JP2009241925A - Vehicular driving support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently support a driver according to image information. <P>SOLUTION: When a vehicle 1 is backed and parked in a parking place 2, driving support is performed by displaying an image captured by a camera unit 10 on an information display 4. A visual field 10a of the camera unit 10 is directed toward the lower part of the rear side of the vehicle which is out of driver's line of vision. The captured image is processed by a parking assist ECU 6 so as to recognize a white line 3, display a proceeding prediction curve 5 corresponding to the operation of a steering wheel 1a or the like. User-friendly guidance can be performed because the proceeding prediction curve 5 is displayed in a manner where the proceeding prediction curve 5 is superposed on the captured real image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus for a vehicle that provides support based on image information to a driver who drives the vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, proposals have been made to support a driver of a vehicle by mounting an imaging device such as a video camera on a vehicle such as an automobile and capturing images inside and outside the vehicle. For example, in a large vehicle, an image of a part that becomes a blind spot of the driver is captured, and in particular, an image behind the vehicle at the time of reverse is captured to prevent an accident.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a prior art that provides a radar in front of a vehicle, detects an obstacle on a road ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and generates an alarm for avoiding a collision. If an imaging device is installed in front of the vehicle, it is expected that an equivalent obstacle avoidance can be achieved by imaging an image ahead of the traveling direction instead of the radar and image processing. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a prior art that detects an object or the like existing around a vehicle with a peripheral object detection sensor such as an infrared sensor and displays a relationship with a predicted traveling locus of the vehicle on a display. It is disclosed. It is also conceivable to replace the prior art peripheral object detection sensor with an imaging device and recognize a peripheral object with an image.

  A conventional in-vehicle imaging device captures an image in a specific range, such as a video camera that captures the rear of a vehicle. It is assumed that the imaging range of the imaging device is fixed even when the imaging device is used to detect an obstacle ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle or when the imaging device is used to sense an obstacle around the vehicle. It becomes.

JP-A-5-101299 JP-A-10-185591

  As described above, even if an imaging device such as a video camera has been conventionally attached to a vehicle, an image captured by the attached imaging device is an image in a fixed imaging direction. Since the image to be captured is fixed, the time when the imaging device is not used increases depending on the driving situation of the vehicle. For example, an imaging device that captures an image of the rear of a vehicle is used to eliminate a driver's blind spot when the vehicle is stopped or retreating, but is to rest in other driving situations. Become. However, the vehicle has many portions that become the blind spots of the driver, and there is a need for capturing images in other directions depending on the driving situation of the vehicle. If the image capturing direction is fixed, it is necessary to mount a large number of imaging devices on the vehicle in order to capture different images according to various driving situations. Also, when the imaging device is mounted on the vehicle so that the imaging device can accurately capture a desired image, the imaging direction of the image is accurately adjusted, and the adjusted direction does not shift during traveling. In addition, it must be firmly fixed to the vehicle. In addition, even if the imaging device is once fixed to the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the imaging direction to be changed so as to obtain a more useful image as the driving is repeated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device for a vehicle that can efficiently support a driver based on image information without mounting many imaging devices on the vehicle.

The present invention (1) includes information adding means for adding driving support information in an image captured by a camera mounted on a vehicle body,
Steering angle detection means for detecting the steering angle of the vehicle,
The information adding means includes a progress prediction curve indicating a range that the vehicle passes through that changes according to a steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting means and that corresponds to an actual size of the vehicle. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, which is added as driving support information.

  According to the present invention (1), the progress prediction curve is added as the driving support information by the information adding means to the image captured by the camera mounted on the main body. The progress prediction curve is a range through which the vehicle changes according to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection means, and indicates a range corresponding to the actual size of the vehicle.

  Thus, the driver of the vehicle can drive the vehicle safely and easily based on the range that changes according to the steering angle and that corresponds to the actual size of the vehicle.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a parking assist system as a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state which the vehicle 1 is going to approach into the parking space shown with the white line 3 of the parking lot 2 while moving backward with the parking assistance system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the image displayed on the information display 4 with the parking assistance system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the image processing procedure of parking assistance ECU6 in the parking assistance system of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the camera unit 10 of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the camera unit 10 of FIG. It is the simplified perspective view which shows the structure of the direction change mechanism 20 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration for changing the imaging direction of the camera unit 10 of FIG. 5. It is a perspective view which shows the schematic shape of the operation part 31 connected to the camera control part 30 of FIG. It is the front view and top view about the upper part 18 of the casing 11 shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the cut surface line XI-XI of FIG.10 (b). It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the camera unit 40 of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the shape of the bottom face of the bracket 41 of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the schematic shape of the camera unit 50 as 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration for controlling the direction in which the camera unit 50 captures an image in the embodiment of FIG. 14. It is a block diagram which shows schematic electrical structure of parking assist ECU6 of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which images a back front image | video with the parking assistance system of embodiment of FIG. 1, and assists garage entry. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the function of the parking assist system in FIG. 1 is expanded to correspond to parallel parking as a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an external steering angle sensor 90 that detects an operation of a steering wheel 1a as a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a simplified perspective view and side view showing a state in which a clearance d is ensured between the surface of the reflector 91 attached to the rotating shaft 7a and the optical detector 92 in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a simplified perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an external steering angle sensor 100 that detects an operation of a steering wheel 1a as a sixth embodiment of the present invention. It is the simplified perspective view which shows the structure for a steering angle detection as 7th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a simplified perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an external steering angle sensor 110 that electromagnetically detects an angular displacement of a rotating shaft 7a as an eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a simplified perspective view showing a schematic configuration of external steering angle sensors 120a and 120b that transmit and detect angular displacement of a rotating shaft 7a as a ninth embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the schematic operation | movement procedure of the parking assistance system as 10th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the automatic parking system as 11th Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of parking assist ECU140 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the schematic procedure of the overlap process performed as a subroutine at step b6 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence which calculates steering control amount (theta) _T in step b8 of FIG. It is a top view which shows schematic operation | movement of the automatic parking system as 12th Embodiment of this invention. As a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention, it is a plan view showing a state in which camera units 10 and 50 are arranged at various positions of a vehicle 1 and driving assistance is performed. It is a figure which shows the image which is monitoring the load on a roof with the camera unit 10 for parking assistance of FIG. It is a figure which shows the image for front side encounter accident prevention by the visual field shown to (2) of FIG.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a parking assist system as a first embodiment of the present invention. The parking assist system of the present embodiment provides assistance so that the driver of the vehicle 1 can operate the steering 1a and the shift lever 1b to park at an appropriate position in the parking lot 2. In the parking lot 2, a parking space for the vehicle 1 is displayed by, for example, a white line 3. In the parking assist system of this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is going backward and parks in a predetermined parking space of the parking lot 2, the rear image of the vehicle 1 is displayed on the information display 4 and the progress prediction curve 5 is matched. Display and provide assistance to the driver. The image to be displayed on the information display 4 is created by a parking assist ECU 6 as one of electronic control units (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “ECU”) mounted on the vehicle 1.

