JP4781069B2 - Road marker irradiation device and parking assist device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a road surface marker drawing device and a parking assistance device for irradiating a line marker on a road surface so that a driver can easily determine the positional relationship between a parking space and a vehicle.

  In recent years, with the widespread use of car navigation systems, an increasing number of vehicles have a display installed in the passenger compartment. Many devices for assisting the driver in parking operation by displaying a vehicle rear image on the display have been proposed.

  However, an apparatus for assisting parking by displaying a vehicle rear image on a display tends to increase costs because an image processing technique or the like is required. In particular, there is a problem that the cost is further increased when a technique such as displaying a predicted trajectory of a wheel on a captured image or converting a captured image into an overhead image or the like is used.

  In order to solve such a cost problem, there has been proposed a parking assistance device that performs parking assistance for a driver without using a camera or a display (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  When a driver performs a parking process using this parking assistance device, first, the vehicle 10 is stopped at a right angle to the parking space T (FIG. 6A). At this time, the driver stops the vehicle 10 so that the seating position DR of the driver is positioned on the extension of the side portion (left line) T1 of the parking space T.

  In this state, the driver turns the steering wheel all the way to the left, advances the vehicle 10 until the parking assist device emits a warning sound (FIG. 6B), and stops the vehicle 10 at a predetermined position according to the warning sound ( FIG. 6 (c)). After the vehicle 10 is stopped, the driver turns the steering wheel all the way to the right, moves the vehicle 10 backward until the parking assist device emits a warning sound (FIG. 6 (d)), and moves the vehicle 10 at a predetermined position according to the warning sound. Stop the vehicle (FIG. 6 (e)).

  In this state, the driver returns the steering wheel to the neutral position and moves the vehicle 10 straight back so that the vehicle 10 can be accommodated in the parking space T (FIG. 6 (f)).

By using the parking assist device described above, the driver can easily park the vehicle 10 in the target parking space T. Furthermore, since this parking assistance apparatus does not necessarily require a display or a camera, it is easy to reduce the cost of the apparatus.
JP 2003-2139 A (page 3-4, FIGS. 1 and 2)

  By the way, in order to reliably guide the vehicle 10 to the parking space T using the parking assist device described above, it is necessary to stop the vehicle 10 at a fixed position with respect to the parking space T in the state shown in FIG. There is.

  When the position of the vehicle 10 in the front-rear direction and the position of the parking space T are matched, for example, a small seal is attached to the driver's seat door, and the seal 10 and the side portion T1 of the parking space T are aligned visually. The position in the front-rear direction and the position of the parking space T can be matched.

  However, in the method using the seal, it is difficult to determine the distance X from the side portion of the vehicle 10 to the entrance line T2 of the parking space T. Since the driver cannot directly see the tire in the state of getting on the vehicle 10, the driver determines the distance between the vehicle 10 and the parking space T depending on his / her sense of the vehicle, and places the vehicle 10 at a place that seems to be a suitable distance. To stop. Thus, since the distance between the vehicle 10 and the parking space T is determined based on the driver's feeling, it is difficult to keep the distance X constant.

  On the other hand, since the distance X is an important element for specifying the center of rotation in the case of parking operation, if the distance X is too far from the preferred distance, it becomes necessary to turn the vehicle 10 greatly, There has been a problem that the vehicle 10 may not be correctly guided to the parking space T due to a slight shift timing or the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a road surface marker irradiating device and a parking assist device capable of easily and reliably determining the positional relationship between a parking space and a vehicle in a state where a driver gets on the vehicle. It is an issue to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a road surface marker irradiating device according to the present invention is installed in a vehicle and emits light toward a road surface around the vehicle, and a uniaxial direction with respect to incident light Optical lens means for changing the incident light into a linear light beam at a focal position by giving a change to the light beam, and outputting the light beam emitted by the light beam light emitting device via the optical lens device. In this case, the road surface is irradiated with a linear line marker parallel to the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the vehicle body.

