JP2022157940A - electronic mirror system - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a driver to check the rear of a vehicle easily even if an abnormality occurs in an electronic mirror system.SOLUTION: An electronic mirror system includes: an imaging part 3 which is attached to a protruding body 20 protruding in a vehicle width direction relative to a side surface of a vehicle and captures images of the rear; a control unit which causes a display part to display the images capture by the imaging part 3; a mirror surface part 25 which is attached to a position different from an attachment position of the imaging part 3 in the protruding body 20; and a rotation mechanism 27 which rotates the protruding body 20 around an axis along the vehicle width direction between a first position, where the imaging part 3 faces the rear, and a second position, where the mirror surface part 25 faces the rear.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to electronic mirror systems.

In recent years, instead of side mirrors, an electronic mirror system has been proposed in which an image pickup unit picks up an image of the rear of the vehicle and displays the picked-up image on a display unit inside the vehicle (see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2020-19351 A

Since the electronic mirror system uses electronic devices, there is a possibility that an abnormality may occur in the system. If a system malfunction occurs, the captured image will not be displayed properly on the display unit, making it difficult for the driver to check behind the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to enable the driver to easily check the rear of the vehicle even if an abnormality occurs in the electronic mirror system.

In one aspect of the present invention, an imaging unit that is attached to a projecting body projecting in a vehicle width direction from a side surface of a vehicle and captures an image of the rear, and control for displaying an image captured by the imaging unit on a display unit. a mirror surface portion attached to the projecting body at a position different from the mounting position of the imaging unit; a first position where the imaging unit faces the rear; and a second position where the mirror surface faces the rear. and a rotating mechanism for rotating the projecting body around an axis extending in the vehicle width direction.

Further, the direction in which the mirror face portion faces may be orthogonal to the direction in which the imaging portion faces.

Further, when the projecting body is positioned at the first position, the mirror surface portion may face vertically downward.

Further, the control section may turn off the imaging section and the display section when the rotation of the projecting body positioned at the first position to the second position is detected.

Further, the control section may cause the rotating mechanism to rotate the projecting body to the second position when an abnormality in the system is detected.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is effective in the driver|operator being able to check the back of a vehicle easily, even if abnormality arises in an electronic mirror system.

1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of an electronic mirror system 1 according to one embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining mounting positions of imaging units 3 and 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a projecting body 20; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a projecting body 20;

<Configuration of electronic mirror system>
A configuration of an electronic mirror system according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of an electronic mirror system 1 according to one embodiment. The electronic mirror system 1 is mounted on a vehicle and used as a substitute for side mirrors. The electronic mirror system 1 captures an image of the rear of the vehicle and displays the captured image on the display unit. As a result, the driver of the vehicle can check the rear of the vehicle, which is a blind spot, during driving or when getting off the vehicle. The electronic mirror system 1 has a plurality of imaging units 3 and 4, a plurality of display units 5 and 6, a detection unit 8, and a control device 10, as shown in FIG.

The imaging units 3 and 4 are provided on both sides of the vehicle and capture images of the rear of the vehicle. The imaging units 3 and 4 are, for example, wide-angle cameras and include imaging elements. The imaging units 3 and 4 output captured images to the control device 10 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the mounting positions of the imaging units 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. The imaging unit 3 is attached to the left side surface of the vehicle 100 as shown in FIG. 2 and images the left rear of the vehicle 100 . Specifically, the imaging unit 3 is attached to a protrusion 20 that protrudes from the left side surface of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width direction. The imaging unit 4 is attached to the right side surface of the vehicle 100 and images the right rear of the vehicle 100 . Specifically, the imaging unit 4 is attached to a protrusion 30 that protrudes from the right side surface of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width direction. The detailed configuration of the projecting bodies 20 and 30 will be described later.

The display units 5 and 6 are provided inside the vehicle and display the captured images captured by the imaging units 3 and 4 . For example, the display unit 5 displays an image captured by the imaging unit 3 and the display unit 6 displays an image captured by the imaging unit 4 . The display units 5 and 6 are liquid crystal displays, for example. The display unit 5 is arranged near the imaging unit 3 in the vehicle, and the display unit 6 is arranged near the imaging unit 4 .

A detector 8 detects the state of the electronic mirror system 1 . For example, the detection unit 8 can detect whether there is an abnormality in the system by detecting the imaging units 3 and 4, the display units 5 and 6, the control device 10, and the state of harnesses connecting these. be. The detection unit 8 outputs the detection result to the control device 10 .

