JP6041780B2 - Driving assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus for a vehicle.

  Cameras are installed near the front ends of the left and right sides of the host vehicle, and a plurality of images taken with the cameras are viewed from the height near the driver's line of sight, in the direction of travel from the left side and the left side of the host vehicle, and The viewpoint is converted into an image of a depression angle toward the vicinity of the hood tip of the host vehicle, and the left and right depression images are combined in the left-right direction to create a first display image. Cameras are installed on the left and right sides and the rear part of the host vehicle, respectively, and multiple images taken with the camera are converted into a bird's-eye view image looking down on the vehicle from directly above, and a bird's-eye view of the vehicle's left, right, and rear The images are combined to create a second display image. And while arrange | positioning along with a 2nd display image below the 1st display image, it arrange | positions ahead of the advancing direction of the own vehicle from the vehicle width direction edge part of the left-right side surface of the own vehicle displayed on the 2nd display image 7. A narrow road running support device that displays an extended line corresponding to the left and right vehicle widths extending on a monitor in succession to a first display image and a second display image is disclosed (Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-230563 A

  However, in the narrow road driving support device described above, the position between the first display image and the second display image when the host vehicle moves greatly in the left-right direction or when the host vehicle speed is high. There is a problem in that the shift becomes large, and even if these images are arranged, one continuous display image is not obtained.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a driving support device capable of displaying an image including a distant image of the host vehicle and an image including an image indicating the vicinity of the host vehicle with one continuous display image. .

  The present invention connects a near image and a far image with a connection image, a first connection point on a first connection line that connects the near image and the connection image, and a second that connects the far image and the connection image. The above-described problem is solved by generating the connection image in which the second connection points on the connection line are connected by a continuous curve, and successively connecting and displaying the neighborhood image, the connection image, and the distant image.

  In the present invention, for example, a distant image and a near image are smoothly connected on a display screen by a connection image even when the own vehicle moves greatly in the left-right direction or when the speed of the own vehicle is high. Since these images are displayed on the display means, an image including a far image and a near image can be displayed as one continuous display image.

It is a block diagram of the guidance device concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the vehicle for demonstrating the installation position of the camera of FIG. 1, and a monitor. It is a block diagram of the guidance apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the monitor of FIG. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the monitor of FIG. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the monitor of FIG. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the monitor of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the control apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram of the guidance device concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the monitor which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

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

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a control device 10, four cameras 1 a to 1 d fixed outside the host vehicle, a radar 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a steering angle sensor 4, an acceleration. A sensor 5, a monitor 6, and a navigation system 20 are provided. Each of these devices is connected by a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other in-vehicle LAN, and can exchange information with each other.

  The cameras 1a to 1d are in-vehicle cameras that capture the surroundings of the host vehicle in order to acquire information about the vicinity of the host vehicle. The cameras 1a to 1d are installed at different positions outside the vehicle and are arranged in four directions around the vehicle. Each image is taken. FIG. 2 shows an arrangement example of the cameras 1a to 1d. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a camera 1a installed at a predetermined position in front of the vehicle such as near the front grill picks up an image (front view image) of a predetermined imaging area in front of the vehicle. The camera 1b installed at a predetermined position on the left side of the vehicle such as the left side mirror captures an image (left side view image) of a predetermined imaging area on the left side of the vehicle. A camera installed at a predetermined position behind the vehicle, such as a roof spoiler, captures an image (rear view image) of a predetermined imaging area behind the vehicle. A camera 1d installed at a predetermined position on the right side of the vehicle such as a right side mirror captures an image (right side view image) of a predetermined imaging area on the right side of the vehicle. These four cameras 1a to 1d send captured images to the control device 10 at a predetermined cycle. The control apparatus 10 acquires captured images from the cameras 1a to 1d, respectively. The cameras 1a to 1d are composed of, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) camera. These cameras 1 a to 1 d take an image of the periphery of the vehicle at a predetermined cycle, and output the obtained captured image to the control device 10.

  The radar 2 is a device that transmits a millimeter wave radar or the like and measures a reflected signal of the transmitted radio wave, and is provided at a position where the radio wave can be transmitted to the outside of the vehicle. The radar 2 detects obstacles such as other vehicles that run around the host vehicle, power poles, walls, and the like by measuring reflected waves from structures arranged around the host vehicle. The radar 2 outputs a detection signal to the control device 10.

