JP7403288B2 - road surface drawing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a road surface drawing device that projects an image onto a road surface in front of a vehicle such as an automobile.

Vehicles such as automobiles flash turn signals to indicate the direction in which they are traveling. However, it is difficult for pedestrians and others to understand the blinking direction indicators installed on vehicles, so an image is emitted onto the road surface from a light irradiation unit installed at the front of the vehicle, indicating the path for pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. There is a drawing device.

Road surface drawing devices draw a predetermined image on the road surface using display elements such as LED arrays and DMDs (digital mirror devices) installed on the front of the vehicle. The image will continue to be projected onto the road until the vehicle completes the turn. In other words, if the steering angle from the vehicle's steering device changes to the right turn direction, the right turn arrow continues to be displayed until the steering angle returns to the original direction (returns to the straight direction). Ta.

As shown in FIG. 12, the conventional road surface drawing device always projects the same image regardless of the position of the vehicle 1 on the intersection. For example, when the vehicle 1 turns right, the road surface drawing device displays an image A of an arrow turning right on the road surface in front of the vehicle 1 before the vehicle 1 enters the intersection (see FIG. 12(a)). . Pedestrian B who is in a position facing vehicle 1 at the intersection may not be able to see this road surface display image A because it is far away and hidden behind other vehicles.

Even when the vehicle 1 makes a right turn and the direction of the vehicle 1 becomes almost rightward as shown in FIG. The image shows an arrow that curves sharply to the right, even though it only curves to the right. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 12(c) and 12(d), a phenomenon has occurred in which the traveling direction (course) of the vehicle 1 and the direction of the arrow on the road surface display image A do not match. Pedestrian B in the opposing position may be given the misunderstanding by this road surface display image A that the vehicle 1 is turning further to the right. Particularly at an intersection with multiple lanes, the fact that the direction of travel of the vehicle (course) and the direction of the arrow on the road surface display image A are different may give a misunderstanding to other vehicles and pedestrians B in the vicinity.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-193689

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a road surface drawing device in which the course of the vehicle matches the course display image on the road surface as the direction of the vehicle changes when turning right or left.

In order to solve the above problems, the road surface drawing device of the present invention includes: a vehicle route acquisition unit that acquires vehicle route information; a vehicle status information acquisition unit that acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle as vehicle status information; an image selection section that selects a course display image to be projected onto a road surface in front of the vehicle based on the course information and the vehicle state information; and a road surface drawing section that projects the course display image onto the road surface in front of the vehicle; When the route information changes from a first direction to a second direction, the unit selects the route display image including a line indicating the second direction from the vehicle, and selects the route display image including a line indicating the second direction from the vehicle, and selects the route display image that includes a line indicating the second direction from the vehicle, and The route display image is reselected, the first direction is a straight direction, the second direction is a right turn direction or a left turn direction, and the vehicle state information acquisition unit acquires the vehicle state information at predetermined intervals. and the image selection unit reselects the route display image until the orientation of the vehicle in the vehicle state information matches the second direction, and the road surface drawing unit comprising an irradiation unit, and the image selection section selects the route display image to be drawn from the left and right irradiation units when the route information is in a first direction, and when the route information is in a first direction to a second direction. When the direction changes, the route display image is selected so as to be drawn only from the irradiation unit on the second direction side .

