Recording medium, parking support apparatus and parking support screen

• US 20070279493A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Edanami, Takafumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A recording medium, a parking support apparatus and a parking support screen for displaying an image allow the driver of a vehicle to easily grasp the situation while maneuvering the vehicle for parking. A computer-readable recording medium storing a parking support program for causing a computer to display an image for supporting the operation of parking an own vehicle causes the computer to execute an image pickup step that shoots the environment of the own vehicle to acquire a picked up image of the environment, detects the position of the own vehicle to define it as a shooting position and stores the picked up image and the shooting position in association with each other, an image generation step that generates an environment image that is an image of the environment as viewed from a predetermined viewpoint to detect the position of the own vehicle according to the picked up image and the shooting position as stored in the image pickup step and the predetermined viewpoint and also an own vehicle image that is an image of the own vehicle as viewed from the viewpoint according to the position of the own vehicle, the profile information of the own vehicle that is stored in advance and the viewpoint and then generates a synthetic image that is an image synthesized from the environment image and the own vehicle image and a display step that displays the synthetic image generated in the image generation step.

Claims

1. A computer-readable recording medium storing a parking support program for causing a computer to display an image for supporting the operation of parking an own vehicle, the program causing the computer to execute:

an image pickup step that shoots the environment of the own vehicle to acquire a picked up image of the environment, detects the position of the own vehicle to define it as a shooting position and stores the picked up image and the shooting position in association with each other;

an image generation step that generates an environment image that is an image of the environment as viewed from a predetermined viewpoint to detect the position of the own vehicle according to the picked up image, the shooting position as stored in the image pickup step and the predetermined viewpoint and also generates an own vehicle image that is an image of the own vehicle as viewed from the viewpoint according to the position of the own vehicle, the profile information of the own vehicle that is stored in advance and the viewpoint and then generates a synthetic image that is an image synthesized from the environment image and the own vehicle image; and

a display step that displays the synthetic image generated in the image generation step.

2. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the image pickup step is executed when the own vehicle is maneuvered to move forward, whereas the image generation step and the display step are executed when the own vehicle is maneuvered to move backward.

3. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the image generation step detects a reference object that operates as reference for the target position for parking according to the picked up image and the shooting position acquired by the image pickup step and selects the viewpoint according to the reference objects.

4. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the image generation step selects the viewpoint according to the detected position of the own vehicle and the profile information of the own vehicle.

5. The recording medium according to claim 3, wherein

the reference object is an adjacent vehicle parking adjacently relative to the target position and the image generation step selects the viewpoint on the prolonged line of the adjacent lateral surface of the adjacent vehicle.

6. The recording medium according to claim 3, wherein

the reference object is a straight line segment defining the boundary of the target position and the image generation step selects the viewpoint on the prolonged line of the straight line segment.

7. The recording medium according to claim 4, wherein

the image generation step selects the viewpoint on the prolonged line of a lateral surface of the own vehicle.

8. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the image generation step predicts a plurality of positions of the own vehicle in the future as predicted positions of the own vehicle according to the current position and the steering angle of the own vehicle and generates own vehicle images corresponding to the predicted positions of the own vehicle and then synthetic images corresponding to the own vehicle images;

and

the display step successively displays the synthetic images corresponding to the predicted positions of the own vehicle.

9. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the image generation step generates the environment image according to the picked up image, the shooting position and the predetermined viewpoint by means of the technique of a free view camera.

10. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the image generation step generates the environment image as a picked up image that corresponds to the shooting position closest to the viewpoint.

11. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the image generation step defines a plurality of viewpoints and generates environment images or synthetic images corresponding to the viewpoints;

and

the display step arranges and displays the plurality of images generated by the image generation step at respective predetermined positions.

12. The recording medium according to claim 11, wherein

the image generation step generates a first synthetic image including the left side of the target position for parking and a second synthetic image including the right side of the target position for parking;

and

the display step displays the first synthetic image and the second synthetic image side by side.

13. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein

the image generation step further generates an environment image including entirely the target position;

and

the display step further displays the environment image.

14. A parking support apparatus for displaying an image for supporting the operation of parking an own vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

an own vehicle position detecting section that detects the position of the own vehicle;

an image pickup section that acquires the position of the own vehicle as detected by the own vehicle position detecting section as a shooting position, shoots the environment of the own vehicle to acquire a picked up image of the environment and stores the picked up image and the shooting position in association with each other;

an image generating section that generates an environment image that is an image of the environment as viewed from a predetermined viewpoint according to the picked up image and the shooting position as stored in the image pickup section and the predetermined viewpoint and also an own vehicle image that is an image of the own vehicle as viewed from the viewpoint as detected by the own vehicle position detecting section, the profile information of the own vehicle that is stored in advance and the viewpoint and then generates a synthetic image that is an image synthesized from the environment image and the own vehicle image; and

a display section that displays the synthetic image generated by the image generation section.

15. A parking support screen for displaying images to support parking of an own vehicle, the screen comprising:

an environment display section that displays an environment image that is an image of the environment of the own vehicle viewed from a viewpoint outside the own vehicle and generated according to an image picked up by a camera arranged in the own vehicle;

an own vehicle display section that displays an own vehicle image that is an image of the own vehicle viewed from the viewpoint outside the own vehicle and generated according to the profile information of the own vehicle stored in advance as an image superimposed on the environment displayed in the environment display section.

16. The parking support screen according to claim 15, wherein

the environment display section and the own vehicle display section display respective images when the own vehicle is maneuvered to move backward.

17. The parking support screen according to claim 15, wherein

the own vehicle display section successively displays images of the own vehicle generated corresponding to a plurality of predicted positions of the own vehicle in the future.

18. The parking support screen according to claim 15, wherein

the environment display section displays environment images generated corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints and arranged at predetermined positions and the own vehicle display section displays an image of the own vehicle generated corresponding to at least one of the plurality of viewpoints and superimposed on the corresponding environment image.

19. The parking support screen according to claim 18, wherein

the environment image display section displays a first environment image including the left side of a target position for parking and a second environment image including the right side of the target position for parking;

and

the own vehicle display section displays an image of the own vehicle corresponding to and superimposed on the first environment image and another image of the own vehicle corresponding to and superimposed on the second environment image.

20. The parking support screen according to claim 19, wherein

the environment display section displays a third environment map entirely including the target position.