JP7623667B2 - Computer program and perimeter monitoring system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a computer program for viewing images of the periphery of a vehicle and a periphery monitoring system for monitoring the periphery of a vehicle.

Patent document 1 describes how, when an image stored in an image storage system installed in a vehicle is later played back and displayed on a display, an indicator of the distance from the vehicle is superimposed on the image.

Patent No. 4631026

Incidentally, there are types of drive recorders, which are devices that capture and store images of the area around the vehicle, that can store not only images in front of the vehicle, but also images behind the vehicle. These types of drive recorders are equipped with an interface for inputting images captured by an external camera. The external camera is attached, for example, to the rear window, facing towards the rear of the vehicle.

The external camera may be equipped with a wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens to capture a wide range. In images captured with a wide-angle lens, the subject is generally distorted. For this reason, even if a rear vehicle is approaching the vehicle, the rear vehicle may appear small in the image captured by the external camera. In such a case, the driver who sees the image displayed on the drive recorder may be under the mistaken impression that the rear vehicle is not approaching the vehicle.

One possible solution is to display a distance guide showing the distance from a reference position on the captured image of the vehicle's surroundings. Here, the reference position is a position that serves as a reference when measuring the distance from the vehicle, such as the rear end position of the vehicle.

However, the distance from the mounting position of the external camera (e.g., the rear window) to the reference position (e.g., the rear end position of the vehicle) may vary depending on the vehicle model. For this reason, even if a distance guide is displayed for one vehicle model to correctly indicate the distance from the reference position, the displayed distance guide for another vehicle model may not correctly indicate the distance from the reference position. Note that this type of problem is not limited to when a distance guide is displayed in an image captured behind the vehicle, but can occur in all cases where a distance guide is displayed in an image captured around the vehicle.

One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a technology that enables a vehicle's distance from a reference position to be determined more accurately in captured images of the vehicle's surroundings for multiple vehicle types.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a computer program for viewing images, which executes an image acquisition process, a vehicle type acceptance process, a guide acquisition process, and a display processing unit. The image acquisition process is a process for acquiring a captured image of the periphery of the vehicle. The vehicle type acceptance process is a process for accepting a vehicle type setting from a user. The guide acquisition process is a process for acquiring a distance guide according to the vehicle type accepted in the vehicle type acceptance process. The distance guide is information indicating the distance from a reference position. The display processing unit is a process for displaying the acquired distance guide in the captured image.

With this configuration, a distance guide is displayed according to the vehicle model. Therefore, for multiple vehicle models, the distance from the vehicle's reference position can be more accurately determined in the captured image of the vehicle's surroundings.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the computer program may further execute a distance acquisition process and an adjustment process. The distance acquisition process is a process for acquiring a distance between a vehicle and an object around the vehicle. The adjustment process is a process for adjusting the position of a distance guide in a captured image based on the acquired distance.

According to this configuration, it is possible to display a distance guide that more accurately indicates the distance from the reference position of the vehicle.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, the image acquisition process may acquire an image that is captured when the distance between the vehicle and the object is the distance acquired by the distance acquisition process, and that includes the object, and the adjustment process may adjust the position of the distance guide based on the acquired distance and the position of the object in the captured image.

According to this configuration, it is possible to display a distance guide that more accurately indicates the distance from the reference position of the vehicle.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, in the image acquisition process, an image of the rear of the vehicle may be acquired as the image of the periphery of the vehicle, and the display processing unit may display a distance guide indicating a distance from a reference distance to the rear of the vehicle in the captured image.

According to this configuration, the distance from the reference position to the vehicle can be more accurately determined for a plurality of vehicle types in the captured image behind the vehicle.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, the image acquisition process may acquire a captured image showing a vehicle behind the vehicle. The computer program may further execute a determination process and a notification process. The determination process is a process for determining whether the vehicle behind is tailgating the vehicle based on a positional relationship between the vehicle behind and the distance guide in the captured image. The notification process is a process for notifying a user of the vehicle when the determination process determines that the vehicle behind is tailgating.

With this configuration, it is possible to make the user aware that the vehicle behind is tailgating.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, the distance guide may be displayed as equidistant lines from a reference position.

According to this configuration, the user can easily recognize points at a certain distance in a captured image of the periphery of the vehicle.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, the distance guide may be displayed as a number of equidistant lines at different distances from a reference position.

According to this configuration, the user can easily grasp the position of other vehicles, etc. from the positional relationship between the other vehicles, etc. and the multiple equidistance lines in the captured image around the vehicle.
One aspect of the present disclosure is a perimeter monitoring system that is mounted on a vehicle and monitors the perimeter of the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring system includes a camera, a display unit, an operation unit, a storage unit, and a control device. The camera captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle. The display unit is capable of displaying an image. The operation unit accepts an operation by a user. The control device executes the image acquisition process, the vehicle type acceptance process, the guide acquisition process, and the display processing unit.

