JP2017011614A - Driving support control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To change an imaging mode by an imaging device of a flying body in accordance with the travel environment condition of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A driving support control device 1 includes: an imaging device 47 mounted on an unmanned flying body 3 capable of flying away from a vehicle 2 for imaging an image of the periphery of the vehicle; a presentation part 59 for presenting information (G) corresponding to the image photographed by the imaging device to a crew member of the vehicle; a vehicle position information acquisition part 51 for acquiring vehicle position information (P2) of the vehicle; a peripheral environment information acquisition part 80 for acquiring peripheral environment information (A) of a road on which the vehicle travels; a travel environment condition estimation part 81 for estimating a travel environment condition (B) under which the vehicle travels from the vehicle position information (P2) acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition part and the peripheral environment information (A) acquired by the peripheral environment information acquisition part; and a control part 4 for controlling the imaging state of the imaging device or the flying state of the flying body such that imaging by the imaging device is executable in the imaging mode corresponding to the travel environment condition (B) estimated by the travel environment condition estimation part 81.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support control device using an unmanned air vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art A driving support device is known in which an unmanned flying object equipped with an imaging device such as a video camera is made to fly away from a vehicle and an image captured by the imaging device of the flying object is transmitted to the vehicle and presented to the occupant. (Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-250478 A

In the driving support device described in Patent Document 1, no consideration is given to changing the imaging mode by the imaging device of the flying object according to the traveling environment condition of the vehicle.
An object of the present invention is to change an imaging mode by an imaging device for a flying object according to a traveling environment condition of a vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, a driving support control device according to the present invention is mounted on an unmanned flying object that can fly away from a vehicle, and an imaging device that captures an image around the vehicle, A presentation unit that presents information corresponding to the captured image to a vehicle occupant, a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information of the vehicle, a peripheral environment information acquisition unit that acquires peripheral environment information in which the vehicle travels, Estimated by the driving environment condition estimation unit and the driving environment condition estimation unit for estimating the driving environment condition for the vehicle to travel from the vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit and the surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit. It has a control part which controls the imaging state of an imaging device or the flight state of a flying body so that imaging with an imaging device is attained in the imaging mode according to the running environment conditions which were different.

  According to the present invention, the traveling environment condition estimating unit estimates the traveling environment condition in which the vehicle travels from the vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquiring unit and the surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment information acquiring unit. Since the control unit controls the imaging state of the imaging device or the flight state of the flying body so that the imaging device can capture images in the imaging mode according to the traveling environment condition, the flying body according to the traveling environment condition of the vehicle The imaging mode by the imaging apparatus can be changed.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the driving assistance control apparatus which concerns on this invention, and the positional relationship of a flying body and a vehicle, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view. Schematic which shows the structure by the side of the aircraft which comprises a driving assistance control apparatus. The block diagram which shows the structure of the flight body side control part and flight current information acquisition part which are mounted in the flight body. Schematic which shows the structure by the side of the vehicle which comprises a driving assistance control apparatus. The block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle side control part and driving | running | working current information acquisition part which are mounted in the vehicle. The figure which shows an example of the driving environment conditions of a vehicle. The figure which shows another example of the driving | running | working environmental condition of a vehicle. The figure which shows another example of the driving | running | working environmental condition of a vehicle. The block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the imaging mode switching control of the imaging device by the driving assistance control apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the content of the data table of the relationship between imaging mode and an imaging form, (b) is a figure which shows the content of the data table of the relationship between driving environment conditions and imaging mode. The flowchart of the switching process of the imaging mode by the imaging device of a flying body. The figure which shows the modification of the flight form of a flying body.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, the same member or a member having the same function is denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant description is appropriately omitted. In view of ease of viewing the drawing, the structural requirements may be partially omitted.
The driving support control device according to the present invention is acquired by the position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit and the surrounding environment information acquisition unit so that the imaging mode by the imaging device of the flying object is switched according to the surrounding environment information of the vehicle. The imaging condition of the imaging device is estimated so that the driving environment condition estimation unit estimates a driving environment condition in which the vehicle travels based on the surrounding environment information, and imaging by the imaging device is possible in an imaging mode according to the estimated driving environment condition. Alternatively, the flight state of the flying object is controlled by the control unit.
(Outline)
As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the driving support control apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a flying body 3 that can fly away from a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "own vehicle") 2. The information of the captured image is presented to the driver who drives the host vehicle 2 as characters and images, thereby supporting the driver's situation determination and driving assistance.
The host vehicle 2 travels on a travel lane 6 of the road 5. The road 5 includes an automobile exclusive road and a general road. The flying body 3 has a function of flying away from the host vehicle 2 to take an aerial view of the situation around the host vehicle 2 from above the vehicle, and transmitting aerial image information (G) to the host vehicle 2. Yes. The host vehicle 2 has a function of presenting image information (G) transmitted from the flying object 3 to the driver and a function of giving a control instruction for controlling the flight state of the flying object 3. Reference numeral 7 indicates a center line of the road 5, and reference numeral 8 indicates a traveling lane in the opposite lane.

In the embodiment, the vehicle 3 basically flies over the traveling lane 6 ahead of the host vehicle 2 when driving assistance is performed. In the present embodiment, the flight position of the flying object 3 is also changed according to the traveling environment condition in which the host vehicle 2 is traveling.
In the traveling lane 6, an outside light, a guidance display board, a traffic light, a column supporting various measuring instruments, a pedestrian bridge, and a viaduct such as a railway are appropriately installed. Since the maximum heights of these installations are determined by laws and standards, respectively, the maximum heights of these installations are acquired in advance. The flying height of the flying object 3 is assumed to fly in principle at an altitude lower than or higher than the maximum height of these installations. Moreover, the road 5 may pass through the tunnel. Even in this case, the maximum mine height of the tunnel is acquired in advance, and the flying height of the flying object 3 is assumed to fly at an altitude lower than the maximum mine height. That is, it is assumed that the flying object 3 flies at a flying altitude that does not come into contact with an installation object, a tunnel, or the like.
The driving support control device 1 includes a vehicle body side control unit 40 mounted on the flying body 3 and a vehicle side control unit 50 mounted on the host vehicle 2. The airframe-side control unit 40 and the vehicle-side control unit 50 constitute the control unit 4, which communicates with each other to transmit and receive various information, thereby controlling driving support and the flight state of the aircraft 3.

