JP2001191875A - Vehicle front situation display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle front situation display device preventing the insufficient confirmation of direct view due to excessive monitor visibility. SOLUTION: When a monitor display switch is operated ON and at least either one of a fog lamp switch and a wiper switch is operated ON, a control unit displays the image of the positions of front obstructions relative to one's own vehicle with simple symbols on the monitor of an image display device on the basis of the detected result of a detecting means and numerically displays the distance to the obstruction closest to one's own vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle front situation display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-34772 or Japanese Patent No. 2932210, recently, a radar wave is oscillated and radiated forward from a millimeter-wave radar or a laser radar mounted at the forefront of a vehicle. Then, based on the reflected wave returning from the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle or the relative vehicle speed is obtained, and the relationship between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is displayed on a monitor in the cabin according to the inter-vehicle distance. If the distance between the vehicles is too short due to approaching the preceding vehicle, the vehicle speed is controlled according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle and the relative vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle, or the warning means is activated to alert the driver. Display devices and rear-end collision warning devices are known.

[0003]

However, when the position information of the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is displayed on the monitor as described above, if this display is always performed, the driver relies too much on the display to directly check the field of view. It was pointed out that this would be a nuisance and would rather cause an accident.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and displays an image only when the monitor display is effective for assisting the visual field confirmation, such as poor visibility due to bad weather such as rain, snow, or fog. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle front situation display device that prevents shortage of confirmation of a direct field of view by visual recognition of a monitor.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle front situation display device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a front obstacle detection device for detecting a distance, a direction, and a relative speed of an obstacle ahead of a vehicle with respect to a host vehicle. Means, an own-vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the own-vehicle, an image display device mounted in the vehicle interior, and a scale on which a visible distance and direction of an obstacle in front of the own-vehicle with respect to the own vehicle is displayed on a monitor; A control unit for determining a forward obstacle based on the detection results of the forward obstacle detecting means and the own vehicle speed detecting means, and obtaining a distance, a direction, a relative speed, and a own vehicle speed of the forward obstacle with respect to the own vehicle; The control unit comprises a monitor display switch of the image display device, a fog lamp switch mounted on the vehicle and a fog lamp switch for activating the wiper, and a wiper switch. , The monitor display switch is ON
When operated and at least one of the fog light switch and the wiper switch is turned on, the position of the forward obstacle with respect to the own vehicle is displayed as an image on the monitor of the image display device with a simple symbol. The distance to the nearest obstacle is numerically displayed, and the invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the forward obstacle detection means is a millimeter wave radar or a laser radar. It is characterized by.

The invention according to claim 3 is based on claim 1.
Alternatively, the control unit obtains a safe inter-vehicle distance with respect to the own vehicle speed based on the detection result of the own vehicle speed detecting device, and the detection result of the front obstacle detecting device. And displaying an inter-vehicle distance warning for an obstacle closest to the host vehicle on a monitor of the image display device based on the safety inter-vehicle distance and the safety inter-vehicle distance. The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3 And a control unit that activates the rear-end collision warning buzzer based on the detection result of the front obstacle detection means and the safe inter-vehicle distance.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle front situation display device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a display selection switch is mounted in the vehicle interior, and the control unit is According to the operation of the display selection switch, a plurality of front obstacles are simultaneously displayed on the monitor of the image display device, or only the closest obstacle existing in the lane of the own vehicle is displayed.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 1.
6. The vehicle front situation display device according to claim 5, wherein a monitor sound generating means and a monitor sound output selection switch are mounted in the vehicle interior, and the control unit operates the monitor sound output selection switch to turn on the monitor sound output selection switch. When this is done, the monitor sound is changed according to the distance to the obstacle closest to the host vehicle and output from the monitor sound generation means.

(Operation) According to the vehicle front situation display device according to the first aspect, the monitor display switch is turned ON,
When at least one of the fog lamp switch and the wiper switch is turned ON, the control unit displays the position of the front obstacle with respect to the own vehicle on the monitor of the image display device based on the detection result of each detecting means. In addition to displaying the image, the distance to the obstacle closest to the host vehicle is numerically displayed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the millimeter wave radar or the laser radar detects the distance, direction, and relative speed of the obstacle ahead of the vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. The control unit obtains a safe inter-vehicle distance for the own vehicle speed based on the detection result of the own vehicle speed detection means, and displays the safe inter-vehicle distance on the monitor of the image display device based on the detection result of the forward obstacle detection means and the safe inter-vehicle distance. Next, an inter-vehicle distance warning display for the obstacle closest to the host vehicle is performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the control unit activates the rear-end collision warning buzzer based on the detection result of the front obstacle detection means and the safe inter-vehicle distance to notify the driver of danger. . And Claim 5
According to the invention according to the above, according to the operation of the display selection switch,
A plurality of obstacles ahead are displayed simultaneously on the monitor of the image display device, or only the closest obstacle existing in the lane of the host vehicle is displayed.

