JP2014060646A - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of a driver overlooking an obstruction even though an obstruction present on a traveling path is displayed in an image because the driver cannot immediately grasp where to gaze most attentively in an image showing the scene around the vehicle since various objects around the vehicle are displayed at a transparent part in a case an image of the entire vehicle interior is displayed in a see-through manner.SOLUTION: A transmittance change unit 101a sets a specific area that especially requires attention after increasing the transmittance of vehicle image data 106 P for a composite image, and further increases the transmittance of the specific area. This enables the driver of a vehicle 1 to view a vehicle periphery through the vehicle image data 106 P and also see the specific area in more detail, thereby improving safety in a driving operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for processing an image showing the periphery of a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a system that synthesizes an image of the periphery of a vehicle such as an automobile and displays the state of the periphery of the vehicle that can be seen from the driver's seat. With such a system, a user (typically a vehicle driver) can check the surroundings while in the vehicle.

  In addition, in recent years, an image of the passenger compartment that is visible from the driver's seat is superimposed on an image around the vehicle, and the entire passenger compartment image is transparently displayed, so that the driver cannot visually check the vehicle. A technique capable of confirming a simple obstacle has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By visually recognizing such an image, the user can confirm the situation around the vehicle while intuitively grasping the positional relationship with the vehicle.

JP 2009-109684 A

  However, when the entire passenger compartment image is displayed transparently, various objects around the vehicle are displayed in the transparent part, so that the driver can immediately grasp where in the image around the vehicle should be watched most. Can not. For this reason, there is a possibility that the driver overlooks such an obstacle even though the obstacle present on the traveling path is displayed in the image. Such a problem has occurred not only when an image viewed from the driver's seat is displayed, but also when a peripheral image of the vehicle is displayed from a bird's-eye view outside the vehicle.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when a vehicle image such as a passenger compartment is superimposed on an image showing the periphery of the vehicle and the vehicle image is transmitted and displayed, the user can intuitively determine the position of the subject. The purpose is to provide technology that can be grasped in an efficient manner.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is an image processing apparatus that is used in a vehicle and processes an image, and uses a plurality of images acquired by a plurality of cameras provided in the vehicle, Generating means for generating a peripheral image indicating a peripheral area of the vehicle viewed from a viewpoint; acquisition means for acquiring a vehicle image indicating the vehicle viewed from the virtual viewpoint; and transmittance of a specific area of a part of the vehicle image, Transmission means for increasing the transmittance of other parts, synthesis means for synthesizing the surrounding image and the vehicle image to generate a synthesized image, and output means for outputting the synthesized image to a display device for display. .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the position of the virtual viewpoint is a position corresponding to the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle, and the vehicle image is a cabin of the vehicle. It is a vehicle compartment image which shows the inside.

  The invention according to claim 3 further includes direction detection means for detecting a traveling direction of the vehicle in the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission means defines the range of the specific region as the range. It is determined based on the traveling direction of the vehicle.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising object detection means for detecting a position of an object existing around the vehicle, wherein the transmission means is the specific device. The range of the region is determined based on the position of the object.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the range of the specific region is a range of a part constituting the vehicle.

  The invention according to claim 6 is an image processing method used in a vehicle, and shows a peripheral region of the vehicle as viewed from a virtual viewpoint using a plurality of images acquired by a plurality of cameras provided in the vehicle. A step of generating a peripheral image, a step of acquiring a vehicle image showing the vehicle viewed from the virtual viewpoint, a step of increasing the transmittance of a specific region of a part of the vehicle image above the transmittance of another portion, A step of synthesizing a peripheral image and the vehicle image to generate a composite image; and a step of outputting the composite image to a display device for display.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing system used in a vehicle, wherein the image processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects and the composite image output from the image processing apparatus are displayed. A display device.

  According to the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, since the transmittance of a specific area of a part of the vehicle image is higher than the transmittance of other parts, it exists in the peripheral area of the vehicle corresponding to the specific area for the driver of the vehicle. The image of the subject can be watched.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, since the situation around the vehicle can be referred to through the vehicle or the cabin from the viewpoint of the driver in the cabin, the driver intuitively grasps the surrounding situation. be able to.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 3, since the range of the specific area is determined based on the traveling direction of the vehicle, the situation around the traveling direction is referred to through the vehicle or the passenger compartment when moving forward or backward. And the driver can safely move the vehicle forward and backward.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, since the range of the specific area is determined based on the position of the object, the driver can confirm the position of the object through the vehicle or the passenger compartment. Can be grasped.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 5, by setting the range of the specific region as the range of the part constituting the vehicle, it is possible to limit the range in which the transmittance is increased, and thus it is possible to improve the efficiency of the image processing.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating directions in which a plurality of cameras capture images. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the image processing unit generates a composite image. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method in which the image processing unit generates a composite image. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the specific area. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the surrounding situation of the vehicle. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a composite image. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a composite image. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a composite image. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a detailed processing procedure of the image processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the surrounding situation of the vehicle. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a composite image. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the surrounding situation of the vehicle. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a composite image. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to a modification. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the surrounding situation of the vehicle. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a composite image.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1-1. Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system 120 according to the first embodiment. The image processing system 120 is mounted on the vehicle 1 (in this embodiment, an automobile), and has a function of generating an image showing a peripheral area of the vehicle 1 and displaying the image in the passenger compartment. A driver who is a user of the image processing system 120 can check the situation around the vehicle 1 by using the image processing system 120.

  As shown in the figure, the image processing system 120 includes an image processing apparatus 100 and a display apparatus 110. The image processing apparatus 100 includes a plurality of cameras 20. The plurality of cameras 20 captures the periphery of the vehicle 1 to acquire an image indicating the periphery of the vehicle 1, and inputs the acquired image to the image processing apparatus 100.

