JP2006256544A - Reverse drive supporting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reverse drive supporting system capable of excellently supporting the driving operation when performing the reverse drive of a vehicle to pull an object to be pulled. <P>SOLUTION: The reverse drive supporting system of a vehicle 1 to pull an object 2 to be pulled comprises a first image pickup means provided on a rear part of the vehicle 1, a second image pickup means provided on a rear part of the object 2, a first computing means to compute the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the object 2 based on the first image P picked up by the first image pickup means, a second computing means to compute an estimated moving locus of the object 2 during the reverse drive of the vehicle 1 according to the relative positional relationship, and a display means to visually display a composite image S of a second image V picked up by at least the second image pickup means with the estimated moving locus for the driver of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a reverse driving support device that performs driving support such as giving a good rear view to a driver when a vehicle that pulls a towed object is reversely driven.

  The driving of a vehicle that pulls a to-be-triggered object requires a high skill from the driver in various scenes as compared with general driving. For example, when connecting a towed object to the vehicle, the vehicle is driven backward with respect to the towed object that is generally stopped so that the connecting portion between the vehicle and the towed object is brought closer. This connecting part is often provided near the bumper part on the vehicle side and becomes a blind spot from the driver's seat. For this reason, the driver performs a driving operation so that the connecting portion of the subject vehicle is brought close to the connecting portion of the to-be-towed object that can be visually confirmed after registering. However, when the vehicle approaches the to-be-towed object, the connecting part of the to-be-towed object gradually enters the blind spot, so that the driver cannot directly see. Therefore, a high skill is required for the operation of bringing the connecting portions close to each other with high accuracy and stopping them.

  Patent Document 1 shown below describes an invention that assists the connection of a to-be-triggered object by reverse driving using a rear view camera attached to the vehicle side in order to assist the driver in such a case. . In many cases, the rear view camera is a wide-angle camera, and the connecting portion is located at a position floating from the ground. For this reason, in this invention, the expected locus line of the connecting part on the vehicle side is superimposed on the captured image. That is, the predicted trajectory line is superimposed on the captured image, and the steering angle of the steering wheel is appropriately adjusted by operating the predicted trajectory line and the connected portion of the to-be-triggered object.

JP 2002-308029 A (paragraph 4-7)

  The invention described in Patent Document 1 is a technique that is effective in connecting a to-be-towed object to a vehicle. However, not only when the towed object is connected but also when the towed object is actually towed, the driver is required to have a higher skill compared to driving without the towed object. In particular, as compared with the case where the towed object is pulled in the forward operation, the operation of the towed object is difficult to understand because the towed object is pushed during the backward operation. Furthermore, since the towed object is provided at the rear of the vehicle, the rear view is blocked, and so-called blind spots are increased. Even if the vehicle has a rear view camera for assisting reverse driving, the effect is limited because the field of view is blocked by the towed object.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a backward driving support device that can favorably support the driving operation when the vehicle pulling the towed object is driven backward. Yes.

In order to achieve the above object, the characteristic configuration of the backward driving support device for a vehicle that pulls the towed object according to the present invention is as follows.
First photographing means provided at the rear of the vehicle;
Second imaging means provided behind the to-be-towed object;
First computing means for computing a relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the towed object based on a first image photographed by the first photographing means;
Second computing means for computing an expected movement trajectory of the to-be-triggered object during reverse operation of the vehicle according to the relative positional relationship;
Display means for displaying a composite image of at least the second image photographed by the second photographing means and the expected movement locus so as to be visible to the driver of the vehicle;
It is in the point provided with.

  According to this characteristic configuration, it is possible to confirm the connection state and the positional relationship between the vehicle to be pulled (hereinafter, referred to as “tow vehicle” as appropriate) and the to-be-triggered object by the first photographing means. Further, since the rear of the to-be-triggered object is photographed by the second photographing means, it is possible to confirm a portion that is blocked by the to-be-triggered object and becomes a blind spot for the driver. Further, by calculating the relative positional relationship by the first calculating means, it is calculated how the to-be-triggered object moves in response to the vehicle moving by the reverse operation. Then, the predicted movement trajectory of the to-be-drawn object is synthesized with the image obtained by the second photographing means. Therefore, the driver can confirm the expected movement locus of the to-be-towed object on the image together with the image behind the to-be-to-be-towed object. As a result, it is possible to reduce the driving load in the reverse operation of the tow vehicle that requires high skill.

  In addition, the second calculation includes an information acquisition unit that obtains driving information including at least one of a steering angle and a moving speed of the vehicle and specification information including dimension information of the vehicle and the towed vehicle. Preferably, the means calculates the expected movement trajectory based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means and the relative positional relationship.

