JP7056509B2 - Vehicle foot sensor unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle foot sensor unit that opens and closes a vehicle door when the shape of an object that enters a predetermined road surface range around the vehicle is the shape of a human foot.

Conventionally, a foot sensor unit for a vehicle that opens or closes a vehicle back door or the like is known (for example, Patent Document 1). This vehicle foot sensor unit includes an electrostatic sensor that detects a user approaching the vehicle. The electrostatic sensor includes a sensor electrode and is a sensor that detects a change in the capacitance of the sensor electrode or a change in the electric field that occurs between the sensor electrodes. This electrostatic sensor has a lower sensor installed on a rear bumper or the like, and an upper sensor installed above the lower sensor. The lower sensor consists of at least two sensor units and detects the foot portion of the vehicle user. In addition, the upper sensor detects the body other than the foot of the vehicle user.

In the above-mentioned vehicle foot sensor unit, the vehicle door is opened or closed when the detection signal of one sensor unit of the lower sensor and the detection signal of the upper sensor are input. On the other hand, when the detection signals of the two sensor units of the lower sensor are input, the vehicle door is not driven or stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous driving of opening and closing the vehicle door based on the detection of small animals, objects, and the like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-02138

However, in the above-mentioned vehicle foot sensor unit, it is difficult for a user who approaches the vehicle to recognize the range of the electric field generated by the electrostatic sensor, that is, the sensor position of the electrostatic sensor. Therefore, the vehicle user needs to perform a special operation such as shaking his / her foot near the rear bumper to open / close the vehicle door, and the vehicle door may not be easily opened / closed.

Therefore, in order to make it easier for the vehicle user to recognize the sensor position of the electrostatic sensor, it is conceivable to project a drawing showing the sensor position on the road surface near the rear bumper of the vehicle. Then, in order to ensure the daytime visibility of this drawing, it is appropriate to set the entire drawing projected on the road surface to high illuminance. However, if the entire drawing is projected with high illuminance, the daytime visibility is improved, but the power consumption is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and the sensor position even in the daytime without increasing the power consumption required for projecting the drawing for making the vehicle user recognize the sensor position on the road surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle foot sensor unit capable of making it easy for a vehicle user to recognize.

One aspect of the present invention projects a shape recognition unit that recognizes the shape of an object that has entered a predetermined road surface range around a vehicle, and a drawing indicating that the predetermined road surface range exists within the predetermined road surface range. A vehicle door when the drawing projection unit, the spot display unit that projects a spot display that is easier to see than the drawing within the predetermined road surface range, and the shape recognized by the shape recognition unit are the shape of a human foot. It is a foot sensor unit for a vehicle provided with a control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle.

According to this configuration, the vehicle user visually recognizes either the drawing or the spot display projected or projected within a predetermined road surface range around the vehicle that performs shape recognition for opening and closing the vehicle door. The vehicle door can be opened and closed by moving the foot within the predetermined road surface range according to the drawing or the spot display. Further, since the drawing showing the existence of the predetermined road surface range is projected within the predetermined road surface range, it is possible to easily make the vehicle user recognize the sensor position of the predetermined road surface range. In addition, since a spot display that is easier to see than the drawing is projected within the predetermined road surface range, the spot display allows the vehicle user to see the spot display even in the daytime as compared with the case where only the drawing is projected within the predetermined road surface range. It is possible to easily recognize the sensor position. Further, since the easily visible spot display is projected as a spot within a predetermined road surface range, the power consumption for the light output can be suppressed as compared with the case where the easily visible display covers the entire drawing. can. Therefore, it is possible to make it easier for the vehicle user to recognize the sensor position even in the daytime without increasing the power consumption required for projecting the drawing for making the vehicle user recognize the sensor position on the road surface.

