CN111741226B

CN111741226B - Method and device for controlling camera and warning lamp and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN111741226B
Application number: CN202010560810.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王华忠; 邓韦韦; 郭荣辉
Original assignee: Hangzhou Haikang Auto Software Co ltd
Current assignee: Hangzhou Haikang Auto Software Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-18
Filing date: 2020-06-18
Publication date: 2021-11-23
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-18
Also published as: CN111741226A

Abstract

The application discloses a method and a device for controlling a camera and a warning light and a vehicle, and belongs to the field of intelligent control. The method comprises the following steps: determining a first time period and a second time period which are included in a cycle to be executed, wherein no time intersection exists between the first time period and the second time period; controlling a camera system of the vehicle to expose in the first time period to obtain an image, and controlling a warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working; and controlling a camera system of the vehicle to stop exposure and controlling a warning lamp of the vehicle to work in the second time period. The application can reduce the influence of the bright light of the warning lamp on the image acquisition.

Description

Method and device for controlling camera and warning lamp and vehicle

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of intelligent control, in particular to a method and a device for controlling a camera and a warning lamp and a vehicle.

Background

In the field of intelligent transportation and auxiliary driving, a multi-camera system is always used as eyes of a vehicle, the multi-camera system exposes the environment around the vehicle to obtain images around the vehicle, scene information around the vehicle body is obtained based on the images obtained through shooting, and then path planning or obstacle avoidance and the like are carried out based on the scene information.

However, special vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks, ambulances or engineering wreckers are equipped with warning lights. The warning lamp generates flickering light, namely the warning lamp can stop shining light and emit light continuously, so that the environment around the vehicle generates light and dark changes and color changes continuously. This can produce drastic changes in the brightness and color of the images captured by the multi-camera system exposure.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method and a device for controlling a camera and a warning lamp and a vehicle, so that the influence of the brightness of the warning lamp on image acquisition is reduced. The technical scheme is as follows:

in one aspect, the present application provides a method of controlling a camera and a warning light, the method comprising:

determining a first time period and a second time period which are included in a cycle to be executed, wherein no time intersection exists between the first time period and the second time period;

controlling a camera system of the vehicle to expose in the first time period to obtain an image, and controlling a warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working;

and controlling a camera system of the vehicle to stop exposure and controlling a warning lamp of the vehicle to work in the second time period.

Optionally, the determining a first time period and a second time period included in the cycle to be executed includes:

generating an exposure synchronizing signal and a warning light synchronizing signal, wherein the level of the exposure synchronizing signal changes from a first level to a second level at the starting time of the first time period and the level of the exposure synchronizing signal changes from the third level to a fourth level at the starting time of the second time period, and the level of the warning light synchronizing signal changes from the third level to the fourth level at the starting time of the first time period;

the camera system is used for exposing when the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is changed from a first level to a second level or when the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is the second level, and the warning lamp is used for working when the level of the warning lamp synchronizing signal is changed from a third level to a fourth level or when the level of the warning lamp synchronizing signal is the fourth level.

Optionally, the controlling a camera system of the vehicle to perform exposure in the first time period to obtain an image includes:

when the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is detected to be changed from a first level to a second level or the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is detected to be the second level, determining the length of exposure time, wherein the length of the exposure time is less than or equal to the length of time of the first time period;

and controlling the camera system to start exposure, and controlling the camera system to stop exposure when the exposure time of the camera system reaches the exposure time length.

Optionally, the controlling the warning light of the vehicle to start operating includes:

and when the fact that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from a third level to a fourth level or the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is the fourth level is detected, controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to work within a time period when the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is maintained at the fourth level.

Optionally, the controlling the warning light of the vehicle to stop working includes:

and when the fact that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from the fourth level to the third level is detected, controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working within a time period when the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is maintained at the third level.

Optionally, the generating an exposure synchronizing signal and a warning light synchronizing signal includes:

and generating the exposure synchronizing signal and the warning lamp synchronizing signal by a signal generator.

Optionally, the maximum exposure time length of the camera system is less than or equal to the time length of the first time period.

In another aspect, the present application provides an apparatus for controlling a camera and a warning light, the apparatus comprising:

the device comprises a determining unit, a processing unit and a processing unit, wherein the determining unit is used for determining a first time period and a second time period which are included in a cycle to be executed, and no time intersection exists between the first time period and the second time period;

the first control unit is used for controlling a camera system of the vehicle to expose in the first time period to obtain an image and controlling a warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working;

and the second control unit is used for controlling the camera system of the vehicle to stop exposure and controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to work in the second time period.

Optionally, the determining unit is configured to:

Optionally, the first control unit is configured to:

Optionally, the second control unit is configured to:

Optionally, the first control unit is configured to:

Optionally, the determining unit is configured to generate the exposure synchronizing signal and the warning light synchronizing signal through a signal generator.

