JP6707007B2 - Vehicle visibility device and vehicle visual image display method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle visual recognition device and a vehicle visual identification image display method in which a display image assists visual recognition of an occupant.

In the vehicle blind spot support device of Patent Document 1, a camera is provided in a rearview mirror of the vehicle together with a mirror section and a display, and a visible area behind the vehicle that is visible through the rear window reflected by the camera in the mirror section, and around the rear window. An image of a vehicle rear area including a blind spot area behind the vehicle that is blocked by a portion is captured. Further, the vehicle blind spot support device stores a virtual image (virtual image data) in which a plurality of vehicle parts around the rear window reflected in the mirror portion are drawn. On the display, a virtual image in which the transmittance is changed between a vehicle part on the rear side of the vehicle and a vehicle component on the rear side of the vehicle is displayed by superimposing a captured image of the rear side of the vehicle captured by the camera.

By the way, an occupant and the like in the passenger compartment are reflected on a rearview mirror provided in the vehicle, along with a view (object) behind the vehicle visually recognized through a rear window. A virtual image is displayed on the rear-view mirror display in Patent Document 1 together with a captured image of the rear of the vehicle captured by a camera. For this reason, the image displayed on the display is uncomfortable.

Japanese Patent No. 5562498

The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and an object of the present invention is to provide a visual recognition device for a vehicle and a visual image display method for a vehicle that can assist the visual recognition of an occupant and suppress the occurrence of discomfort. ..

The visual recognition device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a first image capturing unit that captures an image capturing area outside the vehicle without passing through the windshield and a second image capturing unit that captures the image capturing area outside the vehicle through the window glass together with the image capturing area inside the vehicle interior. The image of the windshield is removed from the image capturing unit, the first vehicle interior image captured by the second image capturing unit to be in a predetermined transparent state, and the captured image of the image capturing area of the second image capturing unit, and The second vehicle interior image, which is in a transparent state different from the first vehicle interior image, is combined with the vehicle exterior image captured by the first image capturing unit, and is displayed.

In the vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 1, the vehicle exterior image in which the image capturing area outside the vehicle is captured by the first image capturing unit without passing through the windshield, and the image capturing area outside the vehicle through the window glass and the vehicle interior by the second image capturing unit. A combined image obtained by combining the first vehicle interior image that has been imaged in the image capturing area and is in a predetermined transparent state is displayed on the display unit. In addition, the image of the windshield is removed from the captured image of the image capturing area of the second image capturing unit, and the second vehicle interior image in a transparent state different from the first vehicle interior image is combined with the composite image. As the second vehicle interior image, it is preferable to use a captured image obtained by previously capturing an image capturing area of the second image capturing unit.

In the composite image in which the first vehicle interior image, the second vehicle interior image, and the vehicle exterior image are composited, each of the first vehicle interior image and the second vehicle interior image has transparency, so that the vehicle exterior image can be visually recognized. Therefore, the visual confirmation of the occupant can be assisted by displaying the composite image on the display unit. Further, since the first vehicle interior image and the second vehicle interior image have different transmissive states, the occupant, luggage, and the like in the vehicle interior shown in the first vehicle interior image can be recognized in the composite image displayed on the display unit. ..

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle visual confirmation device according to the first aspect, wherein the second vehicle interior image has a transmissivity higher than that of the first vehicle interior image.

In the vehicle visual recognition device according to the second aspect, the transparent state of the second vehicle interior image is higher than the transmittance of the first vehicle interior image. As a result, it is possible to easily recognize an object such as an occupant or luggage that appears in the first vehicle interior image captured and captured by the second image capturing unit.

The vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 3 is the vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second vehicle interior image is an image of a vehicle body component in a vehicle interior including the vehicle body component in contact with the windshield . Regarding the transmittance, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the side of the second image capturing section in the image capturing direction of the second image capturing section, and the vehicle body component on the side opposite to the second image capturing section in the image capturing direction of the second image capturing section. One of the images has a transmittance that is lower than the other.

In the vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 3, in the second vehicle interior image, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the second imaging unit side in the imaging direction of the second imaging unit and the vehicle body on the opposite side to the second imaging unit. The transmittance of the image of the part is different. For this reason, since a sense of perspective is given to the composite image including the second vehicle interior image, it is possible to easily grasp the relative position of the target object shown in the vehicle exterior image on the composite image.

The vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 4 is the vehicle visual identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second vehicle interior image is directed from one side of the lower side of the image to the other side of the upper side of the image. The transmittance is changed so that the transmittance becomes high.

In the vehicle visual recognition device according to the fourth aspect, the transmittance of the second vehicle interior image is increased from one side to the other side of the lower side of the second vehicle interior image and the upper side of the second vehicle interior image. Therefore, on the composite image including the second vehicle interior image, the transmittance is increased from the lower side to the upper side of the second vehicle interior image, so that the visibility of the object outside the vehicle can be improved, By increasing the transmittance from the upper side to the lower side of the vehicle interior image, the visibility of the object near the vehicle can be improved.

Further, the vehicle viewing system of claim 1, prior Symbol second cabin image above for the transmittance of the body parts of the image in contact with the window glass, the window glass side transmittance is highest, the window including the transmittance is gradually lowered to the transmitting state as the distance from the glass.

In the vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 1 , with respect to the image of the vehicle body part in contact with the windshield, the transmittance at the boundary with the windshield is set to be the highest, and the transmittance becomes lower as the distance from the boundary with the windshield is increased. ing.

As a result, in the second vehicle interior image, the boundary of the vehicle body component in contact with the windshield with the windshield is blurred, so that the visibility of the exterior image around the windshield can be improved on the composite image.

Furthermore, vehicle viewing system of claim 1, prior Symbol the degree of change in the transmittance of the window glass side of the body components of the image in contact with the window glass, the second image pickup unit in the image pickup direction of the second image pickup unit and the second image pickup unit from the side comprising the other side is smaller.

