Equipment and method for assisting in vehicle driving

[0015] Example 1

[0016] An embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance device in this application may refer to figure 1 , including infrared pyroelectric sensor 101, multi-spectral camera 102, processor 103 and display device 104.

[0017] The infrared pyroelectric sensor 101 is used as a first detection device for detecting objects within a first distance range and generating a corresponding first detection signal. The first distance is the sensing distance of the infrared pyroelectric sensor 101 . In other embodiments, other devices with object distance detection capability may also be used as the first detection device, such as sonar or radar.

[0018] The multispectral camera 102 is used as a first image acquisition device for acquiring images and generating corresponding image data. The photosensitive chip of the multispectral camera 102 can simultaneously sense infrared and visible light, and the collected infrared image and visible light image overlap in size and orientation, so the image data generated by it is the data of the superimposed image of the infrared image and the visible light image. The photosensitive chip of the multi-spectral camera 102 can be a combination of chips that sense infrared light and visible light respectively, or a multi-spectral photosensitive chip that integrates infrared and visible light. The manufacturing method thereof, and the photosensitive chip technology provided by Chinese invention patent applications such as CN101740587, CN101834974, CN101807590, CN101853861 and the like are provided. In other embodiments, an infrared camera (for example, a camera coated with a visible light filter film) or a visible light camera (for example, a camera coated with an infrared light filter film) can also be used as the first image acquisition device, in this case In this case, a second image acquisition device may be further configured to collect images of different spectral bands from the first image acquisition device. For example, the first image acquisition device adopts an infrared camera, while the second image acquisition device adopts a visible light camera. image overlay to achieve a similar effect to using a multispectral camera. The visible light image collected by the visible light camera or the multi-spectral camera enables the driver to intuitively grasp the situation near the vehicle. However, due to the long penetration distance of infrared light and the high temperature of the vehicle during driving (such as engine, exhaust port, tire, etc.), the infrared image collected by infrared camera or multi-spectral camera can be used in rainy, foggy weather and at night. It can give clear and long-range images under the circumstance, expand the driver's observation range and improve driving safety.

[0019] a processor 103, connected in signal with the infrared pyro sensor 101 used as the first detection device and the multispectral camera 102 used as the first image acquisition device, for controlling the multispectral camera 102 to start collecting images according to the first detection signal, and The data of the superimposed image generated by the multispectral camera 102 is received and output. The signal connection referred to in this application may adopt various wired or wireless transmission modes, which will not be described in detail below. Since the images of each spectral band (such as infrared and visible light) obtained by the multispectral camera are overlapped in position, but the data are independent of each other, in other embodiments, the processor can also perform further processing on the data of the superimposed images. Processing, such as separating the data of the infrared image and the visible light image for separate display, or adjusting the transparency of the image when superimposed, for example, superimposing the infrared image on the colored visible light image in a semi-transparent manner. In other embodiments, the image data generated by the first image acquisition device may also be directly provided to an external display device without going through a processor. In other embodiments, if a second image capture device is further configured, the processor is further connected to the second image capture device in a signal connection, and is further configured to control the second image capture device to start capturing images according to the first detection signal, and The data of the infrared image and the visible light image generated by the first and second image acquisition devices are superimposed and the data of the corresponding superimposed image is output. The superimposed processing may be to superimpose the infrared image and the visible light image according to the same size and orientation. For example, the infrared image is superimposed on the colored visible light image in a partially transparent manner. Of course, the image data generated by the first and second image acquisition devices can also be directly provided to an external display device for processing and display without going through a processor. .

[0020] The display device 104 is signal-connected to the processor 103 , and is configured to perform image display according to the data of the superimposed image output by the processor 103 . In other implementations, the display device 104 may not be used, and the processor outputs the data of the superimposed image to the existing display device of the vehicle (for example, to the vehicle audio-visual system or the navigation system through a USB interface or other image transmission interface to output the data of the superimposed image to the existing display device of the vehicle). display device, etc.) to display.

[0021] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the processor may be further cascaded or integrated with other in-vehicle devices. For example, the processor is connected to the vehicle-mounted recorder module or an interface capable of being connected to the vehicle-mounted recorder is reserved, so as to save the image data generated by the image acquisition device. For example, connect the processor with a global positioning system (GPS) module or reserve an interface that can be connected to the GPS module, so as to share the display device, for example, display the GPS image and the infrared and infrared images collected by the multispectral camera 102 simultaneously on the display device The visible light image, or the display device usually displays the GPS image, and after the first detection signal is generated, the GPS image is switched to the infrared and visible light images collected by the multispectral camera 102 .