In another aspect, the present application provides a vehicle comprising an apparatus as described above.

In another aspect, the present application provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which is loaded by a processor to execute instructions of a method of implementation of the aspect or any of the examples of the aspect.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can have the following beneficial effects:

the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to expose in the first time period to obtain an image, the warning lamp of the vehicle is controlled to stop working, and the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to stop exposing in the second time period and the warning lamp of the vehicle is controlled to work. And because there is not time intersection between the first time quantum and the second time quantum, guarantee like this that the warning light stops work when the camera system exposes, the warning light begins to work when the camera system stops exposing to the influence that the bright light of warning light produced has reduced image acquisition.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the application.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a synchronization signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an operating state of a camera and a warning light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another vehicle configuration provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of another vehicle configuration provided by embodiments of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a camera and a warning light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of another method for controlling a camera and a warning light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another method for controlling a camera and a warning light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for controlling a camera and a warning light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, the present embodiment provides a vehicle including a control module 1, a camera system 2, a warning light control module 3, and a warning light 4.

Control module 1 links to each other with camera system 2, warning light control module 3 respectively, and warning light control module 3 still links to each other with warning light 4.

The control module 1 is configured to determine a first time period and a second time period included in a cycle to be executed, where there is no time intersection between the first time period and the second time period. And controlling the camera system 2 to expose in a first time period to obtain an image, and controlling the warning lamp 4 to stop working through the warning lamp control module 3. And controlling the camera system 2 to stop exposure in the second time period, and controlling the warning lamp 4 to work through the warning lamp control module 3.

Optionally, the operation of the warning lamp 4 means that the warning lamp 4 flashes, and the flashing of the warning lamp 4 means that the warning lamp 4 alternately emits light and stops emitting light. The warning lamp 4 stops working means that the warning lamp 4 stops flashing, and when the warning lamp 4 stops flashing, the warning lamp 4 does not light any more.

The cycle to be executed may be a current cycle, and the control module 1 may determine a first time period and a second time period included in the current cycle at a start time of the current cycle.

Optionally, in the current cycle, the end time of the first time period is before the start time of the second time period, or the end time of the second time period is before the start time of the first time period.

As an alternative embodiment, the control module 1 comprises a timer, which can be used to derive the first time period and the second time period. The control module 1 sets a timer to start timing from 0, obtains a first time period of a cycle when the timed time reaches the time length of the first time period, and sets the timer to start timing from 0. And when the timed time reaches the time length of the second time period, the second time period of the period is obtained, and the control module sets the timer to start timing from 0. The control module 1 repeatedly executes the above process, and may obtain the first time period and the second time period included in each cycle.

As an alternative embodiment, in this embodiment, the control module 1 is a signal generator, and is capable of generating a synchronous control signal, controlling the camera system 2 to perform exposure in a first time period to obtain an image through the synchronous control signal, controlling the warning lamp 4 to stop working through the warning lamp control module 3, controlling the camera system 2 to stop exposure in a second time period through the synchronous control signal, and controlling the warning lamp 4 to work through the warning lamp control module 3.

Referring to fig. 2, in implementation, the synchronous control signal generated by the control module 1 includes an exposure synchronous signal and a warning light synchronous signal.

Optionally, in the period to be executed, the level of the exposure synchronization signal at the starting time of the first time period is changed from the first level to the second level, and the level in the second time period is the first level. Alternatively, the exposure synchronizing signal changes from the second level to the first level at the end time of the second period, or changes from the second level to the first level before the end time of the second period.

Optionally, the level of the warning light synchronization signal in the first time period is a third level in the cycle to be executed, and the third level is changed to a fourth level at the start time of the second time period. Optionally, the fourth level is changed to the third level at the end time of the second time period, or the fourth level is changed to the third level before the end time of the second time period.

The control module 1 sends an exposure synchronizing signal to the camera system 2 and sends a warning light synchronizing signal to the warning light control module 3.

Referring to fig. 3, the camera system 2 receives the exposure synchronizing signal, determines a time length when detecting that the level of the exposure synchronizing signal changes from the first level to the second level or when detecting that the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is the second level, and starts exposure to obtain an image, and stops exposure when the duration of exposure reaches the time length, wherein the time length is less than or equal to the time length of the first time period. The camera system 2 thus enables starting of the exposure at the start time of the first time period, stopping of the exposure at the end time of the first time period or stopping of the exposure before the end time of the first time period.

The warning light control module 3 receives the warning light synchronization signal, controls the warning light 4 to start working when detecting that the level of the warning light synchronization signal is changed from the third level to the fourth level or when detecting that the level of the warning light synchronization signal is the fourth level, and controls the warning light 4 to stop working when detecting that the level of the warning light synchronization signal is changed from the fourth level to the third level. In this way the warning light 4 is enabled to start operating at the start time of the second time period, to stop operating at the end time of the second time period or to stop operating before the end time of the second time period.

