JP2013047019A - Vehicle mirror control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically adjust a mirror surface angle of a vehicle mirror so as to be comfortable for a driver, while preventing reduction in comfort of the driver.SOLUTION: When it is determined that a vehicle is moving and that the driver is looking at any of vehicle mirrors, the optimal angle of the vehicle mirror, determined that the driver is looking at, is calculated and the mirror surface angle of only the above vehicle mirror is adjusted based on the calculation result. When it is determined that the vehicle is not moving or that the vehicle is moving but not determined that the driver is looking at neither of vehicle mirrors, the mirror surface angle of vehicle mirrors are not adjusted.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle mirror control device that automatically adjusts the mirror surface angle of a vehicle mirror.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for automatically adjusting a mirror angle of a vehicle mirror such as a side mirror (door mirror, fender mirror, etc.) or a room mirror installed in a vehicle to a suitable angle is known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a driver's eye position in a state in which a driver on a vehicle takes a driving posture is detected by image analysis of a camera, and left and right door mirrors and room mirrors are detected according to the detected eye positions. A technique for adjusting all the mirror surface angles to be in an optimum state is disclosed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 inquires of the driver whether or not the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror needs to be adjusted, and adjusts the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror when a response to that effect is made by voice. It is described.

JP 2007-45217 A

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 assumes that the mirror surface angle of a vehicle mirror is adjusted before the vehicle starts. However, the position of the driver's eyes (that is, the viewpoint position) may change due to changes in the driver's posture and sitting while the vehicle is traveling, so that the vehicle mirror depends on the viewpoint position of the driver while traveling. It is necessary to adjust the mirror surface angle to a suitable angle.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable to use the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 while traveling, but in this case, the following problems occur. For example, every time the driver's viewpoint position changes during driving, a response to an inquiry about whether or not the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror needs to be adjusted is required, which may make the driver and other passengers feel annoying Is expensive. In addition, even when the line of sight is not directed to the vehicle mirror, every mirror angle of the left and right door mirrors and room mirrors will be adjusted every time the driver's viewpoint position changes during driving. There is a high possibility that the passenger will feel bothersome in terms of the point.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and its object is to automatically adjust the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror to an angle suitable for the driver while impairing the comfort for the occupant. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle mirror control device that can be made difficult.

  A vehicle mirror control device according to claim 1 is mounted on a vehicle and acquires a driver image including at least an eye part of the driver imaged by an in-vehicle camera that images a driver seated in a driver seat of the vehicle. Means for detecting the position of the driver's viewpoint based on the driver image acquired by the driver image acquisition means, and the left and right side mirrors of the vehicle based on the viewpoint position detected by the viewpoint position detection means And an optimum angle calculating means capable of calculating an optimum angle in which the range visible from the viewpoint position through the vehicle mirror is a predetermined optimum range with respect to the mirror surface angle of any vehicle mirror of the room mirror, and Mirror surface angle adjusting means capable of automatically adjusting the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror based on the calculation result of the optimum angle calculating means. That. Further, a travel determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling, a gaze direction estimation unit that estimates the gaze direction of the driver, and a gaze direction estimation unit based on the driver image acquired by the driver image acquisition unit Gaze mirror judging means for judging which of the left and right side mirrors and the rearview mirror is viewed by the driver based on the sight line direction, wherein the vehicle is running by the running judging means. If it is determined, and the gaze mirror determining means determines that the driver is looking at any of the vehicle mirrors, the gaze mirror determining means determines that the driver is looking at the vehicle mirror. The optimum angle of the vehicle mirror is calculated by the optimum angle calculating means, and the mirror angle is adjusted only for the vehicle mirror by the mirror angle adjusting means based on the calculation result, When it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling by the line determination means, or when the vehicle is determined to be traveling by the travel determination means, and the driver is looking at any of the vehicle mirrors by the gaze mirror determination means If not determined, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror is not adjusted by the mirror angle adjusting means.

  According to this, when it is determined that the vehicle is running and when it is determined that the driver is looking at any of the vehicle mirrors, It becomes possible to automatically adjust the mirror surface angle to an optimum angle determined from the viewpoint position. Therefore, every time the driver's viewpoint position changes during driving, the vehicle mirror can be automatically adjusted to the optimum angle without responding to the inquiry about the necessity of adjusting the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror. Since it becomes possible, it becomes difficult for passengers such as drivers to feel annoyance.

