JP2007172541A - Driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively notify a driver of information on an object that cannot be directly visually recognized or hardly visually recognized by the driver. <P>SOLUTION: This driving support device displaying environment information showing peripheral environment of a vehicle to support the driver of the vehicle from a sight aspect has: an environment image generation means generating an environment image three-dimensionally expressing the peripheral environment of the vehicle; an object information acquisition means acquiring the object information related to the object present around the vehicle; an object image generation means generating an object image expressing the object around the vehicle; a composite image generation means drawing the object image inside the three-dimensional peripheral environment drawn in the environment image on the basis of position information included in the acquired object information; and an output means outputting a composite image generated by the composite image generation means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus that displays environmental information representing a surrounding environment of a vehicle and assists the driver of the vehicle from a visual aspect.

Conventionally, by obstacle detection means for detecting the relative positional relationship of an obstacle present ahead with respect to the own vehicle, gazing point detection means for detecting the gazing point of the driver of the own vehicle, and the gazing point detection means Range setting means for setting a predetermined range based on the detected gazing point, and when the positional relationship is detected by the obstacle detection means for an obstacle existing ahead, the obstacle is set in the range. Information providing means for changing the manner of providing information related to the obstacle according to whether or not the vehicle is located at a position corresponding to a predetermined range set by the means. An apparatus is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-357498 A

  By the way, in the driving support device that supports the driver of the vehicle from the visual surface by using the environmental information of the vehicle surrounding obtained through a camera, communication, etc., an object that is particularly necessary to inform the driver of its existence is It is an object that exists outside the field of view centered on the driver's gaze point. However, such an object cannot be directly visually recognized or difficult to visually recognize even if the driver changes its point of sight, such as a passing vehicle or a pedestrian at an intersection with poor visibility. There are many. Therefore, when such an object is detected, it is effective to notify the position of the object along with its presence as information.

  In this regard, the above-described conventional technology also discloses a configuration for displaying a guidance screen that informs the presence of a pedestrian, but only such guidance screen is more information than the information that a pedestrian exists (for example, It is difficult to know where the pedestrian is in the surrounding environment.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device that can effectively inform a driver of information on an object that cannot be directly viewed by a driver or is difficult to view.

In order to achieve the above object, a first invention provides a driving support device that displays environmental information representing a surrounding environment of a vehicle and assists the driver of the vehicle from a visual aspect.
Environmental image generation means for generating an environmental image representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle in three dimensions;
Object information acquisition means for acquiring object information including at least position information regarding an object existing around the vehicle;
An object image generating means for generating an object image representing an object existing around the vehicle;
Synthetic image generation means for drawing the object image in a three-dimensional surrounding environment drawn on the environment image based on the acquired position information of the object;
Output means for outputting a composite image generated by the composite image generation means.

A second aspect of the invention is the driving support apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention,
Among the three-dimensional objects representing the surrounding environment depicted in the environment image, at least a part of the image of the three-dimensional object located closer to the vehicle than the object is processed so that the object image can be seen. Features.

A third aspect of the invention is the driving support apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention,
The at least part of the image of the three-dimensional object is drawn transparently or translucently so that the object image can be seen through.

4th invention is the driving assistance device which concerns on any one of 1st-3rd invention,
A storage unit for storing map data used in the navigation device is connected,
The environment image generation means generates the environment image based on the map data.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the driving support apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the invention,
A camera that captures the surrounding environment of the vehicle is connected,
The environment image generation means generates the environment image based on video data acquired by the camera.

6th invention is the driving assistance device which concerns on any invention of 1-5,
Based on object information acquired by the object information acquisition means, comprising object attribute determination means for determining the attribute of the object,
The object image generation means generates an object image corresponding to the attribute of the object determined by the object attribute determination means.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the driving support apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects,
Based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means, the risk level of the object with respect to the vehicle is determined, and based on the determined risk level, the drawing mode of the object image of the object in the composite image is changed. The display control means for determining is provided.

