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IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD

  • US 20140132707A1
  • Filed: 02/16/2012
  • Published: 05/15/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

  • a plurality of image capturing units with wide angle lenses for capturing at least partly overlapping images;

    a vehicle speed detecting unit for detecting a speed of a local vehicle;

    a distance measuring unit for calculating a distance from the local vehicle to an object imaged by the plurality of image capturing units on a basis of a plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturing units;

    a visual recognition image generating unit for generating a visual recognition image for recognition of conditions near the local vehicle from the plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturing units; and

    a mode determining unit for causing the distance measuring unit to calculate the distance to the object when the speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold speed, and causing the visual recognition image generating unit to generate the visual recognition image when the speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting unit is less than the predetermined threshold speed;

    the distance measuring unit further comprising a pixel area determining unit for determining, for each of the plurality of image capturing units, sizes and positions of corresponding pixel areas in images output from each of the plurality of image capturing units, among all pixels usable for imaging in each of the plurality of image capturing units;

    the pixel area determining unit making the size of the pixel areas smaller as the speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting unit becomes faster.

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