Virtual Camera Decoupling for Static Surround View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional driver assistance systems often provide disorienting views when the vehicle's surroundings are static while the vehicle moves, particularly in situations like parallel parking, where maintaining the surroundings static is more appropriate.
Innovation Solution
The system decouples the virtual camera from the physical cameras, allowing it to appear static relative to a reference other than the vehicle, by dynamically positioning the virtual camera based on user input, environmental conditions, and object detection, ensuring the surroundings appear static while the vehicle appears to move.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the virtual camera is coupled to the physical cameras on the vehicle, then the virtual view moves with the vehicle providing comprehensive surround information, but the view becomes disorienting and less useful in situations where the driver needs to perceive the vehicle's movement relative to static surroundings
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between two virtual camera modes: a vehicle-coupled mode that moves with the vehicle to maintain comprehensive surround awareness, and a world-fixed mode that remains stationary relative to the environment to provide intuitive spatial orientation. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize between information completeness and driver orientation based on operational context
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the reference frame parameter of the virtual camera between two states: vehicle-relative coordinates when the vehicle is the center of reference, and world-relative coordinates when the environment is the center of reference. This parameter change enables the virtual camera to adapt its behavior from tracking the vehicle to remaining static in the world frame
2Area of stationary object
If the virtual camera maintains a relative position to the physical cameras, then the surround view system provides a complete view of vehicle surroundings, but the view is less useful for tasks like parallel parking where maintaining static surroundings in the display is more appropriate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts the virtual camera's reference frame based on the driving task. During maneuvers like parallel parking, the system switches to world-fixed mode where the virtual camera remains stationary relative to the environment, allowing the driver to accurately judge the vehicle's movement relative to static objects like curbs and parked cars
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are disclosed for generating a virtual view that is at least partially decoupled from a view of one or more physical cameras. An example method includes capturing images from at least one physical camera, generating a virtual image of a virtual camera from the captured images of at least one physical camera, the virtual image having either a different viewpoint, a different orientation, or a different viewpoint and orientation than the images captured by at least one physical camera, and automatically maintaining the virtual position of the virtual camera, relative to a reference point, when the at least one physical camera moves relative to the reference point.