Monitor device for moving body

• US 7,538,795 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2003
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Shibatani, Kazuhiro, Katagiri, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SELBY, GEVELL V
• Application Number:
  US10/617,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20040189831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,143 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.99, 348/222.1, 348/211.8, 348/211.9, 348/208.16, 348/155, 348/169, 348/208.6, 348/208.14
• US Class Current: 348/208.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

Disclosed is a monitor device for a moving body such as a vehicle, aircraft or vessel, moving at a certain speed. The monitor device displays an image of a front scene of the moving body with the image of the central area being enlarged in accordance with the running speed of the moving body such that condition of a far away portion can be recognized accurately. A zoom ratio calculating section determines a zoom ratio in accordance with running speed of the moving body. The area of image to be displayed is selected in accordance with the zoom ratio and the image of the selected area is displayed on a display screen in an enlarged form. A specially designed distortion lens may be used to take the picture of the front scene to form an image of the scene with its central area being optically enlarged.

Claims

1. A monitor device for displaying a front scene of a moving body with an image of an actual or imaginary converging point of a lane of a running path for the moving body being at a center of an image frame, comprising:

an image forming section for forming a two dimensional image of the front scene of the moving body with the image of the actual or imaginary converging point of the lane of the running path for the moving body being at the center of the image frame on a image plane, wherein the image forming section includes a distortion lens having a characteristic of forming an image, with a height of the image being larger in a central area and smaller in a peripheral area so as to allow the central area of the image to have a high resolution;

an image sensor for photo-electrically converting the two dimensional image into electric image data;

a speed sensor for detecting a running speed of the moving body;

a zoom ratio determining section for determining a zoom ratio in accordance with the detected running speed;

an image sensor driving section for driving the image sensor to change the photo-electrically converted area of the two dimensional image in accordance with the determined zoom ratio;

an image enlarging section for processing the image data to enlarge the image of the converted area with the zoom ratio determined by the zoom ratio, wherein the image data is obtained by photo-electrically converting only an area determined in accordance with the zoom ratio in an effective image area, and the two dimensional image of the front scene is formed in an entire area of the effective image area in the image sensor; and

a display for displaying the image of the area enlarged by the image enlarging section.

2. A monitor device according to claim 1 further comprising a lens characteristics control section for controlling the characteristics of the distortion lens such that the height of the image becomes larger as the speed of the moving body increases.

3. A monitor device according to claim 2 wherein the lens characteristics control section controls the characteristics of the distortion lens such that the ratio of changing of the height of image per unit change of angle of view is larger when the speed of the moving body is high.

4. A monitor device according to claim 1 further comprising an image data processing section for processing the image data to correct distortion of the image taken by the distortion lens.

5. A monitor device according to claim 1 further comprising a housing incorporating the image forming section and the image sensor;

a tilting acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in the movement of the housing in the tilting direction;

a tilting drive calculating section for calculating amount of driving of the housing to offset the movement of the housing; and

a driving section for driving the housing in accordance with the amount of driving calculated by the tilting drive calculating section.

6. A monitor device according to claim 1 further comprising a housing incorporating the image forming section and the image sensor;

a panning acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in the movement of the housing in the panning direction;

a panning drive calculating section for calculating amount of driving of the housing to offset the movement of the housing; and

a driving section for driving the housing in accordance with the amount of driving calculated by the panning drive calculating section.

7. A monitor device according to claim 1, wherein the speed sensor includes a speed classifying section for determining which of a plurality of speed ranges a detected speed belongs, the zoom ratio determining section determines the zoom ratio in accordance with the determined range, the image area selecting section selects area of the image in accordance with the determined range.

8. A monitor device according to claim 1 further comprising a resizing section for processing the image data of the selected area to enlarge the image to be displayed in entire area of a display screen of the display.

9. A monitor device according to claim 1, further comprising an object detecting unit for detecting whether the image data include a data of an image of an unexpected object, and a speed control section for controlling the moving body in accordance with the detection by the object detecting unit.

10. A monitor device according to claim 9, wherein the speed control section controls the moving body to reduce the speed of the moving body when the unexpected object is detected in the image data.

11. A monitor device according to claim 10, wherein the image enlarging section for processes the image data processed by the image area selecting section to enlarge the image of the selected area radially towards its periphery with its central image remaining at the center.

12. A monitor device according to claim 9 further comprising a lens characteristics control section for controlling the characteristics of the distortion lens such that the height of the image becomes larger as the speed of the moving body increases.

13. A monitor device according to claim 8, wherein the speed sensor includes a speed classifying section for determining which of a plurality of speed ranges a detected speed belongs, the zoom ratio determining section determines the zoom ratio in accordance with the determined range, the image area selecting section selects area of the image in accordance with the determined range, and the monitor device further comprising a resizing section for processing the image data of the selected area to enlarge the image to be displayed in entire area of a display screen of the display.

14. A monitor device according to claim 8, further comprising an object detecting unit for detecting whether the image data include a data of an image of an unexpected object, and a speed control section for controlling the moving body in accordance with the detection by the object detecting unit.

15. A monitor device for displaying a front scene of a moving body with an image of an actual or imaginary converging point of a lane of a running path for the moving body being at a center of an image frame, comprising:

an image forming section for forming a two dimensional image of the front scene of the moving body with the image of the actual or imaginary converging point of the lane of the running path for the moving body being at the center of the image frame on a image plane, wherein the image forming section includes a distortion lens having a characteristic of forming an image, with a height of the image being larger in a central area and smaller in a peripheral area so as to allow the central area of the image to have a high resolution;

an image sensor for photo-electrically converting the two dimensional image into electric image data;

a speed sensor for detecting a running speed of the moving body;

a zoom ratio determining section for determining a zoom ratio in accordance with the detected running speed;

an image sensor driving section for driving the image sensor to change the photo-electrically converted area of the two dimensional image in accordance with the determined zoom ratio;

an image enlarging section for processing the image data to enlarge the image of the converted area with the zoom ratio determined by the zoom ratio, wherein the image data is obtained by photo-electrically converting only an area determined in accordance with the zoom ratio in an effective image area, and the two dimensional image of the front scene is formed in an entire area of the effective image area in the image sensor; and

a display for displaying the image of the area enlarged by the image enlarging section,

wherein the speed sensor includes a speed classifying section for determining which of a plurality of speed ranges a detected speed belongs, the zoom ratio determining section determines the zoom ratio in accordance with the determined range, the image area selecting section selects area of the image in accordance with the determined range and,

wherein the speed classifying section determines which of a first and a second speed ranges the detected speed belongs, the speed of the second range being higher than that of the first range;

the zoom ratio determining section determines a first zoom ratio when the detected speed is within the first range, and determines a second zoom ratio when the detected speed is within the second range, the second zoom ratio being larger than the first zoom ratio; and

the image area selecting section processes the image data to select a first area of the two dimensional image when the first zoom ratio is determined, and select a second area of the two dimensional image when the second zoom ratio is determined, the second area being smaller than the first area.