JPH11306499A - Camera system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera system for calling the attention of a driver by issuing an alarm when there is any object in a preset dangerous zone when turning to left or right or changing a lane. SOLUTION: Video cameras 2 are provided in the front side, side and rear side directions of a vehicle and further, the dangerous zones to be monitored are previously set to the respective CCD cameras provided in these front side, side and rear side directions. In this case, the image of the preset dangerous zone is picked up when turning to left or right or changing the lane and it is judged whether any object exists in the picked-up image or not. When it is judged any object exists, the alarm is issued and the attention of the driver is called.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera system, and particularly to a driver's attention by giving a warning when there is an object in a preset dangerous area when turning right or left or changing lanes. It is configured to prompt.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle such as an automobile equipped with a video camera is used only as a substitute for human eyes in a so-called blind spot, which is difficult for a driver to see.
In the use of such a camera, the driver's attention is relied on at all, and even if a car is equipped with a CCD camera, it does not warn about the content of the image taken, There was a problem that it was not always enough to help the driver.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a camera system which not only depends on the driver's attention but also helps the driver better. It is assumed that.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A camera system according to the present invention is provided with video cameras on the front side, side and rear sides of a vehicle, and further includes respective video cameras provided on the front side, side and rear sides. The danger zone to be monitored is set in advance for the camera, and when the vehicle turns left or right or when the lane is changed, the danger zone that has been set in advance is imaged. If it is determined that the danger is present, the danger is displayed in characters on an image monitor installed in the vehicle to inform the driver of the danger.

Further, an on-vehicle video camera uses an image sensor having sensitivity to infrared light so that a warning in a dangerous area can be issued even in a dark place.

Thus, a camera system that not only relies on the driver's attention but also helps the driver better can be provided.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with video cameras on the front side, side and rear sides of the vehicle, and further on the front side, side and rear sides. Set a dangerous area to be monitored for each video camera in advance, take an image of the dangerous area set beforehand when turning left or right or changing lanes, and determine whether or not an object exists in the captured image, If it is determined that an object is present, the camera system displays the danger in text on an image monitor installed in the car and informs the driver,
When it is determined that an object is present, a warning is issued and the driver can be alerted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the first aspect, the video camera has an image sensor having sensitivity to infrared light, and the image captured by the video camera is converted into a temperature information image. The camera system is characterized in that a warning is issued when an object is present in the danger area even in darkness. This has the effect of capturing a heat-generating object such as a vehicle engine as a temperature image and issuing a warning to the driver.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a video camera is provided on the front side, the side and the rear side of the vehicle, and the video cameras provided on the front side, the side and the rear side are provided. In advance, a dangerous area to be monitored is set in advance, an image is taken of the previously set dangerous area when turning left or right or when changing lanes, and it is determined whether or not an object exists in the captured image, and it is determined that an object exists. In the event that the vehicle is approached, the camera system will notify the driver of the approach of the vehicle by voice synthesis using a speaker installed in the vehicle. Has the effect of being able to call attention.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the first aspect, the sensitivity of the video camera in an infrared region is increased, and monitoring of an object is performed in the infrared region with the sensitivity increased. Based on the results of monitoring and monitoring, it is a camera system that identifies whether a vehicle has approached or a human has approached, and informs the driver of the identification result with an image. ,
Even when the amount of visible light is small, it is possible to capture an image of a person generating heat, such as an image of a person or an engine of a vehicle, as a temperature image and issue a warning to the driver using the image.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the third aspect, the sensitivity of the video camera in the infrared region is increased, and the object is monitored in the infrared region with the increased sensitivity. Camera system that identifies whether a vehicle is approaching or a person is approaching based on the results of monitoring, and reports the identification result to the driver by voice synthesis using a speaker installed in the vehicle. Even if the danger area is dark and the visible light is small, it is possible to capture the image of a person who generates heat, such as the image of a person or the engine of a vehicle, as a temperature image and warn the driver by voice. Has an action.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the first aspect, the video cameras provided on both sides of the vehicle are scattered on white line signals of lane divisions of an expressway or a general road. An image of a light emitter containing infrared light is displayed, and the position of the vehicle in the lane is displayed on the image monitor in the vehicle as an image, so that the driver can easily travel in the center of the lane. It is a camera system characterized by the fact that the position of the vehicle traveling in the lane is displayed on the image monitor in the vehicle as an image, and the driver can easily travel in the center of the lane. Have.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the sixth aspect, when it is determined that the white line signal during traveling captured by the video camera is meandering as an image, the vehicle is placed in the vehicle. This is a camera system characterized by warning the driver that the vehicle is meandering with the installed speaker. When the vehicle is meandering, it is sounded. This has the effect that a warning can be issued to the driver.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 illustrate an operation example of the camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIG. 1 shows the operation when turning left, and
A front side camera, a side camera, and a rear side camera D are provided, and each camera captures an image of a preset danger zone. FIG.
Shows a state in which the rear side camera is capturing an object (motorcycle).

