JP4242791B2 - In-vehicle image information processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle image information processing apparatus such as a car navigation apparatus.

  Car navigation information related to the current location, recommended route, and the like is displayed on the monitor of the car navigation device. A car navigation device that can appropriately display a television program on a monitor is well known.

In Patent Document 1, a monitor of a car navigation apparatus is equipped with a camera and a microphone together with a slot for setting a detachable recording medium, and video data taken by the camera and data related to audio from the microphone are stored in the slot. Recording on a recording medium is disclosed.
JP 2002-71356 A (FIGS. 2 and 3)

  In the conventional car navigation device including the car navigation device of Patent Document 1, the monitor switches from the car navigation information to another information and displays it at an appropriate timing even if it displays something other than the car navigation information. It never happened.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle image information processing apparatus that enables a driver who is driving to grasp the vehicle cabin situation behind the driver's seat efficiently when it is or should be grasped. That is.

The first vehicle-mounted image information processing apparatus of the present invention has the following.
Driver's monitor deployed in front of the driver's seat in the passenger compartment,
A rear-facing camera that captures the interior of the passenger compartment behind the driver's seat,
The state detection means for detecting whether a predetermined matter related to the driving vehicle is in the first state or the second state different from the first state, and an image taken by the rear camera is displayed as “rear” Display control means for causing the driver monitor to display an image including only the rear image or an image including the rear image as a main image or an interrupt image when the predetermined matter is in the first state.

The second vehicle-mounted image information processing apparatus of the present invention has the following. The second in-vehicle image information processing apparatus can be mounted on the automobile separately from the first in-vehicle image information processing apparatus. Further, the first in-vehicle image information processing apparatus can additionally be equipped with the following elements of the second in-vehicle image information processing apparatus.
A camera for shooting a driver that is placed in front of the driver and shoots the face of the driver behind the driver,
A rear seat monitor arranged at a position visible from the rear seat as a seat behind the driver seat, and display control means for displaying a photographed image by the driver photographing camera on the rear seat monitor in response to a user operation.

  According to the first in-vehicle image information processing apparatus of the present invention, when the driver wants to grasp the passenger compartment situation behind the driver's seat even during driving, the driver does not look back and looks from the image displayed on the driver's monitor. Efficiently know the vehicle compartment behind the driver's seat.

  According to the second in-vehicle image information processing apparatus of the present invention, the driver's face photographed by the driver photographing camera is displayed on the rear seat monitor, so that the driver can be in the rear seat even while driving. The child in the back seat can be efficiently relieved without looking back.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a passenger car 10 equipped with a car navigation device. In the passenger compartment 10 of the passenger car 10, a front seat 13 as a driver seat and a passenger seat, and a rear seat 14 as a seat behind the front seat 13 are arranged. The dashboard 17 is in front of the front seat 13, and various instruments (not shown) necessary for driving are provided on the dashboard 17, and a front seat monitor 20 is provided toward the driver seat. . The front seat monitor 20 may be supported on the floor of the vehicle compartment 11 or the floor console via a predetermined bracket instead of being embedded in the dashboard 17. The steering wheel 18 protrudes rearward from the dashboard 17. The rear seat monitor 21 is disposed sufficiently close to the rear surface of the front seat 13 so that a person sitting on the rear seat 14 can see the screen of the rear seat monitor 21. The rear seat monitor 21 may be mounted on a ceiling. The front-seat monitor 20 and the rear-seat monitor 21 constitute a component of a car navigation device, and in addition to car navigation information such as the current location and recommended route, a TV program and a DVD video can be switched by user selection and displayed. is doing.

  FIG. 2 is a front view of the rear seat monitor 21. The rear seat monitor 21 has a thin housing 25, and a liquid crystal screen 26, a power switch 27, a speaker 28, and a microphone 29 are provided on the front surface of the housing 25 so as to be exposed from the housing 25. The power switch 27, the speaker 28, and the microphone 29 are arranged in a line below the liquid crystal screen 26 in the rear seat monitor 21. The CCD camera 33 includes an imaging unit 34 and a swing mechanism unit 35 and is attached to the upper portion of the housing 25. The head swing mechanism 35 supports the imaging unit 34 at the upper end and is fixed to the housing 25 at the lower end so that the imaging unit 34 can be changed to any orientation within a predetermined range. The swing angle of the swing mechanism unit 35 is automatically adjusted such that the entire range in which the orientation of the imaging unit 34 can be changed is automatically scanned in a predetermined cycle, or the imaging unit 34 is in a predetermined direction. The driver can perform manual adjustment via a predetermined operation member of the dashboard 17 when the passenger car 10 is stopped.

