JP2018024374A - Vehicular projection unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To constitute a unit capable of detecting an obstacle and properly irradiating the detected obstacle with a light beam to a compact size.SOLUTION: A vehicular projection unit comprises: a measurement part 10 which irradiates a detection area with a detection beam and then detects a reflected beam from an object so as to measure the direction of the object and the distance to the object; and a projection part 20 which irradiates the object with a projection beam consisting of visible light. The vehicular projection unit further comprises a rendering control part 33 which uses an optical system as both a part for sending the detection beam out at the measurement part 10 and a part for sending the projection beam out at the projection part 20, and controls the projection part 20 to irradiate the object with the projection beam when the distance to the object measured by the measurement part 10 meets predetermined conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle projection apparatus that projects visible light onto an obstacle.

  Patent Document 1 as a vehicle projection device includes a projection device (projection device) that projects an image (projects in the literature) and an obstacle detection device that detects an obstacle, and no obstacle is detected in the traveling area. In this case, a technique is disclosed in which a first image is projected, and when an obstacle is detected, a projection of a second image different from the first image is projected.

  In this patent document 1, a projector capable of projection mapping as a projection device with respect to a headlamp of a vehicle is provided, and a radar sensor for detecting an obstacle in front of the vehicle is provided. With this configuration, when an obstacle is detected, an image is projected from the projector so as to stick to the entire obstacle. As a result, the driver can visually recognize the presence of the obstacle, and the driver can perform an avoidance operation on the obstacle.

  Further, Patent Document 2 is configured so that the headlight of the vehicle can control the light distribution of the light beam of the light source, and includes a determination unit that determines whether there is an obstacle in the front position of the vehicle. A technique for irradiating a region including an obstacle with a light beam from a light source when the presence is determined is described.

  In this patent document 2, the headlamp is provided with a digital mirror that controls the light beam from the light source, and a front detection device that detects the position of an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle. From this configuration, for example, when a pedestrian is detected by the front detection device, in order to highlight the pedestrian, the digital mirror is controlled to emit light to the pedestrian. This makes it easier for the driver to visually recognize the pedestrian.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-2802 JP2015-143065A

  The techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are such that the obstacle caused by the driver by irradiating the obstacle with light rays even when an obstacle exists in front of the vehicle, such as a vehicle traveling at a relatively high speed on the road. Make it easier to see things.

  Here, for example, considering mobility such as an electric wheelchair or an electric cart that travels at a low speed in the walking area of a pedestrian, it is difficult to recognize obstacles indoors where lighting is insufficient or at night, such as sidewalks. Sometimes it runs in the environment. Therefore, in order to make the driver recognize the obstacle during traveling, a technique for projecting light rays on the obstacle is also required in mobility as in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  Thus, as in the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2, it may be possible to provide the vehicle body with a projection device that includes a sensor that detects an obstacle and a projection unit that projects a light beam onto the obstacle. The projection apparatus configured as described above tends to be large and has room for improvement.

  In other words, in mobility with headlamps, it is possible to use the light source of the headlamps for light projection to obstacles, but in such a configuration, it is necessary to change the mobility design from the basic part. There is. Moreover, even if it is a structure provided with the sensor which detects an obstruction, when an obstruction is detected, it is necessary to project correctly with respect to an obstruction, and it takes time and effort to set a sensor and a projection device. I can imagine that.

  For these reasons, it is required to configure an apparatus capable of detecting an obstacle and appropriately irradiating the detected obstacle with a light beam.

A feature of the present invention is that a detection beam is irradiated to a detection area, and when a target object exists in the detection area, a reflected beam from the target object irradiated with the detection beam is detected to detect the target object. A measurement unit that measures a direction and a distance to the object, and a projection unit that irradiates a projection beam made of visible light, and
A part of the optical system that sends out the detection beam in the measurement unit and a part of the optical system that sends out the projection beam in the projection unit are combined,
When the distance to the object measured by the measuring unit satisfies a predetermined condition, the image forming apparatus has a drawing control unit that irradiates the object with the projection beam by controlling the projection unit. .

