Rear vehicle approach notification device and notification method of rear vehicle approach notification device

Abstract

To provide a rear vehicle approach notification device and a notification method of the rear vehicle approach notification device that can suppress a driver from feeling troublesome due to notification of approach of a rear vehicle.SOLUTION: A rear vehicle approach notification device includes a display 6, a speaker 10 that outputs sound to a driver from a position different from that of the display 6, a first determination part 81, a second determination part 82, and a notification part 83. When the first determination part 81 determines that a rear vehicle 11 is approaching an own vehicle 2, the notification part 83 performs notification by performing a rear vehicle approach display A1 on the display 6 without outputting sound from the speaker 10. When the second determination part 82 determines that the driver is not viewing the display 6 during the rear vehicle approach display A1, the rear vehicle approach display A1 on the display 6 is changed to an emphasized approach display A2, or sound is output from the speaker 10 in addition to the rear vehicle approach display A1 on the display 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rear vehicle approach notification device and a notification method for the rear vehicle approach notification device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a display system for a vehicle that is installed on an instrument panel in front of the driver's seat and includes a display device that allows the driver to visually recognize content. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-104605 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A rear vehicle approach notification device is known that notifies the driver of a vehicle that a vehicle is approaching from behind. When a rear vehicle approaches, this device may display a warning on an electronic rearview mirror display and sound an alarm from a dashboard meter. However, when the alarm sound is output, this device requires the driver to check the meter and then look at the electronic rearview mirror display, which requires the driver to shift their gaze. This can be annoying. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A rear vehicle approach notification device according to one aspect of the present invention is mounted on a host vehicle and includes a rear camera that captures an image of the area behind the host vehicle, a driver monitor camera that captures a facial image of the driver of the host vehicle, a display that displays the captured image to the driver, a speaker that outputs sound to the driver from a position different from the display, a first determination unit that determines whether a rear vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle is approaching the host vehicle, a second determination unit that determines whether the driver is viewing the display based on the facial image captured by the driver monitor camera, and a device that notifies the driver of the approach of the rear vehicle when the first determination unit determines that the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle. and a notification unit that outputs a notification signal from the speaker when the first determination unit determines that a rear vehicle is approaching the vehicle itself, and that the notification unit does not output a sound from the speaker but instead displays an approaching rear vehicle on the display, and when the second determination unit determines that the driver is looking at the display while the display is displaying an approaching rear vehicle, the notification unit continues to display the approaching rear vehicle on the display, and when the second determination unit determines that the driver is not looking at the display while the display is displaying an approaching rear vehicle, the notification unit changes the display to an emphasized approaching rear vehicle display, or outputs a sound from the speaker in addition to displaying the approaching rear vehicle on the display. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling annoyed by the notification of the approach of a vehicle behind. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a rear vehicle approach notification device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Fig. 2(a) is a diagram showing an example of a rear approaching vehicle display on the electronic inner mirror display, and Fig. 2(b) is a diagram showing an example of an approaching vehicle highlighting display on the electronic inner mirror display. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a notification method of the rear vehicle approach notification device according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a rear vehicle approach notification device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the rear vehicle approach notification device 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a host vehicle 2. The rear vehicle approach notification device 1 includes a rear camera 3, a radar sensor 4, a driver monitor camera 5, a display 6, a meter display unit 7, and an ECU 8.

[0010] The rear camera 3 captures an image of the area behind the vehicle 2. The rear camera 3 is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle 2. The rear camera 3 may be disposed above the license plate at the rear of the vehicle 2, may be disposed near the center of the rear bumper of the vehicle 2, or may be attached to the top of the rear window from the inside.

[0011] The radar sensor 4 detects an object behind the vehicle 2 by, for example, emitting radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light. The radar sensor 4 includes, for example, a millimeter wave radar or a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).

[0012] The driver monitor camera 5 captures a facial image of the driver of the vehicle 2. The driver monitor camera 5 is provided on a cover of the steering column of the vehicle 2, for example.

