Road surface drawing control device

Abstract

To provide a road surface drawing control apparatus capable of increasing a possibility that a user finds a vehicle of the user's own.SOLUTION: A road surface drawing control apparatus 100 for a vehicle comprises: a target information acquisition device 26 for acquiring information on a target around a vehicle 102; a communication device 12 for communicating with a keyless entry terminal device 106 operated by a user of the vehicle; a road surface drawing device 16 for performing road surface drawing around the vehicle; and a road surface drawing ECU 10 for controlling actuation of the road surface drawing device. The road surface drawing ECU 10 actuates and causes the road surface drawing device to perform the road surface drawing when determining that the user of the vehicle is within a reference distance from the vehicle or when determining that the keyless entry terminal device has been operated, on the basis of the target information acquired by the target information acquisition device or the communication between the communication device and the keyless entry terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a road surface drawing control device for a vehicle such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] In a large parking lot such as a shopping mall parking lot, if a user forgets where their vehicle is parked, it is known that they can search for their vehicle by operating a remote terminal device such as a remote entry key to flash hazard lights. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below describes an example of a hazard light lighting device that flashes hazard lights when a remote terminal device is operated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-130937 Summary of the Invention

[0004] [Problem to be solved by the invention] However, if the hazard lights are blocked by other vehicles or parking lot structures, it is not possible to find your vehicle even if you turn on the hazard lights. It is also possible to activate a buzzer by operating a remote terminal device, but due to the influence of reverberation, it is not easy to identify the vehicle that is emitting the buzzer.

[0005] The present invention provides a road surface drawing control device that can increase the possibility that a user will be able to find his or her own vehicle by utilizing a road surface drawing device that draws a road surface around the vehicle.

[0006] [Means for solving the problems and effects of the invention] According to the present invention, there is provided a road surface drawing control device (100) for a vehicle, which includes a target information acquisition device (26) that acquires information on targets around a vehicle (102), a communication device (12) that communicates with a remote control terminal device (keyless entry terminal device 106) operated by a user of the vehicle, a road surface drawing device (16) that draws a road surface around the vehicle, and a control unit (road surface drawing ECU 10) that controls the operation of the road surface drawing device.

[0007] The remote control terminal device (road surface drawing ECU10) is configured to transmit an unlock signal for unlocking the vehicle doors to the control unit (road surface drawing ECU10) via the communication device (12) when the unlock switch is operated. The control unit (road surface drawing ECU 10) When an unlock signal is received, Target information acquisition device (26) The target information obtained by Informing When it is determined that the user of the vehicle is within a reference distance from the vehicle based on the for (S50), As soon as answerback begins Activate the road surface drawing device to draw the road surface. The process starts (S100), and when it is determined that the user of the vehicle is within a reference distance from the vehicle based on the target information acquired by the target information acquisition device in a situation where an unlocking signal has not been received, the process starts road surface drawing without starting answerback (S90). It is configured as follows.

[0008] According to the above configuration, In a situation where the control unit receives an unlock signal, When it is determined that the user of the vehicle is within a reference distance from the vehicle, As soon as the answerback starts, Road surface drawing In addition, when the control unit has not received an unlock signal and it is determined that the user of the vehicle is within a reference distance from the vehicle, road surface drawing is started without starting answerback. can Therefore For example, even if the hazard lights are blocked by other vehicles or parking lot structures, if the letters and symbols on the road surface are not blocked, the user can identify the vehicle by finding them. This increases the likelihood that the user will be able to find the vehicle. In particular, when the control unit receives an unlock signal, both answerback and road drawing are performed, which increases the likelihood that the user will find their vehicle compared to when only answerback is performed. Also, when the control unit does not receive an unlock signal, road drawing is performed without answerback, which increases the likelihood that the user will find their vehicle while avoiding unnecessary answerbacks.

[0009] [Mode of the Invention] In another aspect of the present invention, the control unit (road surface drawing ECU 10) When the vehicle is being searched for, it is determined whether the user of the vehicle is searching for the vehicle, and when it is determined that the user of the vehicle is searching for the vehicle, the road surface drawing is continued. do.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, the control unit (road surface drawing ECU 10) is configured to operate the road surface drawing device to draw the road surface (S90, S100) when it determines (S140, S170) that the vehicle user is searching for the vehicle based on at least one of the target information acquired by the target information acquisition device (26) and the communication between the communication device (12) and the remote control terminal device (keyless entry terminal device 106).

[0011] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, the road surface drawing device (16) includes a plurality of drawing units (14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B) that emit light for road surface drawing in different directions around the vehicle, and the control unit (road surface drawing ECU 10) is configured to determine the direction of the vehicle user relative to the vehicle based on at least one of the target information acquired by the target information acquisition device (26) and the communication between the communication device (12) and the remote control terminal device (keyless entry terminal device 106), and to determine the drawing unit to be activated based on the determined direction (S410 to S480).

[0012] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, the control unit (road surface drawing ECU10) is configured to change the recognizability of the road surface drawing in accordance with at least one of the distance between the vehicle user and the vehicle, the brightness around the vehicle, and the number of times the remote control terminal device is operated (S210 to S250, S310 to S350), so that the greater the distance (L) between the vehicle user and the vehicle, the greater the recognizability of the road surface drawing, the greater the brightness around the vehicle, and the greater the number of times the remote control terminal device is operated.

[0013] Other objects, other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a road surface drawing control device according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a routine of road surface drawing control in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a main part of a road surface drawing control routine in a second embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a main part of a road surface drawing control routine in a third embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a main part of a routine for road surface drawing control in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method for determining a rendering unit to be activated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A road surface drawing control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] 1, a road surface drawing control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle 102 and includes a road surface drawing ECU 10. The vehicle 102 is equipped with a driving assistance ECU 20 and a meter ECU 30. The ECU stands for an electronic control unit having a microcomputer as its main component.

[0017] The microcomputer of each ECU includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, read / write non-volatile memory (N / M), and an interface (I / F). The CPU performs various functions by executing instructions (programs, routines) stored in the ROM. Furthermore, these ECUs are interconnected via a Controller Area Network (CAN) 104 to enable data exchange (communication). Therefore, the detected values ​​of sensors (including switches) connected to a specific ECU are transmitted to other ECUs.

[0018] The road surface drawing ECU 10 is connected to a transceiver 12 that wirelessly communicates with the keyless entry terminal device 106, a front drawing unit 14F, a right drawing unit 14R, a left drawing unit 14L, and a rear drawing unit 14B. The road surface drawing ECU 10 and the drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B function as a road surface drawing device 16 that draws a road surface around the vehicle 102. The transceiver 12 operates even when the ignition switch (not shown) is off, and when it receives a signal wirelessly transmitted from the keyless entry terminal device 106, it turns on the ignition switch and starts up ECUs such as the road surface drawing ECU 10. The drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B are collectively referred to as drawing units 14.

[0019] The keyless entry terminal device 106 includes a lock switch and an unlock switch, and when the lock switch or unlock switch is operated by the user, it transmits a lock signal and an unlock signal, respectively. When the lock signal and unlock signal transmitted from the keyless entry terminal device 106 are received by the transceiver 12, these signals are transmitted via the road surface drawing ECU 10 to a vehicle body ECU (not shown in Fig. 1), and the vehicle body ECU locks and unlocks the doors, respectively.

[0020] The road surface drawing ECU 10 controls the operation of the drawing unit 14. In particular, when the transceiver 12 receives a locking signal and an unlocking signal from the keyless entry terminal device 106, the road surface drawing ECU 10 controls the operation of the drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B, as will be described in detail later. Furthermore, when the transceiver 12 receives a locking signal and an unlocking signal from the keyless entry terminal device 106, the road surface drawing ECU 10 estimates the distance L between the user and the vehicle 102 based on the strength of the signal.

[0021] Although not shown in FIG. 1 , each drawing unit includes a light source device for drawing, which is controlled by the road drawing ECU 10 to project light onto the road surface around the vehicle 102 to draw images such as letters and symbols. As shown in FIG. 6 , the front drawing unit 14F is provided at the front end of the vehicle 102 and projects light ahead of the vehicle to draw information about changes in the vehicle's traveling direction on the road surface in front of the vehicle. The right drawing unit 14R and the left drawing unit 14L are provided on the door mirrors on the right and left sides of the vehicle 102, respectively, and project light to the sides of the vehicle to draw warning information about door opening on the road surface on the right and left sides of the vehicle. The rear drawing unit 14B is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 102 and projects light behind the vehicle to draw information about the vehicle reversing on the road surface behind the vehicle.

[0022] The driving assistance ECU 20 is a central control device that performs driving assistance control such as lane departure prevention control, adaptive cruise control, etc. In this embodiment, the driving assistance ECU 20 provides the road surface drawing ECU 10 with information required to control the operation of the front drawing unit 14F and the like, as will be described in detail later.

[0023] The driving assistance ECU 20 is connected to a camera sensor 22 and a radar sensor 24. The camera sensor 22 includes, but is not limited to, four camera sensors that capture images of the front, rear, right side, and left side. The radar sensor 24 includes, but is not limited to, five radar sensors that acquire target information of three-dimensional objects present in the front area, the right front area, the left front area, the right rear area, and the left rear area. The camera sensor 22 and the radar sensor 24 function as a target information acquisition device 26 that acquires target information around the host vehicle 102.

[0024] In this embodiment, when the ignition switch is off and the unlock switch of the keyless entry terminal device 106 is operated, the driving assistance ECU 20 and the like are activated, and the camera sensor 22 starts capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle 102. Note that instead of or in addition to the radar sensor 24, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) may be used.

[0025] Furthermore, a setting operator 28 is connected to the driving assistance ECU 20, and the setting operator 28 is provided in a position where it can be operated by the driver. Although not shown in Fig. 1, the setting operator 28 includes various switches necessary for driving assistance control.

[0026] In the embodiment, an image of the upper half of the user's body captured by an in-vehicle camera (not shown in FIG. 1 ), an image of the upper half of the user's body captured by a smartphone camera, a video of the user walking, and the like are stored in a storage device of the driving assistance ECU 20. The CPU of the driving assistance ECU 20 determines whether a person captured by the camera sensor 22 around the vehicle 102 is the user based on the images stored in the storage device. The CPU of the driving assistance ECU 20 also determines whether a person captured by the camera sensor 22 around the vehicle 102 is the user by determining a gait based on the video stored in the storage device. Furthermore, when the CPU of the driving assistance ECU 20 determines that the person captured by the camera sensor 22 is the user, the CPU estimates a distance L between the user and the vehicle 102 based on the image captured by the camera sensor 22.

[0027] The meter ECU 30 is connected to left and right front hazard lights 32F, left and right rear hazard lights 32B, a buzzer 34, and an auto light receiving sensor 36. When the unlock switch of the keyless entry terminal device 106 is operated, the hazard lights 32F and 32B provide an answerback by flashing for a preset time. As shown in FIG. 6 , the left and right front hazard lights 32F are provided at the left and right corners of the front end of the vehicle 102, and the left and right rear hazard lights 32B are provided at the left and right corners of the rear end of the vehicle 102. Therefore, the drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B are provided in different positions from the hazard lights 32F and 32B when viewed from above the vehicle. However, the drawing unit 14 may include a drawing unit provided in the same position as the hazard lights 32F or 32B.

[0028] The buzzer 34 sounds to alert the vehicle occupants, and also sounds as necessary when road surface drawing is being performed by the front drawing unit 14F or the like. The sound of the buzzer 34 can also be heard by people outside the vehicle 102. The light receiving sensor 36 is disposed near the windshield (not shown) inside the vehicle 102, and detects the amount of light Q as an indicator of the brightness outside the vehicle.

[0029] [First embodiment] In the first embodiment, the ROM of the road surface drawing ECU 10 stores a road surface drawing control program corresponding to the flowchart shown in Fig. 2. The CPU of the road surface drawing ECU 10 is started when the transceiver 12 receives a signal wirelessly transmitted from the keyless entry terminal device 106, and executes road surface drawing control in accordance with the program. For example, if a navigation device (not shown) determines that the vehicle 102 is parked in a location such as a large parking lot, power is supplied to ECUs such as the road surface drawing ECU 10 at predetermined time intervals, and road surface drawing control is executed for a preset duration. The same applies to other embodiments described below.

[0030] <Road Surface Drawing Control Routine of the First Embodiment> Next, the road surface drawing control routine in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 2. In the following description, the road surface drawing control will be simply referred to as "this control." Note that in Figure 2 and Figures 3 to 5 described below, road surface drawing is abbreviated as RSD, and answerback is abbreviated as AB.

[0031] First, in step S10, the CPU determines whether road surface drawing is being performed. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it proceeds to step S110, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S20.

[0032] In step S20, the CPU determines whether an answerback is being performed, i.e., whether the hazard lamps 32F and 32B are flashing. If the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S50, and if the CPU makes a positive determination, the control proceeds to step S30.

[0033] In step S30, the CPU determines whether the answerback termination condition is met. If the CPU determines negative, it temporarily terminates this control, and if the CPU determines positive, it proceeds to step S40. Note that the answerback termination condition may be determined to be met when, for example, any of the following X1 to X3 is determined. (X1) A time equal to or greater than the reference elapsed time (positive constant) has elapsed since the answerback was started in step S70. (X2) The user moves within the range of the reference end distance (positive constant) from the vehicle 102. (X3) One of the doors of vehicle 102 is opened.

[0034] In step S40, the CPU ends the answerback in response to the user's unlock request. Note that even after the answerback ends, the doors of the vehicle 102 remain unlocked.

[0035] In step S50, the CPU determines whether the user has approached within a range of a reference approach distance (a positive constant greater than the reference end distance) from the vehicle, based on the distance L between the user and the vehicle 102 estimated by the CPU itself and the CPU of the driving assistance ECU 20. If the CPU makes a positive determination, the CPU proceeds to step S80, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, the CPU proceeds to step S60.

[0036] In step S60, the CPU determines whether the transceiver 12 has received an unlock signal transmitted from the keyless entry terminal device 106. If the CPU determines that the unlock signal has been received, it temporarily terminates this control, whereas if the CPU determines that the unlock signal has been received, it advances this control to step S70. Note that if the CPU determines that the unlock signal has been received, it may modify this control to advance to step S100.

[0037] In step S70, the CPU outputs an answerback command signal to the meter ECU 30. Upon receiving the answerback command signal, the meter ECU 30 starts blinking the front and rear hazard lamps 32F and 32B, thereby starting an answerback in response to the user's unlock request.

[0038] In step S80, similar to step S60, the CPU determines whether or not it has received an unlock signal transmitted from the keyless entry terminal device 106. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it proceeds to step S100, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S90. If the CPU makes a negative determination, it determines whether or not the user is searching for the vehicle 102, similar to step S170 described below, and if the CPU makes a positive determination, it proceeds to step S90, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it may be modified so that the control is temporarily terminated.

[0039] In step S90, the CPU starts outputting control signals to the rendering units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B, thereby causing the rendering units to start rendering the road surface around the vehicle 102.

[0040] In step S100, the CPU starts drawing the road surface around the vehicle 102 by the drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B, similar to step S90, and also starts an answerback to the user's unlocking request, similar to step S70. Note that in steps S70 and S100, the doors of the vehicle 102 are unlocked. Also, if there is an object or traffic participant, such as a wall or another vehicle, that obstructs the road surface drawing, road surface drawing on the side of the object or traffic participant may not be performed.

[0041] In step S110, the CPU determines whether or not an answerback is being performed. If the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S160, and if the CPU makes a positive determination, the control proceeds to step S120.

[0042] In step S120, the CPU determines whether the conditions for terminating road surface drawing and answerback are met. If the CPU makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S140, and if the CPU makes a positive determination, it proceeds to step S130. Note that it may be determined that the conditions for terminating road surface drawing and answerback are met when any of the following Y1 to Y3 is determined: (Y1) A time equal to or longer than the reference elapsed time has elapsed since the road surface drawing and answerback were started in step S100. The reference elapsed time for road surface drawing may be longer than the reference elapsed time for answerback. (Y2) The user moves within the reference end distance range from the vehicle 102. (Y3) One of the doors of vehicle 102 is opened.

[0043] In step S130, the CPU ends drawing of the road surface around the vehicle 102 by the drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B, and ends the answerback in response to the user's unlock request. Note that even after the answerback ends, the doors of the vehicle 102 remain unlocked.

[0044] In step S140, the CPU determines whether or not the user is searching for the vehicle 102. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it temporarily terminates this control, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S150. Note that, for example, if the CPU of the driving assistance ECU 20 determines that a person determined to be the user is standing still and changing the direction of their line of sight or is moving without directly approaching the vehicle 102, it may be determined that the user is searching for the vehicle 102.

[0045] In step S150, the CPU ends the drawing of the road surface around the vehicle 102 by the drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B, but continues answering back the user's unlock request.

[0046] In step S160, the CPU determines whether the condition for terminating road surface drawing is satisfied. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it proceeds to step S180, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S170. Note that it may be determined that the condition for terminating road surface drawing is satisfied when, for example, any of the following Z1 to Z3 is determined. (Z1) A time equal to or greater than the reference elapsed time has elapsed since road surface drawing was started in step S90. (Z2) The user moves within the reference end distance range from the vehicle 102. (Z3) One of the doors of vehicle 102 is opened.

[0047] In step S170, similarly to step S140, the CPU determines whether or not the user is searching for the vehicle 102. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it temporarily terminates this control, and if the CPU makes a negative determination, it causes this control to proceed to step S180.

[0048] In step S180, the CPU ends the drawing of the road surface around the vehicle 102 by the drawing units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B.

[0049] [Second embodiment] 3 is a flowchart showing the main parts of the road surface drawing control routine in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the steps other than steps S210 to S250 are executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, when the CPU of the road surface drawing ECU 10 makes a positive determination in step S50, the CPU advances this control to step S210.

[0050] In step S210, the CPU determines whether the distance L between the user and the vehicle 102 is greater than a first reference distance L1 (a positive constant). If the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S230, but if the CPU makes a positive determination, the CPU sets the correction coefficient Ka for correcting the illuminance of the light source device of the rendering unit 14 to 1.2 in step S220.

[0051] In step S230, the CPU determines whether the distance L between the user and the vehicle 102 is greater than a second reference distance L2 (a positive constant smaller than the first reference distance L1). If the CPU determines that the distance L is greater than a second reference distance L2, the CPU sets the correction coefficient Ka to 0.8 in step S240, and if the CPU determines that the distance L is greater than a second reference distance L2, the CPU sets the correction coefficient Ka to 1 in step S250.

[0052] In steps S90 and S100, the illuminance of the light source device of the rendering unit 14 when rendering of the road surface around the vehicle 102 begins is corrected by multiplying it by the correction coefficient Ka. Also, the correction coefficient Ka does not have to be the above value as long as the correction coefficient Ka set in step S220 is larger than the correction coefficient Ka set in step S250 and the correction coefficient Ka set in step S240 is smaller than the correction coefficient Ka set in step S250.

[0053] [Third embodiment] 4 is a flowchart showing the main parts of the road surface drawing control routine in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the steps other than steps S310 to S350 are executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, when the CPU of the road surface drawing ECU 10 makes a positive determination in step S50, the CPU advances this control to step S310.

[0054] In step S310, the CPU determines whether the amount of light Q detected by the light receiving sensor 36 is greater than a first reference distance Q1 (a positive constant). If the CPU determines negative, the control proceeds to step S330, but if the CPU determines positive, the CPU sets the correction coefficient Kb for correcting the illuminance of the light source device of the imaging unit 14 to 1.2 in step S320.

[0055] In step S330, the CPU determines whether the amount of light Q detected by the light receiving sensor 36 is greater than a second reference distance Q2 (a positive constant smaller than the first reference distance Q1). If the CPU determines negative, it sets the correction coefficient Kb to 0.8 in step S340, and if the CPU determines positive, it sets the correction coefficient Kb to 1 in step S350.

[0056] In steps S90 and S100, the illuminance of the light source device of the rendering unit 14 when rendering of the road surface around the vehicle 102 begins is corrected by multiplying it by the correction coefficient Kb. Also, the correction coefficient Kb does not have to be the value described above; it is sufficient that the correction coefficient Kb set in step S320 is larger than the correction coefficient Kb set in step S350, and that the correction coefficient Kb set in step S340 is smaller than the correction coefficient Kb set in step S350.

[0057] [Fourth embodiment] 5 is a flowchart showing the main parts of the road surface drawing control routine in the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the steps other than steps S410 to S490 are executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, when the CPU of the road surface drawing ECU 10 makes a positive determination in step S50, the CPU advances this control to step S410.

[0058] In step S410, the CPU determines whether the user is in front of the vehicle 102, for example, by determining whether the user is in area Af shown in Fig. 6. If the CPU makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S430, and if the CPU makes a positive determination, it determines in step S420 that the rendering unit 14 to be activated is the front rendering unit 14F.

[0059] In step S430, the CPU determines whether the user is on the right side of the vehicle 102, for example, by determining whether the user is in the area Ar shown in FIG. 6. If the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S450. If the CPU makes a positive determination, the CPU determines in step S440 that the right-side rendering unit 14R is to be activated as the rendering unit 14. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 15 indicates an example of a road surface rendering by the side rendering unit 14R. The road surface rendering 15 is a rendering that warns the driver's door of opening, and the door symbol moves intermittently in a direction away from the vehicle, as indicated by the arrow.

[0060] In step S450, the CPU determines whether the user is on the left side of the vehicle 102, for example, by determining whether the user is in area A1 shown in Fig. 6. If the CPU makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S470, and if the CPU makes a positive determination, it determines in step S460 that the left rendering unit 14L is to be activated as the rendering unit 14.

[0061] In step S470, the CPU determines whether the user is located at the rear of the vehicle 102, for example, by determining whether the user is located at the rear of the vehicle 102 by determining whether the user is located at the area Ab shown in FIG. 6. If the CPU makes a positive determination, it determines in step S480 that the rendering unit 14 to be activated is the rear rendering unit 14B. In contrast, if the CPU makes a negative determination, it determines in step S490 that the rendering units 14 to be activated are all of the rendering units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B.

[0062] As can be seen from the above description, according to each embodiment, in a situation where neither road surface drawing nor answerback is being performed (S10, S20), when it is determined that the user has approached within a reference approach distance from the vehicle 102 (S50), road surface drawing is initiated (S90, S100). Road surface drawing continues until it is determined that the condition for terminating road surface drawing is met (S160). Because road surface drawing is performed around the vehicle, even if, for example, the hazard lights are obstructed by another vehicle or a parking lot structure, as long as the road surface drawing is not obstructed, the user can identify the vehicle by finding them. Therefore, compared to when road surface drawing is not performed, the user is more likely to find the vehicle 102.

[0063] Furthermore, according to each embodiment, when it is determined that the user has approached within the range of the reference approach distance from the vehicle 102 (S50) and it is determined that an unlocking signal transmitted from the keyless entry terminal device 106 has been received (S80), road surface drawing and answerback are initiated (S100). Furthermore, if it is determined that the user has approached within the range of the reference approach distance from the vehicle 102 (S50) and it is determined that the unlocking signal transmitted from the keyless entry terminal device 106 has not been received (S80), road surface drawing is started without starting an answerback (S90). Then, the condition for terminating road surface drawing is met. Not yet It is judged that Re( S120), When it is determined that the user is searching for the vehicle 102 (S140, S170), road drawing The picture It will continue. Even if the user is looking for a vehicle 102 road surface drawing ends This can increase the likelihood that the user will find the vehicle 102 compared to other cases.

[0064] In particular, according to the second embodiment, when the distance L between the user and the vehicle 102 is large, the illuminance of the light source device of the rendering unit 14 is increased, and when the distance L is small, the illuminance of the light source device is decreased. That is, the recognizability of the road surface drawing changes according to the distance L. Therefore, compared to when the illuminance of the light source device is constant regardless of the distance L, when the user is far from the vehicle, the user can more easily notice the road surface drawing, and when the user is close to the vehicle, the energy consumed by the road surface drawing can be reduced.

[0065] Furthermore, according to the third embodiment, when the brightness outside the vehicle is high, the illuminance of the light source device of the rendering unit 14 is increased, and when the brightness outside the vehicle is low, the illuminance of the light source device is decreased. That is, the recognizability of the road surface drawing is changed depending on the brightness outside the vehicle. Therefore, compared to when the illuminance of the light source device is constant regardless of the brightness outside the vehicle, when the brightness outside the vehicle is high, the user can more easily notice the road surface drawing, and when the brightness outside the vehicle is low, the energy consumed by the road surface drawing can be reduced.

