VIDEO DISPLAY APPARATUS AND VIDEO DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20100013930A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Masatoshi, Fuchigami, Ikuo
• Application Number:
  US12/438,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20100013930A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• 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 2300/8026 in addition to a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/147 using affine transformations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video display apparatus for displaying on a monitor videos captured using capturing sections is provided. The capturing sections (101a-101n) capture the periphery of a vehicle. Reference position setting sections (102a-102n) set a focus monitor position as a video construction reference position. A steering angle detecting section (108) detects a steering angle caused by a driver'"'"'s operation. The video construction reference position is corrected based on the steering angle. After video construction reference position information adding sections (103a-103n) add video construction reference position information to the videos, a video constructing section (104) combines the videos of the capturing sections so that all of the video construction reference positions overlap each other. A display video generating section (106) clips a video based on a display area specified by a display area specifying section (105). A video display section (107) outputs the clipped video to the monitor for display.

Claims

1. A video display apparatus for displaying on a monitor videos captured using a plurality of capturing sections, comprising:

one or more reference position setting sections for setting a position as a video construction reference position;

one or more video construction reference position information adding sections for adding information regarding the video construction reference position, set by the reference position setting sections, to the videos captured by the plurality of capturing sections;

a video constructing section for combining the videos captured by the plurality of capturing sections so that the video construction reference positions added by the video construction reference position information adding sections overlap each other, and for thus generating a wide-range video;

a display area specifying section for specifying a display area, for display on the monitor, from the wide-range video generated by the video constructing section; and

a display video generating section for clipping a video of the display area, specified by the display area specifying section, from the wide-range video generated by the video constructing section and outputting the clipped video to the monitor for display.

2. The video display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the wide-range video is a video capturing a wider range than a range of the video captured using any one capturing section of the plurality of capturing sections.

3. The video display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display area specifying section specifies the display area, for display on the monitor, from the wide-range video so that the video construction reference position added to the wide-range video is a center of the display area.

4. The video display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a steering angle detecting section for detecting a steering angle of a moving device,

wherein the reference position setting sections change the video construction reference position in accordance with the steering angle of the moving device detected by the steering angle detecting section.

5. The video display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when combining the videos captured by the capturing sections, the video constructing section combines the videos captured by the capturing sections so that the closer the video construction reference position added to the video is to a center of the video, the higher is a layer of the video.

6. The video display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the video construction reference position is set as a focus monitor position determined based on installation conditions of the capturing sections and an assumed viewpoint for viewing the videos captured by the capturing sections.

7. The video display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the video construction reference position is arbitrarily determined by an operator of the moving device with reference to the video outputted to the monitor by the display video generating section.

8. A video display method of displaying on a monitor videos captured using a plurality of capturing sections, comprising:

a step of setting a position as a video construction reference position;

a step of adding information regarding the video construction reference position to the videos captured by the plurality of capturing sections;

a step of combining the videos captured by the plurality of capturing sections so that the added video construction reference positions overlap each other, and of thus generating a wide-range video;

a step of specifying a display area, for display on the monitor, from the generated wide-range video; and

a step of clipping a video of the specified display area from the wide-range video and outputting the clipped video to the monitor for display.

9. A storage medium having stored therein a program for displaying on a monitor videos captured using a plurality of capturing sections, the program comprising:

a step of setting a position as a video construction reference position;

a step of adding information regarding the video construction reference position to the videos captured by the plurality of capturing sections;

a step of combining the videos captured by the plurality of capturing sections so that the added video construction reference positions overlap each other, and of thus generating a wide-range video;

a step of specifying a display area, for display on the monitor, from the generated wide-range video; and

a step of clipping a video of the specified display area from the wide-range video and outputting the clipped video to the monitor for display.