DRIVING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS

• US 20140218531A1
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Michiguchi, Masayoshi, Ryugo, Tatsuto, Okano, Kenji, Kanno, Yukiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,235,575 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 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A driving assistance apparatus is provided in which the detection range of a left-front-corner sonar (12a) located at the vehicle'"'"'s left front corner is included in the field of view of a second imaging means (14) located at the vehicle'"'"'s left front corner. When the left-front-corner sonar (12a) detects a three-dimensional object at the vehicle'"'"'s left front corner, an image processing means (3) synthesizes an image of the image created using a second imaging means (14) and the images created with four cameras (7a-7d) for imaging the complete periphery of the vehicle, and creates a bird'"'"'s-eye-view image (40b). The detection range of the left-front-corner sonar (12a) is included within a region of the bird'"'"'s-eye image (40b) on the basis of the image created with the second imaging means (14).

Claims

1. A drive assistance apparatus comprising:

a first imaging section that captures images of all-around view of a host vehicle;

a sensor that detects a three-dimensional object which is present at a front corner in a direction opposite to a position of a steering wheel of the host vehicle at least among four corners of the host vehicle;

a second imaging section that captures an image of the front corner in the direction opposite to the position of the steering wheel of the host vehicle at least among the four corners of the host vehicle;

an image processing section that creates a bird'"'"'s-eye view image by combining the captured images of the all-around view of the host vehicle which are received from the first imaging section; and

a display section that displays the bird'"'"'s-eye view image obtained from the captured images combined by the image processing section, wherein;

the sensor has a detection range that is within an angle of view of the second imaging section; and

when the sensor detects a three-dimensional object, the image processing section creates a bird'"'"'s-eye view image by combining an image captured by the second imaging section and an image captured by the first imaging section and sets the detection range of the sensor to be within a region of the bird'"'"'s-eye view image based on the image captured by the second imaging section in the bird'"'"'s-eye view image.

2. The drive assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first imaging section includes four cameras that capture left, right front and rear images of the host vehicle, respectively, while the sensor includes four sensors that detect a three dimensional object at four corners and at least two sensors that detect a three-dimensional object in front and rear directions of the vehicle; and

the image processing section creates a bird'"'"'s-eye view image by combining the image captured by the second imaging section and the images captured by the first imaging section, only when one of the sensors that is installed at the front corner in a direction opposite to the position of the steering wheel of the host vehicle among the sensors detects a three-dimensional object, and the image processing section creates a bird'"'"'s-eye view image by combining the images captured by the first imaging section, when the sensor installed at the front corner in the direction opposite to the position of the steering wheel of the host vehicle among the sensors does not detect any three-dimensional object.

3. The drive assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor includes four sensors that detect a three-dimensional object at four corners of the host vehicle;

the drive assistance apparatus further comprises a selection section that selects the second imaging section based on a result of detection of the sensor; and

when the sensor detects a three-dimensional object, the image processing section creates a bird'"'"'s-eye view image by combining the image captured by the second image detection section selected by the selection section and the images captured by the first imaging section and sets a detection range of the sensor to be within a region of the bird'"'"'s-eye view image based on the image captured by the second imaging section in the bird'"'"'s-eye view image.

4. The drive assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the first imaging section includes four cameras that capture front, rear, left and right images of the host vehicle, respectively, while the sensor includes four sensors that detect a three-dimensional object at four corners of the host vehicle, and the second imaging section includes four cameras that capture images of the four corners of the host vehicle, respectively;

when the sensor detects a three-dimensional object, the selecting section selects one of the cameras that is installed at a corner identical to a corner at which the sensor that has detected the three-dimensional object is installed; and

the image processing section creates a bird'"'"'s-eye view image by combining an image captured by the selected camera and four images respectively captured by the four cameras of the first imaging section.

5. The drive assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor and the second imaging section respectively include optical axes that substantially match each other.

6. The drive assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a combination boundary between the images captured by the first imaging section and the image captured by the second imaging section in the bird'"'"'s-eye view image is set to a position located several degrees to tens of degrees inward with respect to the angle of view of the second imaging section.