Starting notice display device of vehicle

Abstract

To provide a starting notice display device that enables a pedestrian or the like who looks at starting notice display drawn on a road surface from a vehicle to exactly grasp a timing at which the vehicle starts.SOLUTION: A starting notice display device 3 of a vehicle comprises a road surface drawing part 6 that draws starting notice display in a predetermined shape by light on a road surface in a running direction of the vehicle, and a control part 5 that determines whether to allow starting notice display to be drawn or not when the vehicle starts, controls the road surface drawing part 6 when determining that the display is allowed, so that the starting notice display is drawn, and controls the road surface drawing part 6 again when determining that notice of the drawn starting notice display should be stopped, so that the starting notice display is stopped, which further comprises a braking-brake detecting part 7 that detects switching from ON to OFF of a braking-brake. When determining that the detected switching from ON to OFF of the braking-brake signifies that the starting notice display is needed, the control part 5 makes the road surface drawing part 6 draw the starting notice display.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a departure notification display device that notifies pedestrians and the like of the departure of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a safety control device for vehicle start that projects a predetermined pattern of laser light onto the road surface as a parked vehicle starts to inform pedestrians and the like that the vehicle is starting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-101797 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The safety control device for vehicle start described in Patent Document 1 draws a predetermined start notification pattern on the road surface to notify pedestrians and the like that the vehicle will start while parked, i.e., at zero speed, so the parked vehicle continues to display the start notification pattern on the road surface even if it does not start immediately after displaying the start notification pattern. Therefore, pedestrians and other passing vehicles (hereinafter simply referred to as pedestrians, etc.) who see the start notification pattern cannot accurately understand the timing of the vehicle's start and cannot wait, so they may move in the direction of the vehicle's travel and cause a collision accident.

[0005] In consideration of the above problems, the present invention provides a vehicle departure notification display device that allows pedestrians and others who see a departure notification display drawn on the road surface from a vehicle to accurately understand the timing when the vehicle will start moving, thereby avoiding contact accidents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A departure notification display device for a vehicle has a road surface drawing unit that is mounted on the vehicle and draws a departure notification display of a predetermined shape on the road surface in the direction of travel of the vehicle using light, and a control unit that determines whether a departure notification display is necessary when the vehicle starts, and when it is determined that a departure notification display is necessary, controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display, and when it is determined that the drawn departure notification display should be stopped, controls the road surface drawing unit again to stop the departure notification display.The vehicle has a brake detection unit that detects switching of the brake from on (braked state) to off (released), and the control unit determines that a departure notification display is necessary when it detects that the brake is switched from on to off, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display.

[0007] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a vehicle start notification display on the road surface in response to the release of the braking state performed immediately before the actual start of the vehicle, and stops drawing the start notification display in accordance with a drawing stop determination.

[0008] In addition, it is desirable that the vehicle's start notification display device has a start switch detection unit that detects the switching of a start switch, and the control unit determines that it is necessary to cause the road surface drawing unit to draw a start notification display when a switching of the brake from on to off is detected after a switching of the start switch from off to on is detected before a switching of the brake from on to off is detected.

[0009] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a parked vehicle departure notification display on the road surface based on the turning on of the instruction switch when starting from a parked vehicle and the subsequent switching of the brakes from the braked state to the released state.

[0010] In addition, it is desirable that the vehicle's departure notification display device has a shift detection unit that detects whether the vehicle is moving forward or backward, and that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display in front of the vehicle when forward movement of the vehicle is detected, or to control the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display behind the vehicle when reverse movement of the vehicle is detected.

[0011] (Function) The road surface drawing unit draws a starting notification display in front of the vehicle when it detects forward movement (the shift position is in drive “D”) based on the shift detection unit, and draws a starting notification display behind the vehicle when it detects reverse movement (the shift position is in reverse “R”).

[0012] In addition, it is desirable that the vehicle departure notification display device has a steering detection unit that detects rightward or leftward steering of the vehicle, and that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display to the right of the vehicle when rightward steering of the vehicle is detected, or controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display to the left of the vehicle when leftward steering of the vehicle is detected.

[0013] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a starting notification display to the right of the vehicle when right steering is detected by the steering detection unit, and draws a starting notification display to the left of the vehicle when left steering is detected by the steering detection unit.

[0014] In addition, it is desirable that the vehicle departure notification display device has a temporary stop detection unit that detects a temporary stop of the vehicle, and the control unit determines that a departure notification display is necessary when the vehicle is detected as a temporary stop and the braking force is detected as being switched from on to off after a non-notification determination time has elapsed from the time the temporary stop is detected, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display.

[0015] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a vehicle start notification symbol on the road surface based on the switching of the braking state from the applied state to the released state, which is performed after the non-notification determination time has elapsed since the vehicle was temporarily stopped.

[0016] In addition, it is desirable that the vehicle's departure notification display device has a necessary target detection unit for the departure notification display, and the control unit determines that a departure notification display is necessary when a switch of the braking force from on to off is detected after the necessary target is detected, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display.

[0017] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a vehicle start notification display on the road surface based on switching of the brake from an applied state to a released state, which is performed after detecting an object requiring a start notification display.

[0018] It is also preferable that the required object detection unit is a car navigation system, and the required object is detected based on road information acquired by the car navigation system.

[0019] It is also preferable that the required object detection unit is an image capture unit that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and that the required object is detected from an image captured by the image capture unit.

[0020] In addition, it is desirable that the vehicle's departure notification display device has an unnecessary target detection unit for the departure notification display, and the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit so as not to draw the departure notification display when a switch of the braking force from on to off is detected after the detection of the unnecessary target, determining that the departure notification display is unnecessary.

