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Vehicle surrounding monitoring deviceVehicle surrounding monitoring device description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060192660, Vehicle surrounding monitoring device. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119 to Japanese Patent Application 2005-048738, filed on Feb. 24, 2005 and Japanese Patent Application 2005-070635, filed on Mar. 14, 2005, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to a vehicle surrounding monitoring device. [0004] 2. Background [0005] A known parking assist device disclosed in JP 2000-168475A includes four CCD cameras (C1, C2, C3 and C4), and each of which is attached to each of four corner portions of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 8. Specifically, the CCD camera C1 captures an image PI, the CCD camera C2 captures an image P2, the CCD camera C3 captures an image P3, and CCD camera C4 captures an image P4. These images are arrayed and displayed on a displaying means of a car navigation device, which is provided near a front installment panel of the vehicle, without any modification. Thus, an area that is out of driver's line of vision can be captured by each of the cameras, and these captured images are displayed so as to be seen in the vehicle in order to supplement the user's view. [0006] Further, a known vehicle surrounding monitoring system is disclosed in JP2002-019556A. FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic view indicating positions of cameras C of a vehicle, and FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic view of a display on a displaying means (not shown). This vehicle surrounding monitoring system includes the plural cameras C, and each of which is attached at a predetermined position of each of the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle. Ranges to be captured by the cameras C are indicated by chain lines in FIG. 9. Images captured by the cameras C are arrayed and displayed on the displaying means as shown in FIG. 10. [0007] Furthermore, another vehicle surrounding monitoring system disclosed in JP3300334C includes plural cameras C and a virtual viewpoint KS as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 explains a relationship between the cameras C and the virtual viewpoint KS. Each camera C is provided at a predetermined position of the vehicle, and a virtual viewpoint KS is set as shown in FIG. 11 in order to create a combined image, in which images captured by the cameras C are combined. On the basis of the combined image, a vehicle surrounding is monitored the surrounding of the vehicle. [0008] However, the parking assist system disclosed in JP2000-168475 cannot display the object seamlessly when each of capturing ranges (C1, C2, C3 and C4) is not overlapped together. [0009] Further, when the monitoring system disclosed in JP2002-019556A displays the images, within the overlapped ranges (hatched area in FIG. 9) which are overlapped together, and as shown in FIG. 10, each of the images are displayed on the displaying device, for example, if the image captured by the front camera and the image captured by the side camera are displayed on the monitoring device, the object existing within the overlapped range of the capturing images is displayed in each of the captured image. Thus, two objects are displayed in the displayed image, as a result, the user may misunderstand that there are two objects in the surrounding of the vehicle, or it becomes difficult for the user to recognize a positional relationship between the vehicle and the object. [0010] Furthermore, the monitoring system disclosed in JP3300334C inputs plural images captured by the plural cameras C, and viewpoints of these images are converted into the virtual viewpoint KS, which is set at a position from which the vehicle is seen from the top thereof In such case, when the viewpoint of each camera is converted on the basis of a road surface, because a capturing direction of the camera is also be changed, a solid object cannot be captured or captured redundantly, at the same time, because each camera captures the solid object on its different surfaces, the captured images cannot be combined smoothly. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] According to an aspect of the present invention, a vehicle surrounding monitoring device includes a first capturing means provided at a side of a vehicle in order to capture a first image, a second capturing means provided at front relative to the first capturing means in order to capture a second image, a displaying means for displaying the first image and the second image and for monitoring a vehicle surrounding, an image process means by which a borderline between the first image and the second image is defined in a combined image of the first image and the second image so as to be identical with a straight line connecting a position of the first capturing means and a position of the second capturing means. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an overlapped range between a range captured by a camera C1 and a range captured by a camera C2 according to a first embodiment of a vehicle surrounding monitoring device of the present invention; [0014] FIG. 2 illustrates an usable range of the range captured by the first camera C1 and an usable range of the range captured by the second camera C2 of the vehicle surrounding monitoring device illustrated in FIG. 1, and a borderline between these usable ranges; [0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration of the vehicle surrounding device and a flow of a image process; [0016] FIG. 4 illustrates capturing directions of the first camera C1 and the second camera C2 when the borderline is set at a random position; [0017] FIG. 5 illustrates capturing directions of the first camera C1 and the second camera C2 of the vehicle surrounding monitoring device illustrated in FIG. 1; [0018] FIG. 6 illustrates a drawing in which the vehicle is seen from its side and a position of a virtual viewpoint is indicated when the vehicle is seen from side; [0019] FIG. 7 illustrates a drawing in which the vehicle is seen from upper direction thereof and the position of the virtual viewpoint is indicated; [0020] FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic view of a parking assist system disclosed in JP2000-168475A; [0021] FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic view of a vehicle surrounding monitoring system disclosed in JP2002-019556A; Continue reading about Vehicle surrounding monitoring device... Full patent description for Vehicle surrounding monitoring device Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Vehicle surrounding monitoring device patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Vehicle surrounding monitoring device or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Spy guard system, photo vision and/or message notification system Next Patent Application: Method and a device for locating the position of wheels of a vehicle Industry Class: Communications: electrical ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Vehicle surrounding monitoring device patent info. 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