JP2005236540A - On-vehicle camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a predicted track which can properly impart a driver the feeling of the distance to an obstacle in the predicted track and is free of the feeling of physical disorder by an on-vehicle camera device which displays superimposes the predicted track calculated, corresponding to the steering angle of a vehicle on a picture of a part behind a vehicle imaged by an on-vehicle camera on a monitor. <P>SOLUTION: When there is the obstacle in the predicted track in a camera image, superimposed on the monitor and the obstacle and predicted tack are displayed merely one over the other, it is not clear which of the obstacle and predicted track is located in front or in back, so predicted track display of a part overlapping with the obstacle is displayed discriminatedly from predicted track display of a part which does not overlap with the obstacle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle camera device that displays an image of a rear side of a vehicle photographed by a camera mounted on a vehicle on a monitor attached in a vehicle interior and confirms safety when the vehicle is moved backward.

  Conventionally, as this type of in-vehicle camera device, when the vehicle shift lever is put in “reverse”, the rear image captured by the camera is displayed on the monitor, and the camera image and the image of the parking position in advance are displayed. The obstacle is detected and the driver is warned, and only the object in the predicted backward path obtained from the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor of the vehicle is regarded as an obstacle. An apparatus for displaying a rectangle in a video on a monitor screen is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In addition, as a technique for detecting obstacles in front of or behind the host vehicle and detecting the distance from the host vehicle to the obstacle, two cameras are used, and the stereo image is used to reach the obstacle using the principle of triangulation. Measure the distance to an obstacle by detecting the distance of the object, determining the brightness of the reflected light that hits and reflects the obstacle using light or radio waves, and determining the time it takes for the reflected wave to return The technique which performs is known (for example, refer patent document 2).
JP 2000-177513 A JP 2000-329852 A

  However, in the above-described conventional in-vehicle camera device, when an obstacle is present in the expected trajectory when the predicted trajectory of the vehicle is superimposed on the camera image captured by the camera, the expected trajectory is an obstacle. Because it is displayed independently, the obstacle and the expected trajectory are displayed overlapping each other, it is difficult to get a sense of distance whether the obstacle is in front or behind the expected trajectory, and there is a problem that the appearance is also strange .

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and can appropriately give the driver a sense of distance to the obstacle behind the vehicle in the expected trajectory, and provide an expected trajectory without any sense of incongruity. It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle camera device capable of displaying.

  The in-vehicle camera device according to the present invention is an in-vehicle camera device that displays on a monitor a predicted trajectory calculated according to the steering angle of a vehicle on a rear image captured by the in-vehicle camera, and displays an obstacle in the expected trajectory. In the case where the obstacle exists, the portion of the predicted locus that overlaps the obstacle is displayed separately from the portion that does not overlap the obstacle.

  With this configuration, when there is an obstacle in the expected trajectory, the figure of the expected trajectory is displayed by distinguishing the part that overlaps the obstacle from the part that does not overlap. A sense of distance to an object can be given appropriately, and an expected trajectory without a sense of incongruity can be displayed.

  Further, the in-vehicle camera device of the present invention is characterized in that the portion of the predicted trajectory that overlaps the obstacle is deleted and displayed. With this configuration, the part of the predicted trajectory that overlaps the obstacle is erased and displayed, so the distinction between the part that does not overlap the obstacle and the overlapping part is clear, and the driver can see the obstacles behind the vehicle in the expected trajectory. A sense of distance can be given appropriately and an expected trajectory without a sense of incongruity can be displayed.

  Moreover, the vehicle-mounted camera apparatus of this invention displays the part of the said estimated locus | trajectory which overlaps with the said obstacle on the elevation different from the part which does not overlap. With this configuration, the portion of the predicted trajectory that overlaps the obstacle is displayed along the surface of the obstacle as if a shadow is projected, so the distinction between the portion that does not overlap the obstacle and the portion that overlaps is clear. Thus, it is possible to appropriately give the driver a sense of distance to the obstacle behind the vehicle in the expected trajectory, and it is possible to display the expected trajectory without any sense of incongruity.

  Moreover, the vehicle-mounted camera apparatus of this invention displays the part of the said prediction locus which overlaps with the said obstacle with a different line from the part which does not overlap. With this configuration, the portion of the predicted trajectory that overlaps the obstacle is displayed with a line other than a solid line such as a broken line, a chain line, or a wavy line, so the driver can clearly distinguish between the portion that does not overlap the obstacle and the overlapping portion. Thus, it is possible to appropriately give a sense of distance to the obstacle behind the vehicle in the expected trajectory, and to display an expected trajectory without a sense of incongruity.