FIG. 2 shows an operation when the lane is changed to the right lane. A front side camera, a side camera, and a rear side camera each having a CCD are provided. An image of a preset danger zone is taken. FIG. 2 shows a state where the rear side camera is capturing an object (vehicle) behind.

An outline of a camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
For example, a description will be given of a portion related to processing of a captured image by the rear side camera in FIG. 1 capturing an object (motorcycle). Others are not directly related to the present invention and will not be described.

In FIG. 3, for example, a rear side camera 2 captures an image of a predetermined dangerous area via a lens 1. Since the rear side camera 2 includes a light receiving portion having sensitivity in an infrared light region, it is possible to capture an image of a dangerous area even at night.

The photographed image in the dangerous area is amplified by the image amplifier 3 and the excess information is removed by the image filter 4 and then A / D converted by the A / D converter 5 for control. It is passed to the CPU 6. In the CPU 6, the CPU
An object determination processing unit is provided in the unit 6. When an object is detected, the sound is converted by the sound converter 7 and mixed by the mixing circuit 9, and an alarm is issued by the speaker 11 attached to the monitor 10. . At the same time, the character conversion is performed by the character converter 8 and a warning message can be displayed on the monitor 10 as character information.

A danger zone setting section is provided in the CPU 6 so that each camera can set a danger zone to be monitored. Further, the above-described object determination processing unit in the CPU 6 can confirm the presence of an object from a contour obtained by performing edge detection processing on a captured video, for example.

Further, since the front side camera, the side camera, and the rear side camera are provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle, a change in the traveling direction of the vehicle is obtained from the steering wheel position information 12 based on the steering wheel operation. Direction front side camera,
It can also be decided whether to activate the side camera and the rear side camera.

In the above description, the case where the sensitivity of the infrared light of the CCD camera is fixed has been mainly described. However, the sensitivity of the video camera in the infrared region is increased, and the object in the infrared region with the increased sensitivity is increased. To identify whether a vehicle has approached or a human has approached based on the result of monitoring, and inform the driver of the identification result as an image or voice by voice synthesis. You can also.

In addition, the video cameras provided on both sides of the vehicle capture images of light-emitting devices including infrared light scattered in white line signals in lane segments of expressways or general roads, and determine how the vehicle moves along the lane. It is also possible to display on the image monitor in the vehicle whether the vehicle is traveling at an appropriate position as an image so that the driver can easily travel in the center of the lane. In this case, if it is recognized that the vehicle is traveling meandering, there is a possibility that the vehicle may fall asleep, and a warning may be issued by voice.

[0023]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the video cameras are provided on the front side, side and rear sides of the vehicle, and the video cameras are provided on the front side, side and rear sides. For each video camera, the dangerous area to be monitored is set in advance, and when the vehicle turns left or right or when the lane is changed, an image of the previously set dangerous area is taken, and it is determined whether or not an object exists in the captured image. If it is determined that an object exists, the camera system displays the danger in text on the image monitor installed in the car and informs the driver, and if it is determined that an object exists, a warning is issued. This has the effect that the driver can be alerted.

