JP4852941B2 - Car alarm system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle alarm device, and more particularly, to an in-vehicle alarm device that detects a gaze direction of a vehicle driver based on a captured image such as a camera and performs alarm control for the driver according to the detection result.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a device that issues a collision warning to a vehicle driver when the possibility of collision of the host vehicle with an obstacle ahead of the vehicle reaches a predetermined level (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, it is detected whether or not the driver is looking aside using an image taken by a camera provided in the passenger compartment. Then, when the driver's aside is detected, the predetermined level relating to the possibility of collision with a front obstacle for giving a warning to the vehicle driver by speaker output or display display is changed to be small. For this reason, according to the above-mentioned conventional device, when the vehicle driver looks aside, the above-mentioned collision warning can be output early, and as a result, safety during vehicle travel can be improved. It becomes.
JP 2004-145725 A

  By the way, as in the conventional device described above, when detecting a driver's side look using a captured image of the camera, the driver looks at the display on the inner mirror, the outer mirror, the interior of the vehicle, or confirms safety outside the vehicle. The inattention of the front during running forward due to, for example, what is done is the object of the side-by-side detection. On the other hand, it is not inadvertent to look forward to seeing where the vehicle has entered when turning left or right, looking behind the vehicle when going backwards, or looking ahead of the road where the vehicle is expected to run when driving on a curved road. Should not be a target for aside detection. Further, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the camera provided for detecting the driver's side-view is provided on the column cover that does not rotate even when the steering wheel is rotated, so that the steering angle is smaller than the neutral position. If it is large to some extent, there may be a situation in which the driver's face is hardly reflected in the camera image, and it is not appropriate to detect the driver's aside based on the camera image.

  However, in the above-described conventional device, all the states in which the driver's line of sight is deviated from the front direction are the targets of the side-by-side detection, so it is determined that the side-by-side has occurred even though the driver's carelessness has not occurred. In this regard, there is a risk that it may be impossible to appropriately execute the alarm control according to the presence or absence of the driver's aside.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and by accurately detecting a driver's careless looking aside, it is possible to perform an appropriate alarm in accordance with the driver's looking aside. An object is to provide an in-vehicle alarm device.

The above objects, and the line-of-sight direction detecting means for detecting a gaze direction of the car both driver when the gaze direction detected by the visual line detection means is in the front direction is possibility of collision with the front obstacle predetermined On the other hand, when the line-of-sight direction is not in the front direction after reaching the level, a first warning is given to the vehicle driver before the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level. According to the duration of the state in which the line-of-sight direction detected by the alarm unit and the line-of-sight direction detection unit is not in the front direction, the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level by the first alarm unit. Timing change means for changing the timing at which the first warning is started in advance, and an on-vehicle warning device that performs warning control according to the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means. An environmental situation that determines whether or not a sideward detection based on carelessness of the vehicle driver based on the detection result of the gaze direction detection means can be appropriately performed based on whether or not it is a position When the discrimination means and the shift position of the vehicle are forward positions, it is determined that the detection of the side look can be properly performed. On the other hand, if the shift position of the vehicle is not the forward movement position, and it is determined that the detection of the side look is not properly performed, the alarm control is performed on the detection result of the gaze direction detection means. In the situation where the detection result of the gaze direction detection means is invalidated by the valid / invalid control means when performing the alarm control, the valid / invalid control means for invalidating the above, It is achieved by vehicle alarm system for prohibiting the change of the timing.

In this aspect of the invention, when the shift position of the vehicle is the forward movement position and the driver's side look can be properly detected, the result of the gaze direction detection is valid, by shifting the position of non-forward position, the detection properly performed may have field if such a situation the inattention of the driver, the result of the line-of-sight direction detection is disabled. For this reason, it is possible to perform appropriately the alarm control performed according to the result of the gaze direction detection.

Further, the above object is achieved, and the line-of-sight direction detecting means for detecting a gaze direction of the car both driver collision possibility with the front obstacle when the gaze direction detected by the visual line detection means are in the front direction On the other hand, when the line-of-sight direction is not in the front direction, the first warning is issued to the vehicle driver before the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level. And a predetermined level of the possibility of collision with a front obstacle by the first warning means according to the duration of the state where the line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight detection means is not in the front direction. An on-vehicle alarm device that performs alarm control according to the detection result of the eye gaze direction detecting means, and changes the timing at which the first alarm is started before reaching Based on whether or not the lane lane that is expected to travel or is a straight road, the detection of a side look based on the carelessness of the vehicle driver based on the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means can be appropriately performed. An environmental status determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in a situation, and the gaze direction detection when it is determined that the lane lane is in a straight path so that the detection of the aside can be appropriately performed. When the detection result of the means is effective in performing alarm control, and the lane lane is a curved road, it is determined that the side-by-side detection cannot be properly performed, and thus the gaze direction Valid / invalid control means for invalidating the detection result of the detection means for performing alarm control, and the timing changing means is configured to perform alarm control on the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means by the valid / invalid control means. In situations where is invalidated in performing it is accomplished by vehicle alarm system for prohibiting the change of the timing.

In the invention of this aspect, when the lane lane of the vehicle is a straight path, the result of the detection of the gaze direction is valid when the driver's side look can be properly detected. If the lane lane is a curved road, the result of the gaze direction detection is invalidated when the driver's side-by-side detection is not properly performed. For this reason, it is possible to perform appropriately the alarm control performed according to the result of the gaze direction detection .

  In addition, when the vehicle turn signal switch is on, when the vehicle shift position is not the forward position, and when the lane lane on which the vehicle travels is a curved road, the driver generally faces in the direction in which the vehicle travels. In many cases, the driver is turning his or her line of sight in a direction other than the front direction, so that carelessness in the front does not occur.

Therefore, according to the above-described aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide an appropriate warning in accordance with the driver's looking aside .

