JP7255230B2 - Driving support device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving assistance device that assists the visibility of a driver of a vehicle.

Since the driver is sitting inside the body of the vehicle, there is a blind area in the field of view of the driver. For example, the front pillars of a vehicle create blind spots. Therefore, there is a known technique for displaying an image of a blind spot area caused by the front pillar on a display unit provided on the front pillar in order to assist the field of vision (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-64131

By the way, from the viewpoint of improving the visibility when the driver sees the display image on the display unit, providing a lens having a curvature in front of the display unit is under study. If the lens is provided in front of the display unit, the driver sees the displayed image through the lens. At this time, when the driver looks at the displayed image obliquely, the displayed image appears distorted due to the lens.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to suppress distortion of a displayed image when the driver views the displayed image through a lens provided in front of the display unit.

In one aspect of the present invention, an imaging unit that images a blind spot area that is a blind spot of a driver by a vehicle member, a display unit that displays a blind spot image obtained by imaging the blind spot area by the imaging unit, and from the driver and a lens having a curvature provided in front of the display unit when viewed, and the blind spot image is distorted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the blind spot image is distorted by the lens when the driver sees the blind spot image through the lens. a display control unit that corrects a blind spot image and causes the display unit to display the corrected blind spot image.

Further, the display control unit may perform correction so that the distortion in the opposite direction on the edge side of the blind spot image is larger than that on the center side.

Further, a plurality of the lenses may be provided in front of the display unit so as to overlap each other.

Further, the lens may be a focus adjustment lens for adjusting the focus of the driver's eyes when viewing the blind spot image.

Further, the vehicle member may be a front pillar of the vehicle, and the display section may be provided so as to cover at least a portion of the front pillar.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is effective in the ability to suppress the distortion of a display image when a driver|operator looks at a display image through the lens provided in front of the display part.

1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a driving assistance device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of mounting positions of an imaging unit 10 and a display unit 20. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the focus of the eyes 80 when viewing an object outside the vehicle and the focus of the eyes 80 when viewing the display unit 20; 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a lens 30; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the driver's face and the area of the display unit 20 that can be seen through the lens 30. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an image within a region 22 seen through a lens 30; FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining correction of a blind spot image; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a state in which a blind spot image after correction can be seen through a lens 30;

<Configuration of driving support device>
A configuration of a driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a driving assistance device 1 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of mounting positions of the imaging unit 10 and the display unit 20. As shown in FIG. Note that the lens 30 is omitted in FIG. 2 for convenience of explanation.

The driving assistance device 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car or a truck, and is a device for assisting the visibility of the driver of the vehicle. The driving support device 1 displays a captured image of a blind area that is the driver's blind spot, and allows the driver to grasp the situation of the blind spot. The driving support device 1 includes an imaging unit 10, a display unit 20, a lens 30, and a control device 40, as shown in FIG.

The image capturing unit 10 is, for example, a camera, and captures an image of a blind spot area that is a driver's blind spot due to vehicle components. The vehicle member here is the front pillar 72 of the vehicle 70 shown in FIG. The imaging unit 10 captures an image of an area that is not visible by the front pillar 72 when the driver looks ahead while driving. The imaging unit 10 is attached around a front pillar 72 of a vehicle 70, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the imaging unit 10 is attached to the front pillar 72 on the driver's seat side, but in reality, the imaging unit 10 is also attached to the front pillar on the passenger seat side.

The display unit 20 is a display capable of displaying images. The display unit 20 displays a blind spot image obtained by imaging the blind spot area by the imaging unit 10 . The display unit 20 displays the blind spot image captured by the imaging unit 10 while the vehicle is running. As a result, the driver can grasp the situation of the blind spot due to the front pillar 72 while the vehicle is running.

The display unit 20 is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the front pillar 72, as shown in FIG. The display unit 20 is attached to the front surface of the front pillar 72 . As a result, the driver can recognize the blind spot area caused by the front pillar 72 from the blind spot image displayed on the display unit 20 attached to the front pillar 72 . That is, the driver sees through the blind spot image displayed on the display unit 20 as if it were a blind spot.

The control device 40 is an electronic control unit including a microcomputer having, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The control device 40 controls operations of the imaging unit 10 and the display unit 20 . The control device 40 causes the imaging unit 10 to image the blind spot area and causes the display unit 20 to display the blind spot image captured by the imaging unit 10 . Although details will be described later, the control device 40 functions as a display control section that corrects a blind spot image and causes the display section 20 to display the image.

