Photographing apparatus, image signal choosing apparatus, driving assisting apparatus and automobile

• US 8,368,755 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishida, Toshio, Sai, Hirotomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HITESHKUMAR R
• Application Number:
  US11/638,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20070139523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 348143-169, 348113-124, 340/438, 340435-436
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Considering the locations of a self-vehicle and other vehicles changing from moment to moment, an image signal is chosen in relation to the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of a camera mounted on each vehicle, and information on a region to be a driver'"'"'s blind spot is provided in real time by means of images and voice. When there is the other vehicles whose camera meets requirements such as the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed for photographing a region to be the self-vehicle'"'"'s blind spot, it is possible to provide information on the blind spot by the image picked up by the camera. However, since the other vehicle'"'"'s location also changes with a lapse of time, it is not possible to keep photographing the blind spot with the same camera. Therefore, the image of the driver'"'"'s blind spot is obtained in real time by constantly detecting the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of cameras mounted on the other vehicles running near the self-vehicle, choosing dynamically a camera capable of photographing the region to be the self-vehicle'"'"'s blind spot, and switching image signals in succession.

Claims

1. An assisting system comprising:

n units (n≧

1) of first photographing devices with which an apparatus is equipped, the n units of the first photographing devices being configured to pick up images and output image signals;

a receiving device configured to wirelessly receive image signals outputted from m units (m≧

1) of second photographing devices with which other external apparatus is equipped and to receive information regarding location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of the m units of the second photographing devices, wherein part of photographing coverage of at least one of the second photographing devices is common with part of photographing coverage of at least one of the first photographing devices;

a selector configured to choose k units (n+m>

k≧

1) of image signals out of image signals outputted from n units of the first photographing devices and image signals outputted from m units of the second photographing devices and received by the selector;

a controller configured to control choice of image signals by the selector by using information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of the n units of the first photographing devices and of the m units of the second photographing devices, and

a signal combiner to combine at least one of the chosen image signals outputted from n units of the first photographing devices with an image signal cut out from at least one of the chosen image signals outputted from m units of the second photographing devices and output a combined image signal, the cut out image signal being an image signal of a blind spot for all of n units of the first photographing devices,

wherein the controller is configured to dynamically switch the chosen image signals from the selector by using relative information between the location, orientation, viewing angle and moving speed of the n units of the first photographing devices and the location, orientation, viewing angle and moving speed of the m units of the second photographing devices so that the blind spot will remain, without interruption, within photographic coverage within the combined image signal,

wherein the controller calculates, by using information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of n units of the first photographing devices and m units of the second photographing devices, the time taken by a specific object in a common region of the photographing coverage of the first and second photographing devices to deviate from the common region;

wherein the controller controls, before the above time elapses, to switch the choice of image signals such that one or more of the image signals of p units (p≧

1) of third photographing devices with which the other external apparatus is equipped is chosen; and

wherein the specific object exists in the common region of the photographing coverage of the first and third photographing devices.

2. A driving assisting apparatus comprising:

n units (n≧

1) of first photographing devices mounted on a self-vehicle and picking up images around the self-vehicle;

a detector to detect information about the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of the first photographing devices;

a receiver to wirelessly receive image signals picked up by m units (m≧

1) of second photographing devices mounted on an other vehicle to picked up images around the other vehicle and picking up images around the self-vehicle, and to receive information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of the second photographing devices;

a selector to choose k units (n+m>

k≧

1) of image signals by using, out of the image signals picked up by said first and second photographing devices, one or more information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of said first photographing devices detected by said detector and by using one or more information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of the second photographing devices received by said receiver;

a display to display k units of image signals chosen by said selector; and

a signal combiner to combine at least one of the chosen image signals outputted from n units of the first photographing devices with an image signal cut out from at least one of the chosen image signals outputted from m units of the second photographing devices and output a combined image signal, the cut out image signal being an image signal of a blind spot for all of n units of the first photographing devices,