It is a block diagram of the foot sensor unit for a vehicle which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure showing the relationship between the drawing projected on the road surface by the light emitting device provided in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle of embodiment, and the predetermined road surface range which a shape recognition device recognizes a shape. It is a block diagram of the light emitting device provided in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle of an embodiment. It is a figure which showed a plurality of examples of drawing projected on the road surface by the light emitting device provided in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle of an embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of drawing and spot display projected on the road surface by the light emitting device provided in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle of an embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of the image information photographed by the camera of the shape recognition device provided in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle of an embodiment. It is a flowchart of an example of the control routine executed in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle of an embodiment. It is a figure which showed the state at the time of opening a door by the foot sensor unit for a vehicle of an embodiment. It is a block diagram of the main part of the light emitting device provided in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle which concerns on one deformation form. It is a figure showing a plurality of examples of drawing and spot display projected on the road surface by the light emitting device provided in the foot sensor unit for a vehicle which concerns on another modified form. It is a figure which showed the arrangement position of the light emitting device and the shape recognition device of the foot sensor unit for a vehicle which concerns on still another modified form.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the vehicle foot sensor unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle foot sensor unit 1 of the present embodiment is mounted on the vehicle 2, and when the user 3 of the vehicle 2 gets on the vehicle 2, the vehicle door 4 of the vehicle 2 is mounted. It is a unit applied to a door opening / closing device that automatically opens / closes (specifically, unlocks and opens). The vehicle door 4 to be opened / closed may be any door such as a back door or a side door of the vehicle 2, but in the following, it is assumed to be a back door. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle foot sensor unit 1 includes a light emitting device 10, a shape recognition device 20, an ID collation device 30, a control device 40, and a door drive device 60.

The light emitting device 10 is a device that emits light toward the road surface around the vehicle 2 (specifically, behind). The light emitting device 10 is attached to the substantially center of the outer surface of the back door 4 of the vehicle 2 (for example, the upper wall of the recessed portion for accommodating the back door handle and the license plate) via a bracket or the like. The light emitting device 10 is not limited to being attached to the back door 4 that opens and closes via a bracket or the like, and may be attached to a rear bumper or the like fixed to the vehicle body of the vehicle 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting device 10 includes a light source 11, three lenses 12, 13, and 14, and a contrast plate 15.

The light source 11 is a portion that irradiates visible light that can be visually recognized by a person, such as an LED or a laser. The visible light output by the light source 11 has a wavelength of blue-green to yellow-green (specifically, in the range of 480 nm to 578 nm, particularly around about 555 nm), which has high human visual sensitivity even in the daytime. It is visually bright light.

The lens 12 is a primary lens arranged at a position closest to the light source 11 on the optical path of visible light output from the light source 11. The lens 12 collects the visible light output from the light source 11 to generate parallel light. Further, the contrast plate 15 is arranged on the downstream side of the lens 12 on the optical path of visible light from the light source 11. The contrast plate 15 is a plate for setting a region through which visible light from the light source 11 is transmitted, and generates a drawing T to be projected on the road surface.

The drawing T generated by the contrast plate 15 is formed by contrasting light and shadow. The drawing T may be a display indicating the existence of a predetermined road surface range S for performing shape recognition, which will be described later. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4H, a shape and shoes imitating the sole of a person's foot. It may have a shape imitating the shape of the vehicle 2, a shape imitating the appearance of the vehicle 2, etc., and in addition to the shape imitating the sole of the person or the appearance of the vehicle 2, the region showing the predetermined road surface range S may be other. In order to distinguish it from the area, it may include a shape such as a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a frame so as to surround the periphery of the shape imitating the sole of the foot, and even if it contains characters. good.

