Drawing control device

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a drawing control device that makes it possible to improve visibility of the behavior of a vehicle for a traffic participant. A drawing control device according to the present disclosure comprises: a surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit that receives behavior information related to the travel direction of a surrounding vehicle present in the surroundings of a host vehicle, and detects a behavior related to the travel direction of the surrounding vehicle; a behavior match determination unit that determines whether the behavior related to the travel direction of the surrounding vehicle matches a behavior related to the travel direction of the host vehicle; and a road surface drawing optimization unit that, when the behavior related to the travel direction of the surrounding vehicle matches the behavior related to the travel direction of the host vehicle, outputs a drawing instruction signal for instructing drawing of a guide line indicating that the behaviors match on a sideward road surface on the behavior-direction side of the host vehicle.

Description

Drawing control device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drawing control device that controls road surface drawing to notify surrounding areas of the behavior of a vehicle in its traveling direction.

[0002] A technology has been disclosed in which, when multiple vehicles are traveling in a convoy, vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology is used to simultaneously control the lighting of the headlights, taillights, and displays installed on the bodies of the vehicles participating in the convoy, thereby improving awareness of the overall behavior of the convoy (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, a technology has been disclosed that improves the visibility of the vehicle's behavior from outside by flashing the vehicle's turn indicators in sync with or in the opposite phase to the flashing cycle of the turn indicators of the preceding vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] International Publication No. 2019 / 073552 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-103686

[0005] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, when a vehicle that is performing lighting control shifts its position laterally relative to the line of vehicles in the traveling direction, the lights of the vehicle may become difficult to see from the surroundings. In this way, in the past, depending on the position of the vehicle, the lights of the vehicle may become difficult to see, and visibility of the vehicle's behavior for traffic participants such as pedestrians was not good, leaving room for improvement.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a rendering control device that can improve the visibility of vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the drawing control device according to the present disclosure includes a surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit that receives behavior information related to the traveling direction of surrounding vehicles present around the host vehicle and detects the behavior related to the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicles, a behavior consistency determination unit that determines whether the behavior related to the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicles matches the behavior related to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and a road surface drawing optimization unit that outputs a drawing instruction signal that instructs drawing a guideline indicating that the behavior matches on the road surface on the side of the host vehicle in the behavior direction when the behavior related to the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicles matches the behavior related to the traveling direction of the host vehicle.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the visibility of vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0009] The objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drawing control device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the drawing control device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of drawing of a guide line according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of drawing of a guide line according to modified example 5 of embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drawing control device according to modified example 8 of embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of drawing of a guide line and a turn signal line according to modified example 9 of embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of drawing of a guide line according to modified example 10 of embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of drawing of a guide according to modified example 11 of embodiment 1. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a drawing control device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a drawing control device according to embodiment 1.

[0011] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drawing control device 1 according to embodiment 1. The drawing control device 1 includes a surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2, a behavior consistency determination unit 3, and a road surface drawing optimization unit 4. The drawing control device 1 is also connected to an image capture device 5, an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) 6, and a projection device 7 so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0012] The surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 receives behavior information related to the traveling direction of surrounding vehicles around the host vehicle and detects the behavior of the surrounding vehicles related to the traveling direction. Specifically, the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 acquires imaging information (images or videos) of surrounding vehicles around the host vehicle from the imaging device 5, and detects the behavior of the surrounding vehicles related to the traveling direction by detecting the blinking state of the turn signals of the surrounding vehicles based on the acquired imaging information. The blinking state of the turn signals of the surrounding vehicles can be detected by image processing of the imaging information. Here, behavior related to the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicles includes the surrounding vehicles traveling straight, turning right or left, changing lanes, entering a branch road from a main road, changing course or lanes at an interchange (IC) or junction (JCT), and entering a road branching off a main road. The same applies to the behavior of the host vehicle. The surrounding vehicles include preceding vehicles traveling ahead of the vehicle, following vehicles traveling behind the vehicle, and side vehicles traveling to the side of the vehicle, including in lanes adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0013] The image capturing device 5 captures images of surrounding vehicles. The image capturing device 5 may be a single camera or multiple cameras installed in front of the vehicle. The image capturing device 5 may be a rear camera, a side camera, or any other type of camera capable of capturing images of surrounding vehicles.