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the road surface drawing unit projects the route display image at a position on the road surface where the drawing position overlaps before and after reselection.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the image selection unit selects a route display image including a curved line according to an angle from the direction of the vehicle to the second direction.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the curve line has a curvature that changes according to the displacement of the vehicle, and is along the course of the vehicle.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the vehicle further includes a forward information detection unit that detects a pedestrian in front of the vehicle, the route display image is a linear image along the route of the vehicle, and the image selection unit includes a The present invention is characterized in that as the position of the vehicle approaches the pedestrian detected by the forward information detection section, a route display image in which the line width of the linear image becomes thicker is selected.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the vehicle route acquisition unit acquires route information from a car navigation system.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the vehicle route acquisition unit acquires route information from a direction indicator input by the driver.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the vehicle status information acquisition unit acquires the orientation of the vehicle based on a steering angle from a steering device of the vehicle.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the vehicle status information acquisition unit acquires the vehicle status information using position information from a satellite positioning system.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a road surface drawing device in which the course of the vehicle matches the road surface display image as the direction of the vehicle changes when turning right or left.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle equipped with a road drawing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a road surface drawing device in a first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process by which the road display device 100 displays the course display image 6 in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a course 7 and a course display image 6 when the vehicle 1 turns right at an intersection in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a method of selecting a route display image 6 in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a route display image 6 at the position of the vehicle 1 in the intersection when turning right in the first embodiment, FIG. 6(a) shows the state before the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, and FIG. 6(b) ) shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, and FIG. 6(c) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the vehicle 1 has completed the turn at the intersection. FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing a course display image 6 when turning right according to the position of the vehicle 1 in the second embodiment, and FIG. 7A shows a state before the vehicle 1 enters an intersection, and FIG. ) shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, FIG. 7(c) shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, and FIG. 7(d) shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection. FIG. They are schematic diagrams showing a modified example of the route display image 6 in the second embodiment, in which FIG. 8(a) shows the route display image 6A at the position where the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, and FIG. 8(b) shows the route display image 6A at the intersection. FIG. 8(c) shows a route display image 6B when the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, FIG. 8(d) shows a route display image 6C when the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, and FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a route display image 6D at a position where No. 1 has turned around an intersection. FIG. 9(a) is a schematic diagram showing a course display image 6 of the third embodiment, and FIG. 9(a) is a schematic diagram of an intersection showing the course display image 6 at the intersection over time; FIGS. 9(d) is a schematic perspective view showing how the vehicle 1 and the route display image 6 are projected according to the time transition at the intersection. FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram showing a course display image at an intersection in the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 10(b) is a schematic diagram showing a route display image 62 after the vehicle 1 detects a pedestrian. FIG. 11(a) is a schematic diagram showing a course display image 6 in the fifth embodiment; FIG. 11(a) shows a course display image 6 when going straight; FIG. 11(b) shows a course display image 6 when turning right; Figure (c) is a schematic diagram showing the course display image 6 when turning left. 12(b) is a schematic diagram showing a route display image of the vehicle position in an intersection when turning right in a conventional example, FIG. 12(a) shows a state before the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, and FIG. 1 shows a state where vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, FIG. 12(c) shows a state where vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, and FIG. 12(d) shows a state where vehicle 1 has turned around the intersection. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in a position.

(First embodiment)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Identical or equivalent constituent elements, members, and processes shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle equipped with a road drawing device according to this embodiment. The vehicle 1 is an automobile, and includes a headlamp 2 and a lighting unit (irradiation unit) 52 to illuminate the front of the vehicle 1. The headlamps 2 are arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle 1 as a right headlamp 2R and a left headlamp 2L. The headlamp 2 is a known one that includes a light source, a reflector, etc. in a lamp body (not shown).

In this embodiment, the illumination unit (irradiation unit) 52 is arranged below the left and right headlamps 2 at the front of the vehicle 1. Although the lighting unit 52 in this embodiment is arranged separately into the right side lighting unit 52R and the left side lighting unit 52L, the road surface drawing device of the present invention is not limited to this. It may also be in the form of an arrangement. The illumination unit 52 is a drawing projection part of the road surface drawing device 100 that displays various drawings (marks) on the road surface. The structure is, for example, a laser scanning device (not shown) including a laser light source and an optical deflection device that deflects laser light emitted from the laser light source. The optical deflection device is, for example, a movable mirror such as a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror or a galvanometer mirror. The lighting unit 52 may be any device that can display various predetermined drawings (marks) on the road surface in front of the vehicle 1, and may use a known lighting unit such as a liquid crystal display, an LED array, or a digital mirror device (DMD). That's fine. The operation of the lighting unit 52, such as turning on and off, is controlled in accordance with instructions from a lighting control section 51 of an image drawing section 50 of a vehicle system, which will be described later.

Next, various controls of the road surface drawing device of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the road surface drawing device according to this embodiment. The road surface drawing device 100 of the present invention includes a control section 10, a vehicle course acquisition section 20, a vehicle status information acquisition section 30, an image selection section 40, and an image drawing section 50.

The control section 10 controls various devices of the vehicle 1, and is composed of an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit includes a microcontroller including a processor and memory, and other electronic circuits such as transistors. The processor includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Furthermore, the memory includes ROM and RAM. The processor executes various control programs stored in the ROM and executes various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

The control unit 10 is connected to various sensors and external devices that monitor the outside of the vehicle 1, such as a navigation system 11, a direction indicator 12, an on-vehicle camera 13, a sensor 14, and a wireless communication unit 15, and receives various signals, Data is input and output.

The navigation system 11 is a system that is connected to a satellite positioning system such as GPS, obtains current position information of the vehicle 1, and guides the vehicle 1 by indicating an appropriate course for the destination input by the driver. be. Therefore, the control unit 10 acquires the route information of the vehicle 1 from the navigation system 11, as well as the current position information and direction information of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the route information of the vehicle 1 is acquired by the navigation system 11, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any known control means such as sequential instructions by automatic driving control may be used. good.

The direction indicator 12 operates in conjunction with a lever (not shown) through which the driver inputs the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, inputs a signal indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 to the control unit 10, and transmits the direction indicator to the outside of the vehicle 1. (blinker) lamp (not shown). The control unit 10 also obtains route information of the vehicle 1 using the direction indicator 12.