Optionally, the first level is a low level, and the second level is a high level; alternatively, the first level is a high level and the second level is a low level.

Optionally, the third level is a low level, and the fourth level is a high level; alternatively, the third level is high and the fourth level is low.

As an alternative embodiment, in this embodiment, the control module 1 is a processor, and is capable of generating a control command, by which the camera system 2 is controlled to perform exposure to obtain an image in a first time period, the warning light control module 3 is used to control the warning light 4 to stop operating, the camera system 2 is controlled to stop exposure in a second time period, and the warning light control module 3 is used to control the warning light 4 to start operating.

When the control method is implemented, the control module 1 sends a first control command to the camera system 2 at the starting time of the first time period, sends a second control command to the warning light control module 3 at the starting time of the second time period, and sends a third control command to the warning light control module 3 at the ending time of the second time period.

The camera system 2 receives the first control command, determines the time length based on the triggering of the first control command, starts exposure to obtain an image, and stops exposure when the exposure time length reaches the time length, wherein the time length is less than or equal to the time length of the first time period. The camera system 2 thus enables starting of the exposure at the start time of the first time period, stopping of the exposure at the end time of the first time period or stopping of the exposure before the end time of the first time period.

And the warning lamp control module 3 receives the second control command, controls the warning lamp 4 to start working based on the triggering of the second control command, receives the third control command, and controls the warning lamp 4 to stop working based on the triggering of the third control command. In this way, the warning lamp 4 starts to operate at the starting time of the second time period and stops operating at the ending time of the second time period.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the camera system 2 has a function of interpreting the first control command.

Optionally, referring to fig. 4, the vehicle further includes a camera control module 5, and the camera control module 5 has a function of interpreting the first control command.

The control module 1 sends a first control command to the camera control module 5 at the start time of the first time period, and the camera control module 5 receives the first control command and sends a control signal of a second level to the camera system 2. The camera system 2 receives the control signal, determines the time length, starts exposure to obtain an image, and stops exposure when the exposure time length reaches the time length, wherein the time length is smaller than or equal to the time length of the first time period.

The camera system 2 has a maximum exposure time length, and the length of time required for the camera system 2 to perform one exposure is less than or equal to the maximum exposure time length. The maximum exposure time length is determined by parameters of the camera system 2.

Wherein the time length of the first time period is greater than or equal to the maximum exposure time length. And the time length determined by the control module 1 is less than or equal to the maximum exposure time length, so that the camera system 2 is ensured to complete one exposure in the first time period.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the control module 1 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Control Unit (MCU), or a vehicle-mounted terminal.

Alternatively, referring to fig. 5, the camera system 2 comprises at least one camera, each camera comprising an image sensor 21 and a processing unit 22, the processing unit 22 being connected to the control module 1 and the image sensor 21.

Optionally, after the control module 1 generates the exposure synchronization signal, the synchronization signal is sent to each camera included in the camera system 2. For any one of the cameras included in the camera system 2, the processing unit 22 of the camera receives the exposure synchronizing signal, detects the exposure synchronizing signal, determines the time length when detecting that the exposure synchronizing signal jumps from the first level to the second level or when detecting that the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is the second level, and controls the image sensor 21 to collect the external light.

The processing unit 22 has a function of interpreting the control command, and the control module 1 sends the first control command to each camera included in the camera system 2 after generating the first control command at the start time of the first period. For any of the cameras included in the camera system 2, the processing unit 22 of the camera receives the first control command, determines the length of time based on the triggering of the first control command, and controls the image sensor 21 to start sensing light.

Alternatively, the processing unit 22 does not have a function of interpreting the first control command, and referring to fig. 4, it is necessary to provide a camera control module 5 between the camera system 2 and the control module 1, where the camera control module 5 generates a control signal at a second level based on a trigger of the first control command when receiving the first control command, and sends the control signal at the second level to each camera included in the camera system 2. And for any one of the cameras included in the camera system 2, the processing unit 22 of the camera receives the control signal of the second level, determines the length of time, and controls the image sensor 21 to start sensing light.

Optionally, each camera further includes a lens 23, and external light passes through the lens 23 and is collected by the image sensor 21.

Optionally, the processing unit 22 is an ISP chip or the like. The camera control module 5 may be a CPU or MCU.

In this embodiment of the present application, because the camera system 2 is exposed in the first time period, the warning light 4 works in the second time period, and the first time period and the second time period are two time periods without a time intersection, it is ensured that the warning light 4 stops working when the camera system 2 is exposed, the warning light 4 works and flashes to emit light after the camera system 2 stops being exposed, the flashing of the warning light 4 does not affect the exposure of the camera system 2 or reduce the effect on the exposure of the camera system 2, and an image acquired by the exposure of the camera system 2 may not flash due to the flashing of the warning light 4, so that the brightness and the color of the image may not change dramatically.

