JP2024063298A - Drawing control device and drawing control method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To allow a vehicle behind the host vehicle to overtake a motorcycle or the like in an appropriate manner. [Solution] A drawing control device 20 includes a road section detection unit 24 that detects that the host vehicle is traveling on the roadside of a roadway, a vehicle detection unit 25 that detects a vehicle behind the host vehicle traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle from behind the host vehicle, a vehicle information acquisition unit 26 that acquires information indicating the traveling speed of the vehicle behind detected by the vehicle detection unit 25, and a drawing control unit 27 that changes the drawing range according to the traveling speed of the vehicle behind acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 26, and draws an image on the road surface around the host vehicle. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a drawing control device and a drawing control method.

Two-wheeled vehicles such as bicycles often travel on the side of the road. Therefore, when a vehicle approaching from behind overtakes a motorcycle, a dangerous situation can occur depending on the speed and size of the vehicle. There is known technology that improves safety by having the motorcycle project information onto the road surface. There is known technology that projects route-related information onto the road surface from the motorcycle or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). There is known technology that displays the route to overtake the motorcycle on the vehicle that is overtaking the motorcycle (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2016-090318 A JP 2021-149291 A

When a motorcycle is being overtaken by another vehicle, even if an appropriate distance is maintained during the overtaking, the motorcycle rider may feel fear or be affected by wind pressure depending on the speed and size of the vehicle when being overtaken. The technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not take into consideration how to deal with such situations.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above, and aims to allow a vehicle behind that is overtaking a motorcycle or other vehicle to overtake appropriately.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the drawing control device according to the present invention includes a roadway detection unit that detects that the host vehicle is traveling on the roadside of a roadway, a vehicle detection unit that detects other vehicles behind the host vehicle traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle, a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the traveling speed of the other vehicles behind the host vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit, and a drawing control unit that changes the drawing range according to the traveling speed of the other vehicles behind the host vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and draws an image on the road surface around the host vehicle.

The drawing control method according to the present invention is executed by a drawing control device to perform a roadway section detection step for detecting that the host vehicle is traveling on the roadside of a roadway, a vehicle detection step for detecting a vehicle traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle from behind the host vehicle, a vehicle information acquisition step for acquiring information indicating the traveling speed of the vehicle detected in the vehicle detection step, and a drawing control step for changing the drawing range according to the traveling speed of the vehicle acquired in the vehicle information acquisition step, and drawing an image on the road surface around the host vehicle.

The present invention has the effect of allowing other vehicles behind, which are overtaking a motorcycle or the like, to overtake appropriately.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a rendering apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the drawing range. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the drawing range. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the drawing device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the drawing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the drawing device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a rendering apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the drawing range. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the drawing range. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the drawing device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a rendering apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the drawing device according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow in the drawing device according to the fifth embodiment.

Embodiments of a drawing control device and a drawing control method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[First embodiment]
<Drawing device>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drawing device according to a first embodiment. The drawing device 10 is mounted on the host vehicle. The drawing device 10 may be a portable device that can be used in the host vehicle, in addition to being mounted on the host vehicle. When another vehicle, for example a four-wheeled vehicle, is located behind the host vehicle, the drawing device 10 performs drawing on the other vehicle behind in a drawing range around the host vehicle. The other vehicle behind may be rephrased as the other vehicle following behind.

The subject vehicle is, for example, a vehicle that travels on the side of the road when traveling on a public road, such as a motorcycle (especially a motorized bicycle or a small two-wheeled vehicle), a light vehicle such as a bicycle, or an electric kick scooter. Although they are also called two-wheeled vehicles, the exact number of wheels does not matter. As mentioned above, the subject subject vehicle is a vehicle that travels on the side of the road on a public road at a speed slower than a general automobile.

Another vehicle is a vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle you are traveling in, in the same direction. Traveling in the same lane means that your vehicle and the other vehicle are traveling in the same vehicle lane, separated by a vehicle boundary line.

The drawing device 10 has a camera 11, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 12, a drawing unit 15, and a drawing control device 20. The map information storage unit 13 and the vehicle detection model 14 shown in FIG. 1 may be stored in a storage medium such as a memory provided in the drawing device 10, and may be able to refer to information stored in an external server or the like via a communication unit not shown. The drawing device 10 may be a dedicated device equipped with the drawing unit 15, and some of the configurations and functions of the GNSS receiver 12 and the position information acquisition unit 22, the map information storage unit 13 and the map information acquisition unit 23, the driving section detection unit 24, etc. may use the functions and configurations of other devices such as a smartphone.