  When driving information such as the steering angle and moving speed is obtained, the direction and speed (including acceleration) of the vehicle can be estimated. And since the relative arrangement | positioning relationship between a vehicle and a towed object has already been calculated, the behavior (expected movement locus | trajectory) of the towed object pushed by a vehicle at the time of reverse drive can be calculated. Further, by obtaining the specification information, the distance between the wheel portion of the to-be-triggered object and the rear wheel of the vehicle can be taken into consideration in the calculation. As a result, the expected movement trajectory of the to-be-towed object can be calculated with high accuracy, and the driving operation can be favorably supported.

  In addition, it is preferable that image selection means for selecting which of the first image and the composite image is displayed is provided.

  There is a case where it is desired to check the connection state between the towed vehicle and the to-be-towed object during forward driving instead of reverse driving or at the start of reverse driving. In particular, a driver who is accustomed to driving a towed vehicle to some extent may want to determine the initial driving operation based on the arrangement of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle and use the expected movement trajectory after the start of movement. In such a case, it is more convenient to use the first image first than the second image or the composite image. Therefore, if the display contents on the display means can be selected as in the above configuration, the contents that the driver wants to know can be displayed. As a result, it is possible to provide a reverse driving assistance device that is highly convenient for the driver and that favorably supports the driving operation.

  In addition, it is preferable that the second image is wirelessly transmitted from the to-be-drawn object to the vehicle.

  A tow vehicle and a to-be-towed object are not always in a connected state, but are connected or released. Therefore, if a wired transmission line is used when transmitting the second image to the towing vehicle, it is necessary to connect or disconnect the transmission line each time the connection or release is performed. And if the environment resistance of this connection location is not high, the reliability of an apparatus will be reduced. The distance between the tow vehicle and the second photographing means of the towed object is about 10 m particularly when the tow vehicle is a general automobile. Further, the tow vehicle and the to-be-towed object are separated by a distance corresponding to the distance of the connecting member. Therefore, the second image can be sufficiently wirelessly transmitted using short-range wireless transmission means or the like. Some of such short-distance wireless transmission means are standardized such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark). Therefore, even if the combination of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle is changed, it is possible to satisfactorily perform wireless transmission by adjusting to this standard. In the case of wired, it is necessary to match mechanical specifications such as connectors. However, if the standardized wireless transmission is used, the load related to interface matching can be reduced by installing a driver circuit or installing driver software. Since the demand for driving assistance increases as the unaccustomed towed object is towed, this configuration in which the combination of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle can be easily changed is excellent in convenience.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a backward driving support device according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, a first camera 3 (first photographing means) for photographing the rear is provided at the rear part of a vehicle 1 (hereinafter, abbreviated as “towed vehicle 1” as appropriate) that pulls the object 2 to be pulled. Is provided. The rear part of the to-be-towed object 2 towed by the towing vehicle 1 is provided with a second camera 4 (second photographing means) for photographing the rear. The first camera 3 and the second camera 4 are both installed slightly downward. For distinction, the image captured by the first camera 3 is referred to as a first image P, and the image captured by the second camera 4 is referred to as a second image V. The second camera 4 is installed so that the second image V includes a lot of ground (road surface) behind the to-be-to-be-towed object 2. The first camera 3 is the same, but the connecting portion 5 on the side of the towed vehicle 1 for connecting the towed vehicle 1 and the towed object 2 and the connecting tool 6 on the side of the towed object 2 are shown in the first image P. To be included.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the backward driving support device according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the first image P photographed by the first camera 3 is input to the first computing unit 11 (first computing means). The first calculation unit 11 calculates the relative positional relationship between the towed vehicle 1 and the to-be-towed object 2 based on the input first image P. At this time, calculation is performed using the specification information of the towing vehicle 1 and the to-be-towed object 2 such as the attachment position of the connecting portion 5 and the length of the connecting tool 6 as necessary. This specification information is input from the information acquisition means 19 mentioned later.

  The first image P and the calculation in the first calculation unit 11 using the first image P will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a first image P in a state where the to-be-towed object 2 is arranged straight behind the towing vehicle 1. The connecting portion 5, the connecting tool 6, and the to-be-drawn object 2 are shown on the first image P in a straight line. Based on the first image P, the first calculation unit 11 calculates that the relative arrangement relationship between the tow vehicle 1 and the to-be-towed object 2 is an angle of zero. FIG. 3B shows a first image P in a state in which the to-be-towed object 2 is disposed obliquely behind the towing vehicle 1. Based on this first image P, the first calculation unit 11 calculates that the relative arrangement relationship between the tow vehicle 1 and the to-be-towed object 2 is an angle θ.

