1. A method for setting an image capturing device for a vehicle, comprising:

detecting a first shutter signal of a first image capturing unit and a second shutter signal of a second image capturing unit;

outputting a lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal;

outputting a driving current to an infrared light emitting component according to the lighting signal.

2. The setting method of the image capturing apparatus for vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

generating a first vehicle image by using the first image capturing unit;

obtaining an exposure value of the first image capturing unit according to the first vehicle image;

adjusting the driving current of the infrared light-emitting component according to the exposure value.

3. The setting method of the image capturing apparatus for vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of obtaining the exposure value of the first image capturing unit comprises:

the exposure value of the first vehicle image is obtained by performing image recognition on the first vehicle image captured by the first image capturing unit.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of adjusting the driving current of the infrared light emitting device according to the exposure value comprises:

converting the first vehicle image into an image histogram;

calculating the number of pixels in the image histogram, which are larger than a brightness threshold value;

comparing the pixel number with a number threshold;

when the number of the pixels is larger than the number threshold, outputting a first current as the driving current of the infrared light-emitting component; and

when the number of the pixels is smaller than the number threshold, a second current is output as the driving current of the infrared light emitting component, wherein the first current is smaller than the second current.

5. The setting method of the image capturing device for vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of outputting the lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal comprises:

when at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is at a first potential, the output lighting signal is an opening signal; and

when the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at the second potential, the output lighting signal is a closing signal.

6. An image capturing device for a vehicle, comprising:

a first image capturing unit for capturing a vehicle to generate a first vehicle image of the vehicle and outputting a first shutter signal;

a second image capturing unit for capturing the vehicle to generate a second vehicle image of the vehicle and outputting a second shutter signal;

a control module coupled to the first image capturing unit and the second image capturing unit, the control module including a logic circuit for detecting the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal and outputting a lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal; and

and the infrared illumination module is coupled with the control module and outputs a driving current to an infrared light-emitting component according to the lighting signal.

7. The image capturing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lighting signal outputted by the logic circuit is an on signal when at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is a first voltage; and when the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at a second potential, the lighting signal output by the logic circuit is a closing signal.

8. The image capturing device for vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the control module further comprises:

an adjusting unit coupled to the first image capturing unit and the infrared illumination module, for obtaining an exposure value of the first image capturing unit according to the first vehicle image and adjusting the driving current of the infrared light emitting component according to the exposure value.

9. The image capturing apparatus for vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first image capturing unit is a monochrome image capturing unit, and the second image capturing unit is a color image capturing unit.

10. The image capturing apparatus for vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first image capturing unit further comprises an infrared filter.

11. The image capturing apparatus for vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the logic circuit comprises an OR gate.

Background

In daily life, most people rely on vehicles as transportation tools when going out, which leads to the gradual increase of vehicles, and the vehicles are indispensable transportation tools in the modern society. Since the road condition changes are difficult to predict, most of the current vehicles are equipped with image capturing devices for capturing the road conditions ahead of the vehicle or the vehicle.

At present, most of image capturing devices for vehicles are provided with infrared illumination modules, so that the images can be shot in low-illumination environments. However, the infrared illumination module is usually turned on to be in a normally bright state, so that the infrared illumination module is prone to problems of difficult heat dissipation or overexposure of the captured image. In addition, the lifetime of the infrared illumination module is also reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for setting an image capturing device for a vehicle, including: the method comprises the steps of detecting a first shutter signal of a first image capturing unit and a second shutter signal of a second image capturing unit, outputting a lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal, and outputting a driving current to an infrared light emitting component according to the lighting signal.

Optionally, the method further includes: generating a first vehicle image by using a first image capturing unit; obtaining an exposure value of the first image capturing unit according to the first vehicle image; and adjusting the driving current of the infrared light-emitting component according to the exposure value.

Optionally, the step of obtaining the exposure value of the first image capturing unit includes: the exposure value of the first vehicle image is obtained by carrying out image recognition on the first vehicle image captured by the first image capturing unit.

