JP2005275860A - Driving auxiliary device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a situation of a vehicle in an opposite lane to a driver at proper timing. <P>SOLUTION: This driving auxiliary device has: a camera 1 photographing in front of the vehicle; a display 5 displaying a photographic image in front of the vehicle; a sensor IF part 31 receiving a prescribed output signal from a sensor group 2; and an image selection part 34 distinguishing presence/absence of another vehicle forward in a progress direction and a direction change operation instruction to an opposite lane direction on the basis of the output signal received from the sensor group 2, and outputting the photographic image in front of the vehicle onto the display 5 according to a distinction result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for assisting a driving operation.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle including an image display unit that selectively displays a front captured image in which the front of the vehicle is captured and a side captured image in which the vehicle side is captured on a display that can be visually recognized by the driver. A perimeter monitoring device is disclosed.

JP 2003-146133 A

  Generally, it is not easy for the driver to grasp the situation of the oncoming lane. That is, when a large vehicle such as a bus is traveling in front of the traveling direction, the field of view is blocked by the large vehicle, and it is difficult for the driver to check the vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane. In such a situation, when the traveling direction is changed via the oncoming lane (in the case of Japan, a right turn approach), the driver's operation burden increases in order to confirm the safety of the oncoming lane. In addition, even when overtaking a large vehicle ahead in the direction of travel, it is difficult to confirm the presence or absence of a vehicle in the oncoming lane. Especially in left-handed countries like ours, in the case of a so-called left-hand drive vehicle where the driver's seat is located on the left side of the vehicle, it is very difficult to grasp the situation of the opposite lane on the right side from the driver's seat on the left side. is there.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and the objective of this invention is providing the condition of the vehicle of an oncoming lane to a driver | operator.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention displays an imaging screen in front of the vehicle on the output device. For example, the driving assistance device according to the present invention includes a camera that captures the front of the vehicle, a display that displays a captured image of the vehicle or other images, and a direction change operation of the vehicle in the opposite lane direction. Change information receiving means for receiving instructions, vehicle presence / absence information receiving means for receiving vehicle presence / absence information for determining whether there is a vehicle other than the vehicle ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction, and the change information When the accepting unit accepts the change information, the image that determines the presence or absence of the other vehicle from the vehicle presence / absence information and outputs the captured image in front of the vehicle to the display unit when the other vehicle exists Selecting means.

  According to the present invention, the above configuration can provide the driver with the situation of the vehicle in the opposite lane at an appropriate timing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an in-vehicle system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, the in-vehicle system of this embodiment includes a camera 1, various sensor groups 2, a navigation device 3, a speaker 4, and a display 5. The camera 1 is installed on the opposite lane side of the vehicle (in the case of Japan, on the right side of the vehicle), and captures an image in front of the vehicle (particularly on the opposite lane side). As the camera installation location, for example, the windshield on the opposite lane side, the opposite lane side of the bumper in front of the vehicle, and the like are conceivable. When there is a large vehicle ahead in the direction of travel, generally, the oncoming lane tends to be a blind spot from the driver's seat. By installing the camera on the opposite lane side of the vehicle, the situation of the vehicle traveling in the opposite lane can be photographed without being obstructed by the large vehicle ahead in the traveling direction.

  The sensor group 2 includes a navigation sensor necessary for navigation processing, and a detection sensor for detecting timing for displaying a captured image in front of the vehicle captured by the camera 1 on the display 5. The navigation sensor is a wheel speed sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like necessary for general navigation processing. The detection sensor includes a sensor for detecting a direction change operation instruction to the driver on the opposite lane side (including a case where the direction of the vehicle is changed to the opposite lane side beyond a predetermined angle). For example, a steering angle sensor that detects a change in the direction of the vehicle in response to a driver's steer operation (steering wheel operation), a winker sensor that detects an output instruction of a winker, and the like can be given. The detection sensor includes a sensor for detecting whether or not a vehicle is present ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle. For example, there are a distance sensor that detects a distance from a vehicle traveling forward in the traveling direction, a laser sensor that detects a vehicle ahead in the traveling direction with a laser, and the like.

  The navigation device 3 performs navigation processing, displays a map or the like on the display 5, and outputs a voice guide from the speaker 4. In addition, the navigation device 3 receives various output signals from the sensor group 3 and displays a captured image input from the camera 1 on the display 5. The speaker 4 is a device for outputting a voice guide, and the display 5 is a device for displaying a navigation image or a vehicle front image.