  According to the configuration of claim 1, even if the viewpoint position of the driver changes during traveling, the mirror angle for the vehicle mirror that is not determined to be the vehicle mirror that the driver is looking at Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary adjustment of the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror that the driver's line of sight is not directed to, making it difficult for the occupant to feel annoyance. As a result, it is possible to make it difficult to impair the comfort for the occupant while automatically adjusting the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror to a suitable angle for the driver.

  In the configuration of claim 2, the optimal angle of the mirror for the vehicle determined by the mirror angle acquisition means for sequentially acquiring the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror and the gaze mirror determination means for determining that the mirror is for the vehicle viewed by the driver is optimal. An adjustment amount calculating means for calculating a difference between the calculated optimum angle and the mirror surface angle of the mirror for the vehicle acquired by the mirror surface angle acquiring means when calculated by the angle calculating means; When the difference calculated by the amount calculation means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror is adjusted so as to be the optimum angle calculated by the optimum angle calculation means, while calculated by the adjustment amount calculation means When the difference is less than the predetermined value, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror is not adjusted.

  According to this, it becomes possible not to adjust the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror when the adjustment amount of the mirror surface angle is very small. In addition, when the amount of adjustment of the mirror surface angle is very small, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is not adjusted, so that the mirror surface angle is not frequently adjusted and is more troublesome to the passenger. It becomes possible to make it hard to feel. In addition, by preventing the mirror surface angle from being frequently and unnecessarily adjusted, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the driving means (for example, an actuator such as a motor) that changes the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the mirror surface angle adjustment means adjusts the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror determined by the gaze mirror determination means as being the vehicle mirror that the driver is looking at, the gaze mirror determination is performed. Even after the means no longer determines that the driver is looking at the vehicle mirror, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror is held at the adjusted angle, and the vehicle mirror is driven by the gaze mirror determination means. If the difference calculated by the adjustment amount calculation means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value when it is determined again that the image is viewed, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is adjusted so as to be the optimum angle calculated by the optimum angle calculation means. On the other hand, when the difference calculated by the adjustment amount calculation means is less than a predetermined value, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror is not adjusted.

  According to this, even when the driver changes the viewing vehicle mirror and the viewpoint position changes, the vehicle mirror that is out of line of sight is the position of the viewpoint when the driver looks at the vehicle mirror. It is maintained at the optimum angle according to the above. Therefore, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror deviating from the line of sight is not adjusted every time the driver changes the vehicle mirror that is being viewed, and the occupant is less likely to feel annoyance. In addition, when the vehicle mirror once removed from the line of sight is viewed again, if the difference from the previous viewpoint position is small and the difference calculated by the adjustment amount calculation means is less than a predetermined value, the mirror surface of the vehicle mirror Since the angle is not adjusted, it is possible to make it difficult for the occupant to feel bothered at this point.

  Specifically, when the driver alternately checks the direction of travel and the left and right side mirrors and room mirrors while driving, even if the driver's viewpoint position changes frequently, the viewpoint when viewing each vehicle mirror Is at a position that is substantially fixed with respect to each of the vehicle mirrors, the mirror surface angle of each of the vehicle mirrors is maintained at the optimum angle, and frequent adjustment is not required. On the other hand, when the viewpoint position when viewing the vehicle mirror deviates from the position that is substantially fixed with respect to the vehicle mirror and the mirror surface angle is not the optimum angle, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is adjusted to the optimum angle. The Therefore, the comfort for drivers and passengers other than drivers is greatly improved.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle mirror control system 100. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the mirror surface angle automatic adjustment process in control ECU1. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a right side mirror adjustment related process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a left side mirror adjustment related process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a room mirror adjustment related process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle mirror control system 100 to which the present invention is applied. A vehicle mirror control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle, and includes a control ECU 1, an in-vehicle camera 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a right side mirror 4a, a left side mirror 4b, a room mirror 4c, and a right side mirror drive. A device 5a, a left side mirror driving device 5b, a room mirror driving device 5c, potentiometers 6a, 6b and 6c, a mirror selection button 7 and a manual adjustment button 8 are included.

