Vehicle periphery displaying apparatus

• US 20100201817A1
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Katoh, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 8,462,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 2300/20 characterised by the type of display used
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective

Abstract

A vehicle periphery displaying apparatus including an imaging device, a display device and a display controller is disclosed. The imaging device is configured to capture a vehicle periphery image with a wide horizontal filed of view. The display device includes a display screen, a dimension of the display screen in a vertical direction being larger than that in a horizontal direction. The display controller is configured to produce a predetermined-part image so that a part of the vehicle periphery image corresponds to the predetermined-part image. The display controller is further configured to cause the display device to display the vehicle periphery image and the predetermined-part image on the display screen such that the vehicle periphery image and the predetermined-part image are arranged one above the other in the vertical direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle periphery displaying apparatus comprising:

an imaging device configured to capture a vehicle periphery image with a wide horizontal filed of view;

a display device including a display screen, a dimension of the display screen in a vertical direction being larger than that in a horizontal direction; and

a display controller configured to;

produce a predetermined-part image so that a part of the vehicle periphery image corresponds to the predetermined-part image; and

cause the display device to display the vehicle periphery image and the predetermined-part image on the display screen such that the vehicle periphery image and the predetermined-part image are arranged one above the other in the vertical direction.

2. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the part of the vehicle periphery image, the part corresponding to the predetermined-part image, is user-settable.

3. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the vehicle periphery image includes a right-side part, a center part and a left-side part; and

the part of the vehicle periphery image, the part corresponding to the predetermined-part image, is user-selectable from the right-side part, the center part and the left-side part.

4. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display controller causes the display device to display the vehicle periphery image on the display screen such that the part of the vehicle periphery image is highlighted in the vehicle periphery image.

5. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display controller causes the display device to further display a guide image on the display screen such that a dimension of the guide image in the horizontal direction widens toward the predetermined-part image from the part of the vehicle periphery image.

6. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display controller causes the display device to further display a mask image on the display screen so that the mask image is deformable depending on location of the part in the vehicle periphery image.

7. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

when the location of the part in the vehicle periphery image is a right-side part of the vehicle periphery image, the mask image masks the predetermined-part image so that a dimension of the predetermined-part image in the vertical direction decreases from a right edge of the predetermined-part image toward a left edge of the predetermined-part image; and

when the location of the part in the vehicle periphery image is a left-side part of the vehicle periphery image, the mask image masks the predetermined-part image so that the dimension of the predetermined-part image in the vertical direction decreases from the left edge of the predetermined-part image toward the right edge of the predetermined-part image.

8. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display controller performs image processing on the predetermined-part image, thereby producing a processed predetermined-part image.

9. The vehicle periphery displaying apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the display controller causes the display device to display the mask image on the display screen so that a shape of the mask image corresponds to a shape of the processed predetermined-part image.