[0021] (Operation) Even if the braking state is released after detecting an object for which the departure notification display is not required, the road surface drawing unit does not draw the vehicle departure notification display on the road surface.

[0022] It is preferable that the unnecessary object detection unit is a car navigation system, and the unnecessary object is acquired based on road information acquired by the car navigation system.

[0023] It is also preferable that the unnecessary object detection unit is an image capturing unit that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and that the unnecessary object is detected from an image captured by the image capturing unit.

[0024] It is also preferable that the unwanted object detection unit is a stop signal detection unit that detects a vehicle stop signal as the unwanted object.

[0025] It is also preferable that the unwanted object detection unit is a vehicle-in-front detection unit that detects a vehicle in front of the vehicle as the unwanted object.

[0026] It is also preferable that the unwanted object detection unit is an automatic toll collection device detection unit that detects the passage of a vehicle past an automatic toll collection device as the unwanted object.

[0027] It is also preferable that the unwanted object detection unit is a turn signal lamp detection unit that detects on and off of a turn signal lamp of a vehicle as the unwanted object. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to the vehicle departure notification display device, the departure notification display is displayed only immediately before the vehicle starts, so that pedestrians and others who see the departure notification display can accurately grasp the timing when the vehicle will start, thereby avoiding contact accidents.

[0029] According to the vehicle departure notification display device, while a departure notification display is displayed immediately before a parked vehicle starts, it is not displayed immediately before a vehicle starting from a temporary stop state. Therefore, when a vehicle starts from a temporary stop where there is no need to inform pedestrians, etc., of the vehicle's departure, such as starting from a traffic jam or waiting at a traffic light, an unnecessary departure notification display is not drawn.

[0030] According to the vehicle departure notification display device, when a parked vehicle moves forward, a departure notification display is drawn on the road surface in front of the vehicle, and when the vehicle moves backward, a departure notification display is drawn on the road surface behind the vehicle, allowing pedestrians and others to accurately understand the vehicle's departure direction and avoiding contact accidents.

[0031] According to the vehicle departure notification display device, when a parked vehicle moves in either the left or right direction from a parallel parking position, etc., pedestrians and the like can accurately know which direction the vehicle will depart from, thereby making it possible to avoid contact accidents.

[0032] The vehicle departure notification display device allows pedestrians and the like to accurately grasp the departure timing of a stopped vehicle when the vehicle starts from a sideways stop, while avoiding drawing an unnecessary departure notification display when the vehicle starts from a short temporary stop such as starting from a traffic light where it is not necessary to notify pedestrians of the vehicle's departure.

[0033] According to the vehicle departure notification display device, when a situation where there is concern that pedestrians may dangerously run out, such as a stop sign, a T-junction, or pedestrians waiting to cross, is detected as requiring a departure notification display, the departure notification display can be displayed even when the vehicle starts from a stop sign, allowing pedestrians and others to accurately grasp the timing of the vehicle's departure and avoiding contact accidents.

[0034] On the other hand, according to the vehicle's departure notification display device, when it detects an object for which a departure notification display is not required, such as waiting at a traffic light, traffic congestion, passing a toll booth or automatic toll collection device on a highway, waiting to turn right or left at a railroad crossing or intersection, it is possible to avoid displaying unnecessary departure notification displays. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle departure notification display device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1A] 2 is a block diagram showing a vehicle departure notification display system including a modified example of the departure notification display device of FIG. 1; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with the departure notification display device. [Diagram 3] 2 showing a vehicular lamp including a departure notification display device; FIG. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams relating to a light deflection device of a road surface drawing unit, in which FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment in which a departure notification display is drawn on the road surface from vehicles which start in front and behind from a parked state. [Figure 6] 13 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment in which a departure notification display is drawn on the road surface from a vehicle that starts diagonally forward to the left or right from a parallel parking state. FIG. [Figure 6A] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a third embodiment in which a departure notification display is drawn on the road surface from a vehicle that is parked alongside another vehicle and starts moving diagonally forward. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a fourth embodiment in which an object requiring a departure notification display is detected when the vehicle is temporarily stopped and the departure notification display is drawn on the road surface. [Figure 8]FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a fifth embodiment in which an object that does not require a notification display, such as waiting at a traffic light, is detected when the vehicle is temporarily stopped and a departure notification display is not drawn on the road surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. In each drawing, the directions of the road as seen from the driver of a vehicle equipped with each part of a vehicle lamp including a departure notification display device and the vehicle equipped with a departure notification display device are described as (upper: lower: left: right: front: rear = Up: Lo: Le: Ri: Fr: Re).

[0037] A pair of left and right vehicle headlamps 1 of a vehicle C shown in Fig. 2 are each equipped with a departure notification lamp 2 including a departure notification display device 3 shown in Fig. 1 so as to irradiate light onto the road surface in front of the vehicle, and a pair of left and right rear combination lamps 4 of the vehicle headlamps 1 are also equipped with a pair of left and right departure notification lamps 2 including a departure notification display device 3 so as to irradiate light onto the road surface behind the vehicle. Note that one of the left and right vehicle headlamps 1 (or rear combination lamps) may be omitted as the departure notification display device 3, and one each for the front and rear of the vehicle may be mounted somewhere in the center of the exterior of the vehicle body, and the departure notification display device 3 for the rear of the vehicle may be omitted.

