JP2008045870A - Drawing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drawing system capable of quickly recognizing a road under traffic control in association with an actual road even under an urgent situation, by drawing a mark of a given shape when it is expected to enter the road under traffic control. <P>SOLUTION: The drawing system is configured so as to draw a warning mark on a road in a vehicle traveling direction (S11) on the basis of information acquired from a vehicle speed sensor 12, a steering sensor 13, and a direction indicator detecting sensor 17, when the vehicle 2 is expected to enter an impassable road which particularly prohibits the entry of a vehicle (S6:YES) at an intersection which the vehicle is approaching. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing system that draws a mark of a predetermined shape on a road surface in a vehicle traveling direction, and more particularly to a drawing system that draws a mark of a predetermined shape when entry to a regulated road where traffic is restricted is predicted. It is.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a navigation device is often mounted on a vehicle that provides vehicle travel guidance so that a driver can easily arrive at a desired destination. Here, the navigation device detects the current position of the vehicle by a GPS receiver or the like, acquires map data corresponding to the current position through a recording medium such as a DVD-ROM or HDD or a network, and displays it on a liquid crystal monitor. It is a device that can do. Furthermore, the navigation device can assist the driver in driving by giving a warning when a restricted road approaching a vehicle such as a dead end, one-way street, a road block, or a traffic jam is approaching. Has been done.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-159533 describes a navigation device that displays information related to one-way traffic on a road on which the vehicle is traveling and a road connected to the road.
JP 2001-159533 A (pages 6 to 7, FIGS. 7 to 10)

However, in the navigation device described in Patent Document 1 described above, when it is detected that a road connected to the road other than the road that is running is a restricted road such as a one-way street, the road travels on the road. Whether or not the road is a regulated road. However, since the vehicle is not necessarily scheduled to enter the detected regulated road, it may not be necessary to display information regarding the regulated road depending on the situation.
For example, if you turn right at the intersection and enter the regulated road, there is no possibility of entering the regulated road for vehicles that have left blinker lamps lit. It becomes unnecessary.
And even if display of such information is unnecessary, if the information regarding the regulated road is displayed uniformly, the result of reducing the driver's concentration is brought about. There were also many users who were bothered by the display.

  Further, in the navigation device described in Patent Document 1 described above, since information on the regulated road is displayed on the display, the user must associate the actual road with the road displayed on the display. Therefore, it takes time to determine whether or not the actual road is a regulated road. However, there are many urgent cases when the information on the regulated road is necessary, and the user often cannot afford to check the display.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and since it becomes possible for the driver to obtain information on the regulated road under the necessary circumstances while looking at the environment ahead of the vehicle, the emergency situation A drawing system that improves the convenience of the user without compromising the driver's concentration by unnecessary information as well as being able to quickly grasp the regulated road in association with the actual road even under The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, a drawing system (1) according to claim 1 of the present application includes a drawing means (4) for drawing a mark having a predetermined shape on a road surface in a vehicle traveling direction, and a road information acquiring means (for acquiring road information). 5), vehicle position detection means (8) for detecting the current position of the vehicle, vehicle behavior detection means (12 to 17) for detecting the behavior of the vehicle, road information acquired by the road information acquisition means, and Based on the detection results of the vehicle position detection means and the vehicle behavior detection means, an entry prediction means (5) for predicting entry of the vehicle into the restricted road where traffic is restricted, and the vehicle enters the restricted road by the entry prediction means. Then, when it is predicted, it has a regulation road drawing control means (5) for controlling the drawing means so as to draw the mark (53, 55) of the predetermined shape.
Here, the acquisition destination of the “road information acquisition means” may be a recording medium such as a hard disk drive, DVD, or CD that stores road information, or may be a camera that captures the surrounding environment of the vehicle.
“Regulated roads” include, for example, one-way exits, roads where vehicles are not allowed to enter themselves, such as roads that turn right or left when they are prohibited at intersections, roads that are congested, There are roads that are restricted from traveling by vehicles such as roads under construction.

  A drawing system (1) according to claim 2 includes a drawing means (4) for drawing a mark of a predetermined shape on a road surface in the vehicle traveling direction, a road information acquisition means (5) for acquiring road information, Vehicle position detection means (8) for detecting the current position, vehicle behavior detection means (12-17) for detecting the behavior of the vehicle, road information acquired by the road information acquisition means, the vehicle position detection means, and the vehicle A pause operation determination means (5) for determining whether or not a pause operation has been performed in a state in which the vehicle has approached a predetermined distance to a road point that needs to be temporarily stopped based on the detection result of the behavior detection means; A pause drawing control means (5) for controlling the drawing means so as to draw the mark (62) of the predetermined shape when the pause operation judging means determines that a pause operation is not performed. When Characterized in that it has a.

  A drawing system (1) according to claim 3 includes a drawing means (4) for drawing a mark of a predetermined shape on a road surface in the vehicle traveling direction, a road information acquisition means (5) for acquiring road information, Vehicle position detection means (8) for detecting the current position, vehicle behavior detection means (12-17) for detecting the behavior of the vehicle, road information acquired by the road information acquisition means, the vehicle position detection means, and the vehicle A lane change operation determination means (5) for determining whether or not a lane change operation has been performed in a state in which the vehicle has approached a predetermined distance to a road point that requires a lane change based on the detection result of the behavior detection means; Lane change drawing control means (5) for controlling the drawing means to draw the mark (73) of the predetermined shape when the lane change operation determining means determines that the lane change operation is not performed. When Characterized in that it has a.

