Vehicle display system

Abstract

This invention provides a vehicle display system that can identify the height difference between the vehicle's contact surface and the road surface. [Solution] The vehicle display system comprises a plurality of on-board cameras that each capture the front, rear, left, and right areas of the vehicle, an image processing device that converts the original images captured by the plurality of on-board cameras into overhead images viewed from a virtual viewpoint above the vehicle, and a display device that displays the overhead images on a monitor screen, wherein the system includes a plurality of detection devices that detect the height from the vehicle's ground contact surface to the road surface at each of a plurality of grid points arranged in a grid pattern when the vehicle is viewed from the virtual viewpoint, and the display device displays grid-like auxiliary lines passing through the plurality of grid points superimposed on the overhead image on the monitor screen, and displays the height from the vehicle's ground contact surface to the road surface at each of the plurality of grid points in a way that can be identified by color attributes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle display system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle display system including a plurality of in-vehicle cameras that respectively photograph front, rear, left, and right regions of a vehicle, an image processing device that converts original images photographed by the plurality of in-vehicle cameras into bird's-eye view images seen from a virtual viewpoint above the vehicle, and a display device that displays the bird's-eye view images on a monitor screen.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the vehicle display system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when there is a steep uphill slope behind the vehicle and there is an obstacle on this uphill slope, the obstacle appears to be farther away than it actually is. On the other hand, when there is a steep downhill slope behind the vehicle and there is an obstacle on this downhill slope, the obstacle appears to be farther away than it actually is.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vehicle display system that can identify the height from the ground surface of the vehicle to the road surface.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle display system according to at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of on-board cameras that capture the front, rear, left, and right regions of a vehicle, respectively; an image processing device that converts the original images captured by the plurality of on-board cameras into overhead views of the vehicle from a virtual viewpoint above the vehicle; and a display device that displays the overhead views on a monitor screen, wherein the system includes a plurality of detection devices that detect the height from the vehicle's ground contact surface to the road surface at each of a plurality of grid points arranged in a grid pattern when the vehicle is viewed from the virtual viewpoint, and the display device displays grid-like auxiliary lines passing through the plurality of grid points superimposed on the overhead view on the monitor screen, and displays the height from the vehicle's ground contact surface to the road surface at each of the plurality of grid points in a way that can be identified by color attributes.

[0007] According to the above configuration, a grid-like auxiliary line passing through multiple grid points is superimposed on the overhead image and displayed on the monitor screen. Furthermore, the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface is displayed at each of the multiple grid points in a way that can be identified by the attribute of color, thus making it possible to identify the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface can be identified. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an overview of a vehicle display system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a vehicle display system. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the positions of multiple grid points used to detect the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface. [Figure 4] This figure shows a monitor screen displaying a grid-like auxiliary line passing through multiple grid points overlaid on an overhead image, and also displaying the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface at each of the grid points in a way that can be identified by color attributes. [Figure 5]This figure shows a monitor screen displaying the height from the first grid point to the second grid point adjacent to the first grid point, with the height from the first grid point to the second grid point being displayed in steps according to the attributes of the colors. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc., of the components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples.

[0011] [Overview of Vehicle Display System] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle display system 1 is configured to assist the driver during parking and other situations by displaying an overhead view image (overall image) BV, which is a view of the vehicle from a virtual viewpoint above the vehicle, on the monitor screen 10. The vehicle display system 1 is configured to display the overall image BV on the monitor screen 10 when the power switch is in the ON position and the switch 12 located in the driver's seat is turned ON, or when the shift position is set to R. The vehicle display system 1 may also display an image of the front of the vehicle FV or an image of the rear of the vehicle RV on the monitor screen 10 along with the overall image BV.

[0012] [Configuration of the vehicle display system] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle display system 1 includes multiple in-vehicle cameras 14, an image processing device 16, and a display device 18.

[0013] The multiple on-board cameras 14 are cameras that capture the areas in front of, behind, to the left, and to the right of the vehicle, respectively. The multiple on-board cameras 14 consist of four on-board cameras: a front camera 20, a rear camera 22, a left side camera 24, and a right side camera 26, but the number of multiple on-board cameras 14 is not limited to four. The multiple on-board cameras 14 are, for example, wide-angle cameras with a field of view of about 180 degrees, and the multiple on-board cameras 14 are installed so that images of the entire area surrounding the vehicle can be captured. For example, the front camera 20 is installed on the front bumper or bumper fascia at the front of the vehicle, and its shooting range is the area in front of the vehicle, capturing images of this area at an angle looking down towards the ground. The rear camera 22 is installed on the rear bumper or tailgate at the rear of the vehicle, and its shooting range is the area behind the vehicle, capturing images of this area at an angle looking down towards the ground. The left side camera 24 is mounted on the left side mirror of the vehicle and captures images of the area to the left of the vehicle, looking diagonally downwards towards the ground. The right side camera 26 is mounted on the right side mirror of the vehicle and captures images of the area to the right of the vehicle, looking diagonally downwards towards the ground.

