Patent Publication Number: US-2017364765-A1

Title: Image processing apparatus, image processing system, vehicle, imaging apparatus and image processing method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-014817 filed on Jan. 28, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, a vehicle, an imaging apparatus and an image processing method that use a captured image of vehicle&#39;s surrounding area. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the past, a plurality of car cameras have been mounted on a vehicle to capture images of a vehicle&#39;s surrounding area and generated images have been used to display an image by which the vehicle&#39;s surrounding area can be visually recognized. 
     SUMMARY 
     An image processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the disclosure is an image processing apparatus mounted on a vehicle including a processor configured to determine an image processing area in a captured image of a traveling path, wherein the processor performs:
         processing to determine at least a part of an approximate line corresponding to a distal end of the traveling path in the captured image based on at least one of luminance information and color information of the captured image; and   processing to determine the image processing area based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line.       

     Further, an image processing system according to one embodiment of the disclosure includes:
         an imaging apparatus configured to capture a traveling path and generate a captured image; and   an image processing apparatus having a processor configured to perform processing to determine at least a part of an approximate line corresponding to a distal end of the traveling path in the captured image based on at least one of luminance information and color information of the captured image and processing to determine an image processing area in the captured image based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line.       

     Further, a vehicle according to one embodiment of the disclosure includes an image processing system having an imaging apparatus configured to capture a traveling path and generate a captured image, and an image processing apparatus including a processor configured to perform processing to determine at least a part of an approximate line corresponding to a distal end of the traveling path in the captured image based on at least one of luminance information and color information of the captured image and processing to determine an image processing area in the captured image based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line. 
     Further, an imaging apparatus according to one embodiment of the disclosure is an imaging apparatus mounted on a vehicle, including:
         an imaging device configured to capture a traveling path and generate a captured image; and   a processor configured to determine an image processing area in the captured image; wherein   the processor performs processing to determine at least a part of an approximate line corresponding to a distal end of the traveling path in the captured image based on at least one of luminance information and color information of the captured image and processing to determine the image processing area based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line.       

     Further, an image processing method according to one embodiment of the disclosure includes the steps of:
         determining at least a part of an approximate line corresponding to a distal end of a traveling path in a captured image based on at least one of luminance information and color information of the captured image of the traveling path; and   determining an image processing area in the captured image based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image processing system according to a first embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle provided with the image processing system in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3A through 3C  each illustrate an example of a captured image generated by an imaging apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 4A through 4C  each illustrate an image processing area in the captured image generated by the imaging apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image processing system in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  each illustrate an example of reference information according to a variation of the first embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  each illustrate an operation of the image processing apparatus according to the variation of the first embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  each illustrate an example of a captured image generated by an imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  each illustrate an operation of an image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the disclosure; and 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an image processing system according to the second embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For example, a method in which a position at which an image of a vehicle&#39;s surroundings is displayed on a video display means is moved based on the vehicle&#39;s inclination detected by a detection means, such as an inclinometer, is disclosed in the past. In this manner, a method of displaying an image of the vehicle&#39;s surroundings with high accuracy is desired. 
     However, even if the vehicle itself is not inclined, an object included in a capture range varies depending on the vehicle&#39;s surrounding environment. For example, when capturing an object in the direction of travel of the vehicle, in the case of an uphill traveling path the traveling path will occupy a major portion of the capture range. Whereas, in the case of a downhill traveling path in the direction of travel of the vehicle, the sky above the traveling path will occupy a major portion of the capture range. Thus, it is not necessarily appropriate to use a fixed area in a captured image as an image processing area for performing the image processing, such as the extraction processing of a display range, for example. 
     It is an object of the disclosure to provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, a vehicle, an imaging apparatus and an image processing method for dynamically determining an image processing area on a captured image of a vehicle&#39;s surrounding area. 
     Embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
     First, an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, a vehicle and an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the disclosure will be described. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , an image processing system  10  includes a plurality of imaging apparatuses  11   a  and  11   b  and an image processing apparatus  12 . The image processing system  10  may further include a display apparatus  13  and an object recognition apparatus  14 . In this embodiment, the imaging apparatuses may be a front camera  11   a  and a rear camera  11   b,  for example. Each component of the image processing system  10  can transmit or receive information over a network  15 , such as wireless, wired or CAN network. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the front camera  11   a  is disposed so that it can capture an image of the surrounding area in front of a vehicle  16 . The rear camera  11   b  is disposed so that it can capture an image of the surrounding area behind the vehicle  16 . The display apparatus  13  is disposed on a position which is visible from a driver seat. 