The eighth invention is the driving support apparatus according to the sixth invention,
A database that stores object information acquired by the object information acquisition means at any time in a classification according to the attribute of the object;
The object attribute determination unit is configured to determine an object attribute related to the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit based on a correspondence relationship between the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit and data in the database. It is characterized by judging.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the driving assistance apparatus which can notify a driver | operator effectively the information of the object which a driver cannot visually recognize directly or it is difficult to visually recognize can be obtained.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a driving support apparatus according to the present invention. The driving support device is mounted on a vehicle and is realized by hardware and software that realize the following functions.

  The driving support apparatus includes a communication module 10 including an antenna and a communication circuit (amplifier, filter, demodulator, etc.). The communication module 10 receives external information from the outside through communication. Specifically, travel information (position, speed, etc.) of the other vehicle, travel information of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle, and the like are acquired by inter-vehicle communication with the other vehicle. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication may be realized by transmitting and receiving radio waves in a radio frequency band (for example, 60 GHz band millimeter waves). An appropriate transmission method such as CDMA or OFDM may be adopted as the communication method. Unless otherwise indicated, the communication target includes not only a plurality of vehicles (including two-wheeled vehicles) but also people (for example, pedestrians), bicycle riders, wheelchair riders, and the like. In a case other than a vehicle, information (position, speed, etc.) of the person is acquired through communication with a communication terminal (for example, a mobile phone) held by the person.

  Further, in the driving support device, similar driving information and pedestrian information of other vehicles are acquired by road-to-vehicle communication with roadside infrastructure equipment (for example, a beacon transmitter) provided in a traffic light or the like. In addition, in the driving support device, by using wide area communication (including not only wireless communication but also reception of broadcast radio waves by FM broadcasting etc.) with the center (external information providing facility) Information is acquired. The information acquisition source need not be all of the above, and may be any one. In the demodulator and code decoding unit of the communication module 10, the received signal received from the outside is decoded as described above, and the information included in the received signal is decoded.

  The data structure of a signal transmitted / received via inter-vehicle communication preferably includes a basic data portion, and a header portion and a footer portion that precede and follow, respectively. The basic data portion includes an ID code as essential information. The ID code is a unique code assigned to each vehicle, and may be, for example, an IP address. Further, the ID code in the case of a person, a bicycle, or the like may be a unique code assigned to a portable device possessed by the person or a portable device provided to the bicycle. The basic data section preferably includes position information, speed information, and vehicle type information of the own vehicle (other vehicle for the receiving side). The position information of the own vehicle is information indicating the current position of the own vehicle, and is measured based on the GPS signal. The positioning method may be any method such as independent positioning or relative positioning (including interference positioning), but preferably relative positioning with high accuracy is used. At this time, the position information of the own vehicle may be corrected based on outputs of various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor and a gyro sensor, and various information received via the beacon receiver and the FM multiplex receiver. Further, the position information of the own vehicle may be appropriately corrected using the map information in the map database by a known map matching technique. The position information in the case of a person or a bicycle may not be included in the basic data part. However, if a person or bicycle is equipped with a GPS receiver (for example, if the person has a mobile phone with a built-in GPS receiver), location information may not be included in the basic data section. Is possible. The speed information is information representing the current speed vector of the host vehicle, and is derived based on a vehicle speed sensor or the like. The vehicle type information is a code that allows the receiver to determine the vehicle type of the vehicle. For example, for a four-wheeled vehicle, the model number of the license plate may be used. It may be a specific alphanumeric character even in the case of a person or a bicycle.

  The information processing apparatus 200 is connected to the communication module 10 via an appropriate interface. An information output device 300 for displaying environmental information representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle is connected to the information processing device 200. The information output device 300 may be a display provided on an instrument panel of a vehicle, for example. Alternatively, the information output device 300 may be a head-up display that displays a captured image obtained by an infrared camera that captures a landscape in front of the vehicle on a windshield of the vehicle.