  The image processing apparatus 100 performs various types of image processing using a captured image or the like, and generates an image to be displayed on the display device 110. The display device 110 displays the image output from the image processing device 100.

  Each of the plurality of cameras 20 includes a lens and an image sensor, and electronically acquires a captured image showing the periphery of the vehicle 1. The plurality of cameras 20 includes a front camera 20F, a rear camera 20B, a left side camera 20L, and a right side camera 20R. These four cameras 20F, 20B, 20L, and 20R are arranged at different positions in the vehicle 1 and photograph different directions around the vehicle 1.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating directions in which the four cameras 20F, 20B, 20L, and 20R are respectively photographed. The front camera 20F is provided at the front end of the vehicle 1, and its optical axis 20Fa is directed in the straight traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The rear camera 20 </ b> B is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1, and its optical axis 20 </ b> Ba is directed in the direction opposite to the straight traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The left side camera 20L is provided on the left side mirror 11L on the left side, and its optical axis 20La is directed to the left side of the vehicle 1 (a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction). The right side camera 20R is provided on the right side mirror 11R on the right side, and its optical axis 20Ra is directed to the right side of the vehicle 1 (a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction).

  These cameras 20F, 20B, 20L, and 20R use wide-angle lenses such as fish-eye lenses, and each camera 20F, 20B, 20L, and 20R has an angle of view θ of 180 degrees or more. For this reason, it is possible to photograph the entire periphery of the vehicle 1 using the four cameras 20F, 20B, 20L, and 20R.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the display device 110 includes a thin display panel such as a liquid crystal display and a touch panel 110 a that detects a user input operation, and displays various types of information and images. The display device 110 is disposed in the passenger compartment so that the driver can visually recognize the screen while seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle 1.

  The image processing apparatus 100 is an electronic apparatus that can perform various types of image processing, and includes an image processing unit 102, an image acquisition unit 103, and an image output unit 104.

  The image processing unit 102 is a hardware circuit that performs image processing for generating a composite image. The image processing unit 102 has a function of synthesizing a plurality of captured images acquired by the plurality of cameras 20 and generating a peripheral image showing a state of the periphery of the vehicle 1 as viewed from the virtual viewpoint. A method in which the peripheral image processing unit 102 generates a peripheral image will be described in detail later. The image processing unit 102 further includes a peripheral image generation unit 102a and a composite image generation unit 102b.

  The surrounding image generation unit 102a combines a plurality of captured images acquired by the plurality of cameras 20, and generates a surrounding image that shows the state of the periphery of the vehicle 1 as viewed from the virtual viewpoint. The virtual viewpoint includes a bird's-eye view that looks down at the vehicle 1 from a position outside the vehicle 1 and a driver's viewpoint that looks at the outside from a position corresponding to the viewpoint of the driver who has boarded the vehicle 1.

  The composite image generation unit 102b superimposes the image of the vehicle body or the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1 on the peripheral image with respect to the peripheral image generated by the peripheral image generation unit 102a.

  The image acquisition unit 103 acquires captured images respectively obtained by the four cameras 20F, 20B, 20L, and 20R. The image acquisition unit 103 has an image processing function such as a function of converting an analog captured image into a digital captured image. The image acquisition unit 103 performs predetermined image processing on the acquired captured image, and inputs the processed captured image to the image generation unit 102.

  The image output unit 104 outputs an image to be displayed such as a composite image to the display device 110. Thereby, the image is displayed on the display device 110 from which the image is output.

  The image processing apparatus 100 further includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 106, and a signal reception unit 105. The control unit 101 is a microcomputer, for example, and comprehensively controls the entire image processing apparatus 100.

  The storage unit 106 is, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores various types of information. The storage unit 106 stores vehicle image data 106P, a program as firmware, and various data used for control by the control unit 101. The vehicle image data 106P includes vehicle body image data 106a and vehicle compartment image data 106b. The vehicle body image data 106a is an image showing the appearance of the vehicle when the vehicle 1 is looked down on. The vehicle interior image data 106 b is an image of the vehicle interior that can be seen from the driver's seat of the vehicle 1. Each image includes a vehicle appearance and a vehicle interior image viewed from all angles.

  The signal receiving unit 105 receives signals from other devices provided in the vehicle 1. The signal receiving unit 105 inputs the received signal to the control unit 101. The signal receiving unit 105 receives signals from the vehicle information acquisition unit 130, the navigation unit 140, the object information acquisition unit 150, the driver information acquisition unit 160, and the touch panel 110 a of the display device 110.

  The control unit 101 includes a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM. Various functions of the control unit 101 are realized by the CPU performing arithmetic processing according to a program stored in the storage unit 106. In addition, the control unit 101 includes a transmittance changing unit 101a as a function realized according to the program. The transmittance changing unit 101a changes the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body or the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1. When the transmittance of the image is increased, the lines and colors of the image are displayed lightly, and the peripheral image superimposed by the composite image generation unit 102b transmits the vehicle body image and the cabin image. When the transmittance of the vehicle body image or the passenger compartment image is changed to 100%, the lines and colors of the vehicle image and the passenger compartment image are not displayed, and only the peripheral image is displayed. On the other hand, when the transmittance is changed to 0%, the lines and colors of the vehicle image and the passenger compartment image are clearly displayed, and the peripheral image overlapping the vehicle body image and the passenger compartment image is not displayed. When the transmittance is changed to 50%, the lines and colors of the body image and the cabin image are displayed lightly, and the peripheral image is displayed through the body image and the cabin image displayed lightly. Note that a known image processing method can be used as a method of changing the transmittance of the image.

