Vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle is provided with a display (navigation screen and HUD), and a processor that displays, on the display, a panoramic image showing the situation of the surroundings of the vehicle as the vehicle is captured from above the vehicle. The panoramic image includes an icon displayed on the panoramic image in an overlapping manner and showing positions of the plurality of wheels, and a recommended route displayed on the panoramic image in an overlapping manner and showing a route through which the plurality of wheels are expected to pass.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The surrounding image generation device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-82487 includes a synthetic image generation unit that generates a synthetic image that transmits through the bottom of the vehicle, that is, an under-floor transmission image. The synthetic image generation unit is configured to generate an image as an under-floor transmission image by superimposing a vehicle boundary line on an image that shows part or all of the ground below the vehicle, and decorating the vehicle boundary line with a predetermined pattern. The vehicle boundary line shows the boundary of the range where the vehicle body exists. Summary of the invention

[0003] Some models require vehicles to be able to travel on bad roads (off-road roads, etc.). In addition, depending on where the driver lives, there may be a situation where the vehicle has to travel on bad roads (snowy roads, etc.). In order to meet such driving conditions, it is expected that the vehicle has high bad road passability.

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one of the objects of the present invention is to improve the vehicle's ability to pass through bad roads.

[0005] (1) A vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention travels using a plurality of wheels.

[0006] The vehicle includes: a display; and a processor that displays a panoramic image on the display, the panoramic image showing a situation around the vehicle as if the vehicle is photographed from above the vehicle.

[0007] The panoramic image includes an icon that is displayed in an overlapping manner on the panoramic image and shows positions of the plurality of wheels, and a recommended route that is displayed in an overlapping manner on the panoramic image and shows a route that the plurality of wheels are expected to pass.

[0008] In the structure of (1) above, icons showing the positions of the plurality of wheels and the recommended route are displayed superimposed on the panoramic image. Thus, the driver can drive while confirming the positional relationship between the positions of the plurality of wheels and the recommended route. Therefore, according to the structure of (1) above, the vehicle's passability on bad roads can be improved.

[0009] (2) The vehicle further includes a ground surface shape sensor for measuring the shape of the ground surface on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0010] The processor determines a recommended route based on the measurement result of the terrain shape sensor.

[0011] In the structure of (2) above, the recommended route is determined based on the measurement result based on the surface shape sensor (i.e., the shape of the surface). Therefore, for example, even if there is some kind of obstacle on the surface (including rubble, rocks, fallen trees, protrusions, holes, ditches, etc.), the vehicle can avoid the obstacle and properly pass through the bad road.

[0012] (3) The processor determines the recommended route in a manner that avoids obstacles that are higher than a minimum ground clearance of the vehicle but does not avoid obstacles that are lower than the minimum ground clearance.

[0013] In the configuration of (3) above, the recommended route is determined in such a way that obstacles above the minimum ground clearance are avoided but obstacles below the minimum ground clearance are not avoided. Thus, the range of route selection is expanded while avoiding damage to the vehicle, so the recommended route can be more reliably secured.

[0014] (4) The panoramic image also includes the first icon and the second icon.

[0015] The first icon is displayed in a first display manner and superimposed on the panoramic image, and indicates an obstacle that is higher than the minimum ground clearance.

[0016] The second icon is displayed superimposed on the panoramic image in a second display manner different from the first display manner, and indicates an obstacle below the minimum ground clearance.

[0017] In the above (4), it is distinguished whether the obstacle is higher or lower than the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle. Therefore, the driver can more reliably avoid obstacles higher than the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle, or drive without avoiding obstacles lower than the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately avoid obstacles and allow the vehicle to appropriately travel on bad roads.

[0018] (5) The processor determines the recommended route in such a manner that the plurality of wheels pass through ruts formed on the snow on the ground surface.

[0019] In the structure of (5) above, the recommended route is determined in such a way that the multiple wheels pass through the ruts. Thus, compared with the case where the multiple wheels do not pass through the ruts, the slip of the wheels (tires) is reduced. Therefore, according to the structure of (5) above, the vehicle can properly travel on bad roads.

