JP2006185410A - Nighttime mobile object notification device and nighttime mobile object notification method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nighttime mobile object notification device which notifies a driver of a vehicle of the existence of a mobile object such as a pedestrian at night and effectively makes the driver of the vehicle recognize the existence of the pedestrian without dazzling a driver of an oncoming vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The nighttime mobile object notification device 1 is characterized in that an infrared camera 2 photographs a state in front of the self-vehicle, a notification object position detection part 3 detects a position of the pedestrian based on the photographed image, an oncoming vehicle position detection part 4 detects the presence/absence of the oncoming vehicle to calculate its position, and on the basis of these detection results, a marking light control part 5 controls a rotary motor 7 so that the pedestrian is irradiated with marking light of a lamp unit 6 and controls a shielding motor 9 to transfer an infrared filter 8 and restricts an irradiation area so that the driver of the oncoming vehicle is not irradiated with the marking light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a nighttime moving body notification apparatus and method for informing a vehicle driver of the presence of a moving body such as a pedestrian at night.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a crime prevention system for intimidating or warning by irradiating a spotlight to an intruder who has illegally entered a house garden or building for the purpose of crime prevention.

  In such a crime prevention system, a moving body following spotlight control device that detects the position of an unspecified moving body and irradiates a spotlight is used. As a conventional example of such a moving body following spotlight control device, JP-A-2002-83383 (Patent Document 1) is disclosed, for example.

In this conventional example, the position of the moving object is detected by a non-contact sensor, the calculation process is performed based on the detection result, the position where the spotlight is irradiated is determined, and the spotlight is irradiated toward the moving object. Met.
JP 2002-83383 A

  However, since the conventional example disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above is an apparatus developed for a crime prevention system, the following problems occur when applied to a vehicle.

  First, when a moving body such as a pedestrian exists in the vicinity of an oncoming vehicle, not only the pedestrian but also the oncoming vehicle is irradiated with a spotlight, which dazzles the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

  Therefore, in order to prevent dazzling oncoming vehicles, it may be possible to stop spotlight irradiation when an oncoming vehicle is detected, but despite the presence of pedestrians around oncoming vehicles, That presence cannot be notified to the driver of the vehicle.

  Therefore, it has been difficult to notify the driver of the own vehicle of the presence of a pedestrian in the vicinity of the oncoming vehicle without dazzling the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

  On the other hand, the driver of the vehicle equipped with the device not only monitors the road conditions ahead, but also needs to constantly perform various confirmation actions such as backward, sideways, in the car, etc. It may not be noticed only by irradiating with a spotlight.

  Furthermore, the presence of pedestrians near the median strip may be lost by the headlights of oncoming vehicles.

  Therefore, it is necessary not only to irradiate the spotlight but also to notify by some other means in order to notify the presence of a pedestrian or the like.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a nighttime mobile body alarm device according to the present invention is a nighttime mobile body alarm device that notifies a driver of the presence of a mobile body that moves around the host vehicle, and is configured to move around the host vehicle. A moving body detecting means for detecting a body; a notification target position detecting means for detecting a position by detecting a notification target moving body that is a notification target to the driver based on a detection result of the moving body detecting means; Based on the detection result of the moving body detecting means, the marking light irradiating means for irradiating marking light to the position of the informing target moving body detected by the informing target position detecting means, and detecting the position of the oncoming vehicle Oncoming vehicle position detection means to be obtained, and marking light control means for determining an irradiation position of the marking light based on the position of the oncoming vehicle when an oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection means. And wherein the door.

  Further, the nighttime moving body notification method of the present invention is a nighttime moving body notification method for notifying the driver of the presence of a moving body that moves around the own vehicle, and detecting the moving body around the own vehicle. Detected by a notification target position detection step for detecting a position by detecting a notification target mobile body to be notified to the driver based on a detection result of the step, and a detection target position detection step. Marking light irradiating step for irradiating marking light to the position of the notified moving body, and an oncoming vehicle position detecting step for detecting the presence of an oncoming vehicle based on the detection result of the moving body detecting step When the oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detecting step, a marking light control step for determining an irradiation position of the marking light based on the position of the oncoming vehicle. Characterized in that it comprises and.

  In the nighttime moving body notification device and method according to the present invention, the irradiation position of the marking light is determined based on the position of the oncoming vehicle, so that marking is performed on a moving body such as a pedestrian without dazzling the driver of the oncoming vehicle. The presence of the moving body can be notified to the driver of the own vehicle by irradiating light.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments that are the best mode for carrying out a nighttime mobile body notification device and a nighttime mobile body notification method according to the present invention will be described below.

  Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the nighttime mobile body alarm device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the nighttime moving body alarm device 1 of this embodiment is an infrared camera (moving body detection means) that detects a moving body 15 such as a pedestrian or an oncoming vehicle around the vehicle on which the apparatus is mounted. 2 and a notification target position detection unit (notification target position detection means) that detects a notification target moving body that is a notification target to the driver, for example, a pedestrian, based on the detection result of the infrared camera 2, and obtains the position thereof. 3, an oncoming vehicle position detection unit (oncoming vehicle position detection means) 4 that detects the position of an oncoming vehicle based on the detection result of the infrared camera 2 and obtains the position, and an oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 When the position of the pedestrian is detected, the marking light control unit (marking light control unit) 5 that determines the irradiation position of the marking light based on the detected position of the oncoming vehicle and the position of the pedestrian detected by the notification target position detection unit 3 Illuminate the marking light A lamp unit (marking light irradiating means) 6, a rotary motor 7 for rotating the lamp unit 6 in the horizontal direction, and an infrared filter 8 (marking light restricting means) for blocking and restricting the marking light emitted from the lamp unit 6. When the pedestrian is detected by the shielding motor 9 that moves the infrared filter 8 in the vertical direction to control the marking light shielding amount and the notification target position detection unit 3, an image of the pedestrian is displayed. And a monitor (notification alarm means) 10 for issuing an alarm.

  The oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 is connected to the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the steering angle sensor 12 of the host vehicle.

  Here, the infrared camera 2 captures around 10 vehicles per second, detects an object having a predetermined temperature as an image displayed with a predetermined luminance value, and detects a moving object such as a pedestrian existing around the vehicle. Or oncoming vehicles. However, although an infrared camera is described here as an example, a visible camera or laser radar having sensitivity in the near-infrared region, or an obstacle detection means using ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves can be used as long as it can detect a moving body. Good. Furthermore, when it is necessary to accurately measure the distance to a pedestrian or an oncoming vehicle, the performance can be improved by measuring the distance using a millimeter wave radar.

