Surroundings exhibiting system and surroundings exhibiting method

• US 20070173983A1
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Toshiya, Yamamoto, Takeshi, Miake, Aki, Itoh, Megumi, Okuda, Mitsukazu, Doi, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/102 using 360 degree surveillance camera system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

There is provided a system for showing a multi-directional image of surroundings of transportation device requiring a manual maneuver, when starting the transportation device in a parked state (stop state). The surroundings exhibiting system is constituted by an omnidirectional camera, an ignition instruction detection sensor, a control section including a CPU and a frame memory, and a liquid crystal panel. The omnidirectional camera captures an omnidirectional image of the surroundings around the transportation device in synchronization with a driver'"'"'s ignition instruction detected by the ignition instruction detection sensor. Further, the captured image data is temporally stored in the frame memory, and the stored image data is sequentially transmitted to the liquid crystal panel so as to be displayed thereon.

Claims

1. A surroundings exhibiting system that is provided in a transportation device requiring manual maneuver and that shows, to an operator, surroundings of the transportation device in a stop state, the surroundings exhibiting system comprising:

an image capturing section for capturing a multi-directional image of the surroundings of the transportation device; and

a display section for displaying at least part of the image captured by the image capturing section.

2. The surroundings exhibiting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the image capturing section captures an omnidirectional image with respect to the transportation device.

3. The surroundings exhibiting system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

an ignition instruction detection sensor for detecting an operator'"'"'s ignition instruction to the transportation device,

the image capture by the image capturing section being carried out in synchronization with the ignition instruction.

4. The surroundings exhibiting system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a door unlock detection sensor for detecting unlocking of a door,

the image capture by the image capturing section being carried out in synchronization with the unlocking of the door.

5. The surroundings exhibiting system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a door open/close sensor for detecting opening or closing of the door,

the image capture by the image capturing section being carried out in synchronization with closing or opening of the door.

6. The surroundings exhibiting system as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

a frame memory for storing image data of the image captured by the image capturing section; and

an ignition instruction detection sensor for detecting an operator'"'"'s instruction to the transportation device,

the image data of the image captured by the image capturing section being stored in the frame memory, and

a most recent image data among the image data stored in the frame memory being displayed on the display section upon the detection of the ignition instruction.

7. The surroundings exhibiting system as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

an ignition instruction detection sensor for detecting an operator'"'"'s instruction to the transportation device,

the image captured by the image capturing section being displayed on the display section upon the detection of the ignition instruction.

8. A surroundings exhibiting method for showing, to an operator, surroundings of transportation device that requires manual maneuver and that is in a stop state, the surroundings exhibiting method comprising the steps of:

capturing a multi-directional image of the surroundings of the transportation device; and

displaying at least part of or a whole of the image captured in the image capture step.

9. A method for controlling a surroundings exhibiting system that is provided in a transportation device and that shows, to an operator, surroundings of the transportation device that requires manual maneuver and that is in a stop state, the method comprising:

an image capture start process of causing an image capturing section to start capturing a multi-directional image of surroundings of the transportation device; and

an display start process of causing a display section to start displaying at least part of the image captured by the image capturing section.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

a process of detecting an operator'"'"'s ignition instruction to the transportation device,

the image capture start process and the display start process being carried out in synchronization with the ignition instruction.

11. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

a process of detecting unlocking of a door; and

a process of detecting an operator'"'"'s ignition instruction to the transportation device,

the image capture start process being carried out in synchronization with the unlocking of the door,

the display start process being carried out in synchronization with the ignition instruction.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

a process of detecting opening or closing of a door; and

a process of detecting an operator'"'"'s ignition instruction to the transportation device,

the image capture start process being carried out in synchronization with the opening or closing of the door,

the display start process being carried out in synchronization with the ignition instruction.

13. A surroundings exhibiting system control program for causing a computer to execute the method as set forth in claim 9, the program causing the computer to execute the processes.

14. A computer-readable storage medium in which the program as set forth in claim 13 is stored.