JP3468620B2 - Vehicle nose view device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle nose view device in which the left and right sides of a front portion of a vehicle can be visually recognized.

[0002]

Related Background Art A nose-view device of this type is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-85238 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-25.
No. 4229, respectively. These known devices are equipped with cameras for capturing the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle, determine whether the vehicle has reached an intersection based on the dynamic change of the image from this camera, and the determination result is true. At some point, the image or the result of image processing can be displayed on the monitor in the vehicle compartment as the intersection situation.

Therefore, according to both devices, when the vehicle slows down or stops in an attempt to enter the intersection and the dynamic change of the image from the camera is small, the intersection situation is displayed on the monitor, and based on the intersection situation. It is thought that you can safely cross the intersection.

[0004]

However, both of the above-mentioned devices determine whether or not the vehicle has reached the intersection based on the dynamic change of the image captured by the camera. The judgment cannot be made accurately. That is, even if the vehicle is not at the intersection, when the vehicle decelerates to avoid traffic congestion or danger, information based on the image from the camera is displayed on the monitor, which makes the driver's driving operation troublesome.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to reliably determine a situation in which a vehicle is going to enter a stop intersection once, and to display an image showing the intersection situation to the driver. It is an object of the present invention to provide a nose view device for a vehicle that can be visually recognized by the driver without depending on the manual operation of the vehicle.

[0006]

The object of the present invention is achieved by a nose view device for a vehicle according to the present invention, and the device according to claim 1 is mounted on the front surface of the nose of the vehicle to image the left and right sides of the vehicle. Based on the information from the nose view image pickup means, the display means capable of displaying the nose view image obtained by the nose view image pickup means to the driver of the vehicle, and the information from the external road information supply means, the vehicle is temporarily stopped. Identification means for identifying whether or not the vehicle has reached, vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle, low gear detection means for detecting whether or not the gear stage of the engine in the vehicle is low gear,
Once the vehicle has reached the stop intersection, the identification means
Is recognized, the display means is
Even if the image is not displayed, the vehicle speed detection means and
The low gear detecting means detects a vehicle speed equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed and a low speed.
If the gear position of the gear is detected, the vehicle will
It is judged that the difference point is in a situation where the vehicle starts slowly in low gear.
Te, and a display control means for displaying the nose-view image on the display unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when it is recognized that the vehicle has reached the stop intersection , the display means turns off.
The above conditions are met even if the image is not displayed.
The vehicle is temporarily stopped at the crossing with low gear.
When it is determined that the vehicle is in the starting state, the nose view image from the nose view image pickup means is displayed on the display means.

Therefore, the driver is displayed on the display means.
After confirming the left and right safety with the nose view image,
You can pass the stop intersection once.

[0009] For devices 請 Motomeko 2, the identification means has a utilizes the vehicle position information on the road map information and the road map of the car navigation system as the road information supplying means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, whether or not the vehicle has once reached the stop intersection is identified based on the information from the car navigation system.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a vehicle equipped with a nose view device of the present invention. A nose view camera unit 2 is attached to the front part of the vehicle body of this vehicle, for example, in the center of the front bumper, and the nose view camera unit 2 can simultaneously image the front left and right parts of the vehicle. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle begins to enter a stop intersection where visibility is poor, the nose view camera unit 2 can image the left and right of the stop intersection once, and the imaging area is as shown in FIG. L
It is indicated by V and RV. The nose view camera unit 2 includes an optical system having a lens and an image sensor including a CCD image sensor.

As shown in FIG. 2, the nose view camera unit 2 is connected to a monitor 6 via an image switching unit 4, and this monitor 6 is an image taken by the nose view camera unit 2, that is, , Nose view image can be displayed. The monitor 6 is arranged at an appropriate position in the vehicle interior, that is, at a position where the driver can easily see the monitor screen.