  The notification target position detection unit 3 detects a moving body that is a notification target to the driver based on the image captured by the infrared camera 2. For example, when detecting a pedestrian, the determination is made based on whether or not there is an object emitting far-infrared rays having a size corresponding to the pedestrian. However, in the present embodiment, the case of a pedestrian is described as an example of the notification target moving body, but a bicycle, a motorcycle, a vehicle, or the like may be detected as the notification target moving body other than the pedestrian.

  The oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 detects a region that is considered to be an oncoming vehicle image from the image captured by the infrared camera 2 as an oncoming vehicle candidate region, and calculates a geometric calculation from the relationship between the steering angle of the own vehicle and the vehicle speed. To determine whether the vehicle is an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle, and further calculate the distance to obtain the position. Moreover, each part, such as a vehicle body and a tire of an oncoming vehicle, is detected based on the image image | photographed with the infrared camera 2. FIG. In particular, when an area photographed by the infrared camera 2 has a region of a predetermined temperature or higher at a predetermined interval, the region is recognized as a headlight of an oncoming vehicle. Recognize as a car windshield.

  The marking light control unit 5 controls the rotation motor 7 based on the position of the pedestrian detected by the notification target position detection unit 3 to rotate the lamp unit 6 in the horizontal direction so that the pedestrian is irradiated with the marking light. To control. Further, based on the position of the oncoming vehicle detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 and the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, the shielding motor 9 is controlled to move the infrared filter 8 up and down to shield the marking light. Control the amount. In particular, when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle, an area other than the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle is set as the irradiation area of the marking light. Further, when the headlight position is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4, control is performed so that the marking light is irradiated below the detected headlight position. Furthermore, when the position of the windshield is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4, an area other than the windshield is set as an irradiation area of the marking light.

  Moreover, the irradiation light quantity of marking light is controlled according to the traveling speed of the own vehicle. For example, when the vehicle speed is high, the amount of marking light applied is increased. Further, the amount of marking light emitted may be changed according to the amount of light around the vehicle such as at night, dusk, and daytime, or may be changed according to the weather such as rain, fog, and snow.

  The lamp unit 6 includes a light source such as a halogen lamp, a circuit for turning on the light source, an optical unit that narrows an irradiation range of light emitted from the light source, a main body that stores these, and the like, and a command from the marking light control unit 5 Based on the above, the marking light is irradiated toward the pedestrian.

  The rotation motor 7 rotates the lamp unit 6 in the horizontal direction based on the control of the marking light control unit 5 so that the marking light is irradiated to the pedestrian.

  The infrared filter 8 is disposed on the front surface of the lamp unit 6 and blocks visible light in a predetermined area from the marking light from the lamp unit 6 and transmits only infrared light.

  The shielding motor 9 controls the amount of marking light shielded by the infrared filter 8 by moving the infrared filter 8 by a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow A in the figure based on the control of the marking light control unit 5.

  The monitor 10 is installed in the passenger compartment. When a pedestrian is detected by the notification target position detection unit 3, the monitor 10 displays an image of the pedestrian captured by the infrared camera 2 and drives a predetermined alarm. Inform the person of the existence of a pedestrian. Further, a visible camera that detects a white line may be separately installed to identify the own lane, and an alarm for pedestrians may be changed inside and outside the own lane.

  Next, the nighttime mobile body notification process by the nighttime mobile body notification apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the driver of the own vehicle turns on the system switch of the nighttime mobile body alarm device 1 (S201), the nighttime mobile body alarm device 1 starts its operation and the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the rudder angle sensor 12 detect the host vehicle. Is obtained (S202).

Next, the nighttime moving body alarm device 1 captures one frame of an image captured by the infrared camera 2 (S203). Here, the situation ahead of the host vehicle will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the own vehicle is traveling in the lane 30, the opposite lane 32 is located on the right side of the center line 31, and the oncoming vehicle 33 is on the opposite lane 32 from the front toward the own vehicle. I'm running towards. There, the pedestrian 34 has crossed from the opposite lane 32 side to the own lane 30, and is located just near the center line 31.

  Next, in this situation, an image of the infrared camera 2 that images the front part of the oncoming vehicle 33 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the case where the oncoming vehicle is a large truck will be described as an example. As shown in FIG. 4, a bumper 42, a tire 43, two headlights 44, and a windshield 45 are arranged on the vehicle body 41 of the oncoming vehicle 33. A reflection 46 of the engine heat from the road surface is photographed on the road surface below the vehicle body 41.

  In the image of the infrared camera 2 photographed in this way, the detected luminance value of the object having the lowest temperature of 10 ° C. is set to 0, and the detected luminance value of the object having the highest temperature of 35 ° C. is set to 255, from 10 ° C. to 35 ° C. Is detected in 256 stages. Further, an object whose temperature is lower than 10 ° C. is output with a detection luminance value of 0, and an object whose temperature exceeds 35 ° C. is output with a detection luminance value of 255 fixed.

  The detected luminance value of each part of the vehicle body shown in FIG. 4 is output as follows according to the result of the running experiment, although there are differences depending on the season and time zone. The detected luminance value of the vehicle body 41 is 128, the bumper 42 is 128, the tire 43 is 40, the headlight 44 is 255, the windshield 45 is 40, and the engine heat reflection 46 is detected with a luminance value of 200.

  Next, the presence / absence of an oncoming vehicle candidate area is determined (S204). In this determination, determination is made from two steps: extraction of an oncoming vehicle candidate region and determination of whether the extracted region is a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle.

  First, binarization is performed on the condition that an image captured by the infrared camera 2 is extracted with a luminance value of 60 or more, and an oncoming vehicle candidate area is extracted. However, since this luminance value varies depending on the season and time zone, it is necessary to determine an optimal luminance threshold value under each condition.

  FIG. 5 shows an image after binarization when binarization is performed under the condition of extracting with a luminance value of 60 or more. As shown in FIG. 5, the tire 43 and the windshield 45 are not extracted in each part of the oncoming vehicle 33 because of low brightness, and other vehicle bodies 41, bumpers 42, headlights 44, and engine heat reflection from the road surface. Each part 46 is extracted and displayed in black in FIG.

  Since the vehicle body 41, the bumper 42, and the headlight 44 are continuous in these extracted portions, they are extracted as an oncoming vehicle candidate region and subjected to grouping processing, while the reflection 46 from the engine heat road surface is an oncoming vehicle candidate. Since it is discontinuous from the region and is located below the oncoming vehicle candidate region, a sign is given as reflection of engine heat from the road surface. Here, giving a sign means that image data of a target region and information to be a sign are stored in association with each other.

  Next, geometric calculation is performed on the oncoming vehicle candidate region using the steering angle and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle acquired in step S202, and the oncoming vehicle candidate region is determined based on the amount of deviation from the traveling direction of the own vehicle. It is determined whether the vehicle precedes the host vehicle or an oncoming vehicle. When it is determined that the oncoming vehicle candidate region is an oncoming vehicle, a sign of an oncoming vehicle is assigned to the oncoming vehicle candidate region (S205).

