Driving support apparatus and driving support method

• US 20060119472A1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsuboi, Shoichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,432,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/005 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/006 using a distance sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

By applying an observing-point conversion and s synthesis to images captured by respective cameras capturing the surroundings of a vehicle and by placing a figure representing the vehicle on the synthesized image, an overhead-image generating unit generates an image to be obtained when captured at an observing point above the vehicle, a figure representing the vehicle, and an overhead image showing the surroundings of the vehicle in an overhead viewing manner, and displays the overhead image on a display device via a display processing unit. When an obstacle is detected by obstacle sensors, the caution-image generating unit extracts an image of those stored in an image memory, in an area including a part of the vehicle and the obstacle, generate a caution image, and displays the caution image at a position on the overhead image via the display processing unit corresponding to the position of the obstacle.

Claims

1. A driving support apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

at least one camera operable to capture the surroundings of the vehicle in an image;

at least one obstacle detecting unit operable to detect an obstacle within the surroundings of the vehicle;

a first image generating unit operable to generate, from the image captured by the camera, an overhead image of the surroundings of the vehicle viewed from above the vehicle;

a display device operable to display the overhead image; and

a second image generating unit operable to generate an object image capturing a part of the surroundings of the obstacle detected,

wherein the display device is operable to display the object image overlayed upon the overhead image at a position within the overhead image corresponding to a location of the obstacle detected.

2. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second image generating unit is operable to generate the object image from an image portion extracted from the image captured by the camera.

3. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the obstacle detected is located at the back of the vehicle, the second image generating unit is operable to generate the object image by vertically and horizontally flipping the extracted image portion.

4. A driving support apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

at least one camera operable to capture the surroundings of the vehicle in an image;

at least one obstacle detecting unit operable to detect an obstacle within the surroundings of the vehicle;

a first image generating unit operable to generate, from the image captured by the camera, an overhead image of the surroundings of the vehicle viewed from above the vehicle;

a display device operable to display the overhead image; and

a second image generating unit operable to generate an obstacle image capturing a part of the surroundings of the obstacle detected,

wherein, when the obstacle detecting unit detects the obstacle, the display device is operable to display the obstacle image on the display device.

5. The driving support apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second image generating unit is operable to generate the obstacle image from an image portion extracted from the image captured by the camera.

6. The driving support apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display device is operable to display the obstacle image overlayed upon the overhead image at a position in the overhead image corresponding to a location of the obstacle detected.

7. The driving support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second image generating unit is operable to generate the obstacle image from an image portion extracted from the image captured by the camera.

8. The driving support apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when the obstacle detected is located at the back of the vehicle, the second image generating unit is operable to generate the obstacle image by vertically and horizontally flipping the extracted image portion.

9. The driving support apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second image generating unit is operable to generate the obstacle image by horizontally flipping the extracted image portion.

10. A driving support apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

at least one camera operable to capture the surroundings of the vehicle in an image;

a display device;

a first image generating unit operable to generate, from the image captured by the camera, an overhead image of the surroundings of the vehicle viewed from above the vehicle;

a display processing unit operable to display the overhead image on the display device; and

a second image generating unit operable to generate an obstacle image capturing a part of the surroundings of an obstacle when the display processing unit detects the obstacle,

wherein, when the obstacle is detected, the display processing unit is operable to display the obstacle image on the display device.

11. The driving support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display processing unit is operable to display the obstacle image overlayed upon the overhead image at a position in the overhead image corresponding to a location of the obstacle detected.

12. The driving support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display processing unit is operable to display the object image superimposed upon the overhead image if the obstacle is located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle.

13. The driving support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display processing unit is operable to display the object image superimposed upon the overhead image if the obstacle is located within an area such that when a door of the vehicle opened, the door collides with the obstacle.

14. The driving support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display processing unit is operable to display at least one guideline representing a vehicle travel path along which the vehicle is expected to travel superimposed upon the overhead image.

15. The driving support apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display processing unit is operable to display the obstacle image superimposed upon the overhead image if the obstacle is located along or within a predetermined distance from the vehicle travel path.

16. A driving support method for supporting a driver to avoid an obstacle with a driving support apparatus in which an overhead image of the surroundings of a vehicle viewed from above the vehicle is generated and displayed by converting an image capturing the surroundings of the vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting an obstacle within the surroundings of the vehicle;

generating, when the obstacle is detected, an obstacle image from an image portion extracted from the overhead image capturing a part of the surroundings of the detected obstacle; and

overlaying the obstacle image upon the displayed overhead image at a position within the overhead image corresponding to a location of the detected obstacle.

17. The driving support method according to claim 16, wherein the obstacle image is generated by vertically and horizontally flipping the extracted image portion.

18. The driving support method according to claim 16, comprising superimposing a guideline representing a vehicle travel path along which the vehicle is expected to travel upon the overhead image.

19. The driving support method according to claim 16, wherein the display processing unit is operable to display the obstacle image superimposed upon the overhead image if the obstacle is located along or within a predetermined distance from a vehicle travel path along which the vehicle is expected to travel.

20. The driving support method according to claim 16, wherein the display processing unit is operable to display the obstacle image superimposed upon the overhead image if if it is determined that the vehicle is expected to collide with the obstacle.