JPH045800A - Monitoring device for relative position of vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a driver know a monitored object certainly by sight by storing a picture containing a vehicle in front as a reference image by an image sensor when the parking of the driver's own vehicle is operated and announcing information to the driver when the difference between the image and a later image is more than the prescribed one. CONSTITUTION:A vehicle 3 in front is picked up by an image sensor 2 when the driver's vehicle is parked behind the vehicle 3 in front and an image 11 is indicated in an indicating device 8. When the parking of the driver's vehicle is operated by the driver in this state, a parking operation detecting device 9 detects it and transmits a parking signal to a microcomputer 7. The computer 7 which receives this signal stores the image 11 as the reference image in a memory 5. An alarm 10 is operated when an image 13 indicated by the indicating device 8 has a more than the prescribed difference compared with the image 11 and the driver is let to know the fact that a relative position between the vehicle in front and the driver's vehicle is changed. When the driver releases the parking operation, the annunciator 10 stops the operation.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention monitors changes in the distance and relative position from the vehicle in front when the car is stopped, such as during traffic jams, and detects changes in the relative position. This invention relates to a device for monitoring the relative distance between the vehicle in front and the own vehicle, which notifies the driver that the driver is going to avoid G.

[Conventional technology]

Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-42040 discloses an inter-vehicle distance monitoring device that monitors the condition of the vehicle ahead on behalf of the driver when the vehicle is stopped due to traffic jams, etc., allowing the driver to rest his/her nerves and body during this time. Disclosed. This conventional device is equipped with an inter-vehicle distance detection means that uses ultrasonic waves, etc., and measures changes in the inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle in front when the vehicle is parked or stopped. The system is configured to notify the driver of this.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, conventional devices equipped with inter-vehicle distance detection means using ultrasonic waves or radio waves may malfunction due to external ultrasonic waves or radio noise. For example, in traffic jams, If an oncoming vehicle passes by while the vehicle is stopped, the system may detect the noise generated by the oncoming vehicle and malfunction.

Moreover, on the contrary, equipment mounted on the vehicle in front may malfunction due to ultrasonic waves or radio waves emitted from the inter-vehicle distance detection means.

This invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a vehicle relative position monitoring device that does not malfunction due to external noise or the like and does not adversely affect the vehicle in front. The purpose is to

[Means to solve the problem]

The relative position monitoring device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a memory that stores an image including a vehicle in front captured by an image sensor when the own vehicle is parked or stopped as a reference image; The system is equipped with a comparison means for comparing subsequent images taken by the image sensor, and an alarm that is activated when the position of the vehicle ahead changes by a predetermined amount or more between the reference image and the subsequent image.

[Function] In this invention, when the own vehicle is parked or stopped, an image including the vehicle in front obtained by the image sensor is stored as a reference image, and if the position of the vehicle in front changes by more than a predetermined value between this reference image and subsequent images, the alarm is activated. Operate.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described together with the oral surface. 1st
The figure shows the configuration of a vehicle relative position monitoring device according to this embodiment, where 1 is a lens constituting an optical system, 2 is a two-dimensional image sensor disposed corresponding to lens 1, 3 is a vehicle in front, and 4 is a two-dimensional image sensor disposed corresponding to lens 1. is an analog-to-digital converter, 5.6 is a memory,
7 is a microcomputer; 8 is a display device for displaying an image captured by the image sensor 2; 9 is a parking/stopping operation state 1 for the host vehicle equipped with the lens 1 and the image sensor 2;
it (for example, a parking/stopping operation detection device that detects the operation status of a handbrake; 10 is an alarm installed in the cabin of the host vehicle, and is composed of a buzzer or the like).

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. For example, when the own vehicle is traveling following the preceding vehicle 3 and the preceding vehicle 3 stops due to traffic congestion, and the own vehicle also stops behind the preceding vehicle 3, the image sensor 2 captures an image of the preceding vehicle 3,
An image 11 shown in FIG. 2(A) is displayed on the display device 8. This image 11 displays a front vehicle image 3a and an image 12 of a part of the vehicle body (for example, the tip of the front bonnet). When the driver performs a parking/stopping operation in this state, the parking/stopping operation detection device 9 detects this and sends a parking/stopping signal to the microcomputer 7. The microcomputer 7 that received this signal stores the image 11 in the memory 5 as a reference image. Next, when the traffic jam clears and the vehicle 3 ahead starts moving, the image 13 displayed on the display device 8
As shown in FIG. 2(B), the zero image 13 in which the front vehicle image 3a moves upward on the screen and the reference image 11 are compared and calculated by the microcomputer 7 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 0.1 seconds), and the image 13 is different from the reference image 11 by more than a predetermined value, an alarm IO is activated to notify the driver that the relative position of the vehicle ahead and the own vehicle has changed. When the driver notices this and cancels the previous parking/stopping operation in order to start, the alarm 10 stops its operation.

Note that the comparison between image 13 and reference image 11 is based on the
40916, etc., or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-161 which detects only a moving object and tracks the image.
This is carried out by known means such as the means disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 821 and the like.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, an image including the vehicle in front is stored by the image sensor as a reference image when the own vehicle is parked or stopped, and when the difference from the subsequent image exceeds a predetermined value, the driver The start of the vehicle ahead is detected.

Therefore, unlike conventional methods, radio waves and ultrasonic waves are not used.
There is no malfunction due to noise generated by other vehicles, and there is no adverse effect on other vehicles. Note that if the image captured by the image sensor is displayed on the display device, the driver can clearly know the monitoring target visually.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of this invention device, No. 21k (A),
(B) is an image taken by the image sensor when the own vehicle is stopped and when the vehicle ahead is started. Person 2... Image sensor, 3... Vehicle in front, 5.6.
...Memory, 7...Microcomputer, 8...
Display device, 9... Parking/stopping operation detection bag! , 10... Alarm. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An image sensor that captures an image of the vehicle ahead, a parking/stopping operation detection means that detects a parking/stopping operation state of the host vehicle, and an image including the vehicle ahead captured by the image sensor during the parking/stopping operation of the host vehicle is stored as a reference image. a memory, a comparison means for comparing a reference image and a subsequent image taken by an image sensor when the own vehicle is parked or stopped, and an alarm activated when the position of the preceding vehicle changes by more than a predetermined value between the reference image and the subsequent image. 1. A relative position monitoring device for a vehicle, characterized by comprising a device for monitoring the relative position of a vehicle.