  The information processing apparatus 200 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and includes a CPU that performs main processing, various memories, and the like. In addition, a drawing engine (drawing IC) that performs drawing processing and 3D authoring processing and an image processing circuit (for example, FPGA ( Field Programmable Gate Array).

  The information processing apparatus 200 includes, as main components, an object detection / object information generation unit 22, an object display determination unit 23, a display management unit 24, a 3D authoring determination unit 26, a 3D authoring unit 28, and a 3D map drawing. A unit 30, an object image generation unit 32, a 3D layout determination unit 34, and a composite drawing unit 36.

  The object detection / object information generation unit 22 detects the presence of a moving object such as another vehicle or a pedestrian based on the external information supplied from the communication module 10, and information related to the object (hereinafter “object information”). Is generated). For example, when communication with another vehicle is established by inter-vehicle communication, object information is generated based on travel information (position, speed, etc.) included in communication data from the other vehicle. The object information is preferably formed in a predetermined data format and includes, for example, information related to the attribute of the object. The attribute of the object is, for example, the name, position, speed, shape, etc. of the object, and the attribute may be variable (may be added / changed as necessary). The name of the object may be a large division such as a car or a person, or in the case of a car, may include a vehicle type (a distinction between a motorcycle, a large vehicle such as a truck, an emergency vehicle, etc.).

  The object display determination unit 23 selects an object (display target) to be displayed by the information output device 300 based on the object information supplied from the object detection / object information generation unit 22. The object display determination unit 23 selects, for example, an object that may intersect with the own vehicle. Here, specific examples of vehicles with the possibility of crossing include, for example, a vehicle that is traveling in the same direction in the same lane with respect to the own vehicle, an oncoming vehicle when the own vehicle goes straight through an intersection, Vehicles traveling on a road that intersects with the traveling road, vehicles traveling on a place other than the road (for example, slowly traveling in a parking lot along the road), and vehicles moving away from the intersection are not displayed. As in the case of the own vehicle, a vehicle that is proceeding toward the intersection and the inner product of the velocity vectors with the own vehicle is 0 or close to 0 is displayed. In this specification, an intersection is an intersection where a traffic light does not exist or does not function, and includes a T-shaped intersection and a junction from a peripheral facility (for example, a parking lot of a store) to a road.

  The object display determination unit 23 further evaluates the risk level (emergency level) of an object that may be crossed with the host vehicle, and the risk level is predetermined among the objects that may cross the host vehicle. An object exceeding the level may be selected as a display target. For example, the object display determination unit 23 determines the possibility of a collision between the object and the own vehicle based on the history of the position information of the object included in the communication data from the object and the history of the position information of the own vehicle. Evaluate as a level. This risk level is determined according to the difference between the estimated time to reach the intersection of the object and the estimated time to reach the intersection of the vehicle, and is set higher as the difference is smaller. The lower the number, the higher the setting. Therefore, for example, when the estimated time until the vehicle reaches the intersection is very short (that is, immediately before the intersection), the risk level is set to the highest value. Note that the information related to the risk level of an object may be information (risk level determined on the other vehicle side) included in external information obtained through inter-vehicle communication.

  Alternatively, the object display determination unit 23 displays objects that are difficult to be directly recognized by the driver among objects that may be mixed with the own vehicle (or objects whose danger level exceeds a predetermined level). May be selected as This is because the object that is more difficult for the driver to see directly is more valuable to output the object information related to the object via the information output device 300. For example, when an object with a possibility of crossing exists at a position that cannot be seen by the driver due to the presence of a building standing before the intersection, the object may be selected as a display target. The presence of such a vehicle can be detected through, for example, the above-described vehicle-to-vehicle communication or road-to-vehicle communication.

  Alternatively, the object display determination unit 23 may detect the detected object in consideration of other factors such as the current vehicle speed, the driver's preference and preference, the driver's psychological state, the attention state, and the driving skill. It may be determined whether or not to display on the output device 300. A driver's preference and preference, driving skill, and the like may be determined with reference to a database (not shown). The driver's psychological state, attentional state, etc. may be determined by analyzing the driver's facial expression or the like with various sensors (sensors for measuring electrocardiogram, pulse, etc.) not shown, or an indoor camera.

