Driving-operation assist and recording medium

• US 9,272,731 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Shusaku, Ishii, Hirofumi, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Nobori, Kunio, Morimura, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUNG T
• Application Number:
  US13/848,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20130231863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 348/118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/102 using 360 degree surveillance camera system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/02 Steering position indicators ; Steering position determination; Steering aids
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A vehicle-operation assist includes a circumferential-state imager for imaging a circumferential state of a vehicle with a camera and generating a circumferential-state image; a synthetic-image generator for generating a synthetic image by superimposing on the circumferential-state image, an assumed-movement pattern of the vehicle performing a predetermined series of driving operations; and a display for displaying the synthetic image. The circumferential-state imager has at least one camera and a camera parameter table for storing characteristics of the camera and generating the circumferential-state image on the basis of the camera characteristics.

Claims

1. A vehicle-operation assist for a vehicle mounted with a camera, comprising:

a circumferential-state imaging unit for generating a circumferential-state image using an output image from the camera; and

a synthetic-image generating unit for;

determining an assumed-movement pattern between start and end positions for a predetermined driving operation of the vehicle based on the circumferential-state image, the predetermined driving operation determined regardless of a current position of the vehicle,

generating an assumed-movement pattern image indicating movement of the vehicle between the start and end positions, the assumed-movement pattern image including an image representing the vehicle at each of the start and end positions, and

superimposing the assumed-movement pattern image on the circumferential-state image to form a synthetic image.

2. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the image representing the vehicle at the start position is an image of the vehicle at the start position when performing the predetermined driving operation.

3. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 2, wherein

the assumed-movement pattern image further includes an image of the vehicle at the current position.

4. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the image representing the vehicle shows a circumscribed area of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the image representing the vehicle is an actual-vehicle image.

6. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the circumferential-state image is a virtual viewpoint image in which the vehicle and its surroundings are viewed from a virtual viewpoint, said virtual viewpoint being different from a viewpoint of the camera.

7. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 6, wherein

a predetermined viewpoint is a point fixed to the three-dimensional space or the vehicle, and the circumferential-state imaging unit changes the predetermined viewpoint automatically or through an input from a driver.

8. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the assumed-movement pattern image includes virtual poles arranged on an outer edge of a vehicle movement area.

9. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the synthetic-image generating unit superimposes the image of the vehicle at the start position for the predetermined driving operation on a same position as the current position of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, further comprising

a pattern selecting unit for selecting one of a plurality of assumed-movement patterns through an input from a driver.

11. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the synthetic-image generating unit generates the synthetic image by superimposing two or more assumed-movement patterns on the circumferential-state image.

12. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the assumed-movement pattern image includes a change from backward movement to forward movement or from forward movement to backward movement in the predetermined driving operation.

13. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the assumed-movement pattern image further includes a trace between the start and end positions of the vehicle for the predetermined driving operation.

14. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 13, wherein

the trace included in the assumed-movement pattern image shows a circumscribed area through which the vehicle passes for the predetermined driving operation.

15. The vehicle-operation assist according the claim 1, wherein

the image regarding the vehicle at the start position is an image which expresses a frame of the start position.

16. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

the assumed-movement pattern image includes margin lines arranged outside of an outer edge of a vehicle movement area.

17. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, wherein

a current position of the vehicle is different from the start position of the predetermined driving operation.

18. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit for displaying the synthetic image.

19. The vehicle-operation assist according to claim 18, wherein

the display unit has a time-period in which the synthetic image simultaneously includes at least (i) the start position of the predetermined driving operation and (ii) the image representing the vehicle at the end position of the predetermined driving operation.