Vehicle warning device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle warning device that alerts the presence of an object requiring attention for a moving body around a host vehicle, while suppressing an alert for an object that has low necessity to be warned about for such a moving body.SOLUTION: The vehicle warning device used in a vehicle includes: a moving body detection unit 41 that detects a peripheral mobile around a host vehicle 10, which is the vehicle in which the vehicle warning device is used; a candidate determination unit 42 that determines a candidate object that is a candidate of an object whose presence is to be alerted to the peripheral mobile; a warning determination unit 43 that determines, based on the possibility that the peripheral mobile recognizes the candidate object, whether the candidate object is to be treated as a warning target object; and an information provision control unit 44 that performs control to provide warning information, indicating the presence of the warning target object determined by the warning determination unit, to the peripheral mobile.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle attention-calling device that is used in a vehicle and provides information to call attention to nearby moving objects. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known devices that provide information to alert moving objects around a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that displays warning information on the road surface ahead of an oncoming vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle, informing the oncoming vehicle that a broken-down vehicle exists. The contents of the prior art documents are incorporated by reference as explanations of the technical elements in this specification. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-100852 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Even if a moving object in the vicinity of the vehicle is an object requiring caution, if the object has already been recognized by other moving objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, there is little need to alert the driver to the presence of the object.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made based on this situation, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle warning device that warns a moving body of the presence of an object that requires attention, while suppressing warnings about objects that are unlikely to require attention from the moving body in the vicinity of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object is achieved by the combination of features recited in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous specific examples. The reference numerals in parentheses in the claims correspond to specific aspects described in the following embodiments as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the disclosure.

[0007] One disclosure for achieving the above object is a vehicle attention warning device used in a vehicle, the vehicle attention warning device including a moving body detection unit (41) that detects nearby moving bodies present around the host vehicle (10), which is the vehicle in which the vehicle attention warning device is used; a candidate determination unit (42) that determines candidate objects that are candidates for objects to be warned of the presence of the nearby moving bodies; an attention warning determination unit (43) that determines whether or not to make the candidate object an attention warning object based on the possibility that the nearby moving bodies are recognizing the candidate object; and an information provision control unit (44) that executes control to provide attention warning information indicating the presence of the attention warning object determined by the attention warning determination unit to the nearby moving bodies.

[0008] According to this vehicle attention-calling device, whether to provide the nearby moving body with attention-calling information indicating the presence of an attention-calling object is determined based on the possibility that the nearby moving body has recognized the candidate object. Thus, it is possible to alert the nearby moving body to the presence of an object that requires attention while preventing the nearby moving body from receiving attention-calling information indicating the presence of an object that the nearby moving body recognizes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a warning system installed in a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a candidate object. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a candidate object. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a candidate object. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of a candidate object. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating that a puddle is an object to be warned about. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating that the door of the vehicle is an object to be warned about. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which high beams are provided as attention-calling information. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which road marking lines superimposed on white lines are provided as attention-calling information. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing executed by the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of an attention calling system 20 mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle on which this attention calling system 20 is mounted is referred to as a host vehicle 10. The attention calling system 20 includes a sensor 30, a control device 40, and a notification device 50.

[0011] The sensor 30 provides the control device 40 with a signal for detecting a moving object present in the vicinity of the host vehicle 10. A moving object present in the vicinity of the host vehicle 10 will hereinafter be referred to as a surrounding moving object. A moving object includes at least one of a pedestrian and a car. A car may be an automobile. A person can ride in a car. A car can also be called a vehicle. A car is, for example, a four-wheeled vehicle. A car may be a two-wheeled vehicle. A two-wheeled vehicle may be a motorcycle or a bicycle. The sensor 30 is a device used to detect these moving objects. The sensor 30 is, for example, a radar, a lidar, a camera, a sonar, or the like. The sensor 30 may also include a V2X receiver. This is because a moving object may be detected by communication using a V2X receiver. The attention warning system 20 may be equipped with multiple sensors 30.

[0012] The radar as the sensor 30 emits radio waves to the outside of the vehicle 10 and receives reflected waves generated when the radio waves are reflected off the outside of the vehicle 10. The radar then provides a signal indicating the intensity of the reflected waves to the control device 40. The camera as the sensor 30 captures an image of the outside of the vehicle 10 and provides a signal indicating the captured image to the control device 40.