By the way, the driver's eyes have the characteristic of adjusting the focus according to the distance to the viewed object. The eye focuses by adjusting the thickness of the crystalline lens (having the function of a lens) according to the distance. For example, when viewing a near object, the thickness of the lens increases, and when viewing a distant object, the thickness of the lens decreases.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the focus of the eyes 80 when looking at an object outside the vehicle and the focus of the eyes 80 when looking at the display unit 20 . Here, it is assumed that the object outside the vehicle seen by the eyes 80 is the person 90 . When the driver looks at a distant person 90 outside the vehicle as shown in FIG. 3(a), the thickness of the lens 82 of the eye 80 is small. On the other hand, when the driver looks at the nearby display unit 20 as shown in FIG. 3(b), the thickness of the crystalline lens 82 is large. Therefore, when the eyes 80 are focused on the person 90 outside the vehicle, the image on the display unit 20 appears blurred. Similarly, when the eye 80 is focused on the image on the display 20, the person 90 outside the vehicle appears blurred.

In order to suppress the blurry appearance as described above, the driving assistance device 1 adjusts the focus of the eyes 80 by the lens 30 provided in front of the display unit 20, although the details will be described later. The driver can adjust the focus of the eyes 80 when viewing the image of the display unit 20 by viewing the display image (specifically, the blind spot image) of the display unit 20 through the lens 30 . As a result, visibility can be improved when the driver sees the object outside the vehicle and the display image on the display unit 20 .

<Configuration of Lens 30>
The configuration of the lens 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the lens 30. As shown in FIG. The lens 30 refracts and converges the light. The lens 30 is a curvature lens having curvature, for example, a convex lens as shown in FIG. However, it is not limited to this, and the lens 30 may be a Fresnel lens.

The lens 30 is provided in front of the display section 20, as shown in FIG. That is, the lens 30 is provided between the driver's eyes 80 and the display unit 20 . The lens 30 functions as a focus adjusting lens for adjusting the focus of the eyes 80 when the driver sees the blind spot image displayed on the display unit 20 .

By providing the lens 30 in front of the display unit 20, the thickness of the crystalline lens 82 of the driver's eye 80 when viewing the display unit 20 does not increase. That is, the thickness of the lens 82 shown in FIG. 4 is smaller than the thickness of the lens 82 without the lens 30 (the thickness of the lens 82 shown in FIG. 3B). Here, the thickness is the same as the thickness of the crystalline lens 82 when looking at the person 90 outside the vehicle (see FIG. 3A). Therefore, the focus of the eye 80 when viewing the blind spot image displayed on the display unit 20 by the lens 30 is closer to the focus of the eye 80 when viewing a farther distance than the display unit 20 . As a result, even if the driver looks at the display unit 20 immediately after seeing the person 90 outside the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the blind spot image from appearing blurred.

The shape of the lens 30 and the distance between the lens 30 and the display unit 20 are adjusted so that the focus of the eye 80 when viewing the blind spot image displayed on the display unit 20 approaches the focus of the eye 80 when viewing a far distance from the display unit 20. The distance between them is set as appropriate.

The lens 30 may be supported by the display unit 20 positioned behind. For example, the lens 30 is supported by a support shaft projecting from the display section 20 toward the lens 30 . However, it is not limited to this, and the lens 30 may be supported by a member other than the display unit 20 (for example, the front pillar 72). The display unit 20 is provided in the recess of the front pillar 72 , and the lens 30 may be arranged on the same plane as the surface of the front pillar 72 or may be provided in front of the surface of the front pillar 72 .

Also, by providing the lens 30 in front of the display unit 20 , the driver sees an image of a partial area of the display screen of the display unit 20 through the lens 30 . When the driver changes the position or orientation of the face, the area seen through the lens 30 also moves.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the driver's face and the area of the display section 20 seen through the lens 30. As shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 5 shows an area 22 visible through the lens 30 in the display screen of the display unit 20 . Here, the position of the face changes from the state in which the user looks straight at the display unit 20 (the line of sight is perpendicular to the display screen of the display unit 20) as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the object has moved to the viewing state. When the position of the face is changed in this way, the line of sight becomes oblique to the display unit 20 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining an image within the area 22 seen through the lens 30. As shown in FIG. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the crosshairs L1 are displayed within the area 22 . At the position of the face shown in FIG. 5(a), as shown in FIG. 6(a), an image of a rectangular area 22 in which the intersection point L1a of the cross lines L1 is located in the center can be seen. On the other hand, when the face moves to the left and the line of sight is oblique to the display unit 20 as shown in FIG. It looks distorted. Also, the intersection point L1a appears to be located on the end side.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display unit 20 does not display the blind spot image captured by the imaging unit 10 as it is. Specifically, although the details will be described later, the control device 40 corrects the blind spot image so that it does not appear distorted when the driver looks through the lens 30, and then displays the corrected blind spot image on the display unit. 20.