     The front camera  11   a  and the rear camera  11   b  include a lens having a wide angle of view, such as a fish-eye lens. The lens allows for wide-angle photography of the surrounding area of the vehicle  16 . For example, when the vehicle  16  is located on a traveling path extending away from the vehicle  16 , the capture range of the front camera  11   a  and the capture range of the rear camera  11   b  each include a traveling path extending away from the vehicle  16  and the sky above the traveling path. Thus, images captured by the front camera  11   a  and the rear camera  11   b  include the traveling path  17  and the sky  18  as illustrated in  FIG. 3A . In general, this wide-angle photography enables capture of objects in a wide range, and the objects on the periphery of the captured image appear to be curved. In the drawings, curved objects are not shown for simplicity of explanation. 
     Next, the configuration of the front camera  11   a  will be described. The front camera  11   a  (see  FIG. 1 ) includes an optical system  19   a,  an imaging device  20   a,  an image processor  21   a,  an input/output interface  22   a  and a camera controller  23   a.    
     The optical system  19   a  includes a diaphragm and a plurality of lenses and forms an image of the object. In this embodiment, the optical system  19   a  has a wide angle of view, and can form an image of the object in a capture range that includes a surrounding area in front of the vehicle  16 . 
     The imaging device  20   a  may be a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), for example, and captures an image of the object formed by the optical system  19   a.  Further, the imaging device  20   a  outputs a captured image to the image processor  21   a  as analog image signals. 
     The image processor  21   a  is a processor dedicated to image processing, such as a digital signal processor (DSP), and applies preprocessing, such as a correlated double sampling (CDS), gain adjustment and AD conversion, to image signals acquired from the imaging device  20   a.  The image processor  21   a  outputs the preprocessed image signals (captured image) to the image processing apparatus  12  over the network  15 . 
     Further, the image processor  21   a  acquires the information related to an image processing area from the image processing apparatus  12 , and uses the image processing area determined based on the information to apply normal image processing, such as an automatic exposure (AE), an automatic white balance (AWB), a color interpolation, a brightness correction, a color correction and a gamma correction to the captured image. The details of the image processing area and the information related to the image processing area will be described later. Preferably, the image processor  21   a  may extract an image processing area from the captured image subjected to the preprocessing and apply the above described normal image processing to the extracted image. 
     Then, the image processor  21   a  outputs a captured image subjected to the normal image processing to the display apparatus  13  and the object recognition apparatus  14  over the network  15 . 
     The input/output interface  22   a  is an interface that inputs (acquires) and outputs the information over the network  15 . 
     The camera controller  23   a  is a dedicated microprocessor or a general purpose central processing unit (CPU) that reads in a specific program to perform the specific processing. The camera controller  23   a  controls operation of each part of the front camera  11   a.  For example, the camera controller  23   a  controls operation of the imaging device  20   a  and the image processor  21   a,  and allows them to periodically output image signals at 30 fps, for example. Further, the camera controller  23   a  acquires the information related to an image processing area, to be described later, from the image processing apparatus  12 . 
     As with the front camera  11   a,  the rear camera  11   b  includes an optical system  19   b,  an imaging device  20   b,  an image processor  21   b,  an input/output interface  22   b  and a camera controller  23   b.  The function and configuration of the optical system  19   b,  the imaging device  20   b,  the image processor  21   b,  the input/output interface  22   b  and the camera controller  23   b  are the same as those of the front camera  11   a.    
     The image processing apparatus  12  includes an input/output interface  24 , a memory  25  and a controller (processor)  26 . 
     The input/output interface  24  is an interface that inputs (acquires) and outputs the information over the network  15 . 
     The memory  25  stores various information and programs required for operating the image processing apparatus  12 . 
     The controller  26  is a dedicated microprocessor or a general-purpose CPU that reads in a specific program to perform specific processing. 
     The controller  26  periodically acquires captured images from the front camera  11   a  and the rear camera  11   b  at 30 fps, for example. For simplicity of explanation, only an example of using the front camera  11   a  will be described below. An example of using the rear camera  11   b  is the same as that of using the front camera  11   a,  and thus is omitted for brevity. 
     The controller  26  determines at least a part of an approximate line corresponding to a distal end of a traveling path in a captured image based on at least one of the luminance information and the color information of the captured image that has been acquired. Operation for determining at least a part of the approximate line will be described in detail later. 