Referring to fig. 6, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for controlling a camera and a warning light, where the method is applied to a vehicle provided in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, 4, or 5, and includes:

step 101: determining a first time period and a second time period included in a cycle to be executed, wherein no time intersection exists between the first time period and the second time period.

Step 102: and controlling a camera system of the vehicle to expose in a first time period to obtain an image, and controlling a warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working.

Step 103: and controlling the camera system of the vehicle to stop exposure and controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to work in the second time period.

In the embodiment of the application, the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to expose in the first time period to obtain the image and control the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working, and the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to stop exposing in the second time period and control the warning lamp of the vehicle to work. And because there is not time intersection between the first time quantum and the second time quantum, guarantee like this that the warning light stops work when the camera system exposes, the warning light begins to work after the camera system stops exposing to reduce the influence of the bright light of warning light to image acquisition. In addition, when the camera system is exposed, the brightness change and the color change of the environment around the vehicle can not occur, and the brightness and the color of the image acquired by the multi-camera system through exposure can not be changed drastically.

Referring to fig. 7, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for controlling a camera and a warning light, which is applied to a vehicle provided in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, 4 or 5, and includes:

step 201: and generating an exposure synchronizing signal and a warning light synchronizing signal in the current cycle, the level of the exposure synchronizing signal changing from a first level to a second level at the start time of the first period and from the third level to a fourth level at the start time of the second period, the level of the warning light synchronizing signal changing from the first level to the second level at the start time of the first period and from the third level to the fourth level at the start time of the second period.

Referring to fig. 2, the current cycle is divided into a first time period and a second time period having no time intersection, and then the exposure synchronizing signal and the warning lamp synchronizing signal within the current cycle are generated based on the first time period and the second time period.

Optionally, in the current period, the level of the exposure synchronization signal at the starting time of the first time period is changed from the first level to the second level, and the level in the second time period is the first level. Alternatively, the exposure synchronizing signal changes from the fourth level to the third level at the end time of the second period, or changes from the fourth level to the third level before the end time of the second period.

Optionally, the level of the warning light synchronization signal in the first time period is a third level in the current cycle, and the third level is changed to a fourth level at the start time of the second time period. Optionally, the fourth level is changed to the third level at the end time of the second time period, or the fourth level is changed to the third level before the end time of the second time period.

In this step, an exposure synchronizing signal and a warning lamp synchronizing signal are generated by the control module in the current period.

The time length of the first time period is greater than or equal to the maximum exposure time length of the camera system. The maximum exposure time length is determined by parameters of the camera system. The parameters of the camera system include a frame rate, and a maximum exposure time length of the camera system may be determined based on the frame rate of the camera system. For example, assuming that the frame rate of the camera system is 40 frames/second, the maximum exposure time length of the camera system is determined to be 0.025 seconds, that is, the time length of one exposure for each camera in the camera system must be less than or equal to 0.025 seconds. And the length of the first time period is greater than or equal to 0.025 seconds, so that the camera system can be exposed in the first time period.

Step 202: when the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is detected to be changed from a first level to a second level or the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is detected to be the second level, determining the length of exposure time, wherein the length of the exposure time is less than or equal to the length of time of a first time period, controlling the camera system of the vehicle to start exposure, and controlling the camera system of the vehicle to stop exposure when the length of the exposure time reaches the length of the exposure time.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, at the start time of the first period, it is detected that the level of the exposure synchronizing signal changes from the first level to the second level, and the exposure time length is determined.

Optionally, after the operation of step 201 is executed, the control module sends an exposure synchronization signal to each camera included in the camera system after generating the exposure synchronization signal.

Thus, in this step, for any one of the cameras in the camera system, the camera receives the exposure synchronizing signal, detects the received exposure synchronizing signal, detects that the level of the exposure synchronizing signal changes from the first level to the second level at the start time of the first time period, determines the length of the exposure time, starts exposure to obtain an image, and stops exposure when the duration of the exposure reaches the length of the exposure time, wherein the length of the exposure time is less than or equal to the length of the first time period.

In this step, the length of the exposure time is determined according to the exposure parameters of the camera, the frame rate of the camera and the ambient brightness.

Step 203: when the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is detected to be changed from a third level to a fourth level or the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is detected to be the fourth level, controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to work; and controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working when detecting that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from the fourth level to the third level.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, at the starting time of the second time period, detecting that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from the third level to the fourth level, and controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to work; and controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working when detecting that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed into a third level.

Optionally, after the operation of step 201 is executed, the control module sends the warning lamp synchronization signal to the warning lamp control module after generating the warning lamp synchronization signal.

In this step, the warning lamp control module receives the warning lamp synchronization signal, detects that the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal is changed from the third level to the fourth level at the start time of the second time period to control the warning lamp to start working, and controls the warning lamp to stop working when the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal is changed from the fourth level to the third level.

