Image conversion device

• US 7,477,307 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Akatsuka, Takeshi, Suzuki, Masayasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negron; Wanda M
• Application Number:
  US11/145,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20050285938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 348/218.1, 348/148, 348/159, 348/588, 348/317
• US Class Current: 348/317
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An image conversion device connected to multiple image detection mechanisms generating field image data of the surroundings and having multiple input buffers for each of the multiple image detection mechanisms, which, in parallel, stores, moves, performs conversion processing and displays said field image data in one field units in accordance with a display template in pattern memory, thereby reducing the total delay time from field image generation to display to the driver.

Claims

1. An image conversion device configured to be connected to multiple image detection mechanisms, with each image detection mechanism generating and converting field image data to output an indication image data on one indication monitor, comprising:

a plurality of input buffers corresponding to the image detection mechanisms, each of the input buffers having an input buffer input side and an input buffer output side, the input buffer input sides storing field image data from the image detection mechanism in one field units, and the input buffer output sides storing the field image data from the corresponding one of the image detection mechanisms that is moved from the input buffer input side to the input buffer output side when image storage operation on the input buffer input side has been completed;

a plurality of output buffers with each of the output buffers having an output buffer input side and an output buffer output side, the output buffers storing the field image data in the input buffer output side after the field image data has undergone conversion processing, and moving the field image data to the output buffer output side after storage of the field image data on the output buffer input side has been completed;

a pattern memory storing corresponding relationships of memory addresses of respective ones of the input buffer output sides of the input buffers and memory addresses of respective ones of the output buffer input sides of the output buffers; and

an image conversion mechanism configured to perform the conversion processing in one field units by reading in the field image data stored in the input buffer output sides of the input buffers and writing into the output buffer input sides of the output buffers in accordance with the corresponding relationships of the pattern memory, when storage of the field image data has been completed in the output buffer input sides of the input buffers.

2. The image conversion device of claim 1, wherein

the image conversion mechanism uses a vertical synchronization signal contained in the field image data stored in said input buffer, determines the storage operation of the field image data in the input buffer is complete, and performs the conversion processing.

3. The image conversion device of claim 1, wherein the image conversion mechanism alternately reads odd number field image data and even number field image data from the input buffer output side and alternately writes odd number field image data and even number field image data to the output buffer input side.

4. The image conversion device of claim 1, wherein

the image conversion mechanism moves and stores the converted field image data stored in the output buffer input side to the output buffer output side and outputs the converted field image data to a display monitor in accordance with output timing.

5. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein

the image conversion mechanism generates the output timing with an internal frequency source.

6. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein

the image conversion mechanism generates the output timing from a vertical synchronization signal contained in the field image data from the respective image detection mechanisms.

7. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein

the image conversion mechanism selects an output timing source when the output timing is generated by an internal frequency source and a vertical synchronization signal contained in the field image data from the respective image detection mechanisms.

8. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein

the image conversion mechanism determines that the timing of the conversion processing and the output timing are the same.