  The vehicle speed sensor 3, the steering angle sensor 4, and the acceleration sensor 5 detect the behavior of the host vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle speed sensor 2 detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The steering angle sensor 4 detects the steering angle of the vehicle's steering wheel. Furthermore, the acceleration sensor 5 detects the acceleration of the host vehicle. Note that the detection of the vehicle speed, the detection of the acceleration, and the detection of the steering angle by the vehicle speed sensor 3, the steering angle sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5 are repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. The vehicle speed sensor 3, the steering angle sensor 4, and the acceleration sensor 5 output a vehicle speed signal, an acceleration signal, and a steering angle signal to the control device 10. The sensor that detects the behavior of the host vehicle is not limited to the vehicle speed sensor 3 and the like, and may be another sensor.

  The driving support device 100 of the present embodiment includes a monitor 6 that presents various information for supporting driving operations to the driver. The monitor 6 displays on the display screen images from the vicinity of the host vehicle to the distance. As shown in FIG. 2, the monitor 6 is provided on an instrument panel in front of the driver. The monitor 6 also serves as a tachometer and speedometer display. The display screen of the display 6 will be described later.

  The control device 10 functions as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 in which various programs are stored, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 as an operation circuit for executing the programs stored in the ROM 12, and an accessible storage device. A random access memory (RAM) 13.

  The navigation system 20 is a system that supports driving by measuring the current location of the vehicle, searching for a travel route to the destination, and displaying the route on the monitor 6. The navigation system 20 includes a database 21, a receiver 22, and a CPU 23. The database 21 is a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive, and stores map data and the like. The receiver 22 is an antenna for receiving satellites, an antenna for receiving road traffic information such as traffic jams and traffic restrictions, and the like. The CPU 23 is a controller that guides the route to the current location and destination of the vehicle by combining the map data recorded in the database 21 and the global position system by satellite communication using the receiver 22. Further, the CPU 23 notifies the traffic information received by the receiver 22 by displaying on the monitor 6 or the like. Control signals from the navigation system 20 are output to the monitor 6 and the control device 10.

  Next, control of the display screen displayed on the monitor 6 by the driving assistance apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. The control device 10 generates a display image and displays the generated image on the monitor 6 in order to display a captured image acquisition function, an image conversion function, an image generation function, a white line detection function, a map data acquisition function, Display control function. The control device 10 can execute each function by cooperation of software for realizing the above functions and the hardware described above.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the driving support device 100. In FIG. 3, the structure for exhibiting the said function among the control apparatuses 10 is shown. FIG. 4 shows an example of a display screen displayed on the monitor 6 by the driving support device 100.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control device 10 includes a neighborhood image control unit 110, a connection image generation unit 120, a distant image control unit 130, and an image combination unit 140. The neighborhood image control unit 110 detects the generated image while generating a neighborhood image indicating the neighborhood of the host vehicle based on the captured images of the cameras 1a to 1d.

  Here, before explaining each structure shown in FIG. 3, the display screen produced | generated by the driving assistance apparatus 100 and displayed on the monitor 6 is demonstrated using FIG. The display screen generated by the driving support apparatus 100 of this example and displayed on the monitor 6 includes a near image 201, a connection image 202, and a far image 203.

  The neighborhood image 201 is a bird's-eye view image looking down at the host vehicle and its surroundings from a virtual viewpoint above the host vehicle, and displays the left and right surroundings of the host vehicle and the vicinity of the front and rear of the vehicle. In the neighborhood image 201, the distances ahead and behind the host vehicle A are set, for example, in the detection range of the radar 2, and are about several tens of meters.

  The far image 203 is an image showing a position farther from the vicinity of the host vehicle, and represents a position farther than a connection image 202 described later. The distant image 203 is an image generated from map data used in the navigation system, and shows a position of several hundred meters from the position of the own vehicle toward the traveling direction. While the neighborhood image 201 shows the surroundings of the host vehicle as an image, the distant image 202 shows a road shape such as an intersection (road alignment) and a target on the travel route (for example, a route change such as a right or left turn) The image shows the building that will serve as a landmark during the event.

  The connection image 202 is a virtual image that represents a distance from the position indicated by the neighborhood image 201 and a neighborhood from the position indicated by the distance image 203, and connects the neighborhood image 201 and the far image 203. The connection image 202 is for displaying the near image 201 and the far image in the plane on the display screen when the near image 201, the connection image 202, and the far image 203 are displayed on the monitor 6. It is an image. The near image 201, the connection image 202, and the far image 203 are each formed in a rectangle in plan view. However, when the side image 201, the connection image 202, and the far image 203 are displayed on the monitor 6, each image is displayed as a single continuous image without a joint.

