JP2006311216A - Monitoring system for periphery of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring system for the periphery of a vehicle capable of extracting the contour of an obstacle without being affected by the shadows of the obstacle caused by lighting a light unit of the vehicle even when the surrounding is dark at night or the like. <P>SOLUTION: In the monitoring system for the periphery of a vehicle for photographing the scene of the periphery of the vehicle and for providing information on the obstacle present around the vehicle to an occupant by means of a notice unit, a photographing apparatus 3 is provided with at least either of a lighting device 4 in a first lighting device for suppressing the shadows of the obstacle caused within the photographing range of a photographing apparatus 3 due to lighting of a light unit provided on the vehicle so as to highlight the contour of the obstacle, and a second lighting device for projecting lighting light of a particular pattern with a design for particularizing the presence of the obstacle within the photographing range of the photographing apparatus. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle periphery monitoring system that provides an occupant with information on obstacles existing around a vehicle.

  As such a vehicle periphery monitoring system, Patent Document 1 shown below describes an invention of a periphery monitoring device that monitors an environment around a moving body such as a vehicle and displays an image of a field of view at a desired position. . In this document, as an example, a device that monitors the periphery of a vehicle and appropriately displays an object or the like that becomes an obstacle during parking is shown. According to this example, the rear of the vehicle has a camera that captures the rear, and the CPU calculates graphic calculation and parking guidance based on the acquired image, vehicle running speed, steering state, turning state, etc. Processing is done. These calculation results are displayed on a monitor in the vehicle.

JP 2005-20558 (paragraphs 20-29, FIG. 5)

  Here, if the surroundings are bright, such as in the daytime, a good image can be acquired by the camera at the rear of the vehicle. The acquired image is subjected to various image processing. As an example, there are contour enhancement and edge detection for clarifying the boundary between an obstacle such as a vehicle parked around the vehicle and the road surface. In a situation where the surroundings are bright, such as during the daytime, the acquired image has sufficient contrast, so that contour enhancement, edge detection, and the like can be performed well.

  On the other hand, in a dark environment such as at night, it is difficult for the acquired image to have sufficient contrast due to insufficient sensitivity of the camera. For this reason, for example, a lighting device such as a tail lamp or a reverse lamp is turned on to brighten a shooting range so that an acquired image has sufficient contrast. However, when the target vehicle has a dark color such as black or dark blue, the contrast between the shadow of the vehicle by the lighting device and the vehicle may become weak. When the lighting device is turned on in this way, the surroundings are naturally darker than in the daytime, so the contrast of the captured image is weaker than in the daytime. For this reason, the contrast of the boundary between the dark-colored vehicle and its shadow is further weakened, which hinders accurate contour enhancement and edge extraction.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and is not affected by the shadow of an obstacle caused by lighting a lighting device of a vehicle even in a dark environment such as at night, and the contour of the obstacle. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle periphery monitoring system that makes it possible to extract the vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a characteristic configuration of a vehicle periphery monitoring device that captures a scene around a vehicle with an image capturing device and provides information on obstacles existing in the vicinity to an occupant with a notification device includes the vehicle A first lighting device that suppresses the shadow and highlights the contour of the obstacle with respect to the shadow of the obstacle generated within the photographing range of the photographing device by lighting of the lighting device included in the lighting device; and The imaging device is provided with at least one illumination device of a second illumination device that projects illumination light of a specific pattern having a pattern for specifying the presence within the imaging range of the imaging device.

  The position of the obstacle to be detected is unknown including its presence or absence. However, the installation location of the lighting device and the photographing device that illuminates the obstacle by lighting is known. Therefore, when there is an obstacle, it is possible to know where the shadow is caused by the lighting device that is lit depending on the position of the obstacle, and whether or not it is included in the imaging range. Accordingly, by illuminating a predetermined direction including the boundary between the shadow (or background) and the obstacle with the illumination device (first illumination device), the shadow included in the photographing range of the photographing device is reduced, and the obstacle is obstructed. The outline of an object can be emphasized. Since the boundary portion varies depending on the position where the obstacle exists, it is necessary to irradiate the illumination light of the illumination device that irradiates the predetermined direction with a certain width. On the other hand, when the obstacle is far from the vehicle, the urgency of extracting the contour is relatively low even if the boundary between the obstacle and the background is not clear. Therefore, a direction that irradiates a boundary portion assumed when an obstacle exists in the vicinity may be set as a predetermined direction. If it does in this way, an illuminating device can be installed so that the boundary part of the obstruction and the background whose presence position is unknown including the presence or absence may be irradiated. As a result, the contour of the obstacle can be extracted satisfactorily without the influence of the shadow, and information on the obstacle can be provided to the occupant through a notification device such as a monitor device in the passenger compartment.

