Abstract: Planar calibration indices (c1) including coordinate information of at least four points are placed on a first plane (S1), and an image plane of the camera image including the calibration indices is input as a second plane (S2). Points (c2) existing on the second plane and corresponding to predetermined portions of the calibration indices are specified, and homography between the first plane and the second plane is computed, on the basis of the corresponding relationship of the at least four points included commonly in the first plane and the second plane, so that the camera image is calibrated. For example, a device is mounted on a vehicle, and four points, whose arrangement on a plane in 3D space is known, are used as calibration indices, and corresponding four points on the camera image, which correspond to them respectively, is achieved automatically.

Abstract: There are provided environmental information detection means (SR) for detecting and storing environmental information around a movable body on the basis of image information output from a specific image capturing means (C1), movable body information detection means (MB) for successively detecting and storing a position and posture of the movable body, information combining means (CB) for combining these information, and correcting a relationship of the position and posture of the movable body relative to the environment to output the information, and obstacle detection means (OD) for detecting an obstacle to bar against movement of the movable body on the basis of the output information.

Abstract: A front camera for filming an area stretching forwards is disposed in a front portion of a vehicle. A side camera for filming an area stretching laterally and diagonally forwards is disposed in a lateral-left portion of the vehicle. An indicator display that can be visually recognized by a driver is disposed in a compartment of the vehicle. An amount of change in the direction of the vehicle, that is, a deflection angle of the vehicle is detected on the basis of a vehicle speed and a steering angle of a steering wheel, which have been detected by means of various sensors. After the indicator display has started displaying a lateral photo image filmed by the side camera, the photo image displayed by the indicator display is shifted from the lateral photo image filmed by the side camera to a front photo image filmed by the front camera if the deflection angle has reached a predetermined angle.

Abstract: A front camera for filming an area stretching forwards is disposed in a front portion of a vehicle. A side camera for filming an area stretching laterally and diagonally forwards is disposed in a lateral-left portion of the vehicle. An indicator display that can be visually recognized by a driver is disposed in a compartment of the vehicle. An amount of change in the direction of the vehicle, that is, a deflection angle of the vehicle is detected on the basis of a vehicle speed and a steering angle of a steering wheel, which have been detected by means of various sensors. After the indicator display has started displaying a lateral photo image filmed by the side camera, the photo image displayed by the indicator display is shifted from the lateral photo image filmed by the side camera to a front photo image filmed by the front camera if the deflection angle has reached a predetermined angle.

Abstract: A device for detecting a road traveling lane, which is capable of stably defining a position of a boundary of a traveling lane. The device has edge point detection means (ED) for detecting a plurality of edge points in a contour on an image, edge histogram producing means (HD) for producing a vertical edge histogram for horizontal elements of the plurality of edge points, block marking line determination means (BD) for determining presence and absence of a block-like marking line on the basis of periodicity of distribution and a combination of distributions of plus edges and minus edges in the vertical edge histogram, and lane boundary edge detection means (MD) for detecting vertical edge points present outside (relative to the center of the traveling lane) of a region where the block-like marking line is present.

Abstract: A device for detecting a road traveling lane, which is capable of stably defining a position of a boundary of a traveling lane. Edge point detection means (ED) detects a plurality of edge points in a contour on an image, and segment group producing means (SD) produces a line segment on the basis of continuity of distance and direction between neighboring edge points, and groups a plurality of line segments having a predetermined relationship with each other, to produce a segment group. Further, curve detection means (CD) detects a curve fitted to the segment group. Then, when a segment group forming a curve closest to the center of the traveling lane has a predetermined length and repeated cycle, lane boundary position defining means (LD) defines the segment group as the innermost marking line, and defines a position of a neighboring curve outside of the innermost marking line as the position of the boundary of the traveling lane.