  As described above, the vicinity image 201 and the distant image 203 are different in the represented positions. Therefore, in order to display the vicinity image 201 and the distant image 203 on one screen, the vicinity image 201 and the distant image 203 are An image that is smoothly connected, in other words, connected as a continuous image is required. This image corresponds to the connection image 202. On the display screen of the monitor 6, the neighborhood image 201, the connection image 202, and the far image 203 are arranged in this order from the side closer to the driver.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lane displayed by the neighborhood image 201 and the lane in the front-rear direction (direction along the traveling direction of the host vehicle A) of the far-field image 203 indicate the same lane. This lane is located at the center of the display screen, and the width of the lane indicated by the neighborhood image 201 is wider than the width of the lane indicated by the distant image 203. The connection image 202 is a curved line such that the distance between the white line a and the white line b located on both sides of the lane gradually narrows in order to smoothly connect the lane of the near image 201 and the lane of the far image 203. The white lines a and b are drawn. Also, the center line of the driving lane of two lanes (dotted line c in FIG. 4), the center line of the driving lane opposite to the own vehicle A (dotted line d in FIG. 4), and the driving lane on the opposite side of the driving lane of the own vehicle A Similarly, the boundary line (dotted line e in FIG. 4) is also drawn with a curve.

  Further, with respect to the shapes of the curves a to e, the inclination at the contact point of each curve increases as the distance from the neighboring image 201 increases, the amount of increase in the inclination gradually decreases, and the inclination is a point near the center of the curve. Thus, the curves a to e are drawn so that the amount of decrease in the slope gradually increases and further decreases from the increase to the decrease. In other words, the curve (line indicating the lane) displayed on the connection image is a center line (center line along the traveling direction of the vehicle A) from the near image 201 toward the distant image 203. It is drawn to converge.

  The display screen of the monitor 6 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The angle formed between the horizontal surface and the inclined surface is an acute angle. Then, when the near image 201, the connection image 202, and the far image 203 are displayed on this inclined surface, the driver displays an image on the side close to the driver (an image on the near side) of the display screen of the monitor 6. Recognize as a near image, and the farther the position of the display screen of the motor 6, the farther the image is recognized.

  When the vehicle travels, the intersection displayed in the distant image 203 in FIG. 4 approaches the host vehicle A. Therefore, the position of the intersection of the distant image 203 moves from the distant image 203 to the connection image 202 on the screen of the monitor 6 as the vehicle travels, and further from the connection image 202 to the near image 201 as the vehicle travels. Moving. Thereby, the road alignment displayed in the distant image is displayed so as to approach the host vehicle A as the vehicle travels. The road linear movement speed on the display screen corresponds to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle A.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the neighborhood image 201, the road width of the traveling lane in which the host vehicle A travels is larger than the road width of the adjacent lane adjacent to the traveling vehicle. Thereby, the user of the vehicle can easily recognize the situation of the road in the traveling lane of the own vehicle A and the situation of the road in the traveling lane traveling in the same direction as the traveling direction of the own vehicle A.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the neighborhood image control unit 110 includes a neighborhood image generation unit 111 and a first connection point setting unit 112. The neighborhood image generation unit 111 generates a neighborhood image of the host vehicle from the captured images of the cameras 1a to 1d, the detection value of the radar 2, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3, and the generated neighborhood image is a first connection. The data is output to the point setting unit 112 and the image combining unit 140.

  The neighborhood image generation unit 111 acquires captured images from the respective cameras 1a to 1d, converts them into a bird's-eye view image looking down at the host vehicle and the host vehicle from a virtual viewpoint above the host vehicle, One composite overhead image is generated. Specifically, the control device 10 refers to the conversion table indicating the correspondence between the captured image acquired by the cameras 1a to 1d at different positions and the pixel address of each captured image and the address in the synthesized overhead image. , Convert to the coordinates of the composite overhead image.

  In addition, when the neighborhood image generation unit 111 converts the coordinate to the synthesized bird's-eye image, the traveling direction of the host vehicle A and the road width of the traveling lane traveling in the same direction are made larger than the width of the opposite lane. Generate an image. Then, the control device 10 connects the captured images that have undergone coordinate conversion, and generates one composite overhead image that shows the surroundings of the host vehicle.

