JP6383654B2 - Side rear view confirmation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a side rear view confirmation device.

  Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, driving at the time of a left turn will be described on the premise of driving in a country or region where left-hand traffic of the vehicle is determined as in Japan. It should be noted that in countries and regions where right-hand traffic is established, the left and right sides are interchanged and explanations are given for right-turn driving.

  For truck drivers, especially tractor drivers who pull a large trailer, when turning to the side opposite the driver's side, that is, when turning left, objects may get caught in the left rear wheel due to the difference in the inner wheel The steering wheel is operated while carefully checking with the left side rear view mirror that there is no object near the rear wheel of the trailer.

  However, if the driver adjusts the side rear view mirror to the direction he or she wishes, the angle is fixed thereafter, and the direction cannot be changed automatically only when turning left. Therefore, just before starting the left turn, to check whether there is any object right outside the rear wheel, the mirror is on the front extension line of the side of the trailer, so the left rear wheel itself is far away. It is difficult to see, and it is hard to recognize the front-rear relationship between the object reflected on the mirror and the left rear wheel. That is, it is difficult to determine whether the object reflected in the mirror is present further rearward than the rear end of the trailer, or the position of the left rear wheel or forward of it.

  Such a problem can be solved by installing the side rear view mirror in the position extended to the left as much as possible. However, there is a limit on the protrusion distance of the side rear view mirror, and the side rear view mirror is also in operation. If it protrudes to the outside extremely, there is a high possibility that it will come into contact with an object on the side, making it difficult to drive.

  In view of such problems, the following conventional techniques are known.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-247235 (Patent Document 1) discloses a device for simultaneously viewing left and right rear information in which both a side view camera and a back view camera are simultaneously displayed on a monitor. Among them, the left and right and up and down angles of the camera can be adjusted.

  Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-13588 (Patent Document 2) discloses a rear confirmation device in which a camera capable of controlling the camera direction is installed at the left and right rear ends of the tractor, and the camera direction is controlled according to the bending angle of the trailer. It is disclosed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-77628 (Patent Document 3) discloses an image processing apparatus in which a panoramic view (wide viewing angle) camera is installed on the left and right of a tractor, and the connection angle of the camera to the vehicle body varies. A visibility support apparatus and method are disclosed.

  Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-65364 (Patent Document 4) discloses a projecting control circuit for an in-vehicle surveillance camera that projects in conjunction with a shift lever.

  Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 63-117179 (Patent Document 5) discloses an automobile surrounding monitoring device in which a camera attached to the roof of an automobile is attached so as to be movable up and down and the optical axis is also rotatable. Yes.

  However, in these conventional technologies, there is no side rear view confirmation device provided with a side rear view camera that can project and retreat in the vehicle width direction in conjunction with the turn signal.

JP-A-1-247235 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-13588 JP 2008-77628 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-65364 JP-A-63-117179

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem of the prior art, and projects in an outward direction in the vehicle width direction in conjunction with the turn signal, and can be retracted to the home position from there, and the orientation in the photographing direction. Another object of the present invention is to provide a side rear view confirmation device including a variable side rear view camera.

The present invention includes a side rear view mirror that is provided on the left and right outer sides of a cab of a truck and that captures a left rear and a right rear scene, and an outer side of a side opposite to the side of the driver seat outside the cab of the truck. A side rear view camera installed in a position different from the side rear view mirror in a proper position and protruding and retracted horizontally between a position away from the cab and a home position close to the cab; A horizontal drive device that causes the side rear view camera to project and retract, a camera rotation drive device that changes the direction of the shooting direction of the side rear view camera by a predetermined angle, and a winker on the side opposite to the side of the driver seat The horizontal drive device and the camera rotation drive device are operated in conjunction with the operation of the camera, and the side rear view camera is moved to the home position. Projecting from the driver's seat to a position away from the driver's seat and rotating the shooting direction of the side rear view camera inward to the side surface of the truck by a predetermined angle, and when the turn signal is stopped, the side rear view camera is It is characterized by a side rear view confirmation device comprising a control device that controls to return to the original angle and the original position, and a video monitor that displays a photographed image of the side rear view camera.