  The parking assist ECU 6 inputs the steering operation of the driver of the vehicle 1 as the output of the steering angle sensor 7 that detects the amount of angular displacement of the steering, and the backward movement of the vehicle 1 detects the position of the shift lever of the transmission. Input as an output from the shift position sensor 8. When the shift lever is operated to the reverse R position, the shift position sensor 8 generates a signal for turning on the back lamp SW, which is a switch for turning on the back lamp (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “SW”). Output. When the progress prediction curve 5 predicted based on the outputs from the steering angle sensor 7 and the shift position sensor 8 protrudes from the white line 3, the parking assist ECU 6 issues an alarm via the speaker 9 to alert the driver. Prompt. An image of the parking lot 2 behind the vehicle 1 is taken by the camera unit 10. The camera unit 10 is mounted on the rear upper part of the vehicle 1 so that the visual field 10a faces the parking lot 2.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is going to enter the parking space indicated by the white line 3 of the parking lot 2 while moving backward in the parking assist system of FIG. The camera unit 10 attached to the rear part of the vehicle 1 captures an image in the visual field 10a. The field of view 10a includes a lot of blind spots for the driver of the vehicle 1. The parking assist ECU 6 responds to the NTSC video signal from the camera unit 10, the pulse corresponding to the steering angle operation from the steering angle sensor 7, and the back lamp SW signal from the shift position sensor 8. 4, the display of the progress prediction curve of the vehicle 1 and the clearance guide are performed. In the case where the imaging direction and imaging magnification of the camera unit 10 are variable, the imaging direction of the camera unit 10 (angle sensor output for detecting the angle of the camera unit 10) and the imaging magnification of the camera unit 10 (of the camera unit 10). The sensor output for detecting the lens position) is also used for display data of the progress prediction curve. The clearance guide displays a parking position expected when parking according to the progress prediction curve of the vehicle 1 and allows the information display 4 to check how much clearance is generated between the white line 3 and the image.

  On the information display 4, a real image obtained by capturing the parking lot 2 with the camera unit 10 and a progress prediction curve corresponding to the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 7 are displayed so as to overlap each other. The driver can easily understand the amount and the effects associated with them, and can support safer driving. Although the progress prediction curve 5 can be displayed as a line, if the range corresponding to the actual size of the vehicle 1 is filled and displayed as the progress prediction curve 5, it is displayed in a visually understandable expression. be able to. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, if painting is performed in a semi-transparent state, a real image of an obstacle included in the range of the progress prediction curve 5 is also displayed, and safety can be further improved.

  The information display 4 is arranged at a position that is easy for the driver to see. For example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is preferably used as the information display 4. It is preferable that the size of the screen is as large as possible. However, the space near the driver's seat is limited, and it is inefficient to use the large screen information display 4 exclusively for the parking assist system. Therefore, it is usually used in place of a room mirror and a parking assist display is displayed during reverse travel, thereby enabling safe driving support according to the driver's intention. The information display 4 can also be used for map display in a navigation system, video display for television broadcast reception, and the like.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of an image displayed on the information display 4 in the parking assist system of FIG. As shown in (1) of FIG. 3, when the driver operates the shift lever 1b to shift to the R position for reverse travel, the back lamp SW is turned on to light the back lamp. The shift position sensor 8 detects a signal for turning on the back lamp SW, turns on the power of the camera unit 10, and starts imaging. In (2), when the driver operates the steering 1a, the steering angle sensor 7 detects the steering angle, and a pulse signal corresponding to the change in the steering angle is input to the parking assist ECU 6. The parking assist ECU 6 displays a progress prediction curve 5 as shown in (3) on the display screen of the information display 4, for example. In the state shown in (3), the progress prediction curve 5 deviates from the parking space, and there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 may collide with a vehicle parked in the adjacent parking space. Thus, since the predicted vehicle position of the vehicle 1 after the reverse travel is displayed, the direction and amount of the steering operation can be expressed in an easy-to-understand manner to assist driving.

  The driver who judges that it is unlikely to enter the parking space by looking at the display of the progress prediction curve 5 shown in (3) performs the steering operation. For example, the display of the progress prediction curve 5 as shown in (4) is displayed. When obtained, it is determined that the vehicle 1 can enter the parking space between the white lines 3 of the parking lot 2. As the vehicle 1 moves backward and enters the parking space, the image captured by the camera unit 10 changes. As shown in (5), even if the image is displayed around the parking position between the white lines 3, the progress prediction curve 5 based on the steering angle deviates from the white line 3 on one side. If it can be seen from this display that the traveling direction is not preferable and the steering is operated to obtain the traveling prediction curve 5 as shown in (6), the vehicle 1 moves backward in that direction and the vehicle 1 is parked in a predetermined position. It becomes possible to park correctly in the space. In addition, if the parking stop 2a etc. which show a parking position are provided in the parking lot 2, the position can also be recognized by image processing and a parking position can also be estimated.

  FIG. 4 shows an image processing procedure of the parking assist ECU 6 in the parking assist system of FIG. The process starts from step a1, and in step a2, the shift position sensor 8 determines whether or not the shift position of the transmission of the vehicle 1 is in the back gear input state. When the back lamp SW is ON and the back gear is in the input state, the reverse shift position for reverse travel = R, the camera angle of the camera unit 10 at step a3, and the back position where the visual field 10a faces downward in the reverse direction of the vehicle 1 Adjust so that A configuration for adjusting the viewing angle of the camera unit 10 will be described later. Next, in step a4, the steering angle (θ) is taken from the steering angle sensor 7. In step a5, a progress prediction curve corresponding to the steering angle (θ) is calculated and captured as image data (θ) corresponding to the steering angle (θ). In step a6, a drawing output corresponding to the image data captured as the image data (θ) is performed.

  In step a2, when the back lamp SW is OFF and the shift position is not in the back gear input state, it is determined that the shift position is not equal to R during normal traveling. At this time, in step a7, the camera angle of the camera unit 10 is changed so that the visual field 10a faces away in the reverse direction and is in the normal position at the normal time. Next, in step a8, image data for normal display is drawn and output. When step a6 or step a8 is completed, the image data of the progress prediction curve is superimposed on the camera image captured by the camera unit 10 in step a9, output to the information display 4 as a display output, and the process returns to step a2. In the display of the progress prediction curve, it can be displayed as a line, filled, or translucent. Further, together with the progress prediction curve, for example, a predicted parking position is calculated based on an image such as the car stop 2a shown in (5) or (6) of FIG. 3 and displayed separately from the progress prediction curve 5. This makes it easier to understand driving assistance. The progress prediction curve and the predicted parking position are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner, for example, by changing the color, displaying the progress prediction curve with a line, and displaying the predicted parking position with solid lines. It is preferable. Further, when the progress prediction curve protrudes from the white line or hits an obstacle such as another vehicle, an alarm is preferably generated from the speaker 9 or the like. Guidance and warnings can be given by voice synthesis.

  As shown in step a3 of FIG. 4, when the camera angle is set to the back position, for example, the motor 21 is reversed from the reference position for 3 seconds, and the camera angle normal position as shown in step a7 is set to the reference position. Then, the visual field 10a is switched by causing the motor 21 to rotate forward for 1 second. In addition, when adjusting the viewing angle, if the limit position where the viewing angle can be changed is set as the back position or normal position, it is driven until it stops moving in the moving direction, and the configuration for viewing angle adjustment is simplified. be able to. In this way, if the detection of the position of the viewing angle is not required, the cost can be reduced. Further, when the vehicle is moving backward, the viewing angle of the camera unit 10 cannot be manually operated by the operation unit 31, and the display content for driving support is prevented from being shifted by adjusting the screen angle by the manual operation. Is preferred.

  In the normal position of the camera angle in step a7, for example, the visual field 10a is directed farther behind the vehicle 1 than the camera angle back position in step a3, and adjustment is performed so that rearward monitoring is performed to prevent a rear-end collision from the rear. Can do. The camera unit 10 captures a rear image, and the degree of approach of the rear vehicle can be grasped based on the display position and size of the rear vehicle included in the image, thereby preventing rear-end collision. For example, the display position and size and the distance from the vehicle behind can be calculated in advance, and a warning can be given when a sudden approach is detected, thereby contributing to the prevention of whiplash caused by a rear-end collision.

