VEHICULAR VISIBILITY SUPPORT APPARATUS

• US 20150191118A1
• Filed: 07/18/2013
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Matsukawa, Norifumi, Matsumoto, Muneaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,725,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/602 with an adjustable viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/22 Cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/61 Scene description
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

In a vehicular visibility support apparatus, a camera positioned on a front portion that is either the left side or the right side of a vehicle provides an image of a view laterally behind the vehicle including a part of a face of the side of the vehicle as a camera image. An input portion accepts input manipulation to generate an input signal. A control portion trims a desired region in the camera image based on the input signal and provides a trimmed image. The control portion trims the camera image based on: a vertical reference line including a part of the face on the side of the vehicle in a trimmed image before the input manipulation is accepted by the input portion, and a horizontal reference line orthogonal to the vertical reference line; and a direction of movement for change to the desired region inputted to the input portion.

Claims

1. A vehicular visibility support apparatus comprising:

a camera that is provided on a side that is a left side or a right side of a vehicle, picks up an image of a view that is laterally behind the vehicle, and provides a camera image;

an input portion with which input manipulation is performed by an occupant to input a change to a desired region that the occupant desires to view in the camera image provided by the camera;

a control portion that trims the desired region in the camera image to provide a trimmed image based on receiving an input signal generated by the input manipulation with the input portion; and

a display portion that displays the trimmed image trimmed by the control portion,

wherein when receiving the input signal due to the input manipulation performed by the occupant, the control portion trims the camera image based on;

a vertical reference line including a part of the vehicle in a trimmed image taking place before the input manipulation is performed by the occupant with the input portion, and a horizontal reference line orthogonal to the vertical reference line; and

a direction of movement for the change to the desired region inputted to the input portion.

2. The vehicular visibility support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the horizontal reference line is any one of:

a first horizontal reference line positioned at an upper end of the trimmed image;

a second horizontal reference line positioned at a center of the trimmed image; and

a third horizontal reference line positioned at a lower end of the trimmed image, and

wherein the control portion uses;

the second horizontal reference line as the horizontal reference line when the direction of movement is any one of upward, downward, rightward, and leftward;

the third horizontal reference line as the horizontal reference line when the direction of movement is either upper rightward or lower leftward; and

the first horizontal reference line as the horizontal reference line when the direction of movement is either lower rightward or upper leftward.

3. The vehicular visibility support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a speed signal of the vehicle generated by a speed sensor is inputted to the control portion, and

wherein the control portion increases a speed of change to a new trimmed image with increase in the speed signal.

4. The vehicular visibility support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein an actuation signal from a traffic indicator to indicate left turn or right turn is inputted to the control portion, and

wherein the control portion switches the trimmed image to a trimmed image in a predetermined range in the camera image according to the actuation signal from the traffic indicator during driving.

5. The vehicular visibility support apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein when both an actuation signal from the traffic indicator and an input signal from the input portion are inputted before driving, the control portion stores the desired region in the camera image in connection with the actuation signal from the traffic indicator, and

wherein a trimmed image in the stored desired region is used as a trimmed image in the predetermined range.

6. The vehicular visibility support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the camera is provided on each of the left side and the right side of the vehicle and is provided as each of a camera on a driver seat side and a camera on a passenger seat side, and

wherein when a target of input manipulation with the input portion is camera images of both the camera on the driver seat side and the camera on the passenger seat side,

the control portion trims a camera image of the camera on the driver seat side and trims a camera image of the camera on the passenger seat side so that the camera image of the camera on the driver seat side and the camera image of the camera on the passenger seat side are left-right symmetrical.

7. The vehicular visibility support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the camera is provided on a passenger seat side.

8. A vehicular visibility support apparatus comprising:

a control portion that

acquires a camera image from a camera that is provided on a side that is a left side or a right side of a vehicle and picks up an image of a view that is laterally behind the vehicle,

trims a desired region in the camera image according to an input manipulation performed by an occupant of the vehicle to generate a trimmed image, and

causes a display portion to display the trimmed image,

wherein when the input manipulation is performed by the occupant, the control portion trims the camera image based on;

a vertical reference line including a part of the vehicle in a trimmed image that takes place before the input manipulation is performed by the occupant, and a horizontal reference line orthogonal to the vertical reference line; and

a direction of the input manipulation.

9. A vehicular visibility support apparatus comprising:

a control portion that

acquires a camera image from a camera that is provided on a side that is a left side or a right side of a vehicle and picks up an image of a view that is laterally behind the vehicle,

trims a trimmed image from the camera image according to an input manipulation performed by an occupant of the vehicle, and

causes a display portion to display the trimmed image,

wherein

when the input manipulation is performed by the occupant to display a second trimmed image,

the control portion

permits the second trimmed image to contain a vertical reference line including a part of the vehicle in a first trimmed image taking place before the input manipulation is performed by the occupant to display the second trimmed image,

by changing a size of an image trimmed from the camera image along a horizontal reference line orthogonal to the vertical reference line.