APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AVM IMAGE

• US 20150042800A1
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: CHOI, Jae Seob, CHANG, Eu Gene
• Application Number:
  US14/075,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042800A1
• 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 1/002 specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/101 using cameras with adjustable capturing direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/16 using multiple overlapping images; Image stitching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for providing an around view monitoring (AVM) image include a camera. A communicator transmits and receives a signal with a surrounding vehicle, and receives an AVM image and surrounding information from the surrounding vehicle. An image converter generates an AVM image of the self-vehicle from an image photographed by the camera and converts the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle based on a position of the self-vehicle. A detector detects an overlapped area between the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle. An image compositor composites the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle by matching the overlapped area between the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing an around view monitoring (AVM) image, the apparatus comprising:

a camera which photographs an image of a self-vehicle'"'"'s surroundings;

a communicator which transmits and receives a signal with a surrounding vehicle, and receives an AVM image and surrounding information from the surrounding vehicle;

an image converter which generates an AVM image of a self-vehicle from the image photographed by the camera, and converts the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle based on a position of the self-vehicle by determining a relative position between the self-vehicle and the surrounding vehicle;

a detector which detects an overlapped area between the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle; and

an image compositor which composites the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle by matching the overlapped area between the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image converter compares the position and a direction of the self-vehicle with a position and a direction of the surrounding vehicle, moves a position of the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle to match based on the position of the self-vehicle, and rotates the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle to match based on the direction of the self-vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image compositor composites the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle by assigning a weight to an area where a linear component exists on a floor surface detected from the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image compositor composites the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle based on an area to which a weight is assigned by assigning the weight to a short distance area within a distance from the camera based on a camera mounting position of the self-vehicle and surrounding vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image compositor composites the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle based on an area to which a weight is assigned by assigning the weight to an area having a pixel value which is equal to or greater than a reference value and by comparing a pixel of the AVM image of the self-vehicle with a pixel of the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the AVM image composited by the image compositor is obtained by compositing the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle within an AVM image range of the self-vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the AVM image composited by the image compositor comprises both of an AVM image range of the self-vehicle and an AVM image range of the surrounding vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an image corrector which corrects a boundary area and an empty area of each AVM image from the composited AVM image.

9. A method for providing an AVM image, the method comprising:

photographing an image of a self-vehicle'"'"'s surroundings;

receiving an AVM image of a surrounding vehicle and surrounding information by communicating with the surrounding vehicle;

converting the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle to match based on a position of the self-vehicle by determining a relative position between the self-vehicle and the surrounding vehicle;

compositing an AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle based on an overlapped area by detecting the overlapped area between the AVM image of the self-vehicle generated from the image of the self-vehicle'"'"'s surroundings and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle; and

correcting a boundary area and an empty area of the composited AVM image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the compositing of the AVM image includes assigning a weight based on at least one of a linear component, a distance, or a pixel of the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle respectively.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the compositing of the AVM image further comprises:

calculating a weighted-sum of an area to which the weight is assigned on the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle; and

the AVM image of the self-vehicle and the AVM image of the surrounding vehicle are composited from the weighted-sum.