In the invention according to claim 6, when the monitor sound output selection switch is turned ON, a monitor sound according to the distance to the obstacle closest to the host vehicle is output from the monitor sound generation means. Is done.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show one embodiment of a vehicle front situation display device according to claims 1 and 2, wherein FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a millimeter-wave radar (front obstacle detecting means) mounted at the forefront of a truck serving as a host vehicle, and 3 denotes a vehicle speed sensor (host vehicle speed detecting means) for detecting the speed of the host vehicle. A vehicle speed sensor used for vehicle control such as fuel injection of an engine is also used for the vehicle front situation display device 5 of the present embodiment.

The vehicle speed sensor 3 is connected to the vehicle speed measuring means 9 of the control unit 7, and the vehicle speed measuring means 9 determines the speed of the vehicle based on the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 3. It has become. The millimeter wave radar 1 is connected to the relative speed measuring means 11, the inter-vehicle distance measuring means 13 and the direction measuring means 15 of the control unit 7, and the relative speed measuring means 11 and the inter-vehicle distance measuring means 13 are connected to each other by the millimeter wave radar. "Doppler effect" changes frequency when radar wave emitted from 1 hits obstacle ahead
In this embodiment, a millimeter-wave radar 1 employs a monopulse system or a scanning system to measure the distance between vehicles and the relative speed with respect to the obstacle in front of the vehicle. It can be measured by the measuring means 15.

Based on the measurement results of the own vehicle speed measuring means 9 and the relative speed measuring means 11, the control unit 7
The forward obstacle speed measuring means 17 measures the speed of the forward obstacle, and the forward obstacle discriminating means 19 calculates the forward obstacle based on the measurement results of the forward obstacle measuring means 17 and the relative speed measuring means 11. Is a traveling vehicle ahead of the own vehicle, a stationary object such as a falling object on the road or a telephone pole, or an oncoming vehicle.

On the other hand, an instrument panel in the vehicle compartment includes a fog lamp switch 21 for operating a fog lamp and a wiper mounted on a truck and a wiper switch 2.
3, and a monitor display switch 27 of an image display device (monitor display) 25 mounted on the instrument panel, as shown in FIG. 2, is mounted on the display determination means 29 of the control unit 7 respectively.
It is connected to the.

When the driver turns on the monitor display switch 27 and turns on at least one of the fog lamp switch 21 and the wiper switch 23 when the visibility is poor due to bad weather such as rain, snow, or fog, the display determining means 29 is turned on. A switch ON detection signal is sent to the display image creating means 31. As shown in the figure, the display image creating means 31 is connected to the inter-vehicle distance measuring means 13, the direction measuring means 15, and the front obstacle determining means 19 in addition to the display determining means 29.
The display image creating means 31 displays the own vehicle 33 and the front area 35 on the monitor 25a of the image display device 25 as shown in FIG. A drawing process is performed so that the position of the stationary object 39 and the like is displayed as an image with a simple symbol, and the inter-vehicle distance 41 to the obstacle (the traveling vehicle 37 in FIG. 2) closest to the host vehicle 33 is displayed on the monitor 25a as a numerical value. I do.

Then, as described above, the display determining means 2
When a switch ON detection signal is input to the display image creation means 31 from the display image creation means 3 as shown in FIG.
1 displays the position of the traveling vehicle 37, the stationary object 39, and the like with respect to the own vehicle 33 in the front area 35, and displays the position of the own vehicle 33.
Is displayed on the monitor 25a.

In the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of obstacles ahead, these are displayed in the front area 35 at the same time, but oncoming vehicles are not displayed in consideration of visibility.
When the number of supplements exceeds three, all inter-vehicle distances are compared, three front obstacles are selected in ascending order of the inter-vehicle distance, and these are displayed in the front area 35. This display is displayed for a certain time (for example, 0.5 s).
ec. ) Will be updated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the display image creating means 31 includes a vertical and horizontal axes 41, 42 in the front area 35 so that the distance and direction of the traveling vehicle 37 and the stationary object 39 with respect to the own vehicle 33 can be recognized. A scale consisting of a frame 43, a frame 45 and a distance display 47 is displayed.
And a stationary object 39 are displayed.