[0014] The behavior consistency determination unit 3 determines whether the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in the traveling direction matches the behavior of the host vehicle in the traveling direction. Specifically, the behavior consistency determination unit 3 acquires information about in-vehicle devices of the host vehicle via the in-vehicle LAN 6. The information about the in-vehicle devices includes information about whether the left and right turn signals of the host vehicle are on or off. The behavior consistency determination unit 3 determines whether the blinking state of the turn signals of the surrounding vehicle matches the blinking state of the turn signal of the host vehicle. For example, when the right turn signal of the surrounding vehicle is blinking and the right turn signal of the host vehicle is also blinking, the behavior consistency determination unit 3 determines that the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in the traveling direction matches the behavior of the host vehicle in the traveling direction.

[0015] The in-vehicle LAN 6 is connected to in-vehicle devices of the vehicle itself, and transmits information output from the in-vehicle devices to the behavior matching determination unit 3 .

[0016] When the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in the traveling direction and the behavior of the host vehicle in the traveling direction match, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 outputs a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 to instruct the projection device 7 to draw a guideline indicating the match on the road surface to the side of the host vehicle in the behavior direction. At this time, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 determines the form of the guideline.

[0017] The projection device 7 projects the guide lines onto the road surface in accordance with the drawing instruction signal input from the road surface drawing optimization unit 4. That is, the projection device 7 draws the guide lines on the road surface.

[0018] <Operation> Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the imaging control device 1. It should be noted that the operation of Fig. 2 is executed, for example, at regular intervals (for example, every 100 ms).

[0019] In step S1 , the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 acquires image information of surrounding vehicles from the image capture device 5 .

[0020] In step S2, the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 detects the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in the traveling direction by detecting the blinking state of the turn signal of the surrounding vehicle based on the acquired image information. At this time, the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 may detect the on / off cycle or timing of the turn signal of the surrounding vehicle.

[0021] In step S3, the behavior agreement determination unit 3 compares the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in the traveling direction detected by the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 with the behavior of the host vehicle in the traveling direction acquired via the in-vehicle LAN 6, and determines whether there is a surrounding vehicle whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle. If there is a surrounding vehicle whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if there is no surrounding vehicle whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0022] In step S4, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 formulates the form of the guideline. Specifically, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 formulates a linear guideline having the same length as the overall length of the host vehicle so as to be drawn on the road surface in the direction of the host vehicle's behavior and a predetermined distance from the side of the host vehicle (for example, 30 cm from the side of the host vehicle). Note that the guideline is not limited to a straight line, and may be a dotted line, a dashed line, or any other shape.

[0023] In step S5, the projection device 7 draws a guide line on the road surface on the side of the vehicle in the direction of vehicle behavior in accordance with the drawing instruction signal input from the road surface drawing optimization unit 4. Hereinafter, the drawing of a guide line by the projection device 7 may be expressed as "the vehicle drawing a guide line."

[0024] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of drawing guidelines. It is assumed that the lead vehicle P1 and the vehicles P2 to P4 are each equipped with the drawing control device 1 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, the lead vehicle P1 and all of the vehicles P2 to P4 are turning left at an intersection, and each of the lead vehicle P1 and the vehicles P2 to P4 has a guide line GL1 to GL4 drawn on the road surface on the left side of the vehicle (on the side in the direction of movement). In addition, each of the lead vehicle P1 and the vehicles P2 to P4 has its left turn signal flashing.

[0025] In FIG. 3, for example, when the vehicle P3 goes straight through the intersection, the guide line GL3 is not drawn on the side of the vehicle P3.

