JP2008250503A - Operation support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation support device for complementing a visual field based on a pickup image against a dead angle from an own-vehicle to be generated in various directions and ranges by selecting a pickup image acquired by picking up the dead angle of the own-vehicle among the pickup images picked up by the other vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: When the own-vehicle 51 is approaching an intersection, and a pickup image acquired by imaging an intersection which is being approached by the vehicle is included in data received from other vehicles 52 and 53, it is decided that a received pickup image is a pickup image acquired by picking up a dead angle from the own-vehicle 51, predetermined image processing is operated to the pickup image, and the pickup image is projected to the dead angle direction of the own-vehicle 51 by a projector 14, and an image 72 in which an obstacle is transmissive is displayed to the other vehicle 52 forming the dead angle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device that complements a field of view in a blind spot direction from a vehicle.

  In recent years, with the spread of navigation systems, the number of vehicles equipped with an image display system that displays a situation around the vehicle on a display device in a vehicle compartment is increasing. The situation around the vehicle includes, for example, the position of other vehicles, the situation of obstacles, road markings such as the center line and stop line, etc., but the blind spots such as the rear of the vehicle and under the front bumper and corners are It is difficult for ordinary drivers to recognize. Therefore, the surrounding situation in these blind spots is imaged by an imaging device such as a camera installed in the vehicle, and displayed on the display device when the vehicle is turned right, left, back, etc., to assist the driver. Things have been done.

Conventionally, a technique has also been proposed in which a captured image captured by another vehicle is acquired by communicating with the other vehicle, and an image relating to a blind spot range that cannot be captured by a camera installed in the own vehicle can be displayed. ing. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-319383, a blind spot range from a host vehicle generated by the other vehicle is obtained by communication by acquiring a captured image obtained by capturing the front of the other vehicle from another vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle. Describes a technique for displaying an image that has passed through a display device.
JP 2003-319383 A (page 3 to page 6, FIGS. 2 and 3)

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, the field of view from the host vehicle is complemented based on the captured image captured in the preceding vehicle that causes the formation of a blind spot from the host vehicle. The blind spot from is not always formed based on the vehicle ahead. For example, it may be formed by a parked vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, a parallel running vehicle, or the like. In other words, it is very difficult to specify which vehicle located in the surrounding area becomes an obstacle and in which direction the blind spot is generated with respect to the own vehicle, which changes for each situation.

  For example, in the surrounding situation of the own vehicle 101 shown in FIG. 14, the oncoming lane is congested, and the congested vehicle 102 becomes an obstacle from the own vehicle 101 and the intersection direction is a blind spot. Therefore, the own vehicle 101 may not notice the approaching vehicle 103 entering the intersection. Therefore, by selecting and displaying the captured image obtained by capturing the approaching vehicle 103 in the blind spot range from the image captured by the congested vehicle 102 located on the near side of the intersection or the congested vehicle 104 located on the far side of the intersection, The field of view in the blind spot direction from the host vehicle 101 can be supplemented.

  Here, as in Patent Document 1, only the front vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle is treated as an obstacle that forms a blind spot from the host vehicle. In the situation shown in FIG. 14, the view from the host vehicle is complemented. Can not do it. Further, there are cases where the preceding vehicle does not include an imaging means such as a camera, and in this case as well, the field of view from the own vehicle cannot be complemented.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems. Since a picked-up image obtained by picking up the blind spot of the own vehicle is selected from picked-up images picked up by other vehicles, it occurs in various directions and ranges. Another object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device that can complement a field of view based on a captured image with respect to a blind spot from the own vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, a driving support apparatus (1) according to claim 1 of the present application includes an image acquisition unit (4) that acquires a captured image captured in another vehicle, and a plurality of images acquired by the image acquisition unit. Of the captured images, image selection means (11) for selecting a captured image obtained by capturing a blind spot from the own vehicle, and projecting the captured image selected by the image selection means in the direction of the blind spot from the own vehicle. Projecting means (14).

  Further, the driving support device (1) according to claim 2 is the driving support device according to claim 1, wherein an image in a range that is a blind spot of the host vehicle from the captured image selected by the image selection means (11). The image extracting means (11) for extracting the image and the projecting means (14) project the extracted image extracted by the image extracting means in the direction of the blind spot from the own vehicle.