In the on-vehicle alarm device described above, the valid / invalid control means may validate or invalidate an output of a sensor provided for performing detection by the visual line direction detection means.

In addition, when the line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight direction detection means is in the front direction, the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches a predetermined level, and on the other hand, when the line-of-sight direction is not in the front direction, Before the possibility of collision with an obstacle reaches the predetermined level, first warning means for giving a first warning to a vehicle driver, and the line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight direction detection means is the front direction. A timing changing means for changing a timing at which the first alarm is started before the possibility of a collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level by the first alarm means, wherein the timing changing means, the valid / in situations where the detection result of the gaze direction detection means is disabled upon performing alarm control by disabling the control means prohibits changing of the timing If this is the case, the above-mentioned timing will not be changed accidentally when there is no situation in which the side-by-side detection can be performed properly, thereby enabling the first alarm to be started at an appropriate timing. It is.

In this case, the line of sight detected by the line-of-sight direction detecting unit after the first alarm is started before the first alarm unit has reached the predetermined level of the possibility of collision with a front obstacle. A second warning means for giving a second warning different from the first warning to the vehicle driver when the duration of the state where the direction is not in the front direction is a predetermined time or more; The warning means prohibits the second warning for the vehicle driver in a situation where the valid / invalid control means invalidates the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means. In this case, the second alarm is not erroneously performed when there is no situation in which the look-ahead detection can be appropriately performed, and thus the second alarm can be appropriately performed.

Incidentally, the vehicle alarm system described above, the after detection result of the gaze direction detecting means is invalidated in performing an alarm controlled by enable / disable control means, the inattentiveness detection of adequately by the environmental condition determination means When it is determined that the situation has been changed, the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection unit may be validated for performing alarm control .

  In these inventions, the “front direction” is a direction when the driver generally turns his / her line of sight substantially in the vehicle traveling direction during straight running.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the appropriate warning according to the driver's looking aside state can be performed by correctly detecting the driver's careless looking aside.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle alarm device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of cameras provided for photographing the face of the vehicle driver provided in the in-vehicle alarm device 10 of the present embodiment. The in-vehicle alarm device 10 of the present embodiment predicts a collision between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, an obstacle such as a stationary object existing in front of the own vehicle, and the possibility of the collision becomes relatively high. It is a pre-crash safety (PCS) system that sometimes warns a vehicle driver for collision avoidance or collision mitigation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle alarm device 10 includes an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as PCS-ECU) 12 mainly composed of a computer. The PCS-ECU 12 is connected to an obstacle sensor 14 disposed on a bumper, a front grill or the like at the front end of the vehicle body. The obstacle sensor 14 is composed of, for example, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a camera, or the like, and sends a signal corresponding to an obstacle existing in front of the own vehicle (particularly on the course of the own vehicle) to the PCS-ECU 12. Output. The PCS-ECU 12 detects the presence or absence of a front obstacle based on the output signal of the obstacle sensor 14, detects the distance between the host vehicle and the front obstacle when there is a front obstacle, and Based on the detected distance and the own vehicle speed detected using a vehicle speed sensor or the like, the relative speed between the two is detected.

  The in-vehicle alarm device 10 also includes a camera ECU 16 mainly composed of a computer connected to the PCS-ECU 12 through serial communication. A face image photographing camera 18 provided for photographing the face of the vehicle driver is connected to the camera ECU 16. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the face image capturing camera 18 is disposed on the upper surface of a steering column cover 22 that is a non-rotating member that covers a shaft portion of a steering wheel 20 that is rotated left and right by a driver during steering. The face image capturing camera 18 passes through an opening that is open on the surface of the steering wheel 20 so that the driver can grasp the steering wheel 20 with his hand and visually recognize the combination meter 24. It is directed in the direction in which the person's head is present, and the face of the vehicle driver is photographed almost from the front. For night photography, a lamp that projects infrared rays toward the face of the vehicle driver may be provided.

  The video signal of the face image photographing camera 18 is supplied to the camera ECU 16. The camera ECU 16 performs binarization processing and feature point extraction processing based on the video signal supplied from the face image capturing camera 18 to extract an image showing the driver's face, and the driver from the extracted image. The face width and face center line of the face are detected, the left-right spacing ratio of the face shown in the image is calculated from these parameters, and the direction in which the driver's face faces, that is, the angle from the front (hereinafter, driving) is calculated from the left-right spacing ratio. When the person looks straight ahead in the vehicle traveling direction along the traveling lane during straight running, the angle is set to 0 °. Information about the face direction angle of the vehicle driver detected by the camera ECU 16 is supplied to the PCS-ECU 12. Based on the information supplied from the camera ECU 16, the PCS-ECU 12 grasps the face orientation angle θ as the direction in which the vehicle driver turns his line of sight.

  An alarm display 26, an alarm buzzer 28, and a brake device 30 are connected to the PCS-ECU 12. The alarm display 26 is, for example, a meter unit provided on an instrument panel in the vehicle interior, and alerts the vehicle driver by displaying an alarm in accordance with a drive command from the PCS-ECU 12 as will be described later. The alarm buzzer 28 is a buzzer alarm provided in the passenger compartment, and alerts the vehicle driver by sounding a buzzer according to a drive command from the PCS-ECU 12 as will be described later. Furthermore, the brake device 30 has a hydraulic or electric brake actuator that brakes the wheels of the vehicle, and when the driver performs a brake operation or when an instruction from the PCS-ECU 12 is given, The brake actuator is driven to brake the wheel.