  The vehicle information acquisition unit 130 acquires various information about the vehicle 1 and outputs it to the signal reception unit 105. The vehicle information acquisition unit 130 includes a vehicle speed sensor 130a, a shift sensor 130b, a steering sensor 130c, and a winker switch 130d. The vehicle speed sensor 130a acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 and outputs the vehicle speed data as data that can be converted into hourly speed. The shift sensor 130 b detects a shift position such as “Drive” or “Reverse”, and outputs position data of the currently input shift position to the signal receiving unit 105. The steering sensor 130c detects how much the steering is rotated from the neutral position (the steering position where the vehicle goes straight) to the left and right, and outputs it as angle information. The winker switch 130 d outputs the corresponding direction data to the signal receiving unit 105 when the winker (direction indicator) is operated to the left or right.

  The navigation unit 140 is an electronic device that realizes a navigation function for guiding a route to a destination. The navigation unit 140 outputs a map image indicating the route to the destination and route guidance information to the signal receiving unit 105.

  The object information acquisition unit 150 detects an object existing around the vehicle 1, and outputs the direction and distance data of the object with respect to the vehicle 1 to the signal reception unit 105. The object information acquisition unit 150 includes a clearance sonar 150a and a radar 150b. The clearance sonar 150a is provided around the bumper portion or the like of the vehicle 1 and detects an object existing around the vehicle 1 by transmitting and receiving sound waves. When the clearance sonar 150 a detects the presence of an object, the clearance sonar 150 a outputs the direction and distance data in which the object exists to the signal receiving unit 105. The radar 150b detects an object existing around the vehicle 1 by transmitting and receiving millimeter waves and infrared rays. When the radar 150b detects the presence of an object, the radar 150b outputs the direction and distance data of the object to the signal receiving unit 105.

  The driver information acquisition unit 160 acquires various information related to the driver of the vehicle 1 and outputs it to the signal reception unit 105. The driver information acquisition unit 160 includes a line-of-sight sensor 160a. The line-of-sight sensor 160 a detects the line-of-sight direction of the driver with a camera installed in the vehicle 1, and outputs the line-of-sight data to the signal receiving unit 105.

<1-2. Image generation>
Next, a method in which the image generation unit 102 generates a peripheral image indicating the peripheral region of the vehicle 1 and a composite image in which the vehicle image is superimposed on the peripheral image will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method in which the peripheral image generation unit 102a generates a peripheral image.

  When shooting is performed with each of the front camera 20F, the rear camera 20B, the left side camera 20L, and the right side camera 20R, four images PF respectively showing the front, rear, left side, and right side of the vehicle 1 are shown. PB, PL, and PR are acquired. These four images PF, PB, PL, and PR include data around the entire vehicle 1.

  First, the peripheral image generation unit 102a projects data (values of each pixel) included in these four images PF, PB, PL, and PR onto a projection surface TS that is a three-dimensional curved surface in a virtual three-dimensional space. The projection surface TS has, for example, a substantially hemispherical shape (a bowl shape). The center part (bottom part of the bowl) of the projection surface TS is determined as the position of the vehicle 1. Further, the portion other than the center of the projection surface TS is associated with any one of the images PF, PB, PL, and PR.

  The peripheral image generation unit 102a projects data included in the images PF, PB, PL, and PR on a portion other than the center of the projection surface TS. The peripheral image generation unit 102a projects the data of the image PF of the front camera 20F on a region corresponding to the front of the vehicle 1 on the projection surface TS. In addition, the peripheral image generation unit 102a projects the data of the image PB of the rear camera 20B on an area corresponding to the rear of the vehicle 1 on the projection surface TS. Further, the peripheral image generation unit 102a projects the data of the image PL of the left side camera 20L on the area corresponding to the left side of the vehicle 1 on the projection plane TS, and the area corresponding to the right side of the vehicle 1 on the projection plane TS. Data of the image PR of the right side camera 20R is projected.

  Next, the surrounding image generation unit 102a sets a virtual viewpoint VP for the three-dimensional space. The peripheral image generation unit 102a can set a virtual viewpoint VP at an arbitrary viewpoint position in the three-dimensional space in an arbitrary visual field direction. Then, the peripheral image generation unit 102a cuts out an area included in the predetermined viewing angle from the set virtual viewpoint VP in the projection plane TS as an image, and synthesizes the cut-out image. Accordingly, the peripheral image generation unit 102a generates a peripheral image AP indicating a region around the vehicle 1 viewed from the virtual viewpoint VP.

  Next, the composite image generation unit 102b reads the vehicle image data 106P (the vehicle body image data 106a or the vehicle compartment image data 106b) read from the storage unit 106 according to the peripheral image AP and the virtual viewpoint VP generated by the peripheral image generation unit 102a. And the icon image PI used for the touch panel 110a are combined to generate a combined image CP.

  For example, when a virtual viewpoint VPc (driver viewpoint) is set in which the viewpoint position is the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 and the visual field direction is the front of the vehicle 1, the vehicle of the vehicle 1 is looked forward from the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 A composite image CPc showing the room and the area in front of the vehicle 1 is generated. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 4, when generating the composite image CPc in which the position of the virtual viewpoint VP is the driver's seat and the visual field direction is the front, the composite image generation unit 102b The passenger compartment image 106b indicating the seat and the icon image PI are combined to generate a combined image CP.

  Further, when a virtual viewpoint VPb (a perspective and bird's-eye virtual viewpoint) with the viewpoint position as the left rear of the vehicle 1 and the visual field direction as the front of the vehicle 1 is set, the entire periphery is viewed from the left rear of the vehicle 1. As described above, the composite image CPb indicating the vehicle 1 and the area around the vehicle 1 is generated.

