Rear-view mirror having automatic mode switching function and control method therefor

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function and a control method therefor. A rear-view mirror according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a rear camera and an indoor camera. While driving, the rear-view mirror captures a rear image including the appearance of a vehicle travelling behind the vehicle using the rear camera and outputs the captured rear image through a display; while stopped, the rear-view mirror captures a rear seat image inside the vehicle using the indoor camera and outputs the captured rear seat image through the display; and when driving resumes, the rear-view mirror outputs the rear image through the display, so that a driver can automatically switch between the rear image display mode and the indoor image display mode without manually changing the display mode. In addition, when displaying an indoor image, the present invention detects a seated occupant, checks the position of the seated occupant to output the indoor image, analyzes the mouth shape of the seated occupant in the indoor image to identify a speaker, and performs a separate indication for the speaker to output the indoor image, thereby enabling a driver to more quickly and clearly check states of rear seat passengers.

Description

Rearview mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function and a method for controlling the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a rearview mirror having an automatic mode switching function and a method for controlling the same, and more specifically, to a rearview mirror having an automatic mode switching function according to driving conditions and a method for controlling the same.

[0002] Recently released vehicles are equipped with convenience features that provide drivers with useful information regarding driving. One of these is the digital rear-view mirror. Conventional rear-view mirrors simply performed the function of displaying the rear view seen through the vehicle's rear window to the driver via a mirror. However, these conventional rear-view mirrors have the disadvantage of failing to function properly when the rear window is heavily dusty or covered in snow.

[0003] To overcome these problems, digital rear-view mirrors have been developed and are being supplied. Digital rear-view mirrors install a camera at the rear of the vehicle and capture the rear view of the vehicle through the camera, displaying it to the driver, thereby enabling the driver to check the situation behind the vehicle.

[0004] However, since this digital rear-view mirror only displays rear images captured by the rear camera in display mode, it is not possible to check the situation of passengers and family members in the rear seat, and when operating in mirror mode, it has the disadvantage of exhibiting the same problems as conventional rear-view mirrors.

[0005] Therefore, while driving, the driver had the inconvenience of having to manually switch the display mode to the mirror mode by pressing a button, etc., in order to check the rear view captured by the rear camera of the vehicle's rear view through the digital rear-view mirror and to check the situation in the rear seat.

[0006] Furthermore, in the case of vehicles transporting a large number of passengers, such as buses, the rearview mirror is considered just as important for monitoring the situation of passengers inside the vehicle as it is for observing the situation behind the vehicle. However, when using a standard rearview mirror, it is difficult to identify which passenger is speaking to the driver about a problem from their seat, and consequently, it is difficult to take appropriate countermeasures.

[0007] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a rear-view mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function that automatically changes the display mode so as to be able to look at the situation of the rear seat while the vehicle is in operation, and a method for controlling the same.

[0008] A rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem comprises: a camera module including a rear camera that captures the rear of a vehicle and an interior camera that captures the interior of a vehicle; a display that outputs an image; a mirror module installed in front of the display that controls transmittance and reflectance according to a control signal; and a circuit unit including a processor and a memory, wherein the processor performs the steps of: (a) outputting a rear image captured by the rear camera through the display when the vehicle is in motion; (b) checking a stationary display mode when the vehicle is stopped; (c) turning off the display and lowering the transmittance of the mirror module to a value below a predefined value when the stationary display mode is a mirror mode, thereby controlling the rear of the vehicle to be reflected in the mirror module; and (d) analyzing an interior image input from the interior camera and outputting it through the display when the stationary display mode is an interior display mode.

[0009] In addition, in step (d) above, the processor can analyze the interior image to identify a speaker among the rear passengers and display the interior image along with a speaker identification mark for the speaker.

[0010] In addition, in step (d) above, the processor can detect passengers by applying an object recognition algorithm to an indoor image and analyze the mouth shape of each detected passenger to identify the passenger whose mouth shape changes as the speaker.

[0011] Additionally, in step (d) above, the processor may display a frame of a specific color around the speaker or display an icon as a speaker identification mark.

[0012] Additionally, the rear-view mirror further includes a seating detection sensor, and in step (d), the processor can crop the area corresponding to the passenger detected by the seating detection sensor in the interior image and output it through the display.

[0013] In addition, the processor may further perform the step of (e) acquiring location information, linking the location information with an indoor image and storing it in the memory, and transmitting it to a pre-configured device.