[0020] According to the present invention, the rough road passability of a vehicle can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0022] Figure 1It is a diagram showing the structure of a vehicle in this embodiment.

[0023] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a panoramic image in the gravel road mode.

[0024] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a panoramic image in the snowy road mode.

[0025] Figure 4 : is a flowchart showing the processing procedure related to mode switching in the route recommendation process.

[0026] Figure 5 Detailed description of the process flow of the route recommendation process in the gravel road mode.

[0027] Figure 6 Detailed description of the process flow of the route recommendation process in the snowy road mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated.

[0030] Vehicle structure

[0031] Figure 1 The vehicle 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle structure in the present embodiment. The vehicle 1 includes a panoramic camera 2, an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS: Advanced Driving Assistant System) 3, a surface shape sensor 4, a navigation screen 5, a head-up display (HUD: Head-Up Display) 6, an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) 7, and a drive system 8.

[0032] The panoramic camera 2 includes, for example, a front camera, a rear camera, a left camera, and a right camera (none of which are shown in the figure), and captures images around the vehicle 1. These images generate a panoramic image showing the situation around the vehicle 1 as if the vehicle 1 were captured from above.

[0033] ADAS 3 is configured to assist the driver when the driver drives the vehicle 1. Specifically, ADAS 3 may include functions such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control System), FCW (Forward Collision Warning), AEBS (Advanced Emergency Braking System), LDW (Lane Departure Warning), and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System).

[0034] The surface shape sensor 4 measures the shape (concavity and convexity) of the surface on which the vehicle 1 is traveling. More specifically, the surface shape sensor 4 may be a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor, a light section sensor using a light section method, or a stereo vision sensor using stereo vision. The surface shape sensor 4 may also be a sensor that combines two or three of a LiDAR sensor, a light section sensor, and a stereo vision sensor.

[0035] The navigation screen 5 and the HUD 6 display a panoramic image. At least one of the navigation screen 5 and the HUD 6 corresponds to the "display" according to the present invention.

[0036] The ECU 7 includes a processor 71 and a memory 72. The processor 71 can be understood as a circuit or a processing circuit. The ECU 7 generates a panoramic image for display on the navigation screen 5 and the HUD 6 based on the multiple images captured by the panoramic camera 2. Figure 2 and Figure 3 . In addition, ECU 7 performs route recommendation processing (details will be described later) and displays the route determined by the route recommendation processing on the panoramic image. In addition, ECU 7 controls the drive system 8 while coordinating with ADAS 3, thereby driving the vehicle 1. In addition, ECU 7 can be divided into multiple units according to function.

[0037] The drive system 8 includes a battery 81, a power control unit (PCU) 82, a motor generator 83, and a plurality of wheels (tires) 84 as components for driving the vehicle 1. In this example, the vehicle 1 is a four-wheeled vehicle, but the number of wheels 84 is not particularly limited.

[0038] Since various situations may occur when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a bad road, it is desirable that the vehicle 1 has high bad road passability. Therefore, in this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is configured to display a desired traveling route, more specifically, a route with small surface unevenness, on the panoramic image.

[0039] Panoramic images

[0040] In this example, the ECU 7 has a "gravel road mode" and a "snowy road mode" as driving modes of the vehicle 1. Both the gravel road mode and the snowy road mode are modes for allowing the four wheels 84 to pass through a route with as little unevenness as possible on the ground surface and without hindering the driving of the vehicle 1. As described below, the ECU 7 determines a "recommended route" based on the driving mode, and displays various information including the recommended route in an overlapping manner on the panoramic image.

[0041] Rubble road pattern

[0042] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a panoramic image in the gravel road mode. Figure 2 The panoramic image IMG1 shown includes an icon showing the vehicle body V (external shape) of the vehicle 1. In the present embodiment, icons showing the positions of the four wheels 84 (two front wheels FW and two rear wheels RW) are superimposed and displayed on the panoramic image IMG1.