[0013] A moving object that can be detected based on a signal provided by the sensor 30 can be determined as a surrounding moving object. Furthermore, among the moving objects that can be detected based on a signal provided by the sensor 30, a moving object that is within a preset distance from the host vehicle 10 may be determined as a surrounding moving object. The direction in which the surrounding moving object is detected may be all directions around the host vehicle 10, or may be a direction in part of the direction around the host vehicle 10.

[0014] The sensor 30 may include a sensor for a purpose other than detecting surrounding moving objects, such as an illuminance sensor.

[0015] The control device 40 can be realized by a configuration including at least one processor. For example, the control device 40 can be realized by a computer including a processor, nonvolatile memory, RAM, I / O, and a bus line connecting these components. The nonvolatile memory stores a program for operating a general-purpose computer as the control device 40. The processor executes the program stored in the nonvolatile memory while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM, causing the control device 40 to operate as each unit shown in FIG. 1. The control device 40 operating as each unit shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to a vehicle attention warning device.

[0016] The notification device 50 is a device that provides various notifications to the inside and outside of the vehicle 10. The notification device 50 includes an outside notification device 51 and an occupant notification device 52.

[0017] The outside-vehicle notification device 51 is a device that issues notifications to the outside of the vehicle 10. Lights such as headlights mounted on the vehicle 10 can be used as the outside-vehicle notification device 51. The headlights may be equipped with a projector function and be able to project various images onto the road surface. Alternatively, the headlights may be headlights that do not have a projector function. The headlights may be capable of controlling the light distribution in the forward / backward and left / right directions. Furthermore, the headlights may be controlled by the control device 40 to switch between high beam and low beam, and to switch one or both right lights on and off.

[0018] Notification can be made to the outside of the vehicle by switching the headlights on and off, controlling the light distribution direction, projecting an image onto the road surface, etc. Not limited to headlights, any light that is mounted on the vehicle 10 and irradiates light outside the vehicle 10 can be used as the outside vehicle notification device 51.

[0019] A wireless communication device may be provided as the vehicle exterior notification device 51. The wireless communication device communicates wirelessly with other wireless communication devices located outside the vehicle. The wireless communication device serving as the vehicle exterior notification device 51 can provide notification to the outside of the vehicle by wirelessly communicating with other wireless communication devices located outside the vehicle. A device that outputs sound to the outside of the vehicle can also be used as the vehicle exterior notification device 51. The vehicle 10 is provided with one or more vehicle exterior notification devices 51.

[0020] The occupant notification device 52 is a device that issues notifications to occupants aboard the vehicle 10. As the occupant notification device 52, a display and a speaker mounted on the vehicle 10 can be used.

[0021] Next, the functions of the control device 40 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the control device 40 operates as a moving object detection unit 41, a candidate determination unit 42, an alert determination unit 43, and an information provision control unit 44. Execution of these operations means that a method corresponding to a program is executed.

[0022] The moving object detection unit 41 sequentially acquires signals from the sensor 30 and processes the signals to detect surrounding moving objects. The moving object detection unit 41 detects the presence of surrounding moving objects as well as their positions. The moving object detection unit 41 may also detect the movement direction and movement speed of the surrounding moving objects. The moving object detection unit 41 may further detect the object type of the surrounding moving object. The object type means the type of object, for example, whether the surrounding moving object is a person or a vehicle. The moving object detection unit 41 may detect multiple surrounding moving objects.

[0023] The mobile object detection unit 41 may detect a mobile object based on information acquired through wireless communication with an external device. The object of wireless communication may be a wireless communication device mounted on the mobile object, a roadside device, or the like.

[0024] The candidate designator 42 also sequentially acquires signals from the sensor 30 and detects objects present in the vicinity of the vehicle 10. The candidate designator 42 may also detect objects present in the vicinity of the vehicle 10 from map data and the position of the vehicle 10. The candidate designator 42 then designates candidate objects from among the detected objects. The candidate objects are candidates for objects that should alert the surrounding moving object detected by the moving object detector 41 to the presence of the object.

[0025] Candidate objects can include solid objects, and can also include planar objects such as road markings, puddles, etc. Solid objects can include either or both moving and stationary objects.

