JP5567441B2 - Optical axis inspection method and optical axis inspection apparatus for vehicle-mounted camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection technique for inspecting an optical axis of an in-vehicle camera that images the front of a vehicle.

  Passenger cars equipped with in-vehicle cameras have been put into practical use. In this type of passenger car, the front road is imaged by an in-vehicle camera to grasp the road condition ahead. In order to make the in-vehicle camera function reliably, it is necessary to attach the in-vehicle camera to the passenger car so as to be within a specified attachment angle.

  Therefore, an optical axis inspection technique for an in-vehicle camera that inspects whether or not the angle of the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera is within a predetermined range is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (FIG. 1)).

Patent document 1 is demonstrated based on the following figure.
FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the basic principle of the prior art. A mirror 302 is set up on a horizontal base 301, and a vehicle 300 is arranged at a position away from the mirror 302 by a predetermined distance. The vehicle 300 is provided with an in-vehicle camera 303.

  The in-vehicle camera 303 captures an image of the vehicle (vehicle) 300 reflected in the mirror 302. The optical axis of the in-vehicle camera 303 is inspected by checking whether or not the vertical center line of the image matches the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera 303 in the captured image.

  In the conventional method, a device such as a large mirror 302 is required in front of the vehicle 300, and a wide space (inspection space) for performing the inspection is required. Such an inspection space hinders effective use of the space at the inspection site. Furthermore, the worker cannot enter between the vehicle-mounted camera 303 and the mirror 302 during the optical axis inspection. Since the flow line of the worker is limited, the efficiency of the inspection work is reduced.

  Therefore, there is a need for an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection technique that can be performed in a smaller inspection space and that can perform work around the vehicle even during inspection.

JP 2005-140508 A

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection technique that can be implemented in a smaller inspection space and that can perform work around the vehicle even during inspection.

The invention according to claim 1, in the optical axis inspection method of the vehicle-mounted camera for implementing the optical axis test of the on-vehicle camera for imaging the front of the vehicle, open the hood of the vehicle located in front of the vehicle camera upwards, the vehicle-mounted camera Holding the optical axis at a position that blocks the optical axis, a target placement step for positioning the target at a predetermined position between the hood held in the step and the on-vehicle camera, and a light source for imaging the light source provided on the target with the on-vehicle camera It is characterized by comprising an imaging step, and an optical axis deviation determining step for obtaining a deviation amount between the position of the imaged light source and the reference position of the in-vehicle camera and determining the deviation of the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the light source is a light emitting diode that can be distinguished by a paint color and luminance applied to the hood.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the target placement step includes a vehicle position adjustment step for specifying the vehicle width direction center position and the height direction position of the vehicle.

The invention according to claim 4 is an optical axis of a vehicle-mounted camera provided on a vehicle and provided with a vehicle-mounted camera that images the front of the vehicle and a hood that can be opened and closed at a front portion of the vehicle ahead of the camera. In the inspection apparatus, the optical axis inspection apparatus opens the hood upward, holds it at a position that blocks the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera, and positions the target at a predetermined position between the hood held at the position and the in-vehicle camera. An arrangement mechanism, a light source that is provided on the target and applies light to the in-vehicle camera, images the light of the light source, determines the amount of deviation between the position of this light and the reference position of the in-vehicle camera, and the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera And a judging means for judging the deviation.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the light source is a light emitting diode that can be distinguished by a paint color and luminance applied to the hood.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the optical axis inspection device for the in- vehicle camera further includes a vehicle position adjusting mechanism for specifying a center position in the width direction and a position in the height direction of the vehicle .

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 1, a target is positioned between the open | released hood and a vehicle-mounted camera, and the optical axis test | inspection of a vehicle-mounted camera is implemented using the light source provided in this target. That is, an operator may enter in front of the hood, that is, in front of the vehicle during the inspection. Even if the illumination is arranged in front of the vehicle, the illumination light is blocked by the hood, and therefore does not reach the in-vehicle camera. Therefore, for example, inspection in the engine room can be performed while performing the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera, so that the flow line of the worker around the vehicle is not limited.

As described above, when the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera is performed, the target is positioned between the open hood and the in-vehicle camera. In other words, in the present invention, it is only necessary to have an inspection space that includes the height of the hood in the open state and the moving distance of the target. Therefore, the inspection space is smaller than when a large mirror is placed in front of the vehicle for inspection. That's it.
Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical axis inspection method for an in-vehicle camera that can be performed in a smaller inspection space and that can perform work around the vehicle even during inspection.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 2, a light source is a light emitting diode which can be distinguished by the coating color and brightness which were given to the hood. Since the light emitting diode has a higher luminance than a fluorescent lamp, it is a light source with excellent visibility. A painted hood is illuminated with a fluorescent lamp, a light emitting diode is emitted in front of the hood, and the hood and the light emitting diode are imaged with a camera. In the captured image, it is possible to distinguish the light of the light emitting diode and the reflected light reflected by the light of the fluorescent lamp when it hits the hood by the luminance difference. If a light emitting diode is used as the light source, the optical axis inspection method for the in-vehicle camera can be carried out regardless of the paint color applied to the hood.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 3, a target arrangement | positioning process has a vehicle position adjustment process for each specifying the vehicle width direction center position and height direction position of a vehicle. That is, in the vehicle position adjustment step, the target can be positioned after the vehicle width direction center position and the height direction position of the vehicle are specified. Compared with the case where the vehicle width direction center position and height direction position of the vehicle are not specified, the positioning of the target is ensured, so that it is possible to provide an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection method capable of improving inspection accuracy.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 4, a target is positioned with a target arrangement | positioning mechanism between a vehicle-mounted camera and the open hood, and the light of the light source provided in the target is imaged with a vehicle-mounted camera. That is, an operator may enter the front of the hood, that is, the front of the vehicle during the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera. Even if the illumination is arranged in front of the vehicle, the illumination light is blocked by the hood, and therefore does not reach the in-vehicle camera. Therefore, for example, inspection in the engine room can be performed while performing the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera, so that the flow line of the worker around the vehicle is not limited.