A control device 10 controls the operation of the electronic mirror system 1 . That is, the control device 10 causes the imaging units 3 and 4 to perform imaging, and causes the display units 5 and 6 to display the captured images. The control device 10 has a storage section 12 and a control section 14 .

The storage unit 12 includes, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 12 stores programs and various data for the control unit 14 to execute.

The control unit 14 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 14 controls operations of the electronic mirror system 1 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 12 . For example, the control unit 14 causes the display units 5 and 6 to display captured images captured by the imaging units 3 and 4 .

By the way, since the electronic mirror system 1 uses electronic devices such as the imaging units 3 and 4 and the display units 5 and 6, there is a possibility that an abnormality may occur in the system. When the system malfunctions, the captured images are not properly displayed on the display units 5 and 6, making it difficult for the driver to check behind.
On the other hand, in this embodiment, although the details will be described later, the projecting bodies 20 and 30 are provided with a mirror surface portion in addition to the imaging units 3 and 4, and when a system abnormality occurs, the mirror surface portion It is configured such that the protrusions 20 and 30 can be rotated so as to face the rear. The projecting bodies 20 and 30 rotate around the rotation axis C shown in FIG. As a result, when a system abnormality occurs, the driver of the vehicle can easily check the rear of the vehicle by looking at the image reflected on the mirror surface facing the rear.

<Detailed configuration of projecting body>
A detailed configuration of the protrusions 20 and 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. Since the projecting bodies 20 and 30 have the same configuration, the projecting body 20 to which the imaging section 3 is attached will be described below as an example.

3 and 4 are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of the projecting body 20. FIG. FIG. 3 shows the protrusion 20 positioned at the first position, and FIG. 4 shows the protrusion 20 positioned at the second position. The projecting body 20 is arranged at a position where a vehicle mirror is installed. The projecting body 20 has a housing 22, a mirror portion 25, and a rotating mechanism 27, as shown in FIG.

The housing 22 is a portion forming the skeleton of the projecting body 20, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape here. An imaging unit 3 is arranged inside the housing 22 . The housing 22 is rotatable between a first position shown in FIG. 3 and a second position shown in FIG. The housing 22 is positioned at the second position by rotating in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 3 from the first position.

The first position is a position where the rear surface 23a of the housing 22 is parallel to the vertical direction. An opening is formed in the rear surface 23a so that the imaging unit 3 can image the rear. The second position is a position where the bottom surface 23b of the housing 22 is parallel to the vertical direction. The housing 22 is positioned at the first position when the electronic mirror system 1 is operating normally, and is positioned at the second position when an abnormality occurs in the system.

The mirror surface portion 25 is formed in a flat plate shape. The mirror surface portion 25 is attached at a position different from the attachment position of the imaging portion 3 on the projecting body 20 . Specifically, the mirror surface portion 25 is attached to the bottom surface 23 b of the housing 22 .

The mirror surface portion 25 faces vertically downward as shown in FIG. 3 when the projecting body 20 is positioned at the first position. In this case, even if the light is incident on the mirror surface portion 25, it is reflected on the road surface, so that the reflected light can be prevented from adversely affecting surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, and the like. When the projecting body 20 is positioned at the first position, the imaging unit 3 faces the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, when the protruding body 20 is positioned at the first position, the direction in which the mirror surface portion 25 faces is orthogonal to the direction in which the imaging portion 3 faces.

On the other hand, the mirror surface portion 25 faces the rear of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 4 when the projecting body 20 is positioned at the second position. Therefore, when the projecting body 20 is positioned at the second position, the situation behind the vehicle is reflected on the mirror surface portion 25 . Thus, the driver of the vehicle can check the rear of the vehicle by looking at the mirror surface portion 25 when the projecting body 20 is positioned at the second position.

The mirror surface portion 25 is provided over substantially the entire area of the bottom surface 23b here. In this case, since the mirror surface portion 25 having a large area can be arranged, a wide range behind the vehicle can be confirmed by the mirror surface portion 25 when the projecting body 20 is positioned at the second position. In addition, it is not limited to the above, and the mirror surface portion 25 may be provided in a partial area of the bottom surface 23b.

