3D Surface Image Zooming for Vehicle Surround View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image zooming methods for surround view systems in vehicles distort two-dimensional camera images and require significant computational resources, making them inefficient for real-time detection of crossing traffic.
Innovation Solution
Transforming image data from a camera into a three-dimensional surface and applying precomputed zoom functions based on 3D-coordinates, which allows for efficient zooming using simple computational resources by shifting x and y-coordinates, and utilizing a graphic processing unit for rendering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional zooming methods are applied to image data, then the horizontal outer regions can be magnified, but the two-dimensional camera image becomes distorted and computational resources are heavily consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the two-dimensional image data into a three-dimensional surface representation, where each pixel is mapped to a 3D coordinate. This dimensional transformation enables zooming operations to be performed by simply shifting 3D coordinates along the viewing direction, avoiding complex 2D warping calculations and reducing computational complexity while maintaining zooming accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-computes the mapping between 2D image coordinates and 3D surface coordinates, storing this transformation data in advance. During runtime, zooming is achieved by applying simple coordinate shifts to the pre-computed 3D data structure, eliminating the need for complex real-time calculations and reducing computational burden
2Measurement precision
If conventional zooming methods are applied to image data, then the horizontal outer regions can be magnified, but the two-dimensional camera image becomes distorted
Solution Approach 1:
By representing image data as a three-dimensional surface rather than a two-dimensional array, the patent enables zooming operations to be performed by shifting coordinates along the 3D viewing direction. This approach maintains the geometric relationships between pixels and avoids the distortion inherent in 2D warping methods, preserving image accuracy during zooming
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the coordinate system parameters from 2D (x, y) to 3D (x, y, z), where z represents the depth or viewing direction. This parameter expansion allows zooming to be achieved by modifying the z-coordinate or the relationship between coordinates, thereby controlling magnification without introducing distortion to the image geometry
3Productivity
If precomputed functions are applied for zooming, then computational resources are reduced, but the transformation to three-dimensional surface is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the complex transformation from 2D image data to 3D surface representation in advance, storing the transformed data structure for reuse. During zooming operations, only simple coordinate shifts are applied to the pre-transformed data, significantly reducing real-time computational requirements while the initial transformation complexity is paid off during the preprocessing stage
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The present invention relates to an enhanced zooming of image data, in particular to a zooming of image data captured by a wide-angle camera. A regional zooming of particular areas in the image data can be achieved in a very efficient way. For this purpose, the image data are projected on a three-dimensional surface and transformed to a well-defined planar grid. Based on the image data of the planar grid, a precomputed zooming can be applied to the image data.