[0038] The departure notification display device 3 shown in Figure 2 may include any or all of a control unit 5 configured by an arithmetic and control device such as a CPU, a road surface drawing unit 6, a braking sensor 7, a start switch sensor 8, a shift sensor 9, a steering angle sensor 10, a speed sensor 11, a car navigation system 12, a photographing unit 13, a radar sensor 14, an automatic fare collection terminal 15, and a turn signal lamp sensor 16. Also, Fig. 1A shows a vehicle departure notification display system 33 including a departure notification display device 3' which is a modified example of the vehicle departure notification display device 3 shown in Fig. 1. The vehicle departure notification display system 33 in Fig. 1A is a system used in vehicles equipped with an automatic driving device, and is composed of the departure notification display device 3' including the control unit 5 and road surface drawing unit 6 (not shown) mounted on the vehicle (not shown) among the vehicle notification display device 3 in Fig. 1, and the braking sensor 7, start switch sensor 8, shift sensor 9, steering angle sensor 10, speed sensor 11, car navigation system 12, photographing unit 13, radar sensor 14, automatic toll collection terminal 15, and turn signal lamp sensor 16 among the departure notification display device 3 in Fig. 1 excluding the control unit 5 and the road surface drawing unit 6. The braking sensor 7, starter switch sensor 8, shift sensor 9, steering angle sensor 10, speed sensor 11, car navigation system 12, photographing unit 13, radar sensor 14, automatic toll collection terminal 15 and turn signal lamp sensor 16 in Figure 1A are installed outside the vehicle (they may be installed inside the vehicle except for the road monitoring camera 13b described later) and are each connected to a control unit 5 of a vehicle notification display device 3' mounted on the vehicle. 1A, only the starting notification display device 3' including the control unit 5 and road surface drawing unit 6 used for displaying the starting notification on the road surface is mounted on a vehicle (not shown), and any or all of the other components, i.e., the braking sensor 7 to the turn signal lamp sensor 16, are installed outside the vehicle, making it possible to build a system by adding (retrofitting) the missing components from the "other components" to existing sensors such as the braking sensor and the car navigation system that are already installed in the vehicle. Also, according to the starting notification display system 33, the components other than the starting notification display device 3' are installed outside the vehicle, and multiple vehicles equipped with the starting notification display device 3' are controlled by one starting notification display system 33, making it possible to simplify the starting notification display device.

[0039] 1 and 1A judges whether or not a departure notification display is required when the vehicle C starts based on the detection results from the brake sensor 7, the start switch sensor 8, the shift sensor 9, the steering angle sensor 10, the speed sensor 11, the car navigation system 12, the photographing unit 13, the road information communication system 130, the radar sensor 14, the automatic toll collection terminal 15, and the turn signal lamp sensor 16, and controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw the departure notification display when it is judged to be necessary, and controls the road surface drawing unit 6 not to draw the departure notification display when it is judged to be unnecessary. Furthermore, the control unit 5 judges the notification stop condition for the drawn departure notification display, and when it is judged to stop the notification, controls the road surface drawing unit 6 again to stop the departure notification display.

[0040] The road surface drawing section 6 will be described with reference to Figs. 1, 1A and 3. The road surface drawing section 6 has a light source 18 and a light deflection device 19, and constitutes a part of the road surface drawing unit 17. The road surface drawing unit 17 is configured by providing the light source 18, the light deflection device 19, a reflective optical member 20 such as a reflector, a projection optical member 21 such as a plano-convex lens, and a light absorbing member 22 in a unit body 17a. The road surface drawing unit 17 is disposed in a lamp chamber S formed inside a lamp body 2a having an opening in front of the vehicle and a transparent or semi-transparent front cover 2b that closes the opening, and constitutes the starting notification lamp 2. The road surface drawing unit 17 is held inside the lamp body 2a so as to be horizontally rotatable, as shown in Fig. 3, and is configured to be swung around a central axis L1 by a motor 23 or the like. The road surface drawing unit 17 is controlled by the control unit 5 of Figures 1 and 1A to tilt left and right, switching the direction in which the road surface drawing display is irradiated onto the road surface to either the front or diagonally forward of the vehicle C (in the case of the road surface drawing unit 17 of the rear combination lamp 4, the rear or diagonally forward).

[0041] The light source 18 may be a semiconductor light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LD (Laser Diode), or an EL (Electro Luminescence) element, or a light bulb, an incandescent lamp (halogen lamp), or a discharge lamp, and may, for example, be configured to generate and irradiate white or yellow light in the forward direction and red or other color light in the rear direction.

[0042] The reflective optical member 20 reflects the light from the light source 18 to the optical deflection device 19. The optical deflection device 19 is disposed on the optical axis of the projection optical member 21, and selectively reflects the light reflected by the reflective optical member 20 back to the projection optical member 21 and emits it outside the departure notification lamp 2. The light emitted from the departure notification lamp 2 of the vehicle headlamp 1 displays a vehicle departure notification display of a form to be described later in a range from the front to the diagonally forward direction of the vehicle C based on the horizontal swing of the road surface drawing unit 17, and the light emitted from the departure notification lamp 2 of the rear combination lamp 4 displays a vehicle departure notification display of a form to be described later in a range from the rear to the diagonally rear direction of the vehicle C based on the horizontal swing of the road surface drawing unit 17.

[0043] 1, 1A, 3, and 4, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device), which is one type of micromirror device, is used for the optical deflection device 19 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4(a), the optical deflection device 19 includes a micromirror array 25 in which a plurality of minute mirror elements 24, each having a reflective surface 24a on its surface, are arranged in a matrix. The optical deflection device 19 includes a transparent cover material 26 arranged on the light emission side of the reflective surface 24a of the mirror element 24.

