Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Akira Fujimoto

Yukihiro Matsuura

Tadashi Asano

Yukihiko Yoshinaga

An imaging apparatus for taking an image of a face includes an imaging element having sensitivity for a near-infrared range and a visible range, a first optical filter provided between the face and the imaging element to reduce an intensity of a visible light entering the imaging element and a near-infrared light irradiating portion for irradiating the face with a near-infrared light.

Imaging apparatus and lighting apparatus for imaging

Light reflected by glasses etc. worn by a driver picked up in a facial image of the driver is reduced. With a vehicle-mounted camera () equipped with a first LED illuminating device () and a second LED illuminating device (), each illuminating device is lit up alternately in synchronism with times of photographing facial images and facial images of the driver are taken at each lighting time. The vehicle-mounted camera then compares brightness for each pixel positioned at the same relative positions on each photographed facial image and extracts pixels of low brightness. The vehicle-mounted camera then generates new facial images for transmission to an ECU by synthesizing each of the extracted pixels. The ECU on the receiving side then detects inattentive driving etc. by the driver based on the facial images.

Vehicle-mounted image processing device, and method for controlling vehicle-mounted image processing device

There are provided a face image pickup device and a face image pickup method which can stably acquire a face image by appropriate illumination, and a program thereof. The face image pickup device comprises a camera which picks up an image of a face of a target person, an illumination light source which illuminates the face of the target person with near-infrared light having an arbitrary light amount, and a computer. The computer detects an area including an eye from the face image of the target person picked up by the camera. The computer measures a brightness distribution in the detected area. Thereafter, the computer controls the illumination light source so as to change the amount of near-infrared light based on the measured brightness distribution.

Growing community of inventors

Komaki, Japan

Akira Fujimoto