Road surface drawing device

Abstract

The road surface drawing device (4) is capable of drawing at least a road surface drawing indicating the same concept as the concept indicated by the direction indicator. The exit area (R) of the road surface drawing device (4) comprises a first area (R1) which can be visually recognized by other traffic participants located behind the host vehicle and a second area (R2) which cannot be visually recognized by other traffic participants. The road surface depiction of the first region (R1) and the road surface depiction of the second region (R2) can be individually controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a road surface depicting device. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle start notification display device that uses detection of a switch from ON to OFF of the brake as a necessary determination for the start notification display and causes a road surface drawing unit to draw the start notification display.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-055519 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, sometimes a road surface depiction device mounted on a vehicle is used to depict the road surface in the area in front of the vehicle. However, if such a road surface depiction is not directed toward other traffic participants (other vehicles, etc.) located behind the vehicle, the road surface depiction may be misunderstood by the other traffic participants if the other traffic participants see the road surface depiction.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a road surface drawing device that can draw a road surface without causing misunderstanding to other road participants even when there are other road participants behind a vehicle.

[0009] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0010] A road surface depiction device of one embodiment of the present invention is at least capable of depicting a road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by a direction indicator, wherein the irradiable area of ​​the road surface depiction device includes a first area that can be visually recognized by other traffic participants located behind the vehicle and a second area that cannot be visually recognized by the other traffic participants, and the road surface depiction of the first area and the road surface depiction of the second area can be controlled separately.

[0011] According to the above structure, the road surface depiction device can at least depict a road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator. In addition, according to the above structure, the road surface depiction of the first area that can be visually recognized by other traffic participants behind the vehicle and the road surface depiction of the second area that cannot be visually recognized by the other traffic participants can be controlled separately. The road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator is used to convey the direction of travel of the vehicle to other traffic participants behind the vehicle. Therefore, for example, in the case where there are other traffic participants behind the vehicle, if the other traffic participants visually recognize the road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator, it is possible to misunderstand that the direction of travel of the vehicle is conveyed by the road surface depiction. However, in the road surface depiction device of the above structure, the road surface depiction is not performed in the first area, and on the other hand, the road surface depiction is performed in the second area, thereby enabling the road surface depiction to be performed in the second area that cannot be visually recognized by the other traffic participants. In this way, according to the road surface depiction device of the above structure, even if there are other traffic participants behind the vehicle, the road surface depiction can be performed without causing misunderstanding to the other traffic participants.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a road surface drawing device that can draw a road surface without causing misunderstanding to other road users even when there are other road users behind the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a front view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter, simply referred to as the present embodiment).

[0015] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the vehicle system according to the present embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a situation in which the road surface depiction represents the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating a situation in which a welcome sign is displayed in a situation where no other traffic participants exist around the vehicle in the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating a situation in which a welcome sign is displayed in a situation where another vehicle exists behind the vehicle in the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a situation when a welcome message is displayed in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For convenience of description, the dimensions of the components shown in the accompanying drawings may be different from the actual dimensions of the components.

[0021] In the description of the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience, "left-right direction", "up-down direction" and "front-back direction" are sometimes mentioned as appropriate. These directions are for Figure 1 The relative directions set for the vehicle 1 shown in the example. Here, the "left-right direction" is a direction including the "left direction" and the "right direction", and is also the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. The "up-down direction" is a direction including the "upward direction" and the "downward direction". The "front-back direction" is a direction including the "front direction" and the "rear direction". The front-back direction is Figure 1 It is not shown in the figure, but it is a direction orthogonal to the left-right direction and the up-down direction. It should be noted that in each figure, the symbol U shown in the figure indicates the upward direction. The symbol D indicates the downward direction. The symbol F indicates the front direction. The symbol B indicates the rear direction. The symbol L indicates the left direction. The symbol R indicates the right direction.

[0022] (First embodiment)

[0023] First, refer to Figures 1 to 4 The vehicle system 2 according to the present embodiment will be described below. Figure 1 It is a front view of the vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle system 2. Figure 2 It is a module diagram of vehicle system 2. Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a situation in which the road surface depiction represents the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator. Figure 4 The figure illustrates a situation where a welcome sign is displayed when there are no other traffic participants around the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is, for example, a vehicle (car) that can travel in a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode.

[0024] like Figure 2 As shown in the example, the vehicle system 2 includes a vehicle control unit 3, a road surface depiction device 4, a sensor 5, a camera 6, a radar 7, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 8, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 9, a wireless communication unit 10, a storage device 11, a steering actuator 12, a steering device 13, a brake actuator 14, a brake device 15, an acceleration actuator 16 and an acceleration device 17.

