Vehicle-Periphery Image Generating Apparatus and Method of Correcting Distortion of a Vehicle-Periphery Image

• US 20090121851A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abe, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images

Abstract

A vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus and a method of correcting distortion of vehicle-periphery image corrects distortion of the obstacle image appearing in the vehicle-periphery image after viewpoint conversion, so that visual discomfort experienced by the driver is reduced. Images around the vehicle are captured by a plurality of cameras, and an obstacle around the vehicle is detected by an ultrasonic sensor. When the obstacle is detected, a width of an image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle is compressed in the center direction of the images to generate the vehicle-periphery image. As a result, when a three-dimensional obstacle around the vehicle appears in an camera image, the camera image is viewpoint-converted so that enlargement or stretching of the obstacle image can be prevented.

Claims

1. A vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus for viewpoint-converting each of a plurality of images captured by a plurality of cameras installed at different positions of a vehicle, and combining the respective viewpoint-converted images to generate a vehicle-periphery image viewed from a virtual point of view above the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a viewpoint conversion processor configured to input a plurality of images around the vehicle captured by the plurality of cameras, and viewpoint-convert the plurality of inputted images using mapping table information, and combining the respective viewpoint-converted images to generate the vehicle-periphery image;

an obstacle detector configured to detect an obstacle around the vehicle and determine a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle; and

an image compression controller configured to control compression when the obstacle is detected, the compression being controlled along the center direction of the images around the vehicle, along a width of an image in the direction in which the obstacle is detected, and in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle as viewed from the vehicle among the images around the vehicle.

2. The vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the obstacle detector includes a moving distance detector configured to detect a distance that the vehicle has moved, and including a sensor section configured to detect a presence or absence of the obstacle and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle based on a reflected radio wave, and configured to detect the obstacle around the vehicle when the moving distance detector detects that the vehicle moves for a predetermined distance.

3. The vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the viewpoint conversion processor utilizes normal mapping table information when the obstacle is not detected, and compression mapping table information when the obstacle is detected; and

the image compression controller controls the viewpoint conversion processor to perform viewpoint conversion processing using the normal mapping table information for an image in the region positioned on the near side of the obstacle, and using the compression mapping table information for an image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle, the viewpoint conversion processing being performed based on a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle detected.

4. The vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the image compression controller controls compression of the entire image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle as viewed from the vehicle and in the portion used as a display object range of the vehicle-periphery image.

5. The vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the obstacle detector includes a moving distance detector configured to detect a distance moved by the vehicle, and including a sensor section for detecting the presence or absence of the obstacle and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle, based on a reflected wave radio wave, and configured to detect the obstacle in the interval where the vehicle moves; and

the image compression controller configured to control compression of an image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle as viewed from the vehicle and in the interval where the obstacle is detected.

6. The vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the viewpoint conversion processor uses normal mapping table information when the obstacle is not detected; and

the image compression controller is configured to control the viewpoint conversion processor to perform viewpoint conversion processing by generating, from the normal mapping table information, compression mapping table information used when the obstacle is detected and by using the compression mapping table information for the images around the vehicle captured by a camera in the direction in which the obstacle is detected.

7. A method of correcting distortion of an obstacle image within a vehicle-periphery image and combining respective viewpoint-converted images, the vehicle-periphery image being viewed from a virtual point of view above the vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting an obstacle around the vehicle and determining a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle; and

performing viewpoint conversion using normal mapping table information for the images around the vehicle for which the obstacle is not detected in the detection step;

performing viewpoint conversion processing using compression mapping table information for the images around the vehicle for which the obstacle is detected in the detection step, the compression mapping table information corresponding to information for compressing a width of an image in the direction in which the obstacle is detected and in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle, and combining the respective viewpoint-converted images to generate the vehicle-periphery image.

8. The method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image according to claim 7, wherein

when the obstacle is detected in the detecting step, viewpoint-conversion processing is performed using the normal mapping table information for an image in the region positioned on the near side of the obstacle, and is performed using the compression mapping table information for an image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle.

9. The method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image according to claim 7, wherein the detecting step further includes:

detecting the presence or absence of the obstacle by a sensor section based on a reflected radio wave;

detecting a distance moved by the vehicle; and

detecting the obstacle around the vehicle when it is determined that the vehicle moves for a predetermined distance if the sensor section indicates that the obstacle exists.

10. The method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image according to claim 7, wherein

in the viewpoint-converting, when the obstacle is detected in the detecting step, the compression is performed on the whole of an image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle and in the portion used as a display object region of the vehicle-periphery image.

11. The method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image according to claim 7, wherein the detecting step includes:

detecting the presence or absence of the obstacle by a sensor section based on a reflected radio wave;

detecting a distance traveled by the vehicle; and

detecting the obstacle in the interval where the vehicle moves while the sensor section indicates that the obstacle exists.

12. The method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image according to claim 11, wherein

in the viewpoint-conversion step, when the obstacle is detected in the detecting step, the compression is performed on an image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle and in the interval where the obstacle is detected in the detecting step.