The rotating mechanism 27 is a mechanism for rotating the projecting body 20 around an axis along the vehicle width direction (that is, the rotation axis C shown in FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the rotating mechanism 27 rotates the projecting body 20 between a first position where the imaging section 3 faces rearward and a second position where the mirror surface section 25 faces rearward. Here, the driver of the vehicle manually rotates the protrusion 20 between the first position and the second position.

The rotation mechanism 27 may have a rotation restricting portion that restricts the protrusion 20 from rotating more than 90 degrees from the first position. As an example, the rotation restricting portion has a lock mechanism that locks the projecting body 20 at a position rotated by 90 degrees from the first position. As a result, when the driver manually rotates the projecting body 20, it is possible to prevent the projecting body 20 from rotating more than 90 degrees. As a result, when the projecting body 20 is manually rotated, the projecting body 20 can be easily positioned at the second position rotated 90 degrees from the first position, and the driver can easily check the rear by the mirror surface portion 25. .

The control unit 14 of the control device 10 may control the operations of the imaging units 3 and 4 and the display units 5 and 6 according to the positions of the projecting bodies 20 and 30 . For example, the control unit 14 turns off the imaging unit 3 and the display unit 5 when the rotation of the projecting body 20 positioned at the first position to the second position is detected. That is, the control unit 14 turns off the imaging unit 3 and the display unit 5 in a situation where the rear is confirmed by the mirror surface unit 25 . At this time, the control unit 14 turns off not only the imaging unit 3 and the display unit 5 but also the imaging unit 4 and the display unit 6 . It should be noted that the rotation of the protrusion 20 to the second position is detected by the detector 8 .

In the above description, the mirror surface portion 25 is attached to the bottom surface 23b of the housing 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the mirror surface portion 25 may be attached to the upper surface of the housing 22 .

In the above description, the driver of the vehicle manually rotates the projecting body 20 to the second position. good. For example, the controller 14 drives a motor provided in the rotating mechanism 27 to rotate the projecting body 20 to the second position. Specifically, when the detection unit 8 detects an abnormality in the system, the control unit 14 causes the rotation mechanism 27 to rotate the protrusion 20 to the second position. As a result, the projecting body 20 rotates to the second position as soon as an abnormality occurs in the system.
When rotating the projecting body 20, the control unit 14 also rotates the projecting body 30 together.

<Effects of this embodiment>
The electronic mirror system 1 of the above-described embodiment has a mirror surface portion 25 attached at a position different from the mounting position of the imaging unit 3 on the projecting body 20, a first position where the imaging unit 3 faces the rear, and a mirror surface portion 25. and a rotating mechanism 27 for rotating the projecting body 20 between the rearward facing second position and the second position.
As a result, when a system malfunction occurs, the projecting body 20 can be rotated to the second position so that the mirror surface portion 25 faces rearward. Therefore, when a system abnormality occurs, the driver of the vehicle can easily check the rear of the vehicle by looking at the image reflected on the mirror surface portion 25 . As a result, even if a system abnormality occurs, the driver can continue to drive the vehicle by checking the rear side with the mirror surface portion 25 .

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. be. For example, all or part of the device can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units. Further, new embodiments resulting from arbitrary combinations of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment caused by the combination has the effect of the original embodiment.

1 Electronic Mirror System 3, 4 Imaging Section 5, 6 Display Section 14 Control Section 20 Protruding Body 25 Mirror Surface Section 27 Rotation Mechanism

Claims (5)

an imaging unit attached to a projecting body projecting in the vehicle width direction from the side surface of the vehicle and capturing an image of the rear;
a control unit for displaying a captured image captured by the imaging unit on a display unit;
a mirror surface portion attached to the projecting body at a position different from the mounting position of the imaging unit;
a rotation mechanism for rotating the projecting body about an axis along the vehicle width direction between a first position where the imaging unit faces the rear and a second position where the mirror surface faces the rear;
an electronic mirror system. The direction in which the mirror face portion faces is perpendicular to the direction in which the imaging portion faces,
The electronic mirror system of claim 1. When the projecting body is positioned at the first position, the mirror surface portion faces vertically downward,
The electronic mirror system according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit turns off the imaging unit and the display unit when rotation of the projecting body positioned at the first position to the second position is detected.
The electronic mirror system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When an abnormality in the system is detected, the control unit causes the rotation mechanism to rotate the projecting body to the second position.
The electronic mirror system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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