The lens 13 (hereinafter referred to as a first lens 13) is a secondary lens arranged on the downstream side of the contrast plate 15 on the optical path from the light source 11. The first lens 13 is formed in a disk shape. The first lens 13 has a through hole 13a penetrating the center of the axis. The through hole 13a is a through hole for directly guiding the light from the light source 11 to the lens 14 without passing through the first lens 13. The first lens 13 is a lens in which light (drawing light) related to the drawing T transmitted through the contrast plate 15 is incident and the drawing light is emitted toward the road surface at the first focal length. The drawing light emitted from the first lens 13 is irradiated into a predetermined road surface range S to be shape-recognized by the shape recognition device 20 as described later. In this case, the drawing T having a predetermined plane shape is projected by the drawing light radiated on the road surface.

The lens 14 (hereinafter referred to as a second lens 14) is a secondary lens arranged on the downstream side of the contrast plate 15 and downstream of the first lens 13 on the optical path from the light source 11. .. The second lens 14 is formed in a disk shape. The second lens 14 is formed so as to have a diameter smaller than that of the first lens 13. In the second lens 14, light that has passed through the contrast plate 15 and has passed through the through hole 13a of the first lens 13 is incident, and the light is incident at a second focal length longer than the first focal length of the first lens 13. It is a lens that emits light toward the road surface. It is preferable that the through hole 13a of the first lens 13 is formed so as to have a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the second lens 14 according to the diameter of the second lens 14.

The light emitted from the second lens 14 should be shape-recognized by the shape recognition device 20 as described later while its focal point is formed closer to the road surface than the focal point of the light emitted from the first lens 13. It is irradiated within the target predetermined road surface range S. In this case, the spot display U focused on the spot is projected on the road surface. The spot display U has a higher illuminance than the drawing T, and is easier to see than the drawing T. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the spot display U is projected at a position superimposed on the drawing T, that is, within the extension frame of the drawing T. Further, the total irradiation area of the spot display U is smaller than the total irradiation area of the drawing T. The spot display U has a shape such as a circle, an ellipse, or a triangle, a reduced version of the drawing T, a shape imitating the sole of a person or shoes, and the like.

The drawing T and the spot display U projected or projected on the road surface may have an appropriate illuminance that can be visually recognized without feeling glare even at night. These drawing T and spot display U may be those whose display illuminance and hue are switched according to changes in ambient brightness due to, for example, time zone, weather, lighting, and the like. Further, these drawing T and spot display U may be blinking in order to improve visibility and attractiveness.

The shape recognition device 20 is a device that recognizes the shape of an object that has entered a predetermined road surface range S on the road surface around the vehicle 2. The shape recognition device 20 includes a camera 21 and a recognition unit 22. The camera 21 is attached to substantially the center of the outer surface of the back door 4 of the vehicle 2 (for example, the recessed portion of the back door handle or the license plate) via a bracket or the like, and is arranged close to the above-mentioned light emitting device 10. ing. The camera 21 has a CCD, CMOS, or the like. The camera 21 can photograph the road surface including the predetermined road surface range S. The predetermined road surface range S is a region on the road surface rearward by a predetermined distance (for example, 30 cm to 3 m) from the rear end of the vehicle 2.

The photographing area of the camera 21 may match the predetermined road surface range S of the shape recognition target, but may be wider than the predetermined road surface range S. When the shooting area of the camera 21 is wider than the predetermined road surface range S, the camera information to be shape-recognized is a part of the total video information shot by the camera 21. Further, the drawing T and the spot display U by the light output from the light emitting device 10 may be projected on a part of the predetermined road surface range S. The camera 21 may be, for example, a ToF (= Time-of-Flight) type camera.

The recognition unit 22 is a portion that recognizes the shape of an object that has entered the predetermined road surface range S based on the video information (see FIG. 6) captured by the camera 21. The recognition unit 22 stores in advance the shape information of the foot portion of the person to be the target of shape recognition. The foot portion in which this shape information is stored includes, in particular, the tip of a human foot portion, such as shoes worn by a human. The shape of the foot to be memorized is preferably the shape of the tip of the foot 3a peculiar to the user 3, and further includes the shape of the tip of the shoe which is unlikely to be hidden by the clothes worn by a person. Is preferable. Further, the shape of the foot to be stored may include the direction with respect to the vehicle 2, and the toes are in a state where the person faces the back door 4 of the vehicle 2, that is, faces the front side of the vehicle 2. It may be the shape when facing.

