JP2010042732A - Surrounding situation indication device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surrounding situation indication device for a vehicle for improving brightness of surroundings of the vehicle when the surroundings of the vehicle are photographed. <P>SOLUTION: The surrounding situation indication device for the vehicle indicates an image photographed by a plurality of cameras 3 installed in the vehicle by converting the image into an overhead image of the surroundings of the vehicle including the vehicle with an image processing of view point conversion. When the surrounding situation indication device of the vehicle indicates the overhead image of the surroundings of the vehicle, and a headlight installed in the vehicle is lit, a hazard lamp installed at least in the front and rear of the vehicle is blinked. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle surrounding situation presentation device that presents a situation around a host vehicle to an occupant.

  Conventionally, as this type of technology, for example, those described in the following documents are known (see Patent Document 1). The technique represented by this document is generally known as, for example, an around view monitor, and is composed of images acquired by a plurality of cameras installed in the host vehicle and includes the host vehicle. Generates an image that overlooks the surroundings of the vehicle, and presents to the driver the relationship between the surrounding environment such as the position of other vehicles, the position of obstacles, road conditions, etc. is there. When the driver views the video presented by this device, the driver can recognize the situation around the host vehicle from a bird's-eye view, and the around view monitor can provide useful driving assistance.

  When such a device is used at night, the brightness of the front and rear of the vehicle is improved by illumination using illumination lamps installed on the vehicle such as headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, etc. It was secured.

In addition, a device similar to such a device that confirms the vehicle's rear field of view adopts, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 2 shown below, and increases the illuminance of the back lamp more than usual, thereby increasing the brightness. This ensures the clarity of the rear image.
JP-A-3-99952 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-192790

  However, when the above-mentioned conventional device is used in a dark place such as at night or indoors, it is not possible to sufficiently illuminate the vehicle diagonally forward or diagonally with only the headlamp or the backlamp, and the image becomes clear. It has been difficult to ensure sufficient brightness for shooting.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular ambient situation presentation device that improves the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle when photographing the surroundings of the vehicle. is there.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the means for solving the problems of the present invention is that the vehicle surrounding situation presentation device presents an overhead view image around the vehicle and the headlamp installed in the vehicle is lit. Is characterized by blinking an emergency blinking indicator lamp.

  According to the present invention, when photographing the surroundings of the vehicle when the surroundings of the vehicle are dark, the emergency blinking indicator light is blinked, so that the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle at the time of photographing can be improved as compared with the conventional case. . This makes it possible to present a good bird's-eye view around the vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicular ambient situation presentation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus of Example 1 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle equipped with a navigation system, and includes a navigation system 1, an around view monitor controller 2, a camera 3, a monitor 4, a BCM (body control module) 5, and a combination. SW6 and hazard SW7 are provided.

  In addition, there is provided a sonar 9 that detects obstacles and the like around the vehicle by ultrasonic waves, and sends the detection result to the navigation system 1 by M-CAN communication via the sonar controller 8.

  The navigation system 1 uses an autonomous navigation device such as GPS (Global Positioning System), a vehicle speed pulse, a gyro, and road map information, and displays the current position on the screen of the monitor 4 to the driver during vehicle operation. It is a conventionally well-known route guidance system that performs traveling route guidance to a destination.

  The around view monitor controller 2 functions as a control center of a system that has been widely known as an around view monitor as described above, and is based on images of the surroundings of the vehicle taken by a plurality of cameras 3 mounted on the vehicle. Then, a bird's-eye view image of the host vehicle is generated by a viewpoint conversion image processing technique. The generated bird's-eye view image including the host vehicle is sent to the navigation system 1 by M-CAN communication functioning as an in-vehicle LAN system, displayed on the monitor 4 via the navigation system 1 and presented to the driver. Is done. The around view monitor controller 2 gives an ON / OFF (non-operation) signal of the around view monitor to the navigation system 1 through M-CAN communication. The around view monitor ON / OFF signal given to the navigation system 1 is given to the BCM 5 by V-CAN communication functioning as an in-vehicle LAN system.

  The monitor 4 displays driving information such as route guidance presented by the navigation system 1 as an image to a vehicle occupant such as a driver. Whether or not the monitor 4 causes the hazard lamp to blink simultaneously (hazard lamp interlock ON) when the around view monitor is activated by touch panel operation that touches (touches) the screen of a predetermined portion. It has an input function to select.

  The BCM 5 is a switch signal given from each combination SW 7 and hazard SW 7 for turning on (turning on) / off (extinguishing) a plurality of on-vehicle lighting devices, an ON / OFF signal of an around view monitor given from the navigation system 1 In response to an illumination (ILL) signal, flashing of the hazard lamp is controlled.

  The hazard SW 7 is a switch that instructs blink control of the hazard lamp. The hazard lamp is an emergency flashing indicator light set in accordance with the safety standards for road transport vehicles set based on the regulations of the Road Transport Vehicle Law. It is a direction indicator installed at the front and rear of the vehicle, and an auxiliary direction indicator. When the is installed on the side of the vehicle, the function as an emergency indicator light is realized by flashing all of them simultaneously including the auxiliary direction indicator.

  As a characteristic function of the present invention, the BCM 5 controls blinking of the hazard lamp when the around view monitor is operated according to the control procedure of the flowchart shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, first, the hazard switch 7 is turned on, and it is determined whether or not the hazard lamp is blinking (step S100).

  As a result of the determination, when the hazard switch 7 is turned on and the hazard lamp is blinking, the series of control procedures is terminated. On the other hand, when the hazard switch 7 is turned off and the hazard lamp is not blinking, It is determined whether or not blinking (direction instruction) of the direction indicator functioning as a hazard lamp is commanded by the combination SW 6 (turn switch (SW) ON) (step S101).

  As a result of the determination, when the blinking of the direction indicator is instructed and the direction indicator is blinking, the series of control processing is finished, while the direction indicator is not instructed to blink and the direction indicator blinks. If not, subsequently, it is determined whether or not the hazard lamp interlock ON is set by the touch panel operation of the monitor 4 (step S102).

  If the hazard lamp interlock ON setting is not set as a result of the determination, the series of control procedures is terminated. On the other hand, if the hazard lamp interlock ON setting is set, the illumination mounted on the vehicle is continued. For example, it is determined whether a headlamp of the device is turned on and an illumination (ILL) signal is turned on (step S103).

  If the illumination signal is not turned on as a result of the determination, the hazard lamp is turned off (step S104). If the illumination signal is turned on, the around view monitor on / off signal is subsequently turned on. Based on the above, it is determined whether or not the around view monitor is operating (step S105).

  As a result of the determination, if the around view monitor is not operating, the hazard lamp is turned off (step S104). If the around view monitor is operating, the hazard lamp is blinked (step S106). .

  In this way, if it is set in advance so that the hazard lamp blinks in conjunction with the operation of the around view monitor, the blinking hazard lamp is made by blinking the hazard lamp when the around view monitor is activated. Thus, it is possible to secure a light source that irradiates an area in the front-rear, left-right, and diagonal directions of the vehicle. As a result, the brightness in the front, rear, left, and right directions of the vehicle is improved compared to the conventional case where the front and rear brightness is ensured by irradiating only the headlamps and taillights when shooting with the camera 3 during the operation of the around view monitor. Can be improved. As a result, it is possible to clearly capture the periphery of the vehicle, provide a good image, and improve the visibility of the around view monitor in a dark place.

  In addition, when the around view monitor is activated, it is possible to select whether or not to blink the hazard lamp in advance, so that convenience for the user can be achieved.

  In addition, blinking of direction indication on the direction indicator functioning as a hazard lamp is given priority over ambient lighting caused by blinking of the hazard lamp during around-view monitor operation, thus obstructing the direction indication operation by the direction indicator. Can be avoided.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the surrounding condition presentation apparatus for vehicles which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement process which concerns on Example 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Navigation system 2 ... Around view monitor controller 3 ... Camera 4 ... Monitor 5 ... BCM
6 ... Combination SW
7 ... Hazard SW
8 ... Sonar controller 9 ... Sonar

Claims (3)

In a vehicle surrounding situation presentation device that presents an image captured by a camera installed in a vehicle by converting it into an overhead view image around the vehicle including the vehicle by image processing for viewpoint conversion,
An emergency flashing indicator lamp that is provided at least at the front and rear of the vehicle, and flashes by manual operation to notify the emergency when an emergency occurs during operation of the vehicle,
Control means for blinking the emergency blinking indicator when the vehicle surroundings presentation device presents a bird's-eye view image around the vehicle and a headlamp installed in the vehicle is lit. A vehicle ambient condition presentation device characterized by the above. When the vehicle surroundings presentation device presents an overhead view image around the vehicle and the headlight installed in the vehicle is lit, the occupant selects whether or not to flash the emergency flashing indicator lamp. The vehicle surrounding state presentation device according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit that can perform the selection. The emergency blinking indicator lamp is configured to include a direction indicator that indicates a direction when the vehicle changes its course, and when the direction indicator is performing a direction indicating operation, the vehicle surrounding state presentation device 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle displays an overhead view image around the vehicle and does not perform an emergency flashing display even when a headlight installed in the vehicle is turned on. Ambient condition presentation device.

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