  Further, the drawing system (1) according to claim 4 is the drawing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the preceding vehicle detecting means (11) detects a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle. A preceding vehicle determination that determines whether or not a preceding vehicle is located between the current position of the vehicle and the point at which the mark (53, 55, 62, 73) having the predetermined shape is drawn by the drawing means (4). Means (5), wherein the regulated road drawing control means (5), the temporary stop drawing control means (5) or the lane change drawing control means (5) is positioned by the preceding vehicle determining means. The drawing means is controlled to draw the mark having the predetermined shape when it is determined not to do so.

  In the drawing system according to claim 1 having the above-described configuration, when a vehicle is predicted to enter a restricted road where traffic is restricted, a mark having a predetermined shape is drawn on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction. It is possible to obtain information on the regulated road under the necessary conditions while looking at the environment ahead. Therefore, it is possible to quickly grasp regulated roads in association with actual roads even in emergency situations, and improve user convenience without reducing the driver's concentration due to unnecessary information Can be made.

  Further, in the drawing system according to claim 2, when it is determined that the temporary stop operation is not performed in a state of approaching a road point where the temporary stop is required, a mark having a predetermined shape is drawn on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction. Therefore, it becomes possible for the driver to obtain information on road points that need to be temporarily stopped under the necessary circumstances while looking at the environment ahead of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to quickly grasp that a temporary stop operation is necessary even in an emergency situation, and improve convenience for the user without reducing the driver's concentration due to unnecessary information. be able to.

  Further, in the drawing system according to claim 3, when it is determined that the lane change operation is not performed in the state of approaching the road point where the lane change is necessary, a mark having a predetermined shape is drawn on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction. Therefore, it becomes possible for the driver to obtain information on a road point where the lane needs to be changed under the necessary conditions while looking at the environment ahead of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to quickly grasp that the operation of changing the lane is necessary even in an emergency situation, and improve the convenience of the user without reducing the driver's concentration due to unnecessary information. be able to.

  Further, in the drawing system according to claim 4, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not located between the current position of the vehicle and the point where the mark of the predetermined shape is drawn, the mark of the predetermined shape is drawn. Thus, the drawing of the mark having a predetermined shape is interrupted, and in the situation where the drawing on the road surface cannot be performed, the drawing is not performed and the processing load on the control unit can be reduced.

Hereinafter, based on one embodiment which materialized the drawing system concerning the present invention, it explains in detail, referring to drawings.
First, a schematic configuration of the drawing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drawing system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the drawing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drawing system 1 according to the present embodiment is basically composed of a navigation system 3 and a laser drawing device (drawing means) 4 installed on a vehicle 2.

  The navigation system 3 includes a navigation ECU (road information acquisition means, approach prediction means, regulated road drawing control means, pause operation determination means, pause drawing control means, lane change operation determination means, lane change drawing control means, preceding Vehicle determination means) 5, liquid crystal display 6, speaker 7, GPS (vehicle position detection means) 8, map information DB 9, communication device 10, and forward distance measurement sensor (vehicle behavior detection) connected to navigation ECU 5. Means) 11, vehicle speed sensor (vehicle behavior detection means) 12, steering sensor (vehicle behavior detection means) 13, geomagnetic sensor (vehicle behavior detection means) 14, accelerator sensor (vehicle behavior detection means) 15, brake sensor (vehicle behavior detection) Means) 16, direction indicator detection sensor (vehicle behavior detection means) 17 and the like. It is.

  Here, the navigation ECU (electronic control unit) 5 is used as a working memory when the CPU performs various kinds of arithmetic processing, as well as an arithmetic device that controls the entire navigation system, a CPU as the control device, and a path. In addition to a RAM for storing route data when a search is made, a control program, a destination setting processing program for setting a destination for traveling guidance based on a user's operation, a route to the set destination A guidance route setting processing program for searching for and setting a guidance route, an entry prohibition warning drawing for predicting that the vehicle 2 will enter an entry prohibited road based on the situation of the vehicle 2 and drawing a warning mark by the laser drawing device 4 Program (see Fig. 3), operation to pause the vehicle 2 in a situation where it is necessary to pause If the vehicle 2 is not operated to change the lane in the situation where the lane change is necessary, the warning mark is lasered. An internal storage device such as a ROM in which a lane change warning drawing program (see FIG. 8) to be drawn by the drawing device 4 is recorded and a flash memory in which a program read from the ROM is recorded is provided. A semiconductor memory, a magnetic core, or the like is used as the RAM, ROM, flash memory, or the like. As the arithmetic device and the control device, an MPU or the like can be used instead of the CPU.

  The liquid crystal display 6 also has operation guidance, operation menus, key guidance, guidance route from the current location to the destination, guidance information along the guidance route, traffic information, news, weather forecast, time, mail, TV program, etc. Is displayed. Instead of the liquid crystal display 6, a CRT display, a plasma display, or the like can be used, or a hologram device that projects a hologram on the windshield of the vehicle 2 can be used.

  Further, the speaker 7 outputs a voice guidance for guiding the traveling along the guidance route based on an instruction from the navigation ECU 5. Here, examples of the voice guidance to be guided include “the intersection is 300 m ahead in the right direction” and “the next national highway No. XX is congested”. In addition to the synthesized voice, the voice output from the speaker 7 can output various sound effects and various guidance information recorded in advance on a tape, a memory, or the like.

  The GPS 8 detects the current location and the current time of the vehicle 2 on the earth by receiving radio waves generated by artificial satellites.

  The map information DB 9 stores map data. Map data includes, for example, intersection data relating to intersections, link data relating to roads (links), node data relating to node points, facility data relating to facilities, search data for searching routes, search data for searching points, and warning marks. It consists of road surface drawing point data related to the position coordinates to be drawn.

