Road surface drawing device for vehicle

Abstract

A road surface drawing device (101) for a vehicle, which is provided in a vehicle (1) capable of changing a shift range including at least a reverse position "R" by operating a shift lever (SL), is provided with: a road surface drawing unit (11) that irradiates a road surface behind the vehicle (1) with a light pattern that instructs the vehicle (1) to move backward; and a control unit (12) that controls the road surface drawing unit (11) without irradiating the light pattern when the shift lever (SL) passes through the reverse position "R".

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a road surface depicting device for a vehicle.

[0002] In the past, technologies related to road surface drawing devices mounted on vehicles have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle projection device having the following function: when it is detected that the position of the vehicle's gear lever is switched to the reverse gear position, the vehicle projection device draws a light pattern on the road surface behind the vehicle. Background Art

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2022 / 030181 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, in an automatic shift car, when the driver moves the vehicle forward from a stopped state, he or she moves the shift lever of the vehicle from "P" (parking position) to "D" (drive position). At this time, the position of the shift lever changes from "P" to "D" via "R" (reverse position) and "N" (neutral position).

[0008] As in the vehicle projection device described in Patent Document 1, when a light pattern is irradiated onto the road surface behind the vehicle at the timing when the position of the gear lever is switched to "R", the light pattern is irradiated onto the road surface behind the vehicle for a moment before the position of the gear lever is moved from "P" to "D". In such a case, even if the driver does not intend to move the vehicle backward, people around the vehicle may mistakenly believe that the vehicle is going to move backward and may take actions such as avoiding the rear of the vehicle.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a road surface depicting device for a vehicle that can irradiate a light pattern onto the road surface behind the vehicle when the vehicle actually moves backward.

[0010] Means for solving problems

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vehicle road surface depiction device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:

[0012] The invention is a vehicle road surface depiction device provided in a vehicle in which a gear position including at least a reverse gear position can be changed by operating a shift lever, and the vehicle road surface depiction device comprises:

[0013] a road surface depicting unit that irradiates a road surface behind the vehicle with a light pattern indicating that the vehicle is moving backward; and

[0014] The control unit controls the road surface depicting unit so as not to radiate the light pattern when the shift lever passes through the reverse position.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the present disclosure, when a vehicle actually moves backward, a light pattern can be irradiated onto the road surface behind the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a configuration of a road surface depicting device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a shift lever in a vehicle shown.

[0019] Figure 3 Yes means Figure 1 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement position of the road surface depicting portion and the light pattern emitted by the road surface depicting portion.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining problems in a conventional road surface depicting device for a vehicle.

[0021] Figure 5 These are other diagrams for explaining problems in conventional road surface depicting devices for vehicles.

[0022] Figure 6 It is used to describe the scene Figure 1 A table showing permission or non-permission of irradiation of a light pattern by a control unit is shown.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a flowchart for explaining the flow of operations of the road surface depicting device for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] [Overall structure]

[0025] The present disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a road surface depicting device 101 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1As shown, a road surface depicting device 101 for a vehicle is mounted on a vehicle 1 and includes: a road surface depicting unit 11 for emitting a light pattern X; and a control unit 12 for controlling the road surface depicting unit 11 (hereinafter referred to as "road surface depicting control"). The light pattern X indicates on the road surface behind the vehicle 1 that the vehicle 1 is going to move backward. The road surface depicting unit 11 and the control unit 12 may be provided in the same unit or in different units.

[0026] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a shift lever SL in the vehicle 1. Figure 2 The driver can change the position of the shift lever SL (hereinafter also referred to as "shift position") by operating the shift lever SL. For example, the vehicle 1 is an automatic shift car, and the shift positions are arranged in a straight line in the order of "P" (parking position), "R", "N" (neutral position), and "D" (drive position).

[0027] in addition, Figure 2 The shift lever SL shown in the figure is operated so as to move linearly to change the shift position, but the present invention is not limited to such a structure, and the shift position may be changed by moving in a path other than a linear path such as a step shape.

