Vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus and vehicle-surrounding image display method

• US 8,294,563 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abe, Koichi, Shimoda, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): CROSLAND, DONNIE L
• Application Number:
  US12/776,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20110025489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 340/459, 348/148
• US Class Current: 340/459
• 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 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0295 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image

Abstract

A vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus and a vehicle-surrounding image display method permits a user to intuitively recognize in which direction a vehicle side image is displayed along with a vehicle top image. When a vehicle side image, such as a forward side view image, and a rearward mirror view image is displayed along with a top view image, distinction images indicative of a correspondence relation between the vehicle side image and the direction in which the vehicle side image is shot in the top view image, are superimposed on both the vehicle side image and the top view image, which enables a user to intuitively recognize in which direction the vehicle side image displayed along with the top view image is shot by looking at both the vehicle side image and the top view image showing the distinction images.

Claims

1. A vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus comprising:

an image input unit configured to input front, rear, left, and right images captured by a plurality of imaging devices disposed at a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side of a vehicle, respectively;

a top view image generation unit configured to generate a vehicle top image of the vehicle as seen from a perspective above the vehicle by performing viewpoint conversion processing on the front, rear, left, and right images input by the image input unit;

a vehicle side image generation unit configured to generate at least one of a vehicle side image as seen from a perspective forward of the imaging devices on the left side and the right side of the vehicle, and a vehicle side image as seen from a perspective rearward of the imaging devices on the left side and the right side of the vehicle, by performing the viewpoint conversion processing on the left and right images input by the image input unit;

a vehicle-surrounding image display control unit configured to generate the vehicle side image and the vehicle top image on a display unit and

a distinction image generation unit configured to generate distinction images indicative of a correspondence relation between the vehicle side image and a direction in which the vehicle side image is captured in the vehicle top image, wherein

a distinction image display control unit displays the distinction images superimposed on the vehicle side image and the vehicle top image.

2. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the distinction image display control unit displays same distinction images on a part of the vehicle included in the vehicle side image and a part of the vehicle included in the vehicle top image and also corresponding to the part of the vehicle included in the vehicle side image.

3. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the part of the vehicle is a headlight if the vehicle side image is seen from a perspective forward of the imaging device on the left or right side of the vehicle, and wherein the part of the vehicle is a brake lamp if the vehicle side image is seen from a perspective rearward from the imaging device on the left or right side of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the distinction image display control unit generates the distinction image of the headlight and the distinction image of the brake lamp in different colors.

5. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when it is detected that a door of the vehicle is open, the distinction image display control unit cancels display of the distinction images corresponding to a side corresponding to the open door.

6. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when it is detected that a door of the vehicle is open, the vehicle-surrounding image display control unit cancels display of the vehicle side image corresponding to the open door side, and the distinction image display control unit cancels the display of the distinction images corresponding to the open door side.

7. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distinction image display control unit displays a window frame in a predetermined color as the distinction image superimposed on the vehicle side image displayed by the vehicle side image display control unit, and also displays a graphic indicative of the direction in which the vehicle side image is shot in the same predetermined color as the window frame as the distinction image superimposed on the top view image displayed by the vehicle-surrounding image display control unit.

8. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, the distinction image display control unit differentiates the predetermined color of the window frame of the vehicle side image as seen from a perspective forward from the imaging device on the left or right side of the vehicle and the graphic indicative of the direction in which the vehicle side image as seen forward is shot on the top view image from the predetermined color of the window frame of the vehicle side image as seen rearward from the imaging device on the left or right side of the vehicle and the graphic indicative of the direction in which the vehicle side image as seen rearward is shot on the top view image.

9. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the distinction image display control unit generates a track image indicative of a predicted travel track of the vehicle based on a steering angle of the vehicle;

displays the track image in a predetermined color as the distinction image superimposed on the vehicle side image displayed by the vehicle side image display control unit; and

displays the track image in the same predetermined color as the track image on the vehicle side image as the distinction image superimposed on the top view image displayed by the vehicle-surrounding image display control unit.

10. The vehicle-surrounding image display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the distinction image display control unit differentiates the predetermined color of the track image on the vehicle side image as seen forward from the imaging device on the left or right side of the vehicle and the track image corresponding thereto on the top view image from the predetermined color of the track image on the vehicle side image as seen rearward from the imaging device on the left or right side of the vehicle and the track image corresponding thereto on the top view image.

11. A vehicle-surrounding image display method comprising:

inputting front, rear, left, and right images capture by a plurality of imaging devices disposed at a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side of a vehicle;

generating a top view image of the vehicle as seen from a perspective above the vehicle by performing viewpoint conversion processing on the front, rear, left, and right images;

generating at least one of a vehicle side image as seen from a perspective forward of the imaging devices on the left side and the right side of the vehicle, and a vehicle side image as seen from a perspective rearward of the imaging devices on the left and the right side of the vehicle, by performing the viewpoint conversion processing on the left and right images;

a vehicle-surrounding image display step of generating the vehicle side image and the vehicle top image; and

a distinction image generation step of generating distinction images indicative of correspondence relation between the vehicle side image and a direction in which the vehicle side image is captured in the vehicle top image; and

displaying the distinction images superimposed on the vehicle side image and the vehicle top image.