Communications: electrical – Vehicle detectors – With camera
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-21
2002-11-05
Trieu, Van (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Vehicle detectors
With camera
C340S435000, C340S436000, C340S935000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06476731
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assist system for complementing the field of view of a driver by providing information on the environment of a vehicle or a dead angle (spot) in the driver's view by display of a picture on an internal monitor with superimposing of the assisting information, if necessary, for the driving operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
An automobile has a body which entirely surrounds the driver so that the driver cannot be free from a dead spot in his field of view which is shielded by the portions of the automobile body other than the windows. This dead spot or dead angle should be eliminated for avoiding a low obstacle on a narrow road or a moving obstacle. In order to indirectly acquire information on such dead spot, therefore, the vehicle has been equipped in the related art with dead angle eliminating means, as represented by an under-mirror of a large-sized vehicle. In view of the higher performance and the smaller size of display units in recent years, there have been proposed a variety of devices utilizing the display unit. Of these proposals, an especially wide dead angle range is effectively covered by the technique which has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 142210/1997. This related art includes an image pickup unit for taking an image of the environment, and a monitor for displaying the picture taken by the image pickup unit. The image pickup is mounted on the upper central portion of the back of the vehicle as to provide a view from the region just behind the vehicle to the region horizontally outward from the vehicle on one screen. In the picture taken in this case, a portion (e.g., bumper) of the rear end portion of the vehicle is positioned at a lower portion of the screen, and infinity (or a horizontal line) is shown at an upper portion of the screen.
According to the aforementioned method of the related art in which the image pickup unit is disposed generally at the center of the vehicle, however, the image pickup unit cannot be positioned as high in a vehicle having a small height such as a passenger automobile as in a large-sized vehicle. At a corner of the vehicle, most important for avoiding an obstacle, the angle between a vertical line drawn from the corner outer edge of the bumper to the ground and a straight line joining the image pickup unit at an upper portion of the center of the vehicle and the corner outer edge of the bumper becomes so large that the picture thus obtained has the obstacle superimposed over a background of the corner of the bumper. This makes it difficult to sense the distance between the vehicle corner and the obstacle. Further, because of the large angle, a dead angle is left in the vicinity of the bumper corner so that a low obstacle nearby cannot be seen.
In order to reduce the distortion of the picture and thereby provide a proper sense of distance, it is conceivable to provide a combination of the dedicated various drive assisting systems of the related art, for a specific driving operation, to cover the dead angles individually by individual image pickup units arranged at different positions on the vehicle, so that the information from those individual units, as required for the vehicle operations, can be acquired by selecting them properly at the same time or as necessary. Generally, however, the information by the monitor screen is not such that it is easy to grasp at a glance and at a high speed which direction of the vehicle the screen corresponds to or which position it is taken from. When the behavior of the vehicle, i.e., the driving operation, and the change in the picture are independent, the information on the screen cannot be effectively exploited, even if acquired, in difficult driving operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the invention has, as its main object, provision of a drive assisting system for acquiring dead angle information, from which the distance can be easily determined, while covering a relatively wide area by displaying a picture providing an unobstructed field of view for the driver.
In order to achieve the above-specified object, according to the invention, there is provided a drive assisting system comprising an image pickup unit disposed on a vehicle for viewing the area in the vicinity of the vehicle, wherein the image pickup unit is oriented longitudinally inclined with respect to a reference position, wherein the upper side of the field of view is directed forward of the vehicle and where the optical axis is directed vertically downward, to obtain an image including at least the edge portion of the vehicle and an area in the front/rear of the vehicle.
In another aspect, the invention provides a drive assisting system comprising an image pickup unit disposed on a vehicle for viewing the area in the vicinity of the vehicle, wherein the image pickup unit is oriented transversely inclined with respect to a reference position, wherein the upper side of the field of view is directed forward of the vehicle and wherein the optical axis is directed vertically downward, to obtain an image including at least the edge portion of the vehicle and an area to the left or right of the vehicle.
According to the invention, moreover, there is provided a driver assist system comprising an image pickup unit disposed on a vehicle for viewing the area in the vicinity, wherein the image pickup unit is oriented longitudinally or transversely inclined with respect to a reference position, where the upper side of the field of view is directed forward of the vehicle and where the optical axis is directed vertically downward, to obtain an image including at least the edge portion of the vehicle, in accordance with the front/back or left/right position on the vehicle.
In order to provide a sense of the image matching the driver's view, it is advantageous to dispose the image pickup unit with its optical axis directed in substantially the same direction as a vertical plane containing a straight line joining the driver and the image pickup unit. As a result, it is possible to acquire a monitor picture in which the direction in the picture is substantially aligned with the direction of view of the image pickup unit from the driver's seat.
In order to facilitate a sense of orientation of the two corners of the vehicle and the direction of the vehicle on the picture, it is advantageous that the image be rotated on the optical axis so that the corner of the vehicle in the image properly relates to the corner on the opposite side.
According to the invention, there is also provided a driver assist system comprising an image pickup unit disposed on a vehicle for providing information in the form of images of the environment of the vehicle; a control unit for processing the image taken by the image pickup unit; and a monitor for displaying the image processed by the control unit, wherein the image pickup unit is so disposed over a corner of the vehicle that its optical axis is directed in a direction to view the corner of the vehicle, the environment at least in the vicinity of the corner and infinity on one display screen.
It is advantageous that the infinity is displayed across the entire transverse width of the monitor screen. Because infinity is displayed across the entire transverse width of the monitor, the field of view in the picture is made to resemble the actual field of view from the driver's seat.
To make the taken picture resemble the driver's field of view, it is advantageous that the infinity contains the front face of the vehicle; and that the front face infinity is displayed over the corner of the vehicle on the monitor. Because the displayed infinity contains the front face of the vehicle, the direction of the vehicle at each instant can be more easily understood, along with its positional relationship.
It is also advantageous that the left and right images be inclined transversely opposite on the optical axes. Because the taken picture is displayed without any special proce
Ishigaki Hiroshi
Miki Nobuaki
Sakakibara Seiji
Aisin Aw Co. Ltd.
Lorusso & Loud
Trieu Van
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