  According to this feature configuration, the detection unit irradiates the detection area with the detection beam, and the measurement unit measures the direction of the target and the distance to the target from the reflected beam reflected by the target existing in the detection area. When the measured distance to the object satisfies a predetermined condition, the drawing control unit controls the projection unit to project visible light onto the object. As a result, the driver of the vehicle can visually recognize the presence of the object by projecting visible light and can perform a stop operation or avoidance operation of the vehicle. Further, since the projection is performed only on the object, there is no waste of performing the projection on the object other than the object.

In particular, in this configuration, since a part of the optical system that sends out the detection beam in the measurement unit and a part of the optical system that sends out the projection beam in the projection unit are combined, two independent optical systems are provided. The size can be reduced. In addition, since the projection unit projects visible light using a part of the optical system that irradiates the detection beam, the distance to the object is known to satisfy a predetermined condition by the previous distance measurement. In this case, when the object is scanned by the measurement unit, it is possible to project visible light from the drawing control unit at the same position as the position where the detection beam is sent, which facilitates control of irradiation with the projection beam. Become.
Therefore, an apparatus capable of detecting an obstacle and appropriately projecting a light beam on the detected obstacle is configured in a small size.

As another configuration, the measurement unit scans the detection beam with respect to the detection area and has a detection structure of one frame having a data structure in which distance information is stored with respect to an XY coordinate system corresponding to the detection area. Generate information,
The drawing control unit may perform irradiation of the projection beam by acquiring position information of the detection area information of one frame.

  According to this, a measurement part scans the detection beam with respect to a detection area, and produces | generates the detection area information of 1 frame. Since the detection area information generated in this way has a data structure that enables acquisition of direction information and position information of the coordinate direction by designating XY coordinates, the drawing control unit determines whether or not projection is possible. Even in such a case, it is possible to acquire position information (direction information and distance information) by specifying coordinates in the detection area information.

  As another configuration, a part of the combined optical system includes a deflection mirror that reflects a beam along a scanning direction, and a beam that sends the detection beam and the projection beam to the deflection mirror on the same optical axis. A splitter may be provided.

  According to this, it becomes possible to configure a part of the optical system by using a single deflecting mirror and a single beam splitter, and the distance measurement position by the detection beam and the projection position by the projection beam are the same position. Can be maintained with high accuracy.

  As another configuration, the projection control unit may irradiate the projection beam at a timing different from the measurement of the distance to the object by the measurement unit.

  According to this, since the projection beam is irradiated at a timing different from the timing of measuring the direction of the object and the distance to the object in the measurement unit, for example, the projection beam is projected immediately after the measurement by the measurement unit. In addition, the projection beam can be projected after the measurement area is measured by the measurement unit.

  As another configuration, the measurement unit sets distance measuring points at positions separated from each other in the scanning direction by intermittently irradiating the detection beam with a set period along the scanning direction, the drawing control unit, A projectable region of the projection beam may be set in the middle of the distance measuring points adjacent in the scanning direction.

  In this configuration, the detection beam is intermittently irradiated, so that a region where the detection beam is not irradiated is formed between the adjacent distance measuring points. Therefore, by setting the area where the detection beam is not irradiated as a projectable area, it is possible to project the projection beam onto the object in parallel with the detection of the object by the detection beam.

As another configuration, the measurement unit scans the detection beam with respect to the detection area and has a detection structure of one frame having a data structure in which distance information is stored with respect to an XY coordinate system corresponding to the detection area. Generate information,
When it is determined in the detection area information that the object exists, the drawing control unit may irradiate the projection beam to the projectable region where the object exists.

  According to this, when the detection beam is irradiated to the area where the target is detected based on the already generated detection area information, the projection beam is irradiated to the projectable area. Thus, the detection of the object by the detection beam and the irradiation of the projection beam to the object can be performed in parallel.