[0014] The areas captured by the four in-vehicle cameras—the front camera 20, the rear camera 22, the left side camera 24, and the right side camera 26—overlap with the areas captured by adjacent in-vehicle cameras at their edges. For example, the area captured by the front camera 20 and the area captured by the left side camera 24 overlap in the area to the front left of the vehicle, and the area captured by the front camera 20 and the area captured by the right side camera 26 overlap in the area to the front right of the vehicle. Also, the area captured by the rear camera 22 and the area captured by the left side camera 24 overlap in the area to the rear left of the vehicle, and the area captured by the rear camera 22 and the area captured by the right side camera 26 overlap in the area to the rear right of the vehicle.

[0015] The plurality of in-vehicle cameras 14 are each electrically connected to the image processing device 16 and photograph their respective areas according to commands from the image processing device 16. The captured images (original images) are converted into electrical signals (video signals) in each of the plurality of in-vehicle cameras 14 and output to the image processing device 16. The video signal is, for example, a composite video signal, but is not limited to this.

[0016] The image processing device 16 is a device that converts the original images captured by the plurality of in-vehicle cameras 14 into bird's-eye view images looking down on the vehicle VC from a virtual viewpoint above the vehicle. The image processing device 16 is composed of a video processing circuit composed of various electrical and electronic elements, a digital image processing circuit composed of semiconductor chips, and the like. The image processing device 16 converts the video signals output from each of the plurality of in-vehicle cameras 14 into bird's-eye view images according to a predetermined algorithm. The image processing device 16, for example, converts the video signals output from each of the plurality of in-vehicle cameras 14 into image data of the original images, and further converts these image data into respective bird's-eye view images, but is not limited to this.

[0017] In addition, the image processing device 16 creates one overall image (bird's-eye view image) BV that includes all areas surrounding the vehicle from each of the bird's-eye view images. The overall image BV is created by connecting the respective bird's-eye view images, and for overlapping areas, it is created by synthesizing the bird's-eye view images. The overall image BV is converted into an electrical signal (video signal) in the image processing device and output to the display device 18.

[0018] The display device 18 is a device that displays the overall image (bird's-eye view image) BV on the monitor screen 10. The display device 18 is composed of a video processing circuit composed of various electrical and electronic elements, a digital image processing device composed of semiconductor chips, and the like. The display device 18 converts the video signal output from the image processing device 16 into image data and displays it on the monitor screen 10.

[0019] The vehicle display system 1 further includes a plurality of detection devices 28. As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of detection devices 28 are devices that detect the height from the ground contact surface of the vehicle VC to the road surface at each of a plurality of grid points P0,0 ··· P12,15 arranged in a grid pattern when looking down on the vehicle VC from a virtual viewpoint. The plurality of detection devices 28 are constituted by, for example, an ultrasonic detection device, a radar detection device, a stereo camera, etc., but are not limited thereto. The grid may be a square or a rectangle as long as it is rectangular. The interval L between adjacent grid points P in the vehicle longitudinal direction is preferably not more than half of the tire diameter of the vehicle, but is not limited thereto. The interval W between adjacent grid points P in the vehicle width direction is preferably not more than the tire width of the vehicle, but is not limited thereto.

[0020] The plurality of detection devices 28 are the front sensor 30 and the rear sensor 32, each of which is composed of one center sensor and two corner sensors, but is not limited thereto.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4, the display device 18 according to the embodiment overlays the auxiliary line AL passing through a plurality of grid points P on the entire image BV and displays it on the monitor screen 10, and displays the height from the ground contact surface of the vehicle VC to the road surface in a distinguishable manner according to the color attribute. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary line AL passing through a plurality of grid points P is overlaid on the entire image BV and displayed on the left side of the monitor screen 10, and on the right side, the height from the ground contact surface of the vehicle VC to the road surface is displayed in a distinguishable manner according to the color attribute in the enlarged view EV (rear vehicle enlarged view or front vehicle enlarged view), but is not limited thereto. For example, without dividing the monitor screen 10, the auxiliary line AL passing through a plurality of grid points P may be overlaid on the entire image BV and displayed on the monitor screen 10, and the height from the ground contact surface of the vehicle VC to the road surface may be displayed in a distinguishable manner according to the color attribute. The color attributes are hue, saturation, and lightness, and any of them may be used for display as long as it can be distinguished.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, the display device 18 according to the embodiment may display the height from the height at the first grid point Pa,b to the height at the second grid point Pc,d in steps using color attributes between the first grid point Pa,b and the second grid point Pc,d adjacent to the first grid point Pa,b. As shown in the example in Figure 5, the height from the height at the first grid point Pa,b to the height at the second grid point Pc,d may be displayed without gaps or with gaps. Furthermore, if the heights of the first grid point Pa,b and the second grid point Pc,d are the same, the color between the first grid point Pa,b and the second grid point Pc,d may be omitted.