  In addition, the light emitting means and the optical lens means are mounted, and rotation driving means that rotates with the vehicle front-rear extending direction as a rotation axis direction is provided, and the optical lens is rotated by rotation of the rotation driving means. The optical axis angle of the light beam output through the means may be changed so that the irradiation position of the line marker can be moved.

  Furthermore, it has angle operation means for adjusting the rotation angle of the rotation drive means, and the rotation drive means is rotated according to the angle set by the angle operation means, so that the line marker position is It may be changed.

  On the other hand, the parking assist device according to the present invention is installed in a vehicle and emits light toward a road surface around the vehicle, and a change in one axial direction with respect to incident light. An optical lens unit that changes the incident light into a linear light beam at a focal position, a yaw angle detection unit that detects a yaw angle of the vehicle, a notification unit that notifies a driver of the vehicle, Parking assistance means for assisting parking operation of the vehicle by determining the state of the vehicle based on the yaw angle detected by the yaw angle detection means and notifying the driver of the state of the vehicle by the notification means. A linear line marker that is parallel to the front-rear direction or the width direction of the vehicle body by outputting the light emitted by the light-emitting means via the optical lens means Is applied to the road surface.

  In addition, the light emitting means and the optical lens means are mounted, and rotation driving means that rotates with the vehicle front-rear extending direction as a rotation axis direction is provided, and the optical lens is rotated by rotation of the rotation driving means. The optical axis angle of the light beam output through the means may be changed so that the irradiation position of the line marker can be moved.

  Furthermore, it has angle operation means for adjusting the rotation angle of the rotation drive means, and the rotation drive means is rotated according to the angle set by the angle operation means, so that the line marker position is It may be changed.

  According to the road surface marker irradiating device and the parking assist device according to the present invention, the distance between the vehicle and the entrance line of the parking space by aligning the line marker irradiated on the road surface with a predetermined reference point, for example, the entrance line of the parking space. Can be kept accurate, and the vehicle can be stopped at a suitable position for parking assistance. Since parking assistance can be performed from a state where the vehicle is stopped at a suitable position for performing assistance processing, the vehicle can be guided to the parking space accurately and reliably, and parking accuracy can be improved. Furthermore, since parking assistance can be performed from a state where the vehicle is stopped at a suitable position for performing assistance processing, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from turning too much in the parking operation, which is necessary for the parking operation. It is possible to reduce the movement space of a simple vehicle.

  Further, since the line marker is irradiated on the road surface so as to be parallel to the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the vehicle body, it can be instantaneously determined whether the vehicle is perpendicular to the parking space T or bent. .

  Furthermore, since no display, camera, or the like is used, the cost can be reduced, and it can be mounted at low cost regardless of the type of vehicle, from a popular car to a luxury car.

  Hereinafter, the road surface marker irradiation device and the parking assistance device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a parking assistance apparatus according to the present invention. The parking assist device 1 includes a controller 2, a yaw rate sensor 3, a speaker (notification means) 4, a parking assist start switch 5, a laser light emitting unit 6, a drive unit (rotation drive unit) 7, and an angle change switch. 8.

  The yaw rate sensor 3 detects the yaw angle of the vehicle (the yaw direction angle of the vehicle body). The yaw angle detected by the yaw rate sensor 3 is transmitted to the controller 2. The controller 2 determines the state of the vehicle based on the yaw angle.

  The speaker 4 generates a predetermined notification sound according to the notification signal from the controller 2. The driver turns the vehicle forward or backward to a predetermined position based on the notification sound emitted from the speaker 4.

  The controller 2 includes a CPU (not shown), a ROM storing a control program, and a working RAM. In the ROM, the minimum turning radius Rc data of the vehicle when the steering wheel is steered to the maximum and a control program necessary for performing parking assistance are recorded. The CPU executes a parking support process described later according to a control program recorded in the ROM.

  The controller 2 obtains yaw angle information from the yaw rate sensor 3 to calculate the turning angle of the vehicle to determine the vehicle state, and generates a notification sound according to the vehicle state from the speaker 4. Specifically, when the turning angle of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined angle and the vehicle is not turned to a predetermined position, a short alarm sound “beep” is generated with a certain interval between “beep” and “beep”. As the vehicle turns and approaches a predetermined state, the generation interval of the notification sound is shortened, and when the vehicle reaches a predetermined state, a “beep” and a continuous sound are generated.

