JP2007114971A - Sign display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sign display device capable of surely preventing a driver from passing over a road sign during traveling. <P>SOLUTION: This sign display device 10 comprises a camera part 11 for performing through image photographing during traveling. The camera part includes an A/D conversion part 11_2 A/D-converting an analog image signal from an imaging part 11_1 to a digital image signal; a signal processing part 11_3 processing the digital image signal; a memory 11_4 storing image data from the signal processing part 11_3; a timing signal generation part 11_5 outputting a timing signal for driving the imaging part 11_1; and a system control part 11_6 controlling the whole device 10. A sign extraction part 12 extracts a road sign from an image obtained by the camera part 11, and a sign display part 13 displays the extracted road sign for a fixed time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sign display device that is mounted on an automobile and displays a road sign.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for attaching a camera that captures a subject outside a vehicle to a vehicle such as a passenger car or a truck and notifying a driver of information based on image data representing the subject captured by the camera is known.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, the front of a vehicle is photographed at a predetermined time interval with a camera mounted on a traveling vehicle to obtain two images, and these images are distant by performing pattern recognition processing. A technique has been proposed in which road signs are extracted by removing objects such as unnecessary signboards, the type of the extracted road signs is determined, and the driver is notified by voice or character display.

Patent Document 2 obtains road surface information such as a pedestrian crossing by photographing a road surface with a camera mounted on the vehicle, and obtains position information by detecting a point where the vehicle is traveling with a navigation device, A technology has been proposed in which these road surface information and position information are stored, and when the vehicle travels again at this point, the information is read out and notified to the driver by voice or text display that it is a crosswalk or the like. ing.
JP 2000-3438 A JP 2003-178397 A

  On the road, road signs such as guide signs, warning signs, regulatory signs, and instruction signs composed of various pictures and characters are installed. The driver overlooks such road signs while driving. In such a case, there is a risk of disturbing safe driving. For this reason, a technique for preventing the road sign from being overlooked during traveling is important. Here, since the technique proposed in Patent Document 1 described above notifies the driver of the type of road sign by voice or text display, the driver is surely prevented from overlooking the road sign during traveling. There is a problem that lacks to do.

  In addition, the technique proposed in Patent Document 2 reads out road surface information and position information of a point when the vehicle travels again at a point, and informs the driver by voice or text display that it is a pedestrian crossing or the like. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is lacking in preventing the driver from overlooking the road sign while driving.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a sign display device that can reliably prevent a driver from overlooking a road sign during traveling.

The sign display device of the present invention that achieves the above object is a sign display device that is mounted on an automobile and displays a road sign,
A camera unit that repeats shooting while traveling,
A sign extraction unit for extracting a road sign from an image obtained by photographing with the camera unit;
And a sign display unit for displaying the road sign extracted by the sign extraction unit.

  Since the sign display device of the present invention extracts a road sign from an image obtained by a camera unit that repeats photographing during traveling and displays the extracted road sign, the driver is provided with the road sign. Even after traveling on a spot, it is possible to visually recognize pictures, characters, and the like constituting the road sign. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver from overlooking the road sign while traveling.

Here, the sign display device of the present invention, a position recognition unit for recognizing the geographical position of the mounted car,
A sign storage unit that stores the road sign extracted by the sign extraction unit in association with the installation position of the road sign processed by the position recognition unit,
The sign display unit displays a road sign stored in association with the installation position when the vehicle on which the sign display device is mounted passes the installation position of the road sign stored in the sign storage unit. It is preferable that

  If it does in this way, when a car passes the installation position of the road sign memorized by the sign storage part, the road sign memorized corresponding to the installation position will be displayed on the sign display part. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver from overlooking the road sign when the automobile passes the same route for the second time and thereafter.

  It is also a preferable aspect that a character extraction unit that extracts a road sign character from an image obtained by photographing with the camera unit is provided.

  In this way, since the characters of the road sign displayed on the sign display unit can be displayed in a manner that makes the characters stand out, such as blinking or displaying in different colors, guidance is provided that is easy for the driver to understand. be able to. Moreover, convenience can be improved by combining the extracted characters with, for example, a search function of a car navigation device.

  Furthermore, it is also preferable that this sign display device is incorporated in a car navigation device that guides the travel of the automobile to the destination.

