JP4719590B2 - In-vehicle peripheral status presentation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device that is installed in a car and presents a situation around the automobile to a user.

As a technology for presenting a situation around a vehicle mounted on a car to a user, there is known a technique of photographing the periphery of the own car with an infrared camera and displaying an image shot with the infrared camera to a driver (For example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-146389

According to the above-described technology for displaying an image captured by an infrared camera, the driver can easily grasp a pedestrian who is difficult to see at night from the displayed image.
Here, when there is another object in front of the pedestrian as viewed from the infrared camera, the area behind the object cannot be captured by the infrared camera, and therefore this pedestrian cannot be captured by the infrared camera. . Therefore, it is preferable that the driver pays special attention to such a range that cannot be captured by the infrared camera without relying only on the displayed image. However, it is not always easy for the driver to immediately grasp such a range that cannot be captured by the infrared camera at night. Therefore, the present invention is mounted on a car and presents the situation around the car to the user. It is an object of the present invention to alert a user about a range in which the in-vehicle surrounding situation presentation device cannot correctly present the situation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an in-vehicle surrounding state presentation device that is mounted on a vehicle and presents the state around the vehicle to a user. A situation sensor, a situation presentation means for presenting a situation in the detection range detected by the surrounding situation sensor to a user, and an object existing in the detection range for the surrounding situation sensor In addition, a non-detectable range calculating unit that calculates a range in which the situation cannot be detected by the surrounding state sensor is calculated as a non-detectable range, and a user's attention about the non-detectable range calculated by the non-detectable range calculating unit. It is configured to include an alerting means for alerting.

  According to such an in-vehicle surrounding situation presentation device, the range where the situation cannot be detected by the surrounding situation sensor is calculated as the undetectable range because it is behind the object existing in the detection range. Since the user's attention about the calculated non-detectable range is drawn, the user's attention is drawn about the range in which the in-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device cannot correctly present the situation because it is behind other objects. Will be able to.

  Here, the vehicle-mounted peripheral situation presentation device as described above detects, in the non-detectable range calculation means, other vehicles existing in the detection range according to the situation in the detection range detected by the peripheral situation sensor. And the range which is behind the other vehicle which the said other vehicle detection means detected with respect to the said surrounding state sensor may be calculated as said undetectable range. In addition, the on-vehicle surrounding situation presentation apparatus as described above includes the surrounding situation sensor including a camera that captures the surroundings of the own vehicle and a radar measurement unit that measures the position of an object around the own vehicle using a radar. Then, in the non-detectable range calculation means, based on the size of the other vehicle in the image captured by the camera and the distance to the position measured by the radar measurement means for the object corresponding to the other vehicle The size of the vehicle is calculated, and the range behind the other vehicle cannot be detected based on the position measured by the radar measurement unit for the object corresponding to the other vehicle and the calculated size of the other vehicle. It may be calculated as a range.

By doing so, it is possible to call the user's attention about the range in which the vehicle-mounted peripheral situation presentation device cannot correctly present the situation because it is behind other vehicles.
In addition, the above-described in-vehicle surrounding state presentation device further includes map data storage means for storing map data representing a map showing the arrangement of roads and buildings, and own vehicle position calculation means for calculating the current position of the own vehicle. In the non-detectable range calculation means, based on the current position of the vehicle calculated by the vehicle position calculation means and the positional relationship between the buildings around the vehicle represented by the map data stored in the map data storage means, A range that is behind the building with respect to the surrounding state sensor may be calculated as the undetectable range.

By doing in this way, since it becomes the shade of a building, a user's attention can be alerted about the range which the said vehicle-mounted periphery condition presentation apparatus cannot present a condition correctly.
In addition, in the above-described in-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device, more specifically, the alerting means displays an image representing the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the undetectable range, whereby the user about the undetectable range is displayed. You may make it comprise as what raises the attention of. In this case, the image displayed by the alerting means may be an image representing the current position of the vehicle and the undetectable range on a map around the vehicle.

By doing so, the user can intuitively grasp the undetectable range in relation to the own vehicle intuitively.
Further, the above-described in-vehicle surrounding situation presentation device is configured such that the surrounding situation sensor includes a camera that takes a picture of the surroundings of the vehicle, and the situation presentation unit displays an image taken by the camera, and also alerts the user. The means may alert the user about the undetectable range by indicating an area corresponding to the undetectable range on the video displayed by the status presentation unit.