In the vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 1 , in the image of the body part in contact with the windshield, when the transmittance is changed so as to become lower as the distance from the boundary portion of the windshield changes, the degree of change in the transmittance is determined by the second imaging unit. The second image pickup unit side is larger than the side opposite to the second image pickup unit in the image pickup direction. For this reason, the image of the body part near the second image pickup unit and the image of the vehicle body part separated from the second image pickup unit are different in the range in which the contour is blurred, and the contour of the image of the body part separated from the second image pickup unit is different. It is greatly blurred. As a result, the image of the body part in contact with the windshield can be given a perspective, and the relative position of the object in the image outside the vehicle can be easily grasped on the composite image.

The visual image display method for a vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the first image capturing unit captures an image capturing area outside the vehicle without passing through the windshield, and the second image capturing unit captures the image capturing area outside the vehicle through the window glass. Of the image of the vehicle body part in contact with the windshield from the captured image captured by the second image capturing unit together with the image pickup region of the second image pickup unit, and the transmittance of the windshield is maximized, and In the transmissive state, the transmittance is gradually lowered with increasing distance, and the degree of change in the transmittance is smaller on the side opposite to the second imaging unit than on the second imaging unit side in the imaging direction of the second imaging unit. A vehicle interior image is generated, and the vehicle interior image is combined with the vehicle exterior image captured by the first imaging unit and displayed on the display unit.

In the vehicle visual image display method according to the fifth aspect, the vehicle interior image captured by the second image capturing unit is combined with the vehicle exterior image captured by the first image capturing unit, and the composite image is displayed on the display unit. Here, as for the vehicle interior image, the image captured by the second image capturing unit is set in a predetermined transparent state. Further, the vehicle interior image, for the image of the vehicle body part in contact with the windshield, has the highest transmittance at the boundary with the windshield, and the transmittance becomes lower as the distance from the boundary with the windshield is reduced, and The change in the transmittance is set to be larger on the side opposite to the second image capturing section in the image capturing direction of the second image capturing section than on the second image capturing section side.

As a result, in the composite image displayed on the display unit, it is possible to prevent the occupant from feeling uncomfortable and to give a sense of perspective, so that the relative position of the object in the image outside the vehicle can be easily grasped, and the occupant can visually recognize it. Can help.

According to the vehicle visual recognition device of the first aspect, according to the present invention, it is possible to assist the visual recognition of the occupant and to suppress the occurrence of discomfort.

According to the vehicle visual recognition device of the second aspect, there is an effect that it is possible to easily recognize the occupant, luggage, and the like in the vehicle interior imaged by the second imaging unit. Further, according to the vehicle visual recognition device of the third aspect, there is an effect that the relative position of the target object shown in the image outside the vehicle can be easily grasped.

According to the vehicular visual recognition device of claim 4, the visibility is increased from the lower side to the upper side of the second vehicle interior image, so that the visibility of the object far away from the vehicle can be improved, and the second vehicle interior image can be displayed. By increasing the transmittance from the upper side to the lower side, it is possible to improve the visibility of the object near the vehicle.

According to the vehicle visual recognition device of the first aspect , there is an effect that the visibility of the image outside the vehicle can be improved around the windshield. According to the vehicle visual recognition device of the first aspect , there is an effect that the relative position of the object in the image outside the vehicle can be easily grasped.

According to the vehicle visible image display method of the fifth aspect , there is an effect that the relative position of the object in the image outside the vehicle can be easily grasped and the visual recognition of the occupant can be assisted.

It is a block diagram showing the visual recognition device for vehicles concerning a 1st embodiment. (A) is a front view of the inner mirror in the vehicle compartment seen from the rear side of the vehicle, and (B) is a plan view of the vehicle seen from above. It is a flowchart which shows a display process. Each of (A) to (D) is a schematic view showing an image according to the first embodiment, (A) shows a vehicle interior image, (B) shows a vehicle interior rear image, and (C). Shows a vehicle rear image, and (D) shows a composite image. (A) And (B) is the schematic which shows the image which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (A) shows a vehicle interior image, (B) has shown the synthetic|combination image. (A) And (B) is the schematic which shows the image which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (A) shows a vehicle interior image, (B) has shown the synthetic|combination image. (A)-(D) is the schematic which shows the image which concerns on 4th Embodiment, (A) and (C) shows a vehicle interior image, (B) is a synthetic image containing (A). And (D) shows a composite image including (C). (A) And (B) is the schematic which shows the image which concerns on 5th Embodiment, (A) shows a vehicle interior rear image, (B) has shown the composite image.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle visual recognition device 10 according to the first embodiment. 2(A) is a front view of the main part of the vehicle interior of the vehicle 12 provided with the vehicle visual recognition device 10 as seen from the vehicle rear side, and FIG. The vehicle 12 is shown in a plan view from above. In each drawing, the front side of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow FR, the vehicle width direction is indicated by an arrow W, and the upper side is indicated by an arrow UP.

The vehicle visual recognition device 10 is provided with a vehicle exterior camera 14 as a first imaging unit, and the vehicle exterior camera 14 is arranged at the vehicle rear portion and the vehicle width direction central portion (for example, the vehicle width direction central portion of the rear bumper). Thus, the rear of the vehicle 12 can be imaged at a predetermined angle of view (imaging area). The vehicle exterior camera 14 captures an image of an image capturing area outside the vehicle without passing through the windshield of the vehicle 12. The imaging area of the vehicle exterior camera 14 includes an area behind the vehicle that is viewed through a rear window glass (rear windshield glass) 16A and a rear side door door glass (rear side door window glass) 16B in a room mirror provided inside the vehicle. Has been.

