Patent ID: 8760515

Claim:
An image display apparatus that captures surrounding images of a vehicle by using multiple cameras, combines the captured images to draw, in a frame memory, a composite image viewed from a viewpoint located above the vehicle, reads image data from the frame memory, and displays the composite image, the image display apparatus comprising: image memories configured to store images of a first landscape located ahead of the vehicle, a second landscape located at a left side of the vehicle, a third landscape located at a right side of the vehicle, and a fourth landscape located behind the vehicle, each of the landscapes being photographed by respective cameras; a detector configured to detect the number of passengers in seats exclusive of the vehicle front seats, the detector configured by embedding, in the seats, pressure-sensitive sensors configured to detect the seating of passengers; a mapping memory configured to store a plurality of predetermined mapping tables indicating relationships between pixel positions in the image memories and pixel positions in a frame memory, wherein each of the stored plurality of pre-determined mapping tables corresponds to one or both of a determined vehicle height and a vehicle tilt angle induced by a count of a number of passengers whose individual and total weight are detected by the sensor while in seats exclusive of vehicle front seats; a mapping-table determining unit configured to determine which one of the plurality of predetermined mapping tables is to be used based upon the one or both of the determined vehicle height and vehicle tilt angle induced by the detected individual and total weight of the count of number of passengers while in seats exclusive of the vehicle front seats; and a mapping unit configured to: (1) read image data from the image memories by using the determined one of the plurality of predetermined mapping tables; and (2) map the read image data to the frame memory for display on a monitor.