Rear-view monitor for use in vehicles

• US 6,218,960 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2000
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Naoto, Okamoto, Keiki, Fujinami, Kazutomo
• Primary Examiner(s): TONG, NINA C
• Application Number:
  US09/515,527
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 340/301, 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 340/905, 340/937, 340/933, 348/118, 348/148, 348/149, 348/113, 348/119, 382/104, 701/1, 701/301, 701/28
• US Class Current: 340/901
• 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: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A rear-view monitor for use in vehicles is provided, in which contained are vehicle-mounted image pickup means for picking up images of road in the rear of one'"'"'s own vehicle at every fixed time; and detection means for detecting an overtaking vehicle by processing road images obtained by the image pickup means. The monitor keeps monitoring of relative movement between one'"'"'s own vehicle and the overtaking vehicle detected by the detection means. The monitor is characterized in that the image pickup means contain a wide-angle high resolution camera, and the detection means include: first image processing means for processing the whole road images obtained by the image pickup means by sampling image data; second image processing means for processing a part of road images obtained by the image pickup means without sampling image data; and selection means for selecting either the first image processing means or the second image processing means in response to a situation of traffic. Thus, a rear-view monitor for use in vehicles according to the present invention enables monitoring over a wide range, i.e. the far and near distances, under preferable conditions.

Claims

1. A rear-view monitor for use in vehicles, comprising:

vehicle-mounted image pickup means for picking up images of a road in the rear of one'"'"'s own vehicle at every fixed time; and

detection means for detecting an overtaking vehicle by processing road images obtained by the image pickup means, wherein relative movement between one'"'"'s own vehicle and the overtaking vehicle detected by the detection means is monitored, the image pickup means contain a wide-angle high resolution camera, and the detection means include;

first image processing means for processing the whole road images obtained by the image pickup means by sampling image data;

second image processing means for processing a part of road images obtained by the image pickup means without sampling image data; and

selection means for selecting either the first image processing means or the second image processing means in response to a situation of traffic.

2. The rear-view monitor for use in vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the selection means select:

the first image processing means when the detection means detects another vehicle in the vicinity of one'"'"'s own vehicle;

the second image processing means when the detection means detects no other vehicle in the vicinity of one'"'"'s own vehicle; and

the first image processing means being at a low repetition rate at the time when the second image processing means is being selected.

3. A rear-view monitor for use in vehicles, comprising:

vehicle-mounted image pickup means for picking up images of a road in the rear of one'"'"'s own vehicle at every fixed time; and

optical flow detection means for detecting an optical flow of another vehicle determined by successive two road images obtained at every fixed time by the image pickup means, wherein the monitor keeps monitoring relative movement between one'"'"'s own vehicle and an overtaking vehicle using the optical flow detected by the optical flow detection means, the image pickup means contain a wide-angle high resolution camera, and the optical flow detection means include;

first image processing means for processing the whole successive two road images obtained at every fixed time by the image pickup means by sampling image data;

second image processing means for processing a part of road images obtained by the image pickup means without sampling image data; and

selection means for selecting either the first image processing means or the second image processing means in response to a situation of traffic.