JP2008022064A - Monitor for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance recognition performance of a monitor object existing in a monitor object video image by an operator. <P>SOLUTION: A video image composition device 103 generates a monitor object video image presented to an operator based on video images picked up by means of a right camera 101 and a left camera 102, and a video image production device 105 produces a prime video image for enhancing recognition performance of a monitor object included in the monitor object video image produced from the video image composition device 103 by the operator. A display controller 106 controls the display content of a display 107 such that the monitor object video image is displayed after displaying the prime image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle monitoring device for a driver to monitor a situation around a vehicle.

  A vehicle surrounding monitoring device as described below is known from Patent Document 1, for example. This device presents an image of the left and right directions of the vehicle so that the driver can grasp an object present in the blind spot of the vehicle.

JP 11-338074 A

  However, in the conventional apparatus, there is a possibility that the driver may miss an object present in the video under a situation where the video displayed on the monitor cannot be watched for a long time such as during driving.

  A vehicle monitoring apparatus according to the present invention generates an image to be monitored to be presented to a driver based on an image capturing unit that captures a left-right direction with respect to a traveling direction of a vehicle, and an image captured by the image capturing unit. Monitoring target video generating means, pre-display video generating means for generating pre-display video for improving recognition by the monitoring target driver included in the monitoring target video generated by the monitoring target video generating means, and pre-display video generation And display control means for displaying the monitoring target video generated by the monitoring target video generation means after displaying the pre-display video generated by the means.

  According to the present invention, since the monitoring target video is displayed after the pre-display video is displayed, even when the driver cannot gaze at the monitoring target video for a long time, the recognizability of the monitoring target included in the monitoring target video is displayed. And oversight of the monitoring target can be prevented.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle monitoring apparatus in the present embodiment. The vehicle monitoring device 100 is mounted on a vehicle and has a right camera 101, a left camera 102, a video composition device 103, a road map storage device 104, a video generation device 105, a display control device 106, and a display device 107. And.

  The right camera 101 and the left camera 102 are respectively attached to the left and right sides of the front bumper of the vehicle so as to photograph the direction of the yaw angle of about 80 degrees with respect to the traveling direction. That is, the right camera 101 is installed so as to photograph the right side (right side) in front of the vehicle, and the left camera 102 is installed so as to photograph the left side (left side) in front of the vehicle. Videos taken by the right camera 101 and the left camera 102 are output to the video composition device 103.

  The video composition device 103 synthesizes the video input from the right camera 101 and the left camera 102 into one monitoring video. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the video synthesizing device 103 has a window shape on the right side of the vehicle so that the driver can identify the video shot by the right camera 101 as a video of the right side of the vehicle. The right image 2a is generated by trimming. In addition, the left image 2b is generated by trimming the image captured by the left camera 102 into the shape of the window on the left side of the vehicle so that the driver can identify the image captured on the left side of the vehicle. And the synthetic | combination image | video 2d is produced | generated by arrange | positioning the right image | video 2a and the left image | video 2b which were produced | generated on both sides of the figure 2c which shows the own vehicle.

  The road map storage device 104 uses, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), and records road map data similar to that used for car navigation and the like. This road map includes road information, such as road position, road type (national road, city road, etc.), width, presence / absence of restrictions such as one-way traffic, speed limit, standard driving speed, and priority road. Information such as whether or not is recorded. It also records building information such as the existence, location (coordinates), and building exterior information, terrain information such as lakes, seas and rivers, and landmark information such as the presence and location of landmarks such as schools and stations. Has been. In addition, for a specific point, a landscape photograph taken at the point or a line drawing depicting the landscape may be stored.

  When road map data is recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, the road map storage device 104 is a reading device for reading data from these recording media, such as a CD drive or the like. A DVD drive or the like may be used.

  The video generation device 105 receives map data read from the road map storage device 104, a vehicle speed signal input from a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle, a time signal input from a clock mounted on the vehicle, and a GPS sensor. A prime video (pre-display video) to be described later is generated based on various signals such as the vehicle position signal.

