Head-up display apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique which can form a more suitable HUD area, and contributes to "3: Good Health and Well-Being" of the Sustainable Development Goals.SOLUTION: A HUD apparatus includes an image display device and an image projection unit. A HUD area is formed on the basis of image light reflected from the image projection unit. The lateral direction corresponding to the horizontal direction in the HUD area is defined as a first direction, and the vertical direction corresponding to the vertical direction is defined as a second direction. The apparatus includes a first position as an initial position and a second position as a lateral position as the positions in the left-right direction of formation of the HUD area. When predetermined conditions are satisfied, the image projection unit is driven to move the position of the HUD area from the first position to the second position, and a virtual image is displayed in the HUD area at the second position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technology of a Head-Up Display (sometimes referred to as HUD).

Background Art

[0002] As a prior art example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-70066 (Patent Document 1) can be cited. Patent Document 1 describes that "in a monocular Head-Up Display (HUD), the projection position of the projected image is reduced from being shifted from the line of sight of one eye (monocular) due to vibrations of the vehicle or changes in the driver's posture, and the visibility of the displayed information is improved." Patent Document 1 describes that "one embodiment includes display information generation means 32 for generating projection information, a combiner 11 for superimposing the information to be displayed generated by the display information generation means on the windshield along the driver's line of sight, a front camera 3 for capturing a view entering the driver's line of sight to detect vibrations of the vehicle, and a driver camera 5 for capturing changes in the relative position between the driver and the vehicle, and based on the information acquired by the front camera and the driver camera, the position of the information projected onto the combiner is changed."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The HUD device mounted on a vehicle has, in addition to the function of displaying a virtual image (i.e., a non-AR virtual image) corresponding to information such as vehicle speed at a predetermined position separately from the object in the actual scenery, an AR (Augmented Reality) function which is a function of superimposing and displaying a virtual image so as to align the position with the object in the actual scenery. There is a case where a HUD device having an AR function is described as an AR-HUD. The AR-HUD can superimpose and display an AR virtual image such as alert information or navigation information on an object visible from the driver's viewpoint in the driver's seat. Thereby, the AR-HUD can assist the driver in safe driving.

[0005] In order to display a more suitable virtual image corresponding to AR or non-AR, a HUD area corresponding to a wider field of view (FOV) is required for the HUD device. In the HUD device, the area or range where a virtual image can be displayed with respect to the transparent area of a transparent member such as a windshield or a combiner (a dedicated display panel) may be described as a HUD area (head-up display area), a HUD display area, a display range, or a display area.

[0006] For a HUD device that displays a virtual image for driving assistance and the like in the HUD area, it is desirable to minimize the movement of the driver's viewpoint (here, not the position of the eyes inside the vehicle, but a point such as the fixation point at the tip of the line of sight). However, since the position and size of a general HUD area are fixed, the driver's viewpoint (the tip of the line of sight) may move significantly, for example, between the virtual image inside the HUD area and the object outside the HUD area depending on the situation.

[0007] For example, when a vehicle makes a right turn, generally, the point at which the driver's line of sight is directed moves in the direction of the right turn destination and focuses on that direction. In that case, the distance difference between the virtual image displayed within the HUD area and the fixation point at the destination of the line of sight movement becomes large, which is not desirable. When a virtual image is being displayed within the HUD area and the line of sight moves outside the HUD area, the driver cannot clearly view the virtual image within the HUD area. Also, even if there is an object, such as an AR virtual image for an alert, outside the HUD area according to a situation like a right turn, since the FOV by the HUD area is limited, the AR virtual image cannot be displayed within the HUD area.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology capable of forming a more suitable HUD area with respect to the technology of a HUD device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] A typical embodiment of the present disclosure has the following configuration. The head-up display device of the embodiment includes a video display device and a video projection unit that reflects video light from the video display device. Based on the video light reflected from the video projection unit, a head-up display area, which is a display area where a virtual image can be displayed, is formed. When the horizontal direction corresponding to the in-screen horizontal direction in the head-up display area is defined as the first direction and the vertical direction corresponding to the in-screen vertical direction is defined as the second direction, at least as the position in the left-right direction corresponding to the first direction, which is the position where the head-up display area is formed, there are a first position that is the initial position and a second position that is a position to the left or right of the first position. A predetermined condition for moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position is determined. When the predetermined condition is satisfied, the video projection unit is driven to move the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position, and the virtual image is displayed in the head-up display area at the second position.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to a typical embodiment of the present disclosure, regarding the technology of the HUD device, a more suitable HUD area can be formed. Issues, configurations, effects, etc. other than those described above are shown in the form for carrying out the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are generally denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In the drawings, the representation of components may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the invention.

[0013] In the description, when explaining the processing by a program, the program, function, processing unit, etc. may be described mainly, but the main body of these in terms of hardware is a processor, or a controller, device, computer, system, etc. composed of such a processor. A computer executes processing according to a program read onto a memory while appropriately using resources such as a memory and a communication interface by the processor. Thereby, a predetermined function, processing unit, etc. are realized. The processor is composed of semiconductor devices such as a CPU / MPU, GPU, etc. The processing is not limited to software program processing and can also be implemented by a dedicated circuit. A dedicated circuit such as an FPGA, ASIC, CPLD, etc. is applicable.

[0014] The program may be installed in advance as data in the target computer, or may be distributed as data from the program source to the target computer. The program source may be a program distribution server on a communication network, or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a memory card or a disk. The program may be composed of a plurality of modules. The computer system may be composed of a plurality of devices. The computer system may be composed of a client-server system, a cloud computing system, an IoT system, etc. Various data and information are composed in a structure such as a table or a list, for example, but are not limited to this. Expressions such as identification information, identifier, ID, name, number, etc. are mutually replaceable.

[0015] In the present embodiment, first, an example of a hardware configuration that is a prerequisite for controlling the position of the HUD area will be described, and then, as a feature, the software and control configuration for controlling the position of the HUD area will be described.

[0016] [Solving means, etc.] The HUD device according to the embodiment is an AR-HUD having an AR function. The HUD device according to the embodiment includes at least a video display device and a video projection unit, and projects, based on the video light from the video display device, the video light reflected by the video projection unit onto a transparent area of a transparent member such as a vehicle windshield or a combiner. The transparent member is a member that constitutes an area through which the driver can visually recognize the forward scenery. Thereby, the HUD device according to the embodiment forms a HUD area on the surface of the windshield or in front of it as seen from the driver's viewpoint (eye position), and displays a virtual image as a real image within the HUD area.

[0017] And on such a premise, the HUD device according to the embodiment has a mechanism for changing, moving, and adjusting the position where the HUD area is formed. The HUD device according to the embodiment changes the projection direction of the reflected video light from the reflecting surface of the video projection unit by rotating the video projection unit by a drive mechanism. Thereby, the position where the HUD area is formed with respect to the windshield or the like is changed. In the present embodiment, the video projection unit is described using a concave mirror, and the drive mechanism is a concave mirror mechanism that drives the concave mirror.

[0018] In particular, the HUD device according to the embodiment has, as the concave mirror mechanism, a mechanism for changing the orientation of the concave mirror in the left-right direction (in other words, the lateral direction, the horizontal direction, etc.) with respect to the vehicle and the driver. In other words, this mechanism is a mechanism for changing the direction of the reflected video light in the left-right direction by rotating the concave mirror around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction (in other words, the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, etc.). Thereby, the position where the HUD area is formed with respect to the windshield or the like is changed, in other words, moved, etc. in the left-right direction.

[0019] The concave mirror mechanism is provided with a rotation axis (which may be described as a longitudinal axis, a Z axis, a second rotation axis, etc.) extending in the up-down direction, which is the short-side direction, with respect to the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the concave mirror, for example. The concave mirror mechanism is provided with a drive system such as a motor for rotating the concave mirror around the second rotation axis.

[0020] The HUD device according to the embodiment controls the position of the HUD area by controlling the rotation of the concave mirror mechanism by driving and controlling the above drive system.

[0021] By including the concave mirror mechanism, the HUD device according to the embodiment can move and change the HUD area to the left and right positions (in other words, the second position, the position after movement) with respect to, for example, the initial position (in other words, the reference position, the default position, the central position, the first position). As a result, the apparent FOV due to the HUD area as seen by the driver can be increased. By including the concave mirror mechanism, the HUD device according to the embodiment can display a virtual image according to the position of the HUD area.

[0022] When displaying a virtual image in the HUD area, the HUD device according to the embodiment overlays and displays the virtual image as AR in accordance with the position of an object in the real scene, for example, based on vehicle navigation information or alert information. At this time, by using the concave mirror mechanism, the HUD device according to the embodiment enables AR display in the HUD area at a suitable position in the center or on the left and right corresponding to a wide FOV.

[0023] The HUD device according to the embodiment can move the HUD area to the left and right positions with respect to the initial position according to the situation of the vehicle, the driver, etc., for example, in accordance with the vehicle traveling direction. As a result, as the movement of the driver's viewpoint (line of sight), the movement of the viewpoint (line of sight) between the virtual image in the HUD area and the object in the real scene can be minimized as much as possible. Thereby, it can contribute to safe driving.

[0024] In addition, for a virtual image that could not be displayed well in the HUD area before movement, the HUD device according to the embodiment can also display it well by moving the HUD area to the left and right positions. For example, even when it is desired to display AR of alert information for an object such as a pedestrian in the right front outside the HUD area when the vehicle makes a right turn, by moving the HUD area to the right position, AR of the alert information corresponding to the object can be displayed well within the HUD area at the right position. Thereby, it can contribute to safe driving.

[0025] The HUD device of the embodiment acquires and inputs ADAS information from, for example, the ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) of a vehicle, and according to the ADAS information, for example, in accordance with the vehicle traveling direction, the concave mirror mechanism can move the HUD area left and right.

[0026] For example, the HUD device of the embodiment acquires vehicle traveling direction information from the ADAS information. When the vehicle traveling direction represents a right turn, for example, the concave mirror is rotated in one direction at a predetermined angle to move the HUD area from the initial position to a predetermined right position at a predetermined distance in the right direction. In another example, when the vehicle traveling direction represents a left turn, for example, the concave mirror is rotated in the reverse direction at a predetermined angle to move the HUD area from the initial position to a predetermined left position at a predetermined distance in the left direction.

[0027] Note that the devices and information for moving the HUD area based on the concave mirror mechanism are not limited to the above examples.

[0028] <Embodiment 1> The HUD device of Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. The HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1 includes a concave mirror mechanism shown in FIG. 10 and the like, and the direction of the concave mirror can be changed in the left-right direction by rotation. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the position of the HUD area 5 can be changed in the left-right direction.

[0029] [Vehicle] FIG. 1 shows an overview configuration of a vehicle 2 equipped with a HUD device 1 according to Embodiment 1. The vehicle 2 includes a control unit 100 which is a vehicle controller. The control unit 100 controls the running of the vehicle 2 etc. The HUD device 1 communicates with the control unit 100 through an interface such as CAN or LIN. The control unit 100 and the HUD device 1 constitute an in-vehicle system of the vehicle 2. The HUD device 1 generates video light and projects it onto a transparent area of the windshield 3. Thereby, a HUD area 5 is formed on the transparent area of the windshield 3, and a virtual image is displayed within the HUD area 5.

[0030] The control unit 100 can display video information as a virtual image in the HUD area 5 by controlling the HUD device 1 through a CAN signal or the like. The control unit 100 acquires vehicle information 4 using various sensors, measurement devices, communication devices, etc. as shown in FIG. 4 described later. The HUD device 1 inputs and acquires the vehicle information 4 from the control unit 100 through a CAN signal or the like.

[0031] In FIG. 1 etc., (X, Y, Z) is used as a coordinate system and direction for explanation. FIG. 1 etc. shows a spatial coordinate system with respect to the vehicle 2 and the driver. The Z-axis and the Z direction are the vertical direction, in other words, the up-down direction and the longitudinal direction. The X-axis and the X direction are the first horizontal direction, in other words, the left-right direction, the lateral direction of the vehicle, or the width direction of the vehicle. The Y-axis and the Y direction are the second horizontal direction orthogonal to the X-axis, in other words, the front-back direction of the vehicle or the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0032] [HUD device] FIG. 2 shows an example of mounting the HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1 in the vehicle 2 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, a schematic view in the Y-Z plane when the vehicle 2 of FIG. 1 is viewed from the X-axis direction is shown. In FIG. 2, particularly the video display unit 200 of the HUD device 1 is mounted in the dashboard 70 of the vehicle 2. The video display unit 200 of the HUD device 1 includes a video display device 10, a mirror M2, and a concave mirror M1 in the housing. A plurality of mirrors M2 may be arranged, or they may not be arranged. Optical systems such as the video display device 10, the mirror M2, and the concave mirror M1 are arranged and fixed in the housing in a predetermined positional relationship. Also, the video display device 10 may be arranged and fixed outside the housing.

[0033] An opening 7 through which the video light of the HUD device 1 exits is provided in a part of the housing of the video display unit 200 and a part of the dashboard 70. A dust cover made of a transparent member or the like is provided in the opening 7.

[0034] The video display device 10 emits video light. The mirror M2 is, for example, a plane mirror and is a folding mirror. The mirror M2 reflects the video light from the video display device 10 toward the concave mirror M1. The concave mirror M1 functions as a video projection unit that expands and reflects the video light from the mirror M2 in a set angle direction or a predetermined direction. The concave mirror M1 is composed of, for example, a free-form surface mirror or a mirror having an asymmetric optical axis shape. In Embodiment 1, the concave mirror M1 is composed of a mirror having a concave reflecting surface.

[0035] As shown in the figure, the concave mirror M1 is provided with a drive system such as a rotation axis J1 and a motor 61. The direction of the concave mirror M1 can be changed by this drive system. In FIGS. 2 and 3, only the rotation mechanism of the first rotation axis J1 of the concave mirror M1, that is, the mechanism for changing the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction is shown. As will be described later (FIGS. 6, 10, etc.), the concave mirror M1 further has a rotation mechanism of the second rotation axis J2, that is, a mechanism for changing the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction.

[0036] As shown in the figure, the video light from the video display device 10 is reflected by the mirror M2 and the concave mirror M1, and the reflected video light is emitted from the opening 7 and projected onto the surface of the windshield 3, and is reflected by the windshield 3 and directed toward the driver's viewpoint 6. As a result, when looking forward (in front of the Y-axis) from the driver's viewpoint 6, the HUD area 5 is formed on the windshield 3, and the virtual image 9 can be visually recognized within the HUD area 5. Within the HUD area 5, the virtual image 6 formed by the video light is superimposed on the forward real scene and displayed. The virtual image 9 is video information that is independently displayed at a predetermined position in the non-AR case. The virtual image 9 is video information that is superimposed and displayed in accordance with the position of the object in the AR case. Examples of the video information that becomes the virtual image 9 include various types such as information such as vehicle speed, navigation information, and alert information.

[0037] The vehicle 2 is also equipped with a camera 90. The camera 90 is installed, for example, near the rearview mirror, but is not limited thereto. The camera 90 includes an external camera that captures the outside of the vehicle and an internal camera that captures the inside of the vehicle.

[0038] [Video Display Unit of HUD Device] FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the video display unit 200 of the HUD device 1 in FIG. 2 in the Y-Z plane. The video display unit 200 has a video display device 10, a concave mirror M1, and a mirror M2 within the housing 60, and these components are arranged and fixed in a predetermined positional relationship.

[0039] Note that the video display device 10 may be attached within the housing 60 as shown in the figure, or may be attached outside the housing 60. Also, as will be described later (FIG. 7 etc.), other components such as the control unit 101 which is the controller of the HUD device 1 may be mounted within the housing 60, or may be mounted outside the housing 60.

[0040] The image display device 10 is configured to include a light source device 11 and a display panel or a liquid crystal display panel (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display) 12. In other words, the image display device 10 is an image forming unit that forms an image. The image display device 10 generates and emits image light a1.

[0041] The light source device 11 is configured by using, for example, a semiconductor light source element as a light source, generates predetermined light source light, and supplies it to the LCD 12. The light source device 11 functions as a backlight source for the LCD 12. Typically, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element is used as the semiconductor light source element.

[0042] The LCD 12 is an example of a display device. Based on the input video signal, the LCD 12 forms an image or a picture on the display surface and emits the image light a1 from the display surface. The LCD 12 forms an image by modulating the transmittance of the light from the light source device 11 for each pixel according to the video signal, and emits it as the image light a1. Note that the image light a1 etc. are illustrated only with the optical axis shown by a dashed-dotted line.

[0043] The image light a1 from the image display device 10 is projected onto the mirror M2 and reflected by the mirror M2 so as to be folded back toward the concave mirror M1. The reflected light is shown as the image light a2 from the mirror M2. The image light a2 from the mirror M2 is projected onto the reflecting surface of the concave mirror M1 and reflected by the concave mirror M1 through the opening 7 toward the windshield 3. The reflected image light from the concave mirror M1 is shown as the image light a3. The image light a3 from the concave mirror M1 passes through the opening 7, is projected onto the surface of the windshield 3, and forms the HUD region 5 in FIG. 2.

[0044] Note that in FIG. 3, similar to FIG. 2, only the first rotation axis J1 and the motor 61 are shown for the concave mirror M1. The concave mirror M1 is rotatable about the first rotation axis J1 based on the drive of the motor 61. By the rotation about the first rotation axis J1, the projection direction of the video light a3 from the reflecting surface of the concave mirror M1 changes as indicated by the arrow. As a result, the position where the HUD region 5 in FIG. 2 is formed is changed in the vertical direction 5a. Further, by the rotation about the first rotation axis J1, the ON / OFF of the concave mirror M1 can be adjusted.

[0045] Note that as a HUD device of the prior art example, similar to FIG. 3, there is one provided with a drive system such as a motor 61 installed on a rotation axis J1 extending in the X-axis direction in the concave mirror M1. The HUD device of the prior art example can adjust the position of the HUD region 5 in the vertical direction 5a by rotating the concave mirror M1 about the X-axis by driving the motor 61 or the like.

[0046] The HUD device of Embodiment 1 has a function of adjusting the position of the HUD region 5 in the vertical direction 5a by the rotation about the rotation axis J1 of the concave mirror M1, similar to the prior art example. This adjustment function in the vertical direction 5a is mainly utilized for the following two purposes. The first is a function of adjusting the position of the HUD region 5 vertically in accordance with the position of the glove box including the viewpoint 6 of the driver in the driver's seat in the vehicle 2, which is a so-called calibration function. The second is a function of blocking external light such as sunlight, in other words, a function of preventing external light from entering the housing 60 to prevent panel burning of the video display device 10 (described as an external light blocking function, an external light entry prevention function, etc.), which is a so-called function of adjusting the ON / OFF of the concave mirror.

[0047] In FIG. 3, two states of the concave mirror M1 in its rotational state are illustrated. The state s1 shown by the dashed line indicates the rotational state of the concave mirror M1 during normal display, and the image light a3, which is the reflected light, travels in the direction d1 shown in the figure. The state s2 shown by the solid line indicates the rotational state of the concave mirror M1 when preventing external light from entering. The image light a3, which is the reflected light, travels in the direction d2 shown in the figure. In the state s2, the concave mirror M1 has its reflecting surface tilted backward, for example, in the Y-axis direction (the longitudinal direction of the vehicle). The direction d2 of the image light a3 from the reflecting surface is tilted more backward than the direction d1.

