Vehicle periphery display device and method for vehicle periphery image

• US 8,514,282 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Imanishi, Masayuki, Wakayama, Nobuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US12/661,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 348/149, 348/113, 348/114
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/304 using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

An imaging unit photographs an image of a periphery of the vehicle. An object detection unit obtains image information related to a brightness or a color of the image and position information on the obtained image from the image and detects object from the image information according to a specific feature of the image. A storing unit prestores a vehicle image and history data, which include the image information associated with the position information. A graphic unit overlaps the vehicle image and an image produced according to the history data and converts the overlapped image to be viewed from a predetermined viewpoint. A peripheral image display region indicates a present periphery of the vehicle. A history display region is adjacent to the peripheral image display region for indicating the converted image and the detected object at a position according to the position information.

Claims

1. A vehicle periphery display device indicating an image of a periphery of a vehicle, the vehicle periphery display device comprising:

an imaging unit configured to photograph an image of a periphery of the vehicle;

a first object detection unit configured to

obtain image information related to at least one of a brightness and a color of the photographed image from the photographed image,

obtain position information on the photographed image from the photographed image,

detect an object including at least one of a road indication and an on-road object from the obtained image information according to a specific feature of the object in the photographed image by comparing a level of the at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image with a predetermined threshold level, the object being detected when the level of the at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image exceed the predetermined threshold level, and

associate the image information on the object with the position information on the object;

a storing unit configured to

beforehand store a vehicle image of the vehicle and

store history data of the associated image information and the position information;

a graphic unit configured to

generate an image according to the history data,

overlap the generated image and an image including the beforehand stored vehicle image, and

convert the overlapped image to be viewed from a predetermined viewpoint,

a display screen including

a peripheral image display region configured to indicate the present image of the periphery of the vehicle obtained by the imaging unit and

a history display region adjacent to the peripheral image display region and configured to indicate the converted image and the object detected from the image information in the converted image at a position according to the associated position information.

2. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 1, wherein the first object detection unit obtains the image information from a single photographed image and detects the object using the obtained image information from the single photographed image.

3. A method for indicating an image of a periphery of a vehicle, the method comprising:

photographing a present image of a periphery of the vehicle;

obtaining image information related to at least one of a brightness and a color of the photographed image from the photographed image;

obtaining position information on the photographed image from the photographed image;

detecting a parking line, which specifies a parking space from the obtained image information related to at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image according to a specific feature of the object in the photographed image by comparing a level of the at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image with a predetermined threshold level, the object being detected when the level of the at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image exceed the predetermined threshold level;

associating the obtained image information on the object with the obtained position information on the object;

storing history data of the associated image information and the associated position information;

generating an image according to the history data;

overlapping the generated image and a beforehand stored vehicle image of the vehicle;

converting the overlapped image to be viewed from a predetermined viewpoint;

indicating the present image of the periphery of the vehicle in a peripheral image display region;

indicating the converted image in a history display region adjacent to the peripheral image display region; and

indicating the detected object in the converted image at a position according to the associated position information.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executed by a computer, the instructions including the method according to claim 3.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first object detection unit obtains the image information from a single photographed image and detects the object using the obtained image information from the single photographed image.

6. A vehicle periphery display device indicating an image of a periphery of a vehicle, the vehicle periphery display device comprising:

an imaging unit configured to photograph an image of a periphery of the vehicle;

a first object detection unit configured to

obtain image information related to at least one of a brightness and a color of the photographed image from the photographed image,

obtain position information on the photographed image from the photographed image,

detect a parking line, which specifies a parking space, from the obtained image information related to at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image according to a specific feature of the parking line in the photographed image by comparing a level of the at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image with a predetermined threshold level, the object being detected when the level of the at least one of the brightness and the color of the photographed image exceed the predetermined threshold level, and

associate the image information on the parking line with the position information on the parking line;

a storing unit configured to

store a vehicle image of the vehicle and

store history data of the associated image information and the position information;

a graphic unit configured to

generate an image according to the history data,

overlap the generated image and an image including the stored vehicle image, and

convert the overlapped image to be viewed from a predetermined viewpoint,

a display screen including

a peripheral image display region configured to indicate the present image of the periphery of the vehicle obtained by the imaging unit and

a history display region adjacent to the peripheral image display region and configured to indicate the converted image and the parking line detected from the image information in the converted image by allocating a dot in a predetermined size at a position according to the associated position information.

7. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6, wherein the history display region is configured to indicate the parking line in at least one of the brightness and the color, which is related to the image information.

8. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6,

wherein the first object detection unit is configured to detect a width of the parking line detected from the image information, and

the history display region is configured to indicate the parking line to have a width, which corresponds to the detected width.

9. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6, wherein the history display region is configured to indicate a road surface, which is other than the vehicle image and the parking line, in at least one of an average color of the road surface and an average brightness of the road surface, which is obtained from the image information.

10. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a second object detection unit configured to detect an on-road object around the periphery of the vehicle and detect a distance of the detected on-road object from the vehicle,

wherein the second object detection unit is configured to detect position information on the on-road object.

11. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6, wherein the graphic unit is configured to cause the history display region to indicate a scale line for specifying a predetermined distance from the vehicle.

12. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6, wherein the history display region is configured to indicate at least one of a position of an axle portion of the vehicle and a wheel of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral image display region is configured to indicate the present image of the periphery of the vehicle, which is obtained by the imaging unit, without correction of distortion caused in the present image.

14. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 13, wherein the graphic unit is configured to add distortion of the present image, which is in the peripheral image display region, to the image in the history display region.

15. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6,

wherein the imaging unit is configured to obtain a present rear image on a rear side of the vehicle, and

the peripheral image display region is configured to indicate the present rear image obtained by the imaging unit, without correction of distortion caused in the present rear image.

16. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 15, wherein the graphic unit is configured to add distortion of the present rear image, which is in the peripheral image display region, to the image in the history display region.

17. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6,

wherein the first object detection unit is configured to further detect, as the position information, coordinates of a center portion of a width of the parking line, and

the history display region is further configured to allocate the dot at a position according to the position information corresponding to the coordinates of the center portion.

18. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 17,

wherein the first object detection unit is configured to further

detect a difference between the image information, which is detected as the parking line, and a threshold and

calculate a brightness according to the detected difference, and

the history display region is further configured to indicate the parking line in the calculated brightness.

19. The vehicle periphery display device according to claim 6, wherein the first object detection unit obtains the image information from a single photographed image and detects the object using the obtained image information from the single photographed image.