Display control device and display control program

Abstract

To obtain a display control device and a display control program that can suppress the feeling of discomfort experienced by vehicle occupants. [Solution] The display control device controls the display unit to display an image of the driving lane, which is the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. If the vehicle's speed is below a first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is below a second threshold, the device controls the display unit to show the curved portion of the image of the driving lane without curving it.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device and a display control program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying an image indicating a travel lane, which is a lane in which a vehicle travels, on a display unit. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the travel lane is curved, the image indicating the travel lane displayed on the display unit is also curved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the travel lane is curving relatively gently, the vehicle occupants visually recognize it as a curving lane. However, in this case, since the actual curvature is small, when the vehicle speed is low, the vehicle can turn in a lane that curves without the driver having to turn the steering wheel as much as visually recognized. Therefore, when an image indicating the travel lane is curved and displayed on the display unit in the same manner as the travel lane, there may be a deviation between the travel lane visually recognized by the vehicle occupants and the image indicating the travel lane displayed on the display unit. In this case, the vehicle occupants will feel discomfort.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a display control device and a display control program capable of suppressing the vehicle occupants from feeling discomfort.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The display control device in the first embodiment includes a display control unit that controls the display unit to show an image of a driving lane, which is the lane in which a vehicle is traveling, and when the speed of the vehicle is less than or equal to a first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is less than or equal to a second threshold, controls the display unit to show the curved portion of the image of the driving lane without curving it.

[0007] According to the display control device of the first embodiment, when the vehicle speed is below a first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is below a second threshold, the curved portion of the image showing the driving lane is displayed without curvature. As a result, the difference between the driving lane seen by the occupants and the image showing the driving lane displayed on the display unit can be reduced, thereby suppressing the feeling of discomfort experienced by the vehicle occupants.

[0008] The display control device of the second embodiment further includes a determination unit that determines whether the curvature is less than or equal to the second threshold by determining whether the steering angle of the steering wheel is less than or equal to a third threshold, in addition to the display control device of the first embodiment.

[0009] According to the display control device of the second embodiment, it is determined whether the curvature of the driving lane is less than or equal to a second threshold by determining whether the steering angle of the steering wheel is less than or equal to a third threshold. This makes it possible to easily determine the curvature of the driving lane.

[0010] The third embodiment of the display control device further includes a determination unit that determines whether the curvature is less than or equal to the second threshold using map information or an image captured by a camera that photographs the driving lane, in addition to the display control device of the first embodiment.

[0011] According to the display control device of the third embodiment, it is determined whether the curvature of the driving lane is below a second threshold using map information or images captured by a camera that photographs the driving lane. This makes it possible to easily determine the curvature of the driving lane.

[0012] The fourth embodiment of the display control device is a display control device in any one of the first to third embodiments, wherein the display control unit does not change the shape of the curve in the image showing the driving lane when the vehicle is traveling in a curved lane whose curvature is less than or equal to the second threshold, and the vehicle's speed changes from a state exceeding the first threshold to a state below the first threshold, or from a state below the first threshold to a state exceeding the first threshold.

[0013] According to the fourth embodiment of the display control device, when a vehicle is traveling in a curved lane with a curvature of less than or equal to a second threshold, and the vehicle's speed changes from exceeding a first threshold to being below the first threshold, or from being below the first threshold to exceeding the first threshold, the curve shape of the curved portion in the image showing the driving lane does not change. As a result, the display does not switch while the vehicle is traveling in a curved lane, and as a result, the feeling of discomfort experienced by the vehicle's occupants can be suppressed.

[0014] The display control program of the fifth embodiment causes the computer to perform a process to display an image of the driving lane, which is the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, on the display unit, and, if the speed of the vehicle is below a first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is below a second threshold, to perform a process to display the curved portion of the image of the driving lane without curving it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the feeling of discomfort experienced by the occupants of a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This diagram schematically shows the front of the vehicle's passenger compartment as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a display control device. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of a display control device. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of a display screen. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of a display screen. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing an example of display control processing.

Embodiment for Implementing the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, referring to the drawings, an example of an embodiment for implementing the present invention will be described in detail.

