WO2010092621A1

WO2010092621A1 - Lane deviation alarm device, method of controlling lane deviation alarm device, and program for the method

Info

Publication number: WO2010092621A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/000567
Authority: WO
Inventors: 松本冠也
Original assignee: パイオニア株式会社
Priority date: 2009-02-13
Filing date: 2009-02-13
Publication date: 2010-08-19

Abstract

A lane deviation alarm device which, when a vehicle deviates from a driving lane, allows the driver of the vehicle to instantaneously know the direction of the deviation. The lane deviation alarm device (10) has a lane recognizing section (14) for recognizing the driving lane on which a vehicle (1) is driving, a lane deviation determining section (15) for determining deviation of the vehicle (1) from the driving lane recognized by the lane recognizing section (14), and a notification controlling section (16) which, when the lane deviation determining section (15) determines that the vehicle (1) has deviated from the driving lane, issues warning to the driver. The warning is issued by a speaker, which is either of at least two speakers (33a, 33b) arranged at the left and right, as viewed from the seated driver, inside the vehicle (1) and which is located on that side of the vehicle (1) which has deviated the driving lane, such that the speaker emits a scratch sound or a collision sound having a greater volume than a sound emitted from the speaker on the side opposite the side which has deviated the driving lane.

Description

Lane departure warning device, control method for lane departure warning device and program thereof

The present invention relates to a lane departure warning device that warns that a vehicle has deviated from a traveling lane, a control method for a lane departure warning device, and a program therefor.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a lane departure warning device that determines a departure from a traveling lane of a vehicle and warns a driver (predetermined notification) when the vehicle travels. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a place where a lane change is likely to be made without taking a blinker based on the presence / absence of a departure from the driving lane and road information at the driving position of the vehicle (branch / joining) It is described that a warning sound is output when a departure from the driving lane is determined except in the vicinity of the point).
WO 2008-114382 gazette

By the way, in situations where the vehicle deviates from the driving lane, the driver's level of consciousness often falls due to drowsy driving. Therefore, when a warning is actually issued, it is conceivable that the driver who hears the warning sound will be delayed in determining in which direction the vehicle deviates from the driving lane. However, the conventional lane departure warning device has not been considered in this regard.

Further, the lane departure warning device described in Patent Document 1 captures a road surface image with a camera arranged in front of the vehicle, and determines the departure of the vehicle based on the road surface image. However, when it rains or snows, raindrops or snow may adhere to the camera lens and the traveling lane may not be recognized.

Therefore, in view of these problems, the present invention provides a lane departure warning device, a lane departure warning device control method, and a program therefor, which allow the driver to instantly grasp the departure direction when the vehicle departs from the traveling lane. The first task is to do this. Another object of the present invention is to provide a lane departure warning device that can reliably recognize a traveling lane and warn of a lane departure regardless of the external situation of the vehicle.

A lane departure warning device according to the present invention includes a lane recognition unit that recognizes a travel lane in which a vehicle is traveling, a lane departure determination unit that determines a departure from a travel lane recognized by the lane recognition unit of the vehicle, and a lane And a notification control unit that warns the driver when the departure determination unit determines that the vehicle has deviated from the driving lane, and the notification control unit is viewed from a state where the driver inside the vehicle is seated. Among the at least two speakers arranged on the left and right, the speaker disposed on the side that deviates from the driving lane, and the volume of the speaker relatively larger than the speaker on the side opposite to the side deviating from the driving lane. A warning is given to the driver by outputting a sound or a collision sound.

A control method for a lane departure warning device according to the present invention is a control method for a lane departure warning device that is mounted on a vehicle and used when the lane departure warning device recognizes a traveling lane in which the vehicle is traveling, A step of determining a deviation of the vehicle from the recognized driving lane and at least two of the vehicles arranged on the left and right as viewed from the seated state of the driver inside the vehicle when it is determined that the vehicle has deviated from the driving lane Among the speakers, the speaker arranged on the side deviating from the traveling lane outputs a relatively loud rubbing sound or collision sound compared with the speaker on the opposite side to the side deviating from the traveling lane. And a step of warning the driver.

According to these configurations, when the vehicle deviates from the traveling lane, of the two left and right speakers arranged inside the vehicle, the side deviating from the traveling lane from the speaker disposed on the side deviating from the traveling lane Since the warning sound having a relatively large volume compared to the speaker on the opposite side is output, the driver can instantly determine whether the vehicle has deviated from the driving lane to the left or right. As a result, the driver can quickly perform a steering operation for returning the vehicle into the traveling lane or a brake operation for preventing further vehicle deviation, leading to accident prevention. In addition, a rubbing sound or a collision sound as if an accident has actually occurred is output as a warning sound, which is effective in recovering the consciousness level of a driver whose consciousness level has fallen due to drowsy driving or the like.
For the recognition of the driving lane by the “lane recognition unit”, a known lane recognition method such as recognizing a lane marking (white line) on the road with a camera or a distance to a side wall with a laser radar can be applied. It is.
The “at least two speakers” refers to speakers arranged on the left side and the right side (as viewed from the driving driver) with respect to the traveling direction. That is, it does not necessarily have to be left and right with respect to the vehicle 1, and may be disposed at a position where the left and right can be determined as viewed from the driver.
In addition, “a louder warning sound is output from a speaker arranged on the side deviating from the driving lane than a speaker on the side opposite to the side deviating from the driving lane”. It is also a concept that includes “a warning sound is output only from a speaker arranged on the side deviating from the lane and no warning sound is output from a speaker on the opposite side”.

In the lane departure warning device described above, a road surface image captured by at least two types of cameras, that is, a main camera disposed at the front or side of the vehicle and a sub camera disposed at the side or rear of the vehicle. An image acquisition unit that acquires a road surface image, an information acquisition unit that acquires predetermined information that changes according to an external situation of the vehicle, and a road surface image from two types of cameras according to the predetermined information acquired by the information acquisition unit And a camera switching unit for selecting a camera to be acquired.

