Vehicle display apparatus for displaying information of a forward view of the vehicle

• US 7,612,797 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Ishii, Kouji, Furuya, Yoshiyuki, Nakamura, Go
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnael; Paulos M
• Application Number:
  US11/347,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20060176210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 348/552, 348118-119, 382/104, 340/903
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/304 using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/308 by overlaying the real scene, e.g. through a head-up display on the windscreen

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a vehicle display apparatus having a clear view. When a vehicle runs on a flat road, a standard FOE (focus of expansion) is set so as that a horizon line is positioned at a central portion of a display area. When the vehicle approaches to an uphill road, the display area is moved to match ordinates of between a current FOE and the standard FOE. When the vehicle approaches to a downhill road, the display area is moved to match the ordinates of between the current FOE and standard FOE.

Claims

1. A vehicle display apparatus comprising:

a camera to take an image information of a forward direction of a vehicle;

a display device to display the image information to a display area; and

a processing device,

wherein said processing device has the processing steps of;

extracting a current focus of expansion (FOE) from the image information for use by a display control;

matching both ordinates of between the current FOE and a standard FOE to determine a distance for moving the display area, said standard FOE being fixed preliminarily at a predetermined portion of the display area;

moving the display area; and

displaying the image information to the display area.

2. A vehicle display apparatus, comprising

a camera to take an image information of a forward direction of a vehicle;

a display device to display the image information to a display area; and

a processing device,

wherein said processing device has the processing steps of;

extracting a current focus of expansion (FOE) from the image information for use by a display control;

marching both ordinates of between the current FOE and a standard FOE, said standard FOE being fixed preliminarily at a predetermined portion of the display area; and

displaying the image information to the display area;

wherein said processing step of extracting the current FOE has the steps of;

extracting white lines of both sides of a road from the image information;

calculating two straight lines corresponding to the white lines;

calculating the current FOE from a intersection of the two straight lines;

matching both ordinates of between the current FOE and the standard FOE; and

displaying the image information to the display area.

3. The vehicle display apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said standard FOE is positioned to the display area so a:

that a horizon line is displayed at a middle portion of the display area.

4. A vehicle display apparatus comprising:

a camera to take an image information of a forward direction of a vehicle;

a display device to display the image information to a display area;

a near-infrared camera to take reflection spectra of the forward direction of the vehicle; and

a processing device,

wherein said processing device has the processing steps of;

extracting a current horizon line from the reflection spectra for a display control;

matching both ordinates of between the current horizon line and a standard horizon line, said standard horizon line being preliminarily fixed at a predetermined portion of the display area; and

displaying the image information to the display area.

5. The vehicle display apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein said processing step of extracting the current horizon line has the steps of:

extracting the current horizon line from the reflection spectra;

matching both ordinates of between the current horizon line and the standard horizon line; and

displaying the image information to the display area.

6. The vehicle display apparatus as claimed in claim 5,

wherein said standard horizon line is positioned in a middle portion of the display area.

7. A vehicle display apparatus comprising:

a camera to take an image information in a camera field of a forward direction of a vehicle;

a display device to display the image information to a display area;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a position and a moving direction of the vehicle;

a tilt sensor to determine a tilt angle between the moving direction and a level line; and

a processing device,

wherein said processing device has the processing steps of;

extracting map data corresponding to each position of the vehicle from a memory device;

determining a highest visible position in the camera field at a current position of the vehicle from altitudes corresponding to the tilt angle in the map data;

determining a highest visible position angle of between the highest visible position and a standard plane;

matching both ordinates of between the highest visible position in the image information and a camera level line by an angle difference between the highest visible position angle and the tilt angle; and

displaying the image information to the display area.