On-vehicle device

Abstract

To make it possible to provide necessary and sufficient information to a succeeding vehicle whose field of view is intercepted.SOLUTION: A control part 53 detects a traffic signal 31 in front of one's own vehicle 10, based on an image captured by a front camera 2 that images a front view of the one's own vehicle 10. The control part 53 detects that a succeeding vehicle 20 is in a situation where a traffic signal 31 cannot be recognized from the succeeding vehicle 20 because the traffic signal 31 is hidden by the one's own vehicle 10. The control part 53 notifies the succeeding vehicle 20 of a traffic signal 31 situation, when it is detected that the traffic signal 31 is invisible to the succeeding vehicle 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device. [Background technology]

[0002] A control system has been proposed that identifies a target moving object that partially obstructs the driver's field of vision based on an image captured by an imaging unit attached to a vehicle, and identifies and outputs blind spot information, which is information related to the obstructed field of vision at the target moving object, from among the information obtained from the image (Patent Document 1).

[0003] The above-described control system has a problem in that blind spot information is constantly output to the target moving object, which is bothersome for the driver of the target moving object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-140652 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide an in-vehicle device that can provide necessary and sufficient information to a following vehicle whose view is obstructed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle-mounted device according to the present invention has the following features. a first detection unit that detects a traffic light ahead of the vehicle based on an image captured by a front camera that captures an image ahead of the vehicle; a second detection unit that detects a situation in which the traffic light is not visible to a following vehicle due to the subject vehicle; and a notification unit that, when the second detection unit detects that the traffic light is not visible, notifies the following vehicle of the traffic light status detected by the first detection unit. It must be an in-vehicle device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The vehicle-mounted device according to the present invention has an effect of being able to provide necessary and sufficient information to a following vehicle whose view is obstructed.

[0008] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a drive recorder as an on-vehicle device of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the vehicle equipped with the drive recorder shown in FIG. 1, the following vehicle, and the traffic light in a situation where the traffic light is not visible from the following vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the vehicle equipped with the drive recorder shown in FIG. 1, the following vehicle, and the traffic light in a situation where the traffic light is visible from the following vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control unit constituting the drive recorder shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the detection of a traffic light executed by the control unit shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display on the rear display shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a drive recorder 1 as an on-vehicle device of the present invention. The drive recorder 1 is mounted on a vehicle 10. As shown in the figure, the drive recorder 1 includes a front camera 2, a rear camera 3, a rear display 4 as a display device, and a recorder main body 5.

[0012] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the front camera 2 is attached to the front of the host vehicle 10 and captures images in front of the host vehicle 10. The front camera 2 inputs the captured images into the recorder main body 5. The rear camera 3 is attached to the rear of the host vehicle 10 and captures images behind the host vehicle 10. The rear camera 3 inputs the captured images into the recorder main body 5. The rear display 4 is attached to the rear of the host vehicle 10 and is visible from the following vehicle 20. The display on the rear display 4 is controlled by the recorder main body 5.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the recorder main body 5 is connected to the front camera 2, the rear camera 3, and the rear display 4, and has a storage unit 51, a communication unit 52, and a control unit 53.

[0014] The storage unit 51 stores images captured by the cameras 2 and 3, the height H1 of the traffic light, and the height H2 and length L2 of the vehicle 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). A typical example of the storage unit 51 is a memory card with a built-in non-volatile semiconductor memory. The communication unit 52 is composed of a circuit, an antenna, etc. for wireless connection to the Internet communication network, a wireless communication network, etc.

[0015] The control unit 53 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) equipped with memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and controls the entire drive recorder 1.

[0016] Next, the operation of the drive recorder 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 4. First, the control unit 53 normally acquires advertising information from an external server using the communication unit 52 and displays the advertising information on the rear display 4 (S1). Next, the control unit 53 functions as a first detection unit and detects a traffic light that is lit in red based on the image captured by the front camera 2 (S2).

[0017] To explain S2 in more detail, the control unit 53 processes the image captured by the front camera 2 to detect traffic lights in the captured image. As shown in Fig. 5, the captured image shows not only a traffic light 31 installed on a road along the traveling direction of the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, but also a traffic light 32 installed on a road intersecting the traveling direction.

[0018] When two traffic lights 31, 32 surrounded by a rectangle are detected in this way, the control unit 53 calculates areas S1, S2 for the two traffic lights 31, 32. Area S1 is the area obtained by multiplying the distance X1 between the center of the bottom of the rectangle surrounding traffic light 31 and the reference line LR by the distance Y1 between the center of the bottom of the rectangle surrounding traffic light 31 and the top of the captured image. Area S2 is the area obtained by multiplying the distance X2 between the center of the bottom of the rectangle surrounding traffic light 32 and the reference line LR by the distance Y2 between the center of the bottom of the rectangle surrounding traffic light 32 and the top of the captured image.

[0019] The reference line LR is located in the center of the captured image in the left-right direction. The control unit 53 determines that the traffic light 31 with the smaller area is the traffic light installed on the road along the traveling direction of the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, and determines whether the traffic light 31 is illuminated red. If the areas S1 and S2 are the same, the control unit 53 determines that the traffic light with the smaller distances Y1 and Y2 is the traffic light installed on the road along the traveling direction of the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, and determines whether the traffic light 31 is illuminated red.

[0020] 4, if the traffic light 31 in the traveling direction is not red (N in S2), the control unit 53 returns to S1. If the traffic light 31 in the traveling direction is red (Y in S2), the control unit 53 calculates the distance L1 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) between the vehicle 10 and the traffic light 31 based on the detected position of the traffic light 31 in the captured image captured by the front camera 2 (S3).

[0021] Next, the control unit 53 detects the following vehicle 20 based on the image captured by the rear camera 3 (S4). If the following vehicle 20 is not detected (N in S4), the control unit 53 returns to S1 again. If the following vehicle 20 is detected (Y in S4), the control unit 53 calculates the distance L3 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) from the host vehicle 10 to the following vehicle 20 based on the detected position of the following vehicle 20 on the image captured by the rear camera 3 (S5).

[0022] The details of S5 will be described. The control unit 53 calculates the relative speed between the following vehicle 20 and the host vehicle 10 based on the image captured by the rear camera 3. If the result of calculating the relative speed shows that the following vehicle 20 is moving faster than the host vehicle 10, the control unit 53 corrects the distance L3 calculated based on the detected position of the following vehicle 20 on the image captured by the rear camera 3 so as to be smaller.

[0023] The control unit 53 also determines the height H3 of the other vehicle (see FIGS. 2 and 3) based on the detected position of the following vehicle 20 on the image captured by the rear camera 3 (S6). The control unit 53 determines the height H3 of the following vehicle 20 as the eye height of the driver of the following vehicle 20.

[0024] Next, the control unit 53 calculates the gradient α of the straight line L4 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) connecting the eye point of the driver of the following vehicle 20 and the traffic light 31 (S7). The gradient α of the straight line L4 can be calculated using the following equation (1).

[0025]

number

[0026] Next, the control unit 53 functions as a second detection unit and detects that the traffic signal 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20 due to the host vehicle 10 (S8). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when the vehicle body of the host vehicle 10 is on the straight line L4, the control unit 53 detects that the traffic signal 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20 due to the host vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. 3, when the vehicle body of the host vehicle 10 is not on the straight line L4, the control unit 53 detects that the traffic signal 31 is visible from the following vehicle 20.

[0027] In S8, when the following formula (2) holds, the control unit 53 detects that the straight line L4 and the host vehicle 10 intersect, and that the traffic signal 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20 due to the host vehicle 10.

[0028] y = α·L3 + H3 < H2 y: Function of the distance from the following vehicle 20 to the traffic signal 31 α: Slope of the straight line L4 L3: Distance between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 H3: Height of the following vehicle 20 H1: Height of the host vehicle 10

[0029] When the control unit 53 detects that the traffic signal 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20 due to the host vehicle 10 (Y in S8), it functions as a notification unit. As shown in FIG. 6, after displaying the status of the traffic signal 31 on the rear display 4 (S9), it returns to S1. At this time, when the distance L3 between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 obtained in S5 is sufficient, as shown in FIG. 6(A), only the status of the traffic signal 31 is displayed. On the other hand, when the distance L3 between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 obtained in S5 is short, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the status of the traffic signal 31 and the text "Proceeding is dangerous" are displayed.

[0030] If the traffic signal 31 is visible from the following vehicle 20 (N in S8), the control unit 53 immediately returns to S1 without displaying the status of the traffic signal 31 on the rear display 4.

[0031] According to the embodiment described above, when the control unit 53 detects that the traffic light 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20 due to the vehicle 10, the control unit 53 displays the status of the traffic light 31 on the rear display 4 to notify the following vehicle 20. As a result, the status of the traffic light 31 is displayed on the rear display 4 only when the traffic light 31 is not visible, and it is possible to provide the following vehicle 20, whose view is obstructed, with necessary and sufficient information without any hassle.

[0032] Furthermore, by checking the status of the traffic light 31 displayed on the rear display 4, the following vehicle 20 that cannot see the traffic light 31 due to the vehicle 10 can be prevented from entering the intersection when the light is red.

[0033] According to the above-described embodiment, the status of the traffic light 31 is displayed on the rear display 4. This makes it possible to notify the status of the traffic light 31 to the following vehicle 20 that cannot perform inter-vehicle communication or the like.

[0034] According to the embodiment described above, the control unit 53 detects that the traffic light 31 is not visible when the body of the vehicle 10 is on the line L4 connecting the traffic light 31 and the eye point of the driver of the following vehicle 20. This makes it possible to accurately detect that the traffic light 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20.

[0035] According to the above-described embodiment, the control unit 53 determines the relative speed between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 based on the image captured by the rear camera 3, and corrects the distance L3 between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 based on the determined relative speed. This makes it possible to accurately determine the distance L3 according to the speeds of the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, which change from moment to moment.

[0036] According to the embodiment described above, the control unit 53 displays the status of the traffic light 31 on the rear display 4 when a red light is detected. In other words, the control unit 53 does not display the status of the traffic light 31 on the rear display 4 when the traffic light 31 is green or yellow. This makes it possible to provide even more necessary and sufficient information to the following vehicle 20 whose view is obstructed.

[0037] According to the embodiment described above, the control unit 53 changes the content of the notification to be given to the following vehicle 20 depending on the distance L3 between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, as shown in Fig. 6. This makes it possible to notify the following vehicle 20 of the risk level according to the distance L3.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0039] According to the embodiment described above, the control unit 53 displays the status of the traffic light 31 on the rear display 4, but this is not limited to this. If vehicle-to-vehicle communication is possible, the control unit 53 may transmit the status of the traffic light 31 to an onboard device of the following vehicle 20, and the status may be displayed on the display of the following vehicle 20.

[0040] According to the embodiment described above, the control unit 53 displays the status of the traffic light 31 on the rear display 4 when a red light is detected, but this is not limited to this. The status of the traffic light 31 may also be displayed on the rear display 4 when a yellow light and a red light are detected. Also, the status of the traffic light 31 may also be displayed on the rear display 4 when a green light, yellow light, and red light are detected.

[0041] According to the embodiment described above, when the speed of the following vehicle 20 is faster than the speed of the host vehicle 10, the control unit 53 corrects the distance L3 between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 so as to decrease, but this is not limited to this. When the speed of the host vehicle 10 is faster than the speed of the following vehicle 20, the control unit 53 may correct the distance L3 between the host vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 so as to increase.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the height H3 of the following vehicle 20 is set to the eye height of the driver, but this is not limited to this. For example, the face and eyes of the driver of the following vehicle 20 may be recognized from the image captured by the rear camera 3, and the eye height of the driver may be determined from the position of the driver's eyes in the captured image.

[0043] Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the vehicle-mounted device according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [7].

[0044] [1] a first detection unit (53) that detects a traffic light (31) in front of the vehicle (10) based on an image captured by a front camera (2) that captures an image in front of the vehicle (10); a second detection unit (53) that detects a situation in which the traffic light (31) is not visible to a following vehicle (20) due to the vehicle (10); and a notification unit (53) that, when the second detection unit (53) detects that the traffic light (31) is not visible, notifies the following vehicle (20) of the state of the traffic light (31) detected by the first detection unit (53). Onboard equipment (1).

[0045] According to the vehicle-mounted device (1) having the configuration [1] above, the following vehicle (20) is notified of the status of the traffic light (31) only when the traffic light (31) is not visible, so that the following vehicle (20) can be provided with necessary and sufficient information without any hassle, even when the view is obstructed.

[0046] [2] In the vehicle-mounted device (1) described in [1], The notification unit (53) displays the status of the traffic light (31) on a display (4) attached to the rear of the vehicle (10). Onboard equipment (1).

[0047] According to the vehicle-mounted device (1) having the configuration [2] above, it is possible to notify the following vehicle (20) that is not capable of inter-vehicle communication of the traffic light (31).

[0048] [3] In the vehicle-mounted device (1) described in [1], The second detection unit (53) detects that the traffic light (31) is not visible when the body of the vehicle (10) is on a line connecting the traffic light (31) and the eye point of the driver of the following vehicle (20). Onboard equipment (1).

[0049] According to the vehicle-mounted device (1) having the configuration [3] above, it is possible to accurately detect a situation in which the traffic light 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20.