  When the sign display device of the present invention is incorporated in a car navigation device, in addition to displaying guidance for driving a car to a destination, a road sign extracted from an image obtained by a camera unit during driving Can be displayed. For this reason, even after the driver has traveled the point where the road sign is installed, the driver can surely see the pictures, characters, etc. that make up the road sign. In addition to guidance, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver from overlooking road signs.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sign display apparatus which can prevent reliably a driver | operator overlooking a road sign during driving | running | working can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an automobile equipped with a sign display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the sign display device shown in FIG.

  A vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a sign display device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The sign display device 10 includes a camera unit 11, a sign extraction unit 12, and a sign display unit 13.

  The camera unit 11 repeatedly captures a subject outside the vehicle while traveling, and the camera unit 11 includes an imaging unit 11_1 shown in FIG. The imaging unit 11_1 includes a photographic lens and an imaging element (CCD) that forms an image of subject light incident through the photographic lens and converts it into an analog image signal.

  The camera unit 11 also includes an A / D conversion unit 11_2 for A / D converting an analog image signal from the imaging unit 11_1 into digital image data, and digital image data from the A / D conversion unit 11_2. A signal processing unit 11_3 that adjusts the white balance of the subject image, adjusts the slope (γ) of the straight line in the gradation characteristics of the subject image, and further amplifies the digital image signal is provided.

  Furthermore, the camera unit 11 includes a memory 11_4 that stores image data from the signal processing unit 11_3.

  In addition, the camera unit 11 includes a timing signal generation unit 11_5 and a system control unit 11_6. A control signal from the system control unit 11_6 is input to the timing signal generation unit 11_5. The timing signal generator 11_5 outputs a timing signal for driving the imaging unit 11_1 based on the control signal input from the system controller 11_6. The system control unit 11_6 controls the entire camera unit 11 and controls the sign extraction unit 12 and the sign display unit 13 described below.

  The sign extraction unit 12 extracts a road sign from an image represented by image data obtained by photographing with the camera unit 11.

  The sign display unit 13 displays the road sign extracted by the sign extraction unit 12. Further, image data is repeatedly sent to the marker display unit 13 from the signal processing unit 11_3, for example, 15 times or 30 times per second. As a result, a through image captured during traveling is displayed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a through image displayed on the sign display unit.

  A through image (photographing area) A photographed by the camera unit 11 during traveling is displayed on the screen 13a of the sign display unit 13 shown in FIG. Here, the sign extraction unit 12 monitors whether or not there is a road sign in the through image A, and if there is a road sign, extracts the road sign. As an extraction method, for example, a predetermined area of the through image A is set as an extraction region B, the through image is binarized, edge extraction is performed, and then pattern matching is performed. Furthermore, when it matches the pattern registered beforehand, it determines with it being a road sign. Here, the road sign B1 is included in the extraction area B, and the road sign B1 is extracted by the sign extraction unit 12 and displayed on the sign display unit 13.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a road sign extracted by the sign extraction unit and displayed on the sign display unit.

  A road sign B1 is displayed on the screen 13a of the sign display unit 13 shown in FIG. This road sign B1 is specifically an intersection guide sign, and this intersection guide sign includes a numerical value “200 m” indicating the distance to the intersection, characters “Yamate Street” indicating the name of the intersecting street, road The numbers “1” and “317” indicating the route number of the road, three arrows indicating the direction of travel, the letters “Ohashi” and “Osaki” indicating the place names in the direction to the left and right, and the far-distance plane that has gone straight The letters “Nihonbashi” and “Sakuramon” indicating the place names in the local area are shown.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a processing routine executed by the sign display device shown in FIG.

  First, in step S11, the camera unit 11 performs through image shooting. Next, in step S12, the sign extraction unit 12 extracts road signs.

  In step S13, it is determined whether a road sign has been extracted. If it is determined that no road sign is extracted, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the road sign has been extracted, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the camera unit 11 performs still image shooting. Further, in step S15, the photographed still image is displayed on the sign display unit 13 for a predetermined time, and the process returns to step S11.

  The sign display device 10 according to the first embodiment extracts a road sign from an image obtained by the camera unit 11 that takes a through image while traveling, and the extracted road sign is displayed on the sign display unit 13. It is displayed for a certain time. For this reason, even after the driver has traveled the point where the road sign is installed, the driver can surely see the pictures, characters, and the like constituting the road sign. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver from overlooking the road sign while traveling.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sign display device of the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as the component of the label | marker display apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, and a different point is demonstrated.