[0043] In addition, obstacles X and Y existing on the ground surface are displayed in the panoramic image IMG1, and a recommended route (represented by ROUTE) for the four wheels 84 to pass is displayed. Obstacle X is an object having a height greater than the minimum ground clearance of vehicle 1. Obstacle Y is an object having a height less than the minimum ground clearance of vehicle 1. If vehicle 1 passes obstacle X, the vehicle body V (bumper, underbody, etc.) may come into contact with obstacle X, but if vehicle 1 passes obstacle Y, the vehicle body V will not come into contact with obstacle Y. Therefore, the recommended route is determined in a manner that will not specifically avoid obstacle Y but will avoid obstacle X. In addition, the icon of obstacle X is equivalent to the "first icon" involved in the present invention, and the icon of obstacle Y is equivalent to the "second icon" involved in the present invention.

[0044] In addition, a puddle (indicated by PUDDLE) formed on the ground is also displayed in the panoramic image IMG1. If the depth of the puddle is difficult to estimate from the vehicle 1, if the wheel 84 sinks into the deep puddle, the vehicle 1 may not be able to travel. Therefore, the recommended route is determined in such a way that the four wheels 84 do not pass through the puddle.

[0045] Furthermore, if the road width is narrow, if the vehicle 1 runs in a ditch (indicated by GROOVE) at the edge of the road, the wheels of the vehicle 1 may fall into the ditch and become unable to run. Therefore, the recommended route is determined in such a way that the four wheels 84 do not pass through the ditch (or its vicinity) at the edge of the road.

[0046] Snow Road Mode

[0047] Figure 3 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a panoramic image in the snowy road mode. As in the rubble road mode, in the snowy road mode, an icon showing the body V of the vehicle 1, an icon showing the positions of the four wheels 84 (FW and RW), and a recommended route are superimposed and displayed in the panoramic image IMG2. The recommended route in the snowy road mode is determined so that the four wheels 84 pass through the ruts (indicated by RUT) formed on the snow on the ground surface.

[0048] Figure 2 The panoramic image IMG1 and Figure 3 The panoramic image IMG2 is displayed on at least one of the navigation screen 5 and the HUD 6. From the viewpoint of reducing the movement of the driver's viewpoint to improve safety and reduce fatigue, it is desirable that the panoramic images IMG1 and IMG2 are displayed on the HUD 6.

[0049] Route recommendation process

[0050] Figure 4 1 is a flowchart showing the processing sequence related to mode switching in the route recommendation process. The processing shown in the flowchart is executed when a preset condition is met (for example, every preset period). Each step is implemented by software processing based on ECU7, but can also be implemented by hardware (circuit) configured in ECU7. Hereinafter, the step is referred to as S. In this example, the gravel road mode is the default driving mode.

[0051] In S1, ECU7 determines whether snow is detected. ECU7 can detect snow by, for example, determining whether characteristic patterns (snow color and shadow, rut depression, etc.) on the snowy surface are extracted from the image captured by the panoramic camera 2. This image processing (and other image processing described later) can be implemented using well-known image recognition technologies such as machine learning. If snow is not detected (No in S1), ECU7 maintains the default gravel road mode (S2).

[0052] When snow is detected (Yes in S1), ECU 7 displays information on the navigation screen 5 and / or HUD 6 to confirm whether to switch the driving mode (S3). When the driver performs an operation to allow the switching of the driving mode (Yes in S4), ECU 7 switches the driving mode from the gravel road mode to the snow road mode (S5). When the driver performs an operation to refuse the switching of the driving mode or does not perform any operation (No in S4), ECU 7 maintains the driving mode at the gravel road mode (S2).

[0053] When switching the driving mode, it is desirable to obtain the driver's permission, but the ECU 7 may be configured to switch the driving mode without the driver's permission. The ECU 7 may be configured to allow the driver to select the driving mode by manual operation.

[0054] Rubble road pattern

[0055] Figure 5 Detailed description of the process flow of the route recommendation process in the gravel road mode. Figure 5 and the following Figure 6 The processing shown in the flowchart is also called out from the main routine and repeatedly executed every time a preset condition is satisfied (typically every predetermined period).