  As another configuration, provided with a drawing control unit that irradiates the projection beam to the object by controlling the projection unit when a distance to the object measured by the measurement unit is less than a set value. May be.

  According to this, the detection unit irradiates the detection area with the detection beam, and the measurement unit measures the direction of the target object and the distance to the target object from the reflected beam reflected by the target object existing in the detection area. When the measured distance to the object is less than the set value, the drawing control unit can project visible light onto the object by controlling the projection unit.

It is a side view which shows mobility and a target object. It is a block circuit diagram of the projection device for vehicles. It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram which shows the detection area and target object of the projector for vehicles. It is a planar schematic diagram which shows the detection area and target object of the projector for vehicles. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the detection area measured by the distance measurement part. It is a perspective view which shows the surface shape of a target object. It is a flowchart of a ranging routine. It is a flowchart of a projection routine. It is a flowchart of the distance measurement and distance measurement routine of another embodiment (a). It is a figure which shows the ranging point and projection possible area | region of another embodiment (a).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Basic configuration]
FIG. 1 shows a small mobility M provided with a seat 3 on a vehicle body 2 that can be self-propelled by a wheel 1 driven by an electric motor, and a steering device 4 that steers the wheel 1. 1 shows a vehicle projection apparatus P provided.

  The mobility M is assumed to run at a low speed in the walking area of the pedestrian, and the vehicle projection device P is provided on the outer wall portion of the vehicle body 2. The vehicle projection device P irradiates a detection beam A to the detection area A (see FIG. 3) in front of the vehicle body 2 (running direction), and targets such as pillars, walls, installation objects, or human bodies in the detection area. The reflected beam reflected by T is received.

  Further, the vehicle projection device P measures the distance from the received reflected beam to the object T, and if it is determined from the measurement result that the object T exists at a distance that satisfies a predetermined condition, By irradiating the object T with a projection beam of visible light, the driver visually recognizes the presence of the object T, and assists the stop operation and avoidance operation of the mobility M. The driver can freely set a predetermined condition such as “satisfy less than the set distance”, for example.

[Vehicle projection device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicular projection apparatus P includes a measurement unit 10, a projection unit 20, and a control unit 30, and a beam deflection unit 40 that is also used as a part of the measurement unit 10 and the projection unit 20. I have. That is, the beam deflection unit 40 is configured as a part of the projection unit 20 at the same time as a part of the measurement unit 10.

  The measuring unit 10 includes a beam irradiation unit 10A, a light receiving unit 10B, and a distance measurement control unit 10C.

  The beam irradiation unit 10 </ b> A sends out a detection beam of infrared light (an example of invisible light) from the distance measuring laser light source 11 from the first lens 12 to the beam deflecting unit 40 via the sub beam splitter 13. The light receiving unit 10 </ b> B receives the detection beam transmitted from the beam deflecting unit 40 via the sub beam splitter 13, the mirror 14, and the second lens 15 by the light receiving element 16.

  Although details of the beam deflecting unit 40 will be described later, the beam deflecting unit 40 scans the detection beam from the beam irradiation unit 10A, and sends the reflected beam reflected by the object T at the distance measuring point to the light receiving unit 10B. .

  FIG. 3 shows a horizontal area Ax that is a detection width in the direction along the X axis of the detection area A, and a vertical area Ay that is a detection width in the direction along the Y axis. This detection area A is set in consideration of the light amount of the detection beam, the sensitivity of the light receiving element 16, the influence of disturbance light, and the like.

  The distance measurement control unit 10C controls the beam irradiation unit 10A and measures the distance from the detection beam received by the light receiving unit 10B to the object T. The distance measurement control unit 17 and the detection area information generation unit 18 and a frame memory 19.

  The distance measurement control unit 17 measures the distance from the vehicle projection device P to the object T by a TOF (Time of Flight) technique. This TOF technique emits laser light as a high-speed blinking pulse from the distance measuring laser light source 11 and realizes distance measurement from the time it takes for the reflected beam from the object T to be received by the light receiving element 16. To do.