<Correction of Blind Spot Image Displayed on Display Unit 20>
The control device 40 corrects the blind spot image captured by the imaging unit 10 before displaying the blind spot image on the display unit 20 . The control device 40 corrects the blind spot image so that the blind spot image is distorted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the blind spot image is distorted by the lens 30 when the driver sees the blind spot image through the lens 30 . Specifically, the control device 40 corrects the blind spot image so that the image is distorted in a direction opposite to the image distortion direction shown in FIG. 6B.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining correction of a blind spot image. In the following, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the uncorrected blind spot image is lined with grid-like lines L2. The blind spot image before correction on the left side of FIG. 7 is the blind spot image captured by the imaging unit 10 . The control device 40 corrects the blind spot image on the left side of FIG. 7 as shown on the right side of FIG. At this time, the control device 40 corrects so that the amount of correction to distort the blind spot image in the opposite direction on the edge side is larger than that on the center side (specifically, the line L3 on the edge side is greatly curved). .

The control device 40 causes the display unit 20 to display a blind spot image corrected so as to be distorted in a direction opposite to the direction of distortion caused by the lens 30 . For example, the control device 40 causes the display unit 20 to display the corrected blind spot image shown in FIG. 7B. As a result, when the driver views the corrected blind spot image through the lens 30, the distortion is canceled, so the driver can recognize the blind spot image with almost no distortion.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining a state in which the blind spot image after correction is seen through the lens 30. As shown in FIG. Note that in FIG. 8 , the image within the area 22 surrounded by the dashed line is visible through the lens 30 . When the line of sight of the driver is perpendicular to the surface screen of the display unit 20, the area 22 seen through the lens 30 is the central portion of the display screen of the display unit 20, as shown in FIG. 8(a). Since the central portion of the display screen is hardly distorted by the lens 30, the image is viewed as it is displayed by the display unit 20 (that is, as it is without distortion). On the other hand, when the line of sight of the driver is tilted with respect to the display screen of the display unit 20, the area visible through the lens 30 is the area of the display screen of the display unit 20, as shown in FIG. It is the part near the edge. Although the edge portion of the display screen is affected by the distortion caused by the lens 30, the distortion is corrected so that it is distorted in the direction opposite to the distortion. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the image within region 22 appears undistorted.

In the above description, one lens 30 is provided in front of the display unit 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of lenses 30 may be provided in front of the display unit 20 so as to overlap each other. By providing a plurality of lenses 30 , the curvature of the entire lens is increased, so the lens 30 can be brought closer to the display section 20 . As a result, it becomes easier to stably support the lens 30 on the display unit 20 .

Also, in the above description, the imaging unit 10 and the display unit 20 are attached to the front surface of the front pillar 72, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the imaging unit 10 and the display unit 20 may be provided so as to function as side mirrors of the vehicle 70 or function as a room mirror. That is, the imaging unit 10 of the side mirror or rearview mirror images the blind spot area behind the vehicle, and the display unit 20 displays the image of the blind spot behind the vehicle captured by the imaging unit 10 . Even in this case, the lens 30 is provided in front of the display section 20 . This eliminates the need for the driver to focus his/her eyes on the side mirror and rearview mirror, thereby improving safety.

<Effects of this embodiment>
The above-described driving assistance device 1 includes a display unit 20 that displays a blind spot image obtained by imaging a blind spot area by the imaging unit 10, and a lens 30 that is provided in front of the display unit 20 and has a curvature. In addition, the driving support device 1 corrects the blind spot image so that it is distorted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the blind spot image is distorted by the lens 30 when the driver sees the blind spot image through the lens 30, and displays the corrected blind spot image. A control device 40 for causing the unit 20 to display is provided.
As described above, when the blind spot image is corrected in the direction opposite to the direction of distortion caused by the lens 30 and displayed on the display unit 20, the distortion is offset when the corrected blind spot image is viewed through the lens 30. Therefore, the driver can recognize the blind spot image with almost no distortion. In particular, by correcting the entire blind spot image displayed on the display unit 20, the driver can appropriately grasp the blind spot area even when viewing the display unit 20 from various angles.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. be. For example, all or part of the device can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units. In addition, new embodiments resulting from arbitrary combinations of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment caused by the combination has the effect of the original embodiment.

Reference Signs List 1 driving support device 10 imaging unit 20 display unit 30 lens 40 control device 72 front pillar 80 eyes

Claims (4)

an imaging unit that captures an image of a blind spot area that is a driver's blind spot due to a vehicle member;
a display unit for displaying a blind spot image obtained by imaging the blind spot area by the imaging unit;
a lens having a curvature provided in front of the display unit when viewed from the driver;
correcting the blind spot image so that the blind spot image is distorted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the blind spot image is distorted by the lens when the driver sees the blind spot image through the lens; and displaying the corrected blind spot image on the display unit. a display control unit for displaying;
with
The driving support device, wherein the display control unit corrects the blind spot image so that the distortion in the opposite direction on the edge side is larger than that on the center side. A plurality of the lenses are provided in front of the display unit so as to overlap,
The driving assistance device according to claim 1 . The lens is a focusing lens for adjusting the focus of the driver's eyes when viewing the blind spot image.
The driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2 . The vehicle member is a front pillar of a vehicle,
The display unit is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the front pillar,
The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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