This configuration provides the same effects as the computer program described above.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a drive recorder and a rear camera device are attached to a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the drive recorder, the rear camera device, and the information processing device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a captured image on which a distance guide is displayed. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of distance guide corresponding information. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the distance guide display process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the alert process. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a captured image on which an alert is displayed. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the storage process. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the reference distance image. FIG. 10 is a flow chart (1) of the calibration process. FIG. 11 is a flowchart (2) of the calibration process.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. Configuration]
1, a drive recorder 1 and a rear camera device 3 described in this embodiment are installed in a vehicle 100. The type of vehicle 100 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is assumed to be a sedan type vehicle.

The drive recorder 1 is installed in a location between the rearview mirror and the windshield or in another location that is unlikely to obstruct the driver's field of vision. At this time, the drive recorder 1 is installed so that the main body camera 13 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, faces forward of the vehicle.

The rear camera device 3 is attached to a location that is unlikely to obstruct the driver's field of vision, such as the top of the rear window. In this case, the rear camera device 3 is attached so that the external camera 34 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, faces the rear of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive recorder 1 and the rear camera device 3 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a communication line connected to the interface device 18 of the drive recorder 1 and the interface device 37 of the rear camera device 3.

In addition to the rear camera device 3, the drive recorder 1 is also connected to sensors 4 (described later) via an interface device 18 so as to be able to communicate with each other.
<Drive recorder>
The drive recorder 1 includes, as its internal components, a control device 10, a main body camera 13, an acceleration sensor 14, a GPS 15, an operation unit 16, an internal memory 17, an interface device 18, and a display unit 19 such as a display. These are incorporated into a single housing.

The control device 10 includes a processor 11 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, or a flash memory (hereinafter, memory 12). The processor 11 reads and executes a program 121 stored in the memory 12 to execute the distance guide display process shown in FIG. 5, the alert process shown in FIG. 6, and the storage process shown in FIG. 8, which will be described later. The control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 also captures still images with the main body camera 13 at a predetermined frame rate and stores the captured still images in the internal memory 17.

Furthermore, when the acceleration sensor 14 detects acceleration such as a vehicle collision, the control device 10 stores in the internal memory 17 images taken several seconds before the detection and images taken by the main body camera 13 and the external camera 34 several seconds after the detection.

The control device 10 also displays the image of the rear of the vehicle captured by the external camera 34 on the display unit 19 in real time. This allows the driver to understand the situation behind the vehicle while driving by checking the image of the rear of the vehicle displayed on the display unit 19.

Furthermore, distance guide corresponding information is stored in the internal memory 17 of the drive recorder 1. Before explaining the distance guide corresponding information, the distance guide will be explained.
The distance guide is information indicating the distance from a reference position, which is displayed in an image of the periphery of the vehicle (behind the vehicle in this embodiment). The reference position is an arbitrary position that serves as a reference when measuring the distance from the vehicle 100, and in this embodiment, is set to the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 (e.g., the rear end of the rear bumper; see FIG. 1). The distance indicated by the distance guide in this embodiment is the distance along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 100 (see FIG. 1).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance guide 6 is displayed as multiple (three in this example) equidistance lines 61-63 indicating the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100. Hereinafter, these equidistance lines 61-63 are also referred to as "distance guides 61-63".

The distance guides 61-63 are equidistance lines that are 0.5 m, 1 m, and 2 m away from the vehicle 100. In this way, the distance guides 61-63 in this embodiment indicate distances that are relatively close to the vehicle 100. This is because it is desirable to know the distance to the rear vehicle 200 when the rear vehicle 200 is approaching the vehicle 100, for example, when using an image from the rear camera device 3 as evidence that the rear vehicle 200 is tailgating the vehicle 100. However, the distances indicated by the distance guides 61-63 are not limited to this, and the distance guides 61-63 may indicate any distance.

In this embodiment, both ends of the distance guides 61-63 are displayed with numerical values ("0.5 m", "1 m" and "2 m") that indicate the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 indicated by the distance guide 61-63. Also, the distance guides 61-63 displayed in the captured image are each a different color, making it possible to distinguish each distance guide 61-63 at a glance.

In this embodiment, the external camera 34 is equipped with a fisheye lens, which is a wide-angle lens. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the image captured by the external camera 34 is distorted at positions away from the center.