  A steering angle sensor 32 and a turn signal switch 34 are also connected to the PCS-ECU 12. The steering angle sensor 32 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the steering wheel 20 (hereinafter referred to as the steering angle) that the driver rotates to the left and right during steering. Further, the turn signal switch 34 is a switch that is turned on when the driver turns on when turning right or left, or when changing the driving lane, and is normally kept off. When the turn signal switch 34 is turned on, turn signals provided at the front, side, rear, etc. of the vehicle body flash. The PCS-ECU 12 detects the steering angle δ with respect to the neutral position (the steering angle “0”) based on the output signal of the steering angle sensor 32 and detects the state based on the signal supplied from the turn signal switch 34. To do.

  A shift position sensor 36 and a white line recognition ECU 38 are further connected to the PCS-ECU 12. The shift position sensor 36 outputs a signal corresponding to the shift position of the vehicle transmission that can be operated by the vehicle driver. Further, the white line recognition ECU 38 performs a travel drawn on the road by performing a binarization process and a feature point extraction process on a captured image of a camera that captures the road ahead of the vehicle disposed in the front of the vehicle body. This device recognizes white lines and yellow lines that delimit lanes, and detects and outputs the curvature of the driving lane and the deflected yaw angle with respect to the host vehicle. The white line recognition ECU 38 recognizes a white line or the like that is expected to exist ahead of the current position of the vehicle from the relationship between the absolute position of the vehicle on the road map detected using the navigation device and the traveling direction. It is good. The PCS-ECU 12 detects the shift position based on the output signal of the shift position sensor 36, and detects the curvature or yaw angle of the traveling lane of the road on which the host vehicle travels based on the information supplied from the white line recognition ECU 38. .

  Next, operation | movement of the vehicle-mounted alarm device 10 of a present Example is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle-mounted alarm device 10 according to the present embodiment.

  In this embodiment, when the PCS-ECU 12 detects the presence of a forward obstacle based on the output of the obstacle sensor 14, the distance and relative speed with respect to the forward obstacle and the course of the host vehicle are thereafter determined at regular intervals. Based on the position of the front obstacle with respect to the route and the like, the possibility that the own vehicle will collide with the front obstacle at the present time (collision possibility) is calculated. The shorter the time until the host vehicle collides with the obstacle ahead, the higher the possibility of collision. Therefore, the possibility of collision calculated by the PCS-ECU 12 depends on the distance between the host vehicle and the obstacle ahead and the relative speed between them. The value corresponding to the time obtained by dividing by (collision prediction time) may be used. In this case, the shorter the collision prediction time, the larger the value.

  In general, the vehicle driver makes a predetermined time (for example, 1.8 seconds or 2 seconds) before colliding with a forward obstacle (for example, a stopped vehicle) ahead on the same lane as the host vehicle. In many cases, actions such as a steering operation and a brake operation for avoiding a collision are started by about 30 meters before the speed of 60 km / h. Therefore, it is effective to avoid the collision and reduce the damage by giving a warning and warning to the vehicle driver at an early timing before the collision, but the vehicle driver can take the collision avoiding action described above. Assuming that the driver is warned within a predetermined time, a warning may occur even when the driver is planning to take a collision avoidance action in the near future. It can be annoying and uncomfortable. Therefore, the PCS-ECU 12 determines the possibility of collision that can effectively take collision avoidance action while suppressing the driver from feeling uncomfortable, that is, the time until the collision (for example, 1.8 seconds or 2 seconds). The reference threshold level (reference time t1 until the collision) for starting the alarm is stored in the storage device in advance.

  In addition, when a vehicle collides with the front, the driver looks at the inner mirror, the outer mirror on the driver's seat or on the passenger's seat, the display on the passenger compartment, or the outside of the vehicle for safety confirmation on the left and right sides of the vehicle. Often caused by carelessness due to looking aside. Therefore, in order to avoid collision and reduce damage to the vehicle, when the driver's attention to the front of the vehicle is reduced before the collision, the above warning is given to the vehicle driver at an earlier timing than usual. It is appropriate to do.

  Here, the driver's side look as described above is performed with a certain degree of gaze from the front. Therefore, the PCS-ECU 12 stores in advance in the storage device a threshold value θ0 (for example, ± 15 °) of the face angle for determining whether or not the driver is looking aside to remove the line of sight from the front direction. is doing. The PCS-ECU 12 compares the face orientation angle θ with the threshold value θ0 stored in the storage device every time information on the driver's face orientation angle θ is supplied from the camera ECU 16.

  As a result of the comparison, the PCS-ECU 12 determines that the driver's line of sight is almost in front when the face angle θ is within the threshold value θ0. When the possibility of collision with a front obstacle is calculated, the possibility of collision is compared with a reference threshold level stored in the storage device. Note that the reason why the driver's line of sight is almost in front is that the face orientation angle θ is the threshold value after the duration of the state in which the face orientation angle θ is within the threshold value θ0 reaches a predetermined time. The duration of the state outside the value θ0 may be until a predetermined time is reached, and when such a determination is made, the calculated collision probability is compared with the reference threshold level.

  From the comparison result, when the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level, that is, when the predicted collision time becomes less than or equal to the reference time t1, an alarm is displayed so that an alarm is issued from that time until the collision. A drive command is issued to the display 26 and the alarm buzzer 28. In this case, in order to prompt the driver to avoid or mitigate the collision between the host vehicle and the front obstacle, the alarm display 26 displays an alarm and the alarm buzzer 28 sounds a buzzer (FIG. 3 ( A)).

  Further, as a result of the comparison, the PCS-ECU 12 determines that the driver's line of sight is not facing the front in a situation where the face orientation angle θ is outside the threshold value θ0, and first alerts the driver. When the threshold time tt that should be expected to collide with the obstacle ahead is longer than the reference time t1 (by making it earlier with respect to the time of the collision), the possibility of collision can be increased. The threshold level to be reached is reduced from the reference threshold level. It is determined that the driver's line of sight is not facing the front direction after the duration of the state in which the face angle θ is outside the threshold value θ0 reaches a predetermined time (eg, 0.3 seconds) The duration of the state in which the face angle θ is within the threshold value θ0 may be until the predetermined time is reached.