As described above, when the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera is performed, the target is positioned between the open hood and the in-vehicle camera. In other words, in the present invention, it is only necessary to have an inspection space that includes the height of the hood in the open state and the moving distance of the target. Therefore, the inspection space is smaller than when a large mirror is placed in front of the vehicle for inspection. That's it.
Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical axis inspection apparatus for an in-vehicle camera that can reduce the inspection space and can perform work around the vehicle even during inspection.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 5, a light source is a light emitting diode which can be distinguished by the coating color and brightness which were given to the hood. Since the light emitting diode has a higher luminance than a fluorescent lamp, it is a light source with excellent visibility. A painted hood is illuminated with a fluorescent lamp, a light emitting diode is emitted in front of the hood, and the hood and the light emitting diode are imaged with a camera. In the captured image, it is possible to distinguish the light of the light emitting diode and the reflected light reflected by the light of the fluorescent lamp when it hits the hood by the luminance difference. If a light emitting diode is used as the light source, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection device capable of performing camera optical axis inspection regardless of the paint color applied to the hood.

  In the invention according to claim 6, an alignment tester for specifying the center position in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle is provided at the inspection site where the vehicle is carried in, and the height measuring mechanism for specifying the position in the height direction of the vehicle is provided. Is provided. That is, after the vehicle width direction center position of the vehicle is specified by the alignment tester and the height direction position of the vehicle is specified by the height measurement mechanism, the target positioning can be performed by the target placement mechanism. Compared to the case where there is no alignment tester and height measurement mechanism, the target positioning is ensured, so that it is possible to provide an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection device capable of improving inspection accuracy.

It is sectional drawing of the inspection field which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of a vehicle width adjustment mechanism and an alignment tester. FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 1. It is a figure explaining the mounting structure of a vehicle-mounted camera. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. It is a figure explaining an effect | action until it adjusts the vehicle width center of a vehicle. It is a figure explaining an effect | action until it measures the height of a wheel house. It is a figure explaining an effect | action until it calculates the center height of a vehicle-mounted camera. It is a figure explaining an effect | action until a target is positioned between a vehicle-mounted camera and the open hood. It is a figure explaining an effect | action until it determines the shift | offset | difference of the optical axis of a vehicle-mounted camera. It is a graph explaining the brightness | luminance difference of the red paint color and red light emitting diode which were given to the food | hood. It is a flowchart of the optical axis inspection method of the vehicle-mounted camera which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the optical axis test process of a headlight. It is a figure explaining the basic principle of the prior art.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are viewed in the direction of the reference numerals. A vehicle is a passenger car, a target arrangement mechanism is a lifting cylinder, and a light source is a red light emitting diode as an example. Further, the front, rear, left and right, and top and bottom used in the following description are determined based on the driver sitting in the driver's seat of the passenger car.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the passenger car 11 includes an in-vehicle camera 20 (described later in detail) that is provided inside the windshield 12 and images the front. The passenger car 11 is carried into the inspection place 150 in order to perform an optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20. Next, the configuration of the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection device used for performing the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20 will be described.

  The in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection device 10 is provided on the front portion of the passenger car 11 in front of the in-vehicle camera 20 so that it can be opened and closed, and a support portion 111 provided above the passenger car 11 (upper periphery). A target 120 is provided at the lower end, and an elevating cylinder 130 for positioning the target 120 between the in-vehicle camera 20 and the opened hood 21, and a light emitting toward the rear provided at the center position in the vertical direction of the target 120. The red light emitting diode 121 that gives light to the in-vehicle camera 20 and the light emitted by the red light emitting diode 121 are imaged, and the amount of deviation (described later) between the position of this light and the reference position (described later) of the in-vehicle camera 20 is calculated. The vehicle-mounted camera 20 determines the deviation of the optical axis of the vehicle-mounted camera 20.

  In addition, the central axis of the elevating cylinder 130 coincides with a straight line 133 orthogonal to the optical axis 220 (described later in detail) of the in-vehicle camera 20. Further, the center of the target 120 in the front-rear direction coincides with the straight line 133. Note that the red light emitting diode 121 is kept emitting light during inspection.

