Driving assistance device and method for controlling driving assistance device

Abstract

Provided is a driving assistance device (100) which is installed in a vehicle (V) and which comprises: an imaging device (10) capable of imaging an area behind the vehicle (V), the area including a first area (a1) in the vicinity of the vehicle (V) and a second area (a2) farther from the vehicle (V) than the first area (a1); an image display device (20) which is disposed in the cabin of the vehicle (V) and which displays an image acquired from the imaging device (10); and a control unit (30), wherein the control unit (30) displays an image of the first area (a1) and the second area (a2) on the image display device (20) when the shift position of the vehicle (V) is in the reverse position.

Description

Driving assistance device and control method for driving assistance device

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device and a control method for the driving assistance device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device that supports driving a vehicle by mounting imaging devices on the left, right, and rear of the vehicle and displaying images captured by each imaging device side by side on a display device inside the vehicle. In the driving assistance device described in Patent Document 1, a control unit changes the display mode for one or both of the images captured by the left and right imaging devices.

[0003] Patent No. 6247450

[0004] In a conventional driving assistance system that assists driving by displaying an image of the area behind the vehicle on a display device inside the vehicle cabin, the image of the area behind the vehicle in the straight-ahead direction, which is displayed when the vehicle is traveling straight ahead, and the image of the area immediately behind the vehicle, which is displayed when the vehicle is reversing, are captured using different imaging devices. Furthermore, in such a driving assistance system, the images captured by the different imaging devices are displayed on different display devices. This requires a large number of imaging devices and display devices.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance device and a control method for a driving assistance device that can reduce the number of imaging devices and display devices.

[0006] A driving assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance device that is mounted on a vehicle and is capable of capturing images of an area behind the vehicle, including a first area that is an area near the vehicle and a second area that is an area farther from the vehicle than the first area; an image display device that is arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and displays images acquired from the image display device; and a control unit, wherein when the vehicle's shift position is in a reverse position, the control unit displays images of the first area and the second area on the image display device.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the number of imaging devices and display devices can be reduced.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the angle of view of an imaging range captured by an imaging device when the vehicle's shift position is in a forward position. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an image display device when the vehicle's shift position is in a forward position. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the angle of view of an imaging range captured by an imaging device when the vehicle's shift position is in a reverse position. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an image display device when the vehicle's shift position is in a reverse position. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device shown in Fig. 1.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0010] An example of the configuration of a driving assistance device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The driving assistance device 100 is mounted on a vehicle. The driving assistance device 100 includes a rear camera 10, a display 20, a control device 30, a shift lever switch 40, and an in-vehicle device 50.

[0011] The rear camera 10 has an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The rear camera 10 is mounted at the rear of the vehicle. The installation location of the rear camera 10 is not particularly limited, but as an example, the rear camera 10 is installed near the rear license plate of the vehicle. The rear camera 10 is configured to capture an image of an area behind the vehicle, including a first area close to the vehicle and a second area farther from the vehicle than the first area. The first area may be an area including an area immediately behind the vehicle that must be visible when reversing, as stipulated in Regulation No. 158, a regulation concerning vehicle rearward confirmation devices when reversing established by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN / ECE). The second area may be an area that includes an area that must be visible through a rearview mirror, as defined in Regulation No. 46, a regulation on rearview mirrors established by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Note that the first area and the second area may partially overlap.

[0012] The rear camera 10 includes an actuator 11 and a lens 12. The actuator 11 changes the angle of view of the imaging range of the rear camera 10 by raising and lowering the lens 12. That is, the angle of view of the imaging range of the rear camera 10 is variable. The actuator 11 switches the angle of view of the imaging range of the rear camera 10 to a wide angle by lowering the lens 12. The actuator 11 is controlled by a control device 30. Details of the relationship between the control of the actuator 11 by the control device 30 and the angle of view of the rear camera 10 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4.

[0013] The image data captured by the rear camera 10 is output to the control device 30. The image data captured by the rear camera 10 may be stored in a storage device (not shown), and the control device 30 may refer to the image data stored in the storage device.

