JP2008181328A - Operation support device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation support device for a vehicle for easily letting an operator know the backward traveling state only by loading it on the vehicle, and for contributing to the backward traveling prevention. <P>SOLUTION: The operation support device is provided with: a self-vehicle location acquisition means 10 for acquiring the self-vehicle location on a map of a vehicle 70 under traveling; an image pickup means 20 for imaging display information 90 and 110 on a road in the traveling direction or at the opposite side of the traveling direction of the vehicle; a backward traveling decision means 30 for, when the self-location acquired by the self-location acquiring means is within one-way passage roads 80, 81 and 82, deciding whether or not the vehicle is traveling backward on one-way road based on the direction of the display information picked up by the image pickup means; and a notification means 50 for, when it is decided that the vehicle is put in a backward traveling state by the backward traveling decision means, notifying an operator that its own vehicle is put in a backward traveling state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle driving support device that contributes to prevention of reverse running by notifying a driver of reverse running of the vehicle.

Conventionally, an on-road communication means for transmitting entrance identification information is provided at a one-way boundary, an in-vehicle communication means for receiving entrance identification information is provided in the vehicle, and based on the entrance identification information received by the in-vehicle communication means. There is known a vehicle reverse running prevention system that determines reverse running of a vehicle and warns the driver when it is judged reverse running (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-14985 A

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1 described above, it is necessary to provide an on-road communication means for transmitting entrance identification information near the one-way entrance and an in-vehicle communication means for receiving entrance identification information on the vehicle side. There was a problem that the scale of the entire system became large.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving support device that can easily inform a driver of a reverse running state simply by being mounted on a vehicle and contributes to prevention of reverse running.

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle driving support apparatus according to the first invention has map information, and own vehicle position acquisition means for acquiring the own vehicle position on a map of a running vehicle,
Imaging means for imaging display information on the road in the traveling direction or in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle;
When the host vehicle position acquired by the host vehicle position acquisition unit is within a one-way street, the vehicle runs backward on the one-way street based on the direction of the display information imaged by the imaging unit. Reverse running determination means for determining whether or not
Notification means for notifying that the vehicle is in a reverse running state when the reverse running determination means determines that the vehicle is in a reverse running state;
It is characterized by comprising. Thereby, when the vehicle is in the reverse running state, the driver can be notified that the own vehicle is in the reverse running state, and the driver's attention can be drawn.

A second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle driving support device according to the first aspect,
The display information is information displayed on a road guide sign,
The reverse running determination means determines that the vehicle is running backward in the one-way road when the road guide sign is recognized as facing backward. Thereby, it can be determined whether the own vehicle is in the reverse running state from the direction of the road information sign.

A third invention is the vehicle driving support device according to the first invention,
The display information is information of road markings displayed on the road surface,
The reverse running determination means determines that the vehicle is running backward in the one-way road when it is recognized that the display of the road sign is in the reverse direction to that during forward running. Thereby, it can be determined whether the own vehicle is in a reverse running state from the display direction of the road marking.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle driving support apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention,
The map information includes information on the road guide sign. This makes it possible to obtain information on the position and / or content of the road guide sign in advance, thereby reducing the burden of image recognition due to imaging.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle driving support device according to the third aspect of the present invention,
The map information includes information on the road marking. As a result, information on the position and / or content of the road marking can be obtained in advance, so that the burden of image recognition by imaging can be reduced.

6th invention is the driving assistance device for vehicles which concerns on 1st-5th invention,
When the reverse running determination means determines that the vehicle is in the reverse running state, the vehicle has a vehicle control means for controlling the running of the vehicle. Thereby, the possibility of collision during reverse running and the impact during collision can be reduced by performing travel restrictions such as deceleration during reverse running.

  According to the present invention, when the driver is traveling backward in a one-way street, the driver can be made aware that the vehicle is traveling in the reverse direction, and a situation where the vehicle continues to travel without noticing it can be prevented.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, main components of the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment are configured by a host vehicle position acquisition unit 10, an imaging unit 20, a reverse running determination unit 30, and a notification unit 50. Moreover, you may further include the vehicle control means 60 as needed.

  The own vehicle position acquisition means 10 is means for estimating and acquiring the own vehicle position on the map of the vehicle. The vehicle position acquisition unit 10 may include a vehicle position estimation unit 11, a vehicle absolute position detection unit 12, and map information 16.

  The vehicle absolute position detecting means 12 includes sensors such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) 13 that detects the latitude and longitude of the vehicle by using a satellite, a gyro sensor 14 that detects a turning state, and a vehicle speed sensor 15 that detects a vehicle speed. May be included. The GPS 13 can detect the absolute position based on the latitude and longitude of the host vehicle, and the gyro sensor 14 and the vehicle speed sensor 15 can detect the traveling locus of the vehicle from the absolute position.

  The map information 16 is reference information for acquiring which position on the map the vehicle is traveling. The map information 16 may be composed of, for example, a map database provided with map information as electronic data. Since the vehicle driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment is a device for assisting the driver in preventing reverse running in a one-way street, the map information 16 includes position information on the map of the one-way street. Need to contain. The one-way road may include information on a one-way road of a general road, in addition to a ramp that is a connection road that connects the highway and a general runway, a junction that connects different highways.

  Further, the map information 16 may include not only the position of the one-way street but also the information of the position and display contents of the road guide sign indicating the one-way street and the information of the road marking displayed on the road surface of the one-way street. Good. Although details will be described later, this makes it easy to determine whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in a one-way street, or to calculate the calculation. Note that the map information 16 may be one in which the contents of the map data are updated at any time by transmission and reception, for example.

