JP2009200925A - Device for supporting vehicle parking - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a device for supporting vehicle parking, capable of utilizing a bird's-eye view video image in any parking lot, regardless of the presence or the absence of tire stoppers. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicle parking support device comprises: a photographing means for photographing the back of a vehicle; a video converting means for converting a video image photographed by the photographic means into a bird's-eye view video image; and a display means for displaying an image photographed by the photographic means or a video image converted by the video converting means. The vehicle parking support device further comprises a parking frame white line detecting means for detecting a parking frame white line within which a vehicle is to be parked. If a parking frame white line length detected by the parking frame detecting means is smaller than a set value, the video image to be displayed by the display means is switched into the bird's-eye view video image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular parking support apparatus, and more particularly to a vehicular parking support apparatus that can be used in any parking lot regardless of the installation form of the parking lot.

In a vehicle, when the vehicle is parked in a parking lot, the shift position may be switched to reverse and the vehicle may be moved backward.
Some of the vehicles are equipped with a parking assist device assuming such a case.

JP 2002-262280 A JP 2005-1570 A

By the way, in the conventional parking assistance apparatus for vehicles, the apparatus which displays the image | video of a back camera on display means, such as a navigation screen, and performs parking assistance to a driver is commercialized.
And as a system of the said parking assistance apparatus for vehicles, when it divides roughly, there exists the following.
(1) It only displays video.
(2) Displaying guidelines.
(3) A device that can be switched to a bird's eye view display.
(4) Detecting wheel stops and automatically switching to overhead view display.
(5) Parking assist device by automatic steering.
The word “overview” is described in a dictionary or the like as having the meaning of “looking down from a high place”, but in the present invention, “state seen from directly above”, that is, “ The term “planar state” was used.
In each of the above-described methods, “the one that detects a wheel stop and automatically switches to a bird's-eye view display” described in “(4)” is an advantageous means because it makes it easier for the driver to see the rear part of the vehicle. However, there is an inconvenience that the display cannot be switched in a parking lot that does not have a wheel stop to be detected.

  The object of the present invention is to detect a parking frame white line and switch the displayed image to a bird's-eye view image, so that the vehicle parking that can use the bird's-eye view image in any parking lot regardless of the presence or absence of a wheel stop It is to realize a support device.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the inconvenience described above, the present invention has been photographed by photographing means for photographing the rear of the vehicle, video converting means for converting a video photographed by the photographing means into a bird's-eye view image, and the photographing means. A parking assist device for a vehicle comprising an image or a display means for displaying an image converted by the image converting means, comprising a parking frame white line detecting means for detecting a parking frame white line on which the vehicle is parked. When the length of the parking frame white line detected by the means is shorter than the set value, the video displayed by the display means is switched to the overhead view video.

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the photographing means for photographing the rear of the vehicle, the video converting means for converting the video photographed by the photographing means into the overhead view video, and the image or video photographed by the photographing means. A parking support apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a display means for displaying an image converted by the conversion means; a parking frame white line detection means for detecting a parking frame white line for parking the vehicle; and the parking detected by the parking frame detection means. When the length of the frame white line is shorter than the set value, the video displayed by the display means is switched to the overhead view video.
Therefore, it is possible to use a bird's-eye view image even in a parking lot without a wheel stop.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle parking assistance device.
The vehicle parking assistance apparatus 1 includes a photographing unit 2, a video conversion unit 3, and a display unit 4.

The photographing means 2 is for photographing the rear of the vehicle 5 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) and includes a back camera or the like.
The back camera is fixed at a predetermined position of the vehicle 5. In addition, the said back camera is generally fixed to the back door site | part of a vehicle, the back of a roof part, etc.
At this time, the photographing means 2 fixed at a predetermined position of the vehicle 5 has a predetermined detection range θ as shown by a solid line in FIGS.

  The video conversion means 3 has a function of converting the video imaged by the imaging means 2, that is, the video image (also referred to as “back camera video”) into a bird's-eye view video, while the converted bird's-eye view video is converted. The display unit 4 has a function of displaying, and is also referred to as a “controller”.

Further, the display means 4 displays an image photographed by the photographing means 2 or a video converted by the video converting means 3.
The display means 4 generally uses a display device of a navigation system in consideration of various factors such as an increase in parts, an arrangement position, and cost, but a dedicated display device is provided. It is also possible.

