JP2006111197A - Visual information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a visual information providing system capable of acquiring information on the substantially entire periphery outside a vehicle constantly or in advance, and supplying and displaying information on a display in the vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: Information on the substantially entire periphery outside a vehicle 1 is acquired by an animation camera constantly or in advance. Displays 5, 6, 7 are arranged in the vehicle. A steering wheel sensor 3 has a plurality of sensor groups which are arranged on the surface of a steering wheel regulated with the grasping position angle (θ) and the gripping angle (r) of the steering wheel 4 as the axes, and outputs information on the grasping position angle (θ) and the gripping angle (r). A traveling state detection sensor includes a steering angle sensor to detect the steering angle (σ) and a speed sensor to detect the traveling speed (v). A display (d) in the vehicle is selected based on (θ, r) of the steering wheel sensor 3 to determine the display direction (α) of the display from (θ), the angle (β) of elevation from (r), and the magnitude (γ) of the visual field from (v), respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a visual information providing system that provides the driver with the necessary visual information in a timely manner. More specifically, the information on the grip position of the steering wheel, the steering angle, The present invention relates to a visual information providing system that assists a driver by displaying information outside the vehicle that the driver needs on a display arranged in the vehicle based on the above information, vehicle speed information, and the like.

Conventional driver assistance systems and the like are all aimed at solving individual purposes. The invention described in the following Patent Document 1 (steering input device) has a piezoelectric sensor disposed on a steering wheel, and blinkers, headlamps, on-vehicle equipment (wiper, anti-fog heater, cigar lighter, image / An input device for controlling an audio device, an air conditioner, a communication device, etc. is disclosed.
In the invention described in Patent Document 2 (adaptive switch device), a plurality of pressure sensors are arranged on a ring-shaped portion formed by a steering wheel, a position of a finger of a driver holding the steering wheel is detected, and a menu is generated. An input device is disclosed that can display, select a menu with a finger at a corresponding position, and operate a vehicle-mounted device without releasing the handle.
The invention described in Patent Document 3 (vehicle obstacle alarm device) discloses a device that performs camera control by gaze behavior. It is an obstacle warning device for vehicles which reports information about an obstacle by gazing action (number of times) of a mirror.
JP 2000-228126 A JP2003-095038 JP2001260776

  The present invention is a system for processing and providing visual information to a driver. More specifically, the information that fluctuates outside the vehicle, which the driver will need, is acquired at all times or in advance. The present invention relates to a system that enables a required amount of information to be displayed on a display in a vehicle when necessary.

When manually operating the in-vehicle system, it is necessary to release the hand from the handle to operate the in-vehicle system, which is dangerous such as one-handed operation or side-view operation.
If various data related to traveling can be input using the steering wheel gripped during driving and the in-vehicle system can be operated, driving safety can be improved without difficulty. The basic idea of the present invention is to always obtain visual information outside the vehicle necessary to assist the driver, and to predict and display the necessary information from when necessary. It is completely different from the conventional system.

In order to achieve the above object, a visual information providing system according to claim 1 according to the present invention includes a video camera that constantly acquires information about the entire circumference outside the vehicle body,
One or more in-vehicle displays arranged in the vehicle;
It has a plurality of sensor groups arranged on the steering wheel surface defined by the handle grasping angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) as axes, and outputs grasping position angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) information. A steering wheel sensor to
A steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle (σ), a traveling state detection sensor that includes a speed sensor that detects a traveling speed (v), and
The display (d) in the vehicle is selected based on (θ, r) of the steering wheel sensor, the display direction (α) of the display from (θ), the elevation angle (β) from (r), By determining the visual field size (γ) from (v), the information about the entire circumference outside the vehicle that is always acquired is processed, and the vehicle's (α, β, γ) is displayed on the display (d) in the vehicle. And a control means for supplying and displaying an image in the direction indicated by ().

The visual information providing system according to claim 2 is a video camera that constantly acquires information about the entire circumference outside the vehicle body,
One or more in-vehicle displays arranged in the vehicle;
It has a plurality of sensor groups arranged on the steering wheel surface defined by the handle grasping angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) as axes, and outputs grasping position angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) information. A steering wheel sensor to
A steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle (σ), a traveling state detection sensor that includes a speed sensor that detects a traveling speed (v), and
The display (d) in the vehicle is selected based on (θ, r) of the steering wheel sensor, the display direction (α) of the display is changed from (θ), and the field of view (γ) is changed from (r). By determining the elevation angle (β) from the above (v), the information on the substantially entire periphery outside the vehicle, which is always acquired, is processed, and the vehicle (α, β, γ) is displayed on the display (d) in the vehicle. And a control means for supplying and displaying an image in the direction indicated by ().