  Here, when the synthesized video 2d synthesized by the video synthesizing device 103 is set as the monitoring target video, the prime video is displayed later by showing the prime video before showing the monitoring target video to the driver. An image having an effect of improving the recognition of an object included in the monitored image. If the video to be monitored is displayed after the prime video is presented to the driver, the target included in the video to be monitored by the driver is compared to the case where the video to be monitored is displayed without presenting any information. It is known that the recognition rate of an object is improved 2 to 3 times. In other words, by presenting the prime video to the user in advance, the driver recognizes the target object included in the video, rather than displaying the monitoring target video without presenting any information. The time required (recognition time) can be shortened.

  In the vehicle monitoring apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, by taking this into consideration, the prime image is displayed for about several seconds before the monitoring target image is displayed, so that the driver watches the image for a long time while driving. Even if it is impossible, the object included in the monitoring target video can be sufficiently recognized. This effect can be obtained by presenting to the driver what kind of monitoring object should be noted in advance. At this time, even if 100% of the same objects are not displayed in advance, the same effect can be obtained even when, for example, the genres match, the same object is rotated, or the scale is different. The same effect can be obtained also when the expected movement of the object is presented in advance.

  Furthermore, it is also known that human visual recognition processing is performed in order of time from rough information to detailed information when an image is captured with the eyes. For this reason, for example, the driver provides an overview of the monitoring target video by presenting in advance the background included in the monitoring target video, for example, the layout of the building, or by previously presenting a range where the object is likely to appear. Can be understood in advance. Also in this case, the time required for understanding rough information when the monitoring target video is actually presented can be reduced, and as a result, the time required for recognition of the monitoring target video can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the video generation device 105 improves the recognizability of the monitoring target included in the monitoring target video by the driver, and shortens the recognition time of the monitoring target video, so that the following (a) to ( A case of generating five patterns of prime images e) will be described. Of the prime images described in (a) to (e), which prime image is to be generated may be selected in advance by the driver, or may be arbitrarily selected by the image generation device 105. May be.

  (A) Prime video representing a monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d as a figure (photo or picture), (b) Prime representing an abstract of the monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d Video, (c) prime video displaying the background included in the composite video 2d, (d) prime video representing the movement of the monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d, and (e) monitoring in the composite video 2d Prime video showing the area where the target is likely to appear.

  Note that the monitoring target in (a), (b), (c), and (e) refers to an object that a driver such as a pedestrian or another vehicle needs to pay attention to while driving, (d The background in) refers to a structure such as a wall or a building.

  In the present embodiment, the video generation device 105 generates a prime video in the same display form as the composite video 2d even when generating a prime video in any of the patterns (a) to (e). For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the left prime image corresponding to the right image 2a and corresponding to the right prime image 3a and the left image 2b indicated by the shape of the right window of the vehicle and the left prime image corresponding to the left window shape of the vehicle. 3d and a prime video 3d in which a figure 3c indicating the host vehicle is arranged are generated.

  Hereinafter, the prime video generation processing by the video composition device 103 will be described for each of the patterns (a) to (e). In the following description, it is assumed that the monitoring target video is the composite video 2d, and a case where a prime video for improving the recognizability of the composite video 2d by the driver is generated will be described.

(A) Prime video showing the monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d as a diagram (photo or picture) This prime video shows the driver what kind of monitoring target should be noted in advance It is a picture for doing. When generating such a prime video, the video generation device 105 first reads map data around the vehicle position acquired from the GPS sensor from the road map storage device 104. And based on the information regarding the road contained in map data, the monitoring object which may be contained in each of the right image 2a and the left image 2b in the synthesized image 2d is determined. Here, the video generation device 105 has a road extending to the right in front of the vehicle and a road extending to the left in front of the vehicle based on the information on the road. A process when it is determined that both roads are one-way and the other vehicles are traveling only from the left side road will be described.