[0028] Reference again Figure 1 In addition to the vehicle road surface depiction device 101, the vehicle 1 further includes: a shift sensor 21; a camera unit 22; a wheel speed sensor 23; a backdoor opening and closing sensor 24; and a steering angle sensor 25. The shift sensor 21 transmits position information indicating the current gear position to the control unit 12, for example, by communication based on CAN (Controller Area Network). The shift sensor 21 updates the content of the position information at a predetermined interval such as every 1 second.

[0029] The shorter the predetermined interval is, the more sensitive it is to detect the shifting of the gear position of the shift lever SL. However, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the predetermined interval be set to a time that is sufficiently longer than the time when the shift lever SL passes through a gear position other than the gear position when the shift lever SL is moved to the gear position desired by the driver.

[0030] The imaging unit 22 includes a camera 31 and an image processing unit 32. The camera 31 captures the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and outputs image data of the captured image to the image processing unit 32. The image processing unit 32 performs image processing on the image data received from the camera 31, and transmits a detection result indicating the presence or absence of a moving object such as a person or another vehicle in the surroundings of the vehicle 1 to the control unit 12.

[0031] The wheel speed sensor 23 detects, for example, the rotation speed and rotation direction of the wheels in the vehicle 1, and transmits the detection result to the control unit 12. The tailgate opening / closing sensor 24 detects that the tailgate BD of the vehicle 1 is opened, and transmits the detection result indicating that the tailgate BD is opened to the control unit 12. For example, the tailgate opening / closing sensor 24 periodically transmits the detection result indicating that the tailgate BD is opened until the tailgate BD is closed.

[0032] The steering angle sensor 25 detects the steering angle of the wheels steered by the driver's steering wheel operation, for example, and sends the detection result to the control unit 12. Here, the steering angle when the vehicle 1 is traveling rightward is a positive value, and the steering angle when the vehicle 1 is traveling leftward is a negative value.

[0033] Figure 3 Yes means Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration position of the road surface depicting portion 11 and a light pattern X emitted by the road surface depicting portion 11. Figure 3 As shown, the road surface depicting portion 11 is disposed, for example, in a portion of the rear door BD of the vehicle 1 near the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle 1. Figure 3 In the figure, in order to make the arrangement position of the road surface depicting portion 11 easier to understand, the arrangement position of the road surface depicting portion 11 is shaded.

[0034] The road surface depiction unit 11 includes a light source (not shown). The light from the light source is irradiated toward the road surface behind the vehicle 1, thereby irradiating the road surface with a light pattern X. The light pattern X indicates not only that the vehicle 1 is moving backward, but also the direction in which the vehicle 1 is moving backward.

[0035] Specifically, in order to make the vehicle 1 go straight backward, the driver switches the gear to "R" and further operates the steering wheel so that the steering angle of the wheels becomes 0°. Figure 3 As shown, the control unit 12 controls the road surface depicting unit 11 to emit a light pattern X in the shape of a dotted line extending linearly from the rear of the vehicle 1 , for example.

[0036] In order to drive the vehicle 1 to the right rear, the driver switches the gear to "R" and further operates the steering wheel to make the steering angle greater than 0. In this case, the control unit 12 controls the road surface drawing unit 11 to emit a light pattern X in the shape of a dotted line that curves from the rear of the vehicle 1 to the right.

[0037] In order to drive the vehicle 1 to the left rear, the driver switches the gear to "R" and further operates the steering wheel to make the steering angle smaller than 0. In this case, the control unit 12 controls the road surface drawing unit 11 to emit a light pattern X in the shape of a dotted line that curves from the rear of the vehicle 1 to the left.

[0038] In addition, the road surface depicting portion 11 is not limited to being arranged near the center of the rear door BD in the left-right direction, but can also be arranged in the same lamp body as a rear combination lamp that is arranged at the rear of the vehicle 1 and integrates multiple lamps such as direction indicator lamps, brake lights and tail lights.

[0039] However, when the road surface depicting portion 11 and the rear combination lamp or the like disposed at the side end of the vehicle are disposed in the same lamp body, the light pattern X emitted by the road surface depicting portion 11 may approach the white line drawn on the road surface behind the vehicle 1. In this case, it is considered that it is difficult for the driver of another vehicle located behind the vehicle 1 to distinguish the light pattern X from the vehicle 1 and the white line. Therefore, the road surface depicting portion 11 is preferably disposed near the center of the rear door BD in the left-right direction so that the light pattern X does not approach the white line.

