JP3152082B2 - Perimeter recognition device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for visually recognizing surroundings of a vehicle, in which an image of a side of the vehicle is taken by an image taking means and displayed on a display means for confirmation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At intersections with poor visibility on the left and right,
The driver has to enter the intersection a little and check the safety on the left and right. However, this safety check has a problem that the driver is very nervous and takes a long time. In addition, entering an intersection for safety confirmation may be dangerous for a vehicle traveling on a road in the left-right direction. Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-109447 and Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-22551, as a vehicular peripheral visual recognition device for solving this problem, a camera shoots a scene projected on a mirror. There is a known camera that displays an image from the camera on a monitor arranged in a vehicle cabin.

[0003] In the vehicle periphery recognition device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-109447, a camera box 50 is disposed at the front end of the vehicle as shown in FIG. Cross section V that shows the left and right sides
A mirror 51 in the shape of a letter and a camera 52 for imaging the scenery projected on the mirror 51 are provided. An acrylic plate 53 is provided at a position corresponding to each mirror 51 of the camera box 50. The displayed image is displayed on a monitor (not shown) arranged in the vehicle interior.

[0004] In the vehicle periphery visual recognition device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 2-2251, a case 60 is disposed at the rear end of the vehicle as shown in FIG. Camera 62 is provided, and a case 60
A glass window 63 is provided at a position corresponding to the camera 62, and a mirror 61 having a V-shaped cross section that projects left and right sides of the vehicle.
Is provided at the front position of the camera 62 so as to be rotatable, an image of the scene behind or on the left and right sides of the vehicle is captured by the camera 62, and the image captured by the camera 62 is displayed on a monitor (not shown) arranged in the vehicle interior. It is configured to display.

[0005]

However, in the above-described vehicle surrounding visual recognition device, the display screen of the monitor is divided into left and right halves, and the left and right side views are displayed respectively. In the above-described vehicle surrounding visual recognition device, the display ratio of the left and right sides of the monitor screen is fixed to half, and the display ratio is not changed. Since the split ratio of the monitor display screen is fixed, it is not possible to meet the demand for displaying the scenery on one side with priority, and there is a problem that the versatility is low. Also, in the above-described vehicle peripheral visual recognition device, since the left and right side scenes are reflected only once on the mirror and imaged by the camera, the scene displayed on the monitor is inverted left and right and looks like the actual scene. However, there is a problem that it is difficult for the driver to confirm the left and right views.

Therefore, it is conceivable to change the division ratio by synthesizing images using a plurality of cameras. In this case, however, the number of cameras is increased or images from a plurality of cameras are synthesized. There is a problem that image processing becomes complicated, the image deteriorates, and the cost increases. It is also conceivable to attach one camera to the front end of the vehicle so as to be movable so that images can be taken on the left and right sides. However, in this case, a complicated configuration is required, which also increases the cost. There is.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has a low cost, a simple configuration, the ratio of left and right display of the display means can be changed, and an apparatus for visually recognizing a periphery which is excellent in practicality. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A first support shaft, a movable support shaft, and a second support shaft which are arranged in parallel with each other and are not located on the same plane; A film-shaped flexible mirror configured to form a first reflecting surface for projecting one direction while forming a second reflecting surface for projecting the other direction between the second support shaft and the movable support shaft; Move axis
Then, the area ratio between the l-th reflective surface and the second reflective surface is changed.
A driving unit provided to further change the position, and an imaging unit arranged to simultaneously image each reflection surface; and
Display means for displaying an image taken by the image pickup means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tension applying means disposed between the first support shaft and the second support shaft and connected to both ends of the flexible mirror to apply tension to the flexible mirror. Configuration.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a fixed mirror is arranged between the flexible mirror and the image pickup means, and the image pickup means is arranged so as to simultaneously image each reflection surface via the fixed mirror. .

