IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20120320213A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagamine, Noboru, Matsuba, Tomoyuki, Ikeda, Keigo
• Granted Patent: US 8,878,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Disclosed is an image display device that allows intuitive guidance of a vehicle body based on an assisting image displaced in a screen. The image display device includes an image processing section for displaying a captured image of a rear camera on a monitor. This image processing section includes a synthesis processing unit for displaying a perspective image providing a perspective in superposition over the captured image being displayed on the monitor and a display mode setting unit that realizes selection between a viewing field-fixed mode for displaying the perspective image in superposition with the perspective image being fixed within a viewing field of the monitor and a road surface-fixed mode for displaying the perspective image in superposition with allowing scrolling thereof in unison with a road surface.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

a camera mounted on a vehicle body for capturing an image of the surrounding of the vehicle body; and

an image processing section for causing the captured image of the camera to be displayed on a monitor mounted on the vehicle body, generating a perspective image which reflects the perspective of the captured image of the camera and executing a processing in a road surface-fixed mode wherein the perspective image is scrolled as being fixed relative to the road surface in association with a movement of the vehicle body and this scrolled perspective image is displayed in superposition over the captured image on the monitor.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein there is set a processing in a viewing field-fixed mode for displaying on the monitor the perspective image in superposition with the perspective image being fixed within a displaying area of the monitor and the image processing section selectively effects one of the road surface-fixed mode and the viewing field-fixed mode.

3. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein there is provided a selection button for selecting, with an operation, one of the processing in the road surface-fixed mode and the processing in the viewing field-fixed mode.

4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section includes a conversion processing unit for generating a plane measure image including a partitioning image which partitions a virtual plane corresponding to the road surface in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by a predetermined interval and converting this plane measure image into the perspective image that reflects the perceived perspective of the captured image of the camera.

5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein there is provided an obstacle sensor unit mounted on the vehicle body for detecting the position of a ground object present on the road surface;

and

there is also provided an area designating unit for changing the mode of displaying of the area where the ground object is present in the perspective image to a mode different from that of an area where no ground object is detected, in case the ground object is detected by the obstacle sensor unit in the road surface-fixed mode.

6. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section is configured to display the perspective image on the monitor only at nighttime.

7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section sets higher transparency for the perspective image at the time of moving of the vehicle body than at the time of stopped state of the vehicle body.

8. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section sets higher brightness for the perspective image at nighttime as compared with daytime.

9. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing section progressively lowers the visibility for an area in the perspective image which area is farther from the vehicle body.