[0056] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5 In S201, ECU7 determines whether vehicle 1 is traveling on a rubble road. ECU7 can determine that vehicle 1 is traveling on a rubble road when the surface shape sensor 4 detects the unevenness of the surface. ECU7 can also determine that vehicle 1 is traveling on a rubble road when the acceleration sensor (G sensor) detects a small amplitude vibration unique to rubble roads. In the case that vehicle 1 is not traveling on a rubble road (No in S201), ECU7 skips the subsequent processing and returns the processing to the main routine. In the case that vehicle 1 is traveling on a rubble road (Yes in S201), ECU7 advances the processing to S202.

[0057] In S202, ECU7 determines whether a driver operation requesting driving assistance based on ADAS3 has been performed (whether the switch of ADAS3 is turned on). In the case of requesting driving assistance (yes in S202), ECU7 accepts assistance based on ADAS3 so that the four wheels 84 pass through the recommended route determined in subsequent processing (S203). For example, based on the assistance of ADAS3, ECU7 limits the speed of the vehicle 1 (vehicle speed) or displays information that prompts deceleration, or assists the driver in steering so that the four wheels 84 do not deviate from the recommended route. In the case of not requesting driving assistance (no in S202), ECU7 does not accept assistance based on ADAS3 (S204).

[0058] In S205, the ECU 7 displays the under-floor transmission image including an icon showing the positions of the four wheels 84 superimposed on the panoramic image. The icon is always displayed during the subsequent processing.

[0059] In S206, the ECU 7 detects obstacles, puddles, and ditches on the edge of the road around the vehicle 1 based on the measurement results based on the panoramic camera 2 and / or the surface shape sensor 4. In addition, obstacles can be detected by the panoramic camera 2, LiDAR, light section sensor, stereo vision, etc. Puddles can be detected by the panoramic camera 2, stereo vision, etc. The ditches on the edge of the road can be detected by the panoramic camera 2, LiDAR, light section sensor, stereo vision, etc.

[0060] In S207, the ECU 7 displays an icon showing the position and shape of the obstacle X in a certain color (e.g., red) to be displayed as an obstacle X having a height greater than the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle 1, and displays the icon showing the position and shape of the obstacle X in a superimposed manner on the panoramic image. The ECU 7 displays an icon showing the position and shape of the obstacle Y in another color (e.g., yellow) to be displayed as an obstacle Y having a height less than the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle 1, and displays the icon showing the position and shape of the obstacle Y in a superimposed manner on the panoramic image. In addition, the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle 1 is a known value for the ECU 7, so the ECU 7 can determine whether the height of the obstacle is greater than or less than the minimum ground clearance.

[0061] In S208 , the ECU 7 displays the icon of the puddle in an overlapping manner on the panoramic image in such a manner that the puddle is displayed in a color (for example, light blue) different from the above two colors.

[0062] In S209 , the ECU 7 displays the shape of the ditch at the edge of the road in a superimposed manner on the panoramic image in such a manner that the ditch at the edge of the road is displayed in a color (for example, white) different from the above three colors.

[0063] In S210, the ECU 7 determines the recommended route for the four wheels 84 in such a manner that the vehicle 1 (body) does not pass through obstacles with a height higher than the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle 1, the four wheels 84 do not pass through puddles, and the four wheels 84 do not fall into the ditch at the edge of the road. Then, the ECU 7 displays the determined recommended route on the panoramic image in an overlapping manner. After that, the ECU 7 returns the processing to the main routine. Thus, a series of processing is repeatedly performed.

[0064] In addition, obstacles, puddles, ditches on the road edge, and recommended routes are all displayed on the panoramic image in an overlapping manner. Therefore, the execution order of the processes from S207 to S210 is not particularly limited.

[0065] Snow Road Mode

[0066] Figure 6 Detailed description of the process flow of the route recommendation process in the snowy road mode.

[0067] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 6 In S501, the ECU 7 determines whether the vehicle 1 is traveling on a snowy road. As described above, the ECU 7 can determine whether the vehicle 1 is traveling on a snowy road by determining whether there is snow in the image captured by the panoramic camera 2. In the case where the vehicle 1 is not traveling on a snowy road (No in S501), the ECU 7 skips the subsequent processing and returns the processing to the main routine. In the case where the vehicle 1 is traveling on a snowy road (Yes in S501), the ECU 7 advances the processing to S502.