Abstract: A parking assist device detecting a parking stall line from an image, which is captured by a capturing portion; setting a parking target position on the basis of the parking stall line; and assisting the vehicle to travel to the parking target position; the parking assist device includes a vehicle detecting portion for detecting a movement of the vehicle, a memorizing portion for memorizing the movement detected by the vehicle detecting portion, as a vehicle moving trajectory, a temporary parking target position estimating portion for assuming a temporary parking target position on the basis of variations of the vehicle moving trajectory, which has been memorized by the memorizing portion, and a parking stall line searching area setting portion for setting a parking stall line searching area, within which a parking stall line is searched on the basis of the temporary parking target position.

Abstract: An image processing method processes a captured image, which is captured by a capturing means includes an image processing method for generating a corrected captured image by correcting a distortion appearing within the captured image by use of a MMF model.

Abstract: A back camera image from a back camera mounted on a rear portion of a vehicle body is displayed on a display mounted on the console inside the vehicle cabin when the vehicle is parallel parking. After the vehicle passes a steering direction reversal point in this state, a corner camera image from a corner camera mounted on a corner portion of a front portion of the vehicle body is displayed on the display when the vehicle nears a vehicle parked in front, or, more specifically, when an angle of the vehicle after it has reached the steering direction reversal point has reached a predetermined value. Guidance images may be overlaid upon the camera images during some or all of the parallel parking maneuver.

Abstract: A movable body circumstance monitoring apparatus includes at least one means for capturing an image of a surrounding of a movable body depending upon movement of the movable body, means for deriving at least four feature points in a specified flat at the image, means for tracking the feature points in response to movement of the movable body from a first state to a second state, and means for specifying relative position and posture of the means for capturing the image at the first and second states in response to first flat coordinates of the feature points at the first state and second flat coordinates of the feature points at the second state based upon a tracking result.

Abstract: An on-vehicle camera calibration device is provided and a method of calibrating an on-vehicle camera easily is carried out by using a calibration indicator other than a three dimensional one. The calibration indicator makes it possible to set camera parameters to form an image on an arbitrary portion of a screen. The calibration indicator is in the form of a planar calibration indicator TB. A camera picked-up image including the calibration indicator TB is displayed on a screen on which a window is also displayed in superposed fashion. The position of the window is changed in a 2D image coordinate system. The position of the window is adjusted by manipulating an adjust button 7 so that the calibration indicator TB falls within the window. When the calibration indicator TB is placed in the window in coincident fashion, the resultant camera parameters (unknown roll &thgr; r, tilt angle &thgr; t, and pan angle &thgr; p) are set as camera parameters of the camera 17.

Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus is provided in which even a beginner can relaxedly park a vehicle and parking operation is pertinently assisted. The apparatus provides a cameras 1 for taking an image rearwardly of a vehicle during parking the vehicle. The image from the camera is displayed on a display 13 provided inside the vehicle as a rear image and a running prediction locus 20 is displayed which varies in accordance with the state of a steering wheel angle to overlap the rear image. A longitudinal line parking switch 4b instructs the vehicle to park along a longitudinal line and when the longitudinal line parking is instructed there is displayed a running prediction locus 20a having a point of inflection in accordance with the steering wheel angle.

Abstract: A front camera for filming an area stretching forwards is disposed in a front portion of a vehicle. A side camera for filming an area stretching laterally and diagonally forwards is disposed in a lateral-left portion of the vehicle. An indicator display that can be visually recognized by a driver is disposed in a compartment of the vehicle. An amount of change in the direction of the vehicle, that is, a deflection angle of the vehicle is detected on the basis of a vehicle speed and a steering angle of a steering wheel, which have been detected by means of various sensors. After the indicator display has started displaying a lateral photo image filmed by the side camera, the photo image displayed by the indicator display is shifted from the lateral photo image filmed by the side camera to a front photo image filmed by the front camera if the deflection angle has reached a predetermined angle.