  When a virtual viewpoint VPa (planar and overhead virtual viewpoint) with the viewpoint position directly above the vehicle 1 and directly below the viewing direction is set, the composite image CPa overlooking the vehicle 1 and the surrounding area of the vehicle 1. Is generated.

  When the composite image CP is generated, the transmittance changing unit 101a changes the transmittance of the vehicle body image 106a or the passenger compartment image 106b. By displaying the composite image in which the transmittance of the vehicle body image 106a or the passenger compartment image 106b is changed, the driver can refer to the surrounding image through the vehicle body image 106a and the like. It can be grasped intuitively together with the positional relationship with the vehicle.

<1-3. Processing procedure>
Next, a processing procedure of the image processing apparatus 100 that generates a peripheral image will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing apparatus 100. The process shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, 1/30 second cycle).

  First, each of the four cameras 20 performs shooting. The image acquisition unit 103 acquires four captured images from these four cameras 20. The image acquisition unit 103 inputs the acquired four captured images to the image generation unit 102 (step S11).

  When the image acquisition unit 103 inputs the captured image to the image generation unit 102, the control unit 101 determines the viewpoint position of the virtual viewpoint VP (step S12). The viewpoint position of the virtual viewpoint VP is an overhead viewpoint position or a driver viewpoint position, and the driver viewpoint position is selected at the beginning of image display. This is because the point of view has the least discomfort for the driver. The viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP is preferably the left front of the vehicle 1. This is because when the vehicle 1 is a so-called right steering wheel, the direction is likely to be a blind spot of a driver who operates the vehicle 1.

  The viewpoint position and the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP may be changed according to the operation of the touch panel 110a by the driver. At this time, each time the icon image PI displayed on the display device 110 is operated, the position of the virtual viewpoint VP is sequentially changed to the overhead viewpoint position and the driver viewpoint position. Further, the image at the overhead viewpoint position and the image at the driver viewpoint position may be displayed simultaneously in parallel. In this case, since the driver can simultaneously grasp the surrounding situation of the vehicle 1 from a plurality of angles, the vehicle 1 can be operated more safely.

  When the position of the virtual viewpoint VP is determined, the surrounding image generation unit 102a generates the surrounding image AP of the vehicle 1 by the above-described method based on the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 103 (step S13).

  When the peripheral image AP is generated, the composite image generation unit 102b reads vehicle image data 106P (vehicle body image data 106a or vehicle compartment image data 106b) corresponding to the virtual viewpoint VP from the storage unit 106 via the control unit 101. (Step S14). When the position of the virtual viewpoint VP is the overhead viewpoint position, the vehicle body image data 106a is read. When the position of the virtual viewpoint VP is the driver viewpoint position, the vehicle compartment image data 106b is read. Note that the read processing from the storage unit 106 by the composite image generation unit 102 b is executed via the control unit 101.

  Next, the composite image generation unit 102b generates a composite image CP using the four captured images by the above-described method (step S15).

  When the composite image generation unit 102b generates the composite image CP, the transmittance changing unit 101a executes a process for increasing the transmittance of the read vehicle image data 106P (step S16). The read vehicle image data 106P has a transmittance of 0%. The transmittance changing unit 101a preferably increases the transmittance of the vehicle image data 106P to about 50%. In this case, since both the vehicle image data 106P and the peripheral image AP can be visually recognized to the same extent, the driver can easily grasp the peripheral condition of the vehicle 1 and the positional relationship of the vehicle 1. The transmittance of the vehicle image data 106P may be changed according to the brightness around the vehicle 1. That is, when the illuminance around the vehicle 1 is low at night or indoors where there is no illumination, the transmittance of the vehicle image data 106P may be increased from 50%. In this case, the driver can see the peripheral image AP more clearly through the vehicle image data 106P. Therefore, even when the illuminance around the vehicle 1 is low, the driver can recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle 1 and the position of the vehicle 1. Easy to grasp the relationship.

  If the process which raises the transmittance | permeability of the vehicle image data 106P is performed, the transmittance | permeability change part 101a will set the specific area | region PX which should further raise the transmittance | permeability among the vehicle image data 106P (step S17).

  The specific area PX set by the transmittance changing unit 101a is an area overlapping the vehicle image 106P in the composite image CP, and the driver performs a driving operation on the surrounding image AP displayed through the vehicle image 106P. This is an area that needs special attention.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the composite image generated by the composite image generation unit is a composite image CPc indicating the front at the driver viewpoint position, the size of the specific region PX is about ¼ of the composite image CPc. The center position of the specific area PX is slightly below the center of the composite image CPc. When the vehicle 1 moves forward, it is difficult for the vehicle 1 to be visually recognized because the vehicle 1 moves forward, and there is a risk of contact with the vehicle 1 when there is an obstacle. This is because it is an area that needs to be handled.

  The specific area PX is not limited to an ellipse as shown in FIG. 6, but may be a circle or a rectangle, or may be a shape of an obstacle existing around the vehicle 1. Further, the specific area PX may be divided into a plurality of small areas, and the transmittance may be increased only for the small areas overlapping with obstacles around the vehicle 1.

  When the specific area PX is set, the transmittance changing unit 101a executes a process for increasing the transmittance of the specific area PX (step S18). That is, the transmittance changing unit 101a performs a process of increasing the transmittance of a specific region of a part of the vehicle image 106P more than the transmittance of other parts. When the transmittance of the vehicle image is 50%, the transmittance of the specific area PX is preferably increased from about 75% to about 90%. This is because the driver's attention can be attracted to the specific region PX by clearly increasing the transmittance of the specific region PX with respect to the transmittance of the vehicle image as shown in FIG.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the vehicle 1 is overtaking a vehicle VS stopped on the road side while traveling, the size of the specific area PX is about 1/4 of the composite image CP, and the position is the composite image. It is set slightly to the left of the center of CPc. This is because when the so-called right-hand drive vehicle 1 is traveling, it is difficult to visually recognize the distance from the vehicle VS due to being blocked by the vehicle body.