[0014] Meanwhile, a control method for a rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem comprises: a camera module including a rear camera that captures the rear of a vehicle and an interior camera that captures the interior of a vehicle; a display that outputs an image; a mirror module installed in front of the display that controls transmittance and reflectance according to a control signal; and a circuit unit including a processor and a memory, comprising: (a) a step in which, when the vehicle is in motion, the processor outputs a rear image captured by the rear camera through the display; (b) a step in which, when the vehicle is stopped, the processor checks a stopped display mode; (c) a step in which, when the stopped display mode is a mirror mode, the processor turns off the display and lowers the transmittance of the mirror module to a value below a predefined value so that the image of the rear of the vehicle is reflected in the mirror module; and (d) a step in which, when the stopped display mode is an interior display mode, the processor analyzes an interior image input from the interior camera and outputs it through the display.

[0015] In addition, in step (d) above, the processor can analyze the interior image to identify a speaker among the rear passengers and display the interior image along with a speaker identification mark for the speaker.

[0016] In addition, in step (d) above, the processor can detect passengers by applying an object recognition algorithm to an indoor image and analyze the mouth shape of each detected passenger to identify the passenger whose mouth shape changes as the speaker.

[0017] Additionally, in step (d) above, the processor may display a frame of a specific color around the speaker or display an icon as a speaker identification mark.

[0018] Additionally, the rear-view mirror further includes a seating detection sensor, and in step (d), the processor can crop the area corresponding to the passenger detected by the seating detection sensor in the interior image and output it through the display.

[0019] In addition, a control method for a rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include the step of (e) the processor acquiring position information, linking the position information with an indoor image and storing it in the memory, and transmitting it to a pre-set device.

[0020] A rear-view mirror according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a rear camera and an interior camera, and while driving, the rear camera is used to capture a rear image including the appearance of a vehicle driving behind the vehicle and output it through a display, and while stopped, the interior camera is used to capture a rear seat image inside the vehicle and output it through a display, and when driving starts again, the rear image is output through a display, so that the driver can automatically change the display mode of the rear image and the interior image without having to change the display mode one by one.

[0021] In addition, the present invention can detect a seated person and verify the position of the seated person to output an interior video when displaying an interior video, and can identify a speaker by analyzing the mouth shape of the seated person in the interior video and displaying a separate mark for the speaker to output the interior video, thereby enabling the driver to check the condition of rear passengers more quickly and clearly.

[0022] FIGS. 1A and FIGS. 1B are drawings illustrating the configuration of a rear-view mirror according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control method for a rearview mirror having an automatic mode switching function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIGS. 3a to 3c are drawings illustrating examples of indoor images output to a display.

[0025] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] Hereinafter, the aforementioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, as the present invention is subject to various modifications and may have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail below.

[0027] Throughout the specification, identical reference numbers indicate identical components in principle. Additionally, components with identical functions within the scope of the same concept appearing in the drawings of each embodiment are described using the same reference numeral.

[0028] When a part of a specification is described as "including" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, terms such as "...part" or "module" as used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented in hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0029] If it is determined that a detailed description of known functions or configurations related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted. Additionally, numbers used in the description of this specification (e.g., 1st, 2nd, etc.) are merely identification symbols to distinguish one component from another.

[0030] FIGS. 1A and FIGS. 1B are drawings illustrating the configuration of a rear-view mirror according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b, a rear-view mirror (100) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a camera module (110), a mirror module (140), a display (130), a circuit unit (120), and a seating detection sensor (150), and depending on the embodiment, may further include a position measuring device (160).

[0032] The circuit section (120) includes a processor (121) and a memory (123). The camera module (110) includes a rear camera (111) and an interior camera (113). The mirror module (140), display (130), and circuit section (120) are included in a rear-view mirror housing (190) and installed near the front windshield of the vehicle interior.

[0033] A rear camera (111) is installed on the exterior rear of the vehicle, captures the rear of the vehicle to generate a rear image, and transmits the rear image to a processor (121). The rear camera (111) may be used to have a shooting angle of 120 to 180 degrees so that blind spots can be captured.

[0034] The interior camera (113) is installed in a position capable of capturing the rear seat of the vehicle and outputs the captured image to the processor (121). The interior camera (113) may be installed inside the outer housing (190) of the rear-view mirror (100) installed in the center of the front windshield, or it may be installed in a separate position from the rear-view mirror (100). In the example illustrated in FIG. 1b, the interior camera (113) is shown installed inside the outer housing (190), but there is no restriction on the installation location as long as it is in a position capable of capturing the passengers in the rear seat.

[0035] The seating detection sensor (150) can be implemented as a pressure sensor that is installed on the rear seat and detects pressure caused by the weight of the passenger when the passenger sits to determine whether the passenger is present, or as an ultrasonic sensor or infrared sensor that is installed on the ceiling or floor of the rear seat to detect whether the passenger is seated.