The camera 11 captures an area including the rear of the vehicle. Multiple cameras 11 may be arranged. In this embodiment, the camera 11 is arranged at the rear of the vehicle and captures video data of the surrounding area centered on the rear of the vehicle. The video data is a moving image composed of images at, for example, 30 frames per second. The camera 11 outputs the captured video data to the imaging control unit 21 of the drawing control device 20.

The GNSS receiving unit 12 is composed of a GNSS receiver that receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites. The GNSS receiving unit 12 outputs the received GNSS signals to the position information acquisition unit 22.

The map information storage unit 13 stores map information including road information. The map information storage unit 13 stores road information including, for example, information on the roadway, sidewalk, and roadside of the road. The map information storage unit 13 may store road information including, for example, information on the width of the roadway of the road. As an example, the map information storage unit 13 is shared with other systems installed in the vehicle.

The vehicle detection model 14 is a trained model for detecting vehicles from images captured by the camera 11. The vehicle detection model 14 is generated from input training data by deep learning. The deep learning method and the method of generating the learning model can be any known method and are not limited to this. The vehicle detection model 14 may be stored in a storage device such as a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), or an external storage device via a network.

The drawing unit 15 draws an image on the road surface around the vehicle. The drawing unit 15 is, for example, a projector using a laser light source or a projector using a liquid crystal display element. The drawing unit 15 is not limited as long as it is capable of drawing on the road surface. The drawing unit 15 projects the image based on a control signal output by the drawing control unit 27 of the drawing control device 20.

<Drawing control device>
The imaging control device 20 is an arithmetic processing device configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an image processing processor. The imaging control device 20 loads a program stored in a storage unit (not shown) into a memory and executes instructions included in the program. The imaging control device 20 has a shooting control unit 21, a position information acquisition unit 22, a map information acquisition unit 23, a driving section detection unit 24, a vehicle detection unit 25, a vehicle information acquisition unit 26, and a imaging control unit 27. The imaging control device 20 includes an internal memory (not shown), which is used for temporary storage of data in the imaging control device 20. The imaging control device 20 may be configured with one or more devices.

The shooting control unit 21 controls the camera 11 to capture an image including the area behind the vehicle and acquire video data. More specifically, while the drawing device 10 is running, the shooting control unit 21 constantly shoots images using the camera 11 and acquires video data. The shooting control unit 21 acquires the video data output by the camera 11 and outputs it to the driving zone detection unit 24 and the other vehicle detection unit 25.

The position information acquisition unit 22 acquires current position information indicating the current position of the vehicle. More specifically, the position information acquisition unit 22 acquires the current position information from the GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiving unit 12 using a known method.

The map information acquisition unit 23 acquires map information corresponding to the current location. More specifically, the map information acquisition unit 23 acquires map information corresponding to the current location acquired by the location information acquisition unit 22 based on the map information stored in the map information storage unit 13.

The driving section detection unit 24 detects that the vehicle is traveling on the side of a roadway. More specifically, the driving section detection unit 24 detects that the current position of the vehicle is on the side of a road based on the current position acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 and the map information corresponding to the current position acquired by the map information acquisition unit 23.

The side of a road refers to the shoulder strip where vehicles such as motorcycles, bicycles, and electric scooters can travel, or about 1m from the side edge of the road. Here, it does not matter whether there is a lane that distinguishes the vehicle travel section from the shoulder strip.

The roadside may be determined, for example, if the vehicle's current position is moving along the direction of the road on the map and indicates that the vehicle is on the side of the roadway and not on a sidewalk, assuming that the error in the current position information is between a few centimeters and a dozen centimeters.

The roadside may be determined to be the side of the road, for example, if the vehicle's current position indicates that it is moving along the direction of a road without a sidewalk on the map. In this case, it is not a problem even if the error in the current position information is on the order of several tens of centimeters.

The other vehicle detection unit 25 detects other vehicles behind the vehicle traveling in the same direction as the vehicle. In this embodiment, the other vehicle detection unit 25 detects other vehicles behind the vehicle from the video acquired by the shooting control unit 21 using the vehicle detection model 14. The other vehicle detection unit 25 particularly detects vehicles whose front is captured in the video as rear vehicles. The other vehicle detection unit 25 tracks the detected rear vehicles. For example, it is sufficient for the other vehicle detection unit 25 to detect other vehicles behind the vehicle that are present up to about 100 m behind the vehicle.

The other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 acquires information indicating the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25. More specifically, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 estimates the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind, or the difference in traveling speed between the own vehicle and the other vehicle behind, from the change in size of each frame of the video of the other vehicle behind detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25. In this case, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 estimates the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind, or the difference in traveling speed between the own vehicle and the other vehicle behind, by also acquiring traveling speed information of the own vehicle.

