FIELD WATCH APPARATUS

• US 20080231703A1
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Uchida, Tsuneo, Nagata, Asako
• Application Number:
  US12/047,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20080231703A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A field watch apparatus of vehicular use includes a camera and a mirror-integrated display unit. The mirror-integrated display unit is integrally disposed with a room mirror, and have two surroundings view monitors for displaying surroundings views that are captured by the camera. The mirror-integrated display unit is disposed at a position that is viewable from a driver'"'"'s seat in a subject vehicle for intuitive recognition of other vehicles in the surroundings through the displayed image of the surroundings views.

Claims

1. A vehicle surrounding watch apparatus comprising:

a self vehicle capture unit disposed on a self vehicle and capable of capturing surroundings of the self vehicle, and

a mirror-integrated unit that includes;

a room mirror; and

a display unit disposed at a position next to the room mirror in an integrated form with the room mirror,

wherein the display unit is capable of displaying a self vehicle surroundings image of the self vehicle derived from the self vehicle capture unit, and

the mirror-integrated unit is disposed at a viewable position from a driver'"'"'s seat in a room of the subject vehicle.

2. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the display unit in the mirror-integrated unit displays an image of a view based on an image derived from the self vehicle capture unit, and

the view represents a field of vision that is un-projectable on a virtual mirror if the virtual mirror is disposed at a position of a display screen of the display unit.

3. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the room mirror serves as a rear view mirror, and

the mirror-integrated unit is disposed at a position that faces an upper center portion of a windshield of the self vehicle.

4. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the self vehicle surroundings image captured by the self vehicle capture unit is biased toward a side of the self vehicle relative to a backwardly projected vision field of the rear view mirror to include a biased rear field image, and

the display screen of the display unit in the mirror-integrated unit displays the biased rear field image is disposed on a corresponding side of the rear view mirror in terms of a biased side of the biased rear field image in a vehicle width direction of the self vehicle.

5. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the self vehicle surroundings image captured by the self vehicle capture unit includes a rightward image of a rightward biased field relative to the backwardly projected vision field of the rear view mirror and a leftward image of a leftward biased field relative to the backwardly projected vision field of the rear view mirror, and

the mirror-integrated unit has a right screen and a left screen of the display unit respectively disposed on a right side and a left side of the rear view mirror for displaying an image of the rightward biased field and an image of the leftward biased field.

6. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the self vehicle capture unit includes a rightward field capture camera for capturing an image of a rightward field and a leftward field capture camera for capturing an image of a leftward field respectively independently.

7. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the right screen and the left screen of the display unit respectively display a simulated frame image that simulates a mirror frame of a side mirror on a right side and a left side, and

the simulated frame image on the right side and the left side respectively include the image of the rightward field and the image of the leftward field.

8. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 7, wherein

the rear view mirror is formed as a laterally elongated shape half mirror that integrally covers the right screen and the left screen together with a middle area between the right and left screens, and

the image of the rightward field and the image of the leftward image are respectively viewed through the half mirror.

9. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a condition information acquisition unit capable of acquiring condition information that reflects a travel condition of the self vehicle and an operation condition in the room of the self vehicle; and

a display control unit capable of displaying on the display unit the self vehicle surroundings image in an emphasizing manner according a content of the condition information based on the acquired condition information.

10. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

an other vehicle identify unit capable of identifying an other vehicle that travels behind the self vehicle in the self vehicle surroundings image; and

a vehicle distance detection unit capable of detecting a distance toward the other vehicle, wherein

the display control unit outputs information of the detected distance in the emphasizing manner that distinguishes an identity of the other vehicle in the self vehicle surroundings image.

11. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the vehicle distance detection unit is a distance detection unit being capable of detecting the distance toward the other vehicle that is disposed separately from an image acquisition unit for generating the self vehicle surroundings image on the self vehicle.

12. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the distance detection unit is configured as a radar distance measurement device.

13. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a relative approach speed detection unit capable of detecting a relative approach speed of the other vehicle from behind the self vehicle, wherein

the display control unit puts the image of the other vehicle in an emphasized warning condition in the self vehicle surroundings image when the other vehicle with the relative approach speed exceeding a predetermined positive approach speed threshold exists in the self vehicle surroundings image.

14. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

an approach time distance estimation unit capable of estimating approach time distance information that reflects an approach time of the other vehicle from behind the self vehicle based on the distance detected by the vehicle distance detection unit and the relative approach speed detected by the relative approach speed detection unit, wherein

the display control unit puts the image of the other vehicle in the emphasized warning condition in the self vehicle surroundings image when the other vehicle with the approach time distance smaller than a predetermined threshold exists in the self vehicle surroundings image.

15. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a lane change direction prediction unit capable of predicting a lane change direction of the self vehicle, wherein

the room mirror serves as a rear view mirror,

the mirror-integrated unit is disposed at a position that faces an upper center portion of a windshield of the self vehicle,

the self vehicle surroundings image captured by the self vehicle capture unit is biased toward a side of the self vehicle relative to a backwardly projected vision field of the rear view mirror to include a biased rear field image,

the display screen of the display unit in the mirror-integrated unit displays the biased rear field image is disposed on a corresponding side of the rear view mirror in terms of a biased side of the biased rear field image in a vehicle width direction of the self vehicle, and

the display control unit displays, prior to a lane change, on the display screen the biased rear field image in a post viewpoint change condition with emphasis applied thereon by converting a current viewpoint of the biased rear field image from a vehicle position in a currently traveling lane to a virtual viewpoint from a vehicle position in a lane that is in accordance with the predicted lane change direction.

16. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a viewpoint detection unit capable of detecting a viewpoint of a driver in a driver'"'"'s seat; and

a look direction detection unit capable of detecting a look direction of the driver based on the viewpoint detected by the viewpoint detection unit, wherein

the display control unit performs an image display control that provides an emphasized display condition of the biased rear field image that is in accordance with a shift direction when the look direction of the driver detected by the look direction detection unit is shifted away from a straight front toward one of a right side and a left side into the shift direction.

17. The vehicle surrounding watch apparatus of claim 16, wherein

the display control unit converts the biased rear field image to the field image with the viewpoint shifted in the shift direction and displays the field image after conversion in the emphasizing condition on the display screen.