In the above-described side rear view confirmation device, the truck includes a trailer and a tractor that pulls the trailer, and the tractor includes the side rear view mirror, the side rear view camera, the horizontal drive device, and the camera rotation drive device. The control device and the video monitor are installed, and the side rear view camera has a home position close to the cab and a position slightly outside the front extension line on the side of the trailer, and a position away from the cab Is a position away from the front extension line of the side surface of the trailer by a predetermined distance, and the direction of the shooting direction of the side rear view camera is the trailer when the side rear view camera is at a home position close to the cab. The side rear is oriented substantially parallel to the side of the When the Yukamera is located away from the driver's cab can be made, which is a direction facing the rear wheel of the trailer.

  According to the side rear view confirmation device of the present invention, there is provided a side rear view camera that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction in conjunction with the turn signal, can be retracted to the home position from there, and the direction of the shooting direction is variable. Because it is equipped, the driver can shoot the vicinity of the rear wheel on the turning side that is small and difficult to see in the image reflected on the door mirror, and display it on the monitor near the driver's seat and display it on the monitor near the driver's seat. There is an advantage that it is possible to surely prevent the occurrence of entrainment accidents.

The front view of the truck provided with the rear side view confirmation device of one embodiment of the present invention. The rear view of the said track | truck. The side view of the said truck. The front view of the rear side view camera in the home position in the rear side view confirmation apparatus of the said embodiment, and its drive part. The front view of the rear side view camera in the most protruding position in the rear side view confirmation apparatus of the said embodiment, and its drive part. The front view of the track | truck provided with the rear side view confirmation apparatus (the rear side view camera exists in the most protruding position) of the said embodiment. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the rear side view camera in the said embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the change of the direction of the imaging | photography direction of the rear side view camera in the said embodiment. The system block diagram of the rear side view confirmation apparatus of the said embodiment. The control flowchart of the rear side view confirmation apparatus of the said embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the rear side view confirmation apparatus of one embodiment of this invention is assembled | attached to the tractor 101 side of the truck 100. As shown in FIG. The truck 100 includes a tractor 101 and a trailer 102 towed by the tractor 101. The vehicle width of the trailer 102 is equal to or wider than the vehicle width of the tractor 101.

  Side rear view mirrors 105L and 105R are attached to both outer sides of the tractor 101. Front wheels 103L and 103R are provided on the left and right sides of the tractor 101 of the truck 100, and rear wheels 104L and 104R are provided on the left and right sides of the tractor 102. Further, turn signals (direction indicators) 11L and 11R are installed on the left and right of the front surface of the tractor 101 and the rear surface of the trailer, respectively.

  Since the trailer 102 has a long front and rear, the driver sitting in the right driver's seat in the cab (cabin) clearly confirms the left rear of the trailer 102 in the image shown on the side rear view mirror 105L. It is difficult. Therefore, the side rear view camera unit 10 of the embodiment is installed at a suitable position outside the cabin (cab) of the tractor 101 of the truck 100, in the embodiment, at the left end portion of the roof portion. In the country or region where the right-hand traffic duty of the vehicle is established, the side rear view camera unit 10 is attached to the right side on the opposite side.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the side rear view camera unit 10 includes a digital video camera 4 and a camera driving unit 13 that projects the digital video camera 4 outward to the left turn shooting position and retracts to the home position. It consists of. The digital video camera 4 is supported by a support shaft 41 with a gear so that it can rotate horizontally by a predetermined angle.

  The camera drive unit 13 accommodates a slider 14 that protrudes outward in the horizontal direction and slides so as to be retracted to the home position. The slider 14 is provided with a rack gear 15.