(Structure of the flying object)
As shown in FIG. 2, the flying object 3 is an unmanned flying object capable of autonomous flight by a flight instruction or autonomous control by remote control. The flying body 3 is a small and unmanned airplane called a so-called MAV (Micro Air Vehicle). The flying body 3 is mounted on the host vehicle 2, takes off from the takeoff / landing unit 20 (see FIG. 1) provided on the host vehicle 2, and landing on the takeoff / landing unit 20. The flying object 3 takes off from the own vehicle 2 to fly when driving assistance to the driver who drives the own vehicle 2 is performed, and is stored in the own vehicle 2 in other cases.
As the flying object 3, for example, an airframe having a tilt rotor type structure or an airframe having a quad rotor type structure can be cited. When the airframe 3 has a tilt rotor type structure, when taking off and landing, and when hovering to stop at a constant altitude, the rotor 3 obtains lift by directing the rotor upward, and during cruise flight, the rotor is tilted sideways. Get the driving force. In the case where the flying body 3 has a quad-rotor type structure, by controlling the inclination angle of each of the plurality of rotor blades or by individually controlling the output of each of the plurality of rotor blades. , Gain lift and propulsion. An airframe having a quad-rotor type structure is exemplified.

Such an aircraft 3 includes a drive motor 30 that is an electric drive source, a rotary blade 31 that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 30, and a battery 32 that is a power source that supplies power to the drive motor 30. Of course, it is not an electric thing, and the flying body which rotates the rotary wing 31 by an engine and flies may be sufficient. In this case, the target controlled by the control unit 4 is an engine that rotationally drives the rotary blade 31.
In the present embodiment, the flying body 3 is an electric quad-rotor type airframe, and includes a plurality of rotor blades 31 and a plurality of drive motors 30 that individually rotate and drive the rotor blades 31. Then, by controlling each drive motor 30 and adjusting the rotation speed of each rotor blade 31, flight in the front-rear direction (forward and reverse), flight in the left-right direction (left-right turn), flight speed (air-to-air) Speed), flight altitude, hovering and other flight conditions can be controlled. The battery 32 can be charged. One or a plurality of batteries 32 may be mounted. When a plurality of batteries 32 are mounted, the power capacity is increased, which is preferable because the flight distance and the flight time can be extended.

The flying object 3 has a drive motor 30, a rotating wing 31, a battery 32, a fuselage-side control unit 40, a GPS receiver 41, a magnetic azimuth meter 42, an angular velocity meter 43, an altimeter 45, a fuselage camera 47, and a wireless transceiver 49. ing.
As shown in FIG. 3, the aircraft-side control unit 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a central processing unit, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) as input / output interfaces, and the like. Computer configured. A GPS receiver 41, a magnetic azimuth meter 42, an angular velocity meter 43, an altimeter 45, a flight speed meter 46, an aircraft camera 47, and a wireless transceiver 49 are connected to the aircraft controller 40 via signal lines.

The GPS receiver 41 is a flying object position information acquisition unit, and acquires the absolute position of the flying object 3 on the ground coordinates from the GPS satellite by longitude and latitude. The GPS receiver 41 transmits flight position information (P1), which is information indicating the acquired absolute position of the flying object 3, to the aircraft control unit 40. This flight position information (P1) is one piece of current flight information.
The magnetic azimuth meter 42 acquires the absolute azimuth angle of the flying object 3. The magnetic azimuth meter 42 transmits to the airframe-side control unit 40 as flight direction information that is information indicating the acquired absolute azimuth angle of the aircraft 3. This flight direction information is one of the current flight information.
The angular velocity meter 43 is a three-axis gyroscope, and measures and acquires the angular velocity of the flying object 3 in the roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle directions. The angular velocity meter 43 transmits aircraft posture information, which is information indicating the acquired angular velocity of the flying vehicle 3, to the aircraft-side control unit 40. This aircraft attitude information is one of the current flight information. The flying body 3 can be automatically controlled by the airframe side control unit 40 based on the airframe attitude information output from the angular velocity meter 43.
The altimeter 45 is a barometric altimeter, for example, which measures and acquires the altitude from the ground surface of the flying object 3. The altimeter 45 transmits the aircraft altitude information, which is information indicating the acquired altitude of the flying vehicle 3, to the aircraft-side control unit 40. This aircraft altitude information is one of the current flight information. Since the altimeter 45 measures the atmospheric pressure and converts it into an altitude, it measures and acquires the atmospheric pressure over which the flying vehicle 3 flies, and transmits the atmospheric pressure information, which is information indicating the acquired atmospheric pressure, to the aircraft-side control unit 40. You can also
The flight speed meter 46 measures and acquires the flight speed (ground speed) of the flying object 3. The altimeter 45 transmits aircraft speed information, which is information indicating the obtained flight speed of the aircraft 3, to the aircraft-side control unit 40. This aircraft speed information is one of the current flight information. As the flight speed meter 46, one that measures and acquires the ground speed can be used.
The GPS receiver 41, the magnetic azimuth meter 42, the angular velocity meter 43, the altimeter 45, and the flight speed meter 46 constitute a current flight information acquisition unit that acquires current flight information of the flying object 3.