According to this configuration, the traveling lane can be accurately recognized from the road surface image obtained by actually capturing the road surface with the camera. In this case, it is preferable to detect the lane marking that divides the traveling lane by analyzing the road surface image, and to recognize the traveling lane based on the lane marking. In addition, since a suitable camera is selected from two types of cameras according to predetermined information that changes according to the external situation of the vehicle, a stable road surface image can be acquired and the traveling lane can be accurately recognized. Can do. This also makes it possible to accurately determine lane departure.

In the lane departure warning device described above, the camera switching unit determines whether or not a special situation has occurred according to the predetermined information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and determines that the special situation has occurred. In this case, at least a sub camera is selected as a road surface image acquisition target.

According to this configuration, when a special situation occurs (when a situation that is inconvenient for the main camera occurs around the vehicle), at least the sub camera is selected as the acquisition target of the road surface image. However, it is possible to continue the recognition of the traveling lane (and thus the warning of lane departure).
The “camera switching unit” preferably selects the main camera when no special situation occurs. When a special situation occurs, the main camera may be switched to the sub camera, or both cameras may be selected (in addition to the main camera, the sub camera may be used supplementarily). ).

In the lane departure warning device described above, the information acquisition unit acquires, as the predetermined information, a detection signal of a rain sensor provided on the vehicle or a drive signal of a wiper, and the camera switching unit receives a rain signal from the information acquisition unit. When a detection signal indicating that the sensor has detected a raindrop amount greater than or equal to a predetermined amount or a drive signal indicating that the wiper has been driven is acquired, it is determined that a special situation has occurred.

According to this configuration, it is possible to determine rain or snow from the detection signal of the rain sensor or the drive signal of the wiper. In general, when it rains or snows, it is highly likely that water droplets or snow will adhere to the lens of the main camera arranged in front of or on the side of the vehicle, and it can be expected that it will be difficult to capture a road image. For this reason, when the rain sensor detects a raindrop amount greater than or equal to a predetermined amount or when the wiper is driven, it is possible to recognize the traveling lane by determining that a special situation has occurred and selecting a sub camera. .

In the lane departure warning device described above, when the camera switching unit acquires the wiper drive signal by the information acquisition unit, the wiper is continuously driven for a predetermined time or more, and the wiper is driven. It is characterized in that it is determined that a special situation has occurred on the condition that it is not accompanied by the washer fluid injection.

According to this configuration, when the wiper is temporarily driven for some reason, or when the washer liquid is sprayed for the purpose of cleaning the windshield, it is determined that it is a special situation because it is unlikely to rain or snow. By not, it is possible to continue capturing the road surface image by the main camera.

In the lane departure warning device described above, the information acquisition unit acquires weather information around the traveling position of the vehicle as predetermined information, and the camera switching unit receives weather information indicating a specific phenomenon by the information acquisition unit. If acquired, it is determined that a special situation has occurred.

According to this configuration, it is possible to accurately determine the occurrence of a special situation (rainfall or snowfall) by acquiring weather information.
In addition, as “meteorological information indicating a specific phenomenon”, in addition to rainfall and snowfall, information on yellow sand, photochemical smog, fog, abnormal temperature, influence of sunrise and sunset, and the like may be acquired. In addition, the weather information may be acquired from an external server outside the vehicle, or may be acquired via a network-connectable information device such as a mobile phone.
“Acquisition of weather information around the driving position of the vehicle” means that only weather information around the driving position of the vehicle may be acquired, or after acquiring weather information over a wide area, Only weather information around the travel position may be extracted based on the position information.

In the lane departure warning device described above, the lane recognition unit obtains a determination result as to whether or not the lane can be recognized normally based on the road surface image of the main camera, and recognizes the number of times the lane cannot be recognized normally. The camera switching unit further includes an impossible measuring unit, and the camera switching unit determines that a special situation has occurred when the number of times of measurement by the unrecognizable measuring unit reaches a predetermined number or when the ratio of the number of times of measurement reaches a predetermined value. Features.

According to this configuration, when the number of times that the lane recognition based on the road surface image of the main camera cannot be normally performed for some reason (number of times of measurement) reaches a predetermined number, or the ratio of the number of times of measurement reaches a predetermined value. In this case, since it is determined that a special situation has occurred (a sub camera is selected), for example, even when the main camera is broken, the traveling lane can be recognized.

In the lane departure warning device described above, the notification control unit deviates from the traveling lane among at least two lights arranged on the left and right as viewed from the state in which the driver inside the vehicle is seated together with a warning from the speaker. A visual warning is performed by turning on the light arranged on the side with a relatively large amount of light as compared to the light on the side opposite to the side deviating from the traveling lane.

According to this configuration, since not only an audible warning but also a visual warning is given, the driver's consciousness level can be recovered more effectively. In addition, a warning can be reliably given to a driver who listens to music at a high volume or a driver who has a hearing impairment. In addition, the lights placed on the side where the vehicle deviates from the driving lane are lit with a relatively large amount of light compared to the light on the opposite side, so the driver can be more sure of the left or right side. I can tell you.
Note that the “relatively large light amount” includes both relatively high brightness and relatively long lighting time.
In addition, “lights placed on the side that deviates from the driving lane are lit with a relatively large amount of light compared to the light on the side opposite to the side that deviates from the driving lane.” This is a concept that also includes the fact that only the lights arranged on the other side are turned on and the other side lights are not turned on.

