Road surface drawing device

Abstract

This road surface drawing device displays a road surface drawing pattern (P) on a road surface. The road surface drawing pattern (P) includes a bright part (10) and a dark part (20) which is irradiated along at least a part of the bright part (10) and has a smaller luminance than the bright part (10).

Description

road surface drawing device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a road surface drawing device.

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a road surface drawing device that is mounted on a vehicle or the like and projects a road surface drawing pattern onto the road surface to indicate intentions to other road users such as pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles.

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 168543

[0004] Incidentally, if it were possible to encourage other drivers who see the road surface drawing pattern to take action such as standing still, or to improve the visibility of the road surface drawing pattern, then the use of the road surface drawing device could be expected to lead to smoother communication on the road.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a road surface drawing device that facilitates smoother communication on traffic.

[0006] A road surface drawing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a road surface drawing device that displays a road surface drawing pattern on a road surface, wherein the road surface drawing pattern comprises a bright portion and a dark portion that is illuminated along at least a portion of the bright portion and has a lower brightness than the bright portion.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the road surface drawing pattern has bright areas and dark areas that are less bright than the bright areas, so the contrast between the bright and dark areas allows the road surface drawing device to highlight the road surface drawing pattern. This provides a road surface drawing device that can project a road surface drawing pattern that is more likely to attract the attention of other drivers and facilitate smooth communication on the road.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a road surface drawing device that facilitates smoother communication on traffic can be provided.

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a road surface drawing device mounted on a vehicle and a road surface drawing pattern. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the road surface drawing device. FIG. 3 illustrates an intersection at which a road surface drawing pattern is drawn. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a road surface drawing pattern according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a vehicle and a road surface drawing device. FIG. 6 illustrates another example of a road surface drawing pattern according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates a road surface drawing pattern in which the area of ​​dark areas varies. FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the shape of a bright portion according to Modification 1. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the shape of a bright portion according to Modification 2. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the shape of a bright portion according to Modification 2. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a road surface drawing pattern according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 illustrates another example of a road surface drawing pattern according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 illustrates another example of a road surface drawing pattern according to the second embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, descriptions of components having the same reference numerals as those already described in the description of the embodiments will be omitted. Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0011] Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the "right front direction" and "right rear direction" will be referred to as appropriate. Here, the "right front direction" is a direction extending "to the right" and "forward". The "right rear direction" is a direction extending "to the right" and "rear". In the drawings described below, the symbol U indicates the upward direction. The symbol D indicates the downward direction. The symbol F indicates the forward direction. The symbol B indicates the rearward direction. The symbol L indicates the leftward direction. The symbol R indicates the rightward direction. These directions correspond to the directions as seen by the driver in the vehicle.

[0012] A road surface drawing device 1 according to this embodiment, which is provided on a vehicle 100, will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 illustrates an example of the road surface drawing device 1 mounted on the vehicle 100 and a road surface drawing pattern P.

[0013] 1, the road surface drawing device 1 is housed in a headlight of a vehicle 100. The road surface drawing device 1 is configured to irradiate light onto a road surface and display a road surface drawing pattern P.

[0014] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the road surface drawing device 1. The road surface drawing device 1 comprises a lamp body 2 having an opening in front of the lamp, and a translucent outer cover 3 that covers the opening of the lamp body 2. A lamp chamber 4 formed by the lamp body 2 and the outer cover 3 houses multiple light sources 5, optical members 6, and a road surface drawing control unit 7.

[0015] The light source 5 is configured by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element or an LD (Laser Diode) element, or may be configured by a semiconductor light emitting element that emits laser light.

[0016] The light source 5 is mounted on a substrate 50. The substrate 50 can be formed from, for example, a glass material such as silica glass, borosilicate glass, or alkali-free borosilicate glass, or a resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene, or cycloolefin polymer.

[0017] The optical member 6 is configured to refract the light emitted from the light source 5 and emit it in the direction of the road surface. The optical member 6 is, for example, an aspherical lens whose front surface is a convex surface and whose rear surface is a flat surface. The optical member 6 may be formed from a translucent material such as a transparent resin such as acrylic. The light source 5 is configured so that the illuminance when turned on can be changed by changing the duty ratio, etc.

