Vehicle display device

Abstract

The display device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a light-emitting device having a linear light-emitting portion provided on the front side of the vehicle compartment so that the driver can visually confirm the emitted direct light, and the light-emitting portion is set at a height position below the field of view when the driver is driving while looking straight ahead.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device for a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] A display device for a vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-152554. Briefly described, the display device for a vehicle includes a light-emitting device having a linear light-emitting portion provided on the upper surface of an instrument panel of the vehicle. With such a device, the linear light-emitting portion emits light, and it is possible to effectively alert a driver.

[0003] However, the linear light-emitting portion in the above related art is within the field of view when the driver is driving while looking straight ahead. Therefore, for example, when the necessity of alerting is low, there is a concern that the driver may be bored with the light emission of the linear light-emitting portion. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above facts, the present disclosure provides a display device for a vehicle that enables a driver to recognize light emitted from a light-emitting portion and is less likely to cause boredom with the light emission.

[0005] The display device for a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a light-emitting device having a linear light-emitting portion provided on the front side of the passenger compartment so that the driver can visually confirm the direct light emitted from the light-emitting portion, and the light-emitting portion is set at a height position below the field of view when the driver is driving while looking straight ahead.

[0006] According to the above configuration, the linear light-emitting portion in the light-emitting device is provided on the front side of the passenger compartment so that the driver can visually confirm the direct light emitted therefrom. Therefore, when the linear light-emitting portion emits light, the driver can recognize the emitted direct light. Here, the light-emitting portion is set at a height position below the field of view when the driver is driving while looking straight ahead. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the degree of boredom of the driver with the light emission when the light-emitting portion emits light.

[0007] The display device for a vehicle according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is configured such that, on the basis of the configuration of the first aspect, the light-emitting portion is set and arranged at a position where the direction of the light-emitting portion as viewed from a position assumed as the driver's viewpoint is within a range of a depression angle of 20° to 40° in a vehicle lateral view angle with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction passing through the position assumed as the viewpoint.

[0008] According to the above configuration, when the light-emitting portion emits light while the driver has lowered the line of sight, the driver can be well alerted to the light emission by the light-emitting portion.

[0009] The display device for a vehicle according to the third aspect of the present disclosure is configured such that, based on the structure of the first aspect or the second aspect, the light-emitting portion is provided in a portion of the front side of the vehicle compartment including the intermediate region in the vehicle width direction, and emits light with a blinking period of 200 ms to 600 ms.

[0010] According to the above structure, when the light-emitting portion emits light in a state where the driver has lowered their line of sight, the driver can be made to notice the light emission by the light-emitting portion well. In addition, since the blinking period is 200 ms to 600 ms, the degree to which the driver gets bored with the light emission can be suppressed well.

[0011] The display device for a vehicle according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is configured such that, based on the structure according to any one of the first to third aspects, there is provided an eaves portion that extends and protrudes obliquely upward toward the rear of the vehicle from a portion adjacent to the light-emitting portion on the upper side.

[0012] According to the above structure, even when sunlight enters the vehicle compartment through the front window glass of the vehicle, the eaves portion can also block the direct incidence of sunlight on the light-emitting portion. Thus, it is possible to prevent or suppress the difficulty of recognizing the direct light from the light-emitting portion due to sunlight.

[0013] The display device for a vehicle according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure is configured such that, based on the structure according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, at the light-emitting portion, a lens cover is provided on the surface facing the inside of the vehicle compartment, and a light diffusion portion for diffusing the light from the inside of the vehicle compartment is formed in the lens cover so that the inside of the light-emitting portion in the non-light-emitting state is not easily visible.

[0014] According to the above structure, at the light-emitting portion, a lens cover is provided on the surface facing the inside of the vehicle compartment, and the light diffusion portion formed in the lens cover diffuses the light from the inside of the vehicle compartment so that the inside of the light-emitting portion in the non-light-emitting state is not easily visible. Therefore, the appearance of the light-emitting portion in the non-light-emitting state can be made good.

[0015] The display device for a vehicle according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure is configured such that, based on the structure according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the light-emitting portion is provided at the boundary portion between an upper panel that constitutes the upper side of an instrument panel provided in the front portion of the vehicle compartment, and a lower panel that constitutes the lower side of the instrument panel and is joined to the upper panel.

