Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an imaging device capable of quickly providing functionality which contributes to improved safety. The present invention is characterized: by comprising an imaging unit that performs imaging, a software program storage unit that stores a plurality of software programs, and a start unit that starts each of the plurality of software programs stored in the software program storage unit; and in that at least one of the plurality of software programs is a software program that contributes to improvement of safety, and the start unit prioritizes the start of the software program contributing to improvement of safety over the other programs.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an imaging device capable of quickly providing functionality which contributes to improved safety. The present invention is characterized: by comprising an imaging unit that performs imaging, a software program storage unit that stores a plurality of software programs, and a start unit that starts each of the plurality of software programs stored in the software program storage unit; and in that at least one of the plurality of software programs is a software program that contributes to improvement of safety, and the start unit prioritizes the start of the software program contributing to improvement of safety over the other programs.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to obtain an external environment-recognizing apparatus with which it is possible to obtain detection results having a necessary accuracy when a plurality of target objects from a captured image are detected.

Abstract: Provided is an on-vehicle camera device that swiftly and accurately detects, in every frame, data line signals of respective bits from imaging elements. This on-vehicle camera device includes a failure-diagnosis processing unit that diagnoses whether the data line signals of imaging element units, are in a fixed state. Furthermore, the imaging element units each include an entire imaging region that is divided into an effective image region and an ineffective image region. Also provided is a diagnosis data region that includes fixation diagnosis data for diagnosing whether the data line signals of the imaging element units in the ineffective image regions are in a fixed state. In an image acquisition period in which image data of the entire imaging region is acquired, and/or an image-calculation processing period, the failure-diagnosis processing unit uses the fixation diagnosis data of the diagnosis data region to perform failure-diagnosis processing.

Abstract: Provided is an on-vehicle camera device that swiftly and accurately detects, in every frame, data line signals of respective bits from imaging elements. This on-vehicle camera device includes a failure-diagnosis processing unit that diagnoses whether the data line signals of imaging element units, are in a fixed state. Furthermore, the imaging element units each include an entire imaging region that is divided into an effective image region and an ineffective image region. Also provided is a diagnosis data region that includes fixation diagnosis data for diagnosing whether the data line signals of the imaging element units in the ineffective image regions are in a fixed state. In an image acquisition period in which image data of the entire imaging region is acquired, and/or an image-calculation processing period, the failure-diagnosis processing unit uses the fixation diagnosis data of the diagnosis data region to perform failure-diagnosis processing.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to obtain an external environment-recognizing apparatus with which it is possible to obtain detection results having a necessary accuracy when a plurality of target objects from a captured image are detected.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an input portion for entering an image signal from a camera, an exposure timing determination portion for determining exposure timing of the camera according to an object to be detected, an output portion for outputting a signal to the camera to expose it according to the exposure timing and for outputting a signal to an illumination controller to vary the state of the illumination system installed on a vehicle according to the exposure timing, and an image analysis portion for analyzing the image signal captured by the camera according to the exposure timing and outputting the results of the analysis to another controller via the output portion.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an input portion for entering an image signal from a camera, an exposure timing determination portion for determining exposure timing of the camera according to an object to be detected, an output portion for outputting a signal to the camera to expose it according to the exposure timing and for outputting a signal to an illumination controller to vary the state of the illumination system installed on a vehicle according to the exposure timing, and an image analysis portion for analyzing the image signal captured by the camera according to the exposure timing and outputting the results of the analysis to another controller via the output portion.