[0026] The candidate designator 42 can designate as candidate objects objects that require caution when a nearby moving object moves. Examples of types of objects that can be designated as candidate objects include objects lying on the road, various construction objects at construction sites, moving objects, road dividing lines, road boundaries, manholes, ruts, slippery road sections due to ice or wet conditions, and defective parts of poorly maintained vehicles. Examples of moving objects include cars, people, and animals. People are not limited to those walking; people using means of transportation such as kick scooters or wheelchairs can also be designated as candidate objects. People can be identified as children, elderly people, or people who are lying down. Examples of objects that have fallen on the road include bottles and cans.

[0027] The condition for determining a candidate object may not only be the object type but also the distance from the surrounding moving object. For example, the condition for determining a candidate object may be that the distance from the surrounding moving object is shorter than the attention drawing distance. Furthermore, the candidate determination unit 42 may determine a candidate object based on the condition that the object is located in the moving direction of the surrounding moving object, in addition to the distance from the surrounding moving object.

[0028] The type of nearby moving object can also be considered as a condition for determining a candidate object. For example, if the nearby moving object is equipped with a steering wheel, a location where steering operation may become unstable may be determined as a candidate object. Unstable steering operation can also be rephrased as a situation where the steering wheel is easily pulled out. Nearby moving objects equipped with a steering wheel include vehicles traveling on the road. Vehicles traveling on the road, particularly two-wheeled vehicles, may be limited to locations where the steering wheel is easily pulled out as candidate objects. Locations where steering operation may become unstable include, for example, manholes, ruts, sloped road sections, and slippery road sections.

[0029] The candidate object may include the vehicle 10 itself, since there may be a need to alert nearby moving objects to the presence of the vehicle 10.

[0030] The attention calling determination unit 43 determines whether or not to designate a candidate object as an attention calling object based on the possibility that the surrounding moving object recognizes the candidate object determined by the candidate determination unit 42. That is, if the attention calling determination unit 43 determines that there is a high possibility that the surrounding moving object recognizes the candidate object, the attention calling determination unit 43 does not designate the candidate object as an attention calling object. On the other hand, if the attention calling determination unit 43 determines that there is a high possibility that the surrounding moving object does not recognize the candidate object, the attention calling determination unit 43 designates the candidate object as an attention calling object. Since attention calling objects are determined in this manner, the attention calling determination unit 43 determines an attention calling object for each surrounding moving object. Multiple attention calling objects may be determined for one surrounding moving object.

[0031] The attention calling determination unit 43 determines a candidate object as an attention calling object, for example, based on the fact that the candidate object exists outside the recognition range of a nearby moving object and is approaching the nearby moving object. A specific description will be given using FIG. 2 as an example. In FIG. 2, a nearby vehicle 60 is a nearby moving object, and a pedestrian 70 is a candidate object determined by the candidate determination unit 42. The situation in FIG. 2 is nighttime, and the nearby vehicle 60 has its headlights on. The attention calling determination unit 43 determines the area illuminated by the headlights of the nearby vehicle 60 as the recognition range of the nearby vehicle 60. Therefore, the pedestrian 70 exists outside the recognition range of the nearby vehicle 60. Furthermore, the pedestrian 70 is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow W, and the nearby vehicle 60 is moving in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow. Therefore, it can be determined that the pedestrian 70 is approaching the nearby vehicle 60. Therefore, the attention calling determination unit 43 determines the pedestrian 70 as an attention calling object for the nearby vehicle 60 in the situation shown in FIG. 2.

[0032] The attention calling determination unit 43 may take into consideration the distance between the candidate object and the surrounding moving object in order to determine whether to set the candidate object as an attention calling object. The attention calling determination unit 43 may also take into consideration the movement speeds of the candidate object and the surrounding moving object in order to determine whether to set the candidate object as an attention calling object.

[0033] When the surrounding moving object is a pedestrian, the attention alert determination unit 43 may determine whether a candidate object exists within the recognition range of the surrounding moving object based on the viewing direction of the pedestrian. Furthermore, since the moving direction of a pedestrian is related to the pedestrian's line of sight, the attention alert determination unit 43 may determine whether a candidate object exists within the recognition range of the surrounding moving object based on the moving direction of the pedestrian. When the surrounding moving object is a vehicle, the attention alert determination unit 43 may determine whether the surrounding moving object recognizes a candidate object based on the viewing direction of a passenger riding in the vehicle. The viewing direction of the pedestrian and the viewing direction of the passenger can be determined based on images of the pedestrian and the passenger.