  The object display determination unit 23 supplies the object information of the object (or objects) selected as the display target to the display management unit 24.

  The display management unit 24 comprehensively manages (instructs) the overall output mode when the object information is output by the information output device 300. Object information output modes include audio output, video (image) output, text output, and the like. The display management unit 24 selects the driver's preference and preference (for example, whether or not to prefer text display), the state of the own vehicle (for example, the current driving lane), and the current state of the information output device 300 (for example, during music playback, Alternatively, an appropriate output mode of object information is determined according to various situations such as the above-described risk level and the like. Since the present embodiment particularly relates to the output mode of the object information video (image), the case where the output mode of the object information video (image) is selected will be described below.

  The display mode of the object information includes a display mode of an image or video (hereinafter referred to as “object image”) representing the object, and an image (hereinafter referred to as “three-dimensional”) representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle viewed from the viewpoint of the driver. , “Environment image”).

  The display mode of the object image is determined according to the attribute of the object. That is, the display management unit 24 checks (determines) the attributes (name, position, speed, shape, etc.) of the objects included in the object information based on the object information, and displays the object information according to the object attributes. The aspect is determined. At this time, the display management unit 24 preferably uses the object database 25 to determine the display mode of the object information. In this case, the object database 25 may store definitions relating to the display mode of object information (object image generation method) according to the object attributes. Definitions related to the display mode of object information include, for example, expressions (shape display), screen characteristics (skins), and the like. Expressions (shape display) include various 3D displays such as translucency and shadows, and scalable. Includes 2D display, spatial special expressions (fog, specular, anti-aliasing), etc. The display mode of the object image may include, for example, display (output) timing of the object image, in addition to the object image representation.

  The display mode of the object image may be determined in consideration of an attribute of a certain type of object such as a risk level (high possibility of crossing) of the object. In this case, for example, a display mode (for example, the shape is enlarged or highlighted) having a higher alerting power may be determined for an object having a higher risk level. From the same viewpoint, the display mode of the object image also considers other factors such as the current speed of the vehicle, the driver's preference and preferences, the driver's psychological state, the attention state and driving skills. , May be determined. In this case, for example, when the driver's attention is low, a display mode with a high alerting power may be determined.

  The display mode of the environmental image is determined according to the driver's viewpoint, line-of-sight direction, and the current surrounding environment of the vehicle. In this case, similar to the display mode of the object information, the definition of the object image generation method in the predetermined database includes the display of the shape of the road and the three-dimensional object existing in the surrounding environment, the characteristics of the road and the three-dimensional object ( Various definitions such as definitions relating to (skin) may be prepared. Note that the driver's viewpoint may be determined in advance corresponding to vehicle specification data (driver's seat position, etc.), and the driver's line-of-sight direction may change according to the vehicle traveling direction.

  The display management unit 24 notifies (instructs) the display mode of each image determined as described above to the 3D authoring determination unit 26, the object image generation unit 32, and the 3D layout determination unit 34.

  The 3D authoring determination unit 26 determines which one of the 3D authoring unit 28 and the 3D map drawing unit 30 is used to draw the environment image according to the instructed drawing mode of the environment image. Briefly, when map data corresponding to the designated environment image of the three-dimensional representation exists in the 3D map database 31, an environment image drawing instruction is transmitted to the 3D map drawing unit 30, and the instruction is sent. If there is no map data corresponding to the three-dimensional representation of the environment image in the 3D map database 31, an environment image drawing instruction is transmitted to the 3D authoring unit.