[0018] First, referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of a vehicle 12 to which a display control device 10 according to the present embodiment is applied will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, an instrument panel 14 is provided at the front part of the vehicle interior in the vehicle 12. The instrument panel 14 extends in the vehicle width direction, and a steering wheel 16 is provided on the right side of the vehicle of the instrument panel 14. That is, in the present embodiment, as an example, it is a right-hand drive vehicle with a steering wheel 16 provided on the right side, and the driver's seat is set on the right side of the vehicle.

[0019] A windshield glass 18 is provided at the front end of the instrument panel 14. The windshield glass 18 extends in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and partitions the interior of the vehicle compartment from the exterior of the vehicle compartment.

[0020] The right end of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle is fixed to the front pillar 20 on the right side of the vehicle. The front pillar 20 extends in the vehicle vertical direction, and the windshield glass 18 is fixed to the inner end in the vehicle width direction of this front pillar 20. Also, the front end of the front side glass 22 is fixed to the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the front pillar 20. Note that the left end of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle is fixed to a front pillar on the left side of the vehicle not shown.

[0021] The windshield glass 18 is provided with a first display unit 24. The first display unit 24 is constituted by a projection surface projected by a head-up display device 23 (see FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, it is denoted as "HUD" (Head Up Display)). Specifically, the head-up display device 23 is provided on the vehicle front side of the instrument panel 14, and is configured such that an image is projected from the head-up display device 23 toward the first display unit 24 of the windshield glass 18.

[0022] A second display unit 26 is provided on the vehicle lower side of the first display unit 24. The second display unit 26 is a display unit displayed on a meter 25 (see FIG. 2), and the meter 25 is located in front of the driver's seat on the instrument panel 14. The first display unit 24 and the second display unit 26 are provided at positions visible to the driver. The second display unit 26 is an example of a display unit according to the disclosed technology.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 2, the hardware configuration of the display control device 10 will be described. The display control device 10 is a device that performs control to display the situation around the vehicle on the second display unit 26. As shown in FIG. 2, the display control device 10 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 28. The ECU 28 is an example of a computer.

[0024] The ECU 28 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 30, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 34, a storage 36, and an input / output I / F (Interface) 38. The CPU 30, the ROM 32, the RAM 34, the storage 36, and the input / output I / F 38 are communicably connected to each other via an internal bus 39.

[0025] The CPU 30 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls various components. Specifically, the CPU 30 reads programs from the ROM 32 or storage 36 and executes them using the RAM 34 as a working area. The CPU 30 also controls the above-mentioned components and performs various calculations according to the programs recorded in the ROM 32 or storage 36.

[0026] ROM32 stores various programs and data. RAM34 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. Storage36 is a non-temporary recording medium consisting of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory, and stores various programs, including the operating system, and various data. In this embodiment, ROM32 or storage36 stores display control programs and the like for performing display control processing. Various input / output devices are connected to the input / output I / F38.

[0027] The ECU28 is connected to a camera 42, a vehicle speed sensor 44, and a steering sensor 48. The camera 42 is a digital camera equipped with an optical system including a lens, aperture, and shutter, and an image sensor such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor. The camera 42 takes pictures of the area in front of the vehicle 12. The vehicle speed sensor 44 detects the speed of the vehicle 12. The steering sensor 48 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel 16.

[0028] Referring to Figure 3, the functional configuration of the display control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the display control device 10 includes an acquisition unit 60, a determination unit 62, and a display control unit 64. The CPU 30 executes a display control program stored in the ROM 32 or storage 36, thereby enabling the acquisition unit 60, determination unit 62, and display control unit 64 to function.

[0029] The acquisition unit 60 acquires the steering angle of the steering wheel 16 detected by the steering sensor 48. The acquisition unit 60 also acquires the speed of the vehicle 12 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 44.

[0030] The determination unit 62 determines whether the speed of the vehicle 12 acquired by the acquisition unit 60 is below a first threshold. For example, the first threshold is set in advance through experiments using an actual vehicle.

[0031] Furthermore, the determination unit 62 determines whether the curvature of the driving lane (hereinafter simply referred to as the "driving lane"), which is the lane in which the vehicle 12 travels, is less than or equal to a second threshold. In this embodiment, the determination unit 62 determines whether the curvature of the driving lane is less than or equal to the second threshold by determining whether the steering angle of the steering wheel 16 acquired by the acquisition unit 60 is less than or equal to a third threshold. For example, the second threshold is set in advance by experiments using an actual vehicle. The third threshold is set in advance according to the second threshold.