The airframe camera 47 is a situation acquisition unit mounted on the flying body 3 and an imaging device as an example, and captures and acquires an image from the flying body 3. The body camera 47 can capture moving images and still images. That is, the flying object 3 can be aerial photographed. The body camera 47 transmits image information G indicating the acquired image from the flying body 3 to the body side control unit 40. The body camera 47 is of a type that can capture both moving images and still images, but may be of a type that can capture only one of the motion and still images. As shown in FIG. 2, the airframe camera 47 has an autofocus function, and is mounted on the flying body 3 so that a casing portion 47 a having a lens faces downward (on the ground) of the flying body 3. . The body camera 47 is one in which the casing 47a can turn 360 °. The body camera 47 starts moving image capturing or still image capturing in response to an imaging start signal included in the imaging instruction sent from the vehicle-side control unit 50. The airframe camera 47 stops moving image capturing and still image capturing in response to an imaging stop signal included in the imaging instruction sent from the vehicle-side control unit 50. The direction of the casing 47a can be changed according to the imaging mode included in the imaging instruction sent from the vehicle-side controller 50, and the imaging direction can be changed freely, and the focal length of the casing 47a is adjusted. Thus, wide-angle imaging and telephoto imaging are possible.
The wireless transceiver 49 is a communication device that is mounted on the flying body 3 and transmits and receives signals and information between the flying body 3 and the host vehicle 2. The wireless transceiver 49 transmits the current flight information and the image information (G) transmitted from the airframe-side control unit 40 to the host vehicle 2, and the flight instruction and the imaging mode and the like transmitted from the host vehicle 2 side. The instruction information is received and input to the airframe side control unit 40.

  The flying body 3 may include a distance meter. The distance meter detects an obstacle existing around the flying object 3 and measures and acquires a distance to the detected obstacle. The rangefinder detects obstacles around the flying object 3 when the flying object 3 is in flight, and measures and acquires the distance to the detected obstacle. Obstacle distance information, which is information indicating the distance, is transmitted to the airframe side control unit 40. With such a distance meter, it is possible to obtain obstacles based on the obstacle distance information without having to obtain altitude information about the installation that hinders the flight of the vehicle 3 and the maximum tunnel height of the tunnel in advance. It is preferable to control the flight state (for example, flight direction and flight altitude) of the flying object 3 before the distance to the object becomes zero, so that contact between the flying object 3 and the obstacle can be avoided. As the distance meter, for example, a known configuration in which a laser, a millimeter wave radar, or the like is irradiated and the distance is measured from the reflected light or the reflected wave can be used.

The airframe side control unit 40 receives the flight instruction and imaging instruction information transmitted from the vehicle side control unit 50 via the wireless transceiver 49. The airframe-side control unit 40 controls the flight state based on the received information indicating the flight instruction so that the flying object 3 moves away from the own vehicle 2 in the traveling direction of the own vehicle 2.
The airframe-side control unit 40 individually controls the rotational speeds of the rotor blades 31 that are rotationally driven by the drive motors 30 so that the flying object 3 flies away from the own vehicle 2 in the traveling direction of the own vehicle 2. .
The airframe side control unit 40 controls the imaging state of the airframe camera 47 so as to switch the imaging mode by the airframe camera 47 based on the imaging instruction transmitted from the vehicle side control unit 50. The imaging mode of the airframe camera 47 is a mode for determining the imaging mode of the airframe camera 47, such as the imaging direction by the airframe camera 47, the telephoto imaging, and the wide-angle imaging. The imaging mode and the imaging form of the aircraft camera 47 are associated with each other and stored in advance as a data table in the ROM of the aircraft controller 40, and are read by the aircraft controller 40 based on the imaging instruction.
This data table may be stored in the ROM of the vehicle-side control unit 50 instead of the ROM of the body-side control unit 40. In this case, the imaging form of the airframe camera 47 may be transmitted to the flying object 3 as one imaging instruction.
The imaging mode is not limited to the preset mode, and may be set arbitrarily. In this case, for example, a data table in which an imaging mode and an imaging mode are arbitrarily associated is stored in a portable storage medium such as a memory card, and a card reading device is provided in the body-side control unit 40 or the vehicle-side control unit 50. . Then, the contents of the data table may be read by the card reading device.
The airframe side control unit 40 controls to stop the imaging of the airframe camera 47 based on the imaging instruction transmitted from the vehicle side control unit 50. The airframe side control unit 40 also functions as an imaging control unit. The body side control unit 40 transmits the image information (G) transmitted from the body camera 47 to the vehicle side control unit 50 of the host vehicle 2 via the wireless transceiver 49. This image information (G) is also one of the surrounding environment information (A) of the host vehicle 2.

(Configuration of own vehicle)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the host vehicle 2 includes a vehicle-side control unit 50, a GPS receiver 51, a handle angle information acquisition unit 52, an angular velocity meter 53, an accelerometer 54, a brake information acquisition unit 55, and a vehicle speed meter 56. , An accelerator opening information acquisition unit 57, a surrounding environment information acquisition unit 58, a display device 59, and a wireless transceiver 60.
The vehicle-side control unit 50 is a computer that includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output interface, and the like. The vehicle-side controller 50 includes a GPS receiver 51, a steering wheel angle information acquisition unit 52, an angular velocity meter 53, an accelerometer 54, a brake information acquisition unit 55, a vehicle speed meter 56, an accelerator opening information acquisition unit 57, and ambient environment information acquisition. The unit 58, the display device 59, and the wireless transceiver 60 are connected via a signal line.

