The present invention relates to a travel assistance device for a vehicle that can properly assist recognition, judgment and operation of a driver by detecting surrounding obstacles and thereby reduce troubles in a vehicle traveling.
Conventionally, a travel assistance device for a vehicle is known, which can assist driver's recognition, judgment and operation so as to avoid crashes with any obstacles, such as other vehicles, existing in surroundings of the traveling vehicle, by using communication between vehicles and a camera, such as CCD camera or CMOS camera, to pick up images and detect such obstacles. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2001-283381 or 2000-68923 disclose a technology in which existing obstacles on a traveling road can be recognized on the basis of image data of surroundings picked up by the camera of the traveling vehicle and information obtained through communication between vehicles. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-5978 discloses a technology in which an existing area of obstacles is estimated on the basis of image data of the camera and data from the communication between vehicles.
Herein, there is a certain problem. Namely, in order to detect the obstacles by processing the image data of surroundings that are captured by the camera of the traveling vehicle as described above, the traveling vehicle generally needs to in advance prepare for some data base with respect to generalized characteristics of the surrounding vehicles and then to compare the data base with the image data picked up for the recognition of the obstacles. Accordingly, in a case where such data base contains lots of information, processing image data would require a long time. Meanwhile, in a case where information of data base is too few, accuracy of recognition of obstacles would deteriorate.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a travel assistance device for a vehicle that can properly shorten a processing time of image data picked up by the camera and improve accuracy of the recognition of obstacles.
According to the present invention, there is provided a travel assistance device for a vehicle, comprising a camera operative to pick up an image of surroundings of a traveling vehicle, a position detecting device operative to detect a position of the traveling vehicle, a signal receiving device operative to receive a signal from other vehicles than the traveling vehicle through communication between vehicles, a position relationship determining device operative to determine a position relationship between the traveling vehicle and the other vehicles on the basis of the position of the traveling vehicle detected by the position detecting device and data with respect to a position of the other vehicles that is contained in the signal received by the signal receiving device, a surrounding vehicle estimating device operative to estimate characteristics of the other vehicles that appear in the image picked up by the camera on the basis of data with respect to a feature of the other vehicles that is contained in the signal received by the signal receiving device and the position relationship determined by the position relationship determining device, and a vehicle identifying device operative to identify a specified vehicle among others that appear in the image picked up by the camera on the basis of the vehicle's characteristics estimated by the surrounding vehicle estimation device.
According to the present invention, since a specified vehicle is identified among others on the basis of the vehicle's characteristics estimated with the data with respect to the feature of other vehicles obtained through the communication between vehicles and the position relationship between the traveling vehicle and other vehicles, it may be unnecessary that the traveling vehicle in advance prepares for some data base with respect to surrounding vehicles and then compares such data base to the image picked up for identifying the specified vehicle among others, so a time for processing the image can be shortened properly. Also, since detailed data with respect to the feature of the surrounding vehicles can be obtained through the communication between vehicles, an accurate detection of the surrounding vehicles can be provided.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided an image-area restricting device operative to restrict an area of the image for identification by the vehicle identifying device on the basis of the position relationship determined by the position relationship determining device. Thereby, since the area of the image for the identification is restricted on the basis of the position relationship between the traveling vehicle and other surrounding vehicles, the image area to be processed can be narrowed and thereby the processing time can be shorted properly.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a vehicle-crash possibility estimating device operative to estimate a possibility of a crash between the traveling vehicle and the vehicle specified by the vehicle identifying device. Thereby, since the possibility of the crash with the specified vehicle identified in the image is estimated, an accurate prediction of the crash with surrounding vehicles can be provided.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle-crash possibility estimating device is configured to estimate the possibility of the crash on the basis of respective histories with respect to a traveling speed and a traveling direction of the traveling vehicle and the vehicle specified by the vehicle identifying device. Thereby, since the possibility of the crash is estimated on the basis of the respective histories with respect to the traveling speed and direction of the traveling vehicle and other surrounding vehicles, the accuracy of the crash prediction can be further improved by predicting traveling paths of the traveling vehicle and other surrounding vehicles.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle-crash possibility estimating device is configured to also estimate a hitting portion and angle at the crash, and there is provided a passenger protection device to operate on the basis of the hitting portion and angle estimated by the vehicle-crash possibility estimating device so as to protect a passenger of the traveling vehicle. Thereby, since the hitting portion and angle at the crash are also estimated and the passenger is protected according to these estimated portion and angle, a proper operation of the passenger protection device can be provided.
Other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which refers to the accompanying drawings.
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described referring to the accompanying drawings.
Also, the vehicle assistance device 1 comprises an antenna 12 for communication between vehicles as a signal receiving device that is provided at an upper portion, for example, a roof portion. This antenna 12 receives or sends signals from or to other vehicles that exit around the traveling vehicle through communication between vehicles. Herein, the signals sent from the surrounding vehicles contain vehicle information with respect to vehicle's position, model kind, size, feature, body color and so on.