An inner mirror 18 is provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle 12. A bracket 20 is provided on the inner mirror 18, and a base portion of the bracket 20 is attached to a vehicle front side of a vehicle interior ceiling surface and a central portion in a vehicle width direction. The bracket 20 is provided with a monitor 22 having a long rectangular shape as a display portion. The monitor 22 has a longitudinal direction in the vehicle width direction and a display surface facing the vehicle rear side. It is attached to the lower end of the. As a result, the monitor 22 is disposed near the upper part of the front windshield glass on the front side of the vehicle, and the display surface is visible to the occupant in the vehicle compartment.

The display surface of the monitor 22 is a curved surface that is convex toward the rear of the vehicle. In addition, a half mirror (wide mirror) is provided on the display surface of the monitor 22, and when the monitor 22 is not displayed, the half mirror, along with the vehicle interior, includes a rear window glass 16A as a window glass and a door. A rear view through the glass 16B is captured.

The bracket 20 is provided with an inner camera 24 as a second imaging unit, and the inner camera 24 is fixed to the bracket 20 on the upper side (ceiling side) of the monitor 22. The inner camera 24 is directed to the rear side of the vehicle, and the inner camera 24 is capable of capturing an image of the image capturing area of the vehicle exterior camera 14 in the range from the vehicle front side through the vehicle interior and the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B. ing.

On the other hand, the vehicular visual recognition device 10 is provided with a control device 26 as a control part that constitutes a display part, and the exterior camera 14, the monitor 22 and the inner camera 24 are connected to the control device 26. The control device 26 includes a CPU 28A, a ROM 28B, a RAM 28C, a nonvolatile storage medium (for example, EPROM) 28D as a storage unit, and a microcomputer in which an I/O (input/output interface) 28E is connected to a bus 28F. ing. The ROM 28B and the like store various programs such as a vehicle visual display control program for displaying an image for assisting the occupant's visual recognition on the monitor 22, and the CPU 28A reads and executes the program stored in the ROM 28B and the like. Then, the control device 26 and the monitor 22 function as a display unit that assists the visual recognition of the occupant.

The control device 26 combines the vehicle rear image as the vehicle exterior image captured by the vehicle exterior camera 14 with the vehicle interior rear image as the first vehicle interior image captured by the inner camera 24. Further, the control device 26 stores a vehicle interior image as a second vehicle interior image. The control device 26 synthesizes the vehicle interior image, the vehicle interior rear image, and the vehicle rear image, and controls the composite image to be displayed on the monitor 22.

Here, as the vehicle interior image, a captured image in which the inner camera 24 or the like is used in advance to capture an image of the vehicle rear side in the vehicle interior from the vehicle front side in the vehicle interior is used. Further, as the vehicle interior image, a captured image in a state in which an occupant is not in the vehicle and luggage is not loaded in the vehicle interior is used. That is, in the vehicle interior image, the front seats 16C, the rear seats 16D, the vehicle interior ceiling 16E, the center pillar 16F, and the rear pillars 16G, which are the body parts included in the imaging area of the inner camera 24, and the parts and vehicles that form the vehicle body. An image of the parts placed inside the vehicle and attached to the vehicle body is included (see FIG. 2B).

A moving image may be applied as the vehicle interior image, but a still image can be used, and a still image is used in the first embodiment. Further, as the vehicle interior image, a captured image captured by the inner camera 24 when the vehicle 12 is shipped from the factory, delivered, or the like can be applied. Further, as the vehicle interior image, when the occupant gets on the vehicle 12 to drive the vehicle, a captured image taken by the inner camera 24 prior to the occupant getting on the vehicle may be applied. The image is taken when the driver's seat side door is opened or when the door is unlocked to open the door.

The control device 26 sets a light-transmitting portion such as the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B as a non-image area (area fixed at a transmittance of 100%) with respect to the vehicle interior image. That is, the vehicle interior image is generated by extracting the image of the vehicle body component in the vehicle interior from which the images of the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B are removed from the captured image of the vehicle interior. The vehicle interior image is not limited to the image captured by the inner camera 24, and a captured image obtained by capturing an image capturing area of the inner camera 24 from the vehicle front side in the vehicle interior by an image capturing unit (camera) different from the inner camera 24 ( Still images or moving images) may be applied. In this case, it suffices if the process of converting the captured image into an image viewed from the virtual viewpoint described below is performed and stored in the storage medium.

On the other hand, the viewpoint positions of the captured image of the vehicle exterior camera 14 and the captured image of the inner camera 24 are different, and the control device 26 matches the viewpoint positions of the captured images. At this time, the control device 26 sets a virtual viewpoint on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the center position of the monitor 22 (intermediate position in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction), and the image captured by the vehicle exterior camera 14 and the image captured by the inner camera 24, respectively. Is converted into an image viewed from a virtual viewpoint. Since the inner camera 24 is provided adjacent to the monitor 22, the viewpoint of the inner camera 24 may be applied as the virtual viewpoint.

The control device 26 performs trimming processing and the like on each of the captured images converted into the image viewed from the virtual viewpoint so that the viewing angles from the virtual viewpoint match. As a result, when it is assumed that the same target object appears in each captured image, an image in which the images of the target object overlap is generated. At this time, a method of setting a virtual screen having a curved surface or a flat surface and converting each captured image into an image projected on the virtual screen is applied.

Further, in the control device 26, the transmittance is set as a transmission state for the vehicle interior rear image and the vehicle interior image, and the control device 26 is set for each of the vehicle interior rear image and the vehicle interior image. Image conversion is performed so that the transmittance is in the transparent state. In the vehicle rear image and the vehicle interior image, the transparency becomes higher, so that the transparency becomes higher and the transparency becomes higher, and the image becomes lighter (thinner) than when the transmittance is low (when the transmittance is low, , Get darker). The transmittance set for the vehicle interior image and the vehicle interior rear image is the transmittance that allows the vehicle rear image to be recognized on the composite image. Further, the transmittance of the vehicle interior image is set to be higher than the transmittance of the vehicle interior rear image. The control device 26 superimposes the vehicle interior image and the vehicle interior rear image, which have been subjected to the image conversion so as to have the set transmittance, on the vehicle rear image, synthesizes them, and displays the synthesized image on the monitor 22.