  Based on video data from a camera 50 (for example, a CCD camera) mounted on the vehicle so as to photograph the front of the vehicle, the 3D authoring unit 28 performs a three-dimensional representation environment in accordance with a drawing mode instruction from the display management unit 24. Generate an image. That is, the 3D authoring unit 28 generates an environment image by converting the video captured by the camera 50 into graphics. For example, the contour of video data supplied from the camera 50 (for example, the contour of a building) is extracted by edge processing, and the extracted contour is matched with a graphics template (mainly 3D) stored in the car window database 29. A corresponding graphics template is selected, and an environment image is generated based on the selected graphics template. Further, the skin of the building from which the contour is extracted is generated, and the texture of the skin of the building is generated by texture mapping with the texture model stored in the vehicle window database 29. Texture mapping may be executed based on information from other information sources (external information described above). The environment image generated by the 3D authoring unit 28 in this way is supplied to the composite drawing unit 36.

  The 3D map drawing unit 30 generates an environment image based on the map data in the 3D map database 31. This process may be the same as the drawing process of an existing navigation device. The environment image generated by the 3D map drawing unit 30 in this way is supplied to the composite drawing unit 36.

  The object image generation unit 32 generates an object image in accordance with the drawing mode instruction from the display management unit 24. In brief, the object image generation unit 32 uses the shape model stored in the object database 25 to complete the object image in the drawing mode instructed from the display management unit 24. For example, the object database 25 stores shape models of various objects prepared according to the attributes of the object (more simply, only the vehicle type). The object model is completed by attaching a default texture to the shape model corresponding to the attribute. At this time, when a special drawing mode such as highlighting is instructed from the display management unit 24 due to the reason that the risk level of the object is high, the object image generation unit 32 follows the instruction to determine the attribute of the object. A texture or color having a high alerting power may be given to the shape model corresponding to the above, or the outline of the shape model may be emphasized or blinked. The object image generated by the object image generation unit 32 in this way is supplied to the composite drawing unit 36.

  The 3D layout determination unit 34 determines the object image obtained from the object image generation unit 32 and the environment obtained from the 3D authoring unit 28 or the 3D map drawing unit 30 according to the display mode of each image designated by the display management unit 24. The composite display mode (3D layout) of the image is determined. Here, the composite display mode is determined such that the object related to the object image can be seen as if it exists three-dimensionally in the three-dimensional peripheral environment drawn in the environment image. The drawing position (composition position) of the object image is determined based on the position information (for example, latitude / longitude) of the object, using the relationship of the coordinate system of the vehicle position to the coordinate system of the environment image (coordinate conversion formula). The height of the drawing position of the object image is basically determined at the road level (that is, substantially in the horizontal plane) drawn in the environment image. For example, when the object image is a three-dimensional vehicle, the drawing position of the object image is determined so that the tire of the vehicle is in contact with the ground (the road image) at the position. The 3D layout determining unit 34 notifies (instructs) the determined combined display mode to the combined drawing unit 36.

  The composite drawing unit 36 is obtained from the object image obtained from the object image generation unit 32 and the 3D authoring unit 28 or the 3D map drawing unit 30 according to the composite display mode (3D layout) instructed from the 3D layout determination unit 34. A composite image is generated by combining the environmental image.

  In the present embodiment, the composite drawing unit 36 processes the environment image around the combined position when the object image is combined with the environment image and drawn at the specified combined position. For example, in an actual surrounding environment, when an object to be displayed is in a position hidden behind a surrounding building and cannot be seen from the driver's viewpoint, the surrounding environment is reproduced in an environment image that is three-dimensionally reproduced from the driver's viewpoint. In this case, the object image is hidden behind the image of the surrounding building. For this reason, in this embodiment, in such a case, the surroundings that exist in front of the object image in the line-of-sight direction when viewing the object from the viewpoint of the environment image are prevented so that the synthesized object image is not hidden by the surrounding building image. The drawing mode of the building is changed. For example, when the composition drawing unit 36 composes the object image with the environment image at the designated composition position, the composition drawing unit 36 determines the degree of overlap between the object image and the image of the three-dimensional object in front of the object image, and adds the three-dimensional object to the object image. The three-dimensional object in front of the object image is processed so that the object images do not disappear due to overlapping. At this time, it is possible to simply draw the object image at the forefront (drawing as an overcoat), but preferably, the relationship with the surrounding building is clear (that is, the object is on the other side of the surrounding building) As can be seen, the image of the surrounding building existing in front of the object is rendered to be transparent (only the outline) or translucent. Note that the drawing mode of the environment image around the synthesis position of the object image may be any mode as long as the positional relationship of the object in the surrounding environment can be easily visually recognized from the synthesis image. The image portion may be the whole or a part of the surrounding building, or the entire range up to the point where the object can cross the vehicle.