The vehicle-mounted camera 13 is provided to obtain external information in front of the vehicle 1. The situation in front of the vehicle 1 (including the road surface) is sequentially photographed, and information about the presence of other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. in front of the vehicle 1 is promptly transmitted to the control unit 10. The vehicle-mounted camera 13 includes, for example, an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). It is then combined with millimeter wave radar, microwave radar, laser radar, etc. to obtain information about the surroundings outside the vehicle, such as other vehicles, pedestrians, road shape, traffic signs, and obstacles. The in-vehicle camera 13 may send captured image data to the control unit 10, and the control unit 10 may use various analysis programs to recognize the presence, position, etc. of pedestrians and other vehicles from the image data. , the vehicle-mounted camera 13 itself may be equipped with a program for recognizing pedestrians and the like. Furthermore, the imaging range of the vehicle-mounted camera also includes the road surface in front of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction.

The sensor 14, like the on-vehicle camera 13, is provided to obtain external information in front of the vehicle 1. For example, an infrared sensor that detects whether there are other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. in front of the vehicle 1, a motion capture device that detects the movement of pedestrians, etc. are installed. The sensor 14 also transmits detection data to the control unit 10 when detecting a pedestrian or another vehicle. Further, the sensor 14 includes an electronic compass and an angular velocity sensor that detect the direction of the vehicle 1. Regarding the orientation information of the vehicle 1, which will be described later, information detected by an electronic compass or an angular velocity sensor may be used.

The wireless communication unit 15 receives and transmits information by wireless communication with other devices outside the vehicle, such as predetermined devices provided at other vehicles, intersections, etc., and automatic driving instruction devices. The control unit 10 also obtains information in front of the vehicle (states of other vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) from the information received by the wireless communication unit 15. Furthermore, the wireless communication unit 15 may be configured to transmit the position and traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 to other vehicles and the like.

The in-vehicle camera 13, the sensor 14, and the wireless communication section 15 that detect forward information of the vehicle 1 in this way are collectively referred to as a forward information detection section 16. Further, the forward information detection section 16 is not limited to the in-vehicle camera 13, the sensor 14, and the wireless communication section 15, and may be any device that obtains information about the surroundings of the vehicle 1, especially the front. It may also include a mechanism for obtaining the image.

The control unit 10 includes a vehicle route acquisition unit 20, a vehicle status information acquisition unit 30, and an image selection unit 40. The vehicle route acquisition unit 20 acquires route information of the vehicle 1 from the navigation system 11 and direction indicator 12 described above, for example, route information such as going straight, turning right, turning left, etc. at the next intersection. The route information may be acquired periodically at predetermined intervals, or may be acquired when changing from the previously acquired route. Further, the route information acquired by the route acquisition unit 20 includes not only information at intersections, but also all cases where the route should be displayed to other vehicles, such as when changing lanes.

The vehicle status information acquisition unit 30 acquires status information of the vehicle 1, such as the position and orientation of the vehicle 1. As described above, the position information and orientation information of the vehicle 1 are acquired from the navigation system 11. Further, the vehicle state information acquisition section 30 is connected to a steering angle detection section 31 and a speed sensor 32.

The steering angle detection unit 31 detects a steering angle (steering angle) in a steering device 31a of the vehicle 1 (not shown). The steering angle detection section 31 is attached to the steering wheel of the vehicle 1 and detects the steering angle from the reference position of the steering wheel. The speed sensor 32 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle 1, etc. Furthermore, it may also have an acceleration sensor or the like.

In this way, the vehicle status information acquisition unit 30 determines the direction of the vehicle 1 from the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection unit 31, and also determines the position of the vehicle 1 after a predetermined time from the speed and acceleration detected by the speed sensor 32. Find the direction. In addition, the arrival time (required time) to a predetermined position on the route is also determined.

Next, the image selection unit 40 selects a route display image 6 to be projected onto the road surface in front of the vehicle 1 using the illumination unit 52, as will be described later. That is, the road surface drawing device 100 of the present embodiment plots the course of the vehicle 1 so that the course of the vehicle 1 is accurately conveyed to other vehicles and pedestrians when the course of the vehicle 1 changes, such as when turning right or turning left. A course display image 6 indicating the direction is projected onto the road surface. Therefore, the image selection unit 40 selects display image data so that an accurate route display image 6 can always be displayed according to the position and orientation of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the image selection unit 40 is connected to a route display image data storage unit 41 that stores a plurality of data of route display images 6 indicating right turns, left turns, etc. Then, the image selection unit 40 selects the vehicle 1 from the route information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the vehicle route acquisition unit 20 and the vehicle status information such as the direction, position, and speed of the vehicle 1 acquired by the vehicle status information acquisition unit 30. The data of the route display image 6 indicating the direction in which the driver should proceed is selected from the route display image data storage section 41. Then, a command indicating the data of the selected course display image 6 is sent to the image drawing section 50.