Next, as an operation of the present exemplary embodiment, a specific process executed by the control device 26 of the vehicle visual recognition device 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the display process (image process) of the composite image on the monitor 22 executed by the control device 26. 4(A) to 4(D) schematically show images generated by the control device 26, and FIG. 4(A) shows a vehicle interior image 30. 4B shows a vehicle interior rear image 32, FIG. 4C shows a vehicle rear image 34, and FIG. 4D shows a composite image 36.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, in a first step 100, a captured image that produces the vehicle interior image 30 is read. As the captured image (vehicle interior image), the captured image inside the vehicle interior of the vehicle 12 captured by the inner camera 24 prior to the image display on the monitor 22 is used. In the next step 102, the viewpoint conversion process and the transmissivity conversion process are performed on the read captured image. As a result, the vehicle interior image 30 shown in FIG. 4(A) is obtained.

In this vehicle interior image 30, the image of the portion excluding the image of the rear window glass 16A and the image of the door glass 16B has a predetermined transmittance. As a result, in the vehicle interior image 30, the images of the vehicle body parts excluding the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B are made dark according to the transmittance. For example, when the transmittance is 90%, the density is 10% as compared with the case where the transmittance is 0% (non-transmissive), and the vehicle interior image 30 that is extremely lighter than the captured image is obtained. The steps 100 and 102 may be executed in advance. In this case, the control device 26 stores the vehicle interior image 30 on which the viewpoint conversion and the transmittance conversion processing have been performed in the storage medium 28D.

On the other hand, in the vehicle visual recognition device 10, when an ignition switch (IG) (not shown) of the vehicle 12 is turned on, image display on the monitor 22 is started. In the following description, the display/non-display of the monitor 22 is switched by turning on/off the ignition switch, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a switch for switching display/non-display of the monitor 22 is provided in the vehicle visual recognition device 10. It may be. In this case, when the switch is turned on, the image display on the monitor 22 is started, and when the switch is turned off, the image display on the monitor 22 is ended, and the monitor 22 turns into a room mirror (half mirror). ).

Here, when the ignition switch is turned on, an affirmative decision is made in step 104 of FIG. 3, and the routine moves to step 106. In this step 106, the photographed image of the vehicle interior taken by the inner camera 24 is read, and in the next step 108, viewpoint conversion processing (including trimming processing) is performed on the read photographed image and preset. Is converted into the transmittance. As a result, the vehicle interior rear image 32 shown in FIG. 4B is obtained. Further, when the occupant in the vehicle 12 is imaged by the inner camera 24, the occupant is reflected in the vehicle interior rear image 32.

In this vehicle interior rear image 32, the transmittance is lower than that of the vehicle interior image 30. For example, when the transmittance of the vehicle interior image 30 is 90%, the transmittance of the vehicle interior rear image 32 is 80%. As a result, the vehicle interior rear image 32 is 20% darker than the image captured by the inner camera 24, and the vehicle interior rear image 32 is slightly darker than the vehicle interior image 30.

Further, in step 110 of FIG. 3, a captured image captured by the vehicle exterior camera 14 is read, and in the next step 112, the viewpoint conversion process and the trimming process are performed on the read captured image. As a result, the vehicle rear image 34 shown in FIG. 4C is obtained. In the vehicle rear image 34, an object outside the vehicle that overlaps the rear window glass 16A of the vehicle interior rear image 32 is made into an image of the same size as that seen through the rear window glass 16A of the vehicle interior rear image 32. Note that the processing of steps 106 and 108 and the processing of steps 110 and 112 are executed in parallel.

Then, in step 114, the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32 are superimposed on the vehicle rear image 34 and are combined. As a result, the composite image 36 shown in FIG. 4D is obtained, and the composite image 36 is displayed on the monitor 22. In step 116, it is confirmed whether or not the ignition switch has been turned off. While the ignition switch is on, an affirmative decision is made in step 116 and the processing of steps 106 to 114 is repeated. As a result, the captured image of the vehicle exterior camera 14 and the captured image of the inner camera 24 that change over time are combined and displayed on the monitor 22.

Here, in the composite image 36 displayed on the monitor 22, each of the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32 has transparency. For this reason, even if the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32 overlap the vehicle rear image 34, the visibility of the vehicle rear image 34 is prevented from being reduced, and it is possible to assist the occupant to visually recognize the rear of the vehicle.

Further, in the composite image 36, the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32 overlap each other, so that the densities of the images of the same vehicle body parts appearing in the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32 are the same. The density is higher than the density of one of the image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32. That is, when the transmittance of the vehicle interior image 30 is 90% and the transmittance of the vehicle interior rear image 32 is 80%, the density of the image of the vehicle body component on the composite image 36 is 30%. Therefore, even if the transmittance of each of the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32 is increased, the body part (body field image) becomes clear in the composite image 36. Moreover, since the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32 are composited in the composite image 36, the vehicle body of the vehicle 12 can be grasped, and the object behind the vehicle shown in the vehicle rear image 34 can be detected by the vehicle 12. The relative position to can be grasped.

Further, when an occupant is in the vehicle 12, an image of the occupant on the vehicle 12 is displayed in the vehicle interior rear image 32. At this time, since the transmittance is different between the vehicle interior image 30 and the vehicle interior rear image 32, the composite image 36 can easily recognize the occupant in the vehicle interior rear image 32. Moreover, since the transmittance of the vehicle interior rear image 32 is higher than the transmittance of the vehicle interior image 30, the composite image 36 can more easily recognize the occupant (the image of the occupant) shown in the vehicle interior rear image 32. ..