[0016] According to the above structure, for example, compared with a case where the light-emitting portion is assembled only in a portion of the lower panel of the instrument panel for assembling the light-emitting portion, a structure in which the light-emitting portion is provided in the instrument panel can be manufactured more easily.

[0017] The vehicle display device according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure is configured to, on the basis of the structure described in any one of the first to sixth aspects, include: a memory; a processor connected to the memory; and an information acquisition device that acquires information on the periphery of the vehicle. The processor is configured to: when it is determined that the degree of necessity to alert the driver is within a specified range lower than a preset reference based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device, control the light-emitting device so that the light-emitting portion emits light.

[0018] According to the above structure, the information acquisition device acquires information on the periphery of the vehicle. Further, when it is determined that the degree of necessity to alert the driver is within a specified range lower than a preset reference based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device, the processor controls the light-emitting device so that the light-emitting portion emits light. Thus, when the degree of necessity to alert the driver is within a specified range lower than a preset reference, it is possible to alert the driver without causing much annoyance.

[0019] The vehicle display device according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure is configured such that, on the basis of the structure described in the sixth aspect, the light-emitting portion extends in a substantially vehicle width direction.

[0020] As described above, the vehicle display device according to the present disclosure has an excellent effect of enabling the driver to recognize the light emitted from the light-emitting portion and being less likely to get bored with the light emission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Preferred embodiments will be described in detail based on the following drawings, where

[0022] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing a brief structure of a vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its periphery in a vehicle side view.

[0023] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a brief structure of the front part of the passenger compartment of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle display device.

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic top view showing an example of the arrangement position of the light-emitting portion of the light-emitting device in a state of being viewed from above the vehicle.

[0025] Figure 4 is a diagram schematically showing the height position of the light-emitting portion of the light-emitting device and the eye ellipse in a vehicle side view and locally magnifying the light-emitting portion and its surrounding portion.

[0026] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of the ECU and the like of the vehicle display device.

[0027] Figure 6 It is a bar graph showing the relationship between the set position of the light-emitting part and the notification overlooking rate.

[0028] Figure 7 It is a bar graph showing the relationship between the blinking setting etc. of the light-emitting part and the attention rate. Detailed implementation mode

[0029] Use Figures 1 to 7 One implementation mode of the present invention will be described. In addition, in these drawings, the arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the front side of the vehicle, the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and the arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction.

[0030] (Structure of the implementation mode)

[0031] In Figure 1 , a schematic diagram from the side view of the vehicle shows the brief structure of the vehicle display device 30 according to the present implementation mode and its surroundings. In addition, in Figure 2 , the brief structure of the front part 12 of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 equipped with the vehicle display device 30 is shown. In addition, as an example, the vehicle 10 in the present implementation mode is a so-called left-hand drive vehicle. In the case of a so-called right-hand drive vehicle, it becomes a structure in which the structure shown in Figure 2 is reversed left and right.

[0032] As Figure 2 shown, at the front end side and the upper side of the front part 12 of the passenger compartment, a windshield 16 is provided between a pair of left and right front pillars 14. In addition, a dashboard 20 bulging inwardly of the passenger compartment is provided below the windshield 16. And, on the driver's seat side ( Figure 2 the left side in the figure in

[0033] ), a steering wheel 18 for steering operation fixed to a steering shaft (not shown) passing through the dashboard 20 is provided.

[0034] On the other hand, as Figure 1 shown, the vehicle display device 30 has a light-emitting device 32, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and a peripheral monitoring device 42 as an information acquisition unit. In addition, the vehicle display device 30 of the present implementation mode can also be regarded as a vehicle driving assistance device. The light-emitting device 32 includes Figure 2The linear light-emitting part 34 shown. The light-emitting part 34 is arranged on the instrument panel 20 at the front side of the vehicle compartment in such a way that the direct light emitted from itself can be visually confirmed by the driver D (refer to Figure 1 ). In the present embodiment, the light-emitting part 34 is arranged at the boundary part between the upper panel 22 and the lower panel 24 in the instrument panel 20.