  As described above, the illumination device only needs to irradiate the boundary portion between the obstacle and the background. Therefore, at least, if the irradiation is performed in the same direction as the viewing angle from the photographing device to the obstacle, the shadow of the obstacle by the lighting device can be eliminated from the photographing range. That is, the illumination device can satisfactorily suppress the shadow of an obstacle if it is irradiated to the outside in the width direction of the vehicle with reference to the same direction as the viewing angle.

  Therefore, if the photographing apparatus is provided with an illumination device (first illumination device), it is possible to illuminate at least substantially in the same direction as the viewing angle. In addition, when the lighting device is installed, adjustment according to the directivity of the illumination light is necessary. However, if the photographing device is provided with the lighting device, the adjustment load is reduced.

  Also, the reflected light from the obstacle that has received the projection of the illumination light having a predetermined pattern from the illumination device (second illumination device) is incident on the imaging device, and the pattern image corresponding to the predetermined pattern is reproduced in the captured image. . On the other hand, the reflected light of a predetermined pattern reflected from the ground (road surface) and the wall surface present at a position different from the obstacle in the three-dimensional space forms a pattern image different from the pattern image corresponding to the reflection by the obstacle. Or since it is far away from an obstacle, attenuation of both illumination light and reflected light is large, and pattern images cannot be formed. Accordingly, the pattern image reproduced on the photographed image is discontinuous at the boundary between the obstacle that appears to be present on the same plane as viewed from the photographing device and the background (ground or wall surface). . In a normal captured image, the boundary between the obstacle and the shadow of the obstacle may be unclear as described above. However, if a predetermined pattern of illumination light is projected, the boundary can be clearly recognized by the discontinuity of the pattern image generated at the boundary between the obstacle and the shadow of the obstacle. As a result, the outline of the obstacle can be extracted without being affected by the shadow of the obstacle.

  As described above, when there is an obstacle from the installation location of the lighting device and the photographing device, it is possible to know where the shadow is caused by the lighting device depending on the position of the obstacle and whether it is included in the photographing range. it can. Therefore, if a predetermined pattern of light is projected so as to include a boundary portion between the shadow (or background) and the obstacle, the predetermined pattern of light can be projected within the imaging range including the obstacle and the background. If a predetermined pattern of light is projected onto both the obstacle and the background, the imaging apparatus can obtain a reproduction image of the predetermined pattern that becomes discontinuous at the boundary as described above.

  Similar to the illumination by the first illumination device described above, in the projection by the second illumination device, it is only necessary to project illumination light of a predetermined pattern onto the obstacle and the background at least including the boundary portion. That is, illumination light having a certain width may be projected with the same direction as the viewing angle from the imaging device to the obstacle as the center of the optical axis. Therefore, if the photographing apparatus includes an illumination device (second illumination device), it is possible to project illumination light of a predetermined pattern in at least the same direction as the viewing angle. In addition, when the lighting device is installed, adjustment according to the directivity of the illumination light is necessary. However, if the photographing device is provided with the lighting device, the adjustment load is reduced.

  In addition, another characteristic configuration of the vehicle periphery monitoring system that captures a scene around the vehicle according to the present invention with an image capturing device and provides information on obstacles existing in the vicinity to an occupant using a notification device is a lighting device included in the vehicle. A first illuminating device that suppresses the shadow and makes the contour of the obstacle stand out with respect to the shadow of the obstacle generated in the photographing range of the photographing device by the light of the lighting device that is lit in The lamp that the vehicle has at least one of the second illumination devices that projects the illumination light of a specific pattern having a pattern to identify the presence of the obstacle within the imaging range of the imaging device It is in the point to prepare for the device.