  The sign display device 20 shown in FIG. 6 is different from the sign display device 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that a position recognition unit 21 and a sign storage unit 22 are added, and the sign display unit 13 is replaced with a sign display unit 23. It is different from the point that is done.

  The position recognizing unit 21 recognizes the geographical position of the mounted vehicle, and recognizes a GPS position (current position) obtained by receiving a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite.

  The sign storage unit 22 stores the road sign extracted by the sign extraction unit 12 in association with the installation position of the road sign processed by the position recognition unit 21.

  The sign display unit 23 stores the road 1 associated with the installation position when the vehicle 1 on which the sign display device 20 is mounted passes the installation position of the road sign stored in the sign storage unit 22. Display signs.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a processing routine executed by the sign display device shown in FIG.

  First, in step S21, the current vehicle position is acquired from the position recognition unit 21. Next, in step S22, it is determined whether or not there is data at the same position as the position information registered (stored) in the sign storage unit 22. If it is determined that there is data at the same position, the process proceeds to step S29 described later. If it is determined that there is no data at the same position, the process proceeds to step S23.

  In step S23, the camera unit 11 performs through image shooting. Next, in step S24, the sign extraction unit 12 extracts road signs. In step S25, it is determined whether a road sign has been extracted. If it is determined that no road sign has been extracted, the process returns to step S23 and a through image is taken. On the other hand, if it is determined that the road sign has been extracted, the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the camera unit 11 performs still image shooting. Furthermore, in step S27, the photographed still image is displayed on the sign display unit 23 for a predetermined time, and the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, an image is stored (stored) in the sign storage unit 22 together with the detected vehicle position, and the process returns to step S21.

  If it is determined in step S22 that there is data at the same position and the process proceeds to step S29, the stored data is captured within a certain period (within a preset period) in step S29. It is determined whether or not the data is new. If it is determined that the data is not captured within a certain period, the process returns to step S23. On the other hand, if it is determined that the data was captured within a certain period, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, an image is read from the sign storage unit 22, and the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the read image is displayed on the sign display unit 23 for a predetermined time, and the process returns to step S21.

  In the sign display device 20 of the second embodiment, when the automobile 1 passes the road sign installation position stored in the sign storage unit 22, the road sign stored in association with the installation position is displayed in the sign display unit. 23. Specifically, when the automobile 1 passes the same route for the second time and thereafter, still image shooting is performed only when a certain time has passed since the last shooting date and time. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver from overlooking the road sign when the automobile 1 passes the same route after the second time.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sign display device of the third embodiment of the present invention.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as the component of the label | marker display apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 6, and a different point is demonstrated.

  The sign display device 30 shown in FIG. 8 is different from the sign display device 20 shown in FIG. 6 in that a character extraction unit 31 is added.

  The character extraction unit 31 extracts a road sign character from an image obtained by photographing with the camera unit 11.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a processing routine executed by the sign display device shown in FIG.

  First, in step S41, the current vehicle (automobile 1) position is acquired from the position recognition unit 21. Next, in step S <b> 42, it is determined whether there is data at the same position as the position information registered in the sign storage unit 22. If it is determined that there is data at the same position, the process proceeds to step S50 described later, and if it is determined that there is no data at the same position, the process proceeds to step S43.

  In step S43, the camera unit 11 performs through image shooting. Next, in step S44, the sign extraction unit 12 extracts road signs. Further, in step S45, it is determined whether or not a road sign has been extracted. If it is determined that no road sign is extracted, the process returns to step S43. On the other hand, if it is determined that the road sign has been extracted, the process proceeds to step S46. In step S46, the camera unit 11 performs still image shooting. Further, in step S47, the photographed still image is displayed on the sign display unit 23 for a predetermined time, and the process proceeds to step S48.

  In step S48, it is determined whether or not characters have been extracted. If it is determined that characters cannot be extracted, the process proceeds to step S53 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that characters have been extracted, the process proceeds to step S49. In step S49, the position of the vehicle, the image, and the extracted characters are associated and stored in the sign storage unit 22, and the process returns to step S41.

