DRIVE ASSIST DEVICE

• US 20130063601A1
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Miura, Kenji, Yamamoto, Kinji, Nagamine, Noboru, Wakabayashi, Haruki
• Granted Patent: US 9,321,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 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 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking

Abstract

A drive assist device allows a driver to favorably check space for opening a back door along with an image of a periphery of a vehicle. The drive assist device is configured: to perform a viewpoint conversion that converts an image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera, which image is of a scene in the periphery of the vehicle including at least an area rearward of the vehicle, into an overhead image showing the vehicle from above; to superimpose on the overhead image a graphic image showing a flip-up back door in an open state from the same viewpoint as that of the overhead image; and to allow the superimposed image to be displayed on a monitor device in a vehicle compartment.

Claims

1. A drive assist device for a vehicle that has a flip-up back door in a rear portion, the drive assist device comprising:

a captured image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image obtained by a vehicle-mounted camera capturing an image of a scene in a periphery of the vehicle that includes at least an area rearward of the vehicle;

a viewpoint conversion unit that converts the captured image into an overhead image showing the vehicle from above;

a graphic image generation unit that generates a graphic image expressing the shape of the back door, in which the back door is shown in an open state from the same viewpoint as that of the overhead image; and

a display control unit that displays the overhead image on a monitor device in a vehicle compartment with the graphic image superimposed thereon.

2. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the graphic image is an exterior image of the back door.

3. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the graphic image is a contour line of the back door.

4. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the graphic image is semi-transparent.

5. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the graphic image is generated as an image in which the back door in the open state has a greater range than in the overhead image.

6. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit superimposes the graphic image on the overhead image in a case where a predetermined display condition is satisfied.

7. The drive assist device according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit determines that the display condition is satisfied in a case where a passenger of the vehicle performed an operation on an instruction input unit that instructs superimposition of the graphic image on the overhead image.

8. The drive assist device according to claim 6, comprising a parking state determination unit that makes a determination regarding a parking state that indicates a state of progress when the vehicle is parked, wherein the display control unit determines whether the display condition is satisfied in accordance with the parking state.

9. The drive assist device according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit determines that the display condition is satisfied in a case where a moving speed of the vehicle is less than or equal to a predetermined upper limit speed.

10. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit superimposes the graphic image such that the back door is open from a vehicle image that shows the vehicle from the same viewpoint as that of the overhead image.

11. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein the overhead image is an image looking down from above the vehicle in a vertical direction.