JPH08207665A - Rearview mirror angle controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable the rear part to be easily confirmed in turning right or left or in changing a traffic lane by changing the angle of a rearview mirror by a mirror angle control means according to the angle to an obstacle detected by an obstacle angle detecting means when the vehicle speed is not more than the specified value. CONSTITUTION: A speed sensor 3, an azimuth sensor 5 and sonars 9a to 9d for detecting an obstacle in rear of a vehicle and the distance to it are connected to an ECU 1. The angle θb between of the vehicle to the obstacle is found when the obstacle in the rear part is detected by the sonars 9a to 9d, and the angle is so adjusted that the detecting direction of respective sonars 9a to 9d may be perpendicular to the obstacle B, and sonar motors 15a to 15d are driven to the angle θb. The angle of the rearview mirrors 11R, 11L is changed from the original point by only the angle θb by driving the mirror motors 13R, 13L, and the field of view to be obtained is made parallel to the obstacle, and the field of view of the side part and the rear part is secured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rearview mirror angle control device for controlling an angle of a rearview mirror used for confirming a rear view and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, rearview mirrors such as fender mirrors and door mirrors are always mounted on an automobile in order to confirm the left and right rear view. However, since a normal rearview mirror cannot confirm the limited range of the rear view of the vehicle, when the vehicle is extremely inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the road, for example, as shown in FIG. In the case of a lane change at the time of starting or in a traffic jam, the rear view mirror of the vehicle A concerned needs a rear view,
In particular, it is difficult to obtain a rear view regarding the adjacent lane.

Further, when there is a large vehicle B such as a truck in the rear, there is a problem that it is difficult for the driver to visually confirm the vehicle C traveling in the rear of the adjacent lane. . In recent years, many vehicles are equipped with door mirrors rather than fender mirrors because of their good appearance and easy perception of distance, but there are similar problems.

[0004]

As a countermeasure against this, for example, there has been proposed a device for changing the angle of the rearview mirror by judging a left turn based on a turning angle of a turn signal indicator and a steering wheel (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-4243). See the bulletin). There is also proposed a device that adjusts the angle of the rearview mirror according to the speed at which the direction of the vehicle changes based on the steering angle of the steering wheel, the vehicle speed and the acceleration of the vehicle (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-201749).

However, these techniques are inventions which basically control the rearview mirror according to the turning angle of the steering wheel so as to eliminate the blind spot in the rear field of view. However, if the steering angle of the steering wheel is 0, there is a problem that the angle of the rearview mirror cannot be properly adjusted. Further, since the rearview mirror frequently moves according to the operation of the steering wheel, there is a problem that it hinders driving, which is not always preferable as a countermeasure.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a rear-view mirror can be used to easily and surely check the rear when a vehicle is turned left or right or when a lane is changed. An object is to provide an angle control device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a mirror angle changing means for changing an angle of a rearview mirror of a vehicle, and a speed of the vehicle. And a vehicle speed detection means for detecting an obstacle behind the vehicle, and determines whether the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means is equal to or lower than a predetermined value indicating a low speed. Vehicle speed determining means and an obstacle angle for driving the obstacle detecting means to detect an angle between the vehicle and the obstacle when the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined value by the vehicle speed determining means. When the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle is detected by the detecting means and the obstacle angle detecting means, the mirror angle changing means is driven to correspond to the angle detected by the obstacle angle detecting means. , The above A mirror angle control means for changing the angle of Kkumira, a rearview mirror angle control apparatus characterized by having a the gist.

The invention of claim 2 is, as illustrated in FIG.
The vehicle azimuth detecting means for detecting the azimuth of the vehicle and the vehicle azimuth detecting means for deciding the azimuth of the vehicle detected by the vehicle azimuth detecting means when the vehicle speed is judged not to be equal to or less than the predetermined value. When the vehicle speed determination means determines that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the orientation storage means that stores the extended orientation and the obstacle angle detection means determine the orientation of the obstacle detection means as the orientation storage means. The obstacle detection direction control means for changing in accordance with the azimuth stored by the above is provided.
The rearview mirror angle control device described is the gist.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that when the shift position of the transmission is set to the reverse position, the obstacle detecting means is angle-changed to the origin position. The rearview mirror angle control device described is the gist.