[0040] [Explanation of the topic]

[0041] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining problems in a conventional road surface depiction device for a vehicle. Figure 4 In order to move the vehicle C1 forward from the stopped state, the driver moves the shift lever SL of the vehicle C1 from "P" to "D". At this time, the gear position is changed from "P" to "D" via "R" and "N".

[0042] Here, as in the conventional road surface depicting device for a vehicle, when the shift position is switched to "R", the road surface behind the vehicle C1 is irradiated with the light pattern X. In the period before the shift position is shifted from "P" to "D", the road surface behind the vehicle C1 is irradiated with the light pattern X for a moment.

[0043] For example, Figure 4 As shown, when the vehicle C1 stops near a shaded area, as described above, the light pattern X is irradiated to the rear of the vehicle C1 for a moment by operating the shift lever SL for the vehicle C1. In this case, the driver of the other vehicle C2 observes the light pattern X from the vehicle C1 and mistakenly believes that the vehicle C1 is going to move backward, and further cannot grasp the overall movement of the vehicle C1, so even after the vehicle C1 moves forward, the driver may mistakenly believe that the vehicle C1 is going to move backward.

[0044] Figure 51 is another diagram for explaining the problems in the conventional road surface drawing device for vehicles. Figure 5 As shown, in order to allow person A to board vehicle C1 near a parking lot, the driver of vehicle C1 changes the vehicle C1 from a running state to a stopped state. In this case, the gear position of vehicle C1 is changed from "D" to "P" via "N" and "R".

[0045] That is, when the conventional road surface depicting device for a vehicle is installed in the vehicle C1, the road surface behind the vehicle C1 is irradiated with the light pattern X for a moment before the shift position is changed from "D" to "P". In this case, for example, person B behind the vehicle C1 may mistakenly believe that the vehicle C1 has entered the parking lot by backing up, and may take actions such as waiting for the vehicle C1 to enter the parking lot.

[0046] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the road surface drawing control described later is performed in the vehicle road surface drawing device 101 in the present disclosure.

[0047] In addition, depending on the vehicle, when the gear position is switched to "R", not only the light pattern X is lit, but also the reverse lamp is lit. In such a vehicle, when the driver moves the vehicle forward from a stopped state, that is, when the position of the shift lever SL of the vehicle is switched from "P" to "D", the reverse lamp is lit for a moment.

[0048] However, compared with the lighting of the reverse lights, when the road surface depicting device for a vehicle irradiates the road surface behind the vehicle with the light pattern X for a moment, it will give a much stronger impression to the people around the vehicle due to the high brightness of the light and the large area of ​​irradiation. Therefore, if the road surface depicting device for a vehicle 101 is lit at an unexpected time, it is easy for people around the vehicle to mistakenly believe that the vehicle is going to move backward. Therefore, it is more desirable to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0049] [Details of road surface drawing control]

[0050] (Control based on the time the gear is in "R")

[0051] Reference again Figure 1 , the control unit 12 performs road surface drawing control on the road surface drawing unit 11 so that when the position of the shift lever SL in the vehicle 1 passes through "R", the road surface drawing unit 11 does not irradiate the light pattern X. More specifically, when the shift position is "R" for more than a predetermined time, the control unit 12 permits the road surface drawing unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X.

[0052] Specifically, as described above, the content of the position information from the shift sensor 21 is updated, for example, every 1 second. The control unit 12 periodically checks the position information, and when the shift position indicated by the position information is continuously "R" in two or more updates, that is, when it is "R" for more than 2 seconds, the road surface depicting unit 11 is allowed to irradiate the light pattern X. In this case, the control unit 12 controls the road surface depicting unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X extending straight or curved toward the rear of the vehicle 1 based on the detection result from the steering angle sensor 25.

[0053] On the other hand, when the time when the shift position is "R" is less than the prescribed time, that is, when the state of the shift position "R" indicated by the position information does not last for more than 2 seconds, the control unit 12 does not allow the road surface drawing unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X. In other words, the control unit 12 controls the road surface drawing unit 11 so that the road surface drawing unit 11 does not irradiate the light pattern X.