  The in-vehicle camera 2 is a camera mounted on a vehicle, and may be configured to use, for example, a well-known CCD camera or the like. The in-vehicle camera 2 is installed, for example, above and in front of the driver's seat. The in-vehicle camera 2 is installed so that the optical axis of the camera faces the virtual driver's face when it is assumed that the driver is seated in the driver's seat. Note that the position of the virtual driver's face may be obtained based on the range in which the seat position of the driver's seat can be adjusted, the height of the virtual driver (for example, the average height of a person), and the like. The in-vehicle camera 2 sequentially captures the face of the driver sitting in the driver's seat. An image of the driver's face imaged by the in-vehicle camera 2 (hereinafter referred to as a driver image) is input to the control ECU 1.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the structure which images the image of a driver's face with the vehicle-mounted camera 2 was shown, it does not necessarily restrict to this. As long as the in-vehicle camera 2 is configured to image at least a part including the eyes of the driver, it may be configured to image only a part of the face or may be configured to image other than the face.

  The vehicle speed sensor 3 is a sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle. The right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror 4c are vehicle mirrors (rear mirrors) mounted on the vehicle, and are optical electric mirrors. The right side mirror 4a and the left side mirror 4b may be door mirrors or fender mirrors.

  The right side mirror drive device 5a, the left side mirror drive device 5b, and the room mirror drive device 5c drive an actuator such as a motor in accordance with a command signal from the control ECU 1, thereby causing the right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror to be driven. The mirror surface angle of 4c is changed. Specifically, the right side mirror drive device 5a changes the mirror surface angle of the right side mirror 4a in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the left side mirror drive device 5b changes the mirror surface angle of the left side mirror 4b in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The room mirror driving device 5c changes the mirror surface angle of the room mirror 4c in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

  The potentiometers 6a, 6b, and 6c are sensors that detect the mirror surface angles of the right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror 4c. The potentiometers 6a, 6b, and 6c may detect the angle in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the reference position of the mirror surface of each vehicle mirror. Specifically, the potentiometer 6a detects the mirror surface angle of the right side mirror 4a, the potentiometer 6b detects the mirror surface angle of the left side mirror 4b, and the potentiometer 6c detects the mirror surface angle of the room mirror 4c. It is assumed that the mirror surface angles of the vehicle mirrors detected by the potentiometers 6a, 6b, and 6c are sequentially input to the control ECU 1. Therefore, control ECU1 is equivalent to the mirror surface angle acquisition means of a claim.

  The mirror selection button 7 is used to select a vehicle mirror whose mirror surface angle is adjusted by a driver's manual operation. For example, the mirror selection button 7 is configured to be slidable, and the right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror 4c are selected as vehicle mirrors that adjust the mirror surface angle according to the slide position. What is necessary is just to be the structure.

  The manual adjustment button 8 is used by the driver to manually adjust the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror selected by the mirror selection button 7, and is, for example, any one of a plurality of marks indicating the adjustment direction of the mirror surface angle. By pressing the button, the direction in which the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror can be changed can be indicated.

  The control ECU 1 is mainly composed of a microcomputer comprising a CPU, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, etc., and executes various processes by executing various control programs stored in the ROM based on input information. To do. The control ECU 1 corresponds to the vehicle mirror control device of the claims.

  For example, the control ECU 1 selects a vehicle mirror for adjusting the mirror surface angle based on a signal from the mirror selection button 7. Further, the control ECU 1 selects any one of the selected vehicle mirror driving devices (that is, the right side mirror driving device 5a, the left side mirror driving device 5b, and the room mirror driving device 5c) based on the signal of the manual adjustment button 8. A command signal is sent to () to change the mirror angle of the currently selected vehicle mirror. As the command signal, a signal for driving the vehicle mirror so as to change the mirror surface angle in the adjustment direction indicated by the mark pressed by the manual adjustment button 8 is sent.

  Here, from the viewpoint position of the driver seated in the driver's seat, the range in which the driver can visually recognize the mirror angle by the manual adjustment button 8 manually adjusted through the vehicle mirror is the indirect field of view by the vehicle mirror for the driver. It shall be in the optimum range. The optimum range of the indirect field of view exists for each of the right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror 4c. Note that the optimal range of the indirect field referred to here corresponds to the predetermined optimal range of the claims.

  When the driver manually adjusts the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror by the manual adjustment button 8, the control ECU 1 adjusts the mirror angle (that is, the mirror angle at which the indirect field of view by the vehicle mirror is in the optimum range). Are stored for each type of vehicle mirror in a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM. In addition, when the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is newly adjusted by manual operation, the control ECU 1 sequentially overwrites the newly adjusted mirror surface angle value.