The invention of claim 4 is, as illustrated in FIG.
Mirror angle changing means for changing the angle of the rearview mirror of the vehicle, vehicle azimuth detecting means for detecting the azimuth of the vehicle, vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the vehicle, and by the vehicle speed detecting means Vehicle speed determination means for determining whether or not the detected vehicle speed is less than or equal to a predetermined value indicating a low speed, and when the vehicle speed determination means determines that the vehicle speed is not less than or equal to the predetermined value, the vehicle direction detection means detects the vehicle speed. When the vehicle speed is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined value by the vehicle speed determination means, the vehicle direction determination means that stores the vehicle orientation as the direction in which the road extends, and the mirror angle changing means is driven to And a mirror angle control means for changing the angle of the rearview mirror according to the orientation stored by the orientation storage means. The main point is the angle control device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value and the direction detected by the vehicle direction detecting means is not changed for a predetermined period, the direction stored in the direction storing means is updated. A rear-view mirror angle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 is summarized as the gist.

According to the invention of claim 6, when the shift position of the transmission is set to the reverse position, the angle of the rearview mirror is changed to the position of the origin, and any one of the claims 1 to 5 is characterized. The gist of the rearview mirror angle control device is described.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the mirror angle changing means changes the angle of the rearview mirror of the vehicle, the vehicle speed detecting means detects the speed of the vehicle, and the obstacle detecting means detects the vehicle speed. Detects obstacles behind.
When the vehicle speed determination means determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value indicating the low speed, the obstacle angle detection means drives the obstacle detection means to detect the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle. When the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle is detected by the obstacle angle detecting means, the mirror angle control means drives the mirror angle changing means so that the rearview mirror corresponds to the detected angle with the obstacle. Change the angle of.

That is, according to the present invention, for example, in the case of lane change at the time of starting from parallel parking or at the time of traffic jam, the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle is detected by the obstacle detecting means such as sonar, and the angle is detected according to this angle. Since the angle of the rearview mirror is adjusted, there is an effect that the side and the rear of the vehicle can be suitably and reliably confirmed even when the visual confirmation is difficult due to the presence of the obstacle.

As the obstacle detecting means, in addition to the commonly used sonar, a means utilizing sound waves, light, etc. can be adopted, and the presence or absence of an obstacle behind and the angle with the obstacle can be detected. So long as it is not limited. Further, as the angle for changing the rearview mirror, it is desirable to adopt the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle as it is, but in addition to that, in consideration of the shape and installation position of the rearview mirror, the driving state, etc., Some correction may be added.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in addition to the structure of the first aspect, a vehicle direction detecting means for detecting the direction of the vehicle is provided, and the vehicle speed determining means determines that the vehicle speed is not lower than a predetermined value. In this case, the orientation storage means stores the orientation of the vehicle detected by the vehicle orientation detection means as the orientation of the road. When the vehicle speed determination means determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the obstacle detection direction control means changes the orientation of the obstacle detection means in accordance with the orientation stored by the orientation storage means. The obstacle detecting means whose orientation is changed detects the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle, and changes the angle of the rearview mirror according to the angle.

That is, according to the present invention, the direction in which the vehicle is traveling is detected during normal traveling at a low speed, and this direction is stored as the direction in which the road extends. Therefore, by changing the direction of the obstacle detecting means such as sonar according to this azimuth, the direction of the obstacle detecting means coincides with the direction of the road, so that a rear obstacle on the same lane is surely detected. be able to. Therefore, by changing the angle of the rearview mirror in accordance with the detected angle with the obstacle, there is an effect that the side and the rear of the vehicle can be suitably and reliably confirmed as in the first aspect. Particularly, in the case of the present invention, the direction of the obstacle detecting means is controlled (according to the direction of the vehicle), so that there is an advantage that the rearward confirmation can be performed more reliably.

As the angle for changing the direction of the obstacle detecting means, the angle indicating the stored azimuth can be adopted as it is. Correction may be added. For example, according to the current traveling direction θi of the vehicle and the stored direction θa,
The angle θd for changing the orientation of the obstacle detection means (for example, θd
= Θa−θi) may be set. In this case, since the current traveling azimuth θi of the vehicle is taken into consideration, the angle can be set more favorably.

In the invention of claim 3, when the shift position of the transmission is set to the reverse position, the obstacle detecting means is angle-changed to the position of the origin (which is normally directed rearward), so that when the vehicle moves backward. In addition, the obstacle detecting means can surely confirm the obstacle behind.