[0018] The road surface drawing control unit 7 is configured to control the turning on and off of the light sources 5. The road surface drawing control unit 7 controls the plurality of light sources 5 so as to generate a desired image on the road surface by controlling the turning on and off of the plurality of light sources 5. The operation of the road surface drawing control unit 7 will be described in detail later.

[0019] Next, the road surface drawing pattern P and its function in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 shows an example of an intersection where the road surface drawing pattern P is drawn.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, when the vehicle 100 is approaching an intersection, the road drawing device 1 displays a road drawing pattern P. In the example of Fig. 3, the road drawing pattern P indicates that the vehicle 100 is about to turn right at the intersection.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows an example of a road surface drawing pattern P. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the road surface drawing pattern P includes a bright portion 10 and a dark portion 20. In the road surface drawing pattern P, the dark portion 20 is displayed so that its luminance is lower than that of the bright portion 10. For example, the luminance of the dark portion 20 may be approximately 50% of that of the bright portion 10. The light source 5 forming the dark portion 20 is lit with an illuminance lower than that of the light source 5 forming the bright portion 10. The dark portion 20 is illuminated along at least a portion of the bright portion 10. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the dark portion 20 is displayed in an L-shape along two sides of the outer edge of the bright portion 10.

[0022] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, the road surface drawing pattern P has bright areas 10 and dark areas 20 that are less bright than the bright areas 10, so the contrast between the bright areas 10 and the dark areas 20 allows the road surface drawing device 1 to highlight the road surface drawing pattern P.

[0023] First Embodiment An example of highlighting of a road surface drawing pattern P in a first embodiment will be described. The road surface drawing pattern P in the first embodiment is formed so as to be visually recognized as being higher to other traffic pedestrians by a combination of a light portion 10 and a dark portion 20. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the other traffic pedestrians are pedestrians Y1 and Y2.

[0024] For example, parts 21 and 22 of the outer edge line of the dark portion 20 of the road surface pattern P extend in a direction that diagonally intersects with the outer edge line (e.g., the nearest portion 11 and outer edge line 12, which will be described later) of the light portion 10 adjacent to the dark portion 20. Furthermore, the width b2 of the dark portion 20 is smaller than the width b1 of the light portion 10. This allows the road surface pattern P to be visually perceived by other road users as being taller.

[0025] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, the road surface drawing pattern P appears as a three-dimensional obstacle to other drivers. This makes it possible for other drivers to take immediate, instinctive action, such as stopping to avoid a collision with the three-dimensional obstacle. In this way, the road surface drawing device 1 draws the road surface drawing pattern P in a manner that is visually recognized as a three-dimensional obstacle, making it easier to attract the attention of other drivers and encourage them to stop.

[0026] The dark areas 20 may be illuminated so that their positions relative to the bright areas 10 vary depending on the situation. In other words, the road surface drawing device 1 may generate the bright areas 10 and the dark areas 20 so that the dark areas 20 appear as more three-dimensional obstacles to other road users whose attention it is desired to draw. An example in which the dark areas 20 are illuminated so that their positions relative to the bright areas 10 vary depending on the position of a pedestrian will be described using FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the vehicle 100 and the road surface drawing device 1.

[0027] The vehicle 100 of this embodiment includes a camera 101 and a vehicle control unit 102. The camera 101 is a camera that includes an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 101 detects pedestrians Y1, Y2, and other road users around the vehicle 100, and the vehicle control unit 102 outputs pedestrian information PS including the positions of the road users based on the output of the camera 101.

[0028] Based on the pedestrian information PS, the road surface drawing control unit 7 determines in which direction the pedestrian is located relative to the road surface drawing pattern P to be displayed, and determines the position where the dark area 20 will be formed relative to the light area 10 in the road surface drawing pattern P. The road surface drawing control unit 7 generates a drawing signal DS relating to the position where the dark area 20 will be formed relative to the light area 10, and controls the illuminance of the light source 5 based on the drawing signal DS.