  Further, the control ECU 1 performs a process of automatically adjusting the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror (hereinafter, “mirror angle automatic adjustment process”) according to the viewpoint position of the driver while the vehicle is traveling. Here, the mirror surface angle automatic adjustment processing in the control ECU 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of mirror surface angle automatic adjustment processing in the control ECU 1. This flow is started when, for example, the ignition power supply of the host vehicle is turned on.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling. Therefore, the control ECU 1 corresponds to the travel determination means in the claims. Specifically, based on a signal input from the vehicle speed sensor 3, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined value, the vehicle is not traveling. judge. The predetermined value here is the speed at the detection limit of the vehicle speed sensor 3 and is a value that can be said to be substantially zero vehicle speed. If it is determined that the vehicle is traveling (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2. If it is determined that the vehicle is not running (NO in step S1), the process proceeds to step S11.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is shown, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, whether or not the vehicle is traveling by another method, such as determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling according to whether or not the shift position detected by a shift position sensor (not shown) is a traveling position or a reverse position. It is good also as a structure which determines.

  In step S2, a viewpoint position detection process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S3. In the viewpoint position detection process, the driver's viewpoint position is detected by acquiring and analyzing the driver image captured by the in-vehicle camera 2. Therefore, the control ECU 1 corresponds to a driver image acquisition unit and a viewpoint position detection unit.

  For example, a three-dimensional position may be calculated based on a driver image captured by the in-vehicle camera 2 with the position of the midpoint of a line segment connecting both eyes of the driver as the viewpoint position of the driver. In this case, the three-dimensional position is such that the axis extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction is the X axis, the axis extending in the vehicle width direction is the Y axis, and the axis extending in the vertical direction is Z as the reference point provided in the in-vehicle camera 2 as the origin O. What is necessary is just to make it a coordinate position when it is set as an axis. Note that the viewpoint position of the driver can be specified by performing image analysis using a known image recognition technique. The three-dimensional position of the viewpoint can be calculated from the distance from the reference point (the origin O) calculated based on the parallax amount of the pair of cameras using a stereo camera as the vehicle-mounted camera 2. In addition to using a stereo camera, the distance from the reference point (origin O) to the viewpoint may be measured by a distance measuring sensor using infrared light or the like to calculate the three-dimensional position of the viewpoint.

  In step S3, a line-of-sight direction estimation process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S4. In the gaze direction estimation process, the driver's gaze direction is estimated by acquiring and analyzing the driver image captured by the in-vehicle camera 2. Therefore, the control ECU 1 corresponds to the line-of-sight direction estimating means in the claims.

  For example, the driver image may be analyzed using a known image recognition technique to detect the position of the driver's black eye, and the driver's line-of-sight direction may be estimated from the detected black eye position. Specifically, the position of the black eye is detected from the image, and the position of the body center line or the head center line is detected from the image. The straight line that is orthogonal to the body center line or the head center line and passes through the black eye Is assumed to be the line-of-sight direction. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which detects the direction of a face and presumes a driver | operator's gaze direction from the detected face direction.

  In step S4, a gaze mirror determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S5. In the gazing mirror determination process, it is determined which of the right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror 4c is being viewed based on the line-of-sight direction estimated in the line-of-sight direction estimation process. Therefore, control ECU1 is equivalent to the gaze mirror judgment means of a claim.

  For example, whether the virtual line extended from the viewpoint position detected in the viewpoint position detection process in the line-of-sight direction estimated in the line-of-sight direction estimation process is directed to any of the right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror 4c, Alternatively, the determination may be made based on whether it is not suitable for either. Specifically, the determination may be made based on whether or not the above-described virtual line intersects the region where each vehicle mirror exists. The area where each vehicle mirror exists is configured to store information on the three-dimensional position of the area where each vehicle mirror exists in advance in a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM and calculate based on such information. That's fine.

  Also, assuming that the face of the driver is facing the front, any one of the right side mirror 4a, the left side mirror 4b, and the room mirror 4c is based only on the gaze direction estimated by the gaze direction estimation process. It is good also as a structure which judges roughly whether it is suitable for or neither. For example, the left side mirror 4b is viewed when the line-of-sight direction is facing the left when viewed from the driver, the right side mirror 4a is viewed when facing the right direction, and the room mirror 4c is viewed when facing upward from the upper left. It may be configured to determine that it is. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure judged that it is not seeing any vehicle mirror, when it faces the front direction or the downward direction seeing from the driver.