  In particular, the link data includes the width of the road to which the link belongs, the gradient, the cant, the bank, the road surface condition, the number of road lanes, the number of lanes that decrease, and the width. The data representing the narrowed portion, one-way street, closed road, etc., for the corner, the radius of curvature, intersection, T-junction, corner entrance and exit, etc., the data representing the downhill road, uphill road, etc., for the road attributes Data is recorded for road types, including roads such as national roads, prefectural roads, and narrow streets, as well as toll roads such as national highways, roads dedicated to automobiles, urban highways, general toll roads, and toll bridges. . Furthermore, regarding toll roads, data relating to entrance roads (rampways), toll gates (interchanges) and the like of toll roads are recorded.

  The node data includes road branch points (including intersections and T-junctions), node point coordinates (positions) set for each road according to the radius of curvature, etc., and nodes at intersections. A node attribute indicating whether the node corresponds to the node, a connection link number list which is a list of link numbers of links connected to the node, an adjacent node number list which is a list of node numbers of nodes adjacent to the node via the link Data relating to the height (altitude) of each node point is recorded.

  In addition, road surface drawing point data refers to warning marks (FIGS. 4 and 5) described later at intersections to which prohibited roads, which are a kind of regulated roads, are connected, where suspension is necessary, and where lanes decrease. 7 and 9) is information for specifying the position of the road surface (hereinafter referred to as a road surface drawing point) when the laser drawing apparatus 4 draws the image. Here, in the present embodiment, road surface drawing points are specified for all of intersections connected to nationally prohibited roads, places that need to be temporarily stopped, and places where lanes decrease.

  And the communication apparatus 10 is a traffic which consists of each information, such as traffic information, regulation information, parking lot information, traffic accident information, etc. transmitted from the traffic information center, for example, a VICS (registered trademark: Vehicle Information and Communication System) center. It is a beacon receiver that receives information as a radio beacon, an optical beacon, or the like via a radio beacon device, an optical beacon device, or the like disposed along a road. The communication device 10 is a network that enables communication in a communication system such as a LAN, WAN, intranet, cellular phone line network, telephone line network, public communication line network, dedicated communication line network, or communication line network such as the Internet. It may be a device. Further, the communication apparatus 10 includes an FM receiver that receives FM multiplex information including information such as news and weather forecast as FM multiplex broadcast via an FM broadcast station in addition to the information from the information center. The beacon receiver and the FM receiver are unitized and arranged as a VICS receiver, but can be arranged separately.

  The front distance measurement sensor 11 is attached near the upper center of the license plate mounted in front of the vehicle 2 and basically includes a radio wave transmission unit and a radio wave reception unit. Then, a radio wave beam is emitted from the radio wave transmission unit to the front of the vehicle 2 and a reflected radio wave reflected by a front object (specifically, another vehicle) is received by the radio wave reception unit. As a result, the distance and relative speed to the vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 2 can be detected based on the received reflected radio wave intensity and wavelength.

  The vehicle speed sensor 12 is a sensor that generates a vehicle speed pulse in accordance with the rotation of the vehicle wheel and detects the travel distance and the vehicle speed of the vehicle. The steering sensor 13 is a sensor that is mounted inside the steering device and detects a steering angle when the steering wheel is steered. The geomagnetic sensor 14 is a sensor that detects the absolute direction of the vehicle 2 by measuring the geomagnetism. The accelerator sensor 15 is a sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator of the vehicle 2. On the other hand, the brake sensor 16 is a sensor that detects the amount of depression of the brake. The direction indicator detection sensor 17 is a sensor that detects a lighting state (no lighting, right lighting, or left lighting) of a blinker lamp (not shown) of the direction indicator.

On the other hand, the laser drawing device 4 includes a laser head that irradiates a laser, a gear that adjusts an irradiation angle of the laser head, a drive motor, and the like. And the laser beam which can be visually recognized from the vehicle width direction center part of the front grill of the vehicle 2 is irradiated on the front road surface or the front road sign while changing the irradiation direction, the irradiation range, the irradiation light amount, the color, or the like.
Then, the navigation ECU 5 transmits a control signal to the laser drawing device 4 to draw a mark having a predetermined irradiation shape on the road surface ahead in the traveling direction when a predetermined condition is satisfied as will be described later. Process.

  The navigation ECU 5 includes a road surface irradiation position determination unit 31, a host vehicle position determination unit 32, a laser irradiation angle determination unit 33, a host vehicle attitude determination unit 34, an approach prediction unit 35, a pause operation determination unit 36, a lane change operation. The determination part 37 and the preceding vehicle determination part 38 are provided, and various control is performed based on the information acquired from the said various sensors, DB, etc.

  Here, the road surface irradiation position determination unit 31 is based on the road surface drawing point data stored in the map information DB 9 and on the road surface of the intersection where the entry-prohibited road is connected or a road point where it is necessary to temporarily stop and change lanes. The coordinate data of the drawing target position when drawing the warning mark on the road surface is determined.

  The own vehicle position determination unit 32 detects the current absolute position (latitude / longitude) of the vehicle 2 based on information acquired from the GPS 8, the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the geomagnetic sensor 14. Furthermore, the own vehicle position determination unit 32 also detects the presence of the preceding vehicle and the distance to the preceding vehicle based on the information acquired from the forward distance measurement sensor 11.

  Further, the laser irradiation angle determination unit 33 uses the drawing target position determined by the road surface irradiation position determination unit 31, the coordinate position data of the vehicle 2 determined by the own vehicle position determination unit 32, and the own vehicle posture determination unit 34. The laser irradiation angle of the laser drawing device 4 for drawing the warning mark is calculated and determined based on the determined azimuth information indicating the direction of the vehicle 2.

