Driver monitoring device and automobile equipped with same

Abstract

Provided is a driver monitoring device that demonstrates superior performance for imaging the state of the face of a driver. This driver monitoring device (100) is used in an automobile having: a front pillar garnish (80) that is installed in front of the driver's seat and is disposed obliquely so that the rearward side is higher than the forward side; and a steering wheel that the driver sitting on the driver's seat uses for steering. The driver monitoring device (100) comprises a camera unit (30) that images the state of the face of the driver. The camera unit (30) is provided in the front pillar garnish (80).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driver monitoring device for monitoring a driver of an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of this type of driver monitoring device, Patent Document 1 discloses a driver monitoring device in which a camera that captures an image of the driver's face is mounted on the steering column in order to detect the driving state of the driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-154721 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as shown in the image of Fig. 5, the height of the steering column 90 is lower than the height of the face Pf of the driver P. Therefore, in the technology described in the document, the camera 300 is oriented so as to look up at the face Pf of the driver P, and as the image of the imaging range in the figure is shown by the dashed line with the symbol CS, it may be difficult to detect the state of the captured face Pf of the driver P (in particular, the driver's line of sight PLe).

[0005] Furthermore, when the camera 300 is placed on the steering column 90, the steering wheel 91 is interposed between the camera 300 and the face Pf of the driver P, and there is a risk that the driver's arm Pa may obstruct the image capture. Therefore, the technology described in this document still needs further study in terms of the ability to capture the state of the driver's face Pf. The present invention has been made in light of these problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a driver monitoring device that can capture an image of the driver's facial condition with good accuracy, and an automobile equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention provides a driver monitoring device for use in an automobile having a front pillar that is installed in front of the driver's seat and arranged at an angle so that the rear side is higher than the front side, and a steering wheel that is steered by a driver seated in the driver's seat, and the driver monitoring device is equipped with a monitoring camera that captures images of the driver's facial condition, and the monitoring camera is mounted on the front pillar.

[0007] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, an automobile according to one aspect of the present invention is an automobile having a front pillar installed in front of the driver's seat and arranged at an angle so that the rear side is higher than the front side, and a steering wheel that is steered by a driver seated in the driver's seat, and is equipped with a driver monitoring device according to one aspect of the present invention on the front pillar. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the state of the driver's face can be captured with good accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a driver monitoring device mounted on a front pillar, showing an image of the front interior of a vehicle as viewed from the side of the driver's seat. [Figure 2] This is an oblique view of a front pillar garnish, where (a) shows the part where the driver monitoring device is installed as seen from the front, (b) shows the part where the driver monitoring device is installed as seen from the left side, and (c) shows the part where the driver monitoring device is installed as seen from the back. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the driver monitoring device portion of FIG. 2(a). [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a front pillar, a front pillar garnish, and a main part of a driver monitoring device, the drawing showing a cross section taken along line ZZ in FIG. 3. [Figure 5]1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a conventional driver monitoring device, and shows an image of the front interior of a vehicle as seen from the side of the driver's seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The vehicle according to this embodiment is driven by a driver seated in the driver's seat by turning the steering wheel. The front pillar of this embodiment is installed in front of the driver's seat and is arranged at an angle so that the rear side is higher than the front side. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and therefore the relationships and ratios between thicknesses and planar dimensions may differ from those in reality, and the drawings may also contain parts where the relationships and ratios between dimensions differ from one another. Furthermore, the embodiments described below are intended to exemplify devices and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and the technical ideas of the present invention do not limit the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components to the embodiments described below.

[0011] 1 to 3, the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment is provided on a front pillar garnish 80 of an automobile. Note that the figures show an example of a left-hand drive vehicle, and the front pillar has approximately symmetrical pillars with the same number on the left and right, and the driver's seat side of the front pillar is covered and installed inside by the front pillar garnish 80. Facing this front pillar garnish 80, the driver monitoring device 10 is provided at the position of the pillar portion on the left side of the front pillar garnish 80.

[0012] More specifically, the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment includes a monitoring device main body 20 that is disposed inside a front pillar garnish 80, as shown in FIG. An opening 81 into which the monitoring device main body 20 is attached is formed in the front portion of the front pillar garnish 80. A frame member called a finisher 60 that covers the periphery of the inner edge 82 is attached to the inner edge 82 of the opening 81, and a light-transmittable screen 50 is supported via this finisher 60.

[0013] In this embodiment, an engagement groove 54 is formed around the entire periphery of the screen 50, and the engagement groove 54 around the periphery of the screen 50 is fitted into an engagement protrusion 63 provided on the inner edge of the opening of the finisher 60. As a result, the screen 50 is supported by the inner edge 82 of the opening 81 of the front pillar garnish 80 via the finisher 60.

[0014] The monitoring device main body 20 has a base portion 21 formed following the shape of the front portion of the front pillar garnish 80, and the base portion 21 is fixed in an appropriate position on the front pillar 100 side behind the front pillar garnish 80. On the front side of the base portion 21, a lighting unit mounting portion 22 and a camera unit mounting portion 23 are formed by recessed steps. The lighting unit 40 is mounted in the lighting unit mounting portion 22, and the camera unit 30 is mounted in the camera unit mounting portion 23.

[0015] The screen 50 is formed in a stepped shape having an upper vertical surface 51 and a lower vertical surface 52, and the lighting unit 40 is arranged inside the front pillar garnish 80 at a position opposite the upper vertical surface 15, and the camera unit 30 is arranged inside the front pillar garnish 80 at a position opposite the lower vertical surface.

[0016] In this embodiment, in this arrangement, the upper surface of the camera unit mounting portion 23 doubles as the lower surface of the lighting unit mounting portion 22, serving as a concave step that forms the mounting portion, so that the lighting unit 40 is positioned close to the camera unit 30 and is installed at a higher position than the camera unit 30 and closer to the driver P.

[0017] In this embodiment, the screen 50 is configured such that the upper vertical surface 51 faces the imaging lens 31 of the camera unit 30 and the lighting unit 40 . The lower vertical surface 52 is an opposing surface that faces the illumination light projecting section 41 of the illumination unit 40. These two opposing surfaces 51, 52 are connected by a surface that is parallel to the upper surface 61 of the finisher 60 when the finisher 60 is attached thereto. In particular, in this embodiment, the screen 50 is supported at a position further back in the front pillar garnish 80 than an imaginary plane K that connects the inner edge 82 of the front pillar garnish 80 via the finisher 60 relative to the inner edge 82 of the opening 81 formed in the front pillar garnish 80.

[0018] The lighting unit 40 is configured to be able to project, for example, near-infrared light as lighting, and is installed in front of the driver P so that the near-infrared light from the lighting light projecting section 41 is irradiated toward the face Pf of the driver P. Furthermore, when irradiating near-infrared light, in order to obtain the desired imaging information, it is preferable that the camera unit 30 captures the face Pf of the driver P by limiting the wavelength band, for example, using a wavelength limiting filter that limits appropriate wavelengths.

[0019] Here, when monitoring the face Pf of the driver P, taking into consideration the imaging capability of the face Pf (particularly the imaging capability of the driver's line of sight PLe), it is preferable that the monitoring device main body 20 is positioned so that the camera unit 30 can image the driver's face Pf from the front.

[0020] In contrast to this, in the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, the camera unit 30 is provided at a position higher than the height 91t of the upper edge of the steering wheel 91, as shown in FIG. In particular, in the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, the imaging center axis CL of the camera unit 30 is set horizontally and at a position higher than the upper edge height 91t of the steering wheel 91 so as to be suitable for imaging at the height of the driver P's eye line PLe (for example, the average eye line height when an adult male is seated based on statistics).

[0021] Next, the effects of the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment and the automobile equipped with the same will be described. In the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, the camera unit 30 is provided on the front pillar 100 of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, when monitoring the driver's face Pf, the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment provides better imaging performance for the driver's face Pf than an arrangement in which the driver's face Pf is viewed from a low position, as shown in Fig. 5 [Invention 1, Invention 8].

[0022] In particular, in the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the camera unit 30 is provided on the front pillar garnish 80 of the vehicle. Therefore, the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment has good imaging capabilities for the driver's face Pf, takes into consideration collision safety for the driver P, and, as can be seen in Figure 2(b), is also extremely aesthetically pleasing when viewed from the driver P's side [Invention 2].

[0023] 1, in the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, the camera unit 30 is provided at a position higher than the height 91t of the upper edge of the steering wheel 91. As a result, with the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, there is no obstacle such as the steering wheel 91 in the middle, so the imaging of the driver's face Pf is more excellent. Also, because the camera unit 30 is provided at a position higher than the height 91t of the upper edge of the steering wheel 91, there is no risk of the driver's arm Pa interfering with imaging [Invention 3].

[0024] 1, in the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, the imaging center axis CL of the camera unit 30 is set horizontally. This allows the driver's face Pf to be captured in a posture as close to a frontal view as possible. In particular, this makes it easier to detect the state of the driver P's line of sight PLe compared to an imaging posture in which the imaging center axis CL intersects with the driver's line of sight PLe [Invention 4].