[0014] The display 20 is disposed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and displays the image acquired from the rear camera 10. The display 20 is configured with a liquid crystal television monitor or the like. The installation position of the display 20 is not particularly limited, but as an example, the display 20 is installed near the center position above the dashboard in the passenger compartment. Alternatively, the display 20 may be installed near the center of the upper part of the windshield in place of an inner mirror. The display 20 is controlled by the control device 30. Details of the relationship between the control of the display 20 by the control device 30 and the image displayed on the display 20 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5.

[0015] The control device 30 is a general-purpose computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, input / output units, etc. The control device 30 is connected to a rear camera 10, a display 20, a shift lever switch 40, and in-vehicle devices 50. The in-vehicle devices 50 include, for example, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system, meters, air conditioning, etc., that are installed in the vehicle.

[0016] Computer programs for realizing each function are installed in the control device 30. By executing the computer programs, the control device 30 functions as a plurality of information processing circuits provided in the control device 30.

[0017] Although an example is shown here in which the multiple information processing circuits provided in the control device 30 are realized by software, it is of course possible to configure the information processing circuits by providing dedicated hardware for executing each of the information processes described below.Furthermore, the multiple information processing circuits may be configured by individual hardware.

[0018] The control device 30 includes a shift position determination unit 31, a display determination unit 32, a field of view control unit 33, an image acquisition unit 34, an image generation unit 35, and a display control unit 36 ​​as a plurality of information processing circuits.

[0019] The image acquisition unit 34 acquires image data captured by the rear camera 10. The image generation unit 35 acquires infotainment-related information from the in-vehicle device 50 and generates image data for displaying the infotainment-related information on the display 20 based on the acquired information. For example, the image generation unit 35 may generate a navigation image to be displayed on the display 20 based on navigation information acquired from the IVI. Note that the type of image data generated by the image generation unit 35 is not particularly limited. The image generation unit 35 may generate image data instead of video data.

[0020] The shift position determination unit 31 acquires information indicating the position of the shift position from the shift lever switch 40. Based on the acquired information indicating the position of the shift position, the shift position determination unit 31 determines whether the shift position is in a forward position or a reverse position. If the shift position is in any of the P range, N range, D range, and L range, the shift position determination unit 31 determines that the shift position is in a forward position. If the shift position is in the R range, the shift position determination unit 31 determines that the shift position is in a reverse position.

[0021] The display determination unit 32 determines the image to be displayed on the display 20 based on the position of the vehicle's shift position. When the shift position is at least a forward position excluding a reverse position, the display determination unit 32 determines the image display mode to be the first display mode. On the other hand, when the vehicle's shift position is a reverse position, the display determination unit 32 determines the image display mode to be the second display mode.

[0022] [First Display Mode] Hereinafter, the operation of the control device 30 when the display determination unit 32 determines that the image display mode is the first display mode, and the relationship between the angle of view of the rear camera 10 and the image displayed on the display 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

[0023] The angle-of-view control unit 33 controls the actuator 11 of the rear camera 10 based on the display mode of the image. In the first display mode, the angle-of-view control unit 33 controls the actuator 11 to raise the lens 12.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the angle of view of the imaging range captured by the rear camera 10 in the first display mode. In FIG. 2, the actuator 11 raises the lens 12. At this time, the rear camera 10, with the actuator 11 raising the lens 12, captures an image of an area Ap including a second area a2 in the rear area of ​​the vehicle V. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the second area a2 is an area whose vertical angle d2 is 15°. In this way, the angle of view control unit 33 controls the actuator 11 of the rear camera 10 so that the angle of view of the rear camera 10 includes the second area a2 when the shift position of the vehicle V is in the forward position.