  In addition, the host vehicle attitude determination unit 34 detects the current azimuth angle of the host vehicle based on each information acquired from the GPS 8, the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the geomagnetic sensor 14.

  Further, the approach prediction unit 35 is based on each information acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the direction indicator detection sensor 17, and is an entry prohibited road (one-way exit, right / left turn) that is a kind of restricted road at the intersection. It is predicted that the vehicle will enter a road where the vehicle is prohibited from entering due to prohibition or the like.

  In addition, the temporary stop operation determination unit 36 selects 50 m before a road point where a stop line that needs to be temporarily stopped is drawn based on each information acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 12, the accelerator sensor 15, and the brake sensor 16. It is determined whether or not a temporary stop operation has been performed in the vehicle 2 at the time of traveling.

  In addition, the lane change operation determination unit 37 performs the lane change operation at the time when the vehicle travels 50 m before the road point where the lane that needs to be changed disappears, based on the information acquired from the GPS 8 and the map information DB 9. It is determined whether or not.

  Further, the preceding vehicle determination unit 38 determines whether another traveling vehicle is positioned between the current position of the vehicle 2 determined by the own vehicle position determination unit 32 and the drawing target position determined by the road surface irradiation position determination unit 31. Determine whether or not.

  On the other hand, in the laser drawing device 4, a laser irradiation angle control unit 41 that controls the irradiation angle of laser light to draw a predetermined irradiation shape based on the laser irradiation angle information transmitted from the navigation ECU 5, and a transmission from the navigation ECU 5. A laser output control unit 42 is provided for controlling the output of the laser beam based on the color data of the mark drawn on the road surface.

  Next, an entry prohibition warning drawing program executed by the navigation ECU 5 in the drawing system 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the entry prohibition warning drawing program according to the present embodiment. Here, the entry prohibition warning drawing program is executed at a predetermined interval (for example, every 200 ms) after the vehicle ignition is turned on, and warns by predicting that the vehicle 2 enters the entry prohibited road based on the situation of the vehicle 2. This is a program for controlling the marks to be drawn by the laser drawing apparatus 4. The programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3, 6, and 8 below are stored in the RAM or ROM provided in the navigation ECU 5, and are executed by the CPU.

  First, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1 in the entry prohibition warning drawing program, the navigation ECU 5 detects the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle by the GPS 8 and the geomagnetic sensor 14 and also stores the map stored in the map information DB 9. Data is acquired, map matching processing is performed, and the current position of the vehicle on the map is specified. It is assumed that the current position of the host vehicle specified in S1 is detected with high accuracy. In addition to the detection using the GPS 8, the feature is captured by a camera installed in the host vehicle, and the captured feature and the host vehicle are detected. The current position of the host vehicle may be specified from the relative positional relationship with the vehicle. Moreover, said S1 corresponds to the process of a road information acquisition means.

  In S2, the intersection in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a kind of restricted road based on the detection result of S1 and the map data stored in the map information DB 9 (one-way exit, right / left turn prohibition, etc. Whether or not the vehicle is located 50 m before the intersection.

  As a result, if it is determined that the host vehicle is located 50m before the intersection where the entry-prohibited road connects (S2: YES), the process proceeds to S3. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no intersection to which the prohibited road is connected in the traveling direction of the host vehicle or the vehicle is traveling at a position more than 50 m away from the intersection to which the prohibited road is connected (S2: NO) Then, the entry prohibition warning drawing program is terminated. In the present embodiment, it is determined in the determination process of S2 whether or not the distance is 50 m before the intersection, but the determination criterion may be a distance shorter or longer than 50 m.

  Subsequently, in S3, the navigation ECU 5 obtains road surface drawing point data for the entry-prohibited road at the intersection determined to have approached 50 m before from the map information DB 9. Here, the road surface drawing point data is information (specifically, the coordinates of the road surface drawing point) for specifying the position of the road surface when the warning mark is drawn by the laser drawing device 4 as described above. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the left end of the warning marks 53 and 55 is located at the point where the center line T of the entry-prohibited road and the start line S of the entry road intersect. It is a point.

  In S4, the vehicle passes through the drawing end point where the vehicle drawing of the warning mark is finished by the laser drawing device 4 from the detection result of the vehicle position in S1 and the coordinates of the road surface drawing point acquired in S3. It is determined whether or not. Here, in this embodiment, the drawing end point is a point a predetermined distance (for example, 5 m) before the road surface drawing point.

  As a result of the determination in S4, when it is determined that the drawing end point is passed (S4: YES), the entry prohibition warning drawing program is ended. On the other hand, when it is determined that the drawing end point has not been passed (S4: NO), the behavior of the host vehicle is sensed in S5. Specifically, it is predicted whether there is a possibility that the host vehicle may enter an entry-prohibited road at a front intersection from each information acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the direction indicator detection sensor 17. Do.

For example, when an entry-prohibited road is connected in the left turn direction, the host vehicle is gradually decelerating, the steering wheel is turning leftward, or the left turn signal lamp is lit In this case, it is determined that there is a possibility of entering the prohibited road.
In addition, when the entry-prohibited road is connected in the right turn direction, the host vehicle is gradually decelerating, the steering wheel is turning rightward, or the right turn signal lamp is lit. In this case, it is determined that there is a possibility of entering the prohibited road.
Furthermore, when the entry-prohibited road is connected in a straight direction, it is possible to enter the entry-prohibited road when the host vehicle is not decelerating, the steering is not turning, and the blinker lamp is not lit. It is determined that there is sex.