  At this time, if the position of the virtual viewpoint is the driver viewpoint, the position of the specific area PX is set slightly to the left of the center of the composite image CPc as shown in FIG. It is set higher than the image 106b. In addition, when the position of the virtual viewpoint is an overhead viewpoint, as shown in FIG. 9, the position of the specific area PX is set at the substantially center of the composite image CPb, and the transmittance of the specific area PX is the vehicle body image 106a. Higher than.

  As a result, when the driver overtakes the vehicle VS parked on the road side during traveling, the driver visually recognizes the vehicle VS with a higher transmittance in the vehicle image 106P in a region requiring special attention that may be in contact with the vehicle VS. be able to. In addition, the driver's attention can be attracted to the specific area PX while the vehicle image 106P is transmitted. Therefore, for example, even when the vehicle 1 is traveling at high speed and the driver can refer to the image only instantaneously, the driver pays particular attention in driving operation among the peripheral images AP displayed through the vehicle image 106P. It is possible to visually recognize a necessary area intuitively.

  When the process for increasing the transmittance of the specific area PX is performed by the transmittance changing unit 101a, the image output unit 104 outputs the composite image CP to the display device 110 (step S19). The output composite image CP is displayed on the display device 110 and is referred to when driving by the driver.

  When the composite image CP is output, the control unit 101 determines whether or not there is an instruction to change the position of the virtual viewpoint VP by operating the touch panel 110a by the driver (step S20).

  When it is determined that there is an instruction to change the position of the virtual viewpoint VP (Yes in step S20), the process returns to step S12, and the control unit 101 determines the position of the virtual viewpoint VP again. That is, when the driver viewpoint (VPc in FIG. 3) is selected as the position of the virtual viewpoint, the overhead viewpoint (VPb in FIG. 3) is selected as the position of the new virtual viewpoint. On the other hand, when a bird's-eye view (VPb in FIG. 3) has been selected, a driver viewpoint (VPc in FIG. 3) is selected as the position of a new virtual viewpoint, and sequentially according to instructions from the driver. The viewpoint is changed. As shown in FIG. 10, a virtual viewpoint VPa (planar and overhead virtual viewpoint) with the viewpoint position directly above the vehicle 1 and the viewing direction directly below, the viewpoint position at the left rear of the vehicle 1, and the viewing direction as the viewing direction. A virtual viewpoint VPb (a perspective and a bird's-eye virtual viewpoint) in front of the vehicle 1 may be displayed at the same time. In this case, the driver viewpoint, the overhead viewpoint, and the simultaneous display image (FIG. 10) are sequentially displayed in accordance with an instruction from the driver.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no instruction to change the position of the virtual viewpoint VP (No in step S20), this process ends. Note that the process of displaying the composite image CP (step S19) and determining the change of the position of the virtual viewpoint VP (step S20) may be repeatedly executed until the power of the image processing system 120 is turned off by the driver. In this case, the driver can always refer to the composite image CP while the image processing system 120 is activated.

  As described above, in the image processing apparatus 100, the image acquisition unit 103 acquires a captured image of the camera 20 mounted on the vehicle 1, and the peripheral image generation unit 102a indicates the peripheral region of the vehicle 1 based on the captured image. An image AP is generated. The composite image generation unit 102b combines the vehicle image data 106P (the vehicle body image data 106a or the passenger compartment image data 106b) corresponding to the virtual viewpoint with the peripheral image AP to generate a composite image CP. The transmittance changing unit 101a increases the transmittance of the vehicle image data 106P in the composite image CP, sets a specific area PX that requires special attention, and further increases the transmittance of the specific area PX. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 1 can see the vehicle periphery through the vehicle image data 106P and can visually recognize the specific area PX in more detail, so that safety in driving operation can be improved.

  In the image processing apparatus 100, for example, even when the vehicle 1 travels at a high speed and the driver can refer to the image only momentarily, the driver's attention can be attracted to the specific area PX. Can be improved.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. Since the configuration and processing of the image processing system 120 in the second embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In the first embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is determined in advance according to the virtual viewpoint VP. In the second embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is determined according to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The Thereby, since the position of the specific area PX is set in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, the specific area PX can be set at a position that requires more attention when the driver performs the driving operation.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the image processing system 120 according to the second embodiment. In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the control unit 101 further includes a direction detection unit 101b as a function realized according to the program.

  The direction detection unit 101b acquires the vehicle data transmitted from the vehicle information acquisition unit 130, and detects the direction in which the vehicle 1 travels. For example, when the direction detection unit 101b acquires shift data whose shift position is “Reverse” from the shift sensor 130b of the vehicle information acquisition unit 130, the direction detection unit 101b detects that the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is backward. When the direction detection unit 101b detects that the traveling direction is backward, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets, for example, the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP to a direction that is the rear of the vehicle.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing system 120 according to the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the process of step S31 is provided. The process in step S31 is a process in which the direction detection unit 101b acquires the vehicle data transmitted from the vehicle information acquisition unit 130 and detects the direction in which the vehicle 1 travels.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the process in step S31. Step S31 is executed after No is determined in step S20. When step S31 is executed, the direction detection unit 101b acquires shift data transmitted from the shift sensor 130b, and determines whether the shift position is “Reverse” or “Drive” (step S51).

  When the direction detection unit 101b determines that the shift position is “Reverse” (Reverse in Step S51), the control unit 101 sets the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP to the rear of the vehicle (Step S52). Next, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets the position of the specific area PX below the vehicle (step S53). This is because such a position is a position that is difficult for the driver to recognize when the vehicle 1 is moved backward, and is a center point of a region requiring special attention.