     The controller  26  determines an image processing area in the captured image based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the determined approximate line. Operation for determining the image processing area will be described in detail later. 
     Further, the controller  26  outputs the information related to the image processing area over the network  15 . The information related to the image processing area includes the position, the size and the shape of the image processing area in the captured image, as described later. 
     The display apparatus  13  includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), for example, and can display real-time moving images. The display apparatus  13  acquires a captured image to which the normal image processing has been applied by the front camera  11   a  and the information related to the image processing area corresponding to the captured image over the network  15 . Alternatively, the display apparatus  13  acquires a captured image whose image processing area has been extracted and to which the normal image processing has been applied by the front camera  11  a over the network  15 . Then the display apparatus  13  displays an image processing area of the captured image. Further, the display apparatus  13  may be a touch panel, for example. The display may serve also as an interface that receives a user operation. 
     The object recognition apparatus  14  acquires a captured image to which the normal image processing has been applied by the front camera  11   a  and the information related to an image processing area corresponding to the captured image over the network  15 . Alternatively, the object recognition apparatus  14  acquires a captured image whose image processing area has been extracted and to which the normal image processing has been applied by the front camera  11   a  over the network  15 . Then, the object recognition apparatus  14  performs the object recognition processing on the image processing area of the captured image. The object recognition is performed by using a general object recognition technique, such as pattern recognition. When a predetermined object, such as an obstruction, is detected the object recognition apparatus  14  notifies a driver of the presence of the object. A notification is made by any method, such as by causing the display apparatus  13  to display the presence of the object or by emitting a warning sound. 
     (Operation for Determining at Least a Part of an Approximate Line) 
     Next, operation of the controller  26  for determining at least a part of an approximate line will be described in detail.  FIG. 3A  illustrates an example of an image of a level traveling path  17  extending away from the vehicle  16  captured by the front camera  11   a.  The image has a first area  27  including the traveling path  17  and a second area  28  including the sky  18 . 
     The controller  26  sets the threshold of the luminance signal or the color signal of the captured image to a predetermined value to perform the image thresholding.  FIG. 3B  illustrates an example of the captured image subjected to the image thresholding illustrated in  FIG. 3A . In general, the luminance signal intensity based on the luminance information and the color signal intensity based on the color information of the second area  28  are larger than the luminance signal intensity and the color signal intensity of the first area  27  as the second area  28  includes the sky  18 . The controller  26  sets a value greater than the luminance signal intensity and the color signal intensity in the first area  27  and smaller than the luminance signal intensity and the color signal intensity in the second area  28  as a threshold and performs the image thresholding. The captured image subjected to the image thresholding has a boundary  29  between the first area  27  and the second area  28  as illustrated in  FIG. 3B . Thus, the controller  26  can determine the approximate line  30  corresponding to the boundary  29  between the first area  27  and the second area  28 . Further, if a line or a curve corresponding to the boundary  29  is unclear in the captured image subjected to the image thresholding, the controller  26  may apply the least square curve fitting to the captured image subjected to the image thresholding to determine the approximate line  30 . 
     As described above, when an image of the level traveling path  17  extending away from the vehicle  16  is captured, the distal end  31  of the traveling path  17  is located around the center of the captured image in the horizontal direction, as illustrated in  FIG. 3C . The controller  26  may preferably determine the approximate line  30  corresponding to the boundary  29  between the first area  27  and the second area  28  only around the center of the captured image in the horizontal direction. In other words, the controller  26  determines at least a part of the approximate line  30  corresponding to the distal end  31  of the traveling path  17 . Here, at least a part of the approximate line  30  may be a line element, which is a part of the approximate line  30 , and may be two points on the approximate line  30 . 
     Further, the controller  26  may determine at least a part of the approximate line  30  corresponding to the distal end  31  of the traveling path  17  based on the shape of the traveling path  17  in the captured image. For example, the controller  26  determines the shape of the traveling path  17  by applying image processing, such as contour detection processing or the pattern matching, to the captured image. Then, the controller  26  identifies the distal end  31  of the traveling path  17  based on the determined shape and determines at least a part of the approximate line  30  corresponding to the distal end  31 . Hereinafter the at least a part of the approximate line  30  is also referred to as an approximate line  30  for simplicity of explanation. 
     (Operation for Determining an Image Processing Area) 
     Next, operation of the controller  26  for determining the image processing area  32  will be described in detail.  FIG. 4A  is an example of an image of a level traveling path  17  extending away from the vehicle  16  captured by the front camera  11   a.  When the vehicle  16  is started, the controller  26  determines an image processing area  32   a  having a predetermined size and shape on a predetermined position of the captured image illustrated in  FIG. 4A . Then the controller  26  stores the information indicating a position of the image processing area  32   a  relative to the approximate line  30   a  in the memory  25  as a default value. 
