JP2001194457A - Vehicle circumference monitor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a vehicle circumference monitor, which permits monitoring corresponding to change of environment around a self vehicle and can avoid interference with the circumference monitoring of other vehicles. SOLUTION: This monitor is equipped with a radar type monitoring means 2 and an optical type monitoring means 4 which monitor the front of a vehicle 1, a radar type monitoring means 6 and an optical type monitoring means 8 which monitor the rear of the vehicle 1, radar type monitoring means 16-19 and optical type monitoring means 10, 13 which monitor both sides of the vehicle 1, a monitoring contents selecting means 29 selecting each of the monitoring means and each of the monitoring regions of the monitoring means, an environmental condition detecting means 25 detecting environmental conditions around the vehicle 1 and transmitting the conditions to the selecting means 29, and a driving state detecting means 26 detecting the drive state of the vehicle 1 and transmitting the state to the selecting means 29. Monitoring regions and monitoring means for monitoring the regions are selected, corresponding to the environmental condition and the driving state of the vehicle 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle periphery monitoring device for selectively switching between monitoring means and a monitoring area in accordance with road environmental conditions and driving conditions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Peripheral monitoring devices mounted on a vehicle include a radar-type monitoring device using ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves as a medium, and an optical monitoring device using an image sensor or the like. 2. Description of the Related Art Many techniques for monitoring an obstacle or a traveling vehicle existing in front of, behind, or on the side of the traveling vehicle using a monitoring device have been disclosed. Among these prior arts, a vehicle periphery monitoring device using an ultrasonic wave or an electromagnetic wave is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-15337 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-12211, and the like.
Emit ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves forward, backward, or sideways to detect reflected waves from obstacles, detect obstacles and traveling vehicles, and measure the distance and position to obstacles and traveling vehicles. Things.

As an optical vehicle periphery monitoring device, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 8-27187 and Patent No. 288
As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 7039, a stereoscopic camera using an image sensor and image processing detect a traveling vehicle or an obstacle in front of or behind a lane in which the own vehicle is traveling, and determine the distance between the traveling vehicle and an obstacle. Position and to determine whether or not it can be an obstacle to the running of the own vehicle,
Such an optical sensor for monitoring the surroundings of a vehicle using an image sensor is disclosed in, for example, JP-B-63-38085.
A number of techniques have been disclosed, such as Japanese Patent Publication No.

[0004]

By using these conventional vehicle periphery monitoring devices, obstacles around the host vehicle, such as a vehicle running ahead or a following vehicle, or a vehicle existing on the side. In the case of detecting a vehicle, reliable detection may not be possible depending on environmental conditions around the vehicle, and it may not be possible to predict a danger. For example, in an optical vehicle periphery monitoring device, when traveling in dense fog, or when sunlight shines from the front of the vehicle, the function of confirming obstacles ahead cannot be fully demonstrated, and the ultrasonic radar In the vehicle surroundings monitoring device described above, wind noise during high-speed running and raindrops in rainy weather impair measurement accuracy. Further, in a vehicle periphery monitoring device using ultrasonic waves and electromagnetic wave radar, interference with ultrasonic waves and electromagnetic waves emitted from a vehicle periphery monitoring device mounted on another vehicle traveling around the own vehicle may occur,
There is a problem that the obstacle detection function is hindered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and enables monitoring in response to a change in the surrounding environment of the own vehicle and avoids interference with a surrounding monitoring device of another vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a possible vehicle periphery monitoring device.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to the present invention comprises a radar monitoring unit and an optical monitoring unit for monitoring the front of a vehicle, a radar monitoring unit and an optical monitoring unit for monitoring a rear side of the vehicle. Means, radar type monitoring means and optical type monitoring means for monitoring both sides of the vehicle, each of these monitoring means and monitoring content selecting means for selecting a monitoring area by each monitoring means, and Environmental condition detecting means for detecting and transmitting the surrounding environmental conditions, and driving state detecting means for detecting and transmitting the driving state of the vehicle to the monitoring content selection means, according to the surrounding environmental conditions and the driving state of the vehicle. The monitoring area and the monitoring means for monitoring the monitoring area are selected.