  In step S5, when it is determined that the right side mirror 4a is viewed in the gaze mirror determination process (YES in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6. If it is not determined in the gaze mirror determination process that the right side mirror 4a is viewed (NO in step S5), the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S6, right side mirror adjustment-related processing is performed, and the process proceeds to step S11. Here, an outline of the right side mirror adjustment-related process will be described using the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of right side mirror adjustment related processing.

  First, in step S61, right side mirror optimum angle calculation processing is performed, and the process proceeds to step S62. In the right side mirror optimum angle calculation process, relative position data between the viewpoint position and the right side mirror 4a is calculated based on the viewpoint position detected by the viewpoint position detection process and the three-dimensional position of the right side mirror 4a. The relative position data between the viewpoint position and the right side mirror 4a referred to here is data indicating the elevation angle and the horizontal angle when the right side mirror 4a is viewed from the viewpoint position, for example.

  In the right side mirror optimum angle calculation process, the right side mirror 4a is based on the relative position data and the mirror surface angle of the right side mirror 4a previously adjusted by the manual adjustment button 8 stored in the nonvolatile memory. Is calculated, that is, the specular angle when the indirect field of view by the right side mirror 4a falls within the above-described optimal range for the right side mirror 4a. Therefore, the control ECU 1 corresponds to the optimum angle calculation means in the claims.

  In step S62, the mirror surface angle adjustment amount is calculated by calculating the difference between the current mirror surface angle of the right side mirror 4a detected by the potentiometer 6a and the optimal angle calculated in the right side mirror optimal angle calculation process. Therefore, the control ECU 1 corresponds to the adjustment amount calculation means in the claims. The calculated adjustment amount may be configured to calculate the sum of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount, or may be configured to calculate the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount, respectively.

  After calculating the adjustment amount of the mirror surface angle, it is determined whether or not the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than a specified value. If it is determined that the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value (YES in step S62), the process proceeds to step S63. If it is not determined that the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value (NO in step S62), the process proceeds to step S11. The prescribed value here is a value that is larger than a value that can be said to be a minute adjustment amount, and can be arbitrarily set.

  When the sum of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount is calculated, a specified value for the total may be set and a determination may be made as to whether or not the specified value is exceeded. In addition, when the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are calculated, respectively, the configuration is such that the prescribed values for the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are set. Good. In this case, if it is determined that either the horizontal adjustment amount or the vertical adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value, the process proceeds to step S63, and both the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are set. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which moves to step S11, when it determines with it not exceeding a regulation value.

  In step S63, right side mirror adjustment processing is performed and the process proceeds to step S11. In the right side mirror adjustment process, a command signal for adjusting the mirror angle of the right side mirror 4a to the optimum angle calculated by the right side mirror optimum angle calculation process is sent to the right side mirror driving device 5a, and the right side mirror 4a is adjusted to the optimum angle. To adjust. Therefore, the control ECU 1 corresponds to the specular angle adjusting means in the claims. For example, a command signal for changing the mirror surface angle by an angle according to the adjustment amount calculated in step S62 may be sent to the right side mirror drive device 5a to adjust the right side mirror 4a to the optimum angle.

  If it is determined in step S62 that only one of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value, only the adjustment in the direction determined to be equal to or greater than the specified value is performed in step S63. It is good also as a structure, and it is good also as a structure which adjusts both a horizontal direction and a perpendicular direction.

  Returning to FIG. 2, when it is determined in step S7 that the left side mirror 4b is viewed in the gaze mirror determination process (YES in step S7), the process proceeds to step S8. If it is not determined that the left side mirror 4b is viewed in the gaze mirror determination process (NO in step S7), the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S8, left side mirror adjustment related processing is performed, and the flow proceeds to step S11. Here, an outline of the left side mirror adjustment-related processing will be described using the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the left side mirror adjustment related process.

  First, in step S81, the left side mirror optimum angle calculation process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S82. In the left side mirror optimum angle calculation process, relative position data between the viewpoint position and the left side mirror 4b is calculated based on the viewpoint position detected by the viewpoint position detection process and the three-dimensional position of the left side mirror 4b. The relative position data between the viewpoint position and the left side mirror 4b referred to here is data indicating the elevation angle and the horizontal angle when the left side mirror 4b is viewed from the viewpoint position, for example.