wherein a controller is configured to dynamically switch the chosen image signals from the selector by using relative information between the location, orientation, viewing angle and moving speed of the n units of the first photographing devices and the location, orientation, viewing angle and moving speed of the m units of the second photographing devices so that the blind spot will remain, without interruption, within photographic coverage within the combined image signal,

wherein the controller calculates, by using information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of n units of the first photographing devices and m units of the second photographing devices, the time taken by a specific object in a common region of the photographing coverage of the first and second photographing devices to deviate from the common region;

wherein the controller controls, before the above time elapses, to switch the choice of image signals such that one or more of the image signals of p units (p≧

1) of third photographing devices with which the other vehicle is equipped is chosen; and

wherein the specific object exists in the common region of the photographing coverage of the first and third photographing devices.

3. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display displays two or more image signals chosen by said selector in succession or in separate windows on the same screen.

4. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display combines or superimposes and displays two or more image signals chosen by said selector.

5. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 2 comprising a recognizing device to perform object recognition with respect to an image signal chosen by said selector, wherein said display displays an object recognized by said recognizing device.

6. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a stereo-photographing processor to perform photographing in stereo by using two or more image signals chosen by said selector.

7. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein object recognition is performed in said first and second photographing devices and image signals of objects to be recognized including a person and/or an obstacle around the self-vehicle are chosen and displayed.

8. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, with respect to a region to be the driver'"'"'s blind spot which cannot be photographed by said first photographing devices because of an obstacle, image signals picked up by said second photographing devices are chosen and displayed.

9. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, with respect to a region to be the driver'"'"'s blind spot which cannot be photographed by said first photographing devices because of an obstacle, when image signals picked up by said second photographing devices are chosen and displayed, a notice in voice about such processing is outputted.

10. A driving assisting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when image signals picked up by said second photographing devices are chosen and displayed with respect to a region to be the driver'"'"'s blind spot which cannot be photographed by said first photographing devices because of an obstacle, the obstacle portion is colored and its image is explicitly displayed.

11. A vehicle having n units (n≧

1) of first cameras and a monitor for displaying images picked up by the first cameras, said vehicle comprising;

a receiver to wirelessly receive image signals outputted from m units (m≧

1) of second cameras with which a self-vehicle is not equipped, and to receive information regarding location, orientation, viewing angle and moving speed of the second cameras, wherein part of photographing coverage of at least one of the second cameras is in common with part of photographing coverage of at least one of the first cameras;

a selector to choose k units (n+m>

k≧

1) of images signals out of image signals outputted from n units of the first cameras and image signals outputted from m units of the second cameras and received by the selector; and

a controller to control choice of image signals by the selector by using one or more information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of the n units of the first cameras and of the m units of the second cameras,

wherein, with respect to a region of photographing coverage to be a driver'"'"'s blind spot which cannot be photographed by the first camera because of an obstacle, at least one of the image signals picked up by the second cameras is chosen and displayed on the monitor, and

further comprising;

a signal combiner to combine at least one of the chosen image signals outputted from n units of the first cameras with an image signal cut out from at least one of the chosen image signals outputted from m units of the second cameras and output a combined image signal, the cut out image signal being an image signal of a blind spot for all of n units of the first cameras,

wherein the controller is configured to dynamically switch the chosen image signals from the selector by using relative information between the location, orientation, viewing angle and moving speed of the n units of the first cameras and the location, orientation, viewing angle and moving speed of the m units of the second cameras so that the blind spot will remain, without interruption, within photographic coverage within the combined image signal,

wherein the controller calculates, by using information on the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of n units of the first cameras and m units of the second cameras, the time taken by a specific object in a common region of the photographing coverage of the first and second cameras to deviate from the common region;

wherein the controller controls, before the above time elapses, to switch the choice of image signals such that one or more of the image signals of p units (p≧

1) of third cameras with which the self-vehicle is not equipped is chosen; and

wherein the specific object exists in the common region of the photographing coverage of the first and third cameras.