Further, in the vehicle interior image 30, the transmittance of the image of the transparent member such as the rear window glass 16A is 100%. Therefore, even if the vehicle rear image 32 is made to have a high transmittance so that the vehicle rear image 34 appears dark in the composite image 36, the occupant (for example, the head field image of the occupant) in the vehicle rear image 32. Is superimposed on the image of the rear windshield 16A, the visibility of the occupant in the vehicle interior rear image 32 is improved.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occupant in the vehicle interior from being displayed on the monitor 22 despite the presence of the occupant in the vehicle interior, so that the occupant viewing the display image on the monitor 22 does not feel uncomfortable. Moreover, the image of the occupant shown in the rear image 32 of the passenger compartment is thinner than the image of the vehicle body component (higher transmittance) on the composite image 36, so that the image (image) of the occupant is rearward of the vehicle. It is possible to suppress deterioration of visibility.

Further, since the image of the object behind the vehicle seen through the rear window glass 16A or the like in the vehicle interior rear image 32 overlaps the image of the same object on the vehicle rear image 34 on the composite image 36, the image through the rear window glass 16A or the like is displayed. The image of the visible object is displayed dark (for example, displayed at a density of 120%) for clarity. Moreover, since the images of the surrounding vehicle body parts such as the rear window glass 16A are made transparent, it is possible to easily identify what the object behind the vehicle is. Therefore, the composite image 36 displayed on the monitor 22 can properly assist the visual recognition of the occupant (visual recognition behind the vehicle).

In the first embodiment described above, the transmittance of the vehicle interior rear image 32 as the first image is higher than the transmittance of the vehicle interior image 30. It may be any transmittance as long as it can be recognized by an occupant or the like in the passenger compartment, and may be lower than the transmittance of the vehicle interior image 30. That is, the transmission state of the vehicle interior image 30 may be lower than the transmission rate of the vehicle interior rear image 32.

Further, in the first embodiment, the transmissivity of the vehicle interior image 30 is constant, but the transmissivity of the vehicle interior image 30 is not limited to this. ) May be different. In this case, a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) of the vehicle 12 is connected to the control device 26, and a plurality of vehicle interior images 30 having different transmittances are stored. The control device 26 divides the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor into a plurality of stages (for example, three stages of low speed, medium speed, and high speed), and if the vehicle speed is low, the vehicle interior in which the transmittance is reduced from the plurality of vehicle interior images is displayed. An image is selected to generate the composite image 36, and if the speed is high, the vehicle interior image having the highest transmittance is selected from the plurality of vehicle interior images to generate the composite image 36. Accordingly, from the composite image displayed on the monitor 22, when the vehicle speed is higher than that when the vehicle speed is low, the visible range outside the vehicle can be widened to assist the occupant's visual recognition, depending on the vehicle speed.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the same functional parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, in the second vehicle interior image, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component is increased in the peripheral portion of the window glass (for example, 100%), and the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component is gradually increased as the distance from the peripheral portion increases. The so-called blurring process is performed to lower the value. FIG. 5(A) schematically shows a vehicle interior image 30A as a second vehicle interior image according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 5(B) shows a vehicle interior image 30A. A composite image 36A that has been composited is shown in a schematic view.

The vehicle interior image 30A has a high transmittance (for example, 90%) set as the overall transmittance. Further, in the vehicle interior image 30A, rear seats 16D, which are images of vehicle body parts on the rear side of the vehicle in contact with the peripheral edge of the rear window glass 16A, a vehicle interior ceiling 16E, and rear pillars 16G on both sides in the vehicle width direction on the rear window glass 16A side. A process for blurring the contour (blurring process) is performed on the peripheral portion. Further, in the vehicle interior image 30A, blurring processing is performed on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle interior ceiling, which is a vehicle body component that is in contact with the door glass 16B on the vehicle front side of the rear windshield 16A, the center pillars 16F, and the peripheral portions of the rear pillars 16G. Is done.

As a result, in the vehicle interior image 30A, the blurring portion 38A is formed outside the image of the rear windshield 16A, and the blurring portion 38B is formed outside the image of the door glass 16B. Note that in FIG. 5A, the outline of the body part subjected to the blurring process is shown by a chain double-dashed line.

In the blurring process of forming the blurring portions 38A and 38B, the transmittance of the boundary portion between the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B is maximized (for example, about 100%), and the transmittance gradually increases as the distance from the boundary portion increases ( It may be stepwise). In the blurring process, the degree of change in the transmittance of the vehicle body component on the rear side of the vehicle is set smaller than the degree of change in the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the front side of the vehicle (transmittance reaches 100% to 90%. To narrow the blur width is the width up to).

Therefore, in the vehicle interior image 30A, a region having high transmittance around the rear window glass 16A (a region having high transparency, the blurring portion 38A) is higher than a region having high transmittance around the door glass 16B (blurring portion 38B). Widen (blur width is widened). Such blurring processing may be performed by converting the transmittance for each image of the body part on the captured image when performing the image processing on the captured image in step 102 of FIG. Since the door glass 16B is arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction, the blurring portion 38B may make the blur width different between the vehicle rear side and the vehicle front side of the door glass 16B.

As a result, in the vehicle interior image 30A, the contours (contours of the image) of the vehicle body parts in contact with the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B can be made vague. Further, in the vehicle interior image 30A, a vehicle body having a small blur width is displayed between an image of a vehicle body part provided with a wide blurring portion 38A and an image of a vehicle body part provided with a narrow blurring portion 38B. It gives a sense of perspective that a body part that is wider than a part feels far.

Further, in the vehicle interior image 30A, the contour of the body part in contact with the rear window glass 16A on the rear side of the vehicle can be made vaguer than the contour of the body part in contact with the door glass 16B on the front side of the vehicle. The visibility behind the vehicle can be improved.