[0032] The display control unit 64 controls the display of an image showing the driving lane on the second display unit 26, which is an example of a display unit. In this control, if the determination unit 62 determines that the speed of the vehicle 12 is below a first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is below a second threshold, the display control unit 64 controls the display of the image showing the driving lane without curving the curved portion. In this case, the display control unit 64 according to this embodiment controls the display of the image showing the driving lane as a straight line without curving the curved portion.

[0033] Furthermore, if the determination unit 62 determines that the speed of the vehicle 12 exceeds the first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is less than or equal to the second threshold, the display control unit 64 controls the display to curve the curved portion of the image showing the driving lane. Also, if the curvature of the driving lane exceeds the second threshold, the display control unit 64 controls the display to curve the curved portion of the image showing the driving lane.

[0034] Referring to Figures 4 and 5, specific examples of screens displayed on the second display unit 26 under control by the display control unit 64 will be explained. In both Figures 4 and 5, the left side shows a conceptual diagram of a state in which the vehicle 12 is traveling in the driving lane 70 between the left and right boundary lines 72, and the right side shows the screen displayed on the second display unit 26 corresponding to that state. Also, both Figures 4 and 5 show examples where the curvature of the driving lane is less than or equal to the second threshold. Furthermore, Figure 4 shows an example where the speed of the vehicle 12 exceeds the first threshold, and Figure 5 shows an example where the speed of the vehicle 12 is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0035] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the second display unit 26 displays an image of the vehicle 12, which is the vehicle itself, an image of the road surface, an image of the road surface of the driving lane 70, and an image of the boundary lines 72 on the left and right sides of the driving lane 70, an image of the boundary lines 72 on the left and right sides of the driving lane 70, an image of the road surface, an example of an image showing the driving lane 70.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4, when the speed of vehicle 12 exceeds the first threshold, the road surface image M2 and boundary line image M3 are displayed curved according to the driving lane 70 and boundary line 72. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5, when the speed of vehicle 12 is below the first threshold, the road surface image M2 and boundary line image M3 are displayed as straight lines.

[0037] The operation of the display control device 10 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 6. The CPU 30 executes the display control program stored in the ROM 32 or storage 36, thereby executing the display control process shown in Figure 6.

[0038] In step S10 of Figure 6, the acquisition unit 60 acquires the steering angle of the steering wheel 16 detected by the steering sensor 48 and the speed of the vehicle 12 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 44.

[0039] In step S12, the determination unit 62 determines whether the curvature of the driving lane is below the second threshold by determining whether the steering angle of the steering wheel 16 obtained in step S10 is below the third threshold. If this determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the determination unit 62 determines whether the speed of the vehicle 12 obtained in step S10 is below the first threshold. If this determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S16.

[0040] In step S16, the display control unit 64 controls the display of the vehicle image M1 showing the vehicle 12, the road surface image M2 showing the driving lane, and the boundary line image M3 showing the left and right boundary lines of the driving lane on the second display unit 26. As described above, in this control, the display control unit 64 controls the display of the road surface image M2 and the boundary line image M3 without curving them. When the processing in step S16 is completed, the process returns to step S10.

[0041] On the other hand, if the curvature of the driving lane exceeds the second threshold, the determination in step S12 becomes a negative determination, and the process proceeds to step S18. Also, if the speed of vehicle 12 exceeds the first threshold, the determination in step S14 becomes a negative determination, and the process proceeds to step S18.

[0042] In step S18, the display control unit 64 controls the display of the vehicle image M1 showing the vehicle 12, the road surface image M2 showing the driving lane, and the boundary line image M3 showing the left and right boundary lines of the driving lane on the second display unit 26. As described above, in this control, the display control unit 64 controls the display of the road surface image M2 and the boundary line image M3 with a curve. That is, in step S18, the road surface image M2 and the boundary line image M3 are displayed in a curved state according to the curvature of the driving lane 70. When the processing of step S18 is completed, the process returns to step S10.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the speed of the vehicle 12 is below the first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is below the second threshold, the curved portion of the image showing the driving lane is displayed without curvature. Therefore, the difference between the driving lane seen by the occupants and the image showing the driving lane displayed on the second display unit 26 can be reduced, and as a result, the occupants of the vehicle 12 can be prevented from feeling any discomfort.

