Monitoring system

• US 20030021490A1
• Filed: 07/17/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nobori, Kunio, Yoshida, Takashi, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Iisaka, Atsushi, Okamoto, Shusaku, Ishida, Akira, Yasui, Nobuhiko, Morimura, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/284
• 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• 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: G06T 15/10 Geometric effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

For supporting a complicated driving operation, a synthesized image by using which a driver can drive with a sense of security is presented to the driver. Camera images of cameras installed on a vehicle are used so that an image with a lateral visual field of 180 degrees in the rear of the vehicle can be displayed in the form of a mirror image. Also, (a) tire loci (41) of the vehicle obtained by assuming a reverse operation are overlapped with the image to be displayed. Furthermore, (b) a far area (43) is enlarged to be displayed in a sub-window (44), or (c) auxiliary lines (45, 46 and 47) indicating distances from the vehicle are overlapped with the image to be displayed.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

at least one camera installed on a vehicle and having a lateral visual field of substantially 180 degrees as a camera range in the rear of the vehicle; and

an image processing unit for receiving, as an input, a camera image of said camera and generating, from said camera image, an image viewed from a virtual viewpoint to be displayed on a display device,

wherein said image processing unit has a mode for displaying a mirror image of an image having a lateral visual field of substantially 180 degrees in the rear of the vehicle.

2. A monitoring system comprising:

one or more cameras for capturing surrounding state of a vehicle; and

an image processing unit for receiving, as an input, a camera image of said one or more cameras and generating, from said camera image, a synthesized image to be displayed on a display device,

wherein said image processing unit has a mode for displaying a synthesized image in which an enlargement/reduction ratio is relatively higher in a nearby area of the vehicle including a grounding portion of at least one tire of the vehicle than in a peripheral area of the vehicle.

3. The monitoring system of claim 2,

wherein the enlargement/reduction ratio becomes lower in a direction from said nearby area of the vehicle to said peripheral area of the vehicle in said synthesized image.

4. The monitoring system of claim 2,

wherein said image processing unit generates said synthesized image in such a manner that an area along a side surface of the vehicle has linearity.

5. The monitoring system of claim 2,

wherein at least one camera out of said one or more cameras is installed to have a camera range at least including part of a body side surface and part of a front tire, and

said image processing unit generates, from a camera image of said at least one camera, said synthesized image in such a manner that said body side surface and said front tire are imaged therein.

6. A monitoring system comprising:

one or more cameras for capturing surrounding state of a vehicle; and

an image processing unit for receiving, as an input, a camera image of said one or more cameras and generating a synthesized image from said camera image to be displayed on a display device,

wherein at least one camera out of said one or more cameras is installed to have a camera range at least including part of a tire of the vehicle, and

said image processing unit generates, from a camera image of said at least one camera, said synthesized image in such a manner that said tire is imaged therein.

7. A monitoring system comprising:

one or more cameras for capturing surrounding state of a vehicle; and

an image processing unit for receiving, as an input, a camera image of said one or more cameras and generating a virtual viewpoint image viewed from a virtual viewpoint to be displayed on a display device,

wherein said image processing unit has a mode for displaying, in parallel to said virtual viewpoint image, an image of a region ahead in a moving direction of the vehicle or in a direction to which the vehicle is able to move with a positional relationship with said virtual viewpoint image kept.

8. A monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of cameras for capturing surrounding state of a vehicle; and

an image processing unit for receiving, as an input, camera images of said plurality of cameras and generating, from said camera images, a virtual viewpoint image viewed from a virtual viewpoint to be displayed on a display device,

wherein said plurality of cameras include a first camera and a second camera having overlapping camera ranges, and

said image processing unit is able to generate a first virtual viewpoint image that is generated by using said first camera without using said second camera and includes a portion overlapping in the camera range of said first camera with said second camera and a portion not overlapping, and a second virtual viewpoint image that is generated by using said second camera without using said first camera and includes a portion overlapping in the camera range of said second camera with said first camera and a portion not overlapping.

9. The monitoring system of claim 8,

wherein said image processing unit has a mode for displaying said first and second virtual viewpoint images in parallel on one screen.

10. The monitoring system of claim 8,

wherein said first virtual viewpoint image is generated by using merely camera images of cameras installed on side portions of the vehicle, and

said second virtual viewpoint image is generated by using merely camera images of cameras installed on front and rear portions of the vehicle.

11. A monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of cameras for capturing surrounding state of a vehicle; and

an image processing unit for receiving, as an input, camera images of said plurality of cameras and generating, from said camera images, a virtual viewpoint image viewed from a virtual viewpoint to be displayed on a display device,

wherein said plurality of cameras include at least a first camera for capturing a left rear region of the vehicle and a second camera for capturing a right rear region of the vehicle, and

said image processing unit has a mode for displaying, together with said virtual viewpoint image, at least part of a mirror image of the camera image of said first camera or said second camera.

12. A monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of cameras for capturing surrounding state of a vehicle; and

an image processing unit for receiving, as an input, camera images of said plurality of cameras and generating, from said camera images, a virtual viewpoint image viewed from a virtual viewpoint to be displayed on a display device,

wherein said image processing unit has a mode for preferentially using a camera image of a camera installed on a side portion of the vehicle in generating said virtual viewpoint image.