IMAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 20120002050A1
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: TANIGUCHI, Susumu, YAMADA, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US13/109,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20120002050A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An image display system includes a plurality of light sources respectively illuminating a plurality of divided regions. A user can change each of a plurality of light-amount parameters respectively specifying an amount of light to be output by each of the plurality of light sources by an operation on a change screen. Therefore, the user can illuminate each of the plurality of divided regions with an amount of light that he/she desires. As a result, the user can illuminate and definitely identify a subject difficult for the user to see and a subject to which the user needs to pay attention.

Claims

1. An image display system comprising:

a display that displays a vehicle surrounding image showing surroundings of a vehicle based on a shot image acquired by shooting the surroundings of the vehicle with a camera;

a plurality of light sources that assist the camera in shooting by respectively illuminating a plurality of divided regions into which a region of the surroundings of the vehicle is divided; and

a controller that (i) based on input from a user, individually changes each of a plurality of parameters respectively specifying an amount of light to be output by each of the plurality of light sources, and (ii) adjusts the amount of light output by each of the plurality of light sources based on the plurality of parameters.

2. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller, based on the input from the user, selects one divided region from amongst the plurality of divided regions, and changes a parameter of the plurality of parameters for a light source illuminating the one divided region selected from amongst the plurality of light sources.

3. The image display system according to claim 2, wherein

the display displays positions of the plurality of divided regions relative to the vehicle on a screen used to select the one divided region.

4. The image display system according to claim 3, wherein

the display adjusts the positions of the plurality of divided regions relative to the vehicle, in accordance with a type of the vehicle.

5. The image display system according to claim 1, further comprising

an image generator that generates a composite image showing the surroundings of the vehicle viewed from a virtual viewpoint, based on a plurality of the shot images acquired by shooting the surroundings of the vehicle with a plurality of the cameras, wherein

the vehicle surrounding image includes the composite image.

6. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein,

in response to changes of the plurality of parameters, the controller adjusts the amounts of light output by the plurality of light sources based on the plurality of parameters changed, and

the display displays the vehicle surrounding image showing the surroundings of the vehicle shot in substantially real time using the adjusted amounts of the light output by the plurality of light sources, on a change screen used to change the plurality of parameters.

7. The image display system according to claim 6, wherein

the controller changes, based on the input of the user, a type of the vehicle surrounding image to be displayed on the change screen, from amongst a plurality of the types of the vehicle surrounding images which have different viewpoints relative to each other.

8. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller changes, based on the input of the user, a type of the vehicle surrounding image to be displayed on the display, from amongst a plurality of the types of the vehicle surrounding images which have different viewpoints relative to each other.

9. The image display system according to claim 8, further comprising

a memory that stores a set of the plurality of parameters respectively specifying the amounts of light to be output by the plurality of light sources, for each of the plurality of types of the vehicle surrounding images, wherein

the controller changes the plurality of parameters included in the set corresponding to one type of the vehicle surrounding image designated by the user, from amongst the plurality of types of the vehicle surrounding images.

10. The image display system according to claim 9, wherein,

in response to a change of the type of the vehicle surrounding image, the controller adjusts each of the amounts of light output by each of the plurality of light sources based on the plurality of parameters included in the set corresponding to the type of the vehicle surrounding image being displayed after the change.

11. The image display system according to claim 9, wherein

the display displays, in response to a single operation by the user in a state where the vehicle surrounding image is displayed, a change screen used to change the plurality of parameters included in the set corresponding to a type of the vehicle surrounding image being displayed immediately before the single operation.

12. The image display system according to claim 9, wherein

the controller does not allow a change of a part of the plurality of parameters in a case where the one type of the vehicle surrounding image designated by the user, from amongst the plurality of types of the vehicle surrounding images, is a predetermined type.

13. The image display system according to claim 12, wherein

the controller does not allow a change of the parameter for a light source among the plurality of light sources, which illuminates one of the divided regions which is not included as a subject image in the predetermined type of the vehicle surrounding image.

14. The image display system according to claim 13, wherein

the parameter not allowed to be changed is fixed at a value which sets an amount of light to be output by the light source to zero.

15. The image display system according to claim 1, further comprising

an electric power supply part that supplies electric power to the plurality of light sources via a common output terminal, wherein

when a total amount of light output by the plurality of light sources would exceed a predetermined amount of light, which is set based on a capability of the electric power supply part, due to a change in the plurality of parameters based on the input from the user, the controller does not change the plurality of parameters.

16. The image display system according to claim 15, further comprising

an alarm that provides the user with a warning when the total amount of light to be output by the plurality of light sources would exceed the predetermined amount of light due to a change in the plurality of parameters based on the input by the user.

17. The image display system according to claim 15, wherein

the display displays an amount by which the plurality of parameters can be changed until the total amount of light to be output by the plurality of light sources reaches the predetermined amount of light, on a change screen used to change the plurality of parameters.

18. An image display system comprising:

a display that displays a vehicle surrounding image showing surroundings of a vehicle based on a shot image acquired by shooting the surroundings of the vehicle with a camera;

a plurality of light sources that assist the camera in shooting; and

a controller that (i) based on input from a user, selects one region from amongst a plurality of regions that comprise the surroundings of the vehicle, and (ii) adjusts an amount of light output by a light source illuminating the one region from amongst the plurality of light sources.

19. An image display method comprising:

(a) displaying a vehicle surrounding image showing surroundings of a vehicle based on a shot image acquired by shooting the surroundings of the vehicle with a camera;

(b) respectively illuminating a plurality of divided regions into which a region of the surroundings of the vehicle is divided, with a plurality of light sources, to assist the camera in shooting;

(c) based on input from a user, individually changing each of a plurality of parameters respectively specifying amounts of light to be output by each of the plurality of light sources; and

(d) adjusting the amount of light output by each of the plurality of light sources based on the plurality of parameters.

20. An image display method comprising:

(a) displaying a vehicle surrounding image showing surroundings of a vehicle based on a shot image acquired by shooting the surroundings of the vehicle with a camera;

(b) based on input from a user, selecting one region from amongst a plurality of regions that comprise the surroundings of the vehicle; and

(c) adjusting an amount of light output by a light source illuminating the one region from amongst a plurality of light sources assisting the camera in the shooting.