[0054] Figure 6 It is used to describe the scene Figure 1 The table of permission or non-permission of the irradiation of the light pattern X by the control unit 12 shown. Figure 6 As in scenario 1, in order to move the vehicle 1 forward from the stopped state, the driver moves the shift lever SL from "P" to "D". At this time, the gear position is changed from "P" to "D" via "R" and "N". In this case, the gear position is switched to "R" only for a moment, and the gear position is not kept at "R" for more than 2 seconds. Therefore, the control unit 12 does not permit the irradiation of the light pattern X, and does not irradiate the light pattern X.

[0055] In addition, as in scenario 2, in order to reverse the vehicle 1 from the stopped state of the vehicle 1, the driver moves the shift lever SL from "P" to "R". In this case, the gear position is changed from "P" to "R", and the gear position is "R" for more than 2 seconds. Therefore, the control unit 12 permits the irradiation of the light pattern X and irradiates the light pattern X. In addition, in Figure 6 In the example, "RR" indicates that the gear position is "R" for more than 2 seconds.

[0056] In addition, as in scenario 3, in order to stop the vehicle 1 from the running state of the vehicle 1, the driver moves the shift lever SL from "D" to "P". At this time, the gear position is changed from "D" to "P" via "N" and "R". In this case, the gear position is switched to "R" only for a moment, and the state of the gear position being "R" does not last for more than 2 seconds. Therefore, the control unit 12 does not permit the irradiation of the light pattern X, and does not irradiate the light pattern X.

[0057] In addition, as in scene 4, in order to stop the vehicle 1 from the driving state of the vehicle 1 and further to reverse the vehicle 1, the driver moves the shift lever SL from "D" to "P", and further from "P" to "R". When the gear position is moved from "D" to "P", the gear position is changed from "D" to "P" via "N" and "R", but the state of the gear position being "R" does not last for more than 2 seconds. Therefore, the control unit 12 does not permit the irradiation of the light pattern X, and does not irradiate the light pattern X. On the other hand, after the gear position is moved from "P" to "R", the state of the gear position being "R" lasts for more than 2 seconds. Therefore, the control unit 12 permits the irradiation of the light pattern X, and irradiates the light pattern X.

[0058] (Control based on vehicle speed in the reverse direction)

[0059] Reference again Figure 1 As a road surface depiction control, when the rotation speed of the wheel of the vehicle 1 in the direction of backward movement is greater than a threshold value, the control unit 12 further permits the road surface depiction unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X. More specifically, the control unit 12 receives the detection result sent from the wheel speed sensor 23, calculates the vehicle speed based on the detection result, and confirms whether the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 in the direction of backward movement is greater than a threshold value. The threshold value is a value greater than zero, for example, 2 km / h. Moreover, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 in the direction of backward movement is greater than the threshold value, the control unit 12 permits the road surface depiction unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X regardless of the gear position.

[0060] That is, according to the above-mentioned structure, regardless of the gear position, the light pattern X can be not irradiated when the vehicle 1 does not move backward, but the light pattern X can be irradiated when the vehicle 1 moves backward. For example, even if the gear position is "P" or "N", when the vehicle 1 is on the way uphill, the vehicle 1 may move backward. In such a case, the light pattern X is irradiated to the rear of the vehicle 1, so that the surrounding area can be properly informed of the movement of the vehicle 1.

[0061] (Control based on the presence or absence of surrounding moving objects)

[0062] When the detection result from the image processing unit 32 indicates that there is no moving object around the vehicle 1, the control unit 12 further prohibits the road surface drawing unit 11 from irradiating the light pattern X as a road surface drawing control. In this way, by controlling not to irradiate the light pattern X when there is little need to notify the surroundings of the retreat of the vehicle 1, the irradiation of the light pattern X can be controlled more appropriately.

[0063] In addition, the image processing unit 32 is not limited to the structure of sending the detection result indicating the presence or absence of the moving body in the vicinity of the vehicle 1, and may also send the detection result including at least any one of the following based on the image data from the camera 31: the distance between the vehicle 1 and each moving body, the direction from the vehicle 1 to each moving body, and the width of the empty area around the vehicle 1. The empty area refers to an area where there are no fixed objects such as buildings. The width of the empty area is represented by the distance from the fixed objects such as buildings existing in the vicinity of the vehicle 1 to the vehicle 1, for example.

