Driving support image-display apparatus and program therefor

• US 7,642,931 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/707,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.1, 340/995, 340/995.2, 340/995.24, 340/995.25, 340/995.27, 340/995.26, 340/995.28, 340/436, 340/903, 340/905, 701/300, 701/301, 701/23, 701/28
• US Class Current: 340/995.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A driving support image during a turn at an intersection is provided as a driving support by a driving support image display apparatus for a driver by the image display apparatus so that the driver can easily recognize a state ahead of his or her vehicle or a state into which the right turn is made. The driving support image is provided when a subject vehicle has reached a support starting point before the intersection based on provided information that is received from a roadside apparatus. After starting the display of the driving support image as an initial field of vision, the support image is shifted by gradually moving the field of vision of the driving support image from the initial field of vision at a predetermined timing for increased coverage of an opposite lane or a lane to be traveled after a turn.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus for use in a subject vehicle comprising:

a driving support control unit configured to control a display of a driving support image, wherein

the driving support control unit provides the driving support image for the subject vehicle in a specific intersection, identified as a support image display area, when the subject vehicle crosses an opposite lane thereby changing direction at the specific intersection;

the driving support control unit generates the driving support image by superimposing a subject vehicle image and an obstacle image on a background image of the intersection, based on obstacle information of an obstacle in a proximity of the subject vehicle derived from an external information source; and

the driving support image, under control of the driving support control unit, displays a second view for an increased coverage of one of an opposite lane ahead of the subject vehicle and a to-be-traveled lane by shifting a first view for a coverage of an initial traveling direction of the subject vehicle.

2. The image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

the driving support image under control of the driving support control unit displays the second view for an increased coverage of one of the opposite lane ahead of the subject vehicle and the to-be-traveled lane by panning the first view for the coverage of the initial traveling direction of the subject vehicle.

3. The image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

the driving support image under control of the driving support control unit displays the second view for an increased coverage of one of the opposite lane ahead of the subject vehicle and the to-be-traveled lane by applying parallel shift to the first view for the coverage of the initial traveling direction of the subject vehicle.

4. The image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

the driving support image under control of the driving support control unit displays the second view for an increased coverage of one of the opposite lane ahead of the subject vehicle and the to-be-traveled lane by changing a depression angle of the first view for the coverage of the initial traveling direction of the subject vehicle.

5. The image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

the driving support image under control of the driving support control unit shifts the first view at a predetermined shift timing after displaying the first view at a predetermined initial display timing.

6. The image display apparatus as in claim 5, wherein

the driving support image under control of the driving support control unit continuously shifts the first view to a predetermined maximum shift amount at a predetermined shift speed after the predetermined shift timing.

7. The image display apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

the driving support control unit generates the driving support image as a pop-up image when the subject vehicle reaches the support image display area, and

the driving support control unit provides a message of the generation of the driving support image for a driver of the subject vehicle.

8. A computer program stored on a retrievable storage medium for controlling a computer comprising:

providing a driving support control that controls the computer to serve as the driving support control unit in claim 1.