[0026] The surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 detects the blinking state of the turn signals of surrounding vehicles through image processing. In this case, the blinking state of the turn signals of surrounding vehicles in front of and behind the host vehicle can be reliably detected, but the blinking state of the turn signals of surrounding vehicles further away may not be detected. For example, when vehicles P1 to P5 are present, vehicle P3 is traveling straight through an intersection, and vehicles P1, P2, P4, and P5 are turning left at the intersection, vehicle P4 may be affected by vehicle P3 and be unable to detect the blinking state of vehicles P1 and P2. In this case, vehicle P4 may detect that vehicle P5's behavior is consistent with its own vehicle and draw a guide line on the road surface to its left side as the leading vehicle in the group of left-turning vehicles. Note that if vehicle P5 is not present, vehicle P4 determines that it is turning left alone and does not draw a guide line.

[0027] If all vehicles are turning left at an intersection, guidelines are drawn on the road surface to the left of all vehicles. Also, if there are vehicles turning right and vehicles turning left, there will be a group of vehicles that draw guidelines on the road surface to the right of the vehicle and a group of vehicles that draw guidelines on the road surface to the left of the vehicle, depending on the direction of the turn. In this case, if there is only one vehicle turning right, no guidelines are drawn on the road surface to the right of that vehicle. The same applies if there is only one vehicle turning left.

[0028] When a right or left turn is possible from one lane, or when a lane can be changed into an adjacent lane on the left or right, a guideline drawn on the right side of the vehicle and a guideline drawn on the left side of the vehicle are mixed. In this case, for example, if the leading vehicle of a group of left-turning vehicles is located behind the leading vehicle of a group of right-turning vehicles, the leading vehicle of the left-turning vehicle group may be drawn with a guideline that is different in style from the guideline drawn by the leading vehicle of the group of right-turning vehicles. In other words, when both left and right turn signals are flashing, the style of the guideline drawn on the road surface on the left and right may be changed.

[0029] In step S6, if there is no surrounding vehicle whose behavior matches the host vehicle's behavior, drawing of the guide lines is terminated.

[0030] In step S7, the behavior agreement determination unit 3 determines whether or not the turn signal operation of the host vehicle has been completed based on the information acquired via the in-vehicle LAN 6. If the turn signal operation of the host vehicle has been completed, the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the turn signal operation of the host vehicle has not been completed, the process returns to step S1.

[0031] In step S8, the drawing control device 1 ends drawing of the guideline.

[0032] In the above description, the guide lines are drawn only on the sides of the vehicle in the direction of the vehicle's movement, but this is not limiting. For example, the guide lines may be drawn on both sides of the vehicle. In this case, the salience of the guide lines drawn on the side opposite the direction of the vehicle's movement may be reduced.

[0033] <Effects> According to the first embodiment, guidelines indicating the behavior direction of a group of vehicles with matching behavior are projected in the same manner onto the road surface to the side of the vehicle, thereby improving the visibility of vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0034] <Modification 1> In the first embodiment, the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 detects the blinking state of the turn signals of the surrounding vehicles by processing the image information of the surrounding vehicles acquired from the image capture device 5, but this is not limited to this. The image capture device 5 may have a function for processing the captured image information. In this case, the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 acquires information indicating the blinking state of the turn signals of the surrounding vehicles from the image capture device 5.

[0035] <Effects> Modification 1 provides the same effects as those of embodiment 1. Furthermore, as the image capturing device 5, an existing surroundings detection device having an image processing function can be used.

[0036] <Modification 2> In the first embodiment, the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 performs image processing on the image information of the surrounding vehicle acquired from the image capture device 5 to detect the flashing state of the turn signal of the surrounding vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A V2X communication device, such as a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device, may be provided instead of the image capture device 5, and surrounding vehicle information may be acquired from the surrounding vehicle using the V2X communication device. The surrounding vehicle information includes turn signal information (information indicating the lighting state of the turn signal), position information, vehicle ID, etc. The surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 extracts necessary information from the surrounding vehicle information. The surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 can detect the relative position of the surrounding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle based on the position information of the surrounding vehicle and the position information of the host vehicle. The position information of the host vehicle may be acquired via the in-vehicle LAN 6.