  In this case, there is a possibility that cars and pedestrians may enter from the road on the left side, but only a pedestrian may enter from the road on the right side. 105, it is determined that there is a possibility that only the pedestrian is included as the monitoring target in the right video 2a, and that there is a possibility that the car and pedestrian are included as the monitoring target in the left video 2b. The video generation device 105 generates a prime video based on the determination result.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a right prime video 3a displaying a diagram (a picture or a photograph) showing a pedestrian that may be included in the right video 2a is generated. In addition, a left prime video 3b is generated that displays a diagram showing a car that may be included in the left video 2b and a diagram showing a pedestrian. And the prime image | video 3d which has arrange | positioned the figure 3c which shows the right prime image | video 3a, the left prime image | video 3b, and the own vehicle is produced | generated.

  At this time, when the video generation apparatus 105 detects that a school is present ahead of the right side road based on the information about the road, there is a high possibility that the child enters from the right side road. In order to show that, the figure of the pedestrian displayed in the right prime video 3a may be changed to the figure of the child. Further, when there is a possibility that a bicycle or a motorcycle enters from the right side road or the left side road, a diagram of the bicycle or motorcycle may be displayed together.

  Further, the video generation device 105 may acquire the current time and generate the prime video 3d reflecting the current time. That is, the color or brightness of the monitoring target may be changed to match the image at the current time. For example, if the current time is night, the figure indicating the car is displayed in a dark color as indicated by reference numeral 3e, and if the current day is the day, the figure indicating the car is indicated in a light color as indicated by reference numeral 3f. If it is morning, a figure showing a car may be displayed in white as indicated by reference numeral 3g.

(B) Prime video that abstractly represents a monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d. This prime video is a video for presenting to the driver what kind of monitoring target should be noted in advance. As described above, it is an image for abstracting and presenting the monitoring target in consideration of the effect as a prime image even if it is not necessarily 100% identical to the monitoring target in advance. .

  This prime video is an abstract representation of a diagram showing a monitoring target displayed in the right prime video 3a and the left prime video 3b in the prime video described above in (a). That is, the video generation device 105 abstracts the figure showing the pedestrian displayed in the right prime video 3a and the figure showing the car and the pedestrian displayed in the left prime video 3b as shown in FIG. Is generated.

(C) Prime video displaying the background included in the composite video 2d As described above, this prime video is a process in which human visual recognition processing takes time from rough information to detailed information when the video is captured by the eyes. This is a video for allowing the driver to understand the outline of the monitoring target video in advance in consideration of the processing in the target order. Here, a case where a prime video displaying a building and a wall is generated as the background included in the composite video 2d will be described, but other structures may be displayed.

  First, the image generation device 105 reads map data around the vehicle position acquired from the GPS sensor from the road map storage device 104. Then, based on the information about the building included in the map data, a background image included in each of the right image 2a and the left image 2b in the composite image 2d is generated. That is, based on the coordinates of the buildings and walls and the appearance information, the figures of the buildings and walls included in the right video 2a and the left video 2b are drawn as background graphics. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the video generation device 105 displays a right prime video 3a displaying a background graphic included in the right video 2a and a left prime video 3b displaying a background graphic included in the left video 2b. , And a prime video 3d in which a figure 3c indicating the host vehicle is arranged.

  In addition, although the example which draws the figure of the building and wall contained in each of the right image 2a and the left image 2b in the synthetic | combination image | video 2d based on the information regarding the building contained in map data was demonstrated here, background A photograph may be taken and the photograph may be used as it is.

  Further, the video generation device 105 may acquire the current time and generate the prime video 3d reflecting the current time. That is, the background display color may be changed so as to be a color and brightness that can be actually seen at the current time. For example, when the current time is night, as shown in FIG. 6, the color of the building displayed in the right prime image 3a and the color of the building displayed in the left prime image 3b are the colors and brightness that can actually be seen at night. Change to be. In addition, in order to change the color and brightness that can be actually seen at night, the display color according to the time may be determined by calculation and colored, or the photograph taken at each time in advance may be used as it is. It may be.

(D) Prime video representing the motion of the monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d As described above, this prime video is effective as a prime video even when the predicted motion of the monitoring target is previously presented. This is a video for predicting the movement of the monitoring target, taking into account that the movement can be obtained, and converting the predicted movement into a display format that can be recognized by the driver.