The position where the distance guide 6 should be displayed in the captured image varies depending on the type of vehicle to which the rear camera device 3 is attached. That is, the distance from the mounting position of the rear camera device 3, such as the rear window, to the rear end position of the vehicle (distance l in FIG. 1) varies depending on the type of vehicle, such as a 1-box, 2-box, sedan, etc. Furthermore, when the distance l changes, the position of the equidistance line from the rear end position of the vehicle in the captured image of the rear camera device 3 (i.e., the position where the distance guide 6 should be displayed) also changes. That is, in an image such as that shown in FIG. 3, the shorter the distance l is for a vehicle model, the closer the position where the distance guide 6 should be displayed will be, and the longer the distance l is for a vehicle model, the further back the position where the distance guide 6 should be displayed will be. In this way, the position where the distance guide 6 should be displayed varies depending on the type of vehicle to which the rear camera device 3 is attached.

Therefore, the drive recorder 1 of this embodiment is designed to change the display position of the distance guide 6 depending on the vehicle model selected by the user. The information for realizing this change in display position is the distance guide compatibility information.

In other words, the distance guide correspondence information is information in which the vehicle type, distance, and distance guide information are associated with each other, as shown in FIG. 4. The distance here means the distance from the specified mounting position of the rear camera device 3 to the rear end of the vehicle of the associated vehicle type (the aforementioned distance l).

The distance guide information is a distance guide template prepared for each vehicle model. In other words, when the distance guide information is specified, the display position of the distance guide in the captured image is determined. In this way, a corresponding distance guide is set in advance for each vehicle model. Note that the distance guide information may be any information that can identify the display position of the distance guide in the captured image. For example, the distance guide information may be coordinate information indicating the display position of the distance guide in the captured image.

In the distance guide information, the vehicle type classification, distance, etc. are set appropriately, and the classification, distance, etc. shown in FIG. 4 are merely examples. In the distance guide information shown in FIG. 4, for example, the vehicle type "Sedan (first type)" may be a sedan manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation, and the "Sedan (second type)" may be a sedan manufactured by Nissan Motor Corporation, etc.

The above is the distance guide corresponding information stored in the internal memory 17.
1 , the operation unit 16 receives various operation instructions from a user, such as a driver, of the drive recorder 1. In this embodiment, the operation unit 16 has an operation button for switching the mode of the drive recorder 1 between a "distance guide display mode" and a "normal mode."

The distance guide display mode is a mode in which the distance guide 6 is displayed in the captured image displayed on the display unit 19. In the distance guide display mode, the driver can drive while checking the captured image of the rear of the vehicle 100 in which the distance guide 6 is displayed. In addition, when an image captured during the distance guide display mode is stored in the internal memory 17, the information on the distance guide 6 is also linked to the image. Therefore, when the image stored in the internal memory 17 is later played back, the distance guide 6 is also displayed in the played back image.

The normal mode is a mode in which the distance guide 6 is not displayed in the captured image displayed on the display unit 19. When an image captured in this normal mode is later played back, the distance guide 6 is not displayed in the played back image. The normal mode is a mode for users who want to take a normal captured image without the distance guide 6.
<Rear camera device>
The rear camera device 3 includes, as its internal components, a control device 30, an external camera 34, and an interface device 37. These are incorporated into a single housing.

The control device 30 includes a processor 31 such as a CPU, and a semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, or a flash memory (hereinafter, referred to as a memory 32). The control device 30 of the rear camera device 3 captures still images with the external camera 34 at a predetermined frame rate. The control device 30 then transmits the still images captured by the external camera 34 to the interface device 18 on the drive recorder 1 side via the interface device 37. In the following, the captured image of the rear of the vehicle 100 captured by the external camera 34 is also referred to as a "rear captured image."
<Sensors>
The sensors 4 are mounted on the vehicle 100 and detect the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 100 and/or the state of the vehicle 100. The sensors 4 include a vehicle speed sensor 41, a reverse sensor 42, and a shift sensor 43.

The vehicle speed sensor 41 detects the speed of the vehicle 100 .
The back sensor 42 detects an obstacle behind the vehicle. The back sensor 42 also detects the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 and the height from the road surface of the obstacle behind the vehicle. An ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor, or the like can be used as the back sensor 42.

The shift sensor 43 detects the shift range of the vehicle 100 based on the position of a shift lever operated by the driver, etc.
<Information processing device>
The information processing device 5 is, for example, a personal computer, and is used to display images captured by the drive recorder 1 and/or the rear camera device 3 and to perform various processes on the images.

The information processing device 5 includes a control device 50, an operation unit 53, a storage unit 54, an interface device 55, and a display unit 56 such as a display.
The control device 50 includes a processor 51 such as a CPU, and a semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, or a flash memory (hereinafter, referred to as a memory 52). The processor 51 reads and executes a program 521 stored in the memory 52, thereby executing a calibration process shown in FIG. 10, which will be described later.