  In the left side mirror optimum angle calculation process, the left side mirror 4b is based on the relative position data and the mirror surface angle of the left side mirror 4b that is adjusted in advance by the manual adjustment button 8 stored in the nonvolatile memory. Is calculated, that is, the mirror angle when the indirect field of view by the left side mirror 4b falls within the above-described optimal range for the left side mirror 4b.

  In step S82, the amount of adjustment of the mirror surface angle is calculated by calculating the difference between the current mirror surface angle of the left side mirror 4b detected by the potentiometer 6b and the optimal angle calculated by the left side mirror optimal angle calculation processing. The calculated adjustment amount may be configured to calculate the sum of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount, or may be configured to calculate the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount, respectively.

  After calculating the adjustment amount of the mirror surface angle, it is determined whether or not the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than a specified value. If it is determined that the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value (YES in step S82), the process proceeds to step S83. If it is not determined that the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value (NO in step S82), the process proceeds to step S11. The prescribed value here is a value that is larger than a value that can be said to be a minute adjustment amount, and can be arbitrarily set.

  When the sum of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount is calculated, a specified value for the total may be set and a determination may be made as to whether or not the specified value is exceeded. In addition, when the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are calculated, respectively, the configuration is such that the prescribed values for the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are set. Good. In this case, if it is determined that either the horizontal adjustment amount or the vertical adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value, the process proceeds to step S83, and both the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are set. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which moves to step S11, when it determines with it not exceeding a regulation value.

  In step S83, the left side mirror adjustment process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S11. In the left side mirror adjustment process, a command signal for adjusting the mirror angle of the left side mirror 4b to the optimum angle calculated by the left side mirror optimum angle calculation process is sent to the left side mirror drive device 5b, and the left side mirror 4b is moved to the optimum angle. To adjust. For example, a command signal for changing the mirror surface angle by an angle according to the adjustment amount calculated in step S82 may be sent to the left side mirror drive device 5b to adjust the left side mirror 4b to the optimum angle.

  If it is determined in step S82 that either the horizontal adjustment amount or the vertical adjustment amount is greater than or equal to the specified value, only the adjustment in the direction determined to be greater than or equal to the specified value is performed in step S83. It is good also as a structure, and it is good also as a structure which adjusts both a horizontal direction and a perpendicular direction.

  Returning to FIG. 2, if it is determined in step S9 that the room mirror 4c is viewed in the gaze mirror determination process (YES in step S9), the process proceeds to step S10. If it is not determined that the room mirror 4c is viewed in the gaze mirror determination process (NO in step S9), the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S10, room mirror adjustment-related processing is performed, and the process proceeds to step S11. Here, the outline of the room mirror adjustment-related processing will be described using the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of processing related to room mirror adjustment.

  First, in step S101, a room mirror optimum angle calculation process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S102. In the room mirror optimum angle calculation process, relative position data between the viewpoint position and the room mirror 4c is calculated based on the viewpoint position detected by the viewpoint position detection process and the three-dimensional position of the room mirror 4c. Here, the relative position data between the viewpoint position and the room mirror 4c is, for example, data indicating the elevation angle and the horizontal angle when the room mirror 4c is viewed from the viewpoint position.

  Then, in the room mirror optimum angle calculation process, the optimum for the room mirror 4c is based on the relative position data and the mirror surface angle of the room mirror 4c previously adjusted by the manual adjustment button 8 stored in the nonvolatile memory. The angle, that is, the mirror surface angle when the indirect field of view by the room mirror 4c falls within the above-described optimum range for the room mirror 4c is calculated.

  In step S82, the amount of adjustment of the mirror surface angle is calculated by calculating the difference between the current mirror surface angle of the room mirror 4c detected by the potentiometer 6c and the optimal angle calculated by the room mirror optimal angle calculation process. The calculated adjustment amount may be configured to calculate the sum of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount, or may be configured to calculate the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount, respectively.

  After calculating the adjustment amount of the mirror surface angle, it is determined whether or not the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than a specified value. If it is determined that the calculated adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value (YES in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103. If the calculated adjustment amount is not determined to be equal to or greater than the specified value (NO in step S102), the process proceeds to step S11. The prescribed value here is a value that is larger than a value that can be said to be a minute adjustment amount, and can be arbitrarily set.