  The parking assistance start switch 5 is a switch that is pressed when the driver wants to start parking assistance. When the parking support start switch 5 is pressed by the driver, the controller 2 performs an initial setting to set the yaw angle of the vehicle to the 0 degree position, and starts parking support processing.

  The laser light emitting unit 6 is a device that irradiates the road surface with laser light. As shown in FIG. 2, the laser light emitting unit 6 is carried by the drive unit 7 with the optical axis directed in the road surface direction. It is installed on the roof side edge.

  The laser light emitting unit 6 includes a laser diode (light emitting means) 6a, a cylindrical lens (optical lens means) 6b, and an oscillator 6c. The oscillator 6c generates a pulse for driving the laser diode 6a in a pulsed manner, and the laser diode 6a outputs a laser beam in accordance with the pulse generated by the oscillator 6c.

  The cylindrical lens 6b is a cylindrical plano-convex lens, and is a lens that changes the laser light emitted by the laser diode 6a in a uniaxial direction to a linear light beam (line marker) at the focal position. is there. The cylindrical lens 6b makes it possible to irradiate the road surface with a linear line marker parallel to the side of the vehicle.

  The drive unit 7 is a device that changes the laser irradiation direction of the placed laser beam emitting unit 6 by adjusting the angle α as shown in FIG. The drive unit 7 has a structure that rotates with a vehicle front-rear extending direction (a direction perpendicular to the sheet of FIG. 2) as a rotation axis direction, and a stepping motor is used for the drive unit 7. The drive unit 7 rotationally drives the placed laser beam emitting unit 6 to move the focal position of the laser beam closer to or away from the vehicle, and the line marker 11 is positioned at a predetermined distance from the vehicle side. Irradiate.

  The angle change switch 8 is a switch that is operated when the driver wants to change the line marker position, and includes two buttons, an UP button and a DOWN button. When the UP button or the DOWN button is pressed, the counter value of the microcomputer 2a of the controller 2 increases or decreases according to the pressing, and the driving angle of the driving unit 7 is controlled via the driver 2b according to the value of the counter value. The

  Next, the procedure in which parking assistance is performed using the parking assistance apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the central point of the entrance line T2 of the parking space T is set as the origin O, the Y axis is perpendicular to the road and in the backward direction of the vehicle 10 in the parking space T, and is parallel to the road. In other words, the X axis is taken to be perpendicular to the Y axis. The width of the parking frame of the parking space T is W1.

The driver needs to move the vehicle 10 to a predetermined place (vehicle position E1 in FIG. 3A) so that the vehicle 10 can be stored in the parking space T by the guidance of the parking assistance process. Specifically, the driver is perpendicular to the parking space T, the rear axle (rear wheel axle) center EO of the vehicle 10 is at a distance D from the entrance line T2 of the parking space T, and the driver extends the side portion T1 of the parking space T. The vehicle 10 is stopped so that the position DR of the driver of the vehicle 10 is positioned on the line. Here, if the distance from the vehicle side to the entrance line T2 of the parking space T is X, the distance X is
X = D−vehicle width / 2... Formula 1

The driver refers to the line marker 11 irradiated from the laser light emitting unit 6 in order to stop the vehicle at the vehicle position E1 shown in FIG. The vehicle 10 is stopped at a position separated by X so that the vehicle body side portion and the entrance line T2 are parallel to each other.
Here, the irradiation position of the line marker 11 is X2, and as shown in FIG. 2, when the installation height of the laser light emitting unit 6 is H and the irradiation angle of the laser light is α,
X2 = H · tan α ··· Formula 2
Can be obtained.

  Since the installation height H of the laser light emitting unit 6 is a constant value and the angle α can be changed by operating the angle change switch 8, the optical axis direction of the laser light is adjusted to an angle α where X2 = X. Thus, the line marker 11 can be irradiated at the distance X.

