VEHICLE PERIMETER MONITOR

• US 20110301846A1
• Filed: 06/01/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Yanagawa, Hirohiko, Ootsuka, Hideki, Imanishi, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,958,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A vehicle perimeter monitor includes: a shooting device mounted on a vehicle for shooting an image of an outside of the vehicle; a controller including a detector and a generator, wherein the detector sets a detection line in a shot image, and detects a change amount of brightness of a picture cell on the detection line so that the detector detects movement of a moving object along with the detection line, and wherein the generator generates information display according to a detection result of the moving object; and a display for displaying the shot image and the information display.

Claims

1. A vehicle perimeter monitor comprising:

a shooting device mounted on a vehicle for shooting an image of an outside of the vehicle;

a controller including a detector and a generator, wherein the detector sets a detection line in a shot image, and detects a change amount of brightness of a picture cell on the detection line so that the detector detects movement of a moving object along with the detection line, and wherein the generator generates information display according to a detection result of the moving object; and

a display for displaying the shot image and the information display.

2. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 1,

wherein the detector detects that the moving objects is disposed at a position of the picture cell when the change amount of brightness of the picture cell on the detection line is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.

3. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 2,

wherein the detector monitors the position of the moving object temporally, and

wherein the detector detects a moving direction of the moving object based on a temporal change of the position.

4. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 2,

wherein the detector calculates an actual distance between the vehicle and the moving object.

5. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 2,

wherein the generator generates the information display in such a manner that a marker is arranged from an edge of the shot image to a point corresponding to the position of the moving object, and the marker is arranged along with a first side of the shot image.

6. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 3,

wherein the generator generates the information display in such a manner that a marker is arranged along with a second side of the shot image when the moving direction of the moving object directs from the second side to another side of the shot image.

7. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 3,

wherein the detector determines based on the position and the moving direction of the moving object whether the moving object approaches the vehicle,

wherein the generator generates the information display when the detector determines that the moving object approaches the vehicle, and

wherein the generator stops generating the information display when the detector determines that the moving object moves away from the vehicle.

8. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 2,

wherein the generator changes a feature of the information display in accordance with the position of the moving object or a distance between the vehicle and the moving object.

9. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 2,

wherein the detector monitors the position of the moving object temporally,

wherein the detector detects a moving speed of the moving object based on a temporal change of the position, and

wherein the generator changes a feature of the information display in accordance with the moving speed of the moving object.

10. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 8,

wherein the feature of the information display is at least one of a color, a width and a blinking interval of the information display.

11. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 1,

wherein the detector sets the detection line, which is connected between two points on the shot image.

12. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 1,

wherein the shooting device includes a wide lens,

wherein the detector sets the detection line in accordance with a distortion of the shot image, which is shot by the shooting device via the wide lens.

13. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 12,

wherein the detector sets the detection line, which connects between two points at infinity in the shot image.

14. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 1,

wherein the controller further includes a speed information detector for detecting information about a speed of the vehicle, and

wherein the detector interrupts detecting the change amount of brightness of the picture cell on the detection line, or the generator interrupts generating the information display when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or larger than a predetermined speed.

15. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 1,

wherein the controller further includes a speed information detector for detecting information about a speed of the vehicle,

wherein the controller calculates a moving distance of the vehicle based on the speed of the vehicle,

wherein the detector interrupts detecting the change amount of brightness of the picture cell on the detection line, or the generator interrupts generating the information display when the moving distance of the vehicle is equal to or larger than a predetermined distance.

16. The vehicle perimeter monitor according to claim 1,

wherein the shooting device shoots a rear view image of the vehicle,

wherein the controller further includes a gear position detector for detecting information of a gear position of the vehicle,

wherein the detector starts to detect the change amount of brightness of the picture cell on the detection line, and the generator starts to generates the information display when the gear position of the vehicle is a reverse gear position.