  The own vehicle position estimation unit 11 detects the absolute position determined by the latitude and longitude of the own vehicle by the GPS 13 of the vehicle absolute position detection means 12, obtains the travel locus by the vehicle speed sensor 15 and the gyro sensor 14, and then It is a means for collating with the map information 16 in order to acquire the position on the map. That is, the own vehicle position estimation unit 11 performs so-called map matching, which compares whether the traveling locus of the vehicle matches the map and estimates the own vehicle position on the map. Thereby, since the own vehicle position on a map can be estimated and acquired, it can be determined whether the own vehicle is drive | working the one-way street.

  The function described so far for acquiring the vehicle position by the vehicle position acquisition means 10 and determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a one-way street is performed using an existing navigation system. Also good. If information about one-way streets is stored in the map information 16, it is possible to use the existing navigation system to acquire the position of the vehicle on the map and whether the location is within the one-way street. That's why.

  In the vehicle position acquisition means 10, the map information 16 that is electronic data and the vehicle position estimation unit 11 that performs a collation operation are integrally configured as a part of a navigation ECU 40 (Electronic Control Unit). May be. Thereby, the vehicle driving support device 100 as a whole can be configured compactly.

  The own vehicle position information estimated and acquired by the own vehicle position estimation unit 11 of the own vehicle position acquisition unit 10 is sent to the reverse running determination unit 32 of the reverse running determination unit 30.

  Next, the imaging unit 20 will be described. The imaging means 20 includes an in-vehicle front camera 21 and may include an in-vehicle rear camera 22 as necessary. The in-vehicle front camera 21 is a means for imaging display information such as a road guide sign in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle. By the above-mentioned own vehicle position acquisition means 10, it is possible to estimate that the own vehicle will be traveling in a one-way street, but the accuracy is limited to whether it is traveling backward or not. In many cases, it cannot be accurately determined due to problems. For example, there are many cases in which a general road is present on the lower side of a ramp on a highway, and it is often difficult to determine all such subtle places with a navigation system. Therefore, in the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the final reverse running determination is performed by imaging the road guide sign on the traveling path of the vehicle.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the in-vehicle front camera 21. In FIG. 2, the vehicle-mounted front camera 21 is attached to the inside of the vehicle above the front windshield glass 72 of the vehicle 70. As described above, the in-vehicle front camera 21 is preferably attached to a position with a good line of sight in front of the vehicle and can capture a road guide sign or road marking in front of the vehicle, but the type and position of the camera are not limited. For example, the vehicle-mounted front camera 21 may be integrally attached to the back surface of the rearview mirror 73, or may be provided in front of the upper surface of the instrument panel. The vehicle-mounted front camera 21 may be a camera that can image about 30 to 50 m ahead of the vehicle, for example. In this way, an in-vehicle front is used to image a sign in front of the vehicle, distinguish whether the road guide sign is front or back based on the acquired image, and determine whether the vehicle is traveling backward in a one-way street. The camera 21 needs to have a resolution for acquiring an image that can distinguish the front and back of the road guide sign. Further, when performing reverse running determination based on a road sign ahead of the vehicle, since the determination is performed based on the display direction of the road sign, a resolution capable of distinguishing the direction of the road sign is also required.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the in-vehicle rear camera will be described. The in-vehicle rear camera is a means for capturing display information such as road guide signs and road markings behind the vehicle 70, and may be provided rearward behind the vehicle 70. For example, you may apply the backside monitor camera etc. which are utilized for garage storage. In the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted rear camera 22 images the road sign behind the vehicle 70 and identifies the front and back based on the acquired image, as with the vehicle-mounted front camera 21. Therefore, it is preferable that the vehicle-mounted rear camera 22 is a camera that can capture an image of a road guide sign located above from a position about 30 to 50 m away. Moreover, the vehicle-mounted rear camera 22 may image the road marking displayed on the road surface. Since the reverse direction in the one-way road of the vehicle can be determined also by the direction of the road marking, it is preferable that the in-vehicle rear camera 22 can capture the road marking on the rear road surface.

  As described above, the imaging means 20 provided in front of and / or behind the vehicle 70 can capture the road guidance sign on the traveling direction of the vehicle 70 or on the opposite side of the traveling direction and acquire the image. The image captured by the imaging unit 20 is sent to the image processing unit 31 of the reverse running determination unit 30.

  Next, the reverse running determination means 30 will be described. The reverse running determination means 30 is based on the vehicle position acquired by the vehicle position acquisition means 10 and the road guide sign image captured by the imaging means 20, is the vehicle traveling backward in a one-way street. It is means for determining whether or not. The reverse running determination unit 30 may include an image processing unit 31 and a reverse running determination unit 32.

  The image processing unit 31 is a unit that performs image processing on the road guide sign imaged by the imaging unit 20 so that the image can be recognized. In the vehicle driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment, since it is necessary to determine whether the captured road guide sign is front or back, if the image of the captured road guide sign is, for example, a highway, an arrow In addition, image processing is performed so that it can be determined whether the image of the front of the sign on which the name of the high-speed doorway is written or the black back image on which nothing is displayed, and image recognition is performed based on the image processing. For image recognition, for example, a technique such as pattern matching based on image comparison may be used, or another technique may be used. For example, when applying pattern matching, it is only necessary to be able to distinguish the front and back of the road information sign, so the threshold setting is such that a black image on the back and an image in which green or blue and white on the front are mixed can be distinguished. You may set to a magnitude | size. Further, if the resolution of the captured image is high, the content of the sign may be recognized and distinguished as it is for the sake of accuracy. These image recognition setting levels may be configured to be changeable in consideration of ambient brightness, weather, vehicle speed, and the like. The front / back determination of the road sign determined by the image processing unit 31 is sent to the reverse running determination unit 32.