[0048] When preventing external light from entering, the HUD device 1 rotates the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J1 in this way to make it in the state s2. In the state s2, even when external light such as sunlight enters along the opposite direction of the direction d1, for example, the external light does not enter the reflecting surface of the concave mirror M1, or even if it does enter, the direction of the reflected light of the incident external light is diverted so that it does not enter the mirror M2 and the display surface of the image display device 10. Thereby, it is possible to prevent, in particular, the panel burn-in of the LCD 12 of the image display device 10.

[0049] The HUD device 1 sets the concave mirror M1 to the state s2 as the external light entry prevention mode, for example, when the display in the HUD area 5 is not in use. The HUD device 1 sets the concave mirror M1 to the state s1 as the normal display mode during normal display.

[0050] The HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1 has the adjustment function in the vertical direction 5a of the HUD area 5 as in the prior art example, and further has a function of moving the position of the HUD area 5 in the left-right direction by rotating the concave mirror M1 around the second rotation axis J2 extending in the Z-axis direction (FIGS. 6, 10, etc.).

[0051] In FIG. 2, the HUD area 5 is illustrated as including two areas: an area formed in accordance with the slope of the windshield 3 and an area formed at a predetermined distance forward beyond the windshield 5. The HUD area 5 is an area formed in front as seen from the driver's viewpoint 6 and conceptually includes these areas.

[0052] [Vehicle Information and Sensors] FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of sensors and the like related to the vehicle information 4 in FIG. 1. In FIG. 4, it shows a configuration example of various sensors connected to the control unit 100 of the vehicle 2, in other words, information acquisition devices, measurement devices, communication devices, and the like. The control unit 100 acquires the vehicle information 4 from sensors and the like installed in each part of the vehicle 2. The various sensors periodically detect, for example, parameter values related to situations such as the driving situation inside and outside the vehicle 2. Further, the control unit 100 determines and detects various events related to the vehicle 2 based on the detection information of the sensors.

[0053] The vehicle information 4 is a general term for information related to situations such as the driving of the vehicle 2. The vehicle information 4 includes ADAS information and the like. The vehicle information 4 includes, for example, speed information, gear information, steering wheel steering angle information, lamp lighting information, external light information, distance information, infrared information, engine ON / OFF information, camera video information, acceleration gyro information, GPS (Global Positioning System) information, navigation information, vehicle-to-vehicle communication information, and road-to-vehicle communication information. The camera video information includes in-vehicle camera video information and out-of-vehicle camera video information. The GPS information includes current time information, latitude and longitude information.

[0054] FIG. 4 shows an example of various sensors installed in the vehicle 2. Similarly, various sensors may be installed in the HUD device 1. Examples of the various sensors include a vehicle speed sensor 401, a shift position sensor 402, a steering wheel steering angle sensor 403, a headlight sensor 404, an illuminance sensor 405, a chromaticity sensor 406, a distance measuring sensor 407, an infrared sensor 408, an engine start sensor 409, an acceleration sensor 410, a gyro sensor 411, a temperature sensor 412, a road-vehicle communication wireless transceiver 413, a vehicle-vehicle communication wireless transceiver 414, an in-vehicle camera 415, an out-vehicle camera 416, a GPS receiver 417, a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System, registered trademark) receiver 418, and the like. The various sensors are not limited to these, and addition, deletion, replacement, etc. are possible.

[0055] The vehicle speed sensor 401 detects the speed of the vehicle 2 (also referred to as the vehicle speed) and generates speed information as the detection result. The shift position sensor 402 detects the current gear and generates gear information as the detection result. The steering wheel steering angle sensor 403 detects the current steering wheel steering angle and generates steering wheel steering angle information as the detection result. The headlight sensor 404 detects the ON / OFF, etc. of the headlights and generates lamp lighting information as the detection result. The illuminance sensor 405 and the chromaticity sensor 406 detect the external light and generate external light information as the detection result.

[0056] The distance measuring sensor 407 detects the distance between the vehicle 2 and an external object and generates distance information as the detection result. The infrared sensor 408 detects the presence or absence and distance of an object in the vicinity of the vehicle 2 and generates infrared information as the detection result. The engine start sensor 409 detects the ON / OFF of the engine and generates ON / OFF information as the detection result. The acceleration sensor 410 and the gyro sensor 411 detect the acceleration and angular velocity of the vehicle 2 and generate acceleration gyro information representing the attitude and behavior of the vehicle 2 as the detection result. The temperature sensor 412 detects the internal and external temperatures of the vehicle 2 and generates temperature information as the detection result.

[0057] The in-vehicle camera 415 generates in-vehicle camera video information by photographing the interior of the vehicle 2. The out-vehicle camera 416 generates out-vehicle camera video information by photographing the exterior of the vehicle 2. In a specific example, the camera 90 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the in-vehicle camera 415 and the out-vehicle camera 416. The in-vehicle camera 415 photographs, for example, the driver's posture, eye position, movement, etc., and constitutes a DMS (Driver Monitoring System). By analyzing the in-vehicle camera video information, the driver's fatigue status, line of sight, etc. can be grasped. Also, the out-vehicle camera 416 photographs the surrounding situation such as in front of the vehicle 2. By analyzing the out-vehicle camera video information, it is possible to grasp the presence or absence of other vehicles, people, etc. existing around the vehicle 2, road surface conditions such as buildings, terrain, rain, snow accumulation, freezing, unevenness, and road signs. Also, the out-vehicle camera 416 includes a drive recorder that records the situation during driving in video.

[0058] The vehicle-road communication wireless transceiver 413 generates vehicle-road communication information through vehicle-road communication between the vehicle 2 and roads, signs, traffic lights, etc. The vehicle-vehicle communication wireless transceiver 414 generates vehicle-vehicle communication information through vehicle-vehicle communication between the vehicle 2 and surrounding other vehicles. The GPS receiver 417 generates GPS information by receiving GPS signals from GPS satellites. For example, the current time, latitude, and longitude can be acquired as GPS information. The VICS receiver 418 generates VICS information obtained by receiving VICS signals. The GPS receiver 417 and the VICS receiver 418 may be provided as part of a navigation system.

[0059] [HUD Area - Vertical Movement] FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of the position of the formation of the HUD region 5 with respect to the windshield 3 according to the rotational state of the concave mirror M1 when the windshield 3 (schematically shown as a rectangle in FIG. 5) is viewed forward from the driver's viewpoint 6 in the X-Z plane of the left-right direction (X-axis direction or vehicle width direction) and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) of the vehicle 2. In FIG. 5, in particular, an example of the movement of the HUD region 5 in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) according to the rotational state of the first rotation axis J1 of the concave mirror M1 is shown. In FIGS. 5 and the like, a case having a steering wheel 8 corresponding to a right-hand drive vehicle is schematically shown. In FIGS. 5 and the like, a case is shown where the HUD region 5A in the initial position is formed near the center in the X-axis direction in the transparent region of the windshield 3, but this is a schematic illustration and is not limited thereto.

[0060] For example, the position of the HUD region 5 is adjusted in the up-down direction 5a as a setting according to the state of the driver's viewpoint 6 seated in the driver's seat, in other words, as calibration. Also, in the example of FIG. 5, in the HUD region 5, as an example of the virtual image 9, an arrow image for navigation, an image representing the distance to the destination, etc. are displayed.

[0061] When the rotational state related to the rotation axis J1 of the concave mirror M1 is the state A which is a predetermined reference state, the reflected light from the concave mirror M1 travels in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow, and the HUD region 5A is formed at the position shown in the figure. This position of the HUD region 5A may be described as the initial position, reference position, default position, center position, first position, etc. for the sake of explanation.

[0062] On the other hand, when the rotational state of the rotation axis J1 of the concave mirror M1 is set to a predetermined state U as shown by the dotted line by the drive of the motor 61, the reflected light from the concave mirror M1 travels upward more than in the case of state A, and the HUD region 5U is formed at the position shown in the figure (which may be described as the upper position). Similarly, when the rotational state of the rotation axis J1 of the concave mirror M1 is set to a predetermined state D as shown by the broken line by the drive of the motor 62, the reflected light from the concave mirror M1 travels downward more than in the case of state A, and the HUD region 5D is formed at the position shown in the figure (which may be described as the lower position).

[0063] [HUD Area - Left - Right Movement] FIG. 6, similar to FIG. 5, shows, as an example of the configuration of the position of the formation of the HUD area 5 with respect to the windshield 3 according to the rotational state of the concave mirror M1, particularly an example of the movement of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction (X - axis direction) according to the rotation of the second rotation axis J2 of the concave mirror M1, when viewing the windshield 3 forward from the driver's viewpoint 6. In FIG. 6, the position in the vertical direction 5a as in FIG. 5 is considered to be the reference position.

[0064] When the rotational state related to the rotation axis J2 of the concave mirror M1 is the state A which is a predetermined reference state, the reflected light from the concave mirror M1 travels in the direction indicated by the solid - line arrow, and the HUD area 5A is formed at the position shown in the figure. On the other hand, when the rotational state related to the rotation axis J2 of the concave mirror M1 is set to a predetermined state L as shown by the dotted line by driving the motor 62, the reflected light from the concave mirror M1 travels in the left - hand direction as shown by the dotted - line arrow compared to the case of state A, and the HUD area 5L is formed at the position shown in the figure. The position of this HUD area 5L may be described as the left position, the second position, etc. for the sake of explanation.

[0065] Similarly, when the rotational state related to the rotation axis J2 of the concave mirror M1 is set to a predetermined state R as shown by the broken line by driving the motor 62, the reflected light from the concave mirror M1 travels in the right - hand direction as shown by the broken - line arrow compared to the case of state A, and the HUD area 5R is formed at the position shown in the figure. The position of this HUD area 5R may be described as the right position, the second position, etc. for the sake of explanation. When not distinguishing between the left position and the right position, they may be collectively referred to as the left - right position or the second position.

[0066] As shown in the figure, in the first embodiment, by providing a mechanism for tilting and rotating the concave mirror M1 left and right around the rotation axis J2 extending in the vertical direction, the HUD area 5 can be moved in the left - right direction 5b within a predetermined movement range. In FIG. 6, the positions of each HUD area 5 (5L, 5A, 5R) are shown as the central points of the rectangular areas, but it is not limited to this. Also, in FIG. 6, as a design of the HUD device 1, a case where the movement amount of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b is larger than the movement amount in the up - down direction 5a in FIG. 5 is shown, but it is not limited to this.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, since the HUD area 5 is movable in the left - right direction 5b, when viewed from the driver's viewpoint 6, the apparent FOV by the HUD area 5 is a large range synthesized from the HUD areas 5L, 5A, 5R at each position.

[0068] [Functional Block - First Configuration Example] FIG. 7 shows a first configuration example of the functional blocks of the HUD device 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, the HUD device 1 includes a control unit 101 which is a controller, a communication unit 103, a display device driver unit 105, and a mirror mechanism M1. The mirror mechanism M1 is the concave mirror described above and has a mirror first drive unit 111 and a mirror second drive unit 112. Also, the HUD device 1 in this embodiment includes a storage unit 102, a voice input device 106, and a voice output device 107, but is not limited thereto. These units are interconnected via a bus 109 or the like, and are capable of mutual input / output and communication.

[0069] The control unit 101 is, in other words, a controller or a control device. The control unit 101 realizes control functions and the like based on processing by a processor. The control function is a function for controlling the entire HUD device 1 and each part thereof, and includes a function for controlling the position of the HUD area 5. The control unit 101 realizes its functions by software program processing or a dedicated circuit. Not limited to this, the HUD device 1 of the present invention may not have the control unit 101. When the HUD device 1 does not have the control unit 101, the control unit of the vehicle can function as the control unit 101 of the HUD device 1. In such a case, the method of controlling the entire HUD device 1 and each part thereof by the control unit of the vehicle is the same as that of the control unit 101 of the HUD device 1.

[0070] The storage unit 102 is configured using a storage device or the like. The storage unit 102 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory 102A and a volatile memory 102B. Various data and information handled by the control unit 101 and the like, including computer programs, are stored in the storage unit 102.

[0071] The communication unit 103 is a device in which a communication interface is implemented. As a communication interface, the communication unit 103 is connected to a control unit 100 (for example, an electronic control unit: ECU) via an interface such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network) of the vehicle 2 and can communicate therewith.

[0072] The display device driver 105 is a device that drives the light source device 11 and the LCD 12 of the video display device 10 based on control from the control unit 101, and includes a drive circuit and the like.

[0073] The mirror first drive unit 111 and the mirror second drive unit 112 are devices that drive a concave mirror M1 which is a mirror mechanism. The mirror first drive unit 111 is a mechanism including a motor 61 or the like of a first rotation axis J1 as shown in FIG. 2 or the like. The mirror second drive unit 111 is a mechanism including a motor 62 or the like of a second rotation axis J2 as shown in FIG. 6 or the like.

[0074] The voice input device 106 is composed of a microphone, a circuit, etc. The voice output device 107 is composed of a speaker, a circuit, etc. Although the case where the HUD device 1 is provided with the voice input device 106 and the voice output device 107 is shown, it is not limited to this. The HUD device 1 may use a voice input device 106 and a voice output device 107 that are externally connected to the inside of the vehicle 2.

[0075] In FIG. 7, the control unit 101 acquires input information such as vehicle information 4 (FIG. 1), ADAS information, and event information as a CAN signal 701 from the control unit 100 through the communication unit 103. The input information includes detection signals of various sensors, or information that is the result of the control unit 100 processing the same. The input information also includes information on an object in the real scene detected based on, for example, an image of the camera 90, and alert information and navigation information for superimposing on the object. The control unit 101 generates video information for display as a virtual image in the HUD area 5 as needed based on such input information by means of a control function. The control unit 101 generates a video signal or the like for controlling the display device driving unit 105 based on the video information.

[0076] Also, when the control unit 101 performs voice output by the HUD device 1, it generates voice output information and controls the voice output device 107. Further, when the control unit 101 inputs the voice of a user such as a driver, it performs voice recognition based on the input voice of the voice input device 106 and accepts a predetermined instruction or the like.

[0077] Not limited to the configuration example of FIG. 7, the HUD device 1 may be provided with various sensors, for example. The control unit 101 may use the detection information of the sensors to judge and detect the state of the HUD device 1 and the state in the vicinity of the HUD device 1, and perform predetermined control.

[0078] [Functional Block - Second Configuration Example] FIG. 8A shows a second configuration example of the functional blocks of the HUD device 1 according to Embodiment 1. The second configuration example shows a more detailed configuration example compared to the first configuration example. The control unit 101 of the HUD device 1 includes an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 800, a memory 810, a vehicle information acquisition unit 815, a display driver 820, an operation input unit 825, and the like. The video display unit 200 includes a solar sensor 66 and the like in addition to the same components as described above.

[0079] In FIG. 8A, the control unit 101 is configured to include an MCU 800. The MCU 800 includes a processor, a memory, peripheral functions, and the like. The memory 810 corresponds to the non-volatile memory 102A and the volatile memory 102B in FIG. 7. The vehicle information acquisition unit 815 is a device that acquires the vehicle information 4 of the vehicle 2 and can be implemented using the communication unit 103 in FIG. 7 and the like. The display driver 820 is a driver that drives the LCD 12. The operation input unit 825 is optional, but is a part that inputs and acquires operation input information for the HUD device 1 by a user such as a driver, and can be implemented using, for example, a control panel with a touch panel or a remote control. The operation input unit 825 may receive operation input information from the control unit 100 of the vehicle 2 via CAN communication. For example, the control unit 100 acquires operation input information input by the driver using a device such as a button provided on the steering wheel 8 and the like of the vehicle 2 and transmits it to the HUD device 1. The control unit 101 may perform predetermined control according to the operation input information.

[0080] The solar sensor 66 is installed near, for example, the concave mirror M1 or the opening 7, as shown in FIG. 9 described later. The solar sensor 66 detects the incidence of external light such as sunlight. In addition to the solar sensor 66, the HUD device 1 may similarly use a temperature sensor 412 (FIG. 4) and the like. Note that the solar sensor 66 may be a part of the sensors in FIG. 4, and the HUD device 1 may receive detection information of the solar sensor 66 from the control unit 100.

[0081] The MCU 800 includes, as functional blocks realized based on processing by a processor, a video data generation unit 801, a distortion correction unit 802, a light source adjustment unit 803, a HUD area position change unit 804, a mirror change unit 805, a protection processing unit 806, and the like.

[0082] The video data generation unit 801 generates video data related to the virtual image 9 to be displayed in the HUD area 5 based on input information such as vehicle information 4. The distortion correction unit 802 performs distortion correction processing to correct the video data so that the virtual image 9 displayed in the HUD area 5 has a suitable shape without distortion considering the curvature of the windshield 3, and outputs the video data after distortion correction.

[0083] The light source adjustment unit 803 adjusts the on / off of the light emission of the light source of the light source device 12, the light amount, etc. according to the video data and the like.

[0084] The HUD area position change unit 804 performs control processing for changing and adjusting the position of the HUD area 5 based on vehicle information 4, ADAS information, navigation information, etc., or operation input information by the user. As a specific example, the HUD area position change unit 804 determines to change and adjust the position of the HUD area 5 when a predetermined condition is satisfied based on ADAS information and navigation information. Then, the HUD area position change unit 804 controls the rotation of the concave mirror M1 to move to the determined position of the HUD area 5.

[0085] In the second configuration example of FIG. 8A, the HUD area position change unit 804 and the mirror change unit 805 are parts that include control of both the change function in the vertical direction 5a as shown in FIG. 5 and the change function in the horizontal direction 5b as shown in FIG. 6.

[0086] The mirror changing unit 805 is a part that drives and controls the rotation of the concave mirror M1 according to the control from the HUD area position changing unit 804. In the case of a change in the vertical direction 5a as shown in FIG. 5, the mirror changing unit 805 drives and controls the mirror first driving unit 111 by the first drive signal. The mirror first driving unit 111 is a mechanism including the aforementioned first rotation axis J1 and the motor 61. In the case of a change in the horizontal direction 5b as shown in FIG. 6, the mirror changing unit 805 drives and controls the mirror second driving unit 112 by the second drive signal. The mirror second driving unit 112 is a mechanism including the aforementioned second rotation axis J2 and the motor 62.

[0087] Based on the detection information of the solar sensor 66, the protection processing unit 806 is a part that performs protection processing to block the incidence of external light into the housing 60 of the HUD device 1 and prevent panel burning of the LCD 12, which is a display device. When the protection processing unit 806 detects the incidence of external light such as sunlight from the opening 7 as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 9 to be described later based on the detection information of the solar sensor 66, it controls to transition to the aforementioned external light incidence prevention mode (in other words, the protection mode) for protection. At that time, the protection processing unit 806 cooperates with the HUD area position changing unit 804 and controls to set the rotation state of the concave mirror M1 corresponding to the protection mode (state s2 in FIG. 3).

[0088] Although not shown, the control unit 100 may include, as other components, an audio data generation unit and an audio driver, etc. In that case, the audio output device 107 in FIG. 7, or the audio output device of the vehicle 2 may be caused to perform audio output. Examples of audio output include audio output of navigation and alerts corresponding to the display of the virtual image 9.