  First, the image generation device 105 reads map data around the vehicle position acquired from the GPS sensor from the road map storage device 104. Then, based on the information about the road included in the map data, which of the right side road included in the right video 2a and the right side road included in the left video 2b in the composite video 2d is the priority road, The road type, speed limit, and road width are determined. Based on this determination result, the speed when a car enters from each road is predicted. If the vehicle has a traffic information acquisition device for acquiring road traffic information, the speed of a car entering from each road may be predicted in consideration of the acquired traffic information. Good.

  Furthermore, the image generation device 105 determines the traveling direction of the vehicle on each road, and generates a prime image that represents the motion of the car entering from each road as a vector based on the traveling direction of the vehicle and the predicted speed. To do. At this time, the video generation device 105 displays the motion of the pedestrian entering from each road as a vector on the prime video based on the general walking speed of the pedestrian. That is, the movement of an approaching car or pedestrian is displayed after being converted into a vector whose direction of movement is indicated by an arrow and the magnitude of the approach speed is indicated by the length of the arrow.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the prime video representing the movement of the monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d. FIG. 7 shows that the road extending to the right side of the vehicle and the road extending to the left side of the vehicle are both one-way as in the case described above in FIG. A specific example of a case where a pedestrian enters from any road is shown, although the vehicle only travels from the road on the left side. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the movement of the automobile is indicated by a solid arrow, and the movement of a pedestrian is indicated by a broken line arrow.

  That is, in FIG. 7, the video generation device 105 generates the right prime video 3a that represents a pedestrian's movement that may be included in the right video 2a as a vector, and may be included in the left video 2b. A left prime video 3b is generated that represents the movements of the car and the pedestrian as vectors. The right prime video 3a and the left prime video 3b. And the figure 3c which shows the own vehicle is arrange | positioned, and the prime image | video 3d is produced | generated.

(E) Prime video showing an area where the monitoring target is likely to appear in the composite video 2d As described above, this prime video is prime even when the range where the monitoring target is likely to appear is previously presented. In consideration of the fact that an effect as a video can be obtained, a video for determining a range where a monitoring target is likely to appear in the right video 2a and the left video 2b in the composite video 2d and presenting the region It is.

  The video generation device 105 uses the method described above in (a), (b), or (d) to perform the right road included in the right video 2a and the right road included in the left video 2b in the composite video 2d. Among them, a road where a car or a pedestrian may enter is identified. Then, in each of the right video 2a and the left video 2b, an area including a road (road surface) where the monitoring target may enter is specified. For example, the area including the road is specified by excluding the area including the background detected by the method described above in (c) from the video.

  Then, the video generation device 105 generates a prime video that displays a region including the identified road surrounded by a rectangular frame. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a right prime image 3a displaying a region 8a including a road in the right image 2a, a left prime image 3b displaying a region 8b including a road in the left image 2b, and a figure 3c indicating the host vehicle. Is generated.

  The display control device 106 switches on / off of the display device 107 in accordance with an operation from the driver, and controls display contents on the display device 107. As the display device 107, for example, a liquid crystal monitor is used, and when the vehicle is equipped with a navigation device or a television, a navigation screen or a television screen can be displayed. Further, the synthesized video 2d (monitoring target video) generated by the video synthesizing device 103 and the prime video of any one of (a) to (e) generated by the video generating device 105 can be switched and displayed.

  When the host vehicle detects that the driver has approached an intersection that requires attention to the monitoring target, the display control device 106 provides an image synthesizing device to provide the driver with a left-right image at the intersection. The synthesized video 2d synthesized in 103 is displayed on the display device 107 as a monitoring target video. Note that the display control device 106 may display the monitoring target video only when the driver has set the automatic switching mode to the monitoring target video. Moreover, you may make it display a monitoring subject image | video based on the instruction | indication from a driver | operator irrespective of the approach condition to an intersection.