  In this way, the user can directly grasp the undetectable range in relation to the surrounding situation indicated by the video captured by the camera.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in an in-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device that is mounted on a vehicle and presents the situation around the vehicle to a user, the range in which the in-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device cannot correctly present the situation. The user's attention can be drawn.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 a shows the configuration of the surrounding situation presentation device according to the present embodiment.
This peripheral situation presentation device is a device mounted on an automobile, and as shown in the figure, a front monitoring unit 1, a rear monitoring unit 2, a vehicle sensor 3 for detecting the steering angle and speed of the host vehicle, a peripheral status display, and the like. Unit 4, blind spot calculation unit 5, navigation device 6 that includes map data and detects the current position of the vehicle based on the map data, display device 8, audio output device 9, operation unit 10, display device 8 and audio output And an input / output control unit 7 for controlling input / output using the device 9 and the operation unit 10.

  Further, the front monitoring unit 1 and the rear monitoring unit 2 include a camera 11 that captures a set shooting range and a radar device 12 that performs radar positioning of an object within the set scanning range. However, the camera 11 of the front monitoring unit 1 is an infrared camera, and the camera 11 of the rear monitoring unit 2 is a normal visible light photographing camera 11.

  Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1b, the front monitoring unit 1 is arranged in the front part of the vehicle, and the front of the vehicle is photographed by the camera 11 of the front monitoring unit 1 as a photographing range. The radar apparatus 12 performs radar positioning of the object with the front of the vehicle as the scanning range. Further, the rear monitoring unit 2 is arranged at the rear of the vehicle, and the camera 11 of the rear monitoring unit 2 captures the rear of the vehicle as an imaging range, and the radar device 12 of the rear monitoring unit 2 sets the rear of the host vehicle as a scanning range. Radar positioning is performed. Here, in this embodiment, the range of the viewing angle of the camera 11 of the front monitoring unit 1 and the range of the scanning angle of the radar device 12 are matched, and the range of the viewing angle of the camera 11 of the rear monitoring unit 2 is matched with the radar device 12. The scanning angle ranges are matched.

Next, the operation of the blind spot calculation unit 5 will be described.
The blind spot calculation unit 5 performs the other vehicle factor blind spot calculation process and the building factor blind spot calculation process for each of the front monitoring unit 1 and the rear monitoring unit 2. Here, the contents of the other vehicle factor blind spot calculation processing performed by the blind spot calculating unit 5 for each of the front monitoring unit 1 and the rear monitoring unit 2 are the same, and the blind spot calculating unit 5 is configured to perform the forward monitoring unit 1 and the rear monitoring unit 2. The contents of the building factor blind spot calculation process performed for each of the above are the same.

Hereinafter, the other vehicle factor blind spot calculation process and the building factor blind spot calculation process will be described.
First, the other vehicle factor blind spot calculation process will be described taking the other vehicle factor blind spot calculation process performed for the rear monitoring unit 2 as an example.
In this other vehicle factor blind spot calculation process, a range in which the situation cannot be presented due to the presence of another vehicle is calculated as the other vehicle factor blind spot range.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2a, if the radar device 12 of the rear monitoring unit 2 measures the position Px of the object corresponding to the other vehicle behind the own vehicle 201, W is the short side and L is the long side. The position of the rectangular other vehicle region 202 that is closest to the rear monitoring unit 2 in the other vehicle region 202 is determined with the direction of the velocity vector measured by the radar device 12 with respect to the object as the direction of the long side. It arrange | positions so that it may become the position Px. However, when the measured position Px is directly behind the rear monitoring unit 2, the center position of the short side of the other vehicle area 202 near the own vehicle is set to the measured position Px.

  Then, the range hidden from the rear monitoring unit 2 by this other vehicle area is calculated as the other vehicle factor blind spot range 203. That is, the other vehicle factor blind spot range 203 is obtained as a range in which the other vehicle region 202 exists at an arbitrary position in the other vehicle factor blind spot range 203 on the line connecting the position and the rear monitoring unit 2.