The drawing control unit 27 draws an image by irradiating a light beam onto the road surface to the side or rear of the vehicle. In this case, the image also includes the light beam simply being irradiated onto a predetermined range on the road surface. In other words, the drawing control unit 27 projects light onto a predetermined range on the road surface to the side or rear of the vehicle. More specifically, the drawing control unit 27 controls the drawing unit 15 using a drawing method such as laser scanning to draw an image on the road surface of a drawing range according to the information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26. The drawing control unit 27 ends drawing the image of the drawing range when the other vehicle being tracked behind is no longer detected, in other words, when the other vehicle behind is no longer present.

The drawing range is the area around the vehicle in motion within which it is desired to prevent other vehicles from entering. The drawing range is a figure of any shape, such as an ellipse, rectangle, trapezoid, or triangle. The drawing range may be, for example, a line indicating the side of the figure that is farthest from the vehicle. The drawing range includes at least one of the following areas: the lateral direction on the side where the vehicle behind will overtake, the rear of the vehicle, and the front of the vehicle.

The drawing control unit 27 changes the drawing range according to the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26, and draws an image on the road surface around the vehicle. More specifically, the drawing range is made wider than a specified range according to the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind, and an image is drawn on the road surface around the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range as the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 becomes faster, or as the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind increases relative to the traveling speed of the vehicle. For example, when the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind is equal to or higher than a threshold, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range. In this case, the threshold for the traveling speed may be, for example, about 40 km/h. The threshold for the traveling speed is set to a speed higher than the speed at which the vehicle behind runs on the roadside. For example, when the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind relative to the traveling speed of the vehicle behind, i.e., the traveling speed difference, is equal to or higher than a threshold, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range. In this case, the threshold for the traveling speed difference may be, for example, about 20 km/h.

In this embodiment, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider range in at least one of the lateral direction of the vehicle behind the vehicle, the rear of the vehicle, and the front of the vehicle.

Widening the range means, for example, in the case of the drawing range behind the vehicle (hereafter referred to as the rear drawing range), lengthening the length of the drawing range along the vehicle's traveling direction so that it extends rearward. Widening the range means, for example, in the case of the drawing range to the side of the vehicle (hereafter referred to as the side drawing range), widening the width of the drawing range to the side of the vehicle so that it is moved away from the vehicle.

Figure 2 is a diagram explaining the drawing range. Road Rd1 shown in Figure 2 is a road with one lane on each side, with a center line CL1. Motorcycle Ms, which is the vehicle, is traveling on the roadside Rs1 of road Rd1. A sidewalk Sw1 is provided on the left side of the lane on which the motorcycle Ms is traveling. Behind the motorcycle Ms, there is another vehicle V1 traveling in the same direction as the motorcycle Ms. In this case, the drawing unit 15 mounted on the motorcycle Ms draws a side drawing range Irs1 on the side of the motorcycle Ms and a rear drawing range Irr1 on the rear. For example, if the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind is less than a threshold value, the side drawing range Irs1 and rear drawing range Irr1 shown in Figure 2 are drawn. The side drawing range Irs1 and rear drawing range Irr1 are called the specified drawing range.

Figure 3 is a diagram explaining the drawing range. In Figure 3, behind the motorcycle Ms, there is another vehicle V2 traveling in the same direction as the motorcycle Ms. In this case, the drawing unit 15 mounted on the motorcycle Ms draws a side drawing range Irs2 on the side of the motorcycle Ms, and a rear drawing range Irr2 on the rear. The side drawing range Irs2 is wider than the side drawing range Irs1. The side drawing range Irs2 is wider to the right than the side drawing range Irs1. The rear drawing range Irr2 is wider than the rear drawing range Irr1. The rear drawing range Irr2 is longer to the rear than the rear drawing range Irr1. For example, if the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the side drawing range Irs2 and rear drawing range Irr2 shown in Figure 3 are drawn.

Figures 2 and 3 are diagrams explaining the case where the roadside is on the left side of the lane on a road with left-hand traffic, but in the case of a road with right-hand traffic, the left and right are reversed and the side drawing range Irs2 also becomes wider to the right.

<Processing in the drawing control device>
Next, a process flow in the drawing control device 20 of the drawing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in the drawing device 10 according to the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 4 is repeatedly executed while the drawing control device 20 is operating or while a vehicle such as a motorcycle equipped with the drawing control device 20 is operating.

When the drawing device 10 is running, the drawing control device 20 controls the imaging control unit 21 to capture images using the camera 11 and acquire the captured video data.

