How many times gamers all over the world wished to have a rear-upper view of the car while driving? It should be just like a view you have probably enjoyed in any of numerous car driving simulators available. For someone it may probably sound hilarious, but recently Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. declared that they are already working upon a system that will allow driver to see his car and everything around it not only from the back, but from any perspective driver will ever need to. From the front or from the back, upper, lower – doesn't matter. The idea in the core is as simple as that – to make cars safer using popular today bumper cameras. In fact, this technology under the name "3-D virtual projection/point of view conversion technology" is going to be presented in New York at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems & ITS America's 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition held from this Sunday, November 16 to 20, 2008. So, what is the point to develop the whole new system to operate already very common and popular cameras seen mostly at the rear end of a car? Even though they already serve well as driving helpers, driving itself is still one of the most dangerous occupations we have to deal with. Analysis show: a modern multimedia complex in a car, doesn't matter how expansive it is, consists usually of number of cameras, which cover with clear view all the blind spots around the vehicle. It also starts beeping and flashing some lights if something, whether it is an other car or a pedestrian, approaches too close to the vehicle. In addition, pictures from all the cameras are shown one by one on the console display. This all is very good thing to have in a car, but there are still some problems remain. For example, driver usually can not control the order of pictures on the screen, if he needs to see what's there on the right sight, he will have to wait while rear and left views flash. If the driver can manage to operate these views, he will have to take his precious time on it, instead of watching what is actually going on in front of him. That is not good on a highway or in a busy city center.
To solve all these problems once and for all, guys from Fujitsu Laboratories decided to make all the blind spots visible simultaneously. It took them to work slightly upon their Fujitsu standard automobile graphic SoC chip the MB86R01 series which supports the OpenGL – image and video processing unit for embedded devices. What they have accomplished is really great. The "3-D virtual projection/point of view conversion technology" provides bird's sight image and it can be rotated in any direction. A full 3D model of the car and what's is in 2 m distance is clearly seen on the monitor and makes you feel like you play a computer game, not do some common driving.
