JP6288838B2 - Snow cover detection system for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a snow cover detection system in a vehicle capable of acquiring snow cover information of a vehicle parked or parked outdoors.

  As a known technique of a snow cover detection system, for example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a snow detection system that detects the presence or absence of snow on the road surface or the presence or absence of snow. A configuration that uses an imaging camera that captures images from above the road surface to detect reflections of unnecessary moving objects on the traveling vehicle, and detects snow accumulation or snowfall using road images that do not include unnecessary moving objects. It is.

  Now, snow accumulates on a vehicle parked or parked outdoors due to snowfall, and various problems arise. For example, the snow that has accumulated on the surface of the windshield does not properly operate the wiper, and the snow on the surface of the windshield cannot be completely removed. For this reason, the user is forced to perform snow removal work himself / herself, and if the snow cannot be completely removed, the driver's visual field during driving is limited. Further, when the exhaust pipe is clogged with snow due to snow accumulation, there is a possibility that exhaust gas flows into the vehicle.

JP 2005-308437 A

  The snow detection system to be heard as the prior art, as represented by the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, only detects the presence or absence of snow on the road surface or the presence or absence of snow, and notifies the user of the snow cover information, It is not intended to alert the user of snow accumulation information of vehicles parked or parked outdoors.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a snow cover detection system in a vehicle that can acquire snow cover information of the vehicle due to snowfall at an early stage and can improve the safety of the vehicle. It is to be.

As means for solving the above problems, a snow cover detection system for a vehicle according to the invention described in claim 1 is a snow cover detection system for detecting snow cover on a window of a parked or parked vehicle, and is installed in the vehicle. A photographing means for photographing the vehicle window, a judging means for judging snow cover based on an image photographed by the photographing means, a notifying means for notifying snow cover information based on a result of the judging means, and a person in the vehicle comprising a boarding detection means for detecting whether or not the ride, and the notification means is characterized Rukoto to have a notification method of a plurality of snow information in accordance with the detection result the boarding detection unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the snow detection system for a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, the notification means includes a notification device installed in the vehicle and a wireless communication terminal owned by the user of the vehicle. A wireless communication device that transmits a signal, and after the snow is detected by the determining means, if a person is detected in the vehicle by the boarding detection means, the notification device notifies the vehicle, and the boarding detection means If no person is detected, the wireless communication terminal that has received the signal is notified using the wireless communication terminal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the snow cover detection system for a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, the determining means determines the degree of whiteness of an image photographed by the photographing means to determine the amount of snow on the vehicle window. It is characterized by detecting.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the snow detection system for a vehicle according to the first aspect of the invention, the determining unit determines the degree of whiteness of an image photographed by the photographing unit and It is also characterized by detecting the snow shape on the vehicle window.

  According to the snow detection system for a vehicle according to the present invention, the vehicle window of a vehicle parked or parked outdoors is photographed by the photographing means installed in the vehicle, and the snow accumulation is determined by the determination means based on the captured image. Based on the result, safety measures can be taken. Specifically, the notification means can notify the snow cover information based on the result of the determination means to call attention, and the user who received the notification has accumulated on the surface of the windshield at a stage where the amount of snow is still small. Snow can be completely removed with a wiper. In addition, snow accumulated around the exhaust pipe can be removed before the exhaust pipe is clogged with snow.

It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle from the vehicle body front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the inside of a vehicle toward the front from the driver's seat side. 1 is a block diagram of a snow cover detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A)-(D) is explanatory drawing which each showed the image which image | photographed a mode that a windshield changes to white by snow cover. It is the flowchart which showed a series of flows of the snow cover detection system in the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the crystal shape of the snow image | photographed with the vehicle-mounted camera.

  Below, the Example of the snow cover detection system in the vehicle which concerns on this invention is described based on FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows the vehicle viewed from the front side of the vehicle body. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the inside of the vehicle is viewed from the driver's seat side toward the front. FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a snow cover detection system in a vehicle according to the present invention.
1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle such as an automobile, reference numeral 10 denotes a windshield, reference numeral 11 denotes a wiper, and reference numeral 12 denotes a front light.

  A snow cover detection system in a vehicle according to the present invention is a system for a vehicle 1 parked or parked outdoors, and is installed in the vehicle and photographs a car window as shown in FIGS. An in-vehicle camera 2 as a photographing means, a controller 5 that determines snow accumulation based on an image photographed by the in-vehicle camera 2, and a control command based on the snow accumulation information, and whether or not a person is in the vehicle An accessory power supply 3 as a boarding detection means for detecting the above, a notification device (40-43) as a notification means for notification of snow cover information, and a wireless communication device 44, such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication. They are connected to each other through an in-car communication line.

