Monitoring system and vehicle surrounding monitoring system

• US 7,693,303 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Masaki, Nobori, Kunio, Mizusawa, Kazufumi, Ishii, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Azarian; Seyed
• Application Number:
  US12/267,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20090067677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/104, 382/105, 382/106, 382/107, 382/155, 382/170, 382/172, 382/178, 382/181, 382/209, 382/224, 382/232, 382/243, 382/255, 382/274, 382/305, 382/276, 382/321, 382/291, 280/735, 340/903, 348/159, 348/148, 348/169, 352/53, 352/173
• US Class Current: 382/105
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• 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 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A parameter selection section selects one from a plurality of image synthesis parameters stored in a parameter storage section according to an output of a vehicle state detection section. An image synthesis section reads out camera images from frame memories according to the selected image synthesis parameter and generates a synthesized image showing a state of vehicle surroundings. A moving object detection section detects, in the thus generated synthetic image, a moving object region estimated as a region where a moving object is present.

Claims

1. A monitoring system to which camera images shot by a plurality of cameras installed to a moving body are input, comprising:

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of image synthesis parameters each expressing correspondence between camera images and a synthetic image and a plurality of detection parameters each defining specification of moving object detection;

a parameter selection section for selecting each one from the plurality of image synthesis parameters and the plurality of detection parameters which are stored in the parameter storage section;

an image synthesis section for generating a synthetic image showing a state of a monitoring region by synthesizing the camera images according to the image synthesis parameter selected by the parameter selection section; and

a moving object detection section for detecting a moving object in the synthetic image based on the detection parameter selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the parameter selection section performs parameter selection according to a state of the moving body and taking account of a detection result by the moving object detection section, and

the parameter selection section performs parameter selection taking account of a currently selected image synthesis parameter,

wherein the parameter selection section performs the modification for a part corresponding to a region surrounding the moving object region in addition to the moving object region.

2. A monitoring system to which camera images shot by a plurality of cameras installed to a moving body are input, comprising:

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of image synthesis parameters each expressing correspondence between camera images and a synthetic image and a plurality of detection parameters each defining specification of moving object detection;

a parameter selection section for selecting each one from the plurality of image synthesis parameters and the plurality of detection parameters which are stored in the parameter storage section;

an image synthesis section for generating a synthetic image showing a state of a monitoring region by synthesizing the camera images according to the image synthesis parameter selected by the parameter selection section; and

a moving object detection section for detecting a moving object in the synthetic image based on the detection parameter selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the parameter selection section performs parameter selection according to a state of the moving body and taking account of a detection result by the moving object detection section, and

when the moving object region is detected by the moving object detection section, the parameter selection section modifies the selected image synthesis parameter so that only one of fields of camera images are referenced for a part corresponding to the moving object region and outputs it,

wherein the parameter selection section performs the modification for a part corresponding to a region surrounding the moving object region in addition to the moving object region.