Vehicle departure notification display device

Abstract

To provide a start notice display device which allows a pedestrian or the like who sees the start notice display drawn on a road surface from a vehicle to correctly grasp the timing of the start of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A start notice display device 3 of a vehicle includes: a road surface drawing unit 6 which draws the start notice display in a prescribed shape with light on a road surface in the travel direction of the vehicle; a control unit 5 which controls the road surface drawing unit 6 at the necessity determination by determining the necessity of the start notice display at the start of the vehicle to draw the start notice display, and controls the road surface drawing unit 6 again at the notice stop determination of the drawn start notice display to stop the start notice display; and a brake detection unit 7 which detects the switching to OFF from ON of a brake. The control unit 5 controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw the start notice display with the switching detection to OFF from ON of the brake as the necessity determination of the start notice display.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a start notification display device for notifying pedestrians and the like of the start of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a safety control device at the time of vehicle start that projects a predetermined pattern by laser light onto the road surface as the parked vehicle starts to notify pedestrians and the like of the start of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The safety control device at the time of vehicle start in Patent Document 1 draws a predetermined start notification pattern on the road surface while the vehicle is parked, that is, at a speed of zero, to notify pedestrians and the like of the start of the vehicle. Therefore, the parked vehicle continues to display the start notification pattern on the road surface even if it does not start immediately after displaying the start notification pattern. Accordingly, pedestrians and other passing vehicles (hereinafter simply referred to as pedestrians and the like) who see the start notification pattern may not accurately understand the timing of the vehicle's start and may enter the direction of the vehicle's travel because they cannot wait any longer, resulting in a risk of a collision accident.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a start notification display device for a vehicle that can avoid a collision accident by allowing pedestrians and the like who see the start notification display drawn on the road surface from the vehicle to accurately grasp the timing of the start of the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle departure notification display device comprising: a road surface drawing unit mounted on the vehicle and drawing a predetermined shape of departure notification display on the road surface in the direction of the vehicle's movement using light; a control unit that determines whether a departure notification display is necessary when the vehicle starts moving, controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display when it is determined that it is necessary, and controls the road surface drawing unit again to stop the departure notification display when it is determined that the drawn departure notification display should be stopped; and a brake detection unit that detects the switching of the brake from on (braking state) to off (release), The aforementioned The control unit determines whether a departure notification display is necessary based on the detection of a switch from the brake on to off, and then causes the road surface drawing unit to display the departure notification.

[0007] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a vehicle departure notification on the road surface when the braking state of the brakes, which is performed immediately before the actual vehicle starts moving, is released, and stops drawing the departure notification according to the determination that the drawing should stop.

[0008] Furthermore, the vehicle departure notification display device has a departure switch detection unit that detects the switching of the departure switch, and it is desirable that the control unit determines that the switching of the departure switch from on to off is detected after the detection of the switching of the departure switch from off to on, before the detection of the switching of the brake from on to off, and then causes the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display.

[0009] (Function) The road surface drawing unit draws a parked vehicle departure notification on the road surface based on the activation of the guidance switch when the vehicle starts moving from a parked position, followed by the switching of the brake from the braking state to the release state.

[0010] Furthermore, it is desirable that the vehicle departure notification display device has a shift detection unit that detects whether the vehicle is moving forward or backward, and that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display in front of the vehicle when forward movement is detected, or to draw a departure notification display behind the vehicle when reverse movement is detected.

[0011] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a departure notification display in front of the vehicle when forward movement (shift position is in drive "D") is detected based on the shift detection unit, and draws a departure notification display behind the vehicle when reverse movement (shift position is in reverse "R") is detected.

[0012] Furthermore, it is desirable that the vehicle departure notification display device has a steering detection unit that detects whether the vehicle is steered to the right or left, and that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display to the right of the vehicle when a right steering is detected, or controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display to the left of the vehicle when a left steering is detected.

[0013] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a departure notification display to the right of the vehicle when right steering is detected based on the steering detection unit, and draws a departure notification display to the left of the vehicle when left steering is detected.

[0014] Furthermore, the vehicle departure notification display device has a stop detection unit that detects when the vehicle has stopped, and it is desirable that the control unit determines the necessity of displaying a departure notification when it detects when the vehicle has stopped and when it detects when the brake has switched from on to off after a non-notification determination time has elapsed since the detection of the stop, and then causes the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display.

[0015] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a vehicle departure notification character on the road surface based on the switching of the brake from braking state to release that occurs after the non-notification judgment time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped.

[0016] Furthermore, it is desirable that the vehicle departure notification display device has a unit for detecting necessary targets for departure notification display, and that the control unit, after detecting the necessary target, determines whether a switch from the brake on to the off position is necessary for departure notification display and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display.

[0017] (Operation) The road surface drawing unit draws a vehicle departure notification character on the road surface based on the switching of the brake from braking state to release, which occurs after detecting the target for which a departure notification display is required.

[0018] Also, the necessary target detection unit is a car navigation system, and it is desirable that the necessary target be detected based on road information acquired by the car navigation system.

[0019] Also, the necessary target detection unit is a photographing unit that photographs the periphery of the vehicle, and it is desirable that the necessary target be detected from an image photographed by the photographing unit.

[0020] Also, the vehicle start notification display device has an unnecessary target detection unit for the start notification display, and it is desirable that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit so as not to draw the start notification display when it is detected that the braking brake has been switched from on to off after the detection of the unnecessary target as a determination of unnecessary for the start notification display.

[0021] (Function) Even if the braking brake is released from the braking state after detecting an unnecessary target for the start notification display, the road surface drawing unit does not draw the vehicle start notification characters on the road surface.

