JP7287199B2 - Vehicle gaze guidance device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular gaze guidance device that provides a display for guiding the driver's gaze.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100003 proposes a vehicle display device that uses a light-emitting display device to inform a driver of the existence of an obstacle that may collide with the driver. This vehicular display device detects obstacles by imaging the front of the vehicle, and when the obstacle is located in the warning zone, a warning mark is displayed at the lower edge of the obstacle that can be seen through the front windshield. , the light-emitting display device is turned on. Specifically, an LED is installed as a light-emitting display device in front of the driver, and the alarm mark is reflected on the front windshield by emitting light from the LED.

Japanese Patent No. 05392470

However, simply displaying the alarm mark in front of the driver as in Patent Document 1 may cause the driver to look aside and not face the front of the vehicle. I have a problem that I can't.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaze guidance device for a vehicle that can make the driver aware of an obstacle serving as a target even if the driver is not looking at the front of the vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a vehicle gaze guidance device for guiding the line of sight of a driver driving a vehicle using illumination (40) provided in a vehicle interior, wherein the line of sight of the driver is guided. a driving environment recognition unit (32) for recognizing targets that can be obstacles from the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; When the direction is different from the target recognized by the unit, the illumination is turned on from a position where the driver can recognize it based on the specified line of sight of the driver, and the lighting is moved toward the target. and an instruction control unit (34) for lighting up.

In this way, the illumination is installed in a wide range of the vehicle interior so that the driver can confirm that the illumination is turned on. Then, considering the line of sight of the driver, when there is a risk that the driver may have overlooked the target, the illumination will light from the position corresponding to the driver's line of sight, and the direction in which the target can be confirmed. to move the lights. In this way, even when the driver's line of sight is in a different direction from the target, the driver can be made aware of the target by starting the illumination from a position where the driver can visually recognize the target.

It should be noted that the reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component etc. indicate an example of the correspondence relationship between the component etc. and specific components etc. described in the embodiments described later.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the figure which showed the block structure of the gaze guidance system for vehicles concerning 1st Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the deviation between the driver's line of sight and the position of the target with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the interior of a vehicle in which the vehicle gaze guidance system is mounted; 4 is a flowchart of gaze guidance processing; FIG. 4 is a chart showing an example of a processing mode when the inter-vehicle time between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is shortened; FIG. 4 is a chart showing an example of a processing mode when a preceding vehicle in a lane adjacent to the own vehicle approaches the own vehicle in an attempt to cut in front of the own vehicle due to a lane change; It is the chart which showed the example of a process mode when the own vehicle approaches a back vehicle, when changing lanes to the next lane. FIG. 4 is a chart showing an example of a processing mode when a pedestrian is about to cross the road ahead of the own vehicle; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of display contents when the processing mode of FIG. 5 is adopted; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display contents when the processing mode of FIG. 6 is adopted; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of display contents when the processing mode of FIG. 7 is adopted; FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of display contents when the processing mode of FIG. 8 is adopted; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display contents when a vehicle appears in front of the own vehicle at the time of encounter.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each of the following embodiments, portions that are the same or equivalent to each other will be described with the same reference numerals.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment will be described. Here, a vehicle gaze guidance system including a vehicle gaze guidance device will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle gaze guidance system includes a DSM (Driver Status Monitor) 10 and a perimeter monitoring sensor 20 as sensors. The vehicle gaze guidance system also includes an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 30 , an illumination 40 , a sound generator 50 and a head-up display device (hereinafter referred to as HUD) 60 .

The DSM 10 is a device for recognizing the state of the driver, and is composed of, for example, a near-infrared light source and a near-infrared camera provided inside the vehicle, a control unit for controlling them, and the like. Specifically, the DSM 10 emits near-infrared light from a near-infrared light source toward the driver, captures an image with a near-infrared camera, analyzes the captured image with a control unit, and determines the driver's viewpoint position. are measuring. Then, the DSM 10 outputs information on the measured viewpoint position to the HCU 30 via the in-vehicle LAN 70 .

The surroundings monitoring sensor 20 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the surroundings of the vehicle. As an example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 20 detects objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, such as moving dynamic targets such as pedestrians and other vehicles, and stationary static targets such as structures on the road and lane markings. do. Here, as the surroundings monitoring sensor 20, a surroundings monitoring camera 21 that captures a predetermined range around the vehicle and a millimeter wave radar 22 that transmits search waves to a predetermined range around the vehicle are provided. The surroundings monitoring camera 21 corresponds to an imaging device, photographs an image of the surroundings of the own vehicle, and outputs the imaged data to the in-vehicle LAN 70 as sensing information. The image capturing position of the surroundings monitoring camera 21 is arbitrary as long as it is a position corresponding to the object to be watched, but here, the image is captured in front of the vehicle, side of the vehicle, and rear of the vehicle. The millimeter-wave radar 22 outputs a search wave and obtains its reflected wave, and outputs measurement results such as the relative velocity and relative distance to the target and the azimuth angle at which the target is present as sensing information to the in-vehicle LAN 70. sequentially output to

The HCU 30 is a control unit mainly composed of a microcomputer having a processor, volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, I/O, and a bus connecting these. HCU 30 is connected to DSM 10 , surroundings monitoring sensor 20 , illumination 40 , audio generator 50 and HUD 60 via in-vehicle LAN 70 . The HCU 30 controls lighting of the illumination 40, sound output by the sound generator 50, and display by the HUD 60 by executing a control program stored in the nonvolatile memory. This HCU 30 corresponds to a vehicle gaze guidance device. When the processor executes this control program, the vehicle gaze guidance method corresponding to the control program is executed. Also, the memory referred to here corresponds to a non-transitory tangible storage medium that non-temporarily stores computer-readable programs and data.