[0007] Further, as the input means for the monitoring content selecting means, an environmental condition input means for inputting environmental conditions by a driver and a monitoring area specifying means for specifying a monitoring area are added. Further, radar-type monitoring means for monitoring the front of the vehicle and radar-type monitoring means for monitoring the rear of the vehicle,
Radar type monitoring means using an electromagnetic wave or a laser as a medium,
It is constituted by two types of monitoring means, that is, a radar type monitoring means using an ultrasonic wave as a medium.

Further, the radar type monitoring means using ultrasonic waves as a medium is not selected when the running speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value. In addition, the front monitoring area is selected when the vehicle moves forward, and the rear monitoring area is selected when the vehicle moves backward. Further, when the illuminance of the selected monitoring area is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the optical monitoring means is not selected.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of monitoring sensors of a vehicle periphery monitoring device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation. In the figure,
1 is a vehicle equipped with a vehicle periphery monitoring device, 2 is mounted on a front portion of the vehicle 1, and monitors a monitoring area 3 in front of the vehicle, for example, a first radar type monitoring device using electromagnetic waves. This is a first optical monitoring device such as a stereoscopic camera that is mounted and monitors the front monitoring area 5, and the monitoring area 5 is configured to overlap the monitoring area 3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a second radar-type monitoring device that is mounted at the rear of the vehicle 1 and monitors a rear monitoring area 7 by, for example, a laser, and 8 is mounted at the rear of the cabin of the vehicle 1 and monitors a rear monitoring area 9. This is a second optical monitoring device such as a camera, and the monitoring area 9 is configured to overlap the monitoring area 7.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a third optical monitoring device such as a stereoscopic camera for monitoring a left monitoring area 12 provided on a left side mirror 11 of the vehicle 1. Reference numeral 13 denotes a third optical monitoring device provided on a right side mirror 14 of the vehicle 1. A fourth optical monitoring device such as a stereoscopic camera for monitoring the monitoring area 15 on the right side;
Is a third radar-type monitoring device arranged by, for example, ultrasonic waves on the left side of the vehicle 1 in the front-rear direction.
The fourth radar-type monitoring device, for example, by ultrasonic waves, arranged in the front-rear direction on the right side surface of the third radar-type monitoring device 16, 1
7 has a monitoring area overlapping with the monitoring area 12 of the third optical monitoring apparatus 10, and the fourth radar monitoring apparatuses 18 and 19 have monitoring areas overlapping with the monitoring area 15 of the fourth optical monitoring apparatus 13. have. Reference numerals 20 and 21 are provided at the front of the vehicle 1 and a fifth radar-type monitoring device using an ultrasonic wave for monitoring a short distance area in front, and 22 and 23 are provided at the rear of the vehicle 1 and a short distance area behind. This is a sixth radar-type monitoring device using ultrasonic waves for monitoring.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a control device for controlling each of the radar-type monitoring devices and each of the optical-type monitoring devices and switching the monitoring devices in accordance with conditions. As shown in FIG. It comprises an operating state detecting means 26, an environmental condition input means 27, a monitoring area specifying means 28, and a monitoring content selecting means 29. The environmental condition detecting means 25 detects environmental conditions such as the shape of the road on which the vehicle 1 travels, weather conditions, or illuminance on the road surface, and the driving state detecting means 26.
Detects the traveling speed and traveling direction of the vehicle 1 or the operation status of the driver. The environmental condition input means 27 is for inputting an environmental condition that cannot be detected by the environmental condition detecting means 25, for example, a traffic congestion state, a snowfall state, or the like by voice, switch operation, or the like. The area is input by voice, switch operation, or the like. The monitoring content selection means 29 is configured to receive signals from these detection means and input means and to select a monitoring area and to switch and select the operation of each monitoring device.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which a vehicle 1 equipped with such a vehicle periphery monitoring device and a following vehicle 30 are traveling back and forth, for example, on a highway. In this state, the monitoring content selection means 29 detects that the vehicle is traveling on the highway based on signals from the driving state detection means 26 and navigation (not shown), and performs third radar type monitoring using ultrasonic waves which are easily disturbed by wind noise. The operation of the devices 16 and 17, the fourth radar type monitoring devices 18 and 19, the fifth radar type monitoring devices 20 and 21, and the sixth radar type monitoring devices 22 and 23 is stopped, and the second radar type monitoring for rearward monitoring is performed. The device also stops operating to prevent emission of unnecessary laser light, and forward monitoring is performed by the first radar type monitoring device 2 and the first optical type monitoring device 4.
In order to improve the reliability of forward monitoring, the monitoring of the rear and side is limited to monitoring by each of the optical monitoring devices 8, 10, and 13, thereby avoiding interference with other vehicle devices.