  Further, in the distance measurement control unit 17, when a reflected beam from the object T is received, position information (direction information) indicating the direction in which the object T exists based on the irradiation angle of the detection beam at the light reception timing. And distance information).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the detection area information generation unit 18 generates detection area information acquired by scanning the detection area A defined by the horizontal area Ax and the vertical area Ay as one frame, Save in the frame memory 19. This detection area information is information that can be described in the XY coordinate system. That is, this detection area information corresponds to image data obtained by photographing the detection area from the position of the deflecting mirror 41 shown in FIG. 2 with a digital camera. As shown in FIG. This is a data structure in which position information (direction information and distance information) is written in a storage area of an address represented by

  In addition, the scanning position at which the distance is measured in the scanning of the detection beam in the detection area A is referred to as a distance measurement point. The distance measurement point includes position information in the X-axis direction and position information in the Y-axis direction ( Ranging position information is generated from these).

  The projection unit 20 includes an optical system that sends a projection beam of visible light from the projection laser light source 21 to the beam deflection unit 40 from the third lens 22, and a light emission control unit 23 that controls the projection laser light source 21.

  The control unit 30 controls the attitude of the deflection mirror 41 of the beam deflection unit 40 to realize a raster scan, and an area where the target T exists from the detection area information of one frame acquired from the frame memory 19. And a drawing control unit 33 that irradiates the drawing area E (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 4) of the target T with a projection beam.

  The beam deflection unit 40 includes a deflection mirror 41 and a main beam splitter 42 whose posture is determined by driving the first actuator 41x and the second actuator 41y. The first actuator 41x, the second actuator 41y, and the deflection mirror 41 are formed in a biaxial gimbal shape on the substrate by a semiconductor process.

  The main beam splitter 42 is configured to send the detection beam and the projection beam to the beam deflection unit 40 on the same optical axis.

  Since the beam deflection unit 40 is configured in this way, scanning on the scanning line is realized in the direction along the X axis by driving the first actuator 41x, and the scanning line is along the Y axis by driving the second actuator 41y. The direction is changed, and thereby raster scanning is realized.

  The beam deflection unit 40 scans the detection beam by reflecting the detection beam from the projection laser light source 21 by the deflection mirror 41 along the scanning direction. The deflecting mirror 41 receives light by reflecting the reflected light from the object T and guiding it to the light receiving unit 10B. Further, the beam deflection unit 40 realizes drawing by controlling the reflection direction of the projection beam from the projection laser light source 21 of the projection unit 20.

  Instead of the configuration of the deflection mirror 41 of the beam deflection unit 40, for example, a polygon mirror that rotates about a longitudinal axis to scan the beam in a direction along the X axis, and a beam about the Y axis. You may provide the deflection | deviation mirror which can adjust an angle so that it may change to the direction along. The scanning form may be a Lissajous pattern.

[Control form]
FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show an example of a distance measurement routine and a projection routine by the vehicle projection device P. In this control mode, the distance measurement routine and the projection routine are executed alternately.

  That is, in the distance measurement routine, the detection beam is scanned in the direction along the X axis, and the scanning process for shifting the scanning line in the Y axis direction for each scan is performed until the scanning of all areas of the detection area A is completed. Upon completion, one frame of detection area information is generated and stored in the frame memory 19 (steps # 101 to # 104).

  When scanning one scan line, measurement is performed for each distance measurement point corresponding to a preset time interval in the direction along the X axis (corresponding to the cell interval (distance) shown in FIG. 5). The distance is measured by the distance measurement control unit 17 of the distance control unit 10C, and the measured distance information and the direction information indicating the direction are stored as position information in the storage area of the address corresponding to the distance measurement point.

  Further, as scanning line information, an address is assigned to each distance measuring point, and distance information and direction information are written in the storage area of each address. The distance information is a distance to the object T existing in the detection area A measured by the distance measurement control unit 17.