[0035] In Figure 3 , an example of the arrangement position of the light-emitting part 34 of the lighting device 32 is schematically shown in a top view in a state of being observed from above the vehicle. As Figure 2 and Figure 3 show, as an example, a total of three light-emitting parts 34 are arranged, namely a left light-emitting part 34L, a center-side light-emitting part 34S, and a right light-emitting part 34R. The left light-emitting part 34L, the center-side light-emitting part 34S, and the right light-emitting part 34R all extend along the vehicle width direction. As Figure 3 shows, the left light-emitting part 34L is set at a position outside the steering wheel 18 in the vehicle width direction on the front side of the driver's seat 60L. The center-side light-emitting part 34S is set in the center cluster part 20S (refer to Figure 2 ). The right light-emitting part 34R is set on the front side of the passenger seat 60R. The left light-emitting part 34L, the center-side light-emitting part 34S, and the right light-emitting part 34R are all set so that their entire lengths can be visually confirmed by the driver D (refer to Figure 1 ). In addition, in the following description, when collectively referring to the left light-emitting part 34L, the center-side light-emitting part 34S, and the right light-emitting part 34R without distinction, it is simply referred to as the light-emitting part 34.

[0036] As an example, the light-emitting part 34 includes light sources 34L1, 34S1, 34R1 that emit light, and linear light guides 34L2, 34S2, 34R2 that connect the base ends to the light sources 34L1, 34S1, 34R1. As an example, LEDs can be applied to the light sources 34L1, 34S1, 34R1. The light guides 34L2, 34S2, 34R2 are configured to guide the light from the light sources 34L1, 34S1, 34R1 incident on their base ends to the front end side. In addition, from the viewpoints of making the driver D notice the light emission by the light-emitting part 34 and suppressing the driver D from getting bored with the light emission, the brightness of the light-emitting part 34 is preferably 80 cd / m 2 ~200 cd / m 2 , more preferably 160 cd / m 2 ~200 cd / m 2 , and in the present embodiment, as an example, it is 160 cd / m 2 .

[0037] As Figure 1As shown, the light-emitting part 34 is set at a height position below the field of view when the driver D looks straight ahead to drive. The light-emitting part 34 is arranged such that the direction Sd of observing the light-emitting part 34 from the position Ep assumed as the viewpoint of the driver D is within the range of the depression angle of 20° to 40° (more preferably 25° to 35°) in the vehicle side view angle with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction (refer to the double-dot dash line Vh) passing through the position Ep assumed as this viewpoint.

[0038] In Figure 4 , the height position of the light-emitting part 34 of the vehicle display device 30 in the vehicle side view angle and the eye ellipse ELP are schematically shown. The eye ellipse ELP is set in an elliptical shape based on the eye range statistically showing the distribution of the positions of the eyes of drivers with different physiques. In the present embodiment, based on the above statistics, the position Ep assumed as the viewpoint of the driver D is set in the central part within the eye ellipse ELP. In addition, as an example, the 95% eye ellipse can be adopted for the eye ellipse ELP.

[0039] As Figure 3 shown, the light-emitting device 32 includes light source control parts 36L, 36S, 36R (illustrated in block form in the figure) that cause the light sources 34L1, 34S1, 34R1 to blink at a prescribed time. The light source control parts 36L, 36S, 36R are connected to the Figure 5 shown ECU 40 described in detail later. By Figure 3 the light source control parts 36L, 36S, 36R shown controlling the light emission of the light sources 34L1, 34S1, 34R1, the light-emitting part 34 emits light with a blinking period of a prescribed period. The blinking period of the light-emitting part 34 is preferably 200 ms to 600 ms, more preferably 400 ms to 600 ms, and in the present embodiment, as an example, it is 600 ms.

[0040] As Figure 4 shown in the schematic partial enlarged view of Figure 3 , in the light-emitting part 34, a lens cover 34C is provided on the surface facing the inside of the vehicle compartment. The lens cover 34C covers the light-emitting part main body 34H (simplified in the figure) composed of the light sources 34L1, 34S1, 34R1 (refer to Figure 3 ) and the light guide bodies 34L2, 34S2, 34R2 (refer to Figure 3 ) from the vehicle compartment side. In addition, as an example, the light-emitting part main body 34H is housed in a box 35 that opens to the vehicle compartment side, and the lens cover 34C is installed on the opening side of the box 35. In addition, the lens cover 34C and the box 35 are

