Electronic side mirror with on-board turning field of view expansion system and method

Abstract

The application relates to a method for an electronic side mirror vehicle turning field of view expansion system, the electronic side mirror vehicle turning field of view expansion system comprising a coupling parent vehicle and a coupling child vehicle, the included angle between the coupling parent vehicle and the coupling child vehicle being theta, one end of the coupling child vehicle being provided with a center point O point, the O point being movably connected with the coupling parent vehicle, the coupling parent vehicle being provided with a C point, the C point being provided with a sensing unit, the O point being taken as a coordinate origin, the movement direction of the coupling child vehicle being taken as an X axis direction, and a Y axis direction being perpendicular to the X axis direction in a horizontal plane, the coupling parent vehicle being provided with the sensing unit, a control unit and a display unit which are sequentially electrically connected, and the control unit displaying an adjusted field of view region on the display unit through the sensing unit. The electronic side mirror vehicle turning field of view expansion system has the advantages of eliminating a field of view blind area, motor-adjusting a visible range, cutting an image, improving universality and the like.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic side mirror, in particular to a method for expanding the field of view of an electronic side mirror during vehicle turning. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, large commercial vehicles such as buses and articulated vehicles cannot cover the surroundings of the vehicle body due to the height and length of the vehicle body, and the effective viewing angle (about 70 degrees) of an ordinary person cannot cover the surroundings of the vehicle body, resulting in dead angles that cannot be seen by the driver at the front, both sides of the vehicle body, and the rear, forming a blind area of the field of view. In order to overcome the blind area of the field of view, the driver can check by turning his head more, or install an outside rearview mirror on the front of the vehicle to indirectly observe the dead angle that cannot be seen by the driver.

[0003] In order to eliminate the blind area of the field of view on both sides of the articulated vehicle, the traditional specific criteria and implementation methods are as follows: two outside rearview mirrors are used to meet the Class II and Class IV field of view requirements. A more advanced way is to use a Camera Monitoring System (CMS, also known as an electronic side mirror) to provide an indirectly observed field of view after image processing by a controller, so as to achieve the same field of view requirement; and in adverse conditions such as rain, fog, and insufficient light, the visibility of the driver to the field of view range is ensured.

[0004] However, in actual scenarios, traditional rearview mirrors or electronic side mirrors still have various factors that cause blind areas of the field of view of large vehicles. In particular, when a large vehicle is turning, the mirror turns with the front of the vehicle, and the original field of view range cannot meet the Class II and Class IV field of view requirements. The driver's probability of accidentally hitting an object increases because he cannot see the dangerous area, resulting in damage to the safety of his own and others' lives and property.

[0005] Therefore, we have developed an electronic side mirror turning and field of view expanding system to solve the above problems. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application aims to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provides an electronic side mirror turning and field of view expanding system, which has the advantages of eliminating blind areas of the field of view, adjusting the visible range, cutting images, and improving versatility.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is: an electronic side mirror vehicle turning and field of view expanding system, comprising a connection mother vehicle and a connection child vehicle, an included angle between a direction of the connection mother vehicle and a direction of the connection child vehicle is θ, the connection child vehicle is provided with a center point O point at one end, the O point is movably connected with the connection mother vehicle, a C point is arranged at a left side wall of the connection mother vehicle, and a C' point is arranged at a right side wall of the connection mother vehicle, the C point and the C' point are each provided with a sensing unit, the O point is taken as a coordinate origin, a movement direction of the connection child vehicle is taken as an X axis direction, and a direction perpendicular to the X axis direction in a horizontal plane is taken as a Y axis direction;

[0008] The connection mother vehicle is provided with a left field of view area and a right field of view area, the left field of view area is surrounded by points B1, B2, B3 and B4, the right field of view area is surrounded by points B1', B2', B3' and B4', the points B1 and B2 coincide with one side of a length direction of the connection child vehicle, and the points B1' and B2' coincide with the other side of the length direction of the connection child vehicle.

[0009] The connection mother vehicle is provided with a plurality of sensing units, at least one control unit and a plurality of display units which are sequentially electrically connected, the control unit displays the adjusted field of view area on the display unit through the sensing unit.

[0010] Preferably, in order to cut the image, the control unit comprises an image processor, and the control unit performs image processing of original image taking of the camera.

[0011] Preferably, in order to expand the field of view range, the sensing unit comprises a left camera and a right camera, and the left camera and the right camera are fixedly connected with the side of the connection mother vehicle.

[0012] Preferably, in order to display the field of view range, the display unit comprises a left display screen and a right display screen, the left display screen is placed at a left driving line of sight position, the right display screen is placed at a right driving line of sight position, and the left display screen and the right display screen respectively display the adjusted field of view area.