  Further, the driving support device (1) according to claim 3 is the driving support device according to claim 2, wherein the own vehicle position acquisition means (15) for acquiring the current position of the own vehicle and the captured image in another vehicle. Vehicle position acquisition means (4) for acquiring the position of the other vehicle when the vehicle is imaged, and the image extraction means (11) includes the current position of the host vehicle acquired by the host vehicle position acquisition means, Based on the position of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position acquisition means, an image of a range that becomes a blind spot from the host vehicle is extracted.

  Further, the driving support device (1) according to claim 4 is the driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and a host vehicle position acquisition means (15) for acquiring a current position of the host vehicle. And other vehicle position acquisition means (4) for acquiring the position of the other vehicle when the captured image is captured in the other vehicle, and the image selection means (11) is acquired by the own vehicle position acquisition means. A picked-up image obtained by picking up a blind spot from the own vehicle is selected based on the current position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position acquisition means.

  Further, the driving support device (1) according to claim 5 is the driving support device according to claim 4, wherein the intersection determination means (11) for determining whether or not there is an intersection ahead of the host vehicle, and the intersection determination. When it is determined by the means that there is an intersection ahead of the host vehicle, the near position for determining whether or not the position of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position acquiring means is on the near side of the intersection in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Determination means (11), and the image selection means (11), when it is determined by the front position determination means that the position of the other vehicle is on the near side in the traveling direction of the vehicle at the intersection. A rear captured image captured by the vehicle is selected.

  Further, the driving support device (1) according to claim 6 is the driving support device according to claim 5, wherein the position of the other vehicle is on the near side in the traveling direction of the own vehicle at the intersection by the near position determining means (11). When it is determined that the vehicle is not in the vehicle, the image selection means (11) selects a forward captured image captured by another vehicle located behind the intersection in the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

  According to the driving support apparatus according to claim 1 having the above-described configuration, the captured image obtained by capturing the blind spot of the host vehicle is selected from the captured images captured by the other vehicles. It becomes possible to complement the field of view based on the captured image with respect to the blind spot from the vehicle.

  Further, according to the driving support device of the second aspect, since only an image corresponding to the blind spot range from the own vehicle can be projected, it can be visually recognized by projecting an image of an unnecessary range other than the blind spot. There is no possibility of misidentifying that an object (pedestrian, vehicle, etc.) located in such a range is located in a blind spot or misidentifying that an object located in a blind spot is in a visible range. Moreover, it becomes possible to make a driver | operator grasp clearly only the target object located in a blind spot. Furthermore, it is possible to remarkably reduce the chance of depriving the field of vision by projecting images to pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles.

  Further, according to the driving support apparatus of the third aspect, since it is possible to accurately calculate the range of the blind spot from the own vehicle, only the image corresponding to the blind spot range from the own vehicle is extracted and projected. can do.

  In addition, according to the driving support device of the fourth aspect, in addition to the preceding vehicle, the other vehicles image images of various angles and ranges of blind spots formed by a parked vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, a parallel running vehicle, and the like It is possible to complement the view based on the image.

  Further, according to the driving support device of the fifth aspect, since the rear captured image of the other vehicle that images the intersection from the near side is selected as the captured image that captures the blind spot of the own vehicle, the obstacle that forms the blind spot is selected. A transmitted image can be formed in a more realistic form and projected onto the obstacle. Therefore, the driver can grasp the state of the object located at the blind spot more accurately by visually recognizing the projected image.

  Further, according to the driving support device of the sixth aspect, even when there is no rear captured image of the other vehicle that images the intersection from the near side, the front captured image of the other vehicle that images the intersection from the back side is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to form an image transmitted through an obstacle that forms the blind spot. Therefore, the driver can grasp the state of the object located at the blind spot by visually recognizing the projected image.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, a driving assistance apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment that is embodied.
First, a schematic configuration of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 3 constituted by a plurality of vehicles 2 provided with a driving support device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inter-vehicle communication system 3 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inter-vehicle communication system 3 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of vehicles 2 traveling on a road, and a communication device (image acquisition) included in the driving support device 1 installed in each vehicle 2. Information communication between the plurality of vehicles 2 is possible.