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the visual information providing system according to the first or second aspect, the display parameter (d, α, β, γ) at the time of previous power-off is displayed at the start-up after the power is turned on. It is configured as follows.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the visual information providing system according to the first or second aspect is configured to display a predetermined default value or a value set by the user at the start-up after the power is turned on. ing.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the visual information providing system according to the first or second aspect, combinations of (α, β, γ) that are frequently used are stored in a table in advance, and can be selected and displayed from the table. It is configured.
The invention described in claim 6 is the visual information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the rudder angle (σ) becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, a predetermined combination of (d, α, β, γ) It can be displayed with.

The visual information providing system according to claim 7, wherein a video camera that constantly obtains information about substantially the entire periphery outside the vehicle body,
One or more in-vehicle displays arranged in the vehicle;
It has a plurality of sensor groups arranged on the steering wheel surface defined by the handle grasping angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) as axes, and outputs grasping position angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) information. A steering wheel sensor to
The display (d) in the vehicle is selected based on (θ, r) of the steering wheel sensor, the display direction (α) of the display is changed from (θ), the elevation angle (β) or the visual field of the field of view is changed from (r). By determining the size (γ), the size of the field of view (γ) or the elevation angle (β) from the running speed (v), respectively, the information on the substantially entire circumference outside the vehicle is processed, and the inside of the vehicle is processed. The steering angle (σ) and the (v) are selected from a predetermined default value or a value set by the user, or a combination of a plurality of values stored in a table in advance. It is comprised from the control means which enabled it to display.

  The driver's request can be estimated based on the data from the steering wheel type input device, and necessary driving support information can be displayed on the display in the vehicle, so that driving can be facilitated.

Embodiments of an apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of displays 5, 6 and 7 in a vehicle 1 equipped with a visual information providing system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an installation example of the camera of the external visual information providing system mounted on the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the cameras 2a and 2b using the wide-angle lens are arranged so as to acquire an image of almost the entire periphery of the vehicle 1.
However, the number of cameras is not limited to two, and may be several or even if they overlap. On the other hand, if it is a moving picture camera that takes a picture through a reflecting mirror having a hyperboloid, or a moving picture camera that uses a fisheye lens, only one camera may be used. It is sufficient if the resolving power required for moving image information on the entire circumference is obtained.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the direction of display on the display. This figure defines the images displayed on the arbitrary displays 5, 6 and 7 in the vehicle 1 described above. That is, α is the display direction, β is the elevation angle of the camera (the depression angle is considered as a negative elevation angle), and γ is the viewing angle.

4 is a front view of a handle provided with a steering handle sensor, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the handle, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a correspondence between a grip position of the handle and a coordinate space, and FIG. 7 is a grip position. It is explanatory drawing shown in coordinate space.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a sensor 3 using a piezoelectric element is arranged around the steering of the handle 4 to detect the grip position of the handle. Instead of the piezoelectric element, a switch having a sufficient density to detect the grip position may be arranged. A cross section of the steering is shown in FIG. The sensor 3 for detecting the grip position is installed so as to be wound around the steering wheel, and the grip position is defined by θ and r of the handle.
The information of the steering grip position sensor is scanned according to the display speed of the image.
For example, if the display speed of the image is 1/30 seconds, the information of the grip position sensor is scanned in 1/30 seconds or less.

As the grip position, θ _w and r _w of absolute positions (world coordinates) viewed from the user's viewpoint are used. By using the absolute position, the steering wheel upper part can correspond to the front side of the vehicle and the lower part can correspond to the rear side of the vehicle when viewed from the user even during steering.
As a result, the display position can be instructed by the grip position of the handle as viewed from the user during steering, regardless of the steering angle.
In addition, when the steering angle σ is equal to or greater than a certain angle in the left-right direction, an image in a predetermined direction can be displayed on a predetermined display regardless of the grip position.
For example, when making a left turn at an intersection, it is detected that the vehicle is turning left at a low speed, the left display displays an image that compensates for the blind spot part of the left pillar and the part of the left rear entanglement, and the right display displays Display the video of the road in the right direction. Also, when changing the lane to the right side, it is detected that the lane change steering to the right lane is performed at high speed, and the right display shows the image of the blind spot part of the side mirror on the side from the right rear. The left display displays the left rear video.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a visual information providing system according to the present invention.
Input to this system is performed by a handle-type grip position sensor 81, a steering angle sensor 82, and a vehicle speed sensor 83.
Information is scanned from these sensors at a speed higher than the image display speed and input to the control unit 84. Images taken by the plurality of cameras 2 a and 2 b are sent to the image data switch 86 in the control unit 84.