  Here, when the relative arrangement relationship is an angle θ as shown in FIG. 3B, the to-be-to-be-triggered object 2 behaves as shown in FIG. FIG. 4A shows the behavior of the to-be-towed object 2 when the towing vehicle 1 moves straight back in the direction of the arrow D1. After the connecting part 5 is pushed by the towing vehicle 5 and moves backward, the steering part is slightly turned around the ground point of the wheel of the to-be-towed object 2, and then starts moving in the direction of the arrow D2. FIG. 4B shows the behavior of the towed object 2 when the tow vehicle 1 moves backward while turning the rudder in the direction of the arrow D3, that is, the direction of the towed object 2. The direction in which the connecting portion 5 moves by being pushed by the towing vehicle 1 is different from that shown in FIG. 4A, and the to-be-to-be-triggered object 2 steers in a direction that is straight with respect to the towing vehicle 1 around the ground contact point of the wheel. . As a result, the tow vehicle 1 starts to move backward while drawing an arc having a small curvature as shown by the arrow D4.

  Thus, even if the relative positional relationship is the same, the behavior of the to-be-towed object 2 varies depending on the driving operation of the towing vehicle 1. Therefore, driving information and specification information are acquired from the information acquisition means 19 shown in FIG. 2, and the expected movement trajectory of the to-be-towed object 2 is calculated in the second calculation unit 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the information acquisition means 19 includes a steering angle sensor, a speed sensor, a specification information storage unit, a specification information acquisition unit, and the like. The steering angle sensor detects the steering angle of the tow vehicle 1. The speed sensor detects the moving speed of the tow vehicle 1 and can be configured using, for example, a rotation sensor attached to the wheel of the tow vehicle 1. Information obtained by these rudder angle sensors and speed sensors is driving information.

  On the other hand, dimensional and structural information such as the length of the connector 6 and the length of the rear wheel of the towed vehicle 1 and the wheel of the to-be-towed object 2 is the original information. Among these, the dimension and structural information of the tow vehicle 1 is stored in a specification information storage unit configured by a storage medium such as a memory. When the to-be-towed object 2 is fixed with respect to the towed vehicle 1, the specification information such as the dimensions related to the to-be-towed object 2 is also stored in the specification information storage unit. When the to-be-towed object 2 is fluid, it can also be acquired via the specification information acquisition unit according to the connection of the to-be-to-be-towed object 2. As will be described later, the second image V taken by the second camera 4 is transmitted from the to-be-towed object 2 to the towing vehicle 1. For this purpose, an interface unit is provided between the to-be-towed object 2 and the towed vehicle 1 to control transmission of this image. In the present embodiment, the first wireless interface 17 shown in FIG. 2 plays its role on the towing vehicle 1 side. Therefore, it is also possible to configure so that the specification information of the to-be-towed object 2 is obtained via the first wireless interface 17.

  Based on the information obtained in this way and the relative positional relationship calculated by the first calculation unit 11, the second calculation unit 12 (second calculation means) calculates the expected movement trajectory of the to-be-triggered object 2. Then, the calculated predicted movement trajectory is combined with the second image V photographed by the second camera 4 to become a composite image S, and is displayed on the monitor 14 which is a display means via the display control unit 15. The driver performs the reverse operation while referring to the display on the monitor 14.

  As described above, the second image V from the second camera 4 is transmitted from the pulled object 2 to the towing vehicle 1 by wireless transmission. The distance between the to-be-towed object 2 and the towing vehicle 1 is about 10 m. Therefore, a short-range wireless transmission method can be used as appropriate. For example, the IEEE 802.11 standard and the Bluetooth standard (registered trademark) used in the wireless LAN. When the transmission method standardized in this way is used, the second image V can be transmitted satisfactorily even when the to-be-towed object 2 is not fixed to the towing vehicle 1. In other words, by adjusting the transmission standard, it is possible to satisfactorily perform wireless transmission even if the device is changed. In the case of wired, it is necessary to match mechanical specifications such as connectors. However, if wireless transmission standardized in this way is used, it can be easily handled by preparing in advance by mounting a driver circuit or adding driver software. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the load related to the alignment of the interface between the tow vehicle 1 and the to-be-towed object 2. Although the demand for driving assistance increases as the towed object becomes unfamiliar, the combination of the tow vehicle and the towed vehicle can be easily changed.