Here, the communication device 4 is a communication device that communicates information in a wireless manner using, for example, millimeter wave radio waves. And with other vehicles (subsequent vehicle, forward vehicle, oncoming vehicle, etc.) located in a predetermined wireless communicable range (for example, a range up to a radius of 2 km centered on the own vehicle position) with respect to the own vehicle position It is possible to communicate information wirelessly.
The information transmitted / received between the vehicles by the communication device 4 includes, as will be described later, own vehicle information related to the current position and direction of the vehicle 2 detected by various sensors installed in the vehicle 2, and the front provided in the vehicle 2. Camera parameter information related to the installation position, installation angle, imaging range, and the like of the camera 5 and the rear camera 6, front captured image data of the front environment of the vehicle 2 captured by the front camera 5, and the rear environment of the vehicle 2 captured by the rear camera 6 There is a rear captured image data.

  In the communication between the vehicles 2 in the inter-vehicle communication system 3, in addition to directly transmitting / receiving information between the vehicles 2, information is transmitted / received via a communication facility such as a communication center (not shown). It is also possible.

  Next, the configuration of the driving support apparatus 1 installed in the vehicle 2 constituting the inter-vehicle communication system 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the driving support apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the driving support apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in addition to the communication device 4 described above, the vehicle 2 includes a front camera 5, a rear camera 6, and a driving assistance ECU (image selection means, image extraction means, intersection determination means, front side) (Position determination means) 11, camera parameter DB 12, image DB 13, projector (projection means) 14, current position detection unit (own vehicle position acquisition means) 15, vehicle speed sensor 16, steering sensor 17, and gyro sensor 18.

  The front camera 5 uses a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD, for example, and is installed near the upper center of the license plate mounted in front of the vehicle 2 and is installed with the line-of-sight direction downward from the horizontal by a predetermined angle. The Then, when the vehicle travels and stops, the front of the vehicle that is the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 is imaged, and the captured front image (see FIG. 11) is temporarily stored in the image DB 13 and, if necessary, a communication device as described later. 4 to the other vehicle.

  The rear camera 6 uses a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD like the front camera 5 and is attached in the vicinity of the upper center of the license plate mounted on the rear side of the vehicle 2 so that the line-of-sight direction is lower than the horizontal by a predetermined angle. Installed. Then, when the vehicle is traveling and stopped, the rear side of the vehicle that is in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 is imaged, and the captured rearward captured image (see FIG. 9) is temporarily stored in the image DB 13 and will be described later as required To the other vehicle via the communication device 4.

  Further, the driving support ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 11 transmits and receives captured images captured by the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6 to and from other vehicles via the inter-vehicle communication system 3 when the vehicle 2 is stopped. When there is an image communication process (see FIG. 4) and a captured image transmitted from another vehicle, in particular, a captured image capturing a blind spot from the host vehicle, the captured image is projected in the blind spot direction from the host vehicle. 14 is an electronic control unit that performs an image projection process (see FIGS. 5 and 6) and the like projected by 14. The driving assistance ECU 11 may also be used as an ECU used for controlling the navigation device. The detailed configuration of the driving assistance ECU 11 will be described later.

  The camera parameter DB 12 is a storage unit that stores various parameters related to the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6. Here, in the present embodiment, as the information stored in the camera parameter DB 12, the installation positions, the installation angles, the imaging ranges, and the like of the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6 with respect to the vehicle 2 are stored.

  On the other hand, the image DB 13 is a storage unit that stores a front captured image and a rear captured image captured by the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6. Here, the information stored in the image DB 13 includes the inter-vehicle communication system 3 in addition to the front and rear captured images of the periphery of the host vehicle captured by the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6 installed in the host vehicle. There are a front captured image and a rear captured image captured by another vehicle received from another vehicle.

  The projector 14 is a so-called liquid crystal projector that includes a liquid crystal panel and a light source for projection. And in the driving assistance device 1 which concerns on this embodiment, the picked-up image which imaged the blind spot is projected with respect to the blind spot direction from a vehicle. As a result, an image transmitted through the obstacle is displayed with respect to the obstacle (specifically, another vehicle) that forms a blind spot from the vehicle 2 (see FIG. 13). As the projector 14, a DLP projector or an LCOS projector may be used instead of the liquid crystal projector.