[0025] The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the driving of the vehicle 1. In addition, the vehicle control unit 3 is configured to judge the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment information described later, and generate a light control signal for controlling the road surface depiction device 4 based on the judgment. The vehicle control unit 3 is composed of, for example, at least one electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (such as SoC (System on a Chip)) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit composed of active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). The CPU may also be composed of multiple CPU cores. The GPU may be composed of multiple GPU cores. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory: Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory: Random Access Memory). The ROM can store a vehicle control program. For example, the vehicle control program may also include an artificial intelligence (AI) program for autonomous driving. The vehicle control program, vehicle control data and / or surrounding environment information representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle may also be temporarily stored in the RAM. The processor may also be configured to expand the program specified by the various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM on the RAM, and perform various processes by cooperating with the RAM. In addition, the computer system may also be composed of non-von Neumann computers such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). In addition, the computer system may include a combination of von Neumann computers and non-von Neumann computers.

[0026] The road surface depicting device 4 includes a right front road surface depicting device 4R (hereinafter, simply referred to as the road surface depicting device 4R) and a left front road surface depicting device 4L (hereinafter, simply referred to as the road surface depicting device 4L).

[0027] like Figure 1In the example shown, the road surface depicting device 4L is arranged in the lamp chamber of the left headlamp 20L. However, the road surface depicting device 4L may be configured as a separate body from the left headlamp 20L. In addition, the road surface depicting device 4L may be arranged on the roof 100A of the vehicle 1 or on the bumper of the vehicle 1. The road surface depicting device 4R is arranged in the lamp chamber of the right headlamp 20R. However, the road surface depicting device 4R may be configured as a separate body from the right headlamp 20R. In addition, the road surface depicting device 4R may be arranged on the roof 100A of the vehicle 1 or on the bumper of the vehicle 1. Figure 2 As shown in the example, the road surface drawing device 4L includes a road surface drawing lamp 45L and a light control unit 46L. The road surface drawing device 4R includes a road surface drawing lamp 45R and a light control unit 46R. It should be noted that the details of the road surface drawing device 4L and the road surface drawing device 4R will be described later.

[0028] The sensor 5 is described. The sensor 5 includes at least one of an acceleration sensor, a speed sensor, and a gyro sensor. The sensor 5 is configured to detect the driving state of the vehicle 1 and output the driving state information to the vehicle control unit 3. The sensor 5 may also include a seat sensor for detecting whether the driver is sitting on the driver's seat, a face orientation sensor for detecting the driver's face direction, an external weather sensor for detecting the external weather state, and a human body sensing sensor for detecting whether there is a person in the vehicle.

[0029] The camera 6 is, for example, a camera including an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). The camera 6 detects surrounding environment information indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and transmits the surrounding environment information to the vehicle control unit 3. The surrounding environment information is, for example, information related to traffic participants existing around the vehicle 1, objects such as traffic signs or signal lights existing around the vehicle 1, and the like. It should be noted that traffic participants are, for example, other vehicles such as two-wheeled vehicles or four-wheeled vehicles, or pedestrians.

[0030] The radar 7 includes at least one of a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, and a LiDAR unit. For example, the LiDAR unit detects surrounding environment information based on point group data representing the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and transmits the surrounding environment information to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0031] The HMI 8 is composed of an input unit that receives input operations from the driver and an output unit that outputs driving information of the vehicle 1 to the driver. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode switch that switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1, etc. The output unit is a display device (for example, HUD, etc.) that displays various driving information. The HUD is configured to display the driving information of the vehicle 1 on the front window 60. The GPS 9 is configured to obtain the current position information of the vehicle 1 and output the obtained current position information to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0032] The wireless communication unit 10 receives information related to other vehicles located around the vehicle 1 (for example, driving information, etc.) from other vehicles, and sends information related to the vehicle 1 (for example, driving information, etc.) to other vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle communication). In addition, the wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure such as traffic lights or sign lights, and send the driving information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure (road-to-vehicle communication). In addition, the wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive information related to pedestrians from portable electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, etc.) carried by pedestrians, and send the driving information of the vehicle 1 to the portable electronic devices (person-to-vehicle communication). The vehicle 1 can communicate directly with other vehicles, infrastructure or portable electronic devices in a point-to-point mode, or can communicate via an access point. Moreover, the vehicle 1 can also communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure or portable electronic devices via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0033] The storage device 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Two-dimensional or three-dimensional map information and / or a vehicle control program may also be stored in the storage device 11. For example, three-dimensional map information may also be composed of point group data. The storage device 11 is configured to output the map information or the vehicle control program to the vehicle control unit 3 in response to a request from the vehicle control unit 3. The map information or the vehicle control program may also be updated via the wireless communication unit 10 and the communication network.

[0034] When the vehicle 1 is traveling in the automatic driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates at least one of a steering control signal, an acceleration control signal, and a braking control signal based on driving state information, surrounding environment information, current position information, map information, etc. The steering actuator 12 is configured to receive a steering control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control a steering device 13 based on the received steering control signal. The brake actuator 14 is configured to receive a braking control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control a braking device 15 based on the received braking control signal. The acceleration actuator 16 is configured to receive an acceleration control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control an acceleration device 17 based on the received acceleration control signal.

