Apparatus for watching around vehicle

• US 6,400,405 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Jun, Mishima, Tomoyuki, Tomida, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHIPKEY, JASON T
• Application Number:
  US09/796,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20010028393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 348/115, 348/118, 348/148, 348/149, 348/207, 348/333.01, 348/333.05, 348/372, 345/781, 345/792, 345/626, 345/629, 345/632
• US Class Current: 348/333.05
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/25 to the sides of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/103 using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
• 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 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• 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 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning

Abstract

An apparatus for watching around a vehicle comprises an image pick-up unit 3 mounted on the exterior of a vehicle and a display unit 4 provided within the vehicle and used for displaying left and right images of the surrounding of the vehicle thus picked up by the image pick-up unit 3 together with a mask image 16 for dividing the surrounding image into the left and right images. In this case, two kinds of display colors including black and blew may be provided to the mask image 16. Further a photodiode 7 for detecting lightness outside the vehicle is provided. In a case where the luminous intensity outside the vehicle is decided to be high by a luminous intensity signal detected by the photodiode 7, a dark mask image 16 is displayed on the display unit 4, whereas when the luminous intensity outside the vehicle is decided to be low thereby, a light blew mask image 16 is displayed thereon.

Claims

1. An apparatus for watching around a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

an image pick-up unit, mounted on an exterior of the vehicle, for picking up images of the surroundings of the vehicle;

a display unit, provided within the vehicle, for displaying the images with a mask image superimposed on the images;

a light-to-dark decision unit for deciding lightness outside the vehicle and outputting a light-to-dark decision signal;

wherein a display color of the mask image is switchable from one to another; and

the display color of the mask image is set switchable from one to another according to the light-to-dark decision signal from the light-to-dark decision unit, wherein a plurality of colors including light and dark colors are provided as the display color of the mask image; and

the display color of the mask image is switched to the dark color when the luminous intensity outside the vehicle is decided to be high based on the light-to-dark decision signal, and to the light color when the luminous intensity outside the vehicle is decided to be low based thereon.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image pick-up unit picks up both left and right surroundings of the vehicle to obtain left and right images;

the display unit separately or simultaneously displays the left and right images; and

the display unit displays the mask image to specify the left and right images.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light-to-dark decision unit has a lamp lighting circuit mounted on the vehicle,

wherein the light-to-dark decision signal includes a light-on and a light-off signal of the lamp lighting circuit to switch the display color of the mask image when the luminous intensity outside the vehicle is decided to be high by the light-off signal or when the luminous intensity outside the vehicle is decided to be low by the light-on signal.

4. An apparatus for watching around a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

an image pick-up unit mounted to the vehicle, the image pick-up unit for picking up an image on both left and right sides of the surroundings of the vehicle;

a display unit provided within the vehicle, the display unit for displaying the image on the left and right side,

an image control unit including;

an image pick-up unit power switch for turning on and off an operating circuit of the image pick-up unit;

an image output signal switch for turning on and off an image output circuit for converting the image signal from said image pick-up unit and supplying the image signal converted; and

a switch control portion having an upper threshold speed of a vehicle speed for turning on and off the image pick-up unit power switch and a lower threshold speed of the vehicle speed for turning on and off the image output signal switch,

wherein the switch control portion turns on the image pick-up unit power switch when it is detected that the vehicle speed reaches the upper threshold speed while the vehicle speed reduces; and

the switch control portion turns on the image output signal switch when it is detected that the vehicle speed reaches the lower threshold speed when the vehicle speed reduces.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the switch control portion turns off the image pick-up unit power switch and the image output signal switch when it is detected that the vehicle speed reaches the lower threshold speed when the vehicle speed increases.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the image control unit including a display unit power switch for turning on and off an operating circuit of the display unit, wherein the switch control portion turns on and off the display unit power switch and the image pick-up element power switch in synchronization with each other.

7. An apparatus for watching around a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

an image pick-up unit for picking up an image of a dead angle area around the vehicle;

a display unit for displaying the image from the image pick-up unit;

a distance measuring unit for detecting a distance between the vehicle and each obstacle located to obstruct a view of a driver on at least one side out of both sides of the vehicle during the travel of the vehicle; and

a controller for deciding whether or not the image on the display unit is to be displayed on the basis of the distance detected by the distance measuring unit, the controller for controlling the display unit to turn on or off the image of the obstacle on the display unit according to the decision.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the distance measuring unit detects the distance between the vehicle and each of the obstacles located on each of the left and right sides of the vehicle during the travel of the vehicle;

and

the controller detects a space between the left-hand and right-hand obstacles on the basis of the distance between the vehicle and each of the left-hand and right-hand obstacles detected by the distance measuring unit, regards the space as width of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, decides whether or not the image on the display unit is to be displayed on the basis of the value of the width thereof, and controls the display unit to turn on or off the image of the obstacle on the display unit according to the decision.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a travel-condition detector for accepting at least one vehicle signal for making a reduced vehicle speed detectable in vehicle signals indicating travel conditions which are output from a plurality of vehicle portions, and detecting the reduced vehicle speed according to the one vehicle signal, wherein

the controller decides whether or not the display of the image on the display unit is to be needed on the basis of the width of the road detected by the distance measuring unit and the result detected by the travel-condition detector, and controls the display unit to turn on or off the image of the obstacle on the display unit according to the decision.

10. An apparatus for watching around a vehicle as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a travel-condition detector for detecting vehicle speed by accepting a vehicle signal indicating a vehicle speed,

wherein the controller decides that the display of the image by the display unit is to be needed only in case where the width of the road detected by the distance measuring unit is equal to a predetermined reference distance or less and where the vehicle speed detected by the travel-condition detector is a predetermined reference speed or lower, and causes the image to be displayed on the display unit.

11. The apparatus for watching around a vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein the image pick-up unit is installed in the front end portion of the vehicle and used to pick up the image in left and right directions in front of the vehicle.