Image conversion device

• US 20050285938A1
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Akatsuka, Takeshi, Suzuki, Masayasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,477,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An image conversion device connected to multiple image detection mechanisms generating field image data of the surroundings and having multiple input buffers for each of the multiple image detection mechanisms, which, in parallel, stores, moves, performs conversion processing and displays said field image data in 1 field units in accordance with a display template in pattern memory, thereby reducing the total delay time from field image generation to display to the driver.

Claims

1. An image conversion device connected to multiple image detection mechanisms and having multiple input buffers for each of the multiple image detection mechanisms, wherein each image detection mechanism detects and generates field image data of the surroundings, wherein

each image detection mechanism has one or more input buffers, each input buffer having an input buffer input side which stores said field image data in 1 field units, and an input buffer output side which stores said field image data moved from the input buffer input side when image storage operation on the input buffer input side has been completed, and

each image detection mechanism has one or more output buffers, each output buffer having an output buffer input side, which stores the data of multiple field images moved from the input buffer output side after said field image data has undergone conversion processing, and an output buffer output side which stores the converted field image data moved from said output buffer input side when storage operation on the output buffer input side has been completed, and

a pattern memory in which corresponding relationships of the memory addresses of said respective input buffer output sides and the memory addresses of said output buffer inputs sides are stored, and

an image conversion mechanism, which reads and performs conversion processing in 1 field units on said field image data stored in said input buffer output sides according to the relationships stored in said pattern memory, after said storage operation of said field image data in said input buffer output side has been completed and then writes said converted field image data to the output buffer input side.

2. The image conversion device of claim 1, wherein said image conversion mechanism uses a vertical synchronization signal contained in said field image data stored in said input buffer, determines said storage operation of said field image data in said input buffer is complete, and performs said conversion processing.

3. The image conversion device of claim 1, wherein said image conversion mechanism alternately reads odd number field image data and even number field image data from said input buffer output side and alternately writes odd number field image data and even number field image data to said output buffer input side.

4. The image conversion device of claim 1, wherein said image conversion mechanism moves and stores said converted field image data stored in said output buffer input side to said output buffer output side and outputs said converted field image data to a display monitor in accordance with output timing.

5. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein said image conversion mechanism generates said output timing with an internal frequency source.

6. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein said image conversion mechanism generates said output timing from a vertical synchronization signal contained in said field image data from said respective image detection mechanisms.

7. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein said image conversion mechanism selects an output timing source when said output timing is generated by an internal frequency source and a vertical synchronization signal contained in said field image data from said respective image detection mechanisms.

8. The image conversion device of claim 4, wherein said image conversion mechanism determines that the timing of said conversion processing and said output timing are the same.