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the scene projected on the flexible mirror is imaged by the imaging means,
The picked-up image is displayed on the display means, and the movable support shaft on which the flexible mirror is stretched is moved in the width direction of the vehicle by the drive means, so that the area ratio between the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface is divided.
Since the combination is changed , the left / right display ratio of the image displayed on the display means is changed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since both ends of the flexible mirror are connected by the tension applying means, tension is applied to the flexible mirror, and sagging of each reflection surface is prevented.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the image projected on each reflecting surface is reflected twice by each reflecting surface and the fixed mirror, an image without left-right inversion is displayed on the display means.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and this embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes
3 shows a camera unit. 1 and 2, the left side of the camera unit 1 is defined as the front of the vehicle. Camera unit 1
Is disposed at the front end of the vehicle, more specifically, substantially at the center of the bumper with respect to the vehicle width (see FIG. 7). Camera unit 1
Inside the vehicle, a first support shaft 2 and a second support shaft 3 arranged in parallel with the vertical direction of the vehicle are provided on the vehicle side, and a fixed mirror 4 described later is provided in front of these. Are arranged. Also, inside the camera unit 1,
Nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas is sealed. A movable support shaft 5 movable in the vehicle width direction substantially parallel to the first support shaft 2 and the second support shaft 3 between the first support shaft 2 and the second support shaft 3 and the fixed mirror 4. Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end of the movable support shaft 5
Projecting outside the camera unit 1, the camera unit 1
Is fixed to a rack 6 disposed at the bottom of the rack. A movable spindle motor 8 for moving the movable spindle 5 is arranged below the camera unit 1. The rack 6 meshes with a pinion 7 that is rotated by a movable spindle motor 8. The portion of the camera unit 1 where the movable support shaft 5 moves is sealed with a sealing material (not shown).

A flexible mirror 9 in the form of a film is wound between the first support shaft 2 and the second support shaft 3 via the movable support shaft 5 so as to form a mountain with the movable support shaft 5 at the top. It is hung. Both ends of the flexible mirror 9 are the first
They are connected to each other by a spring member 10 via a support shaft 2 and a second support shaft 3. The outer surface of the flexible mirror 9 on the mountain side is mirror-finished. Therefore, the movable support shaft 5 and the first support shaft 2
A first reflection surface 11 that captures the scenery on the right side of the vehicle is formed between the movable support shaft 5 and the second support shaft 3. A second reflection surface 12 that captures the view on the left side of the vehicle is formed between the movable support shaft 5 and the second support shaft 3. Is formed. Also,
A transparent window 13 made of a transparent acrylic resin or the like is provided at a position corresponding to the first reflecting surface 11 of the camera unit 1, and a transparent window 13 made of the transparent acrylic resin or the like is similarly provided at a position corresponding to the second reflecting surface 12. Transparent window 14 is provided.

The fixed mirror 4 is inclined at an angle of approximately 45 ° with respect to a horizontal plane so that a scene projected on the first reflecting surface 11 and the second reflecting surface 12 is reflected by a camera 15 disposed below the fixed mirror 4. Have been. The camera 15 is a well-known CC
D, which is connected to a monitor 20 that simultaneously captures a scene projected on the first reflecting surface 11 and a scene projected on the second reflecting surface 12 and displays the captured image. . The monitor 20 is arranged in the vehicle cabin so that the driver can easily see it. A movable shaft switch for controlling the driving of the movable shaft motor 8 is also provided in the vehicle interior. A transparent window 16 made of a transparent acrylic resin or the like is provided between the fixed mirror 4 and the camera 15 similarly to the transparent windows 13 and 14.

A case in which safety is confirmed at an intersection where visibility is poor on the left and right sides using the vehicular peripheral visual recognition device having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. First, when the vehicle surrounding visual recognition device is activated, the vehicle is slightly advanced, and the camera unit 1 is projected into the intersection. In FIG. 1, when the movable support shaft 5 is at the position B,
When the straight line passing through the center of the movable support shaft 5 and the movable support shaft 5 is substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle, the scene on the right side of the vehicle is the first reflection surface 11.
And the scenery on the left side of the vehicle is reflected by the second reflecting surface 12 and then reflected by the fixed mirror 4 and taken in half by the camera 15 respectively. This camera unit 1
Is filled with nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas.
No fogging of each of the reflection surfaces 11 and 12 due to a temperature change occurs. The scene captured by the camera 15 is converted into a video signal by a control unit (not shown).
Output to 0. As shown in FIG. 4, the monitor 20 converts the video signal, and the right display section of the monitor 20 displays the scenery on the right side of the vehicle at the center line B ′.
Of the vehicle is displayed on the left display section of the vehicle. Since the scene displayed on the monitor 20 is reflected twice by the first reflecting surface 11, the second reflecting surface 12, and the fixed mirror 4, there is no left-right reversal, and the scene is the same as the scene actually seen. is there.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the case where the above-mentioned vehicle surrounding visual recognition device is not used, in order to confirm the safety of an intersection having poor left and right visibility, the driver enters the vehicle 21 slightly into the intersection. I have to do it. This is because the blind spots are formed in the left and right directions due to the obstacles in the portions D and E, and the left and right roads cannot be confirmed. However, by using the above-described vehicle periphery visual recognition device, the driver can check the scene indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 7 on the monitor without making the automobile 21 enter the intersection, and can view the motorcycle 22 from the road on the right side. You can check the situation that is running.