The HCU 30 has the block configuration shown in FIG. 1 as a functional block for performing display control on the HUD 60 . Specifically, the HCU 30 includes a driver state estimating section 31 , a driving environment recognizing section 32 , a risk estimating section 33 and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) control section 34 .

The driver state estimating unit 31 identifies the driver's viewpoint position and the direction in which the driver is looking, that is, the line of sight, from the information on the viewpoint positions sequentially detected by the DSM 10 . For example, the driver state estimation unit 31 estimates whether the driver is looking ahead of the vehicle or looking aside.

Based on the information from the surroundings monitoring sensor 20, the driving environment recognition unit 32 recognizes the surroundings of the own vehicle, that is, targets such as other vehicles and people that can be obstacles, and identifies the targets. In addition to identifying the target, information about the target such as the target's position, speed, and moving direction is obtained. Specifically, the driving environment recognition unit 32 acquires, as sensing information, the captured images sequentially captured by the surrounding monitoring camera 21 and the distance and azimuth angle of the object sequentially measured by the millimeter wave radar 22, and the sensing information is obtained. Information about targets is obtained based on As the information about the target, the relative distance between the vehicle and the target, the distance to avoid colliding with the target, the collision time TTC, etc. are obtained. For example, when the target is another vehicle, the information about the target includes inter-vehicle distance, inter-vehicle time, safe inter-vehicle distance, collision time TTC, and the like.

The risk estimator 33 determines whether or not there is a latent risk factor based on the line of sight estimated by the driver state estimator 31 and the target recognized by the driving environment recognizer 32 . A latent risk factor is a target with which the vehicle can collide. be judged. Further, the risk estimation unit 33 detects the possibility that the driver may have overlooked the target based on the information regarding the line of sight estimated by the driver state estimation unit 31 and the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 32. . For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the difference θ1−θ2 between the target angle θ1, which is the angle of the target position with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the line-of-sight angle θ2, which is the angle of the line of sight, is obtained. Then, if the difference θ1-θ2 exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is assumed that the driver may have overlooked the target.

Further, the risk estimation unit 33 calculates a scene corresponding to a dangerous scene and a dangerous risk level based on the information about the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 32 .

A dangerous scene is patterned as a scene with dangerous risks. As for dangerous scenes, a plurality of patterns are stored in a non-volatile memory or the like, and a dangerous scene is calculated when the patterns match. Examples of dangerous scene patterns include a situation in which the time between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle reaches a predetermined threshold time, a situation in which vehicles cut in from the front left and right, and a situation in which a person is crossing the road from the front left and right. be done.

The danger risk level is an index that indicates the degree of danger of colliding with a target. As for the dangerous risk level, a threshold is determined as the spare time for each dangerous scene, and is calculated, for example, by comparing the inter-vehicle time with the threshold. For example, when the time between the vehicle ahead and the host vehicle is equal to or less than a first threshold, level 1 is reached, and when the second threshold is shorter than the first threshold, level 2, which is higher than level 1, is used. Danger risk level can be set according to

As for the danger risk, only the presence or absence thereof may be calculated, but here, by grading the danger risk level, gaze guidance can be performed according to the graded level. Also, the danger risk level may be set in association with the oversight of the target by the driver. Specifically, when there is a possibility that the driver has overlooked the target, the danger risk level can be made higher than when the driver has not overlooked the target. Furthermore, in association with the driver's oversight of the target, the lighting timing of the illumination 40, which will be described later, can be made earlier. For example, when there is a possibility that the driver may have overlooked the target, the second threshold is set longer than when the driver has not overlooked the target, so that the timing at which the danger risk level increases is earlier. be able to.

The HMI control unit 34 controls the illumination 40 , the sound generator 50 and the HUD 60 based on the danger risk level and danger scene calculated by the risk estimation unit 33 . The HMI control section 34 corresponds to an instruction control section that controls lighting of the illumination 40 . For example, when the risk estimation unit 33 calculates that the risk level is high, the HMI control unit 34 calculates an alarm method and alarm timing according to the dangerous scene, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the alarm method to the in-vehicle LAN 70 . output to This control signal is transmitted to the illumination 40 , the sound generator 50 and the HUD 60 through the in-vehicle LAN 70 . Note that the warning method and warning timing for each dangerous scene mentioned here will be described later with reference to the drawings.

The illumination 40 is used to make the driver aware that the situation is dangerous and to guide the driver's gaze by displaying illumination over a wide area in the vehicle interior. For example, the illumination 40 is configured by LED illumination in which LEDs (Light Emission Diodes) are linear. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the illumination 40 is configured to have a front lighting portion 41 along the vehicle width direction in front of the vehicle and side lighting portions 42 along the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle. ing.