  FIG. 5 shows the shape of the camera unit 10 of FIG. In the camera unit 10, a video camera 12 is accommodated in a waterproof casing 11. In the portion of the video camera 12 where the imaging lens 13 is present, a transparent window 14 is provided in the casing 11. Within the casing 11, the video camera 12 can change the imaging direction. An adsorption magnet 15 is fixed to the bottom of the casing 11 and can be attached to each part of the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 of FIG. A cord 16 is pulled out from the camera unit 10 and used for supplying power for operation, adjusting the imaging direction, and transmitting a captured image signal. A magnet clamp or the like can be provided and held on the portion where the cord 16 is attached to the surface of the vehicle body. The casing 11 is also provided with a microphone 17 for collecting sound. The microphone 17 is preferably a stereo system. This is because sound is collected with directionality, and it is possible to detect that a child, a bicycle, or another car is approaching as sound.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where the camera unit 10 of FIG. 5 is disassembled. The casing 11 is disassembled into an upper part 18 and a lower part 19, and houses a video camera 12 and a direction changing mechanism 20 that changes the imaging direction therebetween. In a state where the upper portion 18 and the lower portion 19 are combined, the inside can be kept waterproof by sealing so that rainwater or the like does not enter the inside.

  FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the direction change mechanism of FIG. A motor 21 is attached to the lower part 19 of the casing 11. The output shaft of the motor 21 is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the casing 11, and the worm gear 22 is attached thereto. The worm gear 22 transmits the rotational driving force of the motor 21 to a spur gear 24 mounted on a support shaft 23 erected from the bottom surface of the lower portion 19. A worm gear 25 is mounted on the support shaft 23 together with the spur gear 24, and the rotational driving force transmitted to the spur gear 24 rotates the worm gear 25. The worm gear 25 transmits a rotational driving force to a spur gear 27 attached to one end of an angular displacement shaft 26 that angularly displaces the imaging direction of the video camera 12. The angular displacement shaft 26 is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the lower portion 19 of the casing 11 and is substantially horizontal. As the spur gear 27 is angularly displaced by the rotational driving force from the motor 21, the optical axis of the imaging lens 13 of the video camera 12 is angularly displaced about the axis of the substantially horizontal angular displacement shaft 26.

  FIG. 8 shows a schematic electrical configuration for changing the imaging direction of the camera unit 10 of FIG. The camera control unit 30 controls the rotation and direction of the motor 21 in accordance with a command input from the operation unit 31. A command from the operation unit 31 is input to the input circuit 32, and the content of the command is interpreted by the processing circuit 33. When the command is for driving the motor 21, the processing circuit 33 controls the drive circuit 34 to supply the power from the power source 35 to the motor 21 via the cord 16 and rotate the motor 21. The image captured by the video camera 24 is displayed as an image on the display screen as the information display 4 of the display unit 36. The display unit 36 is used, for example, for map data display of a navigation device mounted on a vehicle and for receiving television broadcast images. An operator who is viewing an image captured by the camera unit 10 from the display unit 36 stops driving the motor 21 in a state where a desired image is obtained, and keeps the imaging direction constant. Since the direction change mechanism 20 of the present embodiment uses the worm gears 22 and 25 to transmit the rotational driving force from the motor 21, if the motor 21 is stopped, the rotational moment applied to the video camera 12 is reduced. The driving force is not transmitted in the reverse direction, and the imaging direction of the video camera 12 can be maintained.

  FIG. 9 shows a schematic shape of the operation unit 31 connected to the camera control unit 30 of FIG. The operation unit 31 is provided with a + rotation switch 37 and a −rotation switch 38 on the surface. When the + rotation switch 37 is pressed, the motor 21 rotates in one direction, and when the −rotation switch 38 is pressed, the motor 21 rotates in the other direction. . The operation result of the + rotation switch 37 or the −rotation switch 38 is given to the input circuit 32 of FIG. The operator manually operates the operation unit 31 and adjusts the imaging direction to an appropriate target while viewing the image on the display unit 36.

  FIG. 10A is a front view and FIG. 10B is a plan view of the upper portion 18 of the casing 11 shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line XI-XI in FIG. The shape of the casing 11, particularly the upper portion 18 thereof, is such that when the internal video camera 12 changes the imaging direction by the direction change mechanism 20, the window 11 has a shape along the locus drawn by the imaging lens 13 at the tip. 14 is formed. Since the distance between the imaging lens 13 and the window 14 is minimized, a good external image can be taken even if the imaging direction changes. Further, the portion of the window 14 is subjected to water-repellent processing (coating with a water-repellent substance) so that rainwater or the like is not easily attached. In addition, this water repellent finish also has the effect that raindrops attached to the window 14 are blown away by the wind accompanying traveling of the vehicle. Thereby, the image of the video camera 12 can be taken in a good state. The other part of the window 14 in the casing 11 is formed in a curved surface that is as small as possible and does not cause air resistance. Moreover, such a casing 11 is made of a lightweight synthetic resin, and the camera unit 10 as a whole is also light and small. Accordingly, it is possible to cause an image to be captured without being dropped due to vibrations of the traveling vehicle while being attracted to the vehicle by the magnet 15.

  FIG. 12 shows a schematic configuration of a camera unit 40 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The camera unit 40 of the present embodiment is substantially the same as the camera unit 10 shown in FIG. 5, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted. In the camera unit 40 of the present embodiment, a bracket 41 is attached to the bottom surface of the lower portion 19 of the casing 11 as an attachment mechanism. The bracket 41 can be joined to any part of the vehicle mounted on the bottom surface 42 using a double-sided adhesive tape or the like. In the attachment portion 43 of the bracket 41 with the casing 41, the attachment angle can be changed and the bolt 44 and the nut 45 can be tightened and fixed.

  FIG. 13 shows the shape of the bottom surface of the bracket 41 of FIG. Since the bracket 41 is formed with a plurality of notches 46, it can be easily deformed according to the curved shape of the vehicle body to be joined and can be easily attached to the vehicle body via a double-sided adhesive tape, an adhesive, or the like. . Such a joining method to the vehicle body is also performed by attaching an antenna or the like, and has a proven record of reliability. Note that the camera unit 10 with the magnet 15 attached to the bottom as shown in FIG. 5 can be attached to the bracket 41 by magnetic force.

  FIG. 14 shows a schematic shape of a camera unit 50 as a third embodiment of the present invention. The casing 51 of the camera unit 50 of the present embodiment has a hemispherical shape, and the video camera 12 can change the imaging direction not only about a substantially horizontal axis but also about a substantially vertical axis. For this reason, the transparent window 52 is also hemispherical, and if the camera unit 50 is installed in one place, an image can be taken by changing the imaging direction in many directions. The direction changing mechanism 53 that changes the imaging direction of the video camera 12 with two axes is realized, for example, by angularly displacing the entire direction changing mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 7 around a substantially vertical axis.

  FIG. 15 shows a schematic electrical configuration for controlling the direction in which the camera unit 50 images in the embodiment of FIG. The direction change mechanism 53 of FIG. 14 includes a horizontal motor 54 that angularly displaces the imaging direction about a substantially horizontal axis, and a vertical motor 55 that angularly displaces about a substantially vertical axis. The horizontal motor 54 is a rotational force transmission mechanism similar to that of the motor 21 shown in FIG. 7, and causes the video camera 12 to be angularly displaced about a substantially horizontal axis. The vertical motor 55 angularly displaces the entire direction changing mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 7 about a substantially vertical axis. The horizontal motor 54 and the vertical motor 55 are electrically driven by drive circuits 56 and 57, respectively. The horizontal motor 54 and the vertical motor 55 are pulse motors, for example, and are angularly displaced according to the number of pulses driven by the drive circuits 56 and 57. The number of pulses corresponding to a specific imaging direction is stored in the memory 58 as data. The driving state input circuit 59 inputs signals representing the driving state of the vehicle, for example, the vehicle speed, the traveling direction, the steering angle, and the like from various on-vehicle electronic control units (ECUs).

  The processing circuit 60 is a signal input to the driving state input circuit 59, determines the driving state of the vehicle, selects the data stored in the memory 58, and the horizontal motor 54 and the vertical motor 55 according to the selected data. And the imaging direction can be automatically switched according to the operating state. The horizontal motor 54 is driven to change the imaging direction beyond 90 °. For example, when switching from the front imaging to the rear imaging, the image is inverted by the inversion circuit 61 and displayed. When displayed on the display unit 36, the image is upside down and difficult to see. The concept of reversing an image whose imaging direction has been changed around a horizontal axis using such an inversion circuit 61 is that the camera unit 10 that changes the imaging direction of one axis as shown in FIGS. 40 can also be applied.

  FIG. 16 shows a schematic electrical configuration of the parking assist ECU 6 of FIG. The parking assist ECU 6 includes a digital signal processor (hereinafter abbreviated as “DSP”) 70 that performs overall control, and performs control and signal processing via a bus 71. An NTSC signal as a video input from the camera unit 10 is input to an amplifier + filter circuit 72, converted from an analog signal to a digital signal by an analog-to-digital conversion (hereinafter abbreviated as "ADC") circuit 73, and a field buffer. 74. From the amplifier + filter circuit 74, a video signal is also input to the sync separation circuit 75, and a sync signal for horizontal sync and vertical sync is separated and input to the DSP 70. A steering angle sensor signal from the steering angle sensor 7 and a back lamp SW signal from the shift position sensor 8 are also input to the DSP 70 via the buffer 76. The DSP 70 operates based on programs and data stored in a program memory 77 and a data memory 78 connected to the bus 71, respectively.

  The DSP 70 recognizes the white line 3 and the like based on the input video signal, and generates the progress prediction curve 5 according to the steering angle and the back lamp SW signal. The generated image is stored in field buffers 81 and 82 whose outputs can be switched by a switch (SW) circuit 80, selected by the SW circuit 80, and digital-analog conversion (hereinafter abbreviated as “DAC”) circuit 83. To the information display 4 through the filter + amplifier circuit 84 as a video output. The entire parking assist ECU 6 is supplied with power for operation from the power supply 85, reset signal is supplied from the reset circuit 86, and a clock signal for adjusting the operation timing from the CLK + frequency divider circuit 87 and frequency-divided. A signal is supplied.

  FIG. 17 shows a state in which a rear front image is captured by the parking assist system of the present embodiment and garage entry is supported. Driving until the vehicle 1 moves backward into the parking area partitioned by the white line 3 in the parking lot 2 and parks can be appropriately supported.

  FIG. 18 shows a state in which the function of the parking assist system in FIG. 1 is expanded to support parallel parking as a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As an imaging camera, a camera unit 50 capable of changing the visual field in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 14 is used. When the back lamp SW signal is ON and the left blinker lamp 88 is ON, parallel parking in the parking area 89 is supported with the field of view of the camera unit 50 facing rear left. Note that if the back lamp SW is ON and the left blinker lamp 88 is OFF, the camera unit 50 changes the field of view so as to capture a rear front image, and performs parking assistance in the garage as in FIG.

  FIG. 19 shows a schematic configuration of an external steering angle sensor 90 that detects the operation of the steering wheel 1a as the fifth embodiment of the present invention. A reflector 91 is attached to the rotating shaft 7a of the steering 1a. The reflector 91 is formed with a stripe pattern extending in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 7a of the steering wheel 1a by changing the reflectance of light or changing the contrast ratio. The optical detector 92 can detect the angular displacement of the rotating shaft 7a as a change in the amount of incident light. The change detected by the optical detector 92 is electrically amplified by the amplifier 94 and the number of changes is counted by the counter 94. The counter 94 is an up / down counter, and detects the direction and amount of rotation by subtracting or adding the count value according to the direction of rotation. The count value of the counter 94 is input to the parking assist ECU 6 and a progress prediction curve or the like corresponding to the steering angle is displayed on the information display 4.

  FIG. 20 shows a state in which the clearance d is secured between the surface of the reflector 91 attached to the rotating shaft 7a and the optical detector 92 in the embodiment of FIG. As shown in FIG. 20A, the optical detector 92 is supported on the vehicle side away from the rotating shaft 7a. In order to secure the clearance d, as shown in FIG. 20B, a lens 95 having a large focal length is disposed. Since no force is applied to the rotating shaft 7a when detecting the steering angle, the steering angle can be detected without causing any trouble in the operation of the steering 1a.

  FIG. 21 shows a schematic configuration of an external steering angle sensor 100 that detects the operation of the steering wheel 1a as the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The steering angle sensor 100 according to the present embodiment includes a casing 101 that surrounds the rotation shaft 7a of the steering 1a, and the casing 101 is fixed to a vehicle fixing unit 103 by a support member 102. Even if the sensor is mounted in the casing 101 so as to be orthogonal to the direction of the rotating shaft 7a to increase the fixing accuracy, the casing 101 itself can be easily mounted on the vehicle body. That is, accuracy can be ensured and cost reduction can be achieved by simplifying the structure.

  FIG. 22 shows a configuration for detecting a steering angle as a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, in order to make it easy to capture the reflected light from the reflector 91, a light emitting unit 92a such as a light emitting diode is provided, and infrared light or the like is irradiated to ensure the amount of incident light at the light receiving unit 92b. The angular displacement of the rotating shaft 7a can be detected without being influenced by the brightness around the detection site.

  FIG. 23 shows a schematic configuration of an external steering angle sensor 110 that detects an angular displacement of the rotating shaft 7a not electromagnetically but electromagnetically as an eighth embodiment of the present invention. The magnetic body 111 is fixed to the rotating shaft 7a of the steering, and the angular displacement of the rotating shaft 7a is detected by an electrical signal induced in the coil 112 by electromagnetic induction. Since it is not easily affected by dirt or the like, it is possible to improve environmental resistance. The magnetic body 111 is fixed, for example, with magnetized long and narrow permanent magnets arranged in the circumferential direction at intervals in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 7a. Electromagnetic induction is induced in the coil 112 corresponding to the angular displacement of the rotating shaft 7a, and the fluctuation can be amplified and counted in the same manner as in FIG.

  FIG. 24 shows a schematic configuration of external steering angle sensors 120a and 120b that transmit and detect the angular displacement of the rotating shaft 7a as a ninth embodiment of the present invention. In the steering angle sensor 120a shown in FIG. 24A, the rotation of the rotating shaft 7a of the steering is transmitted to the second rotating shaft 121a through the elastic belt 122a and the pulley 123. In the steering angle sensor 120b shown in FIG. 24B, the rotation of the rotating shaft 7a of the steering is transmitted to the second rotating shaft 121b via the elastic pulley 122b. A gear or the like can also be used to transmit the rotation. The angular displacements of the second rotating shafts 121a and 121b can be detected by using, for example, the above-described various optical detection methods in which a reflector 91 is attached and detected by the optical detector 92, or the above-described electromagnetic detection method is used. It can be used, or the angular displacement can be directly detected by attaching a potentiometer or the like to the second rotating shaft 121a, 121b.

  In the driving support device of the present invention, it is important to detect the steering angle and predict the course of the vehicle 1 according to the steering angle. However, in the steering 1a of the vehicle 1, the rotating shaft 7a can generally rotate a plurality of times. For this reason, even if the steering wheel 1a faces a specific direction, for example, when it is upright, it is not limited to going straight, but may be in a state of being rotated a plurality of times. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the center position corresponding to the straight traveling state, particularly with the external steering angle sensors 90, 100, 110, 120a, and 120b. However, since the frequency of the straight traveling state is the highest, the control error can be reduced by statistically learning and obtaining the center position corresponding to the straight traveling state from the temporal average of the steering operation amount. Further, if a correction means is provided to clear the count value of the counter 94 of FIG. 19 to 0 when the power is turned on, the zero point that is the reference position for steering rotation can be adjusted as an absolute position. That is, the adjustment is completed when the steering 1a is adjusted to the straight traveling state with the power turned off and the power is turned on.