  Next, binarization is performed under the condition that an image captured by the infrared camera 2 is extracted with a luminance value of 170 or more, and the presence or absence of the headlight is identified (S206).

  Here, FIG. 6 shows an image after binarization when binarization is performed by extracting with a luminance value of 170 or more. As shown in FIG. 6, in the captured image, the luminance value of 170 or more is the area of the headlight 44 and the area of the reflection 46 from the road surface of the engine heat. Of these areas, the oncoming vehicle candidate area The area of the headlight 44 is extracted, and the distance B between the areas of the center of gravity of the two headlight areas is further measured. If this distance is within the range of 1.4 m ± 0.3 m, the head A light label is assigned (S207). As a measuring method of the distance B between the area centers of gravity, the vertical position on the image of the road surface directly under the vehicle is calculated. Since the road surface is a flat surface, an object on the road surface existing above is located far away on this paper surface, and an object on the road surface existing below is located in the vicinity. Utilizing this fact, the distance to the vehicle is calculated by calculating the vertical position of the image of the reflection 46 from the road surface of the engine heat existing directly below the vehicle. The distance B is calculated from the distance to the vehicle and the pixel interval between the regions of the headlight 44 on the image.

  Next, binarization is performed under the condition that an image captured by the infrared camera 2 is extracted with a luminance value of 60 or less, and the presence or absence of the windshield is identified (S208).

  Here, FIG. 7 shows an image after binarization when binarization is performed by extracting with a luminance value of 60 or less. As shown in FIG. 7, in the captured image, the luminance value of 60 or less is the area of the windshield 45 and the area of the tire 43. Of these areas, the lateral width is 95% ± of the oncoming vehicle candidate area. A windshield mark is applied to the area of the windshield 45 that is 5% (S209).

  When the application of each sign is completed in this way, it is determined whether or not all of the following four conditions are satisfied as conditions for specifying the next oncoming vehicle (S210).

(1) An oncoming vehicle candidate area exists.
(2) There is a region to which a headlight sign is assigned in the oncoming vehicle candidate region.
(3) There is a region with a windshield sign in the oncoming vehicle candidate region.
(4) A reflection part from the road surface of engine heat exists under the oncoming vehicle candidate region.

  If these conditions are judged by AND logic, and there is something that does not satisfy, the process returns to step S202 and the above-described processing is performed again. If all the conditions are satisfied, the region to which the windshield mark is given is used as the windshield. Recognize and calculate the position of this area (S211).

  By thus recognizing the windshield region when all four conditions are satisfied, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to noise that is often present in the image of the actual infrared camera 2. However, the number of conditions to be set is not necessarily set to four, and may be set to three or less depending on the situation, or conversely, may be set to five or more. For example, it may be recognized as a windshield when only condition (3) is satisfied.

  Next, based on the image photographed by the infrared camera 2, the notification target position detection unit 3 determines whether or not there is an object that emits far infrared rays having a size corresponding to a pedestrian (S212). In this case, the process returns to step S202 and the above-described processing is performed again. If an object exists, the pedestrian area is calculated.

  And it is determined whether the calculated pedestrian area | region and the windshield area | region calculated by step S211 overlap (S213).

  Here, FIG. 8 shows a situation where the pedestrian area and the windshield area overlap. As shown in FIG. 8, the coordinate P0 of the lower end of the windshield area 81 is calculated, and whether or not the windshield area 81 and the pedestrian area 82 overlap depending on whether or not the coordinate P0 and the pedestrian area 82 overlap. Determine whether.

  And when it overlaps, while controlling the rotation motor 7 so that the marking light from the lamp unit 6 may be irradiated to the position P1 of the area gravity center of the pedestrian area 82 as shown in FIG. The shielding motor 9 is controlled to move the infrared filter 8 so that the marking light is not irradiated onto the region above the lower end P0, and the irradiation range is limited (S214).

  As a result, the irradiation range 91 shown in FIG. 9 is limited to the irradiation range 101 shown in FIG. 10, so that the driver of the oncoming vehicle is prevented from being dazzled and the pedestrian is irradiated with marking light to drive the vehicle. The presence of a pedestrian can be notified to a person.

  At this time, not only the marking light is irradiated, but also a pedestrian image may be displayed on the monitor 10 in the passenger compartment and a predetermined alarm may be issued. Thereby, even when the overlapping range of the windshield area and the pedestrian area of the oncoming vehicle is too large and the marking light is limited, and the notification by the marking light is not effective, the pedestrian is highlighted on the monitor 10 and displayed. Thus, the driver can be surely notified of the presence of the pedestrian. Furthermore, even if the driver of the own vehicle is dazzled by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle and the pedestrian near the median zone disappears, the pedestrian is displayed on the monitor 10, so the driver of the own vehicle Can reliably recognize pedestrians.

  In the embodiment described above, the irradiation of the marking light is limited by the infrared filter 8, but the irradiation position may be determined to be low so as to avoid the windshield region and the marking light may be irradiated. .

  Further, as for the region where the irradiation of the marking light is restricted, the oncoming vehicle candidate region can be all the marking light irradiation restricted region, not the windshield region of the oncoming vehicle. Thereby, the image processing can be simplified.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S213 that the windshield area 81 and the pedestrian area 82 do not overlap, the rotary motor 7 is configured so that the marking light is irradiated from the lamp unit 6 to the position P1 of the area center of gravity of the pedestrian area 82. Is controlled (S215). The situation at this time is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the marking light from the lamp unit 6 is irradiated to the position P1 of the center of gravity of the area, and thereby the irradiation range 111 is illuminated by the marking light.

  Thus, when the marking light is irradiated to the pedestrian in step S214 or step S215 and the pedestrian is notified, it is determined whether or not the driver has switched off the system (S216). Returning to step S202, the above-described processing is repeated, and when it is turned off, the night-time moving body notification processing by the night-time moving body notification device 1 of this embodiment is terminated.

  As described above, in the nighttime moving body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, the irradiation position of the marking light is determined based on the position of the oncoming vehicle, so that the movement of a pedestrian or the like without causing dazzling to the driver of the oncoming vehicle. By irradiating the body with marking light, the driver of the vehicle can be notified of the presence of the moving body (effects of claims 1 and 16). Similarly, by limiting the irradiation range of the marking light with the infrared filter 8 based on the position of the oncoming vehicle, both prevention of dazzling for the driver of the oncoming vehicle and notification of the presence of the pedestrian for the driver of the own vehicle are achieved. (Effects of claims 2 and 17).

  Moreover, in the nighttime mobile body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, by setting an area other than the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle as an irradiation area of the marking light, it is possible to more reliably prevent dazzling the driver of the oncoming vehicle. (Effects of claims 3 and 18).