According to the present invention, the angle of the rearview mirror of the vehicle is changed by the mirror angle changing means, the direction of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle direction detecting means, and the speed of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle speed detecting means. To do. When the vehicle speed determination means determines that the vehicle speed is not less than or equal to the predetermined value indicating the low speed, the orientation storage means stores the orientation of the vehicle detected by the vehicle orientation detection means as the orientation in which the road extends. Further, when the vehicle speed determination means determines that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the mirror angle control means drives the mirror angle changing means and the direction of the mirror corresponding to the orientation stored by the orientation storage means. Change the angle.

That is, according to the present invention, the direction in which the vehicle is traveling is detected during normal traveling at a low speed, and this direction is stored as the direction in which the road extends. Therefore, by changing the angle of the rearview mirror according to this azimuth, it is possible to detect an obstacle behind, for example, on the adjacent lane. Particularly, in the case of the present invention, there is no need for an obstacle detecting means such as a sonar, so that there is an effect that the configuration is simplified.

As the angle for changing the rear-view mirror, the angle indicating the stored azimuth can be directly adopted, but in addition to this, the shape, installation position, operating condition, etc. of the rear-view mirror are taken into consideration. Therefore, some correction may be added. For example, according to the current heading θi of the vehicle and the stored heading θa, the angle θ of the rearview mirror is changed.
d (for example, θd = θa−θi) may be set. In this case, since the current traveling azimuth θi of the vehicle is taken into consideration, the angle can be set more favorably.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and the direction detected by the vehicle direction detecting means is not changed for a predetermined period of time, the direction stored in the direction storing means is updated. There is an advantage that an accurate azimuth indicating is stored. In the invention of claim 6, when the shift position of the transmission is set to the reverse position, the angle of the rearview mirror is changed to the origin position.
When moving backward, the rear view can be surely confirmed in the rearview mirror.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A rearview mirror angle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a rearview mirror angle control apparatus of Embodiment 1 to which the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rear-view mirror angle control apparatus of this embodiment is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) 1 which is a microcomputer having a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, backup RAM and the like. It is what is done. Of these, the backup RAM stores a storage direction θa, which will be described later, in order to store the direction of the vehicle (= the direction of the road) even after the power is turned off.

The ECU 1 detects a vehicle speed sensor 3 for detecting the speed of the vehicle, a direction sensor 5 for detecting the direction of the vehicle, and a reverse (R) range of an automatic transmission (not shown) as sensors for detecting the driving state. The R range SW7 that operates is connected to an obstacle behind the vehicle and four sonars 9a to 9d (collectively referred to as 9) that detect the distance thereof.

The azimuth sensor 5 may be, for example, one that detects an absolute azimuth indicating how many times the vehicle is tilted with respect to the north azimuth. Also 4 sonar 9
One of them is attached to the side of the vehicle body, and the other three are attached to the center of the rear portion of the vehicle body and to the left and right thereof (see FIG. 6).

On the other hand, as the actuator, for example, left and right rearview mirrors 11R and 11L (1
1), mirror motors 13R and 13L (generally referred to as 13) that drive each rearview mirror 11, and sonar motors 15a to 15d (generally referred to as 15) that drive each sonar 9.

The circuit of the mirror motor 13 includes a manual switch 17 for directly driving the mirror motor 13 manually.
Are connected, and the position of the rearview mirror 13 set by the manual switch 17 becomes the origin. Next, the control processing of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 and the explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 6 and 7. This process is executed every 65 ms.

First, in step 100 of FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not the shift position of the automatic transmission is in the R range based on the signal from the R range SW7. If an affirmative determination is made here (that is, if it is set to reverse), the routine proceeds to step 110, while if a negative determination is made, the routine proceeds to step 160.

At step 110, the timer Tθ for switching the memory azimuth θa which stores the azimuth of the vehicle is cleared, and similarly at step 120, the memory azimuth θ is cleared.
Clear a. The storage direction θa stores the direction of the vehicle detected when the vehicle is moving forward at a predetermined speed or higher as the direction in which the road extends.

In the following step 130, the sonar motor 1
5 is driven to change the angle of the sonar 9 to the position of the origin (facing rearward), and in the subsequent step 140, similarly, the mirror motor 13 is driven to set the rearview mirror 11 (set by the manual switch 17). ) Change the angle to the origin position.

