JP2000289548A - Vehicle backing support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a driver to easily back a vehicle into a parking space by reporting detailed steering information such as steering direction to the driver. SOLUTION: A reference edge is detected from an image of a parking space taken with a camera 12. An apex and a road side line are extracted from the reference edge. The apex and the road side line are compared with virtual images to calculate the distance and angle of advance of a vehicle to a target guide position and the required steering direction. The steering angle of a steering wheel from a steering angle sensor 19 is calculated, and information about steering that should be adopted by the driver is calculated from comparison of data about the steering angle with data about the steering direction. This steering information is reported by a report means to the driver via a speaker 18 in the form of synthesized voice.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle reversing support device for assisting a vehicle to retreat to a guidance target position where the vehicle can easily retreat from a parking space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a vehicular reversal assisting device which displays a rear view of a vehicle on a monitor provided in a driver's seat when a driver cannot see a target place due to a blind spot of the vehicle. I have. FIG. 10 shows a monitor screen when such a device is used. When parallel parking is performed by such a device, for example, first, an image 2 behind the vehicle captured by a camera attached to the vehicle is displayed on the monitor screen 1. The image 2 includes the roadside 3 and
A parking space 4 along the roadside 3 is included. Also,
On the monitor screen 1, a predicted line 5 indicating a predicted reverse trajectory according to the steering angle of the steered wheel at that time was displayed so as to be superimposed on the image 2 behind the vehicle. Thus, the driver adjusts the steering amount and the steering direction of the steering wheel so that the vehicle can move to the target parking space 4 while predicting how the vehicle will retreat at the steering angle at that time.

[0003]

However, in the conventional vehicle reverse assist device, the information given to the driver is only the rear image 2 projected on the monitor and the expected line 5; It does not indicate how much steering amount and steering direction should be given to the driver or to which position the driver should go back, but it is only a measure of retreat.
Therefore, it was difficult for a beginner to perform parking well.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and informs a driver of specific steering information such as a steering direction so that the vehicle can be easily moved backward to a parking space. It is an object to provide a retreat support device.

[0005]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle reversing support system for supporting a vehicle to retreat to a guidance target position where the vehicle can easily retreat with respect to a parking space. A reference edge setting means for setting a reference edge of a parking space; and a virtual image storage means for storing a virtual image having a predetermined positional relationship with the reference edge when the vehicle is at the guidance target position. Calculating means for calculating a distance and an angle from the positional relationship between the reference edge and the virtual image to the guidance target position of the vehicle; a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steered wheel; And a notifying means for notifying the driver of steering information from a steering angle from the angle sensor.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle retreat assistance apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle, and a monitor for displaying an image photographed by the camera. It is assumed that.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle reverse assisting device according to the second aspect, the reference edge comprises a vertex of a parking space and a roadside line or a parking frame line, and the virtual image corresponds to the vertex. It comprises a corresponding eye mark and an approach angle line corresponding to the roadside line or the parking frame line.

[0008] The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
The vehicle retreat assistance device according to any one of the above, wherein the notifying unit notifies the steering information by voice.

[0009] The invention according to claim 5 provides the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
The vehicle reversing support device according to any one of the above, wherein the notifying unit notifies the steering information by vibration.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle reverse assistance device according to the third aspect, the notifying means displays a guidance trajectory of the eye mark to the vertex on a monitor. It is.

[0011] The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claims 1 to 6.
In the vehicle backward support device according to any one of the above, the reference edge setting means detects the reference edge by image processing.

[0012] The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claims 1 to 6.
In the vehicle retreat assistance device according to any one of the above, the reference edge setting means is a pointing device.

According to the above-described invention, when the reference edge of the parking space is set, the distance and the angle to the target position of the vehicle are calculated from the positional relationship between the reference edge and the virtual image. Further, the steering angle of the steered wheel is detected by the steering angle sensor. Based on this result, the driver is notified of the steering information. The driver can move to the guidance target position by moving the vehicle backward according to the steering information.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of an automobile equipped with a vehicle retreat assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of the vehicle backward assistance device according to the present embodiment. At the rear of the vehicle 11, a camera 12 for photographing the rear of the vehicle is attached. The view range of the camera 12 is set so that the bumper 13 at the rear of the vehicle enters. On the instrument panel 15 of the driver's seat 14, a monitor for displaying an image captured by the camera 12, a controller, and a speaker are provided.