[0022] It is desirable that the unnecessary target detection unit is a car navigation system and the unnecessary target is acquired based on road information acquired by the car navigation system.

[0023] Also, the unnecessary target detection unit is a photographing unit that photographs the periphery of the vehicle, and it is desirable that the unnecessary target be detected from an image photographed by the photographing unit.

[0024] Also, it is desirable that the unnecessary target detection unit is a stop signal detection unit that detects the stop signal of the vehicle as the unnecessary target.

[0025] Also, it is desirable that the unnecessary target detection unit is a preceding vehicle detection unit that detects the preceding vehicle of the vehicle as the unnecessary target.

[0026] Also, it is desirable that the unnecessary target detection unit is an automatic toll collection device detection unit that detects the passage of the vehicle through the automatic toll collection device as the unnecessary target.

[0027] Also, it is desirable that the unnecessary object detection unit is a turn signal lamp detection unit that detects the on and off of the turn signal lamp of the vehicle as the unnecessary object.

Advantages of the Invention

[0028] According to the vehicle start notification display device, since the start notification display is only displayed immediately before the vehicle starts, pedestrians or the like who see the start notification display can accurately grasp the timing of the vehicle's start and avoid contact accidents.

[0029] According to the vehicle start notification display device, the start notification display is displayed immediately before the parked vehicle starts, but is not displayed immediately before the vehicle starting from a temporary stop state starts. Therefore, in the vehicle start from a temporary stop where it is not necessary to notify pedestrians or the like of the vehicle start, such as starting from a traffic jam or starting from waiting at a signal, it is possible to avoid drawing an unnecessary start notification display.

[0030] According to the vehicle start notification display device, when the parked vehicle moves forward, a start notification display is drawn on the front road surface of the vehicle, and when it moves backward, a start notification display is drawn on the rear road surface of the vehicle, so that pedestrians or the like can accurately grasp the start direction of the vehicle and avoid contact accidents.

[0031] According to the vehicle start notification display device, when the parked vehicle moves in either the left or right direction from parallel parking or the like, pedestrians or the like can accurately grasp either the left or right direction in which the vehicle starts and avoid contact accidents.

[0032] According to the vehicle start notification display device, when starting from a side parking, pedestrians or the like can accurately grasp the start timing of the temporarily stopped vehicle, but in the vehicle start from a short-term temporary stop where it is not necessary to notify pedestrians or the like of the vehicle start, such as starting from waiting at a signal, it is possible to avoid drawing an unnecessary start notification display.

[0033] According to the vehicle departure notification display device, if a situation where there is a risk of a pedestrian suddenly stepping out, such as a stop sign, a T-junction, or pedestrians waiting to cross the road, is detected as a situation requiring a departure notification display, the display can be shown even when the vehicle is starting from a stop, allowing pedestrians to accurately understand the timing of the vehicle's departure and thus avoiding collisions.

[0034] On the other hand, if the vehicle's departure notification display device detects situations where a departure notification display is unnecessary, such as waiting at a traffic light, being stuck in traffic, passing through toll booths or automated toll collection machines on expressways, crossing railway tracks, or waiting to turn right or left at an intersection, it can avoid displaying the unnecessary departure notification. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0035] [Figure 1] A block diagram of a vehicle departure notification display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1A] A block diagram showing a vehicle departure notification display system, including a modified example of the departure notification display device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 2] Plan view of a vehicle equipped with a departure notification display device. [Figure 3] Figure 2, section II, shows a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lighting system including a departure notification display device. [Figure 4] These are diagrams relating to the light deflection device for the road surface drawing section. Figure (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 3, and Figure (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure (a). [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram of the first embodiment in which a vehicle starting to move forward or backward from a parked position displays a departure notification on the road surface. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates a second embodiment in which a vehicle starting to move diagonally forward or to the left or right from a parallel parking position displays a departure notification on the road surface. [Figure 6A] This diagram illustrates a third embodiment in which a vehicle that is parked alongside another vehicle and then starts moving diagonally forward displays a departure notification on the road surface. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the fourth embodiment, which detects the target of the departure notification display when the vehicle is stopped and draws the departure notification display on the road surface. [Figure 8]This diagram illustrates the fifth embodiment, in which the system detects when the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or similar situation, and does not display a departure notification on the road surface, thus preventing the display from being drawn. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0036] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In each figure, the direction of the road as seen from the driver of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle lighting device including a departure notification display device is described as (up:down:left:right:forward:rear = Up:Lo:Le:Ri:Fr:Re).

[0037] The left and right headlights 1 of vehicle C shown in Figure 2 are each equipped with a departure notification light device 2, including the departure notification display device 3 shown in Figure 1, which illuminates the road surface in front of the vehicle. Similarly, the left and right rear combination lamps 4 of the vehicle headlights 1 are also equipped with a departure notification light device 2, including the left and right departure notification display device 3, which illuminates the road surface behind the vehicle. Note that the departure notification display device 3 may be omitted from one of the left and right headlights 1 (or rear combination lamps), or one for the front of the vehicle and one for the rear of the vehicle may be mounted in a location such as the center of the vehicle body, or the departure notification display device 3 for the rear of the vehicle may be omitted.