The drawing control device 20 determines whether the vehicle is traveling on the side of the roadway (step S101). More specifically, the drawing control device 20 detects that the current position of the vehicle is on the side of the roadway using the driving section detection unit 24 based on the current position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 and the map information corresponding to the current position acquired by the map information acquisition unit 23. If the driving section detection unit 24 determines that the vehicle is traveling on the side of the road (Yes in step S101), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S102. If the driving section detection unit 24 does not determine that the vehicle is traveling on the side of the road (No in step S101), the drawing control device 20 ends this process.

When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the side of the road (Yes in step S101), the imaging control device 20 determines whether or not a rear vehicle has been detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25 (step S102). More specifically, the imaging control device 20 detects a rear vehicle from the video acquired by the shooting control unit 21 using the vehicle detection model 14 by the other vehicle detection unit 25. When the imaging control device 20 determines that a rear vehicle has been detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25 (Yes in step S102), it proceeds to step S103. When the imaging control device 20 does not determine that a rear vehicle has been detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25 (No in step S102), it proceeds to step S108.

When it is determined that a rear vehicle has been detected (Yes in step S102), the drawing control device 20 determines whether the traveling speed of the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value (step S103). More specifically, the drawing control device 20 estimates the traveling speed of the rear vehicle from the change in size of each frame of the image of the rear vehicle detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25 using the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26. When it is determined that the traveling speed of the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value (Yes in step S103), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S104. When it is determined that the traveling speed of the rear vehicle is not equal to or greater than a threshold value (No in step S103), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S105.

When it is determined that the traveling speed of the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold (Yes in step S103), the drawing control device 20 starts drawing an image with a wider drawing range by the drawing control unit 27 (step S104). More specifically, the drawing control device 20 controls the drawing unit 15 by the drawing control unit 27 to draw an image with a drawing range wider than the specified drawing range on the road surface behind and to the right of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3. The drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S106.

If it is not determined that the traveling speed of the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold (No in step S103), the drawing control device 20 starts drawing an image of the specified drawing range by the drawing control unit 27 (step S105). More specifically, the drawing control device 20 controls the drawing unit 15 by the drawing control unit 27 to draw an image of the specified drawing range on the road surface behind and to the right of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 2. The drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S106.

The imaging control device 20 determines whether or not there is another vehicle behind using the other vehicle detection unit 25 (step S106). More specifically, the imaging control device 20 determines whether or not there is another vehicle behind detected in step S102 in the video acquired by the shooting control unit 21 using the other vehicle detection unit 25. If the other vehicle detection unit 25 determines that there is another vehicle behind (Yes in step S106), the imaging control device 20 executes the process of step S106 again. If the other vehicle detection unit 25 does not determine that there is another vehicle behind (No in step S106), the imaging control device 20 proceeds to step S107.

If it is not determined that there is a rear vehicle (No in step S106), the drawing control device 20 ends image drawing by the drawing control unit 27 (step S107). The drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S108. In the process of step S106, since it is preferable to perform image drawing with a wide drawing range until the rear vehicle detected in step S102 overtakes the host vehicle, step S106 may be set to No when the rear vehicle has completed overtaking. In this case, if there is another rear vehicle other than the one that has been overtaken, step S106 will be determined to be Yes.

The drawing control device 20 judges whether or not the roadside driving has ended (step S108). The drawing control device 20 detects that the current position is not on the roadside of the road using the driving section detection unit 24 based on the current position acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 and the map information corresponding to the current position acquired by the map information acquisition unit 23. Alternatively, the drawing control device 20 may also judge that the roadside driving has ended when it has determined that the driving has ended, for example, when it detects that the driving speed is zero for a period of time longer than a predetermined period of time, such as several minutes. If the drawing control device 20 judges that the roadside driving has ended using the driving section detection unit 24 (Yes in step S108), it ends the process. If the drawing control device 20 does not judge that the roadside driving has ended using the driving section detection unit 24 (No in step S108), it executes the process of S102 again.

＜Effects＞
As described above, in this embodiment, when the host vehicle is traveling on the side of a roadway, the rendering range can be changed according to the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind, and an image can be rendered on the road surface around the host vehicle. In this way, this embodiment can cause the other vehicle behind to overtake the host vehicle in an appropriate manner.

In this embodiment, the faster the vehicle behind is traveling, or the faster the vehicle behind is traveling relative to the vehicle's traveling speed, the wider the image range that can be drawn on the road surface. According to this embodiment, the faster the vehicle behind is traveling, the more the vehicle behind can be encouraged to move away from the vehicle behind and overtake.

In this embodiment, a wide range of images can be drawn on the road surface, including the lateral direction of the vehicle behind and the area behind the vehicle, or the area behind the vehicle. According to this embodiment, it is possible to draw on the road surface an area where it is desired to prevent the entry of vehicles behind.