Further, a front side vehicle width adjusting mechanism 30 (details will be described later) for moving the front part of the passenger car 11 carried into the inspection site 150 in the vehicle width direction is provided on the front side lower floor part 22. A rear vehicle width adjusting mechanism 50 (details will be described later) for moving the rear portion in the vehicle width direction is provided.
A right front alignment tester 70 for confirming the alignment of the right front wheel 33 of the passenger car 11 is attached to the right front portion 32 of the front vehicle width adjustment mechanism 30, and the right rear wheel 52 is attached to the right rear portion 51 of the rear vehicle width adjustment mechanism 50. A right rear alignment tester 80 for confirming the alignment is attached.

  A right front height measuring mechanism 90 (described later in detail) for measuring the height of the right front wheel house 82 of the passenger car 11 is provided with a right front support member 81 on the right side surface of the right front alignment tester 70 in order to specify the height position of the vehicle by a suspension or the like. A right rear height measuring mechanism 100 that measures the height of the right rear wheel house 92 is attached to the right side surface of the right rear alignment tester 80 via a right rear support member 91.

An arithmetic device 110 is connected to the right front height measuring mechanism 90 and the right rear height measuring mechanism 100. The arithmetic device 110 calculates the center height of the in-vehicle camera 20 from information obtained by measurement. The calculated center height is sent from the calculation device 110 to the control device 140.
The control device 140 issues a lowering command to lower the target 120 to the lifting cylinder 130 based on the height data received from the arithmetic device 110. Further, the control device 140 issues an ascending command for raising the lowered target 120 to the elevating cylinder 130.

In addition, a plurality of lighting fixtures 151 supported by the support part 111 are arranged in front upper direction of the passenger car 11. These lighting fixtures 151 are used to inspect the engine room when the hood 21 of the passenger car 11 is opened.
Further, a headlight optical axis inspection device 160 used for optical axis inspection of the headlight 152 is disposed in front of the passenger car 11. Next, the configuration of the vehicle width adjusting mechanism and the alignment tester will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front vehicle width adjustment mechanism 30 includes a right front portion 32 disposed below the right front wheel 33 of the passenger vehicle 11 indicated by an imaginary line, and a left front portion 34 disposed below the left front wheel 161. Consists of.

  The right front portion 32 includes a pair of right front rails 35 provided along the vehicle width direction of the passenger car 11 on the front floor lower portion 22, a right front slider 36 provided movably along the right front rail 35, A right front motor 37 that is provided on the front lower floor 22 and rotates forward or reverse based on a command from a control device (FIG. 1, reference numeral 140), a right front pinion 38 that is attached to the output shaft of the right front motor 37, and this right front The front right rack 39 is engaged with the pinion 38 and is connected to the right front slider 36. The configuration of the left front portion 34 is the same as that of the right front portion 32.

  The rear vehicle width adjusting mechanism 50 includes a right rear portion 51 disposed below the right rear wheel 52 of the passenger car 11 and a left rear portion 53 disposed below the left rear wheel 162. The right rear portion 51 is rotated forward or backward based on a command from a pair of right rear rails 54, a right rear slider 55 movably provided on the right rear rails 54, and a control device (FIG. 1, reference numeral 140). A right rear motor 56 that rotates in reverse, a right rear pinion 57 attached to the output shaft of the right rear motor 56, and a right rear rack 58 that meshes with the right rear pinion 57 and is connected to the right rear slider 55. The configuration of the left rear portion 53 is the same as that of the right rear portion 51.

  The right front motor 37, the left front motor 43, the right rear motor 56, and the left rear motor 62 are controlled by a control device (FIG. 1, reference numeral 140). In addition, although the two motors 37 and 43 are used as the moving mechanism of the front vehicle width adjusting mechanism 30 in the embodiment, a gear train may be provided by one motor and the rack may be driven by this gear train. . The rear vehicle width adjusting mechanism 50 may also be a combination of one motor, a gear train, and a rack, as described above.

  Further, instead of the rack, pinion, and motor, the left and right sliders may be connected by a link mechanism, and the center of the vehicle width of the passenger car 11 may be aligned with the center line 221 of the inspection site 150 by this link mechanism.

  In addition, a left front alignment tester 180 for confirming the alignment of the left front wheel 161 of the passenger car 11 is attached to the left front portion 34 of the front vehicle width adjustment mechanism 30, and the left rear wheel 53 is attached to the left rear portion 53 of the rear vehicle width adjustment mechanism 50. A left rear alignment tester 190 for confirming the alignment 162 is attached.

  Before the passenger car 11 is placed on the alignment testers 70, 180, 80, 190, the vehicle width direction centers of the vehicle width adjusting mechanisms 30, 50 coincide with the center line 221 of the inspection site 150. Further, the center in the vehicle width direction between the alignment tester 70 and the alignment tester 180 and the center in the vehicle width direction between the alignment tester 80 and the alignment tester 190 coincide with the center line 221 of the inspection site 150.

  Each of the alignment testers 70, 180, 80, and 190 measures the amount of displacement with respect to a predetermined wheel distance by bringing the contact piece (FIG. 3, reference numerals 75 and 77) into contact with the outer surface of the wheel while the passenger car 11 is placed. It has a displacement measurement mechanism (FIG. 3, reference numerals 74 and 76).