  The first wireless interface 17 and the second wireless interface 27 shown in FIG. 2 are interfaces that control such wireless transmission. In the present embodiment, the second image V captured by the second camera 4 is wirelessly transmitted to the first wireless interface 17 via the second wireless interface 27. Although not shown in the figure, the towed object 2 is provided with a storage unit that stores specification information indicating the dimensions, structure, and the like of the towed object 2, and the tow vehicle reads the specification information read from the storage unit. 1 may be transmitted. If it does in this way, even if it changes the to-be-towed object 2 with respect to the towing vehicle 1 as mentioned above, the reverse driving assistance device which can respond | correspond favorably can be obtained. Furthermore, you may control imaging | photography with the 2nd camera 4 of the towed object 2 from the tow vehicle 1 via this radio | wireless interface.

  In addition, the form using the said wireless transmission is one Embodiment of this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of invention. For example, when the second image V is transmitted using wired wiring, the wireless interface may be replaced with a wired interface.

  Moreover, the tow vehicle 1 and the to-be-towed object 2 are provided with the connection confirmation part for confirming a mutual connection. As shown in FIG. 2, the tow vehicle 1 includes a first connection confirmation unit 18, and the to-be-towed object 2 includes a second connection confirmation unit 28. These connection confirmation parts 18 and 28 confirm that the connection part 5 and the connection tool 6 are connected, for example, by detection by a sensor or a coupler, or electrical continuity between both connection confirmation parts. When the connection is confirmed, more detailed communication is performed via the wireless interfaces 17 and 27, and pre-processing such as confirmation of the type and origin information of the towed object 2 is performed, and the subsequent processing is ensured. Also good.

  Next, the display content on the monitor 14, that is, the synthesized image S generated by the synthesizing unit 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig.5 (a) has shown the scene where the tow vehicle 1 which pulls the to-be-towed object 2 to the parking frame E2 parks by reverse driving. Reference sign W is a ground marking (frame line) indicating a parking frame. The frame line W is divided into parking frames E1 to E3. As shown in the drawing, the to-be-towed object 2 is straight with respect to the towing vehicle 1, that is, the relative arrangement relationship is zero degrees. And it is going to park in the frame of the parking frame E2 by going back straight in the direction of arrow D5.

  At this time, a composite image S as shown in FIG. As described above, the second camera 4 is installed facing slightly downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second image V shows the rear end of the to-be-triggered object 2 at the lower part, and the state of the ground above this, the parking frames E1 to E3 in this example. A dividing line W is shown. As described above with reference to FIG. 5 (a), the to-be-triggered object 2 is going to park in the frame of the parking frame E2 by moving backward straight in the direction of the arrow D5. Therefore, the parking frame E2 is shown in the center of the second image V (the composite image S).

  A synthesized image S is generated by synthesizing the guide lines indicated by the symbols R, G, and Y with the second image V. Although details will be described later, the symbol R is a caution line, the symbol G is a vehicle width extension line, and the symbol Y is a predicted movement locus. In consideration of visibility, these guide lines are indicated by a caution line R in red, a vehicle width extension line G in green, and a predicted movement locus Y in yellow. Here, the caution line R is a guide line indicating a position of about 50 cm behind the to-be-drawn object 2. For example, when the caution line R and the frame line W overlap, it means that the vehicle has moved backward to about 50 cm before the parking frame E2. It also has the purpose of notifying the possibility of contact when there are obstacles.

  The vehicle width extension line G is an extension line of the width of the pulled object 2 in this example. In this example, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), a vehicle width extension line G is drawn substantially at the center of the parking frame E2. Therefore, it shows that if it moves backward with the posture of the to-be-towed object 2 at this time, it will fit in the parking frame E2.

  The expected movement trajectory Y indicates the movement trajectory of the to-be-towed object 2 calculated based on the moving speed and the steering angle, and depends on how the extension line of the vehicle width (the width of the to-be-towed object 2) changes. It is drawn. In this example, the vehicle width extension line G and the predicted movement trajectory Y are drawn so as to substantially overlap. As shown in FIG. 5A, in this example, the tow vehicle 1 is parked in the parking frame E2 by moving backward substantially straight. Accordingly, the steering angle is zero degrees, and the predicted movement locus calculated by the second calculation unit 12 is also a straight reverse direction. For this reason, the expected movement locus Y combined with the second image V in the combining unit 13 is drawn so as to substantially overlap the vehicle width extension line G.