The GPS receiver 51 is a vehicle position information acquisition unit, and acquires the absolute position of the host vehicle 2 on the ground coordinates from the GPS satellite by latitude and longitude, and also acquires the altitude of the host vehicle 2. The GPS receiver 51 transmits vehicle position information (P2), which is information indicating the acquired absolute position of the host vehicle 2, and altitude information to the vehicle-side control unit 50. This vehicle position information (P2) and altitude information are one of the current travel information.
The steering wheel angle information acquisition unit 52 detects and acquires the steering wheel angle of the host vehicle 2. The steering wheel angle information acquisition unit 52 transmits the traveling direction information of the host vehicle 2 from the steering wheel angle of the host vehicle 2 to the vehicle side control unit 50. This traveling direction information is one of the traveling current information.
Here, the angular velocity meter 53 is a biaxial gyro that measures and acquires the angular velocity of the yaw angle and the roll angle at which the host vehicle 2 is inclined. The angular velocity meter 53 may measure the angular velocity of the yaw angle and the roll angle separately instead of the biaxial gyro. The angular velocity meter 53 transmits information on the yaw angle of the host vehicle 2 and the angular velocity of the roll angle to the vehicle-side control unit 50 as vehicle posture information. This vehicle attitude information is one piece of current travel information.
The accelerometer 54 measures and acquires the angular velocity of the pitch angle when the host vehicle 2 is tilted back and forth. The angular velocity meter 53 transmits information on the angular velocity of the pitch angle of the host vehicle 2 to the vehicle-side control unit 50 as vehicle posture information. This vehicle attitude information is one piece of current travel information.

The brake information acquisition part 55 detects whether the brake of the own vehicle 2 is operated. The brake information acquisition part 55 will transmit to the vehicle side control part 50 as deceleration information, if the brake operation of the own vehicle 2 is performed by the driver | operator. This deceleration information is one of the traveling current information B.
The vehicle speed meter 56 measures and acquires the movement amount and speed of the host vehicle 2. The vehicle speed meter 56 transmits information indicating the speed to the vehicle-side control unit 50 as vehicle speed information (Vv). This vehicle speed information is one piece of current travel information. The vehicle speed meter 56 is a vehicle speed acquisition unit.
The accelerator opening information acquisition unit 57 measures and acquires the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal of the host vehicle 2. The accelerator opening information acquisition unit 57 transmits information on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal to the vehicle-side control unit 50. This depression amount information is one piece of current travel information.
The GPS receiver 51, the steering wheel angle information acquisition unit 52, the angular velocity meter 53, the accelerometer 54, the brake information acquisition unit 55, the vehicle speed meter 56, and the accelerator opening information acquisition unit 57 constitute a traveling current information acquisition unit. .

The surrounding environment information acquisition unit 58 acquires the surrounding environment information (A) in which the host vehicle 2 travels. The surrounding environment information acquisition unit 58 is, for example, a navigation device that reads out map information stored in a recording medium, acquires the surrounding environment of the host vehicle 2, and displays it on the display device 59. The surrounding environment information acquisition part 58 transmits map information to the vehicle side control part 50 as surrounding environment information (A).
Note that the altitude information of the installed object and the maximum mine height of the tunnel may be acquired in advance and stored in the ROM of the vehicle-side control unit 50 for storage. Or you may download and memorize | store suitably in ROM of the vehicle side control part 50 via communication lines, such as the internet. Alternatively, the altitude information of the installed object and various data of the maximum pit height of the tunnel may be stored in an external storage medium such as a memory card and read by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 58.
The display device 59 is a monitor device that displays the map information as the surrounding environment information (A), the position of the host vehicle 2 and the travel route, and also displays the image information G from the body camera 47 as images and characters. The display device 59 functions as a presentation unit that presents information corresponding to the image captured by the body camera 47 to the passenger (driver) of the host vehicle 2.
The wireless transceiver 60 is a communication device that is mounted on the host vehicle 2 and transmits and receives signals and information between the flying vehicle 3 and the host vehicle 2. The wireless transmitter / receiver 60 transmits the flight instruction and the imaging instruction transmitted to the vehicle-side control unit 50, receives the flight current information and the image information (G) transmitted from the aircraft 3 side, and performs vehicle-side control. Input to the unit 50.

The vehicle-side control unit 50 includes vehicle position information (P2) transmitted from the GPS receiving unit 51, traveling direction information transmitted from the steering wheel angle information acquiring unit 52, and vehicles transmitted from the angular velocity meter 53 and the accelerometer 54. Attitude information, brake information transmitted from the brake information acquisition unit 55, speed information (Vv) transmitted from the vehicle speedometer 56, accelerator pedal depression amount information transmitted from the accelerator opening information acquisition unit 57, etc. Based on the current travel information, the current travel state (current travel state) of the host vehicle 2 is determined. The current traveling state includes the latitude, longitude and altitude, which are vehicle position information of the host vehicle 2, the traveling direction and the vehicle speed, whether the vehicle is stopped or traveling, whether traveling straight, or traveling on a curve. The vehicle-side control unit 50 displays the running state on the display device 59 with icons, characters, or numbers together with the vehicle development information corresponding to the running state of the host vehicle 2.
The vehicle-side control unit 50 transmits the flight instruction and the imaging instruction to the flying object 3 via the wireless transceiver 60.

In the driving support control device 1 having such a configuration, the flying object 3 takes off from the own vehicle 2 and flies ahead of the own vehicle 2. In the flying object 3, the flight instruction and the imaging instruction are received by the wireless transceiver 49, and the contents are determined by the aircraft-side controller 40. The airframe side control unit 40 controls the flight state by controlling the drive of each drive motor 30 and adjusting the rotation speed of each rotor blade 31 so that the instructed flight state is obtained. In addition, the airframe side control unit 40 captures a moving image or a still image with the airframe camera 47 around the road 5 around the host vehicle 2. The captured image is transmitted as image information (G) from the flying vehicle 3 to the host vehicle 2 via the wireless transceiver 49.
In the host vehicle 2, the transmitted image is received by the wireless transceiver 60, input to the vehicle-side control unit 50, and displayed together with the map information on the display device 59, so that the driver can see the front of the host vehicle 2. Present information.
For this reason, the driver can recognize in advance before reaching the information around the host vehicle 2 and the traveling direction (for example, a traffic jam location, a location with a parked vehicle, various construction locations, an accident site) Improved drivability.