  The displacement amount measuring mechanism is a mechanism that pushes out the contact piece at the standby position and measures the displacement amount. After the measurement, the contact piece can be returned to the standby position. The predetermined wheel distance refers to the distance from the center of the width of the passenger car 11 mounted on the alignment tester 70, 180, 80, 190 to the outer surface of each wheel.

  The passenger car 11 is placed on the alignment tester 70, 180, 80, 190. Next, the contact piece of the displacement measuring mechanism is pushed out, and the outer surface of the wheels 33, 161, 52, 162 is clamped with the contact piece, and the displacement amount of the passenger car 11 in the vehicle width direction is measured. If there is a deviation amount, the vehicle width adjusting mechanisms 30 and 50 are operated to make the vehicle width center line of the passenger car 11 coincide with the center line 221 of the inspection site 150. By operating the vehicle width adjusting mechanisms 30 and 50, the passenger car 11 is moved and the vehicle width center line of the passenger car 11 is made to coincide with the center line 221 of the inspection site 150.

  That is, the center position in the vehicle width direction of the passenger car 11 can be specified by measuring the amount of displacement in the vehicle width direction of the passenger car 11 by the displacement amount measuring mechanism. Further, the vehicle width adjusting mechanisms 30 and 50 exhibit a facing function for directing the passenger car 11 toward the headlight optical axis inspection device (FIG. 1, reference numeral 160).

  A left front height measuring mechanism 200 that measures the height of the left front wheel house of the passenger car 11 is attached to the left side surface of the left front alignment tester 180. A left rear height measuring mechanism 210 that measures the height of the left rear wheel house is attached to the left side surface of the left rear alignment tester 190. The left front height measurement mechanism 200 and the left rear height measurement mechanism 210 are connected to an arithmetic unit (FIG. 1, reference numeral 110) similarly to the right front height measurement mechanism 90 and the right rear height measurement mechanism 100. The distance L1 is the wheel base of the passenger car 11.

  In summary, the inspection site 150 is provided with a displacement measuring mechanism (FIG. 3, reference numerals 74 and 76) of the alignment testers 70, 80, 180 and 190 for specifying the center position in the vehicle width direction of the passenger car 11. In addition, height measuring mechanisms 90, 100, 200, and 210 that specify the height direction position of the passenger car 11 are provided.

  That is, the center position in the vehicle width direction of the passenger car 11 is specified by the displacement amount measuring mechanism of the alignment testers 70, 80, 180, and 190, and the height direction position of the passenger car 11 is specified by the height measuring mechanisms 90, 100, 200, and 210. After that, the target (FIG. 1, reference numeral 120) can be positioned with the elevating cylinder (FIG. 1, reference numeral 130). Compared with the case where there is no alignment tester and no height measurement mechanism, the target positioning is ensured, and therefore an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection apparatus capable of improving inspection accuracy can be provided. Next, the configuration of the height measuring mechanism and the headlight optical axis inspection device will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the right front height measuring mechanism 90 is attached to the right front support member 81 attached to the right side surface of the right front alignment tester (FIG. 1, reference numeral 70) and the upper end of the right front support member 81. A right front cylinder 93 and a right front height measuring sensor 95 attached to the tip of the cylinder rod 94 of the right front cylinder 93.

Although it is preferable to use a laser displacement meter for the right front height measurement sensor 95, other non-contact type sensors may be applied.
The configuration of the left front height measurement mechanism 200 is the same as that of the right front height measurement mechanism 90.

  The headlight optical axis inspection device 160 includes a right headlight inspection device 163 disposed on the right side of the passenger car 11 and a left headlight inspection device 164 disposed on the left side of the passenger car 11.

  The right headlight inspection device 163 includes a right main body 167 that is movably attached to a rail 166 provided on the floor 165, and a right inspection unit that is attached to the right main body 167 and inspects the optical axis of the right headlight 152. 168. The configuration of the left headlight inspection device 164 is the same as that of the right headlight inspection device 163. In addition, the movement of the right headlight inspection device 163 and the left headlight inspection device 164 is controlled by the control device 140.

  In addition, the elevating cylinder 130 is attached to the support portion (FIG. 1, reference numeral 111) with a bracket (FIG. 1, reference numeral 132). Further, the center of the target 120 in the vehicle width direction is arranged on the straight line 133 and coincides with the center line 221 of the inspection site 150. A straight line 134 is a line orthogonal to the optical axis (FIGS. 1 and 220) of the in-vehicle camera 20. Next, the mounting structure of the in-vehicle camera will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle camera 20 is attached to a ceiling lining 211 of a passenger car (FIG. 1, reference numeral 11) via a connecting member 212. An anti-glare mirror 213 is provided at the rear end of the in-vehicle camera 20. The in-vehicle camera 20 is a camera that includes a lens, a filter, and an image sensor. θ1 is the vertical viewing angle of the camera with respect to the optical axis 220 of the camera. In addition, although the vehicle-mounted camera 20 was attached to the ceiling lining part 211 in the Example, you may attach it on an instrument panel.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the viewing angle θ <b> 2 in the vehicle width direction of the camera is set with respect to the optical axis 220 of the in-vehicle camera 20.

