JP2002104115A - Front obstacle confirming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a front obstacle confirming system capable of confirming the front of a vehicle which becomes a blind spot when starting the vehicle, and confirming an oncoming vehicle in making a right turn. SOLUTION: This front obstacle confirming system is provided with an image pickup means 13 mounted on one side part of a driver's seat side in the front of the vehicle for imaging the front of the vehicle which becomes a blind spot from the driver's seat and imaging the oncoming vehicle in making a right turn, and a display means 14 mounted in the vehicle compartment for displaying the image information imaged by the image pickup means 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a forward obstacle confirming system which is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and enables a blind spot in front of the vehicle to be confirmed from the passenger compartment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a vehicle such as an automobile, a dashboard or a hood blocks a driver's view, and as a result, a blind spot is formed in a lower front portion of the vehicle.

[0003] Therefore, before starting the parked vehicle, it is necessary to confirm whether an obstacle is present in front of the vehicle.

[0004] Further, at the intersection, when the vehicle makes a right turn, the flow of straight-ahead vehicles in the oncoming lane is not interrupted. And
As shown in FIG. 8, in the state where the vehicle 1 is waiting for a right turn, if a vehicle 2 in a right turn waiting state of an oncoming lane exists at an opposite position in front of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 2 becomes an obstacle and the oncoming lane is obstructed. It is difficult to confirm the straight-ahead vehicle 3 in the vehicle, and the vehicle 1 has to travel at a low speed to a position where the straight-ahead vehicle 3 can be confirmed.

[0005]

However, at the time of starting the vehicle as described above, when the driver arrives at the driver's seat without checking whether an obstacle is present in front of the vehicle,
It is troublesome to go out of the vehicle again and check for obstacles in front of the vehicle, and if you start the vehicle without checking for the presence of obstacles, if there is an obstacle, However, there is a risk that the vehicle may collide with an obstacle and cause an accident.

Further, in the above-described right turn waiting state, if there is a vehicle 2 in the right turn waiting state in the oncoming lane, it is difficult to confirm the straight ahead vehicle 3 in the oncoming lane. At the same time, if the vehicle 1 is advanced at a low speed to a position where the straight-ahead vehicle 3 can be directly visually confirmed, the straight-ahead vehicle 3 may be obstructed when the straight-ahead vehicle 3 is present.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a forward obstacle confirming system capable of confirming the front of a vehicle, which is a blind spot at the time of starting, and confirming an oncoming vehicle even when making a right turn.

[0008]

A technical means for solving the above-mentioned problem is mounted on one side of a driver's seat at a front part of a vehicle, and is capable of capturing an image of the front of the vehicle at a blind spot from the driver's seat. In addition, there is provided an image pickup means capable of picking up an image of an oncoming lane at the time of turning right, and a display means mounted in the vehicle interior and displaying image information picked up by the image pickup means.

The image pickup means has a view angle that can be adjusted to be wide or narrow. The view angle is adjusted to be wide in the blind spot image pickup state, and the view angle is adjusted to be narrow in the oncoming lane image pickup state during the right turn. The structure may be as follows.

Further, a structure may be adopted in which the viewing angle of the image pickup means can be adjusted to be wide and narrow by electronic zoom.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS.
And a driver such as an instrument panel in the vehicle cabin for displaying image information taken by the image pickup means 13 mounted on one side of the driver's seat side of the front bumper 12 and the image pickup means 13. LC installed in a position that is easy to operate
Display screen 1 composed of D (liquid crystal display), CRT, etc.
A display means 14 having a display means 4a; and a display means 1 for converting an image signal imaged by the imaging means 13 into a predetermined display signal.
And a control unit 15 for supplying to the fourth side.

The imaging means 13 is mainly composed of, for example, a CCD camera, and covers a blind spot area in the lower front part of the vehicle 11 where the driver's view is blocked by the dashboard and the hood and the front of the vehicle 11 within a predetermined visual field range P. It is worn for imaging. That is, in the present embodiment, the imaging means 13 is attached to the right end of the front bumper 12, and the center of the visual field range P is disposed so as to be directed obliquely left and forward.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the imaging means 13 can simultaneously image the front of the vehicle 11 including the blind spot area at the lower front part of the vehicle 11 and the oncoming lane.