[0044] Each mirror element 24 of the micromirror array 25 is configured to be switchable between an ON state (solid line position shown in FIG. 4(b)) in which the light emitted from the light source 18 is emitted toward the projection optical member 21 so as to be used as a desired light distribution pattern, and an OFF state (broken line position shown in FIG. 4(b)) in which the light emitted from the light source 18 is reflected toward the light absorbing member 22 so as not to be effectively used. Specifically, each mirror element 24 is configured to be rotatably switched between the ON state and the OFF state about a rotation axis. Each mirror element 24 emits a part of the emitted light toward the projection optical member 21, and reflects the remaining light toward the light absorbing member 22 so as not to be effectively used. The micromirror array 25 can obtain a light distribution pattern by a desired projection image by independently controlling the ON / OFF state of a large number of mirror elements 24 arranged in a matrix.

[0045] In addition, the micromirror array 25 shown in each figure of FIG. 4 expresses the light brightness stepwise by adjusting the ON time ratio when each mirror element 24 is switched on / off at high speed, and expresses the reflected light of white light in monochrome. In addition, when expressing the reflected light of each mirror element 24 in a desired color, a light source unit of three or more colors such as red, green, and blue is used for the light source 18, and the light is irradiated to the light deflection device 19 in a time-division manner, and the mirror elements are switched on / off several thousand times per second, causing an optical illusion (afterimage effect) to the human eye, so that the person who sees the reflected light recognizes it as a mixed light. As a result, the minute mirror elements 24 express a variety of colors with a predetermined brightness and darkness, and the light deflection device 19 can draw a mark of a desired form, i.e., a departure notification display, on the road surface by a collection of light points that are emitted in a matrix shape with a predetermined brightness and color by a large number of independently controlled mirror elements 24.

[0046] Incidentally, instead of the DMD, the optical deflection device 19 may employ a scanning mechanism that reflects light from a light source using a reflecting mirror that can swing in two-dimensional directions at high speed, scans the reflected light in two-dimensional directions at high speed, and draws a mark of a desired shape on the road surface, and a wide range of devices such as a rotary scanner, a galvano scanner, a resonant scanner, an optical MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) scanner, or a polygon mirror can be employed. Also, the road surface drawing unit 6 may be configured to draw only one type of departure notification display on the road surface by passing light through a specified optical member.

[0047] The starting notification lamp 2 including the road surface drawing unit 6 in this embodiment draws an array of starting notification displays 27 consisting of multiple boomerang-shaped marks 27a to 27c with their corners facing the traveling direction of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 2. The number of the multiple marks is not limited to three as long as there is more than one, and the shape of each mark is not limited to the boomerang shape. It is preferable that the starting notification displays 27 are drawn so that the mark 27a is turned on and off in order from the mark closest to the vehicle, then the mark 27b is turned on and off, and finally the mark 27c is turned on and off.

[0048] In this case, departure notification display 27 appears as mark 27a gradually progressing to positions 27b and 27c along the vehicle's direction of travel, so that pedestrians, etc. who see departure notification display 27 can not only recognize the vehicle's departure direction from the direction in which departure notification display 27 is displayed relative to vehicle C, but can also recognize the vehicle's departure direction because mark 27a appears to progress in turn to positions 27b and 27c.

[0049] The brake sensor 7 of the vehicle start notification display device 3 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 1A functions as a brake detection unit that detects the switching between on (braked state) and off (released) of the foot brake of the vehicle C. The brake detected by the brake sensor 7 is not limited to a foot brake, but may be a hand brake or an automatic brake that is automatically controlled by a system of an autonomous vehicle that does not involve operation by the driver, as long as it stops the vehicle while traveling based on the degree of opening and releases the brake at a predetermined opening degree. The brake sensor 7 detects the release of the foot brake of the vehicle C that was in a braking state and outputs the detection result to the control unit 5.

[0050] The start switch sensor 8 in Figures 1 and 1A functions as a braking detection unit that detects the switching of the start switch (ignition switch, keyless system start switch, etc.) of the vehicle C between off and on, and detects the switching of the start switch from off to on and outputs the result to the control unit 5.

[0051] The shift sensor 9 functions as a shift detection unit that detects whether the shift lever of the vehicle C is in forward (D position: drive), reverse (R position: reverse), parking (P position), etc. The shift sensor 9 detects the forward movement of the vehicle C and outputs the result to the control unit 5 when the shift lever is in "drive", and detects the reverse movement of the vehicle C and outputs the result to the control unit 5 when the shift lever is in "reverse".

[0052] The steering angle sensor 10 functions as a steering detection unit that detects straight travel, right steering, or left steering of the vehicle C. For example, if a steering angle of a steering device (such as a handle, not shown) when the vehicle C is traveling straight is taken as a reference, and a steering angle when steering in a right turn direction is taken as a positive angle, and a steering angle when steering in a left turn direction is taken as a negative angle, the steering angle sensor 10 detects a positive steering angle as right steering of the vehicle C, or detects a negative steering angle as left steering of the vehicle C, and outputs the detected steering angle to the control unit 5.

[0053] The speed sensor 11 functions as a temporary stop detection unit that detects a temporary stop of the vehicle from a change in the vehicle speed and outputs the result to the control unit 5. Specifically, the speed sensor 11 detects the vehicle speed at regular time intervals, and when it detects that the vehicle speed is either a positive speed (forward) or a negative speed (reverse) and then detects zero vehicle speed, it outputs the result to the control unit 5 as a detection of a temporary stop of the vehicle. The speed sensor 11 is also used in the stop determination of the start notification display performed by the control unit 5.

