Image information processing system, image information processing method, image information processing program, and automobile

An image information processing method for processing an image of an object shot by two infrared cameras mounted on a movable body and thereby displaying image information of the object on an image display device mounted on the movable body, the image information processing method comprising:

• a processor;
• said processor executing the processing steps of
• a first image area recognition step of recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by an infrared camera;
• a second image area recognition step of recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereograph ically shot by two infrared cameras;
• a variable measurement step of measuring a variable whose value changes with a distance between the infrared cameras and the object;
• a weighting factor calculation step of calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦C1≦1) having a property of increasing along with an increase in the distance according to the variable and calculating a second weighting factor C2(=1−C1) having a property of increasing along with a decrease in the distance according to the variable, on the basis of the variable measured in the variable measurement step;
• a composite image area recognition step of recognizing a composite image area composed of the first image area recognized in the first image area recognition step and the second image area recognized in the second image area recognition step, with being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and the second weighting factor C2 calculated in the weighting factor calculation step, respectively;
• and
• an image information control step of causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized in the composite image area recognition step.

An image information processing system for processing an image of an object shot by two infrared cameras mounted in a vehicle and an image display device mounted thereon, and thereby displaying image information of the object on said image display device mounted on the vehicle, comprising a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising:

• a first image area recognition unit for recognizing an image area according to the object as a first image area by performing two-dimensional image processing of the object shot by a first one of said infrared cameras;
• a second image area recognition unit for recognizing an image area according to the object as a second image area by performing three-dimensional image processing of the object stereographically shot by both of said infrared cameras;
• a variable measurement unit for measuring a time t at a point after an elapse of a predetermined period of time since the start time of shooting the object using said infrared cameras;
• a weighting factor calculation unit for calculating a first weighting factor C1 (0≦C1≦1) according to the first function C1(t)=1/(Ct+1)(C>0) and calculating a second weighting factor C2 according to the second function C2(t)=1−{1/Ct+1 }, on the basis of time measured by the variable measurement unit;
• a composite image area recognition unit for recognizing a composite image area composed of a first two-dimensional image recognized by the first image area recognition unit being weighted by the first weighting factor C1 and a second three-dimensional image recognized by the second image area recognition unit being weighted by the second weighting factor C2;
• and
• an image information control unit for causing the image display device to display image information according to the composite image area recognized by the composite image area recognition unit.