[0038] figure 1 The departure notification display device 3 shown may include any or all of the following: a control unit 5, a road surface drawing unit 6, a brake sensor 7, a start switch sensor 8, a shift sensor 9, a steering angle sensor 10, a speed sensor 11, a car navigation system 12, a shooting unit 13, a radar sensor 14, an automatic toll collection terminal 15, and a turn signal lamp sensor 16, all of which are composed of a calculation control device such as a CPU. Furthermore, Figure 1A shows a vehicle departure notification display system 33, which includes a modified vehicle departure notification display device 3', which is a modified version of the vehicle departure notification display device 3 shown in Figure 1. The vehicle departure notification display system 33 in Figure 1A is a system used in vehicles equipped with an automated driving system, and consists of a vehicle departure notification display device 3', which includes a control unit 5 and a road surface drawing unit 6 (not shown) mounted on the vehicle (not shown), and a vehicle departure notification display device 3', which excludes the control unit 5 and road surface drawing unit 6 from the vehicle departure notification display device 3 in Figure 1, and consists of a brake sensor 7, a start switch sensor 8, a shift sensor 9, a steering angle sensor 10, a speed sensor 11, a car navigation system 12, a shooting unit 13, a radar sensor 14, an automatic toll collection terminal 15, and a turn signal lamp sensor 16. The brake sensor 7, start switch sensor 8, shift sensor 9, steering angle sensor 10, speed sensor 11, car navigation system 12, imaging unit 13, radar sensor 14, automatic toll collection terminal 15, and turn signal lamp sensor 16 shown in Figure 1A are installed outside the vehicle (they may also be installed inside the vehicle, except for the road surveillance camera 13b described later) and are connected to the control unit 5 of the vehicle notification display device 3' mounted on the vehicle. According to the departure notification display system 33 shown in Figure 1A, only the departure notification display device 3', which includes the control unit 5 and road surface drawing unit 6 used for displaying departure notifications on the road surface, is mounted on the vehicle (not shown). The other components, namely the brake sensor 7 to the turn signal lamp sensor 16, or any or all of them, are installed outside the vehicle. This makes it possible to build a system by adding (retrofitting) any missing components from the "other components" to existing sensors such as brake sensors and car navigation systems that are already installed on the vehicle. Furthermore, according to the departure notification display system 33, the components other than the departure notification display device 3' are installed outside the vehicle, and multiple vehicles equipped with the departure notification display device 3' can be controlled by a single departure notification display system 33, thereby simplifying the departure notification display device.

[0039] The control unit 5 in Figures 1 and 1A determines whether a departure notification display is necessary when vehicle C starts moving, based on the detection results from the brake sensor 7, start switch sensor 8, shift sensor 9, steering angle sensor 10, speed sensor 11, car navigation system 12, imaging unit 13, road information communication system 130, radar sensor 14, automatic toll collection terminal 15, and turn signal lamp sensor 16. When it is determined that a departure notification is necessary, it controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw the departure notification display, and when it is determined that a departure notification is unnecessary, it controls the road surface drawing unit 6 not to draw the departure notification display. Furthermore, the control unit 5 determines the conditions for stopping the display of the drawn departure notification, and when it is determined that the display should be stopped, it controls the road surface drawing unit 6 again to stop the display of the departure notification.

[0040] The road surface drawing unit 6 is explained with reference to Figures 1, 1A, and 3. The road surface drawing unit 6 has a light source 18 and a light deflection device 19, and constitutes part of the road surface drawing unit 17. The road surface drawing unit 17 is composed of a unit body 17a on which the light source 18, light deflection device 19, reflective optical member 20 such as a reflector, projection optical member 21 such as a plano-convex lens, and light absorbing member 22 are provided. The road surface drawing unit 17 is also arranged in a lamp chamber S formed inside a lamp body 2a having an opening at the front of the vehicle and a transparent or translucent front cover 2b that closes the opening, and constitutes a departure notification lamp 2. As shown in Figure 3, the road surface drawing unit 17 is held inside the lamp body 2a so as to be able to rotate horizontally and is configured to swing around a central axis L1 by a motor 23 or the like. The road surface drawing unit 17 is controlled by the control unit 5 in Figures 1 and 1A to tilt from side to side, switching the direction of illumination of the road surface drawing display on the road surface to either the front of the vehicle C or diagonally forward (in the case of the road surface drawing unit 17 of the rear combination lamp 4, either rear or diagonally forward).

[0041] The light source 18 can be a semiconductor light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), LD (Laser Diode), or EL (Electro Luminescence) element, or a light bulb, incandescent lamp (halogen lamp), discharge lamp, etc. For example, the light directed forward may be white, yellow, etc., and the light directed backward may be red, etc.

[0042] The reflective optical member 20 reflects the light from the light source 18 to the light deflection device 19. The light deflection device 19 is positioned on the optical axis of the projection optical member 21 and selectively re-reflects the light reflected by the reflective optical member 20 back to the projection optical member 21, emitting it outwards from the departure notification lamp 2. The light emitted from the departure notification lamp 2 of the vehicle headlight 1 displays a vehicle departure notification display in a form described later in the range from the front to the diagonal front of the vehicle C, based on the horizontal oscillation of the road surface drawing unit 17. The light emitted from the departure notification lamp 2 of the rear combination lamp 4 displays a vehicle departure notification display in a form described later in the range from the rear to the diagonal rear of the vehicle C, based on the horizontal oscillation of the road surface drawing unit 17.

[0043] In this embodiment shown in Figures 1, 1A, 3, and 4, the optical deflection device 19 uses a DMD (Digital Mirror Device), which is a type of micromirror device. As shown in Figure 4(a), the optical deflection device 19 includes a micromirror array 25 in which a plurality of tiny mirror elements 24, each having a reflective surface 24a on its surface, are arranged in a matrix. The optical deflection device 19 has a transparent cover material 26 positioned on the light-emitting side of the reflective surface 24a of the mirror elements 24.