  Furthermore, in the nighttime moving body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 detects the headlight position of the oncoming vehicle and irradiates the marking light below this headlight position. It is possible to surely prevent the marking light from being irradiated to the vehicle, thereby preventing dazzling the driver of the oncoming vehicle (effects of claims 4 and 19).

  Moreover, in the nighttime mobile body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the infrared camera 2 is used as a mobile body detection unit, areas having a predetermined temperature or higher exist at predetermined intervals in an image captured by the infrared camera 2. In addition, since the area is recognized as the headlight of the oncoming vehicle, the position of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle can be reliably detected, thereby preventing glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle. Effects of items 5 and 20).

  Furthermore, in the nighttime moving body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 detects the windshield position of the oncoming vehicle, and sets an area other than the windshield position as the marking light irradiation area. It is possible to reliably prevent the driver of the oncoming vehicle from irradiating the marking light, thereby preventing dazzling the driver of the oncoming vehicle (effects of claims 6 and 21).

  Further, in the nighttime mobile body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, the infrared camera 2 is used as a mobile body detection unit, and an area below a predetermined temperature in the image taken by the infrared camera 2 is recognized as the windshield of the oncoming vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect the position of the windshield of the oncoming vehicle, thereby preventing dazzling the driver of the oncoming vehicle (effects of claims 7 and 22).

  Furthermore, in the nighttime mobile body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, a condition for specifying the presence of the oncoming vehicle is set, and the presence of the oncoming vehicle is recognized based on a calculation result obtained by calculating this condition according to a predetermined discriminant. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to a large amount of noise in the image of the infrared camera 2 (effects of claims 8 and 23).

  Moreover, in the nighttime mobile body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, as conditions for specifying the presence of the oncoming vehicle, the oncoming vehicle candidate area is detected, the headlight area is detected, the windshield Since the detection of the area and the detection of the reflection area from the road surface of the engine heat are set, it is possible to more reliably prevent erroneous detection due to noise that is abundant in the image of the infrared camera 2 (Effects of claims 9 and 24).

  Furthermore, in the nighttime moving body alarm device 1 according to the present embodiment, the monitor 10 displays an image of the pedestrian and issues an alarm, so that the pedestrian in the vicinity of the median zone disappears due to the dazzling of the headlight of the oncoming vehicle. Even in the case where the driver has stopped, the driver of the own vehicle can surely recognize the presence of the pedestrian by the pedestrian image and the warning displayed on the monitor 10. Furthermore, since the oncoming vehicle and the pedestrian are located at a close distance when viewed from the own vehicle, the irradiation restricted area is enlarged, and it is effective even when the presence of the pedestrian cannot be sufficiently notified by the irradiation of the marking light ( (Effects of claims 10 and 25).

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the nighttime mobile body alarm device according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the nighttime moving body alarm device 101 of this embodiment is a far-infrared camera (moving body detection means) that detects a moving body 15 such as a pedestrian or an oncoming vehicle around the vehicle on which the apparatus is mounted. ) 102, a near-infrared camera 103 that captures an image in front of the host vehicle, and a detection result of the far-infrared camera 102, a notification target moving body that is a notification target to the driver, for example, a pedestrian, An oncoming vehicle position detection unit (notification target position detection means) 3 for obtaining the position and an oncoming vehicle position detection unit (oncoming vehicle position for obtaining the position by detecting the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle based on the detection result of the far-infrared camera 102. When the oncoming vehicle is detected by the detection means) 4 and the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4, the marking light control unit (marking light control means) determines the irradiation position of the marking light based on the detected position of the oncoming vehicle. A laser diode (marking light irradiation means) 108 for irradiating marking light to a pedestrian detected by the notification target position detection unit 3 by the visible laser diode 106 and the near-infrared laser diode 107, and light emitted by the laser diode 108 When a pedestrian is detected by the two-dimensional scanner 109 that scans the laser beam in the horizontal and vertical directions and the notification target position detection unit 3, the pedestrian image captured by the near-infrared camera 103 is displayed and an alarm is issued. And a notification warning unit (notification warning means) 110. The oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 is connected to the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the steering angle sensor 12 of the host vehicle.

  Here, the far-infrared camera 102 shoots around 10 vehicles per second, detects an object having a predetermined temperature as an image displayed with a predetermined luminance value, and moves around the vehicle, for example, walking. Detect people and oncoming vehicles. However, a far-infrared camera is described here as an example, but if it can detect a moving body, it can be a visible camera or laser radar having sensitivity in the near-infrared region, or an obstacle detection means using ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves. Also good. Furthermore, when it is necessary to accurately measure the distance to a pedestrian or an oncoming vehicle, the performance can be improved by measuring the distance using a millimeter wave radar.

  When a pedestrian is detected by the notification target position detection unit 3, the near-infrared camera 103 captures an image of the detected pedestrian and outputs the image to the notification alarm unit 110, and displays the pedestrian image on the notification alarm unit 110. Display.

  The notification target position detection unit 3 detects a moving body that is a notification target to the driver based on an image captured by the far-infrared camera 102. For example, when detecting a pedestrian, the determination is made based on whether or not there is an object emitting far-infrared rays having a size corresponding to the pedestrian. However, in the present embodiment, the case of a pedestrian is described as an example of the notification target moving body, but a bicycle, a motorcycle, a vehicle, or the like may be detected as the notification target moving body other than the pedestrian.

  The oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 detects, as an oncoming vehicle candidate region, an area that is considered to be an oncoming vehicle image from an image captured by the far-infrared camera 102, and geometrically determines the relationship between the steering angle of the own vehicle and the vehicle speed. A calculation is performed to determine whether the vehicle is an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle, and a distance is calculated to obtain a position. Further, each part such as a vehicle body or a tire of an oncoming vehicle is detected based on an image photographed by the far infrared camera 102. In particular, when an area of a predetermined temperature or higher exists at a predetermined interval in an image captured by the far-infrared camera 102, the area is recognized as a headlight of an oncoming vehicle. Recognized as the windshield of an oncoming vehicle.

  The marking light control unit 5 controls the two-dimensional scanner 109 based on the position of the pedestrian detected by the notification target position detection unit 3 and irradiates the pedestrian with the laser light output from the laser diode 108 as marking light. To control. Further, the irradiation position of the visible laser diode 106 and the irradiation position of the near infrared laser diode 107 are controlled based on the position of the oncoming vehicle detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4 and the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle. . In particular, when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps with the position of the oncoming vehicle, the laser beam of the near infrared laser diode 107 is irradiated to the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, and the visible laser diode is applied to an area other than the position of the driver The laser beam 106 is irradiated. Further, when the headlight position is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4, control is performed so that the marking light is irradiated below the detected headlight position. Furthermore, when the position of the windshield is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detection unit 4, an area other than the windshield is set as an irradiation area of the marking light.