  When step S53 is executed, the process returns to step S13. In step S13, since the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP is set to the rear of the vehicle, the peripheral image generation unit 102a generates a peripheral image of the rear of the vehicle. In step S17, since the position of the specific area PX is set below the vehicle, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets the specific area PX at a position below the vehicle. As a result, when the shift is set to “Reverse”, the driver can refer to the composite image that has passed through the specific area of the vehicle image 106P with a high transmittance together with the peripheral image behind the vehicle, and the vehicle 1 can be safely moved backward. be able to.

  On the other hand, when the direction detection unit 101b determines that the shift position is “Drive” (Driving in Step S51), the direction detection unit 101b acquires the steering data transmitted from the steering sensor 130c, and the steering rotation direction is “left”. "Or" right "(step S54). When the direction detection unit 101b determines that the steering rotation direction is “left” (left in step S54), the control unit 101 sets the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP to the front of the vehicle (step S55).

  Next, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets the position of the specific area PX to the left of the vehicle (step S56). This is because such a position becomes a position that is difficult for the driver to recognize when moving the vehicle 1 leftward, and is a center point of a region requiring special attention. When step S56 is executed, the process returns to step S13 and the above-described process is executed again.

  If the direction detection unit 101b determines that the steering rotation direction is “right” (right in step S54), the control unit 101 sets the visual field direction of the virtual viewpoint VP to the front of the vehicle (step S57).

  Next, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets the position of the specific area PX to the right side of the vehicle (step S58). This is because such a position becomes a position that is difficult for the driver to recognize when moving the vehicle 1 in the right direction and is a center point of a region requiring special attention. When step S58 is executed, the process returns to step S13 and the above-described process is executed again.

  When the direction detecting unit 101b determines that the steering direction is “not” (“not” in step S54), the direction detecting unit 101b acquires the route guidance data transmitted from the navigation unit 140, and the direction of the route guidance is “ It is determined whether it is any of “turn left”, “turn right”, or “straight” (step S60). When the direction detection unit 101b determines that the direction of the route guidance is “left turn” (left turn in step S60), the processes of steps S55 and S56 described above are executed. In addition, when the direction detection unit 101b determines that the direction of the route guidance is “right turn” (right turn in step S60), the processing in steps S57 and S58 described above is executed.

  On the other hand, when the direction detection unit 101b determines that the direction of the route guidance is “straight ahead” (going straight in step S60), it acquires the vehicle speed data transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 130a and determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed. (Step S61). The predetermined speed is, for example, 20 km / h. The predetermined speed or less is a speed corresponding to traveling or slow driving in a traffic jam. Thus, the position of the specific area PX can be appropriately set by detecting the speed of the vehicle. That is, when the vehicle speed is low, the vehicle can travel closer to the preceding vehicle and obstacles. For example, by setting the position of the specific area PX below the vehicle, the driver can visually recognize the preceding vehicle approaching the vehicle 1 or the like. can do.

  When the direction detection unit 101b determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed (Yes in step S61), the direction detection unit 101b sets the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP to the front of the vehicle (step S62). Next, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets the position of the specific area PX below the vehicle (step S63). This is because when the vehicle 1 travels forward and at a low speed, the position is blocked by the vehicle body and is difficult for the driver to recognize, and becomes the center point of a region requiring special attention. When step S63 is executed, the process returns to step S13 and the above-described process is executed again.

  On the other hand, when the direction detection unit 101b determines that the vehicle speed is not equal to or lower than the predetermined speed (No in step S61), the process returns to the flowchart of FIG. In this case, no change is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, that is, since the vehicle 1 does not travel backward, turn right or left, or travel at low speed, the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP and the position of the specific area PX need to be changed. Because there is no.

  Thus, in the second embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is determined according to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Thereby, since the position of the specific area PX is set in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, the specific area PX can be set at a position that requires more attention when the driver performs the driving operation. For this reason, even when the driver operates the vehicle 1 in any direction, the driver refers to the composite image that transmits the specific region of the vehicle image 106P with a high transmittance together with the surrounding image of the vehicle 1 to safely operate the vehicle 1. It can be carried out.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 13, in the case of a left turn or a right turn, the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP is set to the front of the vehicle 1 (steps S55 and S57), and the position of the specific area PX is set to the left or right of the vehicle 1. By setting (steps S56 and S58), the position of the specific region PX is set in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. However, the position of the specific area PX is set in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 by setting the visual field direction of the virtual viewpoint VP as the direction in which the vehicle 1 bends and the position of the specific area PX as the center of the vehicle image 106P in that direction. May be. For example, if the direction in which the winker switch 130d is turned on is left, the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP is set in the direction of 45 [°] diagonally to the left from the front front direction, and the position of the specific region PX is set at the center of the direction It is good. In this way, the position of the specific area PX is always set at the center of the image, not only when the vehicle 1 moves forward and backward, but also when turning right or left, so the driver can easily recognize the periphery of the specific area PX.

<3. Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment will be described. Since the configuration and processing of the image processing system 120 in the third embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In the first embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is determined in advance according to the virtual viewpoint VP, but in the third embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is the position of an object existing around the vehicle 1 ( Direction and distance). As a result, the position of the specific area PX is set at the position of the object existing around the vehicle 1, so that the specific area PX can be set at a position that requires more attention when the driver performs a driving operation.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an image processing system 120 according to the third embodiment. In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the control unit 101 further includes an object detection unit 101c as a function realized according to the program.