[0054] The car navigation system 12 functions as a necessary object detection unit that detects objects that need to be displayed on the vehicle's departure notification display or an unnecessary object detection unit that detects objects that do not need to be displayed on the vehicle's departure notification display, based on road information that the car navigation system 12 possesses or that is transmitted via a communication line, and vehicle position information obtained by a satellite positioning system such as GNSS (abbreviation of Global Navigation Satellite System) or GPS (registered trademark: abbreviation of Global Positioning System). The car navigation system 12 detects objects that need to be displayed on the vehicle's departure notification display or an unnecessary object detection unit that detects objects that do not need to be displayed on the vehicle's departure notification display, and outputs the detected objects to the control unit 5.

[0055] Objects that require a vehicle departure notification display detected by the car navigation system 12 include whether or not there is a requirement to stop at an intersecting road where vehicle C has reached, a T-junction, an entrance to a priority road (a narrow road to a wide road) at an intersection, etc., and objects that do not require a vehicle departure notification display include a "traffic jam" at the location where vehicle C has reached, a toll booth on a highway, a railway crossing, etc.

[0056] As shown in Figures 1 and 1A, the photographing unit 13 is composed of an in-vehicle camera 13a, a road monitoring camera 13b, and an image processing device 13c, and functions as a necessary object detection unit that detects necessary objects for the vehicle departure notification display from images captured around the vehicle C, or an unnecessary object detection unit that detects unnecessary objects for the vehicle departure notification display.

[0057] 2, the in-vehicle camera 13a is built into the vehicle headlamp 1 so as to be able to photograph the surroundings ahead of the vehicle C, or is mounted in a position so as to be able to photograph the upper surface of the roof of the vehicle body, the bonnet, the door mirrors, etc., or the surroundings of the vehicle C, or is mounted in the rear combination lamp 4 so as to be able to photograph the surroundings behind the vehicle C, and photographs the surroundings of the vehicle C in which it is mounted. The road monitoring camera 13b is installed on the road and photographs the surroundings of the approaching vehicle C. The image processing device 13c is mounted on the vehicle C, and performs image analysis of the images photographed by the in-vehicle camera 13a or the images photographed by the road monitoring camera 13b transmitted via the communication line to detect objects requiring or not requiring a vehicle start notification display, and outputs the images to the control unit 5.

[0058] Objects that require a vehicle departure notification display detected by the photographing unit 13 include a stop obligation sign at an intersecting road, a T-junction, an entrance to a priority road (narrow road to wide road) at an intersection, pedestrians waiting to cross, etc., which are photographed by the in-vehicle camera 13a at the position reached by the vehicle C, and further include the vehicle C approaching a road with a stop obligation sign, a T-junction, an entrance to a priority road (narrow road to wide road) at an intersection, or pedestrians waiting to cross, etc., which are photographed by the road monitoring camera 13b. In addition, objects that do not require a vehicle departure notification display detected by the photographing unit 13 include a "traffic jam," a toll booth on a highway, or a railroad crossing, etc., which are photographed by the in-vehicle camera 13a, and the vehicle C approaching a "traffic jam," "highway toll booth," "railroad crossing," etc., which are photographed by the road monitoring camera 13b.

[0059] In addition, the car navigation system 12 may employ radar-based sensors using millimeter wave radar, LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), ultrasonic waves, etc., in addition to the imaging unit 13 that performs image detection, in the necessary object detection unit and the unnecessary object detection unit to detect necessary objects and unnecessary objects for the departure notification display.

[0060] The road information communication system 130 functions as an unnecessary object detection unit (a stop signal detection unit in the case of detecting stop signals) that detects traffic congestion information at the current position of the vehicle and stop signal (red signal) information of traffic lights at intersections etc. that the vehicle will soon arrive at as unnecessary objects for the start notification display in conjunction with the vehicle's position information obtained by the satellite positioning system of the car navigation system 12. The road information communication system 130 is, for example, VICS (registered trademark: an abbreviation for Vehicle Information and Communication System), and detects traffic congestion and stop signals (red signals) that are unnecessary objects and outputs them to the control unit 5.

[0061] The radar sensor 14 is a microwave radar sensor, a millimeter wave radar sensor, or the like, and functions as a vehicle ahead detection unit that detects vehicles ahead of the vehicle as objects that do not require a vehicle start notification display, and detects the vehicles ahead and outputs the results to the control unit 5.

[0062] The automatic toll collection terminal 15 is an in-vehicle device such as ETC (registered trademark: abbreviation of Electronic Toll Collection system) that automatically pays tolls based on the vehicle's passage through an automatic toll collection device 32 (see FIG. 8) installed at a toll booth on a highway, etc. The automatic toll collection terminal 15 wirelessly communicates with the automatic toll collection device at the toll booth, functions as an automatic toll collection device detection unit that detects the vehicle's passage through the automatic toll collection device 32 as an object that does not require a vehicle start notification display, and outputs to the control unit 5 that the vehicle has passed the automatic toll collection device.

[0063] The turn signal lamp sensor 16 functions as a turn signal lamp detection unit that detects the switching of the turn signal lamp switch from off to on as an unnecessary target for the vehicle start notification display, and outputs the switching of the turn signal lamp from off to on to the control unit 5.