  The reverse running determination unit 32 determines whether or not the own vehicle is running backward based on the own vehicle position estimated and acquired by the own vehicle position estimation unit and the front / back determination of the road information sign recognized by the image processing unit 31. Judgment is made. Specifically, when the vehicle position estimated and acquired by the vehicle position estimation unit 11 is in one passage and the image of the road guide sign recognized by the image processing unit 31 is determined to be the reverse side, the vehicle is It is determined that the vehicle is running in reverse. For example, the vehicle position estimation unit 11 receives information that the vehicle is traveling in a one-way street, and the image processing unit 31 is referred to at that time. You may make it determine with reverse running, when it determines with it being the reverse.

  In the above description, the example in which the image recognition process is performed by the image processing unit 31 has been described. However, in the image processing unit 31, only the process of creating the image acquired by the imaging unit 20 is performed, and the comparison calculation is performed by the reverse running determination unit. 32 may be performed. For example, image data of a road guidance sign reference image is stored in the reverse running determination unit 32, and the processed road guidance sign image is acquired by the image processing unit 31. When the information indicating that the vehicle is traveling on the one-way road is obtained, the reverse traveling determination unit 32 may access the image data of the image processing unit 31 and make a comparison determination. As shown in FIG. 1, the reverse running determination means 30 may be integrally configured in the navigation ECU 40, so that the function sharing between the image processing unit 31 and the reverse running determination unit 32 is appropriately determined according to the application. It is configurable.

  When the determination result is a determination result that the host vehicle is traveling backward on a one-way street, the reverse running determination unit 32 sends a signal indicating the reverse running determination result to the notification means 50 and does not run backward. If it is determined, the processing may be terminated to prepare for the next road information sign processing.

  The notification means 50 is means for notifying the driver that the vehicle is running backward on a one-way street. The notification means 50 may include a monitor 51 and / or a speaker 52, for example.

  The monitor 51 is a means for notifying the driver of the reverse running state by an image. For example, the monitor 51 may be a display of a navigation system, or a head-up display that displays an image on the front windshield glass 72. There may be. The monitor 51 may inform the monitor 51 of the reverse running state by characters such as “reverse running / danger” in the reverse running state, or by an image imitating the X on the schematic diagram of the inverted car. You may let me know.

  The speaker 52 is a means for notifying the driver of the reverse running state by voice. For example, in the reverse running state, the speaker 52 reverses to the driver by a voice such as “Reverse running. Please stop.” The running state may be notified.

  In this way, the notification means 50 can notify the driver of the reverse running state using, for example, video or audio. When the vehicle is in the reverse running state, the driver is warned and the reverse running is continued. Can be prevented.

  Note that the notification means 50 may be any means other than voice and video, as long as the driver can cause the vehicle to recognize the reverse running state, and the type and form are not limited.

  The vehicle control means 60 controls the running of the vehicle 70 and automatically decelerates or stops the vehicle 70 when the driver does not stop the reverse running even if the notification means 50 notifies the driver of the reverse running state. It is a means for making it. The vehicle control means 60 may include an electronic throttle 61 and / or a brake actuator 62, for example.

  The electronic throttle 61 is a means for electronically controlling the throttle opening, and reducing the throttle opening and reducing the speed of the vehicle 70 regardless of the accelerator opening of the driver when the driver does not stop reverse running. is there.

  The brake actuator 62 is means for controlling the hydraulic pressure of the brake device to apply a brake to the vehicle 70. The brake actuator 62 activates the brake actuator 62 to brake the vehicle 70 when the vehicle 70 is traveling backward on the one-way path and the driver does not decelerate the vehicle even when notified by the notification means 50. Then, the vehicle 70 is controlled to decelerate or stop.

  Thus, when the reverse running is not stopped even if the reverse running is notified to the driver, the vehicle 70 is forcibly decelerated or stopped by the vehicle control means 60 using the electronic throttle 61, the brake actuator 62, etc. Collision prevention or collision damage reduction in the one-way path of the vehicle 70 can be achieved.

  Next, an aspect of reverse running determination by the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the component similar to demonstrated so far, the same referential mark is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an application example of the vehicle driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment when the vehicle 70 is traveling backward on a ramp 81 connecting the main highway 80 and a general traveling road. The right side of FIG. 3 shows a state in which a vehicle 71 equipped with the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is traveling forward on the main highway 80. In this case, first, the own vehicle position acquisition means 10 can estimate and acquire that the vehicle 71 is traveling on the one-way highway main line 80 in which the traveling direction is determined.

  A road guide sign 90 is installed on the left side in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle 71. When the vehicle 71 is traveling normally on the main highway 80, the driver Look at the front side where the information is displayed. Similarly, in the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the in-vehicle front camera 21 captures and acquires the front image 210 on which the interchange name (Toyota) of the road guide sign 90 and the exit direction guidance to the general road are displayed. Will do. If the image processing unit 31 recognizes that the image 210 captured by the in-vehicle front camera 21 is an image on the front side of the road guide sign 90, the reverse running determination unit 32 determines that the vehicle is normally running normally.

  On the other hand, on the left side of FIG. 3, the vehicle 70 is traveling in a reverse direction on a so-called exit path of a ramp 81 connecting the main highway 80 and a general road. Even in this case, the own vehicle position acquisition means 10 can estimate and acquire the own vehicle position of the vehicle 70 and determine that the own vehicle is traveling on the ramp 81 that is a one-way street.

