In-vehicle display device

Abstract

To provide an in-vehicle display device for displaying lane lines used for lane keeping control while suppressing discomfort felt by a driver.SOLUTION: A lane keeping control system 100 includes: a recognition section 11 for recognizing lane lines of a diving lane on the basis of a taken image by a camera 1; a determination section 12 for determining whether operational conditions of lane keeping control are satisfied; and a display control section 14 for making a display 3 display the recognized lane lines. The display control section 14 makes the lane lines displayed after the elapse of display standby time, when the operational conditions are determined to be satisfied by the determination section 12 at the start of the recognition of the lane lines by the recognition section 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle display device that displays lane markings on a vehicle display. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that recognizes lane markings on a driving lane and performs lane keeping control to make a vehicle follow the recognized lane markings. This device displays the recognized lane markings on a display based on an image captured by a camera, and notifies the occupants that the vehicle is following the displayed lane markings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-103863 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described device, lane keeping control is initiated after the recognition of the lane markings required for lane keeping control is initiated. Therefore, although the recognized lane markings are displayed on the display, the lane keeping control is not activated until preparations for execution of the lane keeping control are complete. This may cause occupants to feel uncomfortable because the lane keeping control is not activated even though the lane markings required for lane keeping control are displayed.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure describes an in-vehicle display device that can display lane markings used for lane keeping control while suppressing any discomfort felt by occupants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is [1] "an in-vehicle display device that displays, on an in-vehicle display, lane markings of a lane in which a vehicle is traveling, comprising: a recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings of the lane based on an image captured by a camera; a determination unit that determines whether or not lane keeping control operating conditions for causing the vehicle to travel along the recognized lane markings are satisfied, the determination unit being based on at least one of the state of the vehicle, the shape of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and the state of the driver of the vehicle; and a display control unit that displays the recognized lane markings on the display, wherein, if the determination unit determines that the operating conditions are satisfied when the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane markings, the display control unit displays the lane markings after a predetermined display wait time has elapsed."

[0007] If the in-vehicle display device determines that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when recognition of the lane markings begins, it displays the lane markings after the display standby time has elapsed. This prevents the in-vehicle display device from displaying the lane markings before the lane keeping control is activated, or shortens the time the lane markings are displayed before the lane keeping control is activated. This prevents occupants from feeling uncomfortable about lane keeping control not being activated even though the lane markings necessary for lane keeping control are displayed. In this way, the in-vehicle display device can display the lane markings used for lane keeping control while preventing occupants from feeling uncomfortable.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure may be [2] "The in-vehicle display device described in [1] above, wherein the display control unit does not display the recognized lane marking if the determination unit has not determined that the operating condition is met when the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane marking, and if it is subsequently determined that the operating condition is met, displays the lane marking after the display wait time has elapsed since it was determined that the operating condition is met."

[0009] This allows the in-vehicle display device to display the lane markings at a more appropriate time after the conditions for lane keeping control are met, while minimizing any discomfort felt by occupants, even if the conditions for lane keeping control are not met when recognition of the lane markings begins.

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure may be [3] "The in-vehicle display device described in [1] or [2] above, wherein the display control unit extends the display standby time when the vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road compared to when the vehicle is traveling on a highway."

[0011] When a vehicle is traveling on a public road, the reliability of lane marking recognition based on camera images tends to be lower than when the vehicle is traveling on a highway. Therefore, by lengthening the display wait time when the vehicle is traveling on a public road, it is possible to ensure a longer recognition processing time from when lane marking recognition begins until the lane marking is displayed, thereby increasing the reliability of lane marking recognition. This allows the in-vehicle display device to display lane markings with a high level of reliability when displaying them.

[0012] One aspect of the present disclosure may be [4] "An in-vehicle display device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the display control unit extends the display waiting time when the recognized length of the lane marking recognized by the recognition unit is short compared to when the recognized length of the lane marking is long."

[0013] By lengthening the display wait time when the recognized length of the lane marking is short, it is possible to secure a longer time for the lane marking recognition process from the start of lane marking recognition until the lane marking is displayed. By securing a longer time for the recognition process, it is possible to lengthen the recognized length of the lane marking (the length of the recognized lane marking). In other words, for example, it becomes possible to recognize lane markings located farther from the vehicle. This allows the in-vehicle display device to display long lane markings when displaying lane markings.

