Abstract: An image input apparatus can acquire an image with a high contrast without saturating a camera output even for a subject having a large light and dark difference while achieving a wide dynamic range. An image sensor has an input-output characteristic varying with a plurality of regions delimited according to a difference in the amount of incident light. A video luminance signal level is detected from a video signal of the image sensor. An amount of light on a screen is calculated from the image luminance signal level. The image sensor is adjusted to make the amount of light on the screen coincide with a target light amount. The target light amount is set such that a relation between the target light amount R and an amount of light Q at a change point that is at the lowest luminance in an input-output characteristic of the image sensor satisfies R<Q.

Abstract: A vehicle-onboard driving lane recognizing apparatus of a small scale includes an image pick-up unit (1) mounted on a motor vehicle for picking up images of scenes making appearance in front of the motor vehicle, an image data selecting unit (2) for selecting image data only of a predetermined region from the image picked up by the image pick-up unit (1), an image data storing unit (3) for storing the image data, and a driving lane recognizing unit (4) for detecting lane markings (21) on the road from the image data stored in the image data storing unit (3) to thereby recognize a driving lane extending along the lane markings (21). The image data selecting unit (2), the image data storing unit (3) and the driving lane recognizing unit (4) are all implemented in a single chip.

Abstract: A vehicle-onboard driving lane recognizing apparatus of a small scale includes an image pick-up unit (1) mounted on a motor vehicle for picking up images of scenes making appearance in front of the motor vehicle, an image data selecting unit (2) for selecting image data only of a predetermined region from the image picked up by the image pick-up unit (1), an image data storing unit (3) for storing the image data, and a driving lane recognizing unit (4) for detecting lane markings (21) on the road from the image data stored in the image data storing unit (3) to thereby recognize a driving lane extending along the lane markings (21). The image data selecting unit (2), the image data storing unit (3) and the driving lane recognizing unit (4) are all implemented in a single chip.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus of a wide dynamic range can be achieved at low cost while making improvement in contrast and the maintenance or reduction of a circuit size compatible with each other. The apparatus includes a photoelectric conversion part that converts a signal from a light receiving element into a voltage in accordance with an amount of incident light, an analog signal processing part that processes an analog video signal output from the photoelectric conversion part, an A/D conversion part that converts the analog video signal into a digital video signal, and a high frequency emphasis part that emphasizes a high frequency component of the video signal. The high frequency emphasis part suppresses a low frequency component of brightness in the video signal to emphasize the high frequency component, whereby image data of good contrast can be obtained while keeping a dynamic range of the signal.

Abstract: There is provided a lane deviation prevention apparatus which can make a lane deviation prediction judgment more accurately. The lane deviation prevention apparatus includes driving lane shape recognition device to detect a lane mark on a road included in a front image within a lane mark detection distance range and to recognize a shape of a driving lane boundary, and a deviation prediction judgment device that judges, based on the shape of the driving lane boundary, whether the vehicle deviates from a driving lane after a previously set deviation prediction time and outputs a deviation prevention output in a case where it is judged that the vehicle deviates, and the driving lane shape recognition device that dynamically sets the position of the lane mark detection distance range in accordance with a vehicle speed of the vehicle and the deviation prediction time.

Abstract: A vehicle-onboard driving lane recognizing apparatus of a small scale includes an image pick-up unit (1) mounted on a motor vehicle for picking up images of scenes making appearance in front of the motor vehicle, an image data selecting unit (2) for selecting image data only of a predetermined region from the image picked up by the image pick-up unit (1), an image data storing unit (3) for storing the image data, and a driving lane recognizing unit (4) for detecting lane markings (21) on the road from the image data stored in the image data storing unit (3) to thereby recognize a driving lane extending along the lane markings (21). The image data selecting unit (2), the image data storing unit (3) and the driving lane recognizing unit (4) are all implemented in a single chip.

Abstract: A lane recognizing image processing system for recognizing lane markings laid on a driving road for motor vehicles includes a lane marking candidate point extraction means (20) for extracting lane marking candidate points (C) from an image (G) taken by an image pickup means (10) mounted on the motor vehicle, and a lane recognizing means (30) for recognizing a lane defined on the road on the basis of set of the lane marking candidate points (C). The lane recognizing means (30) includes a lane marking candidate point position converting means (31) for recognizing as lane marking candidate point positions the positions of the lane marking candidate points (C) transformed onto a straight line extending toward a null point.