  The calculation processing unit 85 determines the display position on each display from the grip position, the steering angle, and the vehicle speed. The display position information represents a direction around the vehicle, and is represented by a direction, an elevation angle, and a viewing angle. Further, a contact method such as a tap from the grip position sensor is determined, and a display display and a display position are determined. If the steering wheel sensor has a dedicated switch, it may be used instead of a contact method such as tapping.

The display position information (direction, elevation angle, viewing angle, etc.) determined by the arithmetic processing unit 85 is sent to the image data switch 86 and the image processing / display control unit.
The image data switch 86 transfers camera image information necessary for display from the captured image to appropriate image processing / display control units 87 and 88 in accordance with the obtained display position information. The image data switch 86 can be composed of an analog switch or an image switcher.

  In the image processing / display control units 87 and 88, the image obtained from the image data switch 86 is subjected to image processing such as perspective projection conversion in accordance with the display 5 or 6 that displays based on the direction, the elevation angle, and the viewing angle. And output an image to the respective display 5 or 6. The image processing / display control units 87 and 88 recognize a close object at a low speed. Alternatively, a vehicle approaching from the rear is recognized when changing lanes during high-speed driving. When the danger of a collision is predicted from the relationship between the recognized object and the steering angle, a warning is issued to the driver by sound, light, or video.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the visual information providing system according to the present invention.
(Step 91) The visual information providing system is activated.
(Step 92) θ, r, σ, v are detected. (Step 93) Display d and display direction α are determined from (θ, σ), and viewing angle γ and elevation angle β are determined from (r, v).
(Step 94) An omnidirectional camera image corresponding to the direction α, the elevation angle β, and the viewing angle γ is selected.
(Step 95) A perspective projection image at the display position (α, β, γ) is obtained for the selected camera image.
(Step 96) The perspective projection image is displayed on the display d. (Step 97) The operation of the visual information providing system is terminated.

Next, an algorithm for determining the required display contents will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sensor 3 is arranged around the steering of the handle 4, and the grip position is detected by θ _l and r _l of the handle 4. When θ is taken counterclockwise from the lower direction of the handle 4, the grip position of the right hand and the grip position of the left hand can be obtained as two grip areas as shown in FIG.
When the right hand grip position is (θ _lr , r _lr ) and the left hand grip position is (θ _ll , r _ll ), the right hand grip position (θ _lr _) is calculated from the average (intermediate value) of the minimum and maximum values of θ and r. _avg , r _{lr — avg} ) and left hand grip position (θ _{ll — avg} , r _{ll — avg} ) are obtained. Information displayed at the right hand grip position is displayed on the right display, and information displayed at the left hand grip position is displayed on the left display.

The algorithm for determining the display position (direction, elevation angle, viewing angle (zoom)) is as follows.
1. The direction α _r displayed on the right display is θ _{lr — avg} and the direction α _l displayed on the left display is θ _{ll — avg} .
2. Based on the speed v from the vehicle speed sensor, the vicinity (when the elevation angle β is downward) is selected when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed, and the distance (the elevation angle β is upward) is selected when traveling at a high speed. The selection of the elevation angle β may be set in advance, learned, or periodically updated, and the usability can be improved.
3. R _lr _ _avg of grip position, to determine the viewing angle γ (zoom) from r _ll _ _avg. The viewing angle γ is set to a wide angle (zoom out) when r is small, and the viewing angle γ is narrowed (zoomed in) as r increases. The selection of the viewing angle may be set in advance, learned, or periodically updated, and the usability can be improved.

In the above example, the elevation angle β is controlled by the vehicle speed v and the viewing angle γ is controlled by the grip position r, but the elevation angle β is controlled by the grip position r and the viewing angle γ is controlled by the vehicle speed v. Good. For example,
2 '. Handful position of r _lr _ _avg, to determine the elevation angle β from r _ll _ _avg. When r is large, the vicinity (elevation angle β is downward) is selected, and when r is small, the distance is selected (elevation angle β is upward). The selection of the elevation angle β may be set in advance, learned, or periodically updated, and the usability can be improved.
3 ′. When the vehicle is stopped or travels at a low speed, the viewing angle γ is set to a wide angle (zoom out) based on the speed v from the vehicle speed sensor, and the viewing angle γ is narrowed (zoomed in) as v increases. The selection of the viewing angle γ may be set in advance, learned, or periodically updated, and the usability can be improved.