  Further, the neighborhood image generation unit 111 represents the structure detected by the radar 2 as an image, and further synthesizes it with the overhead image synthesized above. Thereby, the neighborhood image 201 shown in FIG. 4 is generated. The cameras 1a to 1d capture images at a predetermined cycle while the vehicle is traveling. Then, the neighborhood image generation unit 111 generates a composite image so that the combined image moves on the monitor 6 at the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 in order to generate an image during the imaging cycle. ing.

  The first connection point setting unit 112 sets a first connection point on a first connection line that connects the neighborhood image 201 generated by the neighborhood image generation unit 111 and the connection image 202. The first connection point is a reference point (start point) of a curve drawn in the connection image 202, in other words, a reference point (start point) of a center line or a boundary line indicating a road in the connection image 202. The first connection point is a point on the connection line between the neighborhood image 201 and the connection image 202.

  The connection point setting control by the first connection point setting unit 112 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows only the road by omitting the own vehicle A and the like from the display screen of FIG. 5 indicates the road width direction of the lane (direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the host vehicle A), and the Y direction indicates a direction parallel to the lane (the traveling direction of the host vehicle A).

In order to set the first connection point, the first connection point setting unit 112 first detects the lanes f _{1 to} f ₅ from the neighborhood image 201 by image recognition. Then, the first connection point setting unit 112 is on the side in contact with the connection screen 202 among the four sides positioned around the vicinity screen 201 and the line (boundary line or center line) indicating the lane detected in the vicinity image 201. The intersection point with one side (L _{1 in the} figure) is set as the first connection point. Lines L ₁ corresponds to the first connection line.

In this example, among the five intersections on the first connection line, the outermost intersection (outside in the Y direction) is defined as the first connection points P ₁ and P _3, and the traveling lane (straight line) of the host vehicle A intersection of f ₁ 2 lane drawn by ~f ₃₎ opposite the traffic lane (2 lanes depicted by a straight line _f 3 ~f ₅₎ and the boundary lines (lane drawn by a straight line _{f 3)} a straight line _{L 1} and it has a first connection point _{P 2.} That is, the first connection points (P _{1 to} P ₃ ) respectively indicate two points on both ends of the line segment corresponding to the road width of the traveling lane. Here, the traveling lane is not necessarily limited to one lane, and may be a plurality of lanes. The lane is not limited to a lane in one direction, and may be a plurality of lanes including lanes in opposite directions.

The first connection points (P _{1 to} P ₃ ) are represented by coordinates on the display screen. Then, the first connection point setting unit 112 outputs information on the set first connection points (P _{1 to} P ₃ ) to the connection image generation unit 120.

  The far image control unit 130 includes a far image generation unit 131 and a second connection point setting unit 132. The far image generation unit 131 generates a far image 203 from the map data stored in the database 21 of the navigation system 20. The distance to the road alignment displayed in the distant image 203 is determined in advance with respect to the position of the host vehicle. Therefore, the distant image generation unit 131 extracts map data in the image displayed as the distant image 203 with respect to the position of the host vehicle from the database 21. Then, the distant image generation unit 131 creates the distant image 203 from the road alignment data and the target data included in the distant image map data. A road alignment and a target are arranged in the distant image. Thereby, the far image 203 is generated. The far image generation unit 131 outputs the far image 203 to the second connection point setting unit 132 and the image combining unit 140.

  The second connection point setting unit 132 sets a second connection point on the second connection line that connects the far image 203 generated by the far image generation unit 131 and the connection image 202. The second connection point is a reference point (end point) of a curve drawn in the connection image 202, in other words, a reference point (end point) of a center line or a boundary line indicating a road in the connection image 202. The second connection point is a point on the connection line between the neighborhood image 203 and the connection image 202.

The connection point setting control by the second connection point setting unit 132 will be described with reference to FIG. The second connection point setting unit 132 specifies a connection line (corresponding to the second connection line L < _b > ₂ ) connected to the connection screen 202 among the four sides positioned around the far image 203. The second connection point setting unit 132, the position of the second middle point of the connection line _{L 2,} sets a second connecting point _{Q 2.} Further, the second connection point setting unit 132 sets the second connection points Q ₁ and Q ₃ on the second connection line L ₂ at positions spaced apart from the second connection point Q ₂ by a predetermined distance. . The predetermined interval corresponds to the road width (road width in the X direction) of the lane parallel to the center line of the display screen on the far screen 203.