[Second embodiment]
The drawing device 1A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the drawing device according to the second embodiment. The drawing device 10 has a basic configuration similar to that of the drawing device 10 of the first embodiment. In the following description, components similar to those of the drawing device 10 are given the same or corresponding reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The drawing device 10 differs from the first embodiment in the processing in the other vehicle detection unit 25, other vehicle information acquisition unit 26, and drawing control unit 27.

Camera 11 captures an area including the rear and front of the vehicle. In this embodiment, camera 11 is placed at the rear and front of the vehicle and captures video data of the surrounding area, mainly the rear and front of the vehicle.

The shooting control unit 21 controls the camera 11 to capture an image of the area including the rear and front of the vehicle and obtain video data.

The vehicle detection unit 25 detects vehicles ahead of the vehicle traveling in the same direction as the vehicle. More specifically, the vehicle detection unit 25 detects vehicles ahead from the video acquired by the image capture control unit 21 using the vehicle detection model 14. The vehicle detection unit 25 particularly detects vehicles whose rear side is captured in the video as vehicles ahead. The vehicle detection unit 25 tracks the detected vehicles ahead. For example, it is sufficient for the vehicle detection unit 25 to detect vehicles behind the vehicle that are present up to about 100 m ahead of the vehicle.

The other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 acquires information indicating the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25. More specifically, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 estimates the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead, or the traveling speed difference between the own vehicle and the other vehicle ahead, from the change in size of each frame of the video of the other vehicle ahead detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25. In this case, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 estimates the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead, or the traveling speed difference between the own vehicle and the other vehicle ahead, by also acquiring traveling speed information of the own vehicle.

The drawing control unit 27 draws an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range the faster the traveling speed of the vehicle ahead is relative to the traveling speed of the vehicle itself.

In this embodiment, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range as the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 increases, or as the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead increases relative to the traveling speed of the vehicle itself. For example, when the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead is equal to or higher than a threshold, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range. In this case, the traveling speed threshold may be, for example, about 40 km/h. For example, when the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead relative to the traveling speed of the vehicle itself, i.e., the traveling speed difference, is equal to or higher than a threshold, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range. In this case, the threshold for the traveling speed difference may be, for example, about 20 km/h.

Next, the flow of processing in the drawing control device 20 of the drawing device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The processing in steps S201 to S203 and steps S206 to S210 is similar to the processing in steps S101 to S103 and steps S104 to S108 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4.

When it is determined that the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind, or the traveling speed difference with respect to the own vehicle, is equal to or greater than the threshold (Yes in step S203), the drawing control device 20 determines whether or not the other vehicle ahead has been detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25 (step S204). More specifically, the drawing control device 20 detects the other vehicle ahead from the video acquired by the shooting control unit 21 using the vehicle detection model 14 by the other vehicle detection unit 25. When it is determined that the other vehicle detection unit 25 has detected the other vehicle ahead (Yes in step S204), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S205. When it is determined that the other vehicle detection unit 25 has not detected the other vehicle behind (No in step S204), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S206.

When it is determined that a vehicle ahead has been detected (Yes in step S204), the drawing control device 20 determines whether the traveling speed of the vehicle ahead or the traveling speed difference between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself is equal to or greater than a threshold (step S205). More specifically, the drawing control device 20 estimates the traveling speed of the vehicle ahead or the traveling speed difference between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself from the change in size of each frame of the image of the vehicle ahead detected by the vehicle ahead detection unit 25 using the vehicle ahead information acquisition unit 26. When the drawing control device 20 determines that the traveling speed or traveling speed difference of the vehicle ahead is equal to or greater than a threshold (Yes in step S205), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S206. When the drawing control device 20 does not determine that the traveling speed or traveling speed difference of the vehicle ahead is equal to or greater than a threshold (No in step S205), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S207.

＜Effects＞
As described above, in this embodiment, the faster the traveling speed or the traveling speed difference between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle ahead is with respect to the traveling speed of the vehicle ahead, the wider the image to be drawn on the road surface. This is because, when the traveling speed of the vehicle ahead is less than the threshold value or the traveling speed difference is less than the threshold value, the vehicle ahead decelerates and overtakes the vehicle ahead, or does not overtake the vehicle ahead, without maintaining the traveling condition for which the answer is Yes in step S203. In other words, when the traveling speed of the vehicle ahead is equal to or greater than the threshold value or the traveling speed difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the vehicle ahead is more likely to overtake the vehicle ahead while maintaining the traveling condition for which the answer is Yes in step S203. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the faster the traveling speed of the vehicle ahead is, the more the vehicle ahead can be encouraged to move away from the vehicle ahead and overtake the vehicle ahead.

[Third embodiment]
The drawing device 1B according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing in the drawing device according to the third embodiment. The drawing device 10 differs from the second embodiment in the processing in the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 and the drawing control unit 27.