Optionally, before the end time of the second time period, the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal may change from the fourth level to the third level, so that before the end time of the second time period, it is detected that the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal changes from the fourth level to the third level, and the warning lamp is controlled to stop operating; or,

the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal may change from the fourth level to the third level at the end time of the second period, so that it may be detected that the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal changes from the fourth level to the third level at the end time of the second period, and the warning lamp is controlled to stop operating.

The control module generates an exposure synchronization signal and a warning lamp synchronization signal in each period, transmits the generated exposure synchronization signal to the camera system, and transmits the warning lamp synchronization signal to the warning module control block. Since the level of the exposure synchronizing signal jumps to the second level in the first period of each cycle, the level in the second period of each cycle is the first level, and the level of the warning light synchronizing signal jumps to the fourth level in the first period of each cycle when the level in the first period of each cycle is the third level. When the camera system detects that the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is changed from the first level to the second level or detects that the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is the second level in the first time period, the camera system exposes in the first time period and stops exposing in the second time period; and when the warning lamp control detects that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from the third level to the fourth level in the second time period or detects that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is the fourth level, the warning lamp is controlled to work in the second time period and the warning lamp is controlled to stop working in the first time period.

In the embodiment of the present application, an exposure synchronizing signal whose level changes from a first level to a second level at a start time of a first period and whose level changes from the first level to a first level at a second period and a warning lamp synchronizing signal whose level changes from the third level to a fourth level at the start time of the second period are generated in a current cycle. Therefore, based on the exposure synchronizing signal and the warning lamp synchronizing signal, the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to be exposed to obtain an image and the warning lamp of the vehicle is controlled to stop working in the first time period, and the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to stop being exposed and the warning lamp of the vehicle is controlled to work in the second time period. And because there is not time intersection between the first time quantum and the second time quantum, guarantee like this that the warning light stops working when the camera system exposes, the warning light begins working when the camera system stops exposing, thus when the camera system exposes, the phenomenon that the environment around the vehicle can not appear bright and dark change and color change, the influence of bright and dark to the image acquisition of the warning light has been reduced, the bright and dark and color of the multi-camera system exposure acquisition image can not produce violent change.

Referring to fig. 8, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for controlling a camera and a warning light, which is applied to a vehicle provided in the embodiment shown in fig. 1 or fig. 5, and includes:

step 301: determining a first time period and a second time period included in the current cycle, wherein no time intersection exists between the first time period and the second time period.

As an alternative embodiment, the time length of the first time period and the time length of the second time period are obtained. Alternatively, the preset time length of the first time period and the preset time length of the second time period may be directly obtained. And setting a timer to start timing from 0, obtaining a first time period when the timed time reaches the time length of the first time period, and setting the timer to start timing from 0. And when the timed time reaches the time length of the second time period, obtaining the second time period.

Optionally, the determined time length of the first time period is greater than or equal to the maximum exposure time length of the camera system, and the maximum exposure time length of the camera system may be determined based on the frame rate of the camera system.

Step 302: and sending a first control command to each camera included in the camera system at the starting time of the first time period, sending a second control command to the warning light control module at the starting time of the second time period, and sending a third control command to the warning light control module at the ending time of the second time period.

Step 303: for any camera included in the camera system, the camera receives a first control command at the starting time of a first time period, determines the exposure time length based on the triggering of the first control command, starts exposure to obtain an image, and stops exposure when the exposure time length reaches the exposure time length, wherein the exposure time length is less than or equal to the time length of the first time period.

Step 304: and the warning lamp control module receives a second control command at the starting time of the second time period and controls the warning lamp to start working based on the triggering of the second control command.

Step 305: and the warning lamp control module receives a third control command at the end time of the second time period, and controls the warning lamp to stop working based on the triggering of the third control command.

In the embodiment of the application, a first control command is sent to each camera included in the camera system at the starting time of the first time period, and the cameras in the camera system control the camera system of the vehicle to expose in the first time period to obtain an image based on the triggering of the first control command. And sending a second control command to the warning lamp control module at the starting time of the second time period, and sending a third control command to the warning lamp control module at the ending time of the second time period, wherein the warning lamp control module controls the warning lamp of the vehicle to start working based on the triggering of the second control command at the starting time of the second time period, and controls the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working based on the triggering of the third control command at the ending time of the second time period. And because there is not time intersection between the first time quantum and the second time quantum, guarantee like this that the warning light stops work when the camera system exposes, the warning light begins to work when the camera system stops exposing to the influence of the bright light of warning light to image acquisition has been reduced. In addition, when the camera system is exposed, the environment around the vehicle can not have the phenomenon of brightness change and color change, and the brightness and the color of the image acquired by the multi-camera system exposure can not be changed drastically.