  In this case, the road guide sign 90 present on the right front side in the direction of travel of the vehicle 70 is originally an exit sign for the highway main line 80, and therefore is opposite to the driver of the vehicle 70, Is in a state of facing. Therefore, the image 211 captured by the in-vehicle front camera 21 is an image on the back side of the road guide sign 90, and a single color image 211 having a dark color such as gray or black is captured and acquired. The image 211 is recognized by the image processing unit 31 as a reverse image of the road guide sign 90, and the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle position acquisition unit 10 is traveling in the lamp 81 in the reverse running determination unit 32. In combination with the own vehicle position information, it can be determined that the own vehicle is running backward in the ramp 81. That is, the vehicle position acquisition means 10 acquires the vehicle position on the map and roughly determines whether the vehicle is traveling in the ramp 81 that is a one-way road. Whether or not it is a forward run is judged accurately. Thereby, it is possible to perform reverse running determination with high accuracy without using a large-scale system.

  When the reverse running determination unit 32 of the reverse running determination unit 30 determines that the vehicle 70 is in the reverse running state, the notification unit 50 is set so that the vehicle 70 does not enter the main highway 80 as described above. Use to notify with video and audio. If the driver does not stop the reverse running even if the notification is made, the vehicle control means 60 may further execute control to decelerate or stop the vehicle 70.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle 70 starts to reversely travel on the main highway 80 that is a one-way street. For example, even if a warning of reverse running is given by the notification means 50 of the vehicle driving support apparatus 100, the driver does not notice, the vehicle speed is high, the determination of the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 cannot catch up, or malfunction occurs for some reason. There is a state in which the vehicle 70 has made a reverse entry from the ramp 81 to the main highway 80 by mistake. In such a case, since the road guide sign 90 has already passed, the in-vehicle front camera 21 cannot capture the road guide sign 90. However, if the in-vehicle rear camera 22 is mounted, the vehicle 70 will travel. A backward image 210 on the opposite side can be acquired. In this case, the in-vehicle rear camera 22 captures an image 210 of display information on the front side of the road guide sign 90. Therefore, if it is determined that the vehicle 70 is traveling on the highway main line 80, which is a one-way street, and the front side image of the road guide sign 90 is recognized behind the vehicle, the vehicle It can be determined that the vehicle is running backward and a warning can be issued to the driver. In this way, by using the in-vehicle rear camera 22, even if the vehicle 70 has accidentally passed the road guide sign 90 on the highway main line 80, the reverse running warning can be issued again, and the multiple protection is achieved. Can have a special function.

  Next, an example in which the vehicle driving support device 100 according to this embodiment is applied to a vehicle 70 traveling on a general road will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the driver visually recognizes the one-way street 82 of the general road ahead of the intersection from the driver's seat. On general roads, in general, a one-way road is often indicated by a road guide sign 91 forbidden to enter. Even in such a case, the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can be applied.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the vehicle 70 has entered the one-way path 82 by mistakenly entering. In this case, the vehicle position acquisition means 10 determines that the vehicle is traveling in the one-way path 82 based on the GPS 13, the gyro sensor 14, the vehicle speed sensor 15, and the map information 16. 11 can be determined.

  And since the vehicle 70 has passed the road guide sign 91 forbidden to enter, the road guide sign 91 cannot be picked up by the vehicle-mounted front camera 21, but can be picked up by the vehicle-mounted rear camera 22. The image captured by the in-vehicle rear camera 22 is an image on the back side of the road guide sign 91 forbidden to enter as shown in an image 212. Therefore, it becomes a single color image 212 having a dark color such as black or gray, and can be recognized separately from a display image in which a white horizontal line is entered on the red side on the front side.

  As described above, according to the vehicle driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment, even when the vehicle is traveling on the one-way road 82 of the general road, the own-vehicle position acquisition means 10 causes the vehicle to be a one-way road in the general road. If it is determined that the vehicle is within 82 and the image captured and acquired by the in-vehicle rear camera 22 is recognized as being behind the road guide sign 91, it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling backward in the one-way street 82. .

  In addition, after the reverse running determination, the notification to the driver by the notification means 50 and the vehicle control by the vehicle control means 60 are the same as described so far.

  Next, referring to FIG. 7, the vehicle driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment when the vehicle 70 reversely enters the one-way street 82 of the general road, which is different from FIGS. 5 and 6. An application example will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the vehicle 70 has entered the one-way path 82 in a reverse direction, which is different from FIG. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the vehicle 70 is traveling backward on the one-way street 82 and a state in which the vehicle 70a is starting to reversely travel on the one-way passage 82.

  In FIG. 7A, the road guide sign 91 indicating prohibition of entry is not provided on the one-way street 82, and instead, a road marking 110 displayed as “stop” is printed on the road surface. Is different. Since the vehicle-mounted rear camera 22 is often used for a back guide, such display information regarding the road marking 110 can also be captured by the vehicle-mounted rear camera 22. As shown in FIG. 7 (a), in the one-way street 82 of a general road, a stop line or “stop” is often displayed on the road surface before entering the priority road. Based on this, it can be determined whether or not the vehicle 70 is traveling backward in the one-way path 82.

  In the case of FIG. 7A, if the vehicle 70 runs backward in the one-way path 82, the image captured by the in-vehicle rear camera 22 is in a direction in which the road sign 110 “stop” can be read normally. The displayed image 213 is acquired. When the vehicle passes along the one-way road 82, the image captured by the in-vehicle rear camera 22 is an image in which the characters “stop” are turned upside down. In this case, the road sign “stop” is displayed. The direction in which 100 can be read normally means a reverse running state.