The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
The camera system according to claim 1, wherein the video camera has an image sensor having sensitivity to infrared light, a video image captured by the video camera is used as a temperature information image, and a warning is issued when an object exists in a dangerous area even in darkness. The camera system is characterized by emitting a
Even when the dangerous area is dark and the amount of visible light is small, there is an effect that a person generating heat such as an image of a person or an engine of a vehicle is captured as a temperature image and a warning can be issued to a driver.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a video camera is provided on the front side, side and rear sides of the vehicle, and the video cameras provided on the front side, side and rear sides are respectively provided. In advance, a dangerous area to be monitored is set in advance, an image is taken of the previously set dangerous area when turning left or right or when changing lanes, and it is determined whether or not an object exists in the captured image, and it is determined that an object exists. In the event that the vehicle is approached, the camera system will notify the driver of the approach of the vehicle by voice synthesis using a speaker installed in the vehicle. Has the effect of being able to call attention.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the first aspect, the sensitivity of the video camera in an infrared region is increased, and monitoring of an object is performed in the infrared region with the sensitivity increased. Based on the results of monitoring and monitoring, it is a camera system that identifies whether a vehicle has approached or a human has approached, and informs the driver of the identification result with an image. ,
Even when the amount of visible light is small, there is an effect that a person generating heat, such as an image of a person or an engine of a vehicle, is captured as a temperature image, and a warning can be issued to the driver using the image.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the third aspect, the sensitivity of the video camera in the infrared region is increased, and the object is monitored in the infrared region with the increased sensitivity. Camera system that identifies whether a vehicle is approaching or a person is approaching based on the results of monitoring, and reports the identification result to the driver by voice synthesis using a speaker installed in the vehicle. Even if the danger area is dark and the visible light is small, it is possible to capture the image of a person who generates heat, such as the image of a person or the engine of a vehicle, as a temperature image and warn the driver by voice. Has an effect.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the camera system according to the first aspect, wherein the video cameras provided on both sides of the vehicle are scattered on white line signals in lanes of an expressway or a general road. An image of a light emitter containing infrared light is displayed, and the position of the vehicle in the lane is displayed on the image monitor in the vehicle as an image, so that the driver can easily travel in the center of the lane. The camera system is characterized by the fact that the position of the vehicle in the lane is displayed on the image monitor in the vehicle as an image, and the effect that the driver can easily travel in the center of the lane. Have.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the camera system according to the sixth aspect, if it is determined that the white line signal during traveling which is captured by the video camera is meandering as an image, the vehicle is placed in the vehicle. This is a camera system characterized by warning the driver that the vehicle is meandering with the installed speaker. When the vehicle is meandering, it is sounded. This has the effect that a warning can be issued to the driver.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an operation at the time of a left turn which is an operation example of a camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an operation when the lane is changed to the right lane, which is an operation example of the camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 lens 2 CCD camera 3 video amplifier 4 video filter 5 A / D converter 6 CPU 7 audio converter 8 character converter 9 mixing circuit 10 monitor 11 speaker 12 handle position information

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Mitsumasa Sugimoto 4-3-1 Tsunashima Higashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasunori Kito Tsunashima-Higashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 4-3-1, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A video camera is provided on a front side, a side and a rear side of a vehicle, and a danger zone to be monitored for each of the video cameras provided on the front side, the side and the rear side is determined in advance. Set beforehand, take an image of a pre-set danger area when turning left or right or changing lanes, determine whether or not an object exists in the captured image, and if it is determined that an object exists, install an image in the vehicle A camera system that displays dangers in text on the monitor and alerts the driver. 2. The camera system according to claim 1, wherein the video camera has an image sensor having sensitivity to infrared light, and an image captured by the video camera is used as a temperature information image. A camera system, wherein a warning is issued when an object exists. 3. A video camera is provided on a front side, a side and a rear side of a vehicle, and a danger area to be monitored for each of the video cameras provided on the front side, the side and the rear side. Preliminarily set, when turning left or right or changing lanes, an image of a pre-set danger zone is taken, it is determined whether or not an object is present in the taken image, and if it is determined that an object is present, it is installed in the vehicle. A camera system that informs the driver of the approach of the vehicle to the driver by voice synthesis using a speaker. 4. The camera system according to claim 1, wherein the sensitivity of the video camera in an infrared region is increased, and an object is monitored in the infrared region with the increased sensitivity, and based on a result of the monitoring. A camera system that identifies whether a vehicle is approaching or a person is approaching, and notifies the driver of the identification result in an image. 5. The camera system according to claim 3, wherein the sensitivity of the video camera in an infrared region is increased, and an object is monitored in the infrared region with the increased sensitivity, and based on a result of the monitoring. A camera system that identifies whether a vehicle is approaching or a person is approaching the vehicle, and notifies the driver of the identification result by voice synthesis using a speaker installed in the vehicle. 6. The camera system according to claim 1, wherein the video cameras provided on both sides of the vehicle emit light containing infrared light scattered in a white line signal of a lane segment of a highway or a general road. A camera system, wherein an image is taken and the position of the vehicle in a lane is displayed on an image monitor in the vehicle as an image so that the driver can easily travel in the center of the lane. 7. The camera system according to claim 6, wherein when it is determined that the traveling white line signal captured by the video camera is meandering as an image, the vehicle is meandered by a speaker installed in the vehicle. A camera system, wherein a warning is given to a driver that he or she is doing.