JP7189695B2 - Driving support device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving assistance device capable of assisting a driver's driving operation.

As an example of safe driving assistance, there is a technique described in Patent Literature 1. In Patent Document 1, a display device provided in the vehicle outputs an image of the surroundings of the vehicle and a predicted course line of the vehicle, and when an obstacle exists in the predicted course area, the obstacle is displayed in the predicted course area. A technology has been disclosed that highlights a partial area containing a vehicle to call the driver's attention. The technique described in Patent Literature 1 calls the driver's attention by highlighting the predicted course area when an obstacle exists in the predicted course area.

JP 2011-151479 A

However, with the technology of Patent Document 1, although it is easy for the driver to recognize that some kind of danger exists within the predicted route area, the obstacle itself within the predicted route area is not highlighted. It was difficult for the driver to recognize the shape of the vehicle (person or object, etc.) and the approach speed and direction when the obstacle was a moving object.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device that makes it easier to recognize obstacles in a predicted course area of a vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, a driving support device according to a first aspect includes a predicted route area calculation unit that calculates a predicted route area of a vehicle, an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the vehicle, and a risk determination unit for determining a risk level of the obstacle based on the position of the obstacle in the predicted course area; and emphasizing the obstacle in the predicted course area based on the risk level of the obstacle. The display control unit causes the highlighted display to follow the movement of the obstacle within the predicted route area when the position of the vehicle is used as a reference.

According to the present invention, it is possible to facilitate recognition of obstacles in the predicted course area of the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle to which a driving assistance device according to the first embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a situation when the vehicle of FIG. 1 is parked. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example by the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing an example of a display control method by the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example by the driving assistance device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of a display control method by the driving assistance device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example by the driving assistance device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration applicable to the driving support device of FIG. 1;

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the embodiments described below do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all of the elements described in the embodiments and their combinations are essential to the solution of the invention. Not necessarily.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle to which a driving assistance device according to the first embodiment is applied.
In FIG. 1 , a vehicle 110 is provided with a vehicle control device 100 , a display unit 106 and a driving support device 107 . The driving support device 107 includes a surrounding image acquisition unit 101 , a predicted route area calculation unit 102 , a risk determination unit 104 , an obstacle detection unit 103 and a display control unit 105 . The driving assistance device 107 may be a stand-alone device, or may be incorporated as a part of the functions of the car navigation device.

The vehicle control device 100 holds vehicle control information such as the shift position of the vehicle, the lighting state of the lights, and the steering angle, and information specific to the vehicle type such as the width of the vehicle, and manages the control state of the vehicle and the information specific to the vehicle type. In addition, the vehicle control device 100 outputs the shift position information 124 to the surrounding image acquisition unit 101, outputs the shift position information 124, the steering angle information 125 and the vehicle width information 126 to the predicted course area calculation unit 102, and outputs the light lighting state. Information 123 is output to the display control unit 105 . The vehicle control device 100 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

The peripheral image acquisition unit 101 acquires a peripheral image 121 of the vehicle 110 from the external world information 120 using a camera or the like. The surrounding image 121 of the vehicle 110 can be acquired not only in front of the vehicle but also in the rear of the vehicle. Further, the peripheral image acquisition unit 101 determines the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 based on the shift position information 124 output from the vehicle control device 100 . Then, the peripheral image acquisition unit 101 outputs the peripheral image 121 corresponding to the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 to the display control unit 105 as the traveling direction image 127 .

Predicted course area calculation unit 102 calculates a predicted course area of vehicle 110 based on shift position information 124 , steering angle information 125 and vehicle width information 126 output from vehicle control device 100 . The predicted course area is expressed, for example, as a closed area within a set of plane coordinates (Xi, Yi) (i=1 to n, where n is a positive integer). Predicted route area calculation unit 102 also outputs predicted route area information 129 indicating the predicted route area of vehicle 110 to risk determination unit 104 and display control unit 105 .

The obstacle detection unit 103 detects obstacle information 122 around the vehicle from the external world information 120 using a sensor, sonar, or the like. Obstacle detection unit 103 then determines the position of the obstacle based on obstacle information 122 and outputs obstacle position information 130 to risk determination unit 104 and display control unit 105 . An obstacle position is expressed as a closed area within a set (i=1 to n) of plane coordinates (Xi, Yi), for example. The obstacle position is the relative position of the obstacle when the position of the vehicle 110 is used as a reference.

