IMAGING DEVICE, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND IMAGING METHOD

• US 20190028651A1
• Filed: 09/27/2018
• Published: 01/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: OBA, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 10,462,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An imaging device includes: an image sensor that photoelectrically converts subject light to generate image signals; a storage portion that sets a second area within a first area so as to correspond to a specific area specified by a setting value for setting an extracting range of an image based on the image signals; a timing adjustment unit that adjusts the timing at which the image signals are read from the image sensor and written to the storage portion and the timing at which the image signals are read from the storage portion; an image conversion processor that performs predetermined processing on the image based on the image signals read from the image sensor; an output unit that converts processed image signals with continuous scanning timing into image signals of a predetermined format and outputs the image signals to a display unit.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A display control system for a vehicle comprising:

a distortion correcting unit configured to correct a left side region distortion and a right side distortion of a first wide-angle image derived from a captured image captured by a single camera with a wide angle lens, the first wide-angle image including the left side region distortion and the right side region distortion based on the wide angle lens;

an image generating unit configured to generate a second wide-angle image derived from the captured image, the second wide-angle image including a left-directional image, a right-directional image and a one-directional image based on the first wide-angle image; and

a control unit configured to control the display of either (a) the first wide-angle image with distortion or (b) the second wide-angle image;

wherein the left-directional image in the second wide-angle image is generated based on the distortion-corrected left side region of the first wide-angle image and is positioned at the left side in the display of the second wide angle image;

wherein the right-directional image in the second wide-angle image is generated based on the distortion-corrected right side region of the first wide-angle image and is positioned at the right side in the display of the second wide angle image; and

the display of the first wide angle image with distortion is changed over to display the second wide angle image in response to a selection signal.

12. The display control system according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to control the display to display a rectangular image as the one-directional image.

13. The display control system according to claim 11, wherein the one-directional image is displayed on an upper portion of the display.

14. The display control system according to claim 13, wherein the one-directional image is displayed as a horizontally expanded image.

15. The display control system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of a display area of the left-directional image or the right-directional image is larger than a display area of the one-directional image.

16. The display control system according to claim 11, wherein the captured image is a rearward image of the vehicle and includes an image of the exterior of the vehicle.

17. The display control system according to claim 11, wherein the camera exhibits a viewing angle of about 180 degrees.

18. The display control system according to claim 11, further including the camera.

19. The display control system according to claim 11, further including the display.

20. A display control apparatus for a vehicle comprising circuitry configured to:

correct a left side region distortion and a right side distortion of a first wide-angle image derived from a captured image captured by a single camera with a wide angle lens, the first wide-angle image including the left side region distortion and the right side region distortion based on the wide angle lens;

generate a second wide-angle image derived from the captured image, the second wide-angle image including a left-directional image, a right-directional image and a one-directional image based on the first wide-angle image; and

control the display of either (a) the first wide-angle image with distortion or (b) the second wide-angle image;

wherein the left-directional image in the second wide-angle image is generated based on the distortion-corrected left side region of the first wide-angle image and is positioned at the left side in the display of the second wide angle image;

wherein the right-directional image in the second wide-angle image is generated based on the distortion-corrected right side region of the first wide-angle image and is positioned at the right side in the display of the second wide angle image; and

the display of the first wide angle image with distortion is changed over to display the second wide angle image in response to a selection signal.

21. The display control apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the one-directional image is a rectangular image.

22. The display control apparatus according to claim 20, wherein at least one of a display area of the left-directional image or the right-directional image is larger than a display area of the one-directional image.

23. The display control apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the captured image is a rearward image of the vehicle and includes an image of the exterior of the vehicle.

24. The display control apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the camera exhibits a viewing angle of about 180 degrees.

25. A method for controlling a display for a vehicle, comprising:

correcting a left side region distortion and a right side distortion of a first wide-angle image derived from a captured image captured by a single camera with a wide angle lens, the first wide-angle image including the left side region distortion and the right side region distortion based on the wide angle lens;

generating a second wide-angle image derived from the captured image, the second wide-angle image including a left-directional image, a right-directional image and a one-directional image based on the first wide-angle image; and

controlling the display of either (a) the first wide-angle image with distortion or (b) the second wide-angle image;

wherein the left-directional image in the second wide-angle image is generated based on the distortion-corrected left side region of the first wide-angle image and is positioned at the left side in the display of the second wide angle image;

wherein the right-directional image in the second wide-angle image is generated based on the distortion-corrected right side region of the first wide-angle image and is positioned at the right side in the display of the second wide angle image; and

the display of the first wide angle image with distortion is changed over to display the second wide angle image in response to a selection signal.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the one-directional image is a rectangular image.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein at least one of a display area of the left-directional image or the right-directional image is larger than a display area of the one-directional image.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein the captured image is a rearward image of the vehicle and includes an image of the exterior of the vehicle.

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the camera exhibits a viewing angle of about 180 degrees.

30. The method according to claim 25, further comprising the step of capturing the image.