The recognition unit 22 determines whether or not the shape of the object entering the predetermined road surface range S is the shape of the human foot by performing, for example, template matching on the image information of the camera 21. The shape determination by the recognition unit 22 is affirmed when the shape of the human foot is recognized in a state of being continuously fixed for a predetermined time (for example, 1 second or 2 seconds). good.

The ID verification device 30 is a device that authenticates the ID of the user 3 of the vehicle 2. This ID authentication is performed in order to automatically open the back door 4 when the user 3 gets on the vehicle 2 or puts a load on the luggage, and in order to irradiate the road surface with visible light by the light emitting device 10. Will be. The ID collation device 30 is an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle 2. The ID verification device 30 has a communication unit 31 and an authentication unit 32.

The communication unit 31 is a portion that communicates with an ID key 50 carried by a person within a predetermined distance range (for example, 1 m to 3 m) from the back door 4. The communication unit 31 transmits a request signal requesting a response of the ID key 50 at predetermined time intervals. The ID key 50 has a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit of the ID key 50 can communicate with the communication unit 31 of the ID collation device 30. Specifically, the communication unit of the ID key 50 can receive the request signal transmitted from the communication unit 31, and can also transmit a response signal in response to the request signal. When the communication unit receives the request signal from the ID collation device 30, the control unit of the ID key 50 causes the communication unit to transmit a response signal in response to the request signal to the ID collation device 30. The communication unit 31 of the ID collation device 30 can receive the response signal from the ID key 50 after transmitting the request signal.

The communication unit 31 is connected to the authentication unit 32. The communication result in the communication unit 31 is supplied to the authentication unit 32. The authentication unit 32 performs ID authentication as to whether or not the ID key 50 is a portable device corresponding to the own vehicle 2 based on the communication result of the communication unit 31. The ID collation device 30 is connected to the control device 40. When the ID authentication with the ID key 50 is collation OK, the authentication unit 32 notifies the control device 40 that the ID authentication is collation OK.

The control device 40 is a device that executes various controls for driving the back door 4 to open and close. The control device 40 includes a microcomputer having a calculation unit, a memory, and the like. The control device 40 is installed on the floor of the vehicle 2 or the like. The control device 40 includes an irradiation control unit 41 and a drive control unit 42.

The irradiation control unit 41 is a portion that controls the irradiation of visible light onto the road surface by the light emitting device 10. The control device 40 is connected to the light emitting device 10 described above. When the ID verification device 30 notifies that the ID authentication is OK, the irradiation control unit 41 instructs the light emitting device 10 to irradiate the road surface with visible light. The light emitting device 10 irradiates the road surface with visible light in accordance with a command from the irradiation control unit 41.

The control device 40 is connected to the shape recognition device 20 described above. When the recognition unit 22 determines that the shape of the object entering the predetermined road surface range S is the shape of the human foot, the shape recognition device 20 supplies the shape recognition information to the control device 40. The drive control unit 42 of the control device 40 is a portion that drives the back door 4 to open and close. The opening / closing drive of the back door 4 is at least one of an opening / closing drive of the back door 4 itself centered on a rotation shaft provided on the vehicle body and an unlocking / locking drive of the back door 4. Anything may be included.

The control device 40 is connected to the door drive device 60. The drive control unit 42 notifies the door drive device 60 when information on shape recognition that the shape of a person entering the predetermined road surface range S is the shape of a human foot is supplied from the shape recognition device 20. And instruct to open and close (specifically, open) the back door 4. The door drive device 60 is a device that opens and closes the back door 4. The door drive device 60 has an actuator such as a motor that drives the back door 4 to open and close. The door drive device 60 operates the actuator according to a command from the drive control unit 42 to open and close the back door 4.