  Furthermore, the driver measures the side portion T1 of the parking space T using a small sticker attached to the door of the driver's seat, and matches the side portion T1 of the parking space T with the position DR of the driver of the vehicle 10. The driver presses the parking assistance start switch 5 with the vehicle moved to this position. When the parking support start switch 5 is pressed, the controller 2 sets the yaw angle of the vehicle 10 to 0 degrees and starts acquiring the yaw angle from the yaw rate sensor 3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the driver turns the vehicle 10 to the left and then advances the vehicle to turn the vehicle with the minimum radius Rc to the turning angle θ. The vehicle 10 is moved forward to move to a vehicle position F1 shown in FIG.

  In a state where the vehicle 10 is turning forward, the yaw rate sensor 3 detects the yaw angle of the vehicle 10 and outputs the detected yaw angle to the controller 2. The controller 2 obtains the difference between the acquired yaw angle and the turning angle θ recorded in the ROM, and based on the obtained turning angle difference, the vehicle 10 moves to any position from the vehicle position E1 to the vehicle position F1. And a notification sound corresponding to the moving position is output from the speaker 4. The driver determines the position of the vehicle according to the state of the notification sound, and stops the vehicle 10 at a place where the notification sound has changed to “beep” and a continuous sound (FIG. 4A).

  Next, the driver rotates the steering wheel fully to the right side at the vehicle position F1 and then moves the vehicle 10 backward, thereby turning the vehicle 10 with the minimum radius Rc and moving the vehicle 10 backward to the turning angle φ. The vehicle moves to the vehicle position G1 shown in FIG.

  Even in a state where the vehicle 10 is turning backward, the yaw rate sensor 3 detects the yaw angle of the vehicle 10 and outputs the detected yaw angle to the controller 2. The controller 2 obtains the difference between the acquired yaw angle and the turning angle φ recorded in the ROM, and the vehicle 10 moves to any position from the vehicle position F1 to the vehicle position G1 based on the obtained difference in turning angle. And a notification sound corresponding to the moving position is output from the speaker 4. The driver determines the position of the vehicle according to the state of the notification sound, and stops the vehicle at a place where the notification sound has changed to “beep” and a continuous sound.

Then, the driver returns the steering wheel to the neutral position at the vehicle position G1 to be in a straight traveling state, moves the vehicle 10 backward, and appropriately stops the vehicle 10 in the parking space T.
Here, the turning angle θ and the turning angle φ recorded in the ROM will be considered. When the rear axle center at the vehicle positions E1, F1, G1 is EO, FO, GO, respectively, and the distance in the X-axis direction between the driver position DR and the rear axle center EO at the vehicle position E1 in FIG. The turning center C1 coordinates (C1x, C1y) when the vehicle 10 turns from the vehicle position E1 to the vehicle position F1 are:
C1x = L-W1 / 2 Formula 3
C1y = − (D + Rc) Formula 4
Can be expressed as
Similarly, the turning center C2 coordinates (C2x, C2y) when the vehicle 10 turns from the vehicle position F1 to the vehicle position G1 are:
C2x = − (Rc + Rc) · sin θ + C1x
= -2Rc · sin θ + L + w1 / 2 Formula 5
C2y = (Rc + Rc) · cos θ + C1x
= 2Rc · cos θ− (D + Rc) Equation 6
Can be expressed as
Of these, the X coordinate C2x is
C2x = −Rc Formula 7
Therefore, from the two relational expressions (Formula 5 and Formula 7) of the X coordinate C2x, sin θ is
sin θ = (Rc + L−W1 / 2) / 2Rc Equation 8
The turning angle θ can be obtained by calculating the value of θ using known Rc, L, and W1.
Further, the turning angle φ at which the vehicle 10 turns from the vehicle position F1 to the vehicle position G1 is:
φ = π / 2−θ Equation 9
Can be obtained.

  The ROM of the controller 2 stores the turning angles θ and φ obtained based on the above-described equations 8 and 9, and the turning angles θ and φ are the same as the minimum turning radius Rc that is a value unique to the vehicle. Since it is determined by the distance L, which is a unique value of the vehicle, and the width W1 of the parking space T in which the value is in a substantially constant range, the vehicle is surely identified by performing parking assistance based on the turning angles θ, φ. Can be guided to the parking space T.