Referring to fig. 9, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus 400 for controlling a camera and a warning light, where the apparatus 400 includes:

a determining unit 401, configured to determine a first time period and a second time period included in a cycle to be executed, where there is no time intersection between the first time period and the second time period;

the first control unit 402 is configured to control a camera system of a vehicle to expose within the first time period to obtain an image, and control a warning light of the vehicle to stop working;

and a second control unit 403, configured to control the camera system of the vehicle to stop exposure and control a warning light of the vehicle to operate during the second time period.

Alternatively, the determining unit 401, the first control unit 402 and the second control unit 403 may be units included in the control module provided in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, fig. 4 or fig. 5.

Optionally, the determining unit 401 is configured to:

Optionally, the first control unit 402 is configured to:

Optionally, the second control unit 403 is configured to:

Optionally, the first control unit is configured to:

Optionally, the determining unit 401 is configured to generate the exposure synchronizing signal and the warning light synchronizing signal through a signal generator.

In the embodiment of the application, the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to expose in the first time period to obtain the image and control the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working, and the camera system of the vehicle is controlled to stop exposing in the second time period and control the warning lamp of the vehicle to start working. And because there is not time intersection between the first time quantum and the second time quantum, guarantee like this that the warning light stops work when the camera system exposes, the warning light begins to work when the camera system stops exposing to the influence that the bright light of warning light produced has reduced image acquisition. In addition, when the camera system is exposed, the brightness change and the color change of the environment around the vehicle cannot occur, and the brightness and the color of the image acquired by the multi-camera system through exposure cannot be changed violently.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a terminal 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The terminal 500 may be a vehicle-mounted terminal, and may perform the functions performed by the control module in any of the embodiments described above.

In general, the terminal 500 includes: a processor 501 and a memory 502.

The processor 501 may include one or more processing cores, such as a 4-core processor, an 8-core processor, and so on. The processor 501 may be implemented in at least one hardware form of a DSP (Digital Signal Processing), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a PLA (Programmable Logic Array). The processor 501 may also include a main processor and a coprocessor, where the main processor is a processor for Processing data in an awake state, and is also called a Central Processing Unit (CPU); a coprocessor is a low power processor for processing data in a standby state. In some embodiments, the processor 501 may be integrated with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), which is responsible for rendering and drawing the content required to be displayed on the display screen. In some embodiments, processor 501 may also include an AI (Artificial Intelligence) processor for processing computational operations related to machine learning.

Memory 502 may include one or more computer-readable storage media, which may be non-transitory. Memory 502 may also include high-speed random access memory, as well as non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory storage devices. In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in memory 502 is used to store at least one instruction for execution by processor 501 to implement the method of controlling a camera and a warning light provided by method embodiments herein.

In some embodiments, the terminal 500 may further optionally include: a peripheral interface 503 and at least one peripheral. The processor 501, memory 502 and peripheral interface 503 may be connected by a bus or signal lines. Each peripheral may be connected to the peripheral interface 503 by a bus, signal line, or circuit board. Specifically, the peripheral device includes: at least one of radio frequency circuitry 504, touch screen display 505, camera 506, audio circuitry 507, positioning components 508, and power supply 509.

The peripheral interface 503 may be used to connect at least one peripheral related to I/O (Input/Output) to the processor 501 and the memory 502. In some embodiments, the processor 501, memory 502, and peripheral interface 503 are integrated on the same chip or circuit board; in some other embodiments, any one or two of the processor 501, the memory 502, and the peripheral interface 503 may be implemented on a separate chip or circuit board, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The Radio Frequency circuit 504 is used for receiving and transmitting RF (Radio Frequency) signals, also called electromagnetic signals. The radio frequency circuitry 504 communicates with communication networks and other communication devices via electromagnetic signals. The rf circuit 504 converts an electrical signal into an electromagnetic signal to transmit, or converts a received electromagnetic signal into an electrical signal. Optionally, the radio frequency circuit 504 includes: an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, an oscillator, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a subscriber identity module card, and so forth. The radio frequency circuitry 504 may communicate with other terminals via at least one wireless communication protocol. The wireless communication protocols include, but are not limited to: the world wide web, metropolitan area networks, intranets, generations of mobile communication networks (2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G), Wireless local area networks, and/or WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks. In some embodiments, the rf circuit 504 may further include NFC (Near Field Communication) related circuits, which are not limited in this application.

The display screen 505 is used to display a UI (User Interface). The UI may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof. When the display screen 505 is a touch display screen, the display screen 505 also has the ability to capture touch signals on or over the surface of the display screen 505. The touch signal may be input to the processor 501 as a control signal for processing. At this point, the display screen 505 may also be used to provide virtual buttons and/or a virtual keyboard, also referred to as soft buttons and/or a soft keyboard. In some embodiments, the display screen 505 may be one, providing the front panel of the terminal 500; in other embodiments, the display screens 505 may be at least two, respectively disposed on different surfaces of the terminal 500 or in a folded design; in still other embodiments, the display 505 may be a flexible display disposed on a curved surface or on a folded surface of the terminal 500. Even more, the display screen 505 can be arranged in a non-rectangular irregular figure, i.e. a shaped screen. The Display screen 505 may be made of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), and other materials.