In S6, based on the sensing result in S5, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility that the host vehicle may enter an entry-prohibited road at a front intersection. As a result, when it is determined that there is a possibility of entering the prohibited road (S6: YES), the behavior of the preceding vehicle is sensed in S7. Specifically, based on the information acquired from the front distance measurement sensor 11, whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and, if there is a preceding vehicle, how many meters ahead of the host vehicle is located. Measure.
On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no possibility of entering the road where entry is prohibited (S6: NO), the process returns to S4, and it is determined again whether or not the drawing end point has been passed. In addition, said S5 and S6 are equivalent to the process of an approach prediction means.

  Next, in S8, the navigation ECU 5 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is in front of the road surface drawing point acquired in S3 based on the sensing result in S7, that is, the preceding vehicle is between the own vehicle and the road surface drawing point. It is determined whether or not is located. Note that S8 corresponds to the process of the preceding vehicle determination means.

  As a result, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is in front of the road surface drawing point (S8: NO), even if the laser is emitted from the laser drawing device 4, the preceding vehicle is blocked by the laser. Return to S4 without doing. On the other hand, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not in front of the road surface drawing point (S8: YES), the process proceeds to S9.

  In S9, the navigation ECU 5 determines the own vehicle position and the direction of the own vehicle in the traveling lane of the own vehicle based on the information acquired from the GPS 8, the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the geomagnetic sensor 14. To detect. Here, the vehicle position is specified by, for example, coordinate data (latitude and longitude data).

  After that, in S10, the navigation ECU 5 irradiates the laser beam by the laser drawing device 4 based on the own vehicle position and direction in the traveling lane detected in S9 and the coordinates of the road surface drawing point acquired in S3. Then, an irradiation angle for drawing a warning mark having a predetermined irradiation shape at the road surface drawing point is calculated and temporarily stored in the RAM.

  Thereafter, in S11, the navigation ECU 5 reads out the laser irradiation angle calculated in S10 from the RAM, reads out the color data (for example, red) of the warning mark, the mark shape, and the like from the ROM, and sends them to the laser drawing device 4. Send. As a result, the laser drawing device 4 controls the irradiation angle of the laser beam based on the information related to the laser irradiation angle, and generates laser light of a predetermined color that can be visually recognized based on the color data of the warning mark and the information related to the mark shape. Irradiate the road surface at the road surface drawing point to draw a warning mark having a predetermined irradiation shape. Thereafter, the process returns to S4. In addition, said S11 is corresponded to the process of a regulation road drawing control means.

  Here, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are top views showing the host vehicle that draws a warning mark related to an entry-prohibited road at the road surface drawing point on the road surface in the traveling direction in S11. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the own vehicle 50 is traveling on the road 51 and approaches the intersection 54 to which the entry prohibited road 52 is connected, the center line T of the entry prohibited road 52 and the entry prohibited road The laser is irradiated so that the left ends of the warning marks 53 and 55 are positioned at the point where the start line S of 52 intersects, and the warning marks 53 and 55 are drawn. Here, the warning marks 53 and 55 related to the entry prohibition road may have a mark shape imitating a road entry prohibition road sign as shown in FIG. 4, or a mark shape using an arrow as shown in FIG. .

  Next, a pause warning drawing program executed by the navigation ECU 5 in the drawing system 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the pause warning drawing program according to this embodiment. Here, the pause warning drawing program is executed at a predetermined interval (for example, every 200 ms) after the ignition of the vehicle is turned on, and a warning mark is displayed when the vehicle 2 is not paused in a situation where the pause is necessary. Is a program that controls to draw the image by the laser drawing device 4.

  First, in the temporary stop warning drawing program, in S21, the navigation ECU 5 detects the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle by the GPS 8 and the geomagnetic sensor 14, and acquires map data stored in the map information DB 9 to perform map matching processing. To identify the current position of the vehicle on the map. It is assumed that the current position of the host vehicle specified in S21 is detected with high accuracy. In addition to the detection using the GPS 8, the feature is captured by a camera installed in the host vehicle, and the captured feature and the host vehicle are detected. The current position of the host vehicle may be specified from the relative positional relationship with the vehicle. Moreover, said S21 corresponds to the process of a road information acquisition means.

  In S22, based on the detection result in S21 and the map data stored in the map information DB 9, the intersection in the traveling direction of the vehicle is an intersection that needs to be temporarily stopped, and the own vehicle is temporarily at the intersection. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is located 50m before the road point where the stop is necessary (that is, the stop line).

  As a result, if it is determined that the host vehicle is located 50 m before the road spot that needs to be temporarily stopped (S22: YES), the process proceeds to S23. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no intersection that needs to be temporarily stopped in the traveling direction of the host vehicle or that the vehicle is traveling at a position that is more than 50 m away from a road point that needs to be temporarily stopped (S22: NO) The temporary stop warning drawing program is terminated. In the present embodiment, it is determined in the determination process of S22 whether or not it is 50m before the road spot that needs to be temporarily stopped, but the determination criterion may be a distance shorter or longer than 50m. good.

  Subsequently, in S23, the navigation ECU 5 obtains road surface drawing point data for a portion that needs to be temporarily stopped, determined to have approached 50m before from the map information DB 9. Here, the road surface drawing point data is information (specifically, the coordinates of the road surface drawing point) for specifying the position of the road surface when the laser drawing device 4 draws the warning mark as described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the road surface drawing point for the temporary stop is a point where the tip of the warning mark 62 is located at a point 1 m from the point where the center line U of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the stop line 63 intersect. It is.

