DRIVING SUPPORT APPARATUS FOR TOW COUPLING

• US 20170053428A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OKANO, Kenji, KISHI, Yashio
• Granted Patent: US 9,799,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/36 for facilitating connection, e.g. hitch catchers , visual guide means, signalling aids B60D1/465 takes precedence; vehicle signalling in general B60Q; optical arrangements specially adapted for viewing trailer-hitches B60R1/003
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• 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 1/003 for viewing trailer hitches
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/808 for facilitating docking to a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0295 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• 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: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A driving support device outputs, to a display means (103), a superimposed image in which a pair of left and right planar predicted trajectory guide marks (405), (406) corresponding to steering of the vehicle are superimposed onto a captured vehicle-rearview image including the tow vehicle connector (402) and the towed-vehicle connector (404). An image superimposing unit (112) superimposes sides (405a), (406a) of the predicted trajectory guide marks (405), (406) that are on the vehicle-width-center side further towards the outer edge relative to the tow vehicle connector (402), and superimposes sides (405b), (406b) of the predicted trajectory guide marks (405), (406) that are on the outer-edge side in the vehicle-width direction as predicted trajectories of the side edges of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A driving support apparatus comprising:

an image acquiring section that acquires a captured image of an area behind a vehicle supported by the driving support apparatus, the area including a tow coupler at a rear portion of the vehicle and a tow-target coupler of a tow-target vehicle to be coupled to the tow coupler; and

a superimposing section that superimposes a pair of left and right planar predicted-trajectory guide marks in accordance with steering operation of the vehicle supported by the driving support apparatus, on the captured image acquired by the image acquiring section and that outputs a superimposed image, wherein

each of the pair of left and right planar predicted-trajectory guide marks comprises at least a first line that forms a first side of the predicted-trajectory guide mark located on a center side of a vehicle width direction and a second line that forms a second side of the predicted-trajectory guide mark located on an outer edge side of the vehicle width direction, the first line being separated from the second line,

the superimposing section superimposes first lines of the predicted-trajectory guide marks respectively at positions in an outer edge direction from the tow coupler as a predicted-trajectory of the tow coupler, the first lines being located on the center side of the vehicle width direction, and

the superimposing section superimposes second lines of the predicted-trajectory guide marks respectively as predicted-trajectories of both lateral edges of the vehicle supported by the driving support apparatus, the second lines being located on the outer edge side of the vehicle width direction.

2. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display section that displays a superimposed image provided by the superimposing section, wherein

the display section displays the tow coupler in a gap between the first line of the left planar predicted-trajectory guide mark and the first line of the right predicted-trajectory guide mark.

3. The driving support apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a backward imaging section that captures an image of the area behind the vehicle supported by the driving support apparatus and that outputs the captured image to an image processing section.

4. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image conversion section that generates an overhead view image by converting a view point of the captured image acquired from the image acquiring section, wherein

the superimposing section superimposes the pair of left and right planar predicted-trajectory guide marks in accordance with the steering operation of the vehicle supported by the apparatus, on the overhead view image generated by the image conversion section, in place of the captured image acquired by the image acquiring section, and that outputs the superimposed image.