JP5338371B2 - Vehicle alarm device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm device for a vehicle that outputs an alarm prompting deceleration or stop based on the state of the vehicle and the situation around the vehicle.

  Conventionally, a vehicle alarm device that determines whether or not the current vehicle traveling state is appropriate based on the vehicle speed and the distance to an intersection in the vehicle traveling direction, and outputs an alarm based on the determination result Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The vehicle alarm device described in Patent Document 1 predicts an instruction of a traffic signal when the vehicle enters the intersection (instruction such as entry permission or entry permission), and outputs a warning in consideration of the prediction result. It can suppress giving a complicated feeling to a person.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-53686

  However, the conventional vehicle alarm device does not take into account signs that prompt deceleration or stop such as road signs, signboards, road markings, and the like. Therefore, when the driver recognizes the necessity of deceleration or stop from the signs around the vehicle, it is considered that a warning is output and the driver feels complicated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above, Comprising: It aims at provision of the alarm device for vehicles which can output a warning appropriately with respect to a driver | operator.

According to one aspect of the invention,
Acquisition means for acquiring information on the position or traveling direction or vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the position and signal information of an intersection or signal or stop line or crossing in the traveling direction of the road on which the vehicle is traveling;
A determination unit that determines whether or not an alarm that prompts deceleration or stop is necessary based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Alarm means for outputting the alarm based on a determination result of the determination means;
Detecting means for detecting a sign prompting deceleration or stop in the traveling direction of the road on which the vehicle is traveling,
It said alarm means, wherein if the indication is detected by the detecting means, before Symbol vehicle alarm system does not output the alarm until a predetermined time has elapsed in accordance with the type of marking is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the alarm device for vehicles which can output a warning appropriately with respect to a driver | operator is obtained.

It is a block diagram which shows the vehicle-mounted system which concerns on the alarm device for vehicles of one Example of this invention. It is a top view which shows the condition when a vehicle approaches the intersection with a traffic signal. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which the determination part 14 performs, when a vehicle approaches the intersection with a traffic signal. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which the determination part 14 performs when a vehicle approaches the intersection without a traffic signal. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which the alarm part 18 performs. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the classification of marking, and predetermined time T3. It is a top view which shows an example of the figure drawn on the road surface.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an in-vehicle system according to a vehicle alarm device of an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle alarm device is a device that monitors the state of the vehicle and the situation around the vehicle, determines whether or not an alarm that prompts deceleration or stop is necessary, and outputs an alarm based on the determination result. For example, the vehicle alarm device monitors the vehicle speed and the distance to an intersection or railroad crossing in the vehicle traveling direction, determines whether or not an alarm output is necessary, and outputs an alarm based on the determination result.

  The vehicle alarm device is configured around an electronic control unit 10 (hereinafter referred to as “ECU 10”) mounted on the vehicle. ECU10 is comprised as a microcomputer which consists of CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. which were mutually connected via the bus | bath which is not shown in figure. The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the like. Data generated during execution of the CPU is stored in a RAM or the like.

  Various sensors 30, a recording medium 42, a GPS receiver 44, a communication device 46, a front camera 48, an inter-vehicle distance sensor 50, a display 52, and a speaker 54 are connected to the ECU 10 via an appropriate bus such as CAN or LIN. Has been.

  The various sensors 30 are sensors for acquiring information on the state of the vehicle, and include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor 32, a gyro sensor 34, a brake sensor 36, and an accelerator sensor 38. The vehicle speed sensor 32 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle. The gyro sensor 34 detects the angular velocity of the vehicle. The brake sensor 36 detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal by the driver. The accelerator sensor 38 detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal by the driver. The various sensors 30 supply detection results to the acquisition unit 12 at predetermined time intervals.

  The recording medium 42 is composed of a hard disk, a DVD, or the like, and has a map database 42a. Map data is stored in the map database 42a. The map data includes, for example, the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of each node corresponding to the intersection / branch point of the intersection / highway on the map, the link connecting adjacent nodes, the width of the road corresponding to each link, Various types of road information such as road types such as national roads, prefectural roads, and highways corresponding to each link, and traffic restriction information of each link are included. The road information includes the speed limit of each link, presence / absence and position of stop lines, presence / absence of traffic lights, presence / absence of level crossings, presence / absence of road signs, presence / absence of deceleration zones, presence / absence of roadside communication devices, and information on frequent accidents. It's okay. The map data in the map database 42a is mainly used by the acquisition unit 12 and the detection unit 16.