Next, the operation of the vehicle foot sensor unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

In the vehicle foot sensor unit 1, when the back door 4 is closed, a request signal is transmitted from the communication unit 31 of the ID collation device 30 in the vehicle 2 within a predetermined distance range behind the back door 4 (FIG. 7). Step S100 shown in. The authentication unit 32 determines whether or not the response signal from the ID key 50 is received and the ID authentication with the ID key 50 based on the response signal is collation OK for each transmission of the request signal (step S110). ..

When the user 3 of the vehicle 2 gets on the vehicle 2 or puts a load on the luggage, the user 3 carries the ID key 50 and approaches the back door 4. If the ID key 50 carried by the user 3 does not exist within the transmission range of the request signal (that is, within the predetermined distance range), the response signal from the ID key 50 is not supplied to the vehicle foot sensor unit 1, so that the vehicle The foot sensor unit 1 ends the process without executing any control process thereafter.

On the other hand, if the ID key 50 carried by the user 3 exists within the transmission range of the request signal, the ID key 50 transmits a response signal in response to the request signal toward the vehicle foot sensor unit 1. .. When the communication unit 31 receives the response signal from the ID key 50 after the request signal is transmitted, the authentication unit 32 performs ID authentication with the ID key 50 based on the response signal, and the ID authentication is collated. If it is OK, the control device 40 is notified that the verification is OK.

When the irradiation control unit 41 of the control device 40 is notified by the ID collation device 30 that the ID authentication is collation OK, the irradiation control unit 41 instructs the light emitting device 10 to irradiate the road surface with visible light. When the irradiation control unit 41 gives a command to irradiate visible light, the light emitting device 10 irradiates visible light having a wavelength from the light source 11 at the rear end of the vehicle 2 (step S120). The visible light irradiation may be continued as long as the state in which the ID authentication by the ID collation device 30 is collation OK continues, or may be continued until a certain time elapses after the start of the irradiation. Further, in the visible light irradiation, when the ID authentication by the ID collation device 30 is collation NG, a certain time has elapsed after the start of the irradiation, the opening / closing drive of the back door 4 is completed, or the back door 4 is irradiated. It may be stopped when it is opened.

When the light source 11 of the light emitting device 10 outputs visible light, the visible light incident on the first lens 13 after passing through the lens 12 and the contrast plate 15 among the output visible light is used as drawing light at the first focal length. It is emitted toward the road surface. When the drawing light is applied to the road surface, the drawing T formed in a predetermined shape by the contrast plate 15 is projected within the predetermined road surface range S to be shape-recognized by the shape recognition device 20.

Further, when the light source 11 of the light emitting device 10 outputs visible light, the output visible light passes through the lens 12 and the contrast plate 15 and then passes through the through hole 13a of the first lens 13 to the second lens 14. The incident visible light is emitted toward the road surface at a second focal length longer than the first focal length described above. When the shape recognition device 20 irradiates the road surface with this visible light, a spot display U that is spot-focused within a predetermined road surface range S to be shape-recognized is projected.

When the user 3 of the vehicle 2 approaches the vehicle 2 and visually recognizes the drawing T projected within the predetermined road surface range S on the road surface or the projected spot display U by the light emitting device 10, the back door 4 is opened. When requesting that the vehicle be opened, the foot is placed on the road surface (particularly, the portion where the drawing T is projected or the portion where the spot display U is projected). The shape recognition device 20 uses the camera 21 to cover the predetermined road surface range S including the drawing T and the spot display U in a state where the drawing T is projected on the road surface and the spot display U is projected by the light emitting device 10. The shape of the approaching object is recognized, and it is determined whether or not the shape is the tip shape of the human foot (step S130).