In the embodiment, the driving assistance is described as presenting information on the image captured by the body camera 47 to the driver. However, the driving assistance is not limited to presenting image information to the driver. Absent.
For example, when the flying object 3 includes the GPS receiver 41, the position of the host vehicle 2 can be obtained from position information from the GPS receiver 41 by flying right above the host vehicle 2. For this reason, when the GPS receiver 51 of the own vehicle 2 breaks down, the vehicle-side control unit 50 acquires position information from the GPS receiver 41 as a substitute. And it can utilize for driving assistance by using it as information on the own vehicle position of a navigation system.
Alternatively, when the flying object 3 includes the barometer (altimeter) 45 and the anemometer 46, the vehicle-side control unit 50 acquires the barometric information from the barometer and the wind speed information from the anemometer. On the other hand, a predetermined threshold value, an atmospheric pressure change rate, a wind speed change rate, and the like are set in advance in the vehicle-side control unit 50. Then, the atmospheric pressure information and the wind speed information sent from the flying object 3 are compared with the threshold value, the atmospheric pressure change rate and the wind speed change rate, and the atmospheric pressure information and the wind speed information sent from the flying object 3 are When the rate of change is exceeded, it may be presented to the driver that the weather condition of the area where the host vehicle 2 is traveling has deteriorated. In this case, it is possible to support the driving by displaying the local weather change on the display device 59 and notifying the driver. In this case, the barometer (altimeter) 45 and the anemometer 46 serve as a situation acquisition unit that acquires the situation around the host vehicle 2.
In the embodiment, the display device 59 that displays an image is exemplified as the presentation unit. However, for example, when notifying the driver of a local weather change, the display device 59 is not displayed on the display device 59, but by light or sound. It may be presented by informing.

Next, another embodiment of driving assistance will be described.
In this embodiment, the flight position of the flying object 3 and the imaging mode of the airframe camera 47 are switched depending on the traveling environment conditions.
The flying object 3 flies over the front of the vehicle with the casing 47a of the airframe camera 47 facing away from the own vehicle 2 in the traveling direction of the flying object 3 (own vehicle 2). For this reason, it is possible to take an aerial image of the front of the host vehicle 2, but it is not possible to capture an image based on the driving environment condition of appropriately automatically switching the imaging mode according to the driving environment condition of the host vehicle 2. In the case where the operator operates the flight state of the flying object 3 with the wireless operation unit, the operator has manually operated the operation unit to adjust the imaging mode such as the imaging direction of the airframe camera 47. Yes. However, this does not automatically control the imaging mode by switching the imaging mode according to the traveling environment condition of the host vehicle 2, but is complicated.

Here, typical examples of the traveling environment conditions during traveling of the host vehicle 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 shows driving environment conditions in which an intersection (R) is in front of the driving lane 6 in which the host vehicle 2 is driving. In the conventional flight control of the flying object 3, the inside of the intersection (R) can be imaged by the flying object 3 flying in front of the host vehicle 2, but the situation of the road 9 extending in the direction crossing the intersection (R) is determined. It does not lead to imaging. In particular, in the case of an intersection without a traffic light or when there is a building around the intersection (R), the portion of the road 9 other than the intersection (R) becomes a blind spot from the driver (occupant) of the host vehicle 2. For this reason, when other vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians are moving toward the intersection, in order to avoid encounter accidents at the intersection (R), take an image in the direction of the blind spot and drive Presenting the image information (G) to the person is considered to be driving assistance. Hereinafter, the driving environment condition in FIG. 6 is referred to as an “intersection condition”.
FIG. 7 shows traveling environment conditions when the host vehicle 2 parks or stops in a limited parking area 10 such as a parking lot or parallel parking. In such a case, rather than imaging the front of the host vehicle 2 with the airframe camera 47 of the flying vehicle 3, the area (M) around the host vehicle 2 is enlarged and imaged from directly above the host vehicle 2, and the driver It is considered that presenting the image information (G) to the driving assistance. Hereinafter, the driving environment condition of FIG. 7 is referred to as “parking assist condition”.
FIG. 8 shows traveling environment conditions in which the host vehicle 2 parks or stops in the parking lot 11 having a plurality of parking spaces. In such a case, rather than imaging the front of the host vehicle 2 with the airframe camera 47 of the flying object 3, the area (M1) that enters the entire parking lot from above the parking lot 11 is imaged and the image information ( By presenting G), it is considered that the driver can grasp the empty space situation of the parking lot 11 and is driving assistance. Hereinafter, the driving environment condition of FIG. 8 is referred to as “empty space presentation condition”.

Therefore, in the driving support control device 1 according to the present embodiment, the imaging mode of the body camera 47 is automatically switched according to the travel environment condition (B) such as the travel position of the host vehicle 2 and the travel destination. is there. Further, when switching the imaging mode of the airframe camera 47, the flight position of the flying object 3 is also changed according to the traveling environment condition (B).
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the driving support control device 1 according to the present embodiment uses the aircraft camera 47 mounted on the flying body 3 and the image information (G) of the image captured by the aircraft camera 47 as the host vehicle 2. The display part 59 shown to a passenger | crew is provided.
The driving support control device 1 includes a GPS receiver 41 as a flying object position information acquisition unit that acquires flight position information (P1) of the flying object 3, and a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information (P2). A GPS receiver 51 is provided.
The driving support control device 1 includes a surrounding environment information acquisition unit 80 that acquires map information that is surrounding environment information (A) in which the host vehicle 2 travels, vehicle position information (P2) acquired by the GPS receiver 51, and the surrounding environment. A travel environment condition estimation unit 81 that estimates the travel environment condition (B) of the host vehicle 2 from the ambient environment information (A) acquired by the information acquisition unit 80, the flight position information (P1), and the travel environment condition (B) And a target flight position acquisition unit 82 for acquiring a target flight position (F) for positioning the flying object 3 at a position corresponding to the imaging mode.
The surrounding environment information (A) includes road position information on which the host vehicle 2 travels. The surrounding environment information acquisition unit 80 acquires the map information that is the surrounding environment information (A), road information included in the map information, building and parking lot information, and the like from the navigation system, for example.