That is, the second connection points (P _{1 to} P ₃ ) respectively indicate two points on both ends of the line segment corresponding to the road width of the traveling lane. The interval between the second connection points Q ₁ and Q ₂ and the interval between the second connection points Q ₂ and Q ₃ may be set according to the width of the lane along the center line on the display screen. It may be set so that each interval becomes wider as the width of is wider. However, the distance between the second connection points Q ₁ and Q ₂ and the distance between the second connection points Q ₂ and Q ₃ are the same as the distance between the first connection points P ₁ and P ₂ and the second connection point. It is narrower than the distance between the P ₂ and _{P 3.} The second connection points (Q _{1 to} Q ₃ ) are represented by coordinates on the display screen. Then, the second connection point setting unit 132 outputs information on the set second connection points (Q _{1 to} Q ₃ ) to the connection image generation unit 120.

The connection image generation unit 120 generates a connection image in which the first connection points (P _{1 to} P ₃ ) and the second connection points (Q _{1 to} Q ₃ ) are connected by a continuous curve. The connection image generation control will be described with reference to FIG.

A conversion formula for representing the curve g is determined in advance, and the locus of the curve g is changed by changing a variable of the conversion formula. Also as a feature of the start and end points of the curve g, a connection point between the straight line _L 1 ~L ₅ and the curve _g 1 to g ₅ showing the center line or the boundary line of the neighboring images 201, and, along the Y direction of the distant images 203 A conversion formula or a formula representing a locus of the curve g is set so that it does not become a bending point at the connection point between the straight line indicating the center line or the boundary line and the curves g _{1 to} g ₅ .

Since the length in the Y direction is fixed among the curves g drawn in the connection image 202, the curve g is drawn by compressing the length in the X direction. Regarding the coordinates of the first connection point (P _{1 to} P ₃ ) and the second connection point (Q _{1 to} Q ₃ ) corresponding to the start point and the end point of the curve g, the Y direction component is fixed, and the X direction component Changes. Therefore, the X component coordinates of the first connection points (P _{1 to} P ₃ ) are connected by the curve g so that the end point of the curve g becomes the X component coordinates of the second connection points (Q _{1 to} Q ₃ ). In addition, the connection image generation unit 120 calculates the curve g by substituting the coordinates of the variables and the connection points into the conversion formula of the curve g. Setting the variable in the connection image generation unit 120 is equivalent to setting the compression rate of the curve g in the X direction.

In the example of FIG. 5, since the first connection points (P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ ) correspond to the second connection points (Q ₁ , Q ₂ , Q ₃ ), the connection image generation unit 120 Then, the variable g ₁ is calculated by substituting a variable such that the first connection point (P ₁ ) is the start point and the end point of the curve is the second connection point (Q ₁ ) into the conversion equation. The connection image generation unit 120 similarly calculates the curves g ₂ and g ₃ connecting the first connection points (P ₂ and P ₃ ) and the second connection points (Q ₂ and Q ₃ ). Further, for the curve g ₂ between the curves g ₁ and g ₃ (the curve connected to the straight line f ₂ ), the connection image generation unit 120 calculates a curve from the locus of the midpoint between the curves g ₁ and g _3. To do. Similarly, for the curve g ₄ between the curves g ₁ and g ₅ (the curve connected to the straight line f ₄ ), the connection image generation unit 120 calculates a curve from the locus of the midpoint between the curves g ₃ and g _5. To do. Thus, the curves (g ₁ , g ₃ , g ₅ ) are connected to the first connection point (P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ ) and the second connection point (Q ₁ , Q ₂ , Q ₃ ), respectively. The interval between the plurality of curves (g ₁ , g ₃ , g ₅ ) represents the road width of the traveling lane.

  Then, the connection image generation unit 120 generates a composite image so that the calculated curve g is displayed on the display screen. In addition, when displaying the road alignment of the intersection generated by the distant image control unit 130, the connection image generation unit 120 continuously moves in the connection image according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle. Next, a road alignment image is generated. Thereby, the connection image 202 is generated. The connection image generation unit 120 outputs the generated connection image 202 to the image combination unit 140.

  The image combining unit 140 combines the images while arranging the neighborhood image 201, the connection image 202, and the far image 203 in this order along the Y direction in FIG. 5, and outputs the combined image to the monitor 6. The monitor 6 displays the image shown in FIG. 4 by displaying the image combined by the image combining unit 140.