The camera assembly 506 is used to capture images or video. Optionally, camera assembly 506 includes a front camera and a rear camera. Generally, a front camera is disposed at a front panel of the terminal, and a rear camera is disposed at a rear surface of the terminal. In some embodiments, the number of the rear cameras is at least two, and each rear camera is any one of a main camera, a depth-of-field camera, a wide-angle camera and a telephoto camera, so that the main camera and the depth-of-field camera are fused to realize a background blurring function, and the main camera and the wide-angle camera are fused to realize panoramic shooting and VR (Virtual Reality) shooting functions or other fusion shooting functions. In some embodiments, camera assembly 506 may also include a flash. The flash lamp can be a monochrome temperature flash lamp or a bicolor temperature flash lamp. The double-color-temperature flash lamp is a combination of a warm-light flash lamp and a cold-light flash lamp, and can be used for light compensation at different color temperatures.

Audio circuitry 507 may include a microphone and a speaker. The microphone is used for collecting sound waves of a user and the environment, converting the sound waves into electric signals, and inputting the electric signals to the processor 501 for processing, or inputting the electric signals to the radio frequency circuit 504 to realize voice communication. For the purpose of stereo sound collection or noise reduction, a plurality of microphones may be provided at different portions of the terminal 500. The microphone may also be an array microphone or an omni-directional pick-up microphone. The speaker is used to convert electrical signals from the processor 501 or the radio frequency circuit 504 into sound waves. The loudspeaker can be a traditional film loudspeaker or a piezoelectric ceramic loudspeaker. When the speaker is a piezoelectric ceramic speaker, the speaker can be used for purposes such as converting an electric signal into a sound wave audible to a human being, or converting an electric signal into a sound wave inaudible to a human being to measure a distance. In some embodiments, audio circuitry 507 may also include a headphone jack.

The positioning component 508 is used for positioning the current geographic Location of the terminal 500 for navigation or LBS (Location Based Service). The Positioning component 508 may be a Positioning component based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the united states, the beidou System in china, or the galileo System in russia.

Power supply 509 is used to power the various components in terminal 500. The power source 509 may be alternating current, direct current, disposable or rechargeable. When power supply 509 includes a rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery may be a wired rechargeable battery or a wireless rechargeable battery. The wired rechargeable battery is a battery charged through a wired line, and the wireless rechargeable battery is a battery charged through a wireless coil. The rechargeable battery may also be used to support fast charge technology.

In some embodiments, terminal 500 also includes one or more sensors 510. The one or more sensors 510 include, but are not limited to: acceleration sensor 511, gyro sensor 512, pressure sensor 513, fingerprint sensor 514, optical sensor 515, and proximity sensor 516.

The acceleration sensor 511 may detect the magnitude of acceleration on three coordinate axes of the coordinate system established with the terminal 500. For example, the acceleration sensor 511 may be used to detect components of the gravitational acceleration in three coordinate axes. The processor 501 may control the touch screen 505 to display the user interface in a landscape view or a portrait view according to the gravitational acceleration signal collected by the acceleration sensor 511. The acceleration sensor 511 may also be used for acquisition of motion data of a game or a user.

The gyro sensor 512 may detect a body direction and a rotation angle of the terminal 500, and the gyro sensor 512 may cooperate with the acceleration sensor 511 to acquire a 3D motion of the user on the terminal 500. The processor 501 may implement the following functions according to the data collected by the gyro sensor 512: motion sensing (such as changing the UI according to a user's tilting operation), image stabilization at the time of photographing, game control, and inertial navigation.

The pressure sensor 513 may be disposed on a side bezel of the terminal 500 and/or an underlying layer of the touch display screen 505. When the pressure sensor 513 is disposed on the side frame of the terminal 500, a user's holding signal of the terminal 500 may be detected, and the processor 501 performs left-right hand recognition or shortcut operation according to the holding signal collected by the pressure sensor 513. When the pressure sensor 513 is disposed at the lower layer of the touch display screen 505, the processor 501 controls the operability control on the UI interface according to the pressure operation of the user on the touch display screen 505. The operability control comprises at least one of a button control, a scroll bar control, an icon control and a menu control.