  If it is determined in step S42 that there is data at the same position and the process proceeds to step S50, the stored data is photographed within a certain period (within a preset period) in step S50. It is determined whether or not the data is new. If it is determined that the data is not captured within a certain period, the process returns to step S43. On the other hand, if it is determined that the data was captured within a certain period, the process proceeds to step S51. In step S51, an image is read from the sign storage unit 22, and the process proceeds to step S52. In step S52, the read image is displayed on the sign display unit 23 for a certain period of time, and the characters included in the image are displayed blinking, and the process returns to step S41.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which characters included in an image extracted by the character extraction unit and displayed on the sign display unit are displayed in a blinking manner.

  On the screen 23a of the sign display section 23 shown in FIG. 10, a traffic light A and a main point guide sign B attached to the traffic light A are displayed. Here, the main point guide sign B is a road sign that allows the current point to be confirmed from the car 1 that is running, and the main point guide sign B has a letter “XY station square” indicating the current point. It is blinking. In this way, when the characters of the road sign displayed on the sign display unit 23 are blinked or displayed in a different color, for example, when the characters are displayed in a conspicuous manner, guidance easy to understand for the driver can be provided. it can. Moreover, convenience can be improved by combining the extracted characters with, for example, a search function of a car navigation device.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a car navigation device in which the sign display device shown in FIG. 6 is incorporated.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as the component of the label | marker display apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 6, and a different point is demonstrated.

  A car navigation device 40 shown in FIG. 11 includes a camera unit 11 and a car navigation unit 41 that constitute the sign display device 20 shown in FIG.

  The car navigation unit 41 includes a sign extraction unit 12 and a position recognition unit 21 that constitute the sign display device 20. The car navigation unit 41 has a display unit 41_1 that plays the role of the sign display unit 23 and displays necessary information for the car navigation device 40, and a system control unit 41_2 that controls the entire car navigation device 40. And a storage unit 41_3 that plays the role of the above-described sign storage unit 22 and stores information necessary for the car navigation device 40.

  Since the above-described sign display device 20 is incorporated in the car navigation device 40, the display unit 41_1 displays guidance for traveling the vehicle 1 to the destination, and the vehicle 1 is stored in the storage unit 41_3. When the stored road sign installation position is passed, the road sign stored in association with the installation position is displayed. That is, when the automobile 1 passes the same route for the second time and thereafter, still image shooting is performed only when a certain time has passed since the previous shooting date and time. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver from overlooking the road sign when the vehicle 1 is guided by the car navigation device 40 and passes the same route for the second time and thereafter.

It is a figure which shows the motor vehicle carrying the marker display apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the label | marker display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the through image displayed on a sign display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the road sign extracted by the sign extraction part and displayed on the sign display part. It is a flowchart of the process routine performed with the sign display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the label | marker display apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the process routine performed with the sign display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the label | marker display apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the process routine performed with the marker display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a mode that the character contained in the image extracted by the character extraction part and displayed on the sign display part blinks. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the car navigation apparatus incorporating the sign display apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car 10, 20, 30 Sign display apparatus 11 Camera part 11_1 Image pick-up part 11_2 A / D conversion part 11_3 Signal processing part 11_4 Memory 11_5 Timing signal generation part 11_6, 41_2 System control part 12 Sign extraction part 13, 23 Sign display part 13a , 23a Screen of sign display section 21 Position recognition section 22 Sign storage section 31 Character extraction section 40 Car navigation device 41 Car navigation section 41_1 Display section 41_3 Storage section

Claims (4)

A sign display device mounted on a car and displaying a road sign,
A camera unit that repeats shooting while traveling,
A sign extraction unit for extracting a road sign from an image obtained by photographing with the camera unit;
A sign display device, comprising: a sign display unit that displays the road sign extracted by the sign extraction unit. A position recognition unit for recognizing the geographical position of the mounted vehicle;
A sign storage unit that stores the road sign extracted by the sign extraction unit in association with the installation position of the road sign processed by the position recognition unit,
The sign display unit displays a road sign stored in association with the installation position when the vehicle on which the sign display device is mounted passes the installation position of the road sign stored in the sign storage unit. The sign display device according to claim 1, wherein:   The sign display device according to claim 1, further comprising a character extracting unit that extracts characters of a road sign from an image obtained by photographing with the camera unit.   2. The sign display device according to claim 1, wherein the sign display device is incorporated in a car navigation device that guides the traveling of the automobile to the destination.

Images