  In order to reduce the threshold level in this way, the PCS-ECU 12 first determines that the driver's face orientation angle θ based on the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18 is the threshold θ0 When it is determined that the driver's line of sight is not facing the front due to being outside, the continuation time during which the state continues thereafter is counted. Then, according to the counted duration of the side look, the threshold level from which the possibility of collision with the front obstacle should be reached in order to start warning to the driver from the above-mentioned reference threshold level is reached. The amount of decrease is changed, that is, when the warning to the driver is started, the advance time from the reference time t1 of the threshold time tt that should reach the predicted collision time with the front obstacle is changed.

  Specifically, the PCS-ECU 12 stores in advance in the storage device a map that represents the relationship between the look-ahead duration and the threshold time tt as shown in FIG. In this map, the relationship between the two is a downward convex curve, and the threshold time tt is substantially the reference time t1 when the look-ahead duration is shorter than a predetermined time s1 (for example, 0.5 seconds). (= The preceding time is zero), but when the armpit continuation time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time s1, the threshold time tt becomes longer than the reference time t1 as the continuation time is longer (the time of collision is The threshold time tt is greater than the reference time t1 when the look-ahead duration is equal to or longer than a predetermined time s2 (for example, 1 second) longer than the predetermined time s1. Is set to be a long predetermined time t2 (for example, 3 seconds or 3.5 seconds until the collision) (= maximum advance time). This map may be a map in which the relationship between the two is linear or stepped.

  Therefore, the PCS-ECU 12 refers to a map showing the relationship between the aside look duration and the threshold time tt as shown in FIG. The advance time of the threshold time tt is set, and thereafter, every time the look-ahead duration is updated, the threshold level decrease amount corresponding to the look-ahead duration, that is, the advance time of the threshold time tt is set. Set.

  When the PCS-ECU 12 calculates the possibility of collision between the host vehicle and the front obstacle at each time point in a situation where the driver's line of sight is determined not to face the front, the calculated collision is performed. The possibility is compared with the threshold level reduced by an amount corresponding to the aside duration as described above. Specifically, the calculated collision prediction time is the reference only for the time corresponding to the aside duration as described above. It is determined whether or not the time is equal to or less than a threshold time tt that is advanced from time t1.

  From the comparison result, when the predicted collision time is longer than the threshold time tt longer than the reference time t1, and the possibility of collision does not reach the threshold level after the level drop, the warning display 26 and While no drive command is issued to the alarm buzzer 28, when the predicted collision time is less than or equal to the above threshold time tt and the possibility of collision reaches the above threshold level, an alarm is issued from that point to the time of the collision. As shown, a drive command is issued to the alarm display 26 and the alarm buzzer 28. In this case, in order to prompt the driver to avoid or mitigate the collision between the host vehicle and the front obstacle, the alarm display 26 displays an alarm and the alarm buzzer 28 sounds a buzzer (FIG. 3 ( B)).

  Therefore, in the in-vehicle warning device 10 of the present embodiment, the driver performs warning display by the warning display 26 for collision avoidance or damage reduction and warning of the buzzer by the warning buzzer 28 before the collision with the front obstacle. When the line of sight is directed in the front direction, it is performed when the timing at which the driver can take a normal collision avoidance action has passed. On the other hand, when the driver removes the line of sight from the front direction, the driver does the normal collision avoidance action. This can be done before the timing that can be taken. That is, before the collision with a front obstacle, when the driver has taken his gaze off from the front direction, the alarm start timing for collision avoidance or damage reduction is It is possible to speed up. Therefore, according to this embodiment, before the collision with the front obstacle, the collision avoidance action is delayed due to the driver's aside while suppressing the driver from being bothered by an alarm as much as possible. It is possible to prevent this, and it is possible to improve safety during vehicle travel.

  Further, in the configuration of the present embodiment, there is a sufficient time until the collision with the front obstacle (specifically, the maximum time of the preceding time from the reference time t1 of the threshold time tt and the preceding time) It is longer than the sum of the minimum time that must be continued for a while to maximize the time), and the driver's line of sight does not face the front. If it continues, the preceding time from the reference time t1 of the threshold time tt is maximized. In this case, the threshold for the predicted collision time to be maximized in a state where the lookout continues. The alarm is started when the value time tt (predetermined time t2) is reached.

  In addition, in the situation where the time until the collision with the front obstacle is not sufficient as described above, when the driver's line of sight does not face the front, the above-mentioned duration depends on the duration of the sideward state. Although the advance time increases, since the collision prediction time becomes equal to or less than the threshold time tt during the increase process, the alarm is started when the collision prediction time becomes equal to or less than the threshold time tt. This means that the advance time from the reference time t1 of the threshold time tt is limited depending on the start timing of the side look with respect to the time of the collision.

  In addition, the driver's look-a-side occurred before the collision with the front obstacle, but before the collision prediction time becomes less than the threshold time tt where the advance time increases with the increase of the look-ahead duration, When the look-ahead is resolved and the driver's line of sight turns to the front, it is preferable to set the threshold time tt to the normal reference time t1 by setting the advance time to zero. This is because if the driver's line of sight turns to the front, the need to advance the alarm start timing earlier than the normal timing is reduced. In this case, as usual, the alarm is started when the predicted collision time becomes the reference time t1 or less.

  Thus, according to the vehicle-mounted alarm device 10 of the present embodiment, the alarm start timing that is advanced when the driver removes the line of sight from the front direction is the duration of the state in which the line of sight is removed and a side look is occurring. It can be changed according to the length. Specifically, the longer the aside look continuation time is, the longer the preceding time from the reference time t1 of the threshold time tt that should reach the predicted time of collision with the front obstacle in starting the warning to the driver. By doing so, the amount of decrease in the threshold level from which the possibility of collision should be reached from the reference threshold level is increased, and the alarm start timing can be advanced.

