Abstract: A range finder device, for measuring, when a plurality of projected lights having radiation patterns whose light intensity differs three-dimensional space-wise are irradiated onto an object from a light source on a time-sharing basis to image-pick up reflected light of the projected light from the object with a camera, a distance using the light intensity of an image picked up, characterized in that, with respect to each of a plurality of surfaces including the center of the light source and the center of a lens, there is obtained, in advance, relation between an angle of each projected light from the light source and light intensity ratio in each surface, characterized in that, at the time of actual distance measurement, light intensity of each pixel of the camera is measured, and on the basis of the light intensity thus measured, and relation between the angle and the light intensity ratio on a predetermined surface corresponding to a coordinate position of the pixel measured, there is obtained the angle co

Abstract: The invention provides a range finder capable of carrying out three-dimensional measurement stably for a long period of time. A light pattern is projected on a subject by using a light source array unit in which a plurality of light sources, such as LEDs, are arranged. Even when each LED has a small light quantity, a sufficiently large quantity of light can be projected on the subject by the entire light source array unit, and hence, the three-dimensional measurement can be stably carried out. Also, a plurality of light patterns can be generated by electrically controlling a light emitting state of each LED of the light source array unit.

Abstract: A range finder device, for measuring, when a plurality of projected lights having radiation patterns whose light intensity differs three-dimensional space-wise are irradiated onto an object from a light source on a time-sharing basis to image-pick up reflected light of the projected light from the object with a camera, a distance using the light intensity of an image picked up, characterized in that, with respect to each of a plurality of surfaces including the center of the light source and the center of a lens, there is obtained, in advance, relation between an angle of each projected light from the light source and light intensity ratio in each surface, characterized in that, at the time of actual distance measurement, light intensity of each pixel of the camera is measured, and on the basis of the light intensity thus measured, and relation between the angle and the light intensity ratio on a predetermined surface corresponding to a coordinate position of the pixel measured, there is obtained the angle co

Abstract: The invention provides a vehicle surroundings monitoring system for synthesizing and displaying images captured by a plurality of cameras to provide images that, near the border between partial images, are more accurate and more readily understood by the user than has been the case conventionally. In the synthesized image, a partial image captured by a first camera and a partial image captured by a second camera are adjacent to one another at their border. Near this border, the capturing directions of the first and the second cameras both substantially match the direction of the border. Consequently, images of objects near the border extend along the border, and thus do not disappear on the synthesized image.

Abstract: In the vehicle surroundings display device of the invention, an image processor generates an image showing the situation around a vehicle. When an obstacle is detected by an obstacle detection means, the image processor determines an image missing region using the position of the border of the obstacle on the vehicle side detected by an obstacle position detection means and fills the image missing region with substitute image data. This eliminates unnaturalness of a display image the user may feel and enables the user to accurately recognize the position of a neighboring obstacle that is important in driving operation.

Abstract: Simple calibration of a camera mounted on a mobile object is implemented. With a joint means, a target apparatus for calibration is physically fixed to the mobile object having a camera mounted thereon. The positional relation between the vehicle and the target apparatus is finely adjusted while visually confirming a target point on the vehicle through a scope means.

Abstract: For supporting a complicated driving operation, a synthesized image by using which a driver can drive with a sense of security is presented to the driver. Camera images of cameras installed on a vehicle are used so that an image with a lateral visual field of 180 degrees in the rear of the vehicle can be displayed in the form of a mirror image. Also, (a) tire loci (41) of the vehicle obtained by assuming a reverse operation are overlapped with the image to be displayed. Furthermore, (b) a far area (43) is enlarged to be displayed in a sub-window (44), or (c) auxiliary lines (45, 46 and 47) indicating distances from the vehicle are overlapped with the image to be displayed.

Abstract: Provided are a depth image obtaining section that obtains a depth image from the same viewpoint as in the input image, a layer section that separates the input image into a foreground image and a background image as layered images using depth information of the depth image, a coding section that encodes the foreground image, a background sprite generating section that generates a background sprite image from the background image, and a sprite coding section that encodes the background sprite image. The depth image from the same viewpoint as in the input image is obtained in the depth image obtaining section, the input image is separated into a foreground image and a background image as layered images using the depth information, and based on the separated background image, a background sprite image is generated.

Abstract: A camera for taking a state behind a vehicle is installed in a position laterally shifted from the rear center of the vehicle. An image processing unit generates a rear image from a camera image by shifting merely a rectangular area of the camera image so that a vertical center line thereof can substantially accord with the center line along the lengthwise direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, processing for correcting lens distortion may be performed. As a result, when the vehicle is moved straight backward, an object present on the center line of the vehicle moves vertically in substantially the center of the screen, so that a user can be prevented from having an odd feeling to see the image.

Abstract: The camera device for use in measurement and synthesis of an image is capable of being used for accurate measurement and synthesis even without suppressing variation in device characteristics. A camera parameter storage means stores a camera parameter indicating characteristics unique to the camera device. A state sensing means senses a state of the camera device such as a temperature. A parameter output means externally outputs a camera parameter according to state information.

