On-board camera apparatus

A control method for an on-board camera apparatus, the on-board camera apparatus comprising:

• a camera module;
• a control circuit board;
• a housing that houses the camera module and the control circuit board;
• a bracket that is a member for fixing the housing to a front windshield of the own vehicle, and in which an opening is formed such that the housing and the front windshield oppose each other in a state in which the housing is fixed to the front windshield by the member;
• and a hood that is arranged so as to cover the camera module, the control method comprising:
• capturing, by the camera module, an image of an area ahead of an own vehicle, generating, as captured images, a plurality of linear images in which a relationship between luminance and an output pixel value is fixed, and further generating, based on the linear images, high dynamic range images in which a relationship between luminance and an output pixel value differs depending on a luminance region, under a predetermined imaging mode, the high dynamic range images being used for image recognition of an illumination state of a lamp on a preceding vehicle, the linear images being used for image recognition of a pedestrian, another vehicle, or a white line;
• and
• enabling, by the control circuit board, a plurality of types of driving-related processes based on the captured images to be performed, and enabling the camera module to perform either of a linear mode and a high dynamic range mode in a setting in which a plurality of images are captured at a plurality of exposures that are performed at a single imaging timing, the linear mode being a mode in which the linear images are generated without combining the plurality of captured images, the high dynamic range mode being a mode in which the high dynamic range images are generated by combining the plurality of captured images.