JPH0399953A - View assisting device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve running safety by providing two photographing means photographing a road in the front and rear of a vehicle, transmitting the outputs of individual photographing means to a display means provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle via optical fibers, and overlappingly displaying the vehicle itself and the photographed road. CONSTITUTION:Photographing means 1 and 2 each constituted of an objective lens system or a camera finder lens system combined with an objective lens and a concave lens are provided at optical positions on the front section and rear section of a vehicle 7, and a road at the immediate front and rear of the vehicle 7 is photographed. Images of the road photographed by photographing means 1 and 2 are transmitted via optical fibers 3, and one of the front and rear images is selected by a switching means 6 and displayed on the screen of a display means 4 provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle 7. The width of the vehicle 7 itself is indicated on the screen of the display means 4 in advance, and the photographed road is overlappingly displayed on the screen with the same size as the vehicle 7 itself by the action of a magnifying power changing means 5.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a vehicle visibility aid device for automobiles, and is particularly useful when passing oncoming vehicles on narrow roads, when driving on roads with grooves on the shoulder, or on mountain roads. When the gap between your vehicle's width, the road width, or an obstacle is small, such as in situations where the gap between your vehicle's width, the road width, or an obstacle is small, the driver is instantly notified whether there is enough room to drive before making contact with the obstacle. This article relates to a visibility aid device that prevents accidents.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, various types of vehicles have been equipped with rearview mirrors, door mirrors, etc. in order to prevent the vehicle from colliding with or coming into contact with oncoming vehicles, utility poles, fences, or other obstacles while driving.

These mirrors reflect the rear scenery inside and outside the vehicle, and play the role of assisting the driver in viewing when it is difficult to see directly. However, these mirrors are only for the rear, and due to their structure, there are always blind spots, so when it comes to areas that cannot be seen with the mirrors, safety is relied on based on driving experience.

For this reason, inexperienced drivers, of course, need to check the road conditions in front of and behind their own vehicle (if there are grooves or irregularities on the road shoulder, if other cars are parked, etc.) using their mirrors or eyes. In this area, collisions and derailments were a constant occurrence, leading to serious accidents in some cases.

Furthermore, accidents involving pedestrians, motorcycles, etc., occur constantly when large vehicles turn left or back up, and this has become a major social problem.

Therefore, today, there are television cameras that are mounted on vehicles to continuously photograph obstacles outside the vehicle, image receiving devices that display the images projected by the television cameras, and An accident prevention device is equipped with a distance sensor that calculates the distance to an obstacle and a computer that controls the distance sensor, and alerts the driver of the possibility of a collision with a buzzer, or determines and notifies the driver of the possibility of collision in advance. (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 62-88639, 63-38056, etc.).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in order to be equipped with these computers and their control devices, it is necessary to use a large vehicle such as a truck, and the device itself has the drawback of being extremely expensive. For this reason, it was not widely used in general vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a visual recognition aid device that can prevent contact accidents and the like as inexpensively as possible.

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle visibility aid device of the present invention images the road immediately in front of the vehicle, as shown in the configuration diagram of FIG. An imaging means 1, an imaging means 2 for imaging the road immediately in front of the rear of the vehicle, and the imaging means 1 and 2.
Transmit the image of the road taken by the optical fiber 3,
It consists of a display means 4 that displays the image on a screen provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle.The width of the own vehicle is clearly displayed on the screen in advance, and the road imaged by the optical fiber 3 is displayed in the same size as the own vehicle. A magnification converting means 5 is provided to display images superimposed on the screen.

[Function] The vehicle visibility aid device configured as above continuously scans the road using imaging means installed at the front and rear of the vehicle in order to display the front or rear of the vehicle, or both at the same time, while driving. The image is then transmitted via optical fiber to the screen on the instrument panel in front of the driver.

At this time, the width of the driver's vehicle is written on the screen in advance, and the road is superimposed on the screen in the same scale as the width of the road. The gap between the side of the vehicle and the obstacle can be seen. If necessary, if lines are drawn on the screen at equal intervals vertically and horizontally, and one section of the line is set to a desired length (for example, 20 cm), the distance to the obstacle can be determined using the minus eye.

In addition, when imaging means are installed both in the front and the rear, a switching means 6 is provided so that the screen can be easily switched from the driver's seat.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Fig. 2 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle visibility aid device of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the same instrument section. A front photographing means 1 consisting of an objective lens system combining an objective lens 11, a concave lens 12, etc., or a camera finder lens system is attached at an arbitrary location, for example, at the center of the lower part of the front pan buff 1.

This objective lens system forms an image of the road immediately in front of the vehicle on one end surface of the optical fiber 3. Also, set the focal length, viewing angle, and setting angle of the lens depending on the vehicle type, installation location, and distance to the road.