[0025] The display control unit 36 ​​displays the video data acquired by the video acquisition unit 34 on the display 20 based on the display mode. In the first display mode, the display control unit 36 ​​performs a process of cutting out an image of the second region a2 from the image of the region Ap captured by the rear camera 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display 20 in the first display mode. As shown in FIG. 3, in the first display mode, the display control unit 36 ​​displays the cut-out image of the second region a2 in the upper range 22 of the display 20. In addition, in the first display mode, the display control unit 36 ​​displays an image related to infotainment in the remaining range of the display 20. That is, when the vehicle's shift position is at least in a forward position excluding a reverse position, the display control unit 36 ​​simultaneously displays the image of the second region a2 and information related to infotainment on the display 20.

[0026] With the above configuration, when the vehicle's shift position is in the forward position, the driving assistance device 100 can display the image of the second area in the upper area of ​​the display 20, and display infotainment-related information in the remaining area of ​​the display 20.

[0027] [Second Display Mode] Next, the operation of the control device 30 when the display determination unit 32 determines that the image display mode is the second display mode, and the relationship between the angle of view of the rear camera 10 and the image displayed on the display 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

[0028] In the second display mode, the angle-of-view control unit 33 controls the actuator 11 to lower the lens 12 .

[0029] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the angle of view of the imaging range captured by the rear camera 10 in the second display mode. In FIG. 4 , the actuator 11 lowers the lens 12. At this time, the rear camera 10, with the actuator 11 lowering the lens 12, captures an image of an area Ar that includes a first area a1 and a second area a2 in the rear area of ​​the vehicle V. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the first area a1 is an area whose vertical angle d1 is 55°. As shown in FIG. 4 , the first area a1 includes an area above the second area a2, and the second area a2 is located rearward of the first area a1. In this way, the angle of view control unit 33 controls the actuator 11 of the rear camera 10 so that the angle of view of the rear camera 10 includes the first area and the second area when the shift position of the vehicle V is in the reverse position.

[0030] In the second display mode, the display control unit 36 ​​performs a process of cutting out images of the first region a1 and the second region a2 from the image of the region Ar captured by the rear camera 10. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display 20 in the second display mode. As shown in FIG. 5, in the second display mode, the display control unit 36 ​​displays the images of the first region a1 and the second region a2 in the entire range 21 of the display 20. In this way, in the second display mode, the display control unit 36 ​​displays the images of the first region a1 and the second region a2 on the same screen of the display 20. In other words, when the shift position of the vehicle is in the reverse position, the display control unit 36 ​​displays the images of the first region a1 and the second region a2 on the display 20.

[0031] For example, the display control unit 36 ​​displays the first region a1 in the lower region 21 of the range 21, and displays the second region a2 in the upper region 22' of the range 21. That is, the display control unit 36 ​​displays the second region above the first region a1. The first region a1 and the second region a2 are adjacent to each other with no gap between them.

[0032] The display control unit 36 ​​displays the image of the second area a2 so that the position and magnification of the area 22 in which the image of the second area a2 is displayed in Fig. 3 coincide with the position and magnification of the area 22' in which the image of the second area a2 is displayed in Fig. 5. That is, the display position and magnification of the second area a2 coincide between when the shift position of the vehicle is in the reverse position and when the shift position of the vehicle is in the forward position.

[0033] With the above configuration, when the vehicle's shift position is in the reverse position, the driving assistance device 100 can switch the angle of view of the rear camera 10 to a wide angle and display images of the first area and the second area on the display 20.

[0034] In this embodiment, the angle-of-view control unit 33 switches the angle of view of the rear camera 10 based on the display mode, and the display control unit 36 ​​performs processing to cut out images of the first and second regions from the image of the region captured by the rear camera 10. However, the angle-of-view control unit 33 may control the angle of view of the rear camera 10 so that the rear camera always captures an image of an area including the first and second regions, and the display control unit 36 ​​may perform processing to cut out images of the first and second regions based on the display mode.

