Surroundings monitoring apparatus and program thereof

• US 10,315,569 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kazuya, Maruoka, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dobbs, Kristin
• Application Number:
  US14/566,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20150197197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 348118
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/304 using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/10 Special adaptations of display systems for operation with variable images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

A surroundings monitoring apparatus includes an obtaining portion obtaining a first captured image data outputted by a first image capturing portion and a second captured image data outputted by a second image capturing portion, and an output portion superimposingly displaying an indicator in at least one of a first display region and a second display region, in a case where the superimposed region of the indicator is included in the other of the first display region and the second display region, the output portion superimposingly displaying the indicator in the other of the first display region and the second display region in a display manner which corresponds to a display manner of the indicator displayed in the one of the first display region and the second display region.

Claims

1. A surroundings monitoring apparatus comprising:

an obtaining portion obtaining a first captured image data outputted by a first image capturing portion and a second captured image data outputted by a second image capturing portion, the first image capturing portion being provided at a vehicle and capturing an image in a traveling direction of the vehicle and the second image capturing portion being provided at the vehicle and capturing an image in a width direction of the vehicle, the traveling direction of the vehicle corresponding to a first image capture region and the width direction of the vehicle corresponding to a second image capture region; and

an output portion superimposingly displaying an indicator, which indicates a predetermined region relative to the vehicle, in at least one of a first display region displaying an image which is based on the first captured image data and a second display region displaying an image which is based on the second captured image data, a region in which the indicator is superimposedly displayed corresponding to a superimposed region of the indicator,

in a case where the superimposed region of the indicator is included in the other of the first display region and the second display region, the output portion superimposingly displaying the indicator in the other of the first display region and the second display region in a display manner which corresponds to a display manner of the indicator displayed in the one of the first display region and the second display region;

wherein the output portion displays reference lines, including a first reference line and a second reference line, as the indicator,

wherein the first reference line, which is spaced away outwardly from a corresponding side surface of the vehicle by a first predetermined distance, is displayed in the second display region and a part of the first reference line displayed in the second display region is displayed in the first display region,

wherein the second reference line, which is spaced away outwardly from a front or rear bumper of the vehicle by a second predetermined distance, is displayed in the first display region and a part of the second reference line displayed in the first display region is displayed in the second display region,

wherein the first reference line extends, in both the first display region and the second display region, parallel to a line that extends in a linear traveling direction of the vehicle and extends along a single plane in both the first display region and the second display region, the single plane being parallel to a plane that extends along a ground surface, and

wherein the second reference line extends, in both the first display region and the second display region, perpendicular to a line that extends in the linear traveling direction of the vehicle and extends along the single plane.

2. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where the indicator is indicated in the first display region and in the second display region in the display manners which correspond to each other, the output portion displays the indicator in the first display region and in the second display region in display colors which are same as each other.

3. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indicator includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the output portion displays the first indicator in the first display region and the second indicator in the second display region, the first indicator corresponds to the first display region and the second indicator corresponds to the second display region, the first indicator and the second indicator are displayed in different display manners from each other.

4. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output portion applies an emphasis processing to at least one of the reference lines along the at least one of the reference lines to emphasize the at least one of the reference lines.

5. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least one of the reference lines include a vehicle-side and a far-side, the far-side is positioned farther from the vehicle than the vehicle-side, and the output portion applies a shading to at least one of the vehicle-side and the far-side of the at least one of the reference lines as the emphasis processing.

6. The surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output portion superimposingly displays a course indicator in at least one of the first display region and the second display region, the course indicator indicates an estimated travel direction of the vehicle.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, including a program for causing a computer to execute:

obtaining a first captured image data outputted by a first image capturing portion and a second captured image data outputted by a second image capturing portion, the first image capturing portion being provided at a vehicle and capturing an image in a traveling direction of the vehicle and the second image capturing portion being provided at the vehicle and capturing an image in a width direction of the vehicle, the traveling direction of the vehicle corresponding to a first image capture region and the width direction of the vehicle corresponding to a second image capture region; and

outputting the image on which an indicator indicating a predetermined region relative to the vehicle is superimposedly displayed in a manner that the indicator is superimposedly displayed in at least one of a first display region displaying an image which is based on the first captured image data and a second display region displaying an image which is based on the second captured image data, a region in which the indicator is superimposedly displayed corresponding to a superimposed region of the indicator, and, in a case where the superimposed region of the indicator is included in the other of the first display region and the second display region, the indicator being outputted in a manner that the indicator is superimposedly displayed in the other of the first display region and the second display region in a display manner which corresponds to a display manner of the indicator displayed in the one of the first display region and the second display region;

wherein reference lines, including a first reference line and a second reference line, are displayed as the indicator,

wherein the first reference line, which is spaced away outwardly from a corresponding side surface of the vehicle by a first predetermined distance, is displayed in the second display region and a part of the first reference line displayed in the second display region is displayed in the first display region,

wherein the second reference line, which is spaced away outwardly from a front or rear bumper of the vehicle by a second predetermined distance, is displayed in the first display region and a part of the second reference line displayed in the first display region is displayed in the second display region,

wherein the first reference line extends, in both the first display region and the second display region, parallel to a line that extends in a linear traveling direction of the vehicle and extends along a single plane in both the first display region and the second display region, the single plane being parallel to a plane that extends along a ground surface, and

wherein the second reference line extends, in both the first display region and the second display region, perpendicular to a line that extends in the linear traveling direction of the vehicle and extends along the single plane.