The front lighting unit 41 is provided in front of the driver's seat, and is arranged along the boundary between the instrument panel 72 and the vehicle body parts, including the boundary position between the front windshield 71 and the instrument panel 72 in the vehicle. arranged in a shape. Here, the front lighting section 41 is LED lighting that can be directly visually recognized by the driver, but the light reflected by the front windshield 71 may be visually recognized by the driver at the portion corresponding to the front windshield 71 . The side lighting unit 42 is arranged, for example, along the boundary position with the side glass 75 at the upper end of the door trim 74 of the side door 73, that is, the inner lining panel of the door. Here, the front illumination unit 41 is LED illumination that can be directly recognized by the driver. The front illumination section 41 and the side illumination section 42 may be illumination capable of emitting light in a single color, but in the present embodiment, they are illumination capable of emitting light in a plurality of colors. , flashing is independently controllable lighting.

The sound generating device 50 performs sound notification for calling the driver's attention as necessary. As the sound generating device 50, any device that can give voice notification in the vehicle interior may be used, such as a speaker or a buzzer.

HUD60 is installed in the instrument panel 72 of the own vehicle. The HUD 60 forms a display image based on image data indicated by a control signal output from the HCU 30 by using a liquid crystal or scanning projector, for example. As the display image, an image corresponding to the dangerous scene is used. For example, a highlight display that emphasizes a target that is a potential risk factor, a warning display that displays a warning mark indicating that there is a possibility of collision, and the like.

The HUD 60 projects a display image formed by the projector onto a projection area 61 defined on a front windshield 71 as a projection member through an optical system such as a concave mirror. The display image reflected on the projection area 61 of the front windshield 71 is visually recognized by the driver seated in the driver's seat.

The vehicle gaze guidance system of the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the vehicle gaze guidance system configured in this way will be described with reference to the flowchart of the gaze guidance process shown in FIG. 4 and the processing modes for each dangerous scene shown in FIGS.

For example, when a start switch such as an ignition switch provided in the vehicle is turned on and the driver operates an operation switch (not shown) to request gaze guidance, each functional unit of the HCU 30 cooperates to perform gaze guidance processing shown in FIG. to run. This process is executed by the HCU 30 at each predetermined control cycle.

First, as shown in step S100, a target that can be a potential risk factor is detected. Specifically, based on the information about the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 32, the risk estimation unit 33 calculates the presence or absence of a target such as a preceding vehicle or a person and the distance to the target. A target that could be a potential hazard is detected.

Next, in step S110, it is determined whether or not there is a target that is a potential risk factor. Here, when a target that can be a potential risk factor is detected in step S100, the target that can collide with the vehicle is determined based on the distance between the vehicle and the target, the speed of the vehicle, the moving direction of the target, and the like. It is determined whether or not there is

Then, if the determination in step S110 is affirmative, the danger flag is set in step S120, and then the process proceeds to step S140.

In step S140, driver line-of-sight information is detected, that is, the driver's line-of-sight position and viewing direction are detected. Detect what is possible. This processing is performed based on the calculation results of the driver state estimation unit 31 .

After that, the process proceeds to step S150 to calculate a dangerous risk level and a dangerous scene. As described above, the risk estimation unit 33 calculates the dangerous risk level and the dangerous scene.

Further, in step S160, the lighting start position of the illumination 40 is selected according to the danger risk level and dangerous scene calculated in step S150. Specifically, the lighting start position of the illumination 40 is selected based on the driver's line of sight from the driver's line of sight information detected in step S140. For example, if the line of sight is directed to the left front of the vehicle, the left end of the front lighting unit 41 may be set as the lighting start position, or the position where the front lighting unit 41 and the line of sight intersect may be set as the lighting start position. do. This lighting start position is determined in advance from the relationship between the line of sight of the driver and the dangerous scene, and is selected based on that relationship.

Then, the process proceeds to step S170 to select a lighting method, which is a method of lighting the illumination 40, as a gaze guidance method. The lighting method is determined in advance based on the relationship between the line of sight of the driver and the dangerous seat, as in step S160. At this time, in addition to the selection of the lighting method, the notification method setting for the driver, that is, whether or not to perform information display using the HUD 60 and voice notification using the sound generation device 50, and further notification by these It also sets the notification method when performing

When the selection of the lighting method of the illumination 40 and the method of notifying the driver are set in this way, the HCU 30 outputs a control signal indicating them to the in-vehicle LAN 70 . As a result, the control signal is transmitted to the illumination 40, the sound generator 50, and the HUD 60 through the in-vehicle LAN 70, and the lighting method and the notification method indicated by the control signal are realized in the illumination 40, the sound generator 50, and the HUD 60. Thus, the gaze guidance processing is completed.

Next, an example of a dangerous scene will be given as an example of the actual operation when the gaze guidance process as described above is performed, and a description will be given for each dangerous scene with reference to FIGS. do. 5 to 8 show the presence or absence of oversight by the driver, the danger risk level, the display state on the HUD 60, the display form of the illumination 40, and the sound generator 50 for each relationship between the own vehicle and the target in each dangerous scene. The presence or absence of voice notification is shown in a chart.