The operation of the on-vehicle camera optical axis inspection apparatus described above will be described next.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the passenger car 11 is carried into the inspection site 150 as indicated by an arrow (1).
As shown in (b), the passenger car 11 is placed on the alignment testers 70 and 80.

  (C) is a c arrow view of (b), and the vehicle width center line 222 of the passenger car 11 is shifted from the center line 221 of the inspection site 150 by an angle θ3. Point P 1 is an intersection of an intermediate line 219 representing the intermediate position of the wheel base and a vehicle width center line 222. The passenger car 11 is moved to a position indicated by an imaginary line by the vehicle width adjusting mechanism (FIG. 2, reference numerals 30 and 50) so that the vehicle width center line 222 of the passenger car 11 coincides with the center line 221 of the inspection site 150. Next, the operation until the height of the wheel house is measured will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, a right front height measuring mechanism 90 is disposed on the right side of the right front wheel house 82 of the passenger car 11. A left front height measuring mechanism 200 is disposed on the left side of the left front wheel house 223.

As shown in (b), the position of the upper edge 224 of the right front wheel house 82 is detected by the right front height measuring sensor 95 of the right front height measuring mechanism 90.
As a result, a point P2 as shown in (c) can be detected. The point P2 is disposed on a vertical line 236 drawn so as to pass through the upper edge 224 of the right front wheel house 82. Next, the operation until the center height of the in-vehicle camera is calculated will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, first, measurement information detected by the right front height measurement sensor 95 is sent to the arithmetic device 110. When a detection point obtained by actual detection is input to the arithmetic device 110, the arithmetic device 110 calculates a difference between the actual detection point and a predetermined reference point.

  If the above difference is zero, the height H1 of the upper edge 224 of the right front wheel house 82 remains at the designed height as shown in FIG. On the other hand, if there is a difference, the arithmetic unit 110 adds the difference to the height H1 of the upper edge 224 or subtracts the difference from the height H1. Furthermore, since the height H2 from the upper edge 224 of the right front wheel house 82 to the optical axis 220 of the in-vehicle camera 20 is determined in advance, the height from the floor 165 to the optical axis 220 of the in-vehicle camera 20 is calculated by the arithmetic device 110. H3 can be calculated. Next, the operation until the hood is opened and the target is positioned between the hood and the in-vehicle camera will be described.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the hood 21 is lifted as indicated by an arrow (2).
Next, as shown in (b), the hood 21 is supported by the hood stay 225 and the hood 21 is kept open.

  The requested movement distance of the target 120 is sent from the arithmetic device 110 to the control device 140. Based on the command from the control device 140, the target 120 is lowered from the top as indicated by the arrow (3) by the pushing operation of the elevating cylinder 130. As a result, the target 120 is positioned between the hood 21 and the in-vehicle camera 20 so that the center line 226 of the target 120 coincides with the calculated center height (optical axis) of the in-vehicle camera 20.

  In addition, although the target 120 was lowered by the raising / lowering cylinder 130 provided in the support part (FIG. 1, code | symbol 111) in the Example, a cylinder is provided in the floor 165 and it is between the hood 21 and the vehicle-mounted camera 20 from the vehicle width direction. It may be positioned. Further, a robot arm may be used as a positioning means for the target 120. Next, an operation until the deviation of the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera is determined will be described.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the in-vehicle camera 20 captures an image of the red light emitting diode 121 provided along the center line 226 of the target 120.
As shown in (b), the light 227 of the red light emitting diode 121 is incident on the lens 228 and then projected on the imaging surface 229 of the image sensor.

  As a result, as shown in (c), the imaging surface 229 of the image sensor is divided by a plurality of pixels 232, and the light 227 of the red light emitting diode 121 is projected on the center pixel 232. In the imaging plane 229, in order to ensure the function of the in-vehicle camera 20, the vehicle is moved with respect to the axis 234 defined in the vertical direction with respect to the axis 233 drawn in the vehicle width direction and the axis 234 orthogonal to the axis 233. A specified angle θ5 defined in the width direction (left-right direction) is set.

  When the light falls within the specified angles θ4 and θ5 as in the case of the light 227 of the red light emitting diode 121, it is determined that the amount of light deviation with respect to the reference point P3 on the imaging plane 229 is within a predetermined value. To do. On the other hand, when the light is projected outside the specified angles θ4 and θ5 like the light 231 of another red light emitting diode, it is determined that the amount of deviation of the light with respect to the reference point P3 exceeds a predetermined value.

  By using the imaging element of the in-vehicle camera 20 as described above, a deviation amount between the imaged position of the light of the red light emitting diode 121 and the reference point P3 on the imaging plane 229 is obtained, and this deviation amount is a predetermined value. It can be determined whether it is within a predetermined value or exceeds a predetermined value. That is, the deviation of the optical axis 220 of the in-vehicle camera 20 is determined on the imaging surface 229 of the image sensor. In addition, when the deviation | shift amount has exceeded the predetermined value, a passenger car (FIG. 1, code | symbol 11) is returned to an upstream process.

  9B, in the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection apparatus 10, the target 120 is positioned by the elevating cylinder 130 between the in-vehicle camera 20 and the open hood 21, and the in-vehicle camera 20 is positioned at the center of the target 120. The light 227 of the provided red light emitting diode 121 is imaged. That is, an operator may enter the front of the hood 21, that is, the front of the passenger car 11 during the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20.