The risk determination unit 104 determines the risk of obstacles based on the predicted route area information 129 output from the predicted route area calculation unit 102 and the obstacle position information 130 output from the obstacle detection unit 103. . If an obstacle exists within the predicted course area of the vehicle 110, the risk determination unit 104 determines that the obstacle is dangerous, and determines the risk of the obstacle according to the distance between the vehicle 110 and the obstacle. set. If the obstacle does not exist within the predicted course area of the vehicle 110, the risk determination unit 104 does not determine that the obstacle is a dangerous object, and sets that there is no danger. The degree-of-risk determination unit 104 determines the degree of risk for each obstacle. Further, the risk determination unit 104 outputs risk information 131 indicating the risk of obstacles to the display control unit 105 .

The display control unit 105 highlights the obstacles in the predicted route area calculated by the predicted route area calculation unit 102 based on the risk level information 131 output from the risk level determination unit 104 . At this time, the display control unit 105 generates a predicted course area image based on the predicted course area information 129 output from the predicted course area calculation unit 102 . In addition, the display control unit 105 generates a highlighted display image of obstacles in the predicted route area. Then, the display control unit 105 generates a superimposed image 132 by superimposing the predicted course area image and the highlighted display image on the traveling direction image 127 output from the surrounding image acquisition unit 101 , and outputs the superimposed image 132 to the display unit 106 . At this time, the display control unit 105 causes the highlighted display to follow the movement of the obstacle within the predicted route area when the position of the vehicle 110 is used as a reference.

In the highlighted display of obstacles, an image corresponding to an obstacle for which the degree of danger is set is surrounded by a frame, and the frame can be displayed blinking. At this time, when the obstacle moves, the frame surrounding the image corresponding to the obstacle can also move while enclosing the image corresponding to the obstacle. Alternatively, when emphasizing the obstacle, the image corresponding to the obstacle for which the degree of danger is set can be painted out and blinked. At this time, when the obstacle moves, the image corresponding to the obstacle can also be moved while the image corresponding to the obstacle remains painted. Incidentally, in the highlighting of the obstacles, the obstacles for which the degree of danger is set may be iconized and displayed blinking.

When enclosing an image corresponding to an obstacle with a frame or filling an image corresponding to an obstacle, the display control unit 105 determines the traveling direction based on the obstacle position information 130 output from the obstacle detection unit 103. By determining the position of the obstacle in the image 127, it is possible to determine the display position and the filling position of the frame.

In addition, when the degree of danger of an obstacle changes, the display control unit 105 can change the display color of the frame or the solid image corresponding to the obstacle when switching the flashing display from off to on. Further, the display control unit 105 can change the period of blinking display when the degree of danger of the obstacle changes. Note that the display control unit 105 does not highlight obstacles outside the predicted route area because the risk level of the obstacle is not set in the risk level determination unit 104 .

Further, the display control unit 105 switches the traveling direction image 127 between the day screen mode and the night screen mode based on the light lighting state information 123 output from the vehicle control device 100 . At this time, the display control unit 105 switches the display color of the predicted course image 202 and the emphasized display image of the obstacle in the predicted course area according to the screen mode. For example, in the day screen mode, the display color of the frame and filling can be set to a dark color, and in the night screen mode, the display color of the frame and filling can be set to a bright color.

As a result, the display color can be switched according to the screen mode, and the optimal display color can be selected for each screen mode, so that the driver's ability to recognize obstacles can be improved.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a situation when the vehicle of FIG. 1 is parked.
In FIG. 2, vehicle 110 is assumed to be parked in parking lot 151 . It is assumed that there are obstacles 153 and 154 in the parking lot 151 . Predicted course area calculation unit 102 then estimates predicted course 152 of vehicle 110 based on shift position information 124 and steering angle information 125 output from vehicle control device 100 . Furthermore, the predicted course area calculation unit 102 can calculate the predicted course area of the vehicle 110 by referring to the vehicle width information 126 output from the vehicle control device 100 . At this time, the predicted course area calculation unit 102 can make the width of the predicted course area correspond to the vehicle width of the vehicle 110 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example by the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. 3 shows a display example when the vehicle 110 is parked in the parking lot 151 of FIG.
In FIG. 3 , the peripheral image acquisition unit 101 in FIG. 1 outputs the traveling direction image 201 to the display control unit 105 . The predicted course area calculation unit 102 outputs predicted course area information 129 corresponding to the predicted course 152 of the vehicle 110 to the display control unit 105 . The obstacle detection unit 103 detects obstacles 153 and 154 and outputs obstacle position information 130 to the display control unit 105 . Based on the predicted route area information 129 output from the predicted route area calculation unit 102 and the obstacle position information 130 output from the obstacle detection unit 103, the risk determination unit 104 predicts that the obstacle 153 is the vehicle 110. Assume that it is determined that the obstacle 154 is within the predicted path area of the vehicle 110 and not within the path area. At this time, the risk determination unit 104 determines that the obstacle 153 is not dangerous and the obstacle 154 is dangerous.

The display control unit 105 generates the predicted course area image 202 based on the predicted course area information 129 output from the predicted course area calculation unit 102 . The display control unit 105 also generates a frame 205A that highlights the obstacle 154 within the predicted route area. Then, the display control unit 105 generates a superimposed image 132 in which the predicted course area image 102 and the frame 205A surrounding the image 204 corresponding to the obstacle 154 are superimposed on the traveling direction image 201, and causes the display unit 106 to display the superimposed image 132.

Here, the display control unit 105 can display the predicted course area image 202 continuously with the leading edge image 200 of the host vehicle. At this time, the display control unit 105 can equalize the width of the predicted route area image 202 and the width of the leading edge image 200 of the own vehicle. This makes it easier to recognize the positional relationship between the vehicle 110 and the obstacle 154 .

Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which the frame 205A is represented by a rectangle, the frame may be a polygon such as a triangle or a pentagon, or a closed curve such as a circle or an ellipse. FIG. 3 shows a method of displaying the highlighted display on the display unit 106, but a frame may also be projected onto the windshield so as to enclose obstacles visible to the driver through the windshield of the vehicle 110. good. In addition, FIG. 3 shows an example of display when the vehicle 110 is parked, but the driving support device of FIG. , may be applied when driving on the road.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing an example of a display control method by the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 4, an obstacle risk level 301 indicates changes over time 305 in the risk level of an obstacle to the host vehicle. A flashing state 302 indicates a lighting period and a flashing period of the highlighted display accompanying a change in the obstacle risk level 301 . A display color 303 indicates a change in the display color of highlighting accompanying a change in the obstacle risk level 301 . A display period 304 indicates a change in the period of highlighting accompanying a change in the obstacle risk level 301 .

The risk determination unit 104 in FIG. 1 sets the obstacle risk 301 to three levels, for example. The risk determination unit 104 sets the obstacle risk 301 to Lo when the obstacle 153 in FIG. 2 is not within the predicted route area of the vehicle 110 . At this time, the risk determination unit 104 sets the flashing state 302 to off, the display color 303A to none, and the display period 304 to none, so that the frame surrounding the image 203 corresponding to the obstacle 153 is not displayed.

If the obstacle 154 in FIG. 2 is within the predicted route area of the vehicle 110 and the distance between the vehicle 110 and the obstacle 154 is greater than a predetermined value, the risk determination unit 104 sets the obstacle risk 301 to Mid. At this time, the risk determination unit 104 displays a frame 205A surrounding the image 204 corresponding to the obstacle 154 at the timing 310 when the obstacle risk 301 is switched from Lo to Mid. Then, the frame 205A is set to the flashing state 302, the display color 303A is set to yellow, and the display cycle 304 is set to low cycle.

When the obstacle 154 in FIG. 2 is in the predicted route area of the vehicle 110 and the distance between the vehicle 110 and the obstacle 154 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the risk determination unit 104 switches the obstacle risk 301 from Mid to High. . At this time, when the blinking state 302 is in the lighting state at the timing 311 when the obstacle risk degree 301 is switched from Mid to High, the risk determination unit 104 does not change the display color 303A and the display cycle 304 . Then, when the obstacle risk level 301 is High, the risk determination unit 104 changes the display color 303A of the frame 205A from yellow to red at timing 312 to switch the flashing state 302 from off to on, and changes the display cycle 304 to Change from low cycle to high cycle.

As a result, when the distance between the vehicle 110 and the obstacle 154 decreases, the degree of highlighting can be increased. Further, by changing the display color at the timing 312 when the flashing state 302 is switched from off to on, it is possible to prevent the display color from continuously changing in the on state.

As described above, according to the first embodiment described above, the highlighted display of the image corresponding to the obstacle in the predicted course area can be blinked. This makes it easier for the driver to recognize obstacles within the predicted route area.

In addition, when the danger of the obstacle increases, the degree of highlighting can be increased, so that the driver can be further alerted. At this time, by highlighting the obstacle itself, the degree of attention to the obstacle itself can be increased. Further, by making the highlight display follow the movement of the obstacle, it is possible to make it difficult for the driver's line of sight to deviate from the obstacle even when the obstacle moves with respect to the own vehicle. Therefore, it becomes easier for the driver to recognize the approaching speed and direction of the obstacle, and the driver can take flexible actions against the obstacle. For example, if an obstacle moves away from the vehicle at high speed, it is not necessary to take action, if an obstacle that crosses the vehicle is allowed to go slowly without stopping, or if an obstacle approaches the vehicle from the front. It is possible to easily determine whether to avoid an object by changing the steering angle.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the display color and display cycle of the frame are changed in order to change the degree of highlighting, but line types such as solid lines, dotted lines and double lines may be changed. Alternatively, the thickness of the line may be changed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example by the driving assistance device according to the second embodiment. While the display example in FIG. 3 is for the daytime screen mode, FIG. 5 shows a display example for the night screen mode.
5, when the light lighting state information 123 indicates the light lighting state, the display control unit 105 of FIG. 1 changes the display state from the day screen mode to the night screen mode. At this time, the display control unit 105 changes the display color of the frame 205B so as to emphasize the contrast with respect to the background of the traveling direction image 201. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of a display control method by the driving assistance device according to the second embodiment.
6, in the night screen mode, the display control unit 105 in FIG. 1 sets the display color 303B of the frame 205B to red at the timing 310 when the obstacle risk level 301 is switched from Lo to Mid. Further, when the obstacle risk level 301 is High, the display control unit 105 switches the display color 303B of the frame 205B from red to white at timing 312 to switch the flashing state 302 from off to on.

As a result, even when the background of the traveling direction image 201 is dark, the display control unit 105 can emphasize the contrast of the frame 205B according to the degree of danger of the obstacle, thereby improving the driver's visibility. can.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example by the driving assistance device according to the third embodiment.
In FIG. 7, it is assumed that a plurality of obstacles exist within the predicted course area, and images 401, 403, and 405 corresponding to the plurality of obstacles are displayed in the predicted course area image 202, respectively. At this time, the display control unit 105 determines the priority of highlighting of each obstacle according to the degree of danger of the obstacles in the predicted course area, and highlights the obstacles based on the priority. At this time, the display control unit 105 can limit the obstacles to be highlighted in the predicted course area image 202 by not highlighting obstacles with low priority. For example, the display control unit 105 can highlight only a certain number of obstacles with a high degree of danger among the obstacles with a degree of danger equal to or higher than a certain level.

For example, among the images 401, 403, and 405 displayed in the predicted course area image 202, the image 401 of the obstacle with the highest degree of danger is highlighted by enclosing it with a frame 402, and the image 401 with the second highest degree of danger is highlighted. The obstacle image 403 can be highlighted by surrounding it with a frame 404 . The obstacle image 405 of the obstacle with the lowest risk may not be highlighted. At this time, for example, by displaying the frame 402 of the image 401 of the obstacle with the highest degree of danger in solid lines and displaying the frame 404 of the image 403 of the obstacle with the second highest degree of danger in dotted lines, The obstacle with the highest degree can be made the most noticeable.

As described above, according to the second embodiment described above, when there are a plurality of obstacles in the predicted course area, it is possible to highlight only the obstacles with a particularly high degree of danger. This makes it easier for the driver to focus on obstacles with a high degree of danger, and it is possible to reduce the risk of overlooking obstacles with a high degree of danger by concentrating on obstacles with a low degree of danger.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration applicable to the driving support device of FIG. 1;
8, the driving support device 107 is provided with a processor 11, a communication control device 12, a communication interface 13, a main storage device 14 and an external storage device 15. FIG. Processor 11 , communication control device 12 , communication interface 13 , main memory device 14 and external memory device 15 are interconnected via internal bus 16 . Main memory device 14 and external memory device 15 are accessible from processor 11 .