The current position detection unit 15 is a detection unit for specifying the current position of the vehicle 2 on a map, and includes a GPS 21 and a map DB 22.
And GPS21 detects the present position and the present | current time of the vehicle 2 on the earth by receiving the electromagnetic wave generated by the artificial satellite.
On the other hand, the map DB 22 is storage means in which map data for specifying a road on which the vehicle 2 is currently traveling is recorded. Here, the map data includes, for example, link data related to roads (links), node data related to node points, intersection data related to intersections, and the like. Note that a navigation device may be used as the current position detection unit 15.

The vehicle speed sensor 16 is a sensor that generates a vehicle speed pulse in accordance with the rotation of the wheel of the vehicle 2 and detects the moving distance, the vehicle speed, and the acceleration of the vehicle.
The steering sensor 17 is attached to the inside of the steering apparatus, and is a sensor that detects the turning angle of the steering.
The gyro sensor 18 is a sensor that detects the turning angle of the vehicle 2. Further, by integrating the turning angle detected by the gyro sensor 18, the vehicle direction can be detected.

  Next, the details of the driving support ECU 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The driving support ECU 11 is configured with the CPU 31 as a core, and a ROM 32 and a RAM 33 which are storage means are connected to the CPU 31. The ROM 32 stores an image communication processing program (see FIG. 4), an image projection processing program (see FIGS. 5 and 6), which will be described later, and various programs necessary for controlling the projector 14 and the like. The RAM 33 is a memory for temporarily storing various data calculated by the CPU 31.

  Next, an image communication processing program executed by the driving support ECU 11 of the driving support device 1 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the image communication processing program according to this embodiment. Here, the image communication processing program is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, every 5 seconds), and the captured image captured by the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6 when the vehicle 2 is stopped is transmitted to the other vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication system 3. It is a program that performs processing to send and receive to. The programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 6 below are stored in the ROM 32 and the RAM 33 provided in the driving support ECU 11 and are executed by the CPU 31.

  In the image communication processing program, first, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1, the CPU 31 obtains a front captured image obtained by capturing the front environment of the vehicle 2 with the front camera 5. Further, a rear captured image in which the rear environment of the vehicle 2 is captured by the rear camera 6 is acquired. The acquired captured images are temporarily stored in the image DB 13. Note that when only one of the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6 is installed in the vehicle, only a captured image by the installed camera is acquired.

  Next, in S <b> 2, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the host vehicle is stopped based on the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 16. And when it determines with the own vehicle being stopping (S2: YES), it transfers to S3. On the other hand, when it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling (S2: NO), the image communication processing program is terminated.

  Subsequently, in S <b> 3, the CPU 31 detects the current position and direction of the host vehicle using the current position detection unit 15 and the various sensors 16 to 18. Furthermore, in S4, various parameters (installation position, installation angle, imaging range, etc.) information about the front camera 5 and the rear camera 6 are acquired from the camera parameter DB 12.

  Thereafter, in S5, the CPU 31 creates transmission data for transmission to other vehicles constituting the inter-vehicle communication system 3 (FIG. 1). The transmission data created in S5 includes the front captured image data of the front camera 5 and the rear captured image data of the rear camera 6 acquired in S1, and the vehicle's current position and direction detected in S3. It consists of vehicle parameter information and camera parameter information related to the installation position, installation angle, imaging range, etc. of the front camera 5 and rear camera 6 acquired in S4.

  In S6, the CPU 31 transmits the transmission data created in S5 to the other vehicle by the inter-vehicle communication system 3. And the other vehicle which received transmission data performs the below-mentioned image projection process (FIG. 5, FIG. 6) using the received transmission data.

  Next, an image projection processing program executed by the driving support ECU 11 of the driving support device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. 5 and 6 are flowcharts of the image projection processing program according to the present embodiment. Here, the image projection processing program is executed when transmission data including a captured image is received from another vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication system 3, and images a blind spot from the own vehicle among the received captured images. When there is a captured image, this is a program that performs a process of projecting the captured image by the projector 14 in the blind spot direction from the host vehicle.