Abstract: A vehicle-onboard driving lane recognizing apparatus of a small scale includes an image pick-up unit (1) mounted on a motor vehicle for picking up images of scenes making appearance in front of the motor vehicle, an image data selecting unit (2) for selecting image data only of a predetermined region from the image picked up by the image pick-up unit (1), an image data storing unit (3) for storing the image data, and a driving lane recognizing unit (4) for detecting lane markings (21) on the road from the image data stored in the image data storing unit (3) to thereby recognize a driving lane extending along the lane markings (21). The image data selecting unit (2), the image data storing unit (3) and the driving lane recognizing unit (4) are all implemented in a single chip.

Abstract: A vehicle-onboard driving lane recognizing apparatus of a small scale includes an image pick-up unit (1) mounted on a motor vehicle for picking up images of scenes making appearance in front of the motor vehicle, an image data selecting unit (2) for selecting image data only of a predetermined region from the image picked up by the image pick-up unit (1), an image data storing unit (3) for storing the image data, and a driving lane recognizing unit (4) for detecting lane markings (21) on the road from the image data stored in the image data storing unit (3) to thereby recognize a driving lane extending along the lane markings (21), The image data selecting unit (2), the image data storing unit (3) and the driving lane recognizing unit (4) are all implemented in a single chip.

Abstract: There is provided a lane deviation prevention apparatus which can make a lane deviation prediction judgment more accurately. The lane deviation prevention apparatus includes driving lane shape recognition means to detect a lane mark on a road included in a front image within a lane mark detection distance range and to recognize a shape of a driving lane boundary, and a deviation prediction judgment means that judges, based on the shape of the driving lane boundary, whether the vehicle deviates from a driving lane after a previously set deviation prediction time and outputs a deviation prevention output in a case where it is judged that the vehicle deviates, and the driving lane shape recognition means dynamically sets the position of the lane mark detection distance range in accordance with a vehicle speed of the vehicle and the deviation prediction time.

Abstract: A lane recognition image processing apparatus can improve lane marking recognition performance by preventing false detection by addition of a condition without changing the basic principle of an one-dimensional image filter. A search area is set for each lane marking with respect to images stored in a image storage part through a window. A candidate point extraction part extracts candidate points of each lane marking from the search area thus set. A lane marking mathematical model equation is derived by approximating sets of extracted candidate points by a mathematical model equation. The candidate point extraction part includes a kernel size setting part, a filtering part that outputs, as a filtering result, the smaller of differences between the gray value of a pixel of interest and those of pixels forwardly and rearwardly apart a kernel size from the pixel of interest in a scanning direction, respectively, and a binarization part that binarizes the filtering result.

Abstract: An image input apparatus can acquire an image with a high contrast without saturating a camera output even for a subject having a large light and dark difference while achieving a wide dynamic range. An image sensor has an input-output characteristic varying with a plurality of regions delimited according to a difference in the amount of incident light. A video luminance signal level is detected from a video signal of the image sensor. An amount of light on a screen is calculated from the image luminance signal level. The image sensor is adjusted to make the amount of light on the screen coincide with a target light amount. The target light amount is set such that a relation between the target light amount R and an amount of light Q at a change point that is at the lowest luminance in an input-output characteristic of the image sensor satisfies R<Q.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus of a wide dynamic range can be achieved at low cost while making improvement in contrast and the maintenance or reduction of a circuit size compatible with each other. The apparatus includes a photoelectric conversion part that converts a signal from a light receiving element into a voltage in accordance with an amount of incident light, an analog signal processing part that processes an analog video signal output from the photoelectric conversion part, an A/D conversion part that converts the analog video signal into a digital video signal, and a high frequency emphasis part that emphasizes a high frequency component of the video signal. The high frequency emphasis part suppresses a low frequency component of brightness in the video signal to emphasize the high frequency component, whereby image data of good contrast can be obtained while keeping a dynamic range of the signal.