Abstract: The invention provides a range finder capable of carrying out three-dimensional measurement stably for a long period of time. A light pattern is projected on a subject by using a light source array unit in which a plurality of light sources, such as LEDs, are arranged. Even when each LED has a small light quantity, a sufficiently large quantity of light can be projected on the subject by the entire light source array unit, and hence, the three-dimensional measurement can be stably carried out. Also, a plurality of light patterns can be generated by electrically controlling a light emitting state of each LED of the light source array unit.

Abstract: In an image processor for synthesizing images that have been taken by multiple cameras mounted on a vehicle, even if any movable part of the vehicle has changed its state, the synthesized image will have no unnatural part. A pixel synthesizer receives the images that have been captured by the cameras included in an imaging section and generates the synthesized image by reference to a mapping table. Receiving a signal indicative of the state of a movable part such as the door or hood of the vehicle, a display mode changer disables at least one of the cameras that is taking an image to be affected by any change in the state of the movable part. For that purpose, the changer rewrites mapping data stored on the mapping table and thereby eliminates the image in question from the synthesized image.

Abstract: In transmitting image data from multiple cameras to an image processing section to produce a synthesized image from respective camera images, the amount of data transmitted through a transmission path can be cut down without sacrificing the quality of the synthesized image. In accordance with a correspondence between the synthesized and camera images as described on a mapping table, a resolution specifier specifies resolutions, which should be necessary for image synthesis, for respective areas of each camera image. A compressor, provided for each of the cameras, compresses the associated camera image data according to the resolutions specified. In this manner, the image data, which has been compressed in accordance with the correspondence between the synthesized and camera images, is transmitted through the transmission path.

Abstract: Simple calibration of a camera mounted on a mobile object is implemented. With a joint means, a target apparatus for calibration is physically fixed to the mobile object having a camera mounted thereon. The positional relation between the vehicle and the target apparatus is finely adjusted while visually confirming a target point on the vehicle through a scope means.

Abstract: The stereoscopic CG image generating apparatus and a stereoscopic TV apparatus, has a projection transformation section which, based on three-dimensional structural information describing a three-dimensional shape of an object, generates a plurality of two-dimensional projection models as viewed from a plurality of viewpoints, a distance information extraction section which generates a camera-to-object distance information used for calculations in the projection transformation section, and a camera parameter determining section which, based on the output of the distance information extraction section, the screen size of a stereoscopic image display device for displaying finally generated two-dimensional projection models, and a viewer's viewing distance, determines camera parameters so that stereoscopic CG images will be brought within the viewer's binocular fusional range.

Abstract: An image display method displays an image by different gradation conversion in every pixel, on the basis of gradation frequency distribution of luminance of pixels near an edge of the image, and counting of gradation frequency of luminance of pixels near the edge is weighted depending on the coordinate values of each pixel so as to eliminate relative contrast drop in the image central part from the image peripheral parts.

Abstract: An image computing and processing apparatus for computing correspondence between images from a plurality of images and for obtaining disparity corresponding to the depth of an image. Also, an apparatus for synthesizing from the disparity and image data an image as viewed from a designated viewing direction. The apparatus has a base image frame memory for storing a base image, a reference image frame memory for storing a reference image, a block correlation computing circuit for computing block correlations and confidence measure for estimation by using a plurality of block sizes, a representative pixel correlation computing circuit, and an estimation integrating computing circuit for evaluating the reliability of the result of estimation by block matching on the basis of a luminance gradient, image noise, a minimum value of an evaluation yardstick for differences between blocks, and block size, and for integrating the results of estimation obtained with the plurality of block sizes.

Abstract: A stereoscopic computer graphics (CG) moving image generating apparatus includes a projection transformation section for generating a two-dimensional projection image as viewed from a camera using three-dimensional structural information of a subject; rendering sections for calculating a viewable image from the output of the projection transformation section; a camera sequence generating section for generating camera parameters defining projection transformation in the projection transformation section and capable of generating a moving image by varying the same; a motion calculating section for calculating the motion and/or motion parallax of a displayed subject using at least one of the three-dimensional structural information, the output of the projection transformation section, the output of the rendering sections, and the output of the camera sequence generating section; and a camera parameter correcting section for automatically or manually correcting the camera parameter so that the motion and/or motio

Abstract: The stereoscopic CG image generating apparatus and a stereoscopic TV apparatus, has a projection transformation section which, based on three-dimensional structural information describing a three-dimensional shape of an object, generates a plurality of two-dimensional projection models as viewed from a plurality of viewpoints, a distance information extraction section which generates a camera-to-object distance information used for calculations in the projection transformation section, and a camera parameter determining section which, based on the output of the distance information extraction section, the screen size of a stereoscopic image display device for displaying finally generated two-dimensional projection models, and a viewer's viewing distance, determines camera parameters so that stereoscopic CG images will be brought within the viewer's binocular fusional range.

Abstract: A multi-viewpoint image transmission and display method is characterized by that in transmitting images with two or more viewpoints, distance or parallax limits in the images are appended for transmission so that the images can be brought within a fusing range, and the images are displayed by considering the transmitted distance or parallax limits and the fusing range.