  The GPS receiver 44 receives a signal output from a GPS satellite via a GPS antenna. The GPS receiver 44 converts the received signal into a signal in a predetermined format and supplies it to the ECU 10. The ECU 10 calculates the current host vehicle position and traveling direction based on signals supplied from the GPS receiver 44, the vehicle speed sensor 32, and the gyro sensor 34. The own vehicle position may be appropriately corrected using the map data in the map database 42a irregularly by a known map matching technique. For example, the trajectory of the own vehicle position (running trajectory) is compared with the road shape of the map data, and correction is made so that the own vehicle position comes to a point on the road. Information on the current vehicle position and traveling direction calculated in this way is mainly supplied to the acquisition unit 12 and the detection unit 16 every predetermined time.

  The ECU 10 may be a part of the navigation system, and in this case, a desired guidance route to the destination set by the passenger can be searched using the route guidance function. A display 52 such as a liquid crystal display displays the vehicle position on the map and a guide route to the destination under the control of the ECU 10, and the route guidance is displayed on the speaker 54 under the control of the ECU 10. A message is supplied and output by voice.

  The communication device 46 performs road-to-vehicle communication with a roadside communication device 66 (see FIG. 2) such as an optical beacon. A large number of roadside communication devices 66 are installed along the road, for example, at a predetermined position before the intersection. The information transmitted from the roadside communication device 66 includes road information (distance L0 from the roadside communication device 66 to the stop line before the intersection, etc.), signal information (current instruction of the traffic light (separation of entry permission / no entry permission) , An instruction switching cycle, a waiting time until the next instruction switching, and the like. Road information and signal information received by the communication device 46 are mainly supplied to the acquisition unit 12.

  The front camera 48 is a camera that images the front of the vehicle. For example, the front camera 48 is attached in the vicinity of a room mirror in the vehicle interior. The front camera 48 includes a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD or a CMOS. The photoelectric conversion element photoelectrically converts incident light by photographing the front of the vehicle. The in-vehicle camera 48 reads the accumulated charge as a voltage, amplifies it, performs A / D conversion, and converts it into a digital image of a predetermined luminance gradation (for example, 256 gradations). A peripheral image obtained by photographing the front of the vehicle is mainly supplied to the acquisition unit 12 and the detection unit 16 every predetermined time.

  The inter-vehicle distance sensor 50 is a device that detects the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, and the relative speed. For example, the inter-vehicle distance sensor 50 is configured by a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like, and transmits a radio wave or the like to a predetermined range in front of the vehicle (for example, a range within 100 m ahead of the vehicle) and receives a reflected wave thereof. Thus, the presence / absence of the preceding vehicle, the distance between the preceding vehicle and the relative speed are detected. Information such as the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle is mainly supplied to the acquisition unit 12 at predetermined time intervals.

  An operation switch 56 is connected to the ECU 10. The operation switch 56 is provided in the passenger compartment and can be operated by a passenger. The operation switch 56 is normally maintained in an off state, and is turned on by a passenger's operation.

  Based on the output signal of the operation switch 56, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the passenger needs an alarm that prompts stop or deceleration. That is, when the operation switch 56 is turned on, the ECU 10 starts control for outputting an alarm for prompting stop or deceleration.

  The ECU 10 includes an acquisition unit (acquisition unit) 12, a determination unit (determination unit) 14, a detection unit (detection unit) 16, and an alarm unit (alarm unit) 18, as shown in FIG. ECU10 stores the program corresponding to each part 12-18 in ROM etc., makes CPU execute these programs, and implement | achieves the function which each part 12-18 has. Hereinafter, functions of the respective units 12-18 will be described.

