Alternating Overlay Image Colors for Vehicle Drive Assistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle drive assisting systems face challenges in ensuring that overlay images, intended to guide drivers, remain visible against varying background colors and are recognizable by drivers with color blindness, as similar background and overlay colors can lead to reduced visibility.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that alternates the color of overlay images between successive frames, using complementary colors or differences in hue, brightness, and intensity to ensure visibility, regardless of the background color, by determining distinct colors for odd and even frames and superimposing them on captured image data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If overlay image data is displayed in a single color to maintain consistency, then the display is simple and easy to implement, but the overlay image may become less visible when the background color is similar to the overlay color
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by alternately displaying overlay image data in different colors for odd frames and even frames. This periodic color switching ensures that at least one of the displayed colors provides sufficient contrast against the background, maintaining overlay image visibility without requiring complex real-time background analysis.
2Ease of operation
If overlay image data uses bright colors like yellow or red to stand out, then the overlay image is easily recognized by most drivers, but drivers with color blindness may have difficulty recognizing these colors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using different colors for overlay images in odd frames and even frames. This creates local variation in color properties that ensures at least one frame provides adequate contrast for drivers with various types of color vision, including color blindness.
3Reliability
If the overlay image color is changed for each frame to ensure visibility, then the overlay image remains visible against varying backgrounds, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic action to simplify the color determination process. Instead of analyzing background colors frame-by-frame, the system simply alternates between two predetermined colors for odd and even frames, reducing processing complexity while maintaining visibility reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the color parameter of the overlay image data between frames. This simple parameter variation ensures visibility against different background colors without requiring complex processing or multiple color options.
Data Source
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AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes: an image color determination unit configured to determine color of overlay image data to be superimposed on captured image data of successive frames generated by capturing surroundings of a vehicle such that a first color of overlay image data of a first frame differs from a second color of the overlay image data of a second frame following the first frame; and an image synthesizing unit configured to superimpose the overlay image data in the first color and the overlay image data in the second color respectively on predetermined positions in the captured image data of the first frame and the second frame, and output images corresponding to the captured image data of the successive frames one after another to a display. Thereby, an overlay image that is easily visible regardless of background color and driver's color vision is superimposed on a captured image.