JP2001016487A - Monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To follow overlook of a forward obstacle when the driver of a vehicle carelessly overlooks it. SOLUTION: Video cameras 11, 21 and 31 are arranged at the center, the left and the right side of the vehicle. Deviation quantity comparing circuits 25, 35 and 45 for outputting data indicating the direction and the largeness of a deviation at a corresponding point on the image pickup screens of the video cameras 11-31 are arranged. A decision-by-majority comparing circuit 51 for comparing data outputted from the circuits 25, 35 and 45 by decision by majority and a three-dimensional conversion circuit 52 for converting the output signal of the video camera 11 into the signal of a three-dimensional conversion image are arranged. A distance comparing circuit 61 for comparing the output of the circuit 52 with data of the distance which is set by a user and an alarm 63 to which the output of the circuit 61 is supplied are also arranged. When the three-dimensional image is closer than the distance set by the user, it is report by an acoustic output from the alarm 63.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a monitoring device for monitoring the front of a vehicle or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At night, when driving on a road without street lighting, even if the headlights are in a high beam state, obstacles, scenery, and road conditions ahead (for example, how the road is bent). It is quite difficult to recognize such things with the naked eye. For this reason, driving of the vehicle at night is greatly stressed.

[0003]

Therefore, it is conceivable to take an image with an infrared video camera while illuminating the front of the vehicle with an infrared lamp and display the captured image on a display arranged on a dashboard or the like. That is, by doing so, it is possible to monitor ahead by looking at the display.

However, in practice, even in such a case, the driver may inadvertently overlook an obstacle ahead.

[0005] The present invention is to solve such a problem.

[0006]

According to the present invention, for example, a first video camera disposed in the center, a second video camera disposed on the left side of the first video camera, The third placed on the right side of the video camera
And a first circuit for outputting, from output signals of the first and second video cameras, data indicating a direction and a magnitude of a shift of a corresponding point on a screen imaged by the video cameras, A second circuit for outputting, from output signals of the first and third video cameras, data indicating a direction and a magnitude of a shift of a corresponding point on a screen imaged by the video cameras, the second circuit and the third circuit; A third circuit that outputs, from an output signal of the video camera, data indicating a direction and a magnitude of a shift of a corresponding point on a screen captured by the video camera;
And a majority comparison circuit for performing a majority comparison of data output from the third circuit, and an output of the majority comparison circuit,
A three-dimensional circuit for converting the output signal of the first video camera into a three-dimensional image signal; a distance comparison circuit for comparing the output of the three-dimensional circuit with data of a distance set by a user; An alarm to which an output of a comparison circuit is supplied, and when the three-dimensional image is shorter than a distance set by the user, the alarm is output as a sound to notify the alarm. It is. Therefore, when an obstacle is located within the distance set by the user, this is notified by sound.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG.
Reference numeral 31 denotes an infrared video camera. These video cameras 11, 21 and 31 constitute three sets of stereo cameras to obtain three-dimensional information about the front of the vehicle, and are therefore arranged with respect to the vehicle, for example, as shown in FIG. Have been.

That is, the video cameras 11, 21, 31
Is provided on the upper part of the windshield facing forward so that a scene in front of the vehicle can be photographed through the windshield from inside the vehicle. And at this time, video camera 1
1, 21, 31 are arranged side by side so that their optical axes are parallel in the same horizontal plane, and the camera 11 is located at the center, the camera 21 is located on the left side of the camera 11,
The camera 31 is arranged on the right side of the camera 11.

The angles of view of the video cameras 11, 21 and 31 are set to 11 ° to 12 ° so that the photographing screens overlap the scenery seen by the driver. Further, the video cameras 11, 21, 31 have an improved imaging sensitivity by not mounting a visible light cut filter, for example.

Further, in order to irradiate the front of the vehicle with near infrared rays, for example, as shown in FIG.
Between 1, 21, 31 two near infrared lamps 82, 8
3 are arranged. At this time, the lamps 82 and 83 are illuminated so that the lamps 82 and 83 concentrate on the front of the vehicle.
Has a light distribution characteristic in the horizontal direction of about 15 ° to 20 °.

Therefore, when the vehicle is driving at night, the front of the vehicle is illuminated by near-infrared rays and the headlights of the vehicle, and video signals S11, S21 and S31 are output respectively.

Then, a video signal S11 output from the central video camera 11 is supplied to the display device 70. The display device 70 is a head-up display, and includes, for example, a combiner unit 71 corresponding to a display screen and a projector unit 72, as shown in FIG.

The combiner section 71 is constituted by a multilayer optical interference film, a hologram diffraction grating or the like so as to obtain a high reflectance and a high transmittance, and a portion of the windshield positioned in front of the driver. Is provided.

The projector section 72 is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal projector and provided on a dashboard, and the projection light is projected on the combiner section 71. Note that the video signal S11 is supplied to the projector unit 72.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the first video camera 21 and the center video camera 11 form the first camera.
And the direction and magnitude of the shift of the corresponding point on the two screens captured by the stereo camera are detected.