The present embodiment is configured as described above. When the parked vehicle 11 is started, for example, when the power of the front obstacle confirmation system is turned on at the time of starting the engine, the image pickup means The vehicle 11 including the blind spot area in front of the vehicle 11 and the oncoming lane captured by the
The forward image information is displayed on the display screen 14a of the display unit 14.

Therefore, it is not necessary to go outside the vehicle and check for the presence of an obstacle. The blind spot area in front of the vehicle 11 can be checked on the display screen 14a when the engine is started or the like, so that the presence or absence of the obstacle can be easily checked before starting. You can check.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in the right turn waiting state at the intersection of the vehicles 11, even if there is a vehicle 17 in the right turn waiting state in the oncoming lane, the driver turns on the front bumper 12. Since the image pickup means 13 is provided on one side portion located on the side as well, as shown in FIG. 8, from the driver's point of view of the driver's seat, the straight-ahead vehicle 3 is seen behind the vehicle 2 waiting for an opposite right turn. Even if it is not possible, as shown in FIG. 4, the influence of the opposing right-turn waiting vehicle 17 is small from the position of the imaging means 13 and the vehicle 18 can be seen straight ahead. The information is displayed on the display screen 14a as shown in FIG. 3, and the driver can confirm the distant straight-ahead vehicle 18 on the right side of the opposing right-turn waiting vehicle 17 on the display screen 14a. .

Therefore, the straight vehicle 1 is displayed on the display screen 14a.
The vehicle 11 can be advanced to a position where it can be confirmed directly by visual confirmation that the vehicle 8 is not approaching, and a right turn timing can be obtained.

The single imaging means 13 can confirm the blind spot area at the lower front of the vehicle 11 at the time of starting, and can confirm the straight-ahead vehicle 18 at the time of turning right. As compared with the structure, the cost can be reduced, and the vehicle
There is an advantage that the risk of impairing the design of the device can be reduced.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment, in which the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

That is, in the present embodiment, the imaging means 1
Reference numeral 3 includes an optical zoom mechanism, and the viewable angle of view can be adjusted to be wide and narrow by controlling the adjustment of the zoom mechanism. The control unit 15 is configured to receive a start signal of the engine 20 and a right turn signal of the turn signal 21.

When the engine 20 is started when the parked vehicle 11 starts, the start signal is input to the control unit 15, and the control unit 15 detects the start signal of the engine 20. Upon detection, the front obstacle confirmation system is automatically turned on, and the control unit 15 controls the zoom mechanism of the imaging unit 13 to switch the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG.
1 is configured to be adjusted and controlled to have a wide viewing angle suitable for imaging a blind spot area in the lower front part.

When the turn signal 21 is turned to the right when the vehicle turns right at the intersection, the right turn signal is sent to the control unit 1.
5, the control unit 15 detects a right turn signal of the direction indicator 21, and based on this detection, the control unit 15 changes the zoom mechanism of the imaging unit 13 to the vehicle 1 in the oncoming lane as shown in FIG. 6.
The configuration is such that adjustment is made to a narrow viewing angle suitable for imaging the images 7 and 18. Thereafter, when the right turn instruction state by the direction indicator 21 is released, the input of the right turn signal to the control unit 15 is released, and the zoom mechanism of the imaging unit 13 is controlled so as to return to the normal state with a wide viewing angle. .

As described above, according to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the vehicle 11
For example, when the vehicle starts moving, since the viewing angle of the imaging unit 13 is adjusted to be wide, it is possible to capture images in a wide range,
The blind spot area in the lower front part of No. 1 can be confirmed well.

Also, when the vehicle 11 turns right, the viewing angle of the imaging means 13 is adjusted to be narrow, and the vehicles 17 and 18 in the opposite lane are displayed on the display screen 14a in a zoomed-up state. In addition, confirmation of the straight-ahead vehicle 18 can be performed more easily.

FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment. Components similar to those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

That is, in the present embodiment, the imaging means 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a configuration provided with an electronic zoom for obtaining a similar zoom effect by electronic processing, instead of the optical zoom mechanism.

As in the second embodiment, when the engine 20 is started when the parked vehicle 11 starts, a start signal is input to the control unit 15, and the control unit 15 The start-up signal is detected, and the forward obstacle confirmation system is automatically turned on by this detection, and the control unit 15 changes the viewing angle of the imaging means 13 by the electronic zoom as shown by a virtual line in FIG. It is configured to perform adjustment control to a wide viewing angle suitable for imaging a blind spot area in the lower front part of the vehicle 11.