The image drawing section 50 includes a lighting control section 51 and a lighting unit 52. The image drawing section 50 takes out the data of the route display image instructed by the image selection section 40 from the route display image data storage section 41 and sends it to the illumination control section 51 . The lighting control unit 51 converts the data into a form suitable for the lighting unit 52, and the lighting unit 52 emits light from a light source according to the converted data, and projects a predetermined course display image onto the road surface in front of the vehicle 1. . The lighting control unit 51 is composed of an electronic control unit, and controls the lighting state (on/off, lighting color, light emission intensity, light emission area, etc.) of the lighting unit 52 to a predetermined course according to the data of the previous course display image. Set so that the display image can be projected. Further, the lighting control unit 51 includes a microcontroller including a processor such as a CPU and an MPU, a memory, and other electronic circuits. In this embodiment, the control unit 10 and the lighting control unit 51 are configured separately, but they may be configured integrally.

As described above, the lighting unit 52 projects and displays the selected course display image on the road surface in front of the vehicle 1. In the present embodiment, the lighting unit 52 has an adjustment function that adjusts the position and angle at which the image is projected, depending on the vehicle orientation, current position, and surrounding conditions obtained by the vehicle status information acquisition unit 30. We are prepared. A specific adjustment instruction is given based on an instruction signal accompanying the image data selected by the image selection section 40.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in which the road surface display device 100 displays the route display image 6. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a course 7 and a course display image 6 when the vehicle 1 turns right at an intersection. As shown in FIG. 3, the road surface drawing device 100 of this embodiment displays a route display image 6 near an intersection in the following flow.

First, based on information from the navigation system 11 and information from the direction indicator 12, the vehicle course acquisition unit 20 recognizes and determines that the vehicle 1 will turn right as shown by the course 7 (step 1).

On the other hand, the vehicle status information acquisition unit 30 acquires the position and orientation information of the vehicle 1 from the navigation system 11. Furthermore, the steering angle of the vehicle 1 is acquired from the steering angle detection section 31, and the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is acquired from the speed sensor 32 (step 2).

The control unit 10 moves the vehicle to a position where the route display image 6 should be displayed based on the position and direction information of the preceding vehicle 1 and the route information, such as when the vehicle 1 is entering an intersection or changing the route. 1 is located (step 3), the acquired information is sent to the image selection section 40. The image selection unit 40 selects image data 41 of the optimal route display image 6 to be displayed from the memory in which this image data 41 is stored, based on the current position and direction of the vehicle 1 and the route.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle status information acquisition section 30 acquires by the above-described means that the vehicle 1 is located 30 meters before the intersection while traveling straight, and the vehicle course acquisition section 20 acquires the course 7. The image selection unit 40 selects display image data of the route display image 6 that indicates that the vehicle 1 is to turn right from the acquired information, and issues a command to the image drawing unit 51 (step 4).

The image drawing unit 50 selects the display image data of the route display image 6 selected by the image selection unit 40 from within the storage unit 41, and uses the lighting control unit 51 and the lighting unit 52 to draw a route on the road surface in front of the vehicle 1. Display image 6 (step 5). In the case of the position of the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 4, since it is before entering an intersection, the road surface display image 6 indicating a right turn is displayed to indicate the intention to turn right.

This is repeated at predetermined intervals until the vehicle 1 arrives at the destination (step 6), and at intersections and course change points, the image selection unit 40 reselects display image data one after another according to the position of the vehicle 1. However, the optimum course display image 6 is always displayed.

Next, details of the route display image that is selected when the vehicle 1 turns right at an intersection (proceeds along the route 7 shown in FIG. 4) will be explained. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a method of selecting the route display image 6 in this embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a stage in which the vehicle 1 turns to the right and is in the middle of making a right turn.

The course display image 6 in this embodiment includes a branch line 6a parallel to the current direction of the vehicle 1 and a direction line 6b extending from this branch line 6a in the course direction. The angle between the branch line 6a and the direction line 6b (hereinafter also referred to as "advance angle γ") changes successively depending on the steering angle and the orientation of the vehicle obtained from the navigation system 11. That is, the angle of the direction line 6b of the route display image 6 changes sequentially as the vehicle 1 moves through the intersection.

Specifically, the course direction t is known from the course information acquired by the vehicle course acquisition section 20. Next, the angle α from the straight-ahead direction s to the travel direction t (hereinafter referred to as the "path angle") is calculated by the intersection of the straight-ahead direction s of the vehicle 1 indicated by the dashed arrow and the travel direction t of the vehicle 1. Ru.