     Next, as illustrated in  FIG. 4B , when the vehicle  16  travels to in front of an uphill traveling path  17 , the approximate line  30   b  is located at a higher position in the captured image compared to the approximate line  30   a  in the captured image of the level traveling path  17  (see  FIG. 4A ). The controller  26  determines the image processing area  32   b  of the captured image based on the position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line  30   b,  serving as a default value in this embodiment. For example, the controller  26  determines the image processing area  32   b  of the captured image illustrated in  FIG. 4B  so that the position of the image processing area  32   b  relative to the approximate line  30   b  will be substantially matched with the relative position stored as a default value. Thus, the relationship of the size and the position of the traveling path  17  relative to the image processing area  32   a  or  32   b  is maintained between when the level traveling path  17  is captured and when the uphill traveling path  17  is captured. 
     Next, as illustrated in  FIG. 4C , when the vehicle  16  travels to in front of a downhill traveling path  17 , the approximate line  30   c  is located at a lower position in the captured image compared to the approximate line  30   a  in the captured image of the level traveling path  17  (see  FIG. 4A ). The controller  26  determines the image processing area  32   c  of the captured image based on the position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line  30   c,  serving as a default value in this embodiment. For example, the controller  26  determines the image processing area  32   c  of the captured image illustrated in  FIG. 4C  so that the position of the image processing area  32   c  relative to the approximate line  30   c  will be substantially matched with the relative position stored as a default value. Thus, the relationship of the size and the position of the traveling path  17  relative to the image processing area  32   a  or  32   c  is maintained between when the level traveling path  17  is captured and when the downhill traveling path  17  is captured. 
     Next, operation of the image processing system  10  according to this embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 5 . This operation is started when a driver starts the vehicle  16  and is repeated until a predetermined terminating condition, such as engine shut-down, is met. Further, the operation described below is performed to each frame in which the front camera  11   a  generates a captured image. Operation of the rear camera  11   b  is the same as that of the front camera  11   a,  and thus its description is omitted for brevity. 
     First, the front camera  11   a  captures the traveling path  17  extending away from the vehicle  16  and generates a captured image (step S 100 ). 
     Next, the controller  26  of the image processing apparatus  12  acquires the captured image generated in step S 100  (step S 101 ). 
     Subsequently, the controller  26  determines at least a part of the approximate line  30  corresponding to the distal end  31  of the traveling path  17  in the captured image based on at least one of the luminance information and the color information of the captured image acquired in step S 101  (step S 102 ). 
     Subsequently the controller  26  determines the image processing area  32  in the captured image acquired in step S 101  based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line  30 , serving as a default value in this embodiment (step S 103 ). 
     Then, the controller  26  outputs the information related to the image processing area over the network  15  (step S 104 ). 
     Thus, the image processing apparatus  12  of the image processing system  10  according to the first embodiment can dynamically determine the image processing area  32  in the captured image based on a position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line  30 . Thus, even if the vehicle  16  travels to in front of the sloped traveling path  17 , the relationship of the size and the position of the traveling path  17  relative to the image processing area  32  is maintained. In other words, the position, the size and the shape of the image processing area  32  is determined so that the relationship of the size and the position of the traveling path  17  is maintained. 
     Further, in this embodiment, the image processing area  32  is determined as an area used for the predetermined image processing, such as extraction processing, object recognition processing, AE and AWB. The image processing area  32  determined as described above is suitable as an area for various image processing as described below. 
     For example, the display apparatus  13  displays the image processing area  32  in the captured image. As described above, even if the vehicle  16  travels to in front of the sloped traveling path  17 , for example, the position and the size of the traveling path  17  included in the displayed image is maintained, and thus the visibility of the displayed image is maintained regardless of the slope of the traveling path  17 . 
     Further, the object recognition apparatus  14  may perform the object recognition processing on the image processing area  32  of the captured image. In general, in the object recognition processing, an image background (e.g. the position and the size of the traveling path  17 , the ratio between the first area  27  and the second area  28 ) may preferably be substantially the same over a captured image consisting of a plurality of frames in terms of processing load and recognition accuracy. As described above, for example, even if the vehicle  16  travels to in front of the sloped traveling path  17 , the position and the size of the traveling path  17  included in the image processing area  32  in the captured image is maintained, and thus the image processing area  32  is suitable as an area for performing the object recognition processing. 