[0014] One aspect of the present disclosure may be [5] "The in-vehicle display device according to any one of [1] to [4] above, wherein the display control unit extends the display standby time when the vehicle speed is slow compared to when the vehicle speed is fast."

[0015] By lengthening the display wait time when the vehicle speed is slow, it is possible to secure more time for the lane line recognition process between when recognition of the lane line begins and when the lane line is displayed. By securing more time for the recognition process, it is possible to lengthen the recognized length of the lane line (the length of the recognized lane line). In other words, it is possible to recognize lane lines located farther away from the vehicle, for example. This allows the in-vehicle display device to display longer lane lines when displaying them.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure is [6] "An in-vehicle display device that displays, on an in-vehicle display, lane markings of a lane in which a vehicle is traveling, comprising: a recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings of the lane based on an image captured by a camera; a determination unit that determines whether or not lane keeping control that causes the vehicle to travel along the recognized lane markings is operating under conditions that are set based on at least one of the state of the vehicle, the shape of the lane, and the state of the driver of the vehicle, is satisfied; and a display control unit that displays the recognized lane markings on the display, wherein, if the determination unit determines that the operating conditions are satisfied when the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane markings, the display control unit displays the lane markings when execution of the lane keeping control is started."

[0017] The in-vehicle display device displays the lane markings when lane keeping control is initiated. This prevents the occupant from feeling uncomfortable that the lane keeping control is not operating even though the lane markings necessary for the lane keeping control are displayed. In this way, the in-vehicle display device can display the lane markings used for lane keeping control while preventing the occupant from feeling uncomfortable.

[0018] Another aspect of the present disclosure may be [7] "The in-vehicle display device described in [6] above, wherein the display control unit does not display the recognized lane marking if the determination unit has not determined that the operation condition is met when the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane marking, and if it is subsequently determined that the operation condition is met, displays the lane marking when execution of the lane keeping control starts."

[0019] This allows the in-vehicle display device to display the lane markings at a more appropriate time after the activation conditions are met, while minimizing any discomfort felt by occupants, even if the activation conditions for lane keeping control are not met when recognition of the lane markings begins. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, it is possible to display the lane markings used for lane keeping control while suppressing any discomfort felt by the occupants. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a lane keeping control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view showing an example of a road on which the host vehicle is traveling. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display image of a lane marking on a display. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process of displaying the lane markings performed by the vehicle-mounted display device of the lane keeping control system. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a lane keeping control system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process of displaying the lane markings performed by the vehicle-mounted display device of the lane keeping control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. In the following, an example will be described in which the in-vehicle display device of the present disclosure is applied to a lane keeping control system.

[0023] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of a lane keeping control system to which an on-vehicle display device according to the present disclosure is applied will be described. The lane keeping control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car or a freight vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle). The lane keeping control system 100 performs lane keeping control to assist the host vehicle in driving along its own lane. For example, the lane keeping control is a control that automatically steers the host vehicle so that the host vehicle travels between a dividing line (a line provided on the road to divide lanes) on the left side of the host lane and a dividing line on the right side of the host lane. The lane keeping control system 100 also displays the dividing line of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling on a display 3.

[0024] The lane keeping control system 100 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 that performs overall control of the device. The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit. The storage unit is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The ECU 10 realizes various functions by, for example, executing programs stored in the storage unit in the CPU. The ECU 10 may be composed of multiple electronic units.

[0025] The ECU 10 is connected to a camera 1, a steering actuator 2, and a display 3. The camera 1 is an imaging device that captures images of the external conditions of the vehicle. The camera 1 is provided, for example, behind the windshield of the vehicle, and captures images of the area ahead of the vehicle. The camera 1 transmits captured images relating to the external conditions of the vehicle to the ECU 10. In this embodiment, the camera 1 can capture images of the road ahead of the vehicle.

[0026] The steering actuator 2 controls the steering of the host vehicle. For example, the steering actuator 2 controls the drive of an assist motor that controls the steering torque of the electric power steering system in accordance with a control signal from the ECU 10. In this way, the steering actuator 2 controls the steering torque of the host vehicle.

[0027] The display 3 is a display device provided in the cabin of the vehicle. The display 3 may be a center display, a multi-information display (MID), or a head-up display (HUD). The display 3 displays various information in response to control signals from the ECU 10.

