Patent ID: 8390695

Claim:
An image correction apparatus comprising: an imaging device configured to capture an image, with an optical axis thereof being set inclined upward or downward with respect to a direction parallel to a ground surface; a memory section storing therein a transformation map that shows a relationship in location of pixels between the captured image and a corrected image to create the corrected image from the captured image via making a correction on inclination of a display object with respect to a vertical direction perpendicular to the ground surface, wherein the display object having the inclination to be corrected is a display object that, although should be displayed in the vertical direction on the captured image, has the inclination with respect to the vertical direction on the captured image; a corrected image creation section configured to transform location of pixels of the captured image in accordance with the transformation map stored in the memory section, thereby creating the corrected image, in which the correction has been made on the inclination of the display object with respect to the vertical direction; a display device configured to display the corrected image created by the corrected image creation section, wherein the imaging device is mounted to a vehicle to image a periphery of the vehicle, the imaging device is a plurality of imaging devices, the imaging devices are mounted to different parts of the vehicle so that respective areas imaged by the imaging devices are at least adjoining to each other, the memory section stores therein a plurality of transformation maps so that the transformation maps are respectively associated with the imaging devices to transform the locations of pixels of the captured images taken with the imaging devices, the corrected image creation section creates a plurality of corrected images from the captured images in accordance with the transformation maps, respectively, the image correction apparatus further comprising a combined image creation section configured to combine the corrected images with each other to create a combined image, the display device displays the combined image, and the combined image creation section combines the corrected images with each other through adjusting size of at least one of the corrected images so that a physical object (i) spaced a predetermined distance apart from the vehicle and (ii) located at a place corresponding to a border between the corrected images is displayed continuously at the border between the corrected images.