US 8,077,203 B2 · Vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus and method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image

Abstract

A vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus and a method of correcting distortion of vehicle-periphery image corrects distortion of the obstacle image appearing in the vehicle-periphery image after viewpoint conversion, so that visual discomfort experienced by the driver is reduced. Images around the vehicle are captured by a plurality of cameras, and an obstacle around the vehicle is detected by an ultrasonic sensor. When the obstacle is detected, a width of an image in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle is compressed in the center direction of the images to generate the vehicle-periphery image. As a result, when a three-dimensional obstacle around the vehicle appears in an camera image, the camera image is viewpoint-converted so that enlargement or stretching of the obstacle image can be prevented.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus for viewpoint-converting each of a plurality of images captured by a plurality of cameras installed at different positions of a vehicle, and configured to combine the respective viewpoint-converted images to generate a vehicle-periphery image viewed from a virtual point of view above the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a viewpoint conversion processor configured to input a plurality of images captured by the plurality of cameras, and configured to viewpoint-convert the plurality of images using mapping table information, and combine the respective viewpoint-converted images to generate the vehicle-periphery image;
an obstacle detector configured to detect an obstacle around the vehicle and determine a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle;
and
an image compression controller configured to control compression when the obstacle having a width greater than a predetermined amount is detected at a distance less than a predetermined distance from the vehicle, the compression based on:
a center direction of the images around the vehicle,
a width of an image in the direction in which the obstacle is detected, and
a region positioned on the far side of the obstacle as viewed from the vehicle among the images around the vehicle.

4 more elements

A method of correcting distortion of an obstacle image within a vehicle-periphery image and combining respective viewpoint-converted images, the vehicle-periphery image being viewed from a virtual point of view above the vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting an obstacle around the vehicle and determining a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle;
and
performing viewpoint conversion using normal mapping table information for the images around the vehicle for which the obstacle is not detected in the detection step;
performing viewpoint conversion processing using compression mapping table information for the images around the vehicle for which the obstacle is detected at a distance greater than a predetermined distance from the vehicle in the detection step, the compression mapping table information corresponding to information for compressing a width of an image in the direction in which the obstacle having a width greater than a predetermined amount is detected, and in the region positioned on the far side of the obstacle, and combining the respective viewpoint-converted images to generate the vehicle-periphery image.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus and method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image

Life of this patent

Vehicle-periphery image generating apparatus and method of correcting distortion of a vehicle-periphery image

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12