The fingerprint sensor 514 is used for collecting a fingerprint of the user, and the processor 501 identifies the identity of the user according to the fingerprint collected by the fingerprint sensor 514, or the fingerprint sensor 514 identifies the identity of the user according to the collected fingerprint. Upon recognizing that the user's identity is a trusted identity, the processor 501 authorizes the user to perform relevant sensitive operations including unlocking the screen, viewing encrypted information, downloading software, paying, and changing settings, etc. The fingerprint sensor 514 may be provided on the front, back, or side of the terminal 500. When a physical button or a vendor Logo is provided on the terminal 500, the fingerprint sensor 514 may be integrated with the physical button or the vendor Logo.

The optical sensor 515 is used to collect the ambient light intensity. In one embodiment, the processor 501 may control the display brightness of the touch display screen 505 based on the ambient light intensity collected by the optical sensor 515. Specifically, when the ambient light intensity is high, the display brightness of the touch display screen 505 is increased; when the ambient light intensity is low, the display brightness of the touch display screen 505 is turned down. In another embodiment, processor 501 may also dynamically adjust the shooting parameters of camera head assembly 506 based on the ambient light intensity collected by optical sensor 515.

A proximity sensor 516, also referred to as a distance sensor, is typically disposed on the front panel of the terminal 500. The proximity sensor 516 is used to collect the distance between the user and the front surface of the terminal 500. In one embodiment, when the proximity sensor 516 detects that the distance between the user and the front surface of the terminal 500 gradually decreases, the processor 501 controls the touch display screen 505 to switch from the bright screen state to the dark screen state; when the proximity sensor 516 detects that the distance between the user and the front surface of the terminal 500 becomes gradually larger, the processor 501 controls the touch display screen 505 to switch from the screen-rest state to the screen-on state.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the configuration shown in fig. 10 is not intended to be limiting and may include more or fewer components than those shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components may be used.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps for implementing the above embodiments may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by a program instructing relevant hardware, where the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned storage medium may be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

The above description is only an example of the present application and should not be taken as limiting the present application, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements and the like that are made within the principles of the present application should be included in the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a camera and a warning light, the method comprising:

the control module generates an exposure synchronizing signal and a warning light synchronizing signal, wherein the level of the exposure synchronizing signal in the starting time of a first time period is changed from a first level to a second level, the level of the exposure synchronizing signal in a second time period is a first level, the level of the warning light synchronizing signal in the first time period is a third level, and the level of the warning light synchronizing signal in the starting time of the second time period is changed from the third level to a fourth level; the camera system is used for exposing when the level of the exposure synchronous signal is changed from a first level to a second level or when the level of the exposure synchronous signal is the second level, the warning lamp is used for working when the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from a third level to a fourth level or when the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is the fourth level, and no time intersection exists between the first time period and the second time period;

the control module sends an exposure synchronizing signal to the camera system and sends the warning lamp synchronizing signal to the warning lamp so as to control the camera system of the vehicle to expose in the first time period to obtain an image and control the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working; and controlling a camera system of the vehicle to stop exposure and controlling a warning lamp of the vehicle to work in the second time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling a camera system of a vehicle to expose for an image during the first time period comprises:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling operation of a warning light of said vehicle comprises:

when the fact that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from a third level to a fourth level or the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is the fourth level is detected, the warning lamp of the vehicle is controlled to work within a time period when the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is maintained at the fourth level;

the control the warning light of vehicle stops work, include:

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the generating an exposure synchronization signal and a warning light synchronization signal comprises:

and generating the exposure synchronizing signal and a warning lamp synchronizing signal through a signal generator, wherein the maximum exposure time length of the camera system is less than or equal to the time length of the first time period.

5. An apparatus for controlling a camera and a warning light, the apparatus comprising:

a determining unit, configured to generate an exposure synchronization signal and a warning light synchronization signal, where a level of the exposure synchronization signal at a start time of a first time period changes from a first level to a second level and a level of the exposure synchronization signal in a second time period is a first level, and a level of the warning light synchronization signal in the first time period is a third level and a level of the warning light synchronization signal at a start time of the second time period changes from the third level to a fourth level; the camera system is used for exposing when the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is changed from a first level to a second level or when the level of the exposure synchronizing signal is the second level, and the warning lamp is used for working when the level of the warning lamp synchronizing signal is changed from a third level to a fourth level or when the level of the warning lamp synchronizing signal is the fourth level; sending an exposure synchronizing signal to the camera system and sending the warning lamp synchronizing signal to the warning lamp, wherein no time intersection exists between the first time period and the second time period;

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first control unit is to:

7. The apparatus of claim 5,

the second control unit is configured to control the warning lamp of the vehicle to operate within a time period when the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal is maintained at the fourth level when it is detected that the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal is changed from the third level to the fourth level or the level of the warning lamp synchronization signal is the fourth level;

the first control unit is used for controlling the warning lamp of the vehicle to stop working within a time period when the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is maintained at the third level when the fact that the level of the warning lamp synchronous signal is changed from the fourth level to the third level is detected.

8. The apparatus according to any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the determining unit is configured to:

9. A vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a device according to any one of claims 5 to 8.