  On the other hand, according to the in-vehicle front camera 21, an image that can be read as “stop” is picked up normally when the vehicle 70 a travels forward, and an image 214 in which the characters “stop” are turned upside down at the start of reverse run. become. For such an image, if an image at the time of reverse running is prepared as a reference image in advance, whether or not the vehicle is running backward is recognized by recognizing the coincidence / non-coincidence with the image. Can be determined.

  FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle 70 is traveling backward on the one-way 82 indicating the road sign “40” indicating the maximum speed of 40 km. Even in this case, if the road sign 111 displayed as “40” is an up and down direction in which the image 215 captured by the in-vehicle rear camera 22 can be normally read as “40”, the display direction during the forward run (upside down) "40"), the reverse direction is recognized by the reverse traveling determination means 30, and it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling backward in the one-way street 82. Further, according to the in-vehicle front camera 21, if an image with a reverse display of “40” is captured and acquired, it can be determined that the vehicle is in the reverse running state in this case.

  Thus, according to the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, whether or not the vehicle is traveling backward in the one-way street 82 also by the display information of the road markings 110 and 111 displayed on the road. When it is determined that the vehicle is in the reverse running state, the continuation of the reverse running state can be prevented by notifying the driver by the notification means 50 or by the vehicle control by the vehicle control means 60.

  Next, an example of map data stored in the map information 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of map data of the metropolitan expressways 83 and 84 stored in the map information 16. In FIG. 8, a description will be given by taking the capital highways 83 and 84 in the traveling direction from east to west as an example. On the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway (Shibuya Line) 83, an exit guide sign 93a and exit path 83a at the Shibuya entrance and exit, and an exit guide sign 93b and exit path 83b at the Takagicho entrance and exit are shown. In addition, on the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway (Shinjuku Line) 84, an exit guide sign 94c and an exit path 84c at the Shinjuku entrance and exit guide sign 94d and an exit path 84d at the Yoyogi entrance and exit are shown.

  As described above, for example, many highway entrances and exits are provided in relatively small areas on the Metropolitan Expressways 83 and 84. Information on the positions and display contents of these exit guide signs 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d The map information 16 may be stored and stored in advance as road guide sign data. For example, if the map information 16 stores and stores the position of the exit guide signs 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d in advance as road guide sign data, the vehicle 70 approaches the exit guide signs 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d. In addition, for example, from about 100 to 200 m ahead, preparations for image processing and reverse running determination processing can be made in advance, and the burden of arithmetic processing can be reduced.

  Referring to FIG. 8, taking Shibuya exit guide sign 93a as an example, Shibuya's one-way exit road 83a has parallel roads (Tamagawa Street) connected in parallel, and the direction of travel from west to east Metropolitan Expressway 83 runs in parallel. Furthermore, the capital expressway 83r in the opposite lane from west to east also runs in parallel. Therefore, when the vehicle 70 is traveling on the capital highways 83, 83r or the one-way exit path 83a which is a one-way street near the Shibuya entrance, which one-way the vehicle position acquisition means 10 is traveling on. It is difficult to judge accurately. Therefore, in order for the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to this embodiment to perform the reverse running determination in this state, whether or not the image captured by the in-vehicle front camera 21 or the in-vehicle rear camera 22 includes the guidance sign 93a. It is necessary to perform image recognition calculation while always determining whether the image is a front side image or a back side image. If such reverse running determination calculation is always continued with high accuracy, the calculation burden on the navigation ECU 40 may be large.

  Therefore, in such a case, if the map information 16 stores the position of the exit guide sign 93a in Shibuya in advance, it is possible to improve the calculation accuracy of image recognition according to the position of the exit guide sign 93a. Image recognition determination can be accurately performed with a smaller calculation processing load. That is, if the accuracy of image recognition is increased near the position of the exit guide sign 93a and the image captured by the in-vehicle front camera 21 is recognized as being behind the guide sign 93a, it is determined that the host vehicle is in a reverse running state. be able to. On the other hand, if the captured image of the in-vehicle front camera 21 does not include the guidance sign 93a, it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling normally on the Metropolitan Expressway 83r, which is a one-way road from west to east. If it is recognized that the vehicle is on the front side, it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling forward on the Metropolitan Expressway 83, which is a one-way street from the east to the west of the Metropolitan Expressway main line.

  The same applies to the other exit guide signs 93b, 94c, and 94d. By storing these positions in the map information 16 in advance, the reverse driving determination of the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is performed. The burden on the means 30 can be reduced. In addition, although the exit path 84c of Shinjuku entrance is provided in the right lane, if the exit guide sign 94c is provided in the traveling direction of the exit path 84c and can be imaged by the in-vehicle front camera 21, the guide sign 94c is provided. Applicable to both the right lane and the left lane.

  Further, the information on the exit guide signs 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d may include not only the position of the exit guide signs but also information on the display contents of the exit guide signs 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d. At this time, the storage accuracy of the display content information may be stored at various appropriate levels. For example, the storage accuracy may be set low in a place where the line of sight is good and the illumination is bright even at night, and the storage precision may be set high for information on a place where the line of sight is poor. In the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, it is only necessary to distinguish the front side and the back side of the exit guide signs 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d, and accordingly, the image recognition coincidence level is appropriately set according to the environment and conditions. Is possible.