[0041] As Figure 4As shown, in the lens hood 34C, a light diffusion portion 34D that diffuses light from the vehicle compartment side is formed in such a manner that the interior of the light emitting portion 34 in the non-light emitting state is not easily visible. As an example, the light diffusion portion 34D is formed on the surface opposite to the vehicle compartment side surface of the lens hood 34C, but it may be formed on the vehicle compartment side surface of the lens hood 34C, or may be formed on both the vehicle compartment side surface of the lens hood 34C and the surface opposite thereto. Further, the eaves portion 38 extends and protrudes obliquely upward toward the rear of the vehicle from a portion adjacent to the light emitting portion 34 on the upper side. The eaves portion 38 extends along the vehicle width direction in a manner corresponding to the entire vehicle width direction length of the light emitting portion 34 (refer to Figure 2 ). In addition, in Figure 4 , an example of the radiation range of the light based on the light emitting portion 34 is shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0042] In Figure 5 , an example of the hardware structure of the ECU 40 to which the light emitting device 32 is connected and each structural portion connected to the ECU 40 is shown by a block diagram. As shown in Figure 5 , in the ECU 40, in addition to the light emitting device 32, a peripheral monitoring device 42, a speaker 46, a MID (Multi Information Display) 48, and a vehicle state sensor 50 are also connected.

[0043] The peripheral monitoring device 42 acquires information on the periphery of the vehicle 10 which is the own vehicle. The peripheral monitoring device 42 includes, for example, a radar that detects a preceding vehicle or the like traveling on the front side in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, and a camera that captures information on the periphery of the vehicle 10. In addition, the peripheral monitoring device 42 is disposed at a plurality of positions on the vehicle 10, but for the sake of convenience of explanation, one of them is simply shown in Figure 1 . Figure 5 The ECU 40 shown executes various controls based on the information acquired by the peripheral monitoring device 42 and the like. The ECU 40 will be described later.

[0044] The speaker 46 issues an alarm to the driver D by generating a beeping sound or the like. The MID 48 is configured to include a liquid crystal display having a touch panel enabling touch operation, and can display various information including attention reminder information and warning information. The vehicle state sensor 50 acquires information indicating the traveling state and operation state of the vehicle 10. The vehicle state sensor 50 includes, for example, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the vehicle 10, and a vehicle speed sensor that detects the traveling speed of the vehicle 10.

[0045] The ECU 40 is capable of performing driving assistance control based on attention reminders. As an example, this driving assistance control includes control for the TMN (lead vehicle start notification function). In addition, although detailed description is omitted, during the execution of ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), as an example, control for the TMN is also performed.

[0046] The ECU 40 is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 40A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 40B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 40C, a storage mechanism 40D, a communication interface (abbreviated as "communication I / F" in Figure 5 ), and an input / output interface (abbreviated as "input / output I / F" in Figure 5 ). The CPU 40A, ROM 40B, RAM 40C, storage mechanism 40D, communication interface 40E, and input / output interface 40F are communicably connected to each other via a bus 40Z.

[0047] The CPU 40A is a central arithmetic processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 40A reads a program from the ROM 40B or the storage mechanism 40D and executes the program using the RAM 40C as a work area. The CPU 40A controls the above-mentioned respective structures and performs various arithmetic processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 40B or the storage mechanism 40D.

[0048] The ROM 40B stores various programs and various data. The RAM 40C temporarily stores programs or data as a work area. The storage mechanism 40D is composed of a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs and various data. In the present embodiment, a lead vehicle start notification program and the like are stored in the ROM 40B or the storage mechanism 40D. The communication interface 40E is an interface for the vehicle display device 30 to communicate with other devices.

[0049] The input / output interface 40F is an interface for communicating with each device mounted on the vehicle 10. In the ECU 40 of the present embodiment, as an example, a lighting device 32, a peripheral monitoring device 42, a speaker 46, an MID 48, and a vehicle state sensor 50 are connected via the input / output interface 40F.

[0050] As shown in block form in Figure 1 , the ECU 40 has a control unit 400 as a functional structure. By Figure 5The CPU 40A shown reads and executes a program stored in the ROM 40B or the storage mechanism 40D (as an example, the above-mentioned preceding vehicle start notification program), so that the ECU 40 functions as the control unit 400 (refer to Figure 1 ).

[0051] When it is determined based on the information obtained by the peripheral monitoring device 42 that the degree of necessity to alert the driver's attention is within a specified range lower than a preset reference, Figure 1 the control unit 400 shown controls the lighting device 32 so that the light-emitting unit 34 emits light.

[0052] (Function of the Embodiment)

[0053] Next, the function of this embodiment will be described.