  Moreover, the vehicle-mounted camera apparatus of this invention displays the part which does not overlap with the said obstruction | occlusion of the said prediction locus | trajectory by a color different from the overlapping part. With this configuration, the part of the predicted trajectory that overlaps the obstacle is displayed in a color different from the color of the part that does not overlap, so the distinction between the part that does not overlap the obstacle and the part that overlaps is clear, and the expected trajectory is shown to the driver. It is possible to appropriately give a sense of distance to an obstacle behind the vehicle at and to display an expected trajectory without any sense of incongruity.

  The on-vehicle camera device according to the present invention is characterized in that the predicted curve when the rudder angle is not zero and the predicted straight line when the rudder angle is zero are displayed in a superimposed manner. With this configuration, the expected trajectory in the reverse direction and the vehicle width when the driver returns the steering wheel to the straight direction can be confirmed.

  The in-vehicle camera device of the present invention includes an in-vehicle camera that is mounted at the rear of the vehicle and images the rear of the vehicle, a monitor that displays an image of the in-vehicle camera, and an obstacle that is mounted at the rear of the vehicle and is behind the vehicle. Obstacle detecting means for detecting the distance, distance measuring means for measuring the distance from the rear of the vehicle to the obstacle, rudder angle detecting means for detecting the rudder angle of the vehicle, and the rear of the vehicle corresponding to the rudder angle An expected trajectory calculating means for calculating an expected trajectory, a plotting means for plotting the calculated expected trajectory, and an image for displaying the plotted expected trajectory on the image of the in-vehicle camera on the monitor. Image synthesizing means, obstacle determining means for determining whether the obstacle exists in the calculated expected trajectory and which part of the expected trajectory overlaps the obstacle, and in the calculated expected trajectory Said Drawing control means for instructing the drawing means to draw a portion of the predicted locus overlapping with the obstacle separately from a portion not overlapping with the obstacle when it is determined that there is an obstacle that has been issued; It has the composition provided.

  With this configuration, the camera image of the rear of the vehicle imaged by the in-vehicle camera is displayed on the monitor, the predicted trajectory of the rear of the vehicle according to the steering angle of the vehicle is drawn and displayed superimposed on the camera image on the monitor, If there is an obstacle in the expected trajectory, the figure of the expected trajectory is drawn by distinguishing the part that overlaps the obstacle from the part that does not overlap. A sense of distance can be given appropriately and an expected trajectory without a sense of incongruity can be displayed.

  In the present invention, when an obstacle exists in the expected trajectory on the camera image displayed superimposed on the monitor, the expected trajectory display of the portion overlapping the obstacle is displayed. Providing a vehicle-mounted camera device that has the effect of being able to properly give the driver a sense of distance to the obstacles behind the vehicle in the expected trajectory and display the expected trajectory without any sense of incongruity because it is displayed separately from the trajectory display can do.