When the recognition unit 22 of the shape recognition device 20 determines that the shape of the object entering the predetermined road surface range S is the tip shape of the human foot, the recognition unit 22 supplies the shape recognition information to the control device 40. The drive control unit 42 of the control device 40 opens the back door 4 to the door drive device 60 when it indicates that the information from the shape recognition device 20 matches the shape indicating the tip shape of the human foot. To order. When the door drive device 60 receives a door open command from the drive control unit 42, the door drive device 60 opens the actuator to open and drive the back door 4 (step S140).

As described above, in the vehicle foot sensor unit 1, the user 3 of the vehicle 2 draws on the road surface behind the vehicle 2 from the light emitting device 10 at the timing when the user 3 of the vehicle 2 approaches the back door 4 of the vehicle 2 to a predetermined distance. And the spot display U is projected or projected, and the user 3 puts his / her foot on the road surface on which the drawing T and the spot display U are projected or projected, so that the foot portion 3a of the user 3 is placed on the shape recognition device 20. By recognizing the shape, the back door 4 is driven to open. That is, the user 3 of the vehicle 2 visually recognizes the drawn T projected on the road surface around the vehicle 2 or the projected spot display U, and the drawn T or spot displayed within the predetermined road surface range S thereof. The back door 4 can be driven to open by placing a foot on the display U itself or the road surface around those displays.

The drawing T and the spot display U are projected or projected within a predetermined road surface range S for performing sensor position, that is, shape recognition for opening and driving the back door 4 on the road surface. Therefore, according to the vehicle foot sensor unit 1, the sensor position for driving the back door 4 to be opened can be visually transmitted to the user 3 by using the light emitting device 10. Further, in opening and driving the back door 4, the user 3 visually recognizes the drawing T or the spot display U in the predetermined road surface range S and puts his / her foot on the drawing T or the spot display U or the road surface around the display. Therefore, it is sufficient to make the foot portion 3a recognized by the vehicle foot sensor unit 1 side.

Therefore, according to the vehicle foot sensor unit 1, it is possible to make it easier for the user 3 of the vehicle 2 to recognize the sensor position for driving the back door 4 to open. Then, since the drawing T and the spot display U are displayed at the positions on the road surface on which the user 3 should put his / her foot to open the back door 4, the operation for the user 3 to open the back door 4 is performed. It is possible to improve the convenience of opening the back door 4 by the user 3 without the need for getting used to it. Thereby, the automatic opening of the back door 4 can be easily realized.

Further, since the user 3 may place his / her foot on the road surface including the drawing T and the spot display U displayed within the predetermined road surface range S in order to open the back door 4, for example, it is static to open the back door 4. Unlike the configuration using an electric sensor or the like, it is not necessary to bring one foot close to the vehicle body in which the electrostatic sensor is installed. As a result, the user 3 can open and operate the back door 4 in a stable posture and smartly.

Further, in order to open the back door 4, it is necessary for the shape recognition device 20 to recognize the shape of the tip of the human foot in a predetermined road surface range S behind the vehicle body. That is, even if there is a fixed object other than a person, a nearby object, or a puddle in the predetermined road surface range S, the back door 4 is opened when the human foot does not enter the predetermined road surface range S. Not done. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the back door 4 from being accidentally opened due to a fixed object other than a person, a nearby object, or the like.

Further, the visible light emitted by the light source 11 of the light emitting device 10 for notifying the user 3 of the vehicle 2 of the sensor position has a yellow-green wavelength having high luminosity factor even in the daytime. Therefore, even in the daytime, it is possible to make it easier for the user 3 to visually recognize the drawing T and the spot display U on the road surface based on the visible light. Further, the drawing T and the spot display U projected or projected on the road surface by the visible light are displays having an appropriate illuminance that can be visually recognized without feeling glare even at night. Therefore, it is possible to make it easier for the user 3 to visually recognize the drawing T and the spot display U on the road surface even at night. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user 3 from deteriorating the convenience of opening the back door 4.