[0028] Next, we will explain the functional configuration of the ECU 10. Functionally, the ECU 10 includes a recognition unit 11, a determination unit 12, a lane keeping control unit 13, and a display control unit 14. The recognition unit 11, the determination unit 12, and the display control unit 14 configure an in-vehicle display device 200 that displays on the display 3 the lane markings of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling.

[0029] The recognition unit 11 recognizes the lane markings of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling based on the image captured by the camera 1. Here, the recognition unit 11 recognizes the position of the lane markings ahead of the vehicle. For example, the recognition unit 11 extracts the lane markings based on the captured image using well-known image processing techniques and recognizes the position of the lane markings relative to the vehicle. The recognition unit 11 may also recognize the position of each position on the lane markings. Note that the recognition unit 11 may also recognize the absolute position of the lane markings, which is expressed by latitude and longitude, for example.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, for example, assume that the vehicle V is traveling in the lane L. The lane L is made up of a pair of marking lines K1 and K2. The marking line K1 is the marking line on the right side of the lane L. The marking line K2 is the marking line on the left side of the lane L. In this case, the recognition unit 11 recognizes the positions of the marking lines K1 and K2 based on the image captured by the camera 1.

[0031] The determination unit 12 determines whether or not an activation condition for lane keeping control that causes the host vehicle to travel along the lane marking recognized by the recognition unit 11 is satisfied. This activation condition is determined in advance. In this embodiment, this activation condition is set in advance based on at least one of the state of the host vehicle, the shape of the host lane (the lane the host vehicle is traveling in), and the state of the driver of the host vehicle.

[0032] The operating condition determined based on the state of the host vehicle may be determined based on, for example, the speed of the host vehicle or the steering angle of the host vehicle. For example, if the lane keeping control is switched on when the speed of the host vehicle is high, it may be difficult to perform the lane keeping control appropriately. For this reason, for example, the operating condition determined based on the state of the host vehicle may be determined as a condition that the speed of the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined speed. The detection result of a vehicle speed sensor installed in the host vehicle may be used as the speed of the host vehicle. Also, for example, if the lane keeping control is switched on when the steering angle of the host vehicle is large, it may be difficult to perform the lane keeping control appropriately. For this reason, for example, the operating condition determined based on the state of the host vehicle may be determined as a condition that the steering angle of the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined steering angle. The detection result of a steering angle sensor installed in the host vehicle may be used as the steering angle of the host vehicle.

[0033] The operating condition determined based on the state of the host vehicle may be determined based on the presence or absence of a malfunction in the steering mechanism of the host vehicle. For example, if lane keeping control is switched to when a malfunction occurs in a steering mechanism of the host vehicle, such as the steering actuator 2, it may be difficult to perform lane keeping control appropriately. For this reason, for example, the operating condition determined based on the state of the host vehicle may be determined as a condition that no malfunction occurs in the steering mechanism of the host vehicle. The presence or absence of a malfunction in the steering mechanism of the host vehicle may be determined based on, for example, the operating state of the steering actuator 2, the diagnosis results of the steering actuator 2 in a known malfunction diagnosis system, etc. Furthermore, for example, if a tire of the host vehicle is punctured, appropriate steering is not possible. For this reason, for example, the operating condition determined based on the state of the host vehicle may be determined as a condition that no tire of the host vehicle is punctured. The presence or absence of a tire puncture may be determined based on, for example, the detection results of a tire pressure sensor attached to the tire or wheel.

[0034] The operating condition determined based on the shape of the vehicle's own lane may be determined based on, for example, the curvature of the road curve. For example, if the lane keeping control is switched on when the road curve has a large curvature (the curve is sharp), it may be difficult to perform the lane keeping control appropriately. For this reason, the operating condition determined based on the shape of the vehicle's own lane may be determined to be, for example, that the shape of the curve of the vehicle's own lane (the shape of the curve ahead of the vehicle) is equal to or smaller than a predetermined curvature. The curvature of this curve may be determined based on the curvature of the lane markings recognized by the recognition unit 11. The curvature of this curve may also be obtained based on map information including the road shape. In this case, the curvature of the curve of the vehicle's own lane may be obtained based on, for example, the position of the vehicle recognized based on the positioning result obtained by the GPS receiving unit and the map information including the road shape.

[0035] The operating condition determined based on the state of the driver of the vehicle may be determined based on, for example, the direction of the driver's line of sight, the driver's posture, or the driver's state of alertness. The state of the driver can be determined based on, for example, an image captured by a driver monitor camera that captures an image of the driver. The state of the driver can be estimated based on the image captured by the driver monitor camera using various well-known image processing techniques.