[0023] In the display device 18 according to this embodiment, the color attribute is hue, and a cool color may be used when the height from the vehicle VC's ground contact surface to the road surface is lower than the vehicle's ground contact surface, and a warm color may be used when the height from the vehicle VC's ground contact surface to the road surface is higher than the vehicle VC's ground contact surface. In this way, grid points P on the road surface that are sloped downwards from the vehicle VC's ground contact surface will be displayed in a cool color, and grid points P on the road surface that are sloped upwards from the vehicle VC's ground contact surface will be displayed in a warm color.

[0024] The vehicle display system 1 according to this embodiment displays grid-like auxiliary lines passing through a plurality of grid points P on the monitor screen, superimposed on the overall image BV, and displays the height from the ground contact surface of the vehicle VC to the road surface at each of the plurality of grid points P in a way that can be identified by the attribute of color, so that the height from the ground contact surface of the vehicle VC to the road surface can be identified.

[0025] [Effectiveness of vehicle display systems] According to the vehicle display system 1 of this embodiment, the height from the ground contact surface of the vehicle VC to the road surface can be identified.

[0026] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes modified forms of the embodiments described above, as well as forms that combine these forms as appropriate. For example, a grid-like auxiliary line AL passing through a plurality of grid points may be superimposed on an image captured by an in-vehicle camera 14 (for example, an image captured by a rear camera 22) and displayed on the monitor screen 10, and the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface may be displayed at each of the plurality of grid points in a way that can be identified by color attributes.

[0027] Alternatively, the system may be configured to switch between an overall image BV and an image of the front of the vehicle FV or an image of the rear of the vehicle RV, an image with auxiliary lines passing through multiple grid points superimposed on the overall image BV and a magnified view of the front or rear, an image with auxiliary lines passing through multiple grid points superimposed on the overall image BV, or an image with grid-like auxiliary lines passing through multiple grid points superimposed on an image captured by the on-board camera 14, using a switch 12. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0028] 1. Vehicle display system 10 Monitor screen 12 Switches located in the driver's seat 14 In-car cameras 16 Image Processing Device 18 Display device 20 Front Camera 22 Rear camera 24 Left side camera 26 Right side camera 28 Detection device 30 Front Sensor 32 Rear Sensor VC Vehicle BV Overall image (overhead view) FV (Front View) Image of the rear of an RV vehicle

Claims

1. Multiple in-vehicle cameras that capture images of the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle, An image processing device that converts the original images captured by the aforementioned multiple in-vehicle cameras into overhead images that look down on the vehicle from a virtual viewpoint above the vehicle, A display device that displays the aforementioned overhead image on a monitor screen, A vehicle display system equipped with, The vehicle is provided with multiple detection devices that detect the height from the vehicle's ground contact surface to the road surface at each of the multiple grid points arranged in a grid pattern when the vehicle is viewed from the aforementioned virtual viewpoint. The display device is a vehicle display system that displays grid-like auxiliary lines passing through the plurality of grid points on the monitor screen by superimposing them on the overhead image, and displays the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface at each of the plurality of grid points in a way that can be identified by color attributes.

2. The vehicle display system according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays, in steps, the height from the height at the first grid point to the height at the second grid point, between the first grid point and the second grid point adjacent to the first grid point, according to the attribute of the color.

3. The vehicle display system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the attribute of the color is hue, and a cool color is displayed when the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface is lower than the vehicle's contact surface, and a warm color is displayed when the height from the vehicle's contact surface to the road surface is higher than the vehicle's contact surface.

4. The vehicle display system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spacing between adjacent grid points in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is less than or equal to half the diameter of the vehicle's tires.

5. The vehicle display system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spacing between adjacent grid points in the vehicle width direction is less than or equal to the tire width of the vehicle.

Images