     Further, the front camera  11   a  performs image processing, such as AE and AWB, based on the luminance information and the color information of the image processing area  32  in the captured image. In general, if the traveling path  17  occupies a major part of the capture range, AE and AWB cause blown-out highlights on the sky  18  of the captured image. Conversely, if the sky  18  occupies a major part of the capture range, AE and AWB cause blocked up shadows on the traveling path  17  of the captured image. As described above, even if the vehicle  16  travels to in front of the sloped traveling path  17 , the position and the size of the traveling path  17  included in the image processing area  32  of the captured image is maintained. Consequently, a captured image exhibits fewer blown-out highlights and blocked up shadows. Further, variations in brightness and white balance of the captured image before and after traveling of the vehicle  16  to in front of the sloped traveling path  17  are reduced. 
     Further, in this embodiment, the image processing apparatus  12  determines at least a part of the approximate line  30  by using image thresholding based on the luminance information and the color information of the captured image. As described above, the luminance signal intensity based on the luminance information and the color signal intensity based on the color information of the second area  28  are greater than the luminance signal intensity and the color signal intensity of the first area  27  since the second area  28  includes the sky  18 . Thus, the approximate line  30  can be determined by using the image thresholding, and the processing load can be reduced compared to other processing, such as contour detection processing, for example. 
     (Variation of the First Embodiment) 
     Next, variation of the first embodiment according to the disclosure will be described. The configuration of the image processing system  10  according to the variation is the same as that of the first embodiment (see  FIG. 1 ). In brief, the image processing system  10  according to the variation differs from the first embodiment in respect of the operation of the controller  26  and the information stored in the memory  25 . 
     The memory  25  according to the variation stores the reference information indicating a reference relative position between the image processing area  32  and the traveling path  17  in the captured image. The reference relative position is previously determined depending on the content of the image processing performed by using the image processing area  32 . For example, the reference information is the information indicating the shape and the size of an auxiliary area  33 , the length of an auxiliary line  34   a  and the positional relationship between the auxiliary area  33  and the auxiliary line  34   a.  As described later, the auxiliary area  33  corresponds to the image processing area  32 . Further, the auxiliary line  34   a  corresponds to the approximate line  30  that corresponds to the distal end  31  of the traveling path  17 . The reference information may be image data (see  FIG. 6A ) including the auxiliary area  33  and the auxiliary line  34   a.  Alternatively, the reference information is the information indicating the shape and the size of the auxiliary area  33  and the positional relationship between the auxiliary area  33  and the auxiliary line  34   b.  As described later, the auxiliary line  34   b  corresponds to the approximate line  30  that corresponds to the boundary  29  between the first area  27  and the second area  28 . The reference information may be the image data (see  FIG. 6B ) including the auxiliary area  33  and the auxiliary line  34   b.    
     The controller  26  according to the variation determines the image processing area  32  in the acquired captured image based on the reference information stored in the memory  25 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 7A , when the reference information illustrated in  FIG. 6A  is used, the controller  26  determines the auxiliary area  33  in which the approximate line  30  is regarded as the auxiliary line  34   a  in the image processing area  32  of the captured image. Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIG. 7B , when the reference information illustrated in  FIG. 6B  is used, the controller  26  determines the auxiliary area  33  in which the approximate line  30  is regarded as the auxiliary line  34   b  in the image processing area  32  of the captured image. 
     Thus, the image processing apparatus  12  of the image processing system  10  according to the variation determines the image processing area  32  in the captured image based on the reference information stored in the memory  25 . Thus, for example, the reference relative position between the image processing area  32  and the traveling path  17  in the captured image is maintained whether or not the vehicle  16  is located in front of the sloped traveling path  17  when the vehicle  16  is started. Consequently, an appropriate image processing area  32  is determined in the captured image regardless of the surrounding circumstances when the vehicle  16  is started. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Next, the second embodiment according to the disclosure will be described. The configuration of the image processing system  10  according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (see  FIG. 1 ). In brief, the image processing apparatus  12  of the image processing system  10  according to the second embodiment is different from that according to the first embodiment in that the captured image is subject to rotation processing. 
     An example where the vehicle  16  is inclined to the right due to weight, such as a cargo, loaded unevenly on the right side of the vehicle  16  will be described. In this respect,  FIG. 8A  illustrates an example of a captured image by the front camera  11   a.  Objects such as the traveling path  17  and the sky  18  are inclined in the captured image. For the purposes of explanation, the objects in the drawing are shown with large inclination.  FIG. 8B  illustrates an example of the approximate line  30  determined by the controller  26  by using the captured image illustrated in  FIG. 8A . 