In such a running state, when the driving state detecting means 26 detects the braking operation, the monitoring content selecting means 29 activates the second radar type monitoring device 6 for rearward monitoring, and the second optical type monitoring apparatus. Switching to multiple monitoring together with the monitoring device 8 enhances the monitoring function of the following vehicle 30 such as abnormal approach. In addition, during night driving, the rear road surface illuminance decreases or the headlight of the following vehicle 30 is directly radiated to the second optical monitoring device 8, and the monitoring function of the second optical monitoring device 8 deteriorates. The monitoring content selecting unit 29 stops the operation of the second optical monitoring device 8 by the road surface illuminance detection of the detection unit 25 and switches the rearward monitoring to only the second radar monitoring device 6,
Prevent reliability degradation.

When the vehicle 1 is traveling and direct sunlight is incident from the front, the detection capability of the first optical monitoring device 4 is reduced, so that the output of the environmental condition detecting means 25 or the input of the environmental condition The operation of the first optical monitoring device 4 is stopped by the operation of the means 27, and the forward monitoring is switched to only the first radar monitoring device 2, and when there is no direct sunlight, the communication with the first optical monitoring device 4 is resumed. Multiple monitoring is performed.
In addition, when heavy fog is generated, the driver operates the environmental condition input means 27.
To stop the operation of the first optical monitoring device 4, and the forward monitoring is performed only by the electromagnetic wave type first radar monitoring device 2 which is not affected by fog. When the vehicle 1 changes lanes to the right lane, the third optical monitoring device 10 for left monitoring is stopped along with the operation of the environmental condition input means 27 by the driver or the operation of the turn signal, and the right Only the information of the fourth optical monitoring device 13 for monitoring is displayed to improve the right visibility.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the present invention performs a garage entry operation. When the driving state detection means 26 detects a reverse operation, the monitoring content selection means 29 , Second radar type monitoring device 6
, The second optical monitoring device 8 and the third optical monitoring device 10
And the fourth optical monitoring device 13 to operate the third radar monitoring devices 16 and 1 for detecting a short-range obstacle.
7, the four radar type monitoring devices 18 and 19, and the sixth radar type monitoring devices 22 and 23 are operated, and the other monitoring devices are stopped. Since this operation is performed by the reverse operation, the same monitoring state can be set in the case of parallel parking.

When the vehicle 1 leaves the garage 31 or starts from the parking state, the driving state detecting means 26 detects the vehicle speed and the gear position to detect the third radar type monitoring devices 16 and 17. , Four radar type monitoring device 1
8 and 19 and the fifth radar type monitoring devices 20 and 21
And the third optical monitoring device 10 and the fourth optical monitoring device 1
3 and the other monitoring devices are stopped, and the monitoring area is narrowed forward and sideways. At this time, the driver operates the monitoring area specifying means 28 as necessary, so that the first radar type monitoring device 2 and the first optical monitoring device 4 are operated, and the obstacle ahead can be confirmed. .

The above operation will be described with reference to FIG.
When the engine is started, the routine of this flowchart is started.
9 reads a signal from the environmental condition detecting means 25, and subsequently reads a signal from the operating state detecting means 26 in step 102. Further, in step 103, the input signal of the environmental condition input means 27 is read, and in step 104, the input information of the monitoring area designating means 28 is read.
In step 5, the monitoring content selecting means 29 selects a monitoring area in accordance with a preprogrammed procedure and a command from the environmental condition inputting means 27 and the monitoring content selecting means 29, and selects a monitoring device required for the selected monitoring area. Make it work. This operation is repeated at a predetermined time interval, and an appropriate monitoring state is always selected for a change in the condition.

