Apparatus and method for displaying a blind spot

• US 9,418,556 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wise Automotive Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wise Automotive Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Jae-Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aynalem, Nathnael
• Application Number:
  US13/996,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 340/435
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• 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 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

An apparatus and method for displaying a blind spot, which involve displaying at least one image of the surroundings of a vehicle, in which the image is provided by an imaging unit including a camera, a GPS navigation system, and/or a street-view receiver, so as to provide a driver with information on the blind spots of a front portion, a rear portion, and a side portion of a vehicle that are hidden by the vehicle and thus not easily seen within the field of view of the driver during travel of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying a blind spot, comprising:

an imaging unit for detecting surrounding images of a vehicle;

a control unit for merging each of at least one image captured by the imaging unit at a specific point of time and before the specific point of time, side by side in chronological order, and outputting the image obtained by merging as an image for display and displaying a vehicle icon indicative of a current position of the vehicle on the outputted image for display in a contour form or semi-transparently so that a blind spot proximate the vehicle and a blind spot covered by the vehicle body are displayed; and

a screen display unit for displaying the image for display and the vehicle icon outputted from the control unit,

wherein the outputted image for display is any one of an original image of the captured image, an image obtained by converting the point of time of the original image and an image obtained by merging the original image and a plurality of images comprising converted points of time.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outputted image for display comprises a combination of images among the plurality of images.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blind spot covered by the vehicle body comprises a lower part of the vehicle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the imaging unit is any one of a camera installed in the vehicle and configured to capture the surrounding images of the vehicle and provide the captured images, a GPS navigation system configured to detect information on a position of the vehicle and provide a surrounding image corresponding to the detected information, and an external information reception unit configured to receive the surrounding images of the vehicle from cameras installed in surrounding roads or buildings of the vehicle and provide the received surrounding images.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in response to information on a position movement of the vehicle being supplies outside the vehicle or driving control information being detected from the vehicle, the control unit calculates displacement information on a movement of the vehicle from a specific position, using information on a position movement of the vehicle supplied outside the vehicle or driving control information detected from the vehicle, and detects information on the current position of the vehicle based on the calculated displacement information, using the information on a position movement of the vehicle supplied outside the vehicle or the driving control information detected from the vehicle.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is operable with a display to display a position of the vehicle icon displayed on the image for display by incorporating information on a real-time position according to a movement of the vehicle into the position of the vehicle icon.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, in response to movement of the vehicle, a change of the position of the vehicle icon displayed on the image for display comprises displaying the changed position of the vehicle icon by moving only the vehicle icon on the image for display, displaying the changed position of the vehicle icon by fixing the position of the vehicle icon on a predetermined position and moving only the image for display, or displaying by moving both the image for display and the position of the vehicle icon.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the generated image for display is obtained by merging image areas moved by a predetermined number of unit pixels using information on a position of the vehicle supplied from the vehicle or driving control information detected from the vehicle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the generated image for display is obtained by comparing images with each other and extracting and merging an image area including pixels having high similarity and an image area including pixels having low similarity proximate the image area including the pixels having high similarity as a result of the comparison.

10. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein information on the generated image is obtained by extracting a reduced image search area according to information on a speed and steering angle of the vehicle based on information on a driving of the vehicle comprising the speed and movement direction of the vehicle supplied from the vehicle, and extracting and merging an image area including pixels having high similarity from the reduced image search area.

16. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the blind spot covered by the vehicle body comprises a lower part of the vehicle.

11. A method for displaying a blind spot, comprising:

merging, by a control unit, each of at least one image, respectively captured by an imaging unit at a specific point of time and prior to the specific point of time, side by side in a chronological order, and outputting the image obtained by merging as an image for display; and

calculating, by the control unit, information on a displacement of a vehicle moved from a specific position based on information on a movement of a position of the vehicle supplied outside the vehicle or driving control information supplied from the vehicle and detecting a current position of the vehicle based on the calculated information on the movement displacement,

the control unit being operable with a display for displaying the image for display and a vehicle icon indicative of the current position of the vehicle by displaying the vehicle icon, based on the current position and the displacement information, on the image for display in a contour form or semi-transparently so that a blind spot proximate the vehicle and a blind spot covered by a vehicle body are displayed, and

wherein the outputted image for display is any one of an original image of the captured image, an image obtained by converting the point of time of the original image, and image obtained by merging the original image and a plurality of images comprising converted points of time.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the image for display comprises a combination of images among the plurality of images.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the image for display is an image captured by any one of a camera installed in the vehicle and configured to capture the surrounding images of the vehicle and provide the captured images, a GPS navigation system configured to detect information on a position of the vehicle and provide a surrounding image corresponding to the detected information, and an external information reception unit configured to receive the surrounding images of the vehicle from cameras installed in surrounding roads or buildings of the vehicle and provide the received surrounding images.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle icon is displayed so that a position of the vehicle icon displayed on the image for display is changed by incorporating information on a real-time position according to a movement of the vehicle into the position of the vehicle icon.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, in response to movement of the vehicle, a change of the position of the vehicle icon displayed on the image for display comprises displaying the changed position of the vehicle icon by moving only the vehicle icon on the image for display, displaying the changed position of the vehicle icon by fixing the position of the vehicle icon on a predetermined position and moving only the image for display, or displaying by moving both the image for display and the position of the vehicle icon.