  Then, in S24, the vehicle passes through the drawing end point at which the vehicle drawing of the warning mark by the laser drawing device 4 is finished based on the detection result of the vehicle position in S21 and the coordinates of the road surface drawing point acquired in S23. It is determined whether or not. Here, in this embodiment, the drawing end point is a point a predetermined distance (for example, 5 m) before the road surface drawing point.

  As a result of the determination in S24, when it is determined that the drawing end point has been passed (S24: YES), the pause warning drawing program is ended. On the other hand, when it is determined that the drawing end point has not been passed (S24: NO), the behavior of the host vehicle is sensed in S25. Specifically, based on the information acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 12, the accelerator sensor 15, and the brake sensor 16, whether or not a pause operation is being performed on the host vehicle 50m before a road spot that needs to be paused ahead. Judgment is made. When it is determined that a temporary stop operation is being performed, the host vehicle is predicted to temporarily stop at a road point where the temporary stop is necessary. On the other hand, when it is determined that a pause operation has not been performed, it is predicted that the host vehicle will not pause at a road point that needs to be paused.

For example, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is 50 km / h or less, the acceleration is less than 0 km / h ² (that is, the vehicle is decelerating), or the accelerator is not stepped on or the flake is stepped on, the pause operation is performed. It is determined that it is being performed.

In S26, based on the sensing result in S25, it is determined whether or not a temporary stop operation is performed in the host vehicle. As a result, if it is determined that a pause operation has not been performed (S26: YES), that is, if it is predicted that the host vehicle will not be paused at a road point where a pause is necessary, the preceding operation is performed in S27. Sensing vehicle behavior. Specifically, based on the information acquired from the front distance measurement sensor 11, whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and, if there is a preceding vehicle, how many meters ahead of the host vehicle is located. Measure.
On the other hand, if it is determined that a temporary stop operation is being performed on the host vehicle (S26: NO), that is, if it is predicted that the host vehicle will be temporarily stopped at a road point where the stop is necessary, the process proceeds to S24. Then, it is determined again whether or not the drawing end point has been passed. Note that S26 corresponds to the process of the pause operation determination means.

  Next, in S28, the navigation ECU 5 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is in front of the road surface drawing point acquired in S23 based on the sensing result in S27, that is, the preceding vehicle between the own vehicle and the road surface drawing point. It is determined whether or not is located. Note that S28 corresponds to the process of the preceding vehicle determination means.

  As a result, if it is determined that the preceding vehicle is in front of the road surface drawing point (S28: NO), even if the laser is emitted from the laser drawing device 4, the preceding vehicle is blocked, so the laser irradiation is performed. It returns to S24, without performing. On the other hand, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not in front of the road surface drawing point (S28: YES), the process proceeds to S29.

  In S29, the navigation ECU 5 determines the own vehicle position and the direction of the own vehicle in the traveling lane of the own vehicle based on the information acquired from the GPS 8, the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the geomagnetic sensor 14. To detect. Here, the vehicle position is specified by, for example, coordinate data (latitude and longitude data).

  After that, in S30, the navigation ECU 5 irradiates the laser beam by the laser drawing device 4 based on the vehicle position and direction in the traveling lane detected in S29 and the coordinates of the road surface drawing point acquired in S23. Then, an irradiation angle for drawing a warning mark having a predetermined irradiation shape at the road surface drawing point is calculated and temporarily stored in the RAM.

  Thereafter, in S31, the navigation ECU 5 reads out the laser irradiation angle calculated in S30 from the RAM, and also reads out the color data (for example, red color) of the warning mark and the mark shape from the ROM to the laser drawing device 4. Send. As a result, the laser drawing device 4 controls the irradiation angle of the laser beam based on the information related to the laser irradiation angle, and generates laser light of a predetermined color that can be visually recognized based on the color data of the warning mark and the information related to the mark shape. Irradiate the road surface at the road surface drawing point to draw a warning mark having a predetermined irradiation shape. Thereafter, the process returns to S24. Note that S31 corresponds to the processing of the pause drawing control means.

  Here, FIG. 7 is a top view showing the host vehicle that draws a warning mark relating to the temporary stop at the road surface drawing point on the road surface in the traveling direction in S31. As shown in FIG. 7, when the host vehicle 60 is traveling on the road 61 and approaches a stop line 63 that needs to be temporarily stopped, the center line U and the stop line of the road 61 on which the host vehicle 60 travels are displayed. Laser is irradiated so that the tip of the warning mark 62 is positioned at a point 1 m before 63, and the warning mark 62 is drawn. Here, the warning mark 62 relating to the temporary stop may be a mark shape using an arrow as shown in FIG. 7 or a mark shape using a “stop” character.

  Next, a lane change warning drawing program executed by the navigation ECU 5 in the drawing system 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the lane change warning drawing program according to this embodiment. Here, the lane change warning drawing program is executed at a predetermined interval (for example, every 200 ms) after the vehicle ignition is turned ON, and a warning mark is displayed when the vehicle 2 is not operated to change lanes in a situation where lane change is necessary. Is a program that controls to draw the image by the laser drawing device 4.

  First, in the lane change warning drawing program, in S51, the navigation ECU 5 detects the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle by the GPS 8 and the geomagnetic sensor 14, and acquires map data stored in the map information DB 9 to perform map matching processing. To identify the current position of the vehicle on the map. Note that the current position of the host vehicle specified in S41 is to be detected with high accuracy. In addition to the detection using the GPS 8, the feature is captured by a camera installed in the host vehicle. The current position of the host vehicle may be specified from the relative positional relationship with the vehicle. Further, S41 corresponds to the processing of the road information acquisition unit.