(1) Operation of Dangerous Scene 1 First, as dangerous scene 1, a case where the inter-vehicle time between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 is shortened will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 9 .

As shown in state 1 in FIG. 5, when there is no preceding vehicle V2 traveling in the same lane as the own vehicle V1 ahead of the own vehicle V1, or even if the preceding vehicle V2 exists, the inter-vehicle time is long, the danger risk level is zero. In this case, the display by the HUD 60 is not performed, and the audio notification by the audio generator 50 is also eliminated. In addition, the illumination by the illumination 40 is made with a color that reminds one of safety, for example, a neutral color such as green or blue, or a cool color. It should be noted that the timing at which such illumination is performed can be, for example, when the start switch of the vehicle is turned on, or when the vehicle speed reaches 1 or higher.

As shown in state 2 in FIG. 5 , the danger risk level becomes 1 when the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 is reduced and the inter-vehicle time becomes equal to or less than the first threshold. In this case, if the driver's line of sight is directed forward of the vehicle and it is assumed that the preceding vehicle V2 serving as the target is not overlooked, the danger risk level is not yet high. For this reason, the illumination of the illumination 40 remains in state 1, and the display by the HUD 60 and the audio notification by the audio generator 50 are also disabled.

As shown in state 3 in FIG. 5, the danger risk level becomes 2 when the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 is further shortened and the inter-vehicle time becomes equal to or less than the second threshold. In this case, if the driver's line of sight is directed forward of the vehicle and it is assumed that the preceding vehicle V2 is not overlooked, the portion of the illumination 40 that is located in front of the driver is turned on. Induce the driver to look ahead. At this time, the display color of the illumination 40 is changed from state 1 or state 2 to a warm color such as orange, which reminds one of impending danger. Furthermore, as a display by the HUD 60, as shown in FIG. 9, the preceding vehicle is displayed on the same driving lane so as to remind the driver that the preceding vehicle is approaching.

However, in this case, since it is considered that the driver has not overlooked the preceding vehicle V2 and is aware of it, the audio notification by the audio generating device 50 is omitted.

On the other hand, as in state 4 in FIG. 5, even if the danger risk level is 1 as in state 2, there is a possibility that the driver is facing left front of the vehicle and overlooks the preceding vehicle V2. There are situations where there is. In such a case, although the danger risk level is not yet high, it is preferable to make the driver aware that there is a danger risk and guide his gaze in the direction of the danger risk.

For this reason, the illumination 40 starts lighting at the left end of the vehicle, which is the direction of the line of sight of the driver, of the front lighting section 41, and starts lighting as indicated by the arrow A1 in the figure above State 4. The lighting position is moved to the front position of the driver. Then, when the lighting of the illumination 40 is moved to a position in front of the driver, it is stopped at that position and continues to be lit as shown in the lower figure of state 4, causing the driver to look ahead. The display color of the illumination 40 is arbitrary, but a warm color such as orange is used to remind the driver that danger is approaching and to make it easier for the driver to pay attention to the illumination. Furthermore, as the display by the HUD 60, the display shown in FIG. 9 is performed. However, even in this case, since the danger risk level is still 1, the voice notification by the voice generator 50 is omitted.

Furthermore, as in state 5 in FIG. 5, even if the danger risk level is 2, there is a possibility that the driver is looking at the left front of the vehicle and overlooks the preceding vehicle V2. In this case, as in state 4, display is performed by moving the lighting of the illumination 40 as shown in the upper diagram of state 5. FIG. Further, after that, as shown in the lower figure of state 5, when it is moved to the front of the driver, it is stopped at that position and the illumination 40 is blinked, thereby making the driver look more closely ahead. In addition, as the display by the HUD 60, the display shown in FIG. 9 is performed, and the voice notification by the voice generator 50 is also performed, so that the driver is surely made aware of the target.

In this way, even if the driver's line of sight is in a different direction from the target, the gaze guidance method starts illumination by the illumination 40 from a position that the driver can recognize and moves the lighting toward the target. By doing so, the driver can be made aware of the target.

(2) Operation of Danger Scene 2 Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 10, as danger scene 2, the vehicle V3, which is the preceding vehicle in the lane next to the vehicle V1, changes lanes. A case in which the vehicle approaches the vehicle V1 in an attempt to cut in front of the vehicle will be described.

As shown in state 1 in FIG. 6, the case where there is no interrupting vehicle V3 in front of the own vehicle V1 is the same as in FIG.

As shown in state 2 in FIG. 6, when the vehicle V3 tries to change lanes in front of the own vehicle V1, the distance between the vehicles decreases and the time between vehicles becomes equal to or less than the first threshold, the danger risk level is increased. 1. In this case, if the driver's line of sight is directed forward of the vehicle and it is assumed that the target cut-in vehicle V3 will not be overlooked, the danger risk level is not yet high. For this reason, the illumination of the illumination 40 remains in state 1, and the display by the HUD 60 and the audio notification by the audio generator 50 are also disabled.