  As described above, the problem of the present invention is that the outline of the obstacle can be extracted without being affected by the shadow of the obstacle caused by the lighting of the existing lighting device provided in the vehicle even in a dark surrounding such as at night. To provide a vehicle periphery monitoring system. A plurality of lighting devices are provided in the vehicle, and a lighting device other than the lighting device that causes the shadow of an obstacle is also provided. Therefore, if the lighting device includes an illumination device, illumination (projection) from an angle different from that of the lighting device that causes the shadow of an obstacle can be performed. Moreover, since the angle of the lamp light that causes a shadow on the obstacle can be assumed in advance, the illumination (projection) direction of the illumination device can be determined according to the angle, and the illumination device can be installed with high accuracy in this direction. The lighting device is provided with a control line and a power line for controlling lighting and extinguishing of the lighting device. Therefore, if the lighting device is provided with an illuminating device, it is preferable that the control line and the power line can also be used. In addition, the optical parts of the lighting device and the lighting device can be formed integrally, which is advantageous in terms of economy and man-hours.

  Another feature of the vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention is that a scene around the vehicle is photographed by a photographing device, and information about obstacles existing in the vicinity is provided to a passenger by a notification device. A first lighting device that suppresses the shadow and highlights the contour of the obstacle with respect to the shadow of the obstacle generated within the photographing range of the photographing device by lighting the device, and specifies the presence of the obstacle Therefore, at least one illumination device of the second illumination device that projects illumination light of a specific pattern having a pattern into the photographing range of the photographing device is provided in the exterior part of the vehicle.

  As described above, the positional relationship between the imaging device and the illumination device is important for extracting the contour of the obstacle. When the lighting device is provided in the exterior part, the positional relationship can be specified from the relationship with the vehicle body, and the lighting device can be installed with high accuracy. As a result, it is possible to suppress the man-hours for performing the adjustment according to the directivity when installing the lighting device.

  Further, it is preferable that the lighting device is any one of a stop lamp, a tail lamp, a reverse lamp, a turn lamp, a license plate lamp, and a combination lamp in which a plurality of them are integrated.

  Each of the above lighting devices can also be a lighting device that is turned on to improve the illuminance in the photographing range. Since the arrangement relationship between the lighting devices of each other is known, it is possible to assume in advance the arrangement relationship between the lighting device that causes a shadow on the obstacle and the lighting device that includes the lighting device for suppressing the influence of the shadow. it can. And since the illumination (projection) direction of an illuminating device can be defined with a sufficient precision, a suitable vehicle periphery monitoring system can be constructed | assembled. In addition, there is a high possibility that wiring necessary for illumination such as power supply lines and control lines can be shared, and the number of wirings in the entire vehicle can be suppressed.

  Further, it is preferable that the exterior part is any one of a garnish, a bumper, and a body panel.

  The exterior part may be a place where an imaging device is installed. Therefore, it is preferable because the positional relationship between the photographing device and the illumination device can be accurately determined.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of mounting a vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention on a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention. A vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a moving body on which a vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention is mounted. The vehicle 1 is provided with a camera 3 that captures a scene behind the vehicle 1 as a photographing device. The imaging device may be provided on the front side of the vehicle 1 or may be provided on both the front side and the rear side, but in this example, a case where it is provided on the rear side will be described. The vehicle 1 also includes an additional lighting device 4 other than a lighting device such as a vehicle width lamp, which will be described later.

  An image photographed by the camera 3 is input to a periphery monitoring ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 5 and subjected to image processing such as edge extraction and contour enhancement in an image processing unit. The result of this image processing is provided to the occupant via the monitor 6a and the speaker 6b as a notification device. The periphery monitoring ECU 5 includes a display control unit and a control unit in addition to the image processing unit. The display control unit controls display on the monitor 6a. An image captured by the camera 3 is displayed, the image processing result or the determination result determined by the control unit based on the image processing result is superimposed as a superimpose on this image, or a guideline is superimposed. The determination result of the control unit is also transmitted to other ECUs of the vehicle 1. For example, if information indicating that the vehicle is too close to the obstacle is transmitted to the brake control ECU 8, the brake control ECU 8 operates the brake device to stop the vehicle 1.