  Next, the navigation device 3 constituting the above-described in-vehicle system will be described in detail. In addition, each apparatus (camera 1, sensor group 2, speaker 4, display 5) which comprises vehicle-mounted systems other than the navigation apparatus 3 can utilize an existing apparatus. Therefore, detailed description of these devices will not be given.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the navigation device 3. As illustrated, the navigation device 3 includes a sensor interface unit (hereinafter “sensor IF unit”) 31, a camera interface unit (hereinafter “camera IF unit”) 32, a navigation processing unit 33, and an image selection unit 34. And a speaker output unit 35 and a display output unit 36.

  The sensor IF unit 31 receives various output signals from the sensor group 2 and notifies (outputs) the received output signal to the navigation processing unit 33 or the image selection unit 34. That is, the sensor IF unit 31 notifies the navigation processing unit 33 of the output information of navigation sensors such as wheel speed sensors, geomagnetic sensors, and gyro sensors. On the other hand, the sensor IF unit 31 notifies the image selection unit 34 of output information of detection sensors such as a distance sensor, a laser sensor, a winker sensor, and a snake angle sensor.

  The navigation processing unit 33 performs navigation processing. For example, a recommended route between the current location of the vehicle detected using the GPS receiver and various sensor groups 2 and the destination set by the user is searched from a map database (not shown) (route search function). In addition, the recommended route and the current location of the vehicle are compared, and the user is informed by voice using the speaker 4 whether to go straight ahead or to turn left or right before passing through an intersection or the like. Moreover, the direction which should advance on the map displayed on the display 5 is displayed, and a user is notified of a recommended route (route guidance function). The contents of these navigation processes are the same as those of existing navigation devices.

  The image selection unit 34 selects image data to be output to the display 5. That is, when a predetermined output signal is notified from the sensor IF unit 31, the image selection unit 34 captures image data output to the display output unit 36 from the image data generated by the navigation processing unit 33 by the camera 1. Switch to imaging data in front of the vehicle. The output signal notified from the sensor IF unit 31 is an output signal from a winker sensor, a steering angle sensor, or the like for detecting a direction change operation instruction (in the case of Japan, a right turn instruction) toward the opposite lane of the driver, and An output signal from a distance sensor or a laser sensor for detecting whether or not a vehicle is present in front of the traveling lane.

  The speaker output unit 35 converts the route guidance message to the user generated by the navigation processing unit 33 into an audio signal and outputs it to the speaker 4. In response to an instruction from the image selection unit 34, the display output unit 36 displays image data such as map information and recommended routes generated by the navigation processing unit 33 or imaging data in front of the vehicle captured by the camera 1 on the display 5. Output.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display 5. FIG. 3A is an example of a general navigation screen (recommended route) generated by the navigation processing unit 33. Further, FIG. (B) is a front imaging screen imaged by the camera 1. In the illustrated display screen, one vehicle 31 is displayed in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle system is installed. Two vehicles 32 and 33 are displayed in the opposite lane of the vehicle. The driver can easily check the situation of the vehicle in the oncoming lane by looking at such a front imaging screen even when a large vehicle such as a bus is traveling forward in the traveling direction.

  Next, the operation of the navigation device 3 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the image selection unit 34 of the navigation device 3. This flow is started when the navigation apparatus 3 is powered on. When the navigation apparatus 3 is turned on, the camera 1 captures an image in front of the vehicle (mainly on the opposite lane) and outputs the captured image to the camera IF unit 32 of the navigation apparatus 3.

  First, the image selection unit 34 outputs the navigation image generated by the navigation processing unit 33 in the initial state to the display output unit 36 (S11). Therefore, a navigation image is displayed on the display 5. And the image selection part 34 receives the output information of sensors for detection, such as a blinker sensor or a steering angle sensor, via the sensor IF part 31 (S12: YES). Thereby, the image selection part 34 discriminate | determines that the driver is giving the method change operation instruction | indication to the oncoming lane side. And the image selection part 34 discriminate | determines from the output information, such as a distance sensor or a laser sensor received via the sensor IF part 31, whether the vehicle exists ahead of the advancing direction of the said vehicle at the present time ( S13).