     The controller  26  generates the correction information to be used for the rotation processing of the captured image based on the inclination of the approximate line  30  from an axis in a predetermined direction determined relative to the captured image. For example, the controller  26  generates a rotation angle used for the rotation processing of the captured image as the correction information so that the inclination of the approximate line  30  from the axis (x axis) in the horizontal direction determined relative to the captured image will be approximately zero; that is, the approximate line  30  will be parallel to the horizontal direction in respect of the captured image. The controller  26  uses the generated correction information and applies the rotation processing to the captured image.  FIG. 9A  illustrates an example of a captured image subjected to the rotation processing. As illustrated in  FIG. 9A , the rotation processing applied to the captured image ensures that the approximate line  30  is parallel to the horizontal direction in respect of the captured image. 
     The controller  26  uses the captured image subjected to the rotation processing and determines the image processing area  32  in the captured image in the same manner as the first embodiment.  FIG. 9B  illustrates an example of the determined image processing area  32 . As illustrated in  FIG. 9B , the position of the image processing area  32  relative to the approximate line  30  is the same as that of the first embodiment. 
     As with the first embodiment, the controller  26  outputs the information related to the image processing area over the network  15 . In this embodiment, the information related to the image processing area includes, for example, the correction information and the information indicating the position, the size and the shape of the image processing area  32 . 
     Operation of the image processing system  10  according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to  FIG. 10 . For example, this operation is started when a driver starts the vehicle  16 , and is repeated until a predetermined termination condition, such as an engine shut-down, is met. Further, the following operation is performed with respect to each frame of the captured image generated by the front camera  11   a.  The operation performed for the rear camera  11   b  is the same as that for the front camera  11   a,  and thus its description is omitted. 
     In steps S 200  through S 202 , the same processing as that performed in steps S 100  through S 102  according to the first embodiment (see  FIG. 5 ) is performed. 
     Next, the controller  26  of the image processing apparatus  12  generates, based on the inclination of the approximate line  30  determined in S 202  (see  FIG. 10 ), the correction information to be used for rotation processing of the captured image (step S 203 ). 
     Subsequently, the controller  26  applies the rotation processing to the captured image by using the correction information generated in step S 203  (step S 204 ). 
     Subsequently, the controller  26  determines the image processing area  32  in the captured image subjected to the rotation processing in step S 204  based on the position previously determined relative to at least a part of the approximate line  30  determined in step S 202 , which serves as a default value in this embodiment (step S 205 ). 
     Then, the controller  26  outputs the information related to the image processing area  32  over the network  15  (step S 206 ). 
     Thus, the image processing apparatus  12  of the image processing system  10  according to the second embodiment generates, based on the inclination of the approximate line  30 , the correction information for use in the rotation processing of the captured image. The correction information allows for correction of the inclination of the object in the captured image. Thus, even if the vehicle  16  is inclined either to left or right side, for example, an appropriate image processing area  32  can be determined in the captured image. 
     According to the image processing apparatus, the image processing system, the vehicle, the imaging apparatus and the image processing method of the above described embodiments of the disclosure, an image processing area can dynamically be determined in respect of a captured image of the vehicle&#39;s surrounding area. 
     Although the disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the disclosure. Therefore, such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the functions and the like included in the members, steps, and the like may be reordered in any logically consistent way. Furthermore, members, steps, and the like may be combined into one or divided. 
     For example, the image processing apparatus  12  may have functions and components of the display apparatus  13  and the object recognition apparatus  14 . Further, the imaging apparatuses  11   a  and  11   b  may have functions and components of the image processing apparatus  12 . 
     Further, the controller  26  of the image processing apparatus  12  may apply the extraction processing of the image processing area  32  to the captured image or the captured image subjected to the rotation processing, and output the extracted image to the front camera  11   a  or the rear camera  11   b  as the information related to the image processing area. In this case, the front camera  11   a  or the rear camera  11   b  applies the normal image processing, such as AE and AWB, to the captured image acquired from the image processing apparatus  12 . 
     Further, a part of the components of the image processing system  10  according to the above described embodiments may be provided outside the vehicle  16 . For example, the image processing apparatus  12  and the like may be provided as a communication device, such as a mobile phone and an external server, and connected to the other components of the image processing system  10  wired or wirelessly.