As shown in FIG. 2, the video conversion means 3 includes an image processing unit 6, an NTSC decoder 7, an NTSC encoder 8, and an image storage random access memory (also referred to as "RAM") 9. And a read-only memory for model data (also referred to as “ROM”) 10.
At this time, the image processing unit 6 inputs the image data taken by the photographing means 2 and converted by the NTSC decoder 7 so as to conform to the analog television system.
Then, the image processing unit 6 performs predetermined image processing on the input image and outputs it to the NTSC encoder 8.
The predetermined image processing by the image processing unit 6 includes wheel stop detection, parking frame white line detection, overhead view processing, and the like.

The “NTSC” is established as an analog television standard by the US “National Television Standards Committee” and used as an informal abbreviation for the committee.
Therefore, the “NTSC decoder 7” is a decoder for matching with an analog television system, and the “NTSC encoder 8” is an encoder for an analog television system.

Further, the vehicle parking assistance apparatus 1 includes a parking frame white line detection unit 11 that detects a parking frame white line W where the vehicle 5 is parked, and the length of the parking frame white line W detected by the parking frame white line detection unit 11. When the length WL (more precisely, “the remaining length WL of the parking frame white line W”) is shorter than the set value S, the video displayed by the display means 4 is switched to the overhead video.
More specifically, the parking frame white line detection means 11 may be anything that can detect the length WL of the parking frame white line W. For example, the parking frame white line detection means 11 is based on an image photographed by the photographing means 2, that is, based on a photographed video. It is possible to detect the length WL of the white line W.
Therefore, in this embodiment, a description will be given of a configuration comprising a policy of using an image photographed by the photographing means 2 described above.
In addition, as other measures by the parking frame white line detection means 11, a method using a motion stereo method using a monocular camera, that is, a method for detecting the length WL of the parking frame white line W, or a distance using a stereo camera, that is, A measure for detecting the length WL of the parking frame white line W is conceivable.

Here, a method for detecting the length WL of the parking frame white line W by the parking frame white line detection means 11 will be described.
Since the photographing means 2 is fixed at a predetermined position of the vehicle 5, the photographed video length which is the length of the parking frame white line W photographed by the photographing means 2 and displayed on the display means 4 and the actual parking frame white line W are displayed. There is a correlation with the actual length, which is the length of.
For this reason, the setting value S, which is a set distance for the actual parking frame white line W, which is a reference in advance, and the setting value S are photographed by the photographing means 2, and an image from the photographing means 2 is displayed on the display means 4. Correlation with the display length when the image is made, that is, the length of the photographed image is taken.
When the image of the parking frame white line W from the photographing unit 2 is displayed on the display unit 4, the actual length of the parking frame white line W is detected by the parking frame white line detection unit 11 using the above-described correlation. WL is detected.
Thereby, it is possible to use a bird's-eye view image even in a parking lot without a wheel stop, which contributes to improving the usability of the parking frame white line detection means 11.

In addition, when the vehicle 5 is parked, it is often impossible to park the center part and straight with respect to the parking frame white line W, so both the left and right parking frame white lines W are detected, and either the left or right parking frame is detected. When the length WL of one actual parking frame white line W is shorter than the set value S, which is a set distance, for example, the following, the video displayed by the display means 4 by the vehicle parking assistance apparatus 1 is captured. To the overhead video.
As a result, the method of switching to the overhead view video when the length WL of the left or right actual parking frame white line W is shorter than the set value S, which is the set distance, for example, is as follows: It functions when the position of the vehicle 5 is biased to either the left or right, or when the vehicle 5 is inclined with respect to the parking frame white line W and deviates from the central part of the parking frame white line W. While the position of the vehicle 5 with respect to the white line W can be switched to an easy-to-understand video, it can be switched to the bird's-eye video earlier as the position of the vehicle 5 is shifted, which is practically advantageous.

Further, the vehicle parking assistance device 1 includes a parking frame wheel stop detection means 12 for parking the vehicle 5, and when the wheel stop detection means 12 detects a wheel stop (not shown), A configuration is provided in which the video displayed by the display means 4 is switched to the overhead video.
In other words, when the vehicle stop is detected by the wheel stop detection means 12 when the vehicle 5 moves backward and enters the parking frame in order to park the vehicle 5, the image from the photographing means 2 is displayed. The display state of the display means 4 for displaying is switched from a captured image to an overhead image.
As a result, in both types of parking lots where there is only a wheel stop or where there is only a parking frame with a white line, it is possible to switch to a bird's-eye view image and display it. It contributes to the expansion of versatility.