[0013] Preferably, in order to adjust the field of view range, the field of view range of the left camera comprises the left field of view area, or the field of view range of the right camera comprises the right field of view area.

[0014] The method of the electronic side mirror vehicle turning and field of view expanding system comprises the following steps:

[0015] S10. Parameter measurement: the parameter measurement is a pre-operation, which is implemented before the system starts;

[0016] S101. Taking a connection child vehicle connection position of the connection vehicle as a reference origin, a vehicle state when the connection child vehicle and the connection mother vehicle have an included angle of 0 degrees is a parameter calibration vehicle state;

[0017] S103. According to the Class IV field of view range, mark the Class IV field of view boundary point from the reference origin, and calibrate the lateral and longitudinal distance from the reference origin;

[0018] S105. Measure the lateral and longitudinal distance of the camera from the reference origin;

[0019] S107. When the camera is installed on the actual vehicle, the orientation of the left camera and the right camera is measured by using the camera external parameter calibration tool.

[0020] S20. Field of view range calculation: the control unit continuously calculates the field of view range during the coupling vehicle movement.

[0021] S30. Camera image range cutting: according to the field of view range calculation, the control unit cuts the image finally projected on the display screen.

[0022] Due to the use of the above technical solutions, the present application has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0023] 1. The electronic side mirror vehicle turning field of view expansion system of the present application eliminates the blind area of the coupling vehicle caused by different vehicle head turning, and cuts the captured image by the image processor, so that the driver can observe the objects that may cause accidents on the side of the coupling vehicle during turning.

[0024] 2. It is not necessary to adjust the visual range of the outside rearview mirror according to the body size and height of the driver.

[0025] 3. The method of adjusting the cutting area is easy to implement, and can meet the different vehicle head widths, camera position arrangement and eye point position difference caused by different vehicle cabin designs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 The circuit block diagram of the electronic side mirror vehicle turning field of view expansion system of the present application.

[0027] Figure 2 The structural schematic diagram of the coupling child vehicle and the coupling parent vehicle.

[0028] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the Class II field of view range of the coupling parent vehicle turning which cannot be completely visible.

[0029] Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the Class IV field of view range of the coupling parent vehicle turning which cannot be completely visible.

[0030] Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the improved Class II field of view range which is still visible at different turning.

[0031] Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the improved Class IV field of view range of the application is still visible at different steering.

[0032] Figure 7 The schematic diagram of the X-axis and Y-axis coordinates of the application.

[0033] Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the field of view cutting angle required for calculating the field of view of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] Figure 3 And Figure 4 In the electronic side rearview mirror vehicle turning and field of view expanding system, a connecting parent vehicle and a connecting child vehicle are connected, the angle between the direction of the connecting parent vehicle and the direction of the connecting child vehicle is θ, one end of the connecting child vehicle is provided with a center point O, the O point is movably connected with the connecting parent vehicle, a C point is arranged on the left side wall of the connecting parent vehicle, a C' point is arranged on the right side wall of the connecting parent vehicle, the C point and the C' point are respectively provided with a sensing unit, the O point is taken as the coordinate origin, the movement direction of the connecting child vehicle is taken as the X-axis direction, and the horizontal plane perpendicular to the X-axis direction is taken as the Y-axis direction.

[0036] The connecting parent vehicle is provided with a left field of view area and a right field of view area, the left field of view area is surrounded by points B1, B2, B3 and B4, the right field of view area is surrounded by points B1', B2', B3' and B4', the points B1 and B2 coincide with one side of the length direction of the connecting child vehicle, and the points B1' and B2' coincide with the other side of the length direction of the connecting child vehicle. Figure 3 In the Class II field of view before improvement, B1B4=1m, B2B3=5m, B1B2=26m, and the angle between B1B2 and B3B4 is 9°, at this time, the adjusted field of view angle Φ>9°, preferably, Φ=13° or Φ=11°. Figure 4 In the Class IV field of view before improvement, B1B4=4.5m, B2B3=15m, B1B2=8.5m, B1B6=23.5m, and the angle between B1B2 and B3B4 is 51°, at this time, the adjusted field of view angle Φ>51°, preferably, Φ=75° or Φ=70°. The improved field of view range is the field of view range between CB1 and CB4.

[0037] Figure 1In the application, the coupling mother vehicle is provided with a plurality of sensing units, a control unit and a plurality of display units which are electrically connected in sequence. The control unit displays the adjusted visual field region on the display unit through the sensing unit. The control unit comprises an image processor, and the control unit performs the image processing function of the original image of the camera. When the coupling mother vehicle turns left or right, the image processor changes the included angle θ, θ = 90° ± 15°, and simultaneously cuts the captured image and displays it on the display screen. The sensing unit comprises a left camera and a right camera, and the left camera and the right camera are fixedly connected to the side of the coupling mother vehicle. The left camera is arranged at point C (as shown in Figure 3 、 Figure 4 The right camera is arranged at the corresponding position of the coupling mother vehicle at point C. The display unit comprises a left display screen and a right display screen. The left display screen is placed at a suitable visual line position of the left driver, and the right display screen is placed at a suitable visual line position of the right driver, for example, the side of the A-pillar. The left display screen and the right display screen respectively display the adjusted visual field region.