Abstract: A lane recognition image processing apparatus can improve lane marking recognition performance by preventing false detection by addition of a condition without changing the basic principle of an one-dimensional image filter. A search area is set for each lane marking with respect to images stored in a image storage part through a window. A candidate point extraction part extracts candidate points of each lane marking from the search area thus set. A lane marking mathematical model equation is derived by approximating sets of extracted candidate points by a mathematical model equation. The candidate point extraction part includes a kernel size setting part, a filtering part that outputs, as a filtering result, the smaller of differences between the gray value of a pixel of interest and those of pixels forwardly and rearwardly apart a kernel size from the pixel of interest in a scanning direction, respectively, and a binarization part that binarizes the filtering result.

Abstract: In a face portion detecting apparatus, an image of an eye portion of a car driver can be properly extracted without adverse influences caused by a reflection image reflected from a luster reflection surface of spectacles worn by the car driver.

Abstract: A vehicle key system comprises a mobile transmitter including a fingerprint information capturing unit for capturing fingerprint information from a user's fingerprint, and a transmit unit for transmitting the fingerprint information captured by the fingerprint information capturing unit together with a system-specific identifier. A receiver disposed in a vehicle includes a receive unit for receiving the fingerprint information and the identifier transmitted from the transmit unit of the mobile transmitter, a verification unit for verifying the fingerprint information against a list of pieces of previously stored fingerprint information, and for verifying the received identifier against a previously stored identifier, and a control unit for controlling pieces of equipment in the vehicle according to verification results from the verification unit.

Abstract: A lane recognizing image processing system for recognizing lane markings laid on a driving road for motor vehicles includes a lane marking candidate point extraction means (20) for extracting lane marking candidate points (C) from an image (G) taken by an image pickup means (10) mounted on the motor vehicle, and a lane recognizing means (30) for recognizing a lane defined on the road on the basis of set of the lane marking candidate points (C). The lane recognizing means (30) includes a lane marking candidate point position converting means (31) for recognizing as lane marking candidate point positions the positions of the lane marking candidate points (C) transformed onto a straight line extending toward a null point.

Abstract: A vehicle key system includes a fingerprint verification unit for verifying identity of fingerprint information captured by a fingerprint information capturing unit by comparing it with a list of pieces of fingerprint information about fingerprints of authorized users stored in a fingerprint information storage unit. A manipulation detection unit can detect at least one of a predetermined manipulation of an operation unit, such as a wiper switch, a winker switch, or a shift lever, and a predetermined manipulation of a pedal, such as an acceleration pedal, a brake pedal, or a clutch pedal. A processing mode switching unit can switch between a plurality of processing modes according to the predetermined manipulation detected by the manipulation detection unit.

Abstract: A vehicle-onboard driving lane recognizing apparatus of a small scale includes an image pick-up unit (1) mounted on a motor vehicle for picking up images of scenes making appearance in front of the motor vehicle, an image data selecting unit (2) for selecting image data only of a predetermined region from the image picked up by the image pick-up unit (1), an image data storing unit (3) for storing the image data, and a driving lane recognizing unit (4) for detecting lane markings (21) on the road from the image data stored in the image data storing unit (3) to thereby recognize a driving lane extending along the lane markings (21). The image data selecting unit (2), the image data storing unit (3) and the driving lane recognizing unit (4) are all implemented in a single chip.

Abstract: A vehicle key system comprises a transmitter including a fingerprint information capturing unit for capturing fingerprint information from a user's fingerprint, and a transmit unit for transmitting the fingerprint information captured by the fingerprint information capturing unit. The system also includes an attaching unit disposed in a vehicle, for attaching the transmitter thereto, and a receiver disposed in the vehicle, including a receive unit for receiving the fingerprint information transmitted from the transmit unit of the transmitter, a fingerprint verification unit for verifying the fingerprint information against a list of pieces of previously stored fingerprint information, an attaching detection unit for determining whether or not the transmitter is attached to the attaching unit, and a control unit for controlling pieces of equipment in the vehicle according to a verification result from the fingerprint verification unit and a detection result from the mounting detection unit.