  The controller 5 has a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. When the controller 5 receives an input signal from a device connected to the input side, the CPU reads a program stored in the ROM based on the input signal and stores a state detected by the input signal in the RAM. Or transmit an output signal to a device connected to the output side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the in-vehicle camera 2 and the accessory power source 3 are connected to the input side of the controller 5. The controller 5 receives an image signal taken by the in-vehicle camera 2 and determines whether or not there is snow. The controller 5 receives a signal from the accessory power source 3 and detects the presence or absence of a person in the vehicle.
On the other hand, on the output side of the controller 5, the notification device (40 to 43) and the wireless communication device 44 are connected. The controller 5 outputs a signal for notifying a user of the vehicle of snow cover information to the notification device (40 to 43) or the wireless communication device 44.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle camera 2 is a stereo camera installed in the front part of the vehicle and on the windshield 10, and includes an image sensor (image sensor) such as a CCD or CMOS. . With this stereo camera, the environment ahead of the vehicle can be accurately imaged and monitored.

  The in-vehicle camera 2 basically takes an image of the windshield 10 from the inside of the vehicle toward the front of the vehicle. However, although illustration in detail is omitted, for example, the rear glass may be photographed from the inside of the vehicle, or the front side glass and the rear side glass may be photographed from the inside of the vehicle.

The accessory power supply 3 is supplied with power by an ignition key.
When the accessory power source 3 is on, the signal is output to the controller 5. On the other hand, when the accessory power source 3 is off, a signal from the accessory power source 3 is not output to the controller 5.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the notification devices (40 to 43) include, for example, a car navigation system 40 installed in the vehicle, a warning lamp 41, a meter buzzer 42, and a speaker 43.
In addition, the said alerting | reporting apparatus can also be implemented with the structure using not only the said car navigation system 40 grade | etc., But another alerting | reporting apparatus.

The wireless communication device 44 transmits the signal received from the controller 5 to a wireless communication terminal owned by an automatic user.
The wireless communication terminal is preferably a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, but may be any wireless communication terminal owned by the user, such as a personal computer or an appliance installed at home. The snow cover information is transmitted from the wireless communication device 44 to the wireless communication terminal, for example, via wireless communication such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity).

  Next, FIGS. 4A to 4D respectively show images taken of the windshield 10 changing to white due to snow.

  First, FIG. 4A shows a state in which snow has started to fall, and no snow has yet accumulated on the surface of the windshield 10. Since this state is a safe state, the vehicle user is not notified.

  FIG. 4B shows a state in which a little time has passed since the snow began to fall, and although the snow is slightly accumulated on the surface of the windshield 10, the environment in front of the vehicle is sufficiently visible. Compared to FIG. 4A, the degree of whiteness (ratio and shading) is increasing. In this state, since the vehicle is still in a safe state, notification to the vehicle user is not performed. However, it is also possible to notify the user of the snow accumulation information at this stage so that it can be dealt with early.

FIG. 4C shows a state where the surface of the windshield 10 is covered to some extent with snow. From the inside of the vehicle, you can hardly see the front of the vehicle. However, the snow that has accumulated on the surface of the windshield 10 is in a state where the wiper 11 can sufficiently remove the snow, and is not so much that the exhaust pipe is still clogged with snow.
In this state, the user of the car is surely notified of the snow cover information to be alerted and dealt with early.

FIG. 4D shows a state where the entire automobile is completely covered with snow. In this state, the wiper 11 does not operate properly due to the snow accumulated on the surface of the windshield 10, and the snow on the surface of the windshield 10 cannot be completely removed. In some cases, the exhaust pipe is clogged with snow.
That is, at the stage before the state shown in FIG. 4D (at the time shown in FIG. 4B or 4C), the user of the vehicle is notified of the snow cover information to call attention.

  Next, the flow of the snow cover detection system in the vehicle according to the present invention will be described from the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step ST1, based on the image of the windshield 10 taken by the in-vehicle camera 2, the controller 5 determines the degree of whiteness and determines whether or not it is due to snow. The degree of whiteness of the image is determined by, for example, performing chromaticity determination based on the ratio of white to white in the windshield 10 and chromaticity, and also determining time for determining how the windshield changes to white over time. .
Specifically, the chromaticity of the image is determined, and the degree to which the RBG amount (color tone) of all dots changes to white every unit time is comprehensively determined. Determine whether. Thereby, in the chromaticity determination, there is no occurrence of erroneous recognition due to rain or a color object such as a blue sheet. Further, in the time determination, there is no misrecognition of suddenly covering the surface of the windshield 10 with a white sheet, and there is no misrecognition of white substances such as smoke.

If it is determined by the controller 5 that snow has accumulated on the surface of the windshield 10 and it is necessary to notify the snow accumulation information (see FIG. 4C), the process proceeds to step ST2.
On the other hand, if the controller 5 determines that it is not snowy (see FIG. 4A), or if it is determined that it is snowy but not enough to notify (see FIG. 4B), the in-vehicle camera 2 continues. Perform normal shooting.