[0034] The attention-call determining unit 43 may also determine a candidate object as an attention-call object based on the presence of an obstructing object between the candidate object and the surrounding moving object. A specific description will be given using FIGS. 3 and 4 as examples. In FIG. 3, a surrounding vehicle 60 located diagonally rearward to the right of the host vehicle 10 is one surrounding moving object. Another preceding vehicle 61 is traveling ahead of the surrounding vehicle 60. A fallen object 71, which is a candidate object, has fallen on the road ahead of the preceding vehicle 61. Since the host vehicle 10 is closer to the fallen object 71 than the preceding vehicle 61 in the longitudinal direction of the road, the host vehicle 10 can detect the fallen object 71 and determine it as a candidate object. The preceding vehicle 61 exists between the fallen object 71 and the surrounding vehicle 60 as an obstructing object. In the situation shown in FIG. 3, the attention-call determining unit 43 determines that the surrounding vehicle 60 is unlikely to recognize the fallen object 71 due to the presence of the preceding vehicle 61. Therefore, the attention-call determining unit 43 determines the falling object 71 as an object for which attention should be called for the nearby vehicle 60 in the situation shown in FIG.

[0035] In FIG. 4, a parked vehicle 62 is parked in front of a nearby vehicle 60. A pedestrian 70 is about to move in front of the parked vehicle 62 in the direction indicated by arrow W. The pedestrian 70 can be detected from the host vehicle 10, and the candidate designator 42 designates the pedestrian 70 as a candidate object. A parked vehicle 62 exists between the pedestrian 70 and the nearby vehicle 60 as an obstructing object. Therefore, in the situation shown in FIG. 4, the attention call designator 43 determines that the nearby vehicle 60 is unlikely to recognize the pedestrian 70 due to the presence of the parked vehicle 62. Therefore, in the situation shown in FIG. 4, the attention call designator 43 designates the pedestrian 70 as an object to call attention to for the nearby vehicle 60.

[0036] The attention-call determining unit 43 may also determine a candidate object as an attention-calling object based on the determination that the candidate object is difficult to see from a nearby moving object due to weather conditions. The weather may include one or more of backlight, rain, and fog. Smoke may also be treated as weather because it is similar to fog. Weather conditions can be detected by the sensor 30. Weather at the current location of the vehicle 10 may be obtained using a communication device mounted on the vehicle 10. Visibility changes depending on weather conditions. If the distance between the nearby moving object and the candidate object is longer than the visibility determined based on the weather conditions, the attention-call determining unit 43 determines the candidate object as an attention-calling object.

[0037] Furthermore, when the candidate designation unit 42 designates a road marking as a candidate object, the attention calling determination unit 43 may designate a faded road marking as the attention calling object. A specific description will be given using FIG. 5 as an example. In FIG. 5, a white line 72, which is a road dividing line, is shown between the host vehicle 10 and the surrounding vehicle 60. The white line 72 is a solid line, but is faded in parts. Because the white line 72 is faded, there is a possibility that the surrounding vehicle 60 is not correctly recognizing the white line 72, and therefore the attention calling determination unit 43 determines the white line 72 as the attention calling object. Note that the host vehicle 10 can recognize that the white line 72 is a solid line from map information. Alternatively, the host vehicle 10 may determine that the white line 72 is a solid line based on the recognition result of the white line 72 when the host vehicle 10 has traveled to the position shown in FIG. 5.

[0038] In the example of FIG. 5, the white line 72 is partially faded. However, even if the white line 72 is difficult to see because dirt, snow, or other accumulated material is piled up on at least a portion of the white line 72, the attention calling determination unit 43 may determine the white line 72 as the attention calling object. Note that the attention calling determination unit 43 may determine a road marking other than the white line 72 as the attention calling object. There is no limitation on the road marking other than the white line 72. Examples include directional markings such as a crosswalk or a stop line, and regulatory markings indicating no turns.