[0044] In the above embodiment, if the vehicle 12 is traveling in a curved lane with a curvature less than or equal to a second threshold, and the vehicle 12's speed changes from exceeding a first threshold to being below the first threshold, the display control unit 64 does not need to change the curve shape of the curved portion in the image showing the travel lane until the vehicle 12 finishes traveling in the curved lane. That is, in this case, the display control unit 64 displays the road surface image M2 in a curved state until the vehicle 12 finishes traveling in the curved lane.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, if the vehicle 12 is traveling in a curved lane with a curvature of less than or equal to a second threshold, and the speed of the vehicle 12 changes from being below the first threshold to exceeding the first threshold, the display control unit 64 does not need to change the curve shape of the curved portion in the image showing the travel lane until the vehicle 12 finishes traveling in the curved lane. In other words, in this case, the display control unit 64 displays the road surface image M2 as a straight line until the vehicle 12 finishes traveling in the curved lane.

[0046] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the determination unit 62 may use map information to determine whether or not the curvature of the driving lane is less than or equal to a second threshold. In this case, for example, the determination unit 62 may use location information indicating the current position of the vehicle 12 to identify the driving lane in the map information.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the determination unit 62 may determine whether the curvature of the driving lane is less than or equal to a second threshold using an image captured by the camera 42 that photographs the driving lane. For example, the determination unit 62 may recognize the boundary line of the driving lane by performing image analysis processing on the image captured by the camera 42. An example of a boundary line is a lane mark such as a white line. In this case, the determination unit 62 may derive the curvature of the driving lane based on the recognized boundary line and determine whether the curvature is less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0048] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a case in which the display control unit 64 controls the display of the screen on the second display unit 26, the disclosed technology is not limited to this embodiment. The display control unit 64 may also control the display of the screen on the first display unit 24, or it may control the display of the screen on both the first display unit 24 and the second display unit 26.

[0049] Furthermore, the processing performed by the CPU after reading the software (program) in the above embodiment may be performed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of such processors include PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices) such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacturing, and dedicated electrical circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) which have a circuit configuration specifically designed to perform a particular process. In addition, each process may be performed by one of these various processors, or by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, multiple FPGAs, and a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0050] Furthermore, while the above embodiment uses a configuration in which various data is stored in ROM or storage, it is not limited to this. For example, recording media such as CD (Compact Disk), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory may be used as storage units. In this case, various programs and data will be stored in these recording media.

[0051] Furthermore, the program described herein can be provided as a program product. A program product includes any form of product for providing a program. For example, a program product includes a program provided via a network such as the Internet, and non-temporary computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs on which the program is stored.

[0052] Although the vehicle 12 according to the embodiment has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Display control device 12 vehicles 26 Second display section 30 CPU 60 Acquisition Department 62 Judgment section 64 Display Control Unit

Claims

1. The system controls the display unit to show an image indicating the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. If the vehicle's speed is below a first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is below a second threshold, the display control unit performs control to display the curved portion of the image showing the driving lane without curving it. A display control device that includes a display control device.

2. A determination unit that determines whether the curvature is below the second threshold by determining whether the steering angle of the steering wheel is below the third threshold. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. A determination unit that determines whether the curvature is less than or equal to the second threshold using map information or images captured by a camera that photographs the driving lane. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. The display control unit shall not change the curve shape of the curved portion in the image showing the driving lane if, while the vehicle is traveling in a curved lane whose curvature is less than or equal to the second threshold, the vehicle's speed changes from a state exceeding the first threshold to a state below the first threshold, or from a state below the first threshold to a state exceeding the first threshold. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. On the computer, The system controls the display unit to show an image indicating the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. If the vehicle's speed is below a first threshold and the curvature of the driving lane is below a second threshold, control is performed to display the curved portion of the image showing the driving lane without curving it. A display control program for executing a process.

Images