The traveling environment condition estimation unit 81 selects which traveling environment condition shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 corresponds to the traveling environment condition of the host vehicle 2 from the vehicle position information (P2) and the surrounding environment information (A). The selected one is used as the driving environment condition (B).
The traveling environment condition estimating unit 81 travels the destination (X) of the host vehicle 2 from the vehicle position information (P2) acquired by the GPS receiver 51 and the surrounding environment information (A) acquired by the surrounding environment information acquiring unit 80. Estimated as environmental condition (B). For example, when there is intersection information in the surrounding environment information (A), the intersection (R) is set as the destination (X). When the surrounding environment information (A) includes the parking lot 11, the parking lot 11 is set as the destination (X). When the surrounding environment information (A) includes information on the parking area 10 such as the parking area on the road 5, the parking area 10 is set as the destination (X).
The target flight position acquisition unit 82 obtains a position corresponding to the image processing mode from the flight position information (P1) and the travel environment condition (B), based on the difference between the position of the flying object 3 and the host vehicle 2 and the destination (X). A target flight position (F) for positioning the flying object 3 is calculated and acquired.

  Here, the map information of the navigation system is the surrounding environment information (A), and the vehicle location information (P2) and the surrounding environment information (A) acquired by the GPS receiver 51 as the destination (X) that is the driving environment condition (B). It is estimated to get from. However, the destination (X) may be used as the destination (X) when the destination is set by the driver on the navigation system, for example.

FIG. 10A is an example of a data table showing the relationship between the imaging mode and imaging mode of the aircraft camera 47 described above, and is assumed to be stored in the ROM of the aircraft-side control unit 40 here. As shown in FIG. 10A, the imaging mode has three imaging modes of a first imaging mode to a third imaging mode.
The first imaging mode is selected when the driving environment condition is the intersection condition in FIG. The imaging mode in the first imaging mode is that the airframe camera 47 is directed toward the road 9 in order to image the road 9 perpendicular to the road 5 on which the host vehicle 2 is traveling on the intersection (R). It is an imaging form which rotates and rotates and images. Specifically, the body camera 47 is rotated left and right with respect to the traveling direction of the flying body 3 to image the road 9. This imaging mode is referred to as a “rotating imaging mode”.
The second imaging mode is selected when the driving environment condition is the parking assist condition of FIG. The imaging mode in the second imaging mode is that the flying vehicle 3 is positioned directly above the host vehicle 2 and the host vehicle 2 centered on the host vehicle 2 enlarges and captures the surrounding area (M). In this imaging mode, the body camera 47 captures an image so as to enlarge the surroundings of the host vehicle 2. Specifically, telephoto imaging is performed with the body camera 47. This imaging mode is referred to as “limited imaging mode”.
Here, since it is assumed that the flying altitude of the flying object 3 is constant, telephoto imaging is performed by the body camera 47. However, the flying altitude of the flying object 3 may be lowered to narrow the imaging angle of view, and the surroundings of the host vehicle 2 may be enlarged so that limited imaging is performed.
The third imaging mode is selected when the driving environment condition is the empty space presentation condition in FIG. The imaging mode in the third imaging mode is such that the aircraft 3 flies over the parking lot 11 shown in FIG. 8 and the entire parking lot can be imaged from above the parking lot 11. This is an imaging mode for imaging a parking lot over a wide area. Specifically, wide-angle imaging is performed with the body camera 47. This imaging mode is referred to as a “wide area imaging mode”.
Here, since it is assumed that the flying altitude of the flying body 3 is constant, wide-angle imaging is performed by the body camera 47. However, the entire altitude of the parking lot may be imaged in a wide area by increasing the flight altitude of the flying object 3 and widening the imaging angle of view. In this case, the flight state of the flying vehicle 3 is controlled so that imaging by the airframe camera 47 is possible in the imaging mode corresponding to the traveling environment condition (B).

FIG. 10B shows an example of a data table that defines the relationship between the driving environment condition and the imaging mode. In this data table, the driving environment condition and the imaging mode of the airframe camera 47 are associated with each other, and are stored and set in advance in the ROM of the vehicle-side control unit 50.
The intersection condition is associated with the first imaging mode, the parking assist condition is associated with the second imaging mode, and the empty space presentation condition is associated with the third imaging mode. This data table is configured to be read by the vehicle-side control unit 50 when the driving environment is estimated by the driving environment information estimating unit 81. That is, in the present embodiment, the imaging mode has a plurality of imaging modes that are appropriately set according to the driving environment condition (B).

The driving support control device 1 is configured so that the imaging state of the airframe camera 47 or the flying object 3 can be captured by the airframe camera 47 in an imaging mode according to the traveling environment condition (B) estimated by the traveling environment estimation unit 81. Control the flight status.
That is, the control unit 4 controls the imaging state of the airframe camera 47 or the flying state of the flying body 3 so that the imaging device can perform imaging in the imaging mode according to the estimated traveling environment condition (B). The control unit 4 controls the flight state of the flying object 3 so that the flying object 3 flies to the estimated destination (X) of the host vehicle 2. That is, the control unit 4 controls the flight state of the flying object so that the flying object 3 flies to the target flight position (F).
That is, when the traveling environment condition estimation unit 81 estimates the traveling environment condition (B) and the destination (X) of the host vehicle 2, the vehicle-side control unit 50 captures the flight position of the flying object 3 and the imaging of the aircraft camera 47. The flight instruction and the imaging instruction are given to the airframe side control unit 40 so that the state occupies the target flight position (F) corresponding to the imaging mode and the imaging position according to the traveling environment condition (B). These flight instructions and imaging instructions given from the vehicle-side control unit 50 are transmitted toward the flying object 3 via the wireless transceiver 49.
When the intersection condition is estimated as the driving environment condition (B), the vehicle-side control unit 50 selects the first imaging mode from the database shown in FIG. 10B and transmits it to the flying object 3 as an imaging instruction. .
When the parking assist condition is estimated as the driving environment condition (B), the vehicle-side control unit 50 selects the second imaging mode from the database shown in FIG. 10B and transmits it to the flying object 3 as an imaging instruction. To do.
When the empty space presentation condition is estimated as the driving environment condition (B), the vehicle-side control unit 50 selects the third imaging mode from the database shown in FIG. Send.