The other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 acquires information indicating the distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25. More specifically, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26 estimates the distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself from the size of each frame of the captured image of the vehicle ahead detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25, or the ground contact position of the lower end of the vehicle ahead, such as the tires, in the image.

The drawing control unit 27 draws an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range as the distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself increases. For example, when the distance to the vehicle ahead is equal to or greater than a threshold, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range. In this case, the threshold for the distance to the vehicle ahead may be, for example, about 20 m.

Next, the flow of processing in the drawing control device 20 of the drawing device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The processing in steps S301 to S304 and steps S306 to S310 is similar to the processing in steps S201 to S204 and steps S206 to S210 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5.

When it is determined that a vehicle ahead has been detected (Yes in step S304), the drawing control device 20 determines whether the distance to the vehicle ahead is equal to or greater than a threshold (step S305). More specifically, the drawing control device 20 estimates the distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself from the size of each frame of the image of the vehicle ahead detected by the vehicle ahead detection unit 25 using the vehicle ahead information acquisition unit 26. When it is determined that the distance to the vehicle ahead is equal to or greater than a threshold (Yes in step S305), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S306. When it is determined that the distance to the vehicle ahead is not equal to or greater than a threshold (No in step S305), the drawing control device 20 proceeds to step S307.

＜Effects＞
As described above, in this embodiment, the image with a wider rendering range can be drawn on the road surface as the distance between the forward vehicle and the host vehicle increases. This is because, when the distance between the forward vehicle and the host vehicle is less than the threshold, the rear vehicle decelerates and overtakes the host vehicle without maintaining the driving condition for which the answer is Yes in step S303, or does not overtake the host vehicle. In other words, when the distance between the forward vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold, the rear vehicle is more likely to overtake the host vehicle while maintaining the driving condition for which the answer is Yes in step S303. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the greater the distance between the forward vehicle and the host vehicle, the more the rear vehicle can be encouraged to move away from the host vehicle and overtake.

[Fourth embodiment]
A drawing device 10A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 10. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drawing device according to a fourth embodiment. Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining a drawing range. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the drawing device according to the fourth embodiment. The drawing device 10A has a camera 11, a GNSS receiving unit 12, a map information storage unit 13, a drawing unit 15, and a drawing control device 20A. The camera 11, the GNSS receiving unit 12, the map information storage unit 13, and the drawing unit 15 are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

The drawing control device 20A has a photography control unit 21, a location information acquisition unit 22, a map information acquisition unit 23, a roadway detection unit 24, a drawing control unit 27A, and a roadway information acquisition unit 28A.

The roadway information acquisition unit 28A acquires information indicating the width of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling. More specifically, the roadway information acquisition unit 28A acquires information indicating the width of the roadway on which the vehicle is currently located, based on the current position acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 and the map information corresponding to the current position acquired by the map information acquisition unit 23.

The roadway width is the width of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. In the case of a multi-lane road, the roadway width is the width of the lane. The roadway width is the width of the travel section that is used or can be used (in the case of a single-lane road) for travel in the same direction.

When the vehicle is traveling on the roadway of a road, the drawing control unit 27A changes the drawing range according to information indicating the width of the roadway of the road, and draws an image on the road surface around the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the drawing control unit 27A may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range as the width of the roadway on the road acquired by the roadway information acquisition unit 28A becomes narrower. For example, when the width of the roadway is less than a threshold, the drawing control unit 27 may draw an image on the road surface with a wider drawing range. The threshold for the roadway width in this case may be, for example, about 4 m.

Figure 8 is a diagram explaining the drawing range. The road Rd1 shown in Figure 8 has a roadway width Rw1. In this case, the drawing unit 15 mounted on the motorcycle Ms, which is the vehicle, draws the side drawing range Irs1 on the side of the motorcycle Ms and draws the rear drawing range Irr1 behind it. For example, when the roadway width Rw1 of the road Rd1 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the side drawing range Irs1 and the rear drawing range Irr1 shown in Figure 8 are drawn. For example, when the roadway width Rw1 of the road Rd1 is 4m or more, an image is drawn at least in the side drawing range Irs1. For example, when the roadway width Rw1 of the road Rd1 is 4m or more, drawing in the rear drawing range Irr1 may be included. The side drawing range Irs1 is, for example, a range of about 0.5m laterally from the motorcycle Ms. The rear drawing range Irr1 is, for example, a range of about 2.0m rearward from the motorcycle Ms. The side drawing range Irs1 and rear drawing range Irr1 are called the specified drawing ranges.