  And in S42, there is a part where the lane decreases in the traveling direction of the road on which the host vehicle currently travels based on the detection result of S41, the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 12, and the map data stored in the map information DB 9. Then, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is located a predetermined distance before a road point where the lane needs to be changed (that is, a point where the lane (link) disappears). Here, the predetermined distance varies depending on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and a point that reaches the road point where the forward lane change is required in 4 seconds (for example, if the vehicle is traveling at 50 km / h, it is necessary to change the lane) It is 54m before a certain road point).

  As a result, when it is determined that the host vehicle is located a predetermined distance before the road point where the lane needs to be changed (S42: YES), the process proceeds to S43. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no part where the lane decreases in the traveling direction of the road on which the host vehicle is currently traveling, or that the vehicle is traveling at a position more than a predetermined distance away from the road point where lane change is required (S42: NO), the lane change warning drawing program ends. In the present embodiment, the point before the predetermined distance is a point that reaches the road point where the lane needs to be changed in four seconds, but the determination criterion may be a time shorter or longer than four seconds.

  Subsequently, in S43, the navigation ECU 5 obtains road surface drawing point data for a portion that needs to be changed from the map information DB 9 and determined to have approached a predetermined distance. Here, the road surface drawing point data is information (specifically, the coordinates of the road surface drawing point) for specifying the position of the road surface when the laser drawing device 4 draws the warning mark as described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the road surface drawing point for the lane change is a point where the center of the warning mark 73 is located at a point 5 m before the disappearance point (node) 74 of the link on which the host vehicle travels.

  In S44, the vehicle passes through the drawing end point where the vehicle drawing of the warning mark is finished by the laser drawing device 4 from the detection result of the vehicle position in S41 and the coordinates of the road surface drawing point acquired in S43. It is determined whether or not. Here, in this embodiment, the drawing end point is a point a predetermined distance (for example, 5 m) before the road surface drawing point.

  As a result of the determination in S44, if it is determined that the vehicle has passed the drawing end point (S44: YES), the lane change warning drawing program is ended. On the other hand, when it is determined that the drawing end point has not been passed (S44: NO), the behavior of the host vehicle is sensed in S45. Specifically, it is determined from the information acquired from the GPS 8 whether or not the host vehicle is located on a lane that disappears due to lane reduction. And when it is located in the lane where the own vehicle disappears, it is determined that the lane change operation is not performed. On the other hand, if the host vehicle is not located in the lane where the vehicle disappears, it is determined that the lane change operation is being performed.

In S46, based on the sensing result in S45, it is determined whether or not a lane change operation is being performed in the host vehicle. As a result, if it is determined that the lane change operation has not been performed (S46: YES), that is, if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in a lane that disappears even before a predetermined distance, the preceding vehicle is determined in S47. Sensing the behavior of Specifically, based on the information acquired from the front distance measurement sensor 11, whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and, if there is a preceding vehicle, how many meters ahead of the host vehicle is located. Measure.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the lane change operation is being performed in the host vehicle (S46: NO), that is, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in a lane other than the lane that has already disappeared before the predetermined distance. Returning to S44, it is determined again whether or not the drawing end point has been passed. Note that S46 corresponds to the processing of the lane change operation determination means.

  Next, in S48, the navigation ECU 5 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is in front of the road surface drawing point acquired in S43 based on the sensing result in S47, that is, the preceding vehicle is between the own vehicle and the road surface drawing point. It is determined whether or not is located. Note that S48 corresponds to the process of the preceding vehicle determination means.

  As a result, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is in front of the road surface drawing point (S48: NO), even if the laser is emitted from the laser drawing device 4, the preceding vehicle is blocked by the laser. It returns to S44, without performing. On the other hand, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not in front of the road surface drawing point (S48: YES), the process proceeds to S49.

  In S49, the navigation ECU 5 determines the direction of the host vehicle and the direction of the host vehicle in the travel lane of the host vehicle based on the information acquired from the GPS 8, the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the geomagnetic sensor 14. To detect. Here, the vehicle position is specified by, for example, coordinate data (latitude and longitude data).

  Thereafter, in S50, the navigation ECU 5 irradiates the laser beam by the laser drawing device 4 on the basis of the vehicle position and direction in the traveling lane detected in S49, and the coordinates of the road surface drawing point acquired in S43. Then, an irradiation angle for drawing a warning mark having a predetermined irradiation shape at the road surface drawing point is calculated and temporarily stored in the RAM.

  Thereafter, in S51, the navigation ECU 5 reads out the laser irradiation angle calculated in S50 from the RAM, and also reads out the color data (for example, red) of the warning mark, the mark shape, etc. from the ROM to the laser drawing device 4. Send. As a result, the laser drawing device 4 controls the irradiation angle of the laser beam based on the information related to the laser irradiation angle, and generates laser light of a predetermined color that can be visually recognized based on the color data of the warning mark and the information related to the mark shape. Irradiate the road surface at the road surface drawing point to draw a warning mark having a predetermined irradiation shape. Thereafter, the process returns to S44. Note that S51 corresponds to the processing of the lane change drawing control means.

  Here, FIG. 9 is a top view showing the host vehicle that draws a warning mark relating to a lane change at a road surface drawing point on the road surface in the traveling direction in S51. As shown in FIG. 9, when the host vehicle 70 is traveling on a lane 71 that disappears due to lane reduction and approaches a point where lane change is required, the disappearance point (node) of the link on which the host vehicle travels The laser mark is drawn so that the center of the warning mark 73 is positioned at a point 5 m ahead of 74 and the warning mark 73 is drawn.

