Abstract: Each of cameras C—1 to C—4 is installed at a different position of an upper portion of a ship so as to have a visual field spanning a deck and a water surface. A CPU 12p combines four object scene images outputted from the cameras C—1 to C—4 with reference to a referential height. The ship 100 has a width that decreases with an increase in height, and the CPU 12p multiplexes the graphic image corresponding to the height larger than the referential height onto the whole-circumference bird's eye view image created by the combining processing. The CPU 12p further outputs one portion of the whole-circumference bird's eye view image onto which the graphic image is multiplexed toward the display device 16 as a ship-maneuvering assisting image. The CPU 12p moreover changes the magnitude of the referential height in response to height changing instruction.

Abstract: A camera calibration device performs camera calibration for projecting a plurality of camera images from a plurality of cameras onto a predetermined surface to combine them on the basis of the results after calibration patterns to be arranged in a common photographing area of the cameras are photographed by each of the cameras. The camera calibration device judges where or not the calibration patterns are observed by the cameras on the basis of the photographed results. If judging that the calibration patterns are not observed, the camera calibration device creates the content of an instruction to contain the calibration patterns in the common photographing area to allow the cameras to observe the contained calibration patterns on the basis of the photographed results and notifies the instruction content to an operator who is in charge of the arrangement operation of the calibration patterns.

Abstract: A drive assistance device has an imaging device (1) mounted on a vehicle body and imaging a region surrounding the vehicle body, lens distortion correction means (2) for performing lens distortion correction for an inputted image taken by the imaging device (1), and a display (3) for displaying the image obtained by the lens distortion correcting means (2). The lens distortion correction means (2) divides the inputted image into multiple regions and performs lens distortion correction for each of the regions with different distortion correction level.

Abstract: Photographed images from a front camera and a side camera respectively installed at the front and left side of a vehicle are respectively converted into bird's-eye view images, and a synthetic bird's-eye view image is displayed which is obtained by synthesizing the bird's-eye view images. Based on a difference image between the front and side cameras, a difference region where a solid object is drawn is detected from a common region where the both bird's-eye view images overlap. Then, based on position of each pixel forming the difference region, it is evaluated which of the front and side cameras captures the solid object better, and an image of the common region in the synthetic bird's-eye view image is formed based on the image obtained from one of the cameras.

Abstract: A visibility support system is provided which displays a wide field of view while absorbing camera installation errors. The visibility support system obtains a first conversion matrix H1 for projecting a captured image onto the ground, while a second conversion matrix H2 for projecting the captured image on a plane different from the ground (e.g. no-conversion unit matrix) is set. An extended high-angle view image is divided into a first region corresponding to the vehicle periphery and a second region corresponding to farther away from the vehicle, and a high-angle view image based on H1 is displayed in the first region, whereas an image based on a weight-added conversion matrix in which H1 and H2 are weight-added is displayed in the second region. Weight for the weight-addition is varied according to a distance from the border of the first and second regions to seamlessly join the images in both regions.

Abstract: A vehicle operation system has: a shot image acquisition portion acquiring a shot image from an image shooting device mounted on a vehicle; an input portion to which movement information on the vehicle is input; and a display portion displaying an image based on the movement information in a form superimposed on an image based on the shot image. The vehicle operation system operates the vehicle based on the movement information.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus includes: a plurality of keys; a switching section that detects depression of each of the keys; a top cover that is integrally formed with a partitioning portion separating adjacent keys from each other; a frame member that includes a plurality of key receiving portions which, in a case where the frame member is attached to the top cover, support the keys in a manner that the keys are placed in spaces surrounded by the partitioning portion; a first coupling section that couples the top cover with the frame member; and a second coupling section that couples a first surface portion of the keyboard apparatus including the switching section, with a second surface portion of the keyboard apparatus including the top cover and the frame member with which the top cover is coupled by the first coupling section.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus. The apparatus has a housing including a plurality of key pads, including at least twenty six key pads spatially disposed within the housing. Each of the key pads is depressible upon touch by a user. An optically transparent circuit board is coupled to a backside of each of the key pads. The apparatus has a light guide characterized by a planar optically transparent material having a surface region, a width, a length, and a backside region, and a thickness provided between the surface region and the backside region. The apparatus has a plurality of patterns disposed on the surface region and optically coupled respectively to each of the twenty six key members. In a specific embodiment, the apparatus has a light emitting diode provided within a center region of the surface region to emit electromagnetic radiation.

Abstract: A camera calibration apparatus has a parameter deriver adapted to find parameters for projecting images shot with N cameras (where N is an integer of 3 or more) onto a predetermined surface and merging the images together. The N cameras comprise a first camera, a second camera, . . . and an N-th camera. The i-th camera (where i is every integer between 1 and N, inclusive) shares a common shooting area with at least one of the other (N?1) cameras, so that there are a plurality of such common shooting areas in total. The parameter deriver finds the parameters based on the results of the shooting of the calibration patterns arranged in the common shooting areas with the corresponding cameras. The calibration patterns are arranged separate from one another.

Abstract: A camera calibration apparatus has a parameter deriver adapted to find parameters for projecting an image shot with a camera onto a predetermined surface. The parameter deriver finds the parameters based on a shot-for-calibration image from the camera, and the shot-for-calibration image includes a plurality of calibration patterns of previously known shapes arranged at different positions within the shooting area of the camera.

Abstract: Cameras are installed at the front, right, left, and back side of a vehicle, and two feature points are located at each of the common field of view areas between the front-right cameras, front-left cameras, back-right cameras, and back-left cameras. A camera calibration device includes a parameter extraction unit for extracting transformation parameters for projecting each camera's captured image on the ground and synthesizing them. After transformation parameters for the left and right cameras are obtained by a perspective projection transformation, transformation parameters for the front and back cameras are obtained by a planar projective transformation so as to accommodate transformation parameters for the front and back cameras with the transformation parameters for the left and right cameras.

Abstract: An image processor includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a camera image captured by a camera provided on a vehicle, a first image converter configured to project the camera image onto a flat surface to convert the camera image into a flat surface projection image, and a second image converter configured to project the camera image onto a curved surface to convert the camera image into a curved surface projection image. The first image converter converts a first image region having a predetermined width within the camera image into the flat surface projection image, and the second image converter converts a second image region outside the first image region in a width direction, within the camera image, into the curved surface projection image.

Abstract: Photographed images from a front camera and a side camera respectively installed at the front and left side of a vehicle are respectively converted into bird's-eye view images, and a synthetic bird's-eye view image is displayed which is obtained by synthesizing the bird's-eye view images. Based on a difference image between the front and side cameras, a difference region where a solid object is drawn is detected from a common region where the both bird's-eye view images overlap. Then, based on position of each pixel forming the difference region, it is evaluated which of the front and side cameras captures the solid object better, and an image of the common region in the synthetic bird's-eye view image is formed based on the image obtained from one of the cameras.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus according to an aspect of the invention which detects a specific object in an input image includes specific object detection means for performing a specific object detecting process of setting the input image or a reduced image of the input image as a target image, and of determining whether or not the specific object exists in a determination region while scanning the determination region in the target image or an edge feature image of the target image. In the object detection apparatus, the specific object detection means includes determination means for determining whether or not the specific object exists in the determination region, based on an edge feature amount of the edge feature image corresponding to the determination region, and a previously determined relationship between an edge feature amount and a weight indicating object likelihood for each predetermined feature pixel in an image having the same size as the determination region.