Driving-operation assist and recording medium

• US 8,111,287 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Shusaku, Ishii, Hirofumi, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Nobori, Kunio, Morimura, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUNG T
• Application Number:
  US11/846,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 348143-148, 348118-142, 348150-179, 382104-243, 701/41
• US Class Current: 348/118
• 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 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/102 using 360 degree surveillance camera system
• 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 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/02 Steering position indicators ; Steering position determination; Steering aids
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A vehicle-operation assist includes a circumferential-state imager for imaging a circumferential state of a vehicle with a camera and generating a circumferential-state image; a synthetic-image generator for generating a synthetic image by superimposing on the circumferential-state image, an assumed-movement pattern of the vehicle performing a predetermined series of driving operations; and a display for displaying the synthetic image. The circumferential-state imager has at least one camera and a camera parameter table for storing characteristics of the camera and generating the circumferential-state image on the basis of the camera characteristics.

Claims

1. A vehicle-operation assist for a vehicle mounted with a camera, comprising:

a circumferential-state imaging unit operable to generate a circumferential-state image using an output image from the camera;

a position inputting unit for inputting a position from a driver;

an assumed-movement pattern acquiring unit operable to acquire an assumed-movement pattern in accordance with the position from the driver, said assumed-movement pattern showing movement of the vehicle in case of performing a predetermined driving operation, said assumed-movement pattern including (i) a trace between a start position of the vehicle and an end position of the vehicle, and (ii) a synthetic image of the vehicle at the end position in case of performing the predetermined driving operation;

a synthetic-image generating unit operable to generate a synthetic image by using the circumferential-state image and the assumed-movement pattern; and

a display unit operable to display the synthetic image,

wherein the displayed synthetic image follows the assumed-movement pattern which includes a movement pattern for changing backward and forward movements of the vehicle while the vehicle moves.

2. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the position inputting unit inputs a final position which is a position of the vehicle at an end of the movement, and

the assumed-movement pattern acquiring unit selects one of a plurality of assumed-movement patterns in accordance with the final position.

3. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 2, further comprising

a start-position guiding unit operable to guide the vehicle to the start position by automatically controlling driving of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 2, further comprising

a pattern correcting unit operable to correct and update the assumed-movement pattern in accordance with the final position input from the driver.

5. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 2, further comprising

a pattern correcting unit operable to correct and update the assumed-movement pattern in accordance with an actual driving operation.

6. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the position inputting unit inputs a position of an obstacle-area from the driver, and

the assumed-movement pattern acquiring unit selects one of a plurality of assumed-movement patterns in accordance with the position of the obstacle-area input from the driver.

7. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 6, further comprising

a pattern correcting unit operable to correct and update the assumed-movement pattern in accordance with the position of the obstacle area input from the driver.