  Furthermore, as shown in Expressions 4 and 6, the distance D is an important element for calculating the turning centers C1 and C2 of the vehicle 10. Therefore, by setting the distance D as an optimal distance, the parking operation can be performed. It is possible to prevent the vehicle 10 from turning too much and to reduce the moving space of the vehicle necessary for the parking operation. For this reason, it becomes possible to guide the vehicle 10 to the parking space T accurately and reliably by stopping the vehicle at the position of the optimal distance D set in advance based on the line marker by the laser beam, and the parking accuracy is improved. Can be increased.

  Further, since the laser beam is irradiated onto the road surface as a line marker 11 parallel to the vehicle 10 by the cylindrical lens 6b, it is instantaneously determined whether the vehicle 10 is perpendicular to the parking space T or bent. Can do. The line marker 11 is aligned so as to be parallel to the entrance line T2 of the parking space T, the vehicle is stopped at the vehicle position E1 in FIG. 3A, and the parking assistance start button is pressed to perform parking assistance processing. By starting, in the vehicle state G1 shown in FIG. 4B, the vehicle can surely return the handle to the neutral position at a position parallel to the side portion T1 of the parking space T, and the vehicle 10 is parked. It is possible to guide the space T so that it can be stopped straight.

  Moreover, since the parking assistance apparatus 1 does not use a display, a camera, or the like, it is possible to reduce the cost, and it can be mounted at a low cost regardless of the type of vehicle, from a popular car to a luxury car.

  Next, the road surface marker irradiation device 20 according to the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the change of the irradiation angle of the laser beam by the angle change switch 8 is controlled via the microcomputer 2a of the controller 2. However, in the second embodiment, the laser is changed from the parking assistance device 1 described in the first embodiment to the laser. The road surface marker irradiation device 20 is configured by separating the light emitting unit 6 (see reference numeral 20 in FIG. 2).

  The laser light emitting unit 6 includes a laser diode 6a, a cylindrical lens 6b, and an oscillator 6c. Since the laser diode 6a, the cylindrical lens 6b, and the oscillator 6c have been described in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the road marker irradiation device 20 is installed at the roof edge of the vehicle 10 and fixed so that the irradiation angle of the laser light is constant, so that the line marker is always at a predetermined distance X3 away. 11 can be irradiated. By installing the road surface marker irradiating device 20 so that the distance X3 becomes a distance X (X = D−vehicle width / 2) suitable for the parking assistance process, the line marker 11 is always placed on the rear accelerator of the vehicle. It is possible to irradiate a place at a distance D from the center EO. For this reason, the driver can easily stop the vehicle 10 at a suitable vehicle position E1 by stopping the vehicle 10 so that the line marker 11 and the entrance line T2 of the parking space T coincide with each other. .

  As mentioned above, although suitable embodiment for this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Is done.

  For example, although the irradiation position of the laser beam of the road surface marker irradiation device 20 is fixed in the second embodiment, the irradiation position of the laser beam may be changed. For example, the road surface marker irradiation device shown in the second embodiment is configured by the laser light emitting unit 6, the drive unit 7, and the angle change switch 8, so that the drive unit 7 is rotationally driven by the angle change switch 8, The angle of the laser light emitting unit 6 may be changed.

  In the above embodiment, the cylindrical lens 6 is used to irradiate the line marker 11 as a straight line extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle 10 (Y-axis direction in FIG. 3A). By changing to a lens that can irradiate the line marker, it is possible to irradiate the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction shown in Fig. 3 (a) with the line marker. Accuracy can be increased.

  Further, by providing a parking assistance device or a road surface marker irradiating device according to the present invention on a vehicle or the like in which a camera for photographing the vehicle side is installed on the door mirror, the line marker 11 irradiated on the vehicle side is photographed with the camera. It can be displayed on a display or the like. As described above, since the line marker 11 is directly photographed by the camera, it is not necessary to consider the lens distortion of the camera as compared with the method in which the line marker is superimposed and displayed on the photographed image by the superimposing process. Can display a marker. Furthermore, since the image processing unit required for superimposing is not required, the apparatus can be simplified, and additionally, a parking assistance device or road surface marker irradiation is applied to the vehicle in which the camera is installed. A device can be provided.