[0036] For example, the lane keeping control may be switched on when the driver is looking at a location other than the front of the vehicle (for example, at a smartphone held in hand, or to the side of the vehicle). In such a driver state, if it becomes necessary to terminate the lane keeping control due to an unexpected sudden approach of another vehicle, it may be difficult for the driver to immediately take over driving operation of the vehicle. For this reason, for example, an activation condition determined based on the driver's state may be that the driver's line of sight is directed within a predetermined range ahead of the vehicle.

[0037] For example, the lane keeping control may be switched on when the driver's posture is not suitable for driving, such as when the driver is lying down with the seat reclined. In such a driver posture, if it becomes necessary to terminate the lane keeping control due to an unexpected sudden approach of another vehicle, it may be difficult for the driver to immediately take over driving operation of the vehicle. For this reason, for example, an operating condition determined based on the driver's state may be determined as a condition that the driver's posture is suitable for a predetermined driving operation. Examples of a posture suitable for driving operation include a posture in which the driver is not lying down, a posture in which the driver is seated in the driver's seat, etc.

[0038] For example, lane keeping control may be switched on when the driver's state of alertness is not suitable for driving, such as when the driver is asleep. In such a driver's state of alertness, if it becomes necessary to terminate lane keeping control due to an unexpected sudden approach of another vehicle, it may be difficult for the driver to immediately take over driving of the vehicle. For this reason, for example, an activation condition determined based on the driver's state of alertness may be that the driver's state of alertness is equal to or greater than a predetermined level of alertness. Here, the higher the level of alertness, the more clearly the driver is aware of the situation, and the lower the level of alertness, the closer the driver is to being asleep. The driver's level of alertness may be determined based on, for example, the degree to which the driver's eyes are open or the degree to which the driver's head is shaking, obtained from an image captured by a driver monitor camera. For example, the more the driver's eyes are closed, the lower the level of alertness of the driver. For example, the more the driver's head is shaking, the lower the level of alertness of the driver.

[0039] The lane keeping control unit 13 performs lane keeping control so that the vehicle travels along the vehicle's lane, based on the dividing lines of the vehicle's lane recognized by the recognition unit 11. The lane keeping control unit 13 controls the steering of the vehicle by issuing instructions to the steering actuator 2. The lane keeping control unit 13 performs lane keeping control when the lane keeping control activation conditions determined by the determination unit 12 are met and the dividing lines of the vehicle's lane are recognized by the recognition unit 11. Well-known lane keeping control can be used as the lane keeping control based on the dividing lines of the vehicle's lane. A detailed description of lane keeping control will be omitted here.

[0040] The display control unit 14 controls the display of the lane markings on the display 3. The display control unit 14 causes the display 3 to display the lane markings recognized by the recognition unit 11. In this embodiment, the display control unit 14 causes the display 3 to display the lane markings KA and a host vehicle icon VA indicating the host vehicle, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. The display control unit 14 displays the host vehicle icon VA and the lane markings KA so as to present a view of the host vehicle and the lane markings as viewed from behind and diagonally above the host vehicle.

[0041] Displaying the lane markings KA on the display 3 means displaying images (e.g., lines) corresponding to the lane markings on the display 3. The lane markings KA include a lane marking K1A corresponding to the lane marking K1 of the lane L (see FIG. 2) and a lane marking K2A corresponding to the lane marking K2 of the lane L (see FIG. 2).

[0042] If the determination unit 12 determines that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when the recognition unit 11 starts recognizing the lane markings, the display control unit 14 displays the lane markings on the display 3 after a predetermined display standby time has elapsed since the recognition unit 11 started recognizing the lane markings. The start of lane marking recognition refers to the time when the lane markings can be recognized.

[0043] If the determination unit 12 does not determine that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when the recognition unit 11 starts to recognize the lane markings, the display control unit 14 does not display the recognized lane markings on the display 3. If it is subsequently determined that the activation conditions are met, the display control unit 14 displays the recognized lane markings on the display 3 after the display standby time has elapsed since it was determined that the activation conditions were met.

[0044] This display standby time is set in advance. The display control unit 14 can adjust the display standby time based on the following conditions. The adjustment of the display standby time may be performed using any two or more of the conditions described below. For example, the display control unit 14 can lengthen the display standby time when the host vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road compared to when the host vehicle is traveling on an expressway. An expressway is a road with a higher speed limit than an ordinary road and is designed for high-speed traveling. For example, the display control unit 14 can determine whether the host vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road or an expressway based on the position of the host vehicle and map information including the road types of the ordinary road and the expressway. For example, the display control unit 14 may determine whether the host vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road or an expressway based on road signs installed in the host vehicle's lane.