Next, the case where the left / right display ratio of the monitor is changed will be described. When a driver operates a switch for a movable support provided in a vehicle compartment to rotate a motor 8 for a movable support in a predetermined direction, the pinion 7 rotates and the rack 6 is rotated.
To the right with respect to the vehicle width. The movable support shaft 5 moves from the position B to the position A, and the flexible mirror 9
Are deformed as shown by a dashed line in FIG.
The area ratio of 2 changes. Even in this case, the scenery on the right side of the vehicle is reflected by the first reflecting surface 11, and the scenery on the left side of the vehicle is the second scenery.
The light is reflected by the reflecting surface 12 and then reflected by the fixed mirror 4 and captured by the camera 15. The ratio of the left and right scenes captured by the camera 15 is determined by the moving distance of the movable support shaft 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the scene captured by the camera 15 is displayed more on the left side of the vehicle than on the right side of the vehicle with respect to the line A ′ of the monitor 20. Similarly, when the movable support shaft 5 is moved to the position C shown in FIG. 1, the flexible mirror 9 is deformed as shown by a dashed line in FIG. Accordingly, on the display screen of the monitor 20, more scenery on the right side of the vehicle is displayed than scenery on the left side of the vehicle with respect to the line C 'of the monitor 20 shown in FIG.

As the ratio of the left and right areas of the flexible mirror 9 is displaced by the movement of the movable support shaft 5, the angles of the first and second reflecting surfaces 11 and 12 are also changed, but the inclination angles of the respective reflecting surfaces 11 and 12 are changed. Also, a wide-angle lens is used for the camera 15 so that the image at that time can be captured.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, members similar to those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIG. 1, and description thereof will be omitted, and different points will be described. 1st spindle 2 and 2nd
The support shaft 3 is rotatably supported by the camera unit 1, and their lower ends project outside the camera unit 1. On a portion of the first support shaft 2 protruding outside the camera unit 1, a gear 2b rotated by a support shaft rotation motor (not shown) for rotating the first support shaft 2 and a pulley 2a are fixed. I have. A pulley 3a is fixed to a portion of the second support shaft 3 protruding outside the camera unit 1. An endless belt 30 is wound between the pulley 2a and the pulley 3a. Camera unit 1
The mounting portion between the first support shaft 2 and the second support shaft 3 is sealed by a sealing material (not shown).

Between the movable support shaft 5 and the first support shaft 2 and between the movable support shaft 5 and the second support shaft 3, a film-shaped flexible mirror 9 has , One end of which is fixed to the first support shaft 2, and the other end of which is wound in a spiral manner around the second support shaft 3. In addition, a spindle rotation switch for controlling driving of a spindle rotation motor (not shown) for rotating the first spindle 2 is provided in the vehicle interior.

The operation of this configuration will be described. A first reflecting surface 11 or a second reflecting surface 12 of the flexible mirror 9;
Alternatively, when both of the reflection surfaces 11 and 12 are deteriorated or dirty, the driver operates a spindle rotation switch provided in the vehicle interior to drive the spindle rotation motor. This driving force is transmitted to the gear 2b to rotate the first support shaft 2 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.
The support shaft 3 also rotates at the same time.

Due to the rotation of the first support shaft 2, the deteriorated portion of the flexible mirror 9 is wound around the first support shaft 2, and a new portion is sent out from the portion wound around the second support shaft 3. When the first reflection surface 11 and the second reflection surface 12 are new, the operation of the spindle rotation switch is operated to stop the driving of the spindle rotation motor. Therefore, the driver can renew the reflection surface of the flexible mirror only by operating the switch, and it is not troublesome and does not feel troublesome.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. 6, the same members as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIG. 1, and the description thereof will be omitted, and different points will be described. The movable shaft motor 8 is integrally supported by the camera unit 1 by a support member 31 extending from the camera unit 1. A gear member 32 for rotating the camera unit 1 is provided at a position below the camera unit 1 where the camera 15 is disposed.
Are fixed so that this center and the center of the camera 15 are coaxial. The gear 32 member includes the gear 32a and the boss 3
2b. The boss 32b is formed so that the camera 15 can be arranged therein, has a role of a rotation axis of the camera unit 1, and is rotatably supported by a bearing 35. The camera 15 and the bearing 35 are arranged on a base 36 for attaching the camera unit 1 to a bumper. A gear 33 provided on an output shaft of a camera unit motor 34 for rotating the camera unit 1 meshes with the gear 32 a via a gear 37. A camera unit rotation switch for controlling driving of a camera unit motor 34 for rotating the camera unit 1 is provided in the vehicle interior.