[0035] An example of the operation of the control device 30 of the driving assistance device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. In step S1 of Fig. 6, the shift position determination unit 31 acquires information indicating the position of the shift position from the shift lever switch 40, and determines whether the shift position is in the forward position or the reverse position based on the acquired information indicating the position of the shift position (shift position determination). If the shift position is in the P range, N range, D range, or L range, the shift position determination unit 31 determines that the shift position is in the forward position. If the shift position is in the R range, the shift position determination unit 31 determines that the shift position is in the reverse position.

[0036] If the shift position determination unit 31 determines that the shift position is in the reverse position, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the display determination unit 32 determines that the image display mode is the second display mode. The angle of view control unit 33 controls the actuator 11 to lower the lens 12. At this time, the rear camera 10 captures an image of an area including a first area and a second area with the actuator 11 lowering the lens 12. The display control unit 36 ​​cuts out images of the first area and the second area from the image of the area captured by the rear camera 10. The display control unit 36 ​​displays the cut-out images of the first area and the second area on the display 20, and the process of FIG. 6 ends.

[0037] On the other hand, if the shift position determination unit 31 determines that the shift position is a forward position, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the display determination unit 32 determines that the image display mode is the first display mode. The angle of view control unit 33 controls the actuator 11 to raise the lens 12. At this time, the rear camera 10 captures an image of an area including the second area a2 with the actuator 11 raising the lens 12. The display control unit 36 ​​cuts out an image of the second area from the image of the area captured by the rear camera 10. The display control unit 36 ​​simultaneously displays the cut-out image of the second area and infotainment-related information on the display 20, and the process of FIG. 6 ends.

[0038] As described above, the driving assistance device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an imaging device (rear camera 10) mounted on a vehicle and capable of capturing an image of an area behind the vehicle, the area including a first area that is an area near the vehicle and a second area that is an area farther from the vehicle than the first area, an image display device (display 20) arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and displaying an image captured by the imaging device, and a control unit (control device 30). When the shift position of the vehicle is in the reverse position, the control unit displays images of the first area and the second area on the image display device.

[0039] This allows a single image capture device and image display device to provide both an image of the first area immediately behind the vehicle that must be visible when the vehicle is backing up, and an image of the second area that must be visible through the rearview mirror, thereby reducing the number of image capture devices and image display devices.When the vehicle is backing up, the driver can view both an image of the area immediately behind the vehicle and an image of the area further behind on the same image display device, reducing the hassle of the driver having to view multiple image display devices.

[0040] In addition, in the driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit simultaneously displays the image of the second area and infotainment-related information on the image display device when the vehicle's shift position is at least in a forward position but not in a reverse position. This allows the image of the second area, which must be visible through the rearview mirror when the vehicle is moving forward, and the infotainment-related information to be provided by a single image capture device and image display device, thereby reducing the number of image capture devices and image display devices. When the vehicle is moving forward, the driver can view the image of the area behind the vehicle and any other information they wish to view other than the image of the area behind the vehicle on the same image display device, reducing the hassle of the driver having to view multiple image display devices.

[0041] In addition, in the driving assistance device according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the vehicle's shift position is in the reverse position, the control unit extracts images of the first and second regions from the image captured by the imaging device and displays the images of the first and second regions on the image display device. The image of the first region immediately behind the vehicle, which must be visible when the vehicle is reversing, and the image of the second region, which must be visible through the rearview mirror, can be displayed on a single image display device, thereby reducing the number of image display devices.

[0042] In addition, in the driving assistance device according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the shift position of the vehicle is at least a forward position but not a reverse position, the control unit extracts an image of the second area from the image captured by the imaging device and simultaneously displays the image of the second area and information related to infotainment on the image display device. This makes it possible to display the image of the second area, which must be visible through the rearview mirror when the vehicle is moving forward, and information related to infotainment on a single image display device, thereby reducing the number of image display devices.

[0043] In a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit controls the imaging device so that the angle of view of the imaging device includes the first area and the second area when the vehicle's shift position is in a reverse position. The control unit also controls the imaging device so that the angle of view of the imaging device includes the second area when the vehicle's shift position is at least a forward position other than the reverse position. This allows a single imaging device to capture both an image of the first area immediately behind the vehicle that must be visible when the vehicle is reversing and an image of the second area that must be visible in the rearview mirror, thereby reducing the number of imaging devices.