[0035] On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 generates a steering control signal, an acceleration control signal, and a braking control signal according to the driver's manual operation of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the steering wheel. In this way, in the manual driving mode, the steering control signal, the acceleration control signal, and the braking control signal are generated by the driver's manual operation, so the driving of the vehicle 1 is controlled by the driver.

[0036] Next, the road surface depiction device 4R will be described. Figure 3 As shown in the example, the road surface drawing lamp 45R includes a lamp body 41 having an opening in the front of the road surface drawing lamp 45R, and a light-transmitting cover 42 covering the opening of the lamp body 41. A first light source 451, a second light source 452, a third light source 453, a first light shielding portion 454, a second light shielding portion 455, a first projection lens 456, a second projection lens 457, a third projection lens 458, and a substrate 459 are accommodated in a lamp chamber 43 formed by the lamp body 41 and the cover 42.

[0037] The road surface drawing lamp 45R includes a first light source 451, a second light source 452, a third light source 453, a first light shielding portion 454, a second light shielding portion 455, a first projection lens 456, a second projection lens 457, a third projection lens 458, and a substrate 459. The first light source 451 and the second light source 452 are composed of, for example, a plurality of LED (Light Emitting Diode) elements or LD (Laser Diode) elements. The first light source 451 emits light toward the first light shielding portion 454. The second light source 452 emits light toward the second light shielding portion 455. The first light source 451 and the second light source 452 are mounted on the substrate 459.

[0038] The third light source 453 is, for example, composed of an LED array having a large number of pixels. The number of pixels can be divided into 1,000 to 10,000. The third light source 453 emits light toward the third projection lens 458. The third light source 453 is mounted on a substrate 459.

[0039] The first light shielding portion 454 is, for example, a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member having a hole. The hole is configured to allow at least a portion of the light emitted from the first light source 451 to pass therethrough. On the other hand, the portion of the first light shielding portion 454 other than the hole is configured to shield the light emitted from the first light source 451.

[0040] The second light shielding portion 455 is, for example, a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member having a hole. The hole is configured to allow at least a portion of the light emitted from the second light source 452 to pass through. On the other hand, the portion of the second light shielding portion 455 other than the hole is configured to shield the light emitted from the second light source 452.

[0041] The first projection lens 456 is an aspherical lens whose front side surface is a convex surface and whose rear side surface is a flat surface. The first projection lens 456 is formed of a light-transmitting material such as a transparent resin such as acrylic. The first projection lens 456 is arranged in front of the first light source 451 and the first light shielding portion 454. The first projection lens 456 is configured to project the light emitted from the first light source 451 to the first drawing point R11 described later.

[0042] The second projection lens 457 may have the same structure as the first projection lens 456. The second projection lens 457 is disposed in front of the second light source 452 and the second light shielding portion 455. The second projection lens 457 is configured to project light emitted from the second light source 452 toward a second drawing point R12 described later.

[0043] The third projection lens 458 may also have the same structure as the first projection lens 456. The third projection lens 458 is arranged in front of the third light source 453. The third projection lens 458 is configured to project the light emitted from the third light source 453 to the third drawing point R21 described later. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the road surface drawing lamp 45R includes one third projection lens 458, but for example, three third projection lenses 458 may be included. In the case where the road surface drawing lamp 45R includes three third projection lenses 458, the influence of aberration can be reduced.

[0044] The substrate 459 is, for example, a plate-shaped member and can be formed of, for example, a glass material such as silica glass, borosilicate glass, or alkali-free borosilicate glass, or a resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene, or cycloolefin polymer.

[0045] It should be noted that the road surface drawing lamp 45R may also be composed of, for example, an optical system such as a light source unit that emits light, a driving mirror, a lens, and a reflector. The driving mirror is configured to draw the road surface by irradiating the light emitted from the light source unit onto the road surface. The driving mirror may be composed of, for example, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) or a sheet-type reflector. For example, the light emitted from the light source unit may also scan the road surface through a MEMS mirror. In this way, the road surface may also be drawn by scanning the light based on the MEMS mirror.

[0046] return Figure 2, the light control unit 46R is described. The light control unit 46R controls the road surface drawing lamp 45R to draw the road surface on the road surface around the vehicle 1. It should be noted that the configuration location of the light control unit 46R is not particularly limited. The light control unit 46R includes a microcontroller and an analog drive control circuit. The microcontroller has a processor such as a CPU and a memory such as a ROM. The analog drive control circuit has a current control circuit, which is configured to control the current supplied to the first light source 451, the second light source 452, and the third light source 453. For example, the light control unit 46R controls the lighting and extinguishing of the first light source 451, the second light source 452, and the third light source 453. It should be noted that in the case where the road surface drawing lamp has a driving mirror and the road surface drawing is changed by driving the driving mirror, the analog drive control circuit has a reflector drive circuit configured to control the driving mirror.

[0047] The light control unit 46R controls the road surface depicting light 45R based on the light control signal from the vehicle control unit 3. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 3 determines the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment information received from at least one of the camera 6 and the radar 7. If the vehicle control unit 3 determines the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information, it generates a light control signal based on the determination and sends the light control signal to the light control unit 46R. The light control unit 46R controls the road surface depicting light 45R based on the light control signal received from the vehicle control unit 3.