Now, the length W of the short side and the length L of the long side of such other vehicle area are calculated by setting the vehicle width of the other vehicle that measured the position Px as W and the vehicle length of the other vehicle as L. To set.
The calculation of the vehicle width W and the vehicle length L of the other vehicle is performed, for example, as shown in FIG.
That is, the blind spot calculation unit 5 performs a process of tracking the position measured by the radar device 12 for the other vehicle in the other vehicle factor blind spot calculation process for each other vehicle around the host vehicle.
Then, an image recognition process is performed on the area of the image captured by the camera 11 corresponding to the position measured by the radar device 12 for the other vehicle being tracked, and the other vehicle being tracked is shown in FIG. 3a. When the video directed to the front of the vehicle is photographed by the camera 11, the positions in the images of the front left and right ends P1, P2 of the other vehicle 302 being tracked are obtained. Based on the obtained position in the image, the angle difference θ1 in the direction from the installation position O of the camera 11 of the own vehicle 301 toward the front left and right ends P1, P2 of the other vehicle 302 being tracked is obtained. The radar apparatus 12 calculates the vehicle width W using W = 2Dtan (θ / 2) using the relative distance D measured for the other vehicle 302 that is being tracked.

  Next, when the vehicle width W is calculated in this way, an image of an image taken by the camera 11 with respect to a region corresponding to a position measured by the radar device 12 with respect to another vehicle for which the vehicle width W is calculated. The recognition process is continued, and when an image of the other vehicle being tracked facing right diagonally forward is captured by the camera 11, as shown in FIG. 3b1, the front left end P1 of the recognized other vehicle, The positions in the image of the front right end P2 and the rear left end P3 are obtained. Then, based on the obtained position in the image, the angle θ1 in the direction from the installation position O of the camera 11 of the own vehicle 301 toward the front right end P2 of the other vehicle 302 being tracked, the front left end P1 of the other vehicle 302 An angle θ2 in the direction toward the vehicle and a direction θ3 toward the rear left end P3 of the other vehicle 302 are obtained.

  Then, the position advanced by the relative distance D measured by the radar apparatus 12 with respect to the other vehicle 302 being tracked in the θ2 direction from the installation position O of the camera 11 of the own vehicle 301 is defined as a position P1. Next, as shown in FIG. 3b2, by using the vehicle width W previously calculated for the other vehicle being tracked, the circle of radius W centered on the position of P1 and the installation position of the camera 11 of the host vehicle 301 Of the two intersections with the straight line from O to the θ1 direction, the position farther from the vehicle than P1 is P2. An intersection of a straight line perpendicular to the straight line connecting P1 and P2 and a straight line from the installation position O of the host vehicle 301 toward the θ3 direction is defined as P3, and a distance between P1 and P3 is defined as a vehicle length L.

Then, the vehicle width W and the vehicle length L obtained as described above are set with respect to the position Px measured by the radar device 12 for the other vehicle being tracked for which the vehicle width W and the vehicle length L are obtained in FIG. It is used as the length of the short side / long side of the other vehicle region 202 to be used.
Note that such a vehicle length L can be calculated in the same manner when the camera 11 captures an image of the other vehicle in which the vehicle width W has been calculated facing forward in the right oblique direction. In other words, in this case, the above processing may be performed with the front right end of the other vehicle as P1, the front left end as P2, and the rear right end as P3.

The other vehicle factor blind spot calculation processing has been described above.
By the way, the calculation of the vehicle width W / vehicle length L of the other vehicle as described above may be performed as follows. That is, the surrounding state presentation device is provided with a wireless communication device, and information on the position, width, and length of the other vehicle is acquired from other nearby vehicles by inter-vehicle communication using wireless communication. Then, the acquired vehicle width / vehicle length is set as the vehicle width W / vehicle length L of the other vehicle being tracked whose relative position corresponding to the acquired position is measured by the radar device 12.

Next, the building factor blind spot calculating process performed by the blind spot calculating unit 5 will be described by taking the building factor blind spot calculating process performed for the front monitoring unit 1 as an example.
In the building factor blind spot calculation process, a range in which the situation cannot be presented due to the presence of the building is calculated as a building factor blind spot range.
In this building factor blind spot calculation process, the blind spot calculator 5 acquires information on the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle and map data around the host vehicle from the navigation device 6.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2b, acquired from the navigation device 6 with respect to the front monitoring unit 1 at the current position of the host vehicle 201 indicated by the information acquired from the navigation device 6 and facing the traveling direction indicated by the acquired information. The range on the road / walk that is hidden by the building 204 indicated by the map data is calculated as the building factor blind spot range 205. In other words, the building factor blind spot range 205 is located on a road / walk where an arbitrary position in the building factor blind spot range 205 exists on the line connecting the position and the front monitoring unit 1. Obtained as a range.

  However, in this calculation of the building factor blind spot range, the range where the building exists is calculated from the relative position of the object to be measured by the radar device 12, and the range on the road / sidewalk hidden by the building for which the range is calculated. May be performed by calculating as a building factor blind spot range. Moreover, you may make it calculate all the ranges hidden with a building with respect to the front monitoring unit 1 as a building factor blind spot range regardless of whether it is a range on a road / walk.