[0013] The display 6 displays an image captured by the rear camera 3 to the driver of the vehicle 2. The display 6 is provided, for example, in front of the driver's seat inside the vehicle interior of the vehicle 2. The display 6 is, for example, an electronic inner mirror display. The electronic inner mirror display is the display surface of the electronic inner mirror. The image captured by the rear camera 3 is displayed on the display surface of the electronic inner mirror. Here, FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing an example of a rear vehicle approaching display on the electronic inner mirror display. The rear vehicle approaching display will be described in detail later.

[0014] The display 6 shown in FIG. 2(a) is a display surface having a main body 61 and an outer peripheral portion 62 surrounding the main body 61. The display 6 displays an image captured by the rear camera 3 on the main body 61. The display 6 may display the captured image on the entire main body 61 and the outer peripheral portion 62, or may display the captured image using only a portion of the main body 61 and the outer peripheral portion 62. The outer peripheral portion 62 does not necessarily have to surround the entire periphery of the main body 61, and may be partially disconnected.

[0015] The meter display unit 7 is provided, for example, as part of a dashboard in front of the driver's seat inside the cabin of the host vehicle 2. The meter display unit 7 is provided in a position different from the display 6. The meter display unit 7, for example, displays a speedometer that indicates the speed of the host vehicle 2 to the driver. The meter display unit 7 has a built-in speaker 10. The speaker 10 outputs sound to the driver of the host vehicle 2. The speaker 10, for example, outputs a warning sound to the driver of the host vehicle 2. The speaker 10, like the meter display unit 7, is provided in a position different from the display 6. Therefore, the speaker 10 outputs sound to the driver of the host vehicle 2 from a position different from the display 6.

[0016] The ECU 8 is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input / output interface, etc. The ECU 8 loads a program recorded in the ROM, for example, into the RAM, and executes the program loaded into the RAM with the CPU.

[0017] The ECU 8 has a first determination unit 81, a second determination unit 82, and a notification unit 83. The first determination unit 81 determines whether or not a following vehicle 11 traveling behind the host vehicle 2 is approaching the host vehicle 2. The determination of whether or not the following vehicle 11 is approaching the host vehicle 2 is made based on, for example, a comparison between the relative distance between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 11 acquired by the radar sensor 4 and a predetermined threshold value for the relative distance.

[0018] The second determination unit 82 determines whether the driver is viewing the display 6 based on the facial image captured by the driver monitor camera 5. For example, the second determination unit 82 identifies facial feature points (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) from the driver's facial image, and recognizes the direction of the driver's gaze by tracking the center of the driver's pupils and their reflection patterns. The second determination unit 82 determines whether the driver is viewing the display 6 based on the direction of the driver's gaze and the position of the display 6 stored in advance.

[0019] When the first determination unit 81 determines that the rear vehicle 11 is approaching the host vehicle 2, the notification unit 83 notifies the driver of the approach of the rear vehicle 11. The notification unit 83 performs a rear vehicle approaching display A1 on the display 6 as a notification corresponding to the approach of the rear vehicle 11. The rear vehicle approaching display A1 is a display for notifying the driver of the approach of the rear vehicle 11. As the rear vehicle approaching display A1, for example, the outer circumferential portion 62 is lit (see FIG. 2(a)). In FIG. 2(a) , the lit portion of the outer circumferential portion 62 (here, the entire outer circumferential portion 62) is hatched. The outer circumferential portion 62 is lit in amber, for example. The color of the lit portion is not particularly limited and may be orange, for example. Note that the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The rear vehicle approaching display A1 can adopt various display embodiments known as a so-called RVAI (Rear Vehicle Approach Indication) display. The lit portion of the outer peripheral portion 62 may be the entire outer peripheral portion 62 or a part of the outer peripheral portion 62 .

[0020] The notification unit 83 ends the display of the approaching rear vehicle display A1 when it is no longer determined that the rear vehicle 11 is approaching the host vehicle 2. The notification unit 83 may end the display of the approaching rear vehicle display A1 when a certain time has elapsed since the start of displaying the approaching rear vehicle display A1. Alternatively, well-known end conditions for the so-called RAVI display may be adopted as end conditions for the approaching rear vehicle display A1.