[0048] The road surface depiction device 4L may have the same structure as the road surface depiction device 4R. It should be noted that in the road surface depiction device 4L, a projection method or a scanning method may also be adopted as the depiction method of the road surface depiction device 4L. The road surface depiction depicted by the road surface depiction device 4L is basically the same as the road surface depiction depicted by the road surface depiction device 4R.

[0049] In addition, if Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As illustrated, the road surface drawing device 4R of the present embodiment draws the road surface in the irradiable area R which is the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle 1. The irradiable area R includes a first area R1 and a second area R2.

[0050] The first area R1 is an area that can be visually recognized by other traffic participants behind the vehicle 1. The second area R2 is an area that cannot be visually recognized by other traffic participants behind the vehicle 1. Figure 1 The length L2 of the second region R2 in the left-right direction (refer to Figure 4 ) is the length L1 in the width direction of the vehicle 1 (refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4), preferably less than 80% of the length L1. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the first region R1 includes the first drawing point R11 and the second drawing point R12.

[0051] The second region R2 includes the third plot point R21. When the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is set to the forward direction, the first plot point R11, the second plot point R12, and the third plot point R21 are arranged in sequence from the front to the rear. The first plot point R11, the second plot point R12, and the third plot point R21 are equal in size. However, the first plot point R11, the second plot point R12, and the third plot point R21 may be different in size.

[0052] As described above, the light control unit 46R controls the lighting and extinguishing of the first light source 451, the second light source 452, and the third light source 453. Therefore, in the road surface drawing device 4R, the road surface drawing of the first region R1 (i.e., the first drawing point R11 and the second drawing point R12) and the road surface drawing of the second region R2 (i.e., the third drawing point R21) can be controlled separately.

[0053] The road surface depiction device 4R can depict a road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator. It should be noted that the road surface depiction device 4L can also depict a road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator, similarly to the road surface depiction device 4R. The concept represented by the direction indicator refers to the concept that is intended to be conveyed using the direction indicator (for example, right turn, left turn, welcome sign, etc.). The road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator is a road surface depiction that extends laterally from the vehicle 1. As a road surface depiction that extends laterally from the vehicle 1, for example, a road surface depiction that is inclined at an angle of more than 10 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the front and rear direction of the vehicle 1, etc. The road surface depiction device 4R, for example, irradiates light toward the first depiction point R11, the second depiction point R12, and the third depiction point R21, thereby depicting a road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator. That is, the road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator can be depicted across the first area R1 and the second area R2. It should be noted that the road surface depicting device 4R may also use a projection method or a scanning method as a depiction method. In addition, the road surface depicting device 4R may also depict the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator as a sequential light pattern. The sequential light pattern is a light pattern in which the irradiation area changes in stages as time passes.

[0054] Next, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 A case where the vehicle 1 displays a welcome sign will be described. Figure 51 is a diagram illustrating a situation where a welcome sign is displayed when another vehicle 1A (an example of another traffic participant) is present behind the vehicle 1. Figure 5 The portion corresponding to the road surface depicted by the dotted line indicates the portion not irradiated with light from the road surface depicting device 4R. In addition, in the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is provided with not only the road surface depicting device 4 but also headlights, brake lights, door mirror lights and footlights. As the headlights, brake lights, door mirror lights and footlights provided by the vehicle 1, known lights can be used. Therefore, in the present specification, the detailed description of the headlights, brake lights, door mirror lights and footlights is omitted. In addition, in the present embodiment, when a welcome sign is displayed, not only the road surface depicting device 4 is lit, but also the headlights, brake lights, door mirror lights and footlights are all lit.

[0055] In this embodiment, the road surface depiction device 4R, 4L is provided with a rotating mechanism (not shown) capable of changing the direction of the optical axis by rotating the road surface depiction lamp 45R, 45L in a desired direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the camera 6 and the radar 7 can sense the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 immediately when the state of the vehicle 1 becomes the unlocked state. The light control unit 46R, 46L controls the road surface depiction device 4 in a manner to display a welcome sign based on the surrounding environment information including the information related to the owner 100 of the vehicle 1 acquired by the camera 6 or the radar 7. In addition, each light control unit controls the headlight and other lamps provided by the vehicle 1 to display a welcome sign based on the surrounding environment information including the information related to the owner 100 of the vehicle 1 acquired by the camera 6 or the radar 7. It should be noted that the display of the welcome sign includes a road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator. In this embodiment, the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is a road surface depiction composed of a substantially L-shaped figure. However, the manner of representing the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is obviously not limited to this example.

[0056] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown in the example, in the present embodiment, the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is a road surface depiction inclined at about 30 degrees relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1. However, the inclination angle of the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 is obviously not limited to about 30 degrees. Thus, in the present embodiment, the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is a road surface depiction extending laterally from the vehicle 1. In addition, in the present embodiment, the length L2 of the second region R2 in the width direction of the vehicle 1 is 80% of the length L1 in the width direction of the vehicle 1. Therefore, only the first region R1 can be visually recognized from the vehicle 1A, and the second region R2 cannot be visually recognized.