In the above description, the first radar-type monitoring device 2 is an electromagnetic wave radar, and the second radar-type monitoring device 6 is a laser radar. However, the first radar-type monitoring device 2 is a laser radar. The two radar type monitoring device 6 can be an electromagnetic wave radar, and the third radar type monitoring device 16
And 17 and the fourth radar type monitoring devices 18 and 19
Although the fifth radar-type monitoring devices 20 and 21 and the sixth radar-type monitoring devices 22 and 23 are ultrasonic radars, the first radar-type monitoring device 2 may be an electromagnetic wave radar having a different frequency band. it can. Further, a plurality of radars using the same medium can prevent mutual interference by setting different frequencies to each other.

[0019]

As described above, according to the vehicle periphery monitoring device of the present invention, various monitoring devices provided on the front and rear sides and both side surfaces of the vehicle, and a control device for controlling each monitoring device are provided with a road shape. Environmental condition detecting means for detecting vehicle speed, weather conditions, or road surface illuminance, driving state detecting means for detecting a traveling speed, a driver's operation state, and the like, environmental condition input means and a monitoring area designating means which can be selectively input by the driver. The monitoring area and the monitoring means can be switched according to environmental conditions and driving conditions, so unnecessary detection information and erroneous detection information are eliminated, and multiplex monitoring is performed in the required direction to perform information monitoring. It is possible to obtain a vehicle periphery monitoring device that can improve reliability, reduce electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves emitted by the monitoring device, reduce interference with peripheral devices, and provide accurate driving assistance. It is those that can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of monitoring sensors of a vehicle periphery monitoring device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device used in the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vehicle, 2nd radar type monitoring device, 3, 5, 7,
9, 12, 15 monitoring area, 4 first optical monitoring device,
6 second radar type monitoring device, 8 second optical type monitoring device,
Reference Signs List 10 third optical monitoring device, 11, 14 side mirror, 13 fourth optical monitoring device, 16, 17 third radar monitoring device, 18, 19 fourth radar monitoring device, 2
0, 21 Fifth radar type monitoring device, 22, 23 Sixth radar type monitoring device, 24 control device, 25 environmental condition detecting means, 26 operating state detecting means, 27 environmental condition inputting means 28 monitoring area specifying means, 29 monitoring contents Selection means 30 following vehicle, 31 garage.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B60R 21/00 624 B60R 21/00 624D 624E G01C 3/06 G01C 3/06 Z G01S 13/86 G01S 13 / 86 13/87 13/87 15/93 15/93 17/93 17/88 A F term (reference) 2F112 AD05 5J070 AC01 AC02 AD01 AE01 AF03 AK22 BD01 BD08 5J083 AB13 AC28 AD01 AD04 AE01 AF05 CA01 5J084 AA02 AA04 AA05 AB01 AC02 BA03 BA32 EA04 EA22

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A radar type monitoring means and an optical type monitoring means for monitoring the front of a vehicle, a radar type monitoring means and an optical type monitoring means for monitoring a rear side of the vehicle, and a radar type monitoring means for monitoring both side surfaces of the vehicle. And optical monitoring means, monitoring contents selecting means for selecting each of these monitoring means and a monitoring area by each monitoring means, environmental condition detecting means for detecting and transmitting environmental conditions around the vehicle to the monitoring contents selecting means, The monitoring content selection means includes driving state detection means for detecting and transmitting the driving state of the vehicle, and a monitoring area and a monitoring means for monitoring the monitoring area according to the surrounding environment conditions and the driving state of the vehicle. A vehicle periphery monitoring device characterized by being configured to be selected. 2. An environmental condition input means for inputting environmental conditions by a driver as input means for the monitoring content selecting means,
2. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a monitoring area specifying means for specifying a monitoring area. 3. A radar type monitoring means for monitoring the front of a vehicle and a radar type monitoring means for monitoring a rear side of the vehicle, a radar type monitoring means using an electromagnetic wave or a laser as a medium, and a radar type monitoring means using an ultrasonic wave as a medium. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle surroundings monitoring device comprises two types of monitoring means. 4. When the running speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value,
The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein a radar-type monitoring unit using an ultrasonic wave as a medium is configured not to be selected. 5. The vehicle periphery according to claim 1, wherein a front monitoring area is selected when the vehicle moves forward, and a rear monitoring area is selected when the vehicle moves backward. Monitoring device. 6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the optical monitoring means is not selected when the illuminance of the selected monitoring area is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Perimeter monitoring device.