  The acquisition unit 12 has a function of acquiring information about the state of the vehicle (own vehicle) and information about the situation around the vehicle (own vehicle). The acquisition unit 12 acquires vehicle information, road information, and signal information from the ECU 10, various sensors 30, the recording medium 42, the communication device 46, the front camera 48, and the inter-vehicle distance sensor 50. The vehicle information includes the current own vehicle position and traveling direction, the current vehicle speed, the amount of depression of the brake pedal by the driver, and the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal by the driver. The road information includes the positions of intersections, traffic lights, stop lines, and the like in the vehicle traveling direction, and the distance L0 from the roadside communication device 66 to the stop line before the intersection. The signal information includes the current instruction of the traffic light in the vehicle traveling direction, the instruction switching cycle, and the waiting time until the next instruction switching.

  The determination unit 14 has a function of determining whether it is necessary to output an alarm that prompts deceleration or stop based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 12. In the following description, an example of processing executed by the determination unit 14 when a vehicle (own vehicle) approaches an intersection will be described separately for an intersection with a traffic light and an intersection with no traffic light.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a situation when a vehicle approaches an intersection with a traffic light. In FIG. 2, 62 indicates a traffic light, 64 indicates an intersection, 66 indicates a roadside communication device, and 68 indicates the host vehicle.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the determination unit 14 when the host vehicle 68 approaches the intersection 64 where the traffic signal 62 is present.

  In S100 of FIG. 3, the determination unit 14 monitors whether signal information or the like has been acquired by road-to-vehicle communication. When signal information or the like is acquired (S100, YES), the process proceeds to S102.

  In S102, the distance L1 (see FIG. 2) from the vehicle position to the stop line before the intersection is monitored. The distance L1 from the host vehicle position to the stop line is, for example, the difference between the distance L0 from the roadside communication device 66 to the stopline and the distance ΔL from the roadside communication device 66 to the host vehicle 68 (L1 = L0−ΔL> 0). ). The distance ΔL is calculated, for example, by time-integrating the vehicle speed V from the time when signal information or the like is received from the roadside communication device 66. If the distance L1 is less than or equal to the predetermined value La (S200, YES), the process proceeds to S104.

  In S104, the instruction of the traffic light 62 when the vehicle enters the intersection 64 (instruction permission / instruction non-permission instruction) is predicted. For example, the prediction is performed based on the distance L1 from the current vehicle position to the stop line, the current vehicle speed V, the current instruction of the traffic light, and the waiting time until the next instruction of the traffic light is switched.

  When the result of the prediction in S104 indicates that entry is not permitted (red signal, yellow signal) (S104, YES), the process proceeds to S106 and an alarm prompting deceleration or stop (for example, “There is a traffic light ahead” or It is determined that it is necessary to output an alarm indicating that “please perform a brake operation”, and the current process ends.

  On the other hand, if the result of prediction in S104 indicates entry permission (green light) (S104, NO), the process proceeds to S108, and it is determined that there is no need to output an alarm, and the current process ends.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the determination unit 14 when a vehicle approaches an intersection without a traffic signal.

  In S200 of FIG. 4, the determination unit 14 monitors the distance L2 from the own vehicle position to the temporary stop line before the intersection without a traffic light. When the distance L2 is equal to or less than the predetermined value Lb (S200, YES), S202 , It is determined that it is necessary to output a first alarm that prompts deceleration (for example, an alarm indicating that “there is a pause in the future”). If there is no temporary stop line before the intersection with no traffic light, it may be determined that the first warning need not be output, assuming that the traveling road of the host vehicle is a priority road.

  Note that an intersection without a traffic signal may be an intersection without a nearest traffic signal on the guidance route when the guidance route to the destination is set by the route guidance function of the navigation system. If not, it may be an intersection without the nearest traffic signal on the route with the highest accuracy estimated based on the current vehicle position and traveling direction, map data, and the like.

  In subsequent S204, it is monitored whether the expected transit time T2 from the current vehicle position to the temporary stop line is equal to or less than a predetermined value Tb. The expected transit time T2 is determined based on the distance L2 and the current vehicle speed V, and is calculated by T2 = L2 / V. When the expected passage time T2 is equal to or less than the predetermined value Tb (S204, YES), the process proceeds to S206.

  In S206, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is decelerated (or whether or not the brake pedal is depressed, or whether or not the accelerator pedal is depressed). Specifically, based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 32 (or the amount of depression of the brake pedal detected by the brake sensor 36 or the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal detected by the accelerator sensor 38), a predetermined deceleration (or brake operation) is performed. Or accelerator off) is determined.