  Moreover, the irradiation light quantity of marking light is controlled according to the traveling speed of the own vehicle. For example, when the vehicle speed is high, the amount of marking light applied is increased. Further, the amount of marking light emitted may be changed according to the amount of light around the vehicle such as at night, dusk, and daytime, or may be changed according to the weather such as rain, fog, and snow.

  The laser diode 108 includes a visible laser diode 106 and a near-infrared laser diode 107, and irradiates a moving object such as a pedestrian with laser light as marking light based on a command from the marking light control unit 5. .

  The two-dimensional scanner 109 includes a scanning position detection circuit 111, a scanner drive unit 112, a reflection mirror 113, and a fixed mirror 114, and the scanner drive unit 112 sets the reflection mirror 113 based on a command from the marking light control unit 5. The laser beam driven in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and output from the laser diode 108 is scanned in the horizontal and vertical directions. Then, the laser beam reflected by the reflecting mirror 113 is further reflected by the fixed mirror 114 and is irradiated to a notification target moving body such as a pedestrian in front of the host vehicle. On the other hand, the scanning position detection circuit 111 detects horizontal and vertical scanning positions by the two-dimensional scanner 109, converts the scanning position into a digital signal, and then outputs a signal to the marking light control unit 5.

  The notification alarm unit 110 is composed of a navigation screen 120 disposed on the center console in the vehicle interior and a head-up display 121 disposed on the windshield. When a pedestrian is detected by the notification target position detection unit 3, While displaying the image of the pedestrian image | photographed with the infrared camera 103, a predetermined | prescribed warning is issued and a driver | operator's presence is notified to a driver | operator. Further, a visible camera that detects a white line may be separately installed to identify the own lane, and an alarm for pedestrians may be changed inside and outside the own lane.

  Next, night-time moving body notification processing by the night-time moving body notification apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the driver of the own vehicle turns on the system switch of the nighttime mobile body alarm device 101 (S1301), the nighttime mobile body alarm device 101 starts operation and the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the rudder angle sensor 12 start from the host vehicle. Is obtained (S1302).

  Next, the night moving body alarm device 101 captures one frame of the image captured by the far-infrared camera 102 (S1303), and projects the image captured by the near-infrared camera 103 on the navigation screen 120 and the head-up display 121 (S1304). ).

  Here, it is assumed that the situation ahead of the host vehicle is the same as the situation described in FIG. That is, the host vehicle is traveling in the lane 30, the opposite lane 32 is located on the right side of the center line 31, and the oncoming vehicle 33 travels from the front toward the host vehicle on the opposite lane 32. Yes. There, the pedestrian 34 has crossed from the opposite lane 32 side to the own lane 30, and is located just near the center line 31.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows an image of the far-infrared camera 102 that images the front part of the oncoming vehicle 33 in this situation. In FIG. 4, the case where the oncoming vehicle is a large truck will be described as an example. As shown in FIG. 4, a bumper 42, a tire 43, two headlights 44, and a windshield 45 are arranged on the vehicle body 41 of the oncoming vehicle 33. A reflection 46 of the engine heat from the road surface is photographed on the road surface below the vehicle body 41.

  In the image of the far-infrared camera 102 photographed in this way, the detected luminance value of the object having the lowest temperature of 10 ° C. is 0, the detected luminance value of the object having the highest temperature of 35 ° C. is 255, and 10 ° C. to 35 ° C. The period up to 256 is detected in 256 stages. Further, an object whose temperature is lower than 10 ° C. is output with a detection luminance value of 0, and an object whose temperature exceeds 35 ° C. is output with a detection luminance value of 255 fixed.

  The detected luminance value of each part of the vehicle body shown in FIG. 4 is output as follows according to the result of the running experiment, although there are differences depending on the season and time zone. The detected luminance value of the vehicle body 41 is 128, the bumper 42 is 128, the tire 43 is 40, the headlight 44 is 255, the windshield 45 is 40, and the engine heat reflection 46 is detected with a luminance value of 200.

  Next, the presence / absence of an oncoming vehicle candidate area is determined (S1305). In this determination, determination is made from two steps: extraction of an oncoming vehicle candidate region and determination of whether the extracted region is a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle.

  First, binarization is performed under the condition that an image captured by the far-infrared camera 102 is extracted with a luminance value of 60 or more, and an oncoming vehicle candidate area is extracted. However, since this luminance value varies depending on the season and time zone, it is necessary to determine an optimal luminance threshold value under each condition. FIG. 5 shows an image after binarization when binarization is performed under the condition of extracting with a luminance value of 60 or more. As shown in FIG. 5, the tire 43 and the windshield 45 are not extracted in each part of the oncoming vehicle 33 because of low brightness, and other vehicle bodies 41, bumpers 42, headlights 44, and engine heat reflection from the road surface. Each part 46 is extracted and displayed in black in FIG.

  Since the vehicle body 41, the bumper 42, and the headlight 44 are continuous in these extracted portions, they are extracted as an oncoming vehicle candidate region and subjected to grouping processing, while the reflection 46 from the engine heat road surface is an oncoming vehicle candidate. Since it is discontinuous from the region and is located below the oncoming vehicle candidate region, a sign is given as reflection of engine heat from the road surface. Here, giving a sign means that image data of a target region and information to be a sign are stored in association with each other.

  Next, geometric calculation is performed on the oncoming vehicle candidate area using the steering angle and vehicle speed of the own vehicle acquired in step S1302, and the oncoming vehicle candidate area is determined based on the amount of deviation from the traveling direction of the own vehicle. It is determined whether the vehicle precedes the host vehicle or an oncoming vehicle. When it is determined that the oncoming vehicle candidate area is an oncoming vehicle, a sign of an oncoming vehicle is assigned to the oncoming vehicle candidate area (S1306).

  Next, binarization is performed under the condition that an image captured by the far-infrared camera 102 is extracted with a luminance value of 170 or more, and the presence or absence of the headlight is identified (S1307).

  Here, FIG. 6 shows an image after binarization when binarization is performed by extracting with a luminance value of 170 or more. As shown in FIG. 6, in the captured image, the luminance value of 170 or more is the area of the headlight 44 and the area of the reflection 46 from the road surface of the engine heat. Of these areas, the oncoming vehicle candidate area The area of the headlight 44 is extracted, and the distance B between the areas of the center of gravity of the two headlight areas is further measured. If this distance is within the range of 1.4 m ± 0.3 m, the head A light sign is assigned (S1308). As a measuring method of the distance B between the area centers of gravity, the vertical position on the image of the road surface directly under the vehicle is calculated. Since the road surface is a flat surface, an object on the road surface existing above is located far away on this paper surface, and an object on the road surface existing below is located in the vicinity. Utilizing this fact, the distance to the vehicle is calculated by calculating the vertical position of the image of the reflection 46 from the road surface of the engine heat existing directly below the vehicle. The distance B is calculated from the distance to the vehicle and the pixel interval between the regions of the headlight 44 on the image.