[0057] like Figure 4 As shown in the example, when the owner 100 of the vehicle 1 approaches the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 is in an unlocked state, the camera 6 and the radar 7 acquire surrounding environment information including information related to the owner 100. For example, when the camera 6 captures a picture of the owner 100, the camera 6 transmits the captured data (an example of surrounding environment information) related to the owner 100 to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0058] The vehicle control unit 3 determines the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information such as the photographic data. Figure 4 In the example shown, the vehicle control unit 3 determines that the owner 100 exists in front of the left side of the vehicle 1 and that no other traffic participants exist around the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information. The vehicle control unit 3 generates a first light control signal based on the existence of the owner 100 in front of the left side of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 sends the first light control signal to the light control units 46R and 46L. In addition, the vehicle control unit 3 generates a second light control signal based on the existence of no other traffic participants around the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 sends the second light control signal to the light control unit 46R.

[0059] The light control units 46R and 46L decide to display a welcome sign based on the received first light control signal and control the road surface depiction lights 45R and 45L. At this time, the light control unit 46L decides to draw a road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator in the first area R1 and the second area R2 based on the first light control signal and controls the road surface depiction light 45L.

[0060] On the other hand, the light control unit 46R determines to draw a road depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator in the first area R1 and the second area R2 based on the received second light control signal, and controls the road depiction lamp 45R. Figure 4 In the example shown, a road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is depicted across the first region R1 and the second region R2.

[0061] Next, Figure 5 The operation of the road surface depiction device 4 under the illustrated situation will be described. Figure 5As shown in the example, when the owner 100 of the vehicle 1 approaches the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 is in the unlocked state, the camera 6 and the radar 7 acquire surrounding environment information including information related to the owner 100. For example, when the camera 6 captures an image of the owner 100, the captured data (an example of surrounding environment information) related to the owner 100 is sent to the vehicle control unit 3. In addition, at this time, if the camera 6 captures an image of the vehicle 1A located behind the vehicle 1, for example, the captured data (an example of surrounding environment information) related to the vehicle 1A is sent to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0062] The vehicle control unit 3 determines the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information such as the photographic data. Figure 5 In the example shown, the vehicle control unit 3 determines that the owner 100 exists in front of the left side of the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1A exists behind the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information. The vehicle control unit 3 generates a first light control signal based on the existence of the owner 100 in front of the left side of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 sends the first light control signal to the light control units 46R and 46L. In addition, the vehicle control unit 3 generates a third light control signal based on the existence of the vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 sends the third light control signal to the light control unit 46R.

[0063] The light control units 46R and 46L decide to display a welcome sign based on the received first light control signal, and control the road surface depiction lights 45R and 45L. At this time, the light control unit 46L decides to draw a road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator in the first area R1 and the second area R2 based on the first light control signal, and controls the road surface depiction light 45L.

[0064] On the other hand, the light control unit 46R determines to draw the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator only in the second region R2 based on the received third light control signal, and controls the road surface depiction lamp 45R. As a result, the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator by the road surface depiction device 4L is depicted across the first region R1 and the second region R2, whereas the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator by the road surface depiction device 4R is depicted only in the second region R2.

[0065] In this way, in the road surface drawing device 4, the way of drawing the road surface in the first area R1 changes according to the surrounding environment information of the vehicle 1. That is, when there are no other traffic participants around the vehicle 1, the way of drawing the road surface drawn by the road surface drawing device 4R in the first area R1 is different from the way of drawing the road surface drawn by the road surface drawing device 4R in the first area R1 when there is another vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1.

[0066] The welcome message is displayed when the owner 100 is welcomed into the vehicle 1. In recent years, the welcome message has been valued as a function for making the vehicle more individual, and it is preferred to light up as many lamps as possible among the lamps provided in the vehicle 1 to display the welcome message.

[0067] However, the welcome sign is not intended to indicate the starting or traveling direction of the vehicle 1. On the other hand, the road surface depiction that represents the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is different from the welcome sign and is intended to indicate the starting or traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Therefore, if the road surface depiction device 4 is also lit to indicate the welcome sign, it may cause misunderstanding to the vehicles around the vehicle 1.

[0068] Specifically, use Figure 5 Provide explanation. Figure 5 The example shows a situation where a welcome sign is displayed when the vehicle 1 is parked in a lane near a sidewalk. Figure 5 As shown in the example, for vehicle 1A approaching vehicle 1 from behind, the road surface depiction performed by road surface depiction device 4L, which is irradiated by vehicle 1 toward the sidewalk side, is blocked by vehicle 1 and cannot be visually recognized. On the other hand, for vehicle 1A approaching vehicle 1 from behind, the road surface depiction performed by road surface depiction device 4R, which is irradiated by vehicle 1 toward the center line side, is not blocked by vehicle 1 and can be visually recognized. Therefore, in the case where vehicle 1A visually recognizes the road surface depiction performed by road surface depiction device 4R that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator, vehicle 1A may misunderstand that vehicle 1 is about to start. In this way, when a welcome sign is displayed, if vehicle 1A visually recognizes the road surface depiction that represents the same concept as the concept represented by the direction indicator, vehicle 1A located behind may misunderstand that vehicle 1 is about to start.