[0089] [Functional Block - Third Configuration Example] FIG. 8B shows a third configuration example which is a modification of the second configuration example of FIG. 8A. As a difference from FIG. 8A in the configuration example of FIG. 8B, the HUD area position changing unit 804 is provided separately into two parts: a HUD area position vertical adjustment unit 804A and a HUD area position horizontal movement unit 804B. Also, the mirror changing unit 805 is provided separately into two parts: a mirror vertical adjustment unit 805A and a mirror horizontal movement unit 805B. That is, in the configuration example of FIG. 8B, the control and driving for adjusting the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a and the control and driving for moving the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction 5b are provided separately and independently in parallel.

[0090] The HUD area position vertical adjustment unit 804A performs control to adjust the position of the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a, for example, by rotating the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J1 based on operation input information. At that time, the mirror vertical adjustment unit 805A drives the mirror first drive unit 111 according to the control from the HUD area position vertical adjustment unit 804A.

[0091] The HUD area position horizontal movement unit 804B automatically performs control to move the position of the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction 5b, for example, by rotating the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J2 based on vehicle information 4 and ADAS information. At that time, the mirror horizontal movement unit 805B drives the mirror second drive unit 112 according to the control from the HUD area position horizontal movement unit 804B.

[0092] Although not shown, also in FIG. 8B, similar to FIG. 8A, control of the protection mode can be applied using the solar sensor 66 and the protection processing unit 806. In that case, it is linked from the protection processing unit 806 to the HUD area position vertical adjustment unit 304A.

[0093] [Implementation Example of Video Display Unit] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an implementation example of the video display unit 200 of the HUD device 1 in FIG. 3, showing an implementation example of the housing 60, the video display device 10, the mirror M2, the concave mirror M1, the opening 7, the solar sensor 66, etc. In the housing 60, a module of the video display device 10, an optical system such as the mirror M2 and the concave mirror M1, a dust cover of the opening 7, etc. are fixed. The video light from the mirror M2 is reflected by the concave mirror M1 as shown by the one-dot chain line indicating the optical axis, passes through the dust cover of the opening 7, and is emitted to the outside. Also, in FIG. 9, the optical axis of the incident external light such as sunlight is illustrated by a solid arrow in the opposite direction to the optical axis of such video light.

[0094] In the example of FIG. 9, the solar sensor 66 is installed at one location of the dust cover of the opening 7. The solar sensor 66 detects the incidence of external light such as sunlight on the dust cover and the concave mirror M1 within a range 66a shown by a cone, for example, and outputs the detection information. The incident direction of external light such as sunlight is assumed to be the opposite direction to the direction of the optical axis of the video light as shown in the figure.

[0095] The light source device 11 is configured as a module having, as an implementation example, an LED substrate, a heat sink, a collimator, a polarization conversion element, a light guide, a diffusion plate, etc. This light source device 11 generates light source light having directivity at a narrow divergence angle controlled to a specific polarization. The display device 12 by the LCD 12 generates and emits video light having directivity using this light source light as a backlight. The virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5 is formed as a virtual image 9 having directivity based on such video light.

[0096] The LED substrate is a substrate having a plurality of LED elements as semiconductor light source elements. The heat sink dissipates heat from the LED substrate. A collimator is provided on the light-emitting side of each LED element of the LED substrate. The collimator is an element that controls the traveling direction of light, and converts the light from the LED element into substantially parallel light and emits it. A polarization conversion element is provided on the light-emitting side of the light from the collimator. The polarization conversion element is an element that aligns polarization characteristics, and converts light having random polarization as substantially parallel light from the collimator into light having linearly polarized light. The polarization conversion element is configured by combining a polarization conversion prism and a wave plate.

[0097] A light guide is provided on the light-emitting side of the light from the polarization conversion element. The light guide receives the linearly polarized light from the polarization conversion element, and performs light distribution control while reflecting it toward an emission direction different from the incident direction, that is, the direction where the LCD 12 is located, by a reflection part and then emits it. The light guide includes a reflection part that performs reflection and light distribution control. The reflection part is formed by alternately repeating each of a plurality of reflection surfaces and each of a plurality of connecting surfaces, and each reflection surface is set to have a different direction.

[0098] The light emitted from the light guide enters the diffusion plate and is diffused, and then enters the back side of the LCD 12. The LCD 12 generates video light using this incident light as a backlight. The video light emitted from the display surface of the LCD 12 becomes video light having directivity.

[0099] [Concave mirror mechanism] Next, the concave mirror M1, which is a concave mirror mechanism, will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 and the like. FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of an implementation configuration example of the concave mirror M1. In FIG. 10, the X-Z plane is mainly shown so that the reflecting surface, which is the main surface of the concave mirror M1, can be clearly seen. Further, FIG. 11 shows the plane views seen from each axial direction as a plan view of the concave mirror M1. Further, FIG. 12 shows the relationship between the X-Y plane view of the concave mirror M1 seen from above (Z-axis) and the HUD region 5. Note that, regarding the coordinate system and directions of (X, Y, Z) for explanation, in FIGS. 10 and the like, unlike FIGS. 1 and the like, they are described as a coordinate system adapted to the concave mirror M1. The reflecting surface of the concave mirror M1 is arranged in the X-Z plane in FIGS. 10 and the like, but is arranged as an inclined surface with respect to the X-Z plane in FIGS. 2, 9, and the like.

[0100] The configuration of the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in the HUD device 1 of the first embodiment is as follows. The concave mirror M1 includes a mirror holder 51, a concave mirror body 52, a first rotation axis J1, a motor 61, a support member 63, a second rotation axis J2, a motor 62, and the like.

[0101] In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the HUD region 5 is configured as a horizontally long screen whose horizontal size (horizontal direction within the screen) is larger than the vertical size (vertical direction within the screen). Therefore, correspondingly, the LCD 12 of the video display device 10 also has a horizontally long display surface, and the concave mirror M1, the reflecting surface, and the effective area also have a horizontally long shape.

[0102] An axis extending in the horizontal direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the concave mirror M1, is defined as the X-axis, and an axis extending in the vertical direction, which is the short-side direction, is defined as the Z-axis. Rotation axes are provided for the X-axis and the Z-axis respectively. The X-axis is the first rotation axis J1, and the Z-axis is the second rotation axis J2.

[0103] By rotating the concave mirror M1 (mirror holder 51 and concave mirror body 52) around the rotation axis J1 which is the X-axis, the projection direction of the image light reflected by the concave mirror M1 is changed to the vertical direction 5a as described above (Fig. 5 etc.), and thereby, the HUD area 5 moves in the vertical direction 5a. Let the angle of rotation around the rotation axis J1 which is the X-axis be θ, and let one direction of rotation be ra and the reverse direction be rb. The direction ra corresponds to upward movement as in the state U of Fig. 5 and the HUD area 5U, and the direction rb corresponds to downward movement as in the state D of Fig. 5 and the HUD area 5D.

[0104] By rotating the concave mirror body 52 of the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J2 which is the Z-axis, the projection direction of the reflected image light of the concave mirror M1 is changed to the horizontal direction 5b as described above (Fig. 6 etc.), and thereby, the HUD area 5 moves in the horizontal direction 5b. Let the angle of rotation around the rotation axis J2 which is the Z-axis be φ, and let one direction of rotation be rc and the reverse direction be rd. The direction rc corresponds to leftward movement as in the state L of Fig. 6 and the HUD area 5L, and the direction rd corresponds to rightward movement as in the state R of Fig. 6 and the HUD area 5R.

[0105] The first rotation axis J1 and the motor 61 are supported by a support member 63. The support member 63 is fixed to the housing 60 (Fig. 9). The reflecting surface which is the main surface of the concave mirror body 52 shown has a concave curved surface. Further, this curved surface may have a free-form surface shape or a non-axisymmetric shape etc. corresponding to the design of optical characteristics such as aberration correction and magnification.

[0106] The mirror holder 51 of the concave mirror M1 has a substantially frame shape, and a mirror holder axis as the first rotation axis J1 is provided on the X-axis extending in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, mirror holder axes as the first rotation axis J1 are provided at the vertical center positions on each of the left and right sides of the mirror holder 51. The mirror holder 51 is fixed to the mirror holder axis. A motor 61 which is a first motor is connected to the first rotation axis J1 as a first drive system and a first drive device. The motor 61 is driven based on the above-described drive control to rotate the first rotation axis J1.

[0107] On one hand, a concave mirror body 52 is provided inside the frame of the mirror holder 51 of the concave mirror M1. A mirror axis as a second rotation axis J2 is provided on the Z axis extending in the short side direction of the mirror holder 51. Specifically, the mirror axis is provided at the left and right center positions of the upper and lower sides of the mirror holder 51 respectively. More specifically, the second rotation axis J2 provided at the left and right center positions of the concave mirror body 52 is rotatably connected to the bearings provided at the left and right center positions of the mirror holder 51. The concave mirror body 52 is fixed to the mirror axis. A motor 62, which is a second motor, is connected to the second rotation axis J2 as a second drive system and a second drive device. The motor 62 is driven based on the aforementioned drive control to rotate the second rotation axis J2.

[0108] When moving the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a as shown in FIG. 5 etc., the mirror holder 51 is rotated around the first rotation axis J1 by driving the motor 61. Following the rotation of the mirror holder 51, the concave mirror body 52, the motor 62, etc. are also rotated around the first rotation axis J1 integrally with the mirror holder 51. Along with this rotation, since the projection direction of the reflected image light from the concave mirror M1 is changed in the vertical direction 5a, the position of the HUD area 5 moves in the vertical direction 5a.

[0109] On the other hand, when moving the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction 5b as shown in FIG. 6 etc., the concave mirror body 52 is rotated around the second rotation axis J2 by driving the motor 62. At this time, the mirror holder 51 does not rotate and remains stationary, and only the concave mirror body 52 is rotated with respect to the mirror holder 51. Along with this, since the projection direction of the reflected image light from the concave mirror M1 is changed in the horizontal direction 5b, the position of the HUD area 5 moves in the horizontal direction 5b.

[0110] In Fig. 11, (A) shows an X-Z plane view, (B) shows a Y-Z plane view seen from the direction of arrow A, and (C) shows an X-Y plane view seen from the direction of arrow B. In the implementation example of Fig. 11, a motor 61 is installed on the left side of the mirror holder 51, and a motor 62 is built into the lower side of the mirror holder 51.

[0111] (A) shows that the mirror holder 51 and the concave mirror body 52 are in the initial position state A, and the concave mirror body 52 is arranged in the X-Z plane along the four sides of the frame of the mirror holder 51.

[0112] As for the implementation of the first drive system and the second drive system as the drive system of the concave mirror M1, for example, it is advisable to provide a gear and a motor separately. The positions of the motor and the like of the drive system are not limited to this example, and they can be at any position, either up and down or left and right.

[0113] (B) shows that the solid line indicates the initial position state A of the mirror holder 51 and the concave mirror body 52, and the dashed line indicates the state D rotated, for example, in the direction rb. From state A, the concave mirror M1 rotates in the direction rb at an angle θ around the rotation axis J1 to reach state D. In state D, the upper side of the concave mirror body 52 and the mirror holder 51 is inclined forward in the Y-axis direction. The direction of the image light from the concave mirror M1 is more forward in the Y-axis direction and more downward in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the position of the HUD area 5 moves more downward in the vertical direction 5a.

[0114] In (C), with respect to the mirror holder 51 in the initial state, the concave mirror body 52 shows a state L in which the broken line is tilted and rotated, for example, to the left, and a state R in which the solid line is tilted and rotated, for example, to the right. From state A, when the concave mirror body 52 rotates in the direction rc at an angle φ around the rotation axis J2, it becomes state R. Also, from state A, when the concave mirror body 52 rotates in the direction rd at an angle φ around the rotation axis J2, it becomes state L. In state L, the right side of the concave mirror body 52 is tilted so as to protrude rearward in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the position of the HUD region 5 moves more to the left in the left-right direction 5b. In state R, the left side of the concave mirror body 52 is tilted so as to protrude rearward in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the position of the HUD region 5 moves more to the right in the left-right direction 5b.

[0115] [Mirror Rotation and Position of HUD Region] In FIG. 12, corresponding to (C) in FIG. 11 and FIG. 6, it shows the relationship between the rotation direction of the concave mirror body 52 around the second rotation axis J2 of the concave mirror M1 and the moving direction of the HUD region 5 corresponding to the rotation direction. Below FIG. 12, the concave mirror M1 is shown as an X-Y plane view in the same way as (C) in FIG. 11, and above FIG. 12, the movement of the position of the HUD region 5 in the X-Z plane as seen from the driver is shown. As the state of the concave mirror body 52, the broken line indicates state A corresponding to the initial position, and the solid line indicates state R when tilted to the right. Correspondingly, as the state of the HUD region 5, the broken line indicates the HUD region 5A at the initial position, central position, etc. corresponding to state A, and the solid line indicates the HUD region 5R at the right position corresponding to state R.

[0116] The rotation of the concave mirror body 52 from state A to state R is a rotation at an angle φ in the direction rd around the rotation axis J2. The position of the rightmost HUD region 5R is determined according to the maximum angle φ. Although not shown, the same applies to the rotation from state A to state L. The dash-dotted arrow indicates the optical axis from the central point of the reflecting surface of the concave mirror body 52 to the central point of the HUD region 5R at the right position.

[0117] Assume that the position of the HUD area 5 is represented by, for example, the center point of a rectangle. The position of the HUD area 5A in state A, which is the initial state, is represented by position 1201, and the position in the right - moved state R is represented by position 1202. The positions in the left - right direction 5b corresponding to the X - axis are represented by position 1211 and position 1212. The amount or distance of the movement 1200 from the central position 1211 to the right position 1212 is an amount or distance corresponding to the rotation angle φ.

[0118] Note that the position of the HUD area 5 may be represented by the position coordinates of the upper - left point or the lower - right point of the rectangle. Also, before and after the movement, the size of the rectangle of the HUD area 5 hardly changes. Further, since the rotation direction of the concave mirror varies according to the arrangement position of the concave mirror with respect to the vehicle, it is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0119] [Motor] The motors 61 and 62 only need to have the same axis and the same rotation, and details of the implementation such as the installation position and type of the motor are not limited. The motors 61 and 62 may be applied with motors capable of finely controlling the rotation amount, such as stepping motors, according to the design of the HUD device 1, or motors capable of coarsely controlling the rotation amount in steps. In the former case, the position of the HUD area 5 can be finely controlled for movement, and in the latter case, the position of the HUD area 5 can be coarsely controlled for movement in steps. The motors 61 and 62 can apply various motors such as DC motors, AC motors, PM motors, ultrasonic motors, induction motors, and stepping motors.

[0120] [Virtual Image Display Example of HUD Area] Next, FIG. 13 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a real scene and a display example of display content such as a virtual image 9 displayed in the HUD area 5 in the X-Z plane when looking forward from the driver's viewpoint 6. The HUD area 5A indicated by the dashed frame shows the HUD area 5 at the initial state and in the central position. In this example, the HUD device 1 acquires information on the vehicle traveling direction based on, for example, the navigation information of the vehicle 2. The vehicle traveling direction corresponds to, for example, the direction corresponding to a right turn at an intersection ahead, corresponding to the forward direction (Y direction) along the own lane before the first right turn and the right direction (X direction) after the right turn.

[0121] Then, the HUD device 1 rotates the concave mirror M1 around the second rotation axis J2 in accordance with the vehicle traveling direction. The rotation direction in accordance with the vehicle traveling direction corresponds to the direction rd in FIG. 12. Along with this rotation, the HUD area 5 moves from the HUD area 5A at the initial position to the HUD area 5R at the right position as shown in the figure. The movement 1300 indicates a right movement, from the position 1301 of the HUD area 5A to the position 1302 of the HUD area 5R. The solid rectangular frame indicates the HUD area 5R at the right position after the movement.

[0122] Note that usually, the rectangular frame that is the maximum range of the HUD area 5 is not displayed as a virtual image.

[0123] The virtual image 9a is an example of the virtual image 9 within the HUD area 5A at the initial position before movement, and is an example of a navigation image (in other words, navigation display) for navigating a right turn. The virtual image 9a is generated based on the navigation information of the vehicle 2. The control unit 101 of the HUD device 1 generates the virtual image 9a based on the navigation information from the control unit 100 of the vehicle 2. This virtual image 9a is an AR image adapted to the road surface or the like. This example of the virtual image 9a is composed of images of a plurality of triangles, and the plurality of triangles are arranged so as to bend along the road surface of the road going straight ahead to the road surface of the right turn destination. Similarly, the virtual image 9b is a navigation image after the virtual image 9a has moved, as an example of the virtual image 9 within the HUD area 5R at the right position after movement. As the HUD area 5 moves to the right, the virtual image 9a also moves to the right like the virtual image 9b. Note that the arrangement positions of the virtual images 9a and 9b within the HUD area 5 are the same before and after the movement.

[0124] As another example of the virtual image 9, the virtual image 9c is an example of an alert image (in other words, alert display). This virtual image 9c is generated based on the alert information included in the ADAS information of the vehicle 2. The control unit 101 of the HUD device 1 generates the virtual image 9c based on the alert information of the ADAS information from the control unit 100 of the vehicle 2. This alert image is, for example, an alert display that prompts attention to the pedestrian 1303 when it is detected that there is a pedestrian 1303 at a position near the front right as seen from the vehicle 2, corresponding to the right turn destination, on the sidewalk on the right side of the vehicle 2. This alert image is an AR image adapted to the position of the target pedestrian 1301. This virtual image 9c that is this alert image is, for example, a ring-shaped image along the road surface, but is not limited to this, and can also be a frame image, an alert mark image, or the like.

[0125] The virtual images 9d and 9e are examples of non-AR images displayed at predetermined positions within the HUD area 5. The virtual image 9d is an example of an image that displays the current vehicle speed. The virtual image 9e is an example of an image that displays the distance to the destination (e.g., an intersection where a right turn is to be made). The virtual images 9d and 9e are displayed at predetermined positions, for example, in the lower side area within the HUD area 5.

[0126] The HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1 moves and changes the position of the HUD area 5, for example, in accordance with a change in the vehicle traveling direction. When the vehicle traveling direction is the forward direction (Y direction), the HUD device 1 forms the HUD 5A at the initial position, the central position. When the vehicle traveling direction changes from the forward direction to the right direction, for example, in response to a right turn, specifically, for example, during the time from immediately before the right turn to immediately after the right turn, the HUD device 1 forms the HUD area 5R at the right position.

[0127] The amount of movement 1300 from the HUD area 5A at the initial position to the HUD area 5R at the right position, and the angle φ of rotation of the concave mirror M1 associated therewith may be preset in the HUD device 1, or may be variable within a maximum range according to the control.

[0128] In the HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1, by control, the HUD area 5 automatically moves from the HUD area 5A to the HUD area 5R. Thereby, during the right turn of the vehicle 2, the movement of the point (gaze point) at the tip of the driver's line of sight can be reduced. The driver can reduce the movement of the line of sight between the virtual image 9 within the HUD area 5 and an object outside the HUD area 5 (e.g., near the right turn destination). Thereby, it is possible to contribute to safe driving.

[0129] As viewed from the driver's perspective 6, the virtual image 9b within the HUD area 5R after movement has changed to a position on the right side compared to the virtual image 9a within the HUD area 5A before movement. Therefore, when the driver's line of sight moves more to the right as the vehicle turns right, for example, when looking at the pedestrian 1303, the driver can more easily visually recognize the virtual image 9b within the HUD area 5R after movement. For example of the movement distance of the driver's line of sight's fixation point, before movement, the distance between the virtual image 9a within the HUD area 5A and the pedestrian 1303 can be cited, and after movement, the distance between the virtual image 9b within the HUD area 5R and the pedestrian 1303 can be cited. The movement distance between the fixation points is smaller in the latter case after movement.

