Method and apparatus for displaying manoeuvre-related assistive lines in a display of a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for displaying manoeuvre-related assistive lines (10) in a display (20) of a vehicle (30), wherein the method comprises: a first step to produce a camera image (45) by means of a camera (40) arranged on the vehicle (30), the camera image (45) covering both an environment (50) of the vehicle (30) and a collision-related part (32) of the vehicle (30), a second step to determine an outer contour (34) of the collision-related part (32) of the vehicle (30) and a third step to display the camera image (45) in the display (20) of the vehicle (30), the camera image (45) being overlaid with at least one assistive line (10), provided for a manoeuvring operation, that extends from the outer contour (34) of the collision-related part (32) of the vehicle (30) into the environment (50) of the vehicle (30).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] title

[0003] Method and device for displaying maneuvering-relevant auxiliary lines in a display of a vehicle

[0004] State of the art

[0005] The present invention relates to a method and a device for displaying maneuver-relevant auxiliary lines in a display of a vehicle.

[0006] Camera systems for vehicles are known from the state of the art, on the basis of which two-dimensional images of the vehicle's surroundings are captured in order to display them on a vehicle display for a better overview of the surroundings.

[0007] For example, cameras with fisheye lenses are used, the raw images of which are appropriately rectified before being displayed on a vehicle display.

[0008] Often, visible parts of the real vehicle (also called “vehicle inclusions”), such as bumpers, are visible in the raw images from the cameras so that a driver of such a vehicle can better estimate the distance between their own vehicle and objects in the vehicle’s surroundings based on the camera images.

[0009] Current vehicle systems also overlay auxiliary lines such as wheel trajectories on the camera image to assist with vehicle maneuvers such as parking, reversing, etc.

[0010] Disclosure of the invention

[0011] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method is proposed for displaying maneuver-relevant auxiliary lines in a display of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is, for example, a road vehicle (e.g., motorcycle, car, van, truck) or a rail vehicle or an aircraft / aircraft and / or a watercraft.

[0012] In a first step of the method according to the invention, a camera image is generated by means of a camera arranged on the vehicle, wherein the camera image captures both an environment (in particular a collision-relevant environment) of the vehicle and a collision-relevant part of the vehicle. The collision-relevant part of the vehicle is to be understood as a component of the vehicle body and / or an attachment to the vehicle which, during a driving maneuver, is highly likely to first come into contact with non-vehicle objects (e.g., other vehicles, obstacles, etc.) in the direction of the camera's field of view if the driving maneuver is executed incorrectly and / or the non-vehicle object is not recognized or not reliably recognized by a driver of the vehicle.

[0013] Preferably, at least one section of the vehicle's surroundings that is relevant to a current driving maneuver is captured. Accordingly, it is possible to apply the method according to the invention in conjunction with several differently positioned and / or aligned cameras of the vehicle, individually or simultaneously, in order to use the camera(s) and their camera images most suitable for a current driving maneuver.

[0014] In a second step of the method according to the invention, an outer contour of the collision-relevant part of the vehicle is determined. This determination is performed, for example, by an evaluation unit of the vehicle. The outer contour of the collision-relevant part, which is a section of the vehicle's outer contour, thus represents the line at which the part of the vehicle's body visible in the camera image borders the part of the camera image that represents the vehicle's surroundings.

[0015] In a third step of the method according to the invention, the camera image is displayed on the vehicle's display, which is preferably arranged in the interior of the vehicle. At least one auxiliary line intended for a maneuvering process is superimposed on the camera image. This auxiliary line extends from the outer contour of the collision-relevant part of the vehicle into the surroundings of the vehicle. The characteristics of the auxiliary line are fundamentally unrestricted with regard to shape, arrangement, extension, color, texture, length, etc.

[0016] The guide line or a plurality of guide lines are generated, for example, using the evaluation unit described above and combined with the camera image. By connecting the display to the evaluation unit via IT, the evaluation unit can display the camera image with the superimposed guide lines on the display.

[0017] Since, according to the invention, the at least one auxiliary line extends up to the outer contour of the collision-relevant part of the vehicle and is correspondingly adapted to the course of the outer contour, and furthermore does not protrude into the collision-relevant part of the vehicle, a user, in particular a driver of the vehicle, is given the impression that the at least one auxiliary line continues underneath the vehicle. This improves the relationship between the auxiliary line and the vehicle when viewing the display content, allowing driving maneuvers (e.g., parking) to be performed more easily and / or more precisely, which, among other things, makes it easier to avoid collisions when performing such driving maneuvers.

[0018] The subclaims show preferred developments of the invention.

[0019] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the at least one auxiliary line is cut off by the outer contour of the collision-relevant part of the vehicle.

