Patent ID: 8830324
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: B60Q,B60R,G08G

Abstract:
1. A monitoring camera for a vehicle that images a distant area, a vicinity area and a near area in front of or behind the vehicle, the areas being different from one another, the monitoring camera comprising: an imaging element; an image forming lens comprising a plurality of lenses each having a different focal length, and a detector; and a lighting controller; wherein the monitoring camera is configured so that each image of an object passing through a different one of the lenses is formed on a corresponding different region of an imaging surface of the imaging element; wherein the detector is configured to detect objects in front of or behind the vehicle based on an imaging signal extracted from only a subset of all pixels of the imaging surface and to identify the distant area, the vicinity area or the near area as an area in which the object is located based on a correspondence between the subset of pixels of the imaging surface and a particular one of the distant area, the vicinity area or the near area; and wherein the lighting controller controls a lighting state of a vehicle lamp based on the identified area where the object is located.