[0045] For example, when the recognized length of the lane marking recognized by the recognition unit 11 is short, the display control unit 14 can lengthen the display standby time compared to when the recognized length of the lane marking is long. The recognized length of the lane marking is the length of the lane marking recognized by the recognition unit 11, and is the length along the extension direction of the host lane. When the speed of the host vehicle is slow, the display control unit 14 can lengthen the display standby time compared to when the speed of the host vehicle is fast. The speed of the host vehicle may be determined using the detection result of a vehicle speed sensor installed in the host vehicle.

[0046] In this way, when the recognition unit 11 recognizes a lane marking and the determination unit 12 determines that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met, the display control unit 14 displays the recognized lane marking on the display 3 after the display standby time has elapsed. Thereafter, the display control unit 14 continues to update the display of the lane marking as the vehicle travels.

[0047] Next, the flow of the lane marking display process performed by the in-vehicle display device 200 of the lane keeping control system 100 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. Note that the process shown in FIG. 4 restarts from the start after a predetermined time has elapsed after the process reaches the end. As shown in FIG. 4, the recognition unit 11 performs a process of recognizing the lane markings of the vehicle's own lane based on the image captured by the camera 1 (S101). If the lane markings cannot be recognized (S101: NO), the process proceeds to the end. If the lane markings can be recognized (S101: YES), the determination unit 12 determines whether or not the activation conditions for lane keeping control, which causes the vehicle to travel along the recognized lane markings, are satisfied (S102). If the activation conditions are not satisfied (S102: NO), the process proceeds to the end.

[0048] If the activation conditions are met (S102: YES), the display control unit 14 adjusts the display standby time (S103). Here, as described above, the display control unit 14 adjusts the display standby time using whether the host vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road or an expressway, the length of the recognized lane markings, and the speed of the host vehicle. However, the display control unit 14 may use a predetermined display standby time without performing the process of adjusting the display standby time. Note that, if the activation conditions are met, the lane keeping control unit 13 executes lane keeping control of the host vehicle.

[0049] If it is determined that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when recognition of the lane markings is initiated, the display control unit 14 determines whether a display standby time has elapsed since recognition of the lane markings was initiated (S104). Alternatively, if it is not determined that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when recognition of the lane markings is initiated, but it is later determined that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met, the display control unit 14 determines whether a display standby time has elapsed since it was determined that the activation conditions are met (S104). If the display standby time has not elapsed (S104: NO), the display control unit 14 repeats the determination process of S104 until the display standby time has elapsed. If the display standby time has elapsed (S104: YES), the display control unit 14 displays the lane markings recognized by the recognition unit 11 on the display 3 (S105).

[0050] Even if the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when recognition of the lane markings for the vehicle's own lane is initiated, a time lag (e.g., a slight time lag) may occur before the lane keeping control is actually activated. Therefore, if the lane markings are displayed simultaneously with the start of lane marking recognition, the lane markings used for the lane keeping control are displayed even though the lane keeping control has not yet been activated, which may cause occupants to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, if the determination unit 12 determines that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when the recognition unit 11 starts to recognize the lane markings, the in-vehicle display device 200 of the lane keeping control system 100 displays the lane markings on the display 3 after a display standby time has elapsed. As a result, even if there is a time lag between the start of recognition of the lane markings for the vehicle's own lane and the actual activation of the lane keeping control, the in-vehicle display device 200 can prevent the lane markings from being displayed before the lane keeping control is activated, or can shorten the time for which the lane markings are displayed before the lane keeping control is activated. This prevents occupants from feeling uncomfortable that the lane keeping control is not activated even though the lane markings necessary for the lane keeping control are displayed. In this way, the in-vehicle display device 200 can display the lane markings used for lane keeping control while suppressing any sense of discomfort felt by the occupants.

[0051] If the determination unit 12 does not determine that the activation conditions for lane keeping control are satisfied when the recognition unit 11 starts recognizing the lane markings, the display control unit 14 does not display the recognized lane markings on the display 3. If it is subsequently determined that the activation conditions are satisfied, the display control unit 14 displays the recognized lane markings on the display 3 after the display standby time has elapsed since it was determined that the activation conditions were satisfied. This allows the in-vehicle display device 200 to display the lane markings at a more appropriate time after the activation conditions are satisfied, while minimizing the discomfort felt by the occupants, even if the activation conditions for lane keeping control are not satisfied when the recognition unit 11 starts recognizing the lane markings.