[0029] 3 from the image output by the camera 101. The road surface drawing control unit 7 acquires pedestrian information PS indicating the position of pedestrian Y1 from the vehicle control unit 102 and determines that pedestrian Y1 is located to the rear right of the road surface drawing pattern P to be displayed.

[0030] Here, the road surface drawing control unit 7 determines the position where the dark portion 20 is formed relative to the bright portion 10 so that the nearest portion 11, which is the outer edge of the bright portion 10 closest to the detected pedestrian Y1, appears to rise from the road surface. In the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4 , the pedestrian Y1 is located to the right rear of the road surface drawing pattern P, so the outer edge of the bright portion 10 facing the right rear direction is the nearest portion 11. By forming the dark portion 20 along the nearest portion 11, the nearest portion 11 is visually perceived as rising. For this reason, the road surface drawing control unit 7 outputs the drawing signal DS and controls the illuminance of the corresponding light source 5 so that the dark portion 20 is formed along the nearest portion 11.

[0031] Also, assume that the camera 101 detects a pedestrian Y2 in Fig. 3. Based on the pedestrian information PS, the road surface drawing control unit 7 determines that the pedestrian Y2 is located to the front right of the road surface drawing pattern P to be displayed.

[0032] Fig. 6 shows another example of the road surface drawing pattern P. In the example of Fig. 3, pedestrian Y2 is present to the right front of the road surface drawing pattern P, and therefore, of the bright portion 10a illustrated in Fig. 6, the outer edge line facing the right front direction is the nearest portion 11a. By forming a dark portion 20a along the nearest portion 11a, the nearest portion 11a is visually perceived as rising. For this reason, the road surface drawing control unit 7 outputs a drawing signal DS and controls the illuminance of the corresponding light source 5 so that the dark portion 20a is formed along the nearest portion 11a.

[0033] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, by acquiring the positions of pedestrians Y1 and Y2, it is possible to display a road surface drawing pattern P that makes it easier to communicate with the pedestrians. In particular, by making the nearest portion 11, which is the outer edge of the bright portion 10 that is closest to the detected pedestrians Y1 and Y2, rise from the road surface, it is possible to prevent the pedestrians Y1 and Y2 from moving toward the road surface drawing pattern P.

[0034] 4 and 6, the dark portions 20, 20a of the road surface drawing pattern P of this embodiment are outer edge lines that are different from the nearest portions 11, 11a of the light portions 10, 10a, and are illuminated so that the outer edge lines 12, 12a connected to the nearest portions 11, 11a appear to rise from the road surface. For example, the dark portions 20, 20a are formed not only along the nearest portions 11, 11a but also along the outer edge lines 12, 12a.

[0035] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, when viewed from pedestrians Y1 and Y2, the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed so that the closest parts 11 and 11a and the outer edge lines 12 and 12a connected to the closest parts 11 and 11a rise up from the road surface, so that the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed in a more three-dimensional shape.

[0036] In addition, if there are two or more detected pedestrians Y1 and Y2, it is desirable that the road surface drawing pattern P be displayed so that the closest part for the pedestrian Y1 or Y2 with the shorter distance D1 or D2 from the road surface drawing pattern P stands out.

[0037] The road surface drawing control unit 7 may be configured to receive not only the pedestrian information PS but also vehicle information including the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 from the vehicle control unit 102. In the example of Fig. 3, the vehicle 100 is about to travel in a forward right direction to make a right turn. The road surface drawing control unit 7 receives vehicle information indicating that the vehicle 100 is about to travel in a forward right direction from the vehicle control unit 102.

[0038] At this time, the dark portion 20 may be illuminated so that the outer edge line of the bright portion 10 that follows the planned path of the vehicle 100 appears to rise from the road surface, based on vehicle information including the traveling direction of the vehicle 100. In the example of Fig. 3, the vehicle 100 is about to travel in a right forward direction, so it is desirable that the dark portion 20 be formed so as to follow the outer edge line of the bright portion 10 that extends in a right forward direction (the outer edge line that corresponds to the nearest portion 11 in the example of Fig. 4).