[0054] By Figure 5 the CPU 40A shown reads the preceding vehicle start notification program from the ROM 40B or the storage mechanism 40D and expands and executes it in the RAM 40C, thereby performing the preceding vehicle start notification control process based on the ECU 40.

[0055] When the preceding vehicle start notification program is executed, based on the information obtained by the peripheral monitoring device 42, when the preceding vehicle that is parked starts immediately after the vehicle 10 (as an example, at the timing when the preceding vehicle advances 0.1 m) is in a parked state, the CPU 40A determines that the degree of necessity to alert the driver D's attention is within a specified range lower than a preset reference, controls the lighting device 32 so that the light-emitting unit 34 (refer to Figure 2 ) emits light, and controls the MID 48 so that the preceding vehicle start information is displayed. According to this, the driver D can be alerted with a relatively light reminder. In addition, as an example, the light-emitting unit 34 flashes several times (for example, twice).

[0056] Thereafter, when the vehicle 10 has not started yet even though the preceding vehicle has advanced a specified distance (as an example, 4 m), the CPU 40A controls the speaker 46 to generate a beeping sound. In addition, the beeping sound generated by the speaker 46 continues until the vehicle 10 starts. Also, as an example, the display of the preceding vehicle start information by the MID 48 also continues until the vehicle 10 starts.

[0057] In this way, in this embodiment, the driver D can be alerted in two stages. And for the first relatively light reminder, Figure 1The light-emitting unit 34 shown is provided at the front side of the vehicle cabin in such a manner that the direct light emitted from itself can be visually confirmed by the driver D. Therefore, when the light-emitting unit 34 emits light, the driver D can recognize the emitted direct light. Here, the light-emitting unit 34 is set at a height position lower than the field of view when the driver D drives while looking straight ahead. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the degree to which the driver D is annoyed by the light emission when the light-emitting unit 34 emits light.

[0058] In addition, the light-emitting unit 34 is set and arranged such that the direction Sd of observing the light-emitting unit 34 from the assumed position Ep as the viewpoint of the driver D is within the range of the depression angle of 20° to 40° in the vehicle lateral view angle with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction (refer to the double-dot chain line Vh) passing through the assumed position Ep as this viewpoint. Therefore, when the light-emitting unit 34 emits light in the state where the driver D lowers the line of sight (refer to the driver D indicated by the double-dot chain line in the figure), the driver D can be made to notice the light emission by the light-emitting unit 34 well.

[0059] Supplemental explanation is made on this point. In Figure 6 the test results of the relationship between the set position of the light-emitting unit and the notification overlooking rate are shown. For this test, as indicated by the double-dot chain line in Figure 1 the driver D plays a game with the smartphone 99 arranged near the lower front side of the steering wheel 18 and raises the face when noticing the light emission of the light-emitting unit (34). In addition, the game is a game of searching for a large circle on the search screen and clicking it.

[0060] In Figure 6 the chart, the vertical axis shows the place where the light-emitting unit is arranged and the depression angle of how many degrees the direction of observing the light-emitting unit is with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction (refer to the Figure 1 double-dot chain line Vh). "Steering wheel 10°" corresponds to the vicinity of the upper part of the rim portion of the steering wheel, that is, near the part labeled with the reference numeral a in Figure 2 , "instrument 20°" corresponds to the vicinity of the upper part of the instrument, that is, near the part labeled with the reference numeral b in Figure 2 . In addition, "steering SW 30°" corresponds to the vicinity of the switch operation part in the left and right spoke parts of the steering wheel, that is, near the part labeled with the reference numeral c in Figure 2 . "Instrument panel 30°" refers to the arrangement part of the light-emitting unit 34 of the present embodiment. In addition, although not shown in the figure, the widths (dimensions in the short side direction) of the respective light-emitting units are substantially the same. In addition, Figure 6 the horizontal axis of the chart is the ratio of overlooking the notification by the light-emitting unit (that is, the light emission of the light-emitting unit). From this Figure 6 chart, it can be seen that if the depression angle becomes 20° or less, the overlooking rate decreases, and if the depression angle becomes 30°, the overlooking rate is very low.

[0061] In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the light-emitting unit 34 is provided in a part of the front side of the vehicle compartment including the intermediate region in the vehicle width direction (central cluster unit 20S), and emits light with a blinking period of 200 ms to 600 ms. Therefore, when the light-emitting unit 34 emits light in the state where the driver D has a lowered line of sight as Figure 1 shown (refer to the driver D indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure), the driver D can be made to notice the light emission by the light-emitting unit 34 well. In addition, since the blinking period is 200 ms to 600 ms, the degree to which the driver D gets bored with the light emission can be suppressed well.