[0130] Also, the pedestrian 1303 that is the target of the alert does not enter the HUD area 5A before movement. Therefore, conventionally, it has not been possible to display an alert image such as the virtual image 9c within the HUD area 5A before movement. Even if an alert image such as the virtual image 9c is to be displayed within the HUD area 5A before movement, a suitable display cannot be made according to the position of the target pedestrian 1303. On the other hand, within the HUD area 5R after moving to the right position, the pedestrian 1303 that is the target of the alert enters near the right side. Therefore, the HUD device 1 can display an alert image such as the virtual image 9c as a suitable AR virtual image according to the position of the pedestrian 1303 within the HUD area 5R after movement. Thus, according to Embodiment 1, a virtual image that could not be displayed before the movement of the HUD area 5 can also be displayed after the movement.

[0131] Similarly, the HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1 moves the position of the HUD area 5 based on a change in the vehicle's traveling direction, etc., for example, back from the HUD area 5R at the right position to the HUD area 5A at the initial position. Then, the HUD device 1 displays the virtual image 9 according to the HUD area 5A after movement.

[0132] [Effects etc. due to the hardware configuration of Embodiment 1] According to the hardware configuration of the HUD device 1 in Embodiment 1, a more suitable HUD area 5 can be formed. According to the hardware configuration in Embodiment 1, by providing a mechanism for tilting and rotating the concave mirror M1 left and right around the rotation axis J2, the position of the HUD area 5 can be moved, changed, and adjusted in the left - right direction 5b. Thereby, the position of the virtual image 9 displayed in the HUD area 5 can be moved, changed, and adjusted in the left - right direction 5b, and the apparent FOV as seen by the driver can be increased. According to Embodiment 1, for example, in accordance with the vehicle traveling direction, etc., the HUD area 5 can be moved to the left - right position, and the virtual image 9 of AR such as an alert to an object can be preferably displayed. Thereby, the difference in the position of the driver's line - of - sight destination and the viewpoint movement amount between the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5 and the real - world object can be reduced, contributing to safe driving, etc.

[0133] The HUD device 1 in Embodiment 1 can change and move the position of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b by utilizing the mechanism of the concave mirror M1. Regarding the control of specifically changing and moving the position of the HUD area 5 under what kind of input and conditions, in the above - mentioned example, the case of using vehicle traveling direction information was described, but this is not limiting, and as will be described later, various methods are possible.

[0134] In Embodiment 1, the case where the control unit 101 (FIG. 7, etc.) of the HUD device 1 performs control to change and move the position of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b by rotating the concave mirror M1 according to the information from the control unit 100 of the vehicle 2 was described. However, not limited to this, other parts other than the control unit 101 of the HUD device 1 or external devices for the HUD device 1, for example, the control unit 100 of the vehicle 2, may similarly perform such control by utilizing the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 of the HUD device 1.

[0135] In the modification example, the HUD device 1 may be controlled to change the position of the HUD area 5 left and right in response to an operation of the steering wheel 8 in FIG. 2 by the driver, that is, in response to the above-described steering angle information of the steering wheel corresponding thereto. Further, the HUD device 1 may be controlled to change the position of the HUD area 5 left and right in response to operation input information by the driver, for example, in response to an operation of a button provided on the steering wheel 8.

[0136] In addition, in the first embodiment and the like, the amount of rotation and the range of the rotation angle around the first rotation axis J1 of the concave mirror M1 and the amount of rotation and the range of the rotation angle around the second rotation axis J2 are different depending on, for example, the arrangement position of the concave mirror M1 with respect to the vehicle, and are determined according to the necessary functions, and they may be different.

[0137] <Hardware Configuration of Modification Example of Embodiment 1> The hardware configuration of a modification example related to the HUD device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and later. This modification example mainly has the following different configuration points with respect to the first embodiment (FIGS. 10 and the like). In the modification example, the mechanism related to the concave mirror M1 does not include a mechanism portion that rotates around the above-described first rotation axis J1 to adjust the position of the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a, and includes only a mechanism portion that rotates around the second rotation axis J2 to move the position of the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction 5b. The HUD device 1 of the modification example rotates the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment in response to vehicle information 4 and the like, thereby moving the position of the HUD area 5 (display area) in the horizontal direction 5b.

[0138] [Concave Mirror Mechanism] FIG. 14 shows a configuration example of the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in the HUD device 1 of the modification example. In FIGS. 14(A), (B), and (C), similar to FIG. 11, plan views seen from each direction are shown. In this configuration example, the concave mirror M1 does not require the above-described mirror holder 51, rotation axis J1, or motor 61, and has a concave mirror main body 52. The concave mirror main body 52 has a rotation axis J2 and a motor 62 connected to the rotation axis J2. The rotation axis J2 corresponds to the Z axis in the coordinate system of the concave mirror M1 and the longitudinal axis extending in the short side direction.

[0139] Similar to the first embodiment, the HUD device 1 drives and controls the motor 62 to rotate the concave mirror body 52 around the rotation axis J2. As a result, the direction of the image light from the reflecting surface of the concave mirror body 52 is changed in the left-right direction 5b with respect to the windshield 3, as in FIG. 6. Therefore, the position of the HUD area 5 moves in the left-right direction 5b.

[0140] In FIGS. 14(A) and (B), state A is shown as the initial state of the concave mirror body 52, and the rotation angle φ of the rotation axis J2 is the initial angle. In FIG. 14(C), similar to FIG. 11(C), the states L where the concave mirror body 52 is tilted to the left and R where it is tilted to the right are shown. Depending on each state, similar to FIG. 6, the HUD area 5L at the left position and the HUD area 5R at the right position are formed.

[0141] [Functional block] FIG. 15 shows a configuration example of the functional blocks in the HUD device 1 of the modified example, similar to FIG. 7. The configuration in FIG. 15 is different from FIG. 7 in that it does not have the mirror first drive unit 111. Also, the control unit 101 and the control function do not have a part for driving and controlling the mirror first drive unit 111.

[0142] Similarly, in the modified example, when considering a configuration example corresponding to FIG. 8A described above, in FIG. 8A, the mirror first drive unit 111 is deleted, and the HUD area position changing unit 804 only needs to perform control to change the position of the HUD area 5 in the left-right direction 5b, and the mirror changing unit 805 only drives and controls the mirror second drive unit 112.

[0143] Similarly, in the modified example, when considering a configuration example corresponding to FIG. 8B described above, in FIG. 8B, the HUD area position vertical adjustment unit 804A, the mirror vertical adjustment unit 805A, and the mirror first drive unit 111 are deleted. The HUD area position left-right movement unit 804B only needs to perform control to change the position of the HUD area 5 in the left-right direction 5b, and the mirror left-right movement unit 805B only drives and controls the mirror second drive unit 112.

[0144] As described above, according to the HUD device 1 of the modified example, the effect of the functional part that moves the HUD area 5 in the first embodiment in the left-right direction 5b can be obtained. Further, according to the modified example, in the concave mirror M1, it is not necessary to provide the first rotation axis J1, the motor 61, the mirror holder 51, etc., so the mounting configuration can be simplified.

[0145] <Hardware configuration of other modified examples> FIG. 16 shows a configuration example of the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in the HUD device 1 of another modified example with respect to the HUD device 1 of the first embodiment. In this modified example, the concave mirror M1 is provided not at the central position in the X-axis direction as described above with respect to the second rotation axis J2, but at a position closer to either the left or the right. In the example of FIG. 16, the second rotation axis J2 of the concave mirror M1 is provided at a position closer to the right side when viewed in the X-Z plane with the reflecting surface in a plan view, as shown in (A).

[0146] In (C) of FIG. 16, the concave mirror main body 52 shows the state A corresponding to the initial state with the broken line, and the solid line shows the state R tilted to the right side. Corresponding to the state R, similar to FIGS. 6 and 12, the HUD area 5R on the right position is formed.

[0147] The HUD device 1 rotates the concave mirror main body 52 around the rotation axis J2 with respect to the mirror holder 51 based on the drive of the motor 62. In the example of (C) of FIG. 16, when the concave mirror main body 52 is rotated in the direction rd around the rotation axis J2, it rotates from the state A such that the left side of the concave mirror main body 52 comes out backward in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the HUD area 5 moves to the right position, similar to FIGS. 6 and 12. Similarly, when the concave mirror main body 52 is rotated in the direction rc around the rotation axis J2, it rotates from the initial state A such that the left side of the concave mirror main body 52 comes out forward in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the HUD area 5 moves to the left position, similar to FIGS. 6 and 12.

[0148] FIG. 17 similarly shows a configuration example of the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in another modification. In the modification of FIG. 17, contrary to FIG. 16, the second rotation axis J2 in the concave mirror M1 is provided at a position closer to the left side when viewed in the X-Z plane in a plan view of the reflecting surface. In the example of (C) in FIG. 17, when the concave mirror main body 52 is rotated in the direction rc around the rotation axis J2, from the initial state A, the right side of the concave mirror main body 52 rotates so as to protrude rearward in the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the HUD region 5 moves to the left position, similarly to FIGS. 6 and 12. Similarly, when the concave mirror main body 52 is rotated in the direction rd around the rotation axis J2, from the initial state A, the right side of the concave mirror main body 52 rotates so as to protrude rearward in the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the HUD region 5 moves to the right position, similarly to FIGS. 6 and 12.

[0149] Any of the modifications of FIGS. 16 and 17 can be adopted. Further, these modifications can be similarly applied to the modification of FIG. 14, and a configuration in which the mechanism portion related to the first rotation axis J1 is omitted may be used. The position where the second rotation axis J2 and the like are provided in the X-axis direction of the concave mirror M1 is not limited to the above-described example and can be selected according to the design.

[0150] <Hardware Configuration of Other Modifications> FIG. 18 shows a configuration example of the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in the HUD device 1 of still another modification to the HUD device 1 of the first embodiment. In this modification, the concave mirror M1 is implemented as a slide mechanism instead of a rotation mechanism using a rotation axis. The mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in this modification includes a mirror holder 51a, a concave mirror main body 52, a rotation axis J1, a motor 61, etc., and does not include the aforementioned rotation axis J2. The rotation axis J1 and the motor 61 are provided on the mirror holder 51a.

[0151] The mirror holder 51a is provided with a recess 51b in the portion for accommodating the concave mirror body 52. The concave mirror body 52 is set within the recess 51b and is capable of sliding in the X-axis direction along the concave surface of the recess 51b. This slide is a three-dimensional movement in the direction along the concave surface. Although not shown, the recess 51b is equipped with a groove and a slide drive mechanism for sliding the concave mirror body 52 in the direction of the concave surface in the X-axis direction. The slide drive mechanism can be implemented by, for example, a motor or the like.

[0152] As shown in Fig. 18(B), when the concave mirror M1 is rotated around the rotation axis J1, the mirror holder 51a and the concave mirror body 52 rotate integrally while maintaining their positional relationship. As a result, the position of the HUD region 5 is adjusted in the vertical direction 5a.

[0153] In the example of Fig. 18(C), with respect to the mirror holder 51a, the concave mirror body 52 is shown with the solid line indicating the initial state A and the dashed line indicating the state R where it has been slid to the left along the concave surface in the X-axis direction. In the state R after this slide movement, the direction of the image light from the reflecting surface of the concave mirror body 52 changes more to the right, so the HUD region 5 moves from the initial position to the right position.

[0154] According to this modification example, a function of moving the position of the HUD region 5 in the left - right direction 5b can be realized in the same manner as in Embodiment 1 by using a slide mechanism instead of a rotation mechanism.

[0155] Also, as another modification example, in the configuration of Fig. 18, a configuration in which the first rotation axis J1 and the motor 61 are omitted may be adopted. In that case, the HUD device 1 has only the function of moving the position of the HUD region 5 in the left - right direction 5b.

[0156] Also, as another modification example, in the configuration of Fig. 18, the mirror holder 51a may be an opening as in Embodiment 1 instead of the recess 51b, and a slide mechanism for the concave mirror body 52 may be provided in that opening.

[0157] <Modification Example Related to HUD Region> FIG. 19 shows, as a modification example related to the configuration of the HUD region 5, another configuration example of the HUD region 5 according to the detailed configuration of the HUD device 1. In FIG. 19, the case of viewing the virtual image 9 of the HUD region 5 forward (front side of the Y-axis) from the user U1, who is the driver inside the vehicle 2, through the windshield 3 is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 19, the HUD region 5 may be formed by being divided into a plurality of regions. In the example of FIG. 19, the HUD region 5 has two HUD regions: the HUD region 5F formed on the upper side at a position farther from the driver in the Y-axis direction corresponding to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 2, and the HUD region 5N formed on the lower side at a position closer to the driver. These HUD regions 5F and 5N may be arranged separately as viewed from the driver, or may be arranged with partial overlap. Also, these HUD regions 5F and 5N may be formed as slopes as viewed from the driver.

[0158] Also, these HUD regions 5F and 5N may be selectively used according to the content of the virtual image 9. For example, an AR virtual image 9 may be displayed in the HUD region 5F, and a non-AR virtual image 9 may be displayed in the HUD region 5N. For example, an AR virtual image 9 such as an alert may be displayed in the HUD region 5F in accordance with a target such as a pedestrian 1901 in the real scene. A virtual image 9 such as the vehicle speed may be displayed in the HUD region 5N.

[0159] A plurality of HUD regions 5 as shown in FIG. 19 can be formed according to the detailed configuration of the HUD device 1. For example, in the video display unit 200, in addition to the mirror M2 and the concave mirror M1, an optical element for changing the optical distance may be inserted. Even in the case of the HUD region 5 as shown in FIG. 19, the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in Embodiment 1 and the like can be similarly applied.

[0160] <Software Configuration of the HUD Device in Embodiment 1> Next, based on the hardware configuration of the HUD device 1 in Embodiment 1, the software and control configurations of the HUD device 1 in Embodiment 1 for more preferably controlling the position of the HUD region 5 will be described.

[0161] Based on the hardware configuration including the concave mirror M1, the HUD device 1 in Embodiment 1 has a function of controlling the position of the HUD area 5 by a controller. This function is realized by a controller (for example, the control unit 101 in FIG. 7) which is a part of the HUD device 1. Note that, without being limited thereto, this function may also be realized as a function by a control unit 100 that controls the HUD device 1 in FIG. 1. That is, this function may be realized by an in-vehicle system of the vehicle 2.

[0162] [Problems and the like related to control of the position of the HUD area] Based on the hardware configuration including the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 described above, by moving the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction, the apparent FOV can be expanded more than before. By using the FOV by this HUD area 5, an effective AR or non - AR virtual image can be provided. In order to realize suitable control when moving the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction using the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 described above, the following viewpoints need to be considered. (1) Drive control of the motor 62 (FIGS. 6 and 10) of the rotation axis J2, (2) Mode / state management regarding the position of the HUD area 5, (3) Movement timing of the HUD area 5, (4) Adjustment of the display position of the video content of the virtual image 9 and distortion correction, etc.

[0163] [Regarding motor control] The HUD device of the prior art example mounted a motor 61 on the longitudinal rotation axis J1 so as to adjust the inclination of the concave mirror in the up - down direction (FIG. 5) in order to adjust the HUD area in the up - down direction, and the controller drove and controlled that motor 61. In Embodiment 1, as in the above - described hardware configuration, in order to adjust the HUD area in the left - right direction, a motor 62 is mounted on the short - hand rotation axis J2 so as to adjust the inclination of the concave mirror M1 in the left - right direction (FIG. 6), and the controller (the control unit 101 in FIG. 7) drives and controls that motor 62. The controller needs to appropriately drive and control that motor 62 together with the motor 61.

[0164] The two types of motors 61 and 62 are controlled individually (the mirror first drive unit 111 and the mirror second drive unit 112 in FIG. 7). The two types of motors 61 and 62 can be either motors of the same type or motors of different types. Since it is desirable to be able to finely adjust the vertical movement of the HUD area 5 (FIG. 5), as the motor 61 for the first rotation axis J1, it is desirable to apply a type such as a stepping motor that can be finely adjusted. On the other hand, the horizontal movement of the HUD area 5 (FIG. 6) does not necessarily require as fine an adjustment as the vertical direction. Therefore, as the motor 62 for the second rotation axis J2, a type such as a stepping motor that can be finely adjusted may be used, or a less expensive motor may be applied so that it moves only by a fixed amount.

[0165] The vertical movement of the HUD area can be moved during driving, but in many cases, it is set as a calibration according to the driver's viewpoint at the start of driving. In that case, the vertical position of the HUD area is first automatically moved to an approximately suitable position, and then finely adjusted to the optimal position and height by the user's manual operation (for example, operating a handle or a button on a remote control). On the other hand, the horizontal movement of the HUD area may accept the user's manual operation, but it is assumed that the HUD device automatically controls it according to the vehicle situation and the like. That is, it is assumed that the controller automatically moves the HUD area to a position within the range where it can move in the horizontal direction without depending on the user operation. Also, it is assumed that the position of the HUD area is dynamically changed during the driving of the vehicle. For example, conditions and triggers for moving the HUD area in the horizontal direction are determined, and when and when those conditions / triggers are satisfied, the controller moves the HUD area in the horizontal direction.

[0166] [Control Flow (1)] FIG. 20 shows the basic control flow for automatically moving the position of the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction 5b (FIG. 6) by the controller (control unit 101 in FIG. 7 etc.) of the HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1. The flow in FIG. 20 corresponds to the configuration in FIGS. 7 and 10. In step S1, the HUD device 1 is activated.

[0167] In step S2, the HUD device 1 performs HUD display preparation processing. This preparation processing is processing to make the virtual image displayable in the HUD area 5. This preparation processing includes at least motor drive processing for determining the position of the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a. The controller of the HUD device 1 controls the motors 61, 62, etc. of the first mirror drive unit 111 and the second mirror drive unit 112 of the mirror mechanism M1 to set the position of the HUD area 5 to a predetermined state immediately after startup. The predetermined state immediately after startup is a state of a predetermined initial position in both the vertical direction 5a and the horizontal direction 5b, or a state of a position adjusted and saved by user settings. The latter state is the state when the position saved when the HUD device 1 ended the previous startup is reproduced at the time of this startup. In this example, in step S2, the position of the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a is set to a predetermined state, and the position in the horizontal direction 5b is first set to the aforementioned initial position, the central position (HUD area 5A in FIG. 6).

[0168] In step S3, the controller of the HUD device 1 performs processing to start displaying the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5 based on startup. In step S4, when the controller of the HUD device 1 satisfies a predetermined condition regarding the movement of the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction 5b or receives a predetermined trigger, it controls to drive the motor 62 of the second mirror drive unit 112. Thereby, the controller moves the HUD area 5 in the horizontal direction 5b toward the left and right positions. In step S4, the position of the HUD area 5 is in the middle of movement and transition. In this example, it is assumed that the virtual image 9 is not displayed in the HUD area 5 during the movement in step S4.

[0169] In step S5, when the drive in step S4 is performed up to the target, the position of the HUD area 5 becomes the desired controlled position in the horizontal direction 5b, that is, the state of the left HUD area 5L or the right HUD area 5R in FIG. 6. The controller displays the virtual image 9 in accordance with that state in the left and right position state of the HUD area 5.

