JP2003104123A - Mirror device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor all the time the rear side by a door mirror whenever the door mirror is opened or closed and even when a part of a camera is broken by building in the door mirror the camera for monitoring the rear side situation. SOLUTION: In this mirror device 101 for a vehicle that can be folded, an image pickup means CAM is arranged such that it picks up, in a state that the door mirror is folded, a region containing a part of a field of vision via the mirror MIR in a state that the door mirror is not folded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus, and more particularly to a vehicle mirror equipped with a compact image pickup means using a CCD, a CMOS or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A door mirror as a means for confirming the rear side of a vehicle has a simple structure and is inexpensive, and even if a simple failure such as a failure of a motor for adjusting the reflection direction of the mirror occurs. As long as the mirror itself that reflects light is not destroyed, it satisfies the original purpose of checking the rear side, and is currently the most popular as a rear side monitoring means.

[0003]

However, the conventional door mirror has the following problems.

1. The door mirror projects from the vehicle body of the car.

As described above, the door mirror is excellent in rear side monitoring, but since it is installed so as to project from the vehicle body, it impairs the design, increases air resistance during high speed running, and causes a reduction in fuel consumption and an increase in noise. There were problems such as being in the way when passing oncoming vehicles on a narrow road (when you fold it, you cannot see the back).

2. There is no alternative when broken.

Generally, a plurality of mirrors for vehicles are installed, but although the field-of-view ranges of the respective mirrors overlap each other, they are basically installed for confirmation of different ranges. . Therefore, even if one mirror is broken, it is impossible to cover the field of view of that mirror with another mirror.

Regarding the above-mentioned problem 2, the camera is installed in the door mirror so as to photograph the almost same range as the visual field range through the mirror when the door mirror is not folded, and the mirror is destroyed by any chance. However, the method of replacing the mirror by presenting the camera image to the driver is the patent Kaihei 7-186831 and the patent Kaihei 12-8.
5474. However, the above problem 1 is not solved. Further, with respect to the above-mentioned problem 1, there has been proposed a vehicle model or the like whose design is improved by using a camera instead of a mirror. But,
When driving a vehicle, the rear side confirmation is essential for safety, and if the camera should break, the driver loses the rear side confirmation means. In addition, rear-side confirmation with a camera differs from the rear-side confirmation method using a door mirror, which is widely used at present, in terms of movement of eyes, which may be dangerous for drivers who are not skilled in rear-side confirmation with a camera. There is a nature.

Therefore, at present, there is no method for simultaneously solving the above problems 1 and 2.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is to provide a mirror for confirming the rear side of a vehicle from a driver's point of view, and to support the mirror and move the mirror. A vehicle comprising: a mirror support portion for causing the image pickup range to include at least a part of a field of view of the mirror from the driver's point of view, and the image pickup range is moved by moving the mirror support portion. Mirror device. According to such a vehicle mirror device, the rear side confirmation can be performed by the camera regardless of the state of the mirror. Further, with respect to the first aspect of the present invention, the mirror support portion is a first aspect, which is mainly for rear side confirmation by a mirror.
And a second position mainly for rear side confirmation by the image pickup means, the rear side confirmation by the mirror is performed when the mirror is opened, and the driver is folded when the mirror is folded. The rear side confirmation by the camera can be selectively performed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the second invention of the present application includes a mirror for confirming the rear side of the vehicle from the driver's point of view, and a mirror support portion for supporting the mirror and moving the mirror. An imaging unit that includes at least a part of a field of view from the driver's point of view of the mirror in the imaging range and moves the imaging range by moving the mirror support unit; and an imaging unit diagnostic unit that detects a state of the imaging unit. The mirror support section has a first position for rearward and lateral confirmation by the mirror, and a second position for rearward and lateral confirmation by the imaging unit, and the imaging unit diagnostic unit includes:
A mirror device for a vehicle, which issues a command for moving the mirror support portion to the first position when an abnormality of the image pickup means is detected. With such a vehicle mirror device, the rear side confirmation method can be secured even when an abnormality occurs in either the mirror or the camera.

With respect to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the mirror support portion is movable according to the speed of the vehicle, so that it is possible to prevent an increase in air resistance due to the mirror due to an increase in the speed of the vehicle.