[0020] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, at least one optical property of the at least one auxiliary line is gradually changed in an area emanating from the surroundings and immediately adjacent to the outer contour in the direction of the outer contour. On the basis of this gradual change, for example, the user's impression that the auxiliary line continues underneath the vehicle can be reinforced. Furthermore, any tolerances that may exist at the transition between the auxiliary line and the outer contour can be concealed by means of the gradual change. The optical property of the at least one auxiliary line preferably represents a transparency and / or a brightness and / or a color and / or a texture of the auxiliary line. Particularly advantageously, the transparency of the auxiliary line is increased in the direction of the outer contour and / or the brightness of the auxiliary line is reduced in the direction of the outer contour.This "fades out" the guide line within the predefined area toward the outer contour, allowing the advantages described above to be achieved particularly clearly. Furthermore, by appropriately defining the extent and / or shape of the predefined area, the impression can be created that the guide line is being shaded by the vehicle body as it approaches the outer contour of the vehicle, for example, by gradually darkening the guide line.

[0021] In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the area adjacent to the outer contour is a predefined area and / or an area that is adapted to current boundary conditions. Alternatively or additionally, it is possible for the at least one optical property of the auxiliary line to be additionally adapted depending on the current boundary conditions. Such boundary conditions include, in particular, current lighting conditions and / or a current shadow cast by the vehicle and / or a shadow cast by a component mechanically connected to the vehicle (e.g., a trailer, a trailer hitch, a bicycle rack).In other words, by taking such boundary conditions into account, a particularly realistic representation of the at least one auxiliary line can be achieved by determining its gradual change, which is intended to depict, for example, a shadow cast by the vehicle, as a function of a position of the sun in relation to the vehicle.

[0022] Particularly preferably, the at least one auxiliary line represents a trajectory and / or a boundary line of a travel path for the vehicle. In the latter case, the auxiliary line is preferably a first auxiliary line, while a second auxiliary line is superimposed on the display, which is generated analogously to the first auxiliary line. Thus, the first and second auxiliary lines form respective lateral boundaries of the travel path in which the vehicle preferably moves during a driving maneuver.

[0023] Advantageously, the outer contour of the collision-relevant part of the vehicle is determined based on a predefined geometric model (e.g., a 2D and / or 3D model) of the vehicle and / or based on an image recognition method using the camera image. The latter offers the advantage that any changes made to the vehicle that are relevant to the outer contour (e.g., mounting a bicycle rack in the area of ​​a rear camera of the vehicle, etc.) are automatically taken into account, so that the at least one auxiliary line always borders the changed outer contour, regardless of such a change. This determination based on the image recognition method is preferably carried out repeatedly (e.g., each time the vehicle is started and / or while driving) in order to be able to take changes to the vehicle into account promptly.Determination based on the image recognition method can also prove advantageous, for example, in a case where the orientation and / or position of the camera on the vehicle changes unintentionally. In this case, too, it can be ensured that the guide line is always adjusted to the outer contour of the vehicle.

[0024] In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the camera is a rearview camera, a front camera, or a side camera of the vehicle. Alternatively or additionally, the collision-relevant part of the vehicle represents at least part of a bumper and / or a trailer hitch of the vehicle.

[0025] Further advantageously, the outer contour and / or the collision-relevant part of the vehicle is at least partially overlaid on the display by a corresponding auxiliary graphic. This can be advantageously used to increase the contrast between the surroundings and the outer contour and / or other areas of the collision-relevant part and / or to generally highlight the transition between the vehicle and the surroundings more clearly. For this purpose, the outer contour line can be colored in a signal color (e.g., red, orange, etc.).

[0026] The vehicle display is, for example, a central display and / or a display of an instrument cluster and / or a head-up display and / or a different display of the vehicle. The display is preferably arranged and aligned such that it is easily visible, in particular, by a driver of the vehicle during a driving maneuver. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a device comprising an evaluation unit, a camera, and a display is proposed, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to carry out a method according to the first aspect of the invention based on the camera and the display. The evaluation unit is designed, for example, as an ASIC, FPGA, processor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, or the like.The features, combinations of features and the advantages resulting from them correspond to those explained in connection with the first-mentioned aspect of the invention in such a way that, in order to avoid repetition, reference is made to the above statements.

[0027] Short description of the drawings

[0028] Embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a device according to the invention; and

[0030] Figure 2 shows an exemplary camera image to be displayed on a display of a vehicle, which was generated by means of a method according to the invention.

[0031] Embodiments of the invention

[0032] Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a device according to the invention comprising a camera 40, an evaluation unit 70 and a display 20 of a vehicle 30.

[0033] The camera 40 is designed here as a 2D RGB rear view camera, the evaluation unit 70 is designed here as a CPU and the display 20 is designed here as a central display, which is intended for arrangement in a center console of the vehicle 30.

[0034] The camera 40, which is intended for mounting at the rear of the vehicle 30 for carrying out reversing maneuvers, is configured to generate a camera image 45 in which both an environment 50 of the vehicle 30 and a collision-relevant part 32 of the vehicle 30 are captured.