  In the image projection processing program, first, in S11, the CPU 31 receives transmission data transmitted from another vehicle in S6.

  Next, in S <b> 12, the CPU 31 detects the current position and the vehicle direction of the host vehicle by using the current position detection unit 15 and the various sensors 16 to 18. Furthermore, in S13, based on the data received in S11, the current position and vehicle orientation of another vehicle that is the transmission source that transmitted the data are specified.

  Further, in S14, the CPU 31 is traveling toward the intersection based on the current position and direction of the own vehicle detected in S12, and the intersection approaches within a predetermined distance (for example, 20 m). It is determined whether or not.

  As a result, if it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling toward the intersection and the intersection is approaching within a predetermined distance (S14: YES), the process proceeds to S15. On the other hand, when the host vehicle passes through the intersection or when it is determined that the vehicle is separated from the intersection by a predetermined distance or more (S14: NO), a projection flag indicating that the image is projected by the projector 14 (projection before the intersection) The flag and the intersection rear side projection flag) are turned off (S16), and the image projection processing program is terminated. Note that S14 corresponds to the processing of the intersection determination means.

  Next, in S15, the CPU 31 determines whether or not there is a captured image that captures an intersection that the host vehicle is approaching in the data received from the other vehicle in S11, that is, a captured image that captures a blind spot from the host vehicle. It is determined whether or not there is. Specifically, the current position and vehicle orientation of the other vehicle that has captured the captured image specified in S13, the various camera parameters (installation position, installation angle, imaging range, etc.) of the received other vehicle, and the map DB 22 It is determined by the map information stored in

Hereinafter, the determination process in S15 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an overhead view showing the host vehicle 51 that is approaching a predetermined intersection 50 and its surrounding environment.
Here, when the host vehicle 51 is approaching the intersection 50 as shown in FIG. 7, if there is a captured image obtained by imaging the intersection 50 in the data received from another vehicle (S15: YES), The captured image is (1) a rear captured image captured by the rear camera 6 of the other vehicle 52 parked on the near side of the oncoming lane intersection 50, or (2) other parked on the far side of the oncoming lane intersection 50. This is one of the forward captured images captured by the front camera 5 of the vehicle 53. And it is presumed that the oncoming lane is congested when other vehicles stop on the near side or the far side of the intersection 50. Therefore, it is predicted that the other vehicle located in the oncoming lane is an obstacle and the direction of the intersection 50 is a blind spot from the own vehicle 51, and as a result, the rear image captured by the rear camera 6 of the other vehicle 52. The image and the forward captured image captured by the front camera 5 of the other vehicle 53 are captured images obtained by capturing a blind spot from the host vehicle.
As mentioned above, when there exists a captured image which imaged the intersection which the own vehicle is approaching by said S15, the captured image will also correspond to the captured image which imaged the blind spot from the own vehicle.

  If it is determined as a result of the determination in S15 that there is a captured image obtained by capturing an intersection where the host vehicle is approaching (S15: YES), the process proceeds to S17. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no captured image obtained by capturing the intersection where the host vehicle is approaching (S15: NO), there is no captured image capturing the blind spot from the host vehicle, and thus the image is projected. The image projection processing program is terminated.

  Thereafter, in S17, the CPU 31 determines whether there is a captured image obtained by imaging the intersection where the host vehicle is approaching from the data received from the other vehicle in S11, that is, an intersection that becomes a blind spot from the host vehicle. It is determined whether there is a rear captured image captured by the rear camera 6 by another vehicle located on the near side of the intersection. Specifically, based on the current position and direction of the other vehicle that has captured the captured image specified in S13 and the map information stored in the map DB 22, the position of the other vehicle is closer to the traveling direction of the host vehicle at the intersection. When it is determined that the vehicle is in the position, it is determined that the image captured by the other vehicle is a captured image captured from the front of the intersection where the host vehicle is approaching. Note that S17 corresponds to the process of the front position determination means.

  If it is determined that there is a captured image captured from the near side of the intersection where the host vehicle is approaching (S17: YES), the captured image is selected as an image to be projected (S18). Further, in S19, the intersection front image projection flag indicating that the captured image obtained by imaging the intersection from the near side is projected by the projector 14 is turned on, and the process proceeds to S23. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no captured image obtained by imaging the intersection where the host vehicle is approaching from the near side (S17: NO), the process proceeds to S20.