Further, regarding the first and second inventions,
By providing the mirror control means by which the driver can control the movement of the mirror support portion regardless of the state of the vehicle,
For example, a driver who is not skilled in rear-side confirmation using a camera may select rear-side support using a mirror. In this way, it is possible to prepare for when the driver changes.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in order to realize each embodiment, an example of an installation mode of a vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention in a vehicle and a configuration of a related device will be described, and subsequently, a vehicle mirror device 1 according to the present invention 1
The details of the configuration of 01 will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle mirror device 10 according to the present invention.
It is the figure which showed the example of the installation aspect example in 1 vehicle, and the structure of the rear side confirmation apparatus. The vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention is
In FIG. 1, the vehicle is installed at the same location as a conventional door mirror device. When the mirror device is open, the mirror MIR is used for rear-side monitoring like a conventional door mirror, while when the mirror is closed,
The images of the image pickup means CAM installed inside the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention so as to take a picture of the rear side of the vehicle are taken into the image combining means 102 for both left and right sides, and those images are displayed on the image display monitor. Are displayed by switching, or displayed side by side on one screen, or by combining and displaying the cut and deformed images, the driver's rear side confirmation is supported.

The image pickup means CAM is typically a CCD, C
A color or monochrome digital camera, a near-infrared camera, a far-infrared camera, or the like having a solid-state imaging device such as a MOS device. Further, the photographing means is configured by, for example, a combination of a lens and a prism or a mirror MIR, and an incident light on the lens, the prism or the mirror MIR passes through a predetermined optical path to an image pickup element located at a position away from the image pickup means CAM. It may be configured to be transmitted.

The display means 103 of the present invention is typically a liquid crystal display, but other display devices such as a plasma display can also be used. Further, the display of the present invention may be shared with a vehicle-mounted GPS terminal display (so-called car navigation system display), or an image may be shown to the driver by a hologram or the like on the windshield. Furthermore, these may be prepared separately.

(First Embodiment) First, in the first embodiment, the driver sees the state of the rear side without looking back whether the mirror device is open or folded. It is a vehicle mirror device 101 configured to be capable of performing the above. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration thereof. The mirror device according to the present invention includes a mirror MIR,
An image pickup unit CAM, a housing portion that supports and houses the mirror MIR, and includes a movable motor MOT, and a mirror M.
The vehicle body has a mirror MIR adjusting means for adjusting the direction of the IR, and a body cover COV for covering the dent portion of the vehicle body BD provided when the door mirror device is folded, when the door mirror device is opened. B
It is provided in D.

The image pickup means CAM is fixedly installed so that the rear side is included in the visual field in a state where the mirror device is folded. Therefore, as the installation mode of the image pickup means CAM, if the image pickup means CAM is completely waterproof and dustproofed, a hole for fitting the image pickup means CAM is made in the housing of the mirror device so that the image pickup means CAM is exposed. Good. Further, when the image pickup means CAM is enclosed in the housing, it is sufficient to form a housing in which only a portion where light enters the image pickup means CAM is transparent. Further, unlike the conventional door mirror device, the body cover COV may be omitted.

In FIG. 2, with the dotted line at the center as a boundary, (a) shows a state in which the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention is opened,
(B) shows a state in which the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention is closed.

First, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), during normal traveling, when it is not enough to look at the camera image when monitoring the rear side, the mirror device is opened. In this state, the image pickup means CAM does not face the rear side, so the power is turned off to save power, and the rear side confirmation is performed by the mirror MIR.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the mirror device is folded, the image pickup means CAM is directed to the rear side, and the mirror MIR cannot be used to confirm the rear side. Instead, turn on the power of the image pickup means CAM,
The captured image is displayed on a monitor installed in front of the driver's seat in the vehicle. This state is typically used during high-speed traveling where air resistance reduction is required or when avoiding an oncoming vehicle while traveling on a narrow road,
It is time to park while retracting into a narrow multistory parking lot,
Of course, at other times, this state may be set, and switching between the folded state and the open state may be automatically performed. Automatic switching includes, for example: • When the speed exceeds a certain speed, the mirror device is folded, and when the speed is lower than a certain speed, the mirror device is opened (assuming high speed driving). This reduces air resistance during high speed driving. It can improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise.

