Image display apparatus, method, and program for automotive vehicle

• US 20030197660A1
• Filed: 03/21/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Inoue, Hirofumi, Takahashi, Toshiaki, Yamamoto, Yasuhide
• Granted Patent: US 7,145,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

In image display apparatus, method, and program for an automotive vehicle, a surrounding of the vehicle is photographed, a plurality of display images are generated from a photographed data supplied from a photographing section, viewing points of the respective display images and looking down angles thereof being different from one another, one of the images generated is displayed through a display, and the display image generated and displayed through the display is switched to another one of the generated display images.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

a photographing section that photographs a surrounding of the vehicle;

a display image generating section that generates a plurality of display images from a photographed data supplied from the photographing section, viewing points of the respective display images and looking down angles thereof being different from one another;

a display section through which one of the images generated by the display image generating section is displayed; and

a display image switching section that switches the display image generated by the display image generating section and displayed through the display section to another one of the display images generated thereby.

2. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display apparatus further comprises a running information receiving section that receives a running information of the vehicle and wherein the display image switching section switches the display image displayed through the-display section in accordance with the received running information of the vehicle.

3. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display images generated by the display image generating section are a top view image and a bird'"'"'s eye view image.

4. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the running information receiving section receives the running information related to a detected direction toward which the vehicle moves and wherein the display image switching section switches the display image to display the bird'"'"'s eye view image through the display section when receiving the running information to an effect that the vehicle is running in a forward direction from the running information receiving section and switches the display image to display the top view image through the display section when receiving the running information to an effect that the vehicle is running in a backward direction from the running information receiving section.

5. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display apparatus further comprises a running information receiving section that receives a running information of the vehicle and the display images are a top view image and a bird'"'"'s eye view image, wherein the running information receiving section receives the running information related to a detected history of either a vehicular run or a vehicular stop, and wherein the display image switching section switches the display image to display the bird'"'"'s eye view image through the display section when receiving the running information to an effect that the vehicle is stopped after the vehicle has run in a forward direction from the running information receiving section and switches the display image to display the top view image through the display section when receiving the running information to an effect that the vehicle is stopped after the vehicle has run in a backward direction.

6. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the images generated by trhe display image generating section are a top view image and a bird'"'"'s eye view image and wherein the running information receiving section receives the running information related to a detected running velocity of the vehicle and the display image switching section switches the display image to display the bird'"'"'s eye view image when receiving the running information to an effect that the vehicle is running at a speed equal to or higher than a predetermined value from the running information receiving section and switches the display image to display the top view image when receiving the running information to an effect that the vehicle is running at a speed lower than the predetermined value.

7. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the running information receiving section receives the running information related to a vehicular running situation from a shift position sensor to detect a manipulation signal of a shift position of the vehicle or a vehicular velocity sensor to detect a vehicular running velocity.

8. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display image generating section further comprises a command reception section that receives an external switch command and wherein the display image switching section switches the display image displayed through the display section to one of the top view image and the bird'"'"'s eye view image on the basis of the external switch command.

9. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the display image switching section switches the display image displayed through the display section to one of a top view image and a bird'"'"'s eye view image in accordance with the switch command received by the command reception section and the running information received by the running information receiving section.

10. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the command reception section receives any one of first, second, and third commands from an external, the first command being a command to display the bird'"'"'s eye view image through the display section when the vehicle is running in a forward direction and to display the top view image through the display section when the vehicle is running in a backward direction, the second command being a command to display the top view image through the display section when the vehicle is running in the forward direction and to display the bird'"'"'s eye view image through the display section when the vehicle is running in the backward direction, and a third command being a command to display one of the top view image and the bird'"'"'s eye view image through the display section irrespective of the vehicular running situation.

11. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display apparatus further comprises a superposing section that superposes at least one or more of vehicular graphic data projected from the respective viewing points toward the vehicle, an arrow mark graphic data indicating the direction toward which the vehicle moves, and a grid line indicating a reference line net of the image on the generated display image.

12. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

a photographing section that photographs a surrounding of the vehicle;

a display image generating section that generates a plurality of display images from a photographed data supplied from the photographing section, viewing points of the respective display images and looking down angles thereof being different from one another;

a display section through which one of the images generated by the display image generating section is displayed;

a display image switching section that switches the display image generated by the display image generating section and displayed through the display section to another one of the display images generated thereby;

a surrounding vehicle detecting section that detects a surrounding vehicle to the vehicle from the photographed data; and

a pseudo vehicular image drawing section that draws a pseudo vehicular image, and wherein the display image generating section generates the images with which the pseudo vehicular image is synthesized.

13. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the display image generating section comprises a perspective view transforming section that transforms the image into a perspective view image and wherein the surrounding vehicle detecting section detects a tire wheel of another vehicle on at least one of the vehicular surrounding image generated by the perspective view transforming section and the vehicular surrounding image photographed by the photographing section to detect a position of the other vehicle.

14. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the pseudo vehicular image drawing section estimates a wheel base of the other vehicle on the basis of a position of the tire wheel detected by the surrounding vehicle detecting section and draws the pseudo vehicular image which matches with the estimated wheel base.

15. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein the pseudo vehicular image drawing section draws the pseudo vehicular image whose longitudinal length is longer than that of the other vehicle estimated from the wheel base.

16. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pseudo vehicular image drawing section draws the pseudo vehicular image having the same body color as another vehicle which is located at a front or rear area of the vehicle from among other vehicles detected by the surrounding vehicle detecting section.

17. An image display apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

photographing means for photographing a surrounding of the vehicle;

display image generating means for generating a plurality of display images from a photographed data supplied from the photographing means, viewing points of the respective display images and looking down angles thereof being different from one another;

display means through which one of the images generated by the display image generating means is displayed; and

display image switching means for switching the display image generated by the display image generating means and displayed through the display means to another one of the display images generated thereby.

18. An image display method for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

receiving photographed data on a surrounding of the vehicle;

receiving a running information related to a vehicular running situation;

generating a plurality of display images from the photographed data, viewing points of the respective display images and looking down angles thereof being different from one another;

displaying one of the generated images; and

switching the display image generated and displayed through a display to another one of the generated display images in accordance with the running information related to the vehicular running situation.

19. An image display method for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

photographing a surrounding of the vehicle;

generating a plurality of display images from a photographed data supplied at the photographing of the surrounding of the vehicle, viewing points of the respective display images and looking down angles thereof being different from one another;

displaying one of the generated images;

switching the display image generated and displayed through a display to another one of the generated display images;

detecting a surrounding vehicle to the vehicle from the photographed data; and

drawing a pseudo vehicular image, and wherein the images with which the pseudo vehicular image is synthesized are generated.

20. An image display program for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

having a computer mounted in the vehicle

receive a photographed data on a surrounding of the vehicle through at least one camera disposed on the vehicle;

receive a running information related to a vehicular running situation;

switch a position of a predetermined viewing point at an upper sky above the vehicle and a looking down angle from the viewing point;

generate a display image which displays the vehicle from the predetermined viewing point with the predetermined looking down angle on the basis of the received photographed data; and

execute an output of the display image to a display.