[0039] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, the dark areas 20 are illuminated so as to extend along the planned path of the vehicle 100, and therefore the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed so as to rise along the planned path of the vehicle 100. This makes it possible to prevent pedestrians Y1 and Y2 from moving across the planned path of the vehicle 100.

[0040] The area of ​​the formed dark portion 20 may change depending on the level of danger derived based on pedestrian information PS including the positions of pedestrians Y1 and Y2 and vehicle information including at least one of the traveling directions of the vehicle 100.

[0041] An example will be described in which the area of ​​the dark portion 20 changes when the camera 101 detects a pedestrian Y1 in accordance with the risk level indicated based on the pedestrian information PS. Fig. 7 shows examples of road surface drawing patterns P0, P1, and P2 in which the area of ​​the dark portion 20 changes. The road surface drawing control unit 7 derives the risk level from the distance D1 between the road surface drawing pattern P and the pedestrian Y1.

[0042] When the distance D1 between the road surface drawing pattern P and the pedestrian Y1 is sufficiently large, the road surface drawing control unit 7 determines that the risk is sufficiently small, and displays the road surface drawing pattern P0 in which the dark area 20 is not formed.

[0043] When the distance D1 between the road surface drawing pattern P and the pedestrian Y1 becomes shorter, the road surface drawing control unit 7 determines that there is some danger and displays the road surface drawing pattern P1, which has a dark area 20. When the distance D1 between the road surface drawing pattern P and the pedestrian Y1 becomes even shorter, the road surface drawing control unit 7 determines that there is danger and displays the road surface drawing pattern P2, which has a larger area of ​​the dark area 20 than the road surface drawing pattern P1. The road surface drawing pattern P2 is visually perceived as a taller obstacle than the road surface drawing pattern P1.

[0044] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, the area of ​​the illuminated dark portions 20 changes depending on the level of danger derived from the pedestrian information PS and the vehicle information, thereby adjusting the degree to which the pedestrian Y1 pays attention to the road surface drawing pattern P. In particular, the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed so that the area of ​​the dark portions 20 increases as the level of danger increases, thereby preventing the highly dangerous pedestrian Y1 from moving across the road surface drawing pattern P.

[0045] The area of ​​the formed dark portion 20 may change as the time passes while the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed. For example, immediately after the road surface drawing starts to be displayed, no dark portion may be formed like the road surface drawing pattern P0. After that, as the time passes while the road surface drawing is displayed, the road surface drawing pattern P0 may change to the road surface drawing pattern P1 or the road surface drawing pattern P2.

[0046] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, the area of ​​the formed dark portions 20 changes as the time passes while the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed, thereby increasing the attention to the road surface drawing pattern P. For example, even if the display of the road surface drawing pattern P is not immediately noticeable when the display of the road surface drawing pattern P begins, the change in the area of ​​the formed dark portions 20 makes it easier to notice that the road surface drawing pattern P is being displayed.

[0047] As described above, the road surface drawing device 1 is equipped with a plurality of light sources that emit light to become the bright areas 10 and the dark areas 20. The light sources 5 are configured to be able to adjust their illuminance, and are configured to be able to switch between emitting light for the bright areas 10 and emitting light for the dark areas 20 by adjusting the illuminance. This makes it easy to change the positions of the dark areas 20, 20a as shown in Figures 4 and 6, or to change the area of ​​the dark areas 20 as shown in Figure 7.

[0048] (Variation 1) In the present embodiment, the case where the bright portions 10 of the road surface drawing pattern P are rectangular has been described. However, in the present disclosure, the shape of the bright portions 10 is not limited to a rectangle. For example, FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the shape of a bright portion according to Variation 1. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the bright portions 10b may be triangular. In this case, it is desirable that the dark portions 20b be formed along an outer edge line 13 that includes a vertex A that is the most forward-facing edge in the traveling direction of the vehicle 100. More preferably, it is desirable that the dark portions 20b be formed along the outer edge line 13 that includes a vertex A that is the most forward-facing edge in the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 and another outer edge line 14 that is connected to the outer edge line 13.