That is, the video signals S11 and S21 from the video cameras 11 and 21 are supplied to the contour extraction circuits 12 and 22, and the video signals S12 and S22 indicating the contour of the image are extracted.

Then, the video signal S12 is supplied to the corresponding point forming circuit 13 to form a signal S13 of data of the corresponding point, and this signal S13 is supplied to the corresponding point comparing circuit 24 as a reference signal. The video signal S22 is supplied to the corresponding point comparison circuit 24 as a comparison input. In this way, the corresponding points on the screens captured by the cameras 11 and 21 are compared in the corresponding point comparison circuit 24.

Then, the comparison output of the corresponding point comparison circuit 24 is supplied to the deviation amount comparison circuit 25, and the signal S13 is supplied to the deviation amount comparison circuit 25 as a reference signal. A signal S25 indicating the direction and magnitude of the shift of the corresponding point captured by the camera 21 with respect to the corresponding point captured by the camera 21 is taken out, and the signal S25 is supplied to the majority comparison circuit 51.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a second stereo camera is constituted by the center video camera 11 and the right video camera 31, and the shift of the corresponding points on two screens picked up by the stereo cameras. The direction and size are detected.

That is, the signal S13 from the corresponding point forming circuit 13 is supplied to the corresponding point comparing circuit 34 as a reference signal. Also, the video signal S31 from the video camera 31 is
The video signal S32 is supplied to the contour extraction circuit 32 to indicate the contour of the image, and the signal S32 is supplied to the corresponding point comparison circuit 34 as a comparison input. In this way, the corresponding points comparison circuit 34 compares the corresponding points on the screens captured by the cameras 11 and 31.

Then, the comparison output of the corresponding point comparison circuit 34 is supplied to the displacement amount comparison circuit 35, and the signal S13 is supplied to the displacement amount comparison circuit 35 as a reference signal. A signal S35 indicating the direction and magnitude of the shift of the corresponding point captured by the camera 31 with respect to the corresponding point captured by the camera 31 is extracted, and this signal S35 is supplied to the majority decision comparison circuit 51.

Further, in the apparatus of FIG. 1, a third video camera 21 and a right video camera 31
And the direction and magnitude of the shift of the corresponding point on the two screens captured by the stereo camera are detected.

That is, the video signal S32 is supplied to the corresponding point forming circuit 43 to form a corresponding point data signal S43. The signal S43 is supplied to the corresponding point comparing circuit 44 as a reference signal. The video signal S22 is supplied to the corresponding point comparison circuit 44 as a comparison input. In this way, the corresponding point comparison circuit 44 compares the corresponding points of the means that the cameras 31 and 21 have imaged.

Then, the comparison output of the corresponding point comparison circuit 44 is supplied to the deviation amount comparison circuit 45, and the signal S43 is supplied to the deviation amount comparison circuit 45 as a reference input. A signal S45 indicating the direction and magnitude of the deviation of the corresponding point imaged by the camera 21 with respect to the corresponding point imaged by the camera 21 is extracted, and this signal S45 is supplied to the majority comparison circuit 51.

In the majority comparison circuit 44,
The signals S25, S35 and S44 supplied thereto are subjected to a majority comparison and are the most certain signals, that is, the signals S25, S35 and S44.
In S45, a signal in which two or three coincide with each other is determined to be a signal correctly indicating the shift of the corresponding point, and the signal is extracted as an output signal S51.

At this time, in the majority comparison circuit 44, when one of the signals S25, S35, S45 supplied thereto is significantly different from the other two, the corresponding point comparison circuits 14, 24, 34 It is determined that there is an error in any of the used corresponding points, and the corresponding point comparison circuits 14, 2
The correction signal is fed back to the corresponding point comparison circuit among the corresponding points 4 and 34, and the corresponding point is corrected.

The signal S from the corresponding point forming circuit 13
13 is supplied to the three-dimensional circuit 52, and the output signal S51 of the majority comparison circuit 51 is supplied to the three-dimensional circuit 52. The signal S13 is a signal of data when the image based on the signal S13 is three-dimensionally converted. Converted to S52.

Subsequently, the signal S52 is supplied to the distance comparing circuit 61.
And a setting signal S62 is supplied from the distance setting circuit 62 to the distance comparing circuit 61. In this case, the setting signal S62 is a signal indicating how many meters ahead the obstacle is to be detected or its distance. Thus, the distance comparison circuit 61 compares the distance to the three-dimensional image based on the signal S52 and the distance indicated by the setting signal S62.

When there is a portion within the distance indicated by the setting signal S62 in the three-dimensional image (the front scene) by the signal S52, a signal S61 indicating this is output from the distance comparison circuit 61, and this signal S61 is used as an alarm. 63.

According to such a configuration, the video signal S11 picked up by the central video camera 11 is supplied to the projector unit 72, and the projection light is projected on the combiner unit 71. On the other side of the screen 71, the screen by the video signal S11 can be seen in a virtual image state. That is, the driver can see the infrared screen captured by the video camera 11 through the windshield.