Hereinafter, the processes of S17 and S18 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is an overhead view showing the host vehicle 51 that is approaching the predetermined intersection 50, the other vehicle 52 that is positioned in front of the intersection 50, and the surrounding environment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a rear captured image 61 captured by the rear camera 6 of the other vehicle 52 in the situation shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, when the own vehicle 51 is approaching the intersection 50 and there is a captured image obtained by capturing the intersection 50 from the near side in the data received from another vehicle (S17: YES) The captured image is a rear captured image captured by the rear camera 6 of the other vehicle 52 positioned on the near side of the intersection 50 of the opposite lane.
As shown in FIG. 9, in the rear captured image 61 captured by the rear camera 6 of the other vehicle 52, the front portion of the other vehicle 53 located on the back side of the intersection 50 and the approach that enters the intersection 50. The side part of the vehicle 54 is imaged. Accordingly, the host vehicle 51 can cause the driver to notice the presence of the approaching vehicle 54 located at the blind spot of the host vehicle 51 by projecting the rear captured image 61 with the projector 14 as described later (see FIG. 13). It becomes. Therefore, in S18, the rear captured image 61 captured by the rear camera 6 of the other vehicle 52 is selected as an image to be projected in the blind spot direction of the own vehicle.

  In S <b> 20, the CPU 31 determines whether or not an intersection front image projection flag indicating that the captured image obtained by imaging the intersection from the near side is projected by the projector 14 is ON. When it is determined that the intersection front image projection flag is ON (S20: YES), the rear captured image captured by the other vehicle is already being projected from the front side of the intersection, so the rear captured image is projected. Therefore, the image projection processing program is terminated without projecting another captured image (for example, a captured image of the front of another vehicle located behind the intersection).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the image projection flag in front of the intersection is OFF (S20: NO), the rear captured image captured by the other vehicle from the front side of the intersection is not projected. Then, a captured image obtained by capturing an intersection at which the host vehicle is approaching from the opposite back side is selected as an image to be projected (S21). Thereafter, in S22, the intersection back side projection flag indicating that the captured image obtained by capturing the intersection from the back side is projected by the projector 14 is turned ON, and the process proceeds to S23.

Hereinafter, the processes of S20 and S21 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is an overhead view showing the host vehicle 51 that is approaching the predetermined intersection 50, the other vehicle 53 that is located on the far side of the intersection 50, and the surrounding environment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a front captured image 62 captured by the front camera 5 of the other vehicle 53 in the situation shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, even when the host vehicle 51 is approaching the intersection 50, there is no captured image obtained by capturing the intersection 50 from the near side in the data received from the other vehicle (S20: NO). In some cases, there may be a forward-captured image captured by the front camera 5 of another vehicle 53 located on the far side of the intersection 50 of the opposite lane.
Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the front captured image 62 captured by the front camera 5 of the other vehicle 53 captures the front of the approaching vehicle 54 that enters the intersection 50. Therefore, the host vehicle 51 can make the driver aware of the presence of the approaching vehicle 54 located at the blind spot of the host vehicle 51 by projecting the front captured image 62 with the projector 14 as described later. Therefore, in S21, the front captured image 62 captured by the front camera 5 of the other vehicle 53 is selected as an image to be projected in the blind spot direction of the host vehicle. Note that S18 and S21 correspond to the processing of the image selection means.

  Thereafter, in S23, the CPU 31 sets the installation position, the installation angle, and the imaging of the front camera 5 or the rear camera 6 that captured the captured image of the position and orientation of the other vehicle and the captured image selected in S18 or S21. Based on the camera parameters related to the range and the like, correction processing for correcting image distortion is executed.

  Next, in S24, the CPU 31 determines the current position and direction of the own vehicle detected in 12 above, the map information stored in the map DB 22, the current position of the other vehicle that is the data transmission source received in S11, Based on the vehicle direction, an area that is a blind spot from the host vehicle formed by the obstacle is calculated. Further, the projection direction of the image by the projector 14 is determined based on the calculated blind spot area.