  The object detection unit 101 c acquires the object data transmitted from the object information acquisition unit 150 and detects the position of an object existing around the vehicle 1. For example, when the object detection unit 101c acquires object data having a strength exceeding a certain level from the clearance sonar 150a of the vehicle 1 of the vehicle information acquisition unit 130 (installed on the left front side of the clearance sonar 150a), It detects that an object exists at a distance of 0.5 m in the left front of 1. When the object detection unit 101c detects the position of the object as a distance of 0.5 m on the left front side, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets, for example, the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP to the direction on the left side of the vehicle. Note that even with the object data from the radar 150b, the object detection unit 101c can detect the position of an object existing around the vehicle 1.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing system 120 according to the third embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the processes of steps S71 to S73 are executed. The processes in steps S71 to S73 are processes in which the object detection unit 101c acquires the object data transmitted from the object information acquisition unit 150, and sets the range of the specific region PX to include the detected object.

  Step S71 is executed after No is determined in step S20. When step S <b> 71 is executed, the object detection unit 101 c acquires the pig land data transmitted from the object information acquisition unit 150 and determines whether an object exists around the vehicle 1. (Step S71).

  When the object detection unit 101c determines that an object exists around the vehicle 1 (Yes in step S71), the object detection unit 101c detects the position (direction and distance) of the object (step S72).

  When the object detection unit 101c detects the position of the object, the transmittance changing unit 101a sets the range of the specific region PX to a range including the outer edge of the object based on the detected position of the object (step S73). The outer edge of the object may be determined based on the intensity of the object data on the peripheral image AP. Also, a so-called pattern matching method in image processing can be used. In this case, outer edge data of an object that may exist around the vehicle 1 may be stored in the storage unit 106 in advance. Further, when the object is moving relative to the vehicle 1, the outer edge of the object can be detected using an optical flow method. When this method is used, the object detection unit 101c extracts feature points from each of a plurality of time-sequential captured images (frames), and optical indicating the movement of the feature points between the plurality of captured images. The outer edge of the object is detected based on the flow. Note that the visual field direction of the virtual viewpoint VP may be set in the direction of the detected obstacle, and the position of the specific region PX may be set at the center of the visual field direction of the virtual viewpoint VP.

  When the transmittance changing unit 101a sets the range of the specific region PX to a range including the outer edge of the object, the process returns to step S18, and the transmittance changing unit 101a executes a process of increasing the transmittance of the set specific region PX. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when the object information acquisition unit 150 detects the position of the obstacle OB1 when entering the parking lot PA where the obstacle OB1 exists in the vicinity of the right front of the vehicle 1, the specific area PX is It is set to the front right and below. In this case, the composite image CP is displayed as shown in FIG. 17, and the specific region PX is set at a position that is blocked by the handle or the inner panel from the driver's viewpoint. The driver can visually recognize the obstacle OB1 through the range in which the obstacle OB1 exists in the passenger compartment image 106b with a high transmittance, so that the driver 1 can perform an avoidance operation so that the vehicle 1 does not come into contact with the obstacle OB1. .

  If the object detection unit 101c determines in step S71 in FIG. 15 that no object exists around the vehicle 1 (No in step S71), the process ends. This is because it is not necessary to change the range of the specific region PX as long as it is determined that no object exists around the vehicle 1.

  Thus, in the third embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is determined according to the position of an object existing around the vehicle 1. As a result, the specific area PX can be set at a position that requires more attention when the driver performs a driving operation. Accordingly, the driver can operate the vehicle 1 while avoiding the object, and can safely perform the driving operation of the vehicle 1.

<4. Fourth Embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Since the configuration and processing of the image processing system 120 in the fourth embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In the first embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is determined in advance according to the virtual viewpoint VP. In the fourth embodiment, the position of the specific area PX is determined in accordance with the parts constituting the vehicle 1. The The part which comprises the vehicle 1 is fixed areas in parts, such as a bonnet, a door, an inner panel, a handle | steering-wheel, a sheet | seat, and vehicle bodies, such as a pillar and a roof. Thereby, since the specific area PX is set in the part which comprises the vehicle 1, the area | region which should raise the transmittance | permeability can be limited and the processing load of image processing can be reduced. In particular, it is suitable for increasing the transmittance of a portion surrounded by glass such as a door or a pillar. This is because such a portion is surrounded by originally transmitting glass, and therefore it is only necessary to execute a process for increasing the transmittance only in the corresponding region (door, pillar, etc.).

  FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an image processing system 120 according to the fourth embodiment. The vehicle image data 106P stored in the storage unit 106 of the fourth embodiment includes vehicle part data 106c. The vehicle part data 106c is data corresponding to the vehicle part of the vehicle body image data 106a and the passenger compartment image data 106b. For example, the vehicle part data 106c includes a door part, a pillar part, and the like in the image indicated by the passenger compartment image data 106b. The transmittance changing unit 101a reads the vehicle part data 106c from the storage unit 106 and executes a process for increasing the transmittance of the read vehicle part. As the vehicle part data 106c, when the position of an object existing around the vehicle 1 and the vehicle part overlap, the vehicle part data 106c corresponding to the vehicle part is selected. In this case, the object data from the object information acquisition unit 150 may be used for the position of the object. Further, the contacted vehicle part may be selected by the driver's contact operation on the touch panel 110a.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing system 120 according to the fourth embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that step S17a is executed instead of step S17. The process of step S17a is a process in which the transmittance changing unit 101a reads the vehicle part data 106c from the storage unit 106 and sets the specific area PX for a range corresponding to the read vehicle part in the vehicle image 106P. When step S17 is executed, the transmittance changing unit 101a executes a process of increasing the transmittance of the specific area PX (step S18), and the above-described processes after step S19 are executed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 20, when entering the parking lot PA to park in the parking area pa, the driver needs to pay attention not to come into contact with the parked vehicle VE parked on the left front side of the vehicle 1. . In this case, if the steering sensor 130c detects the vehicle 1 traveling in the left direction and the radar 150b detects the position of the parked vehicle VE, the transmittance changing unit 101a parks on the left A pillar of the vehicle 1 in the passenger compartment image 106b. It can be determined that the vehicle images overlap. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21, in the composite image CP with the virtual viewpoint VP in front of the vehicle, the area 106c corresponding to the left A pillar is set as the specific area PX, and the transmittance of the area is increased. Processing is executed. Thus, the driver can park the vehicle 1 in the parking area pa while paying attention not to come in contact with the parked vehicle VE.

