Monitoring system and vehicle surrounding monitoring system

• US 7,512,251 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Masaki, Nobori, Kunio, Ishii, Hirofumi, Mizusawa, Kazufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US11/326,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20060115124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/104, 382/105, 382106-107, 382/155, 382/170, 382/172, 382/178, 382/181, 382/260, 382/274, 382/305, 382/306, 382/313, 382/321, 382/209, 382/224, 382/232, 382/243, 382/255, 382/276, 382287-291, 280/735, 340/903, 348/159, 348/148, 348/169, 352/53, 352/173
• US Class Current: 382/103
• 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A parameter selection section selects one from a plurality of image synthesis parameters stored in a parameter storage section according to an output of a vehicle state detection section. An image synthesis section reads out camera images from frame memories according to the selected image synthesis parameter and generates a synthesized mage showing a state of vehicle surroundings. A moving object detection section detects, in the thus generated synthetic image, a moving object region estimated as a region where a moving object is present.

Claims

1. A monitoring system to which camera images shot by a plurality of cameras installed to a moving body are input, comprising:

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of image synthesis parameters each expressing correspondence between camera images and a synthetic image and a plurality of detection parameters each defining specification of moving object detection;

a parameter selection section for selecting each one from the plurality of image synthesis parameters and the plurality of detection parameters which are stored in the parameter storage section;

an image synthesis section for generating a synthetic image showing a state of a monitoring region by synthesizing the camera images according to the image synthesis parameter selected by the parameter selection section;

a display device for displaying the synthetic image generated by the image synthesis section; and

a moving object detection section for detecting a moving in the synthetic image, based on the detection parameter selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the parameter selection section performs parameter selection according to a state of the moving body and taking account of a detection result by the moving object detection section,

the parameter selection section performs parameter selection taking account of a currently selected image synthesis parameter

the plurality of image synthesis parameters include weights for pixel values of the camera images, the weights for the pixel values being used by the image synthesis section for generating the synthetic image.

2. A monitoring system to which camera images shot by a plurality of cameras installed to a moving body are input, comprising:

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of image synthesis parameters each expressing correspondence between camera images and a synthetic image and a plurality of detection parameters each defining specification of moving object detection;

a parameter selection section for selecting each one from the plurality of image synthesis parameters and the plurality of detection parameters which are stored in the parameter storage section;

an image synthesis section for generating a synthetic image showing a state of a monitoring region by synthesizing the camera images according to the image synthesis parameter selected by the parameter selection section;

a display device for displaying the synthetic image generated by the image synthesis section; and

a moving object detection section for detecting a moving object in the synthetic image, based on the detection parameter selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the parameter selection section performs parameter selection according to a state of the moving object and taking account of a detection result by the moving object detection section,

when the moving object is detected by the moving object detection section, the parameter selection section modifies the selected image synthesis parameter so that only one of fields of camera images are referenced for a part corresponding to a region of the moving object, and

the plurality of image synthesis parameters include weights for pixel values of the camera images, the weights for the pixel values being used by the image synthesis section for generating the synthetic image.

3. The monitoring system of claim 2,

wherein the parameter selection section performs the modification for a part corresponding to a region surrounding the moving object region in addition to the moving object region.

4. A monitoring system to which camera images shot by a plurality of cameras are input, comprising:

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of image synthesis parameters each expressing correspondence between camera images and a synthetic image and a plurality of detection parameters each defining specification of moving object detection;

a parameter selection section for selecting each one from the plurality of image synthesis parameters and the plurality of detection parameters which are stored in the parameter storage section;

an image synthesis section for generating a synthetic image showing a state of a monitoring region by synthesizing the camera images according to an image synthesis parameter selected by the parameter selection section;

a display device for displaying the synthetic image generated by the image synthesis section; and

a moving object detection section for detecting, in the synthetic image, a moving object region estimated as a region where a moving object is present according to a detection parameter selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the plurality of image synthesis parameters include weights attached to pixel values of camera images used for image synthesis, and

the image synthesis section performs weighting to each pixel value using the weights included in the image synthesis parameter and generates the synthetic image, and

in at least one of the plurality of image synthesis parameters, the weights attached to the pixel values are set relatively large in a region of a synthetic image where necessity of moving object detection is relatively high.

5. A monitoring system to which camera images shot by a plurality of cameras are input, comprising:

a parameter storage section for storing a plurality of image synthesis parameters each expressing correspondence between camera images and a synthetic image and a plurality of detection parameters each defining specification of moving object detection;

a parameter selection section for selecting each one from the plurality of image synthesis parameters and the plurality of detection parameters which are stored in the parameter storage section;

an image synthesis section for generating a synthetic image showing a state of a monitoring region by synthesizing the camera images according to an image synthesis parameter selected by the parameter selection section;

a display device for displaying the synthetic image generated by the image synthesis section; and

a moving object detection section for detecting, in the synthetic image, a moving object region estimated as a region where a moving object is present according to a detection parameter selected by the parameter selection section,

wherein the plurality of image synthesis parameters include weights attached to pixel values of camera images used for image synthesis, and

the image synthesis section performs weighting to each pixel value using the weights included in the image synthesis parameter and generates the synthetic image, and

in at least one of the plurality of image synthesis parameters, the weights attached to the pixel values are set so that time variation in statistic of pixel values when an identical object moves becomes constant in a synthetic image.

6. The monitoring system of claim 5,

wherein in at least one of the plurality of image synthesis parameters, the weights attached to the pixel values are set relatively small in a region of a synthetic image where a subject of the same size is seen relatively large.