[0039] Road boundaries may also be difficult to discern due to various circumstances. For example, they may be difficult to discern for the same reasons as road markings. In addition, fallen leaves may be buried in road gutters, making the road boundaries difficult to discern. When a road boundary is difficult to discern, the attention-call determining unit 43 may determine the road boundary as an object requiring attention. Note that even if the road boundary is difficult to see, the vehicle 10 may be able to recognize the road boundary through various recognition processes.

[0040] In FIG. 6, a pedestrian 70 is a nearby moving object, and the pedestrian 70 is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow W. A puddle 73 is present ahead of the pedestrian 70 in the direction of travel. In the situation in FIG. 6, it is assumed that the surroundings of the host vehicle 10 are dark. Whether the surroundings of the host vehicle 10 are dark or not can be determined based on a signal provided by the sensor 30. Because the surroundings of the host vehicle 10 are dark, there is a possibility that the pedestrian 70 is unable to recognize the puddle 73. Therefore, the attention alert determination unit 43 determines the puddle 73 as an object to alert the pedestrian 70.

[0041] In FIG. 7 , a pedestrian 70 is also a nearby moving object, and the pedestrian 70 is moving in the direction indicated by arrow W. In FIG. 7 , if the pedestrian 70 moves in the direction indicated by arrow W and the left door of the host vehicle 10 opens, the door of the host vehicle 10 may obstruct the movement of the pedestrian 70. However, if the door is not open, the pedestrian 70 is unlikely to recognize the open door of the host vehicle 10. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 7 , if there is a possibility that the left door of the host vehicle 10 will open, the attention calling determination unit 43 determines that the left door of the host vehicle 10 is an object for which attention should be called. The possibility that the left door of the host vehicle 10 will open can be determined, for example, based on whether the host vehicle 10 is stopped and an occupant's hand has touched the passenger compartment side door handle of the left door of the host vehicle 10.

[0042] When the nearby moving object is a vehicle and the vehicle is close to a stationary obstacle such as a wall, the attention-call determining unit 43 may determine the stationary obstacle as the attention-call target. When the vehicle is close to the stationary obstacle, the driver of the vehicle is likely to recognize the existence of the stationary obstacle. However, for example, due to a narrow road, the vehicle may have to travel very close to the stationary obstacle. In this case, it is necessary to accurately recognize the distance between the vehicle and the stationary obstacle. However, it is often difficult to accurately recognize the distance between the vehicle and the stationary obstacle. In other words, this can be said to be a situation in which the driver of the vehicle may not be able to accurately recognize the position of the stationary obstacle as necessary. Therefore, the attention-call determining unit 43 may determine the stationary obstacle as the attention-call target when the vehicle is close to the stationary obstacle.

[0043] The information provision control unit 44 executes control to provide attention-calling information indicating the presence of an object requiring attention from the outside vehicle notification device 51 to nearby moving objects. The attention-calling information may also be referred to as an attention-calling signal. The control executed by the information provision control unit 44 will now be specifically described.

[0044] Fig. 8 shows an example of control executed by the information provision control unit 44 in the state shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 8, the headlights of the host vehicle 10 are switched to high beams. As a result, the pedestrian 70 is illuminated by the headlights of the host vehicle 10. Illumination by the headlights of the host vehicle 10 makes it easier for the driver of the nearby vehicle 60 to recognize the pedestrian 70.

[0045] An example of control by the information provision control unit 44 is also shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the host vehicle 10 sets the light distribution direction of its headlights in a direction that illuminates a falling object 71. The fallen object 71 cannot be seen from the surrounding vehicles 60, but the driver of the host vehicle 10 can recognize that the headlights of the host vehicle 10 are illuminating the area ahead of the leading vehicle 61. This enables the driver of the surrounding vehicles 60 to anticipate the possibility that an object requiring caution may exist ahead of the leading vehicle 61.

[0046] An example of the control of the information provision control unit 44 is also shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, the host vehicle 10 directs the light distribution direction of its headlights in the direction where the pedestrian 70 is present. Although the pedestrian 70 cannot be seen from the surrounding vehicle 60, it is possible for the driver of the surrounding vehicle 60 to recognize that the headlights of the host vehicle 10 are illuminating the area ahead of the parked vehicle 62. This enables the driver of the surrounding vehicle 60 to anticipate the possibility that there is an object ahead of the parked vehicle 62 that requires caution.