[0062] To supplement this point. In Figure 7 shows the test results indicating the relationship between the blinking setting of the light-emitting unit and the like and the attention rate of the light emission. This test is substantially the same as the test described in Figure 6 except for the points of the blinking setting and the arrangement setting of the light-emitting unit. In addition, the ambient illuminance on the upper surface of the instrument panel during the test is 50,000 lx or more. Figure 7 The horizontal axis of

[0063] represents the blinking period of the light-emitting unit, and the vertical axis represents the ratio of noticing the blinking of the light-emitting unit (the ratio with all noticed cases set to 1). In addition, in the bar graph, the hatched part represents the case where the left light-emitting unit 34L and the right light-emitting unit 34R emit light (that is, the case not including the central light-emitting unit 34S), and the non-hatched part represents the case where the left light-emitting unit 34L, the central light-emitting unit 34S, and the right light-emitting unit 34R emit light. From this graph, it can be seen that if the blinking period becomes 600 ms or less when the central light-emitting unit 34S emits light, the attention rate increases significantly. Figure 4 As shown in the schematic partial enlarged view of Figure 1 in the present embodiment, there is provided an eaves portion 38 that extends and protrudes obliquely upward toward the rear of the vehicle from a portion adjacent to the light-emitting unit 34 on the upper side. Therefore, even when sunlight enters the vehicle compartment through the front windshield 16 of the vehicle 10 as

[0064] shown, the sunlight can also be blocked by the eaves portion 38 from directly entering the light-emitting unit 34. Thus, it is possible to prevent or suppress the direct light from the light-emitting unit 34 from being difficult to recognize due to sunlight.

[0065] In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 4As shown in the schematic partial enlarged view, in the light-emitting part 34, a lens cover 34C is provided on the surface facing the inside of the vehicle compartment, and a light diffusion part 34D for diffusing the light from the inside of the vehicle compartment is formed in the lens cover 34C, so that the inside of the light-emitting part 34 in the non-light-emitting state is not easily seen. Therefore, the appearance of the light-emitting part 34 in the non-light-emitting state can be made good.

[0066] In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the light-emitting part 34 is provided at the boundary part between the upper panel 22 and the lower panel 24 of the instrument panel 20. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where only a part for assembling the light-emitting part 34 is provided on the lower panel 24 of the instrument panel (20) to assemble the light-emitting part 34, it is easier to manufacture the structure in which the light-emitting part 34 is provided on the instrument panel 20.

[0067] (Supplementary description of the embodiment)

[0068] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the linear light-emitting part 34 is provided at the boundary part between the upper panel 22 and the lower panel 24 of the instrument panel 20, but the linear light-emitting part can also be provided, for example, at a position lower than the above boundary part on the lower panel 24 of the instrument panel (20). Additionally, as another modification example, the linear light-emitting part can also be provided, for example, at a part other than the instrument panel 20 on the front side of the vehicle compartment, such as near the switch operation part at the left and right spoke parts of the steering wheel 18 (refer to reference numeral c), the lower part of the rim part of the steering wheel 18, etc.

[0069] In addition, as a modification example of the above embodiment, the central side light-emitting part (34S) and the right side light-emitting part (34R) can be integrated to make them continuous. Moreover, the number of light sources in each light-emitting part is not limited to the example of the above embodiment. And, as a modification example of the above embodiment, the linear light-emitting part can also be set at a height position lower than the visual field when the driver looks straight ahead to drive and extend in the vehicle up and down direction.

[0070] In addition, in the above embodiment, Figure 1 as shown, etc., the light-emitting part 34 is set and arranged in such a way that the direction Sd of observing the light-emitting part 34 from the assumed position Ep as the viewpoint of the driver D is within the range of a depression angle of 20° to 40° in the vehicle lateral view angle with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction (refer to the double-dot dash line Vh) passing through the assumed position Ep as this viewpoint, but it can also be set at a height position slightly lower than the case set like this, for example.

[0071] In addition, in the above embodiment, the light-emitting part 34 is configured to be provided in the front side of the vehicle compartment and includes the intermediate region in the vehicle width direction (the central cluster part