Next, in step ST2, the controller 5 detects the presence or absence of a person in the vehicle based on whether the accessory power source 3 is turned on or off by an ignition key.
When the accessory power source 3 is on, the controller 5 receives a signal transmitted from the accessory power source 3, determines that a person is in the vehicle, and sends a signal to the notification device (40 to 43). Send.
On the other hand, when the accessory power source 3 is off, the controller 5 determines that no person is in the vehicle and transmits a signal to the wireless communication device 44.
The determination as to whether or not a person is in the vehicle can be made using, for example, a human sensor in addition to the accessory power source 3.

Next, in step ST3, when it is determined in step ST2 that a person is in the vehicle, the person is informed of the snow cover information with the notification device (40 to 43) to call attention.
Specifically, the display screen or warning lamp 41 of the car navigation system 40 that has received a signal from the controller 5 displays a notification, or the speaker or meter buzzer 42 of the car navigation system 40 that has received a signal from the controller 5. The speaker 43 in the vehicle sounds a notification sound to notify the person who is in the vehicle of snow cover information.
In addition, the notification when a person is in the vehicle can be performed by the notification device (40 to 43) and also by using the wireless communication device 44 described below.

On the other hand, in step ST4, when it is determined in step ST2 that a person is not in the vehicle, the user of the car is notified of the snow cover information at the wireless communication terminal that has received the signal from the wireless communication device 44 to call attention. .
Specifically, the wireless communication device 44 that has received the signal from the controller 5 transmits the signal to a wireless communication terminal (smartphone or the like) owned by the user of the vehicle via wireless communication such as WiFi. The wireless communication terminal receiving the signal notifies the user of the snow cover information by sounding a notification sound or displaying the notification information.
Therefore, it is possible to reliably notify the user of the snow accumulation information of the vehicle 1 regardless of whether a person is in the vehicle.
In addition, even if the signal output from the controller 5 is transmitted to the front light 12 or the horn of the automobile and the front light 12 is blinked or the horn is sounded, the snow accumulation information is notified to the surroundings. Good. In short, if snow coverage information can be notified to a user outside the vehicle, it can be implemented in various ways.

Thus, according to the snow detection system in the vehicle of the present embodiment, the vehicle window of the vehicle 1 parked or parked outdoors is photographed by the in-vehicle camera 2 installed in the vehicle, and the controller 5 is based on the photographed image. The snowfall information is discriminated by the notification device (40 to 43) and the wireless communication terminal that has received the signal from the wireless communication device 44 to alert the user. In a small number of stages, the snow accumulated on the surface of the windshield 10 can be completely removed by the wiper 11. In addition, snow accumulated around the exhaust pipe can be removed before the exhaust pipe is clogged with snow.
Accordingly, the driver's field of view is not limited by snow accumulation during driving, and there is no risk of exhaust gas flowing into the vehicle, so the safety of the vehicle can be improved.

(Other embodiments)
As another embodiment of the snow detection system for a vehicle according to the present invention, in determining whether or not there is snow in the step ST1, the controller 5 determines the degree of whiteness of the windshield 10. At the same time, the snow crystal shape shown in FIG.
By determining the degree of whiteness of the windshield 10 and also determining the snow crystal shape, more accurate and reliable snow cover information can be obtained.

  The snow detection system for a vehicle according to the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples, and those skilled in the art will not depart from the technical idea thereof. I will add it just in case to include the range of variations of design changes and modifications / applications that are usually made.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 10 Windshield 2 Car-mounted camera 3 Accessory power supply 5 Controller 44 Wireless communication apparatus

Claims (4)

A snow cover detection system for detecting snow cover on a vehicle window of a parked or parked vehicle,
An imaging unit that is installed in a vehicle and images a vehicle window, a determination unit that determines snow coverage based on an image captured by the imaging unit, a notification unit that notifies snow coverage information based on a result of the determination unit, Boarding detecting means for detecting whether or not a person is on board ,
The notification means is characterized Rukoto to have a notification method of a plurality of snow information in accordance with the detection result the boarding detection unit, snow detection system in a vehicle. The notification means includes a notification device installed in a vehicle, and a wireless communication device that transmits a signal to a wireless communication terminal owned by a user of the vehicle,
After the snow is detected by the discriminating means, if a person is detected in the vehicle by the boarding detecting means, a notification is given by the notification device, and if no person is detected in the car by the boarding detecting means, wireless communication is performed. The snow detection system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the notification is performed using a wireless communication terminal that has received a signal from the device.   2. The snow cover detection system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the discriminating unit discriminates a degree of whiteness of an image photographed by the photographing unit and detects snow cover on a vehicle window. 3.   2. The determination unit according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the degree of whiteness of the image captured by the imaging unit, and also determines a snow crystal shape to detect snow accumulation on a vehicle window. Snow cover detection system for vehicles described in 1.