As shown in state 3 in FIG. 6, the danger risk level becomes 2 when the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle V1 and the interrupting vehicle V3 is further reduced and the inter-vehicle time becomes equal to or less than the second threshold. In this case, if the line of sight of the driver is directed forward of the vehicle and it is assumed that the driver will not overlook the cut-in vehicle V3, he or she will direct his or her attention to the cut-in vehicle V3 on the right front of the own vehicle V1. A portion of the front lighting unit 41 that is positioned in front of the driver on the right side is lit. At this time, the display color of the illumination 40 is changed from state 1 and state 2 to a color that reminds one of impending danger. Furthermore, as a display by the HUD 60, as shown in FIG. 10, the vehicle V3 that cuts in is displayed above the right lane so as to remind the driver that there is a vehicle V3 that cuts in. Also in this case, since it is considered that the driver has not overlooked the preceding vehicle and is aware of it, the sound notification by the sound generating device 50 is omitted.

On the other hand, as in state 4 in FIG. 6, even if the danger risk level is 1 as in state 2, there is a possibility that the driver is facing left front of the vehicle and overlooks the cut-in vehicle V3. There may be situations where there is In such a case, although the danger risk level is not yet high, it is preferable to make the driver aware that there is a danger risk and guide his gaze in the direction of the danger risk.

For this reason, the illumination 40 starts lighting at the left end of the vehicle, which is the direction of the line of sight of the driver, of the front lighting section 41, and starts lighting as indicated by the arrow A1 in the figure above State 4. The lighting position is moved to the front position of the driver. Then, when the lighting of the illumination 40 is moved to the position in front of the driver, as indicated by the arrow A2 in the upper and lower drawings of the state 4, the right end of the front illumination section 41 is turned on at that position. Perform slide lighting that moves the lighting. In other words, the driver is made to look right ahead by lighting along the direction of the cut-in of the cut-in vehicle V3. Although the display color of the illumination 40 is arbitrary, a warm color is used to remind the driver that danger is approaching and to make it easier for the driver to pay attention to the illumination. Further, as the display by the HUD 60, the display shown in FIG. 10 is performed. However, even in this case, since the danger risk level is still 1, the voice notification by the voice generator 50 is omitted.

As for the arrow A2 in the figure, since it is desired to make the driver pay attention to the cut-in vehicle V3 on the right front, the slide lighting may be performed repeatedly at a position in front of the driver instead of performing the slide lighting once. In addition, the lighting is moved from the left front end and then slid to the right front end. Then, it is also possible to simply turn on the light momentarily.

Furthermore, as in state 5 in FIG. 6, even if the danger risk level is 2, there is a possibility that the driver may have overlooked the cut-in vehicle V3 while looking at the left front of the vehicle. In this case, as in state 4, the lighting of the illumination 40 is displayed to move as shown by arrow A1 as shown in the upper diagram of state 5, and then slide lighting is performed as shown by arrow A2. . In addition, as the display by the HUD 60, the display shown in FIG. 10 is performed, and the voice notification by the voice generator 50 is also performed, so that the driver can surely notice the target.

In this way, even if the driver's line of sight is in a different direction from the target, the gaze guidance method is such that the illumination by the illumination 40 is started from a position where the driver can visually recognize the target. can make you realize. Although the case where the cutting-in vehicle V3 approaches the host vehicle V1 from the front right has been described here, the same applies when the vehicle V3 approaches from the front left.

(3) Operation of Dangerous Scene 3 Next, referring to FIGS. 7 and 11, as a dangerous scene 3, when the vehicle V1 changes lanes to the right lane, the rear vehicle V4 is in the lane to which the vehicle V1 is changing lanes. A case where the vehicle V1 is present and the vehicle V4 behind is approaching will be described. Regarding the lane change of the own vehicle, the HCU 30 obtains a signal representing the state of the direction indicator (not shown) from the in-vehicle LAN 70, or detects the relationship between the own vehicle V1 and the driving line from the image of the surrounding monitoring camera 21. can do.

As shown in state 1 in FIG. 7, the case where there is no rear vehicle V4 on the right side of the own vehicle V1 is the same as in FIG.

As shown in state 2 in FIG. 7, when the own vehicle V1 changes lanes to the right lane, the distance between the vehicle V4 and the vehicle V4 behind the lane decreases and the time between the vehicles becomes less than or equal to the first threshold. level becomes 1. In this case, if it is assumed that the driver's line of sight is directed to the right front side mirror, and it is assumed that the rear vehicle V4, which is a target, will not be overlooked, the danger risk level is not yet high. For this reason, the illumination of the illumination 40 remains in state 1, and the display by the HUD 60 and the audio notification by the audio generator 50 are also disabled.

As shown in state 3 in FIG. 7, the danger risk level becomes 2 when the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle V1 and the rear vehicle V4 is further reduced and the inter-vehicle time becomes equal to or less than the second threshold. In this case, if it is assumed that the driver's line of sight is in a direction where the target can be confirmed, for example, the driver's line of sight is directed to the side mirror in front of the right, and it is assumed that the preceding vehicle, which is the target, will not be overlooked. The side illumination unit 42 on the right side of the vehicle is turned on to guide the gaze to the rear vehicle V4 behind. At this time, the display color of the illumination 40 is changed from state 1 and state 2 to a color that reminds one of impending danger. Furthermore, as a display by the HUD 60, as shown in FIG. 11, the rear vehicle V4 is displayed at a lower position on the right lane so that the driver can recall that there is a rear vehicle V4. Also in this case, since it is considered that the driver does not overlook the rear vehicle V4 and notices it, the sound notification by the sound generating device 50 is omitted.