[0037] The surrounding vehicle information may be acquired by road-to-vehicle communication instead of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2 may acquire information from both the V2X communication device and the image capture device 5. In this case, the behavior of the surrounding vehicles can be detected with high accuracy.

[0038] <Effects> Modification 2 provides the same effects as those of embodiment 1. In particular, since vehicle-to-vehicle communication is essential for platooning, V2X communication devices can be used when platooning. The hardware assets of a high-precision locator system equipped with a V2X communication device can be utilized.

[0039] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to detect the behavior of surrounding vehicles that cannot be detected depending on the positional relationship between the image capturing device 5 and surrounding vehicles as in the first embodiment and the first modified example.

[0040] <Variation 3> In the first embodiment, the positions of the guide lines established by the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 have been described as being positions that are a predetermined distance to the side of the host vehicle as a base point, but this is not limited to this. The road surface drawing optimization unit 4 may adjust the offset position so that the lateral (lane width direction) position of the guide line drawn by the host vehicle matches the lateral position of the guide line drawn by the surrounding vehicle (surrounding vehicle guide line). Note that the lateral position of the guide line drawn by the surrounding vehicle may be detected by the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2.

[0041] 3, the lateral position of the guide line GL3 drawn by the vehicle P3 does not match the lateral positions of the guide lines GL2 and GL4 drawn by the vehicles P2 and P4, respectively. Therefore, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 shifts the lateral position of the guide line GL3 to the left so that it matches the lateral positions of the guide lines GL2 and GL4.

[0042] The lateral position of the guideline GL3 may be a position a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 cm) away from the lane boundary line, or the position of the guideline drawn by the preceding vehicle, or the position of the guideline drawn at the extreme end (closest to the boundary line) within the lane.

[0043] In addition, if the vehicle is equipped with the V2X communication device described in variant example 2, the drawing control device 1 may obtain information regarding the position of the guidelines drawn from surrounding vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication via the V2X communication device.

[0044] <Effects> According to the third modification, the horizontal positions of the guide lines drawn by each of the plurality of vehicles are aligned, which makes it possible to improve the visibility of the vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0045] In Modification 3, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 may not draw a guideline when the distance (lateral distance) between the guideline drawn by the surrounding vehicle and the side of the host vehicle is within a predetermined distance. In this case, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 outputs a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 instructing not to draw a guideline.

[0046] <Effects> In Modification 3, when aligning the guideline drawn by the vehicle with the guideline drawn by the surrounding vehicle, if the distance between the guideline drawn by the surrounding vehicle and the side of the vehicle is too close, the guideline must be drawn very close to the side of the vehicle. However, depending on the vehicle model, the drawing of the guideline may be obstructed by a bulge in the body. In such cases, prohibiting the drawing of the guideline can prevent the guideline from being drawn unnecessarily.

[0047] <Modification 5> In Modification 3, the guide line drawn by the own vehicle may be connected to the guide lines drawn by surrounding vehicles in front of and behind the own vehicle (see FIG. 4).

[0048] <Effects> The sense of unity of the guidelines is further enhanced compared to Modification 3, so it is possible to further improve the visibility of vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0049] <Variation 6> In Variation 5, when multiple vehicles are engaged in some form of cooperative driving such as platooning, following, or group driving, the guidelines drawn by each vehicle engaged in cooperative driving may be connected, while the guidelines drawn by vehicles that behave the same but are not engaged in cooperative driving may not be connected.

[0050] Specifically, when the host vehicle is traveling cooperatively with at least one surrounding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 outputs a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 to instruct the projection device 7 to draw a guideline that connects to the guideline drawn by the surrounding vehicle. In accordance with the drawing instruction signal, the projection device 7 draws the guideline on the road surface that connects to the guideline drawn by the surrounding vehicle.

[0051] <Effects> According to Modification 6, traffic participants can determine whether or not a group of vehicles is driving cooperatively. For example, because guidelines are drawn as continuous lines between each vehicle driving in a convoy, traffic participants can easily recognize the group of vehicles as a continuous convoy.

