front side.   
     
     
         15 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a light-receiving section which has a plurality of filters having different pass bands, and a plurality of light-receiving elements, each of which receives incident light via any one of the filters;   an image data generation section which, when receiving general image data which is an output of the light-receiving section, extracts outputs of the light-receiving elements correlated to the filters to generate discrete image data, which is image data for each of the filters;   an image data processing section which detects, based on the discrete image data generated by the image data generation section or composite image data generated by combining the discrete image data, at least one object included in a group of an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, a preceding pedestrian, a preceding object, a stationary vehicle, a stationary pedestrian, a stationary object, an on-coming vehicle, an on-coming pedestrian, an on-coming object, a lane, a road surface condition, a road shape, a light source, a road sign, a traffic signal, an entity which cuts off a field of view of the light-receiving section, and an environmental feature outside a vehicle; and   a vehicle control section which performs, according to the object detected by the image data processing section, vehicle control regarding at least one of collision avoidance, speed warning, lane departure prevention, rear-end collision warning, intervehicle warning, lane departure warning, auto high beam, sign indication, full speed range adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, lane change accident prevention, blind spot warning, blind spot monitoring, automatic lane change, forward cross traffic warning, rearward cross traffic warning, erroneous pedal usage prevention, and automatic parking.   
     
     
         16 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a light-receiving section which has a plurality of filters having different pass bands, and a plurality of light-receiving elements, each of which receives incident light via any one of the filters;   an image data generation section which, when receiving general image data which is an output of the light-receiving section, extracts outputs of the light-receiving elements correlated to the filters of the light-receiving section to generate discrete image data, which is image data for each of the filters;   a receiver section which has a plurality of receiving elements, each of which receives electromagnetic waves;   a data processing section which detects, based on the discrete image data generated by the image data generation section or composite image data generated by combining the discrete image data, and scan data outputted from the receiver section, at least one object included in a group of an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, a preceding pedestrian, a preceding object, a stationary vehicle, a stationary pedestrian, a stationary object, an on-coming vehicle, an on-coming pedestrian, an on-coming object, a lane, a road surface condition, a road shape, a light source, a road sign, a traffic signal, an entity which cuts off a field of view of the light-receiving section or the receiver section, and an environmental feature outside a vehicle; and   a vehicle control section which performs, according to the object detected by the data processing section, vehicle control regarding at least one of collision avoidance, speed warning, lane departure prevention, rear-end collision warning, inter-vehicle warning, lane departure warning, auto high beam, sign indication, full speed range adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, lane change accident prevention, blind spot warning, blind spot monitoring, automatic lane change, forward cross traffic warning, rearward cross traffic warning, erroneous pedal usage prevention, and automatic parking.   
     
     
         17 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 13 , further comprising a plate spring that is provided between the bracket and a top face of the in-vehicle camera and biases the top face of the in-vehicle camera. 
     
     
         18 . The in-vehicle camera according to  claim 13 , wherein
 a projection is provided to a side face of the in-vehicle camera, and   the projection contacts an L-shaped latch of the bracket so that the projection is latched by the bracket.