Vehicle circumference monitor apparatus

• US 20110181723A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,581,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An analog-state video signal is inputted from each of several in-vehicle cameras via a corresponding signal cable. An amendment amount for making uniform signal levels of the analog-state video signals originating from the respective in-vehicle cameras is determined, with respect to each of the analog-state video signals, based on a burst signal included in each analog-state video signal. According to the determined amendment amounts, the analog-state video signals are amplified to make uniform the signal levels, obtaining analog-state uniformed video signals, respectively. A composite image of combining images originating from the in-vehicle cameras is generated based on the obtained analog-state uniformed video signals.

Claims

1. A vehicle circumference monitor apparatus in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of in-vehicle cameras arranged such that at least a part of a capture target of one in-vehicle camera does not overlap with a capture target of an other camera,

each of the in-vehicle cameras capturing an image of a vehicle circumferential area outside of the vehicle and outputting an analog-state video signal of the captured image via a corresponding signal cable;

an electronic control unit including an image combination section to generate a composite image by a combination to combine images originating from the in-vehicle cameras based on video signals inputted via the signal cables from the in-vehicle cameras; and

a display device to display the composite image generated by the image combination section,

the electronic control unit further including

an amendment amount determination section to determine an amendment amount with respect to the analog-state video signal originating from each of the in-vehicle cameras based on analog signals included in the analog-state video signals inputted via the signal cables from the in-vehicle cameras, in order to make uniform signal levels of the analog-state video signals originating from the respective in-vehicle cameras.

2. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit further includes

a unit-side amplification section to amplify the analog-state video signals inputted via the signal cables from the in-vehicle cameras to acquire analog-state uniformed video signals, based on the amendment amounts determined by the amount determination section; and

the image combination section generates the composite image by the combination based on the analog-state uniformed video signals which are acquired by the unit-side amplification section.

3. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit further includes

a control signal transmission section to transmit a control signal to each of the in-vehicle cameras, the control signal being used to amplify the analog-state video signal, which is to be outputted via the corresponding signal cable from each of the in-vehicle cameras, according to the amendment amount determined by the amendment amount determination section;

each of the in-vehicle cameras further includes

a camera-side amplification section to amplify the analog-state video signal according to the control signal sent from the control signal transmission section to make uniform the signal levels of the analog-state video signals, acquiring analog-state uniformed video signal which is to be outputted via the signal cables from the several in-vehicle cameras; and

the image combination section generates the composite image by the combination based on the analog-state uniformed video signals which are acquired in the camera-side amplification sections in the in-vehicle cameras.

4. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 1,

being mounted in a vehicle larger than a standard-sized vehicle.

5. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 4,

being mounted in a large-sized vehicle.

6. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit further includes

a bird'"'"'s-eye view transformation section to transform an image, which is represented by a video signal inputted via the signal cable from the in-vehicle camera, into a bird'"'"'s-eye view image which indicates an image on a ground surface looked down perpendicularly;

the image combination section combines the bird'"'"'s-eye view images, which originate from the in-vehicle cameras and are obtained by the bird'"'"'s-eye view transformation section, to generate a composite image.

7. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit further includes

a signal level estimation section to estimate a difference in signal level among video signals originating from the in-vehicle cameras based on analog signals inputted via the signal cables from the in-vehicle cameras; and

the amendment amount determination section determines an amendment amount with respect of a video signal originating from each of the in-vehicle cameras based on the difference in signal level estimated by the signal level estimation section, in order to make uniform the signal levels of the analog-state video signals originating from the in-vehicle cameras.

8. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the signal level estimation section

(i) defines a reference signal level as a largest signal amplitude level among signal levels of analog signals inputted via the signal cables from the in-vehicle cameras,

(ii) calculates a difference from the reference signal level for each of the signal levels of the analog signals inputted via the signal cables from the in-vehicle cameras, and

(iii) estimates the calculated difference as a difference of the signal level of the video signal originating from each of the in-vehicle cameras; and

the amendment amount determination section determines the amendment amount according to the difference calculated in the level estimation section.

9. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit further includes

a table storage section to store a table which previously associates the amendment amount and a signal amplification level of the analog signal inputted via the signal cable from each of the in-vehicle cameras; and

the amendment amount determination section determines the amendment amount by referring to the table stored in the table storage section based on the analog signal inputted via the signal cable from each of the in-vehicle cameras.

10. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the amendment amount determination section determines an amendment amount with respect to an analog-state video signal originating from each of the in-vehicle cameras for making uniform signal levels of the analog-state video signals originating from the in-vehicle cameras, based on an analog signal in a blanking period included in the analog-state video signal inputted via the signal cable from each of the in-vehicle cameras.

11. The vehicle circumference monitor apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the amendment amount determination section determines an amendment amount with respect to an analog-state video signal originating from each of the in-vehicle cameras for making uniform signal levels of the analog-state video signals originating from the in-vehicle cameras, based on a burst signal included in the analog-state video signal inputted via the signal cable from each of the in-vehicle cameras.