Optionally, the step of adjusting the driving current of the infrared light emitting device according to the exposure value includes: converting the first vehicle image into an image histogram; calculating the number of pixels in the image histogram, which are larger than a brightness threshold value; comparing the number of pixels with a number threshold; when the number of the pixels is larger than the number threshold, outputting a first current as a driving current of the infrared light-emitting component; and outputting a second current as the driving current of the infrared light-emitting component when the number of the pixels is smaller than the number threshold, wherein the first current is smaller than the second current.

Optionally, the step of outputting the lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal includes: when at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is at a first potential, the output lighting signal is an opening signal; and when the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at the second potential, the output lighting signal is a closing signal.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an image capturing device for a vehicle, which includes a first image capturing unit, a second image capturing unit, a control module, and an infrared illumination module. The first image capturing unit captures a vehicle to generate a first vehicle image of the vehicle and outputs a first shutter signal. The second image capturing unit captures the vehicle to generate a second vehicle image of the vehicle and outputs a second shutter signal. The control module is coupled to the first image capturing unit and the second image capturing unit and comprises a logic circuit, and the logic circuit detects the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal and outputs a lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal. The infrared illumination module is coupled with the control module and outputs driving current to the infrared light-emitting component according to the lighting signal.

Optionally, when at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is a first potential, the lighting signal output by the logic circuit is an open signal; and when the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at a second potential, the lighting signal output by the logic circuit is a closing signal.

Optionally, the control module further includes: and the adjusting unit is coupled with the first image capturing unit and the infrared illuminating module, obtains an exposure value of the first image capturing unit according to the first vehicle image and adjusts the driving current of the infrared light-emitting component according to the exposure value.

Optionally, the first image capturing unit is a black-and-white image capturing unit, and the second image capturing unit is a color image capturing unit.

Optionally, the first image capturing unit further includes an infrared filter.

Optionally, the logic circuit comprises an or gate.

In summary, the image capturing apparatus for vehicle and the setting method thereof according to the embodiments of the invention include detecting a first shutter signal of a first image capturing unit and a second shutter signal of a second image capturing unit, outputting a lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal, and outputting a driving current to an infrared light emitting device according to the lighting signal. That is, the vehicular alignment apparatus and the setting method thereof according to the embodiments of the present invention are suitable for a vehicle, and can illuminate the infrared light emitting device by the first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit and the second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a setting method of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another setting method of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another setting method of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another setting method of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a histogram of images converted from a first vehicle image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not limiting of the invention. It should be further noted that, for the convenience of description, only some of the structures related to the present invention are shown in the drawings, not all of the structures.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 1, the image capturing device 100 for a vehicle includes: the first image capturing unit 110 for capturing a vehicle to generate a first vehicle image of the vehicle and outputting a first shutter signal; the second image capturing unit 120 for capturing the vehicle to generate a second vehicle image of the vehicle and outputting a second shutter signal; a control module 130 coupled to the first image capturing unit 110 and the second image capturing unit 120, wherein the control module 130 includes a logic circuit 132, and the logic circuit 132 detects the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal and outputs a lighting signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal; the infrared illumination module 140, coupled to the control module 130, outputs a driving current to the infrared light emitting element 144 according to the lighting signal.

Specifically, the image capturing apparatus 100 for a vehicle is adapted to be mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a host vehicle). In some embodiments, the image capturing device 100 for a vehicle may be mounted on the vehicle and capture a scene in front of the vehicle, where the scene includes a front vehicle located in front of the vehicle.

The image capturing device 100 for a vehicle includes a first image capturing unit 110, a second image capturing unit 120, a control module 130 and an infrared illumination module 140. The first image capturing unit 110, the second image capturing unit 120 and the infrared illumination module 140 are respectively connected to the control module 130, so that the first image capturing unit 110, the second image capturing unit 120 and the infrared illumination module 140 can respectively transmit signals to the control module 130.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a setting method of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 2, the setting method of the image capturing device for the vehicle includes:

s10, a first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit and a second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit are detected.

S11, a lighting signal is output according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal.

And S12, outputting a driving current to the infrared light emitting component according to the lighting signal.