On the other hand, the steering angle of the vehicle 1 is detected from the steering angle detection section 31. Furthermore, based on the displacement of the position information of the vehicle 1 from the navigation system 11, the vehicle state information acquisition unit 30 calculates the cumulative amount of movement of the vehicle 1 from detecting the steering angle to a predetermined position. Then, the tilt angle β of the vehicle 1 at the predetermined position is calculated from this steering angle and the cumulative amount of movement. Then, the direction u (indicated by the broken line arrow u) of the vehicle 1 can be determined from this inclination angle β. Further, the traveling angle γ is the sum of the traveling angle α and the tilt angle β. Therefore, in the route display image 6, the branch line 6a is determined to be along the direction u, and the direction line 6b is determined to be along the route direction t of the vehicle 1 at each point.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a route display image 6 at the vehicle 1 position within the intersection when turning right. Since FIG. 6(a) shows the vehicle 1 before entering the intersection, the route display image 6 is used to indicate a right turn in order to indicate the route direction of the vehicle 1. Specifically, since the vehicle 1 has not yet turned (the direction of the vehicle 1 remains in the straight-ahead direction), the tilt angle β from the steering angle and the cumulative amount of movement is 0 degrees, and the direction u of the vehicle 1 is Since it is the same as the straight direction t, the traveling angle γ=(α+β) between the branch line 6a and the direction line 6b is 90 degrees.

Next, when the vehicle 1 enters the intersection and the driver turns the steering wheel to generate a steering angle, the direction of the vehicle 1 changes from the straight direction and a tilt angle β is generated from the cumulative amount of movement. That is, if the steering angle is constant, if the vehicle 1 moves along the arc of the turning radius as a trajectory, the direction of the vehicle will change depending on the amount of movement of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the tilt angle will also change. Therefore, the tilt angle β is calculated from the relationship between the steering angle and the cumulative amount of movement. For example, FIG. 6(b) shows the vehicle 1 in the middle of turning inside an intersection, but the direction of the vehicle 1 is inclined by an angle β from the straight direction s, and the direction of the vehicle 1 is inclined by the angle β, that is, the traveling angle γ, that is, the branch line 6a and the direction line 6b. The advancing angle γ=(α+β) is greater than 90 degrees. As a result, the route display image 6 takes a shape along the route 7 shown in FIG. 4.

Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 completes the turn at the intersection, the inclination angle β of the vehicle 1 becomes 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 6(c). Therefore, the traveling angle γ is 180 degrees, and the direction u of the vehicle 1 coincides with the traveling direction t. That is, when the vehicle 1 changes its course at an intersection from the first direction, which is a straight ahead direction, to the second direction, which is a right turn direction, the course display image 6 becomes a line indicating the second direction from the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the tilt angle β of the vehicle 1 is determined from the steering angle and the cumulative amount of movement of the vehicle 1, and the tilt angle β is used to determine the orientation direction u and the traveling angle γ of the vehicle 1. A route display image 6 is generated (selected) from the relationship between u and the route direction t. Therefore, the route display image 6 is regenerated (reselected) in accordance with changes in the steering angle, the cumulative amount of movement of the vehicle 1 (recalculated from the vehicle position, etc.), and vehicle status information.

The image selection unit 40 may select an image close to the traveling angle γ obtained in the above manner from among the plurality of route display images 6 stored in the memory, or may select one from the obtained traveling angle γ. The route display image 6 may be generated (selectively generated). As described above, in order to obtain the position and steering angle of the vehicle 1 at predetermined intervals, the route display image 6 is reselected (reselected and generated) and displayed every time the direction of the vehicle 1 changes. . As a result, after the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, the route display image 6 is displayed along the route 7.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the branch line 6a and the direction line 6b are directly connected, but they may be connected via a gently curved line (curve line). It is assumed that the curvature of the curved portion (curve line) is determined according to the traveling angle γ, that is, the angle from the vehicle direction direction u to the course direction t.

In this way, when the vehicle 1 changes its direction of travel, such as inside an intersection, the route display image 6 with the travel angle γ changed is reselected in accordance with changes in vehicle status information such as the position and direction of the vehicle. By sequentially displaying the information, other vehicles and pedestrians in the surrounding area can accurately grasp the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 in accordance with the actual movement. Therefore, misrecognition such as misunderstanding the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 can be significantly suppressed.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the route display image 6 is selected using the detected steering angle etc. before entering an intersection. A course display image 6 is obtained from the position of the vehicle 1 and the direction of the vehicle 1 by GPS.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the traveling angle γ of the route display image 6 before entering the intersection is the traveling angle α formed by the straight traveling direction s and the traveling direction t in order to clearly indicate the turning direction, and the vehicle 1 As the vehicle 1 enters an intersection and turns, the traveling angle γ becomes obtuse. In other words, as the vehicle 1 turns, the lines of the route display image 6 change in the direction of becoming straighter.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the progress angle γ is not changed based on the course angle α formed by the straight direction s and the course direction t, but the progress of the course display image 6 is changed according to a change in the direction of the vehicle 1. The angle γ changes. That is, the slope of the line in the route display image 6 changes.

In this embodiment, the vehicle route acquisition unit 20 uses information from the navigation system 11 to determine the route 7 at the intersection indicated by the dashed arrow. Further, the vehicle status information acquisition unit 30 similarly acquires information on the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 from the position information from the GPS (satellite positioning system) of the navigation system 11 and the progress state of the vehicle 1.