[0064] In such a case, the control unit 12 may be configured such that, based on the detection result from the image processing unit 32, for example, when there is no moving object within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1, the irradiation of the light pattern X is not permitted. In addition, the control unit 12 may change the range of the predetermined distance according to the width of the empty area indicated by the detection result. In addition, the control unit 12 may be configured such that, based on the detection result, when there is no moving object behind the vehicle 1, the irradiation of the light pattern X is not permitted.

[0065] In addition, the image processing unit 32 may be included in the vehicle road surface depiction device 101. In addition, the image processing unit 32 may be configured to receive not only image data from the camera 31 but also measurement results from sensors such as millimeter wave radar, sonar, and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mounted on the vehicle 1 (not shown).

[0066] (Variation of Control Based on the Presence or Absence of Surrounding Moving Objects)

[0067] The control unit 12 may be configured such that, when the detection result from the image processing unit 32 indicates that there is no moving object around the vehicle 1, contrary to the above control content, the road surface depiction unit 11 is permitted to irradiate the light pattern X. In this way, when there is no moving object around that may cause a misidentification that the vehicle 1 is moving backward, control is performed to irradiate the light pattern X, thereby enabling more appropriate control of irradiation of the light pattern X.

[0068] Even when performing such control, the control unit 12 may determine whether to permit the irradiation of the light pattern X by using at least one of the distance between the vehicle 1 and each moving object, the direction from the vehicle 1 to each moving object, and the width of the empty area around the vehicle 1 .

[0069] (Control based on opening and closing of the tailgate)

[0070] When the tailgate BD of the vehicle 1 is opened, the control unit 12 further prohibits the road surface drawing unit 11 from emitting the light pattern X as the road surface drawing control.

[0071] More specifically, as described above, for example, before the back door BD is closed, the back door opening and closing sensor 24 periodically sends a detection result indicating that the back door BD is opened to the control unit 12. Therefore, after receiving the detection result from the back door opening and closing sensor 24, the control unit 12 controls the road surface depicting unit 11 so as not to irradiate the light pattern X until a predetermined time has passed without receiving a new detection result from the back door opening and closing sensor 24. The predetermined time here is a time longer than the transmission cycle based on the detection result of the back door opening and closing sensor 24.

[0072] As described above, the road surface depicting unit 11 is disposed on the rear door BD of the vehicle 1. Therefore, when a person opens the rear door BD and performs operations such as taking or placing luggage in the trunk, the person may feel dazzled if the light pattern X is irradiated. In addition, even when the road surface depicting unit 11 is not disposed on the rear door BD, the road surface depicting unit 11 irradiates light toward the rear of the vehicle 1, which may also cause a person working behind the vehicle 1 to feel dazzled.

[0073] In contrast, as described above, the control unit 12 performs the road surface depiction control so as not to irradiate the light pattern X when the back door BD is open. In addition, the control unit 12 performs the road surface depiction control so as to stop irradiating the light pattern X when the back door BD is open while the vehicle 1 is moving backward and irradiating the light pattern X. This can prevent the person who is working to open the back door BD from feeling dazzled.

[0074] The control unit 12 is not limited to performing all of the above-mentioned road surface depiction controls, and may be configured not to perform one or more of the control based on the vehicle speed in the reverse direction, the control based on the presence or absence of a surrounding moving object, and the control based on the opening and closing of the tailgate BD.

[0075] Furthermore, the vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the vehicle 1 may be configured to instruct the control unit 12 to irradiate the light pattern X according to the gear position. In such a configuration, the control unit 12 may perform the above-mentioned road surface depiction control regardless of the content of the instruction from the vehicle ECU.

[0076] [Flow of Action]

[0077] Figure 7 This is a flowchart for explaining the operation flow of the vehicle road surface depiction device 101 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the control unit 12 is described as a configuration that does not permit the irradiation of the light pattern X when there is no moving object around the vehicle 1 in the control based on the presence or absence of a moving object around.

[0078] refer to Figure 7 First, the driver turns on the ignition key of the vehicle 1. At this time, the shift position is "P". In this case, the control unit 12 starts to periodically check the position information from the shift sensor 21 while maintaining the state of not irradiating the light pattern X (step S11).