  In displaying the monitoring target video, as described above, the prime video is displayed for about several seconds in advance, so that the recognition rate of the target object (monitoring target) included in the monitoring target video by the driver is two to three times. improves. Accordingly, the display control device 106 controls the display on the display device 107 so that the prime video is displayed for about several seconds before the composite video 2d is displayed as the monitoring target video. Specifically, the processing is as follows.

  The display control device 106 reads map data around the vehicle position acquired from the GPS sensor from the road map storage device 104. And based on the information regarding the road contained in map data, the distance to the nearest intersection which exists in a run destination is calculated. Further, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is detected based on the output from the vehicle speed sensor. When the distance from the vehicle position to the intersection is less than a predetermined distance, for example, 30 m or less, and the vehicle speed of the vehicle is less than the predetermined speed, for example, 40 km / h or less, the display control device 106 Detects that the driver has approached an intersection that requires attention to the monitoring target, and determines that the display condition of the prime video has been satisfied. When the display control device 106 determines that the prime video display condition is satisfied, the display control device 106 displays the prime video generated by the video generation device 105 on the display device 107.

  Thereafter, the display control device 106 continues to calculate the distance from the vehicle position to the intersection and to detect the vehicle speed of the vehicle. Then, the display control device 106 displays the monitoring target image on the display device 107 at a timing when the host vehicle further approaches the intersection. For example, the display control device 106 determines that the display condition of the monitoring target image is satisfied when the distance from the own vehicle position to the intersection is 3 m or less and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is 10 km / h or less. . When the display control device 106 determines that the display condition of the monitoring target video is satisfied, the display control device 106 displays the synthesized video 2d synthesized by the video synthesizing device 103 on the display device 107 as the monitoring target video.

  As a result, when the driver approaches an intersection that requires attention to the monitoring target, the monitoring target video can be displayed after the prime video is displayed in advance, and the driver's approach to the monitoring target included in the monitoring target video can be displayed. Recognizability can be improved. In other words, even if the driver cannot watch the display contents of the display device 107 for a long time during driving, the driver can monitor the video in a short time by watching the prime video and then the monitoring target video. It is possible to recognize a monitoring target that requires attention included in the target video, thereby improving safety.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing of the vehicle monitoring apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 9 is executed as a process that starts when the power of the vehicle monitoring apparatus 100 is turned on by turning on the ignition switch of the vehicle.

  In step S10, the video composition device 103 starts synthesizing the video input from the right camera 101 and the left camera 102 as described above. Thereafter, in step S <b> 20, the video generation device 105 starts generating any one of the prime videos selected by the driver among the above-described (a) to (e). Then, it progresses to step S30.

  In step S30, the display control device 106 determines whether a video source selection switch (not shown) is operated by the driver and a signal is input. If it is determined that a switch signal has been input, the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, the display content of the display device 107 is switched to a video source corresponding to the switch operation by the driver, for example, a navigation screen or a television screen, and the process returns to step S30. On the other hand, if it is determined that the switch signal is not input, the process proceeds to step S50.

  In step S50, the display control apparatus 106 determines whether or not the above-described prime video display conditions are satisfied. If it is determined that the prime video display condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S60. In step S60, the display control apparatus 106 displays a prime image on the display apparatus 107, and returns to step S50. On the other hand, if it is determined that the prime video display condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S70.

  In step S <b> 70, the display control apparatus 106 determines whether the display condition of the monitoring target video described above is satisfied. If it is determined that the display condition of the monitoring target video is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S80. In step S80, the display control device 106 displays the monitoring target video on the display device 107 and returns to step S70. On the other hand, if it is determined that the display condition of the monitoring target video is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S90.

  In step S90, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off. If it is determined that it is not turned off, the process returns to step S30 and the process is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is turned off, the process proceeds to step S100. In step S100, the video generation device 105 ends the generation of the prime video and proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the video composition device 103 finishes synthesizing the video input from the right camera 101 and the left camera 102, and ends the process.

According to the present embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) The prime video is presented to the driver before the monitoring target video is displayed. Thereby, the driver's recognition of the monitoring target included in the monitoring target video can be improved, and the driver can be prevented from overlooking the monitoring target.

