Method and apparatus for visualization of an environment of a motor vehicle

• US 10,248,132 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Buschenfeld, Torsten, Max, Stephan, Brosig, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US15/616,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20170357271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• 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 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/20 characterised by the type of display used
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/202 displaying a blind spot scene on the vehicle part responsible for the blind spot
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/406 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8026 in addition to a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for visualizing an environment of a motor vehicle, wherein the apparatus has at least one camera for detecting an environment of the motor vehicle, at least one display unit, and an evaluation and control unit, which is designed to depict images of the environment on the display unit, depending on the pictures from the at least one camera, wherein the apparatus comprises a device for detecting a head position of a vehicle passenger, wherein the evaluation and control unit is designed so that the depiction on the display unit is adapted depending on the detected head position, so that the vehicle passenger sees a depiction of the environment of the motor vehicle that the vehicle passenger would see if the display unit were a transparent window of the motor vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of visualizing an environment of a motor vehicle using at least one vehicle-installed camera for detecting an environment of the motor vehicle, at least one display unit, and an evaluation and control unit, which depicts images of the environment on the display unit in dependence of images from the at least one camera,

wherein at least one device is provided for detecting a head position of a vehicle passenger, wherein the depiction on the display unit is adapted depending on the detected head position and the position of the display unit, so that the vehicle passenger sees a depiction of the environment of the motor vehicle that the vehicle passenger would see if the display unit were a transparent window of the motor vehicle, wherein

the display unit is a component of a mobile device, wherein the position of the display unit is determined by an internal sensor system, wherein

the mobile device acquires images of the interior with a camera of the mobile device, and the position of the display unit is determined by comparing the images with previously saved images of the interior.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the head position is detected by at least one vehicle passenger camera.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device detects the head position of the vehicle passenger with the camera of the mobile device, wherein the position of the display unit is deduced using the determined head position by a vehicle passenger camera.

3. An apparatus of visualizing an environment of a motor vehicle, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one vehicle-installed camera for detecting an environment of the motor vehicle, at least one display unit, and an evaluation and control unit, which is designed to depict images of the environment on the display unit depending on images from the at least one camera,

wherein the apparatus further comprises a device for detecting a head position of a vehicle passenger, wherein the evaluation and control unit is configured so that the depiction on the display unit is adapted depending on the detected head position, so that the vehicle passenger sees a depiction of the environment of the motor vehicle that the vehicle passenger would see if the display unit were a transparent window of the motor vehicle, wherein

the at least one display unit is a component of a mobile device, wherein

the mobile device is configured with an internal sensor system for detecting the position of the display unit, and wherein

the mobile device comprises at least one camera, wherein the mobile device or the evaluation and control unit is configured so that the position of the display unit is determined from pictures of the camera of the interior of the motor vehicle and by comparing with previously saved pictures of the interior, or that the camera detects the head position of the vehicle passenger, wherein the position of the display unit is deduced from the determined head position by a vehicle passenger camera.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, comprising at least one interior vehicle camera, which is configured to determine the head position of a vehicle passenger.

6. A method of visualizing an environment of a motor vehicle using at least one vehicle-installed camera for detecting an environment of the motor vehicle, at least one display unit, and an evaluation and control unit, which depicts images of the environment on the display unit in dependence of images from the at least one camera,

wherein at least one device is provided for detecting a head position of a vehicle passenger, wherein the depiction on the display unit is adapted depending on the detected head position and the position of the display unit, so that the vehicle passenger sees a depiction of the environment of the motor vehicle that the vehicle passenger would see if the display unit were a transparent window of the motor vehicle, wherein

the display unit is a component of a mobile device, wherein the position of the display unit is determined by an internal sensor system, and wherein

the mobile device detects the head position of the vehicle passenger with a camera of the mobile device, wherein the position of the display unit is deduced using the determined head position by a vehicle passenger camera.