On the other hand, as in state 4 in FIG. 7, even if the danger risk level is 1 as in state 2, the driver is facing forward or right forward of the vehicle and the driver is looking at the target vehicle V4. There are situations where you may have overlooked. In such a case, although the danger risk level is not yet high, it is preferable to make the driver aware that there is a danger risk and guide his gaze in the direction of the danger risk.

For this reason, for the illumination 40, a lighting start position for guiding the driver's gaze is selected according to the line of sight of the driver, and lighting is started from the lighting start position. For example, when the driver is looking forward, the left end of the front lighting section 41 of the vehicle as indicated by the arrow A1 in the figure above state 4 is positioned so as to include the direction of the driver's line of sight. Lighting is started at the lighting start position, and the lighting position is moved to a front position of the driver. Also, if the driver was looking right ahead. Lighting is started with the position in front of the driver in the front lighting section 41 as indicated by the arrow A2 in the figure below State 4 as the lighting start position, and the lighting position is moved to the position in front of the driver. Then, when the lighting of the illumination 40 is moved to the right end of the driver, as shown in the upper and lower drawings of state 4, the side lighting section 42 on the right side of the vehicle is turned on, and the driver is directed to the right rear or right side. Keep an eye on the mirror. The display color of the illumination 40 is arbitrary, but a warm color or the like is used to remind the driver that danger is approaching and to make it easier for the driver to pay attention to the illumination. Furthermore, as the display by the HUD 60, the display shown in FIG. 11 is performed. However, even in this case, since the danger risk level is still 1, the voice notification by the voice generator 50 is omitted.

Furthermore, as in state 5 in FIG. 7, even if the danger risk level is 2, there is a possibility that the driver may have overlooked the target while looking at the left front of the vehicle or the like. In this case, as in state 4, after displaying the lighting of the illumination 40 moving in the direction of arrow A1 as shown in the upper diagram of state 5, the side lighting unit 42 on the right side of the vehicle is turned on. Light. In addition, as the display by the HUD 60, the display shown in FIG. 11 is performed, and the voice notification by the voice generator 50 is also performed, so that the driver can surely notice the target.

In this way, even if the driver's line of sight is in a different direction from the target, the gaze guidance method is such that the illumination by the illumination 40 is started from a position where the driver can visually recognize the target. can make you realize. Although the case where the rear vehicle V4 approaches the host vehicle V1 from the right rear has been described here, the same applies to the case where the vehicle V4 approaches from the left rear.

(4) Operation of Dangerous Scene 4 Next, referring to FIGS. 8 and 12, as a dangerous scene 4, a pedestrian P1 crosses the road in front of the vehicle V1, here, the pedestrian P1 is about to cross the road from the front left. will be explained.

As shown in state 1 in FIG. 8, the case where there is no pedestrian P1 left front of the vehicle V1 is the same as in FIG.

As shown in state 2 in FIG. 8, when the pedestrian P1 is about to cross the road on the left front of the vehicle V1, the distance between the vehicle V1 and the pedestrian P1 decreases and the pedestrian The danger risk level becomes 1 when the collision time TTC until reaching P1 becomes equal to or less than the first threshold. In this case, if the driver's line of sight is directed forward of the vehicle and it is assumed that the target pedestrian P1 will not be overlooked, the danger risk level is not yet high. For this reason, the illumination of the illumination 40 remains in state 1, and the display by the HUD 60 and the audio notification by the audio generator 50 are also disabled.

As shown in state 3 in FIG. 8, the danger risk level becomes 2 when the distance between the vehicle V1 and the pedestrian P1 further decreases and the collision time TTC becomes equal to or less than the second threshold. In this case, if the driver's line of sight is directed forward of the vehicle and it is assumed that the pedestrian P1 will not be overlooked, the front lighting is used to guide the driver's gaze to the pedestrian P1 on the left front of the vehicle V1. A portion of the portion 41 that is located in front of the driver on the right side, for example, the central portion of the vehicle is turned on. At this time, the display color of the illumination 40 is changed from state 1 or state 2 to a warm color that reminds one of impending danger. Furthermore, as a display by the HUD 60, as shown in FIG. 12, the pedestrian P1 is displayed above the left side of the road so as to remind the presence of the pedestrian P1. Also in this case, since it is considered that the driver has not overlooked the preceding vehicle and is aware of it, the sound notification by the sound generating device 50 is omitted.

On the other hand, as in state 4 in FIG. 8, even if the danger risk level is 1 as in state 2, there is a possibility that the driver is facing right front of the vehicle and overlooks the pedestrian P1. There are situations where there is. In such a case, although the danger risk level is not yet high, it is preferable to make the driver aware that there is a danger risk and guide his gaze in the direction of the danger risk.

