Image processor and monitoring system

• US 7,714,887 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Hirofumi, Okamoto, Shusaku, Nobori, Kunio, Nakagawa, Masamichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALLENBECK-HUBER, JEREMIAH CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US10/800,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20040184638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,248 Days
• Field of Search: 348/147, 348/148
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20228 Disparity calculation for image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The image processor of the present invention generates a more natural synthesized image from camera images taken with a plurality of cameras capturing the surroundings of a vehicle. A parameter storage section stores a plurality of image synthesis parameter groups representing the correspondence between the camera images and the synthesized image and having different spatial or temporal resolution relations. A parameter selection section selects the image synthesis parameter group according to the output of a vehicle motion detection section for detecting the motion of the vehicle such as the driving speed and direction. An image synthesis section generates the synthesized image from the camera images according to the selected image synthesis parameter group.

Claims

1. An image processor for receiving camera images taken with a plurality of cameras capturing the surroundings of a vehicle and generating a synthesized image from the camera images, the synthesized image having a plurality of areas each including at least one pixel and each camera image having a plurality of areas each including at least one pixel, the image processor comprising:

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of sets of an image synthesis parameter group, each image synthesis parameter group representing a correspondence between any of the areas of the camera images and any one of the areas of the synthesized image, and a filter parameter group corresponding to each image synthesis parameter group, each filter parameter group having a plurality of filter parameters and each filter parameter having a correspondence with an area of the camera images;

a parameter selection section for selecting at least one among the plurality of sets of the image synthesis parameter group and the corresponding filter parameter group stored by the parameter storage section according to a motion of the vehicle detected by a vehicle motion detection section and an output of a vehicle status detection section for detecting the status of the vehicle such as an operation by a driver of the vehicle or whether or not an obstacle exists in the surroundings of the vehicle; and

a filtering section for performing frequency band limitation filtering of the camera images according to the filter parameter group of the set selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the synthesized image is generated from the camera images filtered by the filtering section according to the image synthesis parameter group of the set selected by the parameter selection section to generate the synthesized image with optimal quality to reduce aliasing distortion.

2. The image processor of claim 1, wherein the filter parameter group includes filtering setting data for each pixel position of the camera image.

3. A monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of cameras for capturing the surroundings of a vehicle;

an image processing section for receiving camera images from the plurality of cameras and generating a synthesized image from the camera images, the synthesized image having a plurality of areas each including at least one pixel and each camera image having a plurality of areas each including at least one pixel; and

a display section for displaying the synthesized image generated by the image processing section,

wherein the image processing section comprises;

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of sets of an image synthesis parameter group, each image synthesis parameter group representing a correspondence between any of the areas of the camera images and any one of the areas of the synthesized image, and a filter parameter group corresponding to each image synthesis parameter group, each filter parameter group having a plurality of filter parameters and each filter parameter having a correspondence with an area of the camera images;

a parameter selection section for selecting at least one among the plurality of sets of the image synthesis parameter group and the corresponding filter parameter group stored by the parameter storage section according to a motion of the vehicle detected by a vehicle motion detection section and an output of a vehicle status detection section for detecting the status of the vehicle such as an operation by a driver of the vehicle or whether or not an obstacle exists in the surroundings of the vehicle; and

a filtering section for performing frequency band limitation filtering of the camera images according to the filter parameter group of the set selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the synthesized image is generated from the camera images filtered by the filtering section according to the image synthesis parameter group of the set selected by the parameter selection section to generate the synthesized image with optimal quality to reduce aliasing distortion.