  In FIG. 2, the CCD camera 33 is attached to the outside of the housing 25, but is disposed in a predetermined space on the front surface of the housing 25, or a position different from the rear seat monitor 21, for example, the ceiling of the vehicle compartment 11. It is also possible to attach to. Although a front view of the front seat monitor 20 is omitted, the same front view as that of the rear seat monitor 21 in which the CCD camera 33 is omitted in FIG. 2 can be employed. When a driver's CCD camera is provided for photographing the driver's face in the front seat 13, the driver's CCD camera is provided on the front surface of the housing of the front seat monitor 20 or separate from the front seat monitor 20. It can be arranged on the front or upper surface of the dashboard 17.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a rear monitoring device portion in the in-vehicle image information processing device 40. The in-vehicle image information processing apparatus 40 includes a driver monitor 41, a rear photographing camera 42, another image generation unit 43, a state detection unit 44, a display control unit 45, and a monitor power supply switching unit 46. The in-vehicle image information processing device 40 is, for example, a car navigation device. The front seat monitor 20 (FIG. 1) and the CCD camera 33 (FIG. 2) are examples of the driver monitor 41 and the rear camera 42. The front seat 13 in FIG. 1 includes a driver seat. The driver monitor 41 is provided in front of the driver's seat in the passenger compartment. The rear photographing camera 42 photographs the situation inside the passenger compartment behind the driver's seat. The state detection unit 44 detects whether a predetermined matter related to the driving vehicle is in the first state or a second state different from the first state. The display control unit 45 calls an image captured by the rear capturing camera 42 as a “rear image”, and when a predetermined matter is in the first state, the image of only the rear image or the rear image is the main image or An image included as an interrupt image is displayed on the driver monitor 41.

  The first state is set in association with, for example, a state in which the driver who wants to confirm the safety of the child in the rear seat needs to monitor the rear. The first state is typically set as a limited state with respect to most of the second states, and is sufficiently shorter than the second state. In the second state period, an image related to car navigation (hereinafter referred to as “car navigation image”) is displayed on the driver monitor 41, and in the first state period, a rear image is displayed for the driver. If displayed on the monitor 41, the display time of the car navigation information occupies most of the display time on the driver monitor 41, and the ratio of the display time of the rear image is limited.

The “main image” of “an image including a rear image as a main image or an interrupt image” shall mean one of the following.
(A) When the screen size of the driver monitor 41 is large, the screen is divided into a large first screen portion and a smaller second screen portion, and an image occupying the first screen portion is the main image. And
(B) When the entire image on the driver monitor 41 is divided into a background image and a foreground image, the foreground image is set as a main image.
(C) During the period of the first state, the first image and the second image are alternately displayed in time on the driver monitor 41, and the time ratio thereof is C1: C2. When (C1> C2), the first image is the main image.

  It is assumed that the rear image on the driver monitor 41 may be either a moving image or a still image. The rear photographing camera 42 may be a digital camera or a video camera.

  An interrupt image is, for example, a display format in a car navigation device in which a window displaying a rear image suddenly appears on a map display of an area including the current location when a car that is guiding a route approaches a turning intersection. It shall mean an image. The ratio of the window to the entire screen of the driver monitor 41 is not particularly limited, but a ratio larger than 1/3 is preferable.

  The in-vehicle image information processing apparatus 40 can be equipped with the specific configurations described below in any combination. An image different from the rear image is referred to as “another image”.

  When the predetermined matter is in the second state, the display control unit 45 causes the driver monitor 41 to display an image including only another image or an image including another image as a main image. The different image includes a car navigation image, a DVD playback image, and an image displayed on the driver monitor 41 during playback of a CD or the like. The car navigation image is, for example, a road map of a current location and a predetermined area including the current location, and a recommended route to the destination in the map displayed in a predetermined color.

  The monitor power supply switching means 46 turns off the driver monitor 41 when the driver monitor 41 is turned off when a predetermined matter is switched from the second state to the first state. Switch to on. The monitor power supply switching means 46 indicates that the predetermined matter has been switched from the second state to the first state, for example, directly from the monitor power supply switching means 46 or indirectly via the display control means 45. know.

  The predetermined matters include, for example, the driving state of the driving vehicle, the indoor state of the driving vehicle, the in-vehicle AV (audio and video) equipment (eg, audio equipment such as a CD player, video such as a DVD player) mounted on the driving vehicle. Equipment.) Matters relating to the operating state or the elapsed state of the driving time of the driving vehicle.

