VEHICLE PERIPHERAL IMAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 20120249789A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Satoh, Noriyuki
• Application Number:
  US13/514,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20120249789A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/304 using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions

Abstract

A vehicle peripheral image display system is provided, in which a semitransparent vehicle interior image is clearly distinguished from a virtual camera image regardless of a surrounding environment condition where a real camera image is obtained and a blind spot external situation can be clearly visually confirmed through according to a positional relationship with the vehicle. In a see-through side-view monitor system an image processing control unit includes an image processor performing a viewpoint conversion of an external image from a side camera into a virtual camera image viewed from a driver'"'"'s viewpoint, a luminance-hue sensor judging luminance and hue of the external image, a luminance-hue conversion block automatically adjusting luminance and hue of a semitransparent vehicle interior image and a superimposing circuit superimposing the semitransparent vehicle interior image on the virtual camera image.

Claims

1. A vehicle peripheral image display system, comprising

an on-vehicle blind spot camera provided on a vehicle and imaging a peripheral of the vehicle;

a monitor set at a position in a vehicle interior for a driver to visually confirm the monitor; and

a monitor image generating means generating a display image to be displayed on the monitor based on a real camera image input from the on-vehicle blind spot camera, wherein

the monitor image generating means includes;

an image processor performing a viewpoint conversion of the real camera image input from the on-vehicle blind spot camera into a virtual camera image to be viewed from a position of a driver'"'"'s viewpoint;

an external image color judging section judging a color of an external image from the on-vehicle blind spot camera based on at least one of luminance, hue, saturation and brightness;

a vehicle interior image color automatically adjusting section automatically adjusting at least one of luminance, hue, saturation and brightness of a semitransparent vehicle interior image which is a semitransparent image of a vehicle interior image based on the color judgment result of the external image so as to enhance visibility for the external image; and

an image component composite circuit performing an image composition superimposing the semitransparent vehicle interior image from the vehicle interior image color automatically adjusting section on the virtual camera image from the image processor to generate a composite image expressing the virtual camera image to be viewed through the semitransparent vehicle interior image.

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

the monitor image generating means has an image storage section storing a vehicle interior still image which is previously photographed from the driver'"'"'s viewpoint as the vehicle interior image;

and

the vehicle interior image color automatically adjusting section generates a semitransparent image of the vehicle interior image from the image storage section to obtain the semitransparent vehicle interior image.

3. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 1, wherein

the external image color judging section is a luminance-hue judgment sensor judging average luminance and hue of the external image from the on-vehicle blind spot camera;

and

the vehicle interior image color automatically adjusting section is a luminance-hue conversion block which automatically adjusts the luminance and hue of the semitransparent vehicle interior image based on a color judgment result of the external image by the luminance-hue judgment sensor so as to enhance visibility with respect to the luminance and hue of the external image.

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

the monitor image generating means has an external image luminance follow-up display control mode in which

a luminance detection value from the luminance-hue judgment sensor is loaded,

a display where the luminance of the semitransparent vehicle interior image is differentiated from that of the external image is displayed when the luminance detection value is a first set value indicating a dark threshold value or more,

a display where the luminance of the semitransparent vehicle interior image is increased to be differentiated from the luminance of the external image is displayed when the luminance detection value is less than the first set value and a second set value indicating a night threshold value or more, and

a display where the luminance of the semitransparent vehicle interior image is inverted and black lines are displayed by white lines is displayed when the luminance detection value is less than the second set value.

5. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 3, wherein

the monitor image generating means has a luminance abrupt change handling display control mode in which

a luminance detection value from the luminance-hue judgment sensor is loaded, and

a display where the luminance of the semitransparent vehicle interior image is decreased to be entirely blackish is displayed when the luminance detection value is more than a third set value indicating an upper limit threshold value.

6. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 2, wherein

the monitor image generating means has a hue conversion display control mode in which

a hue detection value from the luminance-hue judgment sensor is loaded,

a display where the hue of the semitransparent vehicle interior image is kept is displayed when a hue deviation between the hue detection value and a set value is a first threshold value or more,

a display where the hue of the semitransparent vehicle interior image is kept and color is brighter is displayed when the hue deviation between the hue detection value and the set value is less than the first threshold value and a second threshold value or more, and

a display where the hue of the semitransparent vehicle interior image is converted into a hue of a complementary color which is in a complementary color area in a hue circle with respect to the hue of the external image to be displayed when the hue deviation between the hue detection value and the set value is less than the second threshold value.

7. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle speed detecting means detecting a vehicle speed,

wherein the monitor image generating means has an alarm display control mode in which

a vehicle speed detection value from the vehicle speed detecting means is loaded, and

a hue of the entire semitransparent vehicle interior image is converted into a hue to make the driver recognize an alarm and is displayed when the vehicle detection value is a set value or more.

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

the monitor image generating means has a vehicle interior image color external controller arbitrarily adjusting at least one of the luminance, hue, saturation and brightness of the semitransparent vehicle interior image in accordance with an operation to a vehicle interior image color manual operation means from outside.

9. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 1, wherein

the image composite circuit has a blending circuit section setting, within the semitransparent vehicle interior image to be superimposed on the virtual camera image, an area where the vehicle is projected on a road surface as an opaque part with transmissivity of 0%, an area corresponding to a window glass of the vehicle as a transparent part with transmissivity of 100%, an area other than the opaque part and the transparent part as a semitransparent part with an arbitrary transmissivity.

10. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 1, wherein

the on-vehicle blind spot Camera is a side camera used in a see-through side-view monitor system displaying a side portion of a front part from the vehicle which is in a blind spot from the driver as an image to be viewed through from the vehicle interior on the monitor in the vehicle interior.

11. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 1, wherein

the on-vehicle blind spot camera is a back camera used in a see-through back-view monitor system displaying a back part from the vehicle which is in a blind spot from the driver as an image to be viewed through from the vehicle interior on the monitor in the vehicle interior.

12. The vehicle peripheral image display system according to claim 1, wherein

the on-vehicle blind spot camera is a single or a plurality of front cameras used in a see-through front view monitor system displaying a front part from the vehicle which is in a blind spot from the driver as an image to be viewed through from the vehicle interior on the monitor in the vehicle interior.