  For this reason, if the vehicle driver's side look duration is relatively short before a collision with a front obstacle, the alarm start timing will not be much earlier than when the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level. It is possible to prevent the driver from giving unpleasant feelings due to the warning. In addition, when the vehicle driver's side look duration is relatively long, the warning start timing will be much earlier than the point when the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level, so the driver whose line of sight does not turn to the front. It is possible to promptly promote actions for collision avoidance and damage reduction. Therefore, according to the in-vehicle alarm device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform an appropriate alarm in accordance with the driver's side-by-side state while suppressing annoying the driver by the alarm before the vehicle collision. Thus, it is possible to improve safety when the vehicle is running.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the PCS-ECU 12 displays a warning display when the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches a threshold level that has been lowered from the reference threshold level due to the driver's side effects. After starting the primary alarm of the alarm display by the alarm 26 and the buzzer sounding by the alarm buzzer 28, (1) the duration of the sideways state where the driver's line of sight that started before the alarm started is not facing the front direction is The threshold time tt is equal to or longer than a predetermined time s3 (for example, 2 seconds) longer than the predetermined time s2 that maximizes the advance time from the reference time t1, and (2) the aside state continues at the present time. It is determined whether or not.

  As a result, if it is determined that the above conditions (1) and (2) are both satisfied, then (3) the predicted collision time between the host vehicle and the front obstacle calculated at the present time is the reference time t1. If it is determined that the possibility of collision has reached the reference threshold level and that the possibility of collision has reached the reference threshold level, (4) It is determined whether the relative speed with respect to the forward obstacle is a predetermined relative speed (for example, +40 km / h) or more and (5) the speed of the host vehicle is a predetermined speed (for example, 40 km / h) or more.

As a result, when it is determined that any of the above conditions (3) to (5) is not satisfied, no further processing is performed, but all of the conditions (3) to (5) are satisfied. If so, a drive instruction is given to the brake device 30 so that wheel braking is performed for a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds) from that point. In this case, the brake device 30 performs wheel braking (alarm braking) as a secondary alarm in order to urge the driver to avoid or mitigate the collision between the host vehicle and the front obstacle by a sensation alarm. The wheel braking as the secondary alarm may be performed at a predetermined deceleration (for example, 2 m / s ² ).

  According to such a process, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the warning display 26 is used before the collision possibility reaches the reference threshold level due to the driver's side look before the collision with the front obstacle. Even when the primary alarm of the buzzer sounding by the alarm display and the alarm buzzer 28 is started, the driver's line of sight before the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level (before the predicted collision time becomes less than the reference time t1). If the look-ahead state is resolved by turning to the front, wheel braking as a secondary alarm is not performed regardless of the duration of the look-ahead state until then.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), before the collision with the front obstacle, the alarm display and the primary alarm of the buzzer sounding before the collision possibility reaches the reference threshold level due to the driver's side look. When the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level and the duration of the look-ahead state including that point is longer than the predetermined time s3 after the start of Wheel braking is performed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 (C), before the collision with the front obstacle, the alarm display and the primary alarm of the buzzer sounding before the collision possibility reaches the reference threshold level due to the driver's side look. When the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level after the start, the duration of looking aside including that point is less than the predetermined time s3, but thereafter the duration of the looking aside becomes the predetermined time s3 or more. In such a case, wheel braking as a secondary alarm is performed for the first time at that time.

  Thus, according to the in-vehicle alarm device 10 of the present embodiment, the alarm display 26 is used before the collision possibility reaches the reference threshold level due to the driver's side-look before the collision with the front obstacle. After the primary alarm of the buzzer sounding by the alarm display and the alarm buzzer 28 is started, the collision possibility with the obstacle ahead is less than the reference time t1, so that the possibility of collision is above the reference threshold level, and If the sideways continuation time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time s3, a secondary warning for wheel braking using the brake device 30 is further performed. In other words, before the collision with the front obstacle, the driver's side-view is not much while the alarm display or the primary alarm of the buzzer sounding that is started earlier than usual due to the driver's side-view is being executed. When the driver's line of sight turns to the front without continuing for a long time, a new warning different from the primary warning will not be given, but the primary warning started earlier than the above will be issued. In spite of this, if the driver keeps looking aside for a predetermined time s3 or longer, the secondary warning for wheel braking will only occur for a predetermined time on the condition that the possibility of collision has reached the reference threshold level. To be implemented.

  If such a secondary warning for wheel braking is performed, the driver can know that a sensible alarm accompanied by braking is being issued from the vehicle, in addition to the alarm for stimulating vision and hearing. Therefore, according to the in-vehicle warning device 10 of the present embodiment, in a situation where the vehicle driver keeps looking aside even if a warning that stimulates vision or hearing is performed before the collision with the front obstacle, the vehicle driver In addition, the alarm with a bodily sensation different from the alarm that stimulates the sight and hearing makes it easier to turn the line of sight to the front and further promotes actions for collision avoidance and collision mitigation. Thus, it is possible to execute an appropriate alarm in accordance with the driver's side-by-side condition.

  Further, in this embodiment, the secondary warning for wheel braking indicates that the possibility of a collision has reached the reference threshold level that should be reached when the primary warning is started when the driver is not looking aside. Implemented on condition. In other words, even if the driver's side-view continues for a long time, if the possibility of collision does not reach the reference threshold level, the secondary warning is not made. Therefore, according to the in-vehicle warning device 10 of the present embodiment, the secondary warning of the wheel braking is performed at an unnecessarily early timing after the collision with the front obstacle, after the primary warning display and the primary warning of the buzzer are started. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the driver from being bothered by the secondary alarm.