  If it is determined in S206 that there has been deceleration or the like (S206, YES), it is necessary to proceed to S208 and output the second alarm, assuming that the driver recognizes the presence of a temporary stop intersection in the direction of travel. It is determined that there is not, and the current process ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S206 that there is no deceleration or the like (S206, NO), the process proceeds to S210, and a second alarm (for example, an alarm indicating that “please perform the brake operation”) that prompts a temporary stop is output. Judge that it is necessary to do.

  The detection unit 16 has a function of detecting a sign that prompts deceleration or stop within a predetermined range (for example, a range within 100 m ahead of the vehicle) in the traveling direction of the vehicle (own vehicle). The sign includes a road sign, a signboard, a road sign (characters and figures drawn on the road surface), and a deceleration zone with undulations or steps on the road in order to encourage the passing vehicle to decelerate.

  For example, the detection unit 16 may perform detection by performing image processing on image data captured by the front camera 48, or based on the current vehicle position and traveling direction and map data in the map database 42a. Detection may be performed.

  As an image processing method, for example, there is a method in which image processing such as edge processing, gamma correction, and binarization processing is performed, and matching processing is performed using reference image data stored in the recording medium 42 in advance. The reference image data includes road sign reference image data such as a traffic sign and a traffic sign indicating the presence of a railroad crossing and a guidance sign indicating the presence of a stop intersection, as well as characters (for example, “traffic light”, “ Standard image data of characters (such as “frequent accidents”, “caution”, “stop”, etc.) and figures (see, for example, region X in FIG. 7) are included. By comparison with the reference image data, it is possible to detect the presence / absence of a sign, the type of sign, and the contents of characters drawn on a signboard or road surface.

  The ECU 10 may construct and update the indication database 42b in the recording medium 42 based on the type of the indication detected by the image processing, and the own vehicle position and traveling direction at the time of detection. The sign data stored in the sign database 42b includes the sign type, position (latitude, longitude), and orientation (direction). When the vehicle is traveling in the same direction on a route that the vehicle has traveled in the past, the detection unit 16 does not perform image processing and converts the current vehicle position and traveling direction and the marking data in the marking database 42b. Detection can be performed on the basis. Therefore, the detection speed can be improved.

  The alarm unit 18 has a function of outputting an alarm for prompting deceleration or stop based on the determination result of the determination unit 14. The alarm unit 18 outputs an alarm via the display 52 and the speaker 54. The output of the alarm is at least one of an output of an alarm sound, an output of a voice message, and an output of a graphic image (for example, a graphic image imitating a traffic light or a railroad crossing, an image including characters “Brake!”). It's okay.

  The alarm unit 18 has a function of not outputting an alarm or not outputting an alarm until a predetermined condition is satisfied when a sign that prompts deceleration or stop is detected by the detection unit 16. The predetermined condition is, for example, that a predetermined time T3 has elapsed since the determination unit 14 determines that an alarm needs to be output.

  In this way, the alarm output is suppressed when a sign that prompts deceleration or stop is detected, so the alarm output is suppressed when the driver recognizes the necessity of deceleration or stop from the sign. This can prevent the driver from feeling complicated. As a result, a warning can be appropriately output to the driver.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the alarm unit 18. In S300 of FIG. 5, the alarm unit 18 monitors the determination result of the determination unit 14. When the determination unit 14 determines that an alarm output is necessary (S300, YES), the process proceeds to S302.

  In S302, the detection result of the detection unit 16 is monitored. When the sign that prompts deceleration or stop is detected by the detection unit 16 (S302, YES), the process proceeds to S304, and after a predetermined time T3, an alarm for prompting deceleration or stop is output, and the current process is terminated.

  Note that if the detection unit 16 detects a sign that prompts deceleration or stop (S302, YES), it may be determined whether or not there has been a predetermined deceleration (or brake operation or accelerator off) during a predetermined time T3. Good. If there is no deceleration or the like, the process proceeds to S304. On the other hand, when there is a deceleration or the like, the driver recognizes the existence of an intersection or the like, so the above step S304 is skipped and the current process is terminated.