Further, the drawing T is a display drawn on the road surface by the visible light from the light source 11 incident on the first lens 13 and traveling at the first focal length. Further, the spot display U is a display drawn as a spot on the road surface by incident visible light from the same light source 11 on the second lens 14 and traveling at a second focal length longer than the first focal length. Is. In such a structure, the spot display U is projected on the road surface as a spot in a narrow range, and is displayed brightly with a higher illuminance than the drawing T.

Therefore, as compared with the case where only the drawing T is projected on the road surface via the first lens 13, the sensor position for driving the user 3 of the vehicle 2 to open the back door 4 even in the daytime by the spot display U. (That is, the predetermined road surface range S) can be easily recognized. Further, for example, as compared with the case where the entire drawing T is displayed with the same brightness as the spot display U, the output of the light source 11 can be suppressed, and the power consumption for outputting visible light from the light source 11 can be suppressed. be able to. Therefore, the spot display U makes it easy for the user 3 to recognize the sensor position even in the daytime without increasing the power consumption required for projecting the drawing T for causing the user 3 to recognize the sensor position on the road surface. be able to.

Further, the spot display U is generated by the same light source as the light source 11 for generating the drawing T. Specifically, the visible light output from the light source 11 is incident on the first lens 13 to generate the drawing T, and the visible light output from the light source 11 is incident on the first lens 13. The spot display U is generated by being incident on the second lens 14 instead. According to this configuration, both the drawing T and the spot display U can be generated by changing the lens on which the visible light of the light source 11 is incident, so that the power consumption required for the visible light irradiation of the light source 11 is increased. The drawing T can be projected on the road surface and the spot display U can be projected with a simple structure.

In the above embodiment, the shape recognition device 20 is in the "shape recognition unit" described in the claims, and the light source 11, the lenses 12, 13 and the contrast plate 15 of the light emitting device 10 are in the claims. In the described "drawing projection unit", the light source 11 and the lenses 12 and 14 of the light emitting device 10 are described in the "spot display unit" described in the claims, and the drive control unit 42 of the control device 40 is described in the claims. The lens 13 corresponds to the "first lens" described in the claims, and the lens 14 corresponds to the "second lens" described in the claims.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the spot display U is projected in the extension frame of the drawing T. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The spot display U may be projected outside the extension frame of the drawing T (see FIG. 10A). However, it is preferable that the spot display U is projected at a position close to the drawing T.

Further, in the above embodiment, the first lens 13 used to generate the drawing T and the second lens 14 used to generate the spot display U are made separate and independent. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the lens used to generate the drawing T and the lens used to generate the spot display U are integrated, and the drawing T and the spot are integrated with one lens. Both of the indications U may be generated. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the light incident on the radial inner portion is condensed to generate the drawing T, and the light incident on the radial outer portion is condensed to generate the spot display U. One lens may be formed in a disk shape.

Further, in the above embodiment, the spot display U is projected in a circle in the extension frame of the drawing T. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The spot display U may be projected at a plurality of locations as shown in FIG. 10 (B), or the spot display U may be projected inside or outside the outer frame of the drawing T as shown in FIGS. 10 (C) and 10 (D). The characters may be projected in an annular shape, or the characters may be projected as the spot display U.

Further, in the above embodiment, the drawing T and the spot display U are generated by using the same light source 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The drawing T and the spot display U may be generated by using different light sources from each other.

Further, in the above embodiment, the camera 21 is used to recognize the shape of the object entering the predetermined road surface range S, but the camera 21 displays an image on the in-vehicle monitor when the vehicle 2 is retracted. It may also be used as a back camera. According to the configuration of this modified form, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated camera for recognizing the shape of an object entering the predetermined road surface range S, so that the back door 4 can be opened and closed at low cost with a simple configuration. It can be realized.

