VEHICULAR IMAGE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20160198126A1
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Published: 07/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Arihiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,003,772 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8033 for pedestrian protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An audio/visual control apparatus includes a plurality of displays. A reverse driving camera application may be launched to display a camera image dedicated to reverse driving in a situation where another camera application is already running and causing a particular image to be displayed on a subject display of the displays. Such case causes an on-screen image displayed on the subject display to be switched from the particular image to a reverse driving image generated by the reverse driving camera application, regardless of normal display switching priorities.

Claims

1. A vehicular image control apparatus to a vehicle, comprising:

a display controller that

distributes a plurality of different visual outputs generated, respectively, by a plurality of different applications that are simultaneously running, to a plurality of image display units separately mounted in the vehicle and

causes the image display units to display the respective distributed visual outputs,

wherein, when, among the different applications, a plurality of different camera applications corresponding to a single subject camera mounted in the vehicle are simultaneously running,

the plurality of different camera applications generating respective visual outputs of images captured by the single subject camera,

the display controller causes one of the visual outputs that are respectively generated by the plurality of different camera applications corresponding to the single subject camera to be exclusively displayed.

2. The vehicular image control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

the single subject camera mounted in the vehicle is a rear-view camera capturing a rear view of the vehicle; and

at a time when a predetermined rear-view display condition becomes established under a situation where a visual output generated by a first camera application among the different camera applications corresponding to the rear-view camera is displayed on one of the image display units,

the display controller

hides the visual output generated by the first camera application and

causes any one of the image display units to display a visual output generated by a second camera application,

the second camera application being assigned, among the different camera applications corresponding to the rear-view camera, to generate a visual output of an image captured by the rear-view camera mounted in the vehicle at the time when the rear-view display condition becomes established.

3. The vehicular image control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires a signal indicative of a shift position of the vehicle,

wherein, when the acquisition unit acquires a signal indicative of the shift position becoming a reverse shift position, the display controller determines that the rear-view display condition is established.

4. The vehicular image control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

when the second camera application stops an operation, the operation having continued generating the visual output to the any one of the image display units while the rear-view display condition is established,

the display controller causes one of the image display units to redisplay a visual output generated by the first camera application.

5. The vehicular image control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores the plurality of applications.