  When the sum of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount is calculated, a specified value for the total may be set and a determination may be made as to whether or not the specified value is exceeded. In addition, when the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are calculated, respectively, the configuration is such that the prescribed values for the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are set. Good. In this case, if it is determined that either the horizontal adjustment amount or the vertical adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value, the process proceeds to step S103, and both the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount are set. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which moves to step S11, when it determines with it not exceeding a regulation value.

  In step S103, a room mirror adjustment process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S11. In the room mirror adjustment process, a command signal for adjusting the mirror surface angle of the room mirror 4c to the optimum angle calculated by the room mirror optimum angle calculation process is sent to the room mirror drive device 5c to adjust the room mirror 4c to the optimum angle. For example, a command signal for changing the mirror surface angle by an angle according to the adjustment amount calculated in step S102 may be sent to the room mirror driving device 5c to adjust the room mirror 4c to the optimum angle.

  If it is determined in step S102 that only one of the horizontal adjustment amount and the vertical adjustment amount is equal to or greater than the specified value, only the adjustment in the direction determined to be equal to or greater than the specified value is performed in step S103. It is good also as a structure, and it is good also as a structure which adjusts both a horizontal direction and a perpendicular direction.

  In step S11, when the ignition power of the host vehicle is turned off (that is, the ignition is turned off) (YES in step S11), the flow ends. If the ignition is not off (NO in step S11), the process returns to step S1 and the flow is repeated.

  Further, when the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror determined by the gaze mirror determination process is determined as the vehicle mirror that the driver is viewing, the control ECU 1 performs the subsequent gaze mirror determination process in this flowchart. Even after it is determined that the driver is looking at the vehicle mirror, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror is held at the adjusted angle. Then, when it is determined again that the driver is looking at the vehicle mirror in the later-described gaze mirror determination process in this flowchart, and the calculated mirror surface angle adjustment amount is greater than or equal to the specified value according to this flowchart. In this case, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is adjusted so as to be the optimum angle. On the other hand, when the calculated adjustment amount is less than the specified value, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is not adjusted.

  According to the above configuration, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling and when it is determined that the driver is looking at any of the vehicle mirrors, the vehicle is determined to be viewed by the driver. It becomes possible to automatically adjust the mirror surface angle of the mirror to an optimum angle determined from the viewpoint position. Therefore, every time the driver's viewpoint position changes during driving, the vehicle mirror can be automatically adjusted to the optimum angle without responding to the inquiry about the necessity of adjusting the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror. Since it becomes possible, it becomes difficult for passengers such as drivers to feel annoyance.

  Further, according to the above configuration, even when the viewpoint position of the driver changes during traveling, the mirror angle adjustment is performed for the vehicle mirror that is not determined to be the vehicle mirror that the driver is looking at. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary adjustment of the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror that is not facing the driver's line of sight, and it is difficult for the passenger to feel annoyance. As a result, it is possible to make it difficult to impair the comfort for the occupant while automatically adjusting the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror to a suitable angle for the driver.

  Furthermore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror from being adjusted when the amount of adjustment of the mirror surface angle is very small. It is possible to prevent this from happening and to make it difficult for the passengers to feel bothered. In addition, the mirror mirror angle is prevented from being unnecessarily frequently adjusted, so that the vehicle mirror drive device (that is, the right side mirror drive device 5a, the left side mirror drive device 5b, and the rearview mirror drive device 5c). It is also possible to suppress wear of actuators such as motors.

  Further, according to the above configuration, even when the driver changes the vehicle mirror that is being viewed and the position of the viewpoint changes, the vehicle mirror that is out of line of sight can be seen when the driver looks at the vehicle mirror. The optimum angle corresponding to the position of the viewpoint is maintained. Therefore, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror deviating from the line of sight is not adjusted every time the driver changes the vehicle mirror that is being viewed, and the occupant is less likely to feel annoyance. In addition, when the vehicle mirror once out of line of sight is viewed again, if the deviation from the previous viewpoint position is small and the calculated mirror surface angle adjustment amount is less than the specified value, the mirror surface of the vehicle mirror Since the angle is not adjusted, it is possible to make it difficult for the occupant to feel bothered at this point.