When the driver turns off the fog lamp switch 21 and the wiper switch 23, the display image creating means 31 terminates the display on the display 25a in response to a command from the display determining means 29.
The following distance display 47 may be displayed continuously. Since the vehicle front situation display device 5 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, the own vehicle speed is measured by the own vehicle speed measuring means 9 based on the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 3 when the vehicle is running as shown in FIG. Is measured (step S1), and based on the detection signals from the vehicle speed sensor 3 and the millimeter wave radar 1, the forward obstacle speed measuring means 17, the relative speed measuring means 11, the inter-vehicle distance measuring means 13 and the direction measuring means 15 are used. Then, the relative speed, the inter-vehicle distance, the relative position, etc. of the obstacle ahead are detected respectively (steps S2 to S6).

In step S7, the number of supplementary obstacles detected by the millimeter wave radar 1 is detected. If it is determined that the number of supplementary obstacles is three or less, the flow advances to step S8 to display image creation means. 31 performs drawing processing so as to display all front obstacles on the display 25a, and when it is determined that the number of supplements exceeds three, the display image creating means 31 compares all inter-vehicle distances. Then, the obstacles ahead are selected in ascending order of the inter-vehicle distance (step S9,
10), a drawing process is performed so that these are displayed on the monitor 25a (step S8).

On the other hand, the display determining means 29 determines in step S1
In steps 1 to S13, the driver turns on at least one of the fog lamp switch 21 and the wiper switch 23 and turns the monitor display switch 27 on.
It monitors whether or not N operations have been performed. When these switch ON detection signals are input to the display image creating means 31, the display image creating means 31 displays the traveling vehicle with respect to the vehicle 33 on the monitor 25a of the image display device 25 as shown in FIG. The position of the vehicle 37, the stationary object 39, and the like is displayed as an image using a simple symbol (step S14), and the obstacle closest to the host vehicle 33 is selected to display the inter-vehicle distance 41 on the display 2.
5a is displayed (steps S15 and S16). And
When the driver turns off the fog lamp switch 21 and the wiper switch 23, the display image creating means 31 terminates the display on the display 25a in response to a command from the display determining means 29.

As described above, the vehicle front situation display device 5 according to the present embodiment performs monitor display according to the driver's intention when visibility is poor due to bad weather such as rain, snow, or fog. It is possible to prevent an accident caused by lack of confirmation of direct visibility beforehand, and in addition to the inter-vehicle distance, the relative positions of the traveling vehicle 37 and the stationary object 39 with respect to the own vehicle 33 as shown in FIG.
Since the image is displayed as a simple symbol on the monitor 25a in a form close to the image of the driving situation, the driver can easily judge the danger and the urgency of the own vehicle when the visibility is poor, so as to avoid accidents and damage. It contributed to the reduction of

FIG. 4 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
Incorporates the inter-vehicle distance warning determination means 51 into the control unit 7-1 in addition to the configuration of the above-described embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 5, the monitor 25a of the image display device 25-1
-1 and an alarm buzzer 53 is mounted in the vehicle interior.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the inter-vehicle distance alarm determining means 51 is connected to the vehicle speed sensor 3, the forward obstacle speed measuring means 17, the relative speed measuring means 11, the inter-vehicle distance measuring means 13 and the direction measuring means 15. Have been. Then, the inter-vehicle distance alarm determining means 51 determines the obstacle closest to the host vehicle 33 (the running vehicle 37 in FIG. 5) based on these detection results.
To determine the necessity of a rear-end collision warning from the relationship between the relative speed of the traveling vehicle 37 and the actual inter-vehicle distance, and display image creation means 31-1.
The display signal is sent to the CPU. And FIG.
As shown in (1), the display image creating means 31-1 performs an inter-vehicle distance collision warning display 55 on the monitor 25a-1 of the image display device 25-1.

As shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a safety display unit 55a that displays green when the vehicle is at a safe inter-vehicle distance, a primary alarm display unit 55b that displays a primary alarm in yellow, and a secondary alarm display unit 55c that displays a secondary alarm in red. And a display image creating means 31-1.
These are sequentially displayed based on the detection signal of the inter-vehicle distance alarm determination means 51.

Therefore, when the own vehicle is too close to the preceding vehicle and is dangerous, the secondary alarm display 55c is displayed in red. The inter-vehicle distance warning determining means 51
The alarm buzzer 53 is activated together with the display of the primary alarm and the secondary alarm in the inter-vehicle distance rear-end collision alarm display 55. In the present embodiment, the frequency of the buzzer sound and the intensity are changed to change the primary alarm and the secondary alarm. The next warning is being differentiated.

In the present embodiment, the display of the image display device 25-1 and the operation of the alarm buzzer 53 are operated by the driver turning on the monitor display switch 27 and at least the fog lamp switch 21 or the wiper switch 23. It is executed when one of them is turned on. Since the vehicle front situation display device 49 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve the intended purpose, similarly to the above-described embodiment. In this case, since the rear-end collision warning device is incorporated, it is possible to more reliably avoid accidents and reduce damage.

As described above, in each of the above embodiments,
When there are a plurality of front obstacles, up to three front obstacles are displayed on the front area 35 of the monitors 25a and 25a-1 in consideration of visibility. A display selection switch is mounted in the passenger compartment of the vehicle in the vehicle front situation display device according to claim 5, and the driver operates the switch to be present in the lane of the own vehicle as shown in FIG. 6 and closest to the own vehicle. It may be possible to switch so as to display only a forward obstacle (the traveling vehicle 37 in FIG. 6) at a distance, and when displaying up to three forward obstacles in the front area 35, visibility is taken into consideration. These displays may be distinguished by color.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, as in the above-described embodiments, the intended purpose can be achieved, and the minimum necessary information can be obtained by turning on the display selection switch. Can be quickly recognized. FIG.
Indicates an embodiment of claims 1, 2 and 6,
The vehicle front situation display device 57 according to the present embodiment is configured such that, in addition to the configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 7-2 displays a monitor sound generating means 59 to which detection signals of the forward obstacle determining means 19, the following distance measuring means 15 and the direction measuring means 15 are inputted. A monitor sound output judging unit 61 to which operation signals of the fog lamp switch 21, the wiper switch 23, and the monitor display switch 27 are input is incorporated together with the display judging unit 29.

A monitor sound output selection switch 63 is mounted in the passenger compartment. The monitor sound output selection switch 63 is connected to the display judgment means 29 and the output judgment means 65 comprising the monitor sound output selection switch 63. Have been. Then, the driver operates the monitor display switch 27.
When the monitor sound output selection switch 63 is turned ON together with at least one of the fog lamp switch 21 and the wiper switch 23, the output determination unit 65 sends an operation signal to the display image creation unit 31 and the monitor sound generation unit 59. The display image creating means 31 outputs the obstacle in front of the image display device 25 as shown in FIG.
In the front area 35 on the display 25a. Then, the monitor sound generating means 59, based on the detection signals from the inter-vehicle distance measuring means 13 and the direction measuring means 15 and the like, changes the monitoring sounds (having different periods and frequencies) according to the inter-vehicle distance to the obstacle ahead as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, three types of monitor sounds) are output to the monitor sound output means 6 mounted in the vehicle interior.
7 is generated.

It should be noted that the monitor sound may be one in which the cycle or frequency is changed in four or more steps, or the monitor sound may be changed stepwise according to the inter-vehicle distance to the obstacle ahead. Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, the driver operates the monitor display switch 27 similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG.
When at least one of the fog lamp switch 21 and the wiper switch 23 is turned on, the display image creating means 31 which has input the command of the output determining means 65 (display determining means 29), as shown in FIG. Is displayed in the front area 35 on the monitor 25a. When the driver turns on the monitor sound output selection switch 63 together with the monitor display, the output determination means 6 is displayed.
5 (monitor sound output judging means 61), the monitor sound generating means 59, based on the detection signals from the inter-vehicle distance measuring means 13 and the direction measuring means 15, etc., detects the period and frequency according to the inter-vehicle distance to the obstacle ahead. Different monitor sounds from the monitor sound output means 67.

For this reason, the driver operates the monitor 25a.
It is possible to recognize the situation in front of the own vehicle from the monitor sound without looking at the above display. As described above, in the present embodiment, when visibility is poor due to bad weather, the driver's intention and the monitor sound can be used to effectively confirm the forward situation by the monitor sound. Accidents can be more reliably prevented.

Although not shown, the monitor sound and the alarm buzzer 53 described in the embodiment of FIG. 4 may be combined, and this configuration has an advantage that an accident can be further avoided. In each of the above embodiments, the millimeter wave radar is used as the forward obstacle detecting means. However, it goes without saying that a laser radar may be used instead.

