# US 2008/0186382 A1 · Field watch apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0186382 A1 - Document ID: US20080186382A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/068,164 - Filed: 2008-02-04 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-06 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Makiko Tauchi; Sei Iguchi; Asako Nagata - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080186382A1 ## CPC - G01S 13/89: for mapping or imaging - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G01S 2013/9316: {combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations} - G01S 2013/932: {using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction} - G01S 2013/9321: {Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control} - G01S 2013/9322: {using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data} - G01S 2013/93271: {in the front of the vehicles} - G01S 2013/93272: {in the back of the vehicles} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract A field watch apparatus for use in a subject vehicle acquires a road image from a roadside capture unit located around the subject vehicle on a road and, based on the acquired image, generates an overhead view of a field around the subject vehicle in an intuitively recognizable manner by including a distant surrounding vehicle in the view, thereby providing a precisely understandable view of the field around the subject vehicle for the ease of satisfactorily identifying the distant surrounding vehicle without being compromised by the position of the roadside capture unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A field watch apparatus for use in a subject vehicle comprising: a road image acquisition unit capable of acquiring a road image that includes another vehicle around the subject vehicle from a roadside capture unit disposed in surroundings of the subject vehicle while the subject vehicle is traveling on a road; an overhead view generation unit capable of generating an overhead view of the subject vehicle with a viewpoint from above the subject vehicle, wherein the overhead view of the subject vehicle is generated as a view of a real image of a nearby area of the subject vehicle by composing the plural road images respectively captured in different perspectives of the plural roadside capture units with viewpoint shifting; and a display unit disposed in the subject vehicle and capable of displaying the overhead view of the subject vehicle, wherein a position of the subject vehicle is represented in an identifiable manner in the overhead view. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The field watch apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a surrounding capture unit disposed in the subject vehicle and capable of capturing surroundings image of the subject vehicle, wherein the overhead view generation unit generates the overhead view based on both of the surroundings image from the surrounding capture unit and the road image from the roadside capture unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The field watch apparatus of claim 2, wherein the roadside capture unit captures at least one of the road image of a far front area and a far rear area of the subject vehicle relative to a capture perspective of the surrounding capture unit, and the overhead view generation unit generates the overhead view of the subject vehicle by supplementing the surroundings image from the surrounding capture unit with the road image from the roadside capture unit at a position that is at least a predetermined distance away from the subject vehicle in one of a front and a rear of the subject vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The field watch apparatus of claim 3, wherein the overhead view generation unit generates the overhead view of the subject vehicle so that an another vehicle's image traveling at a position that is at least subject vehicle's length backwardly away from the subject vehicle in one of a subject vehicle's lane and an adjacent lane of the subject vehicle's lane is included therein. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The field watch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the roadside capture unit is a road-to-vehicle camera that is disposed at plural predetermined positions on a roadside of a road that is being traveled by the subject vehicle, and the road image acquisition unit is the road-to-vehicle camera within a predetermined distance from a traveling position of the subject vehicle that provides the road image for generation of the overhead view of the subject vehicle. ### Claim 6 Afield watch apparatus for use in a subject vehicle comprising: a road image acquisition unit capable of acquiring a road image that includes another vehicle around the subject vehicle from a roadside capture unit disposed in surroundings of the subject vehicle while the subject vehicle is traveling on a road; an overhead view generation unit capable of generating an overhead view of the subject vehicle with a viewpoint from above the subject vehicle, wherein the overhead view of the subject vehicle is generated as a view of a real image of a nearby area of the subject vehicle by composing the plural road images respectively captured in different perspectives of the plural roadside capture units with viewpoint shifting; and a display unit disposed in the subject vehicle and capable of displaying the overhead view of the subject vehicle, wherein a position of the subject vehicle is represented in an identifiable manner in the overhead view, wherein the roadside capture unit is a vehicle camera disposed on another vehicle traveling around the subject vehicle, and the road image acquisition unit is the vehicle camera on the another vehicle within a predetermined distance from the traveling subject vehicle that provides the road image for generation of the overhead view of the subject vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The field watch apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: an another vehicle identify unit capable of identifying an another vehicle's image in the overhead view of the subject vehicle; a distance detection unit capable of detecting a distance to another vehicle around the subject vehicle; and a distance output unit capable of outputting information on the distance to the another vehicle, wherein the distance to the another vehicle is output on the overhead view of the subject vehicle in a manner that identifies a corresponding another vehicle's image. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The field watch apparatus of claim 7, wherein the distance detection unit is a unit for detecting a distance to the another vehicle that is disposed on the subject vehicle separately from an image acquisition device that serves for generation of the overhead view of the subject vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The field watch apparatus of claim 8 further comprising: an another vehicle mapping unit, wherein the distance detection unit is capable of acquiring direction information of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle as well as capable of acquiring distance information from the subject vehicle to the another vehicle, the another vehicle mapping unit generates another vehicle mapping information that maps the another vehicle around the subject vehicle based on the distance information and the direction information, and the another vehicle identify unit refers to the another vehicle mapping information for correcting an identification result of the anther vehicle image's on the overhead view of the subject vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The field watch apparatus of claim 8, wherein the distance detection unit is a radar distance measurement device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The field watch apparatus of claim 7, wherein the distance detection unit includes a marking unit that is capable of putting a different mark on another vehicle's image in the overhead view of the subject vehicle according to the detected distance to the another vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The field watch apparatus of claim 11, wherein the marking unit uses a different color for marking the another vehicle's image according to the detected distance. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The field watch apparatus of claim 11, wherein the marking unit uses a different marking frame that borders the another vehicle's image in the overhead view of the subject vehicle according to the detected distance. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) The field watch apparatus of claim 7 further comprising: a warning information output unit that outputs warning information when the overhead view of the subject vehicle includes the another vehicle that has the distance detected by the distance detection unit being within a predetermined warning distance. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The field watch apparatus of claim 14 further comprising: a relative approach speed identify unit that identifies a relative approach speed of the another vehicle from behind the subject vehicle, wherein the warning information output unit outputs the warning information when the overhead view of the subject vehicle includes the another vehicle that has the relative approach speed of positive value being greater than a predetermined warning approach speed. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The field watch apparatus of claim 14 further comprising: an catch-up time calculation unit capable of calculating catch-up information that reflects a catch-up time of the another vehicle from behind the subject vehicle based on the distance detected by the distance detection unit and the relative approach speed identified by the relative approach speed identify unit, wherein the warning information output unit outputs the warning information when the overhead view of the subject vehicle includes the another vehicle that has the catch-up time being smaller than a predetermined warning catch-up time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The field watch apparatus of claim 14, wherein the warning information output unit includes a warning marking generation unit capable of marking the image of the another vehicle that is treated as a warning object in the overhead view of the subject vehicle in a distinctively recognizable manner from the images of the vehicles that are not treated as the warning objects. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The field watch apparatus of claim 17, wherein the warning marking generation unit uses a predetermined color for marking the image of the another vehicle that is treated as the warning object. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The field watch apparatus of claim 14 further comprising: a warning sound output unit capable of providing sound output of the warning information, wherein the warning sound output unit is included in the warning information output unit. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The field watch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overhead view generation unit generates the overhead view of the subject vehicle by partially substituting the overhead view with a substitution image that is not derived from the road image. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The field watch apparatus of claim 20, wherein the substitution image is an image of the subject vehicle.