The mirror device is folded when approaching the registered location and at a certain speed or less, and when the speed becomes higher than a certain speed, the mirror device is opened. As a result, it is possible to prevent the mirror from interfering with driving in a narrow alley or a multilevel parking lot.

It should be noted that the switching may be performed by a method other than this, and it may be left only to the judgment of the user. When performing automatic switching, it is possible to prevent the driver from being confused by notifying the driver of that fact by voice beforehand.

Further, consider a driver who is not skilled in rear-side confirmation with a camera. The driver can drive with peace of mind by preferentially selecting the rear side confirmation by the mirror.

(Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the driver sees the state of the rear side without looking back in both the opened state and the folded state of the mirror device. This is a vehicle door mirror device 101 that is capable of performing the above. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration thereof. The door mirror device according to the present invention includes at least a mirror MIR and an image pickup means CAM, and the mirror MIR.
Mirror MIR adjusting means MA for adjusting the direction of
Further, the vehicle body BD is provided with a body cover COV for covering the recessed portion of the vehicle body BD provided when the mirror device is folded, when the mirror device is opened.

The image pickup means CAM is provided with movable parts so that the rear side is always included in the visual field regardless of whether the mirror device is open or folded. As a method of always directing the image pickup means CAM to the rear side regardless of whether the mirror device is opened or closed, mechanical parts may be used to perform the method. In addition, the image pickup means CAM is attached to the motor,
It is also possible to control so that the photographing direction is always rearward by driving the motor with the opening / closing of the mirror device as a trigger. When the image pickup means CAM is movable as described above, the image pickup means CAM may be installed so as to be enclosed in the housing. In that case, the light is CAM
The housing is made transparent only the part that comes in.

In FIG. 3, with the dotted line at the center as a boundary, (a) shows a state in which the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention is opened,
(B) shows a state in which the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention is closed.

First, FIG. 3A shows a state in which the mirror device is opened during normal traveling. The driver looks at the rear side while looking at the mirror MIR. By using the method shown in the above example, the image pickup means CAM
Is always facing the rear side. Then, by presenting the camera image to the monitor installed in front of the driver's seat,
Even when the driver is paying attention to the front, the driver can check the rear side with a slight movement of the line of sight, and it is possible to drive more safely. Of course, it is possible not only to present the image of the image pickup means CAM but also to detect an approaching object from the camera image and warn the driver.

On the other hand, FIG. 3B shows a state where the mirror device is folded. In this state, the image pickup means CAM is directed to the rear side and the mirror MIR cannot be used to confirm the rear side. Therefore, the photographed image is displayed on the monitor installed in front of the driver's seat in the vehicle. This state is typically used when driving at high speed where air resistance reduction is required, when avoiding an oncoming vehicle while traveling on a narrow road, or when parking while retracting into a narrow multistory parking lot. At other times, this state may be set, or the folded state and the open state may be automatically switched. That point is the same as in the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, the driver sees the state of the rear side without looking back regardless of the state in which the mirror device is exposed to the outside or stored. This is a vehicle door mirror device 101 that is capable of performing the above.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the structure thereof. The mirror device according to the present invention is provided with at least a mirror MIR and an image pickup means CAM for monitoring the rear side of the vehicle.
One of the mirror MIR and the image pickup means CAM is the vehicle body B.
When exposed to the outside of D, the other is stored inside the vehicle body BD.

The image pickup means CAM is fixedly installed so as to photograph a range including a part of a visual field range via the mirror MIR in a state where the mirror is exposed to the outside. Therefore, as the installation mode of the image pickup means CAM, if the image pickup means CAM is completely waterproof and dustproofed, a hole for fitting the image pickup means CAM is made in the housing of the mirror device so that the image pickup means CAM is exposed. Good. Further, when the image pickup means CAM is enclosed in the housing, the housing may be configured so that only a portion where light enters the image pickup means CAM is transparent.