[0021] When the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is viewing the display 6 while the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is being displayed, the notification unit 83 continues to display the rear vehicle approaching display A1. When the state in which the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is viewing the display 6 continues for a predetermined time, the notification unit 83 may end the display of the rear vehicle approaching display A1. When the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is viewing the display 6, the notification unit 83 may continue to display the rear vehicle approaching display A1 until the predetermined time has passed, even if a certain time has passed since the start of displaying the rear vehicle approaching display A1.

[0022] When the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is not viewing the display 6 while the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is being displayed, the notification unit 83 displays an emphasized approaching display A2 on the display 6 instead of the rear vehicle approaching display A1. The emphasized approaching display A2 is a display for calling the attention of a driver who is not viewing the display 6. The emphasized approaching display A2 may be a display mode that is more conspicuous than the rear vehicle approaching display A1 and attracts the driver's attention. This allows the driver who is not viewing the display 6 to be appropriately notified of the approach of the rear vehicle 11.

[0023] Here, FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing an example of an emphasized approach display A2 in the electronic inner mirror display. In FIG. 2(b), the lit portions of the display 6 are indicated by hatching. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the notification unit 83, for example, lights up a part of the outer peripheral portion 62, and performs the emphasized approach display A2 in which the lit portions circle around the main body portion 61. The number of lit portions that circle may be one, two, or three or more. The lit portions that circle may flash. For example, the lit portions may flash twice at 0.5 second intervals. The frequency of flashing is not particularly limited.

[0024] The notification unit 83 may perform the emphasized approach display A2 by changing the color of the lit portion of the outer circumferential portion 62 shown in FIG. 2(a) to a more conspicuous color. For example, the notification unit 83 may perform the emphasized approach display A2 by changing the amber color of the lit portion in the rear vehicle approach display A1 to red. The notification unit 83 may change the color of the lit portion to a more conspicuous color in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2(b). The notification unit 83 may perform the emphasized approach display A2 by flashing the lit portion of the outer circumferential portion 62 shown in FIG. 2(a). The notification unit 83 may perform both the color change and the flashing.

[0025] Alternatively, when the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is not viewing the display 6 while the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is being displayed, the notification unit 83 may continue to display the rear vehicle approaching display A1 on the display 6 and output sound from the speaker 10. In this case, the notification unit 83 does not display the highlighted approaching display A2. This allows the driver who is not viewing the display 6 to be appropriately notified of the approach of the rear vehicle 11.

[0026] The notification unit 83 may change the approaching vehicle behind display A1 on the display 6 to the emphasized approaching display A2 and output sound from the speaker 10. In this case, the driver can be more appropriately notified of the approaching vehicle behind 11 than when only one of the emphasized approaching display A2 on the display 6 or sound output from the speaker 10 is performed.

[0027] 3 is a flowchart showing the notification method of the rear vehicle approach notification device 1. This notification method is executed by a first determination unit 81, a second determination unit 82, and a notification unit 83 in the ECU 8. This notification method is executed when the ignition switch of the host vehicle 2 is turned ON. The notification method of the rear vehicle approach notification device 1 includes a first determination step S101, a first notification step S102, a second determination step S103, and a second notification step S104.

[0028] 3, first, the first determination unit 81 determines whether or not the following vehicle 11 is approaching the host vehicle 2 (first determination step S101). If the first determination unit 81 determines that the following vehicle 11 is approaching the host vehicle 2, the notification unit 83 does not output sound from the speaker 10, but displays a following vehicle approaching display A1 on the display 6 (first notification step S102). In this way, the notification unit 83 notifies the driver that the following vehicle 11 is approaching. If the first determination unit 81 determines that the following vehicle 11 is not approaching the host vehicle 2, the notification unit 83 does not notify the driver, and ends the processing of this notification method.

