JP2008054030A - Vehicle periphery monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle periphery monitoring system which can image a periphery of a vehicle from a part of the vehicle without spoiling designability. <P>SOLUTION: An imaging device 11 and a lens 12 in an imaging part 1 are so disposed that a center of a light reception face of the imaging device 11 is off an optical axis of the lens 12 upward, and an imaging range in a vertical direction of a rear view camera is shifted from the optical axis of the lens 12 downward. Since an image picked up by the imaging part 1 is distorted due to a great influence of peripheral distortion of the lens 12, pixel positions are converted in accordance with a mapping table preset in an image processing part 2 to convert the image to distortionless image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle periphery monitoring device that is mounted on a vehicle and assists a vehicle occupant to find an obstacle or the like by imaging the periphery of the vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a camera that captures the rear of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a rear view camera) has been mounted in order to confirm the safety of the rear when the automobile is moving backward.

  As shown in FIG. 4, this rear view camera is attached to a part to which a license plate 43 called a garnish 42 is attached so that a part of the rear view camera 3 protrudes downward from the horizontal direction, and a bumper 41 which is a part of the vehicle. The area around the vehicle behind is taken as an imaging range so that the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle can be understood.

Also, in order to avoid high costs due to image processing, it is proposed to reduce the distortion of the part corresponding to the rear surface of the vehicle in the image by shifting the optical axis of the lens and the center of the light receiving surface of the image sensor. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-325191 A

  However, some automobiles do not have the garnish 42 with emphasis on design. Such a car has no setting of the rear view camera 3 or a camera housing 44 having a protrusion as shown in FIG. 5 is attached, and the vehicle periphery behind the bumper 41 which is a part of the vehicle is set as an imaging range. For this reason, there has been a problem that the design of the automobile is deteriorated despite the importance of the design.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle periphery monitoring device that can image the vehicle periphery from a part of the vehicle without impairing the design.

  The vehicle periphery monitoring device of the present invention includes an image sensor that captures an image and a lens that defines an angle of view of the image sensor, and shifts the center of the light receiving surface of the image sensor upward from the optical axis of the lens. Are arranged.

  With this configuration, the imaging range can be shifted downward from the optical axis of the lens, and the area around the vehicle can be set as the imaging range from a part of the vehicle by only taking out the lens from the vehicle body or the like.

  Here, an image processing unit that corrects an image captured by the image sensor is provided.

  With this configuration, it is possible to correct image distortion or the like due to peripheral distortion of the lens, and output an easy-to-view image with less distortion.

  Further, the imaging device is configured to be movable in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens.

  With this configuration, even if the mounting position changes, the amount of deviation between the optical axis of the lens and the center of the light receiving surface of the imaging element can be easily adjusted to make the imaging range from a part of the vehicle to the vehicle periphery.

  According to the present invention, since the center of the light receiving surface of the imaging device is shifted upward from the optical axis of the lens, the imaging range can be shifted downward from the optical axis of the lens, and the design is not impaired. The vehicle periphery can be imaged from a part of the vehicle.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a rear view camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the rear view camera of the present embodiment includes an imaging unit 1 that captures an image around a vehicle, and an image processing unit 2 that corrects an image captured by the imaging unit 1.

  The imaging unit 1 includes an imaging element 11 and a lens 12 that defines an angle of view. As shown in FIG. 2A, the optical axis of the lens 12 in FIG. Unlike the conventional imaging unit in which the centers of the surfaces coincide with each other, the center of the light receiving surface of the imaging element 11 is shifted upward from the optical axis of the lens 12.

  As described above, it is understood that the vertical imaging range of the rear view camera is shifted downward from the optical axis of the lens 12 by shifting the optical axis of the lens 12 and the center of the light receiving surface of the imaging device 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, this rear view camera is mounted so that only the lens 12 protrudes along the body and the optical axis of the lens 12 is perpendicular to the body so as not to protrude from the body of an automobile or the like. Even if the optical axis of the lens 12 is directed upward from the horizontal direction with respect to the ground, the vertical imaging range is shifted downward from the optical axis of the lens 12, so that part of the vehicle The area around the vehicle behind the bumper 41 can be the imaging range.

  Since the image captured by the image capturing unit 1 is shifted from the optical axis of the lens 12 and the center of the light receiving surface of the image sensor 11, the peripheral distortion of the lens 12 greatly affects the image processing unit 2. Correct with.

  For example, as described in International Publication No. 00/64175, captured image data is stored in a frame memory and stored in the frame memory based on a mapping table created in advance from the distortion amount of the lens 12. The pixel position of the processed image data is converted into image data with less distortion.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the center of the light receiving surface of the image sensor 11 is shifted upward from the optical axis of the lens 12, the imaging range can be shifted downward from the optical axis of the lens 12, By only taking out the lens 12 from the vehicle body or the like, the area around the vehicle behind the bumper 41 can be set as the imaging range.

  In addition, since the image processing unit 2 corrects the distortion of the image due to the peripheral distortion of the lens 12, an easy-to-view image with less distortion can be output.

  Although the rear view camera has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention can be similarly applied to a camera attached to the side or the front.

  Further, although the optical axis of the lens 12 and the center of the light receiving surface of the image sensor 11 are shifted in the vertical direction, they may be shifted in the horizontal direction.

  Further, if the image pickup device 11 is configured to be movable in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens 12, even if the mounting position of the rear view camera changes depending on the vehicle, it can be easily handled.

  As described above, the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the present invention has an effect that the periphery of the vehicle can be imaged from a part of the vehicle without impairing the design, and is mounted on the vehicle and images the periphery of the vehicle. By doing so, it is useful as a vehicle periphery monitoring device or the like that assists a vehicle occupant in finding an obstacle or the like.

Block diagram of a rear view camera in an embodiment of the present invention (A) The figure which shows the positional relationship of the imaging device and lens of the rear view camera in one embodiment of this invention (b) The figure which shows the positional relationship of the imaging device and lens of the conventional rear view camera The figure which shows the example of mounting to the vehicle of the rear view camera in one embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the example of mounting to vehicles with the garnish of the conventional rear view camera The figure which shows the example of mounting to vehicles without the garnish of the conventional rear view camera

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image pick-up part 11 Image pick-up element 12 Lens 2 Image processing part 3 Rear view camera 41 Bumper 42 Garnish 43 Number plate 44 Camera housing

Claims (3)

An image pickup device that picks up an image and a lens that defines an angle of view of the image pickup device are arranged, the center of the light receiving surface of the image pickup device being shifted upward from the optical axis of the lens. Vehicle periphery monitoring device. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising an image processing unit that corrects an image captured by the image sensor. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup device is configured to be movable in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens.

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