As a result, in the composite image 36A shown in FIG. 5B, the skeleton of the vehicle body component can be recognized, and the visibility of the vehicle rear image 34 can be suppressed from being deteriorated by the vehicle interior image 30A. Therefore, the composite image 36A displayed on the monitor 22 can assist the occupant to visually recognize behind the vehicle. Moreover, by including the vehicle interior image 30A in the composite image 36A, it is possible to prevent the occupant from feeling uncomfortable, and the outline of the vehicle body parts is shown, and the object shown in the vehicle rear image 34 is shown. The relative position of an object can be recognized.

Further, since the vehicle interior image 30A can be generated in advance, even if the transmittance of the image for each vehicle body component is different, in order to display the composite image 36A including the vehicle interior image 30A on the monitor 22, It is possible to suppress an increase in the processing load of the control device 26 (CPU 28A).

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the same functional parts as those in the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals as those in the first and second embodiments. The detailed description will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, in the second vehicle interior image, the transmittance is different between the image of the vehicle body component on the front side of the vehicle and the image of the vehicle body component on the rear side of the vehicle. In FIG. 6A, a vehicle interior image 30B is schematically shown as a second vehicle interior image according to the third embodiment, and in FIG. 6B, a vehicle interior image 30B is combined. The synthesized image 36B is shown in a schematic view.

As shown in FIG. 6A, in the vehicle interior image 30B, the transmittance of the images of the vehicle body parts (front seat 16C, center pillar 16F, etc.) on the front side of the vehicle is compared with the vehicle body parts (rear window glass 16A) on the rear side of the vehicle. 16E, the rear seats 16D, the rear pillars 16G, and the like) around the periphery of the image of FIG. For example, in the vehicle interior image 30B, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the front side of the vehicle is set to 90%, and the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the rear side of the vehicle is set to be highest in the central portion in the vehicle width direction (as an example. 100%) and gradually lower toward the outside in the vehicle width direction (100% to 95% as an example). In such processing, when the image processing is performed on the captured image in step 102 of FIG. 3, the conversion processing of the transmittance may be performed for each image of the body part on the captured image. ..

As a result, in the vehicle interior image 30B, the vehicle body parts on the rear side of the vehicle have a sense of perspective such that they feel farther than the vehicle body parts on the front side of the vehicle. Further, in the vehicle interior image 30B, it is felt that the rear window glass 16A on the rear side of the vehicle is open.

Since the vehicle interior rear image 32 is included in the composite image 36B shown in FIG. 6B, it is possible to recognize the vehicle body parts and the occupant in the vehicle interior, and the occupant who sees the composite image 36B displayed on the monitor 22 feels uncomfortable. Can be suppressed. Further, in the composite image 36B, since the transmittance of the vehicle body component on the rear side of the vehicle is increased, the visible range of the vehicle rear image 34 (particularly the vehicle rear side) can be widened, and the visual recognition of the rear side of the vehicle can be assisted.

Further, since the vehicle interior image 30B can be generated in advance, even if the transmittance of each image of the vehicle body component is different, in order to display the composite image 36B including the vehicle interior image 30B on the monitor 22, It is possible to suppress an increase in the processing load of the control device 26 (CPU 28A).

In addition, in the second embodiment and the third embodiment, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the front side of the vehicle is set lower than the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the rear side of the vehicle, but the invention is not limited to this. The transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the front side of the vehicle may be higher than the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the rear side of the vehicle.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the same functional components as those in the first to third embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals as those in the first to third embodiments. The detailed description will be omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, in the second vehicle interior image, the transmittance of the image is different between the image lower side (the lower part of the screen) and the image upper side (the upper part of the screen). .. In FIG. 7A, a vehicle interior image 30C is schematically shown as a second vehicle interior image according to the fourth embodiment, and in FIG. 7B, a vehicle interior image 30C is combined. The synthesized image 36C is shown in a schematic view.

As shown in FIG. 7A, in the vehicle interior image 30C, the transmittance of the image on the lower side is set to a predetermined transmittance (for example, 90%), and the transmittance is gradually increased toward the upper side. , The transmittance of the image is highest in the vicinity of the upper side (for example, the transmittance is 100%). In such processing, when the image processing is performed on the captured image in step 102 of FIG. 3, the conversion processing of the transmittance may be performed on the entire captured image. As a result, in the vehicle interior image 30C, the image density gradually decreases from the lower side toward the upper side.

Since the composite image 36C shown in FIG. 7B includes the vehicle interior rear image 32, it is possible to recognize a vehicle body component and an occupant in the vehicle interior, and the occupant who sees the composite image 36C displayed on the monitor 22 feels uncomfortable. Can be suppressed. Further, in the composite image 36C, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the upper side is high, so that the visible range of the vehicle rear image 34 (particularly the vehicle rear) can be widened, and the visual recognition of the rear of the vehicle can be assisted. ..

Note that the second vehicle interior image may be changed so that the transmittance increases from the upper side of the image toward the lower side of the image. In FIG. 7C, a vehicle interior image 30D is schematically shown as a second vehicle interior image that is another example of the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 7D, the vehicle interior is shown. A synthetic image 36C obtained by synthesizing the image 30D is shown in a schematic view.

As shown in FIG. 7C, in the vehicle interior image 30D, the transmittance of the image on the upper side is set to a predetermined transmittance (90%), and the transmittance is gradually increased toward the lower side, and the lower side is increased. In the vicinity, the transmittance of the image is highest (transmittance 100%). As a result, in the vehicle interior image 30D, the image transmittance is increased from the upper side to the lower side, and the image density is gradually reduced.

Since the composite image 36D shown in FIG. 7D includes the vehicle interior rear image 32, it is possible to recognize a vehicle body component and an occupant in the vehicle interior, and the occupant who sees the composite image 36D displayed on the monitor 22 feels uncomfortable. Can be suppressed. Further, in the composite image 36D, since the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the lower side is high, the visible range of the lower side of the vehicle rear image 34 overlapping the image of the vehicle body component becomes easy, and the vicinity of the rear side of the visually recognized vehicle is facilitated. Can assist in visual recognition.

