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: It is an object to provide an operation support device which can produce an image to be displayed on a screen at a relatively high quality without being affected by the swing of the rod-like retaining means. The operation support device includes a rod-like retaining unit 12 projected from an automotive vehicle 11, a camera unit 13 mounted on the rod-like retaining unit 12, the camera unit 13 being adapted to take an image of an object around the automotive vehicle 11, and a swing compensation image processing unit 14 for processing the image taken by the camera unit 13 on the basis of the estimated swing of the camera unit 13 to a road surface (a special distance plane), the processed image beings in parallel relationship with the taken image.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a driving assistance device that can assist a driver in parking the automotive vehicle in a parallel parking manner with accuracy.

Abstract: A problem that the invention is to solve is to provide a camera and a camera system which can provide the driver with information on a three-dimensional object lying on the periphery of the vehicle which is assumed to be highly inevitable for the driver in the form of a good image. In this invention, there is provided a camera system including a camera (1) for photographing the periphery of the vehicle, a monitor (4) for presenting the driver with an image photographed by the camera and a sensor unit (3) for detecting a three-dimensional object lying on the periphery of the vehicle, wherein the camera (1) includes an adjusting unit (15) for automatically adjusting gain and aperture and a criteria determination unit (14) for determining on an image area which should constitute an adjusting criteria using an output of the sensor unit (3).

Abstract: A driving assistance display apparatus enables the driver to check safety of both the rear of and a limited area around the vehicle in the final stage of parking without switching screens. A screen to display an image of the rear of a vehicle shot by a vehicle-mounted camera is divided into a main screen (10) and a sub-screen (11). A wide area image in the rear of the vehicle is displayed together with superimposed guide lines (15, 16) on the main screen (10) The image is viewpoint-converted to an image having a virtual viewpoint located above the vehicle and is displayed on the sub-screen (11) together with superimposed guide lines (15a, 16a), which are also viewpoint converted, on the sub-screen (11). Preferably, the center axis of the main screen (10) coincides with the center axis of the sub-screen (11) and the sub-screen 11 is arranged below the main screen (10).

Abstract: An optical lens 1 makes three components of visible light and near infrared light in different wavelength regions severally form images at different locations according to their wavelengths. An imaging element 2 has a plurality of pixels, which include pixels having a visible light detection section 6 and pixels having a near infrared light detection section 8. The visible light detection section 6 has three detectors 3, 4, and 5 which detect three components of visible light which form images at locations of different depths in the same pixel according to their wavelengths. The near infrared light detection section 8 has a near infrared light detector 7 which detects near infrared light which forms an image at a location of a depth different from the depths at which the three components of visible light form images.

Abstract: An image display controlling system of the present invention has an image combining splitting means (2) for splitting a picked-up image input from an imaging means (1), which picks up surrounding images of a vehicle, into a plurality of images, an image deforming means (3) for executing a different deforming process to the plurality of images respectively, and an arrangement controlling means (5) for arranging the plurality of images at predetermined positions and displaying the images. According to this configuration, a wide-range image having a horizontal angle of view of 180 degree is separated into a rear center image positioned at a center of the image and side images separated from the center like a vanity with three mirrors, and a sense of depth is provided by distorting and deforming intentionally the side images in contrast to the rear center image such that the side images can look as if the side images are just looked at.

Abstract: Problems It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking assisting apparatus for assisting a vehicle driver in parking a vehicle more easily than the conventional apparatuses.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide driving support apparatus which allows the driver to intuitively and more accurately recognize the situation around an obstacle thus reducing a burden of the driver.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a drive assisting apparatus capable of displaying a high-precision predicted locus in a camera picture in a superimposing manner while suppressing an increase of cost in a minimum value, and further, capable of displaying loci on a screen up to edges of the screen with respect to all of locus data irrespective of adjusting amounts of display positions.

Abstract: There is disclosed a picture synthesizing apparatus for superimposing an auxiliary image upon an image converted as if the image were photographed with a virtual viewpoint, displaying the image in a monitor, and providing the image such that an approach to a surrounding solid object can easily be predicted from the monitor image. The picture synthesizing apparatus includes: an image pickup unit 101 disposed in a car; a viewpoint change image synthesizing unit 102 for changing a viewpoint of the image obtained by the image pickup unit 101 and synthesizing the image; a car straight locus line generation unit 103 for generating a locus line at an arbitrary height of the car, when the car linearly advances; and a car locus line drawing unit 104 for drawing the locus line generated by the car straight locus line generation unit 103 on the image synthesized by the viewpoint change image synthesizing unit 102.