The building factor blind spot calculation processing has been described above.
Next, the surrounding state display process performed by the surrounding state display unit 4 will be described.
The peripheral situation display unit 4 selectively performs a rear situation display process and a front situation display process in response to a user operation on the operation unit 10 input via the input / output control unit 7.
In the rear situation display process, as shown in FIG. 4 a, a rear monitoring screen having a radar image display area 410 and a captured video display area 420 is displayed on the display device 8 via the input / output control unit 7.
Then, the map around the own vehicle position, the current position and the traveling direction of the own vehicle are acquired from the navigation device 6, and the map 411 around the own vehicle position and the position corresponding to the current position of the own vehicle on the map 411 are obtained. A rear radar monitoring image composed of an own vehicle graphic 412 representing the own vehicle arranged in the traveling direction and an other vehicle graphic 413 representing the other vehicle detected by the radar device 12 of the rear monitoring unit 2 on the map. Displayed in the radar image display area 410. Here, the other vehicle figure 413 is a positional relationship between the other vehicle and the own vehicle, in which the positional relationship between the other vehicle figure 413 and the own vehicle figure 412 is obtained from the relative position of the other vehicle detected by the radar device 12 of the rear monitoring unit 2. To match.

  Further, the rear monitoring range which is the scanning range of the radar device 12 of the rear monitoring unit 2 installed so as to coincide with the shooting range of the camera 11 of the rear monitoring unit 2 can be visually recognized from the rear radar monitoring image. The area of the rear radar monitoring image corresponding to the area outside the rear monitoring range on the map 411 is displayed with its display brightness lowered. Further, a range including the other vehicle factor blind spot range calculated by the blind spot calculation unit 5 and the building factor blind spot range is set as a blind spot range, and a region 414 corresponding to the blind spot range on the map 411 in the rear radar monitoring image is shaded. It is displayed so that it can be distinguished from other areas in the rear monitoring range by display or the like.

In the captured image display area 420, the image of the rear of the vehicle taken by the camera 11 of the rear monitoring unit 2 is displayed with the left and right reversed.
Next, in the forward situation display process, as shown in FIG. 4B, a forward monitoring screen having a radar image display area 410 and a captured video display area 420 is displayed on the display device 8 via the input / output control unit 7.
Then, the map around the own vehicle position, the current position and the traveling direction of the own vehicle are acquired from the navigation device 6, and the map 411 around the own vehicle position and the position corresponding to the current position of the own vehicle on the map 411 are obtained. A radar image of the front radar composed of the own vehicle figure 412 representing the own vehicle arranged in the traveling direction and the other vehicle figure representing the other vehicle detected by the radar device 12 of the front monitoring unit 1 on the map is radar. The image is displayed in the image display area 410.

  Further, the imaging range of the camera 11 of the forward monitoring unit 1 and the forward monitoring range, which is the scanning range of the radar device 12 of the forward monitoring unit 1 installed so as to coincide with the imaging range, can be viewed from the forward radar monitoring image. The area corresponding to the front radar monitoring image outside the front monitoring range on the map 411 is displayed with its display brightness lowered. Further, a range obtained by combining the other vehicle factor blind spot range and the building factor blind spot range calculated by the blind spot calculating unit 5 is set as a blind spot range, and a region 414 corresponding to the blind spot range on the map 411 in the forward radar monitoring image is shaded. It is displayed so that it can be distinguished from other areas in the forward monitoring range by display or the like.

In the captured image display area 420, an image in front of the host vehicle captured by the infrared camera 11 of the front monitoring unit 1 is displayed.
The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
By the way, in the above-described forward situation display process and forward display process, as shown in FIG. 5A as an example of the forward monitoring screen displayed in the forward display process, the image in the image captured by the camera 11 displayed in the captured video display area 420 is displayed. If there is no other vehicle or building that hides the blind spot range with respect to the front monitoring unit 1, the part where the image of the object in the blind spot range is reflected and the area 421 around the part are displayed. In addition, the area 421 in the image captured by the camera 11 can be visually recognized as a portion corresponding to the blind spot range by displaying the area 421 of the image displayed in the captured video display area 420 with shading. May be displayed.