  Even if illumination is disposed in front of the passenger car 11, the illumination light is blocked by the hood 21, and thus does not reach the vehicle-mounted camera 20. Therefore, for example, inspection in the engine room 235 and the like can be performed while performing the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20, so that the flow line of the worker around the passenger car 11 is not limited.

As described above, when the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20 is performed, the target 120 is positioned between the open hood 21 and the in-vehicle camera 20. That is, in the present invention, since it is sufficient if there is an inspection space including the height of the hood 21 in the open state and the moving distance of the target 120, the inspection is performed as compared with the case where a large mirror is placed in front of the passenger car 11 for inspection. The space is small.
Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical axis inspection apparatus 10 for an in-vehicle camera that can reduce the inspection space and can perform work around the passenger car 11 even during inspection.

  By the way, in the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection device 10, the red light emitting diode 121 is adopted as the light source. The reason for adopting the red light emitting diode 121 will be described below.

  The red light-emitting diode 121 is a light source with excellent visibility because it has higher luminance than a fluorescent lamp. For example, the hood 21 with a white paint color is illuminated with a fluorescent lamp, the red light emitting diode 121 is caused to emit light in front of the hood 21, and the hood 21 and the red light emitting diode 121 are imaged by the in-vehicle camera 20. In the captured image, the red color of the light emitting diode 121 and the color of the reflected light reflected by the light from the fluorescent lamp hitting the hood 21 can be distinguished. This effect is exhibited even when the paint color is silver, blue, or the like. Next, an example in which the paint color of the hood is red will be described.

FIG. 11A is a graph showing a luminance index when the red light emitting diode emits light, and the luminance index of the wavelength value corresponding to red is 100%.
(B) is a graph which shows the brightness | luminance parameter | index of reflected light when illumination is applied to the hood of the red paint color. When the brightness of the reflected light was compared, it was 2/5 of the brightness index of the red light emitting diode.

  That is, as shown in (c), there is a difference between the luminance of the red light emitting diode and the luminance of the reflected light from the hood with the red paint color. Therefore, if the luminance index 50% is used as a threshold value, the luminance of the red light emitting diode can be distinguished from the luminance of the reflected light from the hood with the red paint color.

  When a red light emitting diode is adopted, if the paint color of the hood is red, the possibility of identification is a concern. However, since the red light emitting diode has high luminance, it is possible to distinguish the light of the red light emitting diode from the red reflected light by using the luminance difference between the light generated by the red light emitting diode and the reflected light.

  Therefore, a red light emitting diode is not affected by all paint colors such as red, white, silver, and blue, and therefore, any paint color vehicle can be applied to the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection device.

Next, an optical axis inspection method for an in-vehicle camera implemented using the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection apparatus described so far will be described.
As shown in FIG. 12, the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection method includes a hood opening and holding step in step (hereinafter referred to as ST) 01, a target placement step in ST02, a light source imaging step in ST03, and light in ST04. An axis deviation determination step. Next, each step will be described in detail.

  In ST01, the vehicle hood located in front of the in-vehicle camera is opened upward to hold the hood. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, the hood 21 is lifted as indicated by an arrow (2). Next, as shown in (b), the hood 21 is supported by the hood stay 225 and the hood 21 is kept open.

  In ST02, a target whose center is located on a straight line orthogonal to the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera is positioned between the hood and the in-vehicle camera. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9B, the target 120 is lowered from the top as indicated by an arrow (3) by the pushing operation of the elevating cylinder 130 based on a command from the control device 140. As a result, the target 120 is positioned between the hood 21 and the in-vehicle camera 20 such that the center line 226 of the target 120 coincides with the calculated center height (optical axis) of the in-vehicle camera 20. In FIG. 12, the target placement step of ST02 may be performed before the hood opening and holding step of ST01.

  In FIG. 9B, the target 120 is lowered from the top in the target placement step. The target 120 is lowered from above the vehicle when the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20 is performed. After the inspection is completed, the target 120 is returned to the upper side of the vehicle. Since it is only necessary to lower the target 120 only at the time of inspection, the vehicle can be moved smoothly after the inspection is completed, compared to the case where the position of the target is fixed. Therefore, inspection efficiency can be improved.

  In ST03, the light source provided on the target is imaged by the in-vehicle camera. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10A, the in-vehicle camera 20 captures an image of the red light emitting diode 121 provided along the center line 226 of the target 120.

  In ST04, a deviation amount between the position of the imaged light source and the reference position of the in-vehicle camera is obtained, and the deviation of the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera is determined. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the image sensor of the in-vehicle camera 20 is used and the light is within the specified angles θ4 and θ5 like the light 227 of the red light emitting diode 121. Determines that the amount of light deviation with respect to the reference point P3 on the image plane 229 is within a predetermined value. On the other hand, when the light is projected outside the specified angles θ4 and θ5 like the light 231 of another red light emitting diode, it is determined that the amount of deviation of the light with respect to the reference point P3 exceeds a predetermined value. Therefore, a deviation amount between the imaged position of the light of the red light emitting diode 121 and the reference point P3 on the imaging plane 229 is obtained, and it is determined whether the deviation amount is within a predetermined value or exceeds a predetermined value. it can. That is, the deviation of the optical axis 220 of the in-vehicle camera 20 is determined on the imaging surface 229 of the image sensor.