The monitor 6 also serves as the monitor of the car navigation system, and therefore, the electronic control unit (ECU) 10 of the car navigation system 8 is used.
Is also connected to the monitor 6 via the video switching unit 4. The ECU 10 is connected to a storage device 12 that stores road map information, and is also connected to a direction sensor and a distance sensor used for dead reckoning, and
Radio waves from GPS satellites can be received via the antenna 14. As is well known, the ECU 10 of the car navigation system 8 obtains the relative position of the vehicle on the road map from the traveling locus of the vehicle obtained by dead-reckoning and the road map information, and also obtains the absolute position of the vehicle from the received radio waves. The current position on the road can be accurately detected based on the relative position and the absolute position. The current position of the vehicle thus detected is the EC
Video switching unit 4 together with road map data from U10
It is supplied to the monitor 6 via the monitor 6, and the navigation information in which the road map and the current position of the vehicle are superimposed can be displayed on the monitor 6. The car navigation system 8 includes an information display switch 16, and the navigation information is output from the ECU 10 only when the information display switch 16 is turned on so that the navigation information is displayed on the monitor 6. become.

As described above, the video switching unit 4 is electrically connected to the ECU 18 of the nose view device in order to display either the nose view image or the navigation information on the monitor 6, and receives the switching signal from the ECU 18 to monitor the monitor. 6
The display above can be switched. Furthermore, ECU 18 of the nose-view device is also connected to the ECU10 car navigation system 8, it is possible to receive information about the current position of a road map and vehicle from ECU 1 0.

[0015] Further, the ECU18 nose viewing device is electrically connected to the nose-view camera unit 2, the lighting switch 20 is in the E CU 18,
Low gear switch 22, vehicle speed sensor 24, speaker 26
And the select switch 28 are electrically connected to each other. Lighting switch 20 is a switch for turning on and off the headlights of the vehicle, Rogi Ya switch 2
A switch 2 detects whether the transmission of the engine mounted on the vehicle is in the low gear. The vehicle speed sensor 24 detects the vehicle speed, and can use, for example, a vehicle speedometer. The speaker 26 is arranged in the vehicle compartment, is sounded based on a voice signal from the ECU 18, and the select switch 28 is a switch for forcibly selecting the nose view image on the monitor 6.

The ECU 18 has a function of controlling the image output level of the nose view camera unit 2 based on an on / off signal from the lighting switch 20. Specifically, when an ON signal is supplied from the lighting switch 20 to the ECU 18, the ECU 18 increases the image output level of the noseview camera unit 2 and the noseview camera unit 2 is illuminated even at night when the headlights are turned on. A clear nose view image can be obtained from.

The ECU 18 has a function of controlling the operation of the image switching unit 4 and the operation of the speaker 26 based on the information from the ECU 10 and the sensor signals from the low gear switch 22 and the vehicle speed sensor 24. However, these functions are executed based on the control routine described below . The control routine will be described below. The ECU 18 first displays an initial display on the monitor 6.
You Here, the date and calendar are displayed on the monitor 6, and whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic cruise mode is displayed. However, when the information display switch 16 of the car navigation system 8 is turned on, the monitor 6 is displayed. Navigation information will be displayed.

[0018] Then, ECU 18 may it determine whether nose view is selected. The determination here is executed based on the output signal from the select switch 28 described above. When the OFF signal from the cell recto switch 28 is being output, ECU 18, based on information from ECU 10, whether the vehicle has once reached the stop intersection, in the engine based on a detection signal from the low gear switch 22 whether the shift position of the transmission is in the low gear, and, you sequentially determined whether or not the slow speed, for example 10 km / h less based on the sensor signal from the vehicle speed sensor 24.

Arrival of vehicle at a stop intersection, 10 km / h
The following vehicle speed and low gear speed conditions are all met:
That is , in other words, when the vehicle is in a situation where the vehicle temporarily starts at a stop intersection in low gear, the ECU 18 outputs a switching signal to the video switching unit 4, whereby the display on the monitor 6 is displayed on the nose view camera. automatically Ru switched to nose view image from the unit 2. Therefore,
At this time, the driver can check the safety on the left and right of the stop intersection from the nose view image on the monitor 6 and then pass the intersection.

