PERIPHERY MONITORING APPARATUS

• US 20100002078A1
• Filed: 05/27/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ito, Haruo
• Application Number:
  US12/472,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20100002078A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/135
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/10 characterised by the type of camera system used
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning

Abstract

A vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus detects a three-dimensional object or obstacle even through a vehicle is stopped. When is stopping or parking, a processor controls operation to store a bird'"'"'s-eye image obtained by viewpoint conversion unit of a captured image, which is captured by a rear camera immediately before the vehicle parks or stops. Thereafter, the obstacle is detected based on a difference between image portions corresponding to a same captured region in a bird'"'"'s-eye image of a captured image obtained for each time period, and in the stored bird'"'"'s-eye image.

Claims

1. A periphery monitoring apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a camera for capturing images of a periphery of the vehicle;

a traveling/not-traveling detection unit for detecting whether the vehicle is traveling or is stopping;

an image storage unit configured to store, when the vehicle stops, an image the vehicle prior to the stopping of the vehicle, the image stored as a pre-stop image, and

an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between a current image captured by the camera and the pre-stop image during a time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping.

2. The periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during the time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the current image and an image captured prior to the current image, and based on the difference between the current image and the pre-stop image.

3. The periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during a time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on the difference between the current image and the image captured prior to the current image.

4. The periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during a time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on the difference between the current image and an image captured prior to the current image.

5. The periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a viewpoint conversion unit configured to convert the image captured by the camera into a bird'"'"'s-eye image representing the periphery of the vehicle in a state observed from above, wherein;

the image storage unit stores, as the pre-stop image, the bird'"'"'s-eye image when the stop of the vehicle is found; and

the obstacle detection unit detects, during the time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between image portions corresponding to a same captured region in a latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and in the pre-stop image.

6. The periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during the time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and a bird'"'"'s-eye image generated prior to the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image, and based on a difference between the image portions corresponding to the same captured region in the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and in the pre-stop image.

7. The periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during a time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based only on the difference between the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and the bird'"'"'s-eye image generated prior to the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image.

8. An obstacle detection method for detecting an obstacle near a vehicle comprising the steps of:

a capturing step in which a periphery of the vehicle is captured by a camera;

a traveling/not-traveling detecting step for detecting whether the vehicle is traveling or stopping;

an image storing step in which when the vehicle stops, an image of the vehicle prior to stopping is captured and stored as a pre-stop image; and

an obstacle detecting step for detecting, during a time period in which it is detected that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between a current image and the stored pre-stop image.

9. The obstacle detection method according to claim 8, wherein:

the obstacle detecting step further comprises detecting, during the time period in which it is detected that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the current image and an image captured prior to the current image, and based on the difference between the current image and the stored pre-stop image.

10. The obstacle detection method according to claim 9, wherein:

the obstacle detecting step further comprises detecting, during a time period in which it is detected that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on the difference between the current image and the image captured prior to the current image.

11. The obstacle detection method according to claim 8, wherein:

the obstacle detecting step further comprises detecting, during a time period in which it is detected that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the current image and an image captured prior to the current image.

12. The obstacle detection method according to claim 8, further comprising:

a viewpoint converting step in which the image captured by the camera is converted into a bird'"'"'s-eye image representing the periphery of the vehicle in a state observed from above;

wherein in the image storing step, when a stop of the vehicle is found, the bird'"'"'s-eye image is stored as the pre-stop image; and

in the obstacle detecting step, during the time period in which it is detected that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle is detected based on a difference between image portions corresponding to a same captured region in a latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and in the stored pre-stop image.

13. The obstacle detection method according to claim 12, wherein:

the obstacle detecting step comprises detecting, during the time period in which it is detected that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and a bird'"'"'s-eye image generated prior to the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image, and based on the difference between the image portions corresponding to the same captured region in the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and in the stored pre-stop image.

14. The obstacle detection method according to claim 12, wherein:

the obstacle detecting step comprises detecting, during the time period in which it is detected that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on the difference between the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and the bird'"'"'s-eye image generated prior to the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable content representing a computer program for a vehicle capture system having a vehicle camera configured to capture a periphery of a vehicle, the computer program causing the computer to perform that acts of:

providing a traveling/not-traveling detection unit for detecting whether the vehicle is traveling or stopping;

providing an image storage unit in which when a stop of the vehicle is detected, an image captured before the vehicle is stopped is stored as a pre-stop image; and

providing an obstacle detection unit for detecting, during a time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping, an obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between a current image and the pre-stop image.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during the time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the current image and an image captured prior to the current image, and based on the difference between the current image and the pre-stop image.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during a time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on the difference between the current image and the image captured prior to the current image.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during a time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is traveling, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the current image and an image captured prior to the current image.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, comprising:

providing a viewpoint conversion unit configured to convert the image captured by the camera into a bird'"'"'s-eye image representing the periphery of the vehicle in a state observed from above;

wherein

the image storage unit stores, as the pre-stop image, the bird'"'"'s-eye image when the stop of the vehicle is found, and

the obstacle detection unit detects, during the time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between image portions corresponding to a same captured region in a latest bird'"'"'s-eye image of the current image and the pre-stop image.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein:

the obstacle detection unit detects, during the time period in which the traveling/not-traveling detection unit detects that the vehicle is stopping, the obstacle on the periphery of the vehicle based on a difference between the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and a bird'"'"'s-eye image generated prior to the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image, and based on the difference between the image portions corresponding to the same captured region in the latest bird'"'"'s-eye image and the pre-stop image.