  In addition, not only the image image | photographed with the camera 3 but the information from various movement state detection means 7 is considered in these determinations. For example, the steering angle sensor 7a for detecting the operation of the steering 9a, the wheel speed sensor 7b for detecting the rotation of the wheel, the shift lever switch 7c for detecting the shift position of the shift lever 9c, and the like correspond to the moving state detecting means. . Based on the information from these moving state detection means 7, the periphery monitoring ECU 5 calculates the traveling direction, traveling speed, predicted course, and the like of the vehicle 1.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the initial movement when the vehicle 1 parks in parallel behind the parked vehicle 2 as an obstacle. The vehicle 1 proceeds to the rear of the parked vehicle 2 along a route as indicated by an arrow in FIG. At this time, the camera 3 of the vehicle 1 shoots a scene in the shooting range V.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which the shadow S of the parked vehicle 2 is generated in the shooting range V of the camera 3. In FIG. 4, for ease of explanation, the vehicle 1 and the parked vehicle 2 are in a substantially parallel state. In FIG. 4, an imaging range V formed between the right visual field limit VR and the left visual field limit VL indicates the viewing angle of the camera 3 mounted on the vehicle 1. When the illuminance around the vehicle 1 is not sufficient, such as at night, the illuminance within this viewing angle range is increased. A range between the solid line LR and the solid line LL indicates a range in which the light reaches when at least one of a lighting device mounted on the vehicle 1, for example, a tail lamp or a stop lamp is turned on.

  A lamp light boundary line LS indicated by a dotted arrow is a line connecting the corner portion C which is the outermost contour of the parked vehicle 2 and the lighting device to be lit. Within the photographing range V, the light from the lighting device is blocked and a shadow S appears at a portion located outside the lighting light boundary line LS in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. A viewing angle VS (indicated by a solid line arrow) when the corner portion C of the parked vehicle 2 is viewed from the camera 3 is directed toward the outside of the vehicle 1 with respect to the lighting light boundary line LS, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the viewing angle VS also captures the shadow S of the parked vehicle 2 caused by the lighting device that lights up beyond the corner portion C of the parked vehicle 2. And as shown in FIG. 5, the shadow S of the parked vehicle 2 appears in the background part which is the normal road surface and wall surface on a picked-up image. When the vehicle body color of the parked vehicle 2 is a dark color such as black or dark blue, the contrast between the parked vehicle 2 and the shadow S is low. As a result, it becomes difficult to determine the boundary portion of the parked vehicle 2 in the image processing by the periphery monitoring ECU 5. That is, when the vehicle 1 moves as shown in FIG. 3, it becomes difficult to detect the corner portion C that is closest to the vehicle 1 with high accuracy.

(First embodiment)
Therefore, the vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention prevents the dark shadow S from being included in the captured image as the contrast with the parked vehicle 2 is weakened. It is not necessary to completely eliminate the shadow S, and it is sufficient to make the shadow S light enough to have a contrast that allows the periphery monitoring ECU 5 to sufficiently distinguish the boundary between the parked vehicle 2 and the background. The vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention includes an illuminating device 4 (first illuminating device) as additional illuminating means for fading the shadow S separately from the lighting device, and at least outside the vehicle 1 with respect to the viewing angle VS. I try to irradiate. Note that the irradiation by the lighting device 4 is preferably performed in a lighting state of the lighting device. This is because the lighting device is turned off because the surroundings are bright in the daytime or the vehicle 1 is not moved even at night.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the illumination device 4 as the additional illumination means and the camera 3 as the imaging device. FIG. 6A is a configuration example in which the illumination device 4 is provided at a predetermined interval from the camera 3 in the vehicle width direction, and the left and right opposite directions in the width direction of the vehicle 1 are irradiated with the camera 3 interposed therebetween. Although details will be described later, with this configuration, it is possible to irradiate the outside of the vehicle 1 with respect to the viewing angle VS from the camera 3 to the parked vehicle 2, so that the shadow S can be made faint. FIG. 6B is a configuration example in which the illumination device 4 is provided at substantially the same position as the camera 3 in the vehicle width direction, and irradiates the same direction as the viewing angle VS of the camera 3. Although details will be described later, if the outside of the vehicle 1 is irradiated with respect to the direction of the viewing angle VS from the camera 3 to the parked vehicle 2 as a reference, the shadow S can be made faint.