  In FIG. 9B, the target 120 is positioned between the opened hood 21 and the in-vehicle camera 20, and the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20 is performed using the red light emitting diode 121 provided at the center of the target 120. To implement. That is, an operator may enter in front of the hood 21, that is, in front of the passenger car 11 during the inspection. Even if illumination is disposed in front of the passenger car 11, the illumination light is blocked by the hood 21, and thus does not reach the vehicle-mounted camera 20. Therefore, for example, inspection in the engine room 235 and the like can be performed while performing the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20, so that the flow line of the worker around the passenger car 11 is not limited.

As described above, when the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera 20 is performed, the target 120 is positioned between the open hood 21 and the in-vehicle camera 20. That is, in the present invention, since it is sufficient if there is an inspection space including the height of the hood 21 in the open state and the moving distance of the target 120, the inspection is performed as compared with the case where a large mirror is placed in front of the passenger car 11 for inspection. The space is small.
Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical axis inspection method for an in-vehicle camera that can be performed in a smaller inspection space and that can perform work around the vehicle even during inspection.

  By the way, in the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection method, the red light emitting diode 121 is employed as the light source. The reason for adopting the red light emitting diode 121 will be described below.

  The red light-emitting diode 121 is a light source with excellent visibility because it has higher luminance than a fluorescent lamp. For example, the hood 21 with a white paint color is illuminated with a fluorescent lamp, the red light emitting diode 121 is caused to emit light in front of the hood 21, and the hood 21 and the light emitting diode 121 are imaged by the camera 20. In the captured image, the red color of the light emitting diode 121 and the color of the reflected light reflected by the light from the fluorescent lamp hitting the hood 21 can be distinguished. This effect is exhibited even when the paint color is silver, blue, or the like. Next, an example in which the paint color of the hood is red will be described.

In FIG. 11A, the luminance index of the wavelength value corresponding to the red emission color of the red light emitting diode is set to 100%.
In (b), when the luminance of the red light emission color and the luminance of the reflected light were compared, the luminance index of the reflected light was 2/5 of the luminance index of the red light emitting diode.

  That is, as shown in (c), there is a difference between the luminance of the red light emitting diode and the luminance of the reflected light from the hood with the red paint color. Therefore, if the luminance index 50% is used as a threshold value, the luminance of the red light emitting diode can be distinguished from the luminance of the reflected light from the hood with the red paint color.

  When a red light emitting diode is adopted, if the paint color of the hood is red, the possibility of identification is a concern. However, since the red light emitting diode has high luminance, it is possible to distinguish the light of the red light emitting diode from the red reflected light by using the luminance difference between the light generated by the red light emitting diode and the reflected light.

  Therefore, a red light-emitting diode is not affected by all paint colors such as red, white, silver, and blue, and therefore, an optical axis inspection method for an in-vehicle camera can be implemented in vehicles of any paint color.

  In addition, in FIG. 12, the target placement process of ST02 includes a vehicle position adjustment process for specifying the vehicle width direction center position and the height direction position of the vehicle. That is, in the vehicle position adjustment step, the target can be positioned after the vehicle width direction center position and the height direction position of the vehicle are specified.

  In FIG. 3, the center position in the vehicle width direction of the passenger car 11 is specified by the displacement amount measuring mechanism 74 of the alignment tester 70, and the center position in the vehicle width direction of the passenger car 11 is specified by the displacement amount measuring mechanism 76 of the alignment tester 180. The height direction position of the passenger car 11 is specified by the measurement mechanisms 90 and 200. After the vehicle width direction center position and the height direction position of the passenger car 11 are specified, the target 120 can be positioned by the elevating cylinder 130. Compared to the case where there is no alignment tester and height measurement mechanism, the target positioning is ensured, so that it is possible to provide an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection method capable of improving inspection accuracy.

  Further, in FIG. 1, a right front height measurement mechanism 90 is attached to the right front alignment tester 70, and a right rear height measurement mechanism 100 is attached to the right rear alignment tester 80. When the right front height measurement mechanism 90 is attached at a location different from the right front alignment tester 70 and the right rear height measurement mechanism 100 is attached at a location different from the right rear alignment tester 80, a member that supports the height measurement mechanism is provided. It is necessary separately.

  A support member for the height measurement mechanism is prepared separately, and a new member is installed on the floor 165 or the support unit 111 of the inspection site 150. As a result, the new member may get in the way when an operator performs an inspection in the engine room or confirms the light emission of the red light emitting diode in the lowered state. Therefore, in the present invention, since the height measuring mechanism is attached to the alignment tester, workability around the passenger car 11 can be ensured. Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical axis inspection method for an in-vehicle camera that can improve workability.

  So far, the optical axis inspection method of the in-vehicle camera has been described. If other inspections can be performed simultaneously with the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera, the completed vehicle inspection time can be shortened compared to the case where the two inspections are performed separately. Next, an example in which the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera and the optical axis inspection of the headlight are performed simultaneously will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, the right headlight inspection device 163 is moved as indicated by an arrow (4) while the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera is being performed, and the left headlight inspection device 164 is moved to the arrow. Move as in (5).