[0052] The display control unit 14 lengthens the display standby time when the vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road compared to when the vehicle is traveling on an expressway. For example, when the vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road, the reliability of lane marking recognition based on the image captured by the camera 1 tends to be lower than when the vehicle is traveling on an expressway. This is because ordinary roads often have more complex road shapes, such as sharp curves and intersections, than expressways. Therefore, by lengthening the display standby time when the vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road, the recognition processing time from the start of lane marking recognition to the display of the lane marking can be extended, thereby improving the reliability of lane marking recognition. As a result, the in-vehicle display device 200 can display lane markings with high recognition reliability when displaying lane markings.

[0053] When the recognized length of the lane marking recognized by the recognition unit 11 is short, the display control unit 14 increases the display wait time compared to when the recognized length is long. In this way, by increasing the display wait time when the recognized length of the lane marking is short, it is possible to secure a longer time for the lane marking recognition process from the start of lane marking recognition to the display of the lane marking. By securing a longer time for the recognition process, it is possible to increase the recognized length of the lane marking (the length of the recognized lane marking). In other words, it becomes possible to recognize lane markings that are located farther away from the vehicle, for example. This allows the in-vehicle display device 200 to display lane markings that are longer in length.

[0054] The display control unit 14 lengthens the display standby time when the vehicle's speed is slow compared to when the vehicle's speed is fast. In this way, by lengthening the display standby time when the vehicle's speed is slow, it is possible to secure a longer time for the lane line recognition process from when recognition of the lane line begins to when the lane line is displayed. Furthermore, by securing a longer time for the recognition process, it is possible to lengthen the recognized length of the lane line (the length of the recognized lane line). In other words, for example, it becomes possible to recognize lane lines that are located farther away from the vehicle. As a result, the in-vehicle display device 200 can display long lane lines when displaying lane lines.

[0055] (Second embodiment) A second embodiment of a lane keeping control system to which the in-vehicle display device of the present disclosure is applied will be described. As shown in Fig. 5, a lane keeping control system 100A according to this embodiment includes a display control unit 14A instead of the display control unit 14 of the lane keeping control system 100 according to the first embodiment. The configuration of this embodiment other than the display control unit 14A is the same as that of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the recognition unit 11, the determination unit 12, and the display control unit 14A constitute an in-vehicle display device 200A that displays, on the display 3, the lane markings of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling.

[0056] The display control unit 14A controls the display of the lane markings on the display 3. The display control unit 14A causes the lane markings recognized by the recognition unit 11 to be displayed on the display 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the display control unit 14A causes the display 3 to display the lane markings KA and also displays a host vehicle icon VA indicating the host vehicle.

[0057] If the determination unit 12 determines that the activation conditions for lane keeping control are satisfied when the recognition unit 11 starts to recognize the lane keeping lines, the display control unit 14A causes the recognized lane keeping lines to be displayed on the display 3 when the lane keeping control unit 13 starts to execute the lane keeping control. The display control unit 14A can acquire information regarding whether or not execution of lane keeping control has started from the lane keeping control unit 13. The start of execution of lane keeping control refers to the time when the activation conditions for lane keeping control are satisfied, preparations for execution of lane keeping control are complete, and execution of lane keeping control is actually started.

[0058] If the determination unit 12 does not determine that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when the recognition unit 11 starts recognizing the lane keeping line, the display control unit 14A does not display the recognized lane keeping line on the display 3. Then, if it is subsequently determined that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met, the display control unit 14A displays the recognized lane keeping line on the display 3 when the lane keeping control unit 13 starts executing the lane keeping control.

[0059] Next, the flow of the lane marking display process performed by the in-vehicle display device 200A of the lane keeping control system 100A will be described using the flowchart shown in Fig. 6. Note that the process shown in Fig. 4 is restarted from the start after a predetermined time has elapsed after the process reaches the end. Note that the processes of S201 and S202 shown in Fig. 6 are the same as the processes of S101 and S102 described using Fig. 4, and therefore will not be described again.