The image selection unit 40 selects the route display image 6 that is closest to the route based on the direction (inclination) of the route 7 at the acquired position of the vehicle 1, and the image drawing unit 50 displays the selected route display image 6. . Specifically, the route display image 6 is displayed as follows.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a route display image 6 when the vehicle 1 turns right according to the position of the vehicle 1 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the vehicle 1 enters an intersection, it gradually turns from going straight, so the route display image 6A consists of a curve with little slope. The course display image 6A is relatively long so that the turning direction can be known.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 7(b) and 7(c), when the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, route display images 6B and 6C are formed of inclined curves. The route display images 6B and 6C are shorter than the previous route display image 6A so that the direction of the turn can be known.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7(d), at the position where the vehicle 1 has turned at the intersection, the route display image 6D is a straight line with no inclination extending in the route direction (right turn direction). The length is long enough to let other cars and pedestrians know that you are driving straight ahead.

In this way, the route display images 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D along the route 7 are selected and displayed by the image selection unit 40 according to the orientation of the vehicle 1 at each position at the intersection. As described above, the route display image 6A is a relatively long curve at the position where the vehicle 1 enters the intersection so that oncoming cars and pedestrians can easily recognize the route of the vehicle 1, and the route display image 6A is displayed at a position near the center of the intersection. Here, the route display images 6B and 6C are relatively short curves. That is, when the vehicle 1 changes its course at an intersection from the first direction, which is the straight-ahead direction, to the second direction, which is the course direction, the course display image 6 becomes a curve extending from the vehicle in the second direction.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the route display image 6 in this embodiment, in which FIG. 8(a) shows the route display image 6A at the position where the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, and FIG. 8(b) ) shows the route display images 6B and 6C when the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, FIG. 8(c) shows the route display images 6B and 6C when the vehicle 1 is located near the center of the intersection, and FIG. 8(d) shows the route display images 6B and 6C when the vehicle 1 has turned around the intersection. A route display image 6D at a later position is shown.

In the modified example, the route display image 6 is a straight line connecting the vehicle 1 to the route 7. The straight line length of the route display image 6 is made shorter as the direction of the vehicle 1 leans to the right, so that the route direction can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner. Therefore, it is assumed that the length of the straight line of the route display image 6 is determined in advance based on the relationship between the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 (that is, the inclination toward the route direction).

In this way, the route display image 6 is a straight line extending from the vehicle toward the second direction when the vehicle 1 changes its course from the first direction, which is the straight direction, to the second direction, which is the right direction. The length is determined depending on the direction of the vehicle 1.

In this embodiment, the course 7 is determined by information from the navigation system 11, the position of the vehicle 1 is specified by GPS, and a line connecting the vehicle 1 and the course direction is set as the course display image 6. The display image 6 will be displayed along the course 7.

By combining information from the navigation system 11, particularly position information by GPS, orientation information of the vehicle 1, and course information, the image selection unit 40 can select the image selection unit 40 according to changes in the position of the vehicle 1 during automatic driving mode, etc. An appropriate course display image 6 can always be quickly reselected and drawn on the road surface.

(Third embodiment)
In the drawing device 100 according to the present embodiment, when the vehicle 1 changes its course direction at an intersection or the like, the drawing position of the course display image 6, which is reselected at predetermined time intervals, is reselected depending on the orientation of the vehicle 1. Control the images so that they are projected at overlapping positions before and after. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the route display image 6 of this embodiment, FIG. 9(a) is a schematic diagram of an intersection showing the time transition of the route display image 6 at the intersection, and FIGS. 9(d) is a schematic perspective view showing how the vehicle 1 and the route display image 6 are projected according to the time transition at the intersection.

As shown in FIG. 9, the route display image 6 displayed according to the position of the vehicle 1 is projected so that the drawing position on the road surface overlaps the drawing position projected immediately before. Specifically, it is as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a route display image 6A is projected onto the road surface when the vehicle 1 is in a position to enter an intersection. At this time, the irradiation angle of the light from the lighting unit 52 is set to be an angle θ toward the road surface G. Simultaneously with this projection, the road surface G is photographed by the vehicle-mounted camera 13, and the vehicle condition information acquisition section 30 confirms the position of the route display image 6A on the road surface.

After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, similarly to the first and second embodiments, the image selection unit 40 reselects the route display image according to the position and orientation of the vehicle 1, and displays the reselected route display image 6B on the road surface. At the projecting stage, the road surface G at a predetermined position (planned display position) is imaged by the on-vehicle camera 13, and it is confirmed whether the previous route display image 6A overlaps with the projected position and whether there are any irregularities or inclinations on the road surface. .

