Vehicle Bottom-View Image Rendering to Reduce Blind Spots

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Solution Overview

Problem

Unmanned vehicles have a limited field of view due to the number of sensors, leading to unsafe driving in certain scenarios and a poor user experience.

Innovation Solution

An image processing method that obtains a real-time pose of a vehicle, generates initial texture images, and converts them to a coordinate system positioned at the vehicle's bottom, using hybrid rendering to create a target image representing the scene below the vehicle, thereby expanding the field of view and reducing blind spots.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If the number of sensors is increased to expand the field of view, then the coverage area is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefield of view coverageVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical environment by generating texture images from panoramic views and rendering them into a virtual bottom-view scene. This virtual representation replicates the actual road conditions without requiring additional physical sensors, thereby expanding the effective field of view while avoiding the complexity and cost of installing more sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a two-dimensional panoramic image to a three-dimensional virtual scene by introducing a virtual bottom-view dimension. Through coordinate system transformation and hybrid rendering, the system creates a new viewing dimension that represents the area beneath the vehicle, effectively expanding the observable space without adding physical sensors in that direction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If more sensors are installed to monitor the bottom area, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving safetyVSAvoidsensor configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a virtual replica of the bottom area scene through texture mapping and hybrid rendering techniques. This virtual copy provides the same safety information that physical sensors would provide, allowing the system to monitor road conditions, obstacles, and environmental factors beneath the vehicle without installing additional sensors in the vehicle's blind spot area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a virtual scene as an intermediary between the existing sensor system and the bottom area monitoring requirement. Instead of directly observing the bottom area with physical sensors, the system uses the virtual scene generated from panoramic images and coordinate transformations as a mediator to provide indirect but effective monitoring of the previously inaccessible region.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If the field of view is expanded to reduce blind spots, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescene observation precisionVSAvoidimage processing system
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent adds a virtual bottom-view dimension to the existing observation system. By transforming coordinates and rendering texture images into this new dimension, the system achieves precise observation of the bottom area without requiring additional physical sensors or complex hardware modifications, thereby improving measurement precision through software-based dimensional extension.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4235584A1Image processing method and vehicle, and readable storage medium
Publication Date: 2023.08.30 XIAOMI EV TECH CO LTD
  • EP4235584A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4235584A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4235584A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The disclosure relates to the field of image processing, and particularly relates to an image processing method, a vehicle and a readable storage medium. The image processing method includes: obtaining a real-time pose of a vehicle, and obtaining a first number of initial texture images (11); obtaining a first texture image corresponding to each initial texture image according to the real-time pose and each initial texture image (12); obtaining second texture images by converting the first texture images to a coordinate system in which the vehicle is positioned and obtaining an area corresponding to a bottom of the vehicle (13); and obtaining a target image, representing a scene of the bottom area of the vehicle, by performing hybrid rendering on the second texture images corresponding to the first number of initial texture images (14).