  It should be noted that such processing (for example, transmission processing) of the environment image related to the object image may be executed in advance by the 3D authoring unit 28 or the 3D map drawing unit 30. In this case, the necessity for such processing is determined by the display management unit 24 based on the object information. In this case, the 3D authoring unit 28 performs processing (transparency processing) on the environment image obtained by the graphics in accordance with the drawing mode instruction from the display management unit 24. Further, the 3D map drawing unit 30 performs processing (transparency processing) on the environment image obtained based on the map data in accordance with a drawing mode instruction from the display management unit 24.

  The composite image generated by the composite drawing unit 36 as described above is output by the information output device 300. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a display state of a composite image in the information output apparatus 300, and FIG. 2A illustrates a display state when there is no object to be displayed, and FIG. 2B and FIG. C) shows the display state when there is an object to be displayed.

  The composite image in the information output apparatus 300 preferably changes dynamically as the host vehicle moves, and dynamically changes as the display target object moves. That is, the composite image is displayed in a moving image format. For this purpose, the composite drawing unit 36 supplies or acquires and combines the two images to be combined supplied or acquired from the separate generation units 32 and 28 or 30 in an appropriately synchronized manner. The

  In the example shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C, an object (vehicle) entering the traveling road of the own vehicle is displayed in front of the right side in the traveling direction. This object exists in a position where it is originally hidden by the building in front, but according to the present embodiment, as described above, the image of the building is processed so that the object can be seen through. For this reason, the driver looks at the display of the information output device 300 shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, and not only the invisible object exists in the forward direction but also the object It can be easily grasped that it can appear from behind the building on the right side. In the example shown in FIG. 2B, a part of the image of the building (the part that hides the object) is processed to be transparent or translucent. In the example shown in FIG. Only the three-dimensional outline is shown, and the texture is transparent.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, an image of an object requiring attention is synthesized in an environment image that three-dimensionally represents the environment around the vehicle so that the positional relationship of the object in the environment is clear. can do. Thereby, the information amount of the object which can be provided to the driver increases, and the usefulness of driving support can be enhanced. Further, when the composite image is displayed as a moving image, the driver can also determine the movement of the object at a glance, so that the usefulness of driving support can be further enhanced.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2 (C), the object image is circled for convenience of description of the drawing. However, the display mode is actually realized so that the driver can detect the presence of the object. You may make it easy to grasp. From the same viewpoint, a figure such as an arrow indicating the traveling direction of the object may be added.

  In the present embodiment, the object database 25 preferably stores object information classified according to its attributes. As a result, as described above, the types of information acquisition sources are diverse, and even when the information that can be acquired differs depending on the information acquisition source, the attribute of the object is appropriately determined based on the acquired object information. be able to. For example, depending on the information acquisition source, the shape of the object may not be determined based on the acquired object information. However, the correspondence between the object information and the data in the object database 25 (for example, the name of the object) The shape of the object can be appropriately determined (estimated) based on the correspondence relationship.

  The data in the object database 25 is preferably updated as needed with new object information each time new object information is acquired via the communication module 10 or the like. In this case, when object information corresponding to the detected object attribute is not stored in the object database 25, the object information may be classified into a new attribute group and stored in the object database 25. Thereby, when an object having the same attribute is detected in the future, the attribute of the object can be easily determined from the data in the object database 25.

  As the object information stored in the object database 25, the latest object information may be downloaded from outside the center or the like. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the attribute of the object based on object information acquired from a wide variety of information acquisition sources, and to add / change information acquisition sources and add / change attributes. It can be easily handled.