In FIG. 4, (a) is a mirror M in the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention, with a central dotted line as a boundary.
The IR is stored inside the vehicle body BD, and the imaging means CA
The state where M is exposed to the outside of the vehicle body BD, (b) is
It is shown that the state is the reverse of the state of (a). These two states can be exchanged by rotating the vehicle mirror device 101 itself. That is, the vehicle mirror device 101 is installed in the vehicle body via the rotation mechanism ROT. The vehicle mirror device 101 itself rotates about this rotation mechanism ROT as an axis, whereby the mirror MI
The state in which R is exposed to the outside of the vehicle body BD is changed to the state in which the R is stored inside the vehicle body BD, and vice versa.

If the camera as the image pickup means CAM takes a picture of the rear side situation and displays it on a monitor, the image pickup means can be used properly if the safety confirmation of the rear side is sufficient. The state of the mirror device is maintained so that the CAM is on the outside of the vehicle body BD of the vehicle and the mirror MIR is on the inside of the vehicle body BD. This state is typically used when driving at high speed where air resistance reduction is required, when avoiding an oncoming vehicle while traveling on a narrow road, or when parking while retracting into a narrow multistory parking lot. This state may be set at other times. On the other hand, in other situations than the above, the state of the mirror device is maintained such that the mirror MIR is located outside the vehicle body BD of the vehicle and the imaging means CAM is located inside the vehicle body BD.

The configuration of the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention has been described above using three examples. In summary, since the vehicle mirror device 101 according to the present invention projects from the vehicle body BD, the vehicular mirror device 101 may be projected when it interferes with driving or when it receives air resistance to reduce traveling efficiency. The mirror MIR which occupies most of the above is stored in the vehicle body BD, and instead, the range viewed by the mirror MIR is photographed by the camera and the photographed image is displayed on the monitor.

(Fourth Embodiment) By the way, the mirror M
IR shows the invisible part by optically reflecting light, so even if there are some cracks, it plays its role,
It will not be physically destroyed unless there is an accident. On the other hand, since the image pickup means CAM is an electronic device that takes an image of the outside world using an image pickup means such as a CCD, the possibility of failure is higher than that of the mirror MIR.

In the fourth embodiment, even if a failure occurs in the image pickup means CAM as described above, the driver can check the rear side without touching the driver. Shown in block diagram. Specifically, the imaging unit diagnostic means 1 for judging whether or not the imaging means CAM is abnormal
04. When it is determined that the image pickup means CAM is abnormal or there is a possibility of abnormality, the image pickup means CAM is forcibly returned to the state of using the mirror MIR, or the image pickup means CAM is used.
Since it is abnormal, tell the driver to return to the state of using the mirror MIR.

The following two methods can be considered to determine whether the image pickup means CAM is abnormal or has a possibility of abnormality.

1. Judgment based on temporal changes of images Regarding images sampled at every unit time (for example, 1/30 second), two images that are consecutive in time are compared, and it is judged as abnormal when there is no difference for a certain period of time. It utilizes the fact that no difference appears between two consecutive images when there is no signal continuously.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the image pickup unit diagnosis means 104. The processing flow of the imaging unit diagnosis means 104 will be described below with reference to FIG.

(601) First, the judgment counter is set to zero.

(602) The absolute value of the difference between the pixels of two frames that are temporally continuous is calculated for a predetermined pixel of the image, and the sum is calculated.

(603) If the value of the total sum is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the image pickup means CAM is operating normally because there is some difference between images of two consecutive frames (601). ) And continue processing.

On the other hand, if the value of the total sum is less than the predetermined value, there is no difference between the images of two consecutive frames.
It is suspected that the imaging means CAM is abnormal, and the process proceeds to the next step.

(604) Since the judgment counter judges how long the difference between the images of two consecutive frames in time is small, if the counter value is smaller than the predetermined value, it is judged as abnormal. However, the judgment counter is incremented by 1 (60
5) Return to (602) and continue processing. However, when the determination counter value indicates a value at which the image pickup unit CAM can be said to be abnormal (that is, when the state where the difference between the images of two consecutive frames in time is small continues for a certain period of time), (606) It is considered that the abnormality of the image pickup means CAM is detected, and the state where the rear side confirmation is forcibly returned by the mirror MIR, or the rear side confirmation is performed by the mirror MIR because the image pickup means CAM is abnormal. Tell the driver to return to the condition.