  The camera drive unit 13 is provided with a cut window 131 through which the rack gear 15 is exposed. The camera drive unit 13 is provided with a first motor 5 for driving the slider, and an output gear 51 of the first motor 5 is engaged with the rack gear 15 on the slider 14 side through the cut window 131 as a pinion gear. It is.

  Therefore, when the first motor 5 is driven to rotate in FIG. 4 and the output gear 51 is rotated to the right, the slider 14 is slid so as to protrude in the left outward direction indicated by the broken line with an arrow by meshing the rack and pinion. 5 can come to the most protruding position. Conversely, by rotating the output gear 51 counterclockwise in FIG. 5, the slider 14 can be moved backward to the right inward by the engagement of the rack and pinion so as to return to the home position shown in FIG. 4. Note that the rotation direction of the first motor 5 may be set in reverse depending on the number of gear trains.

  A second motor 6 for driving the camera rotation is installed at the outer end of the slider 14. The output gear 61 of the second motor 6 is meshed with the gear of the support shaft 41 with a gear of the digital video camera 4. Therefore, if the output gear 61 rotates as the second motor 6 rotates, the geared support shaft 41 rotates, and the digital video camera 4 rotates by a predetermined angle and reversely rotates.

  The side rear view camera unit 10 is provided with an inner main cover 21 and an outer sub cover 22 that can slide in and out of the main cover, and the main cover 21 is installed on the tractor roof of the truck 100. . The drive unit 13 is housed so as to cover the main cover 21, and the camera unit 10 is housed so as to cover the sub cover 22.

  The mounting position of the side rear view camera unit 10 with respect to the track 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 show a state in which the side rear view camera unit 10 is installed at the upper left end of the cab of the tractor 101 and the digital video camera 4 is set at its home position. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the digital video camera 4 is projected leftward to the most projecting position. Note that the direction of the shooting direction changes between the state in which the digital video camera 4 is at the home position and the state in which the digital video camera 4 protrudes to the leftmost protruding position. 7 and 8 show the case where the digital video camera 4 is at the home position as 4A, and the case where the digital video camera 4 is at the most protruding position in the left outer direction is shown as 4B.

  The direction of the shooting direction of the digital video camera 4 changes. That is, when in the home position, the direction of the shooting direction of the digital video camera 4 (4A) is a direction 4A1 substantially parallel to the side surface of the trailer 102, and when in the most protruding position, the digital video camera 4 (4B). The direction of the shooting direction is rotated in the direction of the dashed line with an arrow by a predetermined angle up to the inward direction 4B1 by an angle at which the left rear wheel 104L of the trailer 102 can be shot more clearly. This makes it possible to shoot the left rear wheel 104L in a state where it can be clearly seen without being hidden by the side of the body of the trailer 102, especially when turning left, and the image is installed in the driver's seat. 3 (described later). For this reason, when an object is present on the right side of the left rear wheel 104L or when an object is present in front of the left rear wheel, the position of the object and the left rear wheel 104L or the left side surface of the body is determined. The relationship can be clearly understood. In the state where the digital video camera 4 is returned to the home position of 4A, the rear visual field can be photographed more widely by facing rearward substantially parallel to the left side surface of the tractor 102. Further, the digital video camera 4 does not jump out to the side during the straight driving and does not become an obstacle.

  Next, a system configuration and an operation flow of the side rear view confirmation device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the functional configuration of the side rear view confirmation device of the present embodiment includes a control device 1, an image processing device 2, a video monitor 3, and a digital video camera 4 that control necessary operations of all related units. , First motor 5, second motor 6, left turn signal 11L, left turn signal operation switch 12L, home position detection limit switch Lm11, most projecting position detection limit switch Lm12, camera reference rotation position detection limit switch Lm21, camera inner rotation position detection A limit switch Lm22 is provided.

  The control device 1 controls the operation of all related units. The image processing device 2 captures the video signal captured by the digital video camera 4 and sends it to the video monitor 3 to display the left side rear view of the track 100.