  Next, binarization is performed under the condition that an image captured by the far-infrared camera 102 is extracted with a luminance value of 60 or less, and the presence or absence of the windshield is identified (S1309).

  Here, FIG. 7 shows an image after binarization when binarization is performed by extracting with a luminance value of 60 or less. As shown in FIG. 7, in the captured image, the luminance value of 60 or less is the area of the windshield 45 and the area of the tire 43. Of these areas, the lateral width is 95% of the oncoming vehicle candidate area. A windshield mark is applied to the area of the windshield 45 that is ± 5% (S1310).

  When the assignment of each sign is completed in this way, it is determined whether or not all of the following four conditions are satisfied as conditions for specifying the next oncoming vehicle (S1311).

(1) An oncoming vehicle candidate area exists.
(2) There is a region to which a headlight sign is assigned in the oncoming vehicle candidate region.
(3) There is a region with a windshield sign in the oncoming vehicle candidate region.
(4) A reflection part from the road surface of engine heat exists under the oncoming vehicle candidate region.

  If these conditions are determined by AND logic, and there is something that does not satisfy, the process returns to step S1302, and the above-described processing is performed again. Recognize and calculate the position of this area (S1312).

  Thus, by recognizing the windshield region when all four conditions are satisfied, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to noise that is abundant in the actual far-infrared camera 102 image. However, the number of conditions to be set is not necessarily set to four, and may be set to three or less depending on the situation, or conversely, may be set to five or more. For example, it may be recognized as a windshield when only condition (3) is satisfied.

  Next, based on the image captured by the far-infrared camera 102, the notification target position detection unit 3 determines whether or not there is an object that emits far-infrared light having a size corresponding to a pedestrian (S1313). If not, the process returns to step S1302, and the above-described processing is performed again. If an object exists, the pedestrian area is calculated.

  And it is determined whether the calculated pedestrian area | region and the windshield area | region calculated by step S1312 overlap (S1314). Here, FIG. 8 shows a situation where the pedestrian area and the windshield area overlap. As shown in FIG. 8, the coordinate P0 of the lower end of the windshield area 81 is calculated, and whether or not the windshield area 81 and the pedestrian area 82 overlap depending on whether or not the coordinate P0 and the pedestrian area 82 overlap. Determine whether.

  In the case of overlapping, as shown in FIG. 9, the scanner driving unit 112 is controlled so that the marking light from the laser diode 108 is irradiated to the position P1 of the area center of gravity of the pedestrian area 82, and the irradiation restricted area is set. The irradiation of marking light is limited by calculation (S1315). That is, the position of the reflection mirror 113 is controlled so that the laser beam from the visible laser diode 106 is irradiated to the area below the lower end P0 of the windshield area, and the visible laser diode 106 is controlled to be turned on / off. On the other hand, the position of the reflection mirror 113 is controlled so that the laser beam from the near-infrared laser diode 107 is irradiated to the region above the lower end P0 of the windshield region, and the near-infrared laser diode 107 is turned on / off. OFF control. As a result, the irradiation range 91 shown in FIG. 9 is divided into upper and lower irradiation ranges 141 and 142 as shown in FIG. 14, and the irradiation range 141 overlapping the windshield region is not visible to human eyes. Laser light from the outer laser diode 107 is irradiated, thereby preventing dazzling the driver of the oncoming vehicle. On the other hand, since marking light is irradiated to the pedestrian by the laser beam from the visible laser diode 106 in the irradiation range 142 that does not overlap with the windshield region, it is possible to notify the driver of the own vehicle of the presence of the pedestrian. .

  At this time, not only the marking light is emitted, but also a pedestrian image captured by the near-infrared camera 103 is displayed on the navigation screen 120 and the head-up display 121 in the vehicle interior. Here, an image displayed on the screen is shown in FIG. Since the near-infrared camera 103 is sensitive to both visible light and near-infrared light, as shown in FIG. 15, the displayed image has an irradiation range by the visible laser diode 106 and an irradiation range by the near-infrared laser diode 107. Both are projected.

  Furthermore, when a windshield area | region and a pedestrian area overlap, you may make it issue a predetermined | prescribed warning with the image | video of a pedestrian on the navigation screen 120 and the head-up display 121 in a vehicle interior. Here, an example of the alarm is shown in FIG. FIG. 16 shows an image displayed on the navigation screen 120 or the head-up display 121. On this screen, the horizontal coordinate of the pedestrian area 161 is detected, and an alarm marker 162 is displayed below the pedestrian area 161. it's shown. Furthermore, the driver is informed of the presence of a pedestrian by voice.

  As a result, even if the overlapping range between the windshield area and the pedestrian area of the oncoming vehicle is too large and the irradiation by the visible laser diode 106 is limited, and the notification by the marking light is not effective, the near infrared camera 103 takes a picture. By displaying the captured image on the navigation screen 120 and the head-up display 121, the driver can be surely notified of the presence of the pedestrian. Furthermore, even when the driver of the vehicle is dazzled by the headlight of the oncoming vehicle and the pedestrian near the median strip disappears, the pedestrian is displayed on the navigation screen 120 and the head-up display 121. The driver of the vehicle can surely recognize the pedestrian.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S1314 that the windshield region 81 and the pedestrian region 82 in FIG. 8 do not overlap, the marking light is irradiated from the laser diode 108 to the position P1 of the area center of gravity of the pedestrian region 82. The two-dimensional scanner 109 is controlled (S1316). The situation at this time is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the marking light from the laser diode 108 is irradiated to the position P1 of the area centroid, and thereby the irradiation range 111 is illuminated by the marking light.

  In this way, when marking light is emitted to the pedestrian in step S1315 or step S1316 and the pedestrian is notified, it is determined whether or not the driver has switched off the system (S1317). Returning to step S1302, the above-described processing is repeated, and when it is turned off, the night-time moving body notification processing by the night-time moving body notification device 101 of this embodiment is terminated.

  Thus, in the night-time moving body alarm device 101 according to the present embodiment, the marking light is emitted by the visible laser diode 106 and the near-infrared laser diode 107, so that the marking light of an extremely thin light beam can be emitted. Even with a complicated irradiation pattern, the marking light can be accurately irradiated. Thus, the presence of the moving body can be more reliably notified to the driver of the own vehicle (effects of claims 11 and 26).