  As described above, by storing the information of the road guide signs 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d of the metropolitan expressways 83 and 84 in the map information 16, the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can be more efficiently performed. Can be applied to the vehicle 70. In FIG. 8, the explanation has been made by taking the capital expressways 83 and 84 as an example, but it is needless to say that the present invention is applicable to any other expressway such as the Tomei Expressway.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of general road map data stored in the map information 16. In FIG. 9, a road guide sign 91 prohibiting entry is provided at the end of a one-way 82 of a plurality of general roads. As described above, even on the one-way road 82 of the general road, by storing and storing the data of the position and / or display contents of the road guide sign prohibited from entering, the burden of the image processing calculation for the reverse running determination is reduced. Can be reduced. Similarly, the display contents data may be stored and stored for the road markings 110 and 111.

  In addition, the reverse running determination of the one-way street 82 provided with the road guide sign 91 forbidden to enter the general road is based on the image taken by the in-vehicle rear camera 22 and the reverse run is performed when the road guide sign 91 is face down. Is determined in the same manner as described with reference to FIGS. Further, it is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 7 that the road markings 110 and 111 are determined to run backward when the road markings 110 and 111 are in the reverse direction.

  Next, a processing flow in a case where the map information 16 of the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment stores road guide sign data indicating one-way traffic will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

  FIG. 10 is an overall flowchart of the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. In addition, about the component similar to demonstrated until now, the same referential mark is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In step 100, the own vehicle position of the vehicle 70 is estimated and acquired by the own vehicle position acquisition means 10. Specifically, the latitude and longitude of the vehicle is detected by the GPS 13 of the vehicle absolute position detection means 12, the travel locus of the vehicle 70 is detected by the gyro sensor 14 and the vehicle speed sensor 15, and the map information is detected by the vehicle position estimation unit 11. 16 and map matching may be performed to obtain the vehicle position on the map.

  In step 110, map data within a certain distance ahead of the host vehicle is read. This is a step for performing pre-reading of map data when the map information 16 stores road guide sign data, reducing the processing load of image processing, and performing image recognition efficiently and accurately. .

  In step 120, it is determined whether the reverse running determination flag is ON. The reverse running determination flag is a control flag for indicating whether or not the reverse running determination has already been performed. If the reverse running determination flag is ON, it indicates that the reverse running determination has already been performed. move on. On the other hand, if the reverse running determination has not been made yet, the reverse running determination flag is OFF, and the routine proceeds to step 130.

  In step 130, the road information sign data indicating the one-way street stored in the map information 16 is searched. Specifically, a search is performed to determine whether or not road guidance signs 90, 91, 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d indicating one-way traffic are included in the range in which the map data is pre-read in step 110.

  In step 140, it is determined whether or not road search sign data indicating one-way traffic is included as a result of the search performed in step 130. If the map data includes road guide sign data indicating one-way traffic, the process proceeds to step 150. If not included, the process returns to step 100 and the same processing flow is repeated.

  In step 150, reverse running determination flow processing is performed. Details of step 150 are shown in FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a reverse running determination flowchart showing the specific contents of the processing performed in step 150 of FIG.

  In FIG. 11, in step 151, road guide sign data is acquired. If the acquired road information sign data is only position information, it may be temporarily stored in the own vehicle position estimation unit 11 of the own vehicle position acquisition unit 10, or the road information signs 90, 91, 93a, 93b, When data acquisition including the display contents such as the characters 94c and 94d and arrows is performed, for example, the display contents are picked up as a reference image to the reverse determination unit 32 or the image processing unit 31 of the reverse determination unit 30. Preparations for image comparison may be made. If the road guide sign data is based only on the position information, a road guide sign indicating general one-way traffic that can be distinguished from the back side of the road guide signs 90, 91, 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d. An image may be prepared as a reference image.

  In step 152, the image of the road guide signs 90, 91, 93 a, 93 b, 94 c, 94 d captured by the in-vehicle front camera 21 or the in-vehicle rear camera 22 of the imaging unit 20 is sent to the image processing unit 31 of the reverse running determination unit 30. Then, image processing is performed, and comparison preparation with the reference image prepared in the reverse running determination unit 32 or the image processing unit 31 is made in step 151.

  In step 153, the reverse running determination means 30 uses the road guidance sign data as a reference image and the image processing data of the actual road guidance signs 90, 91, 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d acquired by the imaging means 20. Image recognition is performed by comparing the two. Image recognition may be determined by, for example, taking a difference between a reference image and an actual acquired image and determining whether the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, the threshold setting distinguishes whether the acquired image is the front side or the back side. It is necessary to set as much as possible. Image recognition conditions may be set appropriately according to the application and environment. As a result of the image recognition, if the road guide sign data and the actual road guide sign image do not match, it is determined that the vehicle is running backward, and the process proceeds to step 154. It is determined that there is, and the process proceeds to step 155.

  In step 154, since it has been found in step 153 that the vehicle is in the reverse running state, the reverse running flag is turned on and the reverse running determination flow is terminated.

  On the other hand, in step 155, since it has been confirmed in step 153 that the vehicle 70 is not traveling backward but is traveling forward, the reverse traveling determination flag is turned off and the reverse traveling determination flow is terminated.

  Thus, in the reverse running determination flow, the reverse running determination means 30 compares the prepared reference image with the images of the actual road guide signs 90, 91, 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d acquired by the imaging means 20. By doing so, reverse running determination may be performed.

  Next, returning to FIG. 10, the overall flow after reverse running determination will be described.

  First, when the reverse running flag is turned ON in step 154 of FIG. 11, the process returns to step 100 of FIG. 10 to estimate and acquire the own vehicle position.