  Subsequently, in S25, based on the blind spot area calculated in S24, the CPU 31 extracts a range in which the blind spot area is captured from the captured images selected in S18 or S21. Specifically, in the case of the rear captured image 61 captured from another vehicle located on the near side of the intersection as shown in FIG. 9, the blind spot area is included from the center line in the vertical direction of the image (FIG. 9). In FIG. 9, the right image) is extracted. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, when it is the front captured image 62 imaged from the other vehicle located in the back | inner side of an intersection, the image below a horizon of an image is extracted. Note that S24 and S25 correspond to the processing of the image extraction means.

  Thereafter, in S26, the CPU 31 regards an obstacle that forms a blind spot from the own vehicle (the other vehicle 52 in FIG. 7) as a plane, and converts the captured image into an image for projection from an angle with the projector 14 included in the own vehicle. An image conversion process for conversion is performed. The conversion method of S26 is in accordance with a known conversion method.

  In S27, the CPU 31 projects the image converted in S26 in the projection direction determined in S23. As a result, an image that has passed through an obstacle that forms a blind spot from the host vehicle can be displayed on the obstacle, and the field of view complementation at the blind spot is completed.

Here, FIG. 12 is a view showing a view scenery 70 from the driver's seat of the own vehicle 51 before performing the image projection processing of step 27 in the situation shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a view showing a view scenery 71 from the driver's seat of the own vehicle 51 after performing the image projection processing in step 27 in the situation shown in FIG. Here, in the state where projection is not performed, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 12, the other vehicle 52 becomes an obstacle from the own vehicle 51 and the right side of the intersection 50 becomes a blind spot. Therefore, the driver cannot visually recognize the approaching vehicle 54 entering the intersection 50 from the right side from the own vehicle 51.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, an image 72 of the approaching vehicle 54 is displayed on the side surface of the other vehicle 52 by projecting an image based on the captured image captured by the other vehicle in the blind spot direction. Accordingly, the driver of the host vehicle 51 can easily grasp that the approaching vehicle 54 exists at a position hidden behind the other vehicle 52. Further, in particular, as shown in FIG. 13, by projecting a rear captured image (FIG. 9) of another vehicle in which the intersection is imaged from the near side, an image transmitted through the other vehicle 52 forming the blind spot is formed in a more realistic form. Thus, the state of the approaching vehicle 54 located in the blind spot can be grasped more accurately.

As described above in detail, in the driving support device 1 according to the present embodiment, the image of the intersection being approached in the data received from another vehicle when the host vehicle is approaching the intersection (S14: YES). If an image is included (S15: YES), the received captured image is determined to be a captured image obtained by capturing a blind spot from the host vehicle, and after performing predetermined image processing on the captured image, the projector 14 is projected in the direction of the blind spot of the host vehicle, and an image that has passed through the obstacle is displayed with respect to the obstacle that forms the blind spot (S27), so that the blind spot from the host vehicle generated in various directions and ranges is displayed. Thus, it is possible to complement the field of view based on the captured image.
In addition, since only the image corresponding to the blind spot range from the own vehicle is extracted from the captured image captured by the other vehicle (S25) and projected, an image in an unnecessary range other than the blind spot is projected, so that the visible range is obtained. There is no possibility of misidentifying that an object (such as a pedestrian or a vehicle) located in the blind spot is located in the blind spot or that the object located in the blind spot is in a visible range. Moreover, it becomes possible to make a driver | operator grasp clearly only the target object located in a blind spot. Furthermore, it is possible to remarkably reduce the chance of depriving the field of vision by projecting images to pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles.
In addition, when there is a rear captured image of another vehicle in which the intersection is captured from the near side in the received data, the rear captured image is preferentially selected as the image to be projected, so that the obstacle that forms the blind spot is transmitted. An image can be formed in a more realistic form and projected onto the obstacle. Therefore, the driver can grasp the state of the object located at the blind spot more accurately by visually recognizing the projected image.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, a captured image acquired from another vehicle is projected onto an obstacle that forms a blind spot by the projector 14 so as to complement the field of view at the blind spot from the own vehicle. You may make it complement the visual field in the blind spot from the own vehicle by displaying the captured image acquired from the other vehicle on the display in a vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the blind spot from the own vehicle to the intersection caused by the other vehicle existing in the oncoming lane at the intersection is complemented by projecting a captured image captured by the other vehicle. The present invention can be applied at a location where a blind spot of the host vehicle is generated by another vehicle such as an entrance / exit of a parking lot or a junction of an expressway.