In the lane departure warning device described above, the notification control unit notifies the driver that a warning has been issued due to the vehicle deviating from the traveling lane after the output of the scratching sound or the collision sound. And

According to this configuration, when a flicking sound or a collision sound is output as a warning sound, the driver may be confused when an accident occurs for a moment, so that the vehicle deviates from the driving lane. The driver can be relieved by notifying the driver that the warning has been issued.
Note that the notification that “a warning is issued due to the vehicle deviating from the driving lane” may be displayed on a display or may be voice guidance using a speaker.

In the lane departure warning device described above, the lane departure warning device further includes a contact detection unit that detects that the vehicle is likely to come into contact with the vehicle guard fence, the side wall, or the obstacle, and the notification control unit is in contact with the vehicle by the contact detection unit. When it is detected that this is likely to occur, the driver is alerted.

According to this configuration, not only when it is likely to deviate from the driving lane, but also when it is likely to come into contact with a vehicle guard fence (guardrail, etc.), a side wall or an obstacle (other vehicles, people, etc.) It is effective in preventing accidents because it can call attention.
Note that “perform alert” may output the same sound as a warning sound (a scratching sound or a collision sound), or may output a sound (a warning sound) different from the warning sound.

The program of the present invention is for causing a computer to execute each step in the control method of the lane departure warning device described above.

By using this program, it is possible to realize a control method for the lane departure warning device that allows the driver to instantly grasp the departure direction when the vehicle departs from the driving lane.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the top view of a vehicle, and the imaging result of a camera. It is a flowchart which shows a series of processes of the lane departure warning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the alerting | reporting process of the lane departure warning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a series of processes of the lane departure warning apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the vehicle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a series of processes of the lane departure warning apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the vehicle which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the alerting | reporting process of the lane departure warning apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Vehicle 10 ... Lane departure warning device 31 ... Wiper 32 ... Camera 32a ... Main camera 32b ... Sub camera 33 ... Speaker 33a ... L speaker 33b ... R speaker 34 ... Light 34a ... L light 34b ... R light 35 ... Display 36 ... Communication antenna 37 ... GPS antenna 39 ... Laser radar 39a ... L laser radar 39b ... R laser radar G ... Road surface image LL, LR ... Division line TL ... Running lane

Hereinafter, a control method for a lane departure warning device, a lane departure warning device, and a program thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a lane departure warning device 10 and a configuration example of a vehicle 1 on which the lane departure warning device 10 is mounted. As shown in the figure, the lane departure warning device 10 includes an information acquisition unit 11, a camera switching unit 12, an image acquisition unit 13, a lane recognition unit 14, a lane departure determination unit 15, and a notification control unit 16.

Further, the vehicle 1 includes a wiper 31, a camera 32, a speaker 33, a light 34, and a display 35 as a configuration related to the lane departure warning device 10. The arrangement of these configurations in the vehicle 1 is as shown in FIG. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the vehicle 1 as viewed from above. In the figure, the definitions of the left side and the right side are based on the traveling direction (forward) of the vehicle 1. Here, the wiper 31 refers to a front wiper attached to the windshield.

The camera 32 is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera with a wide-angle lens that images the outside of the vehicle 1 and captures a road surface image G (see FIG. 2B). In addition, the travel lane TL in which the vehicle 1 is traveling is recognized based on the image analysis result of the road surface image G captured by the camera 32. In the present embodiment, the camera 32 includes a main camera 32 a that captures a front image of the vehicle 1 and a sub camera 32 b that captures a rear image of the vehicle 1. For example, the main camera 32a is attached to the exterior front of the vehicle 1 (for example, near the front license plate), and the sub camera 32b is attached to the exterior rear of the vehicle 1 (for example, near the rear license plate). Although details will be described later, in the normal state, a sub-camera is acquired only when a captured image is acquired from the main camera 32a and a special situation occurs (when an image acquisition from the main camera 32a is hindered). The captured image from 32b is acquired and the traveling lane TL is recognized. That is, the camera 32 that is an image acquisition target is switched according to the external situation of the vehicle 1. As the main camera 32a, a camera used for distance measurement with a preceding vehicle in an automatic traveling system may be used. Further, as the sub camera 32b, a rear camera (back camera) that is used by the driver to confirm the rear of the vehicle when the vehicle moves backward may be used.

The speaker 33 outputs a warning sound when the vehicle 1 deviates from the travel lane TL (see FIG. 2B). The speaker 33 is disposed on the left side in front of the vehicle and R speaker 33b arranged on the right side. Similarly to the speaker 33, the light 34 notifies the driver of the lane departure of the vehicle 1, and is disposed on the L light 34 a disposed on the left side in front of the vehicle interior and on the right side in front of the vehicle interior. R light 34b. Furthermore, the display 35 is used for route guidance and the like, and is disposed at the center in front of the vehicle.

In the example of FIG. 2A, the speaker 33 and the light 34 are arranged on the “left side” and “right side” with respect to the vehicle 1, respectively, but are not necessarily left and right with respect to the vehicle 1. It is only necessary to be arranged at a position where the left and right can be determined when viewed from the driver. That is, in the case of a right-hand drive vehicle, the L speaker 33a and the L light 34a may be arranged in the center in the front of the vehicle (near the display 35).

On the other hand, the lane departure warning device 10 is realized by an electronic control unit (ECU: Engine Control Unit), such as an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory). It has a storage device (both not shown). Further, the ROM stores a processing program for realizing each part of the lane departure warning device 10 described below. The lane departure warning device 10 can also be mounted on the vehicle 1 by being incorporated in an in-vehicle device such as a car navigation device.

The information acquisition unit 11 acquires predetermined information that changes depending on the external situation of the vehicle 1, and acquires a drive signal of the wiper 31 in this embodiment. The camera switching unit 12 determines whether or not a special situation has occurred according to the predetermined information (drive signal of the wiper 31) acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, and based on the determination result, the road surface image G The camera 32 to be acquired is switched. That is, it can be determined from the drive signal of the wiper 31 that there has been rain or snow. In such a situation, raindrops or snow adheres to the lens of the main camera 32a mounted in front of the vehicle, and a good road surface image G is acquired. Since there is a high possibility that it cannot be performed, the camera 32 from which the road surface image G is acquired is switched to the sub camera 32b. Thereby, even when it is raining or snowing, it is possible to obtain a good road surface image G.