[0069] However, according to the road surface depiction device 4 of the above configuration, it is possible to separately control the road surface depiction of the first region R1 that can be visually recognized by the other vehicle 1A located behind the vehicle 1 and the road surface depiction of the second region R2 that cannot be visually recognized by the vehicle 1A. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle 1A is located behind the vehicle 1, the road surface depiction is not performed in the first region R1, but the road surface depiction is performed in the second region R2, thereby making it possible to perform the road surface depiction in the second region R2 that cannot be visually recognized by the vehicle 1A. Therefore, according to the road surface depiction device 4, even if there is a vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface depiction can be performed without causing misunderstanding to the vehicle 1A.

[0070] In addition, according to the road surface depiction device 4 of the above structure, the road surface depiction that represents the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is a road surface depiction extending laterally from the vehicle 1. Such road surface depiction is also often depicted in an area that can be visually recognized by other traffic participants located behind the vehicle 1. However, according to the road surface depiction device 4, for example, when there is another vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface depiction can be performed only in the second area R2 that cannot be visually recognized by the vehicle 1A. Therefore, according to the road surface depiction device 4, even if there is a vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface depiction can be performed without causing misunderstanding to the vehicle 1A.

[0071] In addition, according to the road surface depiction device 4 of the above configuration, the length L2 of the second region R2 in the width direction of the vehicle 1 is 80% of the length L1 in the width direction of the vehicle 1. That is, the length L2 of the second region R2 in the width direction of the vehicle 1 is less than or equal to 100% of the length L1 in the width direction of the vehicle 1. Therefore, according to the road surface depiction device 4, when another vehicle 1A is present behind the vehicle 1, the road surface depiction depicted is depicted in the second region R2 which is 80% of the length L1 in the width direction of the vehicle 1, and thus the vehicle 1 becomes a blind spot and cannot be visually recognized from the vehicle 1A.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the road surface drawing device 4 having the above configuration, the method of drawing the road surface in the first region R1 is changed according to the surrounding environment information, so that appropriate road surface drawing according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 can be performed.

[0073] In addition, when the road surface drawing device 4 displays a welcome sign, the road surface drawing is often performed in both the first region R1 and the second region R2. However, in the road surface drawing device 4, when displaying the welcome sign, the road surface drawing can be performed in the second region R2, while the road surface drawing is not performed in the first region R1. Therefore, according to the road surface drawing device 4, even if there is another vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface drawing can be performed without causing misunderstanding to the vehicle 1A.

[0074] Furthermore, according to the road surface depiction device 4 having the above configuration, when there is no other vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface is depicted in the region including the first region R1 (i.e., the first region R1 and the second region R2), but when there is a vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface is not depicted in the first region R1. Therefore, according to the road surface depiction device 4, even when there is a vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface can be depicted without causing misunderstanding to the vehicle 1A.

[0075] (Second embodiment)

[0076] Next, refer to Figure 6The second embodiment will be described. It should be noted that in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Figure 6 : is a diagram illustrating a situation when a welcome sign is displayed in the second embodiment. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the lighting and extinguishing of the road surface depiction in the first area R1 performed by the road surface depiction device 4R is not determined based on the surrounding environment information. Specifically, the road surface depiction in the first area R1 performed by the road surface depiction device 4R is always in an extinguished state, which is different from the first embodiment. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the camera 6 and the radar 7 can also sense the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 immediately when the state of the vehicle 1 becomes the unlocked state. In addition, in this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is not only equipped with the road surface depiction device 4, but also equipped with headlights, brake lights, door mirror lights and footlights. It should be noted that in this embodiment, when a welcome sign is displayed, not only the road surface depiction device 4 is lit, but also the headlights, brake lights, door mirror lights and footlights are all lit. Moreover, in this embodiment, only the first area R1 can be visually recognized from the vehicle 1A. That is, only the first area R1 can be visually recognized from the vehicle 1A, and the second area R2 cannot be visually recognized.

[0077] like Figure 6 As shown in the example, when the owner 100 of the vehicle 1 approaches the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 is in the unlocked state, the camera 6 and the radar 7 acquire surrounding environment information including information related to the owner 100. For example, when the camera 6 captures a picture of the owner 100, the captured data (an example of surrounding environment information) related to the owner 100 is sent to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0078] The vehicle control unit 3 determines the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information such as the photographic data. In this embodiment, the vehicle control unit 3 determines that the owner 100 exists in the left front of the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information, and generates a fourth light control signal. The vehicle control unit 3 sends the fourth light control signal to the light control units 46L and 46R.