Figure 9 is a diagram explaining the drawing range. The road Rd2 shown in Figure 9 has a roadway width Rw2. In this case, the drawing unit 15 mounted on the motorcycle Ms draws a side drawing range Irs2 on the side of the motorcycle Ms and a rear drawing range Irr2 on the rear. The side drawing range Irs2 is wider than the side drawing range Irs1. The side drawing range Irs2 is wider to the left than the side drawing range Irs1. The rear drawing range Irr2 is wider than the rear drawing range Irr1. The rear drawing range Irr2 is longer rearward than the rear drawing range Irr1. For example, if the roadway width Rw1 of the road Rd1 is less than a threshold value, the side drawing range Irs2 and the rear drawing range Irr2 shown in Figure 9 are drawn. For example, if the roadway width Rw2 of the road Rd2 on which the vehicle is traveling on the roadside Rs2 is less than 4 m, an image is drawn at least in the side drawing range Irs2. For example, if the width Rw2 of the roadway Rd2 on which the vehicle is traveling on the roadside Rs2 is less than 4 m, the drawing may include the drawing in the rear drawing range Irr2. The lateral drawing range Irs2 is, for example, a range of about 1.0 m laterally from the motorcycle Ms. The rear drawing range Irr2 is, for example, a range of about 3.0 m rearward from the motorcycle Ms.

Next, the flow of processing in the drawing control device 20A of the drawing device 10A will be described with reference to FIG. 10. The processing in steps S121, S123 to S125 is the same as that in steps S101, S104, S105, and S108 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4.

When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the side of the road (Yes in step S121), the drawing control device 20A determines whether the width of the road is less than the threshold value by the roadway information acquisition unit 28A (step S122). More specifically, the drawing control device 20A acquires information indicating the width of the roadway of the road where the vehicle is currently located, based on the current position acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 and the map information corresponding to the current position acquired by the map information acquisition unit 23, by the roadway information acquisition unit 28A. When the drawing control device 20A determines that the width of the roadway is less than the threshold value by the roadway information acquisition unit 28A (Yes in step S122), the drawing control device 20A proceeds to step S123. When the drawing control device 20A does not determine that the width of the roadway is less than the threshold value by the roadway information acquisition unit 28A (No in step S122), the drawing control device 20A proceeds to step S124.

＜Effects＞
As described above, in this embodiment, when the vehicle is traveling on the side of a road, the rendering range can be changed according to information indicating the width of the road, and an image can be rendered on the road surface around the vehicle. Even if the road width or lane width is narrow, this embodiment can render an image that allows other vehicles from behind to overtake at a safe distance. In this way, this embodiment can alert the other vehicles behind that are about to overtake the vehicle and allow them to overtake appropriately.

In this embodiment, the narrower the width of the roadway, the wider the image that can be drawn on the road surface.

[Fifth embodiment]
The drawing device 10B according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 11 to 13. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drawing device according to the fifth embodiment. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the drawing device according to the fifth embodiment. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of processing in the drawing device according to the fifth embodiment. The drawing device 10B is different from the fourth embodiment in that it has an other vehicle model detection unit 14B and another vehicle detection unit 25B, and in the processing in the drawing control unit 27B. The other vehicle model detection unit 14B and the other vehicle detection unit 25B perform the same processing as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B is not an essential component.

The other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B acquires information about the other vehicle behind detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25B. The other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B acquires information indicating the size of the other vehicle from the shape and characteristics of the other vehicle behind detected by the other vehicle detection unit 25B. More specifically, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B acquires information from the shape and characteristics of the other vehicle, such as whether it is a passenger car or a relatively large vehicle such as a truck or bus. The other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B may, for example, perform image analysis of the video to acquire information that can determine whether the vehicle is large from the color and characters of an identification plate that identifies the vehicle.

The drawing control unit 27B changes the drawing range based on information about the other vehicle behind, in addition to information about the width of the roadway. When the width of the roadway is less than a threshold and the other vehicle behind is a large vehicle, the drawing control unit 27B may draw an image with a wider drawing range on the road surface.

The drawing control unit 27B may draw an image on the road surface around the vehicle when another vehicle behind is detected.

Next, the flow of processing in the drawing control device 20B of the drawing device 10B will be described with reference to FIG. 12. The processing in steps S221, S223 to S225, and S228 is similar to that in steps S121, S122 to S224, and S125 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 10. The processing in steps S222, S226, and S227 is similar to that in steps S102, S106, and S107 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4.

Next, the flow of processing in the drawing control device 20B of the drawing device 10B will be described with reference to FIG. 13. The processing in steps S321 to S323 and steps 325 to S329 is the same as the processing in steps S221 to S223 and steps S224 to S228 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12.