  Hereinafter, an in-vehicle camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows an arrangement state of the in-vehicle camera device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the in-vehicle camera 1 is installed in the rear center of the vehicle so as to face the rear, and images the rear of the vehicle so that a part of the rear bumper of the host vehicle is reflected. The monitor 2 displays an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 1 and is installed on a dashboard in the vehicle. The steering angle sensor 3 is a steering angle detection means for detecting the steering angle of the vehicle, and is attached to a steering shaft or the like that supports a steering wheel (steering wheel). The ultrasonic sensors 4 are obstacle detection means installed on both sides of the rear bumper of the vehicle so as to face straight back, and the same two sensors are provided to increase detection accuracy. The ultrasonic sensor 4 reflects the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission unit against the obstacle, receives the reflected wave at the reception unit, and measures the time from transmission to reception to determine the distance to the obstacle. It can be measured. Instead of the ultrasonic sensor 4, a device such as an infrared sensor or a laser radar may be used to measure the distance to the obstacle by measuring the reflection intensity of the light hitting the obstacle.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the in-vehicle camera device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, the in-vehicle camera 1 is constituted by a CCD or CMOS image sensor or the like, and the imaged video signal is sent to the image data sending unit 5 through a coaxial cable. The image data sending unit 5 converts the video signal of the in-vehicle camera 1 into image data and sends it out. The A / D conversion unit 6 converts the video signal of the in-vehicle camera 1 into a digital signal, and is A / D converted. A frame memory 7 for storing the image data, and a frame memory control unit 8 for controlling the storage and transmission of the image data to and from the frame memory 7. The camera control unit 9 controls the shooting conditions of the in-vehicle camera 1 and is controlled by the system control unit 10. The system control unit 10 includes a command input from the operation unit 11 by the driver, a steering angle signal output from the steering angle sensor 3 that is a steering angle detection unit, and a detection signal of the ultrasonic sensor 4 that is an obstacle detection unit. And a distance measuring unit 10a that measures the distance from the rear part of the host vehicle to the detected obstacle, and an expected trajectory behind the vehicle corresponding to the rudder angle detected by the rudder angle sensor 3. An expected trajectory calculation unit 10b to be calculated, an obstacle determination unit 10c that determines whether an obstacle exists in the calculated expected trajectory, and which part of the expected trajectory overlaps the obstacle, and the like are provided. The character generator control unit 12 is a drawing control means, and controls graphic data generated from the character generator 13 which is a drawing means. The image processing unit 14 performs processing such as analysis, editing, and composition of image data read from the frame memory 7 of the image data sending unit 5. The memory 15 is a memory that temporarily stores image data as a work area for image processing in the image processing unit 14. The D / A conversion unit 17 converts the image data processed by the image processing unit 14 into an analog signal. The image composition unit 16 superimposes the output of the D / A conversion unit 17 and the graphic data from the character generator 13 and displays the video on the monitor 2.

  Note that the video signal output of the in-vehicle camera 1 itself may be based on standards such as NTSC and PAL, or may be based on the VGA method. For each standard, there are R / G / B output, Y / U / V output, and composite output, and also digital output. In the case of digital output, the A / D conversion unit 6 in the image data transmission unit 5 is not necessary.

  The operation of the on-vehicle camera device configured as described above will be described below. The system control unit 10 receives a steering angle signal detected by the steering angle sensor 3 and measurement data of the ultrasonic sensor 4 that detects an obstacle. The system control unit 10 controls the frame memory control unit 8 of the image data sending unit 5 based on this information or the driver's instruction input from the operation unit 11, and the image data of the in-vehicle camera 1 is transferred from the frame memory 7. The image processing unit 14 outputs the image and controls the image processing method in the image processing unit 14. The image processing unit 14 analyzes the image data input from the in-vehicle camera 1 based on the control signal from the system control unit 10, edits and synthesizes the image data. In the system control unit 10, the expected trajectory calculation unit 10 b calculates an expected trajectory from the rudder angle information obtained by the rudder angle sensor 3, and is obtained by the obstacle detection information and distance measurement unit 10 a obtained by the ultrasonic sensor 4. Based on the distance information to the obstacle, the obstacle determination unit 10c determines whether there is an obstacle in the calculated predicted trajectory and which part of the predicted trajectory overlaps the obstacle, Based on the determination result, the character generator control unit 12 is controlled to output from the character generator 13 a figure of an expected trajectory to be superimposed on the image processed by the image processing unit 14. The image synthesizing unit 16 superimposes the image data from the image processing unit 14 analog-converted by the D / A conversion unit 17 and the graphic data of the predicted trajectory output from the character generator 13, and the superimposed image is displayed. Display on the monitor 2.

  Next, the expected trajectory displayed on the monitor 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the conventional trajectory display shows that the predicted straight trajectory 22 follows the road surface without taking into account the presence of an obstacle 21 (in this case, an automobile) behind the host vehicle. Since the vehicle is displayed together with the rear bumper 23 of the host vehicle, the straight line predicted locus 22 is displayed so as to overlap the obstacle 21. For this reason, it is not known whether the expected trajectory is in front of or behind the obstacle. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, by measuring the distance from the rear part of the host vehicle to the obstacle 21 with the ultrasonic sensor 4, the relationship between the straight line predicted locus 22 and the distance to the obstacle 21 can be understood. Since it can be known which part of the predicted linear trajectory 22 overlaps the obstacle 21, the part of the predicted linear trajectory 22 that overlaps the obstacle 21 is deleted and displayed as shown in FIG. An intermediate line 22a of the straight line predicted locus 22 indicates a standard of distance from the rear bumper 23, and a final line 22b indicates a stop position. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3C, the portion of the straight line predicted trajectory 22 that overlaps the obstacle 21 is displayed in a standing elevation display instead of a flat display so that it can be clearly distinguished from a non-overlapping portion. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3D, the line is displayed with a line different from the part that does not overlap the obstacle 21. Although shown here as a broken line, it may be a thin line, a chain line, a wavy line, or the like. Note that the color of the part of the straight line predicted trajectory 22 that overlaps the obstacle 21 may be displayed in a color different from the color of the part that does not overlap. In this case, the display is not necessarily as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, and the overlapping portion and the non-overlapping portion may be displayed using the same solid line.