  When the predetermined matter is a matter relating to the driving state of the driving vehicle (for example, the passenger car 10 in FIG. 1), the first state is traveling on a curve (for example, a sharp curve) whose curvature is equal to or more than the first predetermined value. Running on a road where a curve with a curvature greater than or equal to a second predetermined value appears at a predetermined frequency or more. Driving conditions (eg, mountain roads where the right curve and left curve alternate), driving conditions after starting from a stop (eg, starting at the departure point or intersection), shift lever is shifted from P range to other ranges Driving conditions (eg, when starting at the departure point or intersection), driving conditions when the side brake is switched from operation to release (eg, when starting at the departure point or intersection), driving conditions where the driving vehicle is temporarily stopped .

  The driving state in which the driving vehicle is temporarily stopped is, for example, waiting for the (a) signal to change from a red signal to a blue signal, proceeding to the center of the intersection for a right turn, and for the oncoming train to pass (B) When trying to enter a road with a narrow road, at the entrance, discover that a car is coming from the other side, and stop waiting for the car to pass State. The driving state in which the driving vehicle is temporarily stopped is a vehicle speed sensor that detects that the vehicle speed has changed to almost zero, a position sensor that detects that the shift lever has been switched to the parking range, and that the parking brake has changed to the operating position. The display sensor 45 detects the first state only within the predetermined time, and displays the rear image on the driver monitor 41. indicate.

  When the predetermined matter is a matter relating to the driving state of the driving vehicle, the state detecting unit 44 displays the driving state as an acceleration sensor, a gyrocompass, a vehicle speed sensor, and / or a current location information and a map database of the in-vehicle image information processing device 40. It detects based on the information containing this information. From the output of the acceleration sensor, it is possible to detect whether the passenger vehicle 10 as a driving vehicle is currently accelerating or decelerating, and is also in a right curve or a left curve. From the output of the gyrocompass, the traveling direction of the driving vehicle can be detected, and further, by detecting the time change, it is possible to detect the right curve or the left curve. From the output of the vehicle speed sensor, it can be detected whether the passenger car 10 has started, stopped, is operating at low speed, or is operating at high speed. From the current location information and the map database information of the in-vehicle image information processing device 40, the structural information of the road on which the driving vehicle is currently traveling (for example, whether it is a substantially straight road, a sharp curve, a mountain road, etc.) Can be detected.

  When the predetermined matter is a matter related to the indoor state of the driving vehicle, the first state is, for example, the indoor state where the infant in the rear seat 14 is crying. The driver wants to grasp the state of the infant when the infant in the rear seat 14 is crying. In addition to the state detection means 44, a user operation changeover switch is mounted on the dashboard 17, and when the driver manually operates the user operation changeover switch, the user manually turns the user operation changeover switch thereafter. The rear image may be continuously displayed on the driver monitor 41 until the operation is performed again. In addition, this user operation changeover switch can be provided in the touch panel using the screen portion of the driver monitor 41 as a touch panel.

  When the predetermined matter is the in-vehicle AV device operating state mounted on the driving vehicle, the first state is, for example, the in-vehicle AV device operating state in which a music recording medium is played back. The average playback time of one piece of music is around 5 minutes. By setting the inter-song period to the first state, the user does not particularly need to set the time interval for displaying the rear image on the driver monitor 41, and the rear image is suddenly displayed by the driver. If it is displayed on the monitor 41 for the driver, the driver may miss it, but if the driver knows that the rear image is displayed on the driver monitor 41 between the songs, it will be missed. This makes it possible to know the state of the backseat on a regular basis, which is particularly advantageous when traveling on a mountain road for a long time.

  When the predetermined matter is a matter related to the elapsed state of the driving time of the driving vehicle, the first state is, for example, an elapsed state of the driving time in which the driving elapsed time from the reference time has reached a predetermined value. The reference time is, for example, the previous switching time when the display control unit 45 switches the selected image from the rear image to the car navigation image. In this case, the rear images are displayed on the driver monitor 41 at regular time intervals.