[0049] 9 and 10 illustrate examples of the shape of a bright portion according to Modification 2. Note that Fig. 9 also illustrates an example of a dark portion 20c that is displayed when the camera 101 detects a pedestrian Y1 (see Fig. 3 ). Fig. 10 also illustrates an example of a dark portion 20d that is displayed when the camera 101 detects a pedestrian Y2.

[0050] 9 and 10, the bright portions 10c and 10d may be arrow-shaped. In this case, the positions at which the dark portions 20c and 20d are formed relative to the bright portions 10c and 10d are determined so that the nearest portions 11c and 11d, which are the outer edges of the bright portions 10c and 10d closest to the detected pedestrians Y1 and Y2, appear to rise from the road surface. Furthermore, it is desirable that the dark portions 20c and 20d are displayed so that the outer edges 12c and 12d of the bright portions 10c and 10d, which connect at an obtuse angle to the nearest portions 11c and 11d, appear to rise from the road surface.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 9, pedestrian Y1 is located to the right rear of the road surface pattern P, and therefore the outer edge line of the bright portion 10c facing the right rear direction is the nearest portion 11c. The dark portion 20c is formed along the nearest portion 11c, so that the nearest portion 11c is perceived as rising up. Furthermore, the dark portion 20c is formed along the outer edge line 12c of the bright portion 10c, which is connected to the nearest portion 11c at an obtuse angle, so that the outer edge line 12c is perceived as rising up.

[0052] 10 , pedestrian Y2 is located to the right and forward of the road surface pattern P, and therefore the outer edge line of the bright portion 10d that faces the right and forward direction is the nearest portion 11d. A dark portion 20d is formed along the nearest portion 11d, which causes the nearest portion 11d to be perceived as rising up. Furthermore, a dark portion 20d is formed along the outer edge line 12d of the bright portion 10d that is connected to the nearest portion 11d at an obtuse angle, which causes the outer edge line 12d to be perceived as rising up.

[0053] Even in the road surface drawing pattern P having the arrow-shaped bright portions 10c, 10d as in the second modification, the dark portions 20c, 20d are displayed along the outer edges of the bright portions 10c, 10d, so that the road surface drawing pattern P appears to other drivers as a three-dimensional obstacle. This can prompt other drivers to take immediate, instinctive action, such as stopping to avoid a collision with the three-dimensional obstacle.

[0054] Furthermore, as illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, the closest parts 11c and 11d, which are the outer edge lines of the bright parts 10c and 10d that are close to the detected pedestrians Y1 and Y2, rise up from the road surface, thereby preventing pedestrians Y1 and Y2 from moving closer in the direction of the road surface drawing pattern P.

[0055] Furthermore, in the road surface drawing pattern P of variant example 2, when viewed from pedestrians Y1 and Y2, the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed so that the closest parts 11c and 11d and the outer edge lines 12c and 12d connected to the closest parts 11c and 11d rise from the road surface, so that the road surface drawing pattern P is displayed in a more three-dimensional shape.

[0056] As illustrated in FIG. 9, dark areas 20c may be formed not only along the nearest portion 11c and the outer edge line 12c connected to the nearest portion 11c, but also along the outer edge line 15 that is not connected to either the nearest portion 11c or the outer edge line 12c.

[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 10, a dark portion 20d may be formed along the nearest portion 11d and the two outer edge lines 12d.

[0058] Furthermore, if the road surface drawing pattern P appears as a three-dimensional obstacle, the dark portions 20c and 20d may be displayed so that the outer edge lines of the bright portions 10c and 10d that are connected at an acute angle to the nearest portions 11c and 11d are raised.

[0059] Second Embodiment Next, an example of highlighting of a road surface drawing pattern P in a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 11 illustrates an example of a road surface drawing pattern P according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the dark areas 20 are formed along the outer edge lines 16 that extend in the irradiation direction of the light areas 10.