Specifically, referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, the first image capturing unit 110 captures a front vehicle in front of the vehicle to generate a first vehicle image. Wherein, the first vehicle image at least comprises the license plate of the front vehicle. The first image capturing unit 110 outputs a first shutter signal during shooting. In other words, the first shutter signal is generated when the shutter of the first image capturing unit 110 is triggered. The second image capturing unit 120 captures a scene containing a front vehicle in front of the vehicle to generate a second vehicle image. The second vehicle image at least comprises a front vehicle and an environment in front of the vehicle. The second image capturing unit 110 outputs a second shutter signal during shooting. In other words, the second shutter signal is generated when the shutter of the second image capturing unit 110 is triggered. The control module 130 is coupled to the first image capturing unit 110 and the second image capturing unit 120. The control module 130 includes logic circuitry 132. The logic circuit 132 detects the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal (i.e., performs step S10 in fig. 2) and outputs a light signal according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal (i.e., performs step S11 in fig. 2). The infrared illumination module 140 is coupled to the control module 130. The infrared illumination module 140 includes a driving unit 142 and an infrared light emitting element 144, and the driving unit 142 outputs a driving current to the infrared light emitting element 144 according to the lighting signal (i.e., step S12 in fig. 2 is executed). Illustratively, the infrared light emitting element 144 may include at least one or more infrared light emitting diodes.

Herein, the image capturing device 100 for a vehicle is suitable for a vehicle, and can output a driving current according to the first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit 110 and the second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit 120 to illuminate the infrared light emitting element 144.

Optionally, the first image capturing unit 110 is a black-and-white image capturing unit, and the second image capturing unit 120 is a color image capturing unit. Optionally, the first image capturing unit 110 further includes an infrared filter.

Specifically, in an embodiment, the first image capturing unit 110 may be a black and white image capturing unit. In one embodiment, the first image capturing unit 110 may include a black and white light sensor and an infrared filter, wherein the black and white light sensor captures black and white images and has a light sensing range of 400 nanometers (nm) to 1000 nanometers (nm), and the infrared filter has a light sensing wavelength of 850 ± 10 nanometers (nm) or 940 ± 10 nanometers (nm). The emission wavelength of the infrared light emitting element 144 may be 850 + -10 nanometers (nm) or 940 + -10 nanometers (nm). The license plate can reflect infrared wavelength of 850 + -10 nanometers (nm) or 940 + -10 nanometers (nm), for example. Herein, the first image capturing unit 110 may capture a preceding vehicle located in front of the host vehicle when a license plate of the preceding vehicle is exposed to radiation of a wavelength in an Infrared (IR) range, so as to generate a first vehicle image at least including the license plate of the preceding vehicle. Further, when the infrared light emitting element 144 is turned on, the license plate reflects the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting element 144 to the first image capturing unit 110, and the infrared filter allows the infrared light of 850 ± 10 nanometers (nm) or 940 ± 10 nanometers (nm) to pass through to the black and white light sensing element, so that the first image capturing unit 110 can clearly capture the license plate. In one embodiment, the Field of View (FOV) of the first image capturing unit 110 can be determined according to the size of the black and white photosensitive element of the first image capturing unit 110 and the focal length of the camera lens of the first image capturing unit 110. For example, the Horizontal visual angle (FOV) (h) of the shooting range (FOV) of the first image capturing unit 110 may be 2.51 meters (m), and the Vertical visual angle (FOV) (v) may be 1.89 meters (m). For example, the black and white light sensing Device of the first image capturing unit 110 may be a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) Device, so as to convert the first vehicle image. Optionally, the first image capturing unit 110 may include an output port for outputting the first vehicle image.