When it is determined that the width of the roadway is less than the threshold value (Yes in step S323), the drawing control device 20B determines whether the other vehicle behind is a large vehicle or not (step S324) using the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B. When it is determined that the other vehicle behind is a large vehicle using the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B (Yes in step S324), the drawing control device 20B proceeds to step S325. When it is determined that the other vehicle behind is not a large vehicle using the other vehicle information acquisition unit 26B (No in step S324), the drawing control device 20B proceeds to step S326.

＜Effects＞
As described above, in this embodiment, when a rear vehicle is detected, an image can be drawn on the road surface around the vehicle. In this embodiment, when the road width or lane width is less than a threshold and there is a rear vehicle, the rear vehicle is alerted and can be made to overtake appropriately.

In this embodiment, the drawing range can be changed based on information about the width of the roadway on the road, as well as information about other vehicles behind. In this embodiment, when the width of the roadway is less than the threshold and the other vehicle behind is a large vehicle, the image can be drawn on the road surface.

So far, we have explained the drawing device according to the present invention, but it may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-mentioned embodiment.

Each component of the illustrated rendering device is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of it may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device.

The configuration of the drawing device is realized, for example, as software, by a program loaded into memory. In the above embodiment, these functional blocks are described as being realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. In other words, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms, by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both.

The components described above include those that a person skilled in the art would easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described above can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Although the above description has been given of detecting other vehicles from video data captured by the camera 11, the method of detecting other vehicles is not limited to this. For example, other vehicles behind the vehicle may be detected by a sensor. Various types of sensors can be applied, such as infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, millimeter wave sensors, sensors using image recognition, and combinations of multiple types of sensors.

<Modification>
The width of the drawing range may be changed according to the traveling speed of the rear vehicle, the difference in traveling speed between the vehicle and the rear vehicle, the traveling speed of the front vehicle, the difference in traveling speed between the vehicle and the front vehicle, the distance between the front vehicle and the vehicle, or the width of the road. For example, a case will be described in which the front drawing range and the rear drawing range are triangular in shape with a width that narrows as the distance from the vehicle increases, and the side drawing range is a trapezoid with the longer side closer to the vehicle and the shorter side farther away. In this case, the faster the traveling speed of the rear vehicle is, the longer the length of the forward drawing range and the rear drawing range in the traveling direction (the height of the triangle) and the wider the width of the side drawing range (the height of the trapezoid) may be.

In the above, the drawing range was described as the range around the vehicle in which it is desired to prevent other vehicles behind from entering, but it may also be the range in which it is desired that other vehicles behind pass through.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Rendering device 11 Camera 12 GNSS receiving unit 13 Map information storage unit 14 Vehicle detection model 15 Rendering unit 20 Rendering control device 21 Photography control unit 22 Position information acquisition unit 23 Map information acquisition unit 24 Driving section detection unit 25 Other vehicle detection unit 26 Other vehicle information acquisition unit 27 Rendering control unit

Claims (6)

a road section detection unit that detects that the host vehicle is traveling on the side of a road;
a vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle in the same direction as the host vehicle;
an other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a traveling speed of the other vehicle behind detected by the other vehicle detection unit;
a drawing control unit that changes a drawing range in accordance with the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit and draws an image on a road surface around the host vehicle;
A drawing control device comprising: the drawing control unit draws an image on a road surface with a wider drawing range as the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit becomes faster or as the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind becomes faster with respect to the traveling speed of the host vehicle.
The imaging control device according to claim 1 . the other vehicle detection unit detects a forward vehicle traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle,
the other vehicle information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead detected by the other vehicle detection unit,
the drawing control unit draws an image on a road surface with a wider drawing range as the traveling speed of the other vehicle ahead is faster relative to the traveling speed of the host vehicle,
The imaging control device according to claim 2 . the other vehicle detection unit detects a forward vehicle traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle,
the other vehicle information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a distance between the other vehicle ahead detected by the other vehicle detection unit and the host vehicle,
the drawing control unit draws an image on a road surface with a wider drawing range as the distance between the other vehicle ahead and the host vehicle increases,
The imaging control device according to claim 2 . the drawing control unit causes the host vehicle to draw an image on a road surface with a wider range with respect to at least one of a lateral direction on the side where the rear vehicle is to overtake, a rear side of the host vehicle, and a front side of the host vehicle;
The drawing control device according to claim 1 . a road section detection step of detecting that the host vehicle is traveling on the side of a road;
a vehicle detection step of detecting a vehicle traveling from behind the host vehicle in the same direction as the host vehicle;
an other vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring information indicating a traveling speed of the other vehicle behind detected in the other vehicle detection step;
a drawing control step of changing a drawing range in accordance with the traveling speed of the other vehicle behind acquired in the other vehicle information acquisition step, and drawing an image on a road surface around the host vehicle;
The drawing method is executed by a drawing control device.

Images