  Next, the case where the predicted locus is not a straight line but a curve will be described with reference to FIG. When it is detected that the steering wheel is operated by the steering angle sensor 3, the steering angle signal is input to the system control unit 10. The predicted trajectory calculation unit 10b of the system control unit 10 calculates a predicted curve of the curve considering the steering angle based on the steering angle signal. Similarly to the above, the predicted curve of the curve is also based on the distance to the obstacle measured by the distance measurement 10a, and the obstacle determination unit 10c predicts whether there is an obstacle in the calculated predicted locus. It is determined which part of the trajectory overlaps the obstacle, and the character generator control unit 12 is controlled based on the determination result, so that the character generator 13 generates a figure of the expected trajectory to be superimposed on the image processed by the image processing unit 14. And is displayed on the monitor 2 so as to be superimposed on the camera video. As for the display of the predicted curve 24, the part overlapping the obstacle 21 is displayed as shown in FIG. 4A, or the overlapping part is distinguished from the non-overlapping part as shown in FIG. 4B. It is set as an elevation display, or is displayed with a line different from a non-overlapping portion as shown in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, along with the display of the predicted curve path 24 as described above, the driver also displays the predicted straight path 22 when the steering angle is zero, that is, when going straight forward, so that the driver can It is possible to grasp the relationship with the obstacle directly behind the vehicle and the width of the own vehicle more clearly.

  As described above, according to the vehicle-mounted camera device of the first embodiment, the camera image of the rear of the vehicle imaged by the vehicle-mounted camera 1 is displayed on the monitor 2 and the system is based on the steering angle information obtained by the steering angle sensor 3. The expected trajectory calculation unit 10b of the control unit 10 calculates the expected trajectory, and the obstacle detection information obtained by the ultrasonic sensor 4 and the distance information to the obstacle obtained by the distance measurement unit 10a of the system control unit 10 are obtained. Based on the determination result, the obstacle determination unit 10c of the system control unit 10 determines whether there is an obstacle in the calculated predicted trajectory and which part of the predicted trajectory overlaps the obstacle. The character generator control unit 12 is controlled, and a graphic of an expected trajectory superimposed on the camera image processed by the image processing unit 14 is output from the character generator 13 and monitored. Since display above it is possible to provide the proper sense of distance to the vehicle behind the obstacle in the predicted locus on the driver, it is possible to display the estimated locus without discomfort.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the in-vehicle camera device according to the second embodiment is a stereo camera including two in-vehicle cameras 20a and 20b having parallel optical axes in order to measure the distance to an obstacle behind the vehicle. 20, so that the ultrasonic sensor 4 in the first embodiment is not required. The stereo camera 20 is installed in the center of the rear part of the vehicle at a predetermined interval so that a part of the rear bumper of the host vehicle is reflected. Since the distance measurement by the stereo camera 20 is described in detail in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, it is omitted here. Since the basic configuration in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and a duplicate description of the configuration is omitted.

  The operation in the second embodiment is basically the same as that in the first embodiment. That is, the stereo camera 20 is used to capture an image of the rear of the vehicle, and the two stereo images are combined and displayed on the monitor 2, and when there is an obstacle at the rear, the distance to the obstacle is controlled by the system. The distance measurement unit 10a of the unit 10 calculates the distance. This calculation may be performed by the image processing unit 14. The expected trajectory calculation unit 120b of the system control unit 10 calculates an expected trajectory based on the steering angle information from the steering angle sensor 3, and the obstacle determination unit 10c of the system control unit 10 detects an obstacle within the calculated expected trajectory. It is determined whether an object is present and which part of the expected trajectory overlaps the obstacle, and the character generator control unit 12 is controlled based on the determination result, and is superimposed on the camera image processed by the image processing unit 14. The figure of the expected trajectory is output from the character generator 13 and displayed on the monitor 2 as shown in FIGS. 3B, 3C, and 3D. Alternatively, a predicted curve of the curve is displayed as shown in FIG. 4, and a double display of the predicted curve of the curve and the predicted curve of the straight line is performed as shown in FIG. The second embodiment also has the same effect as the first embodiment.

