Rendering device

• US 20020001399A1
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Takashi, Iisaka, Atsushi, Ishida, Akira, Yasui, Nobuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,999,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• 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 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• 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 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation

Abstract

In a rendering device Urnd1, a CPU 7 receives a captured image each from two image capture devices 1 and 2. The CPU 7 then receives a rudder angle of a steering wheel of a vehicle from a rudder angle sensor 3. Based on the rudder angle, the CPU 7 derives an estimated trajectory for the vehicle to take in the course of time. Then, with reference to the estimated trajectory, the CPU 7 selects several pixels each from the captured images, and then generates a drive assistant image based on those pixels. In this manner, the drive assistant image generated by the rendering device Urnd1 hardly causes the driver to feel strange.

Claims

1. A rendering device for generating a drive assistant image of around a vehicle for drive assistance,

said vehicle includes a rudder angle sensor for detecting a rudder angle of the vehicle, and a plurality of image capture devices each for image capturing an area around the vehicle, and images captured thereby include an overlapped region,

said rendering device comprising:

an image receiving part for receiving the images captured by each of said image capture devices;

a rudder angle receiving part for receiving the rudder angle detected by said rudder angle sensor; and

an image processing part for performing pixel selection from the captured images received by said image receiving part according to the rudder angle received by said rudder angle receiving part, and based on a result of the pixel selection, generating said drive assistant image.

2. The rendering device according to claim 1, further comprising a table storing part for storing a mapping table showing a correspondence between said drive assistant image and said captured images on a pixel basis, wherein

in said mapping table, a pixel belonging to said overlapped region in said drive assistant image corresponds to a plurality of pixels in said captured images according to the rudder angle received by said rudder angle receiving part, and

according to the mapping table stored in said table storing part, said image processing part selects the pixels from each of the captured images received by said image receiving part.

3. The rendering device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a trajectory deriving part for deriving a trajectory estimated for said vehicle to take in a course of time based on the rudder angle received by said rudder angle receiving part; and

a trajectory rendering part for rendering the trajectory derived by said trajectory deriving part on the drive assistant image generated by said image processing part.

4. The rendering device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image storing part for storing a vehicle image representing said vehicle; and

a vehicle rendering part for rendering the vehicle image stored in said image storing part on the drive assistant image generated by said image processing part.

5. The rendering device according to claim 1, wherein said image processing part generates the drive assistant image showing the area around said vehicle viewed from a predetermined virtual camera.

6. A rendering method for generating a drive assistant image of around a vehicle for drive assistance,

said vehicle includes a rudder angle sensor for detecting a rudder angle of the vehicle, and a plurality of image capture devices each for image capturing an area around the vehicle, and images captured thereby include an overlapped region,

said rendering method comprising:

an image receiving step of receiving the images captured by each of said image capture devices;

a rudder angle receiving step of receiving the rudder angle detected by said rudder angle sensor; and

an image processing step of performing pixel selection from the captured images received in said image receiving step according to the rudder angle received in said rudder angle receiving step, and based on a result of the pixel selection, generating said drive assistant image.

7. The rendering method according to claim 6, further comprising a table storing step of storing a mapping table showing a correspondence between said drive assistant image and said captured images on a pixel basis, wherein

in said mapping table, a pixel belonging to said overlapped region in said drive assistant image corresponds to a plurality of pixels in said captured images according to the rudder angle received in said rudder angle receiving step, and

according to the mapping table stored in said table receiving step, in said image processing step, the pixels are selected from each of the captured images received in said image receiving step.

8. A recording medium with a program recorded for generating a drive assistant image of around a vehicle for drive assistance, said program comprising:

said vehicle includes a rudder angle sensor for detecting a rudder angle of the vehicle, and a plurality of image capture devices each for image capturing an area around the vehicle, and images captured thereby include an overlapped region,

said rendering method comprising;

an image receiving step of receiving the images captured by each of said image capture devices;

a rudder angle receiving step of receiving the rudder angle detected by said rudder angle sensor; and

an image processing step of performing pixel selection from the captured images received in said image receiving step according to the rudder angle received in said rudder angle receiving step, and based on a result of the pixel selection, generating said drive assistant image.

9. The recording medium with the program recorded according to claim 8, further comprising a table storing step of storing a mapping table showing a correspondence between said drive assistant image and said captured images on a pixel basis, wherein

in said mapping table, a pixel belonging to said overlapped region in said drive assistant image corresponds to a plurality of pixels in said captured images according to the rudder angle received in said rudder angle receiving step, and

according to the mapping table stored in said table receiving step, in said image processing step, the pixels are selected from each of the captured images received in said image receiving step.

10. A program for generating a drive assistant image of around a vehicle for drive assistance,

said vehicle includes a rudder angle sensor for detecting a rudder angle of the vehicle, and a plurality of image capture devices each for image capturing an area around the vehicle, and images captured thereby include an overlapped region,

said rendering method comprising:

an image receiving step of receiving the images captured by each of said image capture devices;

a rudder angle receiving step of receiving the rudder angle detected by said rudder angle sensor; and

an image processing step of performing pixel selection from the captured images received in said image receiving step according to the rudder angle received in said rudder angle receiving step, and based on a result of the pixel selection, generating said drive assistant image.

11. The program according to claim 10, further comprising a table storing step of storing a mapping table showing a correspondence between said drive assistant image and said captured images on a pixel basis, wherein

in said mapping table, a pixel belonging to said overlapped region in said drive assistant image corresponds to a plurality of pixels in said captured images according to the rudder angle received in said rudder angle receiving step, and

according to the mapping table stored in said table receiving step, in said image processing step, the pixels are selected from each of the captured images received in said image receiving step.