  By the way, the in-vehicle alarm device 10 of the present embodiment detects an aside that the driver's line of sight deviates from the front direction by processing the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18, and depends on the presence or absence and the duration of the aside. It is possible to advance the start timing of the primary alarm (advance primary alarm), and after the start of the primary alarm display and buzzer sounding that started earlier than usual due to the driver's side effects It is possible to perform a secondary alarm different from the primary alarm according to the duration of the driver's side aside. In this regard, in the present embodiment, it is extremely important to detect a side look that causes the driver's line of sight to deviate from the front direction by processing the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18.

  The driver's carelessness while driving forward, such as when the driver sees the inner mirror, outer mirror, display on the interior of the vehicle, or confirms safety outside the vehicle, is the subject of the above-mentioned detection of aside look. Sometimes it is not careless to look ahead of the road where the vehicle enters, when looking backwards, or when looking forward on the road where the vehicle is expected to run when driving on a curved road. Should not. Since the face image photographing camera 18 is provided on the steering column cover 22 that does not rotate even when the steering wheel 20 is rotated, the face image photographing camera is used when the steering angle δ is somewhat larger than the neutral position. 18, the driver's face may be hidden by the shadow of the steering wheel 20, and a situation may occur in which the driver's face is hardly reflected in the camera image. It is not appropriate to detect.

  Therefore, in the in-vehicle warning device 10 of the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the detection of the driver's side aside can be appropriately performed, and the detection is not appropriately performed. In this case, the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is invalidated, and the output of the face orientation angle θ supplied from the camera ECU 16 to the PCS-ECU 12 is invalidated. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6, the characteristic part of a present Example is demonstrated. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example of a control routine executed by the PCS-ECU 12 in the in-vehicle alarm device 10 of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the PCS-ECU 12 determines whether or not the steering angle δ detected using the steering angle sensor 32 is within a predetermined steering angle δ0 (step 100). Note that this predetermined steering angle δ0 is near the center of the steering wheel 20 in the field of view of the face image capturing camera 18 disposed on the steering column cover 22 when the steering wheel 20 is rotated beyond that value. It is possible to determine that the face of the vehicle driver is no longer photographed by the face image capturing camera 18 by entering the back surface, or the minimum that can be determined that the driver's line of sight deviates from the front direction because the vehicle driving lane is a curved road. Steering steering angle (for example, ± 45 °; it may be changed according to the type of vehicle and the shape of the steering wheel), and is stored in the storage device of the PCS-ECU 12 in advance.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step 100 above, it is determined that the driver's face is effectively and properly displayed in the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18, and then whether the turn signal switch 34 is in the OFF state. It is determined whether or not (step 102). If the determination in step 102 is affirmative, the driver does not have an intention to make a left turn or right turn of the vehicle, and the driver's line of sight due to left turn or right turn may deviate from the front direction. Next, it is determined whether or not the shift position detected using the shift position sensor 36 is a forward position such as 1st speed, 2nd speed, or drive range (step 104).

  If the determination in step 104 is affirmative, it is determined that there is almost no possibility that the driver's line of sight is deviated from the front direction due to reverse or vehicle stoppage. Next, the information supplied from the white line recognition ECU 38 If the curvature of the road lane detected on the basis of the vehicle is less than the predetermined curvature or the yaw angle with respect to the host vehicle is less than the predetermined angle, the traveling lane that is expected to travel the vehicle actually or several seconds later is a straight path Is determined (step 106). If the determination in step 106 is affirmative, it is determined that there is almost no possibility that the driver's line of sight resulting from traveling on a curved road will deviate from the front direction.

  If the PCS-ECU 12 makes an affirmative determination in steps 100 to 106, the situation where the driver's face does not appear in the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18 due to the steering operation does not occur. Because the driver's line of sight does not deviate from the front due to left turn, right turn, retreat, etc., it is determined that the detection of a side look based on the driver's carelessness can be properly performed. Then, the output of the face image photographing camera 18 is validated, and processing for effectively handling the information of the driver's face orientation angle θ supplied from the camera ECU 16 is executed (step 108).

  Then, when the processing of step 108 is executed, the face orientation angle θ is compared with the threshold value θ0 to determine whether or not a driver is looking aside when the driver's line of sight is not facing the front. Depending on the presence or absence of a side look, a threshold level that should reach the possibility of a collision with a front obstacle is set in order to start a primary warning display and a buzzer sound, and the length of duration of the side look The amount of decrease of the threshold level at the time of looking aside is changed according to, and after the start of the primary alarm that was started earlier than usual due to the looking aside, according to the duration of the side look Decide whether to issue a secondary warning for wheel braking.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in any of the above steps 100 to 106, a situation may occur in which the driver's face is not reflected in the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18 due to the steering operation, or a curved road Because it may happen that the driver's line of sight deviates from the front due to left turn, right turn, reverse, etc., it is judged that the situation where the detection of a side look based on the driver's carelessness is not properly performed, The process of invalidating the output of the face image photographing camera 18 and not effectively handling the information of the driver's face orientation angle θ supplied from the camera ECU 16 is executed (step 110).

  Then, when the processing of step 110 is executed, the alarm display and the buzzer sounding are not started until the alarm display and the buzzer sounding by that time. By returning the threshold time tt at which the predicted collision time should be reached to start the primary alarm to the reference time t1, the threshold level at which the possibility of collision with the front obstacle should be reached is returned to the reference threshold level. By changing the count value of the sideways duration time to zero and stopping the count, both the change of the threshold level of the collision possibility and the secondary warning of the wheel braking are prohibited (step 112).