[0036] The location measuring device (160) is implemented as a GPS module and measures the location of the vehicle at regular time intervals and outputs it to the processor (121). However, if the processor (121) receives location information from the navigation device (300) installed in the vehicle, the location measuring device (160) may be omitted.

[0037] The display (130) can be implemented as an LCD module, an OLED module, etc., and is turned on / off according to the control of the processor (121), and outputs a video signal generated by the processor (121).

[0038] The mirror module (140) contains an EC (Electronic Chromic) film inside and is positioned in front of the display (130). Under the control of the processor (121), the reflectivity and transmittance of the EC film contained in the mirror module (140) are adjusted, and accordingly, the mirror module (140) performs the role of a reflector or transmits an image displayed on the display (130) so that the driver and passengers can see the image on the display (130).

[0039] The memory (123) is implemented as an SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and can store instructions to be executed by the processor (121), data processed by the processor (121), rear images captured by the rear camera (111), and interior images captured by the interior camera (113). In addition, the memory (123) stores various setting information, particularly regarding the display mode, it stores setting information on whether to operate the display mode in mirror mode or interior display mode when the vehicle is stopped.

[0040] The processor (121) can be implemented as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a similar device (e.g., MPU (Micro Processing Unit), MCU (Micro Control Unit), etc.) and controls the display (130) and mirror module (140) by executing instructions stored in memory (123), processes images captured by the cameras (111, 113) to generate an image to be output to the display (130), and outputs the generated image through the display (130).

[0041] The processor (121) controls the rear-view mirror (100) to operate in display mode or mirror mode. In display mode, the processor (121) outputs images captured by cameras (111, 113) through the display (130) and increases the transmittance of the mirror module (140) (EC film) above a predetermined value (i.e., lowers the reflectance of the mirror module (140) below a predetermined value) so that the images output from the display (130) pass through the mirror module (140) and are output to the driver. The display mode of the present invention is divided into a rear display mode, in which a rear image captured by the rear camera (111) is output through the display (130), and an interior display mode, in which an interior image captured by the interior camera (113) of a rear passenger is output through the display (130).

[0042] In mirror mode, the processor (121) turns off the display (130) and lowers the transmittance of the mirror module (EC film) (140) to a value below a predefined value (i.e., raises the reflectance of the mirror module (140) above a predefined value), thereby controlling the light to be reflected from the mirror module (140) toward the driver, just like a standard rear-view mirror (100).

[0043] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processor (121) controls the rear-view mirror (100) to operate in a rear display mode among display modes while the vehicle is in operation, thereby outputting a rear image through the display (130), and when the vehicle is stopped, to perform a display mode operation in an interior display mode or a mirror mode according to the user's settings. That is, in the interior display mode while stopped, an interior image input through the interior camera (113) is output through the display (130), and in the mirror mode, the display (130) is turned off so that the rear view is reflected and displayed to the driver.

[0044] Additionally, the processor (121) can detect a passenger who speaks among the passengers sitting in the rear seat while the interior video is being displayed through the display (130) in the interior display mode, and display and output the passenger in the interior video.

[0045] For example, the processor (121) applies an object recognition algorithm to the indoor video to detect passengers in the first place, and analyzes the mouth shape of each detected passenger to identify the passenger whose mouth shape changes as a speaker. Then, the driver can be notified that the user is speaking by methods such as displaying a frame of a specific color as a speaker identification mark around the passenger identified as a speaker, or displaying a specific icon as a speaker identification mark. For example, if multiple passengers speak at the same time, a speech indication can be performed for all passengers.

[0046] Additionally, the processor (121) may crop only the speaker area from the interior video and output it through the display (130). That is, by analyzing the mouth shape of the rear passengers in the interior video, if it is determined that the passenger is speaking, instead of the entire interior video, only the video area of ​​the speaker from the entire interior video can be cropped and output to the display (130).

[0047] Additionally, the processor (121) may use seating information input from the seating detection sensor (150) to determine the position where a passenger is seated in the rear seat, and crop only the area corresponding to the position where the passenger is seated in the interior image and output it to the display (130).

[0048] Additionally, the processor (121) can store location information received from a location measuring device (160) or a vehicle navigation device (300) in a memory (123) so as to be linked with an indoor image, and can transmit the indoor image stored in the memory (123) together with the location information to a pre-designated mobile communication terminal (not shown) using a pre-configured communication technology / communication service such as V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), telematics technology, or the Blue Link service provided by Hyundai Motor Company.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control method for a rearview mirror having an automatic mode switching function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Hereinafter, with further reference to FIG. 2, the functions of the detailed components of a rearview mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the method of controlling the same will be described in more detail.