  The direction information is information on angle information in the X-axis direction and angle information in the Y-axis direction of the deflection mirror at each distance measurement point. As described above, the position information includes angle information of the deflection mirror 41 when each detection point is irradiated with the detection beam in order to identify the distance measurement point. Corresponds to the information indicating the direction in which.

  The detection area information collectively shows all the scanning line information when the entire area of the detection area A is scanned. As shown in FIG. 5, the object T is detected among a plurality of distance measuring points. When x is added to the distance measuring point, the distance information Dp to the object T can be acquired by reading the information of the address of the distance measuring point where the object T exists (a point with x).

  Note that by comparing the read distance information Dp with a set value Dx (an example of a predetermined condition), it is possible to determine whether or not drawing with the projection beam on the object T is necessary. It is also possible to determine only the presence / absence of the object T far from the detection area information.

  Although the measurement unit 10 enables generation of detection area information having a number exceeding 10 frames per second, in this embodiment, the distance measurement routine and the projection routine are alternately performed. The process of acquiring is performed intermittently. Further, the detection area information acquired in the distance measurement routine is stored in the frame memory 19 with a frame name enabling each identification.

  In the projection routine, the detection area information stored in the frame memory 19 is acquired and loaded into the work area of the memory of the control unit 30, and the object extraction unit 32 sets the distance information Dp based on the position information. It is determined whether or not the object T exists in an area smaller than the value Dx (steps # 201 and # 202).

  Next, when it is determined that the target T is present in an area smaller than the set value Dx, the position of the target T is acquired, and 3D data is generated as shown in FIG. 6 (three-dimensional shape is acquired). Then, a drawing area E is set on the surface of the object T, and a drawing process is performed on the drawing area E (steps # 204 and # 205).

  In this process, detection area information stored in the frame memory 19 immediately before the projection routine is designated. In step # 202, if the distance information Dp is less than the set value Dx, the object extraction unit 32 assumes that the object T is a projection object even if part of the object T from the vehicle projection device P. In step # 204, the surface shape TS of the object T is specified based on the 3D data of the object T, and the drawing area E by the projection beam is set.

  It should be noted that the drawing area E does not have to have a distance from the vehicle projection device P that is less than the set value Dx, but may partially include an area that is larger (distant) than the set value Dx. .

  When the drawing area E extends over a plurality of distance measuring points at adjacent positions, the projection beam is irradiated by controlling the posture of the deflection mirror 41 so as to trace the plurality of distance measuring points in the projection control.

  Further, as a drawing process, the deflection mirror 41 is driven in the same manner as in the raster scan, and control is performed so that the projection beam irradiation is performed at a timing when the irradiation direction of the projection beam is directed toward the target T to be irradiated with the projection beam. The form may be set. Further, as a drawing process, only a region where there are a plurality of distance measuring points is irradiated with a projection beam so as to scan in the horizontal direction, or a projection beam is irradiated so as to draw a plurality of lines in an oblique direction. A control form may be set.

  In the case of irradiating the drawing area E with the projection beam, it is assumed that accurate irradiation is performed on the set drawing area E. For example, the drawing area E is drawn based on the resolution of the scanning line at the time of distance measurement. The control mode may be set so that the projection beam is irradiated in a predetermined area set with the area E as a reference. The beam diameter of the projection beam may be sufficiently larger than the beam diameter of the detection beam.

  Further, as a drawing process, the drawing control unit 33 stores image data such as symbols and characters in the lattice pattern, and draws the stored lattice pattern, symbols and characters in the drawing area E of the object T. It is also possible to display or blink these. Then, when drawing in the drawing area E, the drawing position is corrected from the positional relationship between the vehicle projection device P and the object T so that the drawing position and the drawing size do not change as the vehicle body 2 moves. Is also possible. For example, when three types of light sources corresponding to the light beams of the three primary colors of RBG are used as the projection laser light source 21, color drawing is realized.