[0050] [4] In the vehicle-mounted device (1) described in [3], a storage unit (51) for storing a height (H1) of the traffic light (31), and a height (H2) and a length (L2) of the vehicle (10); The second detection unit (53) Based on an image captured by a rear camera (3) capturing an image behind the host vehicle (10), the eye height (H3) of the driver of the following vehicle (20) and the distance (L3) between the host vehicle (10) and the following vehicle (20) are calculated; A distance (L1) between the vehicle (10) and the traffic light (31) is calculated based on the image captured by the front camera (2); (height (H1) of the traffic light (31) - eye height (H3) of the driver of the following vehicle (20)) / (distance (L3) between the host vehicle (10) and the following vehicle (20) + length (L2) of the host vehicle (10) + distance (L1) between the host vehicle (10) and the traffic light (31)) is calculated as the gradient of the straight line (L4); If the slope of the straight line (L4) × (the distance (L3) between the vehicle (10) and the following vehicle (20)) is smaller than the height (H2) of the vehicle (10), it is detected that the traffic light (31) is not visible. Onboard equipment (1).

[0051] According to the vehicle-mounted device (1) configured as described above in [4], it is possible to more accurately detect a situation in which the traffic light 31 is not visible to the following vehicle 20.

[0052] [5] In the vehicle-mounted device (1) described in [4], The second detection unit (53) determines a relative speed between the host vehicle (10) and the following vehicle (20) based on an image captured by the rear camera (3), and corrects the distance (L3) between the host vehicle (10) and the following vehicle (20) based on the determined relative speed. Onboard equipment (1).

[0053] According to the configuration [5] above, the distance (L3) can be calculated with high accuracy in accordance with the speeds of the host vehicle (10) and the following vehicle (20), which change from moment to moment.

[0054] [6] In the vehicle-mounted device (1) described in [1], The notification unit (53) does not notify the status of the traffic light (31) when the traffic light (31) is showing a green light. Onboard equipment (1).

[0055] According to the above configuration [6], it is possible to provide necessary and sufficient information to the following vehicle (20) whose view is obstructed.

[0056] [7] In the vehicle-mounted device (1) described in [1], A distance (L3) between the vehicle (10) and the following vehicle (20) is calculated based on an image captured by a rear camera (3) that captures an image behind the vehicle (10), and the content of the notification to be given to the following vehicle (20) is changed depending on the distance (L3). Onboard equipment (1).

[0057] According to the above configuration [7], the following vehicle (20) can be notified of the risk level according to the distance (L3). [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1. Drive recorder (in-vehicle device) 2. Front camera 3 Rear camera 4 Rear display (indicator) 10 Vehicle 20 Following vehicles 31 Traffic Light 51 Storage section 53 control unit (first detection unit, second detection unit, notification unit) L4 Straight line

Claims

1. a first detection unit that detects a traffic light ahead of the vehicle based on an image captured by a front camera that captures an image ahead of the vehicle; a second detection unit that detects a situation in which the traffic light is not visible to a following vehicle due to the subject vehicle; and a notification unit that, when the second detection unit detects that the traffic light is not visible, notifies the following vehicle of the traffic light status detected by the first detection unit. Onboard equipment.

2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, The notification unit displays the status of the traffic light on a display device attached to the rear of the vehicle. Onboard equipment.

3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, the second detection unit detects that the traffic light is not visible when the vehicle body of the host vehicle is on a line connecting the traffic light and the eye point of the driver of the following vehicle. Onboard equipment.

4. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 3, a storage unit that stores the height of the traffic light and the height and length of the vehicle; The second detection unit calculating an eye height of the driver of the following vehicle and a distance between the subject vehicle and the following vehicle based on an image captured by a rear camera that captures an image behind the subject vehicle; determining a distance between the vehicle and the traffic light based on an image captured by the front camera; (height of the traffic light - eye height of the driver of the following vehicle) / (distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle + length of the host vehicle + distance between the host vehicle and the traffic light) is calculated as the gradient of the straight line; If the slope of the line × (the distance between the vehicle and the following vehicle) is smaller than the height of the vehicle, it is detected that the traffic light is not visible. Onboard equipment.

5. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 4, the second detection unit calculates a relative speed between the host vehicle and the following vehicle based on an image captured by the rear camera, and corrects the distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle based on the calculated relative speed. Onboard equipment.

6. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, the notification unit does not notify the status of the traffic light when the traffic light is green, Onboard equipment.

7. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, a distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle is calculated based on an image captured by a rear camera that captures an image of the area behind the host vehicle, and content of a notification to be given to the following vehicle is varied depending on the distance; Onboard equipment.

Images