For this reason, the illumination 40 starts lighting at the right end of the vehicle in the direction of the line of sight of the driver in the front lighting section 41, and starts lighting as indicated by the arrow A1 in the figure above state 4. The lighting position is moved to the left from the front position of the driver. Then, when the lighting of the illumination 40 is moved to the central position of the vehicle, as shown in the upper diagram of state 4, the front lighting section 41 is turned on at that position to make the driver look at the pedestrian P1 side. . Although the display color of the illumination 40 is arbitrary, a warm color is used to remind the driver that danger is approaching and to make it easier for the driver to pay attention to the illumination. Furthermore, as the display by the HUD 60, the display shown in FIG. 12 is performed. However, even in this case, since the danger risk level is still 1, the voice notification by the voice generator 50 is omitted.

Moreover, even if the driver is looking at the left front of the vehicle and has not overlooked the pedestrian P1, it is preferable to make the driver aware of the movement of the pedestrian P1. In this case, the lighting is started with the left end of the vehicle in the direction of the line of sight of the driver in the front lighting section 41 as the lighting start position, and the lighting position is changed as indicated by the arrow A2 in the figure below State 4. Move it to the center position of the vehicle. Then, when the lighting of the illumination 40 is moved to the central position of the vehicle, as shown in the figure below State 4, the front lighting section 41 is turned on at that position to make the driver gaze at the pedestrian P1 side. . The display color in this case is also a warm color for the same reason as above. As a result, even if the driver does not overlook the pedestrian P1, it is possible to pay attention to the pedestrian P1.

It should be noted that, as in the above-described dangerous scene 2, another vehicle such as the cut-in vehicle V3 moves toward the own vehicle V1, and as in this dangerous scene 4, the pedestrian P1 is about to cross the road. Changing the display method is preferable because it enables the driver to recognize the display content. For example, as in dangerous scene 2, when another vehicle is moving toward the vehicle V1, the lighting may be slid, and when the pedestrian P1 is about to cross the road, the lighting may be simply lit or blinked. can. In addition, the lighting is moved from the left front end of the vehicle to the center position, and there is a possibility that the driver may misunderstand that the cut-in vehicle V3 is approaching from the left end. It is also possible to simply turn on the light.

Furthermore, as in state 5 in FIG. 8, even if the danger risk level is 2, there is a possibility that the driver is looking right ahead of the vehicle and overlooks the pedestrian P1. In addition, there is a possibility that the pedestrian P1 may be overlooked even when looking forward to the left. In these cases, the illumination 40 is turned on and the HUD 60 is displayed in the same manner as in state 4, and in addition, the sound generator 50 also gives an audio notification, so that the driver can surely notice the target.

In this way, even if the driver's line of sight is in a different direction from the target, the gaze guidance method is such that the illumination by the illumination 40 is started from a position where the driver can visually recognize the target. can make you realize. Although the lighting of the illumination 40 is moved to the central position of the vehicle here, it may be moved at least to the driver side. Also, here, the case where the pedestrian P1 approaches the vehicle V1 from the left front has been described, but the same applies when the pedestrian P1 approaches the vehicle V1 from the right front. In addition, similar display and notification can be performed not only for the pedestrian P1, but also when a vehicle appears at the front right or left front of the own vehicle V1. In the case of crossing, the display 60 on the HUD 60 can be displayed on the side where the crossing other vehicle V5 enters, such as the display shown in FIG. 13, for example.

As described above, the illumination 40 is installed in a wide range in the vehicle interior so that the driver can confirm that the illumination 40 is turned on. Considering the line of sight of the driver, when there is a risk that the driver may have overlooked the target, the illumination 40 is lit from a position corresponding to the line of sight of the driver so that the target can be confirmed. You are moving the lights in the direction. In this way, even if the driver's line of sight is in a different direction from the target, the gaze guidance method is such that the illumination by the illumination 40 is started from a position where the driver can visually recognize the target. can make you aware.

In addition, when there is no hazard risk or when the hazard risk level is low, and when the driver recognizes a target that is a potential hazard, the lighting is done in a color that reminds people of safety. . Then, when the danger risk level increases, or when there is a possibility that the driver may not recognize a target that is a potential danger factor even if the danger risk level is not high, the driver is reminded that the danger is approaching. It is lit in a color that makes it stand out. This allows the driver to drive with a sense of security when there is no danger or when the danger is low, while making the driver aware of the approaching danger when the danger is high. becomes.

(Other embodiments)
Although the present disclosure has been described based on the above embodiment, it is not limited to the embodiment, and includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and configurations, as well as other combinations and configurations, including single elements, more, or less, are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

For example, various arrangements and forms of the illumination 40 are conceivable. It is sufficient that the illumination 40 is provided at least in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and the illumination 40 may be linear or scattered. In particular, although the door trim 74 is given as an example of the location of the side lighting unit 42, the side lighting unit 42 may be located elsewhere such as on the window frame of the side door 73 or on the A pillar. Also, although the configuration includes both the front illumination section 41 and the side illumination section 42, at least the front illumination section 41 is sufficient.

In the above embodiment, a right-hand drive vehicle in which the driver's seat is on the right side was taken as an example. In other words, when the driver's line of sight is in a different direction from the target, if the illumination 40 is turned on from a position that the driver can recognize based on the driver's line of sight and is moved toward the target, the driver's seat can be positioned. Any location is acceptable.