The image acquisition unit 13 acquires a road surface image G that is an imaging result from either the main camera 32 a or the sub camera 32 b when the vehicle 1 is traveling, and the switching signal acquired from the camera switching unit 12 is used as the switching signal. In response, the camera 32 to be acquired is determined. The lane recognition unit 14 recognizes the travel lane TL based on the road surface image G acquired by the image acquisition unit 13. Specifically, from the road surface image G, left and right lane markings LL, LR (white lines, etc.) that divide the travel lane TL are detected, and a travel lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling between the lane markings LL, LR. Recognized as TL (see FIG. 2B).

The lane departure determination unit 15 determines the departure of the vehicle 1 from the travel lane TL recognized by the lane recognition unit 14. Specifically, distances DL and DR (see FIG. 2B) between the vehicle 1 and the lane markings LL and LR are calculated, and the distances DL and DR are smaller than a predetermined threshold (for example, 20 cm). It is determined that the vehicle has deviated from the traveling lane TL. The position of the vehicle 1 can be specified based on the mounting position and mounting angle of each camera 32. The lane departure determination unit 15 also determines the departure direction of the vehicle 1. That is, the side where the distances DL and DR are smaller than the predetermined threshold is determined as the departure direction. Even when the distances DL and DR are smaller than the predetermined threshold values, it is determined from the rightward speed or the leftward speed of the vehicle 1 whether or not the vehicle 1 is moving in the departure direction. When not heading, it is possible not to determine that the vehicle has deviated from the driving lane TL.

The notification control unit 16 warns the driver by controlling the speaker 33 and the light 34 when the lane departure determining unit 15 determines that the vehicle 1 has deviated from the traveling lane TL. For example, the speaker 33 generates a sound as if the vehicle 1 actually touched (collised) the side wall or an obstacle (such as another vehicle or a person) as a warning sound, such as a scratching sound or a collision sound. At this time, the notification control unit 16 generates a warning sound from the speaker 33 arranged in the departure direction determined by the lane departure determination unit 15. As a result, the driver can instantly determine which side of the travel lane TL has left or left. In addition, the notification control unit 16 controls the lighting of the light 34 simultaneously with the generation of a warning sound by the speaker 33. Also in this case, the light 34 arranged in the departure direction determined by the lane departure determination unit 15 is turned on to indicate the departure direction to the driver. Further, the notification control unit 16 notifies the driver that the vehicle 1 has warned after the warning by the speaker 33 and the light 34 because the vehicle 1 has deviated from the travel lane TL.

Here, a series of processes of the lane departure warning device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the lane departure warning device 10 determines whether or not the information acquisition unit 11 has acquired the drive signal of the wiper 31 (S01), and if it has acquired (S01: Yes), the camera switching unit. 12 determines whether the drive signal is for the purpose of cleaning the windshield (S02). That is, it is determined whether or not the driving signal of the wiper 31 is a signal accompanying the ejection of the washer liquid (according to the operation of the driver's washer liquid ejection switch).

Further, when it is determined that the drive signal is not intended for cleaning the windshield (S02: No), the camera switching unit 12 determines whether or not the acquisition of the drive signal continues for a predetermined time ( S03). Here, when it is determined that acquisition of the drive signal continues for a predetermined time (S03: Yes), it is determined that a special situation has occurred, and the sub camera 32b is selected as an acquisition target of the road surface image G ( S04). On the other hand, when the drive signal of the wiper 31 is not acquired (S01: No), and even when the drive signal of the wiper 31 is acquired, the drive signal is for the purpose of cleaning the windshield (S02). If the predetermined time has not been continued (S03: No), it is determined that the wiper 31 is not driven due to rain or snow (no special situation occurs), and the main camera 32a is selected.

When the camera 32 is selected by the camera switching unit 12, the image acquisition unit 13 acquires the road surface image G from the selected camera 32 (S06), and the lane recognition unit 14 determines the travel lane TL from the road surface image G. Is recognized (S07). The lane departure determination unit 15 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 has deviated from the recognized travel lane TL (S08), and when the vehicle 1 departure is determined (S09: Yes), the notification control unit 16 A notification process is performed (S10). Moreover, when it determines with the vehicle 1 not deviating from the driving lane TL (S09: No), a series of processes are complete | finished, without performing an alerting | reporting process.

FIG. 4 shows a subroutine of the flowchart of FIG. 3, and shows a flow of notification processing corresponding to S10 of FIG. When the lane departure direction is the left side (S11: left side), the notification control unit 16 outputs a warning sound from the L speaker 33a and lights the L light 34a (S12). When the lane departure direction is the right side (S11: right side), a warning sound is output from the R speaker 33b and the R light 34b is turned on (S13). Note that the output of the warning sound and the lighting of the light 34 may be output / lighting for a short time (about 1 to 2 seconds) or may be continued for about several seconds.

The notification control unit 16 determines whether or not the lane departure has been recovered after the warning in S12 or S13 (S14). That is, it is determined whether or not the distances DL and DR (see FIG. 2B) between the vehicle 1 and the lane markings LL and LR have exceeded a predetermined threshold value. Here, when the lane departure is recovered (S14: Yes), the display 35 displays contents indicating that the vehicle has deviated from the traveling lane TL (S15). In this step, as shown in the lower right part of FIG. 4, it is preferable to display that the warning sound has been generated and the direction of departure due to the departure from the driving lane TL.