(2) When the driver approaches an intersection that requires attention to the monitored object, the monitored image is displayed after the prime image is displayed. As a result, there is a high possibility that there are monitoring targets that require attention, such as cars and pedestrians entering from the intersecting roads at the intersection, but such monitoring targets are recognized in a short time. And will be able to drive safely. In addition, the driver cannot watch the display contents of the display device 107 for a long time while driving, but even in such a case, a monitoring target that needs attention included in the monitoring target video within a short time is selected. Can be recognized.

(3) Included in a prime video that graphically represents a monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d, a prime video that abstractly represents a monitoring target that may be included in the composite video 2d, or a composite video 2d A prime video showing the movement of the monitoring target that can be detected is generated and presented to the driver. As a result, it is possible to present to the driver what kind of monitoring target should be noted in advance.

(4) A prime video displaying a background included in the composite video 2d or a prime video showing an area where the monitoring target is likely to appear in the composite video 2d is generated and presented to the driver. In this way, human visual cognitive processing gives the driver an overview of the video to be monitored in advance, taking into account that when the video is captured with the eyes, it is processed from rough information to detailed information in time order. Can be understood.

(5) Based on the information about the road of the map data read according to the current position of the vehicle, the monitoring target that may enter from the road on the right side or the road on the left side is determined. A prime image displaying a figure corresponding to the monitoring target is generated. That is, the monitoring target is determined according to the current position of the host vehicle. As a result, it is possible to generate a prime image according to the actual surrounding environment according to the current position of the vehicle, and further improving the visibility of the monitoring target by the driver by presenting such a prime image in advance. Can be made.

(6) When generating a prime video, the display color and brightness of the monitoring target are changed so as to match the image of the current time and to match what is actually visible at the current time. I tried to make it. As a result, the monitoring target to be included in the prime image and the display color and brightness of the background can be reflected in the current time. Visibility can be further improved.

-Modification-
The vehicle monitoring apparatus according to the above-described embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the display control device 106 displays the prime video and the monitoring target video when the own vehicle detects that the driver has approached an intersection that requires attention to the monitoring target. The example displayed on 107 has been described. However, the display control device 106 does not perform display on the display device 107 in such a case, considering that the driver cannot afford to see the display device 107 when the driving load of the driver is high. The prime video and the monitoring target video may be displayed on the display device 107 only when the driving load on the driver is low. That is, the display control device 106 estimates the driver's driving load when determining that the display condition of the prime video is satisfied and when determining that the display condition of the monitoring target video is satisfied. Only when it is estimated that the load is low, the prime video and the monitoring target video are displayed on the display device 107. Accordingly, when the driver cannot afford to see the display device 107, the display on the display device 107 is not performed, and safety can be improved. Further, by limiting the display on the display device 107 only when the driver can afford to view the display device 107, the processing load can be reduced.

In addition, the following can be considered as a method for estimating the driving load of the driver.
(Estimation method 1) The vehicle is mounted with a sensor that detects the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and another vehicle traveling ahead and the relative speed between the vehicle and the other vehicle. If there is a possibility that the host vehicle may collide with or suddenly approach another vehicle based on the distance between the other vehicle and the relative speed, the driver's driving load is Judge as high. On the other hand, when this condition is not met, it is determined that the driving load on the driver is low.

(Estimation method 2) A camera for photographing the driver's face and a device for recognizing the movement of the driver's line of sight based on an image captured by the in-vehicle camera are mounted on the vehicle, If the vehicle does not move while looking forward, it is determined that the driving load on the driver is high. On the other hand, when the driver moves his / her line of sight to see the display device 107 before the intersection, it is determined that the driving load on the driver is low.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the video generation apparatus 105 has been described with reference to the example in which the prime video is generated in the same display form as the composite video 2d as illustrated in FIGS. However, the display mode of the prime video may be different from the display mode of the monitoring target video so that the driver can distinguish between the prime video and the monitoring target video. For example, in the prime video 3d shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 10, the shape of the right prime video 3a and the left prime video 3b is not a vehicle window shape but a square or a rectangle, and each frame is surrounded by a frame 10a. Enclose. Further, the figure 3c indicating the host vehicle is not displayed in the prime video 3d. As a result, the image displayed as the right prime image 3a and the left prime image 3b is not an image actually captured by the right camera 101 or the left camera 102, but a graphic of a background drawn or a photograph of a background captured in advance. Therefore, it is possible to clearly distinguish the prime video from the monitoring target video displayed thereafter.