In addition, since the vehicle interior images 30C and 30D can be generated in advance, the monitor 22 does not have to have different transmittances depending on the images of the vehicle body parts or different transmittances above and below the image plane. Since the composite images 36C and 36D are displayed on the screen, it is possible to suppress an increase in the processing load of the control device 26 (CPU 28A).

In the fourth embodiment, the transmittance is set to increase from one of the lower side and the upper side of the second vehicle interior image to the other side, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the second vehicle interior image, the transmittance may be gradually increased from one side in the lateral direction (for example, the vehicle width direction) of the image to the other side, or both sides in the width direction of the image may be set. The transmittance may be increased from each of the areas toward the central portion, and further, the transmittance may be increased from the central portion in the width direction of the image toward both sides in the width direction.

In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the vehicle interior image 30C or the vehicle interior image 30D is superimposed on the vehicle interior rear image 32 and the vehicle rear image 34, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the traveling speed of the vehicle 12 (vehicle speed). According to the above, one of the vehicle interior image 30C and the vehicle interior image 30D may be selected and displayed. In this case, the control device 26 divides the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor into a plurality of stages (for example, three stages of low speed, medium speed, and high speed), and if the vehicle speed is low, selects the vehicle interior image 30D, The composite image 36D including the vehicle interior image 30D may be displayed, and if the vehicle speed is high, the vehicle interior image 30C may be selected to display the composite image 36C including the vehicle interior image 30C.

This improves the visibility behind the vehicle when the vehicle 12 is traveling at high speed, and improves the visibility near the rear of the vehicle when the vehicle 12 is traveling at low speed. Can assist. If the vehicle 12 is traveling at medium speed, the vehicle interior rear image 32 and the vehicle rear image 34 may be combined and displayed on the monitor 22 without using any of the vehicle interior images 30C and 30D. ..

On the other hand, in the second embodiment and the third embodiment, the vehicle body image 30A or the vehicle interior image 30B is changed by changing the transmittance of the vehicle body parts in the vehicle interior images 30A and 30B as the second vehicle interior images. Was combined with the vehicle rear image 32 and the vehicle rear image 34. In the fourth embodiment, as the second vehicle interior image, the vehicle interior images 30C and 30D having different transmittances above and below the image surface are combined with the vehicle interior image 30B into the vehicle interior rear image 32 and the vehicle rear image 34. did. However, it is also possible to change the image of the vehicle exterior component or the transmittance of the image surface of the first vehicle interior image and synthesize it with the vehicle rear image 34. This makes it possible to give a sense of perspective to the combined image displayed on the display unit without using the second vehicle interior image, and it is possible to prevent the displayed combined image from being uncomfortable.

Therefore, in the first to fourth embodiments, the rear side of the vehicle is imaged from the outside of the vehicle by the first imaging unit, the second imaging unit is used from the front side of the vehicle in the vehicle interior to the interior of the vehicle, and the window glass is used. (1) An indoor image obtained by capturing an image of the image capturing area of the image capturing unit, and capturing one of the transmittance of the vehicle body component on the front side of the vehicle and the transmittance of the vehicle body component on the rear side of the vehicle by the second image capturing unit is lower than the other. A visual image display method for a vehicle is included, which is combined with an image outside the vehicle captured by the first image capturing unit and displayed on a display unit provided on the front side of the vehicle in the vehicle interior.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, the same functional components as those in any of the first to fourth embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals as those in the first to fourth embodiments. It is given and its detailed description is omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, a vehicle interior image (first image) obtained from a captured image captured by the second image capturing unit is used without using the second vehicle interior image obtained by capturing the image capturing area of the second image capturing unit in advance. An image corresponding to one vehicle interior image) is combined with the vehicle exterior image captured by the first imaging unit. FIG. 8(A) schematically shows a vehicle interior rear image 32A as a vehicle interior image according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 8(B) shows the fifth embodiment. A composite image 36E according to is shown in a schematic diagram.

The vehicle interior rear image 32A is generated by putting a captured image of the vehicle interior captured by the inner camera 24 into a predetermined transparent state. In the vehicle interior rear image 32A, images of vehicle body parts on the front side of the vehicle (front seats 16C, center pillar 16F, etc.) and vehicle body parts on the rear side of the vehicle (vehicle interior ceiling 16E, rear seats 16D at the periphery of the rear window glass 16A, and rear pillars). 16G, etc.) and the transmittance is different. In the vehicle interior rear image 32A, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the vehicle front side close to the inner mirror 18 is set to be higher than the image transmittance of the vehicle body component on the vehicle rear side located away from the inner mirror 18, The vehicle body parts of are made to appear lighter than the vehicle body parts on the rear side of the vehicle. At this time, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body part on the front side of the vehicle is set to a transmittance (for example, 80% to 90%) that can be visually recognized on the composite image, and the transmittance of the image of the body part on the rear side of the vehicle is The transmittance (for example, about 70% to 80%) is visually recognized to be darker than the image of the vehicle body component on the front side of the vehicle.

Further, with respect to the vehicle interior rear image 32A, the blurring processing (see the second embodiment) is performed on the contours of the vehicle body parts in contact with the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B, so that the blurring portion 38A. , 38B are provided. The range (blurring width) of the blurring process is between the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B, around the rear window glass 16A on the vehicle rear side of the blurring portion 38B of the vehicle body part of the door glass 16B on the vehicle front side. It is made wider in the blur portion 38A of the vehicle body part. In FIG. 8A, the outline of the body part subjected to the blurring process is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

When the processing according to the fifth embodiment is executed, steps 100 and 102 are omitted in the flowchart of FIG. 3, and in the image processing of step 108, along with the conversion processing of the transmittance for each body part, and the rear window glass 16A. The contour blurring process is performed on the vehicle body component that is in contact with the door glass 16B, and the vehicle interior rear image 32A thus generated is combined with the vehicle rear image 34 to obtain a combined image 36E.