[0052] In addition, a group of vehicles that are driving cooperatively may have guidelines drawn on both sides of the vehicle. In this case, the effect of increasing the sense of unity of the group of vehicles that are driving cooperatively is obtained. Of the guidelines drawn on both sides of the vehicle, emphasizing the guideline on the side of the vehicle that is in the direction of movement is effective in making it easier to understand the behavior of the group of vehicles that are driving cooperatively.

[0053] If a surrounding vehicle traveling in a convoy with the host vehicle does not have the function of drawing guidelines, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 may output a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 instructing the projection device 7 to draw guidelines on the road surface to the side of the surrounding vehicle. The projection device 7 draws the guidelines on the road surface to the side of the surrounding vehicle in accordance with the drawing instruction signal. In this way, if a surrounding vehicle traveling in a convoy does not have the function of drawing guidelines, or if the function of drawing guidelines of the surrounding vehicle is malfunctioning, the drawing control device 1 of the host vehicle can draw the guidelines instead of the surrounding vehicle.

[0054] <Variation 7> The guidelines drawn by the projection device 7 may be in a form that changes over time. Specifically, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 outputs a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 to instruct the projection device 7 to flash the guidelines so that they change regularly over time and to coordinate the timing of drawing flashing guidelines of surrounding vehicles whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle so that they change regularly over time. In accordance with the drawing instruction signal, the projection device 7 draws the guidelines on the road surface in coordination with the timing of drawing the guidelines from the surrounding vehicles.

[0055] 3, assume that the lead vehicle P1 is drawing a guideline GL1 that flashes repeatedly with a flashing period Tg of Tg / 2 on and the remaining Tg / 2 off. If the flashing function of the guideline GL1 is Gp1(t) and the flashing function of the guideline GLn (n = 2 to 4) is Gpn(t), then examples of projection coordination can be considered as "perfect synchronization," "inverse synchronization," and "wave coordination."

[0056] Perfect synchronization means that the guidelines drawn by all vehicles flash at the same time. In this case, the following equation (1) holds: Gpn(t) = Gp1(t) | n = 2 to 4 (1)

[0057] Inverted synchronization means that the guidelines drawn by the front and rear vehicles flash in inverted order at the same time. For example, when the front vehicle draws a guideline, the guideline drawn by the rear vehicle disappears at the same time, and when the guideline drawn by the front vehicle disappears, the rear vehicle draws a guideline at the same time. In this case, the following equations (2) to (4) hold true. Gp2(t) = -Gp1(t) ... (2) Gp3(t) = Gp1(t) ... (3) Gp4(t) = -Gp1(t) ... (4)

[0058] Wave coordination refers to the process of staggering the timing at which each vehicle draws its guide line, causing the guide line to flash from front to back. In this case, the following equation (5) holds: Gpn(t) = Gp1(t - (n - 1) · Δt) | n = 2 to 4 ... (5)

[0059] In equation (5), Δt is, for example, Tg / 8. Also, the guide line may be blinked so as to move from back to front.

[0060] In the above-described coordination, the color tone of the guideline may be changed over time, the thickness, length or shape of the guideline may be changed periodically, or the guideline may be changed arbitrarily.

[0061] In the above-mentioned cooperation, any vehicle may be used as the reference, but if the vehicle is the leading vehicle, it may formulate its own blinking function, and if the vehicle is not the leading vehicle, it may have the blinking function of the vehicle immediately preceding it emphasize it.

[0062] In the above coordination, it is desirable to adjust the lateral position of the guide line as in the third modification.

[0063] The guidelines may be drawn on both sides of the vehicle, not just on one side. In this case, the guidelines drawn on the side opposite to the direction of the vehicle's movement may be made less conspicuous by not flashing, for example.

[0064] <Effect> According to variant example 7, by emphasizing the blinking cycle of the guidelines drawn by each vehicle with matching behavior, they behave as if one large blinking guideline, making it possible to improve the visibility of the behavior of the group of vehicles to traffic participants.

