SURROUNDING AREA MONITORING APPARATUS, SURROUNDING AREA MONITORING SYSTEM AND SURROUNDING AREA MONITORING METHOD

• US 20160328973A1
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: KATAYAMA, Masahiko, HAGA, Tetsuji
• Granted Patent: US 10,380,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/406 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A surrounding area monitoring apparatus receives visual field information about a driver of a surrounding vehicle of a self vehicle, and decides whether the self vehicle is outside the visual field of the surrounding vehicle or not in accordance with the visual field information. Accordingly, it can learn the present dynamic visual field range of the driver of the surrounding vehicle actually traveling around the self vehicle, and obtain more accurate visual field range. Thus, it can appropriately give information that is really necessary and suppress giving unnecessary information.

Claims

1. A surrounding area monitoring apparatus mounted in a self vehicle to which a notification device that gives information to a driver of the self vehicle is connected, the surrounding area monitoring apparatus comprising:

a vehicle position acquirer to acquire positional information of the self vehicle;

a line-of-sight acquirer to acquire line-of-sight information about the driver of the self vehicle;

a visual field calculator to calculate a dynamic visual field range of the driver of the self vehicle in accordance with the line-of-sight information acquired by the line-of-sight acquirer;

a communicator to transmit the positional information of the self vehicle acquired by the vehicle position acquirer and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the self vehicle calculated by the visual field calculator to another vehicle around the self vehicle, and to receive positional information of said another vehicle and a dynamic visual field range of a driver of said another vehicle;

a decider to decide whether the self vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle or not from the positional information of the self vehicle acquired by the vehicle position acquirer and from the positional information of said another vehicle and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle, which are received from the communicator; and

a notification controller to instruct the notification device to output notification information when the decider decides that the self vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle.

2. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the notification controller instructs the notification device to output the notification information when a predetermined time has elapsed after the decider decides that the self vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle.

3. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the notification controller instructs the notification device to output the notification information for guiding the self vehicle into the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle when the decider decides that the self vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle.

4. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the notification controller instructs the notification device to output the notification information that gives guidance by voice.

5. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the notification controller instructs the notification device to output the notification information that gives guidance by display.

6. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the notification controller instructs the notification device to display the notification information that gives the guidance by icon display.

7. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the notification controller instructs the notification device to display the notification information that gives the guidance together with the positional information of the self vehicle and the positional information of said another vehicle.

8. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the decider decides collision possibility between the self vehicle and said another vehicle in accordance with the positional information of the self vehicle, the positional information of said another vehicle, and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle;

and

the notification controller instructs the notification device to alter output intensity of the notification information in accordance with the collision possibility.

9. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the notification controller instructs the notification device to increase volume or to emphasize display when the intensity of the output of the notification information is increased.

10. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the decider combines, according to dynamic visual field ranges of a plurality of other vehicles received from the communicator, the dynamic visual field ranges of drivers of the other vehicles, and decides, from the positional information of the self vehicle acquired by the vehicle position acquirer, from the positional information of the other vehicles received by the communicator and from the dynamic visual field range of the drivers of the other vehicles, which is obtained as a result of the combining, whether the self vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the drivers of the other vehicles.

11. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the dynamic visual field range of the drivers of the other vehicles combined by the decider is actually a combination of a plurality of dynamic visual field ranges of a driver of a single vehicle.

12. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the dynamic visual field range of the drivers of the other vehicles combined by the decider is a combination of a plurality of dynamic visual field ranges of the drivers of the plurality of vehicles.

13. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle model information acquirer to acquire vehicle model information about the self vehicle, wherein

the visual field calculator calculates the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the self vehicle from the vehicle model information about the self vehicle acquired by the vehicle model information acquirer and from the line-of-sight information about the driver of the self vehicle acquired by the line-of-sight acquirer.

14. The surrounding area monitoring apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the line-of-sight acquirer acquires, as the line-of-sight information about the driver of the self vehicle, a line-of-sight direction of the driver and the positional information of the driver'"'"'s eyes;

and

the visual field calculator calculates the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the self vehicle from the vehicle model information about the self vehicle acquired from the vehicle model information acquirer, and from the line-of-sight direction of the driver of the self vehicle and the positional information of the driver'"'"'s eyes of the self vehicle, which are acquired by the line-of-sight acquirer.

15. A surrounding area monitoring method for giving information to a driver of a self vehicle via a notification device connected to the self vehicle, the surrounding area monitoring method comprising:

acquiring by a vehicle position acquirer, positional information of the self vehicle;

acquiring by a line-of-sight acquirer, line-of-sight information about the driver of the self vehicle;

calculating by a visual field calculator a dynamic visual field range of the driver of the self vehicle in accordance with the line-of-sight information acquired by the line-of-sight acquirer;

transmitting by a communicator the positional information of the self vehicle acquired by the vehicle position acquirer and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the self vehicle calculated by the visual field calculator to another vehicle around the self vehicle, and to receive positional information of said another vehicle and a dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle;

deciding by a decider whether the self vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle or not from the positional information of the self vehicle acquired by the vehicle position acquirer and from the positional information of said another vehicle and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle, which are received by the communicator; and

instructing by a notification controller the notification device to output notification information when the decider decides that the self vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of said another vehicle.

16. A surrounding area monitoring system including a first surrounding area monitoring apparatus mounted in a first vehicle to which a first notification device for giving information to a driver of the first vehicle is connected and a second surrounding area monitoring apparatus mounted in a second vehicle to which a second notification device for giving information to a driver of the second vehicle is connected, wherein in the surrounding area monitoring system,

the first surrounding area monitoring apparatus comprises:

a first vehicle position acquirer to acquire positional information of the first vehicle;

a first line-of-sight acquirer to acquire line-of-sight information about the driver of the first vehicle;

a first visual field calculator to calculate a dynamic visual field range of the driver of the first vehicle in accordance with the line-of-sight information acquired by the first line-of-sight acquirer;

a first communicator to transmit the positional information of the first vehicle acquired by the first vehicle position acquirer and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the first vehicle calculated by the first visual field calculator to the second vehicle, and to receive positional information of the second vehicle and a dynamic visual field range of the driver of the second vehicle;

a first decider to decide whether the first vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the second vehicle or not from the positional information of the first vehicle acquired by the first vehicle position acquirer and from the positional information of the second vehicle and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the second vehicle, which are received by the first communicator; and

a first notification controller to instruct the first notification device to output notification information when the first decider decides that the first vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the second vehicle,

and

the second surrounding area monitoring apparatus comprises;

a second vehicle position acquirer to acquire positional information of the second vehicle;

a second line-of-sight acquirer to acquire line-of-sight information about the driver of the second vehicle;

a second visual field calculator to calculate a dynamic visual field range of the driver of the second vehicle in accordance with the line-of-sight information acquired by the second line-of-sight acquirer;

a second communicator to transmit the positional information of the second vehicle acquired by the second vehicle position acquirer and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the second vehicle calculated by the second visual field calculator to the first vehicle, and to receive positional information of the first vehicle and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the first vehicle;

a second decider to decide whether the second vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the first vehicle or not from the positional information of the second vehicle acquired by the second vehicle position acquirer and from the positional information of the first vehicle and the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the first vehicle, which are received by the second communicator; and

a second notification controller to instruct the second notification device to output the notification information when the second decider decides that the second vehicle is outside the dynamic visual field range of the driver of the first vehicle.