[0022] In addition, in other embodiments, in order to avoid frequent triggering, the processor may turn off the first detection device after the first detection device generates the first detection signal, and then turn on the first detection device after a preset time interval, or, The processor may also ignore the subsequently generated first detection signal within a preset time interval after receiving the first detection signal for the first time, and the preset time interval may be selected or set by the user. The duration of image acquisition performed after the first image acquisition device is activated may or may not be consistent with the above-mentioned preset time interval, and may be selected or set by the user, or the first detection signal may stop generating to control the first detection signal. An image acquisition device stops acquisition.

[0023] In addition, in other embodiments, an infrared lamp group may be further included for performing infrared illumination, and the processor is correspondingly configured to control the infrared lamp group to be turned on according to the first detection signal. 3-5 times farther, so enabling the infrared light group for infrared illumination can obtain farther and clearer infrared images in dark environments or in rainy and foggy weather.

[0024] When the vehicle driving assistance device of this embodiment is installed in a vehicle, such as figure 2 As shown, the infrared pyro sensor 101 can be installed on the front end of the vehicle, the multi-spectral camera 102, the processor (not in figure 2 shown in) and the display device 104 are installed in the cab, where the processor is placed in the casing 10, the multispectral camera 102 is arranged on the surface of the casing 10, facing the front end of the vehicle, and the bottom surface of the casing 10 can be designed in an arc shape to Better fit with the vehicle console, such as firmly fixed on the console by gluing. The surface of the housing 10 may also have an operation panel to provide a user control interface for the processor. Of course, if the display device 104 supports touch mode, the display device 104 may also be used as an operation panel for the user to view and modify the processor settings. When the vehicle is started, the infrared pyroelectric sensor is powered on and starts to work, while the processor and display device are powered on and in standby mode. When the infrared pyroelectric sensor is triggered, the processor turns into a working state to perform corresponding control operations.

[0025] An embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance method in the present application corresponds to the above-mentioned embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance device, including:

[0026] Step 11, acquiring a first detection signal generated by an infrared pyroelectric sensor installed at the front end of the vehicle, where the first detection signal is used to indicate that an object within a first distance range is detected;

[0027] Step 12, controlling the multispectral camera to start collecting images according to the first detection signal;

[0028] Step 13: Display the superimposed image of the infrared image and the visible light image collected by the multi-spectral camera to the driver.

[0029]In other embodiments, if only a visible light camera or an infrared camera is used for image acquisition, in step 13, the corresponding infrared image or visible light image is displayed; if two cameras are used for image acquisition, in step 12, yes According to the first detection signal, the infrared camera and the visible light camera are respectively controlled to start collecting images, and in step 13, the superposition processing of the infrared image and the visible light image is performed. In step 12, the infrared lamp group is controlled to be turned on at the same time for infrared illumination.

[0030] In this embodiment, through the cooperation of the infrared pyroelectric sensor and the multi-spectral camera, when an object within a set distance is detected, the multi-spectral camera is triggered to collect infrared images and visible light images, and it is not necessary to always keep the multi-spectral camera On, reducing the requirements for equipment. Since infrared light has a farther penetration distance than visible light, the image range of multi-spectral cameras far exceeds the field of vision of the human eye, and can see farther and clearer in harsh environments, which can better help drivers in time. Make accurate judgments to avoid accidents due to limited visibility and inability to clearly see the road ahead.

[0031] Example 2

[0032] For another embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance device in this application, reference may be made to image 3 , Compared with Embodiment 1, the difference is that in addition to including infrared pyroelectric sensor 201, multi-spectral camera 202, processor 203 and display device 204, it also includes sound alarm device 205 and vibration alarm device 206 used as an alarm device.

[0033] The infrared pyro sensor 201, the multi-spectral camera 202 and the display device 204 are similar to the infrared pyro sensor 101, the multi-spectral camera 102 and the display device 104 in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here. In addition to the content of the processor 103 described in Embodiment 1, the processor 203 is also signal-connected to each alarm device, and used to generate an alarm instruction according to the first detection signal, so as to trigger each alarm device to generate a corresponding alarm action. The sound alarm device 205 is used to emit sound according to the alarm command. The vibration alarm device 206 is used to generate vibration according to the alarm command.