  In step 110, the map data within a certain distance ahead of the vehicle is read as described above, and the process proceeds to step 120.

  In step 120, it is determined whether or not the reverse running determination flag is ON. However, since the reverse running determination flag is ON in step 154 of FIG.

  In step 160, it is determined whether reverse running has been stopped. Even if the reverse running flag is turned ON in step 154 of FIG. 11, the driver himself / herself immediately notices the reverse running, and the reverse running may be stopped by stopping the vehicle, performing the reverse running, or performing the U-turn. The driver's response is confirmed in.

  The vehicle stop may be determined, for example, as to whether or not the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 15 has stopped, and the reverse travel is performed, for example, whether or not the gear of the vehicle 70 has entered reverse, or the vehicle speed sensor 15 A sensor that can also detect the direction may be applied to make a determination based on these. In addition, the implementation of the U-turn may be determined by detecting the presence or state of the vehicle turning by the gyro sensor 14, for example. These determination calculations may be performed by the reverse running determination unit 32 of the reverse running determination unit 30 or may be performed by another calculation unit in the navigation ECU 40.

  If it is determined in step 160 that the reverse running has not been stopped, the process proceeds to step 170. If it is determined that the reverse running has been stopped, the process proceeds to step 210.

  In step 170, since it is determined in step 160 that the vehicle 70 is in the reverse running state and the driver has not stopped the reverse running, it is necessary to issue a warning to the driver. Therefore, in step 170, a warning display by the monitor 51 of the notification means 50 and a sound output by the speaker 52 are instructed, and these are output. As a result, the driver can be informed that the vehicle is running in reverse.

In step 180, counting up of the reverse running determination flag ON timer T ₀ (not shown) turned on in step 154 of FIG. 11 is started. Thereby, the ON time of the reverse running determination flag is measured.

In step 190, ON time counted way traveling determination flag by reverse-way traveling determination flag ON timer T ₀ is, whether exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The fact that the reverse run determination flag is ON for a long time means that the driver has not noticed the reverse run notification made in step 170 and has continued for a long time without stopping the reverse run. If the state continues, a collision or the like may occur, which is extremely dangerous. Therefore, in order to determine whether the vehicle 70 is in such a state, in this step, it is determined the count value of the reverse run determination flag ON timer T ₀ is whether exceeds a predetermined threshold. If the count time by the reverse running determination flag ON timer T ₀ does not exceed the predetermined threshold value, it is not in the reverse running continuation state, so the process returns to step 100 and the entire processing flow is repeated. On the other hand, when the count time of the reverse running determination flag ON timer T ₀ exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the routine proceeds to step 200.

In step 200, the count time of the reverse-way traveling determination flag ON timer T ₀ exceeds a predetermined threshold value at step 190, the reverse running state is a hazardous condition is continued, it issued automatic deceleration command request signal, the vehicle The electronic throttle 61 and / or the brake actuator 62 of the control means 60 are operated to control the vehicle 70 to be decelerated or stopped. These control signal outputs may be performed by the reverse running determination unit 32 of the reverse running determination unit 30 or may be performed by another calculation unit in the navigation ECU 40.

  Next, after the execution of step 200, the process returns to step 100, and the vehicle position estimation acquisition and the map data reading within a certain distance ahead of the vehicle in step 110 are repeated. Since the state remains ON, the process proceeds to step 160 via step 120.

  In step 160, as described above, it is determined whether or not the reverse running is stopped. After the automatic deceleration is executed in step 200, it is confirmed whether or not the vehicle 70 has performed the vehicle stop, reverse running or U-turn execution. Is done. If reverse running has been canceled, the process proceeds to step 210, and if not, the process proceeds to step 170 again to continue warning and automatic deceleration.

  In step 210, the reverse running determination flag is turned OFF. In step 160, it is confirmed that reverse running is stopped and the vehicle 70 is not in the reverse running state, so the reverse running determination flag is turned OFF.

  In step 220, upon receiving the reverse running determination flag OFF in step 210, the warning display and voice output request by the notification means 50 are turned off, and the reverse running notification to the driver is stopped.

Any step 230, as in step 220, receives the reverse run determination flag OFF in step 210, resets the reverse run determination flag ON timer _{T 0.}

  Also in step 240, as in steps 220 and 230, the automatic deceleration command output request signal is turned OFF in response to the reverse running determination flag OFF in step 210. After step 240 is completed, the process returns to step 100 of the overall flow and the same overall flow is repeated to prepare for the approach of the next road information sign.

  When the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes only the notification unit 50 and does not include the vehicle control unit 60, Steps 180 to 200 and Steps 230 to 240 are unnecessary processing steps. In that case, step 180 to step 200 and step 230 to step 240 may be deleted.

  Next, a processing flow of the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment when the map information 16 does not store road guidance sign data will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an overall flowchart when the map information 16 does not store road guide sign data. In FIG. 12, the same process numbers as in FIG. 10 are used for the same process flow as in FIG.

  12 is different from the overall flowchart of FIG. 10 only in that step 110, step 130, and step 140 are deleted, and the other steps are the same, so that the processing flow includes different steps. Only will be described.

  In step 100, the own vehicle position of the vehicle 70 is estimated and acquired by the own vehicle position acquisition means 10.

  In step 120, it is determined whether the reverse running determination flag is ON. If the reverse running determination flag is ON, the process proceeds to step 160, and the subsequent processing is the same as the processing flow in FIG. On the other hand, if the reverse running determination flag is OFF, the process proceeds to step 150.

