Vehicle peripheral monitoring device

• US 9,001,204 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2010
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Hisaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jimmy S
• Application Number:
  US13/500,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20120200708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 348/129, 348/161, 381/104, 382/104, 382/274, 701/301
• US Class Current: 348/118
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/002 for parking purposes, e.g. for warning the driver that his vehicle has contacted or is about to contact an obstacle warning arrangements in garages E04H6/42
• 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 2300/103 using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
• 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 2300/304 using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• 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 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• 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: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

On the basis of the illumination output from the illumination estimation unit (3), a necessary image storage time calculation unit (4) calculates the time required for storing the image in order to acquire the contrast to make image recognition possible. A possible image storage time calculation unit (8) calculates a time in which image storage is feasible using the vehicle speed acquired from a vehicle information acquisition section (7). A recognition possibility determination unit (5) compares the required image storage time and the feasible image storage time, and determines whether or not it is possible to carry out image recognition. If the recognition possibility determination unit (5) determines that recognition is possible, a synthesis of the acquired image data is accumulated/superimposed to generate an image with improved contrast that is displayed on a display device (11).

Claims

1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus comprising:

an imaging section that images an ambient situation;

an illumination estimation section that estimates illumination from an image captured by the imaging section;

a necessary image storage time calculation section that calculates a necessary image storage time that is an image storage time necessary to obtain a certain contrast, based on illumination information of the illumination estimation section;

a vehicle information acquisition section that detects vehicle speed;

a possible image storage time calculation section that calculates a possible storage time that is an image storage time that suppresses image blurring to within a certain range, based on vehicle speed obtained by the vehicle information acquisition section;

a recognition possibility/impossibility determination section that compares the necessary image storage time calculated by the necessary image storage time calculation section and the possible storage time calculated by the possible image storage time calculation section, and determines whether or not it is possible to secure an image storage time necessary for image recognition;

an image storage section that sequentially stores image data captured by the imaging section when the recognition possibility/impossibility determination section can secure the image storage time necessary for the image recognition;

an image recognition section that detects whether or not there is an obstacle in an image resulting from combining images stored by the image storage section;

an output information generation section that outputs information relating to an obstacle detected by the image recognition section, or, if the recognition possibility/impossibility determination section cannot secure the image storage time necessary for the image recognition, information indicating a state in which recognition is impossible; and

a display section that displays information output by the output information generation section.

2. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognition possibility/impossibility determination section determines that the image storage time necessary for the image recognition can be secured when the necessary image storage time is shorter than the possible storage time, and determines that the image storage time necessary for the image recognition cannot be secured when the necessary image storage time is longer than the possible storage time.