[0065] <Modification 8> Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drawing control device 8 according to Modification 8. The drawing control device 8 is characterized by including a turn signal optimization unit 9. The drawing control device 8 is also connected to a turn signal device 10. Other configurations are the same as those of the drawing control device 1 according to embodiment 1 (see Fig. 1), and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0066] The turn signal optimization unit 9 outputs a turn signal instruction signal to the turn signal device 10 to instruct the turn signal device 10 to synchronize the blinking cycle of the turn signal of the host vehicle with the blinking cycle of the turn signal of a surrounding vehicle whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle. The turn signal device 10 blinks the turn signal of the host vehicle in accordance with the turn signal instruction signal so as to synchronize with the blinking cycle of the turn signal of the surrounding vehicle.

[0067] For example, if the blinking period of the turn signal of vehicle P1 is Ts and the on and off blinking waveform is Sp1(t), the blinking waveform Spn(t) of "vehicle Pn|n=2 to 4" may be completely synchronized by setting Spn(t) = Sp1(t).

[0068] Furthermore, the blinking cycle Tg of the guideline described in Modification Example 7 may be synchronized with the blinking cycle Ts of the turn signal (Tg=Ts). In this case, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 outputs a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 to instruct the synchronization of the blinking cycle of the guideline with the blinking cycle of the turn signal. The projection device 7 draws the guideline on the road surface so as to be synchronized with the blinking cycle of the turn signal.

[0069] Alternatively, the blinking period Tg of the guideline and the blinking period Ts of the turn signal may be set to be the same, and the timing at which the guideline is drawn and the timing at which the turn signal is turned on may be shifted. In this case, the relationship may be such that Gp1(t) = Sp1(t - Δt).

[0070] <Effects> According to the eighth modification, by coordinating the blinking cycle of the turn signal with the blinking cycle of the guide line, it is possible to improve the visibility of the vehicle's behavior to traffic participants.

[0071] <Modification 9> In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which a turn signal is drawn on the road surface to the side of the vehicle in the direction of movement. However, a turn signal line indicating the direction of movement may also be drawn near the turn signal.

[0072] Specifically, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 outputs a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 to instruct the projection device 7 to draw turn signal lines in addition to the guide lines.

[0073] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the drawing of guide lines and turn signal lines. In Fig. 6, the lead vehicle P1 has a guide line GL1 and a turn signal line SL1 drawn on the road surface to the left of the vehicle. The same applies to the other vehicles P2 to P4. Note that in the example of Fig. 6, all vehicles have drawn guide lines and turn signal lines, but it is sufficient that at least the lead vehicle draws guide lines and turn signal lines.

[0074] The turn signal lines may be animated as arrows moving from the front toward the direction of movement. As described in the seventh modification, the turn signal lines may flash in coordination with the flashing cycle of the guide lines.

[0075] <Effects> According to the ninth modification, by drawing turn signal lines in addition to guidelines, it is possible to improve the visibility of vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0076] <Variation 10> In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which guidelines are drawn when there is a surrounding vehicle whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle, but the surrounding vehicle may be limited to only surrounding vehicles traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle.

[0077] Specifically, when there is at least one surrounding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle traveling on and whose behavior matches that of the vehicle traveling on the same lane, the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 outputs a drawing instruction signal to the projection device 7 instructing it to draw a guideline.

[0078] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of drawing guidelines according to Modification 10. In Fig. 7, of the four lanes on each side of the road, the two lanes on the left are left-turn lanes, the second lane from the right is a straight-through lane, and the first lane from the right is a right-turn lane.

[0079] Four vehicles, including the lead vehicle P1, are present in the first lane from the left, and a series of guide lines GLp is drawn between the four vehicles. Three vehicles, including the lead vehicle Q1, are present in the second lane from the left, and a series of guide lines GLq is drawn between the three vehicles. Furthermore, two vehicles, including the lead vehicle V1, are present in the first lane from the right, and a series of guide lines GLv is drawn between the two vehicles.

