# US 10,864,854 B2 · Vehicle camera device and method for setting the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,864,854 B2 - Document ID: US10864854B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/043,471 - Filed: 2018-07-24 - Published: 2019-07-04 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-01-02 - Assignees: Getac Technology Corporation - Applicants: Getac Technology Corporation - Inventors: Wu-Chieh Liao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864854B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/70: Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene - B60W 10/30: including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps - B60R 2300/101: using cameras with adjustable capturing direction - B60R 2300/103: using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source - B60R 2300/8093: for obstacle warning - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W 2555/20: Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A vehicle camera device is suitable to be provided in a first vehicle. The vehicle camera device receives a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle, detects the environment brightness information, and generates an angle value and a power value according to the distance and the environment brightness information, so as to adjust an angle of depression and a power of an infrared illumination module according to the angle value and the power value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for setting a vehicle camera device, suitable to be applied to a first vehicle, the method for setting a vehicle camera device comprising: receiving a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle; detecting environment brightness information; generating an angle value and a power value according to the distance and the environment brightness information; and adjusting an angle of depression and a power of an infrared illumination module according to the angle value and the power value; wherein the step of generating the angle value and the power value according to the distance and the environment brightness information comprises: comparing the distance with a distance threshold to obtain a distance analysis result; comparing the environment brightness information and a brightness threshold to obtain a brightness analysis result; and generating the angle value and the power value according to the distance analysis result and the brightness analysis result; and wherein upon the distance being smaller than the distance threshold and/or the brightness analysis result indicating that the environment brightness information is greater than the brightness threshold, the angle value is increased and the power value is decreased. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method for setting a vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the environment brightness information obtains the environment brightness information through a light sensor sensing the environment brightness. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method for setting a vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the environment brightness information comprises: capturing a scene to generate a driving-vehicle image; performing image recognition on the driving-vehicle image to obtain an exposure value of the driving-vehicle image; and converting the exposure value to the environment brightness information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method for setting a vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the environment brightness information comprises: receiving a current time; comparing the current time with a time threshold to obtain a time analysis result; and obtaining the environment brightness information according to the time analysis result. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method for setting a vehicle camera device according to claim 4, wherein the time threshold comprises a first time threshold, a second time threshold and a third time threshold, and the step of obtaining the environment brightness information according to the time analysis result comprises: selecting a first brightness level as the environment brightness information when the current time is between the first time threshold and the second time threshold; selecting a second brightness level as the environment brightness information when the current time is between the second time threshold and the third time threshold; and selecting a third brightness level as the environment brightness information when the current time is between the third time threshold and the first time threshold; wherein the second brightness level is greater than the first brightness level, and the first brightness level is greater than the third brightness level. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method for setting a vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein upon the distance being greater than the distance threshold and/or the brightness analysis result indicating that the environment brightness information is smaller than the brightness threshold, the angle value is decreased or the power value is increased. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method for setting a vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein the infrared illumination module is provided with a single infrared lamp, and adjustments to the angle of depression and power of the infrared illumination module are made to this single infrared lamp. ### Claim 8 A vehicle camera device, suitable to be provided in a first vehicle, the vehicle camera device comprising: a vehicle distance sensor, sensing a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle; an environment brightness module, generating the environment brightness information; a processing module, generating an angle value and a power value according to the distance and the environment brightness information; and an infrared illumination module, adjusting an angle of depression and a power of an infrared lamp according to the angle value and the power value, wherein when the distance is smaller than a distance threshold and/or the environment brightness information is greater than a brightness threshold, the angle value generated by the processing module is increased and the power value is decreased, and when the distance is greater than a distance threshold and/or the environment brightness information is smaller than a brightness threshold, the angle value generated by the processing module is decreased and the power value is increased. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle camera device according to claim 8, wherein the environment brightness module is a light sensor that senses the environment brightness to obtain the environment brightness information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The vehicle camera device according to claim 8, further comprising: a camera module, capturing a scene to generate a driving-vehicle image; wherein the environment brightness module comprises an image analysis unit, and the image analysis unit performs image recognition on the driving-vehicle image to obtain an exposure value of the driving-vehicle image and converts the exposure value to the environment brightness information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The vehicle camera device according to claim 8, wherein when the distance is greater than a distance threshold and/or the environment brightness information is smaller than a brightness threshold, the angle value generated by the processing module is decreased or the power value is increased. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The vehicle camera device according to claim 8, wherein the infrared illumination module is provided with a single infrared lamp, and adjustments to the angle of depression and power of the infrared illumination module are made to this single infrared lamp. ### Claim 13 A method for setting a vehicle camera device, suitable to be applied to a first vehicle, the method for setting a vehicle camera device comprising: receiving a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle; detecting environment brightness information; generating an angle value and a power value according to the distance and the environment brightness information; and adjusting an angle of depression and a power of an infrared illumination module according to the angle value and the power value; wherein the step of generating the angle value and the power value according to the distance and the environment brightness information comprises: comparing the distance with a distance threshold to obtain a distance analysis result; comparing the environment brightness information and a brightness threshold to obtain a brightness analysis result; and generating the angle value and the power value according to the distance analysis result and the brightness analysis result; and wherein upon the distance being greater than the distance threshold and/or the brightness analysis result indicating that the environment brightness information is smaller than the brightness threshold, the angle value is decreased and the power value is increased.