Camera system and method for detecting the surroundings of a vehicle

A camera system for detecting the surroundings of a vehicle through a vehicle window pane, comprising:

• a camera having an image sensor for recording images, wherein there is at least one image recording cycle, a first optical radiation generated by the vehicle surroundings being detectable by a sensor surface of the image sensor, and
• a radiation source for emitting a second optical radiation,
• wherein at least a portion of the emitted second optical radiation is detectable by the sensor surface of the image sensor, and the at least a portion of the emitted second optical radiation detected by the sensor surface of the image sensor is a function of a state of the vehicle window pane, wherein the second optical radiation is periodically coupled-in not in every image recording cycle but only in each nth image recording cycle, and
• the first optical radiation and the second optical radiation are jointly detectable via at least one partial area of the sensor surface of the image sensor.