Further , a voice signal is output from the ECU 18 to the speaker 26, and as a result, the speaker 26 monitors the monitor 6.
The driver is informed of the sound indicating that the above display has been switched to the nose view image. Therefore, when the vehicle once tries to enter the stop intersection, the driver can surely visually recognize the nose view image on the monitor 6 and never fail to check the left and right safety.

However, the above-mentioned three conditions are
Then, whether the vehicle once reached the stop intersection, low gear
Based on the detection signal from the switch 22, the change in the engine
Whether the gear of the speed machine is in the low gear, and
Based on the sensor signal from the vehicle speed sensor 24, the vehicle speed is
Either of the conditions of low speed of 10km / h or less is satisfied
If non is, ECU 18 will not be displayed nose view image on monitor 6. Whether the gear is low gear
By executing the determination as to whether or not the driver once stops the vehicle and puts it in the low gear to start, the monitor 6
Since the nose view image cannot be obtained, the driver can be surely prompted to stop at the stop intersection.
Further, in a situation where the vehicle is moving backward from the stop intersection, the display on the monitor 6 is not undesirably switched to the nose view image. Further, if the display of the monitor 6 is not switched to the nose view image when trying to enter the stop intersection, the driver will be indirectly notified of the mistake in the gear setting, and there is an advantage that the rattling at the start can be prevented. is there.

[0022] On the other hand, a select switch 2 by the driver
When No. 8 is operated , the nose view is displayed on the monitor 6.
The image will be displayed immediately . In the above-described embodiment, the normal car navigation system 8 is used to identify the stop intersection once running, but the car navigation system 8 uses the infrastructure information as shown in FIG. That is, the ECU 10 may receive a signal from a device or the like once installed at the stop intersection, and in this case, the ECU 10 directly notifies the ECU 18 of the nose view device that the vehicle once reaches the stop intersection. You can

[0023]

As described in the foregoing, according to the nose-view device for a vehicle 請 Motomeko 1 is provided with the identification means, during traveling of the vehicle, whether the vehicle has once reached the stop intersection
It is possible to identify whether or not .

[0024] Then, according to the apparatus of claim 1, stops once
When the arrival of the vehicle at the stop intersection is recognized, the display means
Vehicle stops even if the user's view image is not displayed
It was determined that the intersection was in a low gear and the vehicle started slowly.
If it is constant, since the nose-view image on the display means is automatically displayed, the driver after confirming the right and left safety, can pass through an Dan stop intersection.

According to the apparatus of 請 Motomeko 2. Thus utilizing <br/> car navigation system as a recognition unit, during traveling, once it is possible to easily identify the stop intersection.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a vehicle has started to enter a stop intersection.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a nose view device of one embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Nose view camera unit 4 Video switching unit 6 monitors 8 car navigation system 18 ECU 20 Lighting switch 22 Low gear switch 24 vehicle speed sensor 26 speakers 28 Select switch

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshinori Yoshiichi 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (72) Inventor Tadashi Sugawara 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo No. Mitsubishi Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takahiro Maemura 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-6-321010 (JP, A) JP-A-6-278531 (JP, A) JP-A-5-278522 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 1/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A nose view image pickup means mounted on a front surface of a nose of a vehicle for picking up right and left sides of the vehicle, and a display capable of displaying a nose view image obtained by the nose view image pickup means to a driver of the vehicle. Means, an identification means for identifying whether or not the vehicle has once reached a stop intersection based on information from an external road information supply means, a vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and an engine speed change in the vehicle. The low gear detection means for detecting whether or not the gear stage of the machine is the low gear, and the identification means for confirming that the vehicle has once reached the stop intersection.
Is recognized, the display means is
Even if the image is not displayed, the vehicle speed detection means and
The low gear detecting means detects a vehicle speed equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed and a low speed.
If the gear position of the gear is detected, the vehicle will
It is judged that the difference point is in a situation where the vehicle starts slowly in low gear.
And a display control means for displaying the nose view image on the display means. 2. The nose view of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the identifying means uses road map information of a car navigation system and vehicle position information on the road map as the road information supplying means. apparatus.