In the following step 150, the present traveling direction θi of the vehicle detected by the direction sensor 5 is
It is stored as the previous traveling direction θo, and this processing is once ended. That is, by the steps 110 to 150, R
In the case of the range, processing for clearing various set values and processing for returning the sonar 9 and the rearview mirror 11 to the origin as shown in FIG. 6A are performed. This is because, when the vehicle is moving backward, the vehicle normally backs straight backward, so that the rear view of the vehicle can be confirmed at the angle of the rearview mirror 11 which is the normal origin.

On the other hand, at step 160, when it is judged that the vehicle is not in the R range at step 100, it is judged at step 160 whether the vehicle speed is 10 km / hour or more. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 170, while if a negative judgment is made, the routine proceeds to step 200. In step 170, since the vehicle is in a normal (forward) traveling state at a speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, it is determined whether or not the current traveling azimuth θi and the previous traveling azimuth θo match. That is, it is determined whether or not the traveling direction has changed within 65 ms. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 180, while if a negative judgment is made, the above step 11 is executed.
After 0, the same process is performed.

In step 180, it is determined whether or not the timer Tθ has exceeded 5 seconds since the timer Tθ was cleared last time. If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step 190, and if a negative determination is made, the step 120 is executed. Then, the same processing is performed. In step 190, since the same azimuth is maintained for a certain period of time, the current traveling azimuth θi is stored as the memory azimuth θa, and the same processing is performed after step 130.

That is, in steps 170 to 190, when the vehicle is traveling normally at a speed equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the memory azimuth θa indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle, that is, the memory azimuth θa indicating the extending direction of the road. Is updated and stored. On the other hand, in step 200, which proceeds with a negative determination in step 160, since the vehicle speed is not the R range and the vehicle speed is low, the timer Tθ is first cleared.

At the following step 210, in order to make the angle of the sonar 9 for detecting the obstacle behind the vehicle parallel to the road, the difference θd (= θa) between the current heading θi of the vehicle and the stored heading θa. Change the angle by −θi). That is,
As shown in FIG. 6B, when the vehicle A is inclined by the θd with respect to the direction of the lane, in order to reliably detect an obstacle behind the vehicle A (for example, another vehicle B). Then, change the sonar 9 angle so that it is parallel to the road.

In the following step 220, the sonar 9 detects whether or not there is an obstacle. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 230, while if a negative judgment is made, the routine proceeds to the above-mentioned step 140 and thereafter to perform the same processing. In step 230, the angle θb between the vehicle and the obstacle is obtained. That is, when an obstacle is detected, the angle θb of the sonar 9 is adjusted so that the detection direction of each sonar 9 is perpendicular to the obstacle, and the angle θb is set to drive the sonar motor 15. Calculate from the number.

In the following step 240, the mirror motor 1
3 is driven to change the angle of the rearview mirror 11 from the origin by the angle θb, and the process proceeds to step 150. That is, by changing the angle of the rear-view mirror 11 in this way, the field of view obtained by the rear-view mirror 11 is made parallel to the obstacle, and the side and rear fields of view are secured.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the rear obstacle (vehicle B) is not inclined with respect to the direction of the road, the angle θb of the sonar 9 matches the inclination angle θd of the vehicle. However, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the vehicle B is inclined by the angle θc with respect to the direction of the road, the angle θb of the sonar 9 is increased.
Is a value obtained by adding the angle θc at which the vehicle B is tilted to θd.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle is traveling forward at a predetermined speed or higher, the azimuth θa of the road can be substantially obtained by storing the azimuth of the vehicle. Further, when the vehicle is at a low speed equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the angle of the sonar 9 is changed based on the stored bearing azimuth θa (specifically, θd (= θa−θi)). Can be detected. Therefore, the angle θb between the vehicle and the obstacle detected by the sonar 9 can be easily detected, and the rear-view mirror 11 is based on this angle θb.
By changing the angle of, it is possible to obtain good side and rear visibility. Therefore, for example, when starting from parallel parking or when changing lanes during a traffic jam, it is possible to secure a good side and rear visibility, and thus it is possible to greatly contribute to safe driving. .

Further, conventionally, even if the vehicle is inclined with respect to the direction of the road, when the angle of the steering wheel is 0, the angle of the rearview mirror 11 is not corrected, so that a good rear view is obtained. However, in this embodiment, the angle of the rear-view mirror 11 is preferably controlled even when the steering wheel angle is 0. Therefore, as shown in FIG. Therefore, a remarkable effect that the vehicle C behind the adjacent lane can be surely recognized can be obtained.

Further, in this embodiment, since the angle of the rear-view mirror 11 is limited to a predetermined vehicle speed or less, the rear-view mirror 11 is frequently changed during normal traveling.
Has the advantage that it does not move and does not hinder driving. (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described.

The rearview mirror angle control device of this embodiment is
The difference from the first embodiment is that a direction sensor is not used. Here, other hardware configurations, etc., are used in the first embodiment.
The description of the parts similar to those is omitted or simplified, and only the control process will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The hardware configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, in step 300, R
Determine if it is in range. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 310, while if a negative judgment is made, the routine proceeds to step 330. In step 310, the angle of the sonar 9 is changed to the position of the origin, and in the following step 320, similarly,
The angle of the rearview mirror 11 is changed to the position of the origin, and this process is once ended.

On the other hand, in step 330, when it is determined that the vehicle is not in the R range in step 300, it is determined whether the vehicle speed is 10 km / hour or more. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 310, while if a negative judgment is made, the routine proceeds to step 340.

In step 340, since the vehicle speed is not in the R range and the vehicle speed is low, the sonar 9 first detects whether or not there is an obstacle. If a negative decision is made here, the operation proceeds to step 310, and if an affirmative decision is made, the operation proceeds to step 350. In step 350, the angle θb between the vehicle and the obstacle is obtained. Specifically, when even one of the sonars 9 detects an obstacle, the other sonars 9 are directed in that direction so that the detection direction of each sonar 9 and the obstacle are perpendicular to each other. The angle θb of is adjusted.

In the following step 350, the mirror motor 1
3 is driven to change the angle of the rearview mirror 11 from the origin by the angle θb, and the present process is terminated. Like this
In this embodiment, when the speed is lower than a predetermined speed, the sonar 9 determines whether or not there is an obstacle, and the sonar 9
The angle of the rearview mirror 11 is changed in accordance with the changed angle θb of the sober 9, so that the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In particular, the present embodiment has an advantage that the direction sensor is not required and the control processing relating to the direction can be omitted. (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described.

The rearview mirror angle control device of this embodiment is
The difference from the first embodiment is that a sonar is not used. Here, the description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment, such as the hardware configuration, will be omitted or simplified, and only the control process will be described with reference to FIG.
A description will be given based on the flowchart. The hardware configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, in step 400, R
Determine if it is in range. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 410, while if a negative judgment is made, the routine proceeds to step 450. In step 410, the timer Tθ for switching the storage azimuth θa is cleared, and similarly, in step 420, the storage azimuth θa is cleared.

In the following step 430, the rearview mirror 1
1 is changed to the position of the origin, and in the following step 440, the traveling direction θi detected this time is changed to the previous traveling direction θo.
Then, this process is once ended. On the other hand, in step 450, when it is determined that the vehicle is not in the R range and the process proceeds to step 450, it is determined whether the vehicle speed is 10 km / hour or more. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 460, while if a negative judgment is made, the routine proceeds to step 490.

In step 460, since the vehicle is in a normal (forward) traveling state at a speed equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, the current traveling direction θi
And whether the previous traveling azimuth θo matches is determined. If an affirmative judgment is made here, the routine proceeds to step 470. On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made, the routine proceeds to the step 410 and subsequent steps, and the same processing is performed.

In step 470, it is determined whether or not the timer Tθ has exceeded 5 seconds since the timer Tθ was cleared last time. If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step 480, whereas if a negative determination is made, the step 420 is executed. Then, the same processing is performed. In step 480, the current heading θi is stored as a memory heading θa (indicating the direction of the road), and the same processing is performed after step 430.

On the other hand, in step 490, which is judged negative in step 450 and proceeds, the timer Tθ is first cleared because the vehicle speed is not in the R range and the vehicle speed is low. In the following step 500, the mirror motor 13 is driven to set the angle of the rearview mirror 11 to θd (= θa−θ), which is the difference between the current memory azimuth θi and the current memory azimuth θa.
Only i) is changed from the origin, and after step 440, the same processing is performed and the present processing is once terminated.

