VEHICLE PERIPHERY MONITORING APPARATUS

• US 20170282796A1
• Filed: 08/16/2016
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation
• Inventors: KOSAKI, Masanori
• Application Number:
  US15/237,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20170282796A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/31 providing stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8046 for replacing a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• 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: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus comprises: an outside-view camera; a display; and an image processor. The image processor is to acquire information about the position of a driver'"'"'s viewpoint, information about the position of the display, information about the position of a virtual mirror for geometrically transforming an image picked up by the outside-view camera to an image viewed from the viewpoint, and to generate a mirror-displaying image to be displayed on the virtual mirror, from the information about the position of the viewpoint, information about the position of the display, information about the position of the virtual mirror and the image picked up by the outside-view camera. The image processor generates data representing a mirror frame surrounding the mirror-displaying image, and causes the display to display the mirror frame and the mirror-displaying image in the mirror frame.

Claims

1. A vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus, comprising:

an outside-view camera to photograph the periphery of the vehicle;

a display to display images; and

an image processor to acquire information about the position of a driver'"'"'s viewpoint, information about the position of the display, information about the position of a virtual mirror for geometrically transforming an image picked up by the outside-view camera to an image viewed from the viewpoint, and to generate a mirror-displaying image viewed form the viewpoint and to be displayed on the virtual mirror, from the information about the position of the viewpoint, information about the position of the display, information about the position of the virtual mirror and the image picked up by the outside-view camera,

wherein the image processor generates data representing a mirror frame surrounding the mirror-displaying image, and causes the display to display the mirror frame and the mirror-displaying image in the mirror frame.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a viewpoint detecting camera to provide a photograph of the driver'"'"'s face, including the driver'"'"'s line of sight.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processor sets, at a prescribed distance from the virtual mirror, a mirror-displaying surface for reflecting light to the virtual mirror at the same angle as viewed from the driver'"'"'s viewpoint, the mirror-displaying surface being a display region that reflects light beams reflected at the apices of the virtual mirror;

and an image representing the three-dimensional position of the mirror-displaying surface specified by the outside-view camera is generated as a mirror-displaying image to be displayed on the virtual mirror.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image processor sets, at a prescribed distance from the virtual mirror, a mirror-displaying surface for reflecting light to the virtual mirror at the same angle as viewed from the driver'"'"'s viewpoint, the mirror-displaying surface being a display region that reflects light beams reflected at the apices of the virtual mirror;

and an image representing the three-dimensional position of the mirror-displaying surface specified by the outside-view camera is generated as a mirror-displaying image to be displayed on the virtual mirror.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the position of the mirror frame to be displayed on the display is calculated from the coordinate information about the virtual mirror and the coordinate information about the viewpoint;

a formula of a straight line reflected by the virtual mirror used as a mirror as viewed from the viewpoint is calculated;

all intersections of the straight line and the mirror-displaying surface are calculated;

the coordinates of the intersections are transformed to coordinates on the image picked up by the outside-view camera; and

the image subjected to the transforming is displayed.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image processor comprise:

a viewpoint-coordinate calculating unit to acquire an image from the viewpoint detecting camera and to calculate the coordinates of the driver'"'"'s viewpoint;

a periphery-information storing unit to store information representing the position and angle at which the outside-view camera is attached to the vehicle, information representing the position and angle at which the display is attached, and information representing the position and angle at which the virtual mirror is arranged;

a mirror-image calculating unit to calculate the mirror image from coordinate data about the viewpoint and the position-angle data stored in the periphery-information storing unit;

a mirror-frame calculating unit to calculate the mirror frame, from the viewpoint-coordinate data and the position-angle data stored in the periphery-information storing unit; and

a mirror-displaying image forming unit to generate an image to display on the virtual mirror, from the mirror-image information and the mirror-frame information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the virtual mirror is positioned on a line extending from the viewpoint, and the virtual mirror is orientated to set the mirror-displaying image in a prescribed direction.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the display has a graduated mirror frame.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the display has a thick mirror frame.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the display has a warped mirror frame.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the display has, near the mirror frame, a symbol indicating magnification.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the virtual mirror is orientated to track a specific area or a specific object.