[0035] The evaluation unit 70, which is connected to the camera 40 and the display 20 for information technology purposes, is configured to receive the camera image 45 from the camera 40 and to determine the outer contour 34 of the collision-relevant part 32 of the vehicle 30 on the basis of an image recognition method within the camera image 45.

[0036] The evaluation unit 70 is further configured to display the camera image 45 on the display 20, wherein a trajectory for the respective left wheels and right wheels of the vehicle 30 in the form of left and right auxiliary lines 10 for a reversing maneuver is superimposed on the camera image 45 by the evaluation unit 70. The auxiliary lines 10 extend directly from the outer contour 34 of the collision-relevant part 32 of the vehicle 30 into the surroundings 50 of the vehicle 30. This means that the auxiliary lines 10 are clipped by the outer contour 34 so tightly that they exactly follow the course of the outer contour 34 at the respective cutting edges. In other words, the evaluation unit 70 is configured to use the determined outer contour 34 as a mask in order to adapt the course of the auxiliary lines 10 to the outer contour 34.

[0037] In this way, the advantageous effect according to the invention is achieved that the auxiliary lines 10 are continued under the vehicle 30, so that an improved relationship is established between the auxiliary lines 10 and the vehicle 30.

[0038] Figure 2 shows an exemplary camera image 45 to be displayed in a display 20 of a vehicle 30, which was generated by means of a method according to the invention.

[0039] The camera image 45 shows a collision-relevant part 32 of the vehicle 30, for which an outer contour 34 was determined by means of the method according to the invention, which is superimposed here by means of an auxiliary graphic 80 which represents the outer contour 34 with a predefined width and colored red in order to make the outer contour 34 particularly easy to distinguish from a surrounding area 50. According to the invention, two auxiliary lines 10 are extended up to the outer contour 34 of the vehicle 30, wherein the auxiliary lines 10 are represented within a predefined area 60 adjacent to the outer contour 34 in the direction of the outer contour 34 with decreasing brightness with respect to the sections of the auxiliary lines 10 outside the area 60. In this way, the impression of auxiliary lines 10 continuing beneath the vehicle 30 is further enhanced.

Claims

Claims 1. Method for displaying maneuver-relevant auxiliary lines (10) in a display (20) of a vehicle (30), comprising: • a first step for generating a camera image (45) by means of a camera (40) arranged on the vehicle (30), wherein both an environment (50) of the vehicle (30) and a collision-relevant part (32) of the vehicle (30) are captured in the camera image (45), • a second step for determining an outer contour (34) of the collision-relevant part (32) of the vehicle (30), and • a third step for displaying the camera image (45) in the display (20) of the vehicle (30), wherein at least one auxiliary line (10) provided for a maneuvering process is superimposed on the camera image (45), which auxiliary line extends from the outer contour (34) of the collision-relevant part (32) of the vehicle (30) into the surroundings (50) of the vehicle (30).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary line (10) is hard cut by the outer contour (34) of the collision-relevant part (32).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein • at least one optical property of the at least one auxiliary line (10) is gradually changed in a region (60) extending from the surroundings (50) and directly adjacent to the outer contour (34) in the direction of the outer contour (34), and / or • the at least one optical property of the auxiliary line (10) represents a transparency and / or a brightness and / or a color and / or a texture of the auxiliary line (10), and / or • the transparency of the auxiliary line (10) is increased in the direction of the outer contour (34), and / or • the brightness of the auxiliary line (10) is reduced in the direction of the outer contour (34).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein • the area (60) adjacent to the outer contour (34) is a predefined area (60) and / or an area (60) which is adapted to current boundary conditions, and / or • the at least one optical property of the auxiliary line (10) is additionally adapted depending on the current boundary conditions, and / or • the current boundary conditions represent current lighting conditions and / or a shadow cast by the vehicle (30) and / or a shadow cast by a component mechanically connected to the vehicle (30).

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one auxiliary line (10) • a trajectory, and / or • represents a boundary line of a travel path for the vehicle (30).

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer contour (34) of the collision-relevant part (32) of the vehicle (30) is determined on the basis of • a predefined geometric model of the vehicle (30), and / or • an image recognition process is determined based on the camera image (45).

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein • the camera (40) is a rear view camera, a front camera, or a side camera of the vehicle (30), and / or • the collision-relevant part (32) of the vehicle (30) represents at least part of a bumper and / or a trailer coupling of the vehicle (30).

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer contour (34) and / or the collision-relevant part (32) of the vehicle (30) in the display (20) is at least partially represented by a corresponding Auxiliary graphic is superimposed.

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display (20) of the vehicle (30) is a central display and / or a display of an instrument cluster and / or a head-up display of the vehicle (30).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a camera (40), a display (20) and an evaluation unit (70), wherein the evaluation unit (70) is configured to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims on the basis of the camera (40) and the display (20).

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