Working vehicle periphery monitoring system and working vehicle

• US 9,796,330 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Mitsuta, Shinji, Kurihara, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Christopher S
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALSH, KATHLEEN M.
• Application Number:
  US13/825,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20150217690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 348143, 348148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A working vehicle periphery monitoring system includes: image capturing devices attached to a working vehicle with a vessel and capturing the periphery of the working vehicle to output image information; a bird'"'"'s eye image synthesizing unit synthesizing the image information to generate a bird'"'"'s eye image information for displaying bird'"'"'s eye images of the working vehicle and the periphery thereof; and a display control unit displaying at least one of a first bird'"'"'s eye image obtained by superimposing a first vessel image including the vessel other than a part of the vessel at a rear side of the working vehicle on an area of the working vehicle in the bird'"'"'s eye image and a second bird'"'"'s eye image obtained by superimposing a second vessel image including all of the vessel on the area.

Claims

1. A dump truck periphery monitoring system that monitors a periphery of a dump truck including a vehicle body frame which supports front and rear wheels and a vessel which protrudes toward a rear side of the vehicle body frame than the rear wheels to load freight thereon, the dump truck periphery monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of image capturing devices each of which is attached to the dump truck and captures the periphery of the dump truck to output a piece of image information, the image capturing devices including a rear-side image capturing device which is disposed below the vessel, an imaging range of the rear-side image capturing device including a lower area of the vessel;

a bird'"'"'s eye image synthesizing unit that acquires a plurality pieces of the image information and synthesizes the acquired image information to generate bird'"'"'s eye image information for displaying a bird'"'"'s eye image of the dump truck and the periphery of the dump truck on a display device;

a display control unit that switches, on the display device, a display of one of

a first image obtained by superimposing;

a first vessel image including the vessel and excluding an entire vessel of a rear-side part of the vessel than an end of the rear wheel; and

the bird'"'"'s eye image in which the first vessel image is positioned at an area the dump truck is present,

so that a lower area of a rear portion of the vessel corresponding to and positioned at the rear-side part of the vessel in the first vessel image is displayed as a part of the bird'"'"'s eye image, and

a second image obtained by superimposing a second vessel image including all of the vessel at the area in the bird'"'"'s eye image; and

a determination unit that determines whether a running speed at which the dump truck runs becomes a predetermined threshold value or less,

wherein the display control unit displays the first image on the display device when the running speed at which the dump truck runs becomes the predetermined threshold value or less, and displays the second image on the display device when the running speed at which the dump truck runs becomes larger than the predetermined threshold value.

2. The working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit switches the display of the first image and the display of the second image based on an operation of an image switching switch by an operator that operates the working vehicle.

3. The working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit switches the display of the first image and the display of the second image according to a state of the working vehicle.

6. The working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the first vessel image includes the front and rear wheels displayed with the vessel, and the second vessel image includes the front and rear wheels displayed with the vessel.

7. The working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit displays all of the front and rear wheels.

8. The working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein as the rear wheels, a plurality of vehicle wheels are displayed at each of left and right sides of the vessel.

9. The working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein in the first vessel image, a rear side of the vessel more rear than an end of the rear wheel at the rear side of the working vehicle is excluded.

10. A working vehicle comprising:

the working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 1.

11. The working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the first image includes a display indicating a portion corresponding to an outer frame of the rear portion of the vessel.

12. A working vehicle comprising:

the working vehicle periphery monitoring system according to claim 11.

4. A dump truck periphery monitoring system that monitors a periphery of a dump truck including a vehicle body frame which supports front and rear wheels and a vessel which protrudes toward a rear side of the vehicle body frame than the rear wheels to load freight thereon, the dump truck periphery monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of image capturing devices each of which is attached to the dump truck and captures the periphery of the dump truck to output a piece of image information, the image capturing devices including a rear-side image capturing device which is disposed below the vessel, an imaging range of the rear-side image capturing device including a lower area of the vessel;

a bird'"'"'s eye image synthesizing unit that acquires a plurality pieces of the image information and synthesizes the acquired image information to generate bird'"'"'s eye image information for displaying a bird'"'"'s eye image of the dump truck and the periphery of the dump truck on a display device;

a display control unit that switches, on the display device, a display of one of

a first image obtained by superimposing;

a first vessel image including the vessel and excluding an entire vessel of a rear-side part of the vessel than an end of the rear wheel; and

the bird'"'"'s eye image in which the first vessel image is positioned at an area the dump truck is present,

so that a lower area of a rear portion of the vessel corresponding to and positioned at the rear-side part of the vessel in the first vessel image is displayed as a part of the bird'"'"'s eye image, and

a second image obtained by superimposing a second vessel image including all of the vessel at the area in the bird'"'"'s eye image; and

wherein the dump truck includes an object detection device that detects an object existing behind the dump truck,

wherein the dump truck periphery monitoring system comprises a determination unit that determines whether the object detection device detects the object, and

wherein the display control unit displays the first image on the display device when the determination unit determines that the object detection device detects the object, and displays the second image on the display device when the determination unit does not determine that the object detection device detects the object.

5. A dump truck periphery monitoring system that monitors a periphery of a dump truck including a vehicle body frame which supports front and rear wheels and a vessel which protrudes toward a rear side of the vehicle body frame than the rear wheels to load freight thereon, the dump truck periphery monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of image capturing devices each of which is attached to the dump truck and captures the periphery of the dump truck to output a piece of image information, the image capturing devices including a rear-side image capturing device which is disposed below the vessel, an imaging range of the rear-side image capturing device including a lower area of the vessel;

bird'"'"'s eye image synthesizing unit that acquires a plurality pieces of the image information and synthesizes the acquired image information to generate bird'"'"'s eye image information for displaying a bird'"'"'s eye image of the dump truck and the periphery of the dump truck on a display device;

a display control unit that switches, on the display device, a display of one of

a first image obtained by superimposing;

a first vessel image including the vessel and excluding an entire vessel of a rear-side part of the vessel than an end of the rear wheel; and

the bird'"'"'s eye image in which the first vessel image is positioned at an area the dump truck is present,

so that a lower area of a rear portion of the vessel corresponding to and positioned at the rear-side part of the vessel in the first vessel image is displayed as a part of the bird'"'"'s eye image, and

a second image obtained by superimposing a second vessel image including all of the vessel at the area in the bird'"'"'s eye image; and

wherein a determination unit that determines whether a traveling mode of the dump truck becomes a reverse traveling mode, and

wherein the display control unit displays the first image on the display device when the determination unit determines that the traveling mode of the dump truck becomes a reverse traveling mode, and displays the second image on the display device when the determination unit does not determine that the traveling mode of the dump truck becomes the reverse traveling mode.