  In the present embodiment, when data transmitted from another vehicle at an arbitrary timing is received (S11), it is determined whether the host vehicle is approaching the intersection (S14), and is further approaching the intersection. In addition, the selection of the captured image obtained by capturing the blind spot from the own vehicle (S18, S21) and the projection of the selected captured image (S27) are performed. You may make it request | require data with. In that case, on the basis of data transmitted from another vehicle in response to a request, selection of a captured image obtained by imaging a blind spot from the own vehicle (S18, S21) and projection of the selected captured image (S27) are performed. It is desirable to do so. Thereby, transmission of transmission data including a captured image (S6) is performed only when there is a request from another vehicle, and the communication processing load can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram of the inter-vehicle communication system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic structure figure of a driving support device concerning this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows typically the control system of the driving assistance device concerning this embodiment. 3 is a flowchart of an image communication processing program according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart of the image projection processing program which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the image projection processing program which concerns on this embodiment. It is the bird's-eye view which showed the own vehicle which is approaching a predetermined | prescribed intersection, and its surrounding environment. It is the bird's-eye view which showed the own vehicle which is approaching a predetermined | prescribed intersection, the other vehicle located in the near side of an intersection, and its surrounding environment. It is the figure which showed the back captured image imaged with the rear camera of the other vehicle in the condition shown in FIG. It is the bird's-eye view which showed the own vehicle which is approaching a predetermined | prescribed intersection, the other vehicle located in the back | inner side of an intersection, and its surrounding environment. It is the figure which showed the front captured image imaged with the front camera of the other vehicle in the condition shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the view scenery from the driver's seat of the own vehicle before performing the image projection process of step 27 in the condition shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the view scenery from the driver's seat of the own vehicle after performing the projection process of the image of step 27 in the condition shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the problem of the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Driving assistance apparatus 2 Vehicle 4 Communication apparatus 5 Front camera 6 Rear camera 11 Driving assistance ECU
14 Projector 15 Current Position Detection Unit 31 CPU
32 ROM
33 RAM

Claims (6)

Image acquisition means for acquiring a captured image captured in another vehicle;
Image selection means for selecting a captured image obtained by imaging a blind spot from the own vehicle among a plurality of captured images acquired by the image acquisition means;
Projecting means for projecting the captured image selected by the image selection means in the direction of a blind spot from the host vehicle. Image extracting means for extracting an image of a range that is a blind spot of the host vehicle from the captured image selected by the image selecting means;
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projecting unit projects the extracted image extracted by the image extracting unit in a direction of a blind spot from the host vehicle. Own vehicle position acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the own vehicle;
Other vehicle position acquisition means for acquiring the position of the other vehicle when the captured image is captured in the other vehicle,
The image extraction means extracts an image of a range that becomes a blind spot from the own vehicle based on the current position of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle position acquisition means and the position of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position acquisition means. The driving support device according to claim 2, wherein Own vehicle position acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the own vehicle;
Other vehicle position acquisition means for acquiring the position of the other vehicle when the captured image is captured in the other vehicle,
The image selection means selects a captured image obtained by imaging a blind spot from the own vehicle based on the current position of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle position acquisition means and the position of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position acquisition means. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving support device is provided. Intersection determination means for determining whether there is an intersection in front of the host vehicle;
When it is determined by the intersection determination means that there is an intersection ahead of the own vehicle, it is determined whether or not the position of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position acquisition means is on the near side in the traveling direction of the own vehicle. Front position determination means for performing,
The image selection unit selects a rear captured image captured by the other vehicle when the near position determination unit determines that the position of the other vehicle is on the near side of the intersection in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The driving support apparatus according to claim 4. When it is determined by the near position determination means that the position of the other vehicle is not on the near side of the intersection in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, the image selection means is an other vehicle on the far side of the intersection in the traveling direction of the own vehicle. The driving support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a captured front captured image is selected.

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