[Operation / Effect of Embodiment]
As described above, when the distance to the target T measured by the measurement unit 10 satisfies a predetermined condition, such as when the mobility M travels and approaches the target T, the target T is Drawing is performed by projecting visible light. As a result, the driver can visually recognize the presence of the object T and perform a stop operation or an avoidance operation.

  In addition, in this configuration, since a part of the optical system that sends out the detection beam in the measurement unit 10 and the beam deflecting unit 40 that is also used as part of the optical system that sends out the projection beam in the projection unit 20 are provided, the measurement is independent. This eliminates the need for an optical system, and enables downsizing.

  In addition, since the measuring unit 10 projects visible light by the projection unit 20 using an optical system that irradiates the detection beam, it is known that the distance to the object T satisfies a predetermined condition by the previous distance measurement, for example. In this case, when scanning the target T for distance measurement later, it becomes possible to emit visible light from the control unit 30 to the same point as the distance measuring point to which the detection beam is sent, Irradiation control is facilitated.

  Further, when the distance measurement is performed by the measurement unit 10, detection information stored in the frame memory 19 is generated in order to generate detection area information for one frame corresponding to the detection area A and store it in the frame memory 19. It is also possible to easily determine whether or not the projection beam can be irradiated from the area information.

  Then, immediately after the detection area information is generated by the irradiation of the detection beam, for example, even if the target T moves to determine whether or not the target T exists and determine whether or not the projection beam can be irradiated. It is also possible to irradiate the projection beam appropriately.

[Another embodiment]
In addition to the above-described embodiments, the present invention may be configured as follows (the components having the same functions as those of the embodiments are given the same numbers and symbols as those of the embodiments).

(A) By executing the distance measurement / projection routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the distance measurement routine and the projection routine described in the embodiment are configured to be performed in parallel. That is, by performing the scanning process (# 301 step), as shown in FIG. 10, the detection beam is irradiated intermittently along the scanning line L at a set cycle. In this scanning, since the distance measurement points Q are set at positions separated from each other in the scanning direction in the scanning line L and a process of discrete detection is performed, among these distance measurement points Q, the adjacent distance measurement points Q are detected. A projectable region R is set between them.

  Further, when the detection beam A is irradiated to the detection area A, it is determined whether or not the target T exists in the region corresponding to the scanning line L in the detection area information that has already been generated, and the scanning beam is detected. When the target T is present at the scanning position, the projection beam is irradiated onto the projectable region R existing on the scanning line L (steps # 302 to # 304).

  Since the projectable region R to be irradiated with the projection beam is set based on the detection area information already generated in this way, there is no error in the irradiation position of the projection beam, and high-speed processing is possible.

  Then, the scanning process is performed until the scanning of all the areas of the detection area A is completed. When the scanning process is completed, one frame of detection area information is generated and stored in the frame memory 19 (steps # 305 to # 307).

  In this other embodiment (a), the control for irradiating the detection area A with the detection beam and measuring the distance and the control for irradiating the projection beam to the projectable region R in the middle of the distance measurement point can be performed in parallel. The control interval for irradiating the object T with the projection beam can be shortened. Further, immediately after receiving the reflected beam from the object T, the projection beam can be projected toward the object T before the next light reception timing, so that the beam deflecting unit 40 does not perform the deflection for the projection. It will end.

(B) When scanning control for irradiating a detection beam along a predetermined scanning line is performed and the object T is detected, the previous scanning control is performed when scanning the detection beam along the next scanning line. Control is performed to irradiate the projection beam at a timing when the irradiation direction of the detection beam is directed to the direction of irradiating the target T detected in step.

  In this control mode, even in the control mode in which the projection beam is irradiated to the projectable region R set in the same manner as in the other embodiment (a) described above, the projection beam is irradiated to the position overlapping the position of the distance measuring point Q. It may be a control form. Further, in this control mode, an error occurs between the detection position of the object T and the irradiation position of the projection beam by the detection beam as compared with the other embodiment (a). It becomes possible to irradiate the projection beam. In this control mode, the detection beam wavelength and the projection beam wavelength are set so as not to interfere with each other.