The contents of the flight position of the flying object 3 and the imaging mode switching process of the airframe camera 47 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. In the imaging mode switching process of the flying object 3, the flight instruction and the process up to the imaging instruction are executed by the vehicle-side control unit 50, the flight control for directing the flying object 3 to the destination (X), and the imaging mode of the aircraft camera 47. Imaging control related to the imaging mode is executed by the airframe side control unit 40.
The driving support control device 1 takes in the vehicle position information (P2) acquired by the GPS receiver 51, stores it in the RAM of the vehicle body side control unit 50, and stores it (step ST1).
The driving assistance control device 1 takes in the flight position information (P1) from the GPS receiver 41, stores it in the RAM of the vehicle body side control unit 50, and stores it (step ST2).
The driving support control device 1 acquires the surrounding environment information (A) such as map information from the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 58, stores it in the RAM of the vehicle body side control unit 50, and stores it (step ST3).
The driving support control device 1 estimates the driving environment condition (B) from the vehicle position information (P2) and the surrounding environment information (A) by the driving environment condition estimation unit (81) and stores it in the RAM of the vehicle body side control unit 50. (Step ST4).
The driving support control device 1 acquires the target flight position (F) of the flying object 3 from the flight position information (P1) and the surrounding environment information (A) by the target flight position acquisition unit (82), and the vehicle body side control unit 50 Are stored and stored in the RAM (step ST5).
The driving support control device 1 uses the vehicle-side control unit 50 to read and specify the imaging mode corresponding to the traveling environment condition (B) from the ROM (step ST6).
The vehicle-side control unit 50 uses the specified imaging mode as an imaging instruction, and uses the target flight position (F), which is a flight position capable of performing the imaging mode, as a flight instruction to the flying object 3 via the wireless transceiver 60. Transmit (step ST7).
On the aircraft 3 side, the flight instruction (target flight position (F)) and the imaging instruction (imaging mode) transmitted from the host vehicle 2 are received by the wireless transceiver 60 and stored in the RAM by the aircraft-side controller 40. Save (step ST8).
The body-side control unit 40 reads the imaging form from the ROM data table in response to the imaging instruction (imaging mode), and performs the operation of the body camera 47 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 so as to obtain the imaging form. In addition to controlling, the drive of each drive motor 30 is controlled so as to occupy the flight position as a flight instruction, and the number of rotations of each rotor blade 31 is adjusted to control the flight state (step ST9).
Such deviation return control processing from step ST1 to step ST9 is repeated, for example, every second.

According to the driving support control device 1 having such a configuration, the host vehicle 2 is determined from the vehicle position information (P2) acquired by the GPS receiver 51 and the surrounding environment information (A) acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit (80). The traveling environment condition (B) for traveling is estimated by the traveling environment condition estimation unit (81), and imaging by the aircraft camera 47 is performed so that the imaging by the aircraft camera 47 is possible in an imaging mode according to the estimated traveling environment condition. Since the control unit 4 controls the state and the flight state of the flying object 3, the imaging mode of the flying object 3 by the body camera 47 can be changed according to the traveling environment condition of the host vehicle 2.
For example, when the traveling environment condition is the intersection condition shown in FIG. 6, the flying object 3 moves above the intersection (P), and the airframe camera 47 images the road 9 extending in the direction crossing the intersection (P). Is operated to transmit the captured image information (G) to the host vehicle 2. In the host vehicle 2, the transmitted image information (G) of the road 9 crossing the intersection (P) is displayed on the display device 59 and presented. For this reason, since the situation of the road 9 which is originally a blind spot can be recognized as an image before reaching the intersection (P), driving assistance useful for avoiding an accident at the intersection (P) can be performed.
When the driving environment condition is the parking assist condition shown in FIG. 7, the flying vehicle 3 moves directly above the host vehicle 2 and the airframe camera 47 operates so as to image the area (M) around the host vehicle 2. Then, the captured image information (G) is transmitted to the host vehicle 2. In the host vehicle 2, the transmitted image information (G) of the area (M) around the host vehicle 2 is displayed on the display device 59 and presented. For this reason, since the driver can park in the parking area 10 while confirming the image information (G), the driver can provide driving assistance useful for parking.
When the traveling environment condition is the empty space presentation condition shown in FIG. 8, the flying object 3 moves over the parking lot 11 as the destination (X), and the airframe camera 47 images the area (M1) that enters the entire parking lot. The captured image information (G) is transmitted to the host vehicle 2. In the host vehicle 2, the transmitted image information (G) of the area (M1) that enters the entire parking lot is displayed on the display device 59 and presented. For this reason, since the driver can confirm the vacant parking space in advance before reaching the parking lot 11 from the image displayed on the display device 59, the parking space in the parking lot 11 can be confirmed. You don't have to search for it, and you can provide driving assistance that is useful when parking and stopping.