  In this example, the illumination device 4 includes a projector 4a and a lens 4b as shown in FIG. 7, and irradiates spot light having an illumination range P. The spot light P may be a single spot light P as shown in FIG. 7 (a), or a plurality of spot lights P as shown in FIG. 7 (b). Also good.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the influence of the shadow S is suppressed by the arrangement shown in FIG. The viewing angle VS of the camera 3 is directed to the outer side of the vehicle 1 with respect to the lighting light boundary line LS that connects the lighting device that is lit and the corner portion C that is the outermost contour of the parked vehicle 2. However, the light beam PS generated by the irradiation of the spot light P from the illumination device 4 provided at the end opposite to the parked vehicle 2 is directed further outward than the viewing angle VS. Therefore, the shadow S becomes lighter inside the vehicle 1 than the light beam PS by being illuminated by the lighting device 4. As a result, the viewing angle VS can see the background such as the road surface and the wall surface beyond the corner portion C, and the influence of the shadow S can be suppressed.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which the influence of the shadow S is suppressed by the arrangement illustrated in FIG. The light beam PS generated by the irradiation of the spot light P from the illumination device 4 provided at the same position in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1 substantially coincides with the viewing angle VS. On the inner side of the vehicle 1 than the light beam PS, the shadow S is illuminated by the illumination device 4 and the shadow S becomes lighter. The portion where the shadow S appears dark is outside the vehicle 1 in the width direction with respect to the viewing angle VS. As a result, the viewing angle VS can see the background such as the road surface and the wall surface beyond the corner portion C, and the influence of the shadow S can be suppressed.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the captured image captured in FIGS. 8 and 9. Thus, a captured image with a strong contrast between the parked vehicle 2 and the background can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the captured image is not affected even if the shadow S is so deep that the contrast with the parked vehicle 2 is weakened. That is, the boundary monitoring ECU 5 can sufficiently determine the boundary between the parked vehicle 2 and the background. The vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention includes a lighting device 4 (second lighting device) as an additional lighting means separately from the lighting device, includes at least a viewing angle VS, and has a predetermined pattern on the parked vehicle 2 and the background. The illumination light is projected. Preferably, the projection by the lighting device 4 is performed when the lighting device is in a lighting state. This is because the lighting device is turned off because the surroundings are bright in the daytime or the vehicle 1 is not moved even at night.

  If configured as shown in FIG. 6A, the outside of the vehicle 1 is projected more than the viewing angle VS from the camera 3 to the parked vehicle 2. That is, the illumination light of the illumination device 4 reflected by the parked vehicle 2 can be brought closer to the regular reflection light side. Since the amount of reflected light is maximum in the case of regular reflection, a predetermined pattern can be suitably reproduced by the camera 3 in this way. In the case of the configuration as shown in FIG. 6B, if the illumination light 4 projects a predetermined pattern with a certain width in the direction of the viewing angle VS from the camera 3 to the parked vehicle 2, the illumination device 4 and the background of the parked vehicle 2 Can be projected. As a result, the boundary between the parked vehicle 2 and the background can be clarified.

  In this example, the illumination device 4 includes a projector 4a and a lens 4b as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and projects illumination light having a predetermined pattern. FIG. 12 shows an example of projecting linear slit light. FIG. 13 shows another example of the predetermined pattern. FIG. 13A shows a linear pattern in the horizontal direction. When such a pattern is used, a boundary can be satisfactorily found depending on where the lateral continuity is interrupted. FIG. 13B shows a linear pattern in the vertical direction. When such a pattern is used, the boundary can be found well depending on where the continuity in the vertical direction is interrupted. FIG. 13C shows a lattice pattern. When such a pattern is used, a boundary in both directions can be found by continuity in both the vertical and horizontal directions. Or the boundary according to the surface shape of an obstruction can be found by the presence or absence of a grid-like square pattern. FIG. 13D shows a halftone dot pattern. Also in this case, the boundary according to the surface shape of the obstacle can be found depending on whether or not the halftone dot pattern is reproduced.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a captured image that is captured when the illumination device 4 projects the illumination light of the predetermined pattern of FIG. The linear pattern is reproduced only in the portion where the parked vehicle 2 is present. As described above, even when the contrast between the parked vehicle 2 and the background is low, the boundary between the parked vehicle 2 and the background can be specified from the photographed image due to the discontinuity of the linear pattern. it can.

  Moreover, you may comprise so that near infrared light may be included in part or all of the light which the illuminating device 4 projects. In this case, the camera 3 is also sensitive to near infrared light. Near-infrared light is invisible light, so not only when you want to suppress the influence of shadows, but also when the boundary between an obstacle and the background becomes unclear due to insufficient ambient illumination be able to. At this time, since visible light is not projected onto the parked vehicle 2, it is possible to monitor the surroundings without causing a third party to feel uncomfortable.