  As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the position of the specific region PX is determined according to the parts constituting the vehicle 1. Thereby, the area | region which should raise the transmittance | permeability can be limited and the processing load of image processing can be reduced.

<5. Modification>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. Below, such a modification is demonstrated. All the forms including the above-described embodiment and the form described below can be appropriately combined.

  FIG. 22 is a block diagram of an image processing system 120 according to a modification. As shown in the figure, the control unit 101 includes a line-of-sight detection unit 101d as a function realized according to a program. With such a configuration, the specific area PX can be set in the line-of-sight direction of the driver, and the composite image CP can be displayed through the vehicle image 106P in the direction that the driver wants to refer to. In this case, since it is possible to assist the driver's visual confirmation of safety, the driver can drive the vehicle 1 more safely. The line-of-sight detection unit 101d acquires line-of-sight data from the line-of-sight sensor 160a of the driver information acquisition unit 160, and detects the line-of-sight direction of the driver. The line-of-sight data is acquired from the line-of-sight sensor 160a of the driver information acquisition unit 160, and the line-of-sight direction of the driver is detected. The transmittance changing unit 101a sets the specific area PX in the line-of-sight direction of the driver detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 101d. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, when entering the parking lot PA where the obstacle OB2 exists on the left side of the vehicle 1, if the driver looks at the left side, the viewing direction of the virtual viewpoint VP is also set to the left side. The Since the specific area PX is set in the line-of-sight direction of the driver, as shown in FIG. 24, the driver can visually recognize the obstacle OB2 on the left side of the vehicle through the cabin image 106b having a high transmittance. Note that an image in the driver's line-of-sight direction may be displayed several seconds after the driver moves his line of sight (for example, 2 seconds later). In this case, when the driver turns his / her line of sight toward the display device 110, an image in the direction in which his / her line of sight is directed can be displayed several seconds ago, and the driver confirms the appearance of the surrounding area with the display device 110 after several seconds. be able to.

  In the processing procedure of the above-described embodiment, the composite image generation process (step S15) is executed before the process of increasing the transmittance of the specific area (step S18). Is not to be done. That is, the composite image generation process (step S15) may be executed after the process of increasing the transmittance of the specific area (step S18) and before the composite image output process.

  Moreover, in the processing procedure of the said embodiment, although each process (each step) was performed in series, it is not necessarily limited to such a serial processing procedure. For example, a captured image acquisition process (step S11), a virtual viewpoint position determination process (step S12), a peripheral image generation process (step S13), and a vehicle image or vehicle compartment image reading process (step S14), The process of increasing the transmittance of the vehicle image (step S16), the process of setting the specific area (step S17), and the process of increasing the transmittance of the specific area (step S18) may be executed in parallel. In this case, the process (step S15) for generating a composite image may be executed using the peripheral image generated by the parallel processing and the data of the specific region with increased transmittance.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that various functions are realized in software by the arithmetic processing of the CPU according to the program. However, some of these functions are realized by an electrical hardware circuit. Also good. Conversely, some of the functions realized by the hardware circuit may be realized by software.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 20 Camera 100 Image processing apparatus 101 Control part 102 Image generation part 103 Image acquisition part 104 Image output part 105 Signal receiving part 106 Storage part 110 Display apparatus 120 Image processing system 130 Vehicle information acquisition part 140 Navigation part 150 Object information acquisition part 160 Driver information acquisition unit

Claims (7)

An image processing apparatus that is used in a vehicle and processes an image,
Generating means for generating a peripheral image showing a peripheral region of the vehicle viewed from a virtual viewpoint, using a plurality of images acquired by a plurality of cameras provided in the vehicle;
Obtaining means for obtaining a vehicle image indicating the vehicle viewed from the virtual viewpoint;
A transmission means for increasing the transmittance of a specific region of a part of the vehicle image to be higher than the transmittance of another part;
Combining means for combining the peripheral image and the vehicle image to generate a combined image;
Output means for outputting and displaying the composite image on a display device;
An image processing apparatus comprising: The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.
The position of the virtual viewpoint is a position corresponding to the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle image is a vehicle compartment image showing a vehicle interior of the vehicle. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
Direction detecting means for detecting a traveling direction of the vehicle;
Further comprising
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit determines a range of the specific region based on a traveling direction of the vehicle. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
Object detection means for detecting the position of an object existing around the vehicle;
Further comprising
The image processing apparatus, wherein the transmission means determines a range of the specific region based on a position of the object. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The range of the specific region is a range of a part constituting the vehicle. An image processing method used in a vehicle,
Using a plurality of images acquired by a plurality of cameras provided in the vehicle, generating a peripheral image showing a peripheral region of the vehicle viewed from a virtual viewpoint;
Obtaining a vehicle image showing the vehicle viewed from the virtual viewpoint;
Increasing the transmittance of a specific area of a part of the vehicle image above the transmittance of another part;
Combining the peripheral image and the vehicle image to generate a composite image;
Outputting and displaying the composite image on a display device;
An image processing method comprising: An image processing system used in a vehicle,
An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A display device for displaying the composite image output from the image processing device;
An image processing system comprising:

Images