[0064] Next, a first embodiment of the starting notification display in a vehicle C starting forward and backward from a parked state will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In Fig. 5 to Fig. 8, the starting notification display devices 3 in Fig. 2 for drawing the starting notification display on the road surface in front of the vehicle, which are mounted on the left and right vehicle headlights 1, respectively, are represented by symbols 3a (for the left front) and 3b (for the right front), the starting notification displays drawn from the starting notification display devices 3a and 3b for the left and right front are represented by symbols 271 (for the left front) and 272 (for the right front), the starting notification display devices 3 for drawing the starting notification display on the road surface in the rear of the vehicle, which are mounted on the left and right rear combination lamps 4, respectively, are represented by symbols 3c (for the left rear) and 3d (for the right rear), and the starting notification displays drawn from the starting notification display devices 3c and 3d for the left and right rear are represented by symbols 273 (for the left rear) and 272 (for the right rear).

[0065] First, the driver (not shown) of vehicle C in Fig. 5 turns on the start switch of vehicle C while the foot brake pedal is depressed (brake on). Next, the driver puts the shift lever of vehicle C into forward (drive) or reverse (reverse) and releases the foot brake that was depressed (brake off).

[0066] The control unit 5 of the vehicle's departure notification display device 3 detects the switching of the start switch from off to on using the start switch sensor 8, and then detects the switching of the brake from on (braking) to off (released) using the brake sensor 7, and makes a necessary determination that a departure notification display is necessary, and determines the display direction of the departure notification display based on the vehicle's traveling direction detected from the position of the shift lever by the shift sensor 9.

[0067] Specifically, in vehicle C, when the driver turns on the start switch and releases the brake pedal that he was pressing with the shift lever in drive, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3a, 3b controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw departure notification displays 271, 272 on the road surface in front of the vehicle, alerting pedestrians H1 and others who are about to cross in front of vehicle C that "parked vehicle C is about to start forward," and when the shift lever is in reverse, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3c, 3d controls the road surface drawing unit 6 based on the release of the brake pedal to draw departure notification displays 273, 274 on the road surface behind the vehicle, alerting pedestrians and others (not shown) who are about to cross behind vehicle C that "parked vehicle C is about to back up," thereby avoiding a collision accident between vehicle C and pedestrians and others. In addition, when determining whether the departure notification display is necessary, the judgment conditions do not have to include switching the start switch on / off. In that case, however, the departure notification display will be displayed even when temporarily stopping in a situation where the departure notification display is not necessary (waiting at a traffic light, etc.). Therefore, in such a case, it is desirable to limit the conditions for determining whether the display is necessary and restrict the display.

[0068] The control unit 5 of the start notification display device 3 controls the road surface drawing unit 6 again to stop drawing the start notification display on the road surface when the vehicle speed of the vehicle C detected at regular time intervals by the speed sensor 11 reaches a predetermined speed or higher (for example, 5 km / h or higher, but not limited to this speed) from zero, when a odometer (not shown) of the vehicle C detects that the vehicle C has traveled a certain distance since it started to run (for example, 10 m since it started to run, but not limited to this distance), when a certain time has passed since the vehicle C started to run (for example, 10 seconds since it started to run, but not limited to this time), or when left and right steering of the vehicle C is completed (i.e., when the steering angle sensor 10 detects that the detected angle of the steering device has returned to zero from either a positive or negative angle, or when the turn signal lamp sensor 16 detects that the turn signal switch has switched from on to off). When the photographing unit 13 detects a pedestrian or another vehicle around the vehicle C, it is preferable that the control unit 5 changes the above-mentioned end value (for example, changing the arrival speed for stopping from 5 km / h or more to 10 km / h or more, the arrival distance from 10 m to 15 m, the arrival time from 10 seconds to 15 seconds, etc.) and draws the departure notification display for a longer period of time in order to sufficiently alert the detected pedestrian, etc. to the departure of the vehicle C. It is preferable that the stopping of the departure notification display is similarly controlled in the second to fifth embodiments described later.

[0069] Furthermore, since the starting notification display device 3 of vehicle C determines that a necessary condition for displaying a starting notification is that the start switch is switched on before the brake pedal is released, in the first embodiment, no unnecessary starting notification display is made in situations where a starting notification display is not required, such as starting from a temporary stop at a red light or a railroad crossing.

[0070] Next, a second embodiment of the start notification display for vehicle C starting diagonally forward from a parallel parked state will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The driver (not shown) of vehicle C in Fig. 6 turns on the start switch of vehicle C while the foot brake pedal is depressed to apply brake (brake on). Next, the driver puts the shift lever of vehicle C into forward (drive) and steers the steering wheel (steering device, not shown) to the left or right, and releases the foot brake that was being depressed (brake off).

[0071] The control unit 5 of the vehicle's departure notification display device 3 detects the switching of the start switch from off to on using the start switch sensor 8, and then detects the switching of the brake from on (braking) to off (released) using the brake sensor 7, thereby making a necessary judgment that a departure notification display is necessary, and also determines the display direction of the departure notification display based on the fact that the shift lever is in the drive position (forward) detected by the shift sensor 9 and the steering direction of the vehicle, either left or right, detected by the steering angle sensor.

[0072] Specifically, in vehicle C in FIG. 6, when the driver turns on the start switch, puts the shift lever into drive, and releases the brake pedal that was being pressed with the steering wheel turned to the right, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3b controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw a departure notification display 272 on the road surface diagonally forward to the right of vehicle C, alerting pedestrians H2 and others who are passing on the right side of vehicle C that "vehicle C, which is parallel parked, is about to start moving forward to the right" in countries where vehicles drive on the left, and when the driver releases the brake pedal that was being pressed with the steering wheel turned to the left, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3a controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw a departure notification display 271 on the road surface diagonally forward to the left of vehicle C, alerting pedestrians H3 and others who are passing on the left side of vehicle C that "vehicle C, which is parallel parked, is about to start moving forward to the left" in countries where vehicles drive on the right, thereby avoiding a collision accident with vehicle C. Furthermore, the departure notification displays 271, 272 displayed diagonally forward to the left and diagonally forward to the right may be displayed horizontally to either the left or right instead of diagonally in cases where a parallel parked vehicle will start straight to the side due to future automated driving, etc.