  Note that, in common with the first embodiment and the second embodiment, FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 show the case where two illumination devices 4 are provided. There is no need to have two. For example, the illumination device 4 that irradiates (projects) the side that is easily visible from the driver's seat may not be provided, and only the illumination device 4 that irradiates (projects) the side that is difficult to visually recognize from the driver's seat may be provided. However, when a plurality of devices are provided as in the above-described embodiment, there is an advantage that a good surrounding monitoring system can be constructed regardless of the ease of visual recognition from the driver's seat. Further, even if there is one illumination device 4, the irradiation (projection) direction of the illumination device 4 may be variable, and a plurality of directions may be emitted (projected) by one illumination device 4.

  Thus, in the case where irradiation (projection) is performed using only one of the two illumination devices 4 provided, or in the case where the irradiation (projection) direction by one illumination device 4 is variable, the moving state detection means 7 based on the detection result. The moving state detection means 7 includes the steering angle sensor 7a, the wheel speed sensor 7b, and the shift lever switch 7c as described above. For example, the fact that the shift lever switch 7c is detected to be in the back gear is used to determine that the traveling direction is backward. Further, by detecting the direction in which the steering wheel 9a is operated by the steering angle sensor 7a, it is possible to know the traveling direction as to which of the left and right directions is going. In addition, it is possible to know which direction is moving in the left or right direction by detecting the difference in rotation between the left and right wheels by the wheel speed sensor 7b. Furthermore, the traveling speed of the vehicle at this time can also be known.

(Lighting device installation example 1)
Hereinafter, various examples of the installation form of the illumination device 4 will be described. The vehicle 1 will be described using a station wagon type vehicle.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a first installation example of the lighting device 4. FIG. 15 shows an example in which the illumination device 4 is installed at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1. As shown in the figure, a camera 3 as a photographing device is provided in the center of the vehicle 1 in the width direction, and the lighting device 4 (4L, 4R) is provided in a rear combination lamp unit together with a stop lamp and the like.

(Example 2 of lighting device installation)
FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a second installation example of the lighting device 4. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the illumination device 4 is installed at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1. As shown in the figure, a camera 3 as a photographing device is provided in the center of the vehicle 1 in the width direction, and the lighting device 4 (4L, 4R) is provided in a rear combination lamp unit together with a vehicle width lamp or the like.

(Lighting device installation example 3)
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a third installation example of the lighting device 4. FIG. 17 shows an example in which the illumination device 4 is installed at the same position in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1. Here, the illuminating device 4 may irradiate a plurality of directions from one device, or may include a plurality of devices in one place. In any case, the illumination device 4 is provided in a garnish which is an exterior part of the vehicle 1 together with the camera 3 as shown in the figure. In the case of this embodiment, the illuminating device 4 may be provided in a license plate lamp which is a lighting device provided in the license plate.

  At this time, the illumination device 4 may be provided in the camera 3. That is, the illumination device 4 and the camera 3 may be integrated. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, a camera unit 3 a as a camera 3 is provided at the center, and an illumination unit 4 a as a lighting device 4 is provided on each of the left and right sides, and the camera 3 and the lighting device 4 may be integrated. 23, the camera member 3A as the camera 3 and the illumination member 4A as the illumination device 4 may be joined to form the camera 3 and the illumination device 4.

(Example 4 of lighting device installation)
FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a fourth installation example of the lighting device 4. FIG. 18 shows an example in which the illumination device 4 is installed at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1. As shown in the figure, a camera 3 as a photographing device is provided at the center of the vehicle 1 in the width direction, and the illumination devices 4 (4L, 4R) are provided in a bumper that is an exterior part.

(Lighting device installation example 5)
FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a fifth installation example of the lighting device 4. FIG. 19 shows an example in which the illumination device 4 is installed at the same position in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1. Here, the illuminating device 4 may irradiate a plurality of directions from one device, or may include a plurality of devices in one place. The illumination device 4 is provided in a bumper which is an exterior part of the vehicle 1 separately from the camera 3 as shown in the figure.

(Example of installation of lighting device 6)
FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating a sixth installation example of the lighting device 6. FIG. 20 shows an example in which the illumination device 4 is installed at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1. As shown in the figure, a camera 3 as a photographing device is provided at the center in the width direction of the vehicle 1, and the illumination device 4 (4 </ b> L, 4 </ b> R) is provided in a spoiler that is an exterior part. In the case where the spoiler is provided with a lighting device such as a stop lamp, the lighting device 4 may be installed together with the lighting device.