The operation of this configuration will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, when the intersection is not a crossroad, for example, in order to confirm the safety of the left and right roads in a place where the left and right roads are formed diagonally, the driver has to make the car enter the intersection a little. Must. This is because the blind spots are formed in the left and right directions due to the obstruction of the F portion and the G portion, and the left and right roads cannot be confirmed. In a place where the left and right roads are formed diagonally, the driver operates the camera unit rotation switch provided in the vehicle interior to drive the camera unit motor 34. This driving force is transmitted to the gear 32a via the gear 33 to rotate the camera unit 1 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.

The rotation of the camera unit 1 causes the monitor 2
The scenery displayed by 0 also rotates. If the driver releases the camera unit rotation switch at the position where the monitor 20 displays the scenery of the left and right roads, the camera unit 1 stops at that position, so that the safety of the left and right roads can be confirmed.
That is, the scene shown by the dashed line in FIG.
Therefore, the driver can confirm the safety according to the intersection angle of the road only by operating the switch.

Although the embodiment has been described in which the vehicle periphery recognition device is provided at the front end of the vehicle, the vehicle periphery recognition device may be provided at the vehicle rear end. In this way, even when entering an intersection while moving backward, it is possible to confirm the safety on the left and right sides of the vehicle.

[0030]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the flexible mirror is stretched while allowing one image pickup means to simultaneously display scenes in two directions on the display means. The movable support shaft is moved in the width direction of the vehicle by the driving means, and the area of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface is changed.
By changing the ratio, the left-right display ratio of the two-way scenery displayed on the display means can be changed, so that the versatility is high and one of the scenes can be seen more as needed. In addition, since the left-right display ratio of the scene can be changed with a simple configuration, there is no need to perform complicated image processing and camera movement, and the cost can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since tension is applied to the flexible mirror, it is possible to prevent the flexible mirror from sagging due to aging, temperature change, and the like. A surface can be formed, and a stable scene can be displayed on the display means.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the image projected on each reflecting surface is reflected twice by each reflecting surface and the fixed mirror and is displayed on the display means, so that the driver does not have left-right inversion. Images can be seen, and the situation in the vehicle left-right direction can be easily recognized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a partial cross section of a vehicle periphery recognition device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a partial cross section of the vehicle periphery recognition device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a monitor as a display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a partial cross section of a device for visually recognizing surroundings of a vehicle according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a partial cross section of a vehicle periphery recognition device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a range of a confirmation visual field in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a range of a confirmation visual field according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a conventional vehicle periphery recognition device.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a conventional vehicle periphery recognition device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 camera unit 2 first support shaft 3 second support shaft 4 fixed mirror 5 movable support shaft 8 movable support shaft motor as drive means 9 flexible mirror 10 spring member as tension applying means 11 first reflection surface 12 second reflection Surface 15 Camera as imaging means 20 Monitor as display means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tadashi Sugawara 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (72) Inventor Tetsushi Omuro 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo (56) References JP-A-4-173443 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 1/00 H04N 7/18

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A first support shaft and a second support shaft arranged in parallel with a vertical direction of the vehicle; and a position parallel to the first support shaft and the second support shaft and on the same plane. The movable support shaft is disposed at a position not to be moved, and is movable between the first support shaft and the second support shaft so as to form a chevron with the movable support shaft as a vertex. A first reflecting surface for projecting one side of the periphery of the vehicle is formed between the first support shaft and the movable support shaft, while a first reflection surface for projecting the other side between the second support shaft and the movable support shaft is formed. A flexible mirror in the form of a film configured to form two reflecting surfaces; and a movable mirror for moving the movable support shaft.
A driving unit for changing the area ratio of the projecting surface, an imaging unit arranged to simultaneously capture an image projected on the reflecting surface, and an image arranged in the vehicle interior and displayed by the imaging unit. And a display unit that performs the following. 2. A tension applying means disposed between the first support shaft and the second support shaft and connected to both ends of the flexible mirror to apply tension to the flexible mirror. The perimeter visual recognition device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A fixed mirror is arranged between the flexible mirror and the image pickup means, and the image pickup means is arranged at a position where each of the reflection surfaces is simultaneously imaged via the fixed mirror. The vehicle periphery recognition device according to claim 1, wherein: