JP6655983B2 - Detection system, detection method, and vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a detection system, a detection method, and a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a technology for automatically operating equipment installed in a vehicle such as an automobile without operating the driver has been known.

  In particular, there is known a technique in which, when rainfall, snowfall, or the like is detected, that fact is detected, and a wiper is operated to remove raindrops, snowfall, or the like attached to a windshield (for example, Patent Document 1). 1). Patent Literature 1 describes that an image of a windshield is taken, and a wiper is turned on and off based on the number and size of raindrops attached to the windshield in the taken image.

JP 2007-127595 A

  However, in the method described above, the camera can capture raindrops attached to the windshield without being affected by the environment outside the vehicle (Western Sun, lights of oncoming vehicles, tunnels, other disturbance light, etc.) Reflecting means is arranged on the opposite side of the windshield from the camera. For this reason, there is a concern that the driver's view may be partially obstructed by the reflection means.

  In addition, in a captured image captured by a camera at night, it is difficult to detect raindrops attached to the windshield with high accuracy due to a small amount of light at the time of imaging, and the wiper is turned on and off. May not be able to output the control signal properly.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention made by focusing on these points is to provide a detection system, a detection method, and a vehicle capable of controlling vehicle facilities with high accuracy without obstructing the driver's view. Is to do.

  A detection system for achieving the above object is provided in a vehicle, an optical sensor that detects light from a headlight of the vehicle, a signal processing unit that generates a control signal based on an output of the optical sensor, and the control signal And an output unit that outputs

  A detection method for achieving the above object includes a step of detecting light from a headlight of the vehicle by an optical sensor installed in the vehicle, and a step of generating a control signal based on an output of the optical sensor by a signal processing unit. And outputting the control signal by an output unit.

  A vehicle that achieves the above object is installed in a vehicle, an optical sensor that detects light from a headlight of the vehicle, a signal processing unit that generates a control signal based on an output of the optical sensor, and the control signal And an output unit for outputting.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the equipment of a vehicle can be controlled with high precision, without obstructing a driver's view.

It is a figure which shows the vehicle in which the detection system was mounted in a simplified form. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of functions of the detection system illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is a diagram schematically illustrating the scattering of light emitted by the lighting device illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3A is a diagram schematically illustrating the scattering of light when fog is generated. (B) is a diagram schematically showing light scattering when no fog is generated. It is a figure which shows the captured image which imaged the headlight to which the water droplet adhered in a simplified form. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process of the detection system in this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed procedure of a determination based on a light amount described in FIG. 5. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed procedure of measuring a water droplet amount described in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed procedure of a determination based on a water droplet amount illustrated in FIG. 5.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a headlight 10, a detection system 20, a vehicle control device 30, and the like. The detection system 20 is electrically connected to the vehicle control device 30 to transmit information.

  The headlight 10 includes a light source and emits light from the front. The headlight 10 is, for example, a headlight that is installed on the front of the vehicle 1 and irradiates the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the detection system 20 includes an optical sensor 21, a signal processing unit 22, a storage unit 23, an output unit 24, and the like.

  The optical sensor 21 detects light emitted from the headlight 10. Further, the optical sensor 21 outputs an image signal representing a captured image to the signal processing unit 22 based on the detected light.

  The optical sensor 21 is, for example, an image sensor provided in a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera, or the like that captures an image of the front part of the headlight 10. The optical sensor 21 is installed on the vehicle 1 so as to capture at least a part of the front part of the headlight 10. Further, the optical sensor 21 is installed, for example, so as to image the front part of the headlight 10 from an oblique direction so as not to hinder the irradiation of the headlight 10 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

  Further, it is preferable that a predetermined ratio (for example, 50%, preferably 80%) or more of the imaging range of the image sensor is occupied by the front surface of the headlight 10. This makes it possible to accurately measure the amount of light by reducing the influence of light other than the light emitted from the headlight 10, and thus to accurately determine the presence or absence of fog.

  The signal processing unit 22 includes a received light amount determination unit 25, a water droplet amount determination unit 26, a control signal generation unit 27, and the like. The signal processing unit 22 controls the vehicle 1 based on the output of the optical sensor 21 that detects light. Processing for outputting a control signal is performed. Here, the control signal is a control signal related to a wiper, a fog lamp, and the like of the vehicle 1.

  The control signal for the wiper is a control signal for controlling the start and stop of the operation of the wiper and the intermittent time.

  In addition, the control signal related to the fog lamp includes a control signal related to turning on the fog lamp and a control signal related to turning off the light, and the control signal related to lighting includes, for example, a control signal for generating a warning prompting the lighting of the fog lamp, It is a control signal for turning on the fog lamp itself. The control signal for turning off the light is a control signal for generating a warning for urging the turning off of the fog lamp, a control signal for turning off the fog lamp itself, and the like.

  Here, the generation of the warning means to display a warning to turn on or off the fog lamp on the display device or to output a sound to the sound output device. The generation of the warning is not limited to these methods, and may be any method that calls attention of the driver of the vehicle 1.

  The received light amount determination unit 25 measures the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 21 to determine whether fog has occurred.

  In the present embodiment, the light reception amount determination unit 25 measures the light amount using the luminance of the captured image represented by the image signal output from the optical sensor 21 as described above. Hereinafter, a captured image represented by the image signal output by the optical sensor 21 is referred to as a captured image captured by the optical sensor 21.

  Further, the received light amount determination unit 25 compares the measured light amount with the reference light amount stored in the storage unit 23, and determines whether or not the light amount is equal to or more than the reference light amount, thereby determining the presence or absence of fog.

  The reference light amount is a value serving as a reference for determining that fog has occurred when the measured light amount is lower than this value. Generally, when fog is generated, as shown in FIG. 3A, many small water droplets W forming the fog float in the atmosphere. Therefore, the light emitted from the headlight 10 is scattered in various directions (the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3A) by the water droplet W in the atmosphere, and the amount of light received by the optical sensor 21 is smaller than when the light is sunny. Less. In addition, when there is precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet, hail, hail, etc., as shown in FIG. 3B, light emitted from the headlight 10 is slightly scattered by water droplets W in the atmosphere, The light travels in the irradiation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3B). Therefore, the amount of light received by the optical sensor 21 when there is precipitation is larger than that when fog is generated. Therefore, the received light amount determination unit 25 determines that fog is not generated when the measured light amount is equal to or more than the reference light amount, and that fog is generated when the measured light amount is less than the reference light amount.

  Further, the reference light amount may have a different value depending on whether it is measured in the evening or at night, for example, due to the influence of sunlight. Therefore, the predetermined value may be determined for each time zone. In this case, the measured light amount is compared with a predetermined value corresponding to a time period in which the light amount is measured.

  The water droplet amount determination unit 26 measures the amount of water droplets attached to the front surface of the headlight 10 of the vehicle 1 based on the image captured by the optical sensor 21.

  Specifically, the water drop amount determination unit 26 detects an edge shown in a captured image of the front surface of the headlight 10 captured by the optical sensor 21 as illustrated in FIG. Further, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 extracts, as a water droplet region WA, a peripheral edge and an inner region of an edge forming a contour of a predetermined shape such as a circle or an ellipse among the detected edges. Further, the water drop amount determination unit 26 calculates the number or the cumulative area of the water drop areas WA, and calculates the water drop quantity based on the calculated number or the cumulative area of the water drop areas WA.

  The process in which the water droplet amount determination unit 26 calculates the amount of water droplets attached to at least a part of the front surface of the headlight 10 is not limited to this method, and any known method can be used.

  In addition, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 compares the measured water droplet amount with the reference water droplet amount stored in the storage unit 23, and determines whether the water droplet amount is equal to or more than the reference water droplet amount. In addition, the water drop amount determination unit 26 determines the presence or absence of precipitation based on the water drop amount. Specifically, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines that there is precipitation when the water droplet amount is equal to or more than the reference water droplet amount, and that there is no precipitation when the water droplet amount is less than the reference water droplet amount. The reference water droplet amount is a value serving as a reference for determining that there is precipitation when the calculated water droplet amount is equal to or more than this value, and is a value predetermined by actual measurement.