In one embodiment, the second image capturing unit 120 is a color image capturing unit. In one embodiment, the second image capturing unit 120 may include a color photosensitive device, wherein the color photosensitive device captures a color image and the photosensitive range of the color photosensitive device may be 400 nanometers (nm) to 1000 nm. In one embodiment, the Field of View (FOV) of the second image capturing unit 120 is determined according to the size of the color sensor of the second image capturing unit 120 and the focal length of the camera lens of the second image capturing unit 120. For example, the horizontal viewing angle (FOV) (h)) of the photographing range (FOV) of the second image capturing unit 120 may be 5.02 meters (m), and the vertical viewing angle (FOV) (v) may be 3.79 meters (m). For example, the color sensor of the second image capturing unit 120 may be a photosensitive coupling device or a cmos device to convert the second vehicle image. Optionally, the second image capturing unit 120 may include an output port for outputting the second vehicle image.

Optionally, the logic circuit 132 includes an or gate. Optionally, when at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is at the first potential, the lighting signal output by the logic circuit 132 is an on signal; and when the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at the second potential, the lighting signal output by the logic circuit 132 is a turn-off signal. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of another setting method of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 3, the setting method of the image capturing device for a vehicle includes:

s20, a first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit and a second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit are detected.

S21, it is determined whether the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at the second potential. If not, executing the steps S22 to S23; if yes, go to step S24-step S25.

S22, when at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is at the first potential, the output lighting signal is an on signal.

And S23, outputting a driving current to the infrared light emitting component according to the opening signal.

In S24, the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at the second potential, and the output lighting signal is a closing signal.

And S25, outputting the driving current value infrared light emitting component according to the closing signal.

Specifically, in an embodiment, the logic circuit 132 of the control module 130 includes an OR gate (OR gate), two input terminals of the OR gate (OR gate 132) are respectively coupled to the first image capturing unit 110 and the second image capturing unit 120, and an output terminal of the OR gate (OR gate 132) is coupled to the infrared illumination module 140. Here, as shown in fig. 3, it is determined whether the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are at the second potential, and if at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is at the first potential, the lighting signal output by the or gate (the logic circuit 132) is an on signal (i.e., step S22 in fig. 3 is executed). If the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal are both at the second potential, the lighting signal outputted by the or gate (the logic circuit 132) is a closing signal (i.e. step S24 in fig. 3 is executed). The first potential is a high potential (or logic 1), and the second potential is a low potential (or logic 0).

For example, the logic circuit 132 is an or gate, when the first shutter signal is at a high level (or logic 1) and the second shutter signal is at a high level (or logic 1), the lighting signal output by the logic circuit 132 to the driving unit 142 of the infrared illumination module 140 is an on signal, and the on signal is at a high level (or logic 1). Accordingly, the driving unit 142 outputs a driving current to the infrared light emitting element 144 in response to the on signal of the high voltage (or logic 1) to light the infrared light emitting element 144.

Illustratively, the logic circuit 132 is an or gate, when the first shutter signal is at a high level (or logic 1) and the second shutter signal is at a low level (or logic 0), the lighting signal output by the logic circuit 132 to the driving unit 142 of the infrared illumination module 140 is an on signal, and the on signal is at a high level (or logic 1). Accordingly, the driving unit 142 outputs a driving current to the infrared light emitting element 144 in response to the on signal of the high voltage (or logic 1) to light the infrared light emitting element 144.

Illustratively, the logic circuit 132 is an or gate, when the first shutter signal is a low potential (or logic 0) and the second shutter signal is a high potential (or logic 1), the lighting signal output by the logic circuit 132 to the driving unit 142 of the infrared illumination module 140 is an on signal, and the on signal is a high potential (or logic 1). The driving unit 142 outputs a driving current to the infrared light emitting element 144 in response to the on signal of the high potential (or logic 1) to light the infrared light emitting element 144.

Illustratively, the logic circuit 132 is an or gate, when the first shutter signal is at a low voltage level (or logic 0) and the second shutter signal is at a low voltage level (or logic 0), the logic circuit 132 outputs the turn-on signal to the driving unit 142 of the infrared illumination module 140 as a turn-off signal, and the turn-off signal is at a low voltage level (or logic 0). Accordingly, the driving unit 142 does not output the driving current to the infrared light emitting device 144 in response to the low-level (or logic 0) off signal, or outputs the driving current with the current value of zero to the infrared light emitting device 144 in response to the low-level (or logic 0) off signal.