  Further, in the above forward display processing, when the navigation device 6 performs route guidance using the guidance route set between the user and the destination set, as shown in FIG. A graphic 415 representing the guidance route and a graphic 416 representing the destination may be displayed on the map 411 displayed in the area 410. In this case, if there is no other vehicle or building that hides the destination from the front monitoring unit 1 in the image captured by the camera 11 displayed in the captured image display area 420. The figure 422 indicating the presence of the destination may be displayed at a position where the video of the destination is reflected.

  In the above embodiment, the blind spot calculation unit 5 may further perform the following warning process. That is, in this measurement process, the blind spot calculation unit 5 predicts the occurrence of the lane change of the own vehicle based on the user's lane change operation (for example, operation of the direction indicator) detected by the vehicle sensor 3, and the prediction If there is a blind spot range behind the lane that is going to travel due to a changed lane, the voice output device 9 via the input / output control unit 7 prompts the user that the lane change safety cannot be confirmed. Or a voice message urging attention to increase the distance between other vehicles when the other vehicle factor blind spot range is widened in the vicinity of the own vehicle from the voice output device 9 via the input / output control unit 7 Perform output processing.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the range in which the situation cannot be detected by the radar apparatus 12 or the camera 11 because it is behind other objects such as other vehicles and buildings is calculated as a blind spot range. The user is alerted about the blind spot range by outputting a voice message prompting the user to indicate the blind spot range or paying attention to the relationship with the blind spot range. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the surrounding situation display device can call the user's attention about the range in which the situation cannot be presented.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the periphery condition display apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the calculation operation | movement of the blind spot range of the periphery condition display apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the calculation operation | movement of the blind spot range of the periphery condition display apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the periphery condition display apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the periphery condition display apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Front monitoring unit, 2 ... Back monitoring unit, 3 ... Vehicle sensor, 4 ... Peripheral condition display part, 5 ... Dead angle calculation part, 6 ... Navigation apparatus, 7 ... Input / output control part, 8 ... Display apparatus, 9 ... Audio | voice Output device, 10 ... operation unit, 11 ... camera, 12 ... radar device.

Claims (6)

An on-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device that is mounted on an automobile and presents the situation around the automobile to a user,
Map data storage means for storing map data representing a map;
Own vehicle position calculating means for calculating the current position of the own vehicle;
A display device;
A camera that captures the area around the vehicle,
An undetectable range calculating means for calculating, as an undetectable range, a range that cannot be captured by the camera because it is behind the object existing within the capturing range of the camera with respect to the camera;
On the map around the current position of the host vehicle calculated by the host vehicle position calculation unit represented by the map data stored in the map data storage unit, the current position of the host vehicle and the undetectable range calculation unit calculate A non-detectable range presentation image generating means for generating a non-detectable range presentation image that is an image representing the non-detectable range,
An in-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device comprising: a display unit configured to display the undetectable range presentation image on the display device together with a video photographed by the camera. The on-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device according to claim 1,
The on-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device, wherein the camera is an infrared camera. The on-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
Having radar measuring means for measuring the position of an object around the vehicle using a radar;
The undetectable range calculating means is based on the size of the other vehicle in the image captured by the camera and the distance to the position measured by the radar measuring means for an object corresponding to the other vehicle. The size is calculated, and based on the position measured by the radar measurement unit for the object corresponding to the other vehicle and the calculated size of the other vehicle, the range behind the other vehicle is calculated as the undetectable range. An on-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device characterized by: The on-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The undetectable range calculating means is a positional relationship between the current position of the own vehicle calculated by the own vehicle position calculating means and a building around the own vehicle indicated by the map represented by the map data stored in the map data storage means. On the basis of the above, an in-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device that calculates a range that is behind the building with respect to the camera as the undetectable range. The on-vehicle peripheral situation presentation device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4,
A vehicle-mounted peripheral condition presentation device comprising: a non-detectable range presenting unit that superimposes and displays a graphic representing a region corresponding to the non-detectable range on an image captured by a camera displayed on the display device. A vehicle equipped with a map data storage means storing map data representing a map, a vehicle position calculation means for calculating the current position of the vehicle, a display device, and a camera for photographing the periphery of the vehicle. In the apparatus, a method of presenting a situation around the automobile to a user,
Calculating a range incapable of being photographed by the camera as an undetectable range in order to be behind the object existing in the photographing range of the camera with respect to the camera;
The current position of the host vehicle and the calculated non-detectable range are displayed on a map around the current position of the host vehicle calculated by the host vehicle position calculating unit represented by the map data stored in the map data storage unit. Generating an undetectable range presentation image that is an image,
And displaying the undetectable range presentation image on the display device together with the video taken by the camera.