  The control signal generation unit 27 outputs a control signal related to the fog lamp of the vehicle 1 based on the result of the determination by the received light amount determination unit 25. Specifically, the control signal generation unit 27 turns off the fog lamp when the received light amount determination unit 25 determines that the light amount is equal to or more than the reference light amount, that is, when it is determined that fog is not generated. It outputs a control signal for issuing a warning to prompt. Further, when the light receiving amount determining unit 25 determines that the light amount is less than the reference light amount, that is, when it is determined that fog is occurring, the control signal generating unit 27 issues a warning prompting to turn on the fog lamp. Generate a control signal to emit.

  The control signal generation unit 27 may output a control signal for turning off the fog lamp instead of a control signal for issuing a warning prompting to turn off the fog lamp. Similarly, a control signal for turning on the fog lamp may be output instead of a control signal for issuing a warning prompting to turn on the fog lamp.

  Further, the control signal generation unit 27 outputs a control signal related to the wiper of the vehicle 1 based on the result of the determination by the water droplet amount determination unit 26. Specifically, the control signal generation unit 27 performs control for instructing to stop the operation of the wiper when the water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines that the water droplet amount is less than the reference water droplet amount, that is, when there is no precipitation. Output a signal. In addition, when the water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines that the water droplet amount is equal to or greater than the reference water droplet amount, that is, when it is determined that there is precipitation, the control signal generation unit 27 stores the water droplet amount in the storage unit 23 in association with the water droplet amount. Read the intermittent time of the wiper operation. Then, the control signal generation unit 27 generates a control signal indicating an instruction to start the operation of the wiper and the intermittent time.

  The storage unit 23 stores the reference light amount and the reference water droplet amount. As described above, the storage unit 23 may store the reference light amount corresponding to the time zone. Further, the storage unit 23 stores the intermittent time of the operation of the wiper corresponding to the amount of water droplet. The increase rate of the intermittent time stored in the storage unit 23 with respect to the water droplet amount is set to 0 or less. For example, the intermittent time may be shorter as the water droplet amount is larger, or may be gradually reduced as the water droplet amount increases.

  The output unit 24 outputs the control signal generated by the control signal generation unit 27 to the vehicle control device 30.

  The vehicle control device 30 includes a receiving unit 31, a control unit 32, and the like, and controls the operation of the vehicle 1.

  The receiving unit 31 receives the control signal output by the output unit 24 of the detection system 20.

  The control unit 32 controls the vehicle 1 based on the control signal received by the receiving unit 31. Specifically, when the receiving unit 31 receives a control signal related to turning off the fog lamp in a state where the fog lamp is turned on, the control unit 32 generates a warning prompting to turn off the fog lamp, and in a state where the fog lamp is turned off, When a control signal related to lighting of the fog lamp is received, a warning that prompts lighting of the fog lamp is generated.

  Further, when the receiving unit 31 receives a control signal for instructing to stop the operation of the wiper while the wiper is operating, the control unit 32 stops the operation of the wiper. Further, when the receiving unit 31 receives an instruction to start the operation of the wiper and a control signal indicating the intermittent time while the wiper is stopped, the control unit 32 causes the wiper to operate at the interval of the intermittent time indicated by the control signal. Make it work.

  Hereinafter, the detection method of the detection system 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present detection method, the headlight 10 irradiates the front of the vehicle 1.

  In a state where the headlight 10 irradiates the front of the vehicle 1, first, the optical sensor 21 captures an image of the front surface of the headlight 10. That is, when light is emitted from the headlight 10, the optical sensor 21 detects light (step S11), and outputs an image signal representing a captured image based on the detected light (step S12).

  When the image signal is output by the optical sensor 21 in step S12, the received light amount determination unit 25 measures the amount of light received by the optical sensor 21 based on the captured image represented by the image signal (step S13). After measuring the light amount in step S13, the received light amount determination unit 25 determines whether or not fog has occurred based on the light amount (step S14).

  Here, the process in which the received light amount determination unit 25 determines whether or not fog has occurred based on the amount of light will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  The received light amount determination unit 25 determines whether the light amount measured in step S13 is equal to or more than the reference light amount (step S141).

  When it is determined in step S141 that the measured light amount is equal to or larger than the reference light amount, the received light amount determination unit 25 determines that fog has not occurred (step S142). In step S141, when it is determined that the measured light amount is less than the reference light amount, the received light amount determination unit 25 determines that fog is occurring (step S143).