[0079] The lighting control units 46L and 46R decide to display a welcome sign based on the received fourth lighting control signal. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the road surface depiction depicting the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator depicted by the road surface depicting device 4L is depicted across the first region R1 and the second region R2 even if there is no vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1. On the other hand, the road surface depiction depicting the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator depicted by the road surface depicting device 4R is depicted only in the second region R2 even if there is no vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1. Therefore, even if, for example, there is a vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, the road surface depicting device 4 can depict the road surface without causing misunderstanding to the vehicle 1A.

[0080] As described above, according to the road surface depicting device 4, also in the second embodiment, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

[0081] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described above, but it is obvious that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively by the description of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present embodiment is only an example, and various embodiments can be changed within the scope of disclosure recorded in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of disclosure recorded in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0082] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the first light source 451 , the second light source 452 , and the third light source 453 are mounted on a single substrate 459 , but they may be mounted on different substrates.

[0083] In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 1A is used as another traffic participant existing behind the vehicle 1 , but the traffic participant may be a two-wheeled vehicle, a pedestrian, or the like.

[0084] In the first embodiment described above, when the road surface drawing device 4 displays the welcome sign when the vehicle 1A is located behind the vehicle 1, the road surface drawing device 4R does not draw the road surface in the first region R1, but the road surface drawing device 4R may draw the road surface in the first region R1 at a brightness that is not visually recognizable from the vehicle 1A. In this case, the road surface drawing in the first region R1 is also difficult to be visually recognized from another vehicle 1A located behind the vehicle 1. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1A is located behind the vehicle 1, the road surface drawing device 4 can draw the road surface without causing misunderstanding to the vehicle 1A.

[0085] In the second embodiment described above, the road surface depiction device 4R does not depict the road surface in the first region R1, but the road surface depiction device 4R may depict the road surface in the first region R1 at a brightness that is not visually recognizable from the vehicle 1A. In this case, even if the vehicle 1A is located behind the vehicle 1, the road surface depiction device 4R can depict the road surface without causing misunderstanding to the vehicle 1A.

[0086] In the first embodiment described above, when there are no other traffic participants around the vehicle 1 , the road surface drawing device 4 draws the road surface in the first region R1 and the second region R2 , but may draw the road surface only in the first region R1 .

[0087] In the above-mentioned embodiment, when the road surface drawing device 4R draws the road surface only in the second region R2, the first light source 451 and the second light source 452 may be controlled to be off, and on the other hand, the third light source 453 may be controlled to draw the road surface with the same brightness as when the road surface drawing is performed in the first region R1 and the second region R2, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the road surface drawing device 4R may make the brightness of the road surface drawing in the second region R2 when the road surface drawing device 4R draws the road surface only in the second region R2 at least brighter than the road surface drawing in the second region R2 when the road surface drawing is performed in the first region R1. It should be noted that in this case, when the road surface drawing device 4R draws the road surface only in the second region R2, the current supplied to the first light source 451, the second light source 452, and the third light source 453 when the road surface drawing is performed in the first region R1 and the second region R2 may be supplied to the third light source 453. In addition, for example, when the road surface drawing device 4R performs road surface drawing only in the second area R2, the color of the road surface drawing drawn in the second area R2 may be different from the color of the road surface drawing drawn in the second area R2 when the road surface drawing device 4R performs road surface drawing only in the second area R2. In addition, for example, when the road surface drawing device 4R performs road surface drawing only in the second area R2, the thickness of the outline of the road surface drawing drawn in the second area R2 may be different from the thickness of the outline of the road surface drawing drawn in the second area R2 when the road surface drawing device 4R performs road surface drawing only in the first area R1 and the second area R2. In addition, for example, when the road surface drawing device 4R performs road surface drawing in the second area R2, the road surface drawing is a static road surface drawing, and in contrast, when the road surface drawing device 4R performs road surface drawing only in the second area R2, the road surface drawing drawn in the second area R2 may be a dynamic road surface drawing. In this way, the road surface drawing device 4 can be designed so that the lighting method of the road surface drawing device 4 when the road surface drawing is performed only in the second area R2 is different from the lighting method of the road surface drawing device 4 when the road surface drawing is performed in the area including at least the first area R1. In this case, the lighting mode of the road surface depicting device 4 when the road surface depiction is not performed in the first region R1 is different from the lighting mode of the road surface depicting device 4 when the road surface depiction is performed in the region including at least the first region R1. For example, when the lighting mode of the road surface depicting device 4 when the road surface depiction is not performed in the first region R1 is blinking, the road surface depiction device 4 can depict the road surface in a noticeable manner in the second region R2 while the road surface depiction is not visible from other vehicles 1A located behind the vehicle 1.