A camera 12, a monitor 17, a speaker 18, and a steering angle sensor 19 are connected to the controller 16. The steering angle sensor 19 detects a steering angle of a steered wheel of the vehicle. The controller 16 includes a reference edge setting unit 20, a virtual image storage unit 21, and a calculation unit 2.
2, a monitor control means 23, a parking possible / impossible determining means 24 and a notifying means 25 are provided. The reference edge setting means 20 is for setting a reference edge for a desired parking space.
Reference numeral 1 stores a virtual image representing the distance and angle between the reference edge and the guidance target position.

Here, the relationship between the parking space and the guidance target position will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, as a position where anyone can easily move the vehicle 11 to the desired parking space 31, the steering wheel is fully turned at that position, and the steering wheel is retracted with the steering wheel at the maximum steering angle. And a position (hereinafter, referred to as a “guide target position”) 33 where the vehicle 11 always comes to the parking space 31. Since there is no need to change the steering angle from this position 33, anyone can easily move the vehicle 11 backward to the parking space 31.

Normally, the guidance target position 33 is a vertex 34 serving as a reference point set in the parking space 31, a distance X between the vehicle rear portion 35 and the vertex 34 on the vehicle center line C, and a vehicle center line C and the road side (parking space 31). (The side of 31), that is, the approach angle Y, is determined by three conditions.
In a position where any one of these three conditions is not satisfied, even if the vehicle 11 is moved backward with the steered wheels at the maximum steering angle, the vehicle cannot move to the desired parking space 31. That is, in FIG. 4, even if the vehicle is moved backward from the position indicated by reference sign A where the distance X1 to the vertex does not match the distance X, the rear portion of the vehicle is too bent and runs off the parking space. Further, even if the distance to the apex 34 is correct, even if the vehicle retreats from the position indicated by reference sign B where the angle Y1 does not match the approach angle Y, the vehicle front does not enter the parking space. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the vehicle 11 is guided to the guidance target position 33 where anyone can easily retreat to the parking space 31.

Next, the operation of the vehicle backward assistance device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. An image 41 behind the vehicle taken by the camera 12 is a monitor screen 42.
Will be displayed. A bumper 43 of the vehicle 11 is displayed at a lower portion of the monitor screen 42, and the monitor screen 42 displays a place away from the rear of the vehicle toward the upper side. The image data behind the vehicle is sent to the reference edge setting means 20, and as a step S1, the parking space 31 is set.
Is detected. The setting of the reference edge 44 is based on detecting the corner portion of the parking space 31 from the brightness of the image by an image processing technique.

Further, in step S2, the reference edge setting means 20 detects the vertex 34 of the parking space 31 and the roadside line 36 from the reference edge 44 detected in step S1. The detected data of the vertex 34 of the parking space 31 and the roadside line 36 are sent to the calculating means 22.

The data of the virtual image 45 stored in the virtual image storage means 21 in advance is stored in the calculation means 2.
2 and the monitor control means 23. The virtual image 45 is a triangular image that is immovable with respect to the monitor screen 42 including the eye mark 46 and the approach angle line 47, and is superimposed on the monitor screen 42 by the monitor control unit 23 in step S3, that is, the vehicle The image is superimposed on the rear image 41. Virtual image 45
Is set for each type of vehicle according to the maximum steering angle unique to the vehicle. The eye mark 46 and the vertex 34 overlap on the monitor screen 42, and the approach angle line 47 and the roadside line 3
6 is set in advance so that the vehicle 11 is located at the guidance target position 33 when the vehicle 6 and the vehicle 6 overlap.

The following processing is performed in the calculating means 22. At step S4, the distance of the vehicle 11 to the guidance target position 33 is calculated from the distance between the eye mark 46 and the vertex 34. At step S5, the vehicle relative to the guidance target position 33 is calculated based on the angle between the approach angle line 47 and the roadside line 36. 11 is calculated. Further, step S
As 6, the steering direction for moving the vehicle 11 to the guidance target position 33, that is, the eye mark 46 and the apex, A steering direction is calculated such that the approach angle line, the approach angle line 47, and the roadside line overlap each other.

Further, the calculating means 22 includes the steering angle sensor 1
9, the data of the steered wheels is input, and based on this data, the steering angle of the steered wheels is calculated in step S7. Then, in step S8, the current steering angle of the steered wheels calculated in steps S6 and S7 is compared with the steering direction necessary for moving the vehicle to the guidance target position, and the steering direction to be taken by the driver is determined. calculate.

The parking permission / non-permission determining means 24 includes a calculating means 22 for moving the vehicle 11 to the guidance target position 33 and the distance from the vehicle 11 to the guidance target position 33 calculated in steps S4 and S6. The steering direction of the vehicle is input, and accordingly, parking possible / impossible determination means 24
Determines in step S9 whether or not the vehicle 11 can finally move to the parking space 31 at that time, that is, whether or not parking is possible.

The notifying means 25 includes data on the steering direction to be taken by the driver calculated by the calculating means 22 in step S8 and whether or not the parking is calculated by the parking possible / impossible determining means 24 in step S9. Is sent to the speaker 18 as step S10.
The voice synthesis for informing the driver via the is performed.

Further, the above-described processing is performed in real time, and the driver changes the position of the vehicle 11 or the steering angle as soon as the position of the vehicle 11 changes, through the sound output from the monitor screen 42 or the speaker 18. You can know.

In the vehicle reversing support device according to the present embodiment configured as described above, when the driver operates the steering wheel to retreat the vehicle 11, the monitor screen 42
From, the position of the vehicle 11 with respect to the guidance target position 33 can be visually recognized in real time based on the positional relationship between the eye mark 46 and the vertex 34, the approach angle line 47, and the roadside line 36. At the same time, the driver receives voice guidance via the notification means 25 and the speaker 18 on how to steer the steering wheel.
This is a synthetic sound such as "Please turn the steering wheel to the left". In this way, in addition to being able to visually align the vehicle, there is also guidance on the steering direction by voice, so it is not necessary to know when to turn the steering wheel and even beginners can operate accurately Can be. Further, since there is voice guidance, the driver does not need to always look at the monitor screen 42, and accordingly,
Attention can be paid around the vehicle.

When the vehicle 11 comes to the target guidance position 33, the eye mark 46 and the vertex 34 overlap on the monitor screen 42 and the approach angle line 4 as shown in FIG.
7 and the roadside line 36 overlap, the driver can visually recognize that the vehicle 11 has reached the target guidance position 33. In addition to this, the notification means 25 and the speaker 18
You will be guided through a synthetic sound such as "Please turn the steering wheel fully to the right." Therefore, the driver can easily know when to turn the steering wheel. After the vehicle 11 moves to the guidance target position 33 in this way, the driver turns the steering wheel to the full in accordance with the voice and retreats in a state where the steered wheels are set to the maximum steering angle.
Enters the desired parking space 31 from the guidance target position 33.

Further, an eye mark 46 is displayed on the monitor screen 42.
If the vehicle cannot be parked in the parking space 31 even if it continues as in the case where has come above the vertex 34,
It is determined that parking is impossible by the parking possible / impossible determining means 24,
The user is notified via the notification means 25 and the speaker 18 by a synthetic sound such as "cannot park". Therefore, the driver does not erroneously determine whether parking is possible or not, and does not notice that the vehicle cannot be parked at the end.

It should be noted that the vehicle reversing support device according to the above embodiment can be modified as follows. That is, the steering information guided by the notification means 25 is the steering direction, but instead or in addition thereto,
A steering angle such as "Please turn the steering wheel several times" may be guided to the driver. Also, the notification means 25
May be an intermittent sound instead of a word. In such a case, the steering direction and the steering angle can be notified by changing the pitch and the intermittent interval of the intermittent sound.

Next, a vehicle backward support device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Although the image processing is used as the reference edge setting means 20 in the vehicle backward support device shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, instead, in the vehicle backward support device according to the present embodiment,
A pointing device such as a mouse or a touch panel is used as a reference edge setting unit. Therefore, the driver first specifies the reference edge of the desired parking space 31 on the image on the monitor screen by the pointing device as step S1. According to such a vehicle retreat support device, it is possible to cope with a case where it is desired to park at a location where the reference edge cannot be detected by the image processing. Further, since the driver specifies the reference edge, the certainty of setting the target parking space is higher. Step S2 and subsequent steps are the same as the operations of the vehicle retreat assistance device shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 8, image processing and designation by a pointing device may be used together. In this case, when the reference edge can be detected by the image processing, the reference edge is automatically detected. When the reference edge cannot be detected by the image processing, the reference edge is manually designated by a pointing device. A reference edge setting method may be adopted, or a plurality of reference edge candidates are detected by image processing and displayed on a monitor screen, and the driver selects a desired reference edge from among the candidates using a pointing device. A selection type setting method of a reference edge such as designation may be adopted.

Next, a vehicle backward support device according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 1
In the vehicle reversing support device indicated by reference numeral 6,
Voice guidance was to be given as
Instead, the notifying means of the vehicle retreat assistance device of the present embodiment calculates the guidance trajectory 51 of the eye mark 46 and superimposes it on the monitor screen 52 via the monitor control means. That is, the notification unit calculates an ideal guidance trajectory 51 of the eye mark 46 to the vertex 34 from the data of the distance and the approach angle of the vehicle 11 to the guidance target position 33 calculated by the calculation unit 22. The guidance trajectory 51 corresponds to a path where the vehicle 11 reaches the guidance target position 33 with the minimum steering amount. Thereby, the driver can monitor the monitor screen 52
It is not necessary to compare the eye mark 46 and the vertex 34, the approach angle line 47 and the roadside line 36 at the same time. Can be moved. Therefore, even a beginner can perform parallel parking more easily.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the driver may be notified of steering information by vibration as a notification means.
That is, it is also possible to attach a vibrator to the steering wheel and notify the steering direction and the steering angle by vibration.

Further, the vehicle reversing support device does not need to have a dedicated camera and monitor, but can be used for a vehicle already equipped with a monitor or camera, such as a navigation system monitor or an on-vehicle television display, and a rear view camera. If applicable, those existing monitors and cameras may be used.

[0035]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driver only needs to operate the steering wheel according to the informed steering information.
It is not lost which way to cut, and even a beginner can surely move the vehicle to a desired parking space.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since a dedicated camera and monitor are provided, setting of the camera and monitor is easier than when using an existing camera and monitor.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the distance and the angle to the guidance target position of the vehicle are respectively determined from the distance between the vertex and the eye mark and the angle between the roadside line or the parking frame line and the approach angle line. You can easily find out.

According to the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, since the steering information is notified through a sense other than the visual sense, the driver can pay more attention to the surroundings of the vehicle.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle can be moved to the guidance target position simply by operating the steering wheel so that the eye mark does not deviate from the guidance trajectory.
Even beginners can park more easily.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the reference edge is automatically detected by the image processing, it is convenient for the driver to save the trouble of setting the reference edge.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to apply even when it is difficult to set a reference edge by image processing, and it is also possible to reliably apply even when there are a plurality of locations that can be reference edges. A desired reference edge can be set.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an automobile equipped with a vehicle retreat assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a structure of a vehicle backward assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a parking space and a guidance target position.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a distance and an angle between a parking space and a guidance target position.

5A is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle is at an arbitrary parking start position and a monitor screen at that time, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle is at a guidance target position and a monitor screen at that time.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a processing process of the vehicle retreat assistance device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a processing process of a vehicle reversal support device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a processing process of a vehicle retreat assistance device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a monitor screen in a vehicle retreat assistance device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a monitor screen in a conventional vehicle backward support device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 vehicle 12 camera 17 monitor 19 steering angle sensor 20 reference edge setting means 21 virtual image storage means 22 calculation means 25 notification means 31 parking space 33 guidance target position 34 vertex 36 roadside line 44 reference edge 45 virtual image 46 eye mark 47 approach angle Line 51 Guidance trajectory

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B60R 21/00 626Z (72) Inventor Hiroshi Tanaka 2-1-1 Toyota-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Pref. F term in loom mill (reference) 5C054 CE02 CE11 FC14 FC15 FE14 FE19 FF03 FF06 GB11 HA30

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle retreat assistance device for assisting a vehicle to retreat to a guidance target position where the vehicle can easily retreat with respect to a parking space, comprising: a reference edge setting means for setting a reference edge of a parking space; Virtual image storage means for storing a virtual image having a predetermined positional relationship with the reference edge when at the guidance target position; and a distance from the positional relationship between the reference edge and the virtual image to the guidance target position of the vehicle. Calculating means for calculating an angle, a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steered wheel, and a notifying means for notifying a driver of steering information based on a result from the calculating means and a steering angle from the steering angle sensor. A vehicle reversal support device characterized in that: 2. The vehicle retreat assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising: a camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle; and a monitor for displaying an image photographed by the camera. 3. The reference edge includes a vertex of a parking space and a roadside line or a parking frame line, and the virtual image corresponds to an eye mark corresponding to the vertex and the roadside line or the parking frame line. The vehicle retreat assistance device according to claim 2, comprising an approach angle line. 4. The vehicle retreat support device according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the steering information by voice. 5. The vehicle retreat support device according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the steering information by vibration. 6. The device according to claim 3, wherein the notifying unit displays a guidance trajectory of the eye mark up to the vertex on a monitor. 7. The vehicle retreat assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the reference edge setting unit detects the reference edge by image processing. 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reference edge setting unit is a pointing device.