Vehicular image display apparatus and vehicular image display method

• US 20040196368A1
• Filed: 03/08/2004
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Asai, Goro
• Granted Patent: US 7,948,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• 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 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/101 using cameras with adjustable capturing direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20092 Interactive image processing based on input by user
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A camera is disposed on a door mirror whose operating position is changeable between a deployed position and a retracted position, so that the positional relationship of the camera with a vehicle body changes as the operating position of the door mirror changes. A region corresponding to the operating position of the door mirror is partially extracted from the entire shot area of an image taken by the camera. That is, the angular direction of the region partially extracted from the entire shot area taken by the camera when the door mirror is in the deployed position and the angular direction of the region partially extracted from the entire shot area taken by the camera when the door mirror is in the retracted position are made different from each other by an angle equal to the angle difference between the two positions of the door mirror. The camera-taken images of the extracted regions are conformed to the screen of a display. Thus, the vehicle traveling direction appearing on the display remains unchanged regardless of changes in the operating position of the door mirror.

Claims

1. A vehicular image display apparatus comprising:

a camera disposed on a movable portion of a vehicle,

a display device on which a taken image of surroundings of the vehicle taken by the camera is displayed visible to a vehicle occupant,

a controller that partially extracts a region corresponding to an operating position of the movable portion from taken image data provided via the camera and displays the region on the display device.

2. The vehicular image display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operating position of the movable portion is selectively changeable between a first position and a second position, and

wherein a relative position of the camera with respect to a vehicle body changes in accordance with the operating position of the movable portion, and

wherein the controller partially extracts the region corresponding to the operating position of the movable portion from the taken image data provided via the camera in such an extracting fashion that a direction of a main axis of a taken image displayed on the display device with respect to the vehicle body appearing in the taken image displayed on the display device when the movable portion is at the first position and a direction of the main axis of a taken image displayed on the display device with respect to the vehicle body appearing in the taken image displayed on the display device when the movable portion is at the second position become the same.

3. The vehicular image display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operating position of the movable portion is selectively changeable between a first position and a second position, and

wherein a relative position of the camera with respect to a vehicle body changes in accordance with the operating position of the movable portion, and

wherein the controller makes an angular direction of the region partially extracted from the taken image data provided via the camera at a time of the first position of the movable portion and an angular direction of the region partially extracted from the taken image data provided via the camera at a time of the second position of the movable portion different from each other by an angle corresponding to the first position and the second position of the movable portion.

4. The vehicular image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a manual adjustment device that changes the direction of the main axis of the taken image displayed on the display device with respect to the vehicle body appearing in the taken image displayed on the display device through an operation performed by the vehicle occupant.

5. The vehicular image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a manual adjustment device that changes the angular direction of the region partially extracted from the taken image data provided via the camera through an operation performed by the vehicle occupant.

6. The vehicular image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion is an outer mirror whose operating position is selectively changeable between a deployed position and a retracted position.

7. The vehicular image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory device that stores the taken image; and

a monitoring device that determines whether there is an abnormality in display on the display device,

wherein if it is determined that there is an abnormality in the display, the taken image stored in the memory device is reset.

8. A vehicular image display method which takes a taken image of surroundings of the vehicle taken by a camera disposed on a movable portion of a vehicle, and displays the taken image on a display device visible to a vehicle occupant, the method being characterized by further comprising the steps of:

partially extracting a region corresponding to an operating position of the movable portion from taken image data provided via the camera and displaying the region on the display device.

9. The vehicular image display method according to claim 8,

wherein the operating position of the movable portion is selectively changeable between a first position and a second position, and

wherein a relative position of the camera with respect to a vehicle body changes in accordance with the operating position of the movable portion, and

wherein the region corresponding to the operating position of the movable portion from the taken image data provided via the camera is partially extracted in such an extracting fashion that a direction of a main axis of a taken image displayed on the display device with respect to the vehicle body appearing in the taken image displayed on the display device when the movable portion is at the first position and a direction of the main axis of a taken image displayed on the display device with respect to the vehicle body appearing in the taken image displayed on the display device when the movable portion is at the second position become the same.

10. The vehicular image display method according to claim 8,

wherein the operating position of the movable portion is selectively changeable between a first position and a second position, and

wherein a relative position of the camera with respect to a vehicle body changes in accordance with the operating position of the movable portion, and

wherein an angular direction of the region partially extracted from the taken image data provided via the camera at a time of the first position of the movable portion and an angular direction of the region partially extracted from the taken image data provided via the camera at a time of the second position of the movable portion are different from each other by an angle corresponding to the first position and the second position of the movable portion.

11. The vehicular image display method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

storing the taken image;

determining whether there is an abnormality in display on the display device, and

resetting the taken image stored in the memory device wherein if it is determined that there is an abnormality in the display.

12. A vehicular image display apparatus comprising:

a camera disposed on a movable portion of a vehicle,

display means on which a taken image of surroundings of the vehicle taken by the camera is displayed visible to a vehicle occupant,

display control means for partially extracting a region corresponding to an operating position of the movable portion from taken image data provided via the camera and for displaying the region on the display device.