[0088] In the above-mentioned embodiment, in the second region R2, a road surface depiction (unchanged image) consisting of a substantially L-shaped figure is depicted regardless of whether there is another vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1, but, for example, a variable image may be depicted in the second region R2. It should be noted that an unchanged image is an image whose brightness can be changed only, and a variable image is an image whose brightness can be changed and whose shape or color can be changed. That is, for example, the image depicted in the second region R2 when there is a vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1 may be different from the image depicted in the second region R2 when there is no vehicle 1A behind the vehicle 1. When a variable image is depicted in the second region R2, the road surface depiction can be appropriately changed according to the situation, so according to the road surface depiction device 4, an appropriate road surface depiction can be performed in the second region R2 where the vehicle 1A located behind the vehicle 1 cannot be visually recognized. It should be noted that a variable image may be depicted not only in the second region R2 but also in the first region R1.

[0089] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the length L2 of the second region R2 in the width direction of the vehicle 1 is 80% of the length L1 in the width direction of the vehicle 1, but the length L2 of the second region R2 in the width direction of the vehicle 1 only needs to be less than 100% of the length L1 in the width direction of the vehicle 1, and is not limited to 80%.

[0090] In the above-described embodiment, the determination of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the received surrounding environment information is performed by the vehicle control unit 3 , but may be performed by the light control units 46L, 46R.

[0091] In the above-described embodiment, the determination of the area to be drawn on the road surface and the determination of the method of drawing on the road surface are performed by the light control units 46L and 46R, but these determinations may be performed by the vehicle control unit 3 .

[0092] As described above, the following matters are disclosed in this specification.

[0093] (1) A road surface depiction device capable of depicting at least a road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by a direction indicator, wherein an irradiable area of ​​the road surface depiction device includes a first area that is visually recognizable by other traffic participants located behind a vehicle and a second area that is not visually recognizable by the other traffic participants, and the road surface depiction in the first area and the road surface depiction in the second area can be controlled separately.

[0094] (2) The road surface depiction device according to (1), wherein the road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is a road surface depiction extending laterally from the host vehicle.

[0095] (3) The road surface drawing device according to (1) or (2), wherein a variable image is drawn at least in the second area.

[0096] (4) The road surface depicting device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein a length of the second region in the width direction of the host vehicle is equal to or less than 100% of a length of the host vehicle in the width direction.

[0097] (5) The road surface depiction device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein a manner of depicting the road surface in the first area changes according to surrounding environment information of the host vehicle.

[0098] (6) The road surface depiction device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the road surface depiction device is capable of displaying a welcome sign, and when the road surface depiction device displays the welcome sign, the road surface depiction in the second area is brighter than the road surface depiction in the first area.

[0099] (7) A road surface depicting device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the road surface depicting device is capable of displaying a welcome sign, and when the road surface depicting device displays the welcome sign, the road surface depicting device performs road surface depiction in the second area, and does not perform road surface depiction in the first area.

[0100] (8) The road surface depiction device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein, when there is another traffic participant behind the host vehicle, the road surface depiction in the second area is brighter than the road surface depiction in the first area.

[0101] (9) A road surface depicting device according to any one of (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (7), wherein when there are no other traffic participants behind the vehicle, the road surface depicting device depicts the road surface in an area at least including the first area, and when there are other traffic participants behind the vehicle, the road surface depicting device does not depict the road surface in the first area.

[0102] (10) A road surface depicting device according to any one of (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (7) and (9), wherein a lighting method of the road surface depicting device when no road surface depiction is performed in the first area is different from a lighting method of the road surface depicting device when road surface depiction is performed in an area at least including the first area.

[0103] This application is based on the Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-127814) filed on August 10, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A road surface depiction device capable of depicting a road surface depiction representing at least the same concept as that represented by a direction indicator, characterized in that: The irradiable area of ​​the road surface depicting device includes a first area that can be visually recognized by other traffic participants behind the vehicle and a second area that cannot be visually recognized by the other traffic participants. The road surface depiction of the first area and the road surface depiction of the second area can be controlled separately.

2. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The road surface depiction representing the same concept as that represented by the direction indicator is a road surface depiction extending laterally from the host vehicle.

3. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A variable image is depicted at least in the second region.

4. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The length of the second region in the width direction of the host vehicle is equal to or less than 100% of the length of the host vehicle in the width direction.

5. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The manner in which the road surface in the first area is depicted changes according to the surrounding environment information of the host vehicle.

6. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The road surface depiction device can display a welcome slogan, When the road surface depiction device displays the welcome slogan, the road surface depiction in the second area is brighter than the road surface depiction in the first area.

7. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The road surface depiction device can display a welcome slogan, When the road surface drawing device displays the welcome message, the road surface drawing device performs road surface drawing in the second area, and does not perform road surface drawing in the first area.

8. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When there are other road users behind the host vehicle, the road surface depiction in the second area is brighter than the road surface depiction in the first area.

9. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When there are no other traffic participants behind the vehicle, the road surface depicting device depicts the road surface in an area at least including the first area. When there are other traffic participants behind the host vehicle, the road surface depicting device does not perform road surface depiction in the first area.

10. The road surface depicting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The lighting mode of the road surface depicting device when the road surface depiction is not performed in the first area is different from the lighting mode of the road surface depicting device when the road surface depiction is performed in an area including at least the first area.

Images