  The first motor 5 rotates forward (right rotation) or reverse rotation (left rotation) according to a command from the control device 1, and slides the slider 14 to the left outward by the engagement of the rack and pinion so that the digital video camera 4 is in the most protruding position. It projects to 4B or slides from the left outer direction to the right to move the digital video camera 4 back to the home position 4A.

  The second motor 6 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise according to a command from the control device 1, and reversely rotates the digital video camera 4 counterclockwise or clockwise when the gear meshes.

  The home position detection limit switch Lm11 detects the return of the home position of the slider 14. The most protruding position detection limit switch Lm12 detects that the slider 14 has reached the leftmost protruding position. The camera reference rotation position detection limit switch Lm21 detects the return of the digital video camera 4 to the reference rotation position. The camera inner rotation position detection limit switch Lm22 outputs a detection signal when the digital video camera 4 rotates to the left by a predetermined angle and is in a direction in which the left rear wheel of the trailer 102 can be directly photographed. Note that the most protruding position of the digital video camera 4 to the left side is adjusted to the most advanced position of the side rear view mirror 105L when there is a restriction by law. It is also possible.

  The side rear view confirmation device having such a system configuration operates according to the operation flow shown in FIG. The operation flow starts after the power supply circuit is activated by the start operation of the engine start switch, and the control device 1 activates the video monitor 3 and the digital video camera 4. Then, the operation waits until the operation signal of the left turn signal operation switch 12 is input (step S1).

  The control device 1 receives the operation signal of the left turn signal operation switch 12L, operates the left turn signal 11L, and starts normal rotation (right rotation) of the first motor 5 (step S3).

  Thereafter, when the detection signal of the most protruding position detection limit switch Lm12 is input, the control device 1 sends out the digital video camera 4 to the most protruding position, determines that the position has reached the positive position of the first motor 5 The rotation is stopped (step S5).

  And if the detection signal of the most protrusion position detection limit switch Lm12 is input, the control apparatus 1 will start the left rotation of the 2nd motor 6 next. Then, the digital video camera 4 is rotated to the left by a predetermined angle so that the left rear wheel 104L of the trailer 102 can be directly photographed. When the detection signal of the camera inner rotation position detection limit switch Lm22 is input, the left rotation is stopped ( Step S7).

  7 and 8, the digital video camera 4 reaches the most protruding position 4B, and the direction of the shooting direction is the inward direction 4B1 by an angle at which the left rear wheel 104L of the trailer 102 can be clearly seen. It will be in the state rotated to the direction of the broken line with an arrow until a predetermined angle. As a result, the left rear wheel 104L can be directly photographed by the digital video camera 4B when turning left, and the image can be displayed on the image monitor 3 installed in the driver's seat so that the driver can visually recognize the image. Therefore, when there is an object on the right side or the front side of the left rear wheel 104L, the driver can clearly recognize the positional relationship between the object and the left rear wheel 104L, and the entanglement due to the inner ring difference has not occurred. Can be prevented.

  When the operation signal of the left turn signal operation switch 12L is stopped and the left turn is completed, the left turn signal operation switch 12L is stopped, and the left turn signal operation switch 11L is also stopped. If the operation signal of the left turn signal operation switch 12L is stopped in a state where the detection signal of the most protruding position detection limit switch Lm12 is input (steps S9 and S11), the control device 1 starts the right rotation of the second motor 6. Let Then, the digital video camera 4 is rotated to the right by a predetermined angle to return to the direction substantially parallel to the front extension line of the left side surface of the trailer 102, that is, to the reference rotation position 4A, and the detection signal of the camera reference rotation position detection limit switch Lm21 is input. If it is done, the clockwise rotation is stopped (step S13).