A sensor 22 and a display unit 23 are provided outside the driving support device 17 . Sensor 22 and display unit 23 are connected to internal bus 16 via input/output interface 17 . Sensor 22 is, for example, an imager, radar, sonar, or laser scanner. The display unit 23 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

The processor 11 is hardware that controls the operation of the driving support device 17 as a whole. The main memory device 14 can be composed of semiconductor memory such as SRAM or DRAM, for example. The main memory device 14 can store a program being executed by the processor 11 and can provide a work area for the processor 11 to execute the program.

The communication control device 12 is hardware having a function of controlling communication with the outside. Communication control device 12 is connected to network 19 via communication interface 13 . The network 19 is, for example, an in-vehicle network such as CAN (Control Area Network), FlexRay, LIN (Local Interconnect Network), and Ethernet (registered trademark).

The input/output interface 17 converts a signal input from the sensor 22 into a data format that can be processed by the processor 11 and converts data output from the processor 11 into a signal that can be processed by the display unit 23 . The input/output interface 17 may be provided with an AD converter and a DA converter.

The external storage device 15 is a storage device having a large storage capacity, such as a hard disk device or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The external storage device 15 can hold executable files of various programs. The external storage device 15 can store a driving support program 15A. The driving assistance program 15A may be software that can be installed in the driving assistance device 17, or may be incorporated in the driving assistance device 17 as firmware. The processor 11 reads the driving assistance program 15A to the main storage device 14 and executes the driving assistance program 15A, thereby realizing each function of the predicted route area calculation unit 102, the risk determination unit 104, and the display control unit 105 in FIG. can do.

Reference Signs List 100 Vehicle control device 101 Peripheral image acquisition unit 102 Predicted route area calculation unit 103 Obstacle detection unit 103 Risk determination unit 105 Display control unit 106 Display unit 107 Driving support device 110 Vehicle

Claims (11)

a predicted track area calculation unit that calculates a predicted track area of the vehicle;
an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the vehicle;
a risk determination unit that determines the risk of the obstacle based on the position of the obstacle in the predicted course area;
a display control unit that highlights obstacles in the predicted route area based on the degree of danger of the obstacles;
The display control unit causes the highlighted display to follow the movement of the obstacle within the predicted route area when the position of the vehicle is used as a reference,
The display control unit determines the priority of the highlighted display based on the degree of danger of the obstacles, and if there are a plurality of obstacles, limits the display to a certain number of obstacles with higher priorities. highlight the
The highlighting is performed by enclosing the image corresponding to the obstacle with a frame and blinking the frame, or by filling the image corresponding to the obstacle and blinking it;
The display control unit changes a display color of a filled image corresponding to the frame or the obstacle based on the degree of risk,
The display control unit changes the display color when the blinking display is switched from off to lighting without changing the display color when the blinking display is in the lighting state at the timing when the degree of risk is switched. Driving support device that changes . Further comprising a peripheral image acquisition unit that acquires a peripheral image of the vehicle,
The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit superimposes a highlighted display of the obstacle on the peripheral image. further comprising a vehicle control device that manages the control state of the vehicle and information unique to the vehicle type;
2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the predicted course area calculation unit calculates the predicted course area of the vehicle based on information managed by the vehicle control device. 2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the predicted course area calculation unit calculates the predicted course area of the vehicle based on the shift position, steering angle and vehicle width of the vehicle. 2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the risk determination unit determines the risk of the obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit changes a cycle of the flashing display based on the degree of danger. 2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the predicted route area with a display width corresponding to the vehicle width of the vehicle. The display control unit
2. The driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the same obstacle within the predicted course area is increased in emphasis of the highlight display of the same obstacle as the same obstacle approaches the host vehicle. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit changes the display mode of the highlighting according to the surrounding environment in which the obstacle exists. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit changes the display color of the highlight display according to the brightness of the surrounding environment in which the obstacle exists. 2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit changes the display color of the highlighted display based on the lighting state of the lights of the vehicle.

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