[0080] The modes (color tone, shape, and blinking cycle) of the guideline groups GLp, GLq, and GLv may be different from one another. For example, the leftmost lane may be used as a reference, and the modes of the guidelines drawn by vehicles in other lanes may be changed so that they differ from the guidelines drawn by vehicles in that lane.

[0081] Note that the two vehicles including the leading vehicle R1 do not turn right or left, so no guide lines are drawn for them.

[0082] <Effects> According to the tenth modification, the guidelines indicating the behavior direction of a group of vehicles are differentiated for each lane, which makes it possible to improve the visibility of vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0083] <Modification 11> In a situation where surrounding vehicles have their turn signals on and are drawing guidelines, if the host vehicle has its turn signals off, the host vehicle may draw guidelines that differ in style from the guidelines drawn by the surrounding vehicles.

[0084] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of guide drawing according to Modification 11. In Fig. 8, since the lead vehicle P1 and vehicles P2 and P4 are turning left, guidelines GL1, GL2, and GL4 are drawn on the road surface on the left side of each vehicle P1, P2, and P4. On the other hand, since vehicle P3 is traveling straight, a guide G3 is drawn surrounding vehicle P3. Note that the guidelines GL1, GL2, and GL4 drawn by the lead vehicle P1 and vehicles P2 and P4 may be made to flash, while the guide G3 drawn by vehicle P3 may not flash.

[0085] It is desirable that the eleventh modification be implemented for vehicles traveling in the same lane, as in the tenth modification.

[0086] Furthermore, the operation of the drawing control device according to the modification 11 differs from step S7 in Fig. 2 described in embodiment 1. In the modification 11, in step S7, the guide G3 shown in Fig. 8 is drawn.

[0087] <Effects> According to the eleventh modification, the guidelines of vehicles with different behaviors can be distinguished, which makes it possible to improve the visibility of vehicle behavior for traffic participants.

[0088] <Hardware Configuration> The functions of the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2, the behavior consistency determination unit 3, and the road surface rendering optimization unit 4 in the rendering control device 1 described in the first embodiment are realized by a processing circuit. That is, the rendering control device 1 includes a processing circuit for detecting the behavior of surrounding vehicles in their traveling direction, determining whether the behavior of the surrounding vehicles in their traveling direction matches the behavior of the host vehicle, and outputting a rendering instruction signal that instructs the rendering of a guide line on the road surface to the side of the host vehicle in the direction of its behavior when the behavior of the surrounding vehicles matches. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, or may be a processor (also referred to as a CPU, central processing unit, processing device, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in a memory.

[0089] 9 , the processing circuit 20 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. The functions of the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2, the behavior consistency determination unit 3, and the road surface drawing optimization unit 4 may be realized by the processing circuit 20 individually, or these functions may be realized together by a single processing circuit 20.

[0090] When the processing circuit 20 is the processor 30 shown in FIG. 10 , the functions of the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2, the behavior consistency determination unit 3, and the road surface rendering optimization unit 4 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 31. The processor 30 realizes each function by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 31. That is, the rendering control device 1 includes the memory 31 for storing a program that ultimately executes the steps of detecting the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in its traveling direction, determining whether the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in its traveling direction matches the behavior of the host vehicle in its traveling direction, and outputting a rendering instruction signal that instructs the drawing of a guide line on the road surface on the side of the host vehicle in the behavior direction when the behavior of the surrounding vehicle matches the behavior of the host vehicle. It can also be said that these programs cause a computer to execute the procedures or methods of the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2, the behavior consistency determination unit 3, and the road surface rendering optimization unit 4. Here, the memory may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or any storage medium that will be used in the future.

[0091] In addition, with regard to the functions of the surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit 2, the behavior consistency judgment unit 3, and the road surface drawing optimization unit 4, some functions may be realized by dedicated hardware, and other functions may be realized by software or firmware.

[0092] Thus, the processing circuitry can implement each of the above-described functions through hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0093] Furthermore, within the scope of the present disclosure, the embodiments may be modified or omitted as appropriate.