  Further, the neighborhood image control unit 110 changes the length of the road width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle A displayed in the neighborhood image 201 according to the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3. The neighborhood image generation unit 111 acquires the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 3, and generates a neighborhood image by increasing the road width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle A as the vehicle speed increases. 6 and 7 show display screens displayed on the monitor 6 according to the vehicle speed. As shown in FIG. 6, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high, the travel lane of the host vehicle A and the travel lane that travels in the same direction as the travel lane are large. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle A is smaller than the vehicle speed corresponding to the display screen of FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 7, the traveling lane of the own vehicle A and the traveling traveling in the same direction as the traveling lane. The lane is narrower than the traveling lane of FIG.

  When the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high (for example, while traveling on a highway), the information on the opposite lane is not meaningful to the user. Therefore, in the neighborhood screen 201, the road width of the opposite lane is narrowed and the information of the opposite lane is deleted from the display screen. On the other hand, since the road width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle A and the adjacent traveling lanes are widened, the user can easily grasp the situation of other vehicles traveling in these traveling lanes.

  In addition, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is low (for example, when traveling on a narrow road), the host vehicle may turn right toward the opposite lane. Therefore, in the vicinity screen 201, the road width of the opposite lane is ensured, and information on the opposite lane is also displayed on the display screen.

  Next, the control flow of the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the control device 10.

  In step S1, the control device 10 acquires detection data detected by the cameras 1a to 1d and the like. In step S <b> 2, the neighborhood image generation unit 111 generates a neighborhood image 201 based on the acquired detection data. In step S3, the first connection point setting unit 112 detects the lane from the neighborhood image 201 or the captured images of the cameras 1a to 1d. In step S4, the first connection point setting unit 112 sets the first connection point based on the detected lane.

  In step S <b> 5, the control device 10 acquires map data from the navigation system 20. In step S6, the far image generation unit 131 generates a far image 203 based on the acquired map data. In step S <b> 7, the second connection point setting unit 132 sets the second connection point based on the lane included in the distant image 203.

  In step S8, the connection image generation unit 120 calculates a curve that connects the first connection point and the second connection point. In step S9, the connection image generation unit 120 generates a connection image 202 including the calculated curve. In step S <b> 10, the image combining unit 140 combines the near image 201, the connection image 202, and the far image 203. In step S11, the monitor 6 displays the image combined by the image combining unit 140, and the control device 10 ends the control flow of this example.

  As described above, in this example, the first connection point on the first connection line connecting the near image 201 and the connection image 202 and the second connection on the second connection line connecting the far image 203 and the connection image 202 are used. A connection image in which the points are connected by a continuous curve is generated, and the neighborhood image 201, the connection image 202, and the distant image 203 are continuously connected and displayed on the monitor 6. Thereby, while displaying the vicinity part of the own vehicle A and the distant part of the own vehicle A simultaneously on the monitor 6, the connection image 202 smoothly connects the vicinity image 201 and the distant image 203 representing these parts, It can be displayed on the monitor 6. As a result, for example, even when the host vehicle moves greatly in the left-right direction or when the host vehicle speed is high, an image including the far-field image 203 and the near-field image 201 is displayed as one continuous image. Can be displayed as an image.

  In this connection example, in the connection image 202, the two points of the first connection point and the two points of the second connection point are connected by curves, and the road width of the traveling lane is represented by a plurality of curve intervals. . Thereby, on the display screen in which the near image 201 and the far image 203 are connected by the connection image 202, the user can recognize the near image 201 as a near image and the far image 203 as a far image. it can. As a result, the user can easily recognize and recognize the peripheral portion and the distant portion of the host vehicle.

  In this example, the road width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle is made larger than the road width of the adjacent lane adjacent to the traveling lane, and the vicinity image is generated. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the road condition of the traveling lane of the own vehicle on the display screen.

  Further, in this example, the neighborhood image 201 is generated by increasing the width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle as the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle-side sensor 3 increases. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the road condition of the traveling lane of the own vehicle on the display screen.

  As a modification of this example, the neighborhood image generation unit 111 generates the neighborhood image 202 by increasing the width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle as the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle-side sensor 3 increases. The greater the acceleration detected by step 5, the greater the width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle, and the neighborhood image 202 may be generated. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the road condition of the traveling lane of the own vehicle on the display screen.

  In this example, the neighborhood image generation unit 111 may generate the neighborhood image 201 from the captured images of at least one of the cameras 1a to 1d.

