Vehicle Image Processing Device for Blind Spot Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image processing technologies for in-vehicle blind spot monitoring fail to accurately combine camera images, leading to unnatural subject shapes and visibility issues due to bent lines and overlapping or lacking portions at image boundaries.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device that calculates subject distances and performs viewpoint conversion to combine images on a single plane of projection, reducing the degree of bending at image boundaries and suppressing overlapping or lacking portions, thereby displaying a subject shape similar to the actual visual recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If cutting out of image area and viewpoint conversion are independently performed, then image combination is simplified, but straight lines are displayed in bent manner at connection between camera images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the image cutting out process and viewpoint conversion process into a unified operation. Instead of performing these two operations independently, the system performs viewpoint conversion first to correct the geometric distortion, then cuts out the image areas, ensuring that straight lines remain straight at the boundaries between combined camera images.
2Device complexity
If viewpoint conversion is performed only for aligning vehicle traveling direction, then processing is simplified, but subject shape at boundary area cannot be perceived correctly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of viewpoint conversion from a simple alignment-based approach to a comprehensive geometric correction approach. It uses distance information from the subject to the vehicle and relative positions of cameras to calculate appropriate conversion parameters, thereby accurately preserving subject shapes at boundary areas while maintaining processing efficiency.
3Speed
If multiple camera images are combined without distance calculation, then processing speed is improved, but overlapping or lacked portions occur at image boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary calculation of subject distances and relative camera positions before combining the images. By pre-calculating these geometric parameters, the system can efficiently combine images with high precision, avoiding overlapping or lacked portions at boundaries while maintaining processing speed through optimized calculation methods.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device includes a distance information acquisition unit and an image combination unit. Based on positions of a common subject on a plurality of images captured by a plurality of cameras for capturing surrounding images of a vehicle, the distance information acquisition unit calculates a first subject distance from a vehicle reference position to the common subject, and calculates, based on the first subject distance, a second subject distance to a subject captured by one of the plurality of cameras. Based on the first subject distance and the second subject distance, the image combination unit converts the captured images in which the plurality of cameras are employed as viewpoints to images in which the reference position is employed as a viewpoint, and combines the converted images on a single plane of projection.