  As described above, in the in-vehicle warning device 10 according to the present embodiment, a situation where the driver's face is not reflected in the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18 due to the steering operation, and a curved road, left turn / right turn, reverse, etc. If there is no situation where the driver's line of sight deviates from the front direction due to the situation, the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is assumed to be in a situation where the detection of a side look based on the driver's carelessness can be appropriately performed. On the other hand, a situation where the driver's face is not reflected in the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18 due to the steering operation, or a situation where the driver's line of sight deviates from the front direction due to a right / left turn or the like occurs. When it is obtained, the output of the face image photographing camera 18 can be invalidated because it is not in a situation where the detection of a side look based on the driver's carelessness can be appropriately performed. When the output of the face image photographing camera 18 is invalidated, the control of the primary alarm is executed after the threshold level of the possibility of collision with the front obstacle is returned to the normal reference threshold level. It is possible to prohibit both the change of the threshold level of the possibility of collision according to the sideways continuation time and the secondary warning of wheel braking.

  Face image when the driver's face does not appear in the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18 due to the steering operation, or when the driver's line of sight deviates from the front direction due to right or left turn or the like If the output of the photographic camera 18 is invalidated, the primary alarm control, the collision level change level control, and the secondary alarm control performed according to the output of the face image photographic camera 18 are appropriately performed. It can be executed in an environment. Therefore, according to the in-vehicle warning device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately detect the driver's inattentive looking aside based on the output of the face image capturing camera 18, and thereby the driver's looking aside. It is possible to execute various alarms appropriate for the state.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the situation where the output of the face image camera 18 is invalid, the timing for starting the alarm display and the primary alarm of the buzzer sounding is changed according to the length of the sidewatch continuation time when the sideview is detected. Is prohibited, and the primary alarm is issued when the possibility of collision with a forward obstacle reaches a reference threshold level. In this respect, it is avoided that the primary alarm is erroneously started earlier than usual when the driver's side-arm detection based on the output of the face image photographing camera 18 is not properly performed. It is possible to prevent the driver from being bothered as much as possible by the alarm display and the primary alarm of the buzzer.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the situation where the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is invalid, the primary alarm is not started at an earlier timing than usual, and the primary alarm is started at an earlier timing than usual. The execution of the secondary warning for wheel braking, which is performed when the length of the sideways continuation time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time after being performed, is prohibited. In this respect, since it is avoided that such a secondary alarm is erroneously performed when the driver's side-arm detection based on the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is not properly performed, secondary braking of the wheel is avoided. It is possible to execute the alarm appropriately.

  In the above-described embodiment, the face image capturing camera 18 has the “camera” and “sensor” described in the claims, and the alarm display and the primary alarm of the buzzer are described in the claims “first”. The secondary alarm for wheel braking corresponds to “second alarm” described in the claims, and the reference threshold level corresponds to “predetermined level” described in the claims. Yes.

  The PCS-ECU 12 detects the driver's face orientation angle θ based on information from the camera ECU 16 so that the “line-of-sight direction detecting means” described in the claims is a step in the routine shown in FIG. The “environmental state determination means” described in the claims by executing the processing of 100 to 106 performs the alarm display display by the “invalid means” described in the claims by executing the processing of step 110. The “first alarm means” described in the scope of the claims is given to the driver in accordance with the length of the driver's armpit continuation time. Changing the amount of reduction of the threshold level from which the possibility of collision with a forward obstacle to reach in order to start an alarm from the reference threshold level; and By prohibiting the change of the threshold level in the situation where the output of the image capturing camera 18 is invalid, the “alarm timing changing means” described in the claims starts the primary alarm at a timing earlier than usual. After that, the secondary warning of wheel braking by the brake device 30 is performed when the driver's side look continuation time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, and in the situation where the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is invalidated. By prohibiting the next alarm, the “second alarm means” described in the claims is realized.

  By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the angle at which the face faces from the front is detected as the vehicle driver's line-of-sight direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is directed to the vehicle driver's eyes. The direction itself may be detected.

  Further, in the above embodiment, in the situation where the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is invalid, the change of the start timing of the primary alarm according to the length of the sideward continuation time is prohibited, and the front obstacle The primary alarm is issued from the time when the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level, but the present invention is not limited to this, and after the invalidation described above, it depends on the length of the sideways continuation time. Although the change of the start timing of the primary alarm is prohibited, the start timing may be fixed and the threshold level of the possibility of collision may be maintained at the current level. In this case, the primary alarm is issued from the time when the possibility of collision with the front obstacle reaches that level.

  In the above embodiment, the face image capturing camera 18 that captures the face of the driver is disposed on the upper surface of the steering column cover 22 that does not rotate even when the steering wheel 20 rotates. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be arranged at a position where the driver's face is photographed almost from the front through an opening opening in the surface of the steering wheel 20 such as in the combination meter 24. Even in such a configuration, when the steering angle exceeds the predetermined steering angle, the driver's face is not reflected in the captured image of the face image capturing camera 18 due to the steering operation or the driver's face due to the curved road. The situation where the line of sight deviates from the front direction may occur, and it is determined that the situation where the detection of a side look based on the driver's carelessness cannot be appropriately performed is performed, and the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is invalidated.

  In the above embodiment, the outputs of the rudder angle sensor 32, the turn signal switch 34, the shift position sensor 36, and the white line recognition ECU 38 are connected to and supplied to the PCS-ECU 12, respectively, and from the camera ECU 16 in the PCS-ECU 12. The validity / invalidity of the supplied output is determined. However, each of these outputs may be connected / supplied to the camera ECU 16 and the camera ECU 16 may determine the validity / invalidity of the output of the face image capturing camera 18. . In this case, when the camera ECU 16 determines that there is no situation in which the detection of a side look based on the driver's carelessness can be appropriately performed, the camera ECU 16 notifies the PCS-ECU 12 of the forward error that is different from the information of the face angle θ. When the PCS-ECU 12 receives information from the camera ECU 16 and outputs information indicating that there is no situation in which the side-by-side detection based on attention can be appropriately performed, the above-described various alarm controls may be performed. .