[0034] In this embodiment, the vibration warning device has a shape adapted to the steering wheel of the vehicle and is used to be mounted on the surface of the steering wheel. For example, the vibration alarm device can be made into steering wheel cover 2061, see Figure 4 , its surface is made of material with heat preservation function, and it is equipped with a vibrator and a wireless or wired signal receiving device (used to receive the alarm command of the processor). (vibration energy harvester) or solar charging and other methods, when the alarm command is received, the cover vibrates, and the driver is woken up by the driver's hand. In other embodiments, the vibration alarm device may also adopt other shapes or fixing methods, as long as it can generate a reminder to the driver through vibration.

[0035] In other embodiments, only one of the sound alarm device and the vibration alarm device may be selected.

[0036] In this embodiment, since the first detection signal also triggers sound and vibration alarms, on the one hand, it can prevent the driver from missing dangerous situations due to fatigue or even drowsiness, and on the other hand, the driver only needs to pay attention to the video images when there may be dangerous situations. , which can reduce the driver's fatigue. Especially in rainy and foggy weather or driving at night or on highways for a long time, drivers are prone to fatigue quickly due to low visibility and high concentration. The multispectral image display combined with sound and vibration alarms can effectively prevent rain and fog, Car rear-end collisions at night and on highways.

[0037] Example 3

[0038] For another embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance device in this application, reference may be made to Figure 5 , including a two-stage infrared pyroelectric sensor 301, a multi-spectral camera 302, a processor 303, a display device 304, a sound alarm device 305 and a vibration alarm device 306.

[0039] The multispectral camera 302 and the display device 304 are similar to the multispectral camera 102 and the display device 104 in Embodiment 1, and will not be described again.

[0040] The two-stage infrared pyroelectric sensor 301 is used as a first detection device, and is composed of two groups of passive infrared (PIR, Passive Infrared) sensors whose detection distances are a first distance range and a second distance range respectively, and the second distance range is greater than the first distance. scope. In this case, the first detection device can detect objects within the first and second distance ranges, respectively, and generate corresponding first and second detection signals, respectively. In other embodiments, a second detection device with a detection distance of a second distance range can also be added to detect objects in different distance ranges. The types of the first and second detection devices can be the same or different, and can be selected from PIR Sensors, sonar or radar, as long as they can generate different detection signals based on different detection distances. For brevity, the first distance range is hereinafter referred to as the medium distance, and the second distance range is referred to as the long distance.

[0041] In addition to the content of the processor 103 described in Embodiment 1, the processor 303 is also signally connected to each alarm device, and is used to generate a first-level alarm instruction according to the second detection signal, and generate a second-level alarm according to the first detection signal. Alarm instruction to trigger each alarm device to generate corresponding alarm action.

[0042] The sound alarm device 305 is used to emit sounds of the first and second levels respectively according to the first and second level alarm instructions, and the sound of the second level is greater than the sound of the first level. The vibration alarm device 306 is used to generate vibrations of the first and second levels according to the first and second level alarm instructions respectively, and the vibration of the second level is greater than the vibration of the first level.

[0043] In other embodiments, the processor may only trigger the sound alarm device during long-range detection, and only trigger the image capture device without triggering the alarm device during medium-range detection, or trigger images during both long-range and medium-range detection. The acquisition device and all the alarm devices, but the intensity of the alarm action is different.

[0044] An embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance method in the present application corresponds to the above-mentioned embodiment of the vehicle driving assistance device. The schematic diagram of the detection distance classification is as follows: Image 6 shown, the steps include:

[0045] Step 31: Acquire a long-distance detection signal (a second detection signal, corresponding to the second distance range d2) generated by a detection device installed at the front end of the vehicle;

[0046] Step 32 , generating a first-level alarm instruction according to the long-distance detection signal, triggering the sound alarm device to emit a sound of the first-level intensity, and triggering the vibration alarm device to generate a vibration of the first-level intensity.

[0047] Step 33 , acquiring a mid-range detection signal (the first detection signal, corresponding to the first distance range d1 ) generated by the detection device installed at the front end of the vehicle;

[0048] Step 34, controlling the multi-spectral camera to start collecting images according to the first detection signal, and generating a second-level alarm instruction, triggering the sound alarm device to emit a second-level sound, and triggering the vibration alarm device to generate a second-level vibration;

[0049] Step 35: Display the superimposed image of the infrared image and the visible light image collected by the multi-spectral camera to the driver.

[0050] In this embodiment, the detection device with two levels of detection distances can issue alarms in different ways according to different degrees of danger, which helps the driver to judge and deal with the situation in different levels, and improves the safety performance.