Here, in the composite image 36E, since the blurring portions 38A and 38B are provided in the vehicle interior rear image 32A, the contours of the images of the vehicle body parts in contact with the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B are obscured (blurred). Therefore, the visibility behind the vehicle can be improved, and the visibility behind the vehicle for the occupant can be improved.

Further, in the composite image 36E, the blur width of the blur portion 38A around the rear window glass 16A is wider than the blur width of the blur portion 38B around the door glass 16B on the vehicle front side of the rear window glass 16A. Therefore, in the composite image 36E, a sense of perspective is obtained between the vehicle body parts, and the relative position (perspective) of the object reflected behind the vehicle 12 with respect to the vehicle 12 can be recognized. Moreover, since the image of the vehicle body part on the front side of the vehicle and the image of the vehicle body part on the rear side of the vehicle have different depths, the perspective of the vehicle body part can be further improved, and the vehicle 12 of the target object 12 behind the vehicle 12 can be improved. It is possible to improve the recognizability of the relative position (perspective) with respect to.

In the fifth embodiment, the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body part on the vehicle front side is set higher than the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body part on the vehicle front side, but the invention is not limited to this. The transmittance of the image of the vehicle body part on the rear side of the vehicle may be higher than the ratio, and the transmittance (transmittance excluding the blurred portion) may be the same between the image of the vehicle body part on the front side of the vehicle and the image of the vehicle part. good. Further, on the vehicle interior image obtained from the image captured by the inner camera 24, the transmittance is changed from one of the lower side of the image and the upper side of the image to the other, and the rear window glass 16A and the door glass 16B are changed. A blurred portion may be provided outside the peripheral edge of the.

In addition, in the first to fifth embodiments described above, one outside camera 14 is used as the first imaging unit that images the rear of the vehicle. However, a plurality of cameras may be used as the first imaging unit. As the first imaging unit, the vehicle exterior cameras are provided on both sides of the vehicle width direction on the vehicle rear side (both sides of the vehicle rear side in the vehicle width direction), and the vehicle right rear side including the vehicle rear side and the vehicle rear side are included. The right rear side of the vehicle may be imaged. Further, as the first image pickup section, an image pickup means may be provided on the rear side of the vehicle, and an image pickup means for picking up an image of the rear side of the vehicle may be provided on each of the left and right door mirrors or near each of the left and right door mirrors. When a plurality of image pickup units are used in the first image pickup unit, the vehicle rear image may be generated by combining the image pickup images of the image pickup units.

Furthermore, in the first to fifth embodiments, the image capturing directions of the vehicle exterior camera 14 as the first image capturing section and the inner camera 24 as the second image capturing section are set to the vehicle rear side. However, the first imaging unit is not limited to the rear of the vehicle and may be any of the vehicle width right direction, the vehicle width left direction, and the vehicle front, and the imaging direction of the second imaging unit is the first imaging direction from the vehicle interior. Any direction may be used as long as it includes the image pickup area of a part. As a result, it is possible to assist the occupant to visually recognize the side and front of the vehicle.

10 Vehicle Visualization Device 14 Exterior Camera (First Imaging Section)
22 Monitor (display)
24 In-vehicle camera (second imaging unit)
26 Control Device 30, 30A to 30D Car Interior Image (Second Car Interior Image)
32 Rear view of the passenger compartment (first passenger compartment image)
32A Vehicle interior rear image (vehicle interior image)
34 Vehicle rear image (outside image)
36, 36A-36E Composite image

Claims (5)

A first image pickup section for picking up an image pickup area outside the vehicle without passing through the windshield;
A second imaging unit for imaging the imaging area outside the vehicle through the windshield together with the imaging area inside the vehicle;
The image of the windshield is removed from the first vehicle interior image captured by the second image capturing unit and brought into a predetermined transparent state, and the captured image of the image capturing area of the second image capturing unit, and the first vehicle interior A second vehicle interior image that is in a transparent state different from the image and is displayed by being combined with the vehicle exterior image captured by the first image capturing unit;
Equipped with
In the second vehicle interior image, regarding the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body part in contact with the windshield, the transmittance on the windshield side is the highest, and the transmittance is gradually reduced as the distance from the windshield is increased. The degree of change in the transmittance on the windshield side in the image of the vehicle body component that is in the state of being in contact with the windshield is the second image pickup unit from the second image pickup unit side in the image pickup direction of the second image pickup unit. Is a visual device for vehicles whose opposite side is made smaller . The vehicle visual recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the second vehicle interior image is in a transmissive state in which the transmissivity is higher than the transmissivity of the first vehicle interior image. The second vehicle interior image is an image of a vehicle body component on the side of the second image capturing unit in the image capturing direction of the second image capturing unit regarding the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component in the vehicle interior including the vehicle body component in contact with the windshield. Or the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component on the opposite side of the second imaging unit in the imaging direction of the second imaging unit is lower than the other. 2. The vehicle visual recognition device according to 2. 4. The second vehicle interior image is in a transmissive state in which the transmissivity is changed from one of the lower side of the image and the upper side of the image to the other side. The vehicle visual recognition device described. The first imaging unit images the imaging area outside the vehicle without passing through the windshield,
The second imaging unit images the imaging area outside the vehicle through the window glass together with the imaging area inside the vehicle,
Regarding the transmittance of the image of the vehicle body component in contact with the windshield from the captured image captured by the second imaging unit, the transmittance on the windshield side is set to be the highest, and the transmittance is gradually increased as the distance from the windshield is increased. A vehicle interior image in a transmissive state is generated in which the degree of change in the transmittance is set to be lower and the side opposite to the second imaging unit is smaller than the second imaging unit side in the imaging direction of the second imaging unit. ,
A visual image display method for a vehicle, wherein the vehicle interior image is combined with the vehicle exterior image captured by the first image capturing unit and displayed on a display unit .