[0068] The processing related to ADAS3 in S502 to S504 is similar to the corresponding processing in the gravel road mode (refer to Figure 5 S202 to S204) are the same, so they are not repeated.

[0069] In S505 , the ECU 7 displays the under-floor transmission image including icons showing the positions of the four wheels 84 in an overlapping manner on the panoramic image.

[0070] In S506, the ECU 7 detects the ruts based on the measurement results of the panoramic camera 2 and / or the ground surface shape sensor 4. The ruts can be detected based on the color difference (the color of the ruts is darker than the surroundings) or shadows (shadows of the ruts) in the image captured by the panoramic camera 2. The ruts can also be detected by the unevenness of the ground surface (the presence or absence of depressions) by the ground surface shape sensor 4.

[0071] In S507, the ECU 7 determines the recommended routes of the four wheels 84 in such a manner that the four wheels 84 pass through the ruts. Then, the ECU 7 displays the determined recommended routes in an overlapping manner on the panoramic image.

[0072] As described above, in this embodiment, the positions of the four wheels 84 are displayed in a superimposed manner on the panoramic image, and the recommended route is displayed in a superimposed manner on the panoramic image so that the four wheels 84 pass through a route with small bumps on the ground surface. As a result, the driver can drive while confirming the positional relationship between the positions of the wheels 84 and the recommended route at any time, thereby avoiding obstacles (obstacles, puddles, ditches, etc.) on the ground surface and allowing the vehicle 1 to properly pass through bad roads. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the bad road passability of the vehicle 1 can be improved.

[0073] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, obstacles X above the minimum ground clearance are displayed in red, and obstacles Y below the minimum ground clearance are displayed in yellow. This is an example of a display method in which obstacles that require more attention from the driver are displayed more prominently. However, the method of making some obstacles more prominent than other obstacles is not limited to the method based on color difference. For example, ECU7 can control the navigation screen 5 and / or HUD6 to display particularly prominent obstacles with thick solid lines, and on the other hand, to display less prominent obstacles with thin lines and / or dotted lines. Alternatively, ECU7 can make particularly prominent obstacles flash. ECU7 can control a speaker (not shown) to emit a warning sound when the vehicle 1 approaches a particularly prominent obstacle.

[0074] In addition, in the present embodiment, it is described that the ECU 7 has two driving modes (gravel road mode and snow road mode). However, the ECU 7 may have only one driving mode. Alternatively, it may be possible to display icons showing the positions of the four wheels 84 and the recommended route superimposed on the panoramic image in the navigation screen 5 and / or the HUD 6 without distinguishing the driving modes based on the ECU 7.

[0075] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims rather than the description of the embodiments above, and is intended to include the meaning equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope.

Claims

1. A vehicle that travels using a plurality of wheels, the vehicle being characterized by comprising: Display; and a processor that displays the panoramic image on the display, The panoramic image shows conditions around the vehicle as if the vehicle was photographed from above the vehicle, and includes icons and recommended routes, the icons being displayed superimposed on the panoramic image and showing positions of the multiple wheels, and the recommended routes being displayed superimposed on the panoramic image and showing a route that the multiple wheels are expected to pass.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that The vehicle further includes a ground surface shape sensor for measuring the shape of the ground surface on which the vehicle is traveling. The processor determines the recommended route based on a measurement result of the terrain shape sensor.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that The processor determines the recommended route in such a manner as to avoid obstacles having a height above a minimum ground clearance of the vehicle and not to avoid obstacles having a height below the minimum ground clearance.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that The panoramic image also includes a first icon and a second icon, the first icon is displayed overlappingly on the panoramic image in a first display mode and shows obstacles whose height is above the minimum ground clearance, and the second icon is displayed overlappingly on the panoramic image in a second display mode different from the first display mode and shows obstacles whose height is lower than the minimum ground clearance.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that The processor determines the recommended route in such a manner that the plurality of wheels pass through ruts formed on snow on the ground surface.

Images