  Further, since there are many noises in the vehicle 1, there is a possibility that an error is mixed in the count value and the position of the zero point is shifted during use. Therefore, the median value between the maximum value and the minimum value of the count values is stored as 0 points, and the stored contents are updated when a count value greater than the maximum value or a count value smaller than the minimum value is detected. Thus, the zero point is adjusted and the sensor error is corrected. Furthermore, if the maximum value, the minimum value, and the median value are obtained individually or in combination and the predetermined number is averaged, a recovery effect can be obtained that can be recovered even if an abnormal value due to noise or the like is detected. Can be made. The average can be calculated as a moving average or an arithmetic average with a constant number.

  Note that the maximum value that can be counted by the counter 94 in FIG. 19 is greater than the maximum count value calculated from the maximum amount of steering angle and the angular resolution of the steering angle sensors 7, 90, 100, 110, 120a, and 120b. It is preferable to allow counting with an arbitrary amount. This is because the steering angle can be detected even if there is an error or deviation in the count.

  FIG. 25 shows a schematic configuration of a parking assist system as a tenth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in (1) of FIG. 25, when the driver operates the shift lever 1b to shift to the reverse R position, the back lamp SW is turned on to light the back lamp. In (2), the automatic parking system including the camera unit 10 and the parking assist ECU 130 is turned on and starts operating. The parking assist ECU 130 includes the function of the parking assist ECU 6 of the first embodiment, and can also determine whether automatic parking assistance is possible.

  In (3) of FIG. 25, the parking support possibility is displayed as “parking assist” by providing an indicator light or the like. When the parking assist SW for operating the parking assist function is provided, and the driver turns on the parking assist SW and releases the foot brake, the driving control by the automatic parking assist function is started. As shown in FIGS. 25 (4) and 25 (5), the parking support displays the progress prediction curve 5 on the information display 4 while automatically adjusting the camera angle according to the steering angle, and parks the vehicle 1 between the white lines 3. Guide to the area. As shown in FIG. 25 (6), when an obstacle such as the car stop 2a is detected, the control is stopped and the assist enable display is turned off. Further, as shown in FIG. 25 (7), if a driver who feels danger or the like performs a footbrake operation, the control of parking assistance is stopped. In addition, only the assist possible display is performed. If the assist is impossible, as shown in FIG. 25 (9), the progress prediction curve 5 and the parking space are simply displayed on the information display 4, and the same parking assist system as in the first embodiment is provided. Operate.

  In the present embodiment, a triple fail-safe function is provided in order to increase the safety of the automatic operation control. The first is a supportable display as shown in FIGS. 25 (3) and (8), the second is an ON operation of the assist SW, and the third is the release of the foot brake. As shown in FIG. 25 (7), the automatic operation can be canceled at any time by performing the foot brake operation.

  FIG. 26 shows a schematic configuration of an automatic parking system as an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. The parking assist ECU 140 of this embodiment gives control data to the steering control device 141, the throttle control device 142, and the brake control device 143 while displaying the possibility of parking support in the same manner as the parking assist ECU 130 of FIG. Control is performed so that the vehicle is automatically parked at a predetermined position between the white lines 3 of the parking lot 2.

FIG. 27 shows a control procedure of the parking assist ECU 140 of FIG. When the power is turned on in step b1, it is determined in step b2 whether or not the shift position sensor 8 is on the reverse side. When the back lamp SW is determined to reverse the like being ON, the white line recognition and obstacle detection processing in step b3 is executed, the processing results are stored in the parameter D _0. In step b4, it is determined whether white line recognition and obstacle detection are possible. If it is determined that the parking assist is possible, the automatic parking display is turned on in step b5, and a parking assist enabled display indicating that parking assistance is possible is performed. Next, in step b6, an overlapping process is performed between the progress prediction curve 5 and the image captured by the camera unit 10. In step b7, it is determined whether or not there is an overlapping portion. If it is determined that X ₀ ≠ 0 and there is an overlapping portion, the process proceeds to step b8 and control according to the steering angle is performed.

In step b8, a steering angle θ _T that is a steering control amount in a direction to avoid overlap is obtained by calculation. In step b9, the steering control device 141 is controlled so that the steering angle becomes θ _T, and the throttle control device 142 is controlled so that the vehicle is in a traveling state.

  When it is determined in step b7 that there is no overlapping portion, or when the control in step b9 is completed, the brake control is performed by controlling the brake control device 143 in step b10, and a transition is made to a creep running that can be stopped at any time. . The vehicle 1 is actually stopped by a foot brake operation by the driver.

  When it is determined at step b2 that the vehicle is not moving backward, or when it is determined at step b4 that white line / obstacle recognition is impossible, the brake device 143 is controlled at step b12 and the vehicle 1 stops. In step b13, the automatic parking display such as “parking assist” is turned off and turned off. In step b14, the control procedure is terminated.

FIG. 28 shows a schematic procedure of the overlapping process performed as a subroutine in step b6 of FIG. Processing is started from step c1, and in step c2, the steering angle θ is detected by the steering angle sensor 7. In step c3, it generates a progression prediction curve image for steering angle theta, incorporated in the parameter D ₁ as a parking assist data. In step c4, calculates a parameter D ₀ and D _1, captures a common part to the parameters X _0. In step c5, the subroutine is terminated and the process returns to the original process.

FIG. 29 shows a processing procedure for calculating the steering control amount θ _T in step b8 of FIG. 27 and a range of the steering angle. As shown in FIG. 29 (a), in the process started at step d1, first, at step d2, the minimum value -MAX is set as the steering angle θ. In step d3, the overlapping process shown in FIG. 28 is performed. In step d4, whether the overlapping portion is determined according to whether parameter X ₀ is 0. When it is determined that there is no overlapping portion when X ₀ = 0, the value of θ at that time is substituted into the steering control amount θ _T , and the process returns to step d6.

  When it is determined in step d4 that there is an overlapping portion, the steering angle θ is increased by one step in step d7. Step d8 determines whether or not the steering angle θ is larger than the maximum value + MAX. When the steering angle θ is not larger than the maximum value + MAX, the process returns to step b3. When it is determined in step d8 that the steering angle θ exceeds the maximum value + MAX, the control is terminated, so that the process proceeds from step b9 to step b12 in FIG. 27 to control the brake control device 143. Stop. Note that, as shown in FIG. 29B, the maximum value on the positive side is + MAX, the minimum value on the negative side is -MAX, and the center 0 corresponds to the straight traveling state, as shown in FIG. The median can be adjusted by learning as described above.

  FIG. 30 shows a schematic operation of the automatic parking system as the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 1 moves backward and parks, the viewing angle of the camera unit 50 is automatically adjusted according to the change in the steering angle, and a traveling direction image is captured. After the start of driving for parking as shown in FIG. 30 (1), when the steering is operated from a straight advance to a left turn side, the visual field 50a when moving backward is changed to a visual field 50b from the left rear. As shown in FIGS. 30 (2) and 30 (3), the visual field changes according to the steering angle even in the process of the parking operation of the vehicle 1 proceeding. As shown in FIG. 30 (4), the visual field 50a is fixed when it recedes linearly at the end. When such automatic adjustment of the visual field is performed, it is preferable to disable the manual adjustment of the visual field angle of the camera unit 50. This is because there is a possibility that the image displayed on the information display 4 looks different or cannot be matched with the driving support information.

  Moreover, as an automatic parking system, the operation of the driver for parking is stored together with the captured image, and the image captured when newly parking is similar to the stored image. If there is, the system which parks the vehicle 1 according to the memorized operation operation is also possible. In the case of repeatedly parking at the same place such as a garage or a designated parking lot, past driving operations can be automatically repeated.

  FIG. 31 shows a state in which the camera units 10 and 50 are arranged at any of various positions of the vehicle 1 and the field of view is changed according to the driving situation of the vehicle as a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. Indicates. As shown in (1), the camera unit 10 that looks at the rear of the vehicle is attached to the rear part of the roof of the vehicle 1 and is used for parking assistance when moving backward and parking as described in each embodiment. Is possible. However, there is no need for parking assistance during normal driving. Therefore, the direction changing mechanism 20 is operated, and the field of view 151 is changed so that the camera unit 10 monitors the load on the roof of the vehicle. The orientation of the camera unit 10 changes by 90 ° or more around a substantially horizontal rotation axis, and the image to be captured is reversed in the vertical direction from the image to be captured rearward. If the vertical direction of the image is reversed, an image as shown in FIG. 32 is obtained.

  If camera units 50 that perform front side encounter accident prevention imaging as shown in (2) of FIG. 31 are arranged on both sides of the front portion of the vehicle 1, the fields of view 152 of both camera units 50 are displayed in front during normal driving. This can be used for stereo ranging of obstacles ahead of the direction of travel. Also, as shown in (3), the field of view 153 of the camera unit 50 provided for preventing the rear left entanglement accident is directed to the left front to prevent a head-on accident, or contact when changing the course of the right rear as shown in (4). The field of view 154 of the camera unit 50 provided for prevention is changed for monitoring the load on the roof, or the field of view 155 of the camera unit 50 provided for monitoring the load on the roof shown in (5) is changed for rear monitoring. You can also.

  As shown in FIGS. 33 (a) and 33 (b), the front side encounter accident prevention image is shown when the vehicle 1 exits the road 161 from an obstacle 160 such as a fence provided in a parking lot such as a house. can get. When an approaching vehicle 162 or the like is detected by a recognition process or sound of an image with movement, an alarm is generated or a brake is applied to assist safe driving.

  In the embodiment described above, the camera units 10, 40, 50 are mounted on the vehicle 1. However, the camera unit 10, 40, 50 is installed at a predetermined position outside the vehicle body, and the captured image information is transmitted to the vehicle 1 wirelessly. Even in the configuration, driving support based on images can be performed in the same manner. If the imaging position and direction are known, the relative position and traveling direction of the vehicle 1 can be known, and driving support information such as a progress prediction curve can be displayed in accordance with the image.

The following embodiments are possible for the present invention.
(1) Information adding means for adding driving support information to an image captured by a camera mounted on a vehicle body and having an adjustable viewing angle, and an image in which driving support information is added by the information adding means are displayed on a display. Display means, and the camera is capable of capturing an image of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the information adding means is configured to display a traveling prediction curve indicating a vehicle passing region corresponding to a steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, which is added as support information.

  An image captured by a camera attached to the vehicle body is displayed on a display. Since the viewing angle of the camera can be changed while being mounted on the vehicle, the viewing angle can be adjusted so that an appropriate image can be taken even after the camera is once mounted. Furthermore, since the driving support information is added to the image by the information adding means, the driver of the vehicle can drive the vehicle safely and easily based on the driving support information displayed together with the image. If the camera is arranged so as to capture an image at a position that becomes a blind spot of the driver, it can contribute to prevention of accidents.

  In addition, since it is set so that a predetermined viewing angle can be obtained at the limit position of the viewing angle, it is only necessary to drive the camera viewing angle changing mechanism to a position where it does not move mechanically when changing the viewing angle. For this reason, the control for this is simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  (2) The vehicle driving support apparatus characterized in that the camera can be mounted at an arbitrary position on the vehicle body.

  Since the camera can be mounted at any position on the vehicle body, the mounting location can be changed according to the purpose, and a small number of cameras can be used for many purposes.

  (3) The vehicle driving support apparatus characterized in that the information adding means changes the appearance of the image in accordance with a change in the viewing angle of the camera.

  When the viewing angle of the camera is adjusted, the information adding means changes the appearance of the image support information in the image according to the change in the viewing angle of the camera, so the driving support information is uncomfortable with the real image captured by the camera. It is possible to display an image so that it can be easily read.

  (4) The driving support apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the camera is set so as to obtain a predetermined viewing angle at a limit position of mechanical viewing angle change.

  Since it is set so that a predetermined viewing angle can be obtained at the limit position of the viewing angle, it is only necessary to drive the camera viewing angle changing mechanism to a position where it does not move mechanically when changing the viewing angle. This control is simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  (5) The camera is capable of capturing an image of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the information adding unit adds a vehicle traveling prediction curve corresponding to a steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor as the driving support information. A vehicle driving support device.

  Since the vehicle travel prediction curve based on the vehicle steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor is displayed in addition to the vehicle travel direction image captured by the camera, the travel prediction for the vehicle travel direction is In connection with this, it can be easily understood by the driver.

  (6) The vehicle driving support device, wherein the information adding means displays the vehicle progress prediction curve corresponding to the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor in a solid color.

  In the progress prediction, the portion in the range through which the vehicle passes is displayed by being overlaid in accordance with the progress prediction curve, so that the progress prediction curve can be displayed in a visually understandable expression.

  (7) The vehicle driving support device, wherein the information adding means performs the fill display so as to be translucent.

  The progress prediction curve can be displayed with a semi-transparent fill so that the relationship between the progress prediction curve and the real image can be easily understood visually.

  (8) The driving support apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the camera is capable of capturing an image of the rear of the vehicle, and the information adding unit adds a predicted parking position after reverse travel as the driving support information.

  The camera captures an image behind the vehicle and displays the parking position predicted after the vehicle has moved backward on the display as driver assistance information. Therefore, even in a narrow parking lot, etc., easily based on easy-to-understand image display You can drive the vehicle to the parking lot.

  (9) A camera that is mounted on the vehicle body and capable of imaging the rear of the vehicle body and changing the viewing angle, an adjustment input unit for manually adjusting the viewing angle of the camera, and a setting state of the transmission mechanism of the vehicle are detected. When the setting detection unit and the setting detection unit detect that the speed change mechanism is set to the reverse side of the vehicle, the adjustment of the viewing angle of the camera by the adjustment input unit is invalidated so that the viewing angle is set in advance. The vehicle includes: an information adding unit that adds parking support information to an image captured by the camera, and a display that displays an image with the driving support information added by the information adding unit. Driving assistance device.

  When the setting detection unit detects the setting state of the transmission mechanism of the vehicle and detects that the vehicle is set to move backward, manual adjustment of the viewing angle of the camera by the adjustment input unit becomes invalid, and driving A shift between the support information and the image can be prevented.

  (10) A progress prediction unit that predicts a traveling direction of the vehicle is provided, and the information addition unit generates and adds a progress prediction curve based on a prediction result of the progress prediction unit as the driving support information. Vehicle driving support device.

  Since the progress prediction curve generated by the information adding means based on the result predicted by the progress prediction means is added to the image captured by the camera on the display device, the driver can easily grasp the prediction of the traveling direction of the vehicle. be able to.

  (11) The information adding unit performs white line recognition and obstacle detection processing based on an image captured by the camera, and guides the progress prediction curve so as not to overlap with the recognized white line or the detected obstacle. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, wherein a display is added as the driving support information.

  The information adding means performs white line recognition and obstacle detection processing based on an image captured by the camera. Based on the result of white line recognition and the result of obstacle detection, the information adding means guides the vehicle path so that it does not overlap with the recognized white line or the detected obstacle. The vehicle can be driven while following a safe path.

  (12) The information adding unit performs white line recognition and obstacle detection processing based on an image captured by the camera, and issues a warning when the progress prediction curve overlaps the recognized white line or the detected obstacle. A vehicle driving support device characterized by the above.

  When the recognized white line or the detected obstacle overlaps the vehicle progress prediction curve, the information adding means warns that the vehicle progress prediction curve overlaps the white line or the obstacle. This can reduce the risk of accidents.

  (13) The vehicle, wherein the information adding unit recognizes a parking frame based on a recognized white line or a detected obstacle, and performs the warning so that the vehicle does not protrude from the parking frame. Driving assistance device.