The operation unit 53 is configured with, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel key, etc., and accepts operations by the user. The interface device 55 is for connecting the information processing device 5 to a network, an external storage medium, etc. Images captured and stored by the drive recorder 1 and the rear camera device 3 are moved from the internal memory 17 of the drive recorder 1 to the storage unit 54 of the information processing device 5 using an external storage medium such as an SD card (registered trademark), and various processes are executed in the information processing device 5. The storage unit 54 is a non-volatile storage device configured with a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc.

2. Processing
[2-1. Distance guide display processing]
Next, the distance guide display process executed by the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. The distance guide display process is started when the drive recorder 1 is set to a distance guide display mode.

First, in S101, the control device 10 accepts the vehicle type setting from the user via the operation unit 16. In this embodiment, the user selects the vehicle type of the vehicle 100 to which the drive recorder 1 and rear camera device 3 are attached from multiple types of vehicle types (1BOX, 2BOX, etc.) prepared in advance.

Next, in S102, the control device 10 refers to the distance guide corresponding information stored in the internal memory 17, and acquires the distance guide information corresponding to the vehicle model accepted in S101.
Next, in S<b>103 , the control device 10 acquires a captured rear image from the rear camera device 3 via the interface device 18 .

Next, in S104, the control device 10 displays on the display unit 19 an image in which the distance guide 6 corresponding to the distance guide information acquired in S102 is superimposed on the rear captured image acquired in S103.

Next, in S105, the control device 10 stores the rear captured image in which the distance guide 6 is displayed in the internal memory 17. After executing S105, the control device 10 returns to the above-mentioned S103 and repeats the processes of S103 to S105.

The distance guide display process is executed until a predetermined termination condition is met, such as the drive recorder 1 being switched to normal mode or the drive recorder 1 or rear camera device 3 being turned off.

2-2. Alert Processing
Next, the alert process executed by the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. Note that the alert process is executed periodically while the drive recorder 1 is in the distance guide display mode.

First, in S201, the control device 10 acquires a rear captured image from the rear camera device 3.
Next, in S<b>202 , the control device 10 acquires the speed of the vehicle 100 from the vehicle speed sensor 41 .

Next, in S203, the control device 10 determines whether or not the vehicle behind the vehicle 100 is tailgating the vehicle 100.
In this embodiment, the control device 10 determines whether the vehicle behind is tailgating the vehicle 100 based on the positional relationship between the distance guide 6 and the vehicle behind, and the speed of the vehicle 100 .

Specifically, the control device 10 recognizes the rear vehicle in the rear captured image acquired in S201. Then, it determines whether at least a part of the rear vehicle recognized in the rear captured image is located inside a predetermined distance guide (for example, distance guide 63 indicating that the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 is "2 m"). Then, the control device 10 determines that the rear vehicle is tailgating the vehicle 100 when at least a part of the rear vehicle is located inside the predetermined distance guide and the speed of the vehicle 100 is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed (for example, 30 km/h). Note that the latter condition regarding the speed of the vehicle 100 is a condition for ensuring that the vehicle 100 is moving.

For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 3, at least a portion of the rear vehicle 200 is located inside the predetermined distance guide 63. The speed of the vehicle 100 is assumed to be equal to or greater than the predetermined speed. Therefore, the control device 10 determines that the rear vehicle 200 is tailgating the vehicle 100.

When the control device 10 determines in S203 that the rear vehicle is tailgating the vehicle 100 (S203: YES), the control device 10 proceeds to S204.
In S204, the control device 10 outputs an alert. In this embodiment, the control device 10 displays a predetermined warning image 7 in the rear captured image displayed on the display unit 19, as shown in Fig. 7. In this embodiment, the predetermined warning image 7 is a text image saying "Watch out behind". After executing S204, the control device 10 ends the alert processing in Fig. 6.

On the other hand, if the control device 10 determines in S203 that the rear vehicle is not tailgating the vehicle 100 (S203: NO), it skips S204 and ends the alert processing in FIG. 6.

[2-3. Memory processing]
Next, the storage process executed by the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 8. This storage process is a process for storing a predetermined captured image (a reference distance image to be described later) used when performing a calibration shown in Fig. 10 to be described later in the internal memory 17. Note that the storage process is executed while the power of the drive recorder 1 and the rear camera device 3 are on and the shift sensor 43 detects the R range (i.e., while the vehicle 100 is backing up).