Further, in the above embodiment, each of the camera 21 of the light emitting device 10 and the shape recognition device 20 is attached to the back door 4 that opens and closes, and the vehicle foot sensor unit 1 automatically opens the back door 4. It is a device to do. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 11, each of the light emitting device 10 and the camera 21 is fixed to the vehicle body side (for example, a bumper) of the vehicle 2, and the vehicle foot sensor unit 1 not only automatically opens the back door 4 but also the user. It may be applied to a device that automatically closes the back door 4 when the vehicle 3 gets off the vehicle 2 or unloads the luggage from the luggage.

Further, in the above embodiment, the light emitting device 10 irradiates visible light on the road surface a predetermined distance behind the light source 11. Assuming that this visible light irradiation is performed on a road surface at a rear position fixed in advance with respect to the rear end of the vehicle 2, when there is a fixed object or a nearby object at the position on the road surface, the user There is a risk that it will be difficult to recognize the shape of the foot of 3. Therefore, the irradiation position on the road surface where the visible light is irradiated from the light source 11 of the light emitting device 10 after the verification of the ID authentication by the ID verification device 30 is OK may be changed according to the position of the user 3 with respect to the vehicle 2. ..

For example, after the ID authentication verification by the ID verification device 30 is OK, the direction of the optical axis of the camera 21 is changed or the zoom magnification is changed to the wide-angle side to widen the shooting area, and based on the shape recognition result from the video information. The position of the user 3 existing behind the vehicle 2 is detected. Then, when the position of the user 3 is detected, the optical axis and the zoom magnification of the camera 21 are fixed so that the position is included in the predetermined road surface range S, and then the position of the user 3 is determined according to the position of the user 3. The irradiation position of the visible light from the light source 11 on the road surface is changed. It should be noted that this change in the irradiation position is a mechanism unit having an actuator such as a motor so that light is irradiated on the road surface between the vehicle 2 and the user 3 (specifically, immediately before the user 3). It suffices as long as it changes the optical axis direction of the light source 11 by using.

According to this modified form, the position of the light emitted from the light emitting device 10 is changed according to the position where the user 3 is present, so that the light can be used even if there is a fixed object, a nearby object, a puddle, or the like on the road surface. The shape of the foot portion 3a of the person 3 can be easily recognized, and the convenience of operation for opening the back door 4 to the user 3 can be improved.

Further, in the above embodiment, it is assumed that the door of the vehicle 2 in which the foot sensor unit 1 for the vehicle opens and closes is the back door 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a sliding door, a front door, or the like, which is a side door, as a door of the vehicle 2 in which the foot sensor unit 1 for a vehicle opens and closes.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1: Vehicle foot sensor unit 2: Vehicle 3: User 4: Vehicle door (back door) 10: Light emitting device, 11: Light source, 12, 13, 14: Lens, 15: Contrast plate, 20: Shape recognition device, 21: camera, 22: recognition unit, 30: ID collation device, 40: control device, 41: irradiation control unit, 42: drive control unit, 50: ID key, 60: door drive device.

Claims (3)

A shape recognition unit that recognizes the shape of an object that has entered a predetermined road surface range around the vehicle,
A drawing projection unit that projects a drawing indicating that the predetermined road surface range exists within the predetermined road surface range, and a drawing projection unit.
A spot display unit that projects a spot display that is easier to see than the drawing within the predetermined road surface range, and a spot display unit.
A control unit that controls the opening and closing of the vehicle door when the shape recognized by the shape recognition unit is the shape of a human foot.
Equipped with
The drawing and the spot display are generated using the same light source.
The drawing projection unit includes a first lens having a through hole to which light output from the light source is incident.
The spot display unit is a vehicle foot sensor unit including a second lens that is output from the light source and incident with light that has passed through the through hole . The vehicle foot sensor unit according to claim 1, wherein the spot display unit projects the spot display within the extension frame of the drawing. The drawing projection unit projects the drawing at the timing when a person carrying a portable device corresponding to the own vehicle approaches the own vehicle within a predetermined distance.
The vehicle foot sensor unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spot display unit displays the spot display at the timing.

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