[0060] The "outer edge line 16 extending in the irradiation direction of the bright portion 10" is the outer edge line that intersects with the irradiation direction at the smallest angle. In the example of Fig. 3, the irradiation direction is the forward direction, so in the example of Fig. 11, the outer edge line extending in the right-forward direction in the bright portion 10 is the "outer edge line 16 extending in the irradiation direction of the bright portion 10." Therefore, the dark portion 20 is formed along the outer edge line 16 extending in the right-forward direction, which is the irradiation direction of the bright portion 10.

[0061] When the distance D1 between the road surface drawing pattern P and the pedestrian Y1 is large, the road surface drawing pattern P may appear thin to the pedestrian Y1, making it difficult for the pedestrian Y1 to notice the road surface drawing pattern P. However, increasing the area of ​​the bright portion 10 increases the manufacturing cost of the road surface drawing device 1.

[0062] In the road surface drawing device 1 of this embodiment, the dark areas 20 are illuminated in the illumination direction of the bright areas 10, so the road surface drawing pattern P expands in the width direction, which is the direction intersecting the illumination direction, improving visibility for distant pedestrians Y1. Because the bright areas 10 themselves do not expand, improved visibility can be achieved while suppressing costs such as increasing the number of light sources that emit light for the bright areas 10.

[0063] 11, in the road surface pattern P, a gap S may be formed between the light portion 10 and the dark portion 20. This makes the pattern of the light portion 10 more visible.

[0064] The gap between the bright portion 10 and the dark portion 20 may also be formed in the road surface pattern P according to the first embodiment.

[0065] 12 and 13 show another example of the road surface drawing pattern P according to the second embodiment. In the road surface drawing pattern P shown in Fig. 12, the bright portion 10 is made up of three separate rectangular patterns. In this case, the dark portion 20 may also be displayed as a single pattern.

[0066] 13, the bright portion 10 is made up of three separate arrow patterns. In this case, the dark portion 20 may also be displayed as a single pattern.

[0067] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. The present embodiment is an example of the present disclosure, and is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be freely modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, numerical values, form, number, placement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and not limited as long as the present disclosure can be achieved.

[0068] The road surface drawing device 1 does not necessarily have to be mounted only on the vehicle 100. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 3, a traffic light 200 may be equipped with a road surface drawing device 201 that displays a road surface drawing pattern P.

[0069] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-141246 filed on August 31, 2023, and incorporates by reference all the contents of the above application.

Claims

1. A road surface drawing device that displays a road surface drawing pattern on a road surface, the road surface drawing pattern comprising a bright portion and a dark portion that is illuminated along at least a portion of the bright portion and has a lower brightness than the bright portion.

2. A road surface drawing device as described in claim 1, wherein the road surface drawing pattern is configured in such a way that it appears to be high to other road users by combining the light areas and the dark areas.

3. A road surface drawing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the dark areas are illuminated so that the nearest parts, which are the outer edges of the bright areas closest to detected pedestrians, appear to rise up from the road surface, based on pedestrian information including the position of the pedestrian.

4. A road surface drawing device according to claim 3, wherein the dark portion is an outer edge line different from the nearest portion in the bright portion, and the outer edge line connected to the nearest portion is illuminated so as to appear to rise from the road surface.

5. A road surface drawing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the dark areas are illuminated based on vehicle information including the vehicle's traveling direction so that the outer edge lines of the bright areas along the planned course of the vehicle appear to rise from the road surface.

6. A road surface drawing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the area of ​​the dark area formed changes according to the level of danger derived based on pedestrian information including the position of the pedestrian and vehicle information including the direction of travel of the vehicle.

7. A road surface drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the area of ​​the dark portion that is formed changes according to the lapse of time during which the road surface drawing pattern is displayed.

8. A road surface drawing device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a plurality of light sources that emit light to become the bright areas and the dark areas, the light sources being configured to be able to adjust their illuminance, and being able to switch between emitting light to the bright areas and emitting light to the dark areas by adjusting the illuminance.

9. A road surface drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the dark areas are formed along outer edge lines extending in the irradiation direction of the bright areas.

10. A road surface drawing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein gaps are formed between the bright areas and the dark areas in the road surface drawing pattern.

Images