  The driver performs the reverse operation with reference to the display on the monitor 14 as described above. From the driver, the rear field of view is blocked by the to-be-towed object 2, but the backward confirmation can be satisfactorily performed by the composite image S in which the second image V and the guide line as described above are combined.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the composite image S in a state different from that in FIG. FIG. 6A also shows a scene in which the tow vehicle 1 that pulls the to-be-towed object 2 on the parking frame E2 is parked in the reverse operation as in FIG. 5A. As shown in the figure, the to-be-towed object 2 and the towed vehicle 1 are about to park by moving backward in an arc as shown by an arrow D6 from obliquely forward with respect to the parking frame E2.

  At this time, a composite image S as shown in FIG. 6B is displayed on the monitor 14. Below the second image V photographed by the second camera 4, the rear end portion of the to-be-drawn object 2 is shown as in FIG. Above this, a state of the ground, that is, a frame line W that divides the parking frames E1 to E3 is shown. In this example, unlike FIG. 5B, the parking frame E2 does not appear straight in the center. Since the to-be-towed object 2 exists diagonally forward with respect to the parking frames E1 to E3, the parking frames E1 to E3 are shown obliquely on the second image V.

  In this example, the vehicle width extension line G indicating the extension line of the towed object 2 is not drawn to be parallel to the parking frame E2, unlike FIG. Therefore, it shows that even if it moves backward with the posture of the to-be-towed object 2 at this time, it does not fit in the parking frame E2.

  The predicted movement trajectory Y indicating the movement trajectory of the to-be-towed object 2 is not drawn on the composite image S so as to overlap the vehicle width extension line G, unlike FIG. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the steering angle is not zero because it is going backward while drawing an arc in the direction of the arrow D6. Therefore, the expected movement trajectory calculated by the second calculation unit 12 based on this information deviates from the straight reverse direction of the to-be-towed object 2. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6B, the expected movement locus Y is drawn at a position deviated from the vehicle width extension line G. This expected movement trajectory Y is heading toward the parking frame E2, indicating that an appropriate driving operation, for example, steering is being performed at this point. The driver performs the reverse operation while confirming whether or not his / her driving operation is appropriate with reference to the display on the monitor 14 as described above.

  Further, FIG. 2 includes a display selection unit 16 in addition to the above-described units. The display selection unit 16 is, for example, a touch panel, a switch, a remote controller, or the like included in the monitor 14. An image to be displayed on the monitor 14 can be switched by an instruction from the display selection unit 16. That is, the driver who wants to secure the rear view but feels that the guide line is troublesome can switch to the display of only the second image V instead of the composite image S. Further, when it is desired to check the connection state between the tow vehicle 1 and the towed object 2 or to confirm the relative arrangement of the towed vehicle 1 and the towed object 2 prior to the reverse operation, the first image P You can switch to display.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a reverse driving support device that can favorably support the driving operation when the vehicle that pulls the towed object is reversely driven.

The block diagram which shows an example of the reverse driving assistance apparatus which concerns on this invention The block diagram which shows an example of the reverse driving assistance apparatus which concerns on this invention The figure which shows the example of the 1st image image | photographed with the 1st camera of FIG. The figure explaining the behavior of the towed object when the vehicle moves backward in the relative arrangement relationship shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the synthesized image which is synthesize | combined by the synthetic | combination part of FIG. 2, and is displayed on a monitor. Explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the synthesized image which is synthesize | combined by the synthetic | combination part of FIG. 2, and is displayed on a monitor.

Explanation of symbols

1 Towing vehicle (vehicle)
2 Towed object 3 First camera (first photographing means)
4 Second camera (second photographing means)
11 First operation unit (first operation means)
12 2nd calculating part (2nd calculating means)
14 Monitor (display means)
16 Display selection part (image selection means)
19 Information acquisition means P First image V Second image S Composite image

Claims (4)

A backward driving support device for a vehicle that pulls a towed object,
First photographing means provided at the rear of the vehicle;
Second imaging means provided behind the to-be-towed object;
First computing means for computing a relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the towed object based on a first image photographed by the first photographing means;
Second computing means for computing an expected movement trajectory of the to-be-triggered object during reverse operation of the vehicle according to the relative positional relationship;
Display means for displaying a composite image of at least the second image photographed by the second photographing means and the expected movement locus so as to be visible to the driver of the vehicle;
A reverse driving support device comprising:   The second calculating means comprises information acquisition means for obtaining driving information including at least one of a steering angle and a moving speed of the vehicle, and specification information including dimension information of the vehicle and the towed vehicle. The backward driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the predicted movement trajectory is calculated based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means and the relative positional relationship.   The reverse driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising image selection means for selecting which of the first image and the composite image is to be displayed.   The backward driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second image is wirelessly transmitted from the to-be-triggered object to the vehicle.

Images