As described above, according to the lane departure warning device 10 according to the first embodiment, when the vehicle 1 deviates from the travel lane TL, the travel lane TL among the two left and right speakers 33a and 3b arranged inside the vehicle 1 is described. Since the warning sound is output from the speaker 33 arranged on the side deviating from the above, the driver can instantaneously determine whether the vehicle deviates from the driving lane TL. As a result, the driver can quickly perform a handle operation and a brake operation for returning the vehicle 1 into the travel lane TL, leading to accident prevention. In addition, as a warning sound, a rubbing sound and a collision sound as if an accident actually occurred are output, so that the driver's consciousness level that has been lowered due to drowsy driving can be effectively recovered. . In addition, after the warning sound is output, the driver is notified that the warning is based on the lane departure determination, so that the driver does not get confused when an accident actually occurs.

In addition, the traveling lane TL is recognized from the road surface image G captured by the camera 32, and the camera 32 to be imaged is switched according to whether or not a special situation occurs, so even when it is raining or snowing, It is possible to warn of lane departure without any trouble. The occurrence of a special situation is determined on the condition that the wiper 31 is continuously driven for a predetermined time or more and the drive is not intended for cleaning the windshield. Can be prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, special conditions such as rain and snow fall on the condition that the wiper 31 is continuously driven for a predetermined time or more and is not intended to clean the windshield. Although the occurrence of the situation is determined, in the case of the vehicle 1 in which the speed of the wiper 31 is switched, the occurrence of a special situation may be determined on the condition that the speed of the wiper 31 is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed.

Further, in the case of the vehicle 1 equipped with the rain sensor, the detection signal indicating that the rain sensor has detected a raindrop amount greater than or equal to a predetermined amount is used instead of determining the special situation based on the drive signal of the wiper 31. Based on this, a special situation may be determined. In this case, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires the detection signal of the rain sensor as the predetermined information that changes depending on the external situation. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily determine a special situation without requiring a determination process such as whether the driving of the wiper 31 is for cleaning or whether the driving is continued for a predetermined time. it can.

In the above embodiment, the display 35 displays the fact that the warning based on the lane departure has been made, but the speaker 33 may notify the same. Further, in this case, the departure direction is not shown by voice as “left side” and “right side”, but the departure direction is notified to the driver by performing voice guidance from the speaker 33 in the departure direction. good.

In the above embodiment, the warning sound is output only from the speaker 33 arranged on the side deviating from the travel lane TL. However, the loud sound from the speaker 33 arranged on the side deviating from the travel lane TL is high. A warning sound may be output, and a low-volume warning sound may be output from the speaker 33 disposed on the side opposite to the side deviating from the traveling lane TL. That is, the warning sound output from the speaker 33 arranged on the side deviating from the traveling lane TL should be louder than the warning sound output from the speaker 33 on the opposite side to the deviating side. Thus, by outputting the warning sound from both the left and right speakers 33, a more realistic sound can be obtained.

Similarly, when warning is performed, only the light 34 arranged on the side deviating from the travel lane TL is not lit, but the light 34 arranged on the side deviating from the travel lane TL is set on the side deviating from the travel lane TL. The light 34 may be turned on with a relatively large amount of light compared to the light 34 on the opposite side. In this case, the “relatively large light amount” may be either a relatively high luminance or a relatively long lighting time.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the driving signal of the wiper 31 is acquired to determine a special situation such as rainfall or snowfall. However, in this embodiment, weather information is received from the external server 42, and the special condition is determined. It is different in judging the situation. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the vehicle 1 is provided with a communication antenna 36 and a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna 37. The communication antenna 36 receives information from the external server 42 via the base station 41. The external server 42 is a server for providing weather information, and distributes weather forecasts classified by time and area as weather information. The GPS antenna 37 receives position information (latitude, longitude, altitude) and time information of the vehicle 1 from the GPS satellite 43.

The information acquisition unit 21 of the present embodiment receives weather information from the communication antenna 36 and also receives position information and time information of the vehicle 1 from the GPS antenna 37. That is, information based on the current position and the current time of the vehicle 1 (meteorological information around the travel position of the vehicle 1 at the present time) is extracted from the received weather information and acquired. The camera switching unit 22 determines that a special situation has occurred when the information acquisition unit 21 acquires weather information indicating a specific phenomenon as weather information around the current travel position of the vehicle 1, and determines that a special situation has occurred. The camera 32 from which the image G is acquired is switched to the sub camera 32b. Note that “meteorological information indicating a specific phenomenon” may interfere with image acquisition from the main camera 32a, such as rain, snowfall, yellow sand, photochemical smog, fog, abnormal temperature, sunrise and sunset, and the like. Refers to weather information.

Here, the processing of the lane departure warning device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the lane departure warning device 10 determines whether or not the information acquisition unit 21 has acquired weather information (weather information around the travel position of the vehicle 1 at the current time) (S21). (S21: Yes), the camera switching unit 22 determines whether or not the weather information indicates a specific phenomenon (S22). If it is determined that the specific phenomenon is indicated (S22: Yes), the sub camera 32b is selected as the acquisition target of the road surface image G (S23). On the other hand, when the weather information is not acquired (S21: No) and when the weather information is acquired but does not indicate a specific phenomenon (S22: No), the main camera 32a is selected (S24). Note that S25 to S29 are the same as S06 to S10 in FIG.

As described above, according to the lane departure warning device 10 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to accurately determine the occurrence of a special situation (rainfall, snowfall, etc.) by acquiring weather information. As a result, a good road surface image G can always be acquired regardless of the weather, and the vehicle deviation can be accurately determined.

In the above embodiment, the weather information is acquired from the external server 42 via the base station 41, but may be acquired via an information device such as a mobile phone that can be connected to a network. In this case, the lane departure warning device 10 acquires weather information from the information device by infrared communication or near field communication. In addition, when the information device has a GPS function, the position information and time information may also be acquired from the information device.