  Returning to FIG. 5, when the determination based on the light amount is made in step S14, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 adheres to the front surface of the headlight 10 based on the captured image represented by the image signal output in step S12. The amount of the water droplet W is measured (step S15).

  Here, the process in which the water drop amount determination unit 26 measures the water drop amount in step S15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  First, the water drop amount determination unit 26 detects an edge represented in the captured image (Step S151). When an edge is detected in step S151, the water drop amount determination unit 26 extracts, from the detected edges, those that form a contour of a predetermined shape such as a circle or an ellipse as the water drop area WA (step S152).

  When the water drop area WA is extracted in step S152, the water drop amount determination unit 26 calculates the number or the accumulated area of the water drop areas WA (step S153). When the number or the cumulative area of the water droplet areas WA is calculated in Step S153, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 calculates the water droplet amount based on the number or the cumulative area of the water droplet areas WA (Step S154).

  Returning to FIG. 5, when the water droplet amount is measured in step S15, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines whether there is precipitation based on the measured water droplet amount (step S16).

  Here, the process in which the water drop amount determination unit 26 determines whether or not there is precipitation in step S16 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  The water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines whether the measured water droplet amount is equal to or larger than the reference water droplet amount (Step S161). When it is determined in step S161 that the water droplet amount is equal to or larger than the reference water droplet amount, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines that there is precipitation (step S162). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S161 that the water droplet amount is less than the reference water droplet amount, the water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines that there is no precipitation (step S163).

  Returning to FIG. 5, when the determination based on the water droplet amount is performed in step S16, the control signal generation unit 27 generates a control signal based on the result of the determination (step S17).

  Specifically, when the light amount determination unit 34 determines that the light amount is equal to or more than the reference light amount, that is, when it is determined that fog is not generated, the control signal generation unit 27 performs control related to turning off the fog lamp. Generate a signal. When it is determined that the light amount is less than the reference light amount, that is, when it is determined that fog is occurring, a control signal related to lighting of the fog lamp is generated.

  When the water droplet amount determination unit 26 determines that the water droplet amount is less than the reference water droplet amount, that is, that there is no precipitation, a control signal for instructing to stop the operation of the wiper is output. When it is determined that the water droplet amount is equal to or larger than the reference water droplet amount, that is, when it is determined that there is precipitation, the intermittent time of the wiper stored in the storage unit 23 in association with the water droplet amount is read, and the operation of the wiper is performed. A control signal indicating a start instruction and an intermittent time of the operation of the wiper is generated.

  When the control signal is generated by the control signal generation unit 27 in Step S17, the output unit 24 outputs the control signal to the vehicle control device 30 (Step S18).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the control signal is generated based on the output of the optical sensor 21 that is installed in front of the headlight 10 of the vehicle 1 and detects the light from the headlight 10, the driving The equipment such as the wiper and the fog lamp of the vehicle 1 can be controlled with high accuracy without obstructing the field of view of the user.

  According to the present embodiment, the control signal for turning off the fog lamp is generated when the light amount of the light from the headlight 10 is equal to or more than the reference light amount, and the fog lamp is turned on when the light amount is less than the predetermined reference light amount. Therefore, the driver can accurately grasp the presence or absence of fog even when it is difficult to visually recognize the fog, for example, at night, and operate the fog lamp appropriately. it can. Furthermore, when the control signal is a signal for controlling to turn on or off the fog lamp, the fog lamp can be operated according to the presence or absence of fog without the driver's operation. Therefore, the driver can drive safely.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the front surface of the headlight 10 occupies a predetermined ratio or more of the imaging range of the image sensor that images the front surface of the headlight 10, the influence of the headlight 10 other than light is reduced. Then, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not fog is generated.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the water droplet amount is equal to or more than the predetermined reference water droplet amount, the wiper of the vehicle 1 is operated, and when the water droplet amount is less than the predetermined reference water droplet amount, control for not operating the wiper is performed. Since the signal is generated, the wiper can be operated when there is more than a predetermined amount of precipitation without the driver operating.

