Vehicle and control method thereof

• US 9,308,864 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Eunhyung, Kim, Jihwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ FUENTES, LUIS M
• Application Number:
  US14/313,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 348/345
• 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 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0229 for displays, e.g. cathodic tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0003 inside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/602 with an adjustable 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: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

Disclosed is a control method of a vehicle, including displaying a first image sequence including plural images captured by a first camera unit and a first control interface on a first display unit, and displaying a second image sequence including plural images captured by a second camera unit and a second control interface on a second display unit. Here, the first display unit and the second display unit may be located in directions facing each other, and arrangement of control objects included in the first control interface and arrangement of control objects included in the second control interface may be differently set.

Claims

1. A panoramic image system installed inside a vehicle, the panoramic image system comprising:

a first camera unit and a second camera unit configured to capture plural images during driving of the vehicle;

wherein the first camera unit is installed to capture images in a left direction to a progress direction of the vehicle and the second camera unit is installed to capture images in a right direction to a progress direction of the vehicle;

a first display unit configured to display a first image sequence including the captured plural images and a first control interface controlling display of the first image sequence on the first display unit,

wherein the first control interface includes;

a first progress bar which is either a time-based progress bar or a distance-based progress bar, and

a first control unit configured to detect and process incoming touch input and gesture inputs applied to the first display unit;

a second display unit configured to display a second image sequence including the captured plural images and a second control interface controlling display of the second image sequence on the second display unit,

wherein the second control interface includes;

a second progress bar which is either a time-based progress bar or a distance-based progress bar, and

a second control unit configured to detect and process incoming touch input and gesture inputs applied to the second display unit, and

wherein the first display unit is installed in a left interior region of the vehicle and the second display unit is installed in a right interior region of the vehicle; and

a processor configured to control the first camera unit, the second camera unit, the first display unit and the second display unit,

wherein each of the first control interface and the second control interface includes a first object and a second object,

wherein the first object of the first control interface is configured to control operation to display a past image on the first display unit,

wherein the past image preceding a current image displayed on the first display unit in time is set based on a moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein the second object of the second control interface is configured to control operation to display a future image on the second display unit,

wherein the future image following the current image displayed on the second display unit in time is set based on the moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

display the first image sequence including plural images captured by the first camera unit and the first control interface controlling display of the first image sequence on the first display unit, and

display the second image sequence including plural images captured by the second camera unit and the second control interface controlling display of the second image sequence on the second display unit,

wherein the first object on the first control interface is displayed at the left of the second object on the first control interface, and

wherein the first object on the second control interface is displayed at the right of the second object on the second control interface.

2. The panoramic image system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first control interface and the second control interface further includes an image indicator located on the respective first and second progress bars to indicate a progress state of the images.

3. The panoramic image system according to claim 2, wherein the first control interface includes a first image indicator configured to be moved in a first direction as the plural images included in the first image sequence are sequentially displayed,

wherein the second control interface includes a second image indicator configured to be moved in a second direction as the plural images included in the second image sequence are sequentially displayed, and

wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other.

4. The panoramic image system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further configured to display the image sequence in a video format when at least one of the first and second progress bars is the time-based progress bar.

5. The panoramic image system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further configured to display the image sequence in a panorama image format when at least one of the first and second progress bars is the distance-based progress bar, and

wherein the panorama image format is a format displaying the plural images included in the first image sequence and the second image sequence by switching the images into one image without overlapping regions.

6. The panoramic image system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display a first path interface indicating a movement path of the vehicle on the first display unit, and

display a second path interface indicating a movement path of the vehicle on the second display unit.

7. The panoramic image system according to claim 6, wherein the first path interface and the second path interface include a vehicle indicator indicating a movement path of the vehicle, a map image corresponding to the movement path and a progress state of the vehicle on the movement path.

8. The panoramic image system according to claim 7, wherein the first path interface includes a first vehicle indicator, and an image corresponding to a current position of the first vehicle indicator equal to an image corresponding to a current position of the first image indicator on the first control interface, and

wherein the second path interface includes a second vehicle indicator and an image corresponding to a current position of the second vehicle indicator equal to an image corresponding to a current position of the second image indicator on the second control interface.