First, in S301, the control device 10 determines whether or not reference distance information has been input.
The reference distance information here is information indicating that the reference position of the vehicle 100, i.e., the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 to an object behind the vehicle 100, is a predetermined distance (hereinafter referred to as the "reference distance").

In this embodiment, the object behind the vehicle 100 is assumed to be a stationary object, specifically, a wall 8 located behind the vehicle 100 as shown in FIG. 9. The reference distances are the distances indicated by the distance guides 61-63, and are one of three distances: 2 m, 1 m, or 0.5 m. The reference distance information is an input signal from the back sensor 42 that indicates that the distance to the object behind the vehicle 100 (i.e., the wall 8) is one of the reference distances (i.e., 2 m, 1 m, or 0.5 m).

When it is determined in S301 that the reference distance information has not been input (S301: NO), the control device 10 executes S301 again.
On the other hand, when the control device 10 determines in S301 that the reference distance information has been input (S301: YES), the process proceeds to S302.

In S302, the control device 10 acquires from the rear camera device 3 a rear image captured when the reference distance information was input. In other words, the rear image acquired here is an image captured when the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 to the wall 8 is the reference distance.

Next, in S303, the control device 10 links the reference distance information to the rear captured image acquired in S302 and stores it in the internal memory 17. For example, the control device 10 links the vehicle data by adding the reference distance information to the header portion of the image data showing the rear captured image acquired in S302. Note that, hereinafter, the rear captured image linked with the reference distance information is also referred to as the "reference distance image." After executing S303, the control device 10 returns to the above-mentioned S301.

For example, suppose that the vehicle 100 backs up and the distance between the vehicle 100 and the wall 8 shortens to 2 m, 1 m, and 0.5 m in that order. In this case, the storage process shown in FIG. 8 stores a total of three reference distance images in the internal memory 17 when the distance between the vehicle 100 and the wall 8 is 2 m, 1 m, and 0.5 m.

[2-4. Calibration Processing]
Next, the calibration process executed by the control device 50 of the information processing device 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 10. This calibration process is a process for adjusting (i.e., calibrating) the positions of the distance guides 61 to 63 displayed in the rear captured image. This calibration process is started when the user operates the program 521 for executing the calibration process in the information processing device 5.

Before the calibration process is performed, it is assumed that the reference distance image stored in the internal memory 17 of the drive recorder 1 is moved to the memory unit 54 of the information processing device 5 using an external storage medium such as an SD card.

First, in S401, the control device 50 determines whether or not designation has been completed for all reference distance images stored in the storage unit 54. The contents of the designation will be described later.
If the control device 50 determines in S401 that designation has not been completed for all reference distance images (S401: NO), it proceeds to S402, selects one reference distance image from the reference distance images for which designation has not been completed, and displays the selected reference distance image on the display unit 56.

Next, in S403, the control device 50 displays the designation instruction on the display unit 56.
The designation instruction here is an instruction to prompt the user to designate a specific position on the reference distance image displayed on the display unit 56. In this embodiment, the designation instruction is an instruction to prompt the user to designate a contact portion 81 of a wall 8, which is an object behind the vehicle 100 and serves as a reference for calibration, with the ground (i.e., the boundary between the wall 8 and the ground). For example, the control device 50 displays a message on the display unit 56 as the designation instruction, saying, "Please designate the boundary between the wall and the ground with the pointer."

Next, in S404, the control device 50 determines whether or not the user has finished designating the currently selected reference distance image.
When it is determined in S404 that the user's designation has not been completed (S404: NO), the control device 50 executes the above-mentioned S403 again.

On the other hand, when the control device 50 determines in S404 that the user's designation has ended (S404: YES), the process proceeds to S405.
In S405, the control device 50 sets the position designated by the user as a designated position for calibration, and stores the reference distance image together with information indicating the designated position in the storage unit 54. After executing S405, the control device 50 returns to the above-mentioned S401.

On the other hand, if the control device 50 determines in S401 described above that designation has been completed for all reference distance images stored in the memory unit 54 (S401: YES), it proceeds to S406.

At S406, the control device 50 adjusts the position of the corresponding distance guide on each reference distance image based on the information indicating the specified position. Here, the corresponding distance guide is, for example, the distance guide 63 indicating 2 m for the reference distance image when the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 to the wall 8 is 2 m. The control device 50 also adjusts the position of the distance guide 63 by redrawing the distance guide 63 so that it passes through the set specified position. In this way, the position of each distance guide 61 to 63 is adjusted on each reference distance image.

After executing S406, the control device 50 ends the calibration process in FIG.
Information on the display positions of the distance guides 61-63 adjusted by the calibration process is moved from the storage unit 54 of the information processing device 5 to the internal memory 17 of the drive recorder 1 by using an external storage medium, etc. Then, the positions of the distance guides 61-63 displayed on the display unit 18 of the drive recorder 1 may be adjusted using the information on the display positions of the moved distance guides 61-63.