[0047] If the outside vehicle notification device 51 is a headlight equipped with a projector function, the information provision control unit 44 may display characters or graphics other than characters on the road surface as attention-calling information instead of or in addition to controlling the light distribution of the headlight. A two-dimensional code may also be displayed as a graphic other than characters. If nearby moving objects can read the two-dimensional code, the use of the two-dimensional code can provide attention-calling information with a large amount of information.

[0048] Fig. 6 also shows an example of the control of the information provision control unit 44. In Fig. 6, the vehicle 10 uses its headlights to illuminate a puddle 73. This makes it easier for a pedestrian 70 to notice the puddle 73.

[0049] In Figure 6, the nearby moving object is a pedestrian 70. Similarly, if the nearby moving object is a two-wheeled vehicle, attention-calling information can be provided to the two-wheeled vehicle by shining the headlights on a puddle 73. Also, if the object requiring attention is a manhole, a rut, a slippery section of road due to ice or wetness, or a defective part of a poorly maintained vehicle, an example of attention-calling information would be to shine the headlights on the object.

[0050] In the state of FIG. 7 , the information provision control unit 44 can, for example, turn on a light provided near the door to alert the pedestrian 70 that the door may be opening. The light provided near the door may be provided to make it easier for the occupant to recognize their feet when getting in and out of the vehicle. Furthermore, in the state of FIG. 7 , if the vehicle exterior notification device 51 is provided with a speaker that can issue a sound to the outside, the speaker may output a message as attention alert information to the pedestrian 70 that a door will be opening. Additionally, the information provision control unit 44 may provide information indicating the presence of the pedestrian 70 to the occupant of the vehicle 10 by sound or image.

[0051] FIG. 9 shows an example of control executed by the information provision control unit 44 in the state shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 9, road marking lines 74 superimposed on white lines 72 are displayed on the road surface by headlights equipped with a projector function. The road marking lines 74 are also displayed in areas where the white lines 72 are faint. Therefore, the road marking lines 74 make it easier for the driver of the nearby vehicle 60 to recognize the lane boundaries. Note that, because the edges of lane areas are lane boundaries, the information provision control unit 44 may display lane areas on the road surface instead of displaying the road marking lines 74. The information provision control unit 44 may display, as the lane area, the area of ​​the host lane in which the host vehicle 10 is traveling, or the area of ​​the adjacent lane in which the nearby vehicle 60 is traveling. Furthermore, if the road dividing line separating the oncoming lane is difficult to see, the area of ​​the oncoming lane may be displayed.

[0052] When a nearby moving object, such as a car, is close to a stationary obstacle as an object to be warned about, the information provision control unit 44 may use headlights equipped with a projector function to display an auxiliary line indicating that the car will be scraped if it gets any closer.

[0053] The information provision control unit 44 may provide the attention-calling information to nearby moving objects using a wireless communication device as the outside-vehicle notification device 51. By using a wireless communication device, detailed attention-calling information can be provided.

[0054] When using lights mounted on the vehicle 10, such as headlights, the information provision control unit 44 may provide warning information by controlling color scheme, lighting control, and blinking control in addition to the light distribution control and display control described above.

[0055] [Processing flow] Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing executed by the control device 40. The control device 40 can periodically execute the processing shown in Fig. 10 while the host vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0056] In S1, the control device 40 acquires a signal from the sensor 30. In S2, the moving body detection unit 41 executes a moving body detection process. In the moving body detection process, a nearby moving body is detected based on the signal acquired in S1.

[0057] In S3, the candidate determination unit 42 determines a candidate object based on the signal acquired in S1. S4, S5, and S6 are executed by the alert determination unit 43. In S4, for each surrounding moving object detected in S2, the possibility that the surrounding moving object recognizes the candidate object determined in S3 is determined. If it is determined that the surrounding moving object recognizes the candidate object, the determination result in S4 is YES, and the process proceeds to S5.

[0058] In S5, for the nearby moving object judged in S4, it is decided not to set the candidate object judged in S4 as an object to be alerted.

[0059] In S4, if it is determined that there is a possibility that the surrounding moving body has not recognized the candidate object, the result of the determination in S4 is set to NO, and the process proceeds to S6. In S6, for the surrounding moving body that made the determination in S4, the candidate object that was determined in S4 is determined to be an object to be alerted to.