  Subsequently, the control device 1 starts reverse rotation (left rotation) of the first motor 5, and determines that the digital video camera 4 has returned to the home position 4A if the detection signal of the home position detection limit switch Lm11 is input. The reverse rotation of the first motor 5 is stopped (step S15).

  In this way, in the side rear view confirmation device of the present embodiment, in the left-hand traffic truck 100, the state of the left rear wheel 104L that is difficult to see with the side rear view mirror 105L from the driver seat of the right handle when turning left is displayed on the video monitor 3. It can be confirmed visually, and it is possible to prevent entrainment due to the inner ring difference.

  In particular, in the case of a truck, since the front and rear length is long, there is a distance from the driver's seat to the side view mirror 105L, and there is also a large distance to the left rear wheel 103L far from the driver's seat. Looking at the view mirror 105L, it is necessary to see the image of the small left rear wheel 103L reflected in the view mirror 105L. Therefore, the video camera 4 is attached, and when turning to the left, the video camera 4 is slightly left outward and the video camera 4 is turned inward, so that the portion of the left rear wheel 103L is clearer than the reflected image of the side view mirror 105L. It can be displayed in a wider range and displayed on the video monitor 3, and the driver can clearly see the situation near the left rear wheel 103L. In addition, if the video monitor 3 is attached in the left direction near the driver's seat, the state of the left rear wheel can be seen as a large image with the screen size of the video monitor 3. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the stress applied to the driver when making a left turn.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment. The drive system of the digital video camera 4 is not limited to the rack and pinion system, and other appropriate systems such as a belt drive system and a hydraulic system can be employed. Further, the rotation operation of the digital video camera 4 is not limited to the gear system, and other appropriate systems such as a belt drive system and a cam system can be employed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control apparatus 2 Image processing apparatus 3 Video monitor 4 Digital video camera 5 1st motor 6 2nd motor 10 Side rear view camera unit 11L, 11R Blinker 13 Drive part 14 Slider 15 Rack gear 21 Main cover 22 Sub cover 41 Support shaft with gear 51 Output Gear 61 Rotating Gear 100 Truck 101 Tractor 102 Trailer 103L, 103R Front Wheel 104L, 104R Rear Wheel
105L, 105R Side rear view mirror

Claims (2)

Side rear view mirrors installed on the left and right outside of the cab of the truck to capture the left rear and right rear scenes,
A home position near the driver's cab and a position away from the driver's cab at a suitable location outside the side of the driver's seat outside the cab of the truck and at a location different from the side rear view mirror A side rear view camera that can be projected and retracted horizontally in the horizontal direction,
A horizontal driving device for projecting and retracting the side rear view camera;
A camera rotation drive device that changes the direction of the shooting direction of the side rear view camera by a predetermined angle;
A position in which the horizontal driving device and the camera rotation driving device are operated in conjunction with the operation of the blinker on the side opposite to the driver seat side, and the side rear view camera is moved away from the driver seat from the home position. And the direction of the shooting direction of the side rear view camera is rotated inward to the side of the track by a predetermined angle, and the side rear view camera is returned to the original angle and position when the turn signal is stopped. A control device for controlling the return;
An apparatus for confirming a side rear view, comprising: a video monitor for displaying a photographed image of the side rear view camera. The truck is composed of a trailer and a tractor that pulls the trailer,
In the tractor, the side rear view mirror, the side rear view camera, the horizontal drive device, the camera rotation drive device, the control device, and the video monitor are installed,
In the side rear view camera, the home position close to the driver's cab is a position slightly outside the front extension line on the side surface of the trailer, and the position away from the driver's cab is a predetermined distance from the front extension line on the side surface of the trailer. It ’s a position that ’s a distance away,
The direction of the shooting direction of the side rear view camera is substantially parallel to the side of the trailer when the side rear view camera is at a home position close to the cab, and the side rear view camera is away from the cab. The side rear view confirming device according to claim 1, wherein the side rear view confirming device is directed to a rear wheel of the trailer when the vehicle is on.

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