  Next, the operation will be described along the control flowchart of the vehicle parking assistance apparatus 1 of FIG.

First, when the control program for the vehicle parking assistance apparatus 1 is started (101), the process proceeds to determination (102) as to whether or not the shift position of the vehicle 5 has been switched to reverse.
When the determination (102) is “No” (also referred to as “NO”), the determination (102) is repeated until the determination (102) becomes “Yes” (also referred to as “YES”). Do.
If the determination (102) is “Yes”, the process proceeds to a process (103) for switching the display state of the display means 4 to a back camera image, that is, an image photographed by the photographing means 2.

Further, after the processing (103) for switching the display state of the display means 4 to a back camera image, that is, an image photographed by the photographing means 2, whether or not the wheel stopper is detected by the wheel stopper detecting means 12 or not. (104).
If the determination (104) is “Yes”, the process proceeds to the process (105) for switching the display state of the display means 4 from the captured image, which is the back camera image, to the overhead view image. The program is shifted to the end of program (109).

Further, in the determination (104) of whether or not the wheel stop detection means 12 detects the wheel stop, if the determination (104) is "No", whether the left and right parking frame white lines W are detected. It shifts to judgment (106) of no.
At this time, the determination (106) is a process of detecting the length WL of the parking frame white line W by the parking frame white line detection means 11.
If the determination (106) is “No” in the determination (106), the process directly proceeds to the end (109) of the control program.
When the determination (106) is “Yes”, the process proceeds to a determination (107) as to whether or not the length WL of the left and right parking frame white lines W is equal to or less than the set value S.

Then, in the determination (107) of whether or not the length WL of the left or right parking frame white line W is equal to or less than the set value S, if this determination (107) is “No”, the determination is made. The determination (107) is repeated until (107) becomes “Yes”.
If the determination (107) is “Yes”, the process proceeds to the process (108) for switching the display state of the display means 4 from the captured video as the back camera video to the overhead video, and then the control program Move to end (109).

As a result, the photographing means 2 for photographing the rear of the vehicle 5, the video converting means 3 for converting the video photographed by the photographing means 2 into the overhead view video, the image photographed by the photographing means 2, or the video In the vehicle parking assistance apparatus 1 including the display means 4 for displaying the image converted by the conversion means 3, the parking frame white line detection means 11 for detecting the parking frame white line W where the vehicle 5 is parked is provided. When the length WL of the parking frame white line W detected by the detection means 3 is shorter than the set value S, the video displayed by the display means 4 is switched to the overhead view video.
Therefore, it is possible to use a bird's-eye view image that is easy to grasp even in a larger number of parking lots without a wheel stopper.

Further, the vehicle 5 is provided with a parking frame wheel stop detection means 12 for parking, and when the wheel stop detection means 12 detects the wheel stop, the image displayed by the display means 4 is switched to the overhead view image.
Therefore, it is possible to switch to a bird's-eye view image that is easy to grasp in both types of parking lots when there is only a wheel stop or when there is only a white line parking frame.

It is a flowchart for control of the parking assistance apparatus for vehicles which shows the Example of this invention. It is a system block diagram of the parking assistance apparatus for vehicles. It is a schematic plan view showing a case where a parking frame white line is detected and the remaining parking frame white line exceeds a set value (set distance). It is a schematic plan view which shows the case where the remainder of a parking frame white line is below a setting value (setting distance).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle parking assistance apparatus 2 Imaging | photography means 3 Image | video conversion means 4 Display means 5 Vehicle 6 Image processing part 7 NTSC decoder 8 NTSC encoder 9 Random access memory for image storage (it is also described as "RAM")
10 Read-only memory for model data (also referred to as “ROM”)
11 Parking frame white line detection means 12 Wheel stop detection means θ Detection range of photographing means W Parking frame white line WL Length of parking frame white line W S Set value

Claims (2)

  An image capturing means for capturing the rear of the vehicle, an image converting means for converting the image captured by the image capturing means into an overhead view image, an image captured by the image capturing means, or an image converted by the image converting means is displayed. And a parking frame white line detecting means for detecting a parking frame white line on which the vehicle is parked, and the length of the parking frame white line detected by the parking frame detecting means is set. When it is shorter than the value, the image displayed by the display means is switched to a bird's-eye view image.   2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a wheel stop detection unit for a parking frame in which the vehicle is parked, wherein when the wheel stop detection unit detects the wheel stop, the image displayed by the display unit is switched to an overhead view image. The parking assistance apparatus for vehicles as described.

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