  In step 150, reverse running determination flow processing is performed. The specific contents of the reverse running determination flow process are shown in FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a reverse running determination flowchart that has already been described. Since the large flow of the reverse running determination flow itself is the same as the contents already described, only the portions with slight differences in the detailed contents will be described.

  In step 151, road information sign data is acquired.

  When the map information 16 described in FIG. 10 stores road guidance sign data, the specific road guidance signs 90, 91, 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d are acquired in the road guidance sign data acquisition in step 151. The display content data was acquired as a reference image.

  However, in the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to FIG. 12, the specific display contents of the road information signs 90, 91, 93a, 93b, 94c, and 94d are not stored in the map information 16, and therefore, a typical one-way street. Is prepared as a reference image. At that time, when the estimated acquisition of the vehicle position by the vehicle position acquisition means 10 can be acquired by distinguishing the one-way road such as the ramp 81 of the highway and the entry prohibition of the general road, the reference images of both are prepared separately. You can do it. For example, in the case of an expressway, road guide sign image data consisting of green and white letters, arrows, etc. is prepared as a reference image for the in-vehicle front camera 21, and in the case of a general road, it consists of a white horizontal line on a red background. You may make it prepare the image data of entry prohibition as a reference image for the vehicle-mounted rear cameras 22.

  Or, there is only one type of white bar on the red background, and it is considered that the burden of image recognition is small even if all are prepared as reference images. All reference images may be prepared in advance in the unit 32 or the image processing unit 31. In this case, the guide sign data acquisition step of step 151 is not necessary, and immediately after the image processing result acquisition of step 152, the image recognition determination process by image comparison with the already prepared reference image of step 153 is performed. Will do. If the calculation processing load for image recognition is not heavy, the configuration and processing flow of the vehicle driving support device 100 may be performed in this way. Thereby, the effect that the driving assistance device 100 for vehicles which concerns on a present Example can be comprised simply is acquired.

  The processing contents after step 153 are the same as the processing flow so far, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The processing flow described in FIGS. 10 to 12 is applicable not only when the road display information is road information signs but also when the road signs 110 and 111 are used. In this case, the reverse running determination may be performed based on whether or not the road markings 110 and 111 are in the reverse direction to the forward running display, as described with reference to FIG. As described above, according to the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, by recognizing whether the display information on the road is the normal direction or the reverse direction, it is simple and accurate in combination with the GPS 13 or the like. It is possible to perform reverse running determination and assist the driver in preventing reverse running.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

It is a functional block diagram of the driving assistance device for vehicles 100 concerning this example. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle-mounted front camera 21. FIG. It is the figure which showed the example of application of the driving assistance device 100 for vehicles based on a present Example in case the vehicle 70 is carrying out reverse running on the ramp 81 which connects the highway main line 80 and a general road. It is the figure which showed the state in which the vehicle 70 is starting to reverse drive on the highway main line 80 accidentally. It is the state figure which the driver | operator visually recognized the one-way street 82 of the general road ahead of an intersection. It is the figure which showed the state which the vehicle 70 carried out reversely and entered into the one-way street 82 accidentally. It is the figure which showed the state which the vehicle 70 of the aspect different from FIG. FIG. 7A is a diagram in which the vehicle driving support apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is applied to a one-way street 82 having a road marking 110. FIG. 7B is a diagram in which the vehicle driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment is applied to a one-way street 82 having a road sign 111. It is the figure which showed the map data of the capital highways 83 and 84 which the map information 16 stores. It is the figure which showed the example of the map data of the general road stored in the map information. It is an example of the whole flowchart of the driving assistance device 100 for vehicles which concerns on a present Example. It is a reverse running determination flowchart performed at step 150 of FIG. It is a whole flowchart when map information 16 does not store guidance sign data.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Own vehicle position acquisition means 11 Own vehicle position estimation part 12 Vehicle absolute position detection means 13 GPS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Gyro sensor 15 Vehicle speed sensor 16 Map information 20 Imaging means 21 Car-mounted front camera 22 Car-mounted rear camera 30 Reverse running determination means 31 Image processing part 32 Reverse running determination part 40 Navigation ECU
50 Notification means 51 Monitor 52 Speaker 60 Vehicle control means 61 Electronic throttle 62 Brake actuator 70, 70a, 71 Vehicle 80, 81, 82, 83, 83a, 83b, 84, 84c, 84d One-way path 90, 91, 93a, 93b , 94c, 94d Road guide signs 100 Vehicle driving support devices 110, 111 Road markings 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215

Claims (6)

Own vehicle position acquisition means for acquiring the own vehicle position on the map of the running vehicle having map information;
Imaging means for imaging display information on the road in the traveling direction or in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle;
When the host vehicle position acquired by the host vehicle position acquisition unit is within a one-way street, the vehicle runs backward on the one-way street based on the direction of the display information imaged by the imaging unit. Reverse running determination means for determining whether or not
Notification means for notifying that the vehicle is in a reverse running state when the reverse running determination means determines that the vehicle is in a reverse running state;
A vehicle driving support device comprising: The display information is information displayed on a road guide sign,
2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the reverse running determination unit determines that the vehicle is running backward in the one-way road when the road guide sign is recognized as facing backward. Driving support device. The display information is information of road markings displayed on the road surface,
The reverse running determination means determines that the vehicle is running backward in the one-way road when the display of the road marking is recognized as being reverse to the forward running direction. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1.   The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the map information includes information on the road guide sign.   The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the map information includes information on the road marking.   6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle control unit configured to control traveling of the vehicle when the reverse running determination unit determines that the vehicle is in a reverse running state. The vehicle driving support device according to claim.

Images