Further, not only θ _l and r _l of the handle position (local coordinates) but also θ _w and r _w of absolute positions (world coordinates) viewed from the user's viewpoint may be used. By using the absolute position, the steering wheel upper portion can correspond to the front and the lower portion can correspond to the rear as viewed from the user even during steering. Conversion from θ _l , r _l of the handle position (local coordinates) to θ _w , r _{w of} the absolute position (world coordinates) viewed from the user may be performed by performing a cyclic shift coordinate conversion in the θ direction. As a result, the display position can be instructed by the grip position of the steering wheel as viewed from the user during steering regardless of the steering angle σ.

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to display an image of a direction necessary for driving support on a display in the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle can be equipped with a device that issues a warning to the driver.
It can be widely used in automobile-related industries and transportation industries.

It is a perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of the display in the vehicle carrying the visual information provision system by this invention. It is a top view which shows the example of installation of the camera of a visual information provision system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the direction of the display on a display. It is a front view of a handle | steering_wheel provided with the steering handle sensor which is an input means of the visual information provision system by this invention. It is sectional drawing of the said handle. It is explanatory drawing which shows a response | compatibility with the grip position of the said handle | steering-wheel, and coordinate space. It is explanatory drawing which showed the grip position in coordinate space. 1 is a block diagram of a visual information providing system according to the present invention. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the visual information providing system according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Vehicle 2 Camera 3 Steering Handle Sensor 4 Handle 5, 6, 7 Display

Claims (7)

A video camera that constantly acquires information about the entire circumference outside the car body,
One or more in-vehicle displays arranged in the vehicle;
It has a plurality of sensor groups arranged on the steering wheel surface defined by the handle grasping angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) as axes, and outputs grasping position angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) information. A steering wheel sensor to
A steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle (σ), a traveling state detection sensor that includes a speed sensor that detects a traveling speed (v), and
The display (d) in the vehicle is selected based on (θ, r) of the steering wheel sensor, the display direction (α) of the display from (θ), the elevation angle (β) from (r), (V) by determining the size of the field of view (γ), respectively, by processing the information of the substantially all the outside of the vehicle that is always acquired, supply to the display in the vehicle, and display the control means;
Visual information provision system composed of A video camera that constantly acquires information about the entire circumference outside the car body,
One or more in-vehicle displays arranged in the vehicle;
It has a plurality of sensor groups arranged on the steering wheel surface defined by the handle grasping angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) as axes, and outputs grasping position angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) information. A steering wheel sensor to
A steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle (σ), a traveling state detection sensor that includes a speed sensor that detects a traveling speed (v), and
The display (d) in the vehicle is selected based on (θ, r) of the steering wheel sensor, the display direction (α) of the display is changed from (θ), and the field of view (γ) is changed from (r). By controlling the elevation angle (β) from the above (v), respectively, the control means for processing the information on the substantially entire periphery outside the vehicle, which is always obtained, and supplying and displaying the information on the display inside the vehicle,
Visual information provision system composed of   The visual information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a display parameter (d, α, β, γ) at the time of previous power-off is displayed at startup after power-on.   3. The visual information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the visual information providing system is displayed with a predetermined default value or a value set by a user at the time of startup after power-on.   The visual information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a combination of (α, β, γ) having a high use frequency is stored in a table in advance and can be selected and displayed from the table.   The visual information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the rudder angle (σ) becomes equal to or larger than a certain angle, the display can be performed with a predetermined combination of (d, α, β, γ). A video camera that constantly acquires information about the entire circumference outside the car body,
One or more in-vehicle displays arranged in the vehicle;
It has a plurality of sensor groups arranged on the steering wheel surface defined by the handle grasping angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) as axes, and outputs grasping position angle (θ) and grasping angle (r) information. A steering wheel sensor to
The display (d) in the vehicle is selected based on (θ, r) of the steering wheel sensor, the display direction (α) of the display is changed from (θ), the elevation angle (β) or the visual field of the field of view is changed from (r). By determining the size (γ), the size of the field of view (γ) or the elevation angle (β) from the running speed (v), respectively, the information on the substantially entire circumference outside the vehicle is processed, and the inside of the vehicle is processed. The steering angle (σ) and the (v) are selected from a predetermined default value or a value set by the user, or a combination of a plurality of values stored in a table in advance. Control means that can display,
Visual information provision system composed of

Images