Apparatus and method for displaying an image of vehicle surroundings

• US 8,553,081 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abe, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sall, El Hadji
• Application Number:
  US11/845,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,234 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 348/222.1, 348/218.1, 340/988, 345/614, 345/1.1
• US Class Current: 348/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

When images of vehicle surroundings are captured by cameras and are displayed together with an image of a vehicle, surrounding images within a predetermined distance from the vehicle are displayed at the same scale as the scale of the vehicle image, and surrounding images outside the predetermined distance are displayed at a larger scale than the scale of the vehicle image. The surrounding images may be displayed at a progressively larger scale as the distance from the vehicle increases.

Claims

1. A method for capturing images of the surroundings of a vehicle and displaying the captured images together with an image of the vehicle, the method comprising:

capturing, using fisheye cameras, images of at least a landscape ahead of the vehicle, a landscape behind the vehicle, a landscape to the left side of the vehicle, and a landscape to the right side of the vehicle, and storing the captured images in at least one camera frame memory;

storing in a table, information indicative of relationships between pixels constituting a screen image and addresses in the camera frame memories so that a portion of the surrounding images within a predetermined distance from the vehicle are displayed at the same scale as the scale of the vehicle image, and portions of the surrounding images outside the predetermined distance are displayed at a larger scale than the scale of the vehicle image;

mapping pixel data in the at least one camera frame memory to a screen frame memory based on the relationships stored in the table to combine the surrounding images;

reading the combined surrounding images from the screen frame memory;

displaying the read surrounding images on a display screen; and

wherein the relationships are stored in the table so that the surrounding images are displayed at a larger scale as a distance from the vehicle to the portion of the captured image increases, and wherein the surrounding images are displayed at the variable scale in association with a state of the vehicle and in accordance with an instruction from a navigation apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle image is pre-stored and the pre-stored vehicle image is displayed superimposed on the surrounding images.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when a speed of the vehicle is a predetermined speed or less, the surrounding images are displayed at the variable scale.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when the vehicle is shifted into reverse gear, the surrounding images are displayed at the variable scale.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the surrounding images are displayed at the same scale as the scale of the vehicle image or at the variable scale in association with the state of the vehicle.

6. An apparatus for displaying, on a monitor, images of the surroundings of a vehicle together with an image of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of cameras configured to capture images of at least a landscape ahead of the vehicle, a landscape behind the vehicle, a landscape to the left side of the vehicle, and a landscape to the right side of the vehicle;

at least one camera frame memory configured to store the surrounding images captured by the cameras; and

a controller configured to display images on a display screen and perform image control so that a portion of data in the frame memory corresponding to the surrounding images within a predetermined distance from the vehicle are displayed at the same scale as a scale of the vehicle image, and a portion of data in the frame memory corresponding to the surrounding images outside the predetermined distance are displayed at a larger scale than the scale of the vehicle image; and

wherein the data in the frame memory is stored so that the surrounding images are displayed at a larger scale as a distance from the vehicle to the portion of the captured image increases, and wherein the surrounding images are displayed at the variable scale in association with a state of the vehicle and in accordance with an instruction from a navigation apparatus.

7. An apparatus for displaying, on a display screen, images of the surroundings of a vehicle together with an image of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of fisheye cameras configured to capture images of at least a landscape ahead of the vehicle, a landscape behind the vehicle, a landscape to the left side of the vehicle, and a landscape to the right side of the vehicle;

at least one camera frame memory configured to store the surrounding images captured by the fisheye cameras;

a table configured to store relationship information indicative of relationships between pixels constituting a screen and addresses in the at least one camera frame memory; and

a mapping unit configure to map pixel data in the at least one camera frame memory to a screen frame memory based on the stored relationship information,

wherein the relationship information is stored in the table so that a portion of data corresponding to surrounding images within a predetermined distance from the vehicle are displayed at the same scale as a scale of the vehicle image, and a portion of data corresponding to surrounding images outside the predetermined distance are displayed at a larger scale than the scale of the vehicle image, and the surrounding images are read from the screen frame memory and are displayed on the display screen; and

wherein the relationships are stored in the table so that the surrounding images are displayed at a larger scale as a distance from the vehicle to the portion of the captured image increases, and wherein the surrounding images are displayed at the variable scale in association with a state of the vehicle and in accordance with an instruction from a navigation apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the surrounding images that are displayed at a larger scale are displayed in a progressive manner.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a vehicle-image storage unit for pre-storing the vehicle image; and

a synthesizer for combining the vehicle image with the surrounding images.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when a speed of the vehicle is a predetermined speed or less, the surrounding images are displayed on the monitor at the variable scale.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when the vehicle is shifted into reverse gear, the surrounding images are displayed at the variable scale.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a second table for storing relationships that are used to display the surrounding images at the same scale as the scale of the vehicle image; and

a vehicle surrounding image determining unit for determining whether the surrounding images are to be displayed at the same scale as the scale of the vehicle image or are to be displayed at the variable scale, in accordance with a state of the vehicle,

wherein the mapping unit performs the mapping using the table according to the determination performed by the vehicle surrounding-image determining unit.