Parking Assist Overhead Imaging Beyond Camera Viewing Angle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing parking assistance systems fail to effectively display the location of vacant parking spaces outside the current viewing angle of the camera or those hidden behind static objects, making it difficult for vehicle occupants to recognize available parking spaces.
Innovation Solution
A display control apparatus that receives locational information and captured images of vacant parking spaces, generates overhead images based on past positions of the vehicle, and outputs these images to a display apparatus, including spaces outside the current viewing angle or hidden behind static objects, ensuring the occupant can easily recognize available parking spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the system displays only images within the current camera viewing angle, then the display system remains simple and real-time, but vacant parking spaces outside the viewing angle or hidden behind static objects cannot be recognized by occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing and storing images at multiple predetermined positions around the vehicle before the parking maneuver begins. These pre-captured images are then synthesized to generate overhead views of parking spaces that would otherwise be invisible during the actual parking operation, thus preventing information loss without requiring complex real-time processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates synthetic overhead images by combining and transforming captured images from multiple camera positions. These copied and repositioned image elements are assembled to form a complete overhead view that includes parking spaces outside the current viewing angle, effectively replicating a bird's-eye view without requiring a physical overhead camera.
2Loss of information
If multiple cameras are used to capture all surrounding areas, then complete coverage of vacant parking spaces is achieved, but the system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single camera multi-functional by positioning it to capture images at multiple predetermined positions during vehicle movement. The same camera unit serves multiple viewing angles and positions, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated cameras while achieving complete coverage of the surrounding parking area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static single-view camera setup to a dynamic multi-position imaging system. The camera captures images at different positions as the vehicle moves, and these dynamic captures are synthesized into a static overhead view, allowing complete coverage without multiplying the number of cameras.
3Loss of information
If the system generates overhead images based on past vehicle positions, then parking spaces outside current viewing angle become visible, but the processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary image capture at all predetermined positions before the parking maneuver begins. By pre-capturing images at multiple positions and storing them, the system eliminates the need for time-consuming real-time image synthesis during the actual parking operation, thus reducing processing time while maintaining complete visibility of parking spaces.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a display control apparatus that generates a display overhead image including overhead images of each of a vacant parking space and a vehicle and outputs the display overhead image to a display apparatus. The display overhead image includes at least one of an overhead image of the vacant parking space outside of a current viewing angle of a vehicle-mounted camera and an overhead image of the vacant parking space hidden behind a static object as seen from a current position of the vehicle.