[0025] In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment further includes a lighting unit 40 on the front pillar garnish 80 that illuminates the face Pf of the driver P. By illuminating the face Pf of the driver P with the lighting unit 40, the state of the face Pf of the driver P can be better imaged. In particular, the lighting unit 40 of this embodiment is installed close to the camera unit 30, at a position higher than the camera unit 30 and closer to the driver P, so that the lighting is arranged near the imaging central axis CL. This makes it difficult for a shadow to appear on the lighting target, which is advantageous for better imaging of the state of the face Pf of the driver P [Invention 5].

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment comprises a monitoring device main body 20 including a camera unit 30 and a lighting unit 40, and a screen 50 arranged opposite the imaging lens 31 of the camera unit 30 of the monitoring device main body 20, and the monitoring device main body 20 is fixed to the front pillar 100 side within the front pillar garnish 80, so that the monitoring device main body 20 can be fixed robustly and reliably, and the screen 50 can be supported with a simple configuration.

[0027] In particular, in the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment, the screen 50 is supported at a position further back on the front pillar garnish 80 than the imaginary plane K that connects the inner edge 82 of the opening 81 formed in the front pillar garnish 80 via the finisher 60, so that not only is collision safety for the driver P taken into consideration, but as can be seen in Figure 2(b), the aesthetic appearance seen from the driver P's side is also extremely excellent [Invention 6].

[0028] 4, the screen 50 of the driver monitoring device 10 of this embodiment employs a configuration having two opposing surfaces 51, 52 that face the camera unit 30 and the lighting unit 40, respectively. These two opposing surfaces 51, 52 are connected by a surface that is parallel to the upper surface 61 of the finisher 60 when the screen 50 is attached to the finisher 60. This not only provides excellent light transmittance for the camera unit 30 and the lighting unit 40, but also provides an excellent aesthetic appearance when viewed from the driver P side, as can be seen in FIG. 3 [Invention 7].

[0029] As described above, the driver monitoring device of this embodiment and the automobile equipped with the same are excellent in imaging the state of the driver's face. The driver monitoring device and the automobile equipped with the same according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10 Driver monitoring device 20 Monitoring device body 21 Base 22 Lighting unit mounting section 23 Camera unit attachment part 30 Camera unit (surveillance camera) 31 Imaging lens 40 Lighting unit (lighting equipment) 41 Lighting projection unit 50 screens 51 Upper vertical surface (opposite surface) 52 Lower vertical surface (opposite surface) 53 Parallel Planes 54 Engagement groove 60 Finisher 61 Upper surface 62 Lower surface 63 Engagement protrusion 80 Front pillar garnish 81 Opening 82 Common-law marriage 90 Steering column 91 Steering wheel 100 front pillar P Driver Pf Driver's face PLe Driver's perspective Pa Driver's arm CL imaging center axis CS imaging range K virtual surface

Claims

1. A driver monitoring device for use in an automobile having a front pillar installed in front of a driver's seat and obliquely arranged so that the rear side is higher than the front side, and a steering wheel operated by a driver seated in the driver's seat, a monitoring camera for capturing an image of the driver's face; The surveillance camera is provided on the front pillar, the front pillar has a front pillar garnish on the driver's seat side surface, The monitoring camera is provided on the front pillar garnish, The front pillar garnish further includes a lighting device for illuminating the face of the driver, the lighting device is installed in the vicinity of the monitoring camera at a position higher than the monitoring camera and closer to the driver; a monitoring device body including the monitoring camera and the lighting equipment; and a screen disposed opposite an imaging lens of the monitoring camera of the monitoring device body, the monitoring device main body is fixed to the front pillar side within the front pillar garnish, the screen is supported at a position on the inner edge of the opening formed in the front pillar garnish at a rear side of an imaginary plane connecting the opening edge portions of the front pillar garnish via a finisher, The driver monitoring device is characterized in that the screen has two opposing surfaces facing the surveillance camera and the lighting, respectively, and the two opposing surfaces are connected by a surface that is parallel to the upper surface of the finisher when attached to the finisher.

2. (delete)

3. 2. The driver monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring camera is provided at a position higher than the height of an upper edge of the steering wheel.

4. 2. The driver monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring camera has a central imaging axis set horizontally.

5. (delete)

6. (delete)

7. (delete)

8. A vehicle having a front pillar installed in front of a driver's seat and arranged at an angle so that the rear side is higher than the front side, and a steering wheel operated by a driver seated in the driver's seat, wherein the vehicle is characterized in that the front pillar is equipped with a driver monitoring device according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 4.

Images