  Specifically, when the driver alternately checks the direction of travel and the left and right side mirrors and room mirrors while driving, even if the driver's viewpoint position changes frequently, the viewpoint when viewing each vehicle mirror Is at a position that is substantially fixed with respect to each of the vehicle mirrors, the mirror surface angle of each of the vehicle mirrors is maintained at the optimum angle, and frequent adjustment is not required. On the other hand, when the viewpoint position when viewing the vehicle mirror deviates from the position that is substantially fixed with respect to the vehicle mirror and the mirror surface angle is not the optimum angle, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is adjusted to the optimum angle. The Therefore, the comfort for drivers and passengers other than drivers is greatly improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Control ECU (vehicle mirror control device, specular angle acquisition means, travel determination means, driver image acquisition means, viewpoint position detection means, gaze direction estimation means, gaze mirror determination means, optimum angle calculation means, adjustment amount calculation means, mirror surface Angle adjusting means), 2 vehicle-mounted camera, 3 vehicle speed sensor, 4a right side mirror, 4b left side mirror, 4c room mirror, 5a right side mirror drive device, 5b left side mirror drive device, 5c room mirror drive device, 6a and 6b・ 6c Potentiometer, 7 Mirror selection button, 8 Manual adjustment button, 100 Mirror control system for vehicle

Claims (3)

Mounted on the vehicle,
Driver image acquisition means for acquiring a driver image including at least an eye portion of the driver imaged by an in-vehicle camera that images a driver seated in a driver seat of the vehicle;
Viewpoint position detection means for detecting the position of the viewpoint of the driver based on the driver image acquired by the driver image acquisition means;
Based on the viewpoint position detected by the viewpoint position detecting means, the mirror surface angle of any of the left and right side mirrors and the rearview mirror of the vehicle can be visually recognized from the viewpoint position through the vehicle mirror. An optimum angle calculating means capable of calculating an optimum angle within a predetermined optimum range;
A mirror control device for a vehicle comprising: mirror surface angle adjustment means capable of automatically adjusting the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror based on the calculation result of the optimum angle calculation means;
Traveling determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling;
Based on the driver image acquired by the driver image acquisition unit, a gaze direction estimation unit that estimates the gaze direction of the driver;
Gaze mirror judging means for judging which of the left and right side mirrors and the rear view mirror the vehicle mirror is based on the gaze direction estimated by the gaze direction estimating means,
When it is determined by the travel determination means that the vehicle is traveling, and when it is determined by the gaze mirror determination means that the driver is looking at any of the vehicle mirrors, the driver is looking The optimal angle of the vehicle mirror determined by the gaze mirror determination means as being a vehicle mirror is calculated by the optimal angle calculation means, and based on the calculation result, only the mirror for the vehicle is mirrored by the mirror angle adjustment means. While adjusting the angle,
When the traveling determination means determines that the vehicle is not traveling, or when the traveling determination means determines that the vehicle is traveling, and any of the vehicle mirrors is driven by the gaze mirror determination means If it is not determined that the mirror is viewed, the mirror angle adjustment means does not adjust the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror. In claim 1,
Mirror surface angle obtaining means for sequentially obtaining the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror;
When the optimal angle of the vehicle mirror determined by the gaze mirror determination unit is determined by the gaze mirror determination unit to be the vehicle mirror that the driver is looking at, is acquired by the calculated optimal angle and the specular angle acquisition unit. Adjustment amount calculating means for calculating the difference between the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror and the vehicle mirror,
The mirror surface angle adjusting means includes:
When the difference calculated by the adjustment amount calculation means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is adjusted to be the optimum angle calculated by the optimum angle calculation means, while the adjustment amount calculation If the difference calculated by the means is less than a predetermined value, the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror is not adjusted. In claim 2,
The mirror surface angle adjusting means includes:
When the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror determined by the gaze mirror determination means is determined to be the vehicle mirror that the driver is looking at, the driver looks at the vehicle mirror with the gaze mirror determination means Even after cease to be determined, keep the mirror angle of the vehicle mirror at the adjusted angle,
When the gaze mirror determining means again determines that the driver is looking at the vehicle mirror, if the difference calculated by the adjustment amount calculating means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the optimum angle calculating means calculates The mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is adjusted so as to obtain the optimum angle. On the other hand, if the difference calculated by the adjustment amount calculation means is less than a predetermined value, the mirror surface angle of the vehicle mirror is not adjusted. The vehicle mirror control apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.

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