When the turn signal 21 is operated to the right when the vehicle turns right at the intersection, the right turn signal is sent to the control unit 1.
5, the control unit 15 detects a right turn signal of the direction indicator 21, and based on this detection, the control unit 15 changes the viewing angle of the imaging unit 13 by the electronic zoom as shown by a solid line in FIG. It is configured to perform adjustment control to a narrow viewing angle suitable for capturing images of the vehicles 17 and 18. At this time, the zoomed-in area is configured to enlarge and display a part of the entire imaged image area corresponding to the imaging area of the oncoming lane (the area indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 7). Thereafter, when the right turn instruction state of the direction indicator 21 is released, the input of the right turn signal to the control unit 15 is released, and the electronic zoom of the imaging unit 13 is controlled so as to return to the normal state with the wide viewing angle. Have been.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the second embodiment is obtained, and a zoom effect is obtained by electronic processing. This eliminates the necessity and simplification of the structure. Cost reduction can be achieved from this point, and the optimum area can be zoomed in, thereby improving reliability.

In each of the above embodiments, a structure is shown in which the front obstacle confirmation system is turned on when the engine 20 is started, and the front obstacle confirmation system is automatically turned on in response to a start signal of the engine 20. However, a structure in which the forward obstacle confirmation system is automatically turned on when the accessory power supply is turned on may be used.

Further, a navigation system and the like are provided,
After a certain period of time when the engine 20 is started, or after the right turn instruction state of the direction indicator 21 is released, switching control is automatically performed to display navigation information on the display screen 14a of the display means 14, display television images, and the like. It may be configured.

[0032]

As described above, according to the forward obstacle checking system of the present invention, the front obstacle is mounted on one side of the driver's seat at the front of the vehicle, and the front of the vehicle at a blind spot from the driver's seat can be imaged. And an image pickup means capable of picking up an image of an oncoming lane at the time of a right turn, and a display means mounted in the vehicle interior and displaying image information picked up by the image pickup means. Without having to check for
There is an advantage that the display means can confirm the front of the vehicle, which is a blind spot at the time of starting, and that the vehicle traveling straight in the oncoming lane can be satisfactorily confirmed even when turning right.

The imaging means has a structure in which the viewing angle can be freely adjusted to be wide and narrow, the viewing angle is adjusted to be wide in the blind spot imaging state, and the viewing angle is adjusted to be narrow in the oncoming lane imaging state when turning right. Then, at the time of start, the viewing angle of the imaging means is adjusted to a wide state, so that an image can be taken in a wide range, the blind spot in the lower front part of the vehicle can be confirmed well, and at the time of turning right, the imaging means Since the viewing angle is adjusted in a narrow state and the vehicle in the oncoming lane is displayed on the display unit in a zoomed-up state, there is an advantage that a straight-ahead vehicle can be easily confirmed.

Further, if the image pickup means has a structure in which the viewing angle can be freely adjusted by electronic zoom, the cost can be reduced by simplifying the structure, and the optimum area can be zoomed up, thereby improving the reliability. There is an advantage that it can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the front obstacle confirmation system.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram at an intersection.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a forward obstacle confirmation system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the forward obstacle confirmation system.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a display screen of a forward obstacle confirmation system according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Vehicle 12 Front bumper 13 Imaging means 14 Display means 14a Display screen 15 Control part 17 Vehicle 18 Straight-ahead vehicle 20 Engine 21 Turn signal

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hideo Kato 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term in Harness Research Institute, Inc. (Reference) 5H180 AA01 CC04 LL01 LL02 LL08 LL15

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An imaging means mounted on one side of a driver's seat at a front part of a vehicle, capable of capturing an image of the front of the vehicle, which is a blind spot from the driver's seat, and capable of capturing an image of an oncoming lane when making a right turn. A display unit that is mounted in the vehicle interior and displays image information captured by the imaging unit. 2. The image pickup means has a view angle that can be adjusted to be wide and narrow. The view angle is adjusted to be wide in the image state of the blind spot, and the view angle is adjusted to be narrow in the image state of the oncoming lane at the time of the right turn. The forward obstacle confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein 3. The front obstacle confirmation system according to claim 2, wherein the view angle of said image pickup means is adjustable by electronic zoom.