  Thus, when the driver needs to monitor the rear while driving the passenger car 10 in the driver's seat, the rear image of the driver's monitor 41 is displayed. Without looking back, you can properly grasp the state behind you.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the rear seat driver display device in the in-vehicle image information processing device 40. The in-vehicle image information processing apparatus 40 includes a driver photographing camera 56, a rear seat monitor 57, display control means 58, other video sources 59, and keys 60. The driver photographing camera 56 is, for example, mounted integrally with the front seat monitor 20 (FIG. 1) or attached to the dashboard 17 or the ceiling of the vehicle compartment 11 separately from the front seat monitor 20. The key 60 is provided on the front seat monitor 20 (FIG. 1), for example. The driver photographing camera 56 is arranged in front of the driver and is directed to photograph the figure of the driver, particularly the driver's face. The other video source 59 generates a predetermined image independently of the driver photographing camera 56, and is, for example, another image generation means 43 (FIG. 3), a DVD playback player, or the like. The rear seat monitor 57 is disposed at a position that is visible from the rear seat monitor 21 as a seat behind the driver seat. The display control unit 58 displays a photographed image by the driver photographing camera 56 on the rear seat monitor 57 in response to a user operation. The user operation is an operation in which the driver presses the key 60.

When the driver knows that the child is about to cry by the driver monitor 41 in the in-vehicle image information processing apparatus 40 of FIG. 3, he operates the key 60 and puts his face on the rear seat monitor 57. Is displayed. The driver points his / her face, such as a smile, to the driver's photographing camera 56 with a facial expression that makes the child feel better. Thus, the driver's facial expression is displayed on the rear-seat monitor 57, and the child in the rear-seat 14 looks at the parent's facial expression on the rear-seat monitor 57 and feels at ease and stops crying. Stop doing. During the period when the driver lifts the child in the rear seat 14 via the rear seat monitor 57, a rear image may be displayed on the front seat monitor 20 regardless of whether or not the driver is in the first state. .

  The display control unit 58 may automatically display a photographed image by the driver photographing camera 56 on the rear seat monitor 57 without receiving a user operation. The display control means 45 (FIG. 3) causes the driver monitor 41 to display an image including only the rear image or the rear image as the main image or the interrupt image when a predetermined matter is in the first state. However, the display control means 58 may also display a photographed image by the driver photographing camera 56 on the rear seat monitor 57 when a predetermined matter is in the first state. In this case, when the rear image is displayed on the driver monitor 41, the driver's face is displayed on the rear seat monitor 57.

It is a schematic diagram of a passenger car equipped with a car navigation device. It is a front view of the monitor for rear seats. It is a functional block diagram of the back monitoring part in a vehicle-mounted image information processing apparatus. It is a functional block diagram of a driver display device for backseats in an in-vehicle image information processing device.

Explanation of symbols

10: Passenger car (driving vehicle), 11: Vehicle compartment, 13: Front seat (driver's seat), 14: Rear seat, 20: Front seat monitor, 21: Rear seat monitor, 33: CCD camera, 40: In-vehicle use Image information processing apparatus, 41: driver monitor, 42: rear photographing camera, 43: separate image generating means, 44: state detecting means, 45: display control means, 56: driver photographing camera, 57: rear seat Monitor, 58: display control means.

Claims (4)

Driver's monitor deployed in front of the driver's seat in the passenger compartment,
A rear-facing camera that captures the situation inside the passenger compartment behind the driver seat;
State detecting means for detecting whether a predetermined matter relating to the driving vehicle is in a first state or a second state different from the first state; and
When the predetermined matter is in the first state, an image including only the rear image or an image including the rear image as a main image or an interrupt image is displayed on the driver monitor, and the predetermined matter is displayed. there wherein when in the second state, the display control unit an image including an image or a car navigation image only a car navigation image as a main image Ru is displayed on the driver's monitor,
I have a,
The predetermined matter is a matter relating to the driving state of the driving vehicle,
The first state is an operation state where the vehicle is traveling on a curve having a curvature equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, an operation state where the vehicle is decelerating at a predetermined deceleration or more, and a curvature is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value. The driving state where the curve appears on the road where the frequency appears more than the predetermined frequency, the driving state where the driving starts from the stop, the driving state where the shift lever is shifted from the P range to another range, the side brake is switched from the operation to the release An in-vehicle image information processing apparatus which is in a driving state or a driving state in which the driving vehicle is temporarily stopped . If the driver monitor is turned off when the predetermined matter is switched from the second state to the first state, the monitor for switching the driver monitor from off to on Power supply switching means,
The in-vehicle image information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The state detection means detects a driving state based on information including an acceleration sensor, a gyro compass, a vehicle speed sensor, and / or current location information and map database information of the in-vehicle image information processing device. The in-vehicle image information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 . A camera for shooting a driver that is placed in front of the driver and shoots the face of the driver behind the driver,
A rear seat monitor arranged at a position visible from the rear seat as a seat behind the driver seat, and display control for displaying a photographed image by the driver photographing camera on the rear seat monitor in response to a user operation means,
The in-vehicle image information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the in- vehicle image information processing apparatus is provided.

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