The technical field relates generally to a method and a device for the distortion-free display of an area surrounding a vehicle, and more specifically to a road vehicle which has a camera surround view system.
Vehicles are increasingly being equipped with driver assistance systems which assist the driver during the performance of driving maneuvers. These driver assistance systems include, in part, camera surround view systems which make it possible to display the area surrounding the vehicle to the driver of the vehicle. Such camera surround view systems include one or more vehicle cameras which supply camera images that are merged by a data processing unit of the camera surround view system to produce an image of the area surrounding the vehicle. The image of the area surrounding the vehicle is thereby displayed on a display unit. Conventional camera-based driver assistance systems project texture information from the camera system on a static projection surface, for example on a static two-dimensional base surface or on a static three-dimensional shell surface.
However, the serious disadvantage of such systems is that objects in the area surrounding the vehicle are displayed in a considerably distorted manner, since the texture re-projection surface is static and does not therefore correspond to the real surroundings of the camera system or is not similar to said surroundings. As a result, considerably distorted objects can be displayed, which form disturbing artifacts.
As such, it is desirable to present a device and a method for the distortion-free display of an area surrounding a vehicle, which prevents such distorted artefacts being shown. In addition, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.
In accordance with a first exemplary aspect, a camera surround view system for a vehicle includes at least one vehicle camera which supplies camera images that are processed by a data processing unit in order to generate a surround view image or an image of the surroundings respectively, the image of the surroundings being displayed on a display unit, wherein the data processing unit re-projects textures, which are detected by the vehicle cameras, on an adaptive re-projection surface which is similar to the area surrounding the vehicle, the re-projection surface being calculated on the basis of sensor data provided by vehicle sensors.
In one possible embodiment of the camera surround view system, the sensor data provided by the vehicle sensors accurately shows the area surrounding the vehicle.
In another possible embodiment of the camera surround view system, the sensor data includes parking distance data, radar data, LIDAR data, camera data, laser scan data, and/or movement data.
In another possible embodiment of the camera surround view system, the adaptive re-projection surface includes a grid which can be dynamically modified.
In another possible embodiment of the camera surround view system, the grid of the re-projection surface can be dynamically modified as a function of the sensor data provided.
In another possible embodiment of the camera surround view system, the grid of the re-projection surface is a three-dimensional grid.
In accordance with a second exemplary aspect, a driver assistance system includes an integrated camera surround view system. The camera surround view system includes at least one vehicle camera which supplies camera images that are processed by a data processing unit in order to generate a surround view image. The surround view image may be displayed on a display unit. The data processing unit may re-project textures, which are detected by the vehicle cameras, on an adaptive re-projection surface which is similar to the area surrounding the vehicle. The re-projection surface may be calculated on the basis of sensor data provided by vehicle sensors.
A method for the distortion-free display of an area surrounding a vehicle may comprise the generating of camera images of the area surrounding a vehicle with vehicle cameras. The method may also include processing of the generated camera images in order to generate an image of the surroundings of the vehicle. The method may further include re-projecting of textures, which are detected by the vehicle cameras, on an adaptive re-projection surface which is similar to the area surrounding the vehicle, the re-projection surface being calculated on the basis of sensor data provided by vehicle sensors.
Other advantages of the disclosed subject matter will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
As can be seen in
The sensors 5 shown in
The re-projection surface calculated by the data processing unit 3 on the basis of the sensor data preferably includes a grid or mesh respectively, which can be dynamically modified. In one possible embodiment, this grid of the re-projection surface is dynamically modified as a function of the sensor data provided. The grid of the re-projection surface is preferably a three-dimensional grid.
The three-dimensional grid is preferably a grid-based environment model which serves to represent the vehicle environment. A grid-based environment model is based on dividing the environment of a vehicle into cells and storing one feature which describes the environment for each cell. In the case of a so-called occupancy grid, a classification into “drivable” and “occupied” is, for example, stored for each cell. In addition to drivability, a classification by means of other features can also be stored, e.g. a reflected radar energy. In addition to good compressibility, one advantage of such a grid is the high degree of abstraction, which also makes it possible to merge various sensors such as e.g. stereo camera, radar, LIDAR or ultrasound. In addition or as an alternative to the classification of the cells into “drivable” and “occupied”, a height value can also be stored as a feature for the individual grid cells, in particular for “occupied cells”, which represent obstacles or objects respectively. The height information can be stored with little additional consumption of resources and makes it possible to efficiently store and transfer the environment model. In particular, the process described above of assigning height information to the respective grid cells of an occupancy grid therefore creates a three-dimensional occupancy map of the vehicle environment, which occupancy map can be advantageously used within the framework of the present invention. The three-dimensional occupancy map can, in this case, be used as an adaptive re-projection surface on which the textures, which are detected by the vehicle cameras, are re-projected. In this case, the textures are preferably projected directly on the three-dimensional occupancy map or on the three-dimensional grid cells respectively.
The re-projection surface calculated by the data processing unit 3 is not static. Instead, it can be dynamically and adaptively adapted to the current sensor data, which is supplied by the vehicle sensors 5. In one possible embodiment, these vehicle sensors 5 can include a mono front camera or a stereo camera. In addition, the sensor units 5 can include a LIDAR system which supplies data, or a radar system which transfers radar data of the surroundings to the data processing unit 3. The data processing unit 3 can contain one or more microprocessors which process the sensor data and use this to calculate a re-projection surface in real time. Textures, which are detected by the vehicle cameras 2, are projected or re-projected respectively on this calculated re-projection surface which is similar to the area surrounding the vehicle. The display of the vehicle cameras 2 can vary. In one possible embodiment, the vehicle has four vehicle cameras 2 on four different sides of the vehicle. The vehicle is preferably a road vehicle, in particular a truck or a car. With the camera surround view system 1 according to the invention, the textures of the surroundings detected by the camera 2 of the camera system are re-projected by the adaptive re-projection surface in order to reduce or eliminate the aforementioned artefacts. Thanks to the camera surround view system 1 according to the invention, the quality of the area surrounding the vehicle shown is therefore significantly improved. Objects in the area surrounding the vehicle, for example other vehicles parked in the vicinity or persons in the vicinity, appear less distorted than is the case with systems which use a static re-projection surface.
In a first step S1 camera images of the area surrounding the vehicle are generated by vehicle cameras 2. For example, the camera images are generated by multiple vehicle cameras 2 which are affixed to different sides of the vehicle.
The generated camera images are subsequently processed in step S2, in order to generate an image of the area surrounding the vehicle. In one possible embodiment, the processing of the generated camera images is carried out by a data processing unit 3 as shown in
In a further step S3, a re-projection surface is initially calculated on the basis of the sensor data provided and textures, which are detected by the vehicle cameras, are subsequently re-projected on this adaptive, calculated re-projection surface. The adaptive re-projection surface includes a dynamically modifiable grid which is dynamically modified as a function of the sensor data provided. This grid is preferably a three-dimensional grid. The method shown in
As shown in
The present invention has been described herein in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described within the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2014 208 664.7 | May 2014 | DE | national |
This application claims the benefit of PCT patent application No. PCT/DE2015/200301, filed May 6, 2015, which claims the benefit of German patent application No. 10 2014 208 664.7, filed May 8, 2014, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/DE2015/200301 | 5/6/2015 | WO | 00 |