[0038] Figure 8 In the application, the visual field range of the left camera comprises a left visual field region, and the visual field range of the right camera comprises a right visual field region. The included angle of the expanded visual field range is Φ, and the region between the included angles Φ comprises the left visual field region or the right visual field region. In the improved Class IV visual field, the range of the included angle Φ is 9° < Φ ≤ 13°, or in the improved Class II visual field, 51° < Φ ≤ 75°.

[0039] A method for expanding the visual field of an electronic side mirror vehicle turning system, comprising the following steps:

[0040] S10. Parameter measurement: parameter measurement is a pre-operation, which is implemented before the system starts:

[0041] S101. Taking point O, the coupling position of the coupling child vehicle of the coupling vehicle, as the reference origin, and the vehicle state when the coupling child vehicle and the coupling mother vehicle have an included angle of 0 degrees is the parameter calibration state.

[0042] S103. According to the definition of Class IV visual field, mark the Class IV visual field boundary points from the reference origin, and calibrate the lateral and longitudinal distances from the reference origin. In addition to the region surrounded by points B1, B2, B3 and B4, the Class IV visual field also includes the region surrounded by points B2, B3, B5 and B6.

[0043] S105. Measure the lateral and longitudinal distances between the camera and the reference origin.

[0044] S107. When the camera is installed on the actual vehicle, use the camera external parameter calibration tool to measure the orientations of the left camera and the right camera. The orientations of the left camera and the right camera serve as the baseline for cutting the camera image.

[0045] S20. Field of view range calculation: the control unit continuously calculates the field of view range during the articulated vehicle movement.

[0046] S201. Establish a coordinate system of the vehicle movement, taking the articulated vehicle sub-vehicle articulation as the coordinate origin, and the articulated vehicle sub-vehicle movement direction as the positive X-axis direction. Note that in this coordinate system, the Class IV field of view boundary point coordinate value is an invariant, which can be determined by the calibration value in S103.

[0047] S203. Calculate the camera coordinate value according to the articulated vehicle sub-vehicle and articulated vehicle mother vehicle included angle θ and the calibration value in S105.

[0048] S205. Calculate the camera field of view FOV required to cover the Class IV field of view range from the Class IV field of view boundary point coordinate value and the camera coordinate value, and determine the direction angle in the current coordinate system.

[0049] S30. Camera image range cropping: according to the field of view range calculation, the control unit crops the image finally projected on the display screen.

[0050] S301. According to the articulated vehicle sub-vehicle and articulated vehicle mother vehicle included angle θ and the camera image baseline in S107, the camera baseline in the current coordinate system can be expressed in terms of the direction angle of the current coordinate system.

[0051] S303. Calculate the range that needs to be cropped for camera imaging from the FOV direction angle calculated in S205 and the direction angle representing the perception camera baseline. The adjustment of the cropping area is an easy-to-implement calculation method that can meet the requirements of different vehicle head widths, camera position arrangements, and eye point position differences caused by different vehicle cabin designs.

[0052] S305. The control unit finally outputs the cropped image to the display screen, providing the driver with continuous attention to whether there are objects in the Class IV range that can cause a collision accident during driving.

[0053] When the articulated vehicle is turning at low speed, the control unit adjusts the cropping area of the original camera imaging to cover the required field of view range according to the included angle θ between the articulated vehicle mother vehicle and the articulated vehicle sub-vehicle (as shown in Figure 2 ), and then projects the processed image on the display screen to provide the driver with a blind area of the vehicle side view that cannot be directly seen (as shown in Figure 5 , Figure 6 ).

[0054] During the articulated vehicle movement, a coordinate system of the vehicle movement is established, taking the articulated vehicle sub-vehicle articulation as the reference point and the articulated vehicle sub-vehicle movement direction as the positive X-axis direction (as shown in the coordinate system of Figure 7 ). According to the geometric relationship (as shown inFigure 8 The cutting angle required for the camera to cover the field of view requirements of Class II and Class IV can be calculated.