[0094] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all respects and is not restrictive. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned.

[0095] 1 Drawing control device, 2 Surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit, 3 Behavior matching determination unit, 4 Road surface drawing optimization unit, 5 Imaging device, 6 In-vehicle LAN, 7 Projection device, 8 Drawing control device, 9 Turn signal optimization unit, 10 Turn signal device, 20 Processing circuit, 30 Processor, 31 Memory.

Claims

1. A drawing control device comprising: a surrounding vehicle behavior detection unit that receives behavior information related to the traveling direction of surrounding vehicles present around the host vehicle and detects the behavior related to the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicles; a behavior consistency determination unit that determines whether the behavior related to the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicles matches the behavior related to the traveling direction of the host vehicle; and a road surface drawing optimization unit that, when the behavior related to the traveling direction of the surrounding vehicles matches the behavior related to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, outputs a drawing instruction signal that instructs drawing a guideline indicating the behavior matches on the road surface on the side of the host vehicle in the behavior direction.

2. The drawing control device according to claim 1, wherein the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal that instructs the guideline to flash so as to change regularly over time, and to coordinate the timing of drawing the flashing guideline of the surrounding vehicle whose behavior is the same as that of the subject vehicle with the timing of drawing the guideline that changes regularly over time.

3. A drawing control device as described in claim 2, further comprising a turn signal optimization unit that outputs a turn signal instruction signal that instructs the blinking period of the turn signal of the vehicle to be synchronized with the blinking period of the turn signal of the surrounding vehicle whose behavior is the same as that of the vehicle, and the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal that instructs the blinking period of the guide line to be synchronized with the blinking period of the turn signal.

4. The drawing control device according to claim 1, wherein the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal instructing the drawing of a turn signal line indicating the direction of movement of the vehicle in addition to the guideline.

5. A drawing control device as described in claim 4, wherein when there is at least one surrounding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle and whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle, the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal instructing the host vehicle to draw the turn signal line when the host vehicle is in the lead.

6. The drawing control device according to claim 1, wherein the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal instructing the drawing of the guideline at a position a predetermined distance in the lane width direction from the edge of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, or so that the position in the lane width direction matches the position of a surrounding vehicle guideline drawn on the road surface to the side of the vehicle's direction of movement by the surrounding vehicle preceding the vehicle in the same lane as the vehicle.

7. A drawing control device as described in claim 6, wherein the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal instructing not to draw the guideline when the distance between the guideline drawn from the surrounding vehicle and the side of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance.

8. A drawing control device as described in claim 6, wherein when the vehicle is driving in cooperation with at least one surrounding vehicle that is driving in the same lane as the vehicle, the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal that instructs the drawing of the guideline so that it connects to the surrounding vehicle guideline drawn from the surrounding vehicle.

9. A drawing control device as described in claim 6, wherein when the host vehicle is driving in cooperation with at least one surrounding vehicle that is driving in the same lane as the host vehicle, the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal to instruct the surrounding vehicle to draw the guideline on the road surface to the side of the surrounding vehicle when the surrounding vehicle guideline is not drawn from the surrounding vehicle.

10. A drawing control device as described in claim 1, wherein when there is at least one surrounding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle and whose behavior matches that of the host vehicle, the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal instructing the drawing of the guideline.

11. A drawing control device as described in claim 1, wherein when the surrounding vehicle traveling in a lane different from the lane in which the vehicle is traveling draws surrounding vehicle guidelines on the road surface to the side of the vehicle's direction of movement, the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal instructing the drawing of the guidelines in a manner different from the surrounding vehicle guidelines.

12. A drawing control device as described in claim 1, wherein when the surrounding vehicle draws surrounding vehicle guidelines on the road surface to the side of its own direction of behavior, and the behavior of the surrounding vehicle in its traveling direction differs from the behavior of the host vehicle in its traveling direction, the road surface drawing optimization unit outputs the drawing instruction signal instructing the drawing of a guide in a manner different from the surrounding vehicle guidelines.

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