Vehicle rearview mirror system, and vehicle provided with said vehicle rearview mirror system

• US 9,827,908 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Misato Industries Company Limited (Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Ichikoh Industries Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Konuki, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, II, James M
• Application Number:
  US14/374,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20140368657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 1/02 Rear-view mirror arrangements periscope arrangements B60R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8026 in addition to a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vehicle rearview mirror system which is capable of eliminating a circumstance that a driver feel a sense that something is wrong, even in a case where a screen of a display device is caused to one-to-one correspond with an aspect ratio of the vehicle rearview mirror, and the ratio of the display screen of the display device is made different from an aspect ratio of an image which is acquired by a vehicle-mounted camera.

[Means for Solving the Problem] A vehicle rearview mirror system of the present invention has: a display device 9 to construct an image by an image signal having been output from an image receiving unit 2a of a vehicle-mounted camera 2 and then cause a display screen 9a to display the constructed image; and a vehicle mirror main body 3 in which the display device 9 is incorporated. A ratio between a width in a transverse direction and a width in a longitudinal direction of the screen 9a of the display device 9 is caused to one-to-one correspond to a ratio between a width in a transverse direction and a width in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle mirror main body 3, The display device 9 has a signal processing unit 11 which processes an image signal and then causes the display screen 9a to display a resultant image. Partway of a signal line SL between the image receiving unit 2a and the signal processing unit 11, there is provided an image signal clipping unit 17 to clip an image signal corresponding to an image portion which is unrequired for driving by the driver 4 from an image constructed by the image signal having been output from the image receiving unit 2a and then output the remaining image signals to the signal processing unit 11, The signal processing unit 11 constructs an image G1′ of a ratio one-to-one corresponding to a ratio of the display screen 9a by a remaining image signal having been input.

Claims

1. A vehicle rearview mirror system comprising:

a display device to construct an image by an image signal having been output from an image receiving unit of a vehicle-mounted camera and then cause a display screen of the display device to display the constructed image; and

a vehicle mirror main body in which the display device is incorporated,

wherein an aspect ratio of the display device between a width in a transverse direction and a width in a longitudinal direction thereof is caused to one-to-one correspond to an aspect ratio of the vehicle mirror main body between a width in a transverse direction and a width in a longitudinal direction thereof,

the display device has a signal processing unit which processes the image signal to construct the image and then causes the display screen to display the constructed-image,

partway of a signal line between the image receiving unit and the signal processing unit, there is provided an image signal clipping unit to clip an image signal corresponding to an image portion which is unrequired for driving by a driver from the image signal having been output from the image receiving unit and then output the image signal other than the clipped image signal to the signal processing unit, and

the signal processing unit constructs an image of an aspect ratio one-to-one corresponding to the aspect ratio of the display screen to which the aspect ratio of the vehicle mirror main body one-to-one corresponds, from the image signal output from the image signal clipping unit.

2. The vehicle rearview mirror system according to claim 1,

wherein a rectangular half mirror which is capable of transmitting and visually recognizing the image that is displayed on the display screen of the display device is provided at the vehicle mirror main body, and

an aspect ratio of the half mirror between a width in a transverse direction and a width in a longitudinal direction thereof one-to-one corresponds to the aspect ratio of the display screen of the display device.

3. The vehicle rearview mirror system according to claim 2,

wherein the image signal clipping unit is composed of an image signal conversion unit to which the image signal having been output from the image receiving unit is input, and which converts an aspect ratio between a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction to the aspect ratio of the display screen from the image that is constructed by the image signal having been output from the image receiving unit and then outputs the converted aspect ratio to the signal processing unit.

4. The vehicle rearview mirror system according to claim 1,

wherein the image signal having been output from the image receiving unit is an analog signal and the analog signal is converted to a digital signal and then the converted digital signal is input to the signal processing unit.

5. The vehicle rearview mirror system according to claim 1,

wherein the image signal having been output from the image receiving unit is an analog signal,

the image signal clipping unit is composed of an image signal cancellation circuit to discard analog signals corresponding to less than a first predetermined number of scanning lines from a first scanning line and then output analog signals from the first predetermined number of scanning lines to a second predetermined number of scanning lines to the signal processing unit, and further, discard analog signals of the second predetermined number of scanning lines and subsequent scanning lines from among analog signals having been output from the image receiving unit and employed to construct an image of one field, and

the signal processing unit constructs an image of an aspect ratio corresponding to the aspect ratio between the width in the transverse direction and the width in the longitudinal direction of the display screen of the display device by way of analog signals from the first predetermined number of scanning lines to the second predetermined number of scanning lines.

6. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle room; and

the vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 2 provided in the vehicle room via a support arm,

wherein the vehicle mirror main body is inclinable between a posture when a driver watches the image which is displayed on the display screen of the display device and a posture when the driver watches a vehicle rear side appearing in the half mirror.

7. The vehicle rearview mirror system according to claim 1, wherein the image signal clipping unit is provided integrally with the display device.

8. The vehicle rearview mirror system according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle-mounted camera, wherein the image signal clipping unit is provided integrally with the camera.

9. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein an operating lever member which alters an inclined posture of the vehicle mirror main body is provided at the vehicle mirror main body, and the display device is switched on or off by operation of the operating lever member.