Image display apparatus for vehicle

• US 8,400,329 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.), Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation
• Inventors: Kumagami, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/779,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/903, 340/435, 348/148, 348/149, 345/626, 345/629, 382/104, 382/105, 382/283
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/304 using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an imaging unit inputs a camera image of surroundings of a vehicle. The surroundings include at least one of a front side and a back side of the vehicle. A first image generation unit generates a mask image to conceal a protection region of personal information included in a region of a first vehicle on the camera image. The first vehicle exists at the front side or the back side of the user'"'"'s vehicle. A surroundings-monitoring unit decides whether a second vehicle exists at a front side or a back side of the first vehicle by monitoring the camera image. A second image generation unit generates an identification image of the second vehicle when the second vehicle exists. A processing unit generates a composite image by combining the mask image and the identification image with the camera image, and displays the composite image to present to a user of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying an image for a vehicle, comprising:

an imaging unit configured to input a camera image of surroundings of the vehicle, the surroundings including at least one of a front side and a back side of the vehicle along a running direction;

a first image generation unit configured to generate a mask image to conceal a protection region of personal information included in a region of a first vehicle on the camera image, the first vehicle existing at the front side or the back side of the vehicle;

a surroundings-monitoring unit configured to decide whether a second vehicle exists at a front side or a back side of the first vehicle by monitoring the camera image, the second vehicle being running at the front side of the first vehicle before the vehicle or at the back side of the first vehicle rear of the vehicle;

a second image generation unit configured to generate an imitation image of the second vehicle which does not include the same type of mask image of the first vehicle when the surroundings-monitoring unit decides that the second vehicle exists; and

a processing unit configured to generate a composite image by combining the mask image and the imitation image with the camera image so that the imitation image is completely visible even when at least a portion of the second vehicle is hidden from view by the first vehicle, and to present the composite image to a user of the vehicle via a display.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the processing unit, at an emergency time, outputs the camera image from the imaging unit in real time via the display, not by combining the mask image.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first image generation unit extracts a window and a number plate of the first vehicle as the protection region from the region of the first vehicle, and generates the mask image corresponding to the protection region.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first image generation unit decides whether to generate the mask image, based on at least one of a color and a size of a window of the first vehicle, and a distance between the vehicle and the first vehicle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the surroundings-monitoring unit monitors at least one of a window, an upper part, a lower part and a side of the first vehicle on the camera image, and recognizes an object having a color different from the first vehicle or an object having a size over the first vehicle on the camera image, as the second vehicle.