  The object information in the object database 25 preferably stores the risk level determined for each object in association with the attribute. Thereby, when an object having the same or similar attribute as the attribute stored in the object database 25 is detected, the risk level of the object can be easily determined from the data in the object database 25. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the processing burden caused when the risk level is evaluated again. In this case, it is also possible to reduce the display mode determination processing and various image generation processing burdens by setting in advance a model of the display mode of the object image and / or environment image corresponding to the risk level. . The template may be changeable (customizable) by the driver. If the risk level corresponding to the detected object attribute is not stored in the object database 25, the risk level is determined, and the determined risk level is associated with the object attribute to the object database 25. To store. Thereby, when an object having the same attribute is detected in the future, the risk level of the object can be easily determined from the data in the object database 25, and the risk level is evaluated again. Can reduce the processing burden.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the image from the camera 50 is converted into graphics to generate the environment image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image from the camera 50 is directly converted into the environment image. It is also possible to use as.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the environment image corresponding to the object image is generated and synthesized at the stage of displaying the object image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in normal times, for example, the navigation device When an environment image (3D map image) is displayed as a map display, the object image may be synthesized and displayed in an interrupt format.

  In the above-described embodiment, the output of object information is realized by an object image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be realized by a combination with voice, text, or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the transfer method of various images (video data) to the composite drawing unit 36 may be frame transfer every 1/30 s, for example, or may be direct stream transfer. Good.

  In the above-described embodiment, the three-dimensional object that is subjected to the transmission process in the environmental image is a building such as a building. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the three-dimensional object that is subjected to the transmission process. May be, for example, natural objects such as trees, or other structures such as signboards.

  In the above-described embodiment, the object information is acquired mainly by communication (including reception of broadcast). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the object information may be a millimeter wave radar or the like. You may acquire by a radar sensor, a camera, etc.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a driving support device according to the present invention. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display state of a composite image in the information output apparatus 300. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Communication module 200 Information processing apparatus 22 Object detection / object information generation part 23 Object display determination part 24 Display management part 25 Object database 26 3D authoring determination part 28 3D authoring part 30 3D map drawing part 31 3D map database 32 Object image generation part 34 3D layout determination unit 36 Composite drawing unit 50 Camera 300 Information output device

Claims (8)

In a driving support device that displays environmental information representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle and assists the driver of the vehicle from the visual aspect,
Environmental image generation means for generating an environmental image representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle in three dimensions;
Object information acquisition means for acquiring object information including at least position information regarding an object existing around the vehicle;
An object image generating means for generating an object image representing an object existing around the vehicle;
Synthetic image generation means for drawing the object image in a three-dimensional surrounding environment drawn on the environment image based on the acquired position information of the object;
And an output unit that outputs a composite image generated by the composite image generation unit.   At least a part of an image of a three-dimensional object located closer to the vehicle than the object among the three-dimensional objects representing the surrounding environment depicted in the environment image is processed so that the object image can be seen. Item 2. The driving support device according to Item 1.   The driving support device according to claim 2, wherein the at least part of the image of the three-dimensional object is drawn in a transparent or translucent manner so that the object image can be seen through. A storage unit for storing map data used in the navigation device is connected,
The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the environmental image generation unit generates the environmental image based on the map data. A camera that captures the surrounding environment of the vehicle is connected,
The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the environmental image generation unit generates the environmental image based on video data acquired by the camera. Based on object information acquired by the object information acquisition means, comprising object attribute determination means for determining the attribute of the object,
The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the object image generation unit generates an object image according to an object attribute determined by the object attribute determination unit.   Based on the object information acquired by the object information acquisition means, the risk level of the object with respect to the vehicle is determined, and based on the determined risk level, the drawing mode of the object image of the object in the composite image is changed. The driving support device according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for determining. The driving support device according to claim 6,
A database that stores object information acquired by the object information acquisition means at any time in a classification according to the attribute of the object;
The object attribute determination unit is configured to determine an object attribute related to the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit based on a correspondence relationship between the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit and data in the database. A driving assistance device to judge.

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