Further, when the second image capturing unit 120 (color image capturing unit) is in a low illumination environment, the time for opening the shutter is longer, and if the infrared light emitting element 144 is turned on at this time, and the first image capturing unit 110 (black-and-white image capturing unit) is turned on, the second image capturing unit 120 (color image capturing unit) will capture a flickering image due to the turning on of the infrared light emitting element 144, but according to the foregoing embodiment, when at least one of the first image capturing unit 110 (black-and-white image capturing unit) and the second image capturing unit 120 (color image capturing unit) is turned on for capturing, that is, when at least one of the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal is the first potential, the infrared light emitting element 144 is turned on, and the second image capturing unit 120 (color image capturing unit) will not capture the flickering image. In addition, when the first image capturing unit 110 (black-and-white image capturing unit) and the second image capturing unit 120 (color image capturing unit) are not turned on, the infrared light emitting element 144 is turned off, so that the service life of the infrared illumination module 140 can be prolonged, and the problem of difficult heat dissipation can be avoided.

Optionally, with continued reference to fig. 1, the control module 130 further includes: the adjusting unit 134 is coupled to the first image capturing unit 110 and the infrared illumination module 140, obtains an exposure value of the first image capturing unit 110 according to the first vehicle image, and adjusts a driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 according to the exposure value. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of another setting method of an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 4, the setting method of the image capturing device for a vehicle includes:

s30, a first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit and a second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit are detected.

S31, a lighting signal is output according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal.

And S32, outputting a driving current to the infrared light emitting component according to the lighting signal.

S33, a first vehicle image is generated by the first image capturing unit.

S34, obtaining the exposure value of the first image capturing unit according to the first vehicle image.

S35, adjusting the driving current of the infrared light emitting component according to the exposure value.

Specifically, in an embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 4, the control module 130 further includes an adjusting unit 134. The adjusting unit 134 is coupled to the first image capturing unit 110 and the driving unit 142 of the infrared illumination module 140. Herein, after the first image capturing unit 110 captures the scene to obtain the first vehicle image (i.e., step S33 in fig. 4 is executed), the adjusting unit 134 receives and analyzes the first vehicle image to obtain the Exposure Value (EV) (i.e., step S34 in fig. 4 is executed). Then, the adjusting unit 134 adjusts the driving current of the infrared light emitting assembly 144 according to the exposure value (i.e., performs step S35 in fig. 4). Herein, when the image capturing device 100 for a vehicle determines to output the driving current to illuminate the infrared light emitting element 144 according to the first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit 110 and the second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit 120, the adjusting unit 134 can adjust the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 140 based on the exposure value of the first vehicle image, and change the brightness of the infrared light emitting element 140 by adjusting the light emitting power value of the infrared light emitting element 140. For example, the adjusting unit 134 may include an Image Signal Processor (ISP), but is not limited thereto.

Illustratively, the control module 130 may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a central processing unit, or any analog and/or digital device that operates signals based on operational instructions, but is not limited thereto.

Optionally, the step of obtaining the exposure value of the first image capturing unit 110 includes: the exposure value of the first vehicle image is obtained by performing image recognition on the first vehicle image captured by the first image capturing unit 110.

Specifically, the adjusting unit 134 may perform image recognition on the first vehicle image to calculate the brightness of all pixels in the first vehicle image to obtain the exposure value. Furthermore, the adjusting unit 134 may perform image recognition on the first vehicle image to calculate the brightness of the pixels of the image of the front vehicle license plate in the first vehicle image to obtain the exposure value.

In an embodiment, fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another method for setting an image capturing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 6 is an image histogram converted from a first vehicle image according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 5, the method for setting an image capturing device for a vehicle includes:

s40, a first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit and a second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit are detected.

S41, a lighting signal is output according to the first shutter signal and the second shutter signal.

And S42, outputting a driving current to the infrared light emitting component according to the lighting signal.

S43, a first vehicle image is generated by the first image capturing unit.

And S44, converting the first vehicle image into an image histogram.

