Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-19
2001-12-04
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
C701S096000, C701S300000, C348S115000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327522
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display apparatus for a vehicle and, for example, to a display apparatus which is suitably mounted on an automobile as a representative vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a technique for displaying an image ahead of a vehicle, which is sensed using infrared rays, on a display provided in front of a driver's seat so as to assist driving of a driver in a maneuvering environment with poor visibility such as nighttime, heavy fog, or the like has been proposed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 60-231193, 6-247184, 10-230805, or the like.
The display apparatuses proposed by these prior arts can effectively assist driver's vision.
However, when the sensed infrared ray image includes a plurality of obstacles, it is difficult for the driver to recognize the distances between the individual obstacles and his or her vehicle. For this reason, it is hard to determine an obstacle which the driver must watch out most, and such display may often have adverse influences on the driving of the driver.
When a far obstacle is sensed, its image is displayed to have a small size in the infrared ray image. For this reason, the driver cannot recognize the obstacle displayed on the display screen at a glance, and such image cannot effectively assist driver's vision.
When the sensed infrared ray image is always displayed irrespective of the maneuvering environment, such display may have adverse influences on the driving of the driver.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a display apparatus for a vehicle, which can display an obstacle which the driver must watch out, so that the driver can easily recognize the displayed image.
In order to achieve the above object, a display apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized by the following arrangement.
That is, a display apparatus for a vehicle of a present invention is a display apparatus for a vehicle, which is provided to a vehicle, and comprises an image sensing device (
3
,
23
,
43
) for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays, a display (
8
,
28
,
48
) for displaying the image sensed by the image sensing device at a position in front of a driver's seat of the vehicle, and distance detection means (
2
,
22
,
42
) for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle, characterized by comprising display control means (
1
,
21
,
41
) for changing a display mode of the display in accordance with a detection result of the distance detection means.
In a preferred embodiment of the display apparatus for a vehicle of the present invention, preferably, the display control means (
1
) computes distances to obstacles contained in the image sensed by the image sensing device (
3
) on the basis of that image and the detection result from the distance detection means (
2
), executes a predetermined image processing of the image so as to display only the obstacle with the shortest computed distance to the vehicle, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on the display (
8
).
In a preferred embodiment of the display apparatus for a vehicle of the present invention, preferably, the display control means (
1
) computes distances to obstacles contained in the image sensed by the image sensing device (
3
) on the basis of that image and the detection result from the distance detection means (
2
), executes a predetermined image processing of the image so as to emphasize and display the obstacle with the shortest computed distance to the vehicle compared to other obstacles, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on the display.
Furthermore, in the apparatus arrangement, the display control means preferably executes the following processing as the predetermined processing:
a processing for changing contrast between a partial image that represents the obstacle closest to the vehicle, and a surrounding image thereof;
a processing for setting a display color of a partial image that represents the obstacle closest to the vehicle to be different from a display color of a partial image that represents another obstacle;
a processing for setting a luminance of a partial image that represents the obstacle closest to the vehicle to be higher than a luminance of a partial image that represents another obstacle; or
a processing for emphasizing and displaying an outline of a partial image that represents the obstacle closest to the vehicle.
In a preferred embodiment of the display apparatus for a vehicle of the present invention, preferably, the display control means (
1
) computes distances to obstacles contained in the image sensed by the image sensing device (
3
) on the basis of that image and the detection result from the distance detection means (
2
), extracts a partial image that represents the obstacle with the shortest distance to the vehicle, executes a predetermined image processing for enlarging the extracted image, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on the display (
8
).
In a preferred embodiment of the display apparatus for a vehicle of the present invention, preferably, the display control means (
1
) extracts a partial image that represents a person from an overall image sensed by the image sensing device (
3
), computes a distance between the vehicle and the person corresponding to the partial image on the basis of the overall image and the detection result from the distance detection means (
2
), executes a predetermined image processing of the overall image so as to emphasize and display the partial image that represents the person with the shortest computed distance to the vehicle compared to partial images representing other obstacles, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on the display (
8
).
In a preferred embodiment of this apparatus arrangement, preferably, the display control means determines an obstacle, a radiation temperature of which falls within a predetermined temperature range, to be a person on the basis of radiation temperatures of obstacles included in the overall image, prior to extraction of the partial image that represents the person from the overall image.
More preferably, the apparatus arrangement further comprises maneuvering environment detection means (
4
,
5
) for detecting a maneuvering environment of the vehicle, and the display control means corrects the predetermined temperature range in accordance with the maneuvering environment detected by the maneuvering environment detection means. More specifically, the following processing is preferably done:
the maneuvering environment detection means (
5
) detects as the maneuvering environment an atmospheric temperature of the vehicle, and the display control means shifts the predetermined temperature range toward higher temperature with increasing atmospheric temperature detected by the maneuvering environment detection means; or
the maneuvering environment detection means (
5
) detects as the maneuvering environment calendar information or time information, and the display control means corrects the predetermined temperature range on the basis of the calendar information or time information detected by the maneuvering environment detection means.
Alternatively, as the emphasized display mode in the display apparatus for a vehicle of the present invention, the display control means preferably makes the following display as the predetermined image processing:
to change contrast between a partial image that represents the person closest to the vehicle, and a surrounding image thereof;
to set a display color of a partial image that represents the person closest to the vehicle to be different from a display color of a partial image that represents another obstacle;
to set a luminance of a partial image that represents the person closest to the vehi
Doi Ayumu
Kojima Koichi
Sasaki Hidekazu
Uemura Hiroki
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
Mazda Motor Corporation
Nguyen Tan
Tran Dalena
LandOfFree
Display apparatus for vehicle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Display apparatus for vehicle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Display apparatus for vehicle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2589964