[0044] In a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit displays the first area and the second area on the same screen of the image display device. The control unit also displays the second area above the first area. Because the second area includes an area above the first area, displaying the image of the second area above the first area can reduce the visual discomfort felt by the user.

[0045] In addition, in the driving assistance device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the display position and magnification of the second area are the same when the vehicle's shift position is in the reverse position and when the vehicle's shift position is in the forward position. As a result, the display position and magnification of the second area do not change even when the vehicle's shift position is switched between the reverse position and the forward position, thereby reducing the visual discomfort felt by the user.

[0046] In addition, in the driving assistance device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the first area and the second area are adjacent to each other without any gap, which reduces the visual discomfort felt by the user when the images of the first area and the second area are displayed.

[0047] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Rear camera (image capture device) 20 Display (image display device) 30 Control device (control unit) 100 Driving assistance device a1 First area a2 Second area V Vehicle

Claims

an imaging device mounted on a vehicle and capable of capturing an image of a rear area of ​​the vehicle, the rear area including a first area that is a area near the vehicle and a second area that is a area farther from the vehicle than the first area; an image display device disposed in a passenger compartment of the vehicle and displaying an image acquired from the imaging device; A control unit; A driving assistance device comprising: The control unit displays images of the first area and the second area on the image display device when the shift position of the vehicle is in a reverse position. Driving assistance device. 　 The control unit When the shift position of the vehicle is at least a forward position excluding the reverse position, the image of the second area and information related to infotainment are simultaneously displayed on the image display device. The driving assistance device according to claim 1. 　 The control unit When the shift position of the vehicle is in a reverse position, cutting out images of the first region and the second region from the image captured by the imaging device; The images of the first area and the second area are displayed on the image display device. The driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2. 　 The control unit When the shift position of the vehicle is at least a forward position excluding the reverse position, cutting out an image of the second region from the image captured by the imaging device; The image in the second area and information related to infotainment are simultaneously displayed on the image display device. The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 　 The control unit When the shift position of the vehicle is in a reverse position, Controlling the imaging device so that the angle of view of the imaging device includes the first area and the second area The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 　 The control unit When the shift position of the vehicle is at least a forward position excluding the reverse position, Controlling the imaging device so that the second region is included in the angle of view of the imaging device The driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 　 The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit displays the images of the first area and the second area on the same screen of the image display device. 　 The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit displays the second area above the first area.

9. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the display position and magnification of the second area are consistent between when the shift position of the vehicle is in a reverse position and when the shift position of the vehicle is in at least a forward position other than the reverse position. 　 The driving assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured such that the first region and the second region are adjacent to each other with no gap therebetween. 　 an imaging device mounted on a vehicle and capable of capturing an image of a rear area of ​​the vehicle, the rear area including a first area that is a area near the vehicle and a second area that is a area farther from the vehicle than the first area; an image display device disposed in a passenger compartment of the vehicle and displaying an image acquired from the imaging device; A control unit; A control method for a driving assistance device comprising: When the shift position of the vehicle is in a reverse position, the images of the first area and the second area are displayed on the image display device. A method for controlling a driving assistance device. 　 When the shift position of the vehicle is at least a forward position excluding the reverse position, the image of the second area and information related to infotainment are simultaneously displayed on the image display device. A method for controlling a driving assistance device according to claim 11. 　 When the shift position of the vehicle is in a reverse position, cutting out images of the first region and the second region from the image captured by the imaging device; The images of the first and second areas are displayed on the image display device. A method for controlling a driving assistance device according to claim 11 or 12. 　 When the shift position of the vehicle is at least a forward position excluding the reverse position, cutting out an image of the second region from the image captured by the imaging device; The image in the second area and information related to infotainment are simultaneously displayed on the image display device. A method for controlling a driving assistance device according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

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