Vehicle surroundings monitoring system

Abstract

To prevent a user from having difficulty in monitoring the condition of a road surface due to a display drawn on the road surface when the user of the vehicle monitors the periphery of a vehicle through an image captured by a camera outside the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle periphery monitoring system that displays a captured image including a road surface around a vehicle captured by a camera of the vehicle to a user of the vehicle includes a road surface drawing unit that draws an external notification display having a predetermined shape on the road surface around the vehicle with light, and a drawing range recognition unit that recognizes a drawing range of the external notification display in the captured image and recognizes luminance or a color value around the drawing range, the road surface drawing unit adjusts the luminance of the external notification display so as to approach the luminance around the drawing range of the captured image, or adjusts the color value of the external notification display so as to approach the color value of the drawing range of the captured image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle surrounding monitoring system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a technical document regarding a vehicle surrounding monitoring system, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-120113 is known. This publication shows a road surface drawing device that draws a notification display of a predetermined shape on the road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle with light.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, a vehicle surrounding monitoring system that supports monitoring of the surrounding area of a vehicle by displaying an imaging image of an external camera of the vehicle on an in-vehicle display is known. However, when the vehicle surrounding monitoring system is used in combination with the above-described road surface drawing device, there is a problem that it becomes difficult for the user to monitor the road surface condition due to the display drawn on the road surface by the road surface drawing device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle surrounding monitoring system that displays an imaging image including the road surface around the vehicle captured by a camera of the vehicle to a user of the vehicle, the system including a road surface drawing unit that draws an external notification display of a predetermined shape on the road surface around the vehicle with light, Before the road surface drawing unit draws the external notification display recognizes a drawing range of the external notification display in the imaging image, and The brightness and color values ​​of the drawing range are recognized before the drawing of the external notification display, and the area surrounding the drawing range where the external notification display does not extend is recognized while the drawing of the external notification display continues. brightness and color values a drawing range recognition unit that recognizes, and the road surface drawing unit The brightness of the external notification display is adjusted to approach the brightness of the drawing area of ​​the captured image, and the color values ​​are adjusted to approach the color values ​​of the drawing area of ​​the captured image. The external notification display is drawn at regular intervals while the drawing of the external notification display continues, and the area surrounding the drawing area of ​​the captured image is drawn.The brightness of the external notification display should be adjusted to approach the brightness of the external notification display. The process involves adjusting the color value of the external notification display and repeatedly adjusting it so that it approaches the color value of the area surrounding the drawing range of the captured image. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to each aspect of the present invention, when a vehicle user monitors the area around the vehicle through images captured by an external camera, it is possible to suppress the difficulty the user faces in monitoring the road surface conditions due to markings drawn on the road surface. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of a vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] (a) A plan view illustrating an example of an external notification display. (b) A plan view illustrating the drawing area and the area surrounding the drawing area. [Figure 3] (a) A flowchart showing an example of pre-processing for rendering external notification displays. (b) A flowchart showing an example of rendering adjustment processing for external notification displays. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing a vehicle surroundings monitoring system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a plan view to explain the drawing range for the next session. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the drawing process for the next drawing range. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle surroundings monitoring system 100 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle surroundings monitoring system 100 is an in-vehicle system that allows the vehicle user to monitor the situation around the vehicle by displaying images captured by a camera 1 that captures images of the outside of the vehicle on an in-vehicle display 2. The user may be the driver of the vehicle or an occupant of an autonomous vehicle. The occupant may include a person sitting in the front passenger seat or a person sitting in the back seat.

[0011] Furthermore, the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 100 projects an external notification display onto the road surface around the vehicle using light. This external notification display is intended to notify pedestrians and other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle in advance of the vehicle's behavior.

[0012] Here, Figure 2(a) is a plan view illustrating an example of an external notification display. In Figure 2(a), external notification displays P1 to P3 are drawn on the road surface in front of vehicle 50. The external notification displays P1 to P3 shown in Figure 2(a) are L-shaped displays that are drawn, for example, when the right turn signal of vehicle 50 is turned on. This allows pedestrians and other vehicles around vehicle 50 to understand that vehicle 50 is planning to turn right.

[0013] Furthermore, external notification displays P1 to P3 may be drawn on the road surface so as to extend in a direction corresponding to the steering angle when the parked vehicle 50 starts moving, regardless of whether the turn signal is on or off. The shape of external notification displays P1 to P3 is not limited to an L shape. External notification displays P1 to P3 may be triangular, square, or arch-shaped. External notification displays P1 to P3 do not need to be divided into multiple displays and may be represented as a single arrow shape.