[0073] In the second embodiment of Figure 6, since the steering wheels of many conventional vehicles are on the front wheels, the shift lever is in the drive position (forward), and it is described that the vehicle start notification display 271, 272 is drawn diagonally forward to the right or diagonally forward to the left depending on the steering direction. However, it is conceivable that in future autonomous driving technology, the steering wheels will be provided on the rear wheels, and the vehicle C will start diagonally backward. In that case, the vehicle start notification display device 3 provided on the rear combination lamp 4 may swing the road surface drawing unit 17, and cause the road surface drawing section 6 to display the start notification display 273, 274 diagonally backward to the left or diagonally backward to the right depending on the steering direction of the rear wheels to the left or right.

[0074] Next, a third embodiment of the start notification display for a vehicle C that starts diagonally forward from a state where it has been temporarily parked alongside another vehicle C1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6A. First, the control unit 5 of the start notification display device 3 of the vehicle C shown in Fig. 1 detects, via the speed sensor 11 that periodically detects the vehicle speed, that the vehicle's own speed has become zero from a positive speed due to the driver's foot brake operation, as a temporary stop of the vehicle C, and detects, via the braking sensor 7, that the driver has released the foot brake that he had been stepping on until a certain time has elapsed after the temporary stop (for example, until one minute has elapsed since the temporary stop, but this time is not limited), and the steering wheel is steered to the right (or left). When the steering angle sensor 10 detects that the vehicle C has been turned (or steered left), the road surface drawing unit 6 of the departure notification display device 3b (or the departure notification display device 3a in the case of left steering) is controlled to draw a departure notification display 272 on the road surface diagonally forward to the right of the vehicle C (or a departure notification display device 271 on the road surface diagonally forward to the left of the vehicle C in the case of left steering) to alert another traveling vehicle C1 that is passing beside the vehicle C that "the vehicle C stopped alongside is about to start to the right front (or left front) and enter the driving line of the vehicle C1", thereby avoiding a collision accident between the vehicle C and the vehicle C1. Note that the control unit 5 determines that the start notification display is unnecessary for the on / off detection of the foot brake detected until a certain time has elapsed since the temporary stop, assuming that the detection was based on a temporary stop such as waiting at a traffic light, for which a start notification display is unnecessary, and controls the road surface drawing unit 6 not to draw the start notification display.

[0075] Next, a fourth embodiment of the departure notification display based on the detection of a target for which the departure notification display is required by the car navigation system 12 and the photographing unit 13 when the vehicle C stops will be described with reference to Fig. 7. First, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3 detects the presence or absence of a stop obligation at the crossroads reached by the vehicle C (detection only by the car navigation system 12) through the car navigation system 12 and the photographing unit 13 functioning as a target detection unit for which the departure notification display is required (detection only by the car navigation system 12), a stop obligation sign 28 installed at the crossroads reached and a stop sign not shown written on the road surface (detection only by the photographing unit 13), a T-junction without a traffic light reached, an entrance to a priority road at the crossroads reached (an entrance from a narrow road to a wide road), a pedestrian H4 waiting to cross and a vehicle C3 trying to pass the crossroad (only the photographing unit 13), etc., and then detects the switching from a temporary stop caused by the driver stepping on the foot brake (brake on) to the release of the foot brake (brake off) by the brake brake sensor 7, thereby determining the necessity of the departure notification display.

[0076] Based on the necessary judgment, the control unit 5 controls the road surface drawing unit 6 of the departure notification display devices 3a, 3b as shown in Figure 7 to draw departure notification displays 271, 272 on the road surface of the cross road R2 that intersects with the road R1 on which the vehicle is traveling in front of the vehicle C, thereby alerting pedestrian H4 who is passing in front of the vehicle C and trying to cross the road R1 at a cross road such as the T-junction in Figure 7, and other vehicles C3 traveling on the cross road, that "vehicle C, which has just stopped temporarily, is about to enter the cross road ahead," thereby preventing contact accidents with pedestrian H4 and other vehicles C3, etc. Furthermore, since the departure notification displays 271, 272 are not displayed unless the driver of vehicle C1 releases the brake pedal, when the driver of vehicle C1 gives way to pedestrian H4 who is waiting to cross and crosses road R1 before vehicle C1 passes, pedestrian H4 can accurately understand that vehicle C1 will not start moving because the departure notification displays are not displayed, and can therefore cross in front of vehicle C1 safely.

[0077] In the first to fourth embodiments shown in Figures 5, 6, 6A, and 7, the control unit 5 makes a necessary judgment to display a departure notification in the traveling direction of the vehicle C only when the in-vehicle camera 13a detects pedestrians H1 to H4 or passing vehicles C2, C3 in the traveling direction of the vehicle before the driver releases the foot brake that he had been pressing, and when no pedestrians, passing vehicles, etc. are detected, the control unit 5 may make a judgment that the departure notification display is unnecessary and control the road surface drawing unit 6 not to display the departure notification display.

[0078] Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8, in which the departure notification display is not performed based on the detection of an unnecessary object when the vehicle C stops temporarily. The car navigation system 12, the photographing unit 13, the radar sensor 14, the automatic toll collection terminal 15, and the turn signal lamp sensor 16 shown in Fig. 1 function as an unnecessary object detection unit that detects an unnecessary object for the departure notification display.