[0029] Next, the second determination unit 82 determines whether or not the driver is viewing the display 6 while the display 6 is displaying the approaching rear vehicle A1 (second determination step S103). If the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is viewing the display 6 while the display 6 is displaying the approaching rear vehicle A1, the display 6 continues to display the approaching rear vehicle A1 without outputting sound from the speaker 10. If the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is not viewing the display 6 while the display 6 is displaying the approaching rear vehicle A1, the notification unit 83 changes the approaching rear vehicle A1 displayed on the display 6 to an emphasized approaching rear vehicle A2, or outputs sound from the speaker 10 in addition to the approaching rear vehicle A1 displayed on the display 6 (second notification step S104).

[0030] As described above, in this embodiment, if the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is viewing the display 6 while the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is being displayed on the display 6, sound is not output from the speaker 10 and the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is continued on the display 6. As a result, when the driver is viewing the display 6, sound is not output from the speaker 10 of the meter display unit 7, which reduces the driver's need to move their line of sight between the display 6 and the speaker 10. This reduces the annoyance felt by the driver due to the notification of the approaching rear vehicle. Furthermore, if the second determination unit 82 determines that the driver is not viewing the display 6 while the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is being displayed on the display 6, the notification unit 83 changes the rear vehicle approaching display A1 on the display 6 to an emphasized approaching display A2, or outputs sound from the speaker 10 in addition to the rear vehicle approaching display A1 on the display 6. This allows the driver to be appropriately notified of the approaching rear vehicle.

[0031] In this embodiment, the rear vehicle approaching display A1 is performed by lighting up the outer peripheral portion 62, and the highlighted approaching display A2 is performed by flashing the outer peripheral portion 62. This makes it possible to more appropriately notify the driver of the approach of the rear vehicle 11.

[0032] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms, including the above-described embodiments, with various modifications and improvements made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0033] For example, the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the rear vehicle 11 does not have to be acquired by the radar sensor 4, but may be acquired by the rear camera 3. Therefore, the determination of whether the host vehicle 2 is approaching the rear vehicle 11 may be made based on a comparison between the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the rear vehicle 11 acquired by the rear camera 3 and a predetermined threshold value for that distance.

[0034] The rear vehicle approaching indication A1 does not necessarily require lighting of the outer peripheral portion 62, and characters or a mark may be displayed on the display 6 as the rear vehicle approaching indication A1. The highlighted approaching indication A2 does not necessarily require flashing of the outer peripheral portion 62, and characters or a mark may be flashed on the display 6 as the highlighted approaching indication A2.

[0035] In the emphasized approach display A2, the entire display 6, including the main body 61, may light up or flash. In the emphasized approach display A2, the display mode may be changed depending on the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 11. The notification unit 83 may make the color of the lit or flashing portion closer to red as the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 11 decreases. The notification unit 83 may increase the area of ​​the lit or flashing portion as the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 11 decreases. The notification unit 83 may shorten the flashing cycle of the flashing portion as the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 11 decreases. The notification unit 83 may increase the rotation speed of the lit portion in FIG. 2(b) as the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 11 decreases. A collision margin time may be used instead of the distance between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle 11.

[0036] The notification unit 83 may change the display mode depending on the vehicle type of the following vehicle 11. When the following vehicle 11 is a large vehicle such as a bus or a truck, the notification unit 83 may change the color of the lit portion or the flashing portion to a color closer to red than when the following vehicle 11 is a medium-sized vehicle such as a passenger car. When the following vehicle 11 is a large vehicle, the notification unit 83 may increase the area of ​​the lit portion or the flashing portion than when the following vehicle 11 is a medium-sized vehicle. When the following vehicle 11 is a large vehicle, the notification unit 83 may shorten the flashing cycle of the flashing portion than when the following vehicle 11 is a medium-sized vehicle. When the following vehicle 11 is a large vehicle, the notification unit 83 may shorten the flashing cycle of the flashing portion than when the following vehicle 11 is a medium-sized vehicle. When the following vehicle 11 is a large vehicle, the notification unit 83 may increase the circling speed of the lit portion in FIG. 2(b) than when the following vehicle 11 is a medium-sized vehicle.