[0060] After S6 is executed, the process proceeds to S7. S7 and S8 are executed by the information provision control unit 44. In S7, it is determined which external notification device 51 will provide what kind of attention-calling information. Specific examples of S7 have been described using Figures 2 to 9. In S8, the attention-calling information determined in S7 is provided to nearby moving objects from the external notification device 51 determined in S7.

[0061] In the embodiment described above, the attention alert system 20 determines whether to provide attention alert information to a nearby moving body based on the possibility that the nearby moving body recognizes a candidate object. Therefore, it is possible to alert a nearby moving body to the presence of an object that requires attention while preventing attention alert information about an object recognized by the nearby moving body from being provided to the nearby moving body.

[0062] Although the embodiments have been described above, the disclosed technology is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications are also included within the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, various modifications other than those described below can be implemented without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the following description, elements having the same reference numerals as those used up to that point are the same as the elements having the same reference numerals in the previous embodiments, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, when only a portion of the configuration is described, the previously described embodiment can be applied to the other portions of the configuration.

[0063] For example, the information provision control unit 44 may provide information indicating that the vehicle 10 is yielding to the other vehicle. This information may be, for example, a message displayed on the road surface saying, "Please go ahead."

[0064] The information provision control unit 44 may also provide various information to the occupants of the vehicle 10. For example, the information provision control unit 44 may provide the occupants with warning information indicating that there is an object that requires their attention after they have dismounted, when the occupants dismount or immediately thereafter. Objects that require their attention after they have dismounted include, for example, wheel chocks, puddles 73, uneven road surfaces, steps, and other obstacles. After the occupants have dismounted, the information provision control unit 44 provides the information using the outside-vehicle notification device 51.

[0065] Furthermore, the information provision control unit 44 may provide various information about the vehicle 10 to the occupant when the occupant gets off the vehicle 10 or immediately thereafter. Examples of the information about the vehicle 10 include the remaining fuel level, the remaining battery level, the air pressure, the mileage, the name of the destination, and the result of no parking sign recognition. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10: Vehicle 20: Attention system 30: Sensor 40: Control device 41: Moving object detection unit 42: Candidate determination unit 43: Attention determination unit 44: Information provision control unit 50: Notification device 51: Outside vehicle notification device 52: Occupant notification device 60: Nearby vehicle 61: Leading vehicle 62: Parked vehicle 70: Pedestrian 71: Falling object 72: White line 73: Puddle 74: Road marking line

Claims

1. A vehicle attention warning device for use in a vehicle, a moving object detection unit (41) that detects nearby moving objects present around a vehicle (10) that is a vehicle in which the vehicle attention-attracting device is used; a candidate determination unit (42) for determining a candidate object that is a candidate for an object whose presence should be alerted to the surrounding moving object; an attention-call determining unit (43) that determines whether or not the candidate object is to be an attention-calling object based on the possibility that the surrounding moving body recognizes the candidate object; an information provision control unit (44) that executes control to provide, to the nearby moving body, attention-calling information indicating the presence of the attention-calling object determined by the attention-calling determination unit; A vehicle attention warning device comprising:

2. the attention calling determination unit determines the candidate object as the attention calling object based on the fact that the candidate object exists outside a recognition range of the peripheral moving object that is determined based on a traveling direction of the peripheral moving object and that the candidate object is approaching the peripheral moving object. The vehicle attention warning device according to claim 1 .

3. the attention calling determination unit determines the candidate object as the attention calling object based on the presence of an obstructing object between the candidate object and the nearby moving object. The vehicle attention warning device according to claim 1 .

4. the attention calling determination unit determines the candidate object as the attention calling object based on a determination that the candidate object is difficult to see from the nearby moving object due to weather conditions; The vehicle attention warning device according to claim 1 .

5. the attention calling determination unit determines a road marking as the candidate object, and determines at least one of the road marking that is thin and the road marking on which a laminated material is stacked as the attention calling object; The vehicle attention warning device according to claim 1 .

6. the candidate designation unit designates, as the candidate object, a location on a road surface ahead in a traveling direction of the surrounding moving body where steering operation may become unstable, for the surrounding moving body having a steering wheel; The vehicle attention warning device according to claim 1 .

7. The information provision control unit generates the attention-calling information by controlling a light mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle attention-calling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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