3. Effects
According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved.
(1) In this embodiment, the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 accepts a setting of the vehicle type of the vehicle 100 from the user, and obtains a distance guide 6 corresponding to the accepted vehicle type from the internal memory 17. Then, the control device 10 displays the obtained distance guide 6 in the rear captured image.

Therefore, the distance guide 6 can be displayed according to the type of vehicle 100 to which the drive recorder 1 and rear camera device 3 are attached. This makes it possible to more accurately determine the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100 in the rear captured image for multiple vehicle types.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the distance between the vehicle 100 and the rear vehicle 200, etc. can be determined more accurately from the image of the rear camera device 3. Therefore, when the image of the rear camera device 3 is used as evidence that the rear vehicle 200 has engaged in aggressive driving against the vehicle 100, the image can be used as more persuasive evidence.

(2) In this embodiment, the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 acquires reference distance information indicating the distance between the vehicle 100 and a wall 8, which is an object behind the vehicle 100. Then, the control device 50 of the information processing device 5 adjusts the position of the distance guide 6 in the captured image based on the reference distance image, which is a captured image linked to the reference distance information.

Therefore, the distance guide 6 can be displayed which more accurately indicates the distance from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle 100.
(3) In this embodiment, the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 acquires an image captured when the distance between the vehicle 100 and the wall 8 is the distance indicated by the reference distance information. The control device 50 of the information processing device 5 then adjusts the position of the distance guide 6 based on the distance indicated by the acquired reference distance information and the position of the wall 8 in the captured image.

Therefore, the position of the distance guide 6 in the captured image can be adjusted.
(4) In this embodiment, the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 acquires a captured image in which the rear vehicle 200 is captured. Then, the control device 10 determines whether the rear vehicle 200 is tailgating the vehicle 100 based on the positional relationship between the rear vehicle 200 and the distance guide 6 in the captured image. Then, when it is determined that the rear vehicle 200 is tailgating, the control device 10 notifies the user of the vehicle 100.

Therefore, even in images captured by a camera equipped with a fisheye lens, in which the distance from the vehicle 100 is difficult to determine at first glance, the user can be made aware that the vehicle 200 behind is tailgating.

In addition, according to this embodiment, whether or not the rear vehicle 200 is tailgating is determined based on the image from the rear camera device 3. Therefore, it is possible to make the determination without using other sensors such as sonar or laser radar.

(5) In this embodiment, the distance guide 6 is displayed as equidistance lines 61 to 63 from the rear end position 100a of the vehicle.
Therefore, the user can easily grasp a point at a certain distance in the captured image behind the vehicle 100. As a result, the user can easily grasp the distance between the vehicle 100 and the rear vehicle 200, etc.

(6) In this embodiment, the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 acquires images captured by the external camera 34 that is equipped with a fisheye lens.
In the image of the external camera 34 equipped with a fisheye lens, the rear vehicle 200 etc. may appear small even when it is approaching the vehicle 100, making it difficult to tell at a glance the distance between the rear vehicle 200 etc. and the vehicle 100. However, according to the present embodiment, since the distance guide 6 is displayed, it is possible to easily grasp the distance between the rear vehicle 200 etc. and the vehicle 100 even in the image of the external camera 34 equipped with a fisheye lens, where the distance is difficult to tell at a glance.

In this embodiment, the program 121 and the program 521 correspond to a computer program for viewing images, and the system including the drive recorder 1 and the rear camera device 3 corresponds to a surroundings monitoring system. Also, S101 corresponds to a vehicle type reception process, S102 corresponds to a guide acquisition process, S103 corresponds to an image acquisition process, S104 corresponds to a display processing unit, S203 corresponds to a determination process, S204 corresponds to a notification process, S301 corresponds to a distance acquisition process, and S406 corresponds to an adjustment process.

4. Other embodiments
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various modified forms.

(1) In the above embodiment, the distance guide 6 is displayed as three equidistance lines 61 to 63, but the distance guide is not limited to this. For example, the distance guide may be displayed as one or multiple equidistance lines other than three. Also, for example, the distance guide is not limited to an equidistance line, and may be any information indicating the distance from the reference position of the vehicle 100.

(2) In the calibration process shown in FIG. 10 of the above embodiment, the user sets the designated position in the reference distance image with the pointer. That is, the designated position is set manually. However, the method of setting the designated position is not limited to this, and the designated position may be set automatically, for example.