  The present invention is not limited only to the above embodiment, and many modifications or changes are possible. In the above-described embodiment, the control signal generation unit 27 outputs a control signal related to the fog lamp of the vehicle 1 based on the result of the determination by the received light amount determination unit 25 or based on the result of the determination by the water droplet amount determination unit 26. For example, a control signal for controlling the wiper of the vehicle 1 is output, but is not limited to such a control signal. For example, the control signal generation unit 27 controls the opening and closing mechanism of the outside air intake of the vehicle 1 with respect to the vehicle control device 30 based on the determination result by one or more of the received light amount determination unit 25 and the water droplet amount determination unit 26. May be output.

  Specifically, for example, when the measured light amount is equal to or more than the reference light amount and the measured water droplet amount is less than the reference water droplet amount, the control signal generation unit 27 performs control to open the outside air intake. A control signal can be output. Thus, when the outside environment is suitable for ventilation of the vehicle 1 such as when there is no fog or precipitation, the outside air can be taken in without operation by a driver or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the optical sensor 21 is an image sensor provided in the camera, and the light amount is measured using the image captured by the optical sensor 21, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the presence or absence of precipitation is not determined, the optical sensor 21 may be a photodetector that detects light quantity by converting light into electricity. In this case, the received light amount determination unit 25 determines whether or not fog has occurred based on the amount of light detected by the photodetector.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control signal generation unit 27 reads the intermittent time of the wiper operation stored in the storage unit 23 in association with the water droplet amount, and generates a control signal indicating the intermittent time. This is not the case. For example, the control signal generation unit 27 may determine the intermittent time based on a predetermined conversion formula that converts the amount of water droplets into the intermittent time of the operation of the wiper, and may generate the control signal. In this case, the storage unit 23 need not store the relationship between the amount of water droplets and the intermittent time of the operation of the wiper.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the presence or absence of fog is determined based on the amount of light. However, the present invention is not limited to fog, and the optical sensor 21 detects, for example, haze, volcanic ash, and PM2.5. The presence or absence of minute particles in the atmosphere that affect the light amount may be determined.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the optical sensor 21 is installed in front of the headlight 10, but is not limited thereto. For example, a mirror that reflects light may be provided in front of the headlight 10, and the optical sensor 21 may be installed, for example, behind or on the side of the headlight 10 so as to receive the light reflected by the mirror.

  Further, the optical sensor 21 and the signal processing unit 22 in the detection system 20 of the above embodiment may be configured as an integrated device, or separate devices may be configured to have these functions.

Reference Signs List 1 vehicle 10 headlight 20 detection system 21 optical sensor 22 signal processing unit 23 storage unit 24 output unit 25 received light amount determination unit 26 water droplet amount determination unit 27 control signal generation unit 30 vehicle control device 31 reception unit 32 control unit W water droplet WA water droplet region

Claims (8)

An image sensor that is installed in the vehicle and outputs an image signal by capturing an image of a front portion of a headlight of the vehicle,
If the amount of light measured using the brightness of the captured image represented by the image signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference light amount, it is determined that fog has not occurred, and if the amount of light is less than the predetermined reference light amount, Is determined to have occurred, a signal processing unit that generates a control signal based on the determination ,
A detection system comprising: The signal processing unit generates the control signal related to turning off the fog lamp of the vehicle when determining that fog is not generated, and determines that the fog lamp is turned on when determining that fog is generated. The detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection system generates a control signal. The image sensor, the detection system according to claim 1 or 2 is installed in front of the headlight. The detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a predetermined ratio or more of an imaging range of the image sensor is occupied by the front surface portion. The detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising an output unit configured to output the control signal to a control device of the vehicle in order to control the vehicle. The signal processing unit, the detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 for generating the control signal for controlling the opening and closing mechanism of the outside air intake of the vehicle. By an image sensor installed in the vehicle, imaging the front portion of the headlights of the vehicle, and outputting an image signal ,
When the light amount measured using the luminance of the captured image represented by the image signal is equal to or more than a predetermined reference light amount , the signal processing unit determines that fog has not occurred, and the light amount is less than the predetermined reference light amount. , Determining that fog is occurring and generating a control signal ;
Detection method, including. An image sensor that is installed in the vehicle and outputs an image signal by capturing an image of the front part of the headlight of the vehicle, and when the light amount measured by the brightness of the captured image represented by the image signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference light amount, A signal processing unit that determines that fog has not occurred, determines that fog has occurred when the light amount is less than the predetermined reference light amount, and generates a control signal ,
Detection system, including,
Vehicle equipped with.

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