[0051] With further reference to FIG. 2, the rear-view mirror (100) of the present invention, when power is supplied, investigates whether a vehicle is driving (S210), and if the vehicle is driving, sets the display mode of the rear-view mirror (100) to the rear display mode among the display modes, turns on the display (130), increases the transmittance of the mirror module (140) above a threshold value, activates the rear camera (111) to receive a rear image, and outputs it through the display (130) (S220).

[0052] In step S210, the processor (121) may determine that the vehicle is in motion when it receives a driving signal from the vehicle's main controller (not shown) or when location information input from the navigation device (300) or the location measuring device (160) changes at a speed greater than a certain speed.

[0053] After that, the processor (121) checks whether the vehicle is stopped (S230), and if the vehicle is still driving, it repeats step S220, and if the vehicle is stopped, it checks the memory (123) to check the stop display mode setting (S240).

[0054] The display mode when stopped can be set to a mirror mode or an interior display mode, and the user can pre-set the display mode when stopped using a button (not shown) provided on the outer housing (190), and the user's setting information is stored in memory (123).

[0055] When the display mode when stopped is mirror mode, the processor (121) turns off the display (130) and lowers the transmittance of the mirror module (140) below a threshold value (i.e., raises the reflectance above a threshold value) so that the rear seat is reflected in the mirror module (140) and displayed to the user (S250).

[0056] In contrast, when the display mode when stopped is the indoor display mode, the processor (121) activates the indoor camera (113) and controls the indoor camera (113) to capture an indoor image (S260).

[0057] In addition, an indoor video captured by an indoor camera (113) is input to a processor (121), and the processor (121) analyzes the indoor video and outputs it through a display (130) (S270).

[0058] In step S270, the processor (121) can analyze the indoor video to identify the speaker and output a mark corresponding to the speaker.

[0059] For example, the processor (121) can detect a passenger who is speaking among the passengers sitting in the rear seat while the interior video is being displayed through the display (130), and can display and output the speaker in the interior video. As described above, the processor (121) can first detect passengers in the interior video, analyze the mouth shape of each detected passenger to identify passengers whose mouth shape is changing, and notify the driver that the passenger is speaking by methods such as displaying a frame (31) of a specific color around the passenger as shown in FIG. 3a, or displaying an icon (32) as shown in FIG. 3b. If multiple passengers speak simultaneously, the speech display can be performed for all passengers.

[0060] Additionally, in step S270, the processor (121) may crop only the speaker area from the indoor video and output it through the display (130). That is, by analyzing the mouth shape of the rear passengers in the indoor video, if it is determined that the passenger is speaking, instead of the entire indoor video, only the video area of ​​the speaker from the entire indoor video can be cropped and output to the display (130), as shown in FIG. 3c. At this time, if two people speak simultaneously, the processor (121) may divide the display screen of the display (130) into two areas and crop and display the speaker in each divided area, and if three people speak simultaneously, the display screen of the display (130) may divide into three areas and crop and display the speaker in each divided area.

[0061] Additionally, in step S270, the processor (121) may use seating information input from the seating detection sensor (150) to determine the position where a passenger is seated in the rear seat, and crop only the area corresponding to the position where the passenger is seated in the interior image and output it to the display (130).

[0062] Next, the processor (121) stores the location information received from the location measuring device (160) or the vehicle’s navigation device (300) in the memory (123) so that it is linked together with the indoor image (S280).

[0063] Additionally, when the processor (121) is configured to transmit indoor video and location information stored in memory (123) to a pre-configured device (S291), it transmits indoor video and location information to be stored in memory (123) to the device (S293).

[0064] At this time, the device receiving the indoor video and location information may be a database server (not shown) that stores data and a mobile communication terminal (not shown). That is, in preparation for the case where the capacity of the memory (123) is insufficient to store all the indoor video data and location information in the memory (123), a database server may be designated, and the indoor video data and location information may be transmitted to and stored in the designated database server.

[0065] In addition, when the vehicle of the present invention is a vehicle in which children are boarded, such as a school bus, indoor video data and location information may be transmitted to a parent's mobile communication terminal. At this time, identification information of the mobile communication terminal (e.g., mobile phone number, etc.) is stored in memory (123). As described above, indoor video data and location information stored in memory (123) can be transmitted using pre-configured communication technology / communication service such as V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), telematics technology, and the Blue Link service provided by Hyundai Motor Company.