  The information adding means recognizes the parking frame based on recognition or detection of a white line or an obstacle. When the vehicle is about to protrude from the parking frame, a warning is issued, so that the driver of the vehicle can easily enter the vehicle into the parking frame and stop it.

  (14) A camera mounted on the vehicle body, the viewing angle of which can be changed, a traveling state detecting means for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle, and a camera state corresponding to the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detecting means. A vehicle driving support device comprising: a viewing angle adjusting means for changing and adjusting a viewing angle; and a display for displaying an image captured by a camera.

  A camera capable of changing the viewing angle is mounted on the vehicle body, and the traveling state detection means detects the traveling state of the vehicle. The viewing angle adjusting unit adjusts the viewing angle of the camera in accordance with the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detecting unit. Since the image captured by the camera is displayed on the display device with the viewing angle changed according to the traveling state of the vehicle, an image adapted to the traveling state of the vehicle can be displayed without the driver adjusting the viewing angle. Can be displayed.

  (15) The driving support apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the traveling state detection means adjusts a viewing angle of the camera in accordance with a steering angle for detecting a steering angle of the vehicle.

  When the driver performs the steering operation, the steering angle is detected by the steering angle sensor, and the viewing angle of the camera is adjusted according to the detected steering angle. When the driver changes the steering angle, the viewing angle of the camera is adjusted in accordance with the changing steering angle, so that an image of the direction in which the traveling direction of the vehicle changes due to the change of the steering angle is taken. If the viewing angle is changed, an image useful for driving the vehicle can be easily captured and displayed.

  (16) The vehicle driving support device, wherein the progress state detecting means detects the center position and the final rotation position of the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor by learning.

  As for the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor, the center position and the final rotation position are detected by learning. For example, since the state of the steering angle that goes straight is statistically the largest, the center position of the steering angle can be easily detected. The final rotation position is a limit position for changing the steering angle, and can be obtained as a maximum value at which the steering angle changes.

  (17) The vehicle driving support device, wherein the steering angle sensor includes a detected object fixed to a steering cover or a steering shaft, and a detector that detects a displacement of the detected object.

  Even in a vehicle that does not include a steering angle sensor, an optical steering angle sensor can be easily formed later.

  (18) The detection object can detect the movement state by optical reflectance or contrast ratio, and the detector optically detects the movement of the detection object and counts the fluctuation of the detection intensity. A vehicle driving support device that detects a steering angle operation direction and an operation amount by subtracting or adding a count value in accordance with a direction of steering rotation.

  The steering angle sensor that can be retrofitted can detect the operation direction and the operation amount of the steering angle, and can provide driving assistance according to the steering operation with high accuracy.

  (19) The vehicle driving support apparatus, wherein the detector can count up to a count value larger than a maximum count value calculated from a maximum amount of steering angle and an angular resolution.

  The count value is counted with a margin, and even if there is an error or deviation in the count, it is within the range of the maximum value or the minimum value, and the steering angle can be detected.

(20) A means for receiving an image of a camera mounted on the vehicle body and capable of changing a viewing angle, a progress state detecting means for detecting the progress state of the vehicle, and a vehicle progress state detected by the progress state detecting means. Correspondingly, it includes a viewing angle adjusting means for changing and adjusting the viewing angle of the camera, and a display means for displaying an image captured by the camera on a display, the viewing angle adjusting means being detected by a steering angle sensor. According to a steering angle, the viewing angle of the camera is adjusted, and the steering angle sensor includes a detected object fixed to a steering cover or a steering shaft,
A correction circuit that corrects the steering angle at the time of power-on as a reference median value in the steering angle sensor or a device that processes a signal from the steering angle sensor. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle characterized by being provided.

  A means for receiving an image of a camera whose viewing angle can be changed is mounted on the vehicle body, and a progress state detecting means detects the progress state of the vehicle. The viewing angle adjusting unit adjusts the viewing angle of the camera in accordance with the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detecting unit. The display means displays the image captured by the camera on the display device with the viewing angle changed in accordance with the traveling state of the vehicle, so that the driver can adjust the viewing angle without adjusting the viewing angle. Can be displayed.

  When the driver performs a steering operation, the steering angle is detected by the steering angle sensor, and the viewing angle of the camera is adjusted according to the detected steering angle. When the driver changes the steering angle, the viewing angle of the camera is adjusted in accordance with the changing steering angle, so that an image of the direction in which the traveling direction of the vehicle changes due to the change of the steering angle is taken. If the viewing angle is changed, an image useful for driving the vehicle can be easily captured and displayed.

  Even in a vehicle that does not include a steering angle sensor, an optical steering angle sensor can be easily formed later.

  Further, the position of the steering shaft when the power is turned on can be adjusted to adjust the zero point position, which is the absolute position of the steering shaft rotation.

  (21) In the steering angle sensor or a device that processes a signal from the steering angle sensor, the center of the maximum value and the minimum value of the steering angle is stored as a reference median value, and a value larger than the maximum value is stored. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that a correction circuit is provided for updating stored contents when a numerical value or a count value smaller than the minimum value is detected.

  Since the stored contents of the maximum value and minimum value are updated when the count value is larger than the minimum value or smaller than the minimum value, the zero point position of the steering angle calculated as the median value of the maximum value and the minimum value Can be detected with high accuracy.

  (22) The vehicle driving support device, wherein the maximum value, the minimum value, and the median value are calculated by an arithmetic average or a moving average based on a predetermined number of data.

  When obtaining the maximum value, the minimum value, and the median value, a plurality of arithmetic averages or moving averages are obtained. Therefore, even if an abnormal value is detected, the influence can be reduced and a recovery effect can be obtained.

  (23) The driving support apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the detector includes a casing that surrounds the steering shaft, and a support that fixes and supports the casing on the vehicle body.

  The detector can be easily attached to the steering shaft, and its fixing accuracy can be increased. In addition to ensuring accuracy, cost can be reduced by simplifying the structure.

  (24) The vehicle driving support apparatus, wherein the object to be detected is a reflecting object fixed to a steering shaft, and the detector is an optical sensor arranged at a distance from the steering shaft.

  Since the angular displacement can be detected away from the steering shaft, the operation can be detected so as not to hinder the steering operation.

  (25) The vehicle driving support apparatus, wherein the detector includes a light emitting unit that irradiates light to the object to be detected.

  The angular displacement of the steering shaft can be detected regardless of the brightness around the detection region.

  (26) The detected object is a magnetic body capable of detecting a moving state magnetically instead of the optical reflectance or contrast ratio, and the detector optically moves the detected object. A vehicle driving support device that detects a change in a steering angle by detecting a movement of an object to be detected by electromagnetic induction instead of detecting the vehicle.

  Since the steering angle is detected by electromagnetic induction instead of optical detection, it is possible to accurately detect the angle even if there is dirt, and the environmental resistance can be improved.

  (27) The vehicle driving support device, wherein the detected object is fixed to an axis that is angularly displaced in conjunction with an angular displacement of a steering shaft.

  Since the angular displacement of the shaft to which the angular displacement is transmitted from the steering shaft is detected, the steering angle can be detected by making a change such as increasing the number of rotations.

  (28) The progress state detection unit includes a prediction curve generation unit that predicts the traveling direction of the vehicle and generates a progress prediction curve, and the viewing angle adjustment unit corresponds to the progress prediction curve generated by the prediction curve generation unit. And a vehicle driving support device for adjusting a viewing angle of the camera.

  A prediction curve generation means generates a progress prediction curve by predicting the traveling direction of the vehicle. The viewing angle adjustment means adjusts the viewing angle of the camera according to the progress prediction curve, so the image captured by the camera becomes an image of the expected traveling direction, and the driver can easily check the situation of the expected traveling direction can do.

  (29) A vehicle comprising parking control means for controlling driving so that the vehicle stops and parks based on an image captured by the camera and a traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detection means. Driving assistance device.