(3) In embodiment mentioned above, the monitoring apparatus 100 for vehicles demonstrated the example mounted in a vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vehicle monitoring apparatus 100 may be mounted on another moving body.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the configurations in the above-described embodiments as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the embodiment will be described. The right camera 101 and the left camera 102 correspond to a photographing unit, and the video composition device 103 corresponds to a monitoring target video generation unit. The video generation device 105 corresponds to a preliminary display video generation unit, and the display control unit 106 corresponds to a display control unit and an estimation unit. The above description is merely an example, and when interpreting the invention, there is no limitation or restriction on the correspondence between the items described in the above embodiment and the items described in the claims.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the monitoring apparatus for vehicles. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the monitoring object image | video. It is a 1st figure which shows the specific example of a prime image | video. It is a 2nd figure which shows the specific example of a prime image | video. It is a 3rd figure which shows the specific example of a prime image | video. It is a 4th figure which shows the specific example of a prime image | video. It is a 5th figure which shows the specific example of a prime image | video. It is a 6th figure which shows the specific example of a prime image | video. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the monitoring apparatus 100 for vehicles. It is a 7th figure which shows the specific example of a prime image | video.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Vehicle monitoring apparatus 101 Right camera 102 Left camera 103 Image composition apparatus 104 Road map storage apparatus 105 Image generation apparatus 106 Display control apparatus 107 Display apparatus

Claims (12)

Photographing means for photographing the left-right direction with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle;
Monitoring target video generation means for generating a monitoring target video for presentation to the driver based on the video shot by the imaging means;
Pre-display video generation means for generating a pre-display video for improving the recognizability by the monitoring target driver included in the monitoring target video generated by the monitoring target video generation means;
A vehicle monitoring system comprising: display control means for displaying the monitoring target video generated by the monitoring target video generation means after displaying the preliminary display video generated by the preliminary display video generation means. apparatus. The vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1,
The vehicular monitoring apparatus, wherein the prior display video includes a video to be monitored that may be included in the video to be monitored. The vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle monitoring apparatus, wherein the pre-display video includes a video obtained by abstracting a monitoring target that may be included in the monitoring target video. In the monitoring device for vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The vehicle monitoring apparatus, wherein a monitoring target that may be included in the monitoring target video is determined according to a current position of the vehicle. In the vehicle monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vehicle monitoring apparatus, wherein the prior display image includes a background image included in the monitoring target image. In the monitoring apparatus for vehicles as described in any one of Claims 1-5,
The vehicular monitoring device, wherein the prior display video generation means changes the color and / or brightness of the monitoring target or the background included in the prior display video according to a current time. In the vehicle monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The vehicular monitoring device, wherein the pre-display video includes a video displaying an area where the monitoring target is likely to appear in the monitoring target video. In the monitoring apparatus for vehicles as described in any one of Claims 1-7,
The vehicular monitoring apparatus, wherein the prior display video includes a video displaying a predicted motion of a monitoring target included in the monitoring target video. In the vehicle monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The vehicle monitoring apparatus, wherein the display control means displays the preliminary display video and the monitoring target video when detecting that the vehicle approaches the intersection. The vehicle monitoring device according to claim 9, wherein
The display control means detects that the vehicle has approached the intersection when the distance from the vehicle position to the intersection is equal to or less than a predetermined distance and the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the predetermined speed. Vehicle monitoring device. In the vehicle monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
An estimation means for estimating the driving load of the driver;
The vehicle monitoring apparatus, wherein the display control means displays the preliminary display video and the monitoring target video only when the estimation means estimates that the driver's driving load is low. In the vehicle monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The vehicle monitoring apparatus, wherein the display control means changes a display form of the preliminary display video and a display form of the monitoring target video.

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