When the three-dimensional image (the scenery ahead) based on the signal S52 includes a portion within the distance indicated by the setting signal S62, the signal S61 is supplied to the alarm 63, so that the setting signal S62 is reduced to, for example, 100 m. If set, an alarm 63 is sounded by the signal S61 when an obstacle is located within 100 m ahead of the vehicle. In other words, a sound alerts you to an obstacle 100 m ahead.

Thus, according to the above-described apparatus, the distance to the obstacle is determined by stereo imaging of the front of the vehicle by the infrared video cameras 11, 21, and 31, and if the distance is within the distance set by the driver. If they do, they will beep. In addition, the head-up display 70 shows a scene in front captured by infrared rays through a windshield.

Therefore, even if the driver inadvertently overlooks an obstacle in front of the vehicle while driving at night, when a warning sound is heard, if the driver looks forward, the driver can see the obstacle ahead of the vehicle through the windshield. You can know the existence of. Further, when notifying the driver of danger, not only the visual sense but also the visual sense and the auditory sense are used, so that the danger notification can be made surely.

Further, as a signal indicating the shift of the corresponding point, 3
To form two signals S25, S35 and S45.
The signal S51 which seems to be correct from the majority comparison of S35 and S45
, The distance to the obstacle can be accurately measured.

Further, since the display device 70 is of a head-up type, the movement of the line of sight and the adjustment of the focus can be minimized when viewing the display screen and when looking ahead of the vehicle. The burden can be reduced.

In the above description, the apparatus is used at night, but it can also be used during the day. In this case, the lamps 82 and 83 and the display 70 are used.
Should be turned off.

In the above description, the front of the vehicle is monitored. However, if the video cameras 11, 21, 31 are provided rearward of the vehicle, the situation behind the vehicle can be known. For example, when backing in a parking lot or the like, the presence or absence of an obstacle behind can be known by sound, and when changing lanes on an expressway, the presence or absence of abnormal approach of a following vehicle can be known by sound. be able to.

Further, in the above description, the preceding obstacle is warned by the sound output from the alarm 63, but it is also possible to warn by sound such as voice synthesis. Also, the alarm sound can be changed according to the distance to the obstacle. Furthermore, in the above, 3
In this case, the number of infrared video cameras 11, 21, and 31 is arranged. However, if more infrared video cameras are arranged, reliability and accuracy can be improved.

[0039]

According to the present invention, even if an obstacle in front of the vehicle is visible through the windshield but the driver is not conscious of the obstacle at all, the present invention appeals to both vision and hearing. Even if you are not conscious,
We can make up for it.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a layout view illustrating one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11: infrared video camera, 12: contour extraction circuit, 13
... Corresponding point forming circuit, 21 ... Infrared video camera, 22 ...
Contour extraction circuit, 24 ... Corresponding point comparison circuit, 25 ... Displacement amount comparison circuit, 31 ... Infrared video camera, 32 ... Contour extraction circuit, 34 ... Corresponding point comparison circuit, 35 ... Displacement amount comparison circuit, 4
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Corresponding point forming circuit, 44 ... Corresponding point comparing circuit, 45 ... Displacement amount comparing circuit, 51 ... Majority comparing circuit, 52 ... Three-dimensional circuit, 61 ... Distance comparing circuit, 62 ... Distance setting circuit, 63
... alarm, 70 ... display device

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masayoshi Ishimaru 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Takehiko Ueno 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Yoshio Sasaki 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Masahiro Doi 6-35, 7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony (72) Inventor Takahide Kawaguchi 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) 5C022 AA04 AA15 AB61 AB62 AC18 AC71 5C086 AA54 BA22 CB16 CB36 DA08 DA33 EA11 FA07 5L096 AA03 AA06 BA02 BA04 CA05 DA01 DA03 EA14 FA06 FA66 HA02 9A001 DD11 HH29 JJ77 KK54

Claims (3)

[Claims] A first video camera disposed at the center; a second video camera disposed at a left side of the first video camera; and a third video camera disposed at a right side of the first video camera. And a first circuit for outputting data indicating the direction and magnitude of the shift of the corresponding point on the screen imaged by the video camera from the output signals of the first and second video cameras, A second circuit for outputting, from output signals of the first and third video cameras, data indicating a direction and a magnitude of a shift of a corresponding point on a screen imaged by the video cameras, the second and third circuits; A third circuit that outputs, from an output signal of the video camera, data indicating a direction and a magnitude of a shift of a corresponding point on a screen captured by the video camera; A majority comparison circuit that performs a majority comparison of data output from the circuit; a three-dimensional circuit that converts an output signal of the first video camera into a three-dimensional image signal by an output of the majority comparison circuit; A distance comparison circuit that compares the output of the conversion circuit with the data of the distance set by the user; and an alarm to which the output of the distance comparison circuit is supplied. A monitoring device that outputs a sound from the alarm and notifies the user when the alarm is close. 2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein an output signal of said first video camera is supplied to a display device. 3. The monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein the first to third video cameras are infrared video cameras, and the display device is a head-up display.