Surround view system for a vehicle
A surround view system for a vehicle, comprising a camera positioned in or on the vehicle to capture the vehicle's surroundings, an evaluation unit processing images captured by the camera and a display displaying a top-view image generated by the evaluation unit. The evaluation unit obtains the top-view image by calculating a projection of the captured images onto a virtual projection surface and by calculating a top-view of the projection on the virtual projection surface. The virtual projection surface comprises a flat bottom part and a rising part adjacent to the flat bottom part, wherein, in an area comprising the rising part at one side of the vehicle over a length of the vehicle, a curvature of the virtual projection surface is zero in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
1. A surround view system for a vehicle, comprising
at least one camera to be positioned in or on the vehicle to capture at least a part of the vehicle's surroundings,
an evaluation unit configured to process images captured by the at least one camera,
at least one display configured to display a top-view image generated by the evaluation unit,
wherein the evaluation unit is configured to obtain the top-view image by calculating a projection of the captured images onto a virtual projection surface and by calculating a top-view of the projection on the virtual projection surface,
wherein the virtual projection surface comprises a flat bottom part and a rising part adjacent to the flat bottom part,
wherein the rising part of the projection surface at left and right sides of the vehicle comprises a plurality of flat slanted and gradually steeper multiple surfaces connected to one another in a direction away from the flat bottom part, and
wherein in an area comprising the rising part in front of and/or behind the vehicle at least over a width of the vehicle, the curvature of the virtual projection surface is zero in a lateral direction of the vehicle.
2. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the area where the curvature of the virtual projection surface in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is zero comprises the rising part of the projection surface at both sides of the vehicle at least over the length of the vehicle.
3. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the rising part of the projection surface is open on at least one end of the vehicle with the bottom part and the rising part stretching to infinity in front and/or rear of the vehicle, wherein the area where the curvature of the virtual projection surface in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is zero comprises the whole rising part in front and/or rear of the vehicle, so that the projection surface has a groove shape.
4. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the rising part of the projection surface surrounds the bottom part of the projection surface to form a substantially tub-shaped projection surface.
5. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the rising part of the projection surface at least at one side and/or end of the vehicle is flat, slanted and adjacent to the bottom part, wherein a line where two adjacent slanted portions meet is straight and parallel to the longitudinal or lateral direction of the vehicle.
6. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the rising part of the projection surface forms a regular surface.
7. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit is configured to calculate the top-view of the projection on the virtual projection surface by projecting the projection on the virtual projection surface onto a plane parallel to the bottom part of the virtual projection surface.
8. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit is configured to calculate the top-view of the projection on the virtual projection surface according to a view of a virtual observer located above the projection surface.
9. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the cameras is to be positioned on each side of the vehicle.
10. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit is further configured to generate the top-view image as a composed top-view by one of composing the images captured by the cameras to form a composed image, projecting the composed image onto the virtual projection surface and generating the top-view of the projection of the composed image on the projection surface; composing projections of the images captured by the different cameras to form the projection of the captured images on the virtual projection surface as a composed projection image and by calculating the top-view of the composed projection image; or composing top-views of the projections of the images captured by the different cameras on the virtual projection surface.
11. A vehicle comprising a surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein the display is located within an interior space of the vehicle in a position visible to a driver of the vehicle.
12. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein a curvature of the plurality of flat slanted and gradually steeper multiple surfaces in the rising part of the projection surface at the left and right sides of the vehicle is zero in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
13. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein lines formed between adjacent two of the plurality of flat slanted and gradually steeper multiple surfaces in the rising part of the projection surface at the left and right sides of the vehicle are straight.
14. The surround view system according to claim 13 , wherein the lines formed between adjacent two of the plurality of flat slanted and gradually steeper multiple surfaces in the rising part of the projection surface at the left and right sides of the vehicle are parallel to each other.
15. The surround view system according to claim 1 , wherein slanted angles of the plurality of flat slanted and gradually steeper multiple surfaces are gradually increased away from the flat bottom part.