And S45, calculating the number of pixels in the image histogram, wherein the number of pixels is larger than the brightness threshold value.

And S46, comparing the number of pixels with a number threshold.

S47, it is determined whether the number of pixels is greater than the number threshold. If yes, go to step S48; if not, step S49 is executed.

And S48, when the number of pixels is larger than the number threshold, outputting the first current as the driving current of the infrared light-emitting component.

And S49, when the number of pixels is less than the number threshold, outputting the second current as the driving current of the infrared light-emitting component.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, 5 and 6, after the first image capturing unit 110 captures the image of the scene to obtain the first vehicle image (i.e. step S43 in fig. 5 is executed), the adjusting unit 134 receives and analyzes the first vehicle image, and converts the first vehicle image into an image Histogram (Histogram) (i.e. step S44 in fig. 5 is executed). In this way, the number of pixels with the same brightness in the first vehicle image is accumulated to convert the image histogram. The horizontal axis of the image histogram is the gray-scale values of all the pixels in the first vehicle image, for example, ranging from 0 to 255, and the vertical axis of the image histogram is the number of pixels corresponding to each gray-scale value of the horizontal axis.

The adjusting unit 134 calculates the number of pixels in the image histogram that are greater than the brightness threshold T (i.e., performs step S45 in fig. 5). Here, the brightness threshold T is a threshold value with a preset gray level. If the luminance threshold T is a single value, the luminance threshold T is, for example, 160, the horizontal axis of the image histogram can be divided into two sections by the luminance threshold T, and the adjusting unit 134 calculates the number of pixels in the image histogram that are larger than the luminance threshold T. The adjusting unit 134 compares the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold T with the number threshold, and the adjusting unit 134 determines whether the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold T is greater than the number threshold (i.e. step S47 in fig. 5 is executed).

Alternatively, the quantity threshold may be a single quantity threshold. Here, when the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold T is greater than the number threshold, that is, it is determined that the exposure value of the first vehicle image is higher, the adjusting unit 134 adjusts the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 to be the first current, so that the infrared lighting module 140 outputs the first current as the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 (i.e., step S48 in fig. 5 is executed). When the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold T is less than the number threshold, that is, it is determined that the exposure value of the first vehicle image is lower, the adjusting unit 134 adjusts the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 to be the second current, so that the infrared lighting module 140 outputs the second current as the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 (i.e., step S49 in fig. 5 is executed), wherein the first current is less than the second current.

The number threshold includes a number threshold, which is only an example and can be changed according to different requirements. In other embodiments, the number threshold may be a combination of two number thresholds (e.g., an upper number limit and a lower number limit), and the like, where the number of the comparison results between the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold and the number thresholds and the magnitude of the driving current may be changed according to the number of the number thresholds when step S46 is executed. For example: when the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold is greater than the upper limit, i.e., the exposure value of the first vehicle image is determined to be higher, the adjusting unit 134 adjusts the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 to be the first current. When the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold is between the upper limit value and the lower limit value, the adjusting unit 134 adjusts the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 to be the second current. When the number of pixels greater than the brightness threshold is smaller than the lower limit value, that is, the exposure value of the first vehicle image is determined to be lower, the adjusting unit 134 adjusts the driving current of the infrared light emitting element 144 to be the third current. The first current is smaller than the second current, and the second current is smaller than the third current.

In an embodiment, the first image capturing unit 110, the second image capturing unit 120, the control module 130 and the infrared illumination module 140 may be integrated into a same image capturing system, for example, an image capturing device with an infrared lamp, two image capturing units and a processor.

In summary, the image capturing device for a vehicle and the setting method thereof according to the embodiments of the invention are suitable for a vehicle, and can illuminate the infrared light emitting element by the first shutter signal of the first image capturing unit and the second shutter signal of the second image capturing unit.

The orientation device for the vehicle and the setting method thereof provided by the embodiment of the invention belong to the same invention concept, can realize the same technical effect, and repeated contents are not repeated herein.

It is to be noted that the foregoing is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles employed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of various obvious changes, rearrangements and substitutions as will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in greater detail by the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include other equivalent embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.