DEVICE FOR MONITORING AREA AROUND VEHICLE

• US 20120069153A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Shusaku, Mochizuki, Ryo
• Application Number:
  US13/322,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069153A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• 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: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for monitoring the area around a vehicle wherein, when a monitor output image is acquired by synthesizing bird'"'"'s-eye-view images based on the captured images of a plurality of cameras, the skewness of a three-dimensional object that appears in the synthesized images can be alleviated. The device for monitoring the area around the vehicle is used together with the plurality of cameras (11) that capture images of the area around the vehicle. An image processing unit (2) acquires the output image by acquiring data indicating a plurality of the images captured by the plurality of cameras (11), and synthesizing a plurality of the bird'"'"'s-eye-view images generated on the basis of the acquired data. The image processing unit (2) wherein a bird'"'"'s-eye-view image creating unit (22) synthesizes pixels of different bird'"'"'s-eye-view images in overlapping areas of the different bird'"'"'s-eye-view images corresponding to different cameras (11) on the basis of the ratio determined in accordance with the angle at which the different cameras (11) look down the points corresponding to the pixels.

Claims

1. A vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus which is used with a plurality of image capturing sections that capture images of an area around a vehicle, the vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus comprising:

an acquiring section that acquires data showing a plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturing sections; and

a synthesizing section that synthesizes a plurality of overhead images generated based on the acquired data, to obtain an output image,

wherein, in overlapping areas of different overhead images corresponding to different image capturing sections, the synthesizing section synthesizes pixels of the different overhead images based on a ratio determined according to an angle to look down from the different image capturing section on a point corresponding to the pixels.

2. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle is an angle to look down from the different image capturing section on a position on a ground of the point.

3. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle is an angle at which the different image capturing section looks down on a position at a predetermined height from a ground of the point.

4. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle is an angle formed between a perpendicular line which extends toward a ground from a position to attach the different image capturing section to the vehicle, and a straight line which extends toward the point from a position to attach the different image capturing section to the vehicle.

5. The vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a converting section that generates a plurality of overhead images based on the acquired data, wherein:

the converting section maps a plurality of images shown in the acquired data, on a three-dimensional model, respectively to generate a plurality of overhead images; and

the three-dimensional space model is defined to include only a horizontal plane at a back of the vehicle and include a curved surface which is curved like a bowl-shape and rises from the horizontal plane at a front of the vehicle.