(Modification)
In the driving support control apparatus 1 described above, the host vehicle is derived from the vehicle position information (P2) acquired by the driving environment condition estimation unit 81 with the GPS receiver 51 and the surrounding environment information (A) acquired with the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 80. Although the destination (X) of 2 is estimated as the driving environment condition (B), as shown in FIG. 12, the surrounding environment range (Y) where the destination (X) exists is estimated as the driving environment condition (B). Good.
In this case, when the vehicle position information (P2) is located in the surrounding environment range (Y), the control unit 4 causes the flying object 3 to fly to the destination (X) of the host vehicle 2. 3 flight status is controlled.
For example, when the traveling environment condition (B) is an empty space presentation condition, it is desirable to fly over the parking lot 11. However, if the flying object 3 flying away from the host vehicle 2 is caused to fly over the parking lot 11 without considering the positional relationship with the host vehicle 2, the destination (X) of the host vehicle 2 is changed to the original parking lot 11. When the vehicle is changed to another point, the vehicle must fly from above the parking lot 11 to the front of the host vehicle 2 toward the new destination (X). For this reason, the interruption state of driving assistance occurs or the interruption time becomes long. For this reason, at least the destination (X) is the parking lot 11 and the host vehicle 2 is a predetermined range in which the parking lot 11 is located. For example, the surrounding environment range (Y ), The vehicle 3 is controlled to fly to the parking lot 11 as the destination (X) after the host vehicle 2 is positioned within the surrounding environment range (Y). In this case, the position of the host vehicle 2 may be estimated by the vehicle position information (P2).
When the flight of the flying object 3 is controlled in this way, even if the destination (X) of the own vehicle 2 is changed from the original parking lot 11 to another point, the separation distance between the flying object 3 and the own vehicle 2 is The surrounding environment range (Y) can be limited to within 30 m. For this reason, the detour (loss) at the time of flying toward the new destination (X) in which the flying body 3 was changed can be reduced. Therefore, even if the driving support is interrupted, it can be shortened and drivability is improved. The surrounding environment range (Y) is not limited to within 30 m.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to such an estimated embodiment, and the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise limited by the above description. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, in the embodiment, the flying object 3 that has taken off from the own vehicle 2 has been described as returning to the own vehicle 2, but the takeoff of the flying object 3 is performed from a point different from the own vehicle 2. May be controlled by the vehicle-side control unit 50 and returned to the host vehicle 2.
The image information (G) captured by the airframe camera 47 is transmitted from the flying vehicle 3 to the host vehicle 2 and used for driving support during driving support, but may be used for other purposes. For example, the airframe camera 47 is activated even when returning, and the subject vehicle 2 is aerial photographed from the flying object 3, the aerial image information G <b> 1 is transmitted to the subject vehicle 2, and the position of the takeoff and landing part 20 of the subject vehicle 2 is determined by the vehicle. Image processing may be performed by the side control unit 50, and the flying object 3 may be returned to the take-off and landing unit 20 as a target.
The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance control apparatus, 2 ... Vehicle, 3 ... Flying object, 4 ... Control part, 30 ... Drive source, 40 ... Airframe side control part, 41 ... Flight Body position part, 47 ... situation acquisition part, imaging device, 50 ... vehicle side control part, 51 ... vehicle position information acquisition part, 59 ... presentation part, display device, 80 ... peripheral environment Information acquisition unit, 81... Traveling environment condition estimation unit, 82... Target flight position acquisition, A .. ambient environment information, B .. ambient environment information, F. -Information according to the image, P2 ... Vehicle position information, X ... Destination, Y ... Surrounding environment range.

Claims (7)

An imaging device that is mounted on an unmanned air vehicle capable of flying away from the vehicle and that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle;
A presentation unit for presenting information corresponding to an image captured by the imaging device to an occupant of the vehicle;
A vehicle position information acquisition unit for acquiring vehicle position information of the vehicle;
A surrounding environment information acquisition unit for acquiring surrounding environment information in which the vehicle travels;
A driving environment condition estimation unit that estimates the driving environment condition of the vehicle from the vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit and the surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit;
A control unit that controls an imaging state of the imaging device or a flying state of the flying body so that imaging by the imaging device is possible in an imaging mode according to the traveling environment condition estimated by the traveling environment estimation unit; A driving support control device characterized by that. In the driving assistance control device according to claim 1,
The driving support control apparatus, wherein the imaging mode has a plurality of imaging modes set according to the driving environment condition. In the driving assistance control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The driving environment condition estimation unit estimates the destination of the vehicle as a driving environment condition from the vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit and the surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit,
The driving support control device, wherein the control unit controls a flight state of the flying object so that the flying object flies to the estimated destination of the vehicle. In the driving assistance control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The driving environment condition estimation unit determines a surrounding environment range where the destination of the vehicle exists from the vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit and the surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit. As a condition,
The control unit controls a flight state of the flying object so that the flying object flies to a destination of the vehicle when the vehicle position information is located in the surrounding environment range. Support control device. In the driving assistance control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The control unit includes a rotation imaging mode, a limited imaging mode, and a wide area imaging mode as the imaging mode,
When the intersection condition is estimated as the driving environment condition, the rotational imaging mode is selected. When the parking assist condition is estimated, the limited imaging mode is selected, and the empty space presentation condition in the parking lot is estimated. When it is, the driving assistance control device, wherein the wide area imaging mode is selected. In the driving assistance control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Having a flying object position information acquisition unit for acquiring flight position information of the flying object;
A target flight position acquisition unit that acquires a target flight position for positioning the flying object at a position corresponding to the image-accompaniment mode from the flight position information and the traveling environment condition;
The control unit controls the flight state of the flying object so that the flying object flies to a target flight position. In the driving assistance control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The control unit includes a vehicle-side control unit mounted on the vehicle, and a flying object control unit mounted on the flying object,
The vehicle-side control unit sends an imaging instruction for controlling an imaging state of the imaging apparatus or a control instruction for controlling a flying state of the flying object to the flying object control unit so that the imaging apparatus can capture an image in the imaging mode. A driving support control device characterized by performing.

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