[0170] In step S6, when the controller of the HUD device 1 satisfies a predetermined condition or receives a predetermined trigger regarding the release of the movement of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b, in other words, the movement to the central position, it controls to drive the motor 62 of the mirror second drive unit 112. Thereby, the controller of the HUD device 1 moves the HUD area 5 toward the central position in the left - right direction 5b. Here, the central position, in other words, is the original position before the movement to the left - right position, and the original position is also stored in terms of control. In step S6, the position of the HUD area 5 is in the middle of movement and transition. In this example, it is assumed that the virtual image 9 is not displayed within the HUD area 5 during the movement in step S6.

[0171] In step S7, when the drive in step S6 reaches the target, the position of the HUD area 5 returns to the initial position in the left - right direction 5b, which is the central position of the original position, and becomes the state of the HUD area 5A in FIG. 6. The controller causes the virtual image 9 corresponding to that state to be displayed in the state of the central position of the HUD area 5.

[0172] In step S8, the controller of the HUD device 1 performs a process to end the display of the virtual image 9 on the HUD area 5 based on a predetermined condition or trigger (for example, the end of driving). In step S9, as control for the protection mode when the HUD is not in use, the controller of the HUD device 1 drives and controls the motor 61 of the mirror first drive unit 111 to rotate the concave mirror M1 around the first rotation axis J1 until it reaches a state at a predetermined angle (state s2 in FIG. 3). Thereby, as the protection mode, the state s2 is achieved where external light does not enter or hardly enters the concave mirror M1, and the panel burn - in of the LCD12 is prevented. In step S10, the HUD device 1 ends the startup of the HUD device 1.

[0173] The above control flow example is based on the central position (HUD area 5A) as the position of the HUD area 5. When a predetermined condition (for example, the first condition) is satisfied, it temporarily changes and transitions to the state of the left and right positions (HUD areas 5L, 5R). When the predetermined condition is not satisfied, or when a condition for cancellation (for example, the second condition) is satisfied, the state of the left and right positions is cancelled and returned to the state of the central position (HUD area 5A). This is the control with such a concept. It is possible not only limited to the control with such a concept. The position of the HUD area 5 can be moved to an arbitrary position within the maximum movable range according to a predetermined condition, trigger, etc.

[0174] [Control Flow (2)] FIG. 21 shows the control flow in a modified example. The flow in FIG. 21 corresponds to the configuration in FIGS. 15 and 16. In the modified example, as described above, the position of the HUD area 5 is moved only in the left - right direction 5b. Regarding the position (height position) of the HUD area 5 in the up - down direction 5a, it is set to a predetermined state in advance and is fixed. In the modified example, the control regarding the above - mentioned protection mode using the up - down direction 5a is not performed. In the modified example, the movement of the HUD area 5 in the up - down direction 5a is not performed at the time of startup and termination of the HUD device 1. Note that in this modified example, although the control of the movement of the HUD area 5 in the up - down direction 5a by the controller is not performed, fine adjustment of the position and orientation of the HUD area 5 in the up - down direction 5a may be performed using another hardware or a manual operation by the user.

[0175] The flow in FIG. 21 is different from that in FIG. 20 in that the processes in step S2 and step S9 are not present. In step S11, the HUD device 1 is started. In the flow of FIG. 21, there is no preparation process such as the rotation of the concave mirror M1, and the process from startup to display start can be simplified. In step S12, the controller of the HUD device 1 performs a process of starting the display of the virtual image 9 on the HUD area 5 based on the startup. From step S13 to step S17, it is the same as steps S4 - S8 in FIG. 20. In step S18, the HUD device 1 terminates the startup of the HUD device 1.

[0176] [Control Flow (3)] Figures 22 and 23 show the differences regarding the control of the two motors 61 and 62. First, FIG. 22 shows an example flow regarding the control of the motor 61 of the first mirror driving unit 111 and the like for the vertical movement 5a of the HUD area 5. In step S21, the HUD device 1 is activated. In other words, the HUD device 1 is turned on. In step S22, the HUD device 1 performs a process of starting to display a virtual image in the HUD area 5. In step S23, the controller of the HUD device 1 determines whether to adjust the display height of the HUD area 5. For example, if the user makes an operation input for the adjustment, it becomes Yes in step S23 and proceeds to step S24. If the adjustment is not necessary, it becomes No and proceeds to step S26.

[0177] In step S24, the controller of the HUD device 1 determines the adjustment amount regarding the position (display height) in the vertical direction 5a of the HUD area 5. In step S25, the controller drives and controls the first mirror driving unit 111 based on the determined adjustment amount, thereby driving the motor 61 to rotate the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J1 at an angle corresponding to the adjustment amount. Thereby, the position and orientation in the vertical direction 5a of the HUD area 5 are adjusted according to the user's viewpoint.

[0178] In step S26, the HUD device 1 determines whether there is an instruction to end the HUD device 1 or the like. If there is, it proceeds to step S27. If not, it returns to step S23. In step S27, the HUD device 1 performs a process of ending the display of the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5. In step S28, the HUD device 1 ends the activation of the HUD device 1. In other words, the HUD device 1 is turned off.

[0179] [Control Flow (4)] FIG. 23 shows an example flow regarding the control of the motor 62 of the second mirror driving unit 112 and the like for the horizontal movement 5b of the HUD area 5. In step S31, the HUD device 1 is in a state where the virtual image 9 can be displayed in the HUD area 5. For example, in step S31, it is assumed that the vehicle 2 is running and the driver, who is the user, is in the driving situation.

[0180] In step S32, the controller of the HUD device 1 checks a control flag. This flag is for checking and controlling the current control state regarding the position of the HUD area 5. This flag is an example of a means used in information processing for realizing functions. Not limited to this, information representing a mode or the like regarding the position of the HUD area 5, information directly representing the position of the HUD area 5, etc. may also be used. In this example, this flag has an on / off value, for example, on is 1 and off is 0. When this flag has an off value of 0, it represents a state where the position of the HUD area 5 is a reference position, an initial position, a central position, etc. (HUD area 5A), and when this flag has an on value of 1, it represents a state where the position of the HUD area 5 is a predetermined left position (HUD area 5L) or a right position (HUD area 5R). Also, when explaining by associating the flag with the mode, when the flag has an off value of 0, it represents a mode in which the HUD area 5 is in a central position state, and when the flag has an on value of 1, it represents a mode in which the HUD area 5 is in a state of a predetermined left or right position.

[0181] In step S32, when the flag has an off value of 0 (central position mode), the process proceeds to step S33, and when the flag has an on value of 1 (left / right position mode), the process proceeds to step S38.

[0182] In step S33, the controller of the HUD device 1 displays a virtual image 9 with content adjusted to the central position in the central position HUD area 5. In step S33, the controller determines whether a predetermined condition / trigger regarding the movement of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b to the left - right position is satisfied. If the condition / trigger is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S34, and if not, the process remains in step S33 and the virtual image 9 is displayed in the central position HUD area 5. The predetermined condition / trigger, etc. will be described later.

[0183] In step S34, the controller of the HUD device 1 determines the moving direction, the moving amount, etc. for moving the HUD area 5 from the central position to a predetermined left - right position. This moving direction, moving amount, etc. are determined according to the conditions / triggers, etc. in step S33. For example, when moving from the HUD area 5A at the central position in FIG. 6 to the HUD area 5R at the right position, the moving direction is right, and the moving amount is an amount corresponding to the movement 1200 from position 1211 to position 1212 in FIG. 12. The moving amount has a corresponding relationship with an amount such as the rotation angle of the rotation axis J2 and is mutually convertible.

[0184] In step S35, the controller of the HUD device 1 drives and controls the motor 62 etc. of the mirror second drive unit 112 based on the moving direction and moving amount etc. determined in step S34, thereby rotating the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J2. As a result, the HUD area 5 moves in the controlled direction and amount in the left - right direction 5b. In step S36, the left - right movement with the moving amount etc. in step S35 is completed, and the HUD area 5 is in the state of the designated left - right position. In step S37, since the HUD area 5 has reached the left - right position in step S36, the controller sets the flag from off to on with a value of 1 (representing the left - right position mode).

[0185] After step S38, the controller displays the virtual image 9 with content corresponding to the left - right position on the HUD area 5 in the left - right position. In step S38, the controller determines whether a predetermined condition / trigger regarding the movement of the HUD area 5 to the central position in the left - right direction 5b (in other words, the cancellation of the left - right movement) is satisfied. In other words, in step S38, the controller determines whether the state has become such that the condition / trigger regarding the movement to the left - right position in step S33 is not satisfied. If the condition / trigger in step S38 is satisfied, it proceeds to step S39; if not, it stays in step S38, and the virtual image 9 is displayed on the HUD area 5 in the left - right position.

[0186] In step S39, the controller determines the moving direction, moving amount, etc. for returning the HUD area 5 from the left - right position to the center position. For example, when returning from the right position to the center position, the moving direction, moving amount, etc. are determined according to the conditions / triggers in step S38. For example, when moving from the HUD area 5R at the right position in FIG. 6 to the HUD area 5A at the center position, the moving direction is left, and the moving amount is the same as the amount of movement 1200 in FIG. 12.

[0187] In step S40, the controller of the HUD device 1 drives and controls the motor 62 of the mirror second drive unit 112, etc. based on the moving direction and moving amount determined in step S39, so as to rotate the concave mirror M1 around the rotation axis J2. Thereby, the HUD area 5 moves in the controlled direction and amount in the left - right direction 5b. In step S41, the left - right movement with the moving amount, etc. in step S40 is completed, and the HUD area 5 becomes the state of the designated center position. In step S42, since the HUD area 5 has reached the center position in step S41, the controller sets the flag from on to off with a value of 0 (representing the center - position mode).

[0188] As described above, regarding the control of the movement of the HUD area 5 in the up - down direction 5a, there is control related to the protection mode at the startup and shutdown of the HUD device 1, and control for adjusting the display height according to the user's viewpoint. On the other hand, regarding the control of the movement of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b, as shown in FIG. 23, there is mainly control according to the situation, conditions, and triggers during driving / operation.

[0189] [Status / Mode Management Regarding the Position of the HUD Area] FIG. 24 shows an explanatory diagram regarding the management of states and modes with respect to the position of the HUD area 5, particularly the position in the left - right direction 5b. As shown in FIG. 23 as well, the controller of the HUD device 1 manages the state regarding the position of the HUD area 5 using flags / modes. In other words, the controller constantly grasps and manages whether the HUD area 5 is moving in the left - right direction 5b with respect to a predetermined reference position / central position. In the table of FIG. 24, each mode regarding the state of the left - right positions of the HUD area 5 is defined and shown by modes S0, SL, SR, etc. The mode starts from the mode S0 of the state of the reference position / central position corresponding to the aforementioned off value 0. When the HUD device 1 is started, it starts from the mode S0, and when the HUD device 1 ends, it returns to the mode S0 and then ends.

[0190] (A)'s table shows an example of basic management. The mode has three modes: S0, SL, and SR. In the example of (A), as the possible positions of the HUD area 5, excluding the moving state, there are three position states as stationary positions: the central position (HUD area 5A), the left position (HUD area 5L), and the right position (HUD area 5R). As the explanation of each mode, in mode S0, the HUD area 5 is in the initial state, the central position. In mode SL, the HUD area 5 is in the left - moving state, the left position. In mode SR, the HUD area 5 is in the right - moving state, the right position. Also, as the regulation of the transition destination of each mode, mode S0 can transition to mode SL or mode SR. In other words, the HUD area 5A at the central position can move to the HUD area 5L at the left position or the HUD area 5R at the right position. Mode SL can only transition to mode S0. In other words, it is possible to move back from the HUD area 5L at the left position to the HUD area 5A at the central position. Mode SR can only transition to mode S0. In other words, it is possible to move back from the HUD area 5R at the right position to the HUD area 5A at the central position.

[0191] (B)'s table shows an example of mode management when allowing the HUD area 5 to move stepwise in the left - right direction 5b with respect to its position as another control example. In this example, there are five modes: mode S0, SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. In the example of (B), as the possible positions of the HUD area 5, excluding the moving - in - progress state, there are five states of stationary positions: the central position (HUD area 5A), the first - stage left position, the second - stage left position, the first - stage right position, and the second - stage right position. Regarding the description of each mode, in mode S0, the HUD area 5 is in the initial state, the central position. In mode SL1, the HUD area 5 is in the first - stage left - moving state and is at the first left position. In mode SL2, the HUD area 5 is in the second - stage left - moving state and is at the second left position. In mode SR1, the HUD area 5 is in the first - stage right - moving state and is at the first right position. In mode SR2, the HUD area 5 is in the second - stage right - moving state and is at the second right position. In this example, the second left position in mode SL2 is the left - most position, and the second right position in mode SR2 is the right - most position.

[0192] Also, regarding the regulation of the transition destination of each mode, mode S0 can transition to mode SL1 or mode SR1. Mode SL1 can transition to mode S0 or mode SL2. Mode SL2 can only transition to mode SL1. Mode SR1 can transition to mode S0 or mode SR2. Mode SR2 can only transition to mode SR1. Note that the above - mentioned transition destinations only show the relationship of transitions to adjacent positions, and in terms of control, it is also possible to move directly from the central position of mode S0 to the second left position of mode SL2, for example.

[0193] The above example of (B) is an example that defines two - stage movement in one direction. Of course, it is not limited to this, and multi - stage movement can be defined. As the most detailed example of multi - stage control, based on the configuration of the drive mechanism, it is also possible to control the HUD area 5 to be positioned at a free position within a predetermined maximum range in the left - right direction 5b.

[0194] FIG. 25 shows an example of the position of the HUD region 5 when providing left - right movement positions in two stages as in (B) of FIG. 24. In FIG. 25, as the HUD region 5 in the left position, there are the HUD region 5L1 at the first - stage first left position and the HUD region 5L2 at the maximum second - stage second left position. As the HUD region 5 in the right position, there are the HUD region 5R1 at the first - stage first right position and the HUD region 5R2 at the maximum second - stage second right position. For example, when the rotation state of the rotation axis J2 of the concave mirror M1 is in the state L2, the HUD region 5L2 at the second left position is formed.

[0195] Also, FIG. 26 similarly shows the case of providing step - by - step movement positions of the HUD region 5 in a modified example. In the modified example of FIG. 26, a configuration is shown where only movement to the right is possible with respect to the HUD region 5A at the reference position, for example, when providing right positions in four steps in the right direction. In FIG. 26, as the HUD region 5 in the right position, there are the HUD region 5R1 at the first - stage first right position, the HUD region 5R2 at the second - stage second right position, the HUD region 5R3 at the third - stage third right position, and the HUD region 5R4 at the maximum fourth - stage fourth right position.

[0196] [Conditions Regarding Left - Right Movement] Regarding predetermined conditions, triggers, etc. related to the movement of the position of the HUD region 5 in the left - right direction 5b, such as in step S33 of FIG. 23, will be described. In the HUD device 1 of the first embodiment, a plurality of conditions and triggers are defined in advance, and the controller determines each of those conditions and triggers. Then, when a certain condition or trigger is satisfied, the controller executes the movement control defined corresponding to that condition or trigger.

[0197] The tables of FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 show a summary of main conditions / triggers related to the movement of the position of the HUD area 5. FIG. 27 shows the start condition corresponding to step S33, and FIG. 28 shows the end condition corresponding to step S38. The table of FIG. 27 shows the classification and start condition for a plurality of conditions / triggers. Similarly, the table of FIG. 28 shows the classification and end condition. The classifications include navigation information, operation information, driver's line of sight information, obstacle detection information, driving lane information, automatic driving information, and others. The start condition is a condition for moving the HUD area 5 from the center position, which is the reference position, to the left or right position. The end condition is a condition for moving the HUD area 5 at the left or right position back to the center position as a result of satisfying the start condition, in other words, a condition for canceling the state of being at the left or right position.

[0198] First, in FIG. 27, "navigation information" is a classification of conditions using navigation information obtained based on the above-mentioned vehicle information 4 and the like. The start condition for left / right movement in "navigation information" is, for example, a condition determined according to a right / left turn plan known from the navigation information, the distance from the current position to the right / left turn point, and the predicted time to reach the point. This condition is, for example, that the distance to the right / left turn point is within 50 m, or the predicted time to reach the point is within 10 seconds. When the condition is met, the HUD area 5 is moved to the left / right position (to the right position in the case of a right turn).

[0199] Specific examples of movement control using the condition of "navigation information" are as follows. In vehicle 2 and the in-vehicle system, the traveling direction and route of vehicle 2 are recalculated based on the navigation information at each point in time, and the traveling direction and route are updated. In that case, the HUD device 1 makes a determination regarding the movement of the position of the HUD area 5 at each update timing, and moves the position of the HUD area 5 according to the determination result. For example, initially, the traveling direction of vehicle 2 is straight ahead (e.g., north), and the HUD area 5 is at the center position. Based on the navigation information or the like, it is obtained that there is a planned right turn at the intersection ahead, in other words, it is obtained that the traveling direction of vehicle 2 is planned to change from north to east, and it is assumed that vehicle 2 has come to just before the intersection where the right turn is to be made. The HUD device 1 moves the HUD area 5 to the right position using such a plan as a start condition. Vehicle 2 makes a right turn at the intersection, and the traveling direction changes from north to east. The HUD device 1 returns the HUD area 5 to the center position using the completion of the right turn and the change of the traveling direction from north to east as an end condition.

[0200] "Operation information" is a classification of conditions using a predetermined manual operation by the user. The manual operation is an input operation using a device installed in vehicle 2. The start condition in "operation information" is a condition corresponding to the user's manual operation. For example, it is a condition linked to an operation of a direction indicator by the driver, an operation of the steering wheel 8, or an operation of a left-right movement button or key installed in vehicle 2. This start condition is, for example, a condition that the direction indicator is operated corresponding to a right or left turn.

[0201] "Driver's line-of-sight information" is a classification of conditions corresponding to the movement of the driver's line of sight. Examples of the start condition using "driver's line-of-sight information" include a condition that the movement of the driver's line of sight has increased with respect to a reference, and a condition that the degree to which the direction of the line of sight ahead is tilted left or right is large. For example, an in-vehicle camera is used as the camera 90 in FIG. 2, and the position of the driver's eyes and the state of the line of sight are monitored. An example of the start condition is a case where the movement amount of the driver's line of sight becomes equal to or greater than a reference value. Also, examples of the start condition include a condition as to whether the direction of the driver's line of sight is tilted in the left-right direction 5b (X-axis direction) with respect to the front of the vehicle (Y-axis direction) or the HUD area 5A at the center position in FIG. 6.

[0202] "Obstacle detection information" is a classification of conditions using detection information about obstacles or objects to be noted (including, for example, pedestrians) for the travel of the vehicle 2, obtained based on vehicle information 4 and the like. The start condition in "obstacle detection information" is a condition corresponding to the direction where the detected object is located or the direction in which the object is present, and the distance between the object and the host vehicle. The start condition in "obstacle detection information" includes, for example, a condition where target objects such as other vehicles or pedestrians are detected in the left and right directions with respect to the front of the host vehicle, and the distance from the target object is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. Further, this start condition includes a condition where a target object is present outside the HUD area 5A at the center position.

[0203] As a specific example, first, the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 is straight ahead, and the HUD area 5 is at the center position. Assume that a pedestrian is detected on the front right side with respect to the host lane based on the obstacle detection information. The HUD device 1 uses this detection as a start condition to move the HUD area 5 to the right position and display an alert about the pedestrian. The HUD device 1 uses, as an end condition, that the vehicle 2 has advanced and the pedestrian detected on the front right side with respect to the host lane has moved out of the sensor detection range (in other words, is not detected) or has come out of the HUD area 5 at the right position, and returns the HUD area 5 to the center position.