(C) When setting the drawing area E, it is not always necessary to acquire the three-dimensional shape of the target T. For example, the drawing area E is applied to the entire target T satisfying a predetermined condition from the vehicle projection device P. The processing mode is set so that the drawing process is performed after setting. In other words, in this control mode, the target beam T that satisfies the predetermined condition with respect to the vehicle projection device P is always irradiated with the projection beam, so that the control is simple and the processing speed can be improved.

(D) Obtaining an average value of the extracted drawing areas E from a plurality of detection area information continuously acquired within a predetermined time, or excluding those having a large variation among the extracted drawing areas E You may set a control form so that a process may be performed. Thereby, the position accuracy of the drawing area E can be improved.

(E) When the object T is stopped and the vehicle body 2 travels at a very low speed, or when the vehicle body 2 stops, the number of scans of the detection beam by the measurement unit 10 is reduced or the scanning is stopped. To do. By performing such control, useless control can be suppressed.

(F) To obtain the distance from the position of the same object T or the amount of change in the size of the same object to the object T in a plurality of detection area information acquired in conjunction with the travel of the vehicle body 2 The measuring unit 10 is configured as follows.

  That is, since this another embodiment (f) has a configuration for measuring the distance of the object T based on the parallax, it is not necessary to use TOF (Time of Flight) technology, and without using a distance sensor. That's it. In addition, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced. In this configuration, a time lag may occur until the distance to the object T is acquired, but by correcting the timing of projection control from the positional relationship between the traveling speed of the vehicle body 2 and the object T, It is also possible to perform projection at an optimal position.

  The present invention can be used in a vehicle projection device that projects visible light onto an obstacle.

10 Distance measurement unit (measurement unit)
20 Projector 33 Drawing Controller 41 Deflection Mirror 42 Beam Splitter A Detection Area Dp Distance Information (Distance)
Dx setting value E Drawing area T Object

Claims (7)

When a detection beam is irradiated to the detection area, and there is an object in the detection area, a reflected beam from the object irradiated with the detection beam is detected to detect the direction of the object and the object. A measurement unit that measures the distance of the projection unit, and a projection unit that irradiates a projection beam made of visible light,
A part of the optical system that sends out the detection beam in the measurement unit and a part of the optical system that sends out the projection beam in the projection unit are combined,
When the distance to the object measured by the measurement unit satisfies a predetermined condition, the vehicle projection includes a drawing control unit that irradiates the projection beam to the object by controlling the projection unit. apparatus. The measurement unit performs scanning of the detection beam with respect to the detection area, and generates 1-frame detection area information having a data structure in which distance information is stored with respect to an XY coordinate system corresponding to the detection area,
The vehicle projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing control unit acquires position information of the detection area information of one frame and irradiates the projection beam.   A part of the optical system that is also used includes a deflection mirror that reflects a beam along a scanning direction, and a beam splitter that sends the detection beam and the projection beam to the deflection mirror on the same optical axis. The vehicle projection device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle projection device is configured.   The vehicular projection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the projection control unit irradiates the projection beam at a timing different from the measurement of the distance to the object by the measurement unit.   The measurement unit intermittently irradiates the detection beam with a set cycle along the scanning direction to set ranging points at positions separated from each other in the scanning direction, and the drawing control unit is adjacent in the scanning direction. The vehicle projection device according to claim 4, wherein a projection possible region of the projection beam is set between the distance measuring points. The measurement unit performs scanning of the detection beam with respect to the detection area, and generates 1-frame detection area information having a data structure in which distance information is stored with respect to an XY coordinate system corresponding to the detection area,
6. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein when it is determined that the object exists in the detection area information, the drawing control unit irradiates the projection beam to the projectable area where the object exists. Projection device. 2. A drawing control unit that irradiates the object with the projection beam by controlling the projection unit when a distance to the object measured by the measurement unit is less than a set value. The vehicle projection device described in 1.

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