Electronic Mirror Viewpoint Update for Stable Rear Visual Field

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing in-vehicle electronic mirrors struggle to maintain an appropriate rear visual field when a driver's posture changes, leading to difficulties in providing an intuitive and easily viewable image.

Innovation Solution

An image processing apparatus that updates the reference viewpoint position based on long-term fluctuations in the driver's posture, using a captured image from the rear side of the vehicle, and superimposes a vehicle image to create a display image, adjusting the positional relationship according to the driver's viewpoint deviation, thereby maintaining an intuitive and appropriate rear visual field.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the display view angle changes in accordance with head motion, then the visual field becomes intuitive and easily viewable, but the system cannot maintain an appropriate rear visual field when driver posture changes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveintuitiveness of visual fieldVSAvoidstability of rear visual field
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the display view angle based on real-time head position detection while simultaneously updating the reference viewpoint position to track long-term posture changes. This dual dynamic adjustment mechanism allows the system to maintain both intuitiveness during short-term head motions and reliability during long-term posture changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously detecting head position, comparing it with the reference viewpoint position, and adjusting the display accordingly. The reference viewpoint position itself is updated based on feedback from long-term posture monitoring, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains visual field appropriateness under varying conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If the reference viewpoint position is fixed, then the system is simple to implement, but it cannot adapt to long-term fluctuations in driver posture

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesimplicity of system implementationVSAvoidadaptability to posture changes
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The reference viewpoint position transitions from a fixed static value to a dynamic value that automatically updates based on detected posture changes. This dynamic reference position enables the system to adapt to long-term posture fluctuations while maintaining a relatively simple implementation through automated detection and update mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Speed

If the display image is updated frequently, then the visual field responds accurately to viewpoint fluctuations, but the processing load increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse speed to viewpoint changesVSAvoidprocessing load
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements dynamic update timing by adjusting the frequency of reference viewpoint position updates based on the magnitude and duration of detected posture changes. For small, transient head motions, updates occur at high frequency for accurate response. For larger, sustained posture changes, the update frequency is modulated to reduce unnecessary processing while maintaining visual field appropriateness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3896960B1Image processing device, image processing method, and image processing system
Publication Date: 2025.11.26 SONY GROUP CORP
  • EP3896960B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3896960B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(c)
  • EP3896960B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

To make it possible to provide a visual field that is intuitive and easily viewable, and to obtain an appropriate rear visual field even if a posture of a driver changes. A display image is obtained in accordance with a deviation of a viewpoint position of a driver from a reference viewpoint position, on the basis of a captured image obtained by capturing an image on a rear side from a vehicle. The reference viewpoint position is updated on the basis of a long-term fluctuation of the viewpoint position. For example, the reference viewpoint position is not updated when a line-of-sight of the driver is in a certain region including a display unit that displays a display image. For example, when a viewpoint position of the driver enters a certain region corresponding to a seated state, there is registered, as an initial reference viewpoint position, a viewpoint position of the driver in a case where a line-of-sight of the driver is continuously present for a certain period of time on the display unit that displays a display image.