[0055] The above is only a specific application example of the present application, and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. Any technical solution formed by equivalent transformation or equivalent replacement falls within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for an electronic side rearview mirror system that expands the field of vision as the vehicle turns, characterized in that, The electronic side rearview mirror system for expanding the field of vision with vehicle steering includes a connecting mother car and a connecting daughter car. There is an angle θ between the orientation of the connecting mother car and the orientation of the connecting daughter car. One end of the connecting daughter car has a center point O, which is movably connected to the connecting mother car. There is a point C on the left side wall and a point C' on the right side wall of the connecting mother car. Each of the points C and C' has a sensing unit. The coordinate system is based on the origin of the coordinate system, the direction of movement of the connecting daughter car is the X-axis, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis in the horizontal plane is the Y-axis. The connecting mother car has a left field of view and a right field of view. The left field of view is enclosed by points B1, B2, B3, and B4, and the right field of view is enclosed by points B1', B2', B3', and B4'. Points B1 and B2 coincide with one side of the connecting daughter car along its length, and points B1' and B2' coincide with the other side of the connecting daughter car along its length. The method includes the following steps: S10. Parameter Measurement: Parameter measurement is a preliminary step and is performed before system startup. S101. Taking point O at the connection point of the connecting subcar of the connecting car as the reference origin, the vehicle state when the angle between the connecting subcar and the connecting mother car is 0 degrees is the parameter calibration. S103. Based on the Class IV field of view range, mark the Class IV field of view boundary points from the reference origin, and determine the lateral and longitudinal distances from the reference origin; S105. Measure the lateral and longitudinal distances between the sensing unit and the reference origin; S107. When installing sensing units on both sides of the mother vehicle along its length, the orientation of the sensing unit is measured using the external parameter calibration tool of the sensing unit; the orientation of the sensing unit is used as the baseline for cropping the sensing image of the sensing unit; when installing cameras on the actual vehicle, the orientation of the left and right cameras is measured using the external parameter calibration tool of the cameras; the orientation of the left and right cameras is used as the baseline for cropping the camera image. S20. Field of view calculation: During the movement of the coupled vehicle, the control unit continuously calculates the field of view; S30. Sensing unit image capture range cropping: Based on the field of view calculation, the control unit crops the image finally projected onto the display screen; the expanded field of view angle is Φ, and the range of the angle Φ is 9°<Φ≤13°, or 51°<Φ≤75°.

2. The method for the electronic side rearview mirror system with adaptive steering to expand the field of vision according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S20 includes the following steps: S201. With the connection point of the connecting subcar of the connecting car as the origin and the direction of movement of the connecting subcar as the positive X-axis, establish a coordinate system that moves with the car. Under the coordinate system with the origin, the coordinate values ​​of the Class IV field of view boundary points are invariants and can be determined by the calibration values ​​in S103. S203. Calculate the coordinate value of the sensing unit based on the angle between the connecting daughter car and the connecting mother car and the calibration value in S105; S205. Calculate the field of view (FOV) of the sensing unit required to cover the Class IV field of view using the coordinates of the Class IV field of view boundary point and the coordinates of the sensing unit, and determine it using the orientation angle of the current coordinate system.

3. The method for the electronic side rearview mirror system with expanded field of vision according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S30 includes the following steps: S301. Based on the angle between the connecting daughter car and the connecting mother car and the baseline of the sensing image of the sensing unit in S107, the baseline of the sensing unit in the current coordinate system can be represented by the direction angle of the current coordinate system. S303. The FOV direction angle calculated from S205 and the direction angle representing the baseline of the sensing image are used to calculate the range that the sensing unit needs to crop when capturing the image; The S305 control unit finally outputs the cropped image to the display screen, allowing the driver to continuously monitor for objects within the Class IV range that could cause a collision while driving.

4. An electronic side rearview mirror system that expands the field of vision as the vehicle turns, applied in the method of the electronic side rearview mirror system for expanding the field of vision as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting mother car is equipped with a plurality of sensing units, at least one control unit and a plurality of display units that are electrically connected in sequence. The control unit displays the adjusted field of view on the display units through the sensing units.

5. The electronic side rearview mirror system for expanding the field of vision as the vehicle turns, as described in claim 4, is characterized in that, The control unit includes an image processor, which performs image processing on the original image captured by the sensing unit.

6. The electronic side rearview mirror system for expanding the field of vision as the vehicle turns, as described in claim 5, is characterized in that, The sensing unit includes a left camera and a right camera, which are fixedly connected to the side of the connecting mother vehicle.

7. The electronic side rearview mirror system for expanding the field of vision as the vehicle turns, as described in claim 6, is characterized in that, The display unit includes a left display screen and a right display screen. The left display screen is positioned at the left side of the driver's line of sight, and the right display screen is positioned at the right side of the driver's line of sight. The left and right display screens respectively display the adjusted field of vision area.

8. The electronic side rearview mirror system for expanding the field of vision as the vehicle turns, as described in claim 6, is characterized in that, The field of view of the left camera includes the left field of view area, or the field of view of the right camera includes the right field of view area.

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