[0204] The movement control using the condition of "obstacle detection information" is particularly effective when the display range of the HUD area 5 is narrower than the detection range of the target object by the sensor of the vehicle 2. For example, when a motorcycle is detected on the left side of the host vehicle and the AR of the alert for the motorcycle cannot be displayed within the HUD area 5A at the center position, by moving the HUD area 5 to the left so that the AR of the alert can be displayed superimposed on the position of the motorcycle within the HUD area 5L at the left position. Also, for example, when a pedestrian is detected on the right side of the host vehicle and the AR of the alert for the pedestrian cannot be displayed within the HUD area 5A at the center position, by moving the HUD area 5 to the right so that the AR of the alert can be displayed superimposed on the position of the pedestrian within the HUD area 5R at the right position.

[0205] "Lane driving information" is a classification of conditions using information on the lane in which the vehicle 2 is driving during travel, obtained based on vehicle information 4 and the like. The start condition in "lane driving information" is, for example, when there are three lanes on one side, a condition corresponding to whether the host vehicle is driving in the left lane, the center lane, or the right lane. Alternatively, the start condition is a condition corresponding to a change in those lanes. For example, when the condition that the driving lane of the host vehicle is in the right lane among the three lanes on one side is satisfied, or when the condition that the lane has been changed from the center lane to the right lane is satisfied, the position of the HUD area 5 is moved to the left so that it is easier to pay attention to, for example, the sidewalk on the left side.

[0206] "Autopilot information" is a classification of conditions using information related to autopilot when the vehicle 2 has an autopilot function and is compatible with autopilot. The start condition in "autopilot information" is, for example, a condition using action plan information such as right / left turns and lane changes by autopilot in a situation where autopilot is effective. For example, when the control unit 100 having an autopilot function determines a right turn during autopilot and right turn schedule information is obtained as vehicle information 4, and a predetermined condition related to the right turn (for example, the same condition as the aforementioned "navigation information") is satisfied from the right turn schedule information, for example, the HUD area 5 is moved to the right position.

[0207] The conditions of the various items as described above may be used not only individually but also in combination. When the conditions of a plurality of items are combined, the movement control content such as in which direction and by how much the HUD area 5 should be moved can be determined with higher precision, and the reliability of the HUD device 1 can be improved.

[0208] Below the table in Fig. 27, examples of conditions combining a plurality of conditions are shown. The combined condition 1 is a condition combining the condition of the above navigation information and the condition of the above operation information, for example, a condition combining these two conditions by a logical product (AND). For example, a condition that a right turn is planned according to the navigation information and the operation of the direction indicator indicating a right turn is performed as the driver's operation can be cited. Further, the combined condition 2 is a condition combining the condition of the above obstacle detection information and the condition of the above driver's line-of-sight information by AND. For example, a condition that a pedestrian or the like is detected on the right side with respect to the own lane according to the obstacle detection information and the driver's line of sight is directed to the right side with respect to the front can be cited.

[0209] In addition, when there are various conditions / triggers as shown in Fig. 27 above, it may be possible to satisfy a plurality of conditions and triggers simultaneously. In order to handle this case as well, relationships such as priorities may be defined in advance between a plurality of conditions and triggers (between the corresponding plurality of movement controls). When a plurality of conditions and triggers are satisfied simultaneously, the movement control to be executed may be determined according to the priorities and the like. For example, traffic safety is given the highest priority, the condition of "obstacle detection information" is given a high priority, and in contrast, the condition of "navigation information" and the like is given a relatively low priority. When the conditions of "obstacle detection information" and "navigation information" are satisfied almost simultaneously as conditions, the movement control corresponding to the condition of "obstacle detection information" is executed with priority over the movement control corresponding to the condition of "navigation information".

[0210] In FIG. 28, examples of the end conditions related to left - right movement are as follows. The end condition using "navigation information" is a condition based on information such as the completion of a right - or - left turn, the change of the road being traveled, the change of the vehicle's traveling direction, etc. Also, the end condition includes a condition that the elapsed time from the time of switching to such a state is equal to or more than a predetermined time, or a condition that information such as the schedule of the next right - or - left turn is obtained.

[0211] The end condition using "operation information" is, as a manual operation by the user, for example, after an operation of setting the direction indicator to the right - turn position in accordance with a right - turn as described above, a condition that the state of the direction indicator returns from the right - turn position to the neutral position in response to the completion of the right - turn. Also, the end condition includes a condition that the steering angle state of the steering wheel 8 returns to neutral in response to the completion of the right - turn.

[0212] The end condition using "driver's line - of - sight information" includes a condition that the movement of the driver's line of sight decreases with respect to the reference. The end condition includes, for example, a case where the amount of movement of the line of sight becomes equal to or less than the reference value or the direction of the line of sight becomes the straight - ahead direction when a right - or - left turn is completed and straight - ahead driving resumes.

[0213] The end condition using "obstacle detection information" includes conditions such as the detected obstacles or objects to be noted disappearing or the vehicle passing them by.

[0214] The end condition using "travel lane information" includes conditions such as when the travel lane of the host vehicle changes from multiple lanes to one lane (when the number of lanes decreases) or when a lane change is completed.

[0215] The end condition using "automatic driving information" includes a condition that a right - or - left turn, a lane change, etc. are completed when the automatic driving is in the on state.

[0216] Regarding the end condition, similar to the start condition, it may also be a condition that combines conditions of multiple items. An example of a combined condition regarding the end condition is a condition that combines the condition of driver's line-of-sight information and the condition of obstacle detection information with an AND. For example, the pedestrian who was detected on the right side of the own lane based on the obstacle detection information is no longer detected, in other words, vehicle 2 has passed by the pedestrian, and the driver's line of sight has returned forward.

[0217] As another example of a combined condition, it may be a combined condition that sequentially connects multiple conditions on the time axis. For example, it may be a case where first the condition of navigation information is used for control, and then the condition of operation information is used for control. For example, when the HUD device 1 obtains a planned right turn based on the navigation information, it satisfies the start condition and moves the HUD area 5 to the right position. At this point, it is still before the right turn point. After that, the HUD device 1 determines whether there is, for example, a right steering operation of the steering wheel 8 as a manual operation by the driver within a predetermined time. For example, assume that the driver changes the destination according to their own convenience, decides to stop the right turn and go straight, and does not perform a right steering operation. If the HUD device 1 does not detect such an operation within a predetermined time, it satisfies the end condition and moves the HUD area 5 back from the right position to the center position.

[0218] [Modification Example (1-1)] The following is also possible as a modification example. The HUD device 1 may always set the state where the HUD area 5 has moved to either the left or right position described above as a default setting (in other words, a reference position, etc.). This modification example can meet the needs of, for example, a person who wants to drive with a strong awareness of the right sidewalk side in a right-hand drive vehicle and wants to drive with the HUD area 5 always moved to the right position. In this modification example, it is basically fixed in a state where it has moved to either the left or right position as the default position and is not moved from that position.

[0219] FIG. 29 shows an example of setting the position of the HUD area 5 in this modification. In FIG. 29, based on the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 described above, the HUD area 5 has a configuration that can be moved to, for example, the left position (point pL) or the right position (point pR) with respect to the central position (point pA). The case where the user sets the HUD area 5R at the right position as the default and initial position is shown. During use, the virtual image 9 is always displayed within the HUD area 5R at this right position.

[0220] [User settings] The HUD device 1 may provide a menu, a graphical user interface (GUI), etc. for the user to set the position of the HUD area 5 as described above, so that the user can select and set the default position, conditions, etc. using the GUI.

[0221] FIG. 30 shows an example of a GUI using the HUD area 5, and the video of the GUI is displayed in the HUD area 5. In this GUI example, it has an item 3001 that enables the user to set the default position as the left, center, or right position of the left and right positions of the HUD display area, and an item 3002 that enables the user to set on / off for the function of dynamically changing the left and right positions of the HUD display area as in the first embodiment. The item 3001 shows a case where the default position can be selected from three types: for example, a position closer to the left, a central position, and a position closer to the right. Also, like the slide bar 3003 shown below, the default position of the HUD area 5 may be selected in detail within the maximum range. Operations on the GUI of the HUD area 5 can be performed using, for example, the control unit 100 or the remote control of the HUD device 1.

[0222] Also, when the function is set to be used (turned on) in item 3002, as detailed settings, the user may be able to set the initial position and the destination position within that function. For example, it is possible to set the initial position to the center position and the destination position to only the right position. Alternatively, the destination position may be selectable from several positions such as those in FIGS. 25 and 26. Also, as one of the detailed settings, the way of moving between the initial position and the destination position may also be selectable from methods such as instantaneously moving and slowly and smoothly moving (e.g., FIG. 41 described later).

[0223] The above user settings are not limited to the GUI or man-machine interface using the HUD area 5, and may also be an interface using other means such as the control panel of the in-vehicle system.

[0224] [Modification Example (1-2)] As another modification example, it is also possible to set either the left or right position, for example, the right position, as the default position of the HUD area 5, and move it to the center position or the opposite side of the left and right according to a predetermined condition / trigger during use. For example, normally, it is set to the right position (the HUD area 5R at the point pR in FIG. 29) which is the default position, and when a predetermined start condition is satisfied in response to an event or the like, it moves from the right position to the center position or the left position, and when a predetermined end condition is satisfied, it returns to the default right position.

[0225] [Modification Example (1-3)] As another modification example, for example, depending on the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling, such as an urban area or a highway, the position of the HUD area 5 can also be changed. For example, for a specific road (which may be an individual road or a type of road) or area set by the user, the position of the HUD area 5 is fixed in the left - right position. For example, for a road known to have many children passing by, the HUD area 5 can be set to automatically move to the right position on that road so that it is easier to pay attention to the children on the sidewalk. The controller of the HUD device 1 determines a specific road or area based on the position information of the vehicle 2 and the like, and when the driving road corresponds to a specific road, the position of the HUD area 1 is moved to the set right position, for example.

[0226] [Problems and Ideas Regarding the Movement of the HUD Area] The idea regarding the movement of the position of the HUD area 5 will be described. As described above, when the HUD area 5 is moved in the left - right direction 5b, it is preferable that, from the driver's viewpoint, as little discomfort as possible occurs.

[0227] First, FIG. 31 shows how it looks when there is no idea regarding the movement of the HUD area 5. (A) of FIG. 31 shows an example of an image displayed on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 of the video display device 10 such as FIG. 7 in order for the HUD device 1 to display the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5. In this example, on the display surface 1200, an image 3101 representing the vehicle speed (for example, the character image of "25 km / h"), an image 3102 representing a left - turn navigation (for example, an arrow image turning left), and an image 3103 representing an alert to an object (for example, a ring - shaped image) are displayed.

[0228] (B) shows how the virtual image 9 displayed in the HUD area 5 looks from the driver's perspective with respect to the windshield 3 based on the original video like (A). In the state of (B), the HUD area 5A is at the central position which is the reference position. Based on the vehicle speed video 3101, the non-AR virtual image 3111 of the vehicle speed is displayed as a predetermined position within the HUD area 5, for example, at the right part of the lower side area. Also, based on the left turn video 3102, the non-AR virtual image 3112 of the left turn is similarly displayed, for example, at the left part of the lower side area. Further, based on the alert video 3103, the AR virtual image 3113 of the alert is superimposed and displayed within the HUD area 5 in accordance with the position of the object (for example, the preceding vehicle 3114).

[0229] Here, as a prior art example, in the case of a hardware configuration without the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 as in the first embodiment, it is also conceivable to move the display position of the video on the display surface 1200 of the LCD12 as it is in the left-right direction. Thereby, seemingly, the virtual image 9 within the HUD area 5 can be moved in the left-right direction.

[0230] Figure 32(A) shows the case where the video of Figure 31(A) is directly shifted to the right and displayed on the display surface 1200 of the LCD12. Also, (B) shows the virtual image 9 displayed in the HUD area 5A based on the video of (A). However, since the display surface 1200 is limited, the vehicle speed image 3201 which was originally at the right part goes out of the display surface 1200 (the broken line frame indicates the non-displayable part). For this reason, in the HUD area 5A, the virtual image 3111 of the vehicle speed cannot be appropriately displayed. Also, particularly for the AR alert video 3203, in the HUD area 5A, the virtual image 3113 is displayed at a position shifted to the right with respect to the position of the preceding vehicle 3114 which is the object, and an appropriate 3D display and AR display cannot be achieved. That is, such a prior art example does not meet the requirements as an AR-HUD.

[0231] Further, FIG. 33 shows a case of a hardware configuration having a mechanism of the concave mirror M1 as in the first embodiment. Using the image of the LCD 12 as shown in FIG. 31(A) as it is, the state of the HUD area 5R is shown where the position of the HUD area 5 is moved to the right position, for example, and an example of displaying a virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5R is shown. The dashed frame indicates the HUD area 5A at the central position before the movement, and the solid frame indicates the HUD area 5A at the right position after the movement. The arrow 3300 indicates the movement amount 3300 in the right direction. Also in this case, the virtual image 3313 based on the alert image 3103 is displayed at a position shifted to the right with respect to the preceding vehicle 3314 which is the object, and appropriate 3D display and AR display cannot be achieved. Also in this case, the requirements as an AR-HUD are not satisfied. Therefore, further improvement is required for the left-right movement control of the HUD area 5.

[0232] Also, for the virtual images of the vehicle speed which is non-AR and the virtual image of the left-turn navigation, conventionally, they have been displayed at predetermined positions. However, in the above example, the display of the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5 changes from the state as shown in FIG. 31(B) to the state as shown in FIG. 33(A) along with the right movement according to the start condition. From the driver's viewpoint, it seems that the virtual image 3111 of the vehicle speed etc. has moved to the right. Also, when the HUD area 5 is returned from the right position to the original central position according to the end condition, similarly, it seems that the virtual image 3311 of the vehicle speed etc. in the HUD area 5 has moved to the left. Such movement of the non-AR virtual image 9 may cause discomfort to the driver depending on the driver and the situation etc. Also, depending on the driver and the situation etc., there may be cases where even if the non-AR virtual image 9 moves left and right temporarily, it does not cause discomfort to the driver.

[0233] FIG. 33(B) shows an example in which the appearance of the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5R after the right movement is adjusted in consideration of the above problems. The controller adjusts the display position etc. of the image on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12. In this example, as a result of the adjustment, in the HUD area 5R at the right position, the virtual image 3313b of the alert is superimposed and displayed in accordance with the position of the preceding vehicle 3314 which is the object. Thereby, the requirements as an AR-HUD are satisfied.

[0234] In addition, the virtual image 3111 of the vehicle speed, which is non-AR, is displayed as a virtual image 3311b at a position corresponding to the position within the HUD area 5A before movement in (B) of FIG. 31, and there is no rightward movement. This example assumes a case where it is desirable for the driver that the non-AR virtual image does not move.

[0235] In addition, regarding the virtual image 3112 of the left-turn navigation, due to the movement to the right HUD area 5R, within that HUD area 5R, it can no longer be displayed at the position corresponding to the position within the HUD area 5A before movement in (B) of FIG. 31 (shown as the dotted virtual image 3312a). Therefore, as one option for the virtual image 3112, it can be displayed at the position moved to the right from the original position (shown as the virtual image 3112b) by keeping the display position on the LCD 12 as it is. In this case, the virtual image 3112 appears to move to the right. Alternatively, when rightward movement is not desirable, the video 3102 can be temporarily erased to make it a state where it is not displayed within the HUD area 5A. If the virtual image 3112 moves to the right, the former correspondence is selected when it is considered more preferable than disappearing from view.

[0236] For example, when the display of the virtual image 9 is adjusted as in (B) of FIG. 33 above, it becomes at least more suitable than the display as in (A), and it can be made easier for the driver to understand and less likely to cause discomfort.

[0237] In addition, in the example of (B) above, within the HUD area 5R after rightward movement, as the area 501 near the right side, the non-overlapping part with the central HUD area 5A is not used for the display of the virtual image 9. Since the apparent FOV is enlarged by the HUD area 5R after rightward movement, the virtual image 9 is displayed by effectively using such an area 501. That is, when an object (for example, the pedestrian 1303 in FIG. 13) is detected in such an area 15, the prior art cannot appropriately display the alert virtual image, but according to Embodiment 1, it can be appropriately displayed.

[0238] FIG. 34 shows a corresponding example when a pedestrian 3401 is detected near the front right side of the vehicle 2 in a situation similar to that of FIG. 13 described above. (A) shows a prior art example where a virtual image 9 is displayed in the HUD region 5A at the central position. In (A), although a virtual image 9a of a right turn navigation etc. is displayed within the HUD region 5A, the detected object, the pedestrian 3401, is outside the HUD region 5A when considered in the plane including the HUD region 5A. Therefore, within the HUD region 5A, a virtual image of an alert for the pedestrian 3401 cannot be displayed as AR. On the other hand, (B) shows a case where, in the same situation as (A), based on the mechanism of the concave mirror M1 in Embodiment 1, similar to (B) of FIG. 33, the HUD region 5 is moved from the central position to the right position, and a virtual image 9c of an alert for the pedestrian 3401 is displayed as AR within the HUD region 5R, particularly within the region 501 near the right side.

[0239] The controller of the HUD device 1 of Embodiment 1, along with the control of the left - right movement of the HUD region 5 as described above, determines whether various virtual images 9 within the HUD region 5 should be moved left - right or not, etc., and adjusts the display on the LCD 12. At that time, the controller makes a comprehensive determination considering the type of the virtual image 9, the situation of the vehicle 2 and the driver, the object, user settings, etc. As in the above example, for AR such as the virtual image 9a of navigation and the virtual image 9c of an alert, the controller determines and adjusts the display position so as to match the position of the object before and after the movement of the HUD region 5. For non - AR such as the virtual image 9d of the vehicle speed and the virtual image 9e of the distance, the controller comprehensively considers viewpoints such as whether it can be displayed within the HUD region 5 after the left - right movement and whether the driver allows the movement of the virtual image 9, and determines and adjusts the display position.

[0240] In the following, for the non-AR virtual image 9, it is basically assumed that the display position is not changed as much as possible when the driver does not prefer the movement of the non-AR virtual image 9. However, it is not limited to this. As described above, depending on the driver, the situation, etc., the non-AR virtual image 9 may be displayed moving left and right. Also, whether the driver allows the movement of the non-AR virtual image 9, in other words, whether to move the non-AR virtual image 9 along with the left and right movement of the HUD area 5, etc. may also be user-configurable using a GUI as in FIG. 30.

[0241] [Adjustment of AR Virtual Image (1)] FIG. 35 shows an example of a device and countermeasure related to the above problem in Embodiment 1. The example of FIG. 35 shows a case where the controller adjusts the display position so that the image of the AR object does not shift from the target object. (A) shows the display before adjustment, and (B) shows the display after adjustment. In (A), an example of the video display on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 is shown on the lower side, and an example of the virtual image 9 display in the HUD area 5A at the center position is shown on the upper side. In this example, when the preceding vehicle 3501 is detected as the target object, an alert virtual image 3502 is displayed in alignment with the preceding vehicle 3501. The virtual image 3503 of the vehicle speed is displayed near the lower right in the HUD area 5A. The videos 3512 and 3513 are displayed at controlled positions on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 so as to form such a virtual image 9.

[0242] In (B), based on the start condition, the HUD area 5 has been moved to the right position. In order to display the alert virtual image 3502 in alignment with the preceding vehicle 3501 within the HUD area 5R at the right position, the controller moves the display position of the alert video 3512 on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 to the left based on a calculation considering the rightward movement amount 3504 of the HUD area 5, etc. The video 3512 after the movement is shown as video 3512b. At this time, the controller moves the AR object (for example, video 3512) on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the HUD area 5 (for example, right) (for example, left) by an amount 3505 (the same amount or a similar amount) corresponding to the movement amount 3504 of the HUD area 5.

[0243] Also, for the virtual image 3503 of the vehicle speed which is non-AR, for the driver, it is assumed that the display position may or may not move before and after the movement of the HUD area 5. The controller determines whether to keep the display position of the virtual image 3503 of the vehicle speed the same before and after the movement of the HUD area 5, or to move it along with the movement of the HUD area 5, etc. In this example, the virtual image 3503 of the vehicle speed is moved along with the movement of the HUD area 5 and becomes the virtual image 3503b. Details will be described later.

[0244] [Adjustment of AR virtual image (2)] FIG. 36 shows a contrivance regarding the adjustment of the display position of the AR virtual image. For example, depending on the situation of the vehicle 2 or the object and the state of the position of the HUD area 5, it is assumed that there may be a case where an appropriate display position adjustment for the alert virtual image as shown in FIG. 35 cannot be made. FIG. 36 shows a countermeasure example in that case. When the position of the virtual image shifts with respect to the object as the HUD area 5 moves left and right, as a countermeasure, it is an idea to temporarily erase the display of the virtual image (FIG. 33(B)). Another idea is to adjust the display position so that the shift in position becomes as small as possible even if the shift between the object and the virtual image cannot be completely eliminated.

[0245] In the example of FIG. 36(A), there is a HUD area 5A at the central position, and a motorcycle 3601 (illustrated schematically as an ellipse) is detected as an object on the front left side with respect to the vehicle 2. Based on the video 3603 of the LCD 12, a virtual image 3602 of an alert to the motorcycle 3601 is displayed within the HUD area 5A at the central position. Next, in the example of FIG. 36(B), it is assumed that a motorcycle 3601 is detected as an object on the left side of the vehicle 2, and a pedestrian 3605 is detected on the right side. Here, based on the start condition, the controller determines that the alert to the pedestrian 3605 is prioritized, and the HUD area 5A is moved to the right position. As a result, within the HUD area 5R that has moved to the right, a virtual image 3606 of an alert to the pedestrian 3605 can be preferably displayed based on the video 3607 of the LCD 12 as described above.

[0246] However, on the other hand, since the motorcycle 3601 goes out of the HUD area 5R, it becomes difficult to display the virtual image 3602 of the alert on the motorcycle 3601. Before the movement, the virtual image 3602 of the alert could be superimposed on the motorcycle 3601 by aligning the positions, but such a display cannot be continued within the HUD area 5R. When moving the virtual image 3602 to the right as the HUD area 5 moves to the right, the position of the virtual image 3602 shifts with respect to the motorcycle 3601.

[0247] In this case, as a countermeasure, one option for the controller is to adjust the display position of the virtual image 3602 so that the existence of the alert is conveyed even if there is some remaining shift. For example, as shown in (B), the controller adjusts the display position of the video 3603 on the LCD 12 to display the virtual image 3602 of the alert (a ring in this example) near the left side within the HUD area 5R so that more than half of it is displayed. The adjusted video 3603 is shown as video 3603b, and the adjusted virtual image 3602 is shown as virtual image 3602b. This virtual image 3602b is shifted with respect to the position of the motorcycle 3601 and only about the right half is displayed, but it is smaller than the shift when simply moving it as it is, and the driver can be informed that there is an alert for the motorcycle 3601. Also, in this example, the virtual image of the vehicle speed is adjusted to be displayed at the same position before and after the movement of the HUD area 5.

[0248] Also, when the controller determines that it has become difficult to continue displaying the virtual image 3602 of the alert on the motorcycle 3601 due to the magnitude of the shift, positional relationship, etc. as a result of the rightward movement of the HUD area 5 (for example, when the amount of shift is equal to or greater than the threshold), the controller may give up displaying the virtual image 3602 and temporarily erase it. When the controller determines that the position of the HUD area 5 has returned to the center according to the end condition and it has become possible to display the virtual image 3602 of the alert on the motorcycle 3601 again, the controller displays the virtual image 3602 again.

[0249] [Adjustment of AR virtual image (3)] As another countermeasure, when adjusting the display position of the virtual image 3602 of the alert as described above, it may be displayed as a virtual image 9 of an object in a form different from the original object (for example, a ring).

[0250] FIG. 37 shows a display example in the case of this countermeasure. FIG. 37 shows the same situation as, for example, (B) in FIG. 36. As the HUD area 5 moves to the right, the controller displays a virtual image 3702 for attention to the motorcycle 3601 near the left side within the right HUD area 5R based on the video 3701 of the LCD 12. This virtual image 3702 is, for example, a virtual image formed by an object in the shape of an arrow pointing left, indicating that there is an object to be noted in the direction indicated by the arrow of this virtual image 3702 outside the HUD area 5. This virtual image 3702 can inform the user that there is an object on the left side. This virtual image 3702 may be not limited to an arrow image, but may be an icon or character image representing "motorcycle" or the like, an alert mark, or the like.

[0251] [Adjustment of non-AR virtual image (1)] FIG. 38 shows an example of adjusting the display position of a non-AR virtual image. For example, the case of adjusting the display so that the position does not change as seen by the driver before and after the left-right movement of the HUD area 5 for a virtual image representing the vehicle speed displayed two-dimensionally in the HUD area 5 will be described. (A) shows an example before adjustment, and virtual images 3801 and 3802 are displayed within the HUD area 5A at the central position. (B) shows an example after adjustment, and virtual images 3801, 3802, and 3803 are displayed within the HUD area 5R at the right position. The controller moves the HUD area 5A in (A) to the right HUD area 5R in (B) according to the start condition, and displays the virtual image 3803 based on the video 3813 of the LCD 12. In this example, it is assumed that it is moved to the right HUD area 5R to display a predetermined virtual image 3803 (for example, a speech bubble image) according to the start condition.

[0252] In this example, when the position of the HUD area 5 changes from (A) to (B), the controller adjusts so that the positions of the virtual images 3801 and 3802 do not change as seen by the driver. As this adjustment, on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12, the controller moves and displays the videos 3811 and 3812 in the left direction, which is opposite to the moving direction of the HUD area 5, by an amount corresponding to the moving amount of the HUD area 5. The state after adjustment is shown by the videos 3811b and 3812b.

[0253] Also, FIG. 39 shows an example of adjustment when returning the HUD area 5 from the right position to the center position with respect to FIG. 38. Similarly in this case, the controller may perform an adjustment opposite to the adjustment in FIG. 38. (A) in FIG. 39 is a display example during adjustment in the HUD area 5R at the right position, similar to (B) in FIG. 38. From this state, the controller returns the HUD area 5R to the HUD area 5A at the center position as shown in (B) according to the end condition. At this time, for example, the virtual image 3803 by the balloon image is erased.

[0254] In this example, when the position of the HUD area 5 changes from (B) to (A), the controller adjusts so that the positions of the virtual images 3801 and 3802 do not change as seen by the driver. As this adjustment, on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12, the controller moves and displays the videos 3811b and 3812b in the right direction, which is opposite to the moving direction of the HUD area 5, by an amount corresponding to the moving amount of the HUD area 5. The state after adjustment is shown by the videos 3811c and 3812c.

[0255] [Adjustment of non-AR virtual image (2)] FIG. 40 shows another example of adjustment of the display position for a non-AR virtual image. This example shows a case where the display position of the non-AR virtual image as seen by the driver changes as the HUD area 5 moves. In (A), in the lower side area of the HUD area 5A at the center position, as non-AR virtual images, a virtual image 4001 representing the vehicle speed and a virtual image 4002 representing the distance to the destination are displayed. The virtual image 4002 is an example of a combination of an arrow image and a character image. In the lower side area (shown by the broken line frame), the virtual image 4001 is arranged at a position closer to the right side, and the virtual image 4002 is arranged at a position closer to the left side.

[0256] The controller moves the HUD area 5A to, for example, the right position according to the start condition. In this example, it is assumed that it is moved to the HUD area 5A at the right position in order to display the virtual image 4003 by the balloon image on the right side. (B) shows the display state in the HUD area 5R at the right position, and the virtual image 4003 by the balloon image is displayed near the right side in the HUD area 5R.

[0257] In this example, for non-AR virtual images, it is assumed that a change in position is allowed before and after the movement of the HUD area 5. For the video image 4001 of the vehicle speed and the video image 4002 of the distance to the destination, the controller makes the display positions on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 the same before and after the movement of the HUD area 5. As a result, in the HUD area 5R at the right position, the virtual images 4001 and 4002 are displayed at the moved positions to the right corresponding to the amount of movement of the HUD area 5 to the right.

[0258] In the change from the state of (A) to the state of (B), if the virtual image 9 is not displayed during the movement of the HUD area 5, the non-AR virtual images 4001 and 4002 are displayed as if they have flown and moved to the right respectively. However, if the driver allows such movement of the virtual image 9, such a display may be acceptable. Also, as a situation accompanying the right movement of the HUD area 5, a case where the driver's line of sight is shifted to the right with respect to the front is assumed. Therefore, for example, when the virtual image 4001 of the vehicle speed is displayed to move to the right in this way as the HUD area 5 moves to the right, depending on the situation and the driver, the virtual image 4001 of the vehicle speed may be easier to see.

[0259] [Control Example (1) During Movement of HUD Area] Also, regarding various control examples related to the left-right movement of the HUD area 5 as described above, control for displaying the virtual image 9 during the movement of the HUD area 5 may be added and applied. In that case, for example, the non-AR virtual image 4001 of the vehicle speed in FIG. 40 is displayed to move at a predetermined speed in the right direction from the position of the virtual image 4001 in (A) to the position of the virtual image 4001 in (B).

[0260] FIG. 41 shows a control example and a display example of displaying the virtual image 9 during the movement of the HUD area 5 as such. In the above-described control example, it was basically assumed that the virtual image 9 is not displayed within the HUD area 5 during the movement between predetermined positions of the HUD area 5. However, in the control example of FIG. 41, the virtual image 9 is displayed within the HUD area 5 during the movement between predetermined positions of the HUD area 5. By also displaying the virtual image 9 during the movement time, it is conveyed to the driver that the HUD area 5 and the virtual image 9 are moving and that it is in the middle of the movement. In the example of FIG. 41, for example, when moving from the HUD area 5A at the central position to the HUD area 5R at the maximum right position, the state during the movement of the HUD area 5 is shown by positions q0, q1, q2, q3, q4, etc. The controller displays the virtual image 9 (for example, a star mark) within each position and the HUD area 5 at the corresponding time point during the time of moving from the HUD area 5A to the HUD area 5R. In this case, during the movement, the display position of the virtual image 9 transitions as shown in the figure, and the driver visually recognizes that the virtual image 9 is moving to the right. Also, the display interval during this movement may be controlled, for example, as an interval considering load reduction.

[0261] [Control Example (2) During Movement of HUD Area] FIG. 42 shows, as another countermeasure example, a control example in which, when the HUD area 5 moves left and right, the AR virtual image and the non-AR virtual image are made non-displayed once at the start of the movement and re-displayed after the movement is completed. (A) shows a situation where the vehicle 2 is going to turn right, and a virtual image a1 of right-turn navigation is displayed as AR within the HUD area 5A at the central position, and a virtual image 4201 of the vehicle speed and a virtual image 4202 of the distance to the right-turn point are displayed as non-AR. Also shown is a case where a pedestrian 4203 is detected as an object to be noted near the forward right-turn point.

[0262] Based on the start condition regarding the alert to the pedestrian 4203, the controller moves the HUD area 5A to the right position. (B) shows the state when starting to move to the right from the HUD area 5A at the central position. From this start, the controller turns off the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5A. In this example, the virtual images a1, 4201, and 4202 are turned off. The controller turns off the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5 during the process until the HUD area 5 moves to the right position. In this example, it is assumed that the right movement of this HUD area 5 requires a predetermined time corresponding to the rotational drive of the concave mirror M1 using the motor 62, and the virtual image 9 is turned off during this time.

[0263] (C) shows the HUD area 5R after moving to the right position. When the movement to the right position is completed, the controller redisplays the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5R. At that time, necessary adjustments are also made. In this example, in the HUD area 5R, the alert virtual image 4204 is displayed according to the position of the pedestrian 4203. Also, the display position on the LCD12 is adjusted so that the virtual image a1 of the right turn navigation is displayed at the same position as before the movement. Also, the display position on the LCD12 is adjusted so that the virtual image 4201 of the vehicle speed is displayed at the same position as before the movement. Regarding the virtual image 4202 of the distance, since it cannot be displayed at the original position, in this example, it is displayed at the position moved to the right.

[0264] Similar control is also possible when returning the HUD area 5 from the right position to the central position. The controller turns off the virtual image 9 from the start of the movement from the HUD area 5R and redisplays the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5A after the movement is completed.

[0265] As another control example regarding FIG. 42, a predetermined virtual image 9 indicating that the HUD area 5 is in the middle of movement may be displayed during the time of movement as in (B). The virtual image 9 may be, for example, an image of a message such as "Moving" or "Please wait".

[0266] [Arrangement of non-AR virtual images] Figure 43 shows, as another countermeasure example, an example of the arrangement of non-AR virtual images within the HUD area 5. In this countermeasure example, regarding the arrangement of non-AR virtual images within the HUD area 5, they are arranged at a position that is not greatly affected by the left-right movement of the HUD area 5, that is, a position closer to the center. For example, as in each of the above examples, when the virtual image 9 is arranged at a position close to the left or right side within the HUD area 5, it may be necessary to change the display position of the virtual image 9 before and after the left-right movement of the HUD area 5. If the driver allows the change in the display position of the virtual image 9 before and after the movement of the HUD area 5, then that change is acceptable, but if not, the change is not desirable. Therefore, in advance, the arrangement position of the non-AR virtual image within the HUD area 5 is set as a position closer to the center than the left or right side of the HUD area 5. Thereby, with the left-right movement of the HUD area 5, it becomes easier to adjust the display position regarding that virtual image.

[0267] In Fig. 43(A), within the HUD area 5A at the central position, as non-AR virtual images 9, there are a virtual image 4301 of the vehicle speed and a virtual image 4302 of a left-turn navigation. Also, the range 4320 indicates the maximum range between the left side and the right side regarding the left-right movement of the HUD area 5, and it is assumed that it can move within this range. The distance 4321 is, for example, the distance between the right side of the HUD area 5A and the right side of the HUD area 5R. The distance 4322 is, for example, the distance between the left side of the HUD area 5A and the left side of the HUD area 5L. The controller pre-sets the arrangement position of the virtual image 4301 of the vehicle speed within the HUD area 5A, as shown in the figure, at a position shifted centrally by a distance corresponding to the distance 4321 from the right side of the HUD area 5A. Thereby, when the HUD area 5 is moved to the left or right position, even if the display position of the video of the virtual image 4301 on the LCD 12 is not adjusted, the virtual image 01 will fit within the HUD area 5 after the left-right movement.

[0268] (B) is an example where it has moved to the HUD area 5R on the right. In this case, for example, the virtual image 4301 of the vehicle speed can be adjusted to various positions. First, as a first example, for the virtual image 4301 of the vehicle speed, when the display position of the video of the vehicle speed on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 is the same in (A) and (B) and it is the video 4311a, the display position within the HUD area 5R will be like the virtual image 4301a. Also, as a second example, for the virtual image 4301 of the vehicle speed, when the display position of the video on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 in (B) is adjusted to be shifted to the left compared to (A) (only the area is shown as the video 4311b), it can be set to the same display position as in (A), like the virtual image 4301b (shown only by the frame line) within the HUD area 5R. Further, as a third example, for the virtual image 4301 of the vehicle speed, when the display position of the video on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 in (B) is adjusted to be shifted to the right compared to (A) (only the area is shown as the video 4311c), it can be set to a display position closer to the right side, like the virtual image 4301c (shown only by the frame line) within the HUD area 5R.

[0269] Similarly, in advance, for the virtual image 4302 of the left-turn navigation within the HUD area 5A, the arrangement position may be set to a position shifted to the center with a distance corresponding to the distance 4322 from the left side of the HUD area 5A as shown in the figure.

[0270] [Control Example: Right Turn] FIG. 44 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a control example when the HUD area 5 is moved from the central position to the right position when the vehicle 2 is about to turn right. FIG. 44 shows an X-Y plane view looking down on the vehicle 2 and the road. Ahead of the road (in other words, the lane) 4401 on which the vehicle 2 is traveling, there is a point (for example, an intersection) 4402 where a right turn is planned. Based on the above-described start condition, the controller determines to move the HUD area 5 from the central position to the right position. In this example, when the vehicle reaches a point 4411 before the right-turn point 4402, the controller moves it to the HUD area 5R on the right. Thereby, even when there is a pedestrian 4405 near the right-turn point 4402, the virtual image of the above-described alert can be displayed within the HUD area 5R. Based on the above-described end condition, the controller determines to move the HUD area 5 from the right position to the central position. In this example, immediately after the vehicle 2 turns right at the point 4402, for example, when it reaches a point 4412, the controller returns it to the HUD area 5A at the central position.

[0271] [Control Example: Travel Speed] As a control example regarding the change in the position of the HUD area 5 in the left-right direction 5b, the following is also possible. The controller of the HUD device 1 grasps the travel speed of the vehicle 2 based on the vehicle information 4, and changes the position of the HUD area 5 in the left-right direction 5b according to the travel speed. For example, when the current travel speed is within a predetermined first range, the controller sets the HUD area 5 to the central position which is the reference position. When the current travel speed is within a second range different from the first range, the controller changes the HUD area 5 to the left and right positions.

[0272] For example, when turning right as shown in FIGS. 13 and 44 and the traveling speed is relatively low, the position of the HUD area 5 may be moved more greatly in the left - right direction. Since it is relatively easy for the driver's eyes to follow, it is effective. For example, when driving on a highway or the like where the traveling speed is relatively high, since the driver's line of sight often points farther ahead, the position of the HUD area 5 is made to move less in the left - right direction. The controller calculates the amount of movement when moving the HUD area 5 left and right according to the value of the traveling speed and determines the position of the destination of the movement. For example, it is determined that the amount of left - right movement increases as the speed is lower. In the example of FIG. 44, for example, since the traveling speed decreases to a relatively low speed in response to the brake for turning right near point 4411, the controller determines the amount of movement to the right - hand HUD area 5R according to the traveling speed at that time.

[0273] Furthermore, when the vehicle 2 is traveling and satisfies a predetermined condition regarding the traveling speed, for example, when the traveling speed is relatively low, the controller may determine the transition speed during the movement when moving the position of the HUD area 5 to the left - right position. For example, in the case of the right - hand turn in FIG. 44, when moving from the central HUD area 5A to the right - hand HUD area 5R, instead of making the movement steeply in a short time, it may be controlled to move slowly over a certain period of time according to the traveling speed. The controller determines, for example, the start time of the movement, the transition time and speed during the movement according to the traveling speed when making the determination of the left - right movement, and moves the HUD area 5 at the determined start time and speed of the movement. Also, during the movement at that time, the control of the display of the virtual image 9 during the movement as shown in FIG. 41 may be applied together.