Further, the vehicle assistance device 1 comprises a position-detecting antenna 13 as a position detecting device that is provided at a vehicle rear portion. This antenna 13 detects a position of the traveling vehicle on the earth by receiving signals from artificial satellites.
And, the vehicle assistance device 1 comprises an indication and warning device 14 that is provided at a vehicle front portion, for example, an instrument panel of the vehicle. This device 14 indicates obstacles, such as surrounding vehicles or pedestrians, that are detected by the camera 11, and warns a driver of necessity of avoiding crash or hitting with such obstacles with a visual or sound alarm.
The vehicle assistance device 1 further comprises a driver's-seat airbag 15, an assistant's-seat airbag 16, a driver's-seat seatbelt pre-tensioner 17 and an assistant's-seat seatbelt pre-tensioner 18, as a passenger protection device. The driver's-seat airbag 15 is installed in a steering wheel and the assistant's-seat airbag 16 is installed in a portion above a glove compartment. The seatbelt pre-tensioners 17, 18 operate to wind up respective seatbelts to protect the passengers when the possibility of the traveling vehicle crashing or hitting against the obstacles has increased.
The vehicle assistance device 1 comprises a brake-control actuator 19, a throttle-control actuator 20 and a steering-control actuator 21, as a vehicle control device for avoiding crash or hitting. These actuators 19-21 operate to avoid the crash or hitting with the obstacles or reduce impact of crash or hitting to assist the driver's driving the vehicle when the possibility of the traveling vehicle crashing or hitting against the obstacles has increased.
Also, the vehicle assistance device 1 comprises a steering angle sensor 22, a vehicle speed sensor 23 and a gyro sensor 24 (not illustrated), as a travel-state detecting device. These sensors 22, 23 and 24 detect a vehicle speed, a steering angle and a travel direction of the traveling vehicle, respectively, so the travel sate of the traveling vehicle is detected.
Next, an example of specific operations by the control unit 10 will be described referring to a flowchart of
Then, in step S4, the relative position of the surrounding vehicles to the traveling vehicle is determined from respective position information of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicles obtained through the communication between vehicles. In step S5, the processing area of the image picked up by the camera 11 is restricted on the basis of the relative position of the surrounding vehicles. Then, in step S6, a template of the surrounding vehicle in the picked-up image is estimated on the basis of the feature information and the relative position of the vehicle. And, in step S7, a scale transfer of the template is conducted by identifying a specified surrounding vehicle among others in the picked-up image.
Subsequently, in step S8, a lateral position and an angle of the surrounding vehicle within the same traveling line are detected. Then, in step S9, a hitting portion and angle of the traveling vehicle against the surrounding vehicle at the possible crash are estimated on the basis of the respective position information of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle. In step S10, the indication and warning device 14 and the passenger protection devices 15-18 are operated on the basis of the estimated hitting portion and angle. Then, a control sequence ends.
Herein, the above-described controls by the steps 1-4 of
Herein, the way of estimating the template, i.e., characteristics, of the surrounding vehicle A1 in the picked-up image S will be described.
After this, controls of steps S8-10 in
Herein, although the hitting portion and angle of the vehicles are estimated on the basis of the respective position information of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle A1 in the step S9 of
As described above, since the surrounding vehicle A1 is identified among others in the picked-up image S on the basis of the vehicle's template T1 estimated with the data with respect to the feature of the vehicle A1 obtained through the communication between vehicles and the position relationship between the traveling vehicle and the vehicle A1, it may be unnecessary that the traveling vehicle in advance prepares for some data base with respect to surrounding vehicle A1 and then compares the data base with the picked-up image S for identifying the specified vehicle A1 among others, so a time for processing the image can be shortened properly. Also, since detailed data with respect to the feature of the surrounding vehicle A1 can be obtained through the communication between vehicles, an accurate detection of the surrounding vehicle A1 can be provided.
Also, since the certain area S′ for identifying the vehicle A1 in the picked-up image S is restricted on the basis of the position relationship between the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle A1, the image area to be processed in the picked-up image S can be narrowed and thereby the processing time to identify the vehicle A1 can be shorted properly.
Further, since the possibility of the crash with the vehicle A1 identified in the image S is estimated, an accurate prediction of the crash with surrounding vehicle A1 can be provided.
Especially, since the possibility of the crash is estimated on the basis of the respective histories with respect to the traveling speed and direction of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle A1, the accuracy of the crash prediction can be further improved by predicting traveling paths of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding vehicle A1.
And, since the hitting portion and angle. at the crash are also estimated and the passenger is protected according to these estimated portion and angle, a proper operation of the passenger protection devices 15-18 can be provided and thereby the safety of the passenger can be secured.
The present invention should not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any other modifications and improvements may be applied within the scope of a sprit of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-214232 | Jul 2005 | JP | national |