Vehicle peripheral visual confirmation apparatus

• US 20060072011A1
• Filed: 08/01/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Jun
• Application Number:
  US11/193,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072011A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• 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: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

A camera taking an image in a wide range of a visual field cuts out, an image of a vehicle'"'"'s rear part of the image picked up by the camera. The camera rotates or inverts the image and adjusts the image in the direction corresponding to a mirror image of a door mirror. The rearward image that can be sensitively, easily and visually recognized by a driver can be provided. A forward image or the sideward image is properly switched as required. When a part of the image picked up by the camera is cut out, images showing the range of the visual field of the cut out image are synthesized and displayed in a display device.

Claims

1. A vehicle peripheral visual confirmation apparatus comprising:

a camera being disposed in a side part of vehicle, and the camera being simultaneously capable of picking up at least one of an image in a front part of the side part of vehicle and an image in a rear part of the side part of vehicle,

a display device displaying an image; and

a display controller processing the image picked up by the camera to output the processed image to the display device, the display controller operable to cut out a part of the image picked up by the camera, the display controller operable to rotate the image, and the display controller operable to invert the image.

2. A vehicle peripheral visual confirmation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controller cuts out the image in the rear part of the vehicle among the images picked up by the camera, and

wherein the display controller performs at least one of a rotation of the cut-out image in a direction corresponding to the mirror image of door mirror and a inversion of the cut-out image in a direction corresponding to the mirror image of door mirror.

3. A vehicle peripheral visual confirmation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera has a fisheye lens so that the two images can be picked up at the same time.

4. A vehicle peripheral visual confirmation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera is disposed in the door mirror.

5. A vehicle peripheral visual confirmation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the display controller cuts out a part of the image picked up by the camera, the display controller synthesizes an image representing a range of a visual field of the cut-out image and controls the display device to display the synthesized image.