  Further, in the nighttime moving body alarm device 101 according to the present embodiment, when the marking light irradiation position overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle, the marking light from the near infrared laser diode 107 is irradiated to the position of the oncoming vehicle driver. Since the marking light by the visible laser diode 106 is irradiated to the area other than the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, the dazzling of the driver of the oncoming vehicle using the fact that the near infrared laser light is not visible to human eyes. It is possible to achieve both prevention and pedestrian presence notification for the driver of the vehicle (effects of claims 12 and 27).

  Furthermore, since the night moving body alarm device 101 according to the present embodiment displays an image captured by the near-infrared camera 103 on the alarm / alarm unit 110, the near-infrared camera 103 applies both visible laser light and near-infrared laser light. The image of the pedestrian can be displayed more clearly by using the imaging sensitivity, and thereby the presence of the pedestrian can be more reliably notified to the driver of the own vehicle. , 30 effects).

  Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the nighttime mobile body alarm device according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, the nighttime moving body alarm device 201 of the present embodiment differs from the laser diode 108 and the two-dimensional scanner 109 in the second embodiment only in that an LED array 202 is installed. Since the configuration is the same as that of the second embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Here, the configuration of the LED array 202 is shown in FIGS. 18 is a plan view showing the arrangement of LEDs in the LED array 202, and FIG. 19 is a view of the LED array 202 as viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 18, in the LED array 202, visible LEDs 203 and near-infrared LEDs 204 are alternately arranged on the front surface of the LED array 202. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the LED array 202 has a structure in which an LED layer 206 is formed on a substrate 205 and a microlens 207 is disposed thereon. The micro lens 207 squeezes the light emitted from the LED layer 206 into parallel light and irradiates the vehicle forward. In addition, each LED outputs a thin beam-like light so that each can irradiate different areas in front of the host vehicle, and the light from the visible LED 203 and the near infrared LED 204 are at the same position in front of the host vehicle. The optical axis of the microlens 207 is set so that the light is irradiated. When all the LEDs emit light, a range of 60 ° in the horizontal direction in front of the vehicle and 20 ° in the vertical direction can be irradiated, and within this range, either visible light or near infrared light can be emitted. Even if it is light of this, it can irradiate with arbitrary irradiation patterns.

  In the nighttime moving body alarm device 201 of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the pedestrian is detected in front of the own vehicle, the visible LED 203 or the near-red light that allows the marking light control unit 5 to irradiate the position of the pedestrian. The outside LED 204 is selected, and the selected visible LED 203 or near infrared LED 204 emits light to illuminate the pedestrian area.

  When the pedestrian area and the windshield area of the oncoming vehicle overlap, marking light is selected so that the near-infrared LED 204 is selected to emit light in the overlapping area, and the visible LED 203 is selected to emit light in the non-overlapping area. Control part 5 controls.

As described above, in the nighttime mobile body alarm device 201 according to the present embodiment, since the LED array 202 in which the visible LED 203 and the near-infrared LED 204 are arranged side by side is configured to emit the marking light, an inexpensive LED is provided. The apparatus can be constituted by an array, and thus the cost can be reduced (effects of claims 13 and 28).

  Further, in the nighttime moving body alarm device 201 according to the present embodiment, when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle, the marking light by the near infrared LED 204 is irradiated to the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle. Since the marking light by the visible LED 203 is irradiated to the area other than the position of the driver of the car, the near-infrared light is invisible to human eyes, and the oncoming driver is prevented from being dazzled. It is possible to achieve both pedestrian presence notification to the driver (effects of claims 14 and 29).

  As mentioned above, although the nighttime moving body alarm device of the present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each part is of an arbitrary configuration having the same function. Can be replaced.

  The present invention relates to a night-time moving body alarm device for informing the vehicle driver of the presence of a moving body such as a pedestrian at night, and in particular, irradiates the moving body with marking light without causing dazzling to the driver of the oncoming vehicle. This is extremely useful as a technique for notifying a driver of a car.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the nighttime mobile body alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the night moving body alerting | reporting process by the night moving body alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the condition ahead of the own vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the image which image | photographed the front part of the oncoming vehicle with the infrared camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the image which image | photographed the front part of the oncoming vehicle with the infrared camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the image which image | photographed the front part of the oncoming vehicle with the infrared camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the image which image | photographed the front part of the oncoming vehicle with the infrared camera. It is a figure for demonstrating the pedestrian area | region and windshield area | region in front of the own vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the condition before restrict | limiting the irradiation area | region of the marking light in front of the own vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the condition after restrict | limiting the irradiation area | region of the marking light in front of the own vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the condition when not restrict | limiting the irradiation area | region of the marking light in front of the own vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the nighttime mobile body alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the night moving body alerting | reporting process by the night moving body alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the condition at the time of dividing the irradiation area | region of marking light into the irradiation area | region by a visible laser beam, and the irradiation area | region by a near-infrared laser beam. It is a figure for demonstrating the image | video displayed on an alerting | reporting alarm part. It is a figure for demonstrating the case where an alarm marker is displayed on the image | video displayed on an alerting | reporting alarm part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the nighttime mobile body alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on Example 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the LED array in the nighttime moving body alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the LED array in the nighttime mobile body alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on Example 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1, 101, 201 Night moving body alarm device 2 Infrared camera (moving body detection means)
3 Notification target position detection unit (notification target position detection means)
4 Oncoming vehicle position detection unit (oncoming vehicle position detection means)
5 Marking light controller (marking light control means)
6 Lamp unit (marking light irradiation means)
7 Rotating motor 8 Infrared filter (marking light limiting means)
9 Shielding motor 10 Monitor (notification alarm means)
11 Vehicle speed sensor 12 Rudder angle sensor 15 Moving body 30 Lane 31 Center line 32 Opposite lane 33 Oncoming vehicle 34 Pedestrian 41 Car body 42 Bumper 43 Tire 44 Headlight 45 Windshield 46 Reflection of engine heat from road surface 81 Windshield area 82, 161 Pedestrian area 102 Far-infrared camera (moving body detection means)
103 near infrared camera 106 visible laser diode 107 near infrared laser diode 108 laser diode (marking light irradiation means)
109 Two-dimensional scanner 110 Notification alarm section (notification alarm means)
111 Scanning Position Detection Circuit 112 Scanner Driving Unit 113 Reflecting Mirror 114 Fixed Mirror 120 Navigation Screen 121 Head Up Display 141, 142 Irradiation Range 162 Alarm Marker 202 LED Array 203 Visible LED
204 Near-infrared LED
205 Substrate 206 LED layer 207 Microlens

Claims (30)