The optical fiber 3 has one end connected to the objective lens system and the other end connected to the screen 4 as a display device on the instrument panel 72, and is made of a known material made of a material with excellent flexibility, heat resistance, etc. . Note that 31 is a Wako device installed in the middle of the optical fiber.

The above-mentioned screen 4 is installed as far in front as possible so that the driver can easily see it without turning his or her body or neck while operating the steering wheel 73, and the width 41 of the driver's vehicle is displayed in advance on the screen 4. It is filled in at a predetermined ratio.If necessary, lines 42 may be drawn at equal intervals vertically and horizontally on the screen so that the gap between the vehicle and the vehicle can be calculated using the negative eye.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a magnification conversion means consisting of an eyepiece system provided between the optical fiber and the screen 4, which magnifies the image transmitted to the end face of the optical fiber 3 and projects it on the screen 4. Further, this enlargement ratio is set to be the same as the width 41 of the own vehicle previously written on the screen.

Like the front photographing means 1, the rear photographing means 2 is composed of an objective lens system that combines an objective lens, a concave lens, etc., or a camera finder lens system, and may be installed at the center of the rear of the vehicle, but for example, The sensor may be installed at the left end of the vehicle to mainly see motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc. running on the left side of the vehicle. At this time, if it is rotatably attached to the vehicle body by any method such as electric or link mechanism with respect to the central axis, the state of the rear of the vehicle or the left side of the vehicle can be arbitrarily switched and displayed on the screen as necessary. This not only helps in checking safety when reversing, but also prevents accidents involving the two-axle motor vehicle, etc.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a changeover switch provided on the instrument panel for selecting which road condition is to be displayed on the screen 4 when photographing means 1 and 2 are provided at both the front and rear. If there is sufficient space on the instrument panel, such as in a large vehicle, two screens for the front and rear may be provided instead of the changeover switch 6. 74 may be used for other instruments such as a speedometer or tachometer. , S is the main switch.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a vehicle 7 equipped with the vehicle visibility aid device of the present invention is actually traveling on a road R, and an oncoming vehicle 8
Not only when you pass each other, but also when there are obstacles such as other vehicles parked on road R, mailboxes, utility poles P, etc., use the visibility aid installed at the front or rear to avoid contact and collision. I can do it.

In the illustrated example, the photographing means 1 is installed facing forward in the center of the vehicle body, but if it is installed at an angle diagonally downward, it can detect grooves and road walls on the road shoulder and can be used as a derailment prevention device.

Further, in the illustrated example, one each of the front and rear image conveying means 1 and 2 is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and two units each may be provided. In this case, for example, when the camera is installed at the front, it is installed at both ends of the front, for example near the headlights, and a control device is provided to match the images transmitted from each.

Furthermore, when driving at night, it is advisable to provide a lighting device to illuminate the rear. A headlight is used for illumination in the forward direction.

These front and rear imaging means 1 and 2 are each transmitted through an optical fiber 3, enlarged or reduced to a predetermined size by an imaging control means 4, and then displayed on a display means installed on an instrument panel inside the vehicle. 5 and displayed on the display screen. In addition, the width of the own vehicle is clearly displayed on this screen after being scaled down at a predetermined ratio, and the images transmitted by the front and rear imaging means 1 and 2 overlap, so that the width of the own vehicle can be clearly seen on the road. It is possible to instantly detect the gap between the width and the width.

[Effects of the Invention] Since the vehicle visibility aid device of the present invention has the above configuration,
You can check the distance between your vehicle and obstacles on the road just by looking at the screen.
The gap between the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can be instantly detected, preventing accidents such as collisions.

Since you can see not only the front but also the rear, it is not only convenient for parking in the garage or making U-turns on narrow roads, but if installed on large vehicles, it will prevent accidents involving pedestrians when turning left or reversing. There is an effect that can be achieved.

In addition, it has a simple structure that combines lenses and optical fibers, and does not require computers, television cameras, distance sensors, etc. as in the past, so it can be provided at a low cost, and the entire device can be miniaturized, so it can be installed in cars for the general public. It has many advantages and is extremely practical as a visual aid.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram corresponding to the configuration of the vehicle visibility aid device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle visibility aid device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the instrument section. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same. 1... Front imaging means, 2... Rear imaging means, 3.
...Optical fiber, 4...Magnification conversion means, 5...
・Display means, 6... switching means. Ward Mound Procedural Amendment (Voluntary) July 24, 1990

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An imaging means for taking an image of the road immediately in front or behind the vehicle, and a display means for transmitting the image of the road taken by the imaging means via an optical fiber and displaying it on a screen provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle. and is provided with a magnification conversion means that clearly indicates the width of the own vehicle on the screen in advance and displays the road imaged by the optical fiber superimposed on the screen with the same dimensions as the own vehicle. A vehicle visibility aid device featuring: (2) A visibility aiding device for a vehicle, characterized in that the photographing means according to claim 1 is rotatably attached to a vehicle body.