[0066] Furthermore, according to the fourth embodiment, the direction of the user relative to the vehicle 102 is determined, and the rendering unit to be activated is determined based on the determined direction. That is, the rendering unit 14 on the side where the user is located relative to the vehicle 102 is activated, and the other rendering units are not activated. This ensures a situation in which the user can easily notice the road surface rendering, while reducing the energy consumption due to the road surface rendering compared to when all of the rendering units 14F, 14R, 14L, and 14B are activated.

[0067] Furthermore, if the drawing unit 14 on the side where there is an object such as a wall, another vehicle, or a traffic participant that may obstruct the road surface drawing is not activated, it is possible to prevent unnecessary road surface drawing from being performed and to prevent the road surface drawing from having a negative impact on traffic participants.

[0068] Although the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0069] For example, the reference elapsed time in steps S120 and S160 may be constant, or may be variably set so that the reference elapsed time increases the more times the keyless entry terminal device 106 is operated before a positive determination is made in steps S120 and S160. Furthermore, the illuminance of the light source device may be increased the more times the keyless entry terminal device 106 is operated. The longer the reference elapsed time and the higher the illuminance of the light source device, the more recognizable the road markings become. Furthermore, the number of devices that are activated may be increased, such as the buzzer 34 and headlights (not shown).

[0070] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the remote control terminal device is the keyless entry terminal device 106, but it may also be a smartphone capable of communicating with the transceiver 12 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the Internet.

[0071] Although the second to fourth embodiments described above are independent of each other, they may be implemented in any combination. In particular, when the second and third embodiments are implemented in combination, the illuminance of the light source device of the imaging unit 14 is corrected by a factor of Ka×Kb in steps S90 and S100. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10... Road surface drawing ECU, 14... Road surface drawing unit, 16... Road surface drawing device, 20... Driving assistance ECU, 26... Surrounding information acquisition device, 30... Meter ECU, 32F, 32R... Hazard lamp, 100... Road surface drawing control device, 102... Vehicle, 106... Keyless entry terminal device

Claims

1. A road surface drawing control device for a vehicle includes a target information acquisition device that acquires information about targets around a vehicle, a communication device that communicates with a remote control terminal device operated by a user of the vehicle, a road surface drawing device that draws a road surface around the vehicle, and a control unit that controls the operation of the road surface drawing device, the remote control terminal device is configured to transmit an unlock signal for unlocking the vehicle door to the control unit via the communication device when an unlock switch is operated, The control unit is configured to initiate answerback and activate the road surface drawing device to start road surface drawing when it determines, based on target information acquired by the target information acquisition device, that the user of the vehicle is within a reference distance from the vehicle in a situation where the unlocking signal is received, and to start road surface drawing without initiating answerback when it determines, based on target information acquired by the target information acquisition device, that the user of the vehicle is within the reference distance from the vehicle in a situation where the unlocking signal is not received.

2. 2. A road surface drawing control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not a user of the vehicle is searching for the vehicle while the road surface drawing is being performed, and to continue the road surface drawing when it determines that the user of the vehicle is searching for the vehicle.

3. 2. A road surface drawing control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to operate the road surface drawing device to draw the road surface when it determines that the user of the vehicle is searching for the vehicle based on at least one of the target information acquired by the target information acquisition device and the communication between the communication device and the remote control terminal device.

4. 2. A road surface drawing control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the road surface drawing device includes a plurality of drawing units that emit light for drawing the road surface in different directions around the vehicle, and the control unit is configured to determine the direction of the vehicle user relative to the vehicle based on at least one of target information acquired by the target information acquisition device and communication between the communication device and the remote control terminal device, and to determine which drawing unit to operate based on the determined direction.

5. 2. A road surface drawing control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to change the recognizability of the road surface drawing in accordance with at least one of the distance between the vehicle user and the vehicle, the brightness around the vehicle, and the number of times the remote control terminal device is operated, so that the greater the distance between the vehicle user and the vehicle, the greater the recognizability of the road surface drawing, the greater the brightness around the vehicle, and the greater the number of times the remote control terminal device is operated.

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