Vehicle periphery monitoring device and vehicle periphery image display method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle periphery monitoring device comprising:
- a plurality of imaging units mounted on a vehicle and configured to capture images of a vehicle periphery;
an image brightness calculation processor configured to calculate a value corresponding to brightness of images taken by the plurality of imaging units;
a brightness correction unit, said brightness correction unit being configured to correct the brightness of the images obtained by the plurality of imaging units on the basis of the value calculated by the image brightness calculation processor;
an image combining processor configured to combine the plurality of images obtained by the plurality of imaging units and corrected by the brightness correction unit into a single image;
an image convertor that converts the single image formed by the image combining processor into an overhead image viewed from right above the vehicle;
a traveling direction judgment processor configured to judge a traveling direction of a vehicle;
an imaging-unit-selecting processor configured to select one image from the images taken by the plurality of imaging units on the basis of a judgment result of the traveling direction judgment processor; and
an image display unit that simultaneously displays the overhead image formed by the image convertor and one image selected by the imaging-unit-selecting processor;
whereinthe image brightness calculation processor calculates a value corresponding to brightness of the image imaged by the imaging unit corresponding to a traveling direction of the vehicle based on the determination result of the traveling direction judgment processor and selected by the imaging-unit-selecting processor,the brightness correction unit corrects brightness of the images taken by the plurality of imaging units other than the imaging unit corresponding to the traveling direction based on the difference between the value corresponding to the brightness of the image taken by the imaging unit in the traveling direction and calculated by the image brightness calculation processor and the values corresponding to brightness of the others of the plurality of the imaging units for an image area which is overlapped on the image area of the traveling direction, andthe image display unit simultaneously displays the overhead image combined by the image combining processor and converted by the image convertor and the image selected by the imaging-unit-selecting processor, the brightness of the combined and converted overhead image being corrected.
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Abstract
From a plurality of imaging units (110) which capture images of a vehicle periphery and from an image taken by any one of the plurality of imaging units (any one of 111, 121, 131, 141), a value corresponding to brightness of the image is calculated. Based on the calculated value, brightness of images obtained by the plurality of imaging units (110) is corrected by a brightness correction unit (120). After a predetermined coordinate transformation is performed on the brightness corrected images, the images are combined into a single image, and the single image is displayed together with the image taken by the one imaging unit (any one of 111, 121, 131, 141).
14 Citations
6 Claims
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1. A vehicle periphery monitoring device comprising:
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a plurality of imaging units mounted on a vehicle and configured to capture images of a vehicle periphery; an image brightness calculation processor configured to calculate a value corresponding to brightness of images taken by the plurality of imaging units; a brightness correction unit, said brightness correction unit being configured to correct the brightness of the images obtained by the plurality of imaging units on the basis of the value calculated by the image brightness calculation processor; an image combining processor configured to combine the plurality of images obtained by the plurality of imaging units and corrected by the brightness correction unit into a single image; an image convertor that converts the single image formed by the image combining processor into an overhead image viewed from right above the vehicle; a traveling direction judgment processor configured to judge a traveling direction of a vehicle; an imaging-unit-selecting processor configured to select one image from the images taken by the plurality of imaging units on the basis of a judgment result of the traveling direction judgment processor; and an image display unit that simultaneously displays the overhead image formed by the image convertor and one image selected by the imaging-unit-selecting processor; wherein the image brightness calculation processor calculates a value corresponding to brightness of the image imaged by the imaging unit corresponding to a traveling direction of the vehicle based on the determination result of the traveling direction judgment processor and selected by the imaging-unit-selecting processor, the brightness correction unit corrects brightness of the images taken by the plurality of imaging units other than the imaging unit corresponding to the traveling direction based on the difference between the value corresponding to the brightness of the image taken by the imaging unit in the traveling direction and calculated by the image brightness calculation processor and the values corresponding to brightness of the others of the plurality of the imaging units for an image area which is overlapped on the image area of the traveling direction, and the image display unit simultaneously displays the overhead image combined by the image combining processor and converted by the image convertor and the image selected by the imaging-unit-selecting processor, the brightness of the combined and converted overhead image being corrected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A vehicle periphery image display method for displaying, in one display screen, an image obtained by combining a plurality of images of a vehicle periphery taken by a plurality of imaging units and an image taken by one of the plurality of imaging units, comprising the steps of:
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judging a traveling direction of a vehicle; selecting one image from a plurality of images captured for a vehicle periphery on the basis of the judgment result of the traveling direction; calculating a value corresponding to brightness for each of the plurality of images; correcting brightness of the plurality of images, except the one image selected based on the traveling direction, on the basis of difference between the calculated value of the one image and each value of the plurality of images which has an overlapping portion with the one image; performing a predetermined coordinate transformation process on the plurality of images, the brightness of which is corrected; combining the plurality of coordinate-transformed images into a single image; converting the single image into an overhead image viewed from right above the vehicle; displaying the overhead image and the one image simultaneously. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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Specification