In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the influence of the morning sun or the sunset can be acquired as “weather information indicating a specific phenomenon”. However, these weather phenomena may be hindered depending on the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is specified based on the position information acquired by the GPS antenna 37 and the detection result of the self-contained navigation sensors (angle sensor and distance sensor) (not shown). When it is determined that there is a possibility of being affected by the sunset, switching control of the camera 32 may be performed.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the special situation is determined based on predetermined information acquired by the information acquisition units 11 and 21 (such as a driving signal of the wiper 31 and weather information). The present embodiment is different in that a special situation is determined based on the recognition result of the lane recognition unit 14. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the above embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lane departure warning device 10 of this embodiment includes an unrecognizable measurement unit 23. The unrecognizable measuring unit 23 acquires a determination result as to whether or not the lane can be normally recognized from the lane recognition unit 14 based on the road surface image G of the main camera 32a, and acquires a determination result that the lane cannot be recognized normally. The number of unrecognizable times that is the number of times is measured. That is, based on the road surface image G acquired from the main camera 32a, if the lane recognition unit 14 cannot normally recognize the lane, it is assumed that there is a problem with the road surface image G, and the counter (not shown) ).

On the other hand, when the number of unrecognizable times measured by the unrecognizable measuring unit 23 reaches a predetermined number, the camera switching unit 24 determines that a special situation has occurred, and sets the camera 32 that is the acquisition target of the road surface image G, Switch to the sub camera 32b. The “when the measured number of unrecognizable times reaches a predetermined number” may be the case where the number of unrecognizable times reaches a predetermined number within a predetermined time, or the accumulated recognition from the start of running of the vehicle 1. It may be the case where the number of impossible times reaches a predetermined number. Moreover, the case where the number of times determined to be unrecognizable continuously reaches a predetermined number may be used.

Here, the processing of the lane departure warning device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the lane departure warning device 10 first acquires the road surface image G from the main camera 32a by the image acquisition unit 13 (S31), and recognizes the travel lane TL by the lane recognition unit 14 (S32). Here, when it cannot recognize normally (S33: No), the unrecognizable measurement part 23 adds +1 to the value of the counter which measures the frequency | count of unrecognition (S34). Further, the camera switching unit 24 determines whether or not the number of times of unrecognition has reached a predetermined number by the count-up by the unrecognizable measuring unit 23 (S35), and if it has reached the predetermined number (S35: Yes). Then, the camera 32 from which the road surface image G is acquired is switched to the sub camera 32b (S36).

The image acquisition unit 13 acquires the road surface image G from the switched sub camera 32b (S37), and the lane recognition unit 14 recognizes the traveling lane TL based on the road surface image G (S38). Note that S39 to S41 are the same as S08 to S10 in FIG. On the other hand, when the travel lane TL can be normally recognized by the lane recognition unit 14 (S33: Yes), and when the number of unrecognizable times has not reached the predetermined number (S35: No), the road surface image acquired from the main camera 32a. Based on G, lane departure is determined (S39).

As described above, according to the lane departure warning device 10 according to the third embodiment, when the number of times that the lane recognition based on the road surface image G acquired from the main camera 32a cannot be normally performed for some reason reaches a predetermined number. Since it is determined that a special situation has occurred and switched to the sub camera 32b, for example, even when the main camera 32a breaks down, the travel lane TL can be recognized. That is, even when a special situation other than a change in the external environment occurs, the acquisition of the road surface image G can be continued, and the determination of the vehicle departure is not hindered. Further, since it is highly likely that lane recognition based on the road surface image G acquired from the main camera 32a cannot be performed normally during rain or snow, it can be determined that a special situation has occurred in such a case. .

In the above-described embodiment, it is determined that a special situation has occurred when “the number of times of recognized unrecognized times reaches a predetermined number”, but “the ratio of the number of times of recognized unrecognized times is a predetermined value. It may be determined that a special situation has occurred. For example, when a majority of 10 measurements are unrecognizable, it may be determined that a special situation has occurred.

Although not particularly illustrated, the switching from the sub camera 32b to the main camera 32a by the camera switching unit 24 may be performed based on the measurement result of the unrecognizable measuring unit 23. In this case, it is preferable to switch to the main camera 32a when the number of successful recognitions reaches a predetermined number or when the ratio of the number of successful recognitions reaches a predetermined value.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In each of the above embodiments, a warning is given when the vehicle 1 deviates from the travel lane TL. However, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is likely to deviate from the travel lane TL, a vehicle protective fence, or the like It is different in that a reminder different from a warning is given when it is likely to come into contact. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the vehicle 1 is provided with a laser radar 39. The laser radar 39 measures the distance to a vehicle protection fence (guardrail, etc.), side walls, and obstacles (other vehicles, people, etc.), and an L laser radar 39a disposed on the left side outside the vehicle, And an R laser radar 39b disposed on the outer right side.

Further, the lane departure warning device 10 of the present embodiment includes a contact detection unit 25. The contact detection unit 25 detects that the vehicle 1 is likely to contact the vehicle protection fence, the side wall, or the obstacle based on the measurement result of the laser radar 39. Specifically, when the distances from the

laser radars

39a and 39b to the vehicular protective fence or the like are equal to or less than a predetermined distance (for example, 50 cm), it is determined that contact is likely. Further, the contact detection unit 25 also determines the direction in which the laser radar 39 that has performed the measurement of the predetermined distance or less is on the left side or the right side depending on whether the laser radar 39 is on the left or right side.