[0274] Similarly, when returning the HUD area 5 from the right position to the center position, the speed during movement and the like may be controlled according to the traveling speed at that time. For example, immediately after a right turn, the traveling speed increases relatively rapidly according to the accelerator near point 4412, so the controller determines the transition time and speed during movement for returning to the HUD area 5A at the center position according to the traveling speed at that time, and moves the HUD area 5 at the determined speed. As a result, the HUD area 5 returns steeply to the center position, for example.

[0275] [Adjustment of Distortion Correction] Since the windshield 3 of the vehicle 2 has a curvature, distortion may occur in the virtual image 9 according to the position and area where the image light is projected onto the curved surface of the windshield 3 to form the HUD area 5. Therefore, control for eliminating such distortion is necessary according to the left and right positions of the HUD area 5.

[0276] FIG. 45 shows an explanatory diagram of distortion correction. In FIG. 45, in the X-Y plane view, the curved surface of the windshield 3 is schematically shown. Also, in the case of a right-hand drive vehicle, the HUD area 5 formed by the image light (the optical axis is shown by a dashed line) from the concave mirror M1 of the HUD device 1 is schematically shown by a dashed triangle or the like. For example, a schematic image of the HUD area 5R (dashed line) at the center position as the initial position and the HUD area 5R (solid line) at the right position is shown.

[0277] In the HUD area 5A at the initial position and the HUD area 5R at the right position, images are projected onto different locations (for example, points p1, p2) on the curved surface of the windshield 3 where the curvature is different. The curvature at point p1 is different from the curvature at point p2.

[0278] For example, when moving from the HUD area 5A at the center position to the HUD area 5R at the right position, the degree of distortion correction for the virtual image 9 displayed in the HUD area 5A at the center position before movement and the degree of distortion correction for the virtual image 9 displayed in the HUD area 5R at the right position after movement need to be made different according to the difference in curvature.

[0279] In the example of FIG. 45, in the X direction which is the left - right direction 5b, it is assumed that the curvature of the windshield 3 becomes stronger, larger, the closer it is to the left and right ends. In this case, for example, in the HUD region 5R on the right side, compared with the HUD region 5A at the central position, since it is necessary to project onto a region with a larger curvature, the degree of distortion correction needs to be stronger, larger.

[0280] The controller of the HUD device 1, for example, the MCU800 of the control unit 101 in FIG. 8A, performs distortion correction processing on the video data to be displayed on the LCD12 by the distortion correction unit 802. At that time, the distortion correction unit 802 applies distortion correction processing corresponding to the position of the target HUD region 5 based on the mode / state regarding the position in the left - right direction 5b of the HUD region 5. The distortion correction processing includes determining parameter values such as the degree of distortion correction according to the curvature. The controller refers to, for example, the distortion correction table held in the memory 810. In the distortion correction table, the curvature and optical system characteristics, etc., corresponding to the position on the windshield 3 are set in advance, and the parameter values of distortion correction are set in association with the position and curvature, etc. The controller refers to the distortion correction table both when adjusting the position in the up - down direction 5a of the HUD region 5 and when adjusting the position in the left - right direction 5b of the HUD region 5, and determines the parameter values of distortion correction corresponding to the position of the HUD region 5. The distortion correction unit 802 uses the parameter values to perform distortion correction processing on the video data for displaying an image on the LCD12 according to the position of the HUD region 5. Thereby, when the same virtual image 9 is displayed in the HUD region 5 at each position, each virtual image 9 has a similar display with the distortion eliminated.

[0281] FIG. 46 shows a display example of the result of distortion correction according to the position of the HUD region 5. (A) in FIG. 46 shows a display example on the central HUD region 5A and the LCD12, and (B) shows a display example on the right - hand HUD region 5R and the LCD12. In (A), on the display surface 1200 of the LCD12, a vehicle speed video 4611 and a right - turn navigation video 4612 are displayed. Based on this video, a vehicle speed virtual image 4601 and a right - turn navigation virtual image 4602 are displayed in the HUD region 5A.

[0282] In this example, based on the start condition, the controller moves the HUD area 5 to the right, and before and after the movement, the contents of the virtual images 4601 and 4602 are made the same respectively, and the display positions of the virtual images 4601 and 4602 as seen by the driver also remain unchanged. As the HUD area 5 moves to the right, the controller adjusts the display positions of the videos 4611 and 4612 on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12. Specifically, the videos 4611 and 4612 are each moved to the left and displayed. In this case, so that the shapes of the virtual images 4601 and 4602 are not distorted and remain the same as seen by the driver before and after the movement, or so that they are as close as possible in shape before and after the movement, the controller performs distortion correction.

[0283] The controller determines parameter values such as the degree of distortion correction for each pixel position of the object in the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12 associated with the position in the HUD area 5. For example, in the left - right arrangement of the characters of the virtual image 4601 and the left - right arrangement of the triangular arrows of the virtual image 4602, it is determined that the degree of distortion correction to be applied becomes stronger and larger as it goes to the right in the X direction. The degree of distortion correction may be determined for each pixel, but it may also be determined more roughly, for each object or for each area block. As a result of such distortion correction, the apparent shapes of the respective virtual images 9 are maintained the same before and after the movement between (A) and (B).

[0284] FIG. 47 shows another display example of the distortion correction result according to the position of the HUD area 5. In this example, along with the left-right movement of the HUD area 5, a device is shown to change the display content of the virtual image together with the distortion correction. In this example, when the controller moves the HUD area 5 from the central position to the right position, the controller adjusts the display content for the virtual image 4702 of the right-turn navigation. Specifically, before the movement in (A), it is assumed that the virtual image 4702 is composed of, for example, five triangular arrow objects. After the movement in (B), the display content of the virtual image 4702b is changed so that it is composed of seven triangular arrow objects. The position of the starting triangular arrow of the virtual image 4702b is the same as the position before the movement in (A), and the position of the triangular arrow representing the right-turn destination extends into the area 501. As the HUD area 5 moves to the right position, the apparent FOV is enlarged, so the controller adjusts the display content of the virtual image 4702 to be the display content using the enlarged area 501, like the virtual image 4702b. The controller moves the display position to the left and adds triangular arrows, etc. to create the video 4712b based on the original video 4712 on the display surface 1200 of the LCD 12. Then, the controller applies the distortion correction process to the video 4712b in the same way as in the example of FIG. 46. As a result, the virtual image 4702b is displayed in the HUD area 5R. When viewed by the driver, it is visually recognized that the end point representing the right-turn destination of the virtual image 4702 extends to the right before and after the movement. With this virtual image 4702b, the driver can be more effectively navigated for a right turn. Not limited to this example, it is possible to change the display content of the virtual image 9 using the area enlarged as the HUD area 5 moves left and right.

[0285] [Example of control processing flow] FIGS. 48 to 51 show, as a supplement, an example of the control processing flow of the controller of the HUD device 1 that can realize the above-described various control examples. The flows in FIGS. 48 and the like correspond to the flows in FIGS. 20 to 23 combined and made more detailed. The flows in FIGS. 48 and the like are configured to include processing steps for controlling the movement of the HUD area 5 and adjusting the position of the object of the virtual image 9.

[0286] First, in step S101 of FIG. 48, the HUD device 1 is activated. In step S102, communication such as CAN between the controller of the HUD device 1 and the control unit 100 as shown in FIG. 7 and the like is established. In step S103, based on the driving of the concave mirror M1 to rotate in the vertical direction, the movement of the HUD region 5 in the vertical direction 5a is started. In step S104, based on the driving of the concave mirror M1 to rotate in the vertical direction, the movement of the HUD region 5 in the vertical direction 5a is completed, and the HUD region 5 is in a state of being adjusted and controlled to a position in the vertical direction 5a.

[0287] In step S105, the controller starts and completes the display preparation process for the HUD region 5. As a result, the virtual image 9 can be displayed in the HUD region 5. In step S106, the controller determines the display content of the virtual image 9 to be displayed in the HUD region 5. The display content here is the type, number, position, etc. of the object. The types include those mentioned above, such as AR or non-AR, vehicle speed, distance, navigation, alert, GUI, etc.

[0288] In step S107, the controller checks the above-mentioned control flag or mode. If the flag is OFF, that is, in the central position mode (Yes), it proceeds to the flow of A. If the flag is ON, that is, in the left and right position mode (No), it proceeds to the flow of B.

[0289] In the flow of A shown in FIG. 49, in step SA1, the controller determines whether the start condition / trigger for the left and right movement is satisfied. If satisfied (Yes), it proceeds to step SA2. If not satisfied (No), it proceeds to step SA7.

[0290] In step SA2, the controller sets the flag from OFF to ON (indicating the left - right position mode). In step SA3, based on the drive of the concave mirror M1 to rotate in the left - right direction, the controller starts to move the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b in the direction (left or right) specified in terms of control. In step SA4, as an adjustment for displaying the virtual image 9 within the HUD area 5 after the left - right movement, the controller performs adjustment processing such as the display position of the video on the aforementioned LCD12.

[0291] Also, in step SA5, the controller performs the above - mentioned distortion correction processing on the video signal for display on the LCD12 to obtain a distortion - corrected video signal. As a detailed example of the distortion correction processing here, a distortion correction table for reference is prepared in advance for the HUD area before movement (for example, the HUD area 5A at the central position) and the HUD area after movement (for example, the HUD area 5R at the right position), and the distortion correction table to be referred to is changed according to the movement destination.

[0292] In step SA6, based on the drive of the concave mirror M1 to rotate in the left - right direction, the controller completes the movement of the HUD area 5 in the left - right direction 5b in the direction (left or right) specified in terms of control. In this example, the case where processing such as step SA4 is performed during the left - right movement of the HUD area 5 is shown, but it is not limited to this, and processing may be performed before or after the movement.

[0293] In step SA7, based on the video signal to the LCD12, the controller updates the display content of the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5 after or before the left - right movement at that time. In other words, within the HUD area 5 at that time, a virtual image 9 corresponding to the mode before or after the movement (a video with the adjustments in step SA6 and the like reflected) is displayed. When transitioning from step SA6 to SA7, for example, a virtual image 9 for the right position is displayed within the HUD area 5 after the right movement. After step SA7, the flow proceeds to C.

[0294] In the flow of B shown in FIG. 50, at step SB1, the controller determines whether the end condition / trigger regarding the left-right movement is satisfied. If it is satisfied (Yes), the process proceeds to step SB2, and if not (No), the process proceeds to step SB7.

[0295] At step SB2, the controller sets the flag from ON to OFF (indicating the central position mode). At step SB3, based on the drive of the concave mirror M1 to rotate in the left-right direction, the controller starts moving the HUD area 5 from the left and right positions to the central position, which is the initial position, in the left-right direction 5b. At step SB4, as an adjustment for displaying the virtual image 9 within the HUD area 5 at the central position of the movement destination, the controller performs adjustment processing such as the display position of the video on the aforementioned LCD 12. Also, at step SB5, the controller performs the distortion correction processing as described above on the video signal to be displayed on the LCD 12 to obtain a distortion-corrected video signal. At step SB6, based on the drive of the concave mirror M1 to rotate in the left-right direction, the controller completes the movement of the HUD area 5 to the central position in the left-right direction 5b.

[0296] At step SB7, based on the video signal to the LCD 12, the controller updates the display content of the virtual image 9 in the HUD area 5 before or after the movement to the central position at that time. In other words, within the HUD area 5 at that time, a virtual image 9 corresponding to the mode before or after the movement is displayed. When transitioning from step SB6 to SB7, for example, a virtual image 9 for the central position is displayed within the HUD area 5 after moving to the central position. After step SB7, the process proceeds to the flow of C.

[0297] In the flow of C shown in FIG. 51, at step SC1, the controller determines whether the end condition of the HUD device 1 is satisfied. If it is satisfied (Yes), the process proceeds to step SC2; if not (No), the process proceeds to step SC6. At step SC2, the controller starts the display end process for the HUD area 5 and ends the process. At step SC3, the controller starts the movement of the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a based on the driving of the concave mirror M1 in the vertical direction. At step SC4, the controller completes the movement of the HUD area 5 in the vertical direction 5a based on the driving of the concave mirror M1 in the vertical direction. The position after completion here is the initial position in the vertical direction 5a or the position set by the user. At step SC5, the controller ends the activation of the HUD device 1.

[0298] On the other hand, at step SC6, the controller acquires the display update information and updates the display of the HUD area 5 based on the display update information. After step SC6, it is the same as steps S107 and subsequent steps in FIG. 48.

[0299] The above-described various software configurations and control examples, etc., are not limited to the hardware configuration including the two-axis concave mirror M1 as shown in FIG. 10 of Embodiment 1, but are similarly applicable to the hardware configuration including the one-axis concave mirror M1 of the modified example shown in FIG. 14 etc.

[0300] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist. Except for the essential components, addition, deletion, replacement, etc. of the components are possible. Unless otherwise specifically limited, each component may be singular or plural. A form combining each embodiment is also possible.

[0301] When using the technology according to the embodiment, as described above, the position of the virtual image displayed within the head-up display display area can be moved, changed, and adjusted in the left-right direction, and the apparent FOV as seen by the driver can be increased. As a result, the difference in the position of the driver's line of sight and the amount of viewpoint movement between the virtual image in the head-up display display area and the real-world object can be reduced, and an information display device (head-up display device) that contributes to safe driving and the like can be provided. This makes it possible to prevent traffic accidents. Furthermore, it becomes possible to contribute to "3. Good health and well-being for all" among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0302] 1... HUD device, 2... vehicle, 3... windshield, 4... vehicle information, 5... HUD area (display area), 6... viewpoint, 7... aperture, 8... steering wheel, 9... virtual image, 10... video display device, 11... light source device, 12... LCD (display device), M1... video projection unit (concave mirror), M2... mirror, J1... rotation axis, J2... rotation axis, 51... mirror holder, 52... concave mirror body, 61... motor, 62... motor, 63... support member.

Claims

1. An image display device, and an image projection unit that reflects image light from the image display device, wherein a head-up display area, which is a display area where a virtual image can be displayed, is formed based on the image light reflected from the image projection unit, when the horizontal direction corresponding to the horizontal direction in the head-up display area is defined as the first direction and the vertical direction corresponding to the vertical direction is defined as the second direction, as the position in the left-right direction corresponding to the first direction, which is the position where the head-up display area is formed, it has at least a first position that is the initial position and a second position that is a position to the left or right of the first position, when a predetermined condition for moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position is satisfied, the position of the head-up display area is moved from the first position to the second position by driving the image projection unit, and the virtual image is displayed in the head-up display area at the second position, A head-up display device.

2. In the head-up display device according to Claim 1, the head-up display device includes a controller, and the controller determines a predetermined condition for moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position, A head-up display device.

3. In the head-up display device according to Claim 1, when the horizontal direction corresponding to the horizontal direction in the head-up display area is defined as the first direction and the vertical direction corresponding to the vertical direction is defined as the second direction, the image projection unit has a first rotation axis extending in the first direction, a first drive mechanism provided on the first rotation axis, a second rotation axis extending in the second direction, and a second drive mechanism provided on the second rotation axis, and by rotating the image projection unit around the second rotation axis by the second drive mechanism, the position of the head-up display area is moved in the left-right direction, A head-up display device.

4. In the head-up display device according to Claim 1, when the horizontal direction corresponding to the horizontal direction in the head-up display area is defined as the first direction and the vertical direction corresponding to the vertical direction is defined as the second direction, the image projection unit has a rotation axis extending in the second direction, and a drive mechanism provided on the rotation axis, A head-up display device. ​ By rotating the image projection unit around the rotation axis by the drive mechanism, the position of the head-up display area is moved in the left-right direction. Head-up display device.

5. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, Determine the conditions for moving the position of the head-up display area from the second position to the first position. When the condition is satisfied, by driving and controlling the image projection unit to rotate around the rotation axis, the position of the head-up display area is moved from the second position to the first position, and the virtual image is displayed in the head-up display area at the first position. Head-up display device.

6. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, As the position of the head-up display area in the left-right direction, there are a plurality of stepped positions between the first position and the second position. According to the predetermined condition, the position of the head-up display area is moved to a specified stepped position between the first position and the second position. Head-up display device.

7. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, The predetermined condition is a condition related to the content of at least one of navigation information or traveling direction information regarding the traveling of the vehicle on which the head-up display device is mounted, operation information of a manual operation by the driver of the vehicle, the driver's line-of-sight information, detection information or alert information of an object with respect to the vehicle, traveling lane information or road information of the vehicle, and automatic driving information of the vehicle. Head-up display device.

8. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, Provide a user interface for fixing and setting the position of the head-up display area at a position selected between the first position and the second position. Based on the setting in the user interface, move the position of the head-up display area to the selected position, and display the virtual image in the head-up display area at the selected position. Head-up display device.

9. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, The head-up display area has an AR function of displaying the virtual image according to the position of the object. When moving the position of the head-up display area in the left-right direction, if the virtual image displayed in the head-up display area is the AR virtual image, the display of the video on the video display device is adjusted so that the apparent position of the AR virtual image does not change before and after the movement in the left-right direction. A head-up display device.

10. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, It has a non-AR function of displaying the virtual image at a predetermined position within the head-up display area. When moving the position of the head-up display area in the left-right direction, if the virtual image displayed in the head-up display area is the non-AR virtual image, the display of the video on the video display device is adjusted so that the apparent position of the non-AR virtual image does not change before and after the movement in the left-right direction. A head-up display device.

11. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, It has a non-AR function of displaying the virtual image at a predetermined position within the head-up display area. When moving the position of the head-up display area in the left-right direction, if the virtual image displayed in the head-up display area is the non-AR virtual image, the apparent position of the non-AR virtual image is moved along with the movement in the left-right direction. A head-up display device.

12. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, When it is desired to display the virtual image outside the head-up display area at the first position in the left-right direction, the position of the head-up display area is moved from the first position to the second position, and the virtual image is displayed in an area of the head-up display area at the second position that does not overlap with the head-up display area at the first position. A head-up display device.

13. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, When the vehicle on which the head-up display device is mounted turns right or left, the position of the head-up display area is moved from the first position to the second position, and the virtual image is displayed in the head-up display area at the second position. A head-up display device.

14. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, determine the amount of movement from the first position to the second position when moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position according to the traveling speed of the vehicle on which the head-up display device is mounted. A head-up display device.

15. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, determine the time or speed during the movement from the first position to the second position when moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position according to the traveling speed of the vehicle on which the head-up display device is mounted. A head-up display device.

16. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, when moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position, if the first virtual image displayed in the head-up display area at the first position moves out of the head-up display area at the second position, only a part of the first virtual image is displayed, or the first virtual image is temporarily erased, or a virtual image indicating outside the head-up display area at the second position is displayed. A head-up display device.

17. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, when moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position, control so that the virtual image is not displayed in the head-up display area during the movement from the first position to the second position. A head-up display device.

18. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, when moving the position of the head-up display area from the first position to the second position, control so that the virtual image is displayed in the head-up display area during the movement from the first position to the second position. A head-up display device.

19. In the head-up display device according to claim 1, Perform distortion correction to display the virtual image without distortion in the head-up display area, and the distortion correction parameters for the virtual image displayed in the head-up display area at the first position are different from those for the virtual image displayed in the head-up display area at the second position. Head-up display device.

Images