A nighttime moving body notification device that notifies a driver of the presence of a moving body that moves around the vehicle,
Moving body detecting means for detecting a moving body around the own vehicle;
Based on the detection result of the mobile body detection means, notification target position detection means for detecting the position of the notification target mobile body that is a notification target to the driver and obtaining the position;
Marking light irradiation means for irradiating marking light to the position of the notification target moving body detected by the notification target position detection means;
Oncoming vehicle position detection means for detecting the presence of an oncoming vehicle based on the detection result of the moving body detection means and obtaining the position;
A night moving object notification device comprising: marking light control means for determining an irradiation position of the marking light based on a position of the oncoming vehicle when an oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detecting means.   The marking light limiting means for limiting the irradiation range of the marking light based on the position of the oncoming vehicle when the oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detecting means. Night moving body alarm device.   The marking light control means sets an area other than the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle as the irradiation area of the marking light when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle. Item 3. The night moving object notification device according to any one of Items 1 and 2.   2. The oncoming vehicle position detecting unit detects a headlight position of the oncoming vehicle, and the marking light control unit controls the marking light to be irradiated below the headlight position. The nighttime moving body alarm device according to claim 3.   The moving body detecting means is an infrared camera, and the oncoming vehicle position detecting means detects the area above the predetermined temperature detected by the moving body detecting means at a predetermined interval, and designates the area as the head of the oncoming vehicle. It recognizes as a light, The night moving body alerting | reporting apparatus of Claim 4 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The oncoming vehicle position detecting means detects a windshield position of the oncoming vehicle, and the marking light control means sets an area other than the windshield position as an irradiation area of the marking light. The nighttime moving body alarm device according to claim 3.   The said moving body detection means is an infrared camera, The said oncoming vehicle position detection means recognizes the area | region below the predetermined temperature detected by the said moving body detection means as a windshield of the said oncoming vehicle. The nighttime moving body alarm device according to the above.   The marking light control means sets a condition for specifying the presence of an oncoming vehicle, calculates the condition according to a predetermined discriminant, and recognizes the presence of the oncoming vehicle based on the calculation result. The night moving body alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   The conditions for specifying the presence of the oncoming vehicle include detecting an oncoming vehicle candidate region, detecting a headlight region, detecting a windshield region, and detecting from the road surface of engine heat. The night moving object alarm device according to claim 8, wherein the reflection area is detected.   10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification warning unit that displays an image of the notification target moving body and issues an alarm when the notification target moving body is detected by the notification target position detection unit. The night moving body alarm device according to any one of the above.   The night moving object alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the marking light irradiation means is a visible laser diode and a near infrared laser diode.   When the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle, the marking light control means irradiates the marking light by the near infrared laser diode to the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, The night moving body alarm device according to claim 11, wherein a region other than the position of the driver is irradiated with marking light by the visible laser diode.   The night moving object notification according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the marking light irradiation means is an LED array configured by arranging visible LEDs and near-infrared LEDs in a plane. apparatus.   The marking light control unit irradiates the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle with the marking light from the near infrared LED when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle, and drives the oncoming vehicle. 14. The nighttime mobile body notification device according to claim 13, wherein the area other than the position of the person is irradiated with marking light from the visible LED.   The said moving body detection means is provided with the near-infrared camera, and displays the image image | photographed with the said near-infrared camera on the said alerting | reporting alarm means, The any one of Claims 11-14 characterized by the above-mentioned. Night moving body alarm device. A night moving body notification method for notifying the driver of the presence of a moving body that moves around the vehicle,
A moving body detection step for detecting a moving body around the vehicle;
Based on the detection result of the mobile body detection step, a notification target position detection step for detecting a notification target mobile body that is a notification target to the driver and obtaining a position;
A marking light irradiation step of irradiating marking light to the position of the notification target moving body detected by the notification target position detection step;
Based on the detection result of the moving object detection step, an oncoming vehicle position detection step for detecting the presence of an oncoming vehicle and obtaining a position;
And a marking light control step of determining an irradiation position of the marking light based on the position of the oncoming vehicle when an oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detecting step.   The marking light limiting step of limiting a marking light irradiation range based on a position of the oncoming vehicle when the oncoming vehicle is detected by the oncoming vehicle position detecting step. Night moving body notification method.   The marking light control step sets an area other than the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle as the irradiation area of the marking light when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle. Item 18. The night moving object notification method according to any one of Items 16 and 17.   The oncoming vehicle position detecting step detects a headlight position of the oncoming vehicle, and the marking light control step controls the marking light to be irradiated below the headlight position. The nighttime moving body notification method according to claim 18.   The moving object detecting step detects a moving object with an infrared camera, and the oncoming vehicle position detecting step detects the area when a region having a predetermined temperature or more detected in the moving object detecting step exists at a predetermined interval. The night moving object notification method according to claim 19, wherein the method is recognized as a headlight of an oncoming vehicle.   The oncoming vehicle position detecting step detects a windshield position of the oncoming vehicle, and the marking light control step sets an area other than the windshield position as an irradiation area of the marking light. The nighttime moving body notification method according to claim 18.   The moving body detecting step detects a moving body with an infrared camera, and the oncoming vehicle position detecting step recognizes a region of a predetermined temperature or less detected in the moving body detecting step as a windshield of the oncoming vehicle. The night moving object notification method according to claim 21.   In the marking light control step, a condition for specifying the presence of an oncoming vehicle is set, the condition is calculated according to a predetermined discriminant, and the presence of the oncoming vehicle is recognized based on the calculation result. The night moving body notification method according to any one of claims 16 to 22.   The conditions for specifying the presence of the oncoming vehicle include detecting an oncoming vehicle candidate region, detecting a headlight region, detecting a windshield region, and detecting from the road surface of engine heat. The night moving object notification method according to claim 23, wherein the reflection area is detected.   25. A notification warning step of displaying an image of the notification target moving body and issuing an alarm when the notification target moving body is detected in the notification target position detection step. The night moving body notification method according to any one of the above.   26. The night moving object notification method according to any one of claims 16 to 25, wherein in the marking light irradiation step, marking light is irradiated by a visible laser diode and a near infrared laser diode.   In the marking light control step, when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle, the marking light by the near infrared laser diode is irradiated to the position of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, 27. The night-time moving body notification method according to claim 26, wherein an area other than the position of the driver is irradiated with marking light by the visible laser diode.   The marking light irradiation step irradiates the marking light by an LED array configured by arranging visible LEDs and near-infrared LEDs in a planar manner. Night moving body notification method.   In the marking light control step, when the irradiation position of the marking light overlaps the position of the oncoming vehicle, the oncoming vehicle driver is irradiated with the marking light by the near infrared LED to drive the oncoming vehicle. 29. The night moving object notification method according to claim 28, wherein an area other than the position of the person is irradiated with marking light from the visible LED.   30. The nighttime moving body according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein in the moving body detection step, the moving body is photographed by a near infrared camera, and the photographed image is displayed in the notification alarm step. Notification method.

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