  Based on the image captured by the camera and the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detecting unit, the parking control unit performs driving control so that the vehicle stops and parks. Since the camera can capture an image of a field of view that cannot be directly seen by the driver and can perform driving control for parking, the vehicle can be parked safely and reliably.

  (30) The parking control means includes storage means for storing a driving operation performed during past parking in association with an image captured by the camera, and an image captured by the camera is stored in the storage means. And a vehicle driving support device that controls the vehicle to park in accordance with a stored driving operation when there is similarity to the image.

  When a driving operation for parking is performed in the past, the image stored in the storage unit is stored together with the image of the camera, and the image captured by the camera when newly parking is similar to the image stored in the storage unit. In other words, if you have parked in the same state (same place) in the past, you will control to park the vehicle according to the stored driving operation, so when you park in the same parking place repeatedly It can be controlled to automatically park.

  (31) The parking control means includes parking frame recognition means for recognizing a parking frame by white line recognition processing and obstacle detection processing for an image captured by the camera, and the parking control means is within the parking frame recognized by the parking frame recognition means. A vehicle driving support apparatus that controls a vehicle to park.

  In the white line recognition process and the obstacle detection process for the image captured by the camera, the parking frame recognition unit recognizes the parking frame. Since the parking control unit controls the vehicle to park in the parking frame recognized by the parking frame recognition unit, the vehicle can be parked automatically in the parking frame.

  (32) A camera disposed at a predetermined position outside the vehicle body, an image transmission unit that wirelessly transmits an image captured by the camera into the vehicle, and vehicle driving control based on the image transmitted by the image transmission unit And a driving control device for performing driving.

  A camera is arranged at a predetermined position outside the vehicle body, an image captured by the camera is wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle, and driving control of the vehicle is performed according to the transmitted image, so that the driver of the vehicle cannot directly see Based on the image of the field of view, the driving of the vehicle can be easily controlled.

(33) In an operation control device with an automatic parking support function,
Means for determining whether or not automatic parking assistance is possible;
A vehicle driving control apparatus comprising: means for displaying a determination result to a driver.

(34) In the driving support control device,
When it is determined that automatic parking assistance is impossible, a driving control device for a vehicle displays a manual driving support screen.

(35) In an operation control device with an automatic parking support function,
A driving control device for a vehicle, wherein driving control by an automatic parking assist function is started based on an ON operation of a parking assist SW for operating a parking assist function and a release operation of a foot brake.

(36) In the operation control device,
When the driver turns on the parking assist SW and releases the foot brake, the driving control by the automatic parking assist function is started.

(37) In an operation control device with an automatic parking support function,
A driving control device for a vehicle, wherein when the driving support device detects an obstacle, the driving control by the automatic parking support function is stopped.

(38) In an operation control device with an automatic parking assist function,
A vehicle driving control device that stops parking assist control when a driver performs a footbrake operation.

(39) In an operation control device using an automatic parking support function and a brake control device,
The vehicle driving control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving control is performed by creep driving by a driver's brake control.

(40) In an automatic parking system,
The driver's operation for parking is stored together with the captured image, and if there is a similarity between the image captured when newly parking and the stored image, the stored driving operation is stored. An automatic parking system characterized in that the vehicle is parked according to the above.

(41) In an automatic parking system,
An automatic parking system that stores an operation for parking and parks the vehicle according to the stored driving operation when newly parking.

  With the driving control device and the automatic parking system, driving assistance can be performed by effectively using the image information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 1a Steering 1b Shift lever 2 Parking lot 2a Car stop 3 White line 4 Information display 5 Progress prediction curve 6,130,140 Parking assist ECU
7, 90, 100, 110, 120a, 120b Steering angle sensor 7a Rotating shaft 8 Shift position sensor 9 Speaker 10, 40, 50 Camera unit 10a, 10b, 50a, 151-155 Field of view 12 Video camera 20 Direction change mechanism 30 Camera control Unit 31 Operation unit 60 Processing circuit 61 Inversion circuit 70 DSP
88 turn signal lamp 89 parking area 91 reflector 92 optical detector 94 counter 101 housing 102 support member 103 fixed part 111 magnetic body 112 coil 121a, 121b second rotating shaft 141 steering control device 142 throttle control device 143 brake control apparatus

Claims (22)

Information adding means for adding driving support information in an image captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle body;
Steering angle detection means for detecting the steering angle of the vehicle,
The information adding means includes a progress prediction curve indicating a range that the vehicle passes through that changes according to a steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting means and that corresponds to an actual size of the vehicle. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, which is added as driving support information.   The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera can be mounted at an arbitrary position of a vehicle body.   The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information adding unit changes the appearance of the image in accordance with a change in a viewing angle of the camera.   The vehicle driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the camera is set so as to obtain a predetermined viewing angle at a limit position of mechanical viewing angle change. . The camera can image the traveling direction of the vehicle,
The said information addition means adds the vehicle progress prediction curve according to the steering angle which a steering angle detection means detects as said driving assistance information, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle driving support device.   6. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information adding means displays a progress prediction curve of the vehicle corresponding to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting means in a solid color.   The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the information adding unit performs the filling display so as to be translucent. The camera can capture the back of the vehicle,
8. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information adding unit adds a predicted parking position after reverse travel as the driving support information. A camera that is mounted on the vehicle body and can change the viewing angle;
Traveling state detection means for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle;
A viewing angle adjusting unit that changes and adjusts the viewing angle of the camera in accordance with the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detecting unit;
The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display that displays an image captured by the camera.   10. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the viewing angle adjusting unit adjusts the viewing angle of the camera according to a steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting unit.   11. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 10, wherein the progress state detection means detects the center position and the final rotation position of the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection means by learning. The steering angle detecting means includes
A detected object fixed to the steering cover or the steering shaft;
The vehicle driving support device according to claim 5, further comprising a detector that detects a displacement of the detection object. The detected object can detect a moving state with an optical reflectance or a contrast ratio,
The detector optically detects the movement of the object to be detected, counts fluctuations in the detected intensity, and subtracts or adds a count value according to the direction of rotation of the steering, thereby operating the steering angle and the operation amount. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:   The vehicle driving support device according to claim 13, wherein the detector is capable of counting up to a count value larger than a maximum count value calculated from a maximum amount of steering angle and an angular resolution. The detector includes a housing portion surrounding the steering shaft;
The vehicle driving support device according to claim 13, further comprising a support portion that fixes and supports the housing portion to the vehicle body. The detected object is a reflecting object fixed to a steering shaft,
The vehicle driving support device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the detector is an optical sensor disposed at a distance from a steering shaft.   The vehicle driving support apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the detector includes a light emitting unit that irradiates light to the object to be detected. The object to be detected is a magnetic body that can detect a moving state magnetically instead of the optical reflectance or contrast ratio,
17. The detector according to claim 13, wherein the detector detects a change in a steering angle by detecting a movement of the detected object by electromagnetic induction instead of detecting the movement of the detected object optically. The driving support device for a vehicle according to any one of the above.   The vehicle driving support apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the detected object is fixed to an axis that is angularly displaced in conjunction with an angular displacement of a steering shaft. The progress state detection means includes a prediction curve generation means for predicting the traveling direction of the vehicle and generating a progress prediction curve,
The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the viewing angle adjustment unit adjusts the viewing angle of the camera in accordance with a progress prediction curve generated by the prediction curve generation unit.   The vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising: a parking control unit that controls driving so that the vehicle stops and parks based on an image captured by the camera and a traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detection unit. The vehicle driving support device according to any one of 20. The parking control means includes
A parking frame recognition unit for recognizing a parking frame by white line recognition processing and obstacle detection processing for an image captured by the camera is provided, and the vehicle is controlled to park in the parking frame recognized by the parking frame recognition unit. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

Images