As described above, in this embodiment, the direction of the road is stored as the memory azimuth θa when the vehicle is normally traveling forward at the predetermined speed or higher, and is stored when the speed is lower than the predetermined speed. Specifically, depending on the azimuth θa, θd (= θa
Since the angle of the rearview mirror 11 is changed according to −θi), the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In particular, the present embodiment has an advantage that a sonar is not required and the control process for driving the sonar can be omitted.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be carried out in various modes without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, other than the sonar, various obstacle detection means using sound waves, light, etc. can be adopted.

Further, when it is desired not to rotate the rearview mirror too much, the angle θd or θb for changing the angle of the rearview mirror is not adopted, but the rearview mirror is rotated by an angle corresponding to some percentage thereof. May be. In that case, there is an effect that the time for turning is shortened and a certain field of view behind is obtained.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the angle of the rearview mirror is controlled has been described.
It can be applied to rear confirmation devices such as sonar. That is, for example, when the vehicle speed is high, the direction of the vehicle is stored as the direction in which the road extends, and when the vehicle speed is low, the direction of the sonar or the like is changed corresponding to the stored direction (or its correction value). For example, it is possible to surely confirm the vehicle behind and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the invention of claim 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the invention of claim 4;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a rearview mirror angle control device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a rearview mirror angle control process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the rear-view mirror angle control device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a field of view and the like in the rear-view mirror angle control device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a rearview mirror angle control process according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a rearview mirror angle control process according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Electronic control unit (ECU), 3 ... Vehicle speed sensor,
5 ... Direction sensor, 7 ... R range S
W, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9 ... Sonar, 11L, 1
1R, 11 ... Rearview mirror 13L, 13R, 13 ... Mirror motor, 15a, 15
b, 15c, 15d, 15 ... Sonar motor

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A mirror angle changing means for changing an angle of a rearview mirror of a vehicle, a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed of the vehicle, and an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle behind the vehicle. At the same time, the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means is a vehicle speed determination means for determining whether the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a predetermined value indicating a low speed, and when the vehicle speed determination means determines that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined value, By driving the obstacle detection means,
Obstacle angle detecting means for detecting the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle, and when the obstacle angle detecting means detects the angle between the vehicle and the obstacle, the mirror angle changing means is driven, A rear-view mirror angle control device, comprising: a mirror-angle control unit that changes an angle of the rear-view mirror according to an angle detected by the obstacle angle detection unit. 2. A vehicle azimuth detecting means for detecting the azimuth of the vehicle, and a vehicle azimuth detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed when the vehicle speed determining means determines that the vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined value. The azimuth storage unit that stores the azimuth as the azimuth of the road, and the obstacle angle detection unit, when the vehicle speed determination unit determines that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the orientation of the obstacle detection unit is changed. 2. The rearview mirror angle control device according to claim 1, further comprising obstacle detection direction control means for changing the orientation corresponding to the orientation stored by the orientation storage means. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the shift position of the transmission is set to the reverse position, the obstacle detecting means is changed in angle to the position of the origin.
Alternatively, the rearview mirror angle control device according to item 2. 4. A mirror angle changing means for changing an angle of a rearview mirror of a vehicle, a vehicle azimuth detecting means for detecting an azimuth of the vehicle, and a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed of the vehicle. Vehicle speed determining means for determining whether the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means is less than or equal to a predetermined value indicating a low speed; and if the vehicle speed determining means determines that the vehicle speed is not less than or equal to the predetermined value, The azimuth storing means for storing the azimuth of the vehicle detected by the azimuth detecting means as an azimuth in which the road extends, and the mirror angle changing means when the vehicle speed is judged to be the predetermined value or less by the vehicle speed judging means. Mirror angle control means for driving and changing the angle of the rearview mirror according to the azimuth stored by the azimuth storage means. Rearview mirror angle control device for. 5. The azimuth stored in the azimuth storage means is updated when the azimuth detected by the vehicle azimuth detection means is not changed for a predetermined period when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value. The rearview mirror angle control device according to claim 2. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the shift position of the transmission is set to the reverse position, the angle of the rearview mirror is changed to the position of the origin.
5. The rearview mirror angle control device according to any one of 5 above.