9. The panoramic image system according to claim 8, further comprising a sensor unit configured to detect control input to each of the first and second display units,

wherein the first image indicator and the second image indicator are movable on the progress bar of the first control interface and the second control interface based on the control input, and

wherein the vehicle indicator is movable on the movement path of the first path interface and the second path interface based on the control input.

10. The panoramic image system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

slide the first vehicle indicator in a second direction when the first image indicator slides in a first direction based on the control input, and

slide the second vehicle indicator in a direction opposite to the second direction when the second image indicator slides in the first direction based on the control input.

11. The panoramic image system according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

slide the first image indicator in the first direction when the first vehicle indicator slides in the second direction based on the control input, and

slide the second image indicator in a direction opposite to the first direction when the second vehicle indicator slides in the second direction based on the control input.

12. The panoramic image system according to claim 10, wherein the first direction is a rightward sliding direction of the first image indicator or the second image indicator from a current position, and

wherein the second direction is a sliding direction of the first vehicle indicator or the second vehicle indicator from a current position to an end point of the movement path.

13. The panoramic image system according to claim 1, wherein the first image sequence and the second image sequence include location information regarding an image capture location and time information regarding image capture time.

14. The panoramic image system according to claim 13, wherein the first image sequence and the second image sequence further include information regarding a display sequence of the plural images included in the image sequence.

15. The panoramic image system according to claim 9, wherein the sensor unit is further configured to detect a movement speed of the vehicle when the progress bar is a distance-based progress bar, and

wherein the processor is further configured to set a frame rate for capturing the plural images based on the movement speed.

16. The panoramic image system according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

set the frame rate to a first rate when the movement speed is equal or greater than a threshold speed,

set the frame rate to a second rate when the movement speed is less than the threshold speed, and

wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate.

17. The panoramic image system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

acquire location information of the vehicle using the sensor unit, and

display an image displayed in a past movement section of the movement path in a current movement section of the movement path when the current movement section overlaps the past movement section.

18. The panoramic image system according to claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to stop display of the first image sequence and the second image sequence when the current movement section and the past movement section overlap each other and an image captured in the current movement section and an image captured in the past movement section are substantially equal to each other.

19. The panoramic image system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display the first image sequence on the first display unit when control input to the first object on the first control interface is detected, and

display the second image sequence on the second display unit when control input to the second object on the second control interface is detected.

20. The panoramic image system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display the second image sequence on the first display unit, and

display the first image sequence on the second display unit.

21. The panoramic image system according to claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display the second image sequence on the first display unit in a 360°

image format, and

display the first image sequence on the second display unit in a 360°

image format.

22. The panoramic image system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second display units are transparent display units.

23. A control method of a panoramic image system, the panoramic image system being installed inside a vehicle, the control method comprising:

capturing plural images using a first camera unit during driving of the vehicle;

capturing plural images using a second camera unit during driving of the vehicle;

displaying a first image sequence including the plural images captured by the first camera unit and a first control interface controlling display of the first image sequence on a first display unit,

wherein the first control interface includes;

a first progress bar which is either a time-based progress bar or a distance-based progress bar, and

a first control unit configured to detect and process incoming touch input and gesture inputs applied to the first display unit; and

displaying a second image sequence including the plural images captured by the second camera unit and a second control interface controlling display of the second image sequence on a second display unit,

wherein the second control interface includes;

a second progress bar which is either a time-based progress bar or a distance-based progress bar, and

a second control unit configured to detect and process incoming touch input and gesture inputs applied to the second display unit,

wherein the first camera unit is installed to capture images in a left direction to a progress direction of the vehicle and the second camera unit is installed to capture images in a right direction to a progress direction of the vehicle,

wherein the first display unit is installed in a left interior region of the vehicle and the second display unit is installed in a right interior region of the vehicle,

wherein each of the first control interface and the second control interface includes a first object and a second object,

wherein the first object is configured to control operation to display a past image on the first display unit, the past image preceding a current image displayed on the first display unit in time is set based on a moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein the second object is configured to control operation to display a future image on the second display unit,

wherein the future image following the current image displayed on the second display unit in time is set based on the moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein the first object on the first control interface is displayed at the left of the second object on the first control interface, and

wherein the first object on the second control interface is displayed at the right of the second object on the second control interface.