(Example 7 of lighting device installation)
FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a fifth installation example of the illumination device 4. FIG. 21 shows an example in which the lighting device 4 is installed at the same position in the width direction of the camera 3 and the vehicle 1. Here, the illuminating device 4 may irradiate a plurality of directions from one device, or may include a plurality of devices in one place. The illumination device 4 is provided in a spoiler which is an exterior part of the vehicle 1 separately from the camera 3 as shown in the figure. Similarly to the above, when the spoiler is provided with a lighting device such as a stop lamp, the lighting device 4 may be installed together with the lighting device.

The perspective view which shows the example of mounting to the vehicle of the vehicle periphery monitoring system which concerns on this invention Schematic block diagram of a vehicle periphery monitoring system according to the present invention Explanatory drawing which shows the initial movement in case the vehicle 1 parks in parallel behind the parked vehicle 2 as an obstacle. Explanatory drawing which shows an example in case the shadow of an obstacle arises in the imaging | photography range of an imaging device The figure which shows the example of the picked-up image image | photographed in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of arrangement | positioning with an illuminating device and an imaging device. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the illumination method by an illuminating device Explanatory drawing which shows the example which suppresses the influence of a shadow by arrangement | positioning shown to Fig.6 (a) Explanatory drawing which shows the example which suppresses the influence of a shadow by arrangement | positioning shown in FIG.6 (b). The figure which shows the example of the picked-up image image | photographed in FIG.8 and FIG.9. Explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the illumination method by an illuminating device Explanatory drawing which shows the example which projects a slit pattern with the illuminating device of FIG. The figure which shows the example of the predetermined pattern projected by the illuminating device The figure which shows the example of the picked-up image by projection of the predetermined pattern of Fig.13 (a). The perspective view which shows the 1st example of installation of an illuminating device. The perspective view which shows the 2nd example of installation of an illuminating device. The perspective view which shows the 3rd example of installation of an illuminating device. The perspective view which shows the 4th example of installation of an illuminating device. The perspective view which shows the 5th example of installation of an illuminating device. The perspective view which shows the 6th example of installation of an illuminating device. The perspective view which shows the 7th example of installation of an illuminating device. The perspective view which shows the example which integrates an imaging device and an illuminating device The perspective view which shows the other example which integrates an imaging device and an illuminating device.

Explanation of symbols

1 vehicle 2 parked vehicle (obstacle)
3 Camera (photographing device)
4 Illumination device 6a Monitor (notification device)
6b Speaker (notification device)
V Shooting range VS Viewing angle S Shadow

Claims (5)

In a vehicle periphery monitoring system that captures a scene around a vehicle with an imaging device and provides information on obstacles existing in the vicinity to an occupant with a notification device,
A first lighting device that suppresses a shadow and highlights an outline of the obstacle with respect to a shadow of the obstacle generated in a photographing range of the photographing device by lighting of a lighting device included in the vehicle, and the obstacle Vehicle periphery monitoring comprising at least one illumination device of a second illumination device that projects illumination light of a specific pattern having a pattern in order to identify the presence of an object within the imaging range of the imaging device system. In a vehicle periphery monitoring system that captures a scene around a vehicle with an imaging device and provides information on obstacles existing in the vicinity to an occupant with a notification device,
The shadow of the obstacle that is generated in the photographing range of the photographing device by the light of the lighting device that is lit in the lighting device of the vehicle is suppressed and the outline of the obstacle is made to stand out. One illumination device and at least one illumination device of a second illumination device that projects illumination light of a specific pattern having a pattern to identify the presence of the obstacle into an imaging range of the imaging device, A vehicle periphery monitoring system provided in the lighting device of the vehicle. In a vehicle periphery monitoring system that captures a scene around a vehicle with an imaging device and provides information on obstacles existing in the vicinity to an occupant with a notification device,
A first lighting device that suppresses a shadow and highlights an outline of the obstacle with respect to a shadow of the obstacle generated in a photographing range of the photographing device by lighting of a lighting device included in the vehicle, and the obstacle A vehicle including at least one illumination device of a second illumination device that projects illumination light of a specific pattern having a pattern in order to identify the presence of an object within an imaging range of the imaging device as an exterior part of the vehicle Perimeter monitoring system.   4. The vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the lighting device is any one of a stop lamp, a tail lamp, a reverse lamp, a turn lamp, a license plate lamp, and a combination lamp in which a plurality of these are integrated. . The vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the exterior part is one of a garnish, a bumper, and a body panel.

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