[0079] Next, the control unit 12 determines whether the shift position is switched to "R" based on the position information (step S12). After that, if the shift position is switched to "R" ("YES" in step S12), the control unit 12 checks whether the shift position is "R" for a predetermined time or longer (step S13).

[0080] Next, when the shift position is in “R” for a predetermined time or longer (YES in step S13 ), the control unit 12 determines whether the vehicle speed in the reverse direction of the vehicle 1 is greater than a threshold value based on the detection result from the wheel speed sensor 23 (step S14 ).

[0081] Next, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 in the backward direction is equal to or higher than the threshold value (YES in step S14 ), the control unit 12 determines whether the back door BD is closed based on the detection result received from the back door opening and closing sensor 24 (step S15 ).

[0082] Next, when the control unit 12 has not received the detection result from the tailgate opening / closing sensor 24 , it determines that the tailgate BD is closed (YES in step S15 ), and checks the content of the detection result from the image processing unit 32 (step S16 ).

[0083] Next, the detection result from the image processing unit 32 indicates that there is a moving object around the vehicle 1 (“YES” in step S16 ). In this case, the control unit 12 controls the road surface drawing unit 11 to emit the light pattern X (step S17 ).

[0084] Next, the control unit 12 checks the new position information to check whether the shift position has been switched to other than "R" (step S18). After that, if the shift position has been switched to other than "R" ("YES" in step S18), the control unit 12 controls the road surface depiction unit 11 to stop irradiating the light pattern X (step S11). After that, the control unit 12 performs the operations after step S12 again.

[0085] On the other hand, when the shift position has not been switched to other than “R”, that is, when the shift position remains at “R” (“NO” in step S18 ), the control unit 12 performs the operations in step S14 and thereafter again.

[0086] If the shift position is not switched to “R” in step S12 (“NO” in step S12 ), the control unit 12 determines whether the vehicle speed in the reverse direction of the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a threshold value based on the detection result from the wheel speed sensor 23 (step S19 ).

[0087] Thereafter, the control unit 12 controls the road surface depicting unit 11 so that when the vehicle speed in the direction of the vehicle 1 moving backward is greater than a threshold value (“YES” in step S19), the road surface depicting unit 11 radiates the light pattern X (step S17). On the other hand, when the vehicle speed in the direction of the vehicle 1 moving backward is less than the threshold value (“NO” in step S19), the control unit 12 controls the road surface depicting unit 11 so that the light pattern X is not radiated (step S11).

[0088] In addition, the control unit 12 controls the road surface depicting unit 11 to maintain the state of not irradiating the light pattern X (step S11) when the state of the gear position being "R" does not continue for more than a predetermined time in step S13 ("NO" in step S13), when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 in the reverse direction is less than a threshold value in step S14 ("NO" in step S14), when it is determined in step S15 that the tailgate BD is opened ("NO" in step S15), or when there is no moving object around the vehicle 1 in step S16 ("NO" in step S16).

[0089] In addition, the flow of the operation of the control unit 12 is not limited to the order of the above-mentioned steps. For example, the order of step S14, step S15, and step S16 may be reversed.

[0090] (1) As described above, the vehicle road surface depiction device 101,

[0091] It is a vehicle road surface depicting device 101 provided on a vehicle 1 capable of changing a gear position including at least "R" by operating a shift lever SL, and the vehicle road surface depicting device 101 comprises: a road surface depicting unit 11 for irradiating a light pattern X indicating the reverse movement of the vehicle 1 onto the road surface behind the vehicle 1; and a control unit 12 for controlling the road surface depicting unit 11 in such a manner that the light pattern X is not irradiated when the shift lever SL passes through "R".

[0092] With such a structure, when the driver changes the shift lever SL to a gear position other than "R", even if the gear position is switched to "R" for an instant, it is possible to avoid irradiating the road surface behind the vehicle 1 with the light pattern X indicating the reverse movement of the vehicle 1. That is, when the vehicle 1 actually moves backward, the light pattern X can be irradiated on the road surface behind the vehicle 1, thereby avoiding misperception by people around the vehicle 1 that the vehicle 1 is moving backward.