  If no sign that prompts deceleration or stop is detected in S302 (S302, NO), the process proceeds to S306, an alarm for prompting deceleration or stop is output, and the current process is terminated.

  The alarm unit 18 may change the predetermined condition according to the type of the sign detected by the detection unit 16. For example, the warning unit 18 changes the predetermined time T3 stepwise according to the type of the sign. Specifically, the higher the warning level of the sign, the easier it is for the driver to recognize the sign, so the predetermined time T3 is set longer. In this case, a map or the like indicating the correspondence between the type of sign and the predetermined time T3 may be stored in the recording medium 42 in advance, and the predetermined time T3 may be determined from the type of sign and the map.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the type of marking and the predetermined time T3. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the graphic drawn on the road surface (see, for example, the region X in FIG. 7) has the alerting level of 0 (lowest) and the predetermined time T3 is set to be the shortest. It is assumed that the warning level is 1 for a road sign such as a restriction sign indicating the presence of a traffic signal or a railroad crossing or a guidance sign indicating the presence of a temporary stop intersection. It is assumed that the alert level is 2 for characters drawn on a signboard or road surface (for example, characters such as “high-accident intersection”, “caution”). The deceleration zone with undulations or steps on the road has the alerting level of 3 (the highest), and the predetermined time T3 is set to be the longest. As a result, the alarm output timing can be optimized.

  Further, the alarm unit 18 may change the output mode of the alarm according to the type of the sign detected by the detection unit 16. For example, if the sign is a restriction sign indicating the presence of a traffic light, instead of an alarm stating that “there is a traffic light ahead” as an alarm to prompt deceleration, “There is a red traffic light ahead (or the traffic light is red) May be output). Thus, the driver can know not only the presence of the traffic light but also the current traffic light instruction (or the traffic light instruction when the vehicle enters the intersection). Further, when the sign includes a character, an alarm for guiding the content of the character (for example, an alarm indicating that “there are many accident intersections ahead”) may be output. Thereby, the driver can know not only the existence of the intersection but also the intersection to be particularly careful.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle warning device 10 is a device that outputs a warning regarding an intersection (red light, temporary stop line) or a railroad crossing, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle warning device 10 may be a device that outputs a warning regarding a speed regulation section or a pedestrian. In the case where the vehicle alarm device 10 is a device that outputs a plurality of types of alarms, the priority of the alarm control process that can be replaced by the sign (that is, the driver's attention can be alerted by the sign) may be lowered. . In addition, when the roadside communication device 66 transmits a plurality of types of information, the priority of transmission of information used for an alarm that can be replaced by a sign (that is, a driver can be alerted by the sign) is set. You can lower it.

  In S300 of FIG. 5 described above, the alarm unit 18 monitors the determination result of the determination unit 14, and when the determination unit 14 determines that an alarm output is required (S300, YES), S302. In this case, the detection result of the detection unit 16 is monitored, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the alarm unit 18 monitors the detection result of the detection unit 16, and if the detection unit 16 cannot detect a sign that prompts deceleration or stop (S302, YES), the process proceeds to S300 and the determination result of the determination unit 14 May be monitored. In other words, there is no limitation on the order of the determination result monitoring by the determination unit 14 (S300) and the detection result monitoring by the detection unit 16 (S302).

10 ECU
12 Acquisition unit (acquisition means)
14. Determination part (determination means)
16 Detection unit (detection means)
18 Alarm section (alarm means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 Various sensors 42 Recording medium 42a Map database 42b Marking database 44 GPS receiver 46 Communication apparatus 48 Front camera 50 Inter-vehicle distance sensor 52 Display 54 Speaker

Claims (1)

Acquisition means for acquiring information on the position or traveling direction or vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the position and signal information of an intersection or signal or stop line or crossing in the traveling direction of the road on which the vehicle is traveling;
A determination unit that determines whether or not an alarm that prompts deceleration or stop is necessary based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Alarm means for outputting the alarm based on a determination result of the determination means;
Detecting means for detecting a sign prompting deceleration or stop in the traveling direction of the road on which the vehicle is traveling,
It said alarm means, wherein said indication is detected if the detection means, the predetermined vehicle alarm system does not output the alarm until the time has passed in accordance with the type of prior SL marking.

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