Vehicle front-view monitoring system

1. A vehicle monitoring system for taking a fail-safe measure for a fault monitoring condition on a monitored image, comprising:

a camera device provided on a vehicle for taking the monitored image; and

a controller for judging an optical irregularity occurred on the monitored image by taking the fail-safe measure when a fail-safe measure requirement using a first parameter is met on the monitored image for a predetermined first period, and for interrupting the fail-safe measure when a fail-safe measure-release requirement using a second parameter is met within a predetermined second period after the fail-safe measure-interruption requirement has been met,

wherein the second parameter is different from the first parameter, and

the first parameter includes at least a value obtained by normalizing an addition of a luminance-characteristic value on the monitored image by a shutter speed of the camera device and a specific number of data related to luminance edges on the monitored image and the second parameter includes at least the shutter speed and the addition of a luminance-characteristic value.

2. A vehicle monitoring system, comprising:

a camera device provided on a vehicle for taking an image to be monitored as the monitored image;

a processor for analyzing the image and providing a warning to a driver and/or automatically controlling one or more vehicle systems in response to the analyzing; and

a controller for judging an optical irregularity is interfering with an acceptable quality of image capture based on the occurrence of a first parameter and inhibiting the warning and/or vehicle system automatic control in response thereto, and judging when the optical irregularity interfering with an acceptable quality of image capture is no longer present based on a second parameter different from the first parameter, after such inhibiting and restoring the ability of the processor to warn and/or automatically control one or more vehicle systems in response to the analyzing, wherein the first parameter includes a function of a camera shutter speed normalized luminance-characteristic of the monitored image and a data related to luminance edges on the monitored image and the second parameter includes a function of shutter speed and a luminance-characteristic.

3. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 2 , wherein each of the first and the second parameters includes at least a parameter related to luminance-distribution characteristics on the monitored image but different from each other.

4. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 3 , wherein a parameter related to the luminance-distribution characteristics and involved in the first parameter is a value obtained by normalizing a luminance-addition variance or the maximum addition of a luminance on the monitored image by the shutter speed of the camera device whereas a parameter related to the luminance-distribution characteristics and involved in the second parameter is the luminance-addition variance.

5. A vehicle monitoring system comprising:

a camera device provided on a vehicle for taking an image to be monitored; and

a controller for taking fail-safe measures when a fail-safe measure-interruption requirement using a first parameter is met on a monitored image for a predetermined first period and resuming a function interrupted by the fail-safe measures when a fail-safe measure-release requirement using a second parameter different from the first parameter is met within a predetermined second period after the fail-safe measure-interruption requirement has been met, wherein the first parameter includes at least a value obtained by normalizing an addition of a luminance-characteristic value on the monitored image by a shutter speed of the camera device and a specific number of luminance edges on the monitored image and the second parameter includes at least the shutter speed and the addition of a luminance-characteristic value.

6. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 5 , wherein the first period is variable in accordance with how accurately lane markings on a road in the monitored image are recognized.

7. A vehicle monitoring system comprising:

a camera device provided on a vehicle for taking an image to be monitored; and

a controller for taking fail-safe measures when a fail-safe measure-interruption requirement using a first parameter is met on a monitored image for a predetermined first period and resuming a function interrupted by the fail-safe measures when a fail-safe measure-release requirement using a second parameter different from the first parameter is met within a predetermined second period after the fail-safe measure-interruption requirement has been met,

wherein the first and the second parameters include parameters related to luminance-distribution characteristics on the monitored image but different from each other and a parameter related to the luminance-distribution characteristics and involved in the first parameter is a value obtained by normalizing a luminance-addition variance or the maximum addition of a luminance on the monitored image by a shutter speed of the camera device whereas a parameter related to the luminance-distribution characteristics and involved in the second parameter is the luminance-addition variance.

8. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 7 , wherein the first period is variable in accordance with how accurately lane markings on a road in the monitored image are recognized.

9. A vehicle monitoring system, comprising:

a camera device provided on a vehicle for taking an image to be monitored;

a processor for analyzing the image and providing a warning to a driver and/or automatically controlling one or more vehicle systems in response to the analyzing; and

a controller for judging whether an optical irregularity is interfering with an acceptable quality of image capture based on the occurrence of a first parameter and inhibiting the warning and/or vehicle system automatic control in response thereto, and judging when the optical irregularity interfering with an acceptable quality of image capture is no longer present based on a second parameter after such inhibiting and restoring the ability of the processor to warn and/or automatically control one or more vehicle systems in response to the analyzing,

wherein the first period is variable in accordance with how accurately a lane making on a road in the monitored image is recognized; and the first parameter includes a function of a camera shutter speed normalized luminance-characteristic of the monitored image and a data related to luminance edges on the monitored image and the second parameter includes a function of shutter speed and a luminance-characteristic value.