SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICE, SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD, AND MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20170166131A1
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: OBA, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 10,632,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/002 specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 Signal distribution or switching
• 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 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

In accordance with driving information that is obtained by a driving situation detecting sensor 13 and is related to the driving situation of a vehicle, a display control unit 20 sets the image area to be presented to the driver DR of the vehicle from an image obtained by a peripheral area imaging unit 11 imaging a peripheral area around the vehicle, and, in accordance with the driving situation, controls the visual recognition range in the peripheral area the driver DR can visually recognize from the image presented by a display unit 50 via a mirror 55. When the driving situation is such that the orientation of a cabin differs from the orientation of a trailer portion, for example, the image area to be presented is set so that the outer side of the trailer portion is included in the visual recognition range even though the orientation of the cabin differs from the orientation of the trailer portion. Thus, a desired peripheral area around the vehicle can be readily viewed.

Claims

1. A signal processing device comprising

a display control unit configured to set an image area to be presented to a driver of a vehicle from an image obtained by imaging a peripheral area around the vehicle in accordance with driving information related to a driving situation of the vehicle, and control a visual recognition range in the peripheral area in accordance with the driving situation, the driver being able to visually recognize the visual recognition range from the presented image.

2. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit controls and causes the visual recognition range to move to an outer side of the vehicle, in accordance with driving information related to a traveling direction of the vehicle.

3. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the image obtained by imaging the peripheral area around the vehicle is an image captured from a predetermined position of the vehicle or images captured from a plurality of predetermined positions that differ from each other in a traveling direction, and

the display control unit sets the image area to be presented from the one or more captured images in accordance with the driving information, and, in accordance with the driving situation, controls the visual recognition range in the peripheral area to be visually recognized.

4. The signal processing device according to claim 3, wherein

the vehicle is formed by connecting a trailer portion to a cabin, and

the image captured from the predetermined position of the vehicle is an image formed by imaging the peripheral area around the vehicle from a predetermined position of the cabin, and the images captured from the predetermined positions that differ from each other in the traveling direction of the vehicle are images formed by imaging the peripheral area around the vehicle from respective predetermined positions of the cabin and the trailer portion.

5. The signal processing device according to claim 4, wherein, when a driving situation is such that an orientation of the cabin differs from an orientation of the trailer portion in accordance with the driving information, the display control unit sets the image area to be presented, with an outer side of the trailer portion being included in the visual recognition range.

6. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the driving information includes at least one piece of information among vehicle speed information about the vehicle, information indicating a steering state, gear position information, a direction indicator setting state, a bend angle of a trailer portion relative to a cabin in a case where the vehicle is formed by connecting the cabin to the trailer portion, information indicating a connection state of the trailer portion, and current position information.

7. A signal processing method comprising

the step of setting an image area to be presented to a driver of a vehicle from an image obtained by an imaging unit imaging a peripheral area around the vehicle in accordance with driving information related to a driving situation of the vehicle, and controlling a visual recognition range in the peripheral area in accordance with the driving situation, the driver being able to visually recognize the visual recognition range from the presented image, the driving information being acquired by a driving situation detecting unit, the step being carried out by a display control unit.

8. A monitoring system comprising:

an imaging unit configured to image a peripheral area around a vehicle;

a driving situation detecting unit configured to acquire driving information about a driving situation of the vehicle; and

a display control unit configured to set an image area to be presented to a driver of the vehicle from an image obtained by the imaging unit in accordance with the driving information acquired by the driving situation detecting unit, and control a visual recognition range in the peripheral area in accordance with the driving situation, the driver being able to visually recognize the visual recognition range from the presented image.