Vehicle periphery monitoring device

• US 9,067,537 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software AB (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Aimura, Makoto, Hashimoto, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/265,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20120044352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/30 providing vision in the non-visible spectrum, e.g. night or infrared vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/106 using night vision cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle periphery monitoring device capable of making a driver reliably recognize the shape of an object to which attention should be paid. According to an image processing unit (1) (vehicle periphery monitoring device), for example, when it is highly probable that the shape of the object is difficult to be visually recognized through the output image because of the reason that the object is present far from the vehicle or other reason, an enlarged image (Q′) of the object (Q) is displayed on an HUD (7) so as not to overlap with the object (Q).

Claims

1. A vehicle periphery monitoring device comprising:

a first image processing component configured to extract an image area corresponding to an object as an object area from an image of a periphery of a vehicle acquired by an imaging device mounted in the vehicle; and

a second image processing component configured to display an output image representing the periphery of the vehicle in accordance with the image on an image display device mounted in the vehicle,

wherein the second image processing component is further configured to determine whether or not the object satisfies a first condition and to display an enlarged image of the object on the image display device if it is determined that the object satisfies a first condition,

wherein the object is displayed on the image display device in such a way that the enlarged image of the object overlaps with the output image but does not overlap with the object contained in the output image on the proviso that the object area is extracted by the first image processing component, and

wherein the first condition includes at least that a size of the object in the image of the periphery of the vehicle or in the output image is smaller than a reference size.

2. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the second image processing component is configured to display on the image display device the enlarged image of the object in a predefined size.

3. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein the second image processing component is configured to display on the image display device a frame encircling the object in the output image, vary a size of the frame according to at least one of the following aspects:

a distance from the vehicle to the object, a size of the object in the image of the periphery of the vehicle or in the output image, and a velocity of the vehicle, and display the frame of the varied size on the image display device.

4. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the second image processing component is configured to locate the enlarged image of the object in one image area where the object is present among a plurality of image areas constituting the output image and display the same on the image display device.

5. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the second image processing component is configured to locate the enlarged image of the object at a position opposite to a displacement direction of the object viewed from the object in the output image and display the same on the image display device.

6. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the display of the enlarged image of the object is paused or reserved on the image display device when a distance from the vehicle to the object is equal to or shorter than a second reference distance, or a time interval from a present time to another time where a distance from the vehicle to the object is predicted to be the shortest is equal to or smaller than a reference time interval.

7. A vehicle periphery monitoring device comprising:

a first image processing component configured to extract an image area corresponding to an object as an object area from an image of a periphery of a vehicle acquired by an imaging device mounted in the vehicle; and

a second image processing component configured to display an output image representing the periphery of the vehicle in accordance with the image on an image display device mounted in the vehicle,

wherein the second image processing component is further configured to determine whether or not the object satisfies a first condition and to display an enlarged image of the object on the image display device if it is determined that the object satisfies a first condition, and wherein the second image processing component displays the enlarged image in such a way that the enlarged image of the object overlaps with the output image but does not overlap with the object contained in the output image if the object area is extracted by the first image processing component,

when a plurality of object areas have been extracted by the first image processing component, the second image processing component is configured to display on the image display device the enlarged image of an object if the object among a plurality of objects corresponding to the plurality of object areas respectively satisfies a second condition containing a contact possibility between the object and the vehicle is the highest, the contact possibility is evaluated based on a relative motion vector of the object with respect to the vehicle, and

wherein the first condition includes at least that a size of the object in the image of the periphery of the vehicle or in the output image is smaller than a reference size.

8. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 7, wherein the second image processing component is configured to display on the image display device the enlarged image of the object in a predefined size.

9. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 8, wherein the second image processing component is configured to display on the image display device a frame encircling the object in the output image, vary a size of the frame according to at least one of the following aspects:

a distance from the vehicle to the object, a size of the object in the image of the periphery of the vehicle or in the output image, and a velocity of the vehicle, and display the frame of the varied size on the image display device.

10. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 7, wherein the second image processing component is configured to locate the enlarged image of the object in one image area where the object is present among a plurality of image areas constituting the output image and display the same on the image display device.

11. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 7, wherein the second image processing component is configured to locate the enlarged image of the object at a position opposite to a displacement direction of the object viewed from the object in the output image and display the same on the image display device.

12. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 7, wherein the display of the enlarged image of the object is paused or reserved on the image display device when a distance from the vehicle to the object is equal to or shorter than a second reference distance, or a time interval from a present time to another time where a distance from the vehicle to the object is predicted to be the shortest is equal to or smaller than a reference time interval.