  As shown in (b), the right inspection unit 168 of the right headlight inspection device 163 is overlaid on the right headlight 152 of the passenger car 11, and the left inspection unit 173 of the left headlight inspection device 164 is overlaid on the left headlight 169. The optical axis inspection of the headlight is performed in the above state. After the headlight optical axis inspection is completed, the hood stay 225 is removed from the passenger car 11 and the hood 21 is closed.

  The optical axis inspection process of the headlights 152 and 169 is performed in parallel while the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera is performed by the in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection method. Since the above-described two inspections are performed in parallel, it is possible to shorten the completed vehicle inspection time as compared with the case where the optical axis inspection line of the in-vehicle camera and the optical axis inspection line of the headlight are separately performed.

The vehicle according to the present invention is applied to a passenger car in the embodiment, but can be applied to any vehicle provided with a hood. In addition, the embodiment can be applied to a vehicle that does not have a windshield.
Furthermore, the target arrangement mechanism according to the present invention uses the lifting cylinder in the embodiment, but in addition to this, since a gear mechanism (rack and pinion), a feed screw mechanism, etc. can be applied, a general transmission device is used. It can be applied.

  In addition, a red light emitting diode is applied to the light source according to the present invention in the embodiment, and red is applied as the paint color according to the present invention. Since the light emitting diode has a higher luminance than a fluorescent lamp, it is a light source with excellent visibility. A painted hood is illuminated with a fluorescent lamp, a light emitting diode is emitted in front of the hood, and the hood and the light emitting diode are imaged with a camera. In the captured image, it is possible to distinguish the light of the light emitting diode and the reflected light reflected by the light of the fluorescent lamp when it hits the hood by the luminance difference. If a light emitting diode is used as the light source, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection technique capable of inspecting the in-vehicle camera optical axis regardless of the paint color applied to the hood. Therefore, in addition to the red light emitting diode described in the embodiment, white or blue light emitting diodes may be applied regardless of the paint color.

  In the embodiment, the position in the height direction of the vehicle according to the present invention is applied to the height of the wheel house of the passenger car. It does not matter.

  The in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection technique of the present invention is suitable for in-vehicle camera optical axis inspection for imaging the front of a vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... In-vehicle camera optical axis inspection apparatus, 11 ... Vehicle (passenger car), 20 ... In-vehicle camera, 21 ... Hood, 70, 80, 180, 190 ... Alignment tester, 90, 100, 200, 210 ... Height measuring mechanism, 111 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Support part, 120 ... Target, 121 ... Light emitting diode (red light emitting diode), 130 ... Target arrangement mechanism (elevating cylinder), 133 ... Straight line, 150 ... Inspection field, 220 ... Optical axis, 222 ... Center position in the vehicle width direction ( Vehicle width center line), 226... Center (target center line), 227, 231... Light, H1... Height direction position (height of the upper edge of the right front wheel house), P3.

Claims (6)

In the optical axis inspection method of the in-vehicle camera that carries out the optical axis inspection of the in-vehicle camera that images the front of the vehicle,
Opening the hood of the vehicle located in front of the in-vehicle camera upward and holding the vehicle in a position that blocks the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera ;
A target placement step of positioning a target at a predetermined position between the hood held in the step and the in-vehicle camera ;
A light source imaging step of imaging a light source provided on the target with the in-vehicle camera;
An optical axis deviation determination step for obtaining a deviation amount between the imaged position of the light source and a reference position of the in-vehicle camera, and determining an optical axis deviation of the in-vehicle camera;
An optical axis inspection method for an in-vehicle camera, comprising:   2. The optical axis inspection method for an in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode that can be distinguished by a paint color and luminance applied to the hood.   3. The vehicle-mounted camera light according to claim 1, wherein the target arranging step includes a vehicle position adjusting step for specifying a vehicle width direction center position and a height direction position of the vehicle. Axis inspection method. In an on- vehicle camera optical axis inspection device for a vehicle, comprising: an in- vehicle camera that is provided in a vehicle and images the front of the vehicle ; and a hood that is provided in a front part of the vehicle in front of the camera so as to be opened and closed ;
The optical axis inspection device is
A target placement mechanism for opening the hood upward, holding the hood at a position blocking the optical axis of the in-vehicle camera, and positioning the target at a predetermined position between the hood held at the position and the in-vehicle camera;
A light source provided on the target and providing light to the in-vehicle camera;
Imaging the light of the light source, it obtains the amount of deviation between the reference position of the vehicle camera and the position of the light, and determining means for determining deviation of the optical axis of the vehicle-mounted camera,
An optical axis inspection device for a vehicle-mounted camera, comprising:   5. The optical axis inspection device for an in-vehicle camera according to claim 4, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode that can be distinguished by a paint color and luminance applied to the hood. 6. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 4, wherein the optical axis inspection device for the in-vehicle camera further includes a vehicle position adjusting mechanism that specifies a center position in a width direction and a position in a height direction of the vehicle. Optical axis inspection device.

Images