  Similarly, by irradiating the road marker behind the vehicle with a line marker, the line marker irradiated rearward can be photographed by the rear camera and displayed on the display. By displaying the line marker on the display in this way, it is possible to easily display the marker without superimposing the marker by superimposing.

  Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which can adjust the intensity | strength of the laser beam irradiated from the laser diode 6a.

  Moreover, the road surface marker irradiation device and the parking assistance device according to the present invention can be applied not only in the parallel parking described in the embodiment but also in the parallel parking, and the parallel parking switch and the parallel parking switch are provided in the parking assistance start switch. Depending on the situation, the parking assistance method may be used properly according to the driver's operation.

It is the block diagram which showed schematic structure of the parking assistance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed the state which installed the parking assistance apparatus in the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a first diagram illustrating a state in which a vehicle moves with the assistance of a parking assistance device. It is the 2nd figure which showed a mode that a vehicle moved with assistance of a parking assistance apparatus. It is the figure which showed the state which installed the road surface marker irradiation apparatus in the vehicle. It is the figure which showed a mode that a vehicle moved with the assistance of the conventional parking assistance apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Parking assistance apparatus 2 ... Controller 2a ... Microcomputer 2b ... Driver 3 ... Yaw rate sensor 4 ... Speaker 5 ... Parking assistance start switch 6 ... Laser light emission part 6a ... Laser diode 6b ... Cylindrical lens 6c ... Oscillator 7 ... Drive part 8 ... Angle change switch 10 ... Vehicle 11 ... Line marker 20 ... Road marker irradiation device T ... Parking space T1 ... Side T2 of parking space ... Entrance line

Claims (6)

A light-emitting unit that is installed in the vehicle and emits light toward a road surface around the vehicle;
Optical lens means for changing the incident light into a linear light beam at a focal position by giving a change in one axial direction to the incident light,
By outputting the light emitted by the light emitting means through the optical lens means, a linear line marker parallel to the side of the vehicle is irradiated on the road surface on the side of the vehicle. Road marker irradiation device. The light emitting means and the optical lens means are mounted, and rotation driving means for rotating the vehicle front-rear extending direction as a rotation axis direction is provided.
2. The road surface marker according to claim 1, wherein an optical axis angle of a light beam output through the optical lens unit is changed by rotation of the rotation driving unit, and an irradiation position of the line marker is movable. Irradiation device. An angle operation means for adjusting a rotation angle of the rotation drive means;
The road marker irradiation device according to claim 2, wherein the line marker position is changed by rotating the rotation driving unit according to an angle set by the angle operation unit. A light-emitting unit that is installed in the vehicle and emits light toward a road surface around the vehicle;
Optical lens means for changing the incident light into a linear light beam at a focal position by giving a change in one axial direction to the incident light;
Yaw angle detection means for detecting the yaw angle of the vehicle;
An informing means for informing the driver of the vehicle;
Parking assistance that supports the parking operation of the vehicle by determining the state of the vehicle based on the yaw angle detected by the yaw angle detection means and notifying the driver of the state of the vehicle by the notification means. Means,
By outputting the light emitted by the light emitting means through the optical lens means, a linear line marker parallel to the side of the vehicle is irradiated on the road surface on the side of the vehicle. Parking assistance device. The light emitting means and the optical lens means are mounted, and rotation driving means for rotating the vehicle front-rear extending direction as a rotation axis direction is provided.
The parking support according to claim 4, wherein the rotation position of the rotation marker is changed to change the optical axis angle of the light beam output through the optical lens unit to move the irradiation position of the line marker. apparatus. An angle operation means for adjusting a rotation angle of the rotation drive means;
Parking assist apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the line marker position rotation is performed in the rotary drive means in accordance with the angle set by the angle operation means is changed.

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