Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Hisatoshi Ishii

Koichi Abe

Haruo Ito

Images taken by a plurality of cameras mounted on a vehicle are combined and an image of the surrounding area is developed, in a plane, around a vehicle display portion. The vehicle display portion shows an illustration border line indicative of the outer shape of the vehicle. The outline of the vehicle indicated by the illustration border line is drawn slightly larger than the outer shape of the actual image of the vehicle. This allows margin areas to be formed between the vehicle and its surroundings, thus reducing the possibility of a collision with an obstacle during driving.

On-vehicle image pickup apparatus

Images captured by multiple cameras installed on a vehicle are combined, and an image of the ground is projected onto a plane and is displayed around a vehicle display portion. In the vehicle display portion, actual images of portions of the vehicle may be displayed in a front area, a rear area, a left-side area, and/or a right-side area. A vehicle illustration image is displayed in the area surrounded by the actual images of the portions of the vehicle. Since the vehicle actual images are displayed at the perimeter of the vehicle display portion, it is easy for an operator who views a display screen to recognize the positional relationships between the perimeter of the vehicle and obstacles outside the vehicle perimeter.

Growing community of inventors

Iwaki, Japan

Hisatoshi Ishii