Further, in the above embodiment, the danger risk level is shown in stages from 0 to 2, and the danger risk level is shown by 1 and 2, but this is also just an example. In other words, the lighting form of the illumination 40 or the form of the voice notification by the sound generator 50 may be changed according to the level of danger. For example, in Danger Scene 1, when the danger risk level is lower than a predetermined standard, the lighting of the illumination 40 is shifted and then continued lighting at a position in front of the driver, and when the risk level is higher than the standard, it is changed from lighting to blinking. do it.

Further, in the above embodiment, the illumination 40 is lit using different colors, a color that reminds of danger and a color that reminds of safety, but at least danger is approaching. It is sufficient if the lighting is performed at that time. In addition, the colors do not necessarily have to be colors that remind one of imminent danger or that they are safe, but different colors may suffice.

The controller and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by the computer program. may be Alternatively, the controls and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring the processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control units and techniques described in this disclosure can be implemented by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. It may also be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured.

10 DSM
20 peripheral monitoring sensor 30 HCU
31 Driver state estimation unit 32 Driving environment recognition unit 33 Risk estimation unit 34 HMI control unit 40 Illumination 50 Sound generator 60 Display

Claims (7)

A vehicle gaze guidance device that guides the line of sight of a driver driving a vehicle using illumination (40) provided in the vehicle interior,
a driver state estimator (31) for identifying the line of sight of the driver;
a driving environment recognition unit (32) that recognizes a target that can be an obstacle from the circumstances around the vehicle;
When the line of sight of the driver identified by the driver state estimating unit is in a direction different from the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit, based on the identified line of sight of the driver, the driver an instruction control unit (34) that turns on the illumination from a position where it can be recognized, and turns on gaze guidance that moves the lighting to the target side ;
determining whether or not the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit is a potential risk factor; a risk estimating unit (33) for calculating a corresponding dangerous scene from among a plurality of dangerous scene patterns based on information about the target;
The instruction control unit turns on the illumination corresponding to the corresponding dangerous scene calculated by the risk estimation unit,
Assuming that the vehicle is the own vehicle (V1),
When the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit is a preceding vehicle (V2) traveling in the same driving lane as the own vehicle,
When the line of sight of the driver identified by the driver state estimating unit is in a direction different from the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit, the instruction control unit controls the direction of the driver based on the line of sight of the driver. lighting the illumination from a visible position, moving the lighting to a position in front of the driver, and continuing lighting at the front position;
The risk estimating unit calculates a danger risk level, which is an index indicating the degree of risk of the vehicle colliding with the target,
The instruction control section continues lighting at a position in front of the driver when the danger risk level calculated by the risk estimation section is lower than a predetermined standard, and when the danger risk level is higher than the predetermined standard. A gaze guidance device for a vehicle that blinks at a position in front of the driver . Assuming that the vehicle is the own vehicle (V1),
When the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit is an interrupting vehicle (V3) that is traveling in a lane adjacent to the own vehicle and is about to cut into the driving lane of the own vehicle,
When the line of sight of the driver identified by the driver state estimating unit is in a direction different from the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit, the instruction control unit controls the direction of the driver based on the line of sight of the driver. 2. A slide lighting is performed by turning on said illumination from a visible position, moving said lighting to a position in front of said driver, and moving said lighting at said position in front of said vehicle in accordance with the moving direction of said cut-in vehicle. 2. The gaze guidance device for a vehicle according to . Assuming that the vehicle is the own vehicle (V1),
When the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit is the vehicle behind the vehicle (V4) traveling in the lane to which the vehicle is changing lanes,
When the line of sight of the driver identified by the driver state estimating unit is different from the direction in which the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit can be confirmed, the instruction control unit is configured to control the line of sight of the driver. The illumination is turned on from a position where the driver can visually recognize it, and the lighting is moved to the lane change side of the own vehicle, and the lighting is continued at the lane change side of the own vehicle. 3. The vehicle gaze guidance device according to 1 or 2 . The illumination has a front lighting section (41) arranged in front of the driver's seat of the own vehicle and a side lighting section (42) provided on a side door (73),
4. The instruction control unit according to claim 3 , wherein after moving the lighting of the front lighting unit to a lane change side of the own vehicle, the instruction control unit continues the lighting of the side lighting unit on the lane change side. A gaze guidance device for a vehicle as described. Assuming that the vehicle is the own vehicle (V1),
When the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit is a pedestrian (P1) trying to cross the road in front of the own vehicle or another vehicle (V5) at the meeting point,
When the line of sight of the driver identified by the driver state estimating unit is in a direction different from the target recognized by the driving environment recognition unit, the instruction control unit controls the direction of the driver based on the line of sight of the driver. 5. The vehicular gaze guidance according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination is turned on from a visible position, the lighting is moved toward the driver, and the lighting is continued at the moved position. Device. The instruction control unit also instructs a voice notification by a voice generation device (50), and when the danger risk level calculated by the risk estimation unit is higher than a predetermined standard, voice notification by the voice generation device 6. The gaze guidance device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein In addition to lighting for the gaze guidance, the instruction control unit performs lighting by the illumination for indicating safety before the gaze guidance, and the illumination for the gaze guidance. 7. The vehicular gaze guidance device according to claim 1, wherein a lighting color of said illumination for indicating safety is different from a lighting color of said illumination.

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