Vehicle surroundings monitoring system and method for adjusting the same

• US 20030085999A1
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mizusawa, Kazufumi, Yoshida, Takashi, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Iisaka, Atsushi, Okamoto, Shusaku, Morimura, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/102 using 360 degree surveillance camera system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle surroundings monitoring system for synthesizing and displaying images captured by a plurality of cameras to provide images that, near the border between partial images, are more accurate and more readily understood by the user than has been the case conventionally. In the synthesized image, a partial image captured by a first camera and a partial image captured by a second camera are adjacent to one another at their border. Near this border, the capturing directions of the first and the second cameras both substantially match the direction of the border. Consequently, images of objects near the border extend along the border, and thus do not disappear on the synthesized image.

Claims

1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of cameras, including at least a first and a second camera, for capturing images of surroundings of a vehicle; and

an image processing portion that receives, as input, images captured by the plurality of cameras, synthesizes partial images obtained from these camera images, and displays a synthesized image on a display device;

wherein in the synthesized image, a first partial image according to the first camera and a second partial image according to the second camera are arranged adjacent to one another; and

the first and the second cameras are installed so that their capturing directions substantially match a direction of a border between the first partial image and the second partial image near the border.

2. The vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein angles formed between the capturing directions of the first camera and the second camera and the direction of the border are both 10 degrees or less.

3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein in the synthesized image, a blend image in which the first and the second partial images are mixed is arranged at the border between the first partial image and the second partial image.

4. The vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the first camera is arranged at a front left or right end portion of the vehicle facing right or left obliquely forward, and

the second camera is arranged at a left or right side portion of the vehicle facing left or right obliquely forward.

5. The vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of cameras includes:

a third camera arranged at a left or right side portion of the vehicle facing left or right obliquely rearward; and

a fourth camera arranged at a rear left or right end portion of the vehicle facing right or left obliquely rearward.

6. The vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the first camera is arranged at a front right or left end portion of the vehicle facing left or right obliquely forward, and

the second camera is arranged at a front left or right end portion of the vehicle facing left or right obliquely rearward.

7. The vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of cameras includes:

a third camera arranged at a rear left or right end portion of the vehicle facing right or left obliquely rearward; and

a fourth camera arranged at a rear right or left end portion of the vehicle facing right or left obliquely forward.

8. A method for adjusting a vehicle surroundings monitoring system, wherein the vehicle surroundings monitoring system comprises a plurality of cameras for capturing images of surroundings of the vehicle, and an image processing portion that synthesizes partial images obtained from images captured by the plurality of cameras, and displays the synthesized image on a display device;

the method comprising;

a step of arranging first and second cameras, of the plurality of cameras, for capturing partial images arranged adjacent to one another in the synthesized image, so that the captured regions of the first and the second cameras overlap one another; and

a step of adjusting at least one of the first camera, the second camera, and the image processing portion, so that, near a border between the partial image according to the first camera and the partial image according to the second camera, the capturing directions of the first and the second cameras substantially match the direction of the border.