Further, the lane departure determination unit 26 according to the present embodiment has not only whether or not the vehicle 1 has deviated from the traveling lane TL, but also whether or not the vehicle 1 is likely to deviate from the traveling lane TL, and tends to deviate therefrom. Determine for direction. Specifically, when the distances DL and DR (see FIG. 2B) between the vehicle 1 and the lane markings LL and LR are smaller than a predetermined threshold D2 (for example, 50 cm), the vehicle deviates from the driving lane TL. It is determined to be likely. However, it is a condition that the threshold value D2 is larger than the threshold value D1 for determining whether or not the vehicle 1 has deviated from the travel lane TL. Even if the distances DL and DR between the vehicle 1 and the lane markings LL and LR are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value D3 (for example, within 100 cm) (however, the threshold value D3> the threshold value D2). Alternatively, when there is a possibility of deviating from the traveling lane TL within a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds) from the leftward speed, it may be determined that the vehicle is likely to deviate from the traveling lane TL.

In addition, the notification control unit 27 of the present embodiment is configured such that when the contact detection unit 25 detects that the vehicle 1 is likely to contact the vehicle guard fence or the like, and the lane departure determination unit 26 described above, When it is determined that the vehicle 1 is likely to depart from the travel lane TL, the driver is alerted. As a method of alerting, a sound (for example, a buzzer) different from a warning sound (a scratching sound or a collision sound) is output from the speaker 33 arranged in a direction that tends to contact or deviate. Also, the driver 34 is alerted by blinking the lights 34 that are also arranged in a direction that tends to touch or deviate.

Here, the notification process of the lane departure warning device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the flowchart of FIG. 6 is executed after S08 of the flowchart of FIG. 3 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, when the lane departure warning unit 26 determines that the vehicle 1 has deviated from the traveling lane TL (S51: Yes), the lane departure warning device 10 and the speaker 33 corresponding to the departure direction A warning is given using the light 34, and a post-notification is performed when the lane departure is recovered (S52 to S56). Note that the steps (S52 to S56) are the same as S11 to S15 in FIG.

On the other hand, when the lane departure determination unit 26 determines that the vehicle 1 has not deviated from the travel lane TL but is in a departure tendency (S57: Yes), the notification control unit 27 is in a direction of departure. Call attention according to. In addition, the notification control unit 27 does not mean that the vehicle 1 tends to deviate (S57: No), but also when the contact detection unit 25 determines that there is a possibility of contact with the vehicle guard fence or the like ( S58: Yes), alerting is performed according to the direction of the contact tendency. That is, the direction in which there is a tendency to depart / contact is determined (S59). If the direction is the left side (S59: left side), a buzzer is output from the L speaker 33a and the L light 34a blinks (S60). If the direction of departure / contact tendency is the right side (S59: right side), the buzzer is output from the R speaker 33b and the R light 34b is blinked (S61).

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, when the vehicle 1 is likely to deviate from the driving lane TL and when it is likely to come into contact with the vehicle guard fence or the like, the driver is alerted, so that an accident can be prevented. Can contribute. Further, when alerting, a sound different from the warning sound is output, so that the driver can be prevented from being confused. Furthermore, in order to output sound from the speaker 33 arranged in a direction that tends to depart / contact, the driver determines which side of the vehicle lane TL is likely to deviate to the left or right, or which side of the vehicle 1 is likely to contact. It is more effective in preventing accidents.

In the above embodiment, when alerting is performed, a buzzer sound is output from the speaker 33. However, voice guidance such as "I am about to depart from the driving lane" may be performed. However, a sound that attracts the driver's attention, such as a siren sound of a police car, may be output. Also, the light 34 may be flashed irregularly or may be lit in a light color different from that at the time of warning.

Further, the driver (user) can arbitrarily set the type and volume of sound for alerting / warning by the speaker 33 and the lighting pattern and lighting color for alerting / warning by the light 34, respectively. good.

As described above, according to the four embodiments, according to the lane departure warning device 10 of the present invention, when the vehicle 1 deviates or is likely to deviate from the traveling lane TL, it is likely to come into contact with a vehicle guard fence or the like. In some cases, the driver can grasp the direction instantly. In addition, by switching the camera 32 from which the road surface image G is acquired according to the external situation such as rain or snowfall, the traveling lane TL can be reliably recognized regardless of the external situation, and the lane departure notification is not delayed. It can be carried out.

In each of the above embodiments, the lane markings LL and LR are extracted from the road surface image G captured by the camera 32 to recognize the travel lane TL. However, on roads where the lane markings LL and LR do not exist. The travel lane TL may be recognized from the distance to the side wall measured by the laser radar 39. In other words, the lane recognition unit 14 cannot recognize the traveling lane TL normally by acquiring the image from the main camera 32a, and further cannot recognize the traveling lane TL normally by acquiring the image from the sub camera 32b. The measurement result may be acquired to recognize the travel lane TL. In this case, when the distance to the side wall becomes a predetermined distance (for example, 30 cm) or less, it is preferable to issue a warning by determining that the traveling lane TL is a departure. According to this configuration, even on a road where the lane markings LL and LR do not exist, it is possible to determine a lane departure and give a warning, which is effective in preventing accidents.

In each of the embodiments described above, when a special situation occurs or when the number of lane recognition failures based on the road surface image G acquired from the main camera 32a reaches a predetermined number, the

camera switching units

12, 22, and 24 In this case, the image acquisition target camera 32 is switched from the main camera 32a to the sub camera 32b. However, in such a case, image acquisition may be performed from both the main camera 32a and the sub camera 32b. In other words, in addition to the main camera 32a, the sub camera 32b may be used as an auxiliary, and the lane departure may be determined using any one of the clear road surface images G. The road surface images G obtained from the two cameras 32 may be imaged. Processing may be performed to comprehensively determine lane departure.