[0014] The shape and arrangement of the external notification display are not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 2(a). The external notification display may include a reversing notification display drawn on the road surface behind the vehicle 50 to notify those around that the vehicle 50 is planning to reverse or is currently reversing. In addition, the external notification display may include displays indicating the direction of travel or planned lane changes of the slow-moving vehicle 50.

[0015] In addition, the other vehicles to be notified of the external notification display are not limited to manually driven vehicles driven by human drivers, and may include autonomous vehicles. In this case, the autonomous vehicle recognizes the next behavior of the vehicle 50 by recognizing the external notification display drawn on the road surface in the captured image of its camera.

[0016] Next, the structure of the vehicle peripheral monitoring system 100 in the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle peripheral monitoring system 100 includes an ECU 10 [Electronic Control Unit] that comprehensively manages the system.

[0017] The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a CPU [Central Processing Unit] and a storage unit. The storage unit is composed of a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], an EEPROM [Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory], and the like. In the ECU 10, for example, various functions are realized by the CPU executing the programs stored in the storage unit. The ECU 10 may be composed of a plurality of electronic units. The ECU 10 is connected to the camera 1, the display 2, and the drawing lamp 3.

[0018] The camera 1 is an imaging device that images the external situation of the vehicle 50. The camera 1 includes, for example, a front camera provided on the back side of the front glass of the vehicle 50, a rear camera provided on the back side of the rear glass of the vehicle 50, and the like. The imaging range of the camera 1 includes the road surface around the vehicle 50. The installation location and number of the camera 1 are not limited. The camera 1 transmits the captured image around the vehicle 50 to the ECU 10.

[0019] The display 2 is a display device provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 50 and provides image information to a user such as a driver. The display 2 is provided, for example, on the dashboard between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The display 2 may be incorporated behind the steering wheel of the driver's seat or as part of the instrument panel. The display 2 does not have to be one, and a plurality of displays may be provided.

[0020] The drawing lamp 3 is provided outside the vehicle 50 and is a signal lamp for drawing an external notification display on the road surface. The drawing lamp 3 can be provided, for example, in the vicinity of the turn signal lamps provided on the left and right of the front side and the left and right of the rear side of the vehicle 50, respectively. The drawing lamp 3 may be provided only on the front side of the vehicle 50 or only on the rear side of the vehicle 50. The drawing lamp 3 may be combined with other lighting devices.

[0021] The light source of the drawing lamp 3 is not particularly limited, but an LED [Light Emitting Diode], a light source laser beam, a halogen bulb, an HID [High-Intensity Discharge] lamp, etc. can be adopted. The drawing lamp 3 is controlled by a control signal from the ECU 10. For details of the drawing lamp 3 and the method of drawing an external notification display, reference can be made to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2023-81413.

[0022] Next, the functional configuration of the ECU 10 will be described. The ECU 10 has an image acquisition unit 11, a drawing range recognition unit 12, and a road surface drawing unit 13.

[0023] The image acquisition unit 11 acquires the captured image of the camera 1 and displays the captured image of the camera 1 on the display 2. The image acquisition unit 11 may synthesize the captured images of a plurality of cameras and display them on the display 2. The image acquisition unit 11 may constitute a part of a vehicle peripheral monitoring system such as a panoramic view monitor.

[0024] The drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the drawing range of the external notification display in the image captured by the camera 1. The drawing range is the area in which the external notification display is drawn. Here, Figure 2(b) is a plan view illustrating the drawing range and the area surrounding the drawing range. The drawing range and the area surrounding the drawing range are included in the imaging range of the camera 1. The drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the drawing range when the drawing start conditions for the external notification display, which will be described later, are met. The drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the drawing range based on, for example, table data in which the type of external notification display and the drawing range are pre-associated.

[0025] Figure 2(b) shows the drawing range D1-D3 and the surrounding area C. The drawing range D1-D3 corresponds to the area of ​​external notification displays P1-P3 in Figure 2(a). The surrounding area C is the area surrounding the drawing range D1-D3, which is set to enclose the drawing range D1-D3. The surrounding area is set so that the external notification displays P1-P3 being drawn in the drawing range D1-D3 do not extend beyond this area.

[0026] Note that the drawing area D1 does not necessarily have to coincide with the external notification display P1, and may be set as an area that includes the external notification display P1. The same applies to drawing areas D2 and D3. The area surrounding the drawing area C does not necessarily have to be a rectangular area, and may be an area that is near the drawing area and encloses it. The area surrounding the drawing area C may be set as an area within a certain distance from the drawing area. The area surrounding the drawing area C may be set in a manner that applies to each of the drawing areas D1 to D3.

[0027] In Figure 2(b), the drawing range D1 to D3 is shown as viewed from above the vehicle 50, but the drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the drawing range D1 to D3 in the image captured by the camera 1. In the following explanation, the drawing range D1 to D3 and the area C surrounding the drawing range refer to the range on the captured image.

[0028] Furthermore, the drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the area C surrounding the drawing range in the image captured by the camera 1. In addition, the drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the luminance and color values ​​of the drawing ranges D1 to D3 and the luminance and color values ​​of the area C surrounding the drawing range from the image captured by the camera 1. Luminance is the degree of brightness at a pixel in the captured image. Color value is a color parameter at a pixel in the captured image. Color value can be, for example, an RGB value (Red, Green, Blue). Color value may also be expressed as an HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) parameter. Chromaticity may also be expressed as a YUV (luminance signal, difference between luminance signal and blue component, difference between luminance signal and red component) parameter.

[0029] The road surface drawing unit 13 draws external notification displays on the road surface by controlling the drawing lamp 3. For example, when the turn signal is turned on, the road surface drawing unit 13 draws the external notification displays P1 to P3 shown in Figure 2(a) on the road surface in front of the vehicle 50 as a condition for starting the drawing of external notification displays.

[0030] The road surface drawing unit 13 may draw a reverse notification display (external notification display) on the road surface behind the vehicle 50 when the vehicle 50's shift lever is switched to reverse or when the vehicle 50 starts reversing due to automatic driving. In addition, well-known conditions disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-81413 and others can be used as the conditions for starting the drawing of the external notification display.

[0031] Next, the processing at the start of drawing external notification displays in the road surface drawing unit 13 will be described. At the start of drawing external notification displays, the road surface drawing unit 13 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 on the road surface, adjusting their brightness to approach the brightness of the drawing ranges D1 to D3 recognized before drawing. The brightness of the drawing range D1 can be, for example, the average value of the brightness of the pixels included in the drawing range D1. Instead of the average value, the minimum or maximum value may be used. The average value of the brightness of the pixels that make up the periphery of the drawing range D1 (the outermost pixels) may also be used. The same applies to drawing ranges D2 and D3.

[0032] Specifically, the road surface drawing unit 13 adjusts the brightness of the external notification display P1 so that it approaches the brightness of the drawing area D1 compared to the initial brightness setting. The road surface drawing unit 13 may or may not match the brightness of the drawing area D1 with the brightness of the external notification display P1. The road surface drawing unit 13 may divide the drawing area D1 into multiple blocks and adjust the brightness of the area of ​​the external notification display P1 corresponding to each block so that it approaches the average brightness of each block. The number of blocks is not particularly limited.

[0033] Furthermore, the road surface drawing unit 13 does not need to adjust its brightness if the difference between the initial brightness of the external notification display P1 and the brightness of the drawing area D1 is less than a certain value. The same applies to the external notification displays P2 and P3.

[0034] The road surface drawing unit 13 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 on the road surface with adjusted color values ​​based on the color values ​​of the drawing ranges D1 to D3 recognized before the drawing of the external notification displays. The road surface drawing unit 13 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 on the road surface with adjusted color values ​​that approach the color values ​​of the drawing ranges D1 to D3 before drawing. The color values ​​of the drawing range D1 can be, for example, the average value of the color values ​​of the pixels included in the drawing range D1. Alternatively, the average value of the color values ​​of the pixels forming the periphery of the drawing range D1 (the outermost pixels) may be used. The same applies to the drawing ranges D2 and D3.

[0035] Specifically, the road surface drawing unit 13 adjusts the color value of the external notification display P1 so that it approaches the color value of the drawing area D1 compared to the initial color value. The road surface drawing unit 13 may or may not match the color value of the drawing area D1 with the color value of the external notification display P1. The road surface drawing unit 13 may divide the drawing area D1 into multiple blocks and adjust the color value of the area of ​​the external notification display P1 corresponding to each block so that it approaches the average value of the color value of each block. The number of blocks is not particularly limited.

[0036] Furthermore, the road surface drawing unit 13 does not need to adjust the color value if the difference between the initial color value of the external notification display P1 and the color value of the drawing area D1 is less than a certain value. The difference in color values ​​can be, for example, the largest value among the differences in each parameter of the RGB values. The same applies to the external notification displays P2 and P3.

[0037] Next, the processing performed by the road surface drawing unit 13 while the external notification display is being drawn will be explained. While the external notification display is being drawn, the road surface drawing unit 13 adjusts the external notification display using the brightness and color values ​​of the area C surrounding the drawing range, rather than the drawing range D1 to D3 in which the external notification displays P1 to P3 are being drawn.

[0038] The brightness of the area C surrounding the drawing range can be, for example, the average brightness of the pixels included in area C surrounding the drawing range. Alternatively, the minimum or maximum value may be used instead of the average. The average brightness of the pixels constituting the inner circumference of area C surrounding the drawing range (pixels adjacent to the drawing ranges D1 to D3) may also be used.

[0039] The road surface drawing unit 13 adjusts the brightness of the external notification display P1 so that it approaches the brightness of the area C surrounding the drawing range compared to the current brightness of the external notification display P1. The road surface drawing unit 13 may or may not match the brightness of the area C surrounding the drawing range with the brightness of the external notification display P1. The road surface drawing unit 13 does not need to adjust the brightness if the difference between the current brightness of the external notification display P1 and the brightness of the area C surrounding the drawing range is less than a certain value. The same applies to external notification displays P2 and P3.

[0040] Alternatively, the road surface drawing unit 13 may divide the area surrounding the drawing range C into multiple blocks, each enclosing a drawing range D1 to D3, and adjust the brightness of the external notification displays P1 to P3 to approach the average brightness of each block. The road surface drawing unit 13 repeats adjusting the brightness and color values ​​of the external notification displays at regular intervals while drawing continues.

[0041] The road surface drawing unit 13 may adjust only one of the brightness and chromaticity before drawing or while drawing is in progress. In that case, the drawing range recognition unit 12 only needs to be able to recognize one of the brightness and chromaticity. The road surface drawing unit 13 may adjust both the brightness and chromaticity of the external notification display before drawing, and adjust only the brightness of the external notification display while drawing is in progress.

[0042] Next, the processing of the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 100 in the first embodiment will be described. Figure 3(a) is a flowchart showing an example of pre-processing for drawing external notification displays. Pre-processing for drawing external notification displays is performed, for example, when the conditions for starting the drawing of external notification displays are met.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3(a), the ECU 10 of the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 100 performs S10 by having the drawing range recognition unit 12 recognize the drawing ranges D1 to D3 of the external notification display before drawing. The drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the drawing ranges D1 to D3 in the captured image based on table data in which, for example, the type of external notification display and the drawing ranges D1 to D3 are pre-associated. After that, the ECU 10 proceeds to S11.

[0044] In S11, the ECU 10 recognizes the luminance or color value of the drawing range D1 to D3 using the drawing range recognition unit 12. The drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the luminance and chromaticity of the drawing range D1 to D3 from the image captured by the camera 1. After that, the ECU 10 proceeds to S12.

[0045] In S12, the ECU 10 performs the drawing of external notification displays using the road surface drawing unit 13. The road surface drawing unit 13 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 on the road surface, adjusting its brightness to approach the brightness of the drawing range D1 to D3 recognized before drawing. Alternatively, the road surface drawing unit 13 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 on the road surface, adjusting its color values ​​to approach the color values ​​of the drawing range D1 to D3 recognized before drawing. The road surface drawing unit 13 may adjust both brightness and color values. After that, the ECU 10 finishes the pre-drawing processing.

[0046] Next, we will explain the rendering adjustment process for external notification displays. Figure 3(b) is a flowchart showing an example of the rendering adjustment process for external notification displays. The rendering adjustment process for external notification displays is executed while the rendering of external notification displays is ongoing.

[0047] As shown in Figure 3(b), in S20, the ECU 10 recognizes the area C surrounding the drawing range using the drawing range recognition unit 12. The drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the area C surrounding the drawing range in the captured image based on table data in which, for example, the type of external notification display and the area C surrounding the drawing range are pre-associated.

[0048] In S21, the ECU 10 recognizes the brightness and color value of the area C surrounding the drawing range using the drawing range recognition unit 12. The drawing range recognition unit 12 recognizes the brightness or chromaticity of the area C surrounding the drawing range from the image captured by the camera 1.

[0049] In S22, the ECU 10 adjusts the brightness and color value of the external notification display by the road surface drawing unit 13. The road surface drawing unit 13 adjusts the brightness of the external notification display P1 so that it approaches the brightness of the area C surrounding the drawing range compared to the current brightness of the external notification display P1. The road surface drawing unit 13 may adjust both the brightness and color value. The ECU 10 repeats the process from S20 at regular intervals while drawing continues.

[0050] According to the vehicle surroundings monitoring system 100 of the first embodiment described above, when a user of the vehicle 50 monitors the area around the vehicle through the display 2 that shows the image captured by the camera 1, the system recognizes the brightness or color value of the drawing range in the captured image before drawing, and draws an external notification display on the road surface with at least one of the brightness and color value adjusted to approach the brightness or color value of the drawing range in the captured image. This prevents the external notification display drawn on the road surface from making it difficult for the user to monitor the road surface conditions.

[0051] Furthermore, the vehicle surroundings monitoring system 100 recognizes the brightness or color value of the area surrounding the drawing range in the captured image while the external notification display is being drawn, and adjusts at least one of the brightness and color value of the external notification display to approach the brightness or color value of the area surrounding the drawing range in the captured image. This prevents the external notification display drawn on the road surface from making it difficult for the user to monitor the road surface conditions.

[0052] [Second Embodiment] Next, the vehicle surrounding monitoring system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 200 according to the second embodiment. The vehicle surrounding monitoring system 200 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it adjusts at least one of the brightness and chromaticity of the external notification display in consideration of the change in the drawing position of the external notification display due to the movement of the vehicle 50.

[0053] Specifically, the ECU 20 of the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 200 is connected to the vehicle speed sensor 4 and the steering angle sensor 5. The vehicle speed sensor 4 is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 50. The vehicle speed sensor 4 transmits the detected vehicle speed information to the ECU 20. The steering angle sensor 5 is a sensor that detects the steering angle of the vehicle 50. The steering angle sensor 5 transmits the detected steering angle information to the ECU 20.

[0054] The ECU20 of the second embodiment differs from the ECU10 of the first embodiment in that the drawing range recognition unit 22 and the road surface drawing unit 23 have additional functions, and the next drawing range estimation unit 21 is newly included.

[0055] The next drawing range estimation unit 21 estimates the next drawing range, which will be the drawing range for the next external notification display, when the vehicle 50 that has met the drawing start conditions for the external notification display is moving. First, the next drawing range estimation unit 21 recognizes the movement of the vehicle 50 based on the vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle speed sensor 4 and the steering angle information detected by the steering angle sensor 5. The movement of the vehicle 50 includes the direction of travel and the vehicle speed.

[0056] The next drawing range estimation unit 21 estimates the next drawing range from the movement of the vehicle 50 and the image captured by the camera 1 (image of the road surface). "Next" refers to the next drawing timing of the external notification display that is repeatedly drawn by the drawing lamp 3. The next drawing timing may be 30 milliseconds, 40 milliseconds, or 20 milliseconds after the previous drawing timing. The time of the next drawing timing is not particularly limited.

[0057] The next drawing range estimation unit 21 may estimate the next drawing range using, for example, table data in which the movement of the vehicle 50, the type of external notification display, and the next drawing range are pre-associated. In the second embodiment, the image captured by the camera 1 may be limited to an image capturing the direction of travel of the vehicle 50.

[0058] Here, Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating the next drawing range. Figure 5 shows the next drawing range F1 to F3 for the external notification displays P1 to P3. The movement of the vehicle 50 until the next drawing timing is also indicated by arrows. As shown in Figure 5, the next drawing range estimation unit 21 estimates the next drawing range F1 to F3 for the external notification displays P1 to P3 from the movement of the vehicle 50 and the images captured by the camera 1.

[0059] The drawing range recognition unit 22 recognizes the brightness or color value of the next drawing range F1 to F3 estimated by the next drawing range estimation unit 21. The drawing range recognition unit 22 recognizes the brightness or color value before the external notification displays P1 to P3 are drawn in the next drawing range F1 to F3. The drawing range recognition unit 22 recognizes the brightness or color value of the next drawing range F1 to F3 from the image captured by camera 1. The same definition as the brightness of the drawing range described above can be used for the brightness of the next drawing range F1 to F3. The same applies to the color value.

[0060] The road surface drawing unit 23 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 in the next drawing range F1 to F3, adjusting the brightness of the external notification displays P1 to P3 so that it approaches the brightness of the next drawing range F1 to F3. Furthermore, the road surface drawing unit 23 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 in the next drawing range F1 to F3, adjusting the color values ​​so that they approach the color values ​​of the next drawing range F1 to F3. The brightness and color value adjustments can be the same as in the first embodiment.

[0061] Next, the processing of the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the drawing process for the next drawing range.

[0062] As shown in Figure 6, the ECU 20 of the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 200 estimates the next drawing range F1 to F3 using the next drawing range estimation unit 21 in S30. The next drawing range estimation unit 21 estimates the next drawing range F1 to F3 from the movement of the vehicle 50 and the images captured by the camera 1. After that, the ECU 20 proceeds to S31.

[0063] In S31, the ECU 20 recognizes the brightness or color value of the next drawing range F1 to F3 using the drawing range recognition unit 22. The drawing range recognition unit 22 recognizes the brightness or color value of the next drawing range F1 to F3 from the image captured by the camera 1. After that, the ECU 20 proceeds to S32.

[0064] In S32, the ECU 20 draws external notification displays P1 to P3, whose brightness or color value has been adjusted by the road surface drawing unit 23, in the next drawing range F1 to F3. The road surface drawing unit 23 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 with their brightness adjusted to approach the brightness of the next drawing range F1 to F3. Alternatively, the road surface drawing unit 23 draws external notification displays P1 to P3 with their color value adjusted to approach the color value of the next drawing range F1 to F3. The road surface drawing unit 23 may adjust both brightness and color value.

[0065] According to the vehicle surrounding monitoring system 200 of the second embodiment described above, the next drawing range F1 to F3 is estimated, and the external notification displays P1 to P3 are adjusted and drawn so as to approach the brightness or color value of the next drawing range F1 to F3. This suppresses the problem of the user being unable to monitor the road surface conditions due to the external notification displays P1 to P3 drawn on the road surface.

[0066] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The present invention can be implemented in various forms, starting with the embodiments described above, by making various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0067] The vehicle surrounding monitoring systems 100 and 200 do not need to be able to perform both the processing at the start of drawing the external notification display and the processing while the external notification display is being drawn; it is sufficient if they can perform only one of them. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 1...Camera, 2...Display, 3...Drawing lamp, 4...Vehicle speed sensor, 5...Steering angle sensor, 10,20...ECU, 11...Image acquisition unit, 12,22...Drawing range recognition unit, 13,23...Road surface drawing unit, 21...Next drawing range estimation unit, 50...Vehicle, 100,200...Vehicle surrounding monitoring system, D1,D1~D3...Drawing range, C...Area surrounding the drawing range, F1~F3...Next drawing range, P1~P3...External notification display.

Claims

1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring system that displays captured images, including the road surface around the vehicle, captured by the vehicle's camera, to the vehicle's user, A road surface drawing unit that uses light to draw an external notification display of a predetermined shape on the road surface surrounding the vehicle, A drawing range recognition unit recognizes the drawing range of the external notification display in the captured image before the road surface drawing unit draws the external notification display, recognizes the brightness and color values ​​of the drawing range before the drawing of the external notification display, and recognizes the brightness and color values ​​of the area surrounding the drawing range that does not extend beyond the drawing range while the drawing of the external notification display continues. Equipped with, A vehicle surroundings monitoring system, wherein the road surface drawing unit draws the external notification display, adjusting its brightness to approach the brightness of the drawing range of the captured image, and adjusting its color value to approach the color value of the drawing range of the captured image, and at regular intervals while the external notification display is being drawn, the system repeatedly adjusts the brightness of the external notification display to approach the brightness of the area surrounding the drawing range of the captured image, and adjusts the color value of the external notification display to approach the color value of the area surrounding the drawing range of the captured image.

2. The vehicle surrounding area monitoring system according to Claim 1, wherein the drawing range recognition unit recognizes the average value of the brightness of pixels constituting the inner circumference of the area surrounding the drawing range and adjacent to the drawing range as the brightness of the area surrounding the drawing range.

Images