  Further, in the above embodiment, in the situation where the output of the face image capturing camera 18 is invalid, the change of the start timing of the primary alarm according to the length of the sideward continuation time is prohibited, and the front obstacle The primary alarm is given from the time when the possibility of collision reaches the reference threshold level, and the secondary alarm that is given when the look-ahead duration is longer than the predetermined time is prohibited. When the situation shifts to a situation where the detection of a side look can be appropriately performed, the output of the face image capturing camera 18 may be enabled and the above-described various controls may be returned to the original state.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the start timing of the warning that is advanced when the line of sight is removed from the front direction is changed according to the duration of the state where the driver's line of sight is off and a side look is occurring. However, regardless of the duration of the side-by-side state, when the line of sight is deviated from the front direction, it applies to a system in which the alarm start timing is uniformly advanced compared to when it is directed to the front direction. It is also possible.

  Also, in the above embodiment, when the driver's side-viewing duration is equal to or longer than the predetermined time after the warning display or the primary warning of the buzzer is started at a timing earlier than usual due to the driver's side-look. In addition, the brake device 30 is used to issue a secondary warning for wheel braking to prompt the driver to avoid collision or reduce collision. However, the driver's seat of the vehicle and the steering wheel 20 are slightly vibrated. When a device that can be operated is mounted on a vehicle, a secondary warning may be issued to activate the device to prompt the driver to avoid collision or reduce collision. Moreover, although it is supposed that the secondary warning of wheel braking is implemented, it is also possible to apply to the system which does not implement this secondary alarm.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, there is a possibility of a collision when starting a primary warning before a collision with a front obstacle according to the presence or absence of the driver's side-arm detected based on the output of the face image capturing camera 18. A system is used to change the threshold level to be reached, but it is simply determined whether to issue a warning to the driver to release the look-ahead according to the presence or absence of the look-ahead, and when a look-a-side condition is detected It is also possible to apply to a system that alerts the driver.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle-mounted alarm device which is one Example of this invention. It is a layout view of a camera provided for photographing a vehicle driver's face included in the in-vehicle alarm device of the present embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the vehicle-mounted alarm device of a present Example. It is the map showing the relationship between the aside look duration used in a present Example, and threshold time tt. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the vehicle-mounted alarm device of a present Example. It is a flowchart of an example of the control routine performed in the vehicle-mounted alarm device of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

10 On-vehicle alarm device 12 PCS-ECU
14 Obstacle sensor 16 Camera ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Face imaging camera 20 Alarm display 22 Alarm buzzer 24 Brake device 32 Steering angle sensor 34 Turn signal switch 36 Shift position sensor 38 White line recognition ECU

Claims (5)

When the line-of-sight direction detecting means for detecting the line-of-sight direction of the vehicle driver and the line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight direction detecting means are in the front direction, the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches a predetermined level. On the other hand, when the line-of-sight direction is not in the front direction, first warning means for performing a first warning toward the vehicle driver before the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level; According to the duration of the state in which the line-of-sight direction detected by the direction detection means is not in the front direction, the first warning means causes a first warning before the possibility of a collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level. An in-vehicle alarm device that performs alarm control according to a detection result of the eye gaze direction detecting unit,
Based on whether or not the shift position of the vehicle is a forward position, whether or not the sideways detection based on carelessness of the vehicle driver based on the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection unit can be appropriately performed. Environmental status determination means for determining whether or not
When the shift position of the vehicle is a forward position, when it is determined that the detection of the side look can be appropriately performed, the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means is effective in performing alarm control, On the other hand, if the shift position of the vehicle is not the forward position, and it is determined that the situation of the side look detection can not be properly performed, the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means is invalid for alarm control. Valid / invalid control means to perform,
The on-vehicle alarm device characterized in that the timing changing means prohibits the change of the timing in a situation where the valid / invalid control means invalidates the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means when performing alarm control. . When the line-of-sight direction detecting means for detecting the line-of-sight direction of the vehicle driver and the line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight direction detecting means are in the front direction, the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches a predetermined level. On the other hand, when the line-of-sight direction is not in the front direction, first warning means for performing a first warning toward the vehicle driver before the possibility of collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level; According to the duration of the state in which the line-of-sight direction detected by the direction detection means is not in the front direction, the first warning means causes a first warning before the possibility of a collision with a front obstacle reaches the predetermined level. An in-vehicle alarm device that performs alarm control according to a detection result of the eye gaze direction detecting unit,
Based on whether the lane lane in which the vehicle actually travels or is expected to travel is a straight road, it is appropriate to detect a side look based on the carelessness of the vehicle driver based on the detection result of the gaze direction detection means. Environmental status determination means for determining whether or not the situation can be performed
When the lane lane is a straight road, it is determined that the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means is effective for alarm control when it is determined that the detection of the side look can be appropriately performed, When the lane lane is a curved road, it is determined that the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means is invalid in performing alarm control when it is determined that the side-by-side detection cannot be properly performed. Valid / invalid control means,
The on-vehicle alarm device characterized in that the timing changing means prohibits the change of the timing in a situation where the valid / invalid control means invalidates the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means when performing alarm control. . After the first warning is started before the first warning means reaches the predetermined level, the line of sight detected by the line-of-sight detection means is the front direction. A second warning means for giving a second warning different from the first warning to the vehicle driver when the duration of the absence is equal to or longer than a predetermined time;
The second warning means prohibits the second warning toward the vehicle driver in a situation where the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means is invalidated by the valid / invalid control means when performing the warning control. The in-vehicle alarm device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein After the valid / invalid control means invalidates the detection result of the line-of-sight direction detection means for performing alarm control, it is determined that the environmental condition determination means has shifted to a situation in which the detection of the side look can be appropriately performed. been if, thereafter, the in-vehicle alarm system according to claim 1, wherein any one of the 3, characterized in that an effective in performing alarm control detection result of the visual axis direction detection unit. The enable / disable control means onboard the gaze direction detection unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that an enable or disable the output itself of the sensor provided for the detection Alarm device.

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