Image processing device

• US 20060038895A1
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Akatsuka, Takeshi, Yanai, Tatsumi, Suzuki, Masayasu
• Application Number:
  US11/197,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20060038895A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• 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 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• 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 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/402 Image calibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An image processing device is provided with an input section through which input image data is inputted from an image pickup device that is obtained by picking up an image of a circumference, a storage section storing an address conversion table describing a relation between address information of the input image data and address information of display image data corresponding to a display resolution, an image processing section processing the input image data to cut out image data, corresponding to the display resolution, from the input image data upon referring to the address conversion table, so as to allow address information of the resultant cut out image data to be converted to address information of the display image data, and an output section outputting the display image data to the display. An address space of the address information of the input image data has a size greater in a height direction or a width direction than that of the display image data.

Claims

1. An image processing device comprising:

an input section through which input image data is inputted from an image pickup device, the input image data being obtained through the image pickup device picking up an image of a circumference;

a storage section storing an address conversion table describing a relation between address information of the input image data and address information of display image data corresponding to a display resolution, the display resolution being defined with the number of pixels in height and width directions of a display, and an address space of the address information of the input image data having a size greater in a height direction or a width direction than that of the display image data;

an image processing section processing the input image data to cut out image data, corresponding to the display resolution, from the input image data upon referring to the address conversion table, for thereby allowing address information of the resultant cut out image data to be converted to address information of the display image data; and

an output section outputting the display image data, resulting from conversion of the address information by the image processing section, to the display.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section is operative to set a leading pointer for the address conversion table, to be used in cutting out the image data corresponding to the display resolution, for the image pickup device, to allow the input image data to be cut out from the leading pointer of the address conversion table.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup device generates the input image data upon picking up images covering a given circumference of an own vehicle, and the image processing section is operative to shift the image data, cut out from the input image data corresponding to the display resolution, in accordance with a behavior of the own vehicle, for thereby cutting out image data involving the given circumference.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section cuts out overlay data, to be superimposed on the image data corresponding to the display resolution, from overlay data with an address space with a size greater in height and width directions than that of the display image data the display resolution.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section preliminarily stores overlay data to be displayed in a given position of a display screen of the display and shifts a position for cutting out the image data corresponding to the display resolution such that the given position, in which the overlay data is displayed, and a position of an object, involved in the input image data, are brought into coincidence with each other on the display screen.

6. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein the overlay data relates to a portion of an own vehicle.

7. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup device includes a plurality of image pickup units, whose image pickup ranges are different from each other, and the storage section stores a plurality of address conversion tables allocated in accordance with an image layout to be provided on the display with an image in combination with a plurality of input image data picked up through the plurality of image pickup units, the plurality of address conversion tables having address spaces each of which has a size greater in a height direction or a width direction than that of the display image data corresponding to associated one of the plurality of image pickup units;

wherein the image processing section is provided with;

a table area determination section extracting the plurality of address conversion tables in accordance with the image layout to be provided on the display; and

a table restructuring section determining areas for cutting out image data allocated in accordance with the image layout for each of the plurality of address conversion tables, respectively, which are extracted by the table area determination section, and restructuring an address conversion table having an address space corresponding to the display resolution in combination with the plurality of address conversion tables which are extracted by the table area determination section;

and wherein the image processing section cuts out the image data allocated in accordance with the image layout for each of the plurality of input image data, respectively, upon referring to the address conversion table that are restructured by the table restructuring section.

8. The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the table restructuring section is operative to shift a leading pointer of an address conversion table, among the plurality of address conversion tables extracted from the table area determination section, which is relevant to any one of the plurality of image pickup units to be targeted for calibrating an input image data picked up therethrough, for thereby shifting an area of the address conversion table for cutting out image data allocated in accordance with the image layout.

9. The image processing device according to claim 8, wherein the storage section stores the leading pointer of each address conversion table, based on which the image data allocated in accordance with the image layout is cut out, for each of the plurality of image pickup units.

10. The image processing device according to claim 8, wherein the image processing section shifts the leading pointer of each address conversion table for each of the plurality of image pickup units, respectively, to cut out a plurality of image data allocated in accordance with the image layout for each of the plurality of image pickup units, respectively.

11. The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the image processing section converts image data, allocated in accordance with the image layout based on input image data picked up through one of the plurality of image pickup units, and shifts a leading pointer of an address conversion table of the other one of the plurality of image pickup units by referring to the display image data, for thereby cutting out image data allocated in accordance with the image layout based on input image data picked up through the other one of the image pickup units.

12. The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the image processing section acquires a feature of an object, involved in image pickup ranges of the plurality of image pickup units, and shifts the leading pointer of each address conversion table so as to make the feature of the object continuous, for thereby cutting out image data allocated in accordance with the image layout, from the plurality of input image data.

13. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section is operative such that when switching a pre-switchover image, currently displayed on the display, over to a post-switchover image to be subsequently displayed on the display, image data, corresponding to the display resolution with address information between address information of the pre-switchover image and that of the post-switchover image, is cut out from the input image data, and generates an intermediate image, in which address information of the image data is converted to address information of the display image data, for thereby consecutively converting the intermediate image to be displayed before the post-switchover image is displayed.

14. The image processing device according to claim 13, wherein the input section allows a plurality of input image data to be inputted from a plurality of image pickup units, whose image pickup ranges are different from each other, and the storage section stores a plurality of address conversion tables describing address information each with a size corresponding to the display resolution for each of the plurality of input image data.

15. The image processing device according to claim 13, wherein the image processing section is operative to allow a switchover speed for the intermediate image, to be displayed before the pre-switchover image is switched over to the post-switchover image, to be set such that both the intermediate image, having address information closer to address information of the pre-switchover image, and the intermediate image, having address information closer to address information of the post-switchover image, move at a further low speed.

16. The image processing device according to claim 13, wherein the image processing section is operative to generate further increased numbers of both the intermediate image, having address information closer to address information of the pre-switchover image, and the intermediate image having address information closer to address information of the post-switchover image.

17. The image processing device according to claim 13, wherein the image processing section is operative to allow both the intermediate image, having address information closer to address information of the pre-switchover image, and the intermediate image, having address information closer to address information of the post-switchover image, to be set in further increased display time intervals.

18. The image processing device according to claim 13, wherein the image processing section determines a switchover speed for the intermediate image, to be switched over, based on a speed of an own vehicle.

19. The image processing device according to claim 13, wherein the image processing section is operative such that if a moving object is detected in image data outside image data cut out from the input image data, image data corresponding to the display resolution is cut out in a way to involve the moving object, for thereby setting the resultant cut out image data to be the post-switchover image.

20. An image processing device comprising:

inputting means for inputting image data from an image pickup device picking up an image of a circumference;

storing means for storing an address conversion table describing a relation between address information of the input image data and address information of display image data corresponding to a display resolution, the display resolution being defined with the number of pixels in height and width directions of a display, and an address space of the address information of the input image data having a size greater in a height direction or a width direction than that of the display image data;

image processing means for processing the input image data to cut out image data, corresponding to the display resolution, from the input image data upon referring to the address conversion table, for thereby allowing address information of the resultant cut out image data to be converted to address information of the display image data; and

output means for outputting the display image data, resulting from conversion of the address information, to the display.