[0066]

[0067] The control method for a rearview mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention described so far can be implemented as a computer program stored on a non-transient storage medium by being implemented as computer-executable instructions. In addition, the present invention makes it possible to implement the control method for a rearview mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function as computer-readable code on a computer-readable non-transient recording medium.

[0068] Storage media include all types of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable storage media include non-volatile memory, ROM, CD-ROM, and optical data storage devices. Additionally, computer-readable storage media are distributed across networked computer systems, allowing computer-readable code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0069] The present invention has been described above with reference to its preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be embodied in modified forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, not by the foregoing description, and all variations within the scope of the claims should be interpreted as being included in the invention.

Claims

1. A camera module including a rear camera for photographing the rear of a vehicle and an interior camera for photographing the interior of a vehicle; A display that outputs an image; A mirror module installed in front of the above display and adjusting transmittance and reflectance according to a control signal; and It includes a circuit section including a processor and memory, and The above processor (a) When the vehicle is in motion, the processor outputs a rear image captured by the rear camera through the display, (b) When the vehicle is stopped, the processor checks the stopped display mode, (c) When the above-mentioned stationary display mode is a mirror mode, the processor controls the display to turn off and lower the transmittance of the mirror module to a value below a predefined value so that the rear view of the vehicle is reflected in the mirror module, and (d) A rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function, characterized in that when the above-mentioned stopping display mode is an interior display mode, the processor analyzes an interior image input from the interior camera and outputs it through the display.

2. In Paragraph 1, In step (d) above, the processor A rear-view mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function characterized by analyzing the interior video to identify a speaker among the rear passengers and displaying the interior video along with a speaker identification mark for the speaker.

3. In Paragraph 2, In step (d) above, the processor A rear-view mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function characterized by applying an object recognition algorithm to an interior image to detect passengers, analyzing the mouth shape of each detected passenger, and identifying a passenger whose mouth shape changes as a speaker.

4. In Paragraph 2, In step (d) above, the processor A rear-view mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function characterized by displaying a frame of a specific color or an icon around the speaker as a speaker identification indicator.

5. In Paragraph 2, The above rear-view mirror further includes a seating detection sensor, and In step (d) above, the processor A rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function characterized by cropping an area corresponding to a passenger detected by a seating detection sensor in the above-mentioned interior image and outputting it through the above-mentioned display.

6. In Paragraph 2, The above processor (e) A rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function, characterized by further performing the step of acquiring location information, linking the location information with an indoor image and storing it in the memory, and transmitting it to a pre-set device.

7. A method for controlling a rear-view mirror comprising: a camera module including a rear camera for photographing the rear of a vehicle and an interior camera for photographing the interior of a vehicle; a display for outputting images; a mirror module installed in front of the display for adjusting transmittance and reflectance according to a control signal; and a circuit unit including a processor and a memory. (a) When the vehicle is in motion, the processor outputs a rear image captured by the rear camera through the display; (b) When the vehicle is stopped, the processor checks the stopped display mode; (c) When the above-mentioned stationary display mode is a mirror mode, the processor controls the display to turn off and lower the transmittance of the mirror module to a value below a predefined value so that the rear view of the vehicle is reflected in the mirror module; and (d) a step in which, when the above-mentioned stopping display mode is an interior display mode, the processor analyzes an interior image input from the interior camera and outputs it through the display; a method for controlling a rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function, characterized by including 8. In Paragraph 7, In step (d) above, the processor A control method for a rear-view mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function, characterized by analyzing the interior video to identify a speaker among the rear passengers, and displaying the interior video along with a speaker identification mark for the speaker.

9. In Paragraph 8, In step (d) above, the processor A control method for a rear-view mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function, characterized by applying an object recognition algorithm to an indoor image to detect passengers, analyzing the mouth shape of each detected passenger, and identifying a passenger whose mouth shape changes as a speaker.

10. In Paragraph 8, In step (d) above, the processor A method for controlling a rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function, characterized by displaying a frame of a specific color or an icon around the speaker as a speaker identification indicator.

11. In Paragraph 8, The above rear-view mirror further includes a seating detection sensor, and In step (d) above, the processor A control method for a rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function, characterized by cropping an area corresponding to a passenger detected by a seating detection sensor in the above-mentioned indoor image and outputting it through the above-mentioned display.

12. In Paragraph 8, (e) A method for controlling a rear-view mirror having an automatic mode switching function, characterized in that the processor further includes the step of acquiring location information, linking the location information with an indoor image and storing it in the memory, and transmitting it to a pre-set device.

13. A non-transient storage medium having a method for controlling a rear-view mirror equipped with an automatic mode switching function according to claim 7, recorded as computer-readable and computer-executable program code.

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