Drive assisting system

• US 7,554,573 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mizusawa, Kazufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhong; Jun Fei
• Application Number:
  US10/488,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 348/36
• US Class Current: 348/115
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/821 Uneven, rough road sensing affecting vehicle body vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/823 Obstacle sensing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/824 Travel path sensing; Track monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/142 Visual Display Camera, e.g. LCD
• 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance system capable of displaying a picked-up image near a vehicle as a less-distorted image on a monitor.

A driving assistance system according to the present invention comprises an imaging means (2) for picking up a surrounding image of a vehicle (1) on a road surface, an image translating means (3) for executing an image translation by using a three-dimensional projection model (300), which is convex toward a road surface side and whose height from the road surface is not changed within a predetermined range from a top end portion of the vehicle (1) in a traveling direction, to translate the image picked up by the imaging means (2) into an image viewed from a virtual camera (2a), and a displaying means (4) for displaying an image translated by the image translating means (3). The three-dimensional projection model (300) is configured by a cylindrical surface model (301) that is convex toward the road surface side, and a spherical surface model (302) connected to an end portion of the cylindrical surface model (301). Accordingly, the straight line on the road surface, which is in parallel with the center axis of the cylindrical surface model (301), is displayed as the straight line, and thus a clear and less-distorted screen can be provided to the driver.

Claims

1. A driving assistance system comprising:

imaging means for picking up a surrounding image of a vehicle on a road surface;

image translating means for executing an image translation by using a three-dimensional projection model, in which an object outside of said vehicle on a side and above of the road surface is picked up by said imaging means and an image of said object is projected as a convex curve and a height from the road surface of said image of said object does not appear to vary from an image of a different object of a similar height when the different object is within a predetermined range from a top end portion of the vehicle in a traveling direction, to translate the image picked up by the imaging means into an image viewed from a virtual viewpoint; and

displaying means for displaying the image translated by the image translating means, wherein

the three-dimensional projection model has a cylindrical surface on which a shape on the side of the road surface is projected as a convex curve, and a spherical surface which is smoothly connected to an end portion of the cylindrical surface, wherein

said cylindrical surface has an axis that is parallel with the road surface for some substantial length.

2. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein a projection surface that gradually gets up from the road surface in a range extending beyond the predetermined range in a width direction of the vehicle is continuously provided in the three-dimensional projection model.

3. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein a projection surface that gradually gets up from the road surface in a range extending beyond the predetermined range in the traveling direction of the vehicle is continuously provided in the three-dimensional projection model.

4. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional projection model is formed by successive curved surfaces that can be differentiated in a full range except end points.

5. The driving assistance system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined range is projected onto the cylindrical surface having a length in the traveling direction of the vehicle, which is set to 120% or less of 5 m that is a length of a normal box of a parking lot, and having an arbitrary width, which is set to a range of 80% to 120% of 3 m that is a width of the normal box of the parking lot.

6. The driving assistance system according to claim 5, wherein the cylindrical surface is a cylindrical surface of an ellipse, and the ellipse whose ratio of a maximum width and a minimum width between equal-interval lattice lines, which are in parallel with a center axis of the cylindrical surface on the road surface projected onto the cylindrical surface, is at least 80% in the predetermined range is used as the three-dimensional projection model.

7. The driving assistance system according to any one of claim 4, wherein the three-dimensional projection model and a position of the virtual viewpoint are set such that both left and right ends of a rear end image of the vehicle displayed on a screen of the displaying means enter into an at least 15% range of a screen width from both end positions of the screen.

8. The driving assistance system according to claim 4, wherein the three-dimensional projection model and a position of the virtual viewpoint are set such that a linear shape of a rear end of the vehicle in the predetermined range is displayed as a linear image on the screen of the displaying means.

9. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein a guide line indicating a straight line on the road surface, which is in parallel with the traveling direction of the vehicle and indicates an outer side that is outer than the width of the vehicle by a predetermined value, is superposed on an image translated by using the three-dimensional projection model to display on the screen of the displaying means.

10. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the image translating means translates the picked-up image by using a mapping table in which a translation address based on the three-dimensional projection model is stored.

11. A driving assistance system comprising:

imaging means for picking up a surrounding image of a vehicle on a road surface;

image translating means for executing an image translation by using a three-dimensional projection model, in which an object outside of said vehicle is picked up by said imaging means and an image of said object is projected as a convex curve comprised of at least part of a ellipsoid surface model smoothly connected to at least part of a cylindrical surface model having a cylindrical axis that is parallel with the road surface for some substantial length; and

displaying means for displaying the image translated by the image translating means.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said substantial length is at least 3 meters.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said cylindrical surface model has an elliptical cross section.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said ellipsoid is spherical.

15. A driving assistance system comprising:

imaging means for picking up a surrounding image of a vehicle on a road surface;

image translating means for executing an image translation by using a three-dimensional projection model, in which an object outside of said vehicle on a side of the road surface is picked up by said imaging means and an image of said object is projected as a convex curve comprised of at least part of a quadric surface model smoothly connected to at least part of a cylindrical surface model having a cylindrical axis that is parallel with the road surface for at least three meters, such that a height from the road surface of said image of said object does not appear to vary from an image of a different object of a similar height when the different object is within a predetermined range from a top end portion of the vehicle in a traveling direction, to translate the image picked up by the imaging means into an image viewed from a virtual viewpoint; and

displaying means for displaying the image translated by the image translating means.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said cylindrical surface model has an elliptical cross section.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said ellipsoid is spherical.