Vehicle Image Processing System with Dynamic Viewpoint Adaptation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image processing systems for vehicles struggle to provide useful information to drivers due to narrow camera angles and image distortion, especially when the vehicle's state changes, such as during turning or reversing, as they rely on fixed viewpoints and fail to adapt to the driver's desired observation direction.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that generates images in various viewpoint directions based on captured images from multiple cameras installed in a vehicle, performing distortion correction and adapting to the vehicle's state, such as traveling, turning, or reversing, to display more useful information to the driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a fish-eye lens is attached to widen the angle of view, then the monitoring coverage is improved, but the image distortion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies distortion correction processing that dynamically adjusts image parameters based on the vehicle state. When the vehicle is stationary or moving straight, standard distortion correction is applied. When the vehicle is turning, the system changes the correction parameters to generate images from virtual viewpoints that account for the turning radius, thereby maintaining both wide coverage and acceptable distortion levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different image generation modes based on vehicle state detection. It transitions from static distortion correction to dynamic virtual viewpoint generation that adapts to turning movements, allowing the system to maintain image quality across varying operational conditions while preserving wide-angle coverage.
2Device complexity
If a fixed viewpoint method is used for distortion correction, then the processing complexity is reduced, but the usefulness of information for the driver decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic viewpoint generation system that adjusts the virtual camera position and orientation based on detected vehicle state (straight movement, turning, stationary). This allows the system to maintain relatively simple processing during straight movement while automatically adapting to provide more useful information during turning operations, thereby reducing information loss without permanently increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key parameters including viewpoint position, orientation angle, and distortion correction strength based on vehicle state. During turning, the viewpoint is shifted toward the turning direction and the orientation is adjusted to provide a more relevant view, thereby maintaining information usefulness while managing processing complexity through state-based parameter adjustment.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple cameras are used to monitor the entire periphery, then the coverage is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of the camera system through computational imaging. Instead of physically installing multiple cameras to achieve all desired viewpoints, the system processes images from existing cameras to generate virtual images from multiple perspectives, including viewpoints that would require additional physical cameras. This maintains comprehensive coverage while avoiding the complexity of installing and integrating multiple physical devices.
Data Source
AI summary
The present technology relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing system enabling the presentation of more useful information. An image in a viewpoint direction corresponding to the state of an object is generated from a captured image. Alternatively, an image of the periphery of the object is captured at a wide angle, and then an image obtained by projecting a part of the wide-angle captured image thus obtained onto a plane in a viewpoint direction corresponding to the state of the object is displayed. For example, an image of the periphery of an object is captured at a wide angle, an image in a viewpoint direction corresponding to the state of the object is generated from the obtained captured image, and the generated image is displayed.