Display control apparatus, display control method, and camera monitoring system

• US 10,464,490 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Katsuyama, Yoshihiro, Taniguchi, Keita, Omori, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US15/982,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20180370439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A display control apparatus connected to an imaging apparatus installed in a vehicle includes an obtaining unit which obtains image data obtained by the imaging apparatus capturing an image of a portion on a rear side of the vehicle, a specifying unit which specifies, as a compression region, a pixel region which does not include image elements indicating straight objects extending along a traveling direction of the vehicle in a pixel region in a lower portion in the image data, a generation unit which generates display image data of a predetermined display size by compressing the specified compression region in the image data, and a controller which performs control so that the generated display image data is visually recognized through an electronic mirror disposed as a rearview mirror of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A display control apparatus connected to an imaging apparatus installed in a vehicle, the display control apparatus comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain image data obtained by the imaging apparatus capturing an image of a portion on a rear side of the vehicle;

a specifying unit configured to specify, as a compression region, a pixel region which does not include image elements indicating straight objects extending along a traveling direction of the vehicle in a pixel region in a lower portion in the image data;

a generation unit configured to generate display image data of a predetermined display size by compressing, in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the specified compression region in the image data, and not compressing image elements indicating straight objects extending along the traveling direction; and

a controller configured to perform control so that the generated display image data is visually displayed through an electronic mirror disposed as a rearview mirror of the vehicle.

2. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit deletes a region determined in advance based on a difference between a size of the image data and a size of the display image data from the image data, and a compression pixel region obtained by compressing the compression region is incorporated in a portion of the image data which has been subjected to the deletion so that the display image data is generated.

3. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit specifies the compression region using position coordinates determined in advance based on an installation position of the imaging apparatus.

4. The display control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specifying unit specifies a pixel region corresponding to a portion in the vicinity of a center position in a width direction of the vehicle as a compression region.

5. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit detects image elements in the image data and determines position coordinates of the pixel region which does not include the detected image elements so as to specify the compression region.

6. The display control apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the straight objects extending along the traveling direction of the vehicle indicate traffic lane lines, and

the specifying unit specifies a pixel region sandwiched between image elements indicating a plurality of traffic lane lines as a compression region.

7. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper limit position of a pixel region in a lower portion in the image data corresponds to a lower end position of an image element indicating a following vehicle or a lower end position of an image element indicating a road surface sign.

8. A display control method of a display control apparatus connected to an imaging apparatus installed in a vehicle, the display control method comprising:

obtaining image data obtained by the imaging apparatus capturing an image of a portion on a rear side of the vehicle;

specifying, as a compression region, a pixel region which does not include image elements indicating straight objects extending along a traveling direction of the vehicle in a pixel region in a lower portion in the image data;

generating display image data of a predetermined display size by compressing, in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the specified compression region in the image data, and not compressing image elements indicating straight objects extending along the traveling direction; and

performing control so that the generated display image data is visually displayed through an electronic mirror disposed as a rearview mirror of the vehicle.

9. The display control method according to claim 8, wherein the act of generating display image data deletes a region determined in advance based on a difference between a size of the image data and a size of the display image data from the image data, and a compression pixel region obtained by compressing the compression region is incorporated in a portion of the image data which has been subjected to the deletion so that the display image data is generated.

10. The display control method according to claim 8, wherein the act of specifying a compression region specifies the compression region using position coordinates determined in advance based on an installation position of the imaging apparatus.

11. The display control method according to claim 10, wherein the act of specifying a compression region specifies a pixel region corresponding to a portion in the vicinity of a center position in a width direction of the vehicle as a compression region.

12. The display control method according to claim 8, wherein the act of specifying a compression region detects image elements in the image data and determines position coordinates of the pixel region which does not include the detected image elements so as to specify the compression region.

13. The display control method according to claim 12,

wherein the straight objects extending along the traveling direction of the vehicle indicate traffic lane lines, and

the act of specifying a compression region specifies a pixel region sandwiched between image elements indicating a plurality of traffic lane lines as a compression region.

14. The display control method according to claim 8, wherein an upper limit position of a pixel region in a lower portion in the image data corresponds to a lower end position of an image element indicating a following vehicle or a lower end position of an image element indicating a road surface sign.

15. A camera monitoring system comprising:

an imaging apparatus configured to capture a rear side of a vehicle;

a display control apparatus configured to process image data obtained by the imaging apparatus; and

an output apparatus connected to the display control apparatus,

wherein the display control apparatus includes

an obtaining unit configured to obtain image data obtained by the imaging apparatus,

a specifying unit configured to specify, as a compression region, a pixel region which does not include image elements indicating straight objects extending along a traveling direction of the vehicle in a pixel region in a lower portion in the image data,

a generation unit configured to generate display image data of a predetermined display size by compressing, in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the specified compression region in the image data, and not compressing image elements indicating straight objects extending along the traveling direction, and

a controller configured to perform control so that the generated display image data is visually displayed through an electronic mirror disposed as a rearview mirror of the vehicle.

16. The camera monitoring system according to claim 15, wherein the generation unit deletes a region determined in advance based on a difference between a size of the image data and a size of the display image data from the image data, and a compression pixel region obtained by compressing the compression region is incorporated in a portion of the image data which has been subjected to the deletion so that the display image data is generated.

17. The camera monitoring system according to claim 15, wherein the specifying unit specifies the compression region using position coordinates determined in advance based on an installation position of the imaging apparatus.

18. The camera monitoring system according to claim 17, wherein the specifying unit specifies a pixel region corresponding to a portion in the vicinity of a center position in a width direction of the vehicle as a compression region.

19. The camera monitoring system according to claim 15, wherein the specifying unit detects image elements in the image data and determines position coordinates of the pixel region which does not include the detected image elements so as to specify the compression region.

20. The camera monitoring system according to claim 19,

wherein the straight objects extending along the traveling direction of the vehicle indicate traffic lane lines, and

the specifying unit specifies a pixel region sandwiched between image elements indicating a plurality of traffic lane lines as a compression region.

21. The camera monitoring system according to claim 15, wherein an upper limit position of a pixel region in a lower portion in the image data corresponds to a lower end position of an image element indicating a following vehicle or a lower end position of an image element indicating a road surface sign.