Here, the calibration process shown in FIG. 11 will be described as an example of a calibration process that uses the setting of such a designated position. The calibration process shown in FIG. 11 sets the designated position by image analysis. Specifically, it is as follows.

S501 in FIG. 11 is similar to S401 in FIG. 10 described above, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.
If the control device 50 determines in S501 that designation has not been completed for all reference distance images (S501: NO), it proceeds to S502 and selects a reference distance image to process from among the reference distance images for which designation has not been completed.

Then, in S503, the control device 50 determines a designated position on the selected reference distance image, and stores the reference distance image in the memory unit 54 together with information indicating the designated position. Specifically, the control device 50 analyzes the image selected in S502, and sets the position at the center of the screen where the boundary 81 between the wall 8 and the ground is displayed as the designated position for calibration. The control device 50 then stores the selected reference distance image in the memory unit 54 together with information indicating the set designated position.

S504 in FIG. 11 is similar to S406 in FIG. 10 described above, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.
According to the above calibration process, since it is not necessary for the user to set a designated position with the pointer, it is possible to adjust the position of the distance guide 6 while reducing the burden on the user. Note that S504 corresponds to the adjustment process.

(3) The method of calibrating the distance guide 6 is not limited to that of the above embodiment. For example, in the case of a sedan-type vehicle, the rear of the vehicle may appear in the image captured by the rear camera device 3. In this case, the distance from the mounting position of the rear camera device 3 to the rear end position of the vehicle may be determined depending on how much of the rear of the vehicle is captured in the image, for example, 30 cm of the rear of the vehicle is captured in the image. Then, the position of the distance guide 6 may be adjusted based on the determined distance. In other words, the position of the distance guide 6 may be adjusted using an image in which the rear of the vehicle (and therefore part of the vehicle) is captured.

(4) In the distance guide correspondence information shown in FIG. 4 of the above embodiment, for example, one distance (numerical value) of "10 cm" is associated with the vehicle model "1BOX", but the distance associated with the vehicle model is not limited to this. For example, multiple distances may be associated with one vehicle model, such as the vehicle model "1BOX" being associated with the distance "10 cm to 50 cm". In this case, for example, when the user selects a vehicle model, a specific value (for example, the minimum value of 10 cm) among the multiple values (for example, 10 cm to 50 cm) associated with the selected vehicle model is selected as the initial value. Then, the distance guide 6 associated with the initial value is first displayed on the display unit 19. Then, the user may adjust the distance within the range of the multiple values (for example, 10 cm to 50 cm) via the operation unit 16, and the position of the distance guide displayed on the display unit 19 may be adjusted according to the operation.

(5) In the above embodiment, the distance guide correspondence information shown in FIG. 4 is information in which three items, namely, vehicle type, distance, and distance guide information, are associated with each other, but the distance guide correspondence information is not limited to this. For example, the distance guide correspondence information may be information in which two items, vehicle type and distance guide information, are associated with each other.

(6) In the above embodiment, for example, the calibration process performed by the information processing device 5 may be executed by the drive recorder 1. In other words, the process executed by the drive recorder 1 and the process executed by the information processing device 5 in the above embodiment may be executed by a single device.

(7) In the above embodiment, the distance between the vehicle 100 and the rear vehicle 200, etc. is measured in real time using the back sensor 42 or other sensors such as a laser radar. Then, a numerical value indicating the measured distance to the rear vehicle 200, etc. may be displayed in real time in a captured image showing the rear vehicle 200, etc.

(8) In the above embodiment, instead of or in addition to the back sensor 42, another sensor such as a laser radar may be used to measure the distance to an object around the vehicle 100.
(9) The manner of the alert when the rear vehicle 200 is performing aggressive driving is not limited to the manner of the above embodiment. For example, when it is determined that the rear vehicle 200 is performing aggressive driving, the driver may be notified by making all or part of the image displayed on the display unit 19 flash in a predetermined color (e.g., red). In addition to or instead of a visual notification based on an image, other methods may be used to notify the driver. In this case, for example, the notification may be made by sound, such as by emitting a predetermined warning sound.

(10) In the above embodiment, the control device 10 of the drive recorder 1 acquires an image of the rear of the vehicle 100 and displays the distance guide 6 in the captured image. However, the captured image in which the distance guide 6 is displayed is not limited to this. For example, the control device 10 may acquire an image of the front of the vehicle 100 and display a distance guide in the captured image of the front of the vehicle 100. Similarly, the control device 10 may acquire an image of the side of the vehicle 100 or an image of the entire omnidirectional area around the vehicle 100 and display a distance guide in the captured image.

(11) The reference position in the vehicle may be a position other than the rear end position 100a of the vehicle. For example, in a case where a distance guide is displayed on a captured image in front of the vehicle 100, the reference position may be the front end position of the vehicle, etc.

(12) In the above embodiment, the object around the vehicle used to calibrate the distance guide 6 may be something other than the wall 8. For example, the object may be a person with a specific marker located around the vehicle. Also, for example, the object may be an object such as a stick placed on the ground located around the vehicle.

(13) In the above embodiment, the external camera 34 may be equipped with a wide-angle lens other than a fisheye lens. Also, the external camera 34 may be equipped with a lens other than a wide-angle lens.

(14) Multiple functions possessed by one component in the above embodiments may be realized by multiple components, or one function possessed by one component may be realized by multiple components. Also, multiple functions possessed by multiple components may be realized by one component, or one function realized by multiple components may be realized by one component. Also, part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. Also, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments.

(15) In addition to the drive recorder 1, rear camera device 3, and information processing device 5 described above, the present disclosure can also be realized in various forms, such as a system including these devices 1, 3, and 4 as components, a program for causing a computer to function as the devices 1, 3, and 4, a non-transient physical storage medium such as a semiconductor memory that stores this program, and a method for displaying a distance guide according to the vehicle model.

1 ... drive recorder, 3 ... rear camera device, 5 ... information processing device,
6, 61 to 63 ... distance guide, 10 ... control device, 16 ... operation unit, 17 ... internal memory,
18: interface device, 19: display unit, 30: control device, 34: external camera,
37: interface device, 50: control device, 53: operation unit, 54: storage unit,
55: interface device, 56: display unit, 100: vehicle,
121,521...programs.

Claims (6)

A computer program for viewing images, comprising:
On the computer,
An image acquisition process for acquiring an image of the surroundings of the vehicle;
a vehicle type reception process for receiving a setting of the vehicle type from a user;
a guide acquisition process for acquiring a distance guide corresponding to the vehicle type accepted in the vehicle type acceptance process, the distance guide being information indicating a distance from a reference position, the reference position being a position that is a reference when measuring a distance from the vehicle; and
a display process for displaying the acquired distance guide in the captured image;
A distance acquisition process for acquiring a distance between the vehicle and an object around the vehicle;
an adjustment process of adjusting a position of the distance guide in the captured image based on the acquired distance;
Run the command ,
the image acquisition process acquires the captured image in which the object is captured, the captured image being captured when the distance between the vehicle and the object is the distance acquired by the distance acquisition process;
the adjustment process adjusts a position of the distance guide based on the distance acquired by the distance acquisition process and a position of the object in the captured image.
Computer program. 2. A computer program according to claim 1, comprising:
the image acquisition process acquires an image of a rear area of the vehicle as an image of a periphery of the vehicle;
The display process displays, in the captured image, the distance guide indicating the distance from the reference position to the rear of the vehicle. 3. A computer program according to claim 2, comprising:
The image acquisition process acquires the captured image in which a vehicle behind the vehicle is captured,
A determination process for determining whether the rear vehicle is tailgating the vehicle based on a positional relationship between the rear vehicle and the distance guide in the captured image;
a notification process for notifying a user of the vehicle when it is determined by the determination process that the rear vehicle is performing aggressive driving;
A computer program that causes a computer to further execute the above . A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The distance guide is displayed as equidistant lines from the reference position . 5. A computer program according to claim 4, comprising:
A computer program, wherein the distance guide is displayed as a plurality of equidistance lines having different distances from the reference position . A surroundings monitoring system that is mounted on a vehicle and monitors the surroundings of the vehicle,
A camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle;
A display unit capable of displaying an image;
an operation unit that accepts user operations;
A storage unit;
A control device;
Equipped with
The control device includes:
an image acquisition process for acquiring an image of the surroundings of the vehicle from the camera;
a vehicle type reception process for receiving a setting of the vehicle type from a user via the operation unit;
a guide acquisition process for acquiring from the storage unit a distance guide corresponding to the vehicle type accepted in the vehicle type acceptance process, the distance guide being information indicating a distance from a reference position, and the reference position being a position that serves as a reference when measuring a distance from the vehicle;
a display process for displaying the captured image on the display unit, the captured image including the acquired distance guide;
A distance acquisition process for acquiring a distance between the vehicle and an object around the vehicle;
an adjustment process of adjusting a position of the distance guide in the captured image based on the acquired distance;
Run
the image acquisition process acquires the captured image in which the object is captured, the captured image being captured when the distance between the vehicle and the object is the distance acquired by the distance acquisition process;
the adjustment process adjusts a position of the distance guide based on the distance acquired by the distance acquisition process and a position of the object in the captured image.
Perimeter surveillance system.

Images