  The cameras 1a to 1d described above correspond to the “acquisition unit” of the present invention, the near image generation unit 111 corresponds to the “near image generation unit” of the present invention, and the far image generation unit 131 corresponds to the “distant image generation” of the present invention. The connection image generation unit 120 is the “connection image generation unit” of the present invention, the monitor 6 is the “display unit”, the vehicle speed sensor 3 is the “vehicle speed detection unit” of the present invention, and the acceleration sensor 5 is the present invention. Corresponds to “acceleration detecting means”.

<< Second Embodiment >>
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a driving assistance apparatus 100 according to another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 9 shows a part of the configuration of the driving support device 100. In this example, the point which provides the vehicle detection part 113 differs with respect to 1st Embodiment mentioned above. Since the configuration other than this is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the description thereof is incorporated as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the neighborhood image control unit 110 has a vehicle detection unit 113. The vehicle detection unit 113 detects the number of other vehicles that travel around the host vehicle from the captured images of the cameras 1a to 1d. The range of other vehicles to be detected is within a predetermined range centering on the own vehicle. The predetermined range is set in advance.

  The neighborhood image generation unit 111 generates a neighborhood image by increasing the road width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle as the number of other vehicles detected by the vehicle detection unit 113 increases. When there are many vehicles that travel around the host vehicle, safety can be improved by notifying the user of the state of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle. At this time, by increasing the road width of the traveling lane of the host vehicle, the user can easily grasp the state of the other vehicle to be alerted.

  As described above, in this example, as the number of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle increases, the width of the travel lane of the host vehicle is increased and the neighborhood image 201 is generated. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the road condition of the traveling lane of the own vehicle on the display screen.

  Said vehicle detection part 113 is corresponded to the "vehicle detection means" of this invention.

<< Third Embodiment >>
FIG. 10 shows a display screen of the monitor 6 of the driving assistance apparatus 100 according to another embodiment of the invention. This example is different from the first embodiment described above in that a guidance display is added to each of the near image 201 and the far image 203. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and the description of the first or second embodiment is incorporated as appropriate. In addition, the structure of a guide apparatus uses FIG. 3 suitably. However, in this example, the navigation system data is also output to the neighborhood image control unit 110 and the connection image generation unit 120.

  When the navigation system 20 acquires a destination based on a user input, the navigation system 20 calculates a travel route to the destination. Then, the navigation system 20 outputs the calculated travel route and information indicating the traffic state received by the receiver 22 to the neighborhood image generation unit 111, the connection image generation unit 120, and the far image generation unit 131.

  When generating the far image 203, the far image generation unit 131 adds a travel direction indicated by the travel route and a guidance display indicating the traffic state to the far image 203. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the travel route to the destination indicates that the left turn at the intersection of the distant image 203, a guidance display 203 a indicating the left turn at the intersection is displayed on the distant image 203. included.

  In addition, the distant image generation unit 131 arranges, for example, a target display 203b such as a fueling facility (gas station) at the intersection as a mark of an intersection that turns left.

  Furthermore, for example, when a road entering the intersection of the far image 203 is congested, the far image generating unit 131 adds the traffic jam display 203b to the far image 203. Thereby, the traveling direction of the intersection indicated by the traveling route, the target on the traveling route, and the traffic information are displayed on the far-field image 203.

  When the traffic congestion section indicated by the traffic information extends from the intersection of the distant image 203 to the lane of the connection image 202, the connection image generation unit 120, like the distant image generation unit 131, displays the traffic congestion display 203b. Is added to the connection image 202.

  The neighborhood image generation unit 201 displays the guidance display 201a on the neighborhood image 201 with the lane corresponding to the traveling direction of the intersection indicated by the travel route as the lane that recommends traveling. The travel route shows a left turn at the intersection of the distant image 203. Since the driving lane of the neighborhood image 201 is two lanes, in order to turn left at the intersection of the distant image 203, it is better for the own vehicle A to travel in the left lane of the two lanes. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 10, the host vehicle A is traveling in the right lane of the two lanes. Therefore, the neighborhood image generation unit 201 displays a lane that recommends traveling among a plurality of lanes as a neighborhood image 201a by displaying the guidance display 201a.

  As described above, this example generates the far-field image 203 including the target on the travel route to the destination. Thereby, the user can easily recognize the travel route to the destination.

  Moreover, this example produces | generates the far image 203 containing the display which shows a traffic state. Thereby, the user can easily recognize the traffic state in the distance.

  In this example, a neighborhood image is generated in which a lane corresponding to the traveling direction of the intersection indicated by the traveling route is displayed as a lane that recommends traveling. Thereby, the user can easily recognize the lane corresponding to the travel route.

  The navigation system 20 corresponds to the “travel route calculation means” or “traffic state detection means” of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a-1d ... Camera 2 ... Radar 6 ... Monitor 10 ... Control apparatus 20 ... Navigation system 110 ... Proximity image control part 111 ... Proximity image generation part 112 ... First connection point setting part 120 ... Connection image generation part 131 ... Distant image generation Unit 132 ... Second connection point setting unit 140 ... Image combining unit

Claims (10)

Obtaining means for obtaining information indicating a state of the vicinity of the host vehicle;
Neighborhood image generation means for generating a neighborhood image showing the vicinity of the host vehicle from the information acquired by the acquisition means;
A distant image generating means for generating a distant image located farther than the vicinity of the host vehicle using map data;
A connection image generating means for generating a connection image that represents a position farther than the position indicated by the vicinity image, and that represents a vicinity from the position indicated by the distant image, and that connects the vicinity image and the distant image;
Display means for continuously connecting and displaying the vicinity image, the connection image, and the distant image;
The connection image generation means includes
A first connection point on a first connection line connecting the neighborhood image and the connection image and a second connection point on a second connection line connecting the far image and the connection image are connected by a continuous curve. A driving support device that generates the connection image. The driving support device according to claim 1,
The neighborhood image includes a travel lane of the host vehicle,
The first connection point represents two points on both ends of a line segment corresponding to the road width of the traveling lane of the first connection line,
The distant image includes the travel lane,
The second connection point represents two points on both ends of a line segment corresponding to the road width of the traveling lane among the second connection points,
The connection image is
An operation characterized in that a road width of the traveling lane is expressed by an interval between the plurality of curves while the two points of the first connection point and the two points of the second connection point are connected by the curves. Support device. The driving support device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vicinity image includes a plurality of lanes with a traveling lane of the host vehicle and an adjacent lane adjacent to the traveling lane,
The first connection point indicates a plurality of points on both ends of a line segment corresponding to each road width of the plurality of lanes of the first connection line,
The distant image includes the travel lane,
The second connection point indicates a plurality of points on both ends of a line segment corresponding to the width of each of the plurality of lanes among the second connection points,
The connection image is
While connecting the plurality of points of the first connection point and the plurality of points of the second connection point respectively with a plurality of curves, each road width of the plurality of lanes is shown at intervals of the plurality of curves,
The neighborhood image generation means generates the neighborhood image by setting a road width of the traveling lane larger than a road width of the adjacent lane. The driving support device according to claim 3,
It further comprises speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the host vehicle,
The neighborhood image generation means includes
The driving support device, wherein the neighborhood image is generated by increasing the road width of the traveling lane as the speed detected by the speed detecting unit increases. The driving support device according to claim 3,
An acceleration detecting means for detecting the acceleration of the host vehicle;
The neighborhood image generation means includes
The driving assistance apparatus, wherein the neighborhood image is generated by increasing the road width of the traveling lane as the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting unit increases. The driving support device according to claim 3,
Vehicle detection means for detecting the number of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle,
The neighborhood image generation means includes
The driving assistance device, wherein the neighborhood image is generated by increasing the road width of the traveling lane as the number of the other vehicles detected by the vehicle detection unit increases. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Based on the map data, further comprising a travel route calculating means for calculating a travel route to the destination,
The far-field image generating means generates the far-field image including a target on the travel route. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Traffic condition detecting means for detecting the traffic condition of the traveling lane of the host vehicle,
The distant image generation means generates the distant image including a display showing the traffic state. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Based on the map data, further comprising a travel route calculating means for calculating a travel route to the destination,
The far image includes an intersection along the travel route calculated by the travel route calculation means,
The neighborhood image includes a plurality of lanes,
The neighborhood image generating means generates the neighborhood image in which a lane corresponding to the direction of travel of the intersection indicated by the travel route is displayed as a lane recommended for travel. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Further comprising radio wave detection means for transmitting radio waves and detecting the structure by reflected waves from structures disposed around the host vehicle;
The neighborhood image generation means includes
A driving support apparatus, characterized in that the vicinity image is generated from the detection result of the radio wave detection means.

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