[0060] If it is determined that the lane keeping control activation conditions are met (S202: YES), the display control unit 14A determines whether or not lane keeping control is being executed by the lane keeping control unit 13 (S203). If lane keeping control is not being executed (not activated) (S203: NO), the display control unit 14A repeats the determination process of S203 until lane keeping control is being executed. If lane keeping control is being executed (if it is being executed) (S203: YES), the display control unit 14A displays the lane markings recognized by the recognition unit 11 on the display 3 (S204).

[0061] Here, even if the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when recognition of the lane markings for the vehicle's own lane is initiated, there may be a time lag (e.g., a slight time lag) before the lane keeping control is actually activated. Therefore, if the lane markings are displayed simultaneously with the start of recognition of the lane markings, the lane keeping control activation conditions may be displayed even though the lane keeping control is not yet activated, which may cause the occupants to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, if the lane keeping control activation conditions are met when recognition of the lane markings for the vehicle's own lane is initiated, the in-vehicle display device 200A of the lane keeping control system 100A displays the lane markings when the lane keeping control control unit 13 starts to execute the lane keeping control. This prevents the occupants from feeling uncomfortable that the lane keeping control is not activated even though the lane markings necessary for the lane keeping control are displayed. In this way, the in-vehicle display device 200A can display the lane markings used for the lane keeping control while preventing the occupants from feeling uncomfortable.

[0062] If the determination unit 12 does not determine that the activation conditions for lane keeping control are satisfied when the recognition unit 11 starts recognizing the lane markings, the display control unit 14A does not display the recognized lane markings on the display 3. If it is subsequently determined that the activation conditions are satisfied, the display control unit 14A causes the display 3 to display the lane markings when execution of lane keeping control is started. As a result, even if the activation conditions for lane keeping control are not satisfied when recognition of the lane markings is started, the in-vehicle display device 200A can display the lane markings at a more appropriate timing after the activation conditions are satisfied while minimizing the discomfort felt by the occupants.

[0063] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the display of the lane markings on the display 3 shown in FIG. 3 is an example and is not limited to a view of the vehicle and lane markings viewed from behind and diagonally above the vehicle. For example, a view (plan view) of the vehicle and lane markings viewed from above may be displayed on the display 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...camera, 3...display, 11...recognition unit, 12...determination unit, 14, 14A...display control unit, KA, K1A, K2A...dividing line, 200, 200A...in-vehicle display device, V...own vehicle (vehicle).

Claims

1. An in-vehicle display device that displays lane markings on an in-vehicle display, a recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings of the driving lane based on an image captured by a camera; a determination unit that determines whether or not lane keeping control operating conditions for driving the vehicle along the recognized lane markings are satisfied, the operating conditions being set based on at least one of the state of the vehicle, the shape of the driving lane, and the state of the driver of the vehicle; and a display control unit that displays the recognized lane markings on the display; Equipped with The display control unit displays the lane marking after a predetermined display waiting time has elapsed if the judgment unit determines that the operation condition is met when the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane marking.

2. The display control unit When the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane marking, if the determination unit determines that the operation condition is not satisfied, the recognized lane marking is not displayed, 2. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein, if it is subsequently determined that the activation condition is satisfied, the lane marking is displayed after the display standby time has elapsed since it was determined that the activation condition was satisfied.

3. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit extends the display standby time when the vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road compared to when the vehicle is traveling on an expressway.

4. 3. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit extends the display standby time when the recognized length of the lane marking recognized by the recognition unit is short, compared to when the recognized length of the lane marking is long.

5. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit extends the display standby time when the speed of the vehicle is slow compared to when the speed is fast.

6. An in-vehicle display device that displays lane markings on an in-vehicle display, a recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings of the driving lane based on an image captured by a camera; a determination unit that determines whether or not lane keeping control operating conditions for driving the vehicle along the recognized lane markings are satisfied, the operating conditions being set based on at least one of the state of the vehicle, the shape of the driving lane, and the state of the driver of the vehicle; and a display control unit that displays the recognized lane markings on the display; Equipped with The display control unit displays the lane marking when the execution of the lane keeping control is started if the judgment unit determines that the operation condition is met when the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane marking.

7. The display control unit When the recognition unit starts to recognize the lane marking, if the determination unit determines that the operation condition is not satisfied, the recognized lane marking is not displayed, The in-vehicle display device according to claim 6, wherein, if it is determined thereafter that the activation condition is satisfied, the lane markings are displayed when execution of the lane keeping control is initiated.

Images