Driving support system and method of producing overhead view image
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A driving support system comprising:
- a plurality of image taking devices configured to take images of areas around a vehicle, wherein the image taking devices have ranges of field of view that partially overlap with each other;
an image processing unit configured to perform a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the image taking devices to produce transformed images and to join the transformed images to each other at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint, wherein the image processing unit is configured to continuously change a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image and to stop changing the position of the joint, based on pixel data of the produced virtual image; and
a display unit configured to display the virtual image.
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Abstract
A driving support system which includes: at least two cameras to take images of areas around a vehicle, whose ranges of field of view partially overlap with each other; a control unit performing a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the cameras and joining the transformed images together to produce an overhead view image; and a display unit to display the overhead view image. The control unit changes the position of the joint of the transformed images in the overhead view image.
25 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A driving support system comprising:
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a plurality of image taking devices configured to take images of areas around a vehicle, wherein the image taking devices have ranges of field of view that partially overlap with each other; an image processing unit configured to perform a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the image taking devices to produce transformed images and to join the transformed images to each other at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint, wherein the image processing unit is configured to continuously change a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image and to stop changing the position of the joint, based on pixel data of the produced virtual image; and a display unit configured to display the virtual image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 8, 9, 10)
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3. A driving support system, comprising:
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a plurality of image taking devices configured to take images of areas around a vehicle, wherein the image taking devices have ranges of field of view that partially overlap with each other; an image processing unit configured to perform a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the image taking devices to produce transformed images and to join the transformed images to each other at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint, wherein the image processing unit is configured to continuously change a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image; and a display unit configured to display the virtual image, wherein the image processing unit is configured to continuously change the position of the joint while the vehicle is not in a reverse mode, and to stop changing the position of the joint while the vehicle is in the reverse mode. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. A driving support system, comprising:
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a plurality of image taking devices configured to take images of areas around a vehicle, wherein the image taking devices have ranges of field of view that partially overlap with each other; an image processing unit configured to perform a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the image taking devices to produce transformed images and to join the transformed images to each other at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint, wherein the image processing unit is configured to change a position of the joint in the virtual image; and a display unit configured to display the virtual image; wherein the image processing unit is configured to continuously change the position of the joint while the vehicle is not in a reverse mode, and to stop changing the position of the joint while the vehicle is in the reverse mode; wherein the image processing unit is configured to determine, based on pixel data of the produced virtual image, whether to stop changing the position of the joint, and to stop changing the position of the joint while a determination of whether to stop is being made even while the vehicle is not in the reverse mode; wherein the image processing unit is configured to determine mode of color values of pixels in a predetermined area of the virtual image bordered by the joint, and to compute percentage of pixels with color value of the mode of color values with respect to a total number of pixels in the predetermined area, while changing the position of the joint, and to determine to stop changing the position of the joint at a moment when the percentage stops increasing.
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11. A method of producing a virtual image to be displayed in a driving support system, comprising:
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taking images of areas around a vehicle partially overlapping with each other; performing a predetermined coordinate transformation on the taken images to produce transformed images; joining the transformed images together at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint; and continuously changing a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image and stopping changing the position of the joint, based on pixel data of the produced virtual image.
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12. A driving support system comprising:
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a plurality of image taking means for taking images of areas around a vehicle, wherein the image taking means have ranges of field of view that partially overlap with each other; image processing means for performing a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the image taking means to produce transformed images and joining the transformed images to each other at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint, wherein the image processing means continuously changes a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image and stops changing the position of the joint, based on pixel data of the produced virtual image; and display means for displaying the virtual image.
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13. A driving support system, comprising:
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a plurality of image taking devices configured to take images of areas around a vehicle, wherein the image taking devices have ranges of field of view that partially overlap with each other; an image processing unit configured to perform a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the image taking devices to produce transformed images and to join the transformed images to each other at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint, wherein the image processing unit is configured to continuously change a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image; and a display unit configured to display the virtual image; wherein the position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image is changed in a continuous manner without a driver'"'"'s operation to initiate the continuous change of the joint position.
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14. A method of producing a virtual image to be displayed in a driving support system, comprising:
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taking images of areas around a vehicle partially overlapping with each other; performing a predetermined coordinate transformation on the taken images to produce transformed images; joining the transformed images together at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint; continuously changing a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image; and changing position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image in a continuous manner without a driver'"'"'s operation to initiate the continuous change of the joint position.
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15. A driving support system comprising:
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a plurality of image taking means for taking images of areas around a vehicle, wherein the image taking means have ranges of field of view that partially overlap with each other; image processing means for performing a predetermined coordinate transformation on the images taken by the image taking means to produce transformed images and joining the transformed images to each other at a joint to produce a virtual image viewed from a virtual viewpoint, wherein the image processing means continuously changes a position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image; and display means for displaying the virtual image; wherein the image processing means is configured to change position of the joint relative to the transformed images in the virtual image in a continuous manner without a driver'"'"'s operation to initiate the continuous change of the joint position.
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Specification