[0079] Objects for which a departure notification display is not required include traffic congestion (not shown) detected at the position reached by vehicle C by the car navigation system 12, a highway toll gate 29, and a railway crossing 30 shown in FIG. 8, as well as the highway toll gate 29, railway crossing 30, and stop signal (red light) 31 detected from an image of the position reached by vehicle C captured by the onboard camera 13a of the photographing unit 13, traffic congestion and stop signal (red light) 31 detected at the position reached by vehicle C by the road information and communication system, a preceding vehicle (not shown) traveling in front of vehicle C detected by the radar sensor 14, an automatic toll collection device 32 detected by the automatic toll collection terminal 15 at a toll gate on a highway or the like reached by vehicle C, and a waiting vehicle C to make a right or left turn detected by the turn signal lamp sensor 16.

[0080] The control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3 shown in Fig. 1 determines that the departure notification display is unnecessary when the brake sensor 7 detects a switch from a temporary stop caused by the driver stepping on the foot brake (brake on) to a release of the foot brake (brake off) after detecting an unnecessary object via the unnecessary object detection unit for the departure notification display. Even if the driver temporarily stops the vehicle by stepping on the foot brake and releases the foot brake, the control unit 5 controls the road surface drawing unit 6 so as not to display the departure notification display based on the detection of an unnecessary object for the departure notification display, so that the departure notification display device 3 does not display unnecessary departure notification displays in situations where pedestrians and other vehicles in the traveling direction can easily grasp the timing of the departure of the vehicle C without drawing the departure notification display on the road surface, such as when starting from a temporary stop due to waiting at a traffic light. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 3, 3' Departure notification display device 5. Control section 6 Road surface drawing section 7 Brake sensor (braking detection section) 8 Start switch sensor (start switch detector) 9 Shift sensor (shift detection part) 10 Steering angle sensor (steering detection section) 11 Speed ​​sensor (pause detection section) 12. Car navigation system 13. Photography Department 130 Road Information and Communication System (Stop Signal Detection Unit) 14 Radar sensor (forward vehicle detection section) 15 Automatic fare collection terminal (automatic fare collection device detection unit) 16 Turn signal lamp sensor (turn signal lamp detector) C. Vehicles equipped with a departure notification display device

Claims

1. A departure notification display device for a vehicle, comprising: a road surface drawing unit that is mounted on the vehicle and draws a departure notification display of a predetermined shape on a road surface in a traveling direction of the vehicle with light; and a control unit that determines whether a departure notification display is necessary when the vehicle starts, controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display when it is determined that the departure notification display is necessary, and controls the road surface drawing unit again to stop the departure notification display when it is determined that the drawn departure notification display is to be stopped, A braking detection unit detects switching of the braking force from on to off, A departure notification display device for a vehicle, characterized in that a front control unit determines that a departure notification display is necessary when a braking force is switched from on to off and causes a road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display.

2. A start switch detection unit detects switching of the start switch, 2. The vehicle start notification display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit determines that it is necessary to detect a switch of the brake from on to off after detecting a switch of the start switch from off to on before detecting a switch of the brake from on to off, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw a start notification display.

3. A shift detection unit detects whether the vehicle is moving forward or backward, The control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display in front of the vehicle when it detects that the vehicle is moving forward, or controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display behind the vehicle when it detects that the vehicle is moving backward.

4. A steering detection unit detects whether the vehicle is steered to the right or left, The control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display to the right of the vehicle when right steering of the vehicle is detected, or controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display to the left of the vehicle when left steering of the vehicle is detected.

5. A temporary stop detection unit detects a temporary stop of a vehicle, The control unit is characterized in that it determines the need for a departure notification display when it detects a temporary stop of the vehicle and when it detects a switch of the braking force from on to off after a non-notification determination time has elapsed from the time the temporary stop is detected, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display.

6. A detection unit for detecting an object for which a departure notification display is required is provided, The control unit is characterized in that, after the detection of the necessary object, a switching of the braking force from on to off is detected, which is a judgment that a starting notification display is necessary, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw the starting notification display.

7. 7. The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 6, wherein the necessary object detection unit is a car navigation system, and the necessary object is detected based on road information acquired by the car navigation system.

8. 7. The vehicle transmitting device according to claim 6, wherein the required object detection unit is an image capture unit that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and the required object is detected from an image captured by the image capture unit.

9. A detection unit for detecting an object not requiring a departure notification display is provided, The control unit controls the road surface drawing unit so as not to draw the departure notification display when the switching of the braking force from on to off after the detection of the unnecessary object is detected, determining that the departure notification display is unnecessary.

10. 10. The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 9, wherein the unnecessary object detection unit is a car navigation system, and the unnecessary object is detected based on road information acquired by the car navigation system.

11. 10. The vehicle transmitting device according to claim 9, wherein the unwanted object detection unit is an image capture unit that captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and the unwanted object is detected from an image captured by the image capture unit.

12. The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 9, wherein the unnecessary object detection unit is a stop signal detection unit that detects a stop signal of the vehicle as the unnecessary object.

13. The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 9, wherein the unwanted object detection unit is a vehicle-in-front detection unit that detects a vehicle in front of the vehicle as the unwanted object.

14. The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 9, wherein the unwanted object detection unit is an automatic toll collection device detection unit that detects the passing of a vehicle past an automatic toll collection device as the unwanted object.

15. The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 9, wherein the unnecessary object detection unit is a turn signal lamp detection unit that detects on and off of a turn signal lamp of the vehicle as the unnecessary object.

Images