[0093] (2) In the vehicle road surface drawing device 101 of (1) above, when the shift position is “R” for a predetermined time or longer, the control unit 12 permits the road surface drawing unit 11 to radiate the light pattern X as the above control, and when the shift position is “R” for less than the predetermined time, the control unit 12 does not permit the road surface drawing unit 11 to radiate the light pattern X as the above control. With such a configuration, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the shift lever SL has been moved only to “R”, that is, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the driver has operated the shift lever SL with the intention of changing the shift position to a position other than “R”.

[0094] (3) In the vehicle road surface depicting device 101 of (1) or (2) above, further, when the rotation speed of the wheels of the vehicle 1 in the direction in which the vehicle 1 moves backward is greater than a threshold value, the control unit 12 permits the road surface depicting unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X. For example, even when the gear position is "P" or "N", the vehicle 1 may move backward when parking on a slope. In this regard, with the above-mentioned configuration, the light pattern X can be irradiated onto the road surface behind the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 is about to move backward, regardless of the gear position, so that the surrounding area can be appropriately informed of the movement of the vehicle 1.

[0095] (4) In the vehicle road surface depicting device 101 according to any one of (1) to (3) above, further, when there is no moving object around the vehicle 1, the control unit 12 does not permit the road surface depicting unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X. In this way, when there is little need to notify the surroundings that the vehicle 1 is moving backward, control is performed so that the light pattern X is not irradiated, thereby enabling more appropriate control of the irradiation of the light pattern X.

[0096] (5) In the vehicle road surface depicting device 101 according to any one of (1) to (3) above, the control unit 12 may further permit the road surface depicting unit 11 to irradiate the light pattern X when there is no moving object around the vehicle 1. In this way, when there is no moving object around that may cause the vehicle to be mistakenly recognized as moving backward, the light pattern is controlled to be irradiated, and the irradiation of the light pattern can be controlled more appropriately.

[0097] (6) In the vehicle road surface depicting device 101 according to any one of (1) to (5) above, further, when the back door BD of the vehicle 1 is opened, the control unit 12 does not permit the road surface depicting unit 11 to radiate the light pattern X. With such a configuration, when a person opens the back door BD of the vehicle 1 to perform operations such as taking or placing luggage, the light pattern X is not radiated, thereby preventing the person from feeling dazzled.

[0098] (7) In the vehicle road surface depiction device 101 according to any one of (1) to (6) above, the road surface depiction unit 11 emits a light pattern X indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 when it is moving backward. With such a configuration, the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 when it is moving backward, such as the left rear, the right rear, or the rear straight ahead, can be informed to people around the vehicle 1.

[0099] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described above, but the scope of the technology of the present disclosure should certainly not be interpreted in a limited manner by the description of the embodiments. The present embodiment is only an example, and those skilled in the art should understand that various changes in the embodiments can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The scope of the technology of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0100] This application is based on Japanese patent application No. 2022-143661 filed on September 9, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A vehicle road surface depicting device, which is provided in a vehicle in which a gear position including at least a reverse gear position can be changed by operating a shift lever, the vehicle road surface depicting device comprising: a road surface depicting unit that irradiates a road surface behind the vehicle with a light pattern indicating that the vehicle is moving backward; and The control unit controls the road surface depicting unit so as not to radiate the light pattern when the shift lever passes through the reverse position.

2. The road surface depicting device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: When the gear position is in the reverse gear position for more than a specified time, the control unit permits the road surface depicting unit to irradiate the light pattern as the control, and when the gear position is in the reverse gear position for less than the specified time, the control unit does not permit the road surface depicting unit to irradiate the light pattern as the control.

3. The road surface depicting device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The control unit further permits the road surface drawing unit to radiate the light pattern when a rotation speed of the wheels of the vehicle in a direction in which the vehicle moves backward is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

4. The vehicle road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: When there is no moving object around the vehicle, the control unit further does not permit the road surface drawing unit to radiate the light pattern.

5. The vehicle road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The control unit further permits the road surface drawing unit to radiate the light pattern when there is no moving object around the vehicle.

6. The vehicle road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The control unit further does not permit the road surface depicting unit to radiate the light pattern when a tailgate of the vehicle is opened.

7. The vehicle road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The road surface depicting unit irradiates the light pattern indicating a traveling direction of the vehicle when moving backward.

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