When the road surface has an inclination, the irradiation direction of the illumination unit 52 is adjusted so that the irradiation angle θ with respect to the road surface G is constant. Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, adjustment is made so that the reselected route display image 6B partially overlaps the previously projected route display image 6A (image indicated by a broken line). In this way, by adjusting the irradiation direction according to the state of the road surface G and projecting the route display images 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D so that the irradiation angle θ is constant with respect to the road surface G, the vehicle 1 The driver can always recognize the route display image 6 in a constant field of vision. Moreover, since a constant projection state can always be maintained with respect to the road surface G regardless of the unevenness or inclination of the road surface G, it becomes easier for other oncoming vehicles and pedestrians to recognize the course display image 6.

Further, by projecting a part of the route display image 6B selected by reselection so as to overlap the route display image 6A projected earlier, the route display images 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D will be projected. As a result, the route display image 6 is displayed continuously, as if a line has been drawn, due to the visual afterimage effect of the viewer, until the lane after the right turn. This makes it much easier to recognize the course at an intersection.

(Fourth embodiment)
When the road drawing device in this embodiment detects a pedestrian on the road, it changes the route display image 6 so that the pedestrian can easily recognize the pedestrian. Specifically, it is as follows. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a course display image at an intersection in this embodiment, and FIG. , FIG. 10(b) is a schematic diagram showing a route display image 62 after the vehicle 1 detects a pedestrian.

The forward information detection unit 16 including the in-vehicle camera 13 and the sensor 14 of this embodiment detects the front of the vehicle 1 and detects the presence or absence of a pedestrian B in front. Then, the detection result is sent to the vehicle status information acquisition section 30. The vehicle status information acquisition unit 30 detects that there is a pedestrian in front of the vehicle 1 based on the information from the on-vehicle camera 13 and sensor 14, and sends the information to the image selection unit 40. If there is no pedestrian B in front of the vehicle 1, the image selection unit 40 selects the route display image 61 displayed in a normal thickness. On the other hand, if pedestrian B is present in front of the vehicle 1, the route display image 62 displayed with a larger thickness is selected so that it can be easily identified by the pedestrian.

As shown in FIG. 10(a), when there are no pedestrians near the vehicle 1, the route display image 61 is projected with a normal thickness. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the route display image 62 when a pedestrian is detected in front of the vehicle 1 becomes thicker than usual, and a conspicuous image is projected. In this way, the forward information detection unit 16 detects a pedestrian, and as the pedestrian B approaches, the route display image 62 with thick line width is selected and projected. By displaying the route display image 62 with thick lines near pedestrian B, pedestrian B's attention can be drawn. That is, the pedestrian B can be made to accurately recognize the course of the vehicle 1, and can be made to correctly understand the movement of the vehicle 1 when walking at a crosswalk or the like.

Note that in this embodiment, when pedestrian B is detected, the line width of the route display image 62 is made thicker, but the present invention is not limited to this. Good too.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the first to fourth embodiments, one route display image 6 is displayed on the road surface in front of the vehicle 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of route display images 6 are displayed. It may be. The road surface drawing device 100 in this embodiment projects the course display image 6 using the left and right illumination units 52L and 52R, respectively.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the course display image 6 in this embodiment, FIG. 11(a) shows the course display image 6 when going straight, and FIG. 11(b) shows the course display image 6 when turning right. 11(c) shows a route display image 6 when turning left.

As shown in FIG. 11A, in this embodiment, when going straight, the image selection unit 40 displays a route display image 6S, which is an arrow pointing straight, on each of the left illumination unit 52L and the right illumination unit 52R. Select the image data to display. The image drawing unit 50 projects the left illumination unit 52L and the right illumination unit 52R so that two course display images 6S are displayed on the road surface in front of the vehicle 1 according to the display image data selected by the image selection unit 40. let

In addition, the image drawing unit 50 divides the color of the route display image 6 into manual driving mode and automatic driving mode, so that the surroundings of the vehicle 1, that is, surrounding pedestrians and other vehicles (cars, bicycles) to identify whether the vehicle is autonomous or not. Specifically, in the manual driving mode, the color of the route display image 6S when driving straight is white, and in the automatic driving mode, the color of the route display image 6S is turquoise (blue-green). In this way, by color-coding and displaying, the surroundings of the vehicle 1 can be identified as to whether or not the vehicle 1 is operating automatically. In addition, straight path display images 6S are displayed from the left and right lighting units 52R and 52L, and two straight arrows appear in front of the vehicle 1, so pedestrians on the left side of the vehicle 1 can also The route display image 6S is easy to see.

Note that changing the color of the route display image 6 between automatic driving mode and manual driving mode is not limited to this embodiment, and can be applied to other embodiments described above.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11(b), when turning right, before the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, the image selection unit 40 uses only the right lighting unit 52R to display the right turn course display image 6R. The display image data 41 that will be displayed is selected. Then, the image drawing section 50 projects only the right illumination unit 52R so as to display the route display image 6R on the road surface in front of the vehicle 1 according to the display image data 41 selected by the image selection section 40. This is done at the same time as the vehicle 1 turns on the blinker lamp using the direction indicator 12 before the intersection.

The display color of the route display image 6R is set to amber so that the intention of the vehicle 1 to turn is clearly communicated to the surroundings.

