SCENERY IMAGING APPARATUS, SCENERY IMAGING METHOD, SCENERY IMAGING PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20100085440A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Kohei, Fujita, Ryujiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,233,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30248 Vehicle exterior or interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches

Abstract

In a scenery imaging apparatus (100), an image capturing unit (101) captures a scenery image in an arbitrary direction. A dividing unit (102) divides an initial scenery image captured by the image capturing unit (101) in an arbitrary direction into plural cells. A calculating unit (103) calculates a distance to a portion of the initial scenery corresponding to each cell generated from the division by the dividing unit (102). A determining unit (104) determines an image capturing direction using the distances calculated by the calculating unit (103).

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A scenery imaging apparatus comprising:

a dividing unit that divides, into a plurality of cells, a scenery image captured in an arbitrary direction, as an initial scenery image, by an image capturing unit;

a calculating unit that calculates respective distances to portions of initial scenery respectively corresponding to the cells;

a determining unit that determines an image capturing direction based on the distances calculated by the calculating unit; and

a judging unit that judges, based on the distances calculated by the calculating unit, whether a portion of the initial scenery corresponding to a cell is a distant view, wherein

the determining unit determines the image capturing direction based on a portion judged to be a distant view.

14. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the determining unit determines the image capturing direction based on a numerical quantity of cells in an image area respectively having a portion judged by the judging unit to be a distant view, the image area consisting of one or more cells in the initial scenery image.

15. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the image capturing unit captures, as a pickup scenery image, a scenery image in the image capturing direction determined by the determining unit,

the dividing unit divides the pickup scenery image into a plurality of cells, and

the judging unit judges, with respect to pickup scenery of the pickup scenery image, whether a portion of the pickup scenery corresponding to a cell corresponds to at least one of a sky, an ocean, a mountain, and a night view.

16. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the judging unit judges, with respect to cells located on an upper side of the pickup scenery image, whether a portion of the pickup scenery corresponds to the sky based on variances of brightness of a plurality of pixels included in the cells located on the upper side.

17. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the judging unit judges whether a portion of the pickup scenery judged not to be the sky is the ocean based on average hue and average saturation of a plurality of pixels included in a cell having a portion judged to be the sky.

18. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the judging unit judges whether the pickup scenery includes a mountain by detecting a boundary between the sky and scenery that is not the sky through an analysis of color properties with respect to cells that respectively have portions judged not to be the sky and are adjacent to a cell having a portion judged to be the sky.

19. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the judging unit judges, with respect to each of the cells, whether a portion of the pickup scenery is a night view based on a numerical quantity of pixel groups distinguished as exceeding a reference, among a plurality of pixel groups distinguished by binarizing pixels using a predetermined value of brightness as a reference.

20. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a storage unit that, depending on a judgment result at the judging unit, stores the pickup scenery image.

21. The scenery imaging apparatus according to claim 20, wherein

the storage unit stores and correlates the pickup scenery image with position information concerning the pickup scenery image.

22. A scenery imaging method comprising:

dividing, into a plurality of cells, a scenery image captured in an arbitrary direction, as an initial scenery image, at a capturing of an image;

calculating respective distances to portions of initial scenery respectively corresponding to the cells;

determining an image capturing direction based on the distances calculated at the calculating; and

judging, based on the distances calculated at the calculating, whether a portion of the initial scenery corresponding to a cell is a distant view, wherein

the determining includes determining the image capturing direction based on a portion judged to be a distant view.

23. A computer-readable recording medium that stores therein a scenery imaging program that causes a computer to execute:

dividing, into a plurality of cells, a scenery image captured in an arbitrary direction, as an initial scenery image, at a capturing of an image;

calculating respective distances to portions of initial scenery respectively corresponding to the cells;

determining an image capturing direction based on the distances calculated at the calculating; and

judging, based on the distances calculated at the calculating, whether a portion of the initial scenery corresponding to a cell is a distant view, wherein

the determining includes determining the image capturing direction based on a portion judged to be a distant view.