[0037] The speaker that notifies the driver of the approach of a rear vehicle 11 by sound output is not limited to the speaker 10 built into the meter display unit 7. The speaker may be located in a position different from the display 6. The speaker may be located inside the driver's door of the vehicle 2, on top of the dashboard, or inside the A-pillar. The display 6 is not limited to an electronic inner mirror display. The display 6 may be located in a position different from the speaker 10 that outputs sound when a rear vehicle is approaching. The display 6 may be a center display. The center display is a display located in the center of the dashboard between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The display 6 may be a head-up display that uses the windshield of the vehicle 2 as a projection surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...Rear vehicle approach notification device, 2...Own vehicle, 3...Rear camera, 5...Driver monitor camera, 6...Display, 10...Speaker, 11...Rear vehicle, 61...Main body, 62...Outer periphery, 81...First determination unit, 82...Second determination unit, 83...Notification unit, A1...Rear vehicle approaching display, A2...Emphasis approaching display, S101...First determination step, S102...First notification step, S104...Second notification step, S103...Second determination step.

Claims

1. a rear camera mounted on the vehicle and capturing an image of an area behind the vehicle; a driver monitor camera that captures a facial image of the driver of the vehicle; a display that displays the captured image to the driver; a speaker that outputs sound to the driver from a position different from the display; a first determination unit that determines whether a rear vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle is approaching the host vehicle; a second determination unit that determines whether the driver is viewing the display based on the face image captured by the driver monitor camera; a notification unit that notifies the driver of the approach of the rear vehicle when the first determination unit determines that the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle; Equipped with when the first determination unit determines that the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle, the notification unit does not output sound from the speaker, but instead performs the notification by displaying an indication that the rear vehicle is approaching on the display, When the second determination unit determines that the driver is viewing the display while the rear vehicle approaching display is being displayed on the display, the rear vehicle approaching display on the display is continued, A rear vehicle approaching notification device that, when the second judgment unit determines that the driver is not looking at the display while the rear vehicle approaching display is being displayed on the display, changes the rear vehicle approaching display on the display to an emphasized approaching display, or outputs sound from the speaker in addition to the rear vehicle approaching display on the display.

2. the display has a main body and an outer periphery surrounding the main body, The outer periphery is lit as the rear vehicle approaching indication, The rear vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the highlighted approach display is performed by flashing the outer periphery.

3. When the second determination unit determines that the driver is not viewing the display while the rear vehicle approaching display is being displayed on the display, the notification unit changes the rear vehicle approaching display on the display to the emphasized rear vehicle approaching display and outputs a sound from the speaker.

3. The rear vehicle approach notification device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A notification method for a rear vehicle approach notification device that is mounted on a vehicle and includes a rear camera that captures an image of an area behind the vehicle, a driver monitor camera that captures a facial image of a driver of the vehicle, a display that displays the captured image to the driver, and a speaker that outputs sound to the driver from a position different from the display, a first determination step of determining whether the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle; a second determination step of determining whether the driver is viewing the display based on the face image captured by the driver monitor camera when a rear vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle is approaching the host vehicle; a notification step of notifying the driver of the approach of the rear vehicle when it is determined in the first determination step that the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle; Including, In the notification step, when it is determined in the first determination step that the rear vehicle is approaching the host vehicle, the notification is performed by not outputting sound from the speaker but by displaying an indication that the rear vehicle is approaching on the display. If it is determined in the second determination step that the driver is viewing the display while the display is displaying the approaching vehicle behind, the display is continued to display the approaching vehicle behind, A notification method for a rear vehicle approaching notification device, in which, if the second judgment step determines that the driver is not looking at the display while the rear vehicle approaching display is being displayed on the display, the rear vehicle approaching display on the display is changed to an emphasized approaching display, or sound is output from the speaker in addition to the rear vehicle approaching display on the display.

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