Abstract: A back camera image from a back camera mounted on a rear portion of a vehicle body is displayed on a display mounted on the console inside the vehicle cabin when the vehicle is parallel parking. After the vehicle passes a steering direction reversal point in this state, a corner camera image from a corner camera mounted on a corner portion of a front portion of the vehicle body is displayed on the display when the vehicle nears a vehicle parked in front, or, more specifically, when an angle of the vehicle after it has reached the steering direction reversal point has reached a predetermined value. Guidance images may be overlaid upon the camera images during some or all of the parallel parking maneuver.

Abstract: A drive assist device which enables to judge whether an operator's own vehicle contacts an object with an overhang even when an estimated driving locus is displayed crawling under the object with the overhang. With the drive assist device, matching of nodes between plural images is performed based on a moving amount of the operator's own vehicle calculated based on the plural images obtained with a CCD camera during vehicle driving and a vehicle signal calculated based on a vehicle speed signal detected with a combination meter and a steering angle signal detected with a steering angle sensor. A three-dimensional positional data of the matched modes is calculated to be projected on and memorized in a three-dimensional map. The existence of the object inside of the estimated driving locus of the operator's own vehicle using the three-dimensional map.

Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus displays an image of a rear view from a vehicle, which is acquired by a camera, on a display located in a passenger compartment, thus assisting in a parking procedure. The parking procedure assisted by the parking assisting apparatus is, for example, a parallel parking procedure in which the rotating direction of the steering wheel must be switched. An assumed path along which the vehicle is moved during the parking procedure is determined in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel when the parking procedure is started. In the parking procedure, the display indicates a steering information that informs the driver of a timing at which the rotating direction of the steering wheel must be switched, in accordance with the assumed path.

Abstract: A parking assist apparatus which enables even an inexperienced driver to park with no difficulty or anxiety assists the parking operation by taking an image rearwardly of a vehicle during the parking operation by a camera, indicating an estimated locus of the vehicle overlapping with the rearward images on a display, indicating a first estimated locus in accordance with a steering angle of the vehicle at an initial stage of the parking operation on the display, fixing the first estimated locus at a predetermined condition to have the locus as an target locus, indicating the second estimated locus varied in accordance with the change of the steering angle during the parking operation on the display, and guiding the second estimated locus to be in accord with a fixed target locus.

Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus is provided in which even a beginner can relaxedly park a vehicle and parking operation is pertinently assisted. The apparatus provides a cameras 1 for taking an image rearwardly of a vehicle during parking the vehicle. The image from the camera is displayed on a display 13 provided inside the vehicle as a rear image and a running prediction locus 20 is displayed which varies in accordance with the state of a steering wheel angle to overlap the rear image. A longitudinal line parking switch 4b instructs the vehicle to park along a longitudinal line and when the longitudinal line parking is instructed there is displayed a running prediction locus 20a having a point of inflection in accordance with the steering wheel angle.

Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus displays an image of a rear view from a vehicle, which is acquired by a camera, on a display located in a passenger compartment, thus assisting in a parking procedure. The parking procedure assisted by the parking assisting apparatus is, for example, a parallel parking procedure in which the rotating direction of the steering wheel must be switched. An assumed path along which the vehicle is moved during the parking procedure is determined in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel when the parking procedure is started. In the parking procedure, the display indicates a steering information that informs the driver of a timing at which the rotating direction of the steering wheel must be switched, in accordance with the assumed path.

Abstract: A parking assist apparatus which enables even an inexperienced driver to park with no difficulty or anxiety assists the parking operation by taking an image rearwardly of a vehicle during the parking operation by a camera, indicating an estimated locus of the vehicle overlapping with the rearward images on a display, indicating a first estimated locus in accordance with a steering angle of the vehicle at an initial stage of the parking operation on the display, fixing the first estimated locus at a predetermined condition to have the locus as an target locus, indicating the second estimated locus varied in accordance with the change of the steering angle during the parking operation on the display, and guiding the second estimated locus to be in accord with a fixed target locus.