Virtual Road Plane for Vehicle Surroundings Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for informing vehicle occupants about their surroundings using multiple camera images struggle to provide a clear and intuitive depiction, often requiring multiple cameras and causing difficulties in understanding the actual positions of objects due to overlapping or mismatched perspectives.
Innovation Solution
Generating a virtual road plane with a perspective display that combines and transforms images from different camera views, allowing for a quasi-three-dimensional representation of the vehicle's surroundings, which can include road sections and objects, to provide a clear and intuitive spatial impression to the driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple cameras are used to record different regions of the vehicle's surroundings, then the coverage of the surroundings is improved, but the complexity of the display system and the difficulty of understanding the actual positions of objects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple camera images showing different regions of the vehicle's surroundings into a single composite picture displayed on one display unit. This merging approach maintains comprehensive coverage while simplifying the display system by eliminating the need for multiple separate displays, and helps users understand object positions through a unified perspective view.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms two-dimensional camera images into a pseudo-three-dimensional perspective view that represents the vehicle's surroundings from an elevated angle. This dimensional transformation allows comprehensive coverage of the surroundings while presenting the information in an intuitive format that helps users understand the actual positions of objects relative to the vehicle.
2Measurement precision
If multiple cameras are used to record the immediate near field, then the detail coverage is improved, but the difficulty of assigning individual images to real surroundings increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple detailed images from different cameras into a single composite picture that maintains high detail coverage of the near field. By combining the images with proper spatial relationships preserved, the system allows users to easily assign each captured region to its corresponding real-world location, eliminating the confusion that would arise from displaying separate images.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a perspective transformation that creates a pseudo-three-dimensional view from elevated angle, which naturally organizes the detailed near-field information in a spatially accurate manner. This dimensional approach makes it intuitive for users to understand which parts of the composite image correspond to which real-world locations around the vehicle.
3Measurement precision
If individual images are displayed separately, then the clarity of each image is maintained, but the user's understanding of actual object positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual camera images into a single composite picture that preserves the clarity of each captured region while adding spatial context. The composite view maintains the visual quality of individual images while simultaneously providing the spatial relationships needed for users to understand the actual positions of objects relative to the vehicle and each other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms individual two-dimensional images into a unified pseudo-three-dimensional perspective view. This transformation preserves the clarity of each captured region while restoring the spatial orientation information that is lost when images are displayed separately, allowing users to intuitively understand object positions in the vehicle's surroundings.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for informing an occupant of a vehicle of surroundings of the vehicle are provided. A recording unit of the vehicle generates at least two images, which contain different road sections of a road plane in the surroundings of the vehicle. The at least two images are processed by an image processing unit, which generates a depiction in which the at least two images are imaged on a virtual road plane that is displayed in perspective. The depiction is displayed on a display unit in the interior of the vehicle.