Note that, for example, when driving on a road where there are few traveling vehicles and there are no streetlights at night, when a visible light camera is used, the photographed image is always black.
An abnormality may be detected even though M is normal. In order to avoid such a situation, when it is determined that it is night, for example, when the headlight switch is ON, the predetermined value in the process of (604) of FIG. It suffices to irradiate a part of the existing range with a light at regular intervals to forcibly increase the sum of absolute values in the difference calculation in (602), and reset the determination counter to 0.

2. Judgment by Communication The image pickup means CAM has a self-determination function and a communication function, and it is judged whether or not there is an abnormality by inquiring from the image pickup section diagnostic means 104 to the image pickup means CAM by communication (not shown).
In this case, the response to the inquiry is the image pickup means CAM.
If the response contents are normal, the image pickup means CAM is considered to be normal, and the other ones are considered to be abnormal.

(Application to Service) According to the effect of the fourth embodiment, a service such as searching for a nearby service center and guiding by navigation when the image pickup means CAM fails is also possible. For example, when it is determined that the image pickup unit CAM is out of order, the image pickup unit diagnosis unit 104 requests the navigation system to search for a nearby service center. Further, at the same time, the image capturing section diagnosing means 104 is operated by the imaging means C
An AM repair request is requested to the service center via a wireless communication device. In this way, while the driver is being guided by the navigation system to the nearby service center, the service center is already ready for repair, and the time required for failure can be expected to be the shortest.

[0050]

As is apparent from the above invention, according to the vehicle mirror device of the present invention, the rear side confirmation by the mirror and the rear side confirmation by the camera can be selectively performed. This makes it possible to constantly monitor the rear side of the mirror MIR regardless of whether the mirror device is opened or closed, or the mirror MIR is broken in either one of the image pickup means CAM. Moreover, when the mirror device is folded, the protrusion of the mirror portion is extremely small, so when driving at high speeds that require reduced air resistance,
This is effective when avoiding an oncoming vehicle while traveling on a narrow road and when parking while retreating to a narrow multistory parking lot.

Furthermore, whether the image pickup means CAM is abnormal,
Alternatively, when it is determined that there is a possibility of abnormality, the driver may be instructed to forcibly return to the state of using the mirror MIR, or to return to the state of using the mirror MIR because the imaging unit CAM is abnormal. Yes, you can expect safer driving.

Further, by allowing the driver to select the rear side confirmation by the mirror and the rear side confirmation by the camera regardless of the vehicle condition, even a driver who is not skilled in rear side confirmation by the camera can drive with peace of mind. Can be done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration when a vehicle mirror device is mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle mirror device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration example of a vehicle mirror device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration example of the vehicle mirror device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration when a vehicle mirror device is mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the imaging unit diagnosis means.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 Mirror device for vehicle 102 image synthesizing means 103 display means 104 imaging unit diagnostic means CAM imaging means MIR Mirror MIR MA mirror MIR adjustment means BD vehicle body COV body cover ROT rotation mechanism

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor, Issei             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Jun Morimura             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3D020 BA04 BC03 BD05 BE03                 3D053 FF11 GG12 GG18 HH60                 5C022 AA04 AC27 AC69 AC74                 5C054 AA01 CA04 CE15 CF06 CH01                       EA01 EA05 ED07 FC11 FD02                       HA30

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A mirror for confirming the rear side of the vehicle from the driver's point of view, a mirror support portion for supporting the mirror and moving the mirror, and a mirror support portion supported by the mirror support portion for driving the mirror. A mirror device for a vehicle, comprising: an image pickup unit that includes at least a part of a visual field range from a viewpoint and the image pickup range is moved by moving the mirror support portion. 2. The mirror support portion has a first position mainly for rear side confirmation by a mirror and a second position mainly for rear side confirmation by an image pickup means. The vehicle mirror device according to claim 1. 3. An image pickup unit diagnosis unit for detecting a state of the image pickup unit, wherein the image pickup unit diagnosis unit moves a mirror support unit to a first position when an abnormality of the image pickup unit is detected. The vehicle mirror device according to claim 2, wherein 4. The vehicle mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror support portion is movable according to the speed of the vehicle. 5. The vehicle mirror device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising mirror control means that allows a driver to arbitrarily control the movement of the mirror support portion regardless of the state of the vehicle. , Vehicle mirror devices.