As described above in detail, in the drawing system 1 according to the present embodiment, based on the information acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 12, the steering sensor 13, and the direction indicator detection sensor 17, the vehicle 2 is at an intersection in the traveling direction. In particular, when it is predicted that the vehicle will enter an entry prohibited road where entry of the vehicle is prohibited (S6: YES), a warning mark is drawn on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction (S11). It is possible to obtain information on restricted roads such as roads that are prohibited from entry under necessary circumstances while looking at the environment ahead. Therefore, it is possible to quickly grasp regulated roads in association with actual roads even in emergency situations, and improve user convenience without reducing the driver's concentration due to unnecessary information Can be made.
In addition, when it is determined that a temporary stop operation has not been performed while the vehicle 2 is approaching a road point that needs to be temporarily stopped (S26: YES), a warning mark is drawn on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction ( Since it is S31), it becomes possible for the driver to obtain information on road points that need to be temporarily stopped under the necessary conditions while looking at the environment ahead of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to quickly grasp that a temporary stop operation is necessary even in an emergency situation, and improve convenience for the user without reducing the driver's concentration due to unnecessary information. be able to.
Further, when it is determined that the lane change operation is not performed in a state where the vehicle 2 is approaching a road point where the lane needs to be changed (S46: YES), a warning mark is drawn on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction ( Since it is S51), it becomes possible for the driver to obtain information on road points where lanes need to be changed under necessary conditions while looking at the environment ahead of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to quickly grasp that the operation of changing the lane is necessary even in an emergency situation, and improve the convenience of the user without reducing the driver's concentration due to unnecessary information. be able to.
Furthermore, the warning mark is drawn when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not located between the current position of the vehicle 2 and the road surface drawing point on which the warning mark is drawn, so that the drawing of the warning mark is blocked by the preceding vehicle. Therefore, in a situation where drawing on the road surface cannot be performed, drawing is not performed, and the processing load on the control unit can be reduced.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the road surface drawing point is always the same regardless of the travel position of the vehicle, but may be changed according to the travel position of the vehicle. For example, a warning mark may be drawn on the road surface 5 m ahead of the vehicle.

It is a schematic block diagram of the drawing system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows typically the control system of the drawing system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the entry prohibition warning drawing program which concerns on this embodiment. It is the top view which showed the own vehicle which draws the warning mark regarding the road forbidden to approach with respect to the road surface drawing point on the road surface in the traveling direction. It is the top view which showed the own vehicle which draws the warning mark regarding the road forbidden to approach with respect to the road surface drawing point on the road surface in the traveling direction. It is a flowchart of the temporary stop warning drawing program which concerns on this embodiment. It is the top view which showed the own vehicle which draws the warning mark regarding a temporary stop with respect to the road surface drawing point on the road surface of the advancing direction. It is a flowchart of the lane change warning drawing program which concerns on this embodiment. It is the top view which showed the own vehicle which draws the warning mark regarding a lane change with respect to the road surface drawing point on the road surface of the advancing direction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drawing system 2 Vehicle 4 Laser drawing apparatus 5 Navigation ECU
8 GPS
9 Map information DB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Front distance measurement sensor 12 Vehicle speed sensor 13 Steering sensor 14 Geomagnetic sensor 15 Acceleration sensor 16 Brake sensor 17 Direction indicator detection sensor 53, 55, 62, 73 Warning mark

Claims (4)

A drawing means for drawing a mark of a predetermined shape on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction;
Road information acquisition means for acquiring road information;
Vehicle position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Vehicle behavior detection means for detecting the behavior of the vehicle;
An entry prediction means for predicting entry of a vehicle into a regulated road where traffic is restricted based on road information acquired by the road information acquisition means and detection results of the vehicle position detection means and vehicle behavior detection means;
A drawing system comprising: a restriction road drawing control means for controlling the drawing means so as to draw the mark having the predetermined shape when the vehicle is predicted to enter the restricted road by the entry prediction means. . A drawing means for drawing a mark of a predetermined shape on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction;
Road information acquisition means for acquiring road information;
Vehicle position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Vehicle behavior detection means for detecting the behavior of the vehicle;
Based on the road information acquired by the road information acquisition means and the detection results of the vehicle position detection means and the vehicle behavior detection means, a temporary stop operation with the vehicle approaching a predetermined distance to a road point that needs to be temporarily stopped A suspension operation determination means for determining whether or not
A pause drawing control means for controlling the drawing means to draw the mark having the predetermined shape when the pause operation determining means determines that a pause operation is not performed. Characteristic drawing system. A drawing means for drawing a mark of a predetermined shape on the road surface in the vehicle traveling direction;
Road information acquisition means for acquiring road information;
Vehicle position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Vehicle behavior detection means for detecting the behavior of the vehicle;
A lane change operation in a state in which a vehicle approaches a predetermined distance to a road point requiring lane change based on the road information acquired by the road information acquisition means and the detection results of the vehicle position detection means and the vehicle behavior detection means. A lane change operation determination means for determining whether or not
A lane change drawing control means for controlling the drawing means so as to draw the mark having the predetermined shape when it is determined by the lane change operation determining means that a lane change operation is not performed. Characteristic drawing system. Preceding vehicle detection means for detecting a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle;
Preceding vehicle determination means for determining whether or not a preceding vehicle is positioned between a current position of the vehicle and a point at which the mark of the predetermined shape is drawn by the drawing means;
The regulated road drawing control means, the temporary stop drawing control means or the lane change drawing control means draws the mark having the predetermined shape when the preceding vehicle determining means determines that the preceding vehicle is not located. 4. The drawing system according to claim 1, wherein the drawing unit is controlled.

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