Vehicular image display system and image display control method

An image display control method for an image display system, comprising:

• taking both a right side-rear view image of a first area along the right side and to the rear of a vehicle and a rear view image of a second area to the rear of the vehicle, or at least the right side-rear view image, by a first image taking device;
• taking both a left side-rear view image of a third area along the left side and to the rear of the vehicle and the rear view image of the second area, or at least the left side-rear view image, by a second image taking device;
• performing image processing on data of the images taken by the first and second image taking devices, thereby detecting a road lane in which the vehicle is running, to compute a running condition of the vehicle indicating whether the vehicle is making a lane change, and setting a right threshold line at the right side of the road lane and a left threshold line at the left side of the road lane, the right and left threshold lines being positioned relative to the road lane, by a controller;
• performing image processing on data of the images taken by the first and second image taking devices, to compute a running condition of an obstacle in the first area or in the second area or in the third area, by the controller;
• determining a first display start time point to start displaying the right side-rear view image and a second display start time point to start displaying the left side-rear view image based on the computed running conditions of the vehicle and the obstacle, by the controller, wherein the first display start time point is determined as being a time point at which a first point in a defined region of the obstacle in the images processed by the controller passes the right threshold line and the second display start time point is determined as being a time point at which a second point in the defined region of the obstacle passes the left threshold line;
• and
• starting displaying, by a presenting device, the right side-rear view image at the first display start time point and the left side-rear view image at the second display start time point.

An information presenting system provided on a vehicle, comprising:

• a first image taking device which takes both a right side-rear view image of a first area along the right side and to the rear of the vehicle and a rear view image of a second area to the rear of the vehicle, or at least the right side-rear view image;
• a second image taking device which takes both a left side-rear view image of a third area along the left side and to the rear of the vehicle and the rear view image of the second area, or at least the left side-rear view image;
• a first running condition computing unit which performs image processing on data of the images taken by the first and second image taking devices, and which thereby detects a road lane in which the vehicle is running, to compute a running condition of the vehicle indicating whether the vehicle is making a lane change, wherein the first running condition computing unit sets a right threshold line along the right side of the road lane and a left threshold line along the left side of the road lane, the right and left threshold lines being positioned relative to the road lane;
• a second running condition computing unit which performs image processing on data of the images taken by the first and second image taking devices, to compute a running condition of an obstacle running in the first area or in the second area or in the third area;
• a presentation start judgment unit which determines, based on the running conditions of the vehicle and the obstacle computed by the first and second running condition computing units, a first presentation start time to start presenting a first information of the obstacle running in the first area or moving into the first area and a second presentation start time to start presenting a second information of the obstacle running in the third area or moving into the third area, wherein the presentation start judgment unit determines the first presentation start time as being a time point at which a first point in a defined region of the obstacle in the images processed by the second running condition computing unit passes the right threshold line and determines the second presentation start time as being a time point at which a second point in the defined region of the obstacle passes the left threshold line;
• and
• a presenting device which starts presenting the first information at the first presentation start time and starts presenting the second information at the second presentation start time.

An image display control method for an image display system, comprising:

• taking both a right side-rear view image of a first area along the right side and to the rear of a vehicle and a rear view image of a second area to the rear of the vehicle, or at least the right side-rear view image, by a first image taking device;
• taking both a left side-rear view image of a third area along the left side and to the rear of the vehicle and the rear view image of the second area, or at least the left side-rear view image, by a second image taking device;
• performing image processing on data of the images taken by the first and second image taking devices, thereby detecting a road lane in which the vehicle is running, to compute a running condition of the vehicle indicating whether the vehicle is making a lane change, and setting a right threshold line at the right side of the road lane and a left threshold line at the left side of the road lane, the right and left threshold lines being positioned relative to the road lane, by a controller;
• performing image processing on data of the images taken by the first and second image taking devices, to compute a running condition of an obstacle running in the first area or in the second area or in the third area, by the controller;
• determining, based on the running conditions of the vehicle and the obstacle computed by the controller, a first presentation start time to start presenting a first information of the obstacle running in the first area or moving into the first area and a second presentation start time to start presenting a second information of the obstacle running in the third area or moving into the third area, wherein the first presentation start time is determined as being a time point at which a first point in a defined region of the obstacle in the images processed by the controller passes the right threshold line and the second presentation start time is determined as being a time point at which a second point in the defined region of the obstacle passes the left threshold line;
• and
• starting presenting, by a presenting device, the first information at the first presentation start time and the second information at the second presentation start time.