Thereafter, the route display image 6R after the vehicle 1 enters the intersection may be displayed in a manner similar to the first to fourth embodiments described above. Further, the display after the vehicle enters the intersection may be performed using only the right lighting unit 52R, or may be performed using both the left and right lighting units 52R and 52L.

As shown in FIG. 11(c), when turning left, before the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, the image selection unit 40 uses only the left lighting unit 52L to display the left turn route display image 6L. Display image data 41 is selected. The image drawing section 50 causes the left illumination unit 52L to project based on the display image data 41 selected by the image selection section 40. The display method and the display contents after the vehicle 1 enters the intersection are the same as when turning right.

In this way, when turning right or left, by displaying using only one of the lighting units 52R, 52L, the route display images 6R, 6L can be displayed closer to the direction of the turn, so that surrounding oncoming vehicles can and pedestrians can easily notice it.

Note that changing the color of the route display image 6 to amber when turning right or left is not limited to this embodiment, but can also be applied to the other embodiments described above.

Further, in this embodiment, the image selection section 40 receives an instruction to use only one of the left and right illumination units 52L, 52R, selects the display image data 41 to be projected by only one of the illumination units 52, and sends the image drawing section 50 to the image selection section 40. It was in the form of an instruction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image selection unit 40 always only selects the display image data 41 for right turns (or left turns) when turning right (or turning left), and the image drawing unit 50 only selects the display image data 41 for turning right (or turning left). The data may be processed to determine whether the projection is performed using only the lighting unit 52 or the projection is performed using both the left and right lighting units 52.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

A...Road surface display image (conventional example)
B...Pedestrian 1...Vehicle 2...Headlamp 6...Route display image 6a...Branch line 6b...Direction line 7...Course 10...Control unit 11...Navigation system 12...Direction indicator 13...Vehicle camera 14...Sensor 15...Wireless communication Section 16...Front information detection section (information detection section)
20...Vehicle course acquisition unit 30...Vehicle status information acquisition unit 31...Steering angle detection unit 31a...Steering device 32...Speed sensor 40...Image selection unit 41...Display image data (memory)
50...Image drawing section (road surface drawing section)
51...Lighting control section 52...Lighting unit (irradiation unit)
100...Road surface drawing device

Claims (9)

a vehicle route acquisition unit that acquires vehicle route information;
a vehicle status information acquisition unit that acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle as vehicle status information;
an image selection unit that selects a route display image to be projected on a road surface in front of the vehicle based on the route information and the vehicle status information;
comprising a road surface drawing unit that projects the route display image onto the road surface ahead;
When the route information changes from a first direction to a second direction, the image selection unit selects the route display image including a line indicating the second direction from the vehicle, and selects the route display image that includes a line indicating the second direction from the vehicle, and selects the route display image that includes a line indicating the second direction from the vehicle, and and reselect the route display image,
The first direction is a straight direction, and the second direction is a right turn direction or a left turn direction,
The vehicle condition information acquisition unit acquires the vehicle condition information at predetermined intervals,
the image selection unit reselects the route display image until the orientation of the vehicle in the vehicle state information matches the second direction;
The road surface drawing unit includes irradiation units on the left and right sides of the front in the traveling direction of the vehicle,
The image selection unit selects the route display image to be drawn from the left and right irradiation units when the route information is in a first direction, and when the route information changes from the first direction to a second direction. . A road surface drawing device, wherein the route display image is selected so as to be drawn only from the irradiation unit on the second direction side . The road surface drawing device according to claim 1,
The road surface drawing device is characterized in that the road surface drawing unit projects the route display image at a position on the road surface where drawing positions overlap before and after the reselection. The road surface drawing device according to claim 1 or 2,
The road surface drawing device is characterized in that the image selection unit selects the route display image including a curved line according to an angle from the direction of the vehicle to the second direction. The road surface drawing device according to claim 3,
The road surface drawing device is characterized in that the curve line has a curvature that changes according to the displacement of the vehicle and is along the course of the vehicle. The road surface drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Further comprising a forward information detection unit that detects a pedestrian in front of the vehicle,
The route display image is a linear image along the route of the vehicle,
The image selection unit selects the route display image in which the line width of the linear image becomes thicker as the position of the vehicle in the vehicle status information approaches the pedestrian detected by the forward information detection unit. Characteristic road surface drawing device. The road surface drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A road surface drawing device, wherein the vehicle route acquisition unit acquires the route information from a car navigation system. The road surface drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The road surface drawing device is characterized in that the vehicle route acquisition unit acquires the route information from a direction indicator input by a driver. The road surface drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The road surface drawing device is characterized in that the vehicle state information acquisition unit acquires the direction of the vehicle based on a steering angle from a steering device of the vehicle. The road surface drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A road surface drawing device, wherein the vehicle status information acquisition unit acquires the vehicle status information using position information from a satellite positioning system.