In the above embodiments, the main camera 32a is attached to the front of the vehicle and the sub camera 32b is attached to the rear of the vehicle (see FIG. 2A). It may be attached near the side mirror). However, also in this case, it is preferable to attach the vehicle 1 toward the front of the vehicle so that the deviation of the vehicle 1 can be determined more quickly. Alternatively, the main camera 32a may be attached to the front side of the vehicle and the sub camera 32b may be attached to the side of the vehicle. In this case, in order to avoid the influence of rainfall or snowfall on the sub camera 32b, it is preferable to attach the sub camera 32b in the left-right direction or the rear direction.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, there is no particular reference to conditions for limiting lane departure warnings and alerts, but it seems that the driver deviates from the driving lane TL after the driver performs the blinker operation (when blinker blinks). In such a case, warnings and alerts may not be performed. In addition, a speed restriction may be provided so that warnings and alerts may not be performed when the speed is below a predetermined speed.

In addition, when the vehicle 1 exceeds the lane markings LL and LR and determines a lane departure, a warning / caution is given according to the type of the lane markings LL and LR (white dotted line, white solid line, yellow solid line, etc.). You may make it discriminate | determine the presence or absence of alerting, or change a warning method / attention alerting method. For example, it is possible to perform control such as a collision sound when the yellow solid line is exceeded, a scratching sound when the white solid line is exceeded, and a warning not issued when the white dotted line is exceeded.

Moreover, it is possible to provide each part in the lane departure warning apparatus 10 shown to each said embodiment as a program. Further, the program can be provided by being stored in a recording medium (not shown). That is, a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the lane departure warning device 10 and a recording medium recording the program are also included in the scope of the right of the present invention. In addition, modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as combining the configurations of the embodiments.

Claims

A lane recognition unit that recognizes a traveling lane in which the vehicle is traveling;
A lane departure determination unit that determines a departure of the vehicle from the travel lane recognized by the lane recognition unit;
A warning control unit that warns a driver when the lane departure determination unit determines that the vehicle has deviated from the travel lane;
The notification control unit includes: a speaker disposed on a side deviating from the traveling lane among at least two speakers disposed on the left and right when viewed from a state in which the driver is seated inside the vehicle; A lane departure warning device that warns the driver by outputting a rubbing sound or a collision sound having a volume that is relatively larger than that of a speaker on the opposite side to the side that deviates from.
An image acquisition unit that acquires a road surface image captured by at least two types of cameras, a main camera disposed in front or side of the vehicle, and a sub camera disposed in side or rear of the vehicle;
An information acquisition unit for acquiring predetermined information that changes according to an external situation of the vehicle;
A camera switching unit that selects a camera from which the road surface image is to be acquired from the two types of cameras according to the predetermined information acquired by the information acquisition unit; The lane departure warning device according to claim 1.
The camera switching unit determines whether or not a special situation has occurred according to the predetermined information acquired by the information acquisition unit. If it is determined that the special situation has occurred, the camera switching unit acquires the road surface image. The lane departure warning device according to claim 2, wherein at least the sub camera is selected as a target.
The information acquisition unit acquires a detection signal of a rain sensor provided in the vehicle or a drive signal of a wiper as the predetermined information,
The camera switching unit, when the information acquisition unit acquires a detection signal indicating that the rain sensor has detected a raindrop amount greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, or a drive signal indicating that the wiper has been driven, the special situation The lane departure warning device according to claim 3, wherein the lane departure warning device is determined to have occurred.
The camera switching unit, when the wiper driving signal is acquired by the information acquisition unit, that the wiper is continuously driven for a predetermined time or more, and that the wiper is driven by washer fluid injection The lane departure warning device according to claim 4, wherein it is determined that the special situation has occurred on condition that at least one of the conditions is not.
The information acquisition unit acquires weather information around the travel position of the vehicle as the predetermined information,
6. The lane departure warning device according to claim 4, wherein the camera switching unit determines that the special situation has occurred when weather information indicating a specific phenomenon is acquired by the information acquisition unit. .
From the lane recognition unit, a determination result of whether or not the lane recognition has been normally performed based on the road image of the main camera is obtained, and further includes an unrecognizable measurement unit that measures the number of times the lane recognition has not been performed normally.
The camera switching unit determines that the special situation has occurred when the number of times of measurement by the unrecognizable measurement unit reaches a predetermined number or when the ratio of the number of times of measurement reaches a predetermined value. Item 7. A lane departure warning device according to any one of Items 4 to 6.
The notification control unit is arranged on the side deviating from the traveling lane among at least two lights arranged on the left and right when viewed from the seated state of the driver inside the vehicle, together with a warning by the speaker. 8. A visual warning is provided by lighting a light with a relatively large amount of light as compared to a light on the side opposite to the side deviating from the travel lane. A lane departure warning device according to the above.
5. The notification control unit notifies the driver that a warning has been issued due to the vehicle deviating from the travel lane after outputting the rubbing sound or the collision sound. The lane departure warning device according to any one of 1 to 8.
A contact detection unit for detecting that the vehicle is likely to contact a vehicle guard fence, a side wall, or an obstacle;
The said notification control part alerts with respect to the said driver, when it is detected by the said contact detection part that the said vehicle is likely to contact, The said driver | operator is characterized by the above-mentioned. Lane departure warning device.
A control method for a lane departure warning device used in a vehicle,
The lane departure warning device is
Recognizing a travel lane in which the vehicle is traveling;
Determining a deviation of the vehicle from the recognized travel lane;
When it is determined that the vehicle has deviated from the traveling lane, of the at least two speakers arranged on the left and right as viewed from the state in which the driver is seated in the vehicle, on the side deviating from the traveling lane Warning the driver by outputting a rubbing sound or a collision sound having a relatively large volume compared to the speaker on the side opposite to the side deviating from the traveling lane from the arranged speaker; and The control method of the lane departure warning device characterized by performing these.
The program for making a computer perform each step in the control method of the lane departure warning apparatus of Claim 11.