Abstract: A parameter selection section selects one from a plurality of image synthesis parameters stored in a parameter storage section according to an output of a vehicle state detection section. An image synthesis section reads out camera images from frame memories according to the selected image synthesis parameter and generates a synthesized mage showing a state of vehicle surroundings. A moving object detection section detects, in the thus generated synthetic image, a moving object region estimated as a region where a moving object is present.

Abstract: An optical lens 1 makes three components of visible light and near infrared light in different wavelength regions severally form images at different locations according to their wavelengths. An imaging element 2 has a plurality of pixels, which include pixels having a visible light detection section 6 and pixels having a near infrared light detection section 8. The visible light detection section 6 has three detectors 3, 4, and 5 which detect three components of visible light which form images at locations of different depths in the same pixel according to their wavelengths. The near infrared light detection section 8 has a near infrared light detector 7 which detects near infrared light which forms an image at a location of a depth different from the depths at which the three components of visible light form images.

Abstract: Parking assistance apparatus that displays on a screen an image shot by image picking-up apparatus mounted on a vehicle. The parking assistance apparatus superimposes a guide line that is parallel to the line tangent to the predicted outer locus of the vehicle assumed when the vehicle is backed with the wheel at the maximum steering angle. This allows the driver to drive the vehicle so that the guide line will not overlap the image of another vehicle thus allowing parking that avoids any contact.

Abstract: A driving aiding system includes a displaying section arranged at a position that can be looked at from a driver's seat of a vehicle, an image picking-up section for picking up an image of a rear portion of the vehicle containing at least a part of a hitch that is provided to the rear portion of the vehicle, and an image processing section for causing the displaying section to display a synthesized image that is obtained by image-processing an image picked up by the image picking-up section. A hitch image of own vehicle in addition to an image of a trailed vehicle and an image of a destination coupler are displayed on a screen of the displaying section. As a result, the relative positional relationship between the hitch and the destination coupler can be checked on the screen and thus the hitch coupling operation can be facilitated.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a parking assistance system capable of intuitively and easily deciding operation points in the parallel parking. In the parking assistance system according to the present invention, a guide line (43), which is extended from a vehicle (20) in an oblique backward direction and indicates a boundary line used to decide whether or not the vehicle touches other vehicle (31) existing in front of a parking space (30) when parallel parking operations are started, and a guide line (51), which is separated backward from the guide line (43) and indicates another boundary line used to decide whether or not the vehicle touches other vehicle (53) existing at rear of the parking space (30) when the parallel parking operations are completed, are decided previously, and these guide lines as well as a backward picked-up image are displayed on a monitor screen in the parallel parking.

Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus includes: cameras; a plurality of virtual observing point converting unit; an image synthesizing unit for synthesizing image information supplied from this virtual observing point converting unit; an obstacle sensing unit such as an ultrasonic-wave sensor and a millimeter-wave radar; a safety area predicting unit; and a safety area superposing unit. Then, the safety area predicting unit predicts such a safety area where an obstacle is not present based upon both a distance “d1” and an approximate direction, which are obtained from the obstacle sensing unit. Also, the safety area superposing unit superposes the safety area predicted by the safety area predicting unit on an image synthesized by way of cameras to display the synthesized image superposed with the safety area.

Abstract: An image display controlling system of the present invention has an image combining splitting means (2) for splitting a picked-up image input from an imaging means (1), which picks up surrounding images of a vehicle, into a plurality of images, an image deforming means (3) for executing a different deforming process to the plurality of images respectively, and an arrangement controlling means (5) for arranging the plurality of images at predetermined positions and displaying the images. According to this configuration, a wide-range image having a horizontal angle of view of 180 degree is separated into a rear center image positioned at a center of the image and side images separated from the center like a vanity with three mirrors, and a sense of depth is provided by distorting and deforming intentionally the side images in contrast to the rear center image such that the side images can look as if the side images are just looked at.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance system capable of displaying a picked-up image near a vehicle as a less-distorted image on a monitor.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a parking assistance system capable of intuitively and easily deciding operation points in the parallel parking.