  As described above, the vehicle-mounted camera device according to the present invention displays an expected trajectory display of a portion overlapping with an obstacle when an obstacle exists in the expected trajectory on the camera image displayed superimposed on the monitor. Because it is displayed separately from the expected trajectory display of the part that does not overlap with the obstacle, the driver can be given a sense of distance to the obstacle behind the vehicle in the expected trajectory and display the expected trajectory without any sense of incongruity It is useful as a vehicle-mounted camera device that has the effect of being able to be displayed and displays a rear image taken by a camera mounted on the vehicle on a monitor mounted in the vehicle interior to confirm safety when the vehicle is moved backward. .

Schematic plan view of the vehicle showing the arrangement of the in-vehicle camera device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Functional block diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle camera device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention (A) Screen diagram showing an example of expected trajectory display in the conventional example (b) Screen diagram showing an example of expected trajectory display in the first embodiment of the present invention (c) Another example of expected trajectory display in the first embodiment of the present invention (D) Screen figure which shows another example of expected locus | trajectory display in Embodiment 1 of this invention (A) Screen view showing another example of expected trajectory display in Embodiment 1 of the present invention (b) Screen diagram showing another example of expected trajectory display in Embodiment 1 of the present invention (c) Implementation of the present invention The screen figure which shows another example of a predicted locus | trajectory display in the form 1 The screen figure which shows another example of an expected locus | trajectory display in Embodiment 1 of this invention Functional block diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle camera device in the second embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car-mounted camera 2 Monitor 3 Steering angle sensor 4 Ultrasonic sensor 5 Image data transmission part 6 A / D conversion part 7 Frame memory 8 Frame memory control part 9 Camera control part 10 System control part 10a Distance measurement part 10b Expected locus | trajectory calculation part 10c Obstacle determination unit 11 Operation unit 12 Character generator control unit 13 Character generator 14 Image processing unit 15 Memory 16 Image composition unit 17 D / A conversion unit 20 Stereo camera 21 Obstacle 22 Straight line prediction locus 23 Rear bumper 24 Curve prediction locus

Claims (7)

  In an in-vehicle camera device that displays on a monitor a predicted trajectory calculated according to the steering angle of a vehicle on an image of the rear of the vehicle imaged by the in-vehicle camera, when the obstacle exists in the predicted trajectory, the obstacle An in-vehicle camera device characterized in that a portion of the predicted locus that overlaps an object is displayed separately from a portion that does not overlap the obstacle.   The in-vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the predicted locus that overlaps the obstacle is deleted and displayed.   The in-vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the predicted locus that overlaps the obstacle is displayed with an elevation different from the portion that does not overlap.   The in-vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the predicted locus that overlaps the obstacle is displayed by a line different from a portion that does not overlap.   The in-vehicle camera device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the predicted locus that does not overlap the obstacle is displayed in a color different from that of the overlapping portion.   6. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, wherein a predicted curve of the curve when the rudder angle is not zero and a predicted straight line of the trajectory when the rudder angle is zero are superimposed and displayed. apparatus.   An in-vehicle camera mounted on the rear part of the vehicle for imaging the rear of the vehicle; a monitor for displaying an image of the in-vehicle camera; an obstacle detection means mounted on the rear part of the vehicle for detecting an obstacle behind the vehicle; Distance measuring means for measuring the distance from the rear of the vehicle to the obstacle, rudder angle detecting means for detecting the rudder angle of the vehicle, and expected trajectory calculating means for calculating an expected trajectory behind the vehicle corresponding to the rudder angle; A plotting means for plotting the calculated expected trajectory; an image synthesizing means for synthesizing an image for displaying the plotted expected trajectory on the monitor by superimposing it on the video of the in-vehicle camera; and the calculated Obstacle determining means for determining whether the obstacle exists in the expected locus and which part of the expected locus overlaps with the obstacle, and determining that the detected obstacle exists in the calculated expected locus 7. A drawing control means for instructing the drawing means to draw a portion of the predicted locus that overlaps the obstacle in a case where the obstacle does not overlap with the obstacle. The in-vehicle camera device according to any one of the above.

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