[0038]

As described above, according to the vehicle front situation display device according to each claim, when the visibility is poor due to bad weather such as rain, snow and fog, the monitor display is performed by the driver's intention. Accidents caused by insufficient visibility of the direct view due to excessive monitor visibility can be prevented beforehand, and in addition to the inter-vehicle distance, the relative position of the obstacle ahead of the host vehicle is monitored in a way that is close to the image of the driving situation. Since the image is displayed with a simple symbol above, the driver can easily determine the danger and the degree of urgency to the own vehicle when visibility is poor, which contributes to avoiding an accident and reducing damage.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an inter-vehicle distance alarm is displayed on the monitor of the image display device for an obstacle closest to the host vehicle, and according to the fourth aspect of the present invention. In addition, since the rear-end collision warning buzzer is activated at the time of a sudden approach, an accident can be more reliably avoided.

In the invention according to claim 5, the minimum necessary information can be promptly recognized by turning on the display selection switch. According to the invention of claim 6, there is an advantage that the forward situation can be effectively confirmed by the monitor sound together with the monitor display, and the forward situation of the own vehicle can be recognized by the monitor sound without looking at the monitor display. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle front situation display device according to one embodiment of claims 1 and 2;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a monitor showing a display state of an image display device in the vehicle front situation display device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the vehicle front situation display device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a vehicle front situation display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a front view of a monitor showing a display state of an image display device in the vehicle front situation display device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a monitor showing a display state of the image display device of the vehicle front situation display device according to the first, second, and fifth aspects.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a vehicle front situation display device according to one embodiment of claims 1 and 2;

8 is a front view of a monitor showing a display state of an image display device in the vehicle front situation display device shown in FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 millimeter wave radar 3 vehicle speed sensor 5,49,57 vehicle front situation display device 7,7-1,7-2 control unit 21 fog light switch 23 wiper switch 25,25-1 image display device 25a, 25a-1 monitor 27 monitor Display switch 41 Inter-vehicle distance display 53 Alarm buzzer 55 Inter-vehicle distance collision alarm display 63 Monitor sound output selection switch 67 Monitor sound output means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. The distance of an obstacle ahead of a vehicle with respect to the host vehicle,
Forward obstacle detecting means for detecting the direction and relative speed, own vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the own vehicle, mounted in the cabin, the distance and direction of the forward obstacle to the own vehicle can be visually recognized on the monitor An image display device that displays a simple scale, and determines a forward obstacle based on the detection results of the forward obstacle detecting means and the own vehicle speed detecting means, and a distance, a direction, and a relative speed of the forward obstacle with respect to the own vehicle. And a control unit for determining the vehicle speed, a monitor display switch of the image display device, a fog lamp switch and a wiper switch for operating a fog lamp and a wiper mounted on the vehicle, and the monitor display switch of the control unit is turned on. Is turned on and at least one of the fog light switch and the wiper switch is turned on. The position of the preceding obstacle with respect to the own vehicle is displayed as a simple symbol on the monitor of the image display device, and the distance to the obstacle closest to the own vehicle is numerically displayed. Display device. 2. The vehicle front situation display device according to claim 1, wherein the front obstacle detecting means is a millimeter wave radar or a laser radar. 3. The control unit calculates a safe inter-vehicle distance with respect to the own vehicle speed based on the detection result of the own vehicle speed detecting means, and an image display device based on the detection result of the forward obstacle detecting means and the safe inter-vehicle distance. The vehicle front situation display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inter-vehicle distance alarm display for an obstacle closest to the host vehicle is displayed on the monitor of (1). 4. A rear-end collision warning buzzer is mounted in a vehicle interior, and the control unit activates the rear-end collision alarm buzzer based on a detection result of a front obstacle detection means and a safe inter-vehicle distance. The vehicle front situation display device as described in the above. 5. A display selection switch is mounted in the vehicle interior,
According to the operation of the display selection switch, the control unit simultaneously displays a plurality of front obstacles on the monitor of the image display device, or displays only the closest obstacle existing in the lane of the own vehicle. The vehicle front situation display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein 6. A monitor sound generating means and a monitor sound output selection switch are mounted in the vehicle interior, and when the monitor sound output selection switch is turned on, the control unit responds to a distance to an obstacle closest to the host vehicle. The vehicle front situation display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the monitor sound is changed and output from the monitor sound generating means.