  When there is a vehicle ahead in the traveling direction (S13: YES), the image selection unit 34 obtains image data to be output to the display output unit 36 from the navigation image data (see FIG. 3A), and the vehicle front imaging data. (See FIG. 3B) (S14). Further, the image selection unit 34 stops outputting the audio signal generated by the navigation processing unit 33 simultaneously with switching of the image data to be output. Note that a timer (not shown) measures the output time of the vehicle forward imaging data. When the output time of the vehicle forward imaging data measured by the timer has passed a predetermined value, the image selection unit 34 returns to S11 and outputs the image data for navigation to the display output unit 36.

  On the other hand, when the output signal of the sensor group 2 is not received from the sensor IF unit 31 (S12: NO), or when there is no vehicle ahead in the traveling direction (S13: NO), the image selection unit 34 returns to S11, The image data for navigation is continuously output to the display output unit 36.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

  According to the present embodiment, the vehicle forward imaging screen is provided to the driver at an appropriate timing. Accordingly, the driver can easily check the situation of the vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane even when a large vehicle is traveling forward in the traveling direction. Therefore, the driver can determine whether or not to overtake the vehicle ahead in the traveling direction after confirming the situation of the oncoming lane. In addition, the driver can accurately determine the timing of changing the traveling direction (in the case of Japan, entering a right turn) after confirming the situation of the oncoming lane. Thereby, safe driving can be ensured without increasing the operation burden on the driver.

  Further, in a left-running country such as Japan, the above effect is significant in the case of a so-called left-hand drive vehicle in which the vehicle in the driver's seat is located on the left side. In the case of a right-hand drive country, the above effect is also noticeable in the case of a so-called right-hand drive vehicle where the driver's seat vehicle is located on the right side.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, Many deformation | transformation are possible within the range of the summary.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the image selection unit 34 outputs the audio signal generated by the navigation processing unit 33 to the speaker output unit 35 at the timing of switching to the output of the vehicle forward imaging data (FIG. 4: S14). Stop output. Here, the image selection unit 34 may generate an alarm audio signal from the video of the vehicle traveling in the opposite lane of the vehicle forward imaging data captured by the camera 1 and output the alarm audio signal to the speaker output unit 35. For example, the image selection unit 34 calculates the speed and position of the oncoming vehicle from the size of the oncoming lane in the vehicle forward imaging data or the amount of change in the size of the vehicle, and the vehicle is mounted within a predetermined time. When approaching a vehicle equipped with the system, an alarm may be output. That is, the image selection unit 34 outputs an alarm when the distance between the vehicle on which the in-vehicle system is mounted and the oncoming vehicle is smaller than a certain value or when the relative speed is larger than a certain value. In addition, the image selection part 34 is good also as calculating the speed and position of an oncoming vehicle using output signals, such as a distance sensor or a laser sensor, and producing | generating an alarm.

  In the present embodiment, when the navigation device 3 is powered on, the camera 1 starts photographing the front of the vehicle at that timing. However, the image selection unit 34 receives the output signal of the sensor group 2 (S12: YES), and instructs the camera 1 to start photographing at the timing when it is determined that a vehicle is present ahead in the traveling direction (S13: YES). You may make it output. Thereby, the camera 1 can image | photograph only the image of the required vehicle front.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an in-vehicle system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the navigation device 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on the display 5. FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the navigation device 3.

Explanation of symbols

  1: camera, 2: sensor group, 3: navigation device, 4: speaker, 5: display, 31: sensor interface unit, 32: camera interface unit, 33: navigation processing unit, 34: image selection unit, 35: speaker output Part, 36: Display output part

Claims (2)

A driving assistance device,
A camera for photographing the front of the vehicle;
Display means for displaying a photographed image in front of the vehicle or other images;
Change information receiving means for receiving a direction change operation instruction in the opposite lane direction of the vehicle;
Vehicle presence / absence information receiving means for receiving vehicle presence / absence information for determining whether or not there is a vehicle other than the vehicle ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle;
When the change information receiving means receives the change information, the presence / absence of the other vehicle is determined from the vehicle presence / absence information, and if the other vehicle exists, a captured image of the front of the vehicle is displayed on the display means. And an image selection means for outputting. A driving assistance method,
A shooting step for shooting the front of the vehicle;
A change information receiving step for receiving a direction change operation instruction in the opposite lane direction of the vehicle;
A vehicle presence / absence information receiving step for receiving vehicle presence / absence information for determining whether or not there is a vehicle other than the vehicle ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle;
An image selection step of determining presence / absence of the other vehicle from the vehicle presence / absence information and, when the other vehicle is present, outputting a captured image in front of the vehicle to a display unit included in the vehicle. Driving assistance method.

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