[0044] Each mirror element 24 of the micromirror array 25 is configured to switch between an ON state (solid line position shown in Figure 4(b)) in which it emits light from the light source 18 toward the projection optical member 21 so that it can be used as a desired light distribution pattern, and an OFF state (dashed line position shown in Figure 4(b)) in which it reflects the light emitted from the light source 18 toward the light absorbing member 22 so that it is not effectively used. Specifically, each mirror element 24 is configured to be rotatably switched between the ON state and the OFF state around a pivot axis. Each mirror element 24 emits a portion of the emitted light toward the projection optical member 21 and reflects the remaining light toward the light absorbing member 22 so that it is not effectively used. The micromirror array 25 can obtain a desired light distribution pattern with a projection image by independently controlling the ON / OFF state of a large number of mirror elements 24 arranged in a matrix.

[0045] Furthermore, the micromirror array 25 shown in each figure of Figure 4 expresses a range of brightness levels by adjusting the ON time ratio when the ON / OFF switching of each mirror element 24 is performed at high speed, and expresses reflected white light in monochrome. In addition, when expressing the reflected light of each mirror element 24 in a desired color, a light source 18 uses three or more light source units such as red, green, and blue, and irradiates the light deflection device 19 in a time-division manner. At the same time, the mirror elements are switched on and off at a rate of several thousand times per second to create an optical illusion (afterimage effect) that causes the reflected light to be perceived as mixed light by the human eye. As a result, the tiny mirror elements 24 express a variety of colors with predetermined brightness levels, and the light deflection device 19 can draw a mark of a desired shape, i.e., a departure notification display, on the road surface by a collection of light points emitted in a matrix with predetermined brightness and color by a large number of independently controlled mirror elements 24.

[0046] Furthermore, instead of a DMD, the light deflection device 19 may employ a scanning mechanism that reflects light from a light source using a reflector that can swing rapidly in two dimensions, and scans the reflected light at high speed in two dimensions to draw a mark of a desired shape on the road surface. A wide range of scanners such as rotary scanners, galvanometer scanners, resonant scanners, optical MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) scanners, or polygon mirrors can be used. In addition, the road surface drawing unit 6 may be configured to draw only one type of departure notification display on the road surface by passing light through a predetermined optical element.

[0047] In this embodiment, the departure notification light 2, including the road surface drawing unit 6, draws a departure notification display 27 consisting of multiple boomerang-shaped marks 27a to 27c with their corners facing the direction of vehicle travel, as shown in Figure 2. The number of marks is not limited to three, and the shape of each mark is not limited to a boomerang shape. It is desirable that the departure notification display 27 is drawn in such a way that marks 27a is turned on and off in order from the mark closest to the vehicle, then marks 27b is turned on and off, and finally marks 27c is turned on and off.

[0048] In this case, the departure notification display 27 appears to show mark 27a gradually moving along the direction of the vehicle's movement to the positions of marks 27b and 27c. Therefore, pedestrians and others who see the departure notification display 27 can recognize the direction of the vehicle's departure not only by the direction in which the departure notification display 27 is displayed relative to the vehicle C, but also by the fact that mark 27a appears to move sequentially to the positions of 27b and 27c.

[0049] Furthermore, the brake sensor 7 of the vehicle departure notification display device 3 shown in Figures 1 and 1A functions as a brake detection unit that detects the switching between the on (braking state) and off (release) states of the foot brake of vehicle C. The brake detected by the brake sensor 7 is not limited to a foot brake; it may also be a hand brake or an automatic brake automatically controlled by the system of an autonomous vehicle that does not involve driver action, as long as it stops the moving vehicle based on its closing degree and releases the brake at a predetermined opening degree. The brake sensor 7 detects the release of the foot brake of vehicle C, which was in a braking state, and outputs the result to the control unit 5.

[0050] The start switch sensor 8 in Figures 1 and 1A functions as a brake detection unit that detects the switching of the vehicle C's start switch (ignition switch, keyless system start switch, etc.) between off and on, and outputs the result to the control unit 5 when it detects the switch from off to on.

[0051] The shift sensor 9 functions as a shift detection unit that detects whether the shift lever of vehicle C is in the forward (D position: drive), reverse (R position: reverse), or parking (P position). When the shift lever is in the "drive" position, the shift sensor 9 detects that vehicle C is moving forward and outputs this information to the control unit 5, and when the shift lever is in the "reverse" position, it detects that vehicle C is moving backward and outputs this information to the control unit 5.

[0052] The steering angle sensor 10 functions as a steering detection unit that detects whether vehicle C is moving straight, turning right, or turning left. For example, if the steering angle of the steering device (such as a steering wheel, not shown) when vehicle C is moving straight is set to 0°, and the steering angle when turning right is set to a positive angle, and the steering angle when turning left is set to a negative angle, the steering angle sensor 10 detects a positive steering angle as vehicle C turning right, or a negative steering angle as vehicle C turning left, and outputs the result to the control unit 5.

[0053] The speed sensor 11 functions as a stop detection unit that detects a vehicle's temporary stop based on changes in the vehicle's speed and outputs this information to the control unit 5. Specifically, the speed sensor 11 detects the vehicle's speed at regular time intervals, and after detecting whether the vehicle speed is positive (forward) or negative (reverse), it outputs to the control unit 5 that a vehicle's temporary stop has been detected when it detects zero vehicle speed. The speed sensor 11 is also used for stop determination in the departure notification display performed by the control unit 5.

[0054] The car navigation system 12 functions as a necessary target detection unit that detects necessary targets for displaying a vehicle departure notification, or an unnecessary target detection unit that detects unnecessary targets for displaying a vehicle departure notification, based on road information it possesses or transmits via a communication line, and the vehicle's position information obtained from satellite positioning systems such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and GPS (Registered Trademark: Global Positioning System). The car navigation system 12 detects the necessary or unnecessary targets for displaying a vehicle departure notification and outputs them to the control unit 5.

[0055] The car navigation system 12 detects situations where a vehicle departure notification display is necessary, such as whether there is a stop obligation at an intersecting road at the location reached by vehicle C, T-junctions, and entrances to priority roads (from narrow roads to wider roads) at intersections. Situations where a vehicle departure notification display is not necessary include "traffic congestion" at the location reached by vehicle C, highway toll booths, and railway crossings.

[0056] As shown in Figures 1 and 1A, the imaging unit 13 is composed of an in-vehicle camera 13a, a road monitoring camera 13b, and an image processing device 13c, and functions as either a necessary target detection unit that detects necessary targets for displaying a vehicle departure notification from images taken around the vehicle C, or an unnecessary target detection unit that detects unnecessary targets for displaying a vehicle departure notification.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2, the on-board camera 13a is built into the vehicle headlight 1 so as to be able to photograph the area in front of vehicle C, or it is mounted on the roof, hood, door mirrors, etc., or in a position that can photograph the area around vehicle C, or it is mounted on the rear combination lamp 4 so as to be able to photograph the area behind vehicle C, and photographs the area around the vehicle C on which it is mounted. The road monitoring camera 13b is installed on the road and photographs the area around approaching vehicle C. The image processing device 13c is mounted on vehicle C and detects necessary or unnecessary items for displaying vehicle departure notifications by analyzing images captured by the on-board camera 13a or images captured by the road monitoring camera 13b transmitted via the communication line, and outputs them to the control unit 5.

[0058] The targets for which a vehicle departure notification display is necessary, as detected by the camera unit 13, include signs indicating a mandatory stop at an intersecting road, T-junctions, entrances to priority roads (from narrow roads to wider roads) at intersections, and pedestrians waiting to cross, all of which are captured by the onboard camera 13a at the location reached by vehicle C. Furthermore, there are vehicle Cs approaching roads with mandatory stop signs, T-junctions, entrances to priority roads (from narrow roads to wider roads) at intersections, or pedestrians waiting to cross, all of which are captured by the road monitoring camera 13b. In addition, targets for which a vehicle departure notification display is not necessary, as detected by the camera unit 13, include "traffic jams," highway toll booths, or railway crossings captured by the onboard camera 13a, and vehicle Cs approaching "traffic jams," "highway toll booths," or "railway crossings," etc., captured by the road monitoring camera 13b.

[0059] Furthermore, the car navigation system 12 may use radar-based sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), and ultrasonic waves, in addition to the image detection unit 13 that performs image detection, to detect necessary and unnecessary objects for the departure notification display.

[0060] The road information communication system 130 functions as an unnecessary target detection unit (or, in the case of detecting stop signals, a stop signal detection unit) that detects traffic congestion information at the vehicle's current location and stop signals (red lights) at intersections the vehicle will soon reach, as unnecessary targets for the departure notification display, in conjunction with the vehicle's location information obtained by the satellite positioning system of the car navigation system 12. The road information communication system 130 is a VICS (Registered Trademark: Vehicle Information and Communication System) or the like, and detects unnecessary targets such as traffic congestion and stop signals (red lights) and outputs them to the control unit 5.

[0061] The radar sensor 14 is a microwave radar sensor or a millimeter-wave radar sensor, and functions as a preceding vehicle detection unit that detects the vehicle ahead of the vehicle as an unnecessary target for the vehicle departure notification display, and outputs the detected vehicle to the control unit 5.

[0062] The automatic toll collection terminal 15 is an in-vehicle device such as an ETC (Registered Trademark: Electronic Toll Collection system) that automatically pays tolls based on the vehicle's passage through an automatic toll collection device 32 (see Figure 8) installed at toll booths on expressways, etc. The automatic toll collection terminal 15 communicates wirelessly with the automatic toll collection device at the toll booth and functions as an automatic toll collection device detection unit that detects the vehicle's passage through the automatic toll collection device 32 as an item for which a vehicle departure notification display is unnecessary, and outputs to the control unit 5 that the vehicle has passed through the automatic toll collection device.

[0063] The turn signal lamp sensor 16 functions as a turn signal lamp detection unit that detects the switching of the turn signal lamp switch from off to on as an unnecessary item for the vehicle departure notification display, and outputs the switching of the turn signal lamp from off to on to the control unit 5.

[0064] Next, with reference to Figure 5, a first embodiment of the departure notification display for a vehicle C that starts moving forward or backward from a parked position will be described. In Figures 5 to 8, the departure notification display devices 3 in Figure 2, which are mounted on the left and right vehicle headlights 1 respectively and are used to draw a departure notification display on the road surface in front of the vehicle, are represented by reference numerals 3a (for left front) and 3b (for right front), and the departure notification displays drawn from the left and right front departure notification display devices 3a and 3b are represented by reference numerals 271 (for left front) and 272 (for right front). The departure notification display devices 3, which are mounted on the left and right rear combination lamps 4 respectively and are used to draw a departure notification display on the road surface in front of the vehicle, are represented by reference numerals 3c (for left rear) and 3d (for right rear), and the departure notification displays drawn from the left and right rear departure notification display devices 3c and 3d are represented by reference numerals 273 (for left rear) and 272 (for right rear).

[0065] First, the driver of vehicle C (not shown) in Figure 5 turns on the start switch, etc., of vehicle C while the foot brake pedal is pressed down (brake on). Next, the driver puts the shift lever of vehicle C into forward (drive) or reverse (reverse) and releases the foot brake (brake off).

[0066] The control unit 5 of the vehicle departure notification display device 3 detects the switching of the start switch from off to on using the start switch sensor 8, and then detects the switching of the brake from on (braking) to off (release) using the brake sensor 7. Based on this, it determines whether a departure notification display is necessary, and determines the display direction of the departure notification display based on the direction of travel of the vehicle detected from the position of the shift lever by the shift sensor 9.

[0067] Specifically, in vehicle C, when the driver turns on the start switch and releases the brake pedal with the shift lever in drive, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display devices 3a and 3b controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw departure notification displays 271 and 272 on the road surface in front of the vehicle, alerting pedestrians H1 and others who are about to cross in front of vehicle C that "parked vehicle C is about to start moving forward." If the shift lever is in reverse, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display devices 3c and 3d controls the road surface drawing unit 6 based on the release of the brake pedal to draw departure notification displays 273 and 274 on the road surface behind the vehicle, alerting pedestrians and others (not shown) who are about to cross behind vehicle C that "parked vehicle C is about to back up," thereby preventing collisions between vehicle C and pedestrians and others. Furthermore, while the on / off switching of the start switch is not required as a condition for determining whether a departure notification display is necessary, in that case, the departure notification display will be shown even when the vehicle is temporarily stopped in situations where it is not necessary (such as waiting at a traffic light). Therefore, in such cases, it is desirable to limit the conditions for determining necessity and restrict the display.

[0068] Furthermore, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3 controls the road surface drawing unit 6 again to stop drawing the departure notification display on the road surface when the vehicle speed of vehicle C, detected at regular time intervals by the speed sensor 11, reaches a predetermined speed or higher (for example, 5 km / h or more, but not limited to this speed), when the vehicle C has traveled a certain distance since it started moving (for example, 10 m since it started moving, but not limited to this distance), when a certain amount of time has elapsed since vehicle C started moving (for example, 10 seconds since it started moving, but not limited to this time), or when the left or right steering of vehicle C is completed (i.e., when the steering angle sensor 10 detects that the detected angle of the steering device has returned to zero from either a positive or negative angle, or when the turn signal lamp sensor 16 detects that the turn signal switch has switched from on to off). Furthermore, when the camera unit 13 detects pedestrians or other vehicles around vehicle C, it is desirable for the control unit 5 to change the aforementioned termination values ​​(for example, changing the target speed for stopping from 5 km / h or more to 10 km / h or more, the target distance from 10 m to 15 m, the target time from 10 seconds to 15 seconds, etc.) to extend the duration of the departure notification display in order to adequately alert the detected pedestrians, etc., to the departure of vehicle C. It is also desirable to control the stopping of these departure notification displays in the same manner in the second to fifth embodiments described later.

[0069] Furthermore, since the vehicle C's departure notification display device 3 determines whether it is necessary to display a departure notification if the start switch is turned on before the brake pedal is released, in the first embodiment, it does not display an unnecessary departure notification in situations where it is not needed, such as when starting from a stop at a red light or railroad crossing.

[0070] Next, with reference to Figure 6, a second embodiment of the departure notification display for vehicle C, which starts moving diagonally forward from a parallel parking position, will be described. In Figure 6, the driver of vehicle C (not shown) turns on the start switch of vehicle C while the foot brake pedal is pressed (brake on). Next, the driver puts the shift lever of vehicle C into forward (drive), steers the steering wheel (steering device not shown) to either the left or right, and releases the foot brake (brake off).

[0071] The control unit 5 of the vehicle departure notification display device 3 detects the switching of the start switch from off to on using the start switch sensor 8, and then detects the switching of the brake from on (braking) to off (release) using the brake sensor 7. Based on this, it determines that a departure notification display is necessary, and also determines the display direction of the departure notification display based on the shift sensor 9 indicating that the shift lever is in the drive position (forward) and the steering direction of the vehicle (left or right) detected by the steering angle sensor.

[0072] Specifically, in vehicle C shown in Figure 6, when the driver turns on the start switch, puts the shift lever into drive, and releases the brake pedal with the steering wheel turned to the right, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3b controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw a departure notification display 272 on the road surface diagonally in front of vehicle C to the right, alerting pedestrians H2 and others who are passing to the right of parallel-parked vehicle C in countries with left-hand traffic that "parallel-parked vehicle C is about to start moving forward to the right." When the driver releases the brake pedal with the steering wheel turned to the left, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3a controls the road surface drawing unit 6 to draw a departure notification display 271 on the road surface diagonally in front of vehicle C to the left, alerting pedestrians H3 and others who are passing to the left of parallel-parked vehicle C in countries with right-hand traffic that "parallel-parked vehicle C is about to start moving forward to the left," thereby avoiding a collision with vehicle C. Furthermore, the departure notification indicators 271 and 272, which are displayed diagonally to the left and right front respectively, may be displayed in either the left or right lateral direction instead of diagonally in the event that a parallel-parked vehicle starts moving sideways due to future autonomous driving or the like.

[0073] In the second embodiment shown in Figure 6, since most conventional vehicles have steering wheels at the front, the shift lever is in the drive position (forward), and the vehicle departure notification displays 271 and 272 are drawn diagonally forward to the right or diagonally forward to the left depending on the steering direction. However, in future autonomous driving technology, it is conceivable that the steering wheels may be located at the rear, causing the vehicle C to start diagonally backward. In that case, the vehicle departure notification display device 3 provided in the rear combination lamp 4 may cause the road surface drawing unit 17 to swing, and the road surface drawing unit 6 may display departure notification displays 273 and 274 diagonally backward to the left or diagonally backward to the right depending on the left or right steering direction of the rear wheels.

[0074] Next, with reference to Figure 6A, a third embodiment of the departure notification display for vehicle C, which starts moving diagonally forward from a state of temporary stopping alongside another vehicle C1, will be described. First, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3 of vehicle C shown in Figure 1 detects that vehicle C has temporarily stopped when its own vehicle speed has changed from a positive speed to zero via the speed sensor 11 which detects the vehicle speed at regular intervals due to the driver's foot brake operation. The brake sensor 7 detects that the driver has released the foot brake that was pressed down within a certain period of time after the temporary stop detection (for example, until 1 minute has elapsed since the temporary stop, but not limited to this time), and also detects that the steering wheel has been turned to the right (if left steering is used). If the steering angle sensor 10 detects that the vehicle has made a stop (or left turn), it controls the road surface drawing unit 6 of the departure notification display device 3b (or departure notification display device 3a if the vehicle is turned left) to draw a departure notification display 272 (or a departure notification display 271 if the vehicle is turned left) on the road surface diagonally to the right in front of the vehicle C, thereby alerting other vehicles C1 that are about to pass alongside the vehicle C that "vehicle C, which is currently stopped alongside, will now start moving to the right forward (or left forward) and enter the driving lane of vehicle C1," thereby preventing a collision between vehicle C and vehicle C1. Furthermore, the control unit 5 determines that a departure notification display is unnecessary for on / off detection of the foot brake detected within a certain period of time from the stop, assuming that it was detected based on a stop that does not require a departure notification display, such as waiting at a traffic light, and controls the road surface drawing unit 6 not to draw the departure notification display.

[0075] Next, with reference to Figure 7, a fourth embodiment of the departure notification display will be described, which is performed based on the detection of the necessary targets for the departure notification display by the car navigation system 12 and the camera unit 13 when vehicle C comes to a stop. First, the control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3 detects, via the car navigation system 12 and the camera unit 13, which function as detection units for the necessary targets for the departure notification display, whether or not there is a stop obligation at the intersection reached by vehicle C (detection by the car navigation system 12 only), a stop obligation sign 28 installed at the intersection reached or a stop sign not shown on the road surface (detection by the camera unit 13 only), an unsignaled T-junction reached, the entrance to a priority road at the intersection reached (entrance from a narrow road to a wider road), a pedestrian H4 waiting to cross and a vehicle C3 attempting to pass through the intersection (camera unit 13 only), etc. Next, the brake sensor 7 detects the driver's switching from a stop due to pressing the foot brake (brake on) to releasing the foot brake (brake off), and determines whether or not a departure notification display is necessary.

[0076] Based on the necessary determination, the control unit 5 controls the road surface drawing unit 6 of the departure notification display devices 3a and 3b, as shown in Figure 7, to draw departure notification displays 271 and 272 on the road surface of the intersecting road R2 that intersects the road R1 that the vehicle C is traveling on in front of the vehicle C. In the case of an intersecting road such as the T-junction in Figure 7, this alerts pedestrians H4 who are passing in front of the vehicle C and attempting to cross road R1, as well as other vehicles C3, etc., that "vehicle C, which has just stopped, is about to enter the intersecting road ahead," thereby preventing collisions with pedestrians H4 and other vehicles C3, etc. Furthermore, the departure notification indicators 271 and 272 are not displayed unless the driver of vehicle C1 releases the brake pedal. Therefore, if the driver of vehicle C1 yields the right of way to pedestrian H4 waiting to cross and allows pedestrian H4 to cross road R1 before vehicle C1 passes, pedestrian H4 can accurately understand that vehicle C1 is not moving because the departure notification indicators are not displayed, and can cross in front of vehicle C1 with peace of mind.

[0077] Furthermore, in the first to fourth embodiments shown in Figures 5, 6, 6A, and 7, the control unit 5 may make a necessary determination and display a departure notification for vehicle C in the direction of travel only if the on-board camera 13a detects pedestrians H1 to H4 or passing vehicles C2 and C3 in the direction of vehicle travel before the driver releases the foot brake. If no pedestrians or passing vehicles are detected, the control unit 6 may be controlled to determine that a departure notification is unnecessary and not display the departure notification.

[0078] Next, with reference to Figure 8, a fifth embodiment will be described regarding the vehicle C not displaying a departure notification when it comes to a stop, based on the detection of an unnecessary object. The car navigation system 12, imaging unit 13, radar sensor 14, automatic toll collection terminal 15, and turn signal lamp sensor 16 shown in Figure 1 function as an unnecessary object detection unit that detects unnecessary objects for the departure notification display.

[0079] The objects for which the departure notification display is unnecessary include traffic congestion (not shown) detected by the car navigation system 12 at the location reached by vehicle C, highway toll booths 29 and railway level crossings 30 shown in Figure 8, as well as highway toll booths 29, railway level crossings 30 and stop signals (red lights) 31 detected from images taken by the onboard camera 13a of the shooting unit 13 at the location reached by vehicle C, traffic congestion and stop signals (red lights) 31 detected by the road information communication system at the location reached by vehicle C, as well as a vehicle (not shown) traveling ahead of vehicle C detected by the radar sensor 14, an automatic toll collection device 32 detected by the automatic toll collection terminal 15 at a toll booth on a highway etc. reached by vehicle C, and vehicle C waiting to turn right or left detected by the turn signal lamp sensor 16.

[0080] The control unit 5 of the departure notification display device 3 shown in Figure 1 detects an unnecessary target via the unnecessary target detection unit for the departure notification display, and then, when the brake sensor 7 detects that the driver has switched from a temporary stop due to pressing the foot brake (brake on) to releasing the foot brake (brake off), it determines that the departure notification display is unnecessary. The control unit 5 controls the road surface drawing unit 6 so that even if the driver has temporarily stopped using the foot brake and then released the foot brake, it does not display the departure notification display based on the detection of an unnecessary target for the departure notification display. Therefore, the departure notification display device 3 can avoid displaying unnecessary departure notification displays in situations where pedestrians and other vehicles in the direction of travel can easily understand the timing of vehicle C's departure without drawing a departure notification display on the road surface, such as when starting from a temporary stop at a traffic light. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 3.3' Start notification display device 5. Control Unit 6 Road surface drawing section 7. Brake sensor (brake detection unit) 8. Start switch sensor (start switch detection unit) 9. Shift sensor (shift detection unit) 10. Steering angle sensor (steering detection unit) 11 Speed ​​sensor (stop detection unit) 12. Car Navigation System 13. Photography Department 130 Road Information Communication System (Stop Signal Detection Unit) 14. Radar sensor (forward vehicle detection unit) 15. Automatic fare collection terminal (automatic fare collection device detection unit) 16. Turn signal lamp sensor (turn signal lamp detection unit) C Vehicles equipped with a departure notification display device

Claims

1. A vehicle departure notification display device comprising: a road surface drawing unit mounted on the vehicle that draws a predetermined shape of departure notification display on the road surface in the direction of the vehicle's movement using light; and a control unit that determines whether a departure notification display is necessary when the vehicle starts moving, controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display when it is determined that it is necessary, and controls the road surface drawing unit again to stop the departure notification display when it is determined that the drawn departure notification display should be stopped, It has a start switch detection unit that detects the switching of the start switch and a brake detection unit that detects the switching of the brake from on to off. The control unit determines that a change from the start switch to the on state followed by a change from the brake to the off state is necessary for displaying a departure notification, and causes the road surface drawing unit to display a departure notification. It has a steering detection unit that detects right or left steering from the steering angle of the vehicle's steering system, The control unit determines the display direction of the departure notification display based on the detected steering direction of either the left or right steering device, and controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display to the right of the vehicle when right steering is detected, or controls the road surface drawing unit to draw the departure notification display to the left of the vehicle when left steering is detected. A vehicle departure notification display device characterized in that, when it is detected that the steering angle detection angle of the steering device has returned to 0° from either a positive or negative angle, the road surface drawing unit is controlled to stop drawing the departure notification display on the road surface.

2. It has a speed sensor, The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to stop drawing the departure notification display on the road surface when the vehicle speed detected by the speed sensor reaches a predetermined speed or higher.

3. The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to stop drawing the departure notification display on the road surface when a certain period of time has elapsed since the vehicle started moving.

4. It has a shift detection unit that detects whether the vehicle is moving forward or backward, The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display in front of the vehicle when the vehicle is detected moving forward, or controls the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display behind the vehicle when the vehicle is detected moving backward.

5. It has a stop detection unit that detects when a vehicle comes to a stop, The vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit causes the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display when it detects that the vehicle has stopped temporarily and that a switch from the brake on to off has been detected after a non-notification determination time has elapsed since the detection of the temporary stop.

6. A vehicle departure notification display device according to claim 1, comprising a detection unit for detecting necessary targets for a departure notification display, which includes a shooting unit for shooting the area around the vehicle, and the control unit, after detecting a necessary target from the image captured by the shooting unit, determines that a switch from the brake on to the off state is detected, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display as a necessary determination for a departure notification display.

7. A vehicle departure notification display device according to Claim 1, comprising a radar sensor which is a unit for detecting a required target for a departure notification display, wherein the control unit determines whether a departure notification display is required when a switch from the brake on to the off state is detected after a required target is detected by the radar sensor, and causes the road surface drawing unit to draw a departure notification display.

8. A vehicle departure notification display device according to Claim 1, wherein the vehicle departure notification display device has an unnecessary object detection unit for the departure notification display and an imaging unit for imaging the area around the vehicle, and the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit so as not to draw the departure notification display when an unnecessary object is detected from the image captured by the imaging unit and a switch of the brake from on to off is detected, as an unnecessary determination for the departure notification display.

9. The vehicle departure notification display device according to Claim 1, further comprising a stop signal detection unit which is an unnecessary object detection unit for the departure notification display, wherein the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit so as not to draw the departure notification display when the switching of the brake from on to off is detected after the stop signal detection unit has detected a red light of a traffic signal which is a stop signal for the vehicle as an unnecessary object, and the departure notification display is determined to be unnecessary.

10. The vehicle departure notification display device according to Claim 1, further comprising a preceding vehicle detection unit which is an unnecessary target detection unit for the departure notification display, wherein the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit so as not to draw the departure notification display when the switching of the brake from on to off is detected after the preceding vehicle detection unit has detected a preceding vehicle as an unnecessary target, as this is considered an unnecessary determination for the departure notification display.

11. The vehicle departure notification display device according to Claim 1, further comprising an automatic toll collection device detection unit which is an unnecessary target detection unit for the departure notification display, wherein the control unit controls the road surface drawing unit so as not to draw the departure notification display when the automatic toll collection device detection unit detects the passage of a vehicle towards an automatic toll collection device as an unnecessary target and then detects the switching of the brake from on to off, as an unnecessary determination for the departure notification display.

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