Wide view vehicle periphery image generation apparatus

• US 9,156,402 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagamine, Noboru, Watanabe, Kazuya, Matsuba, Tomoyuki, Kadowaki, Jun, Mori, Toshihiro, Ooshita, Yuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beck, Leron
• Application Number:
  US13/388,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A vehicle periphery image generation apparatus for generating a vehicle periphery image with a wide view. The apparatus includes an image acquisition unit that acquires vehicle periphery images obtained by vehicle mounted photographic cameras, a display device, a viewing point position setting unit that sets the position to a viewing point from a perpendicular upward direction, a fish-eye image generation unit for generating a fish-eye image using the periphery images and a position set by the viewing point position setting unit, a self vehicle image generation unit that generates a self vehicle image as the fish-eye image with the position set by the viewing point position setting unit, and a display image generation unit for generating an image to be displayed on the display device using the fish-eye image and the self vehicle image, wherein the position of the viewing point of the fish-eye image can be changed.

Claims

1. A vehicle periphery image generation apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition unit for acquiring vehicle periphery images photographed by a plurality of photographic cameras mounted on the vehicle;

a display device provided in the vehicle interior for displaying the images;

a viewing point position setting unit for setting the position as the viewing point of the image to be displayed on the display device to a viewing point from a perpendicular upward direction;

a fish-eye image generation unit for generating a fish-eye image with using the periphery image and the position set by the viewing point position setting unit;

a self vehicle image generation unit for generating a self vehicle image as the fish-eye image with the position set by the viewing point position setting unit as the viewing point thereof; and

a display image generation unit for generating an image to be displayed on the display device with using the fish-eye image and a self vehicle image, wherein the position of the viewing point of the fish-eye image can be changed;

the viewing point position setting unit sets the viewing point based on a detection result of a wheel speed sensor and changes the viewing point such that a visibility of the vicinity in the travelling direction of the vehicle increases when a detected wheel speed of the vehicle decreases.

2. The vehicle periphery image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the viewing point position is changed within a horizontal plane normal to the perpendicular direction.

3. The vehicle periphery image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the self vehicle image generation unit generates the self vehicle image with its length reduced.

4. The vehicle periphery image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the viewing point of the fish-eye image can be changed in response to a user'"'"'s operation.

5. The vehicle periphery image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the viewing point of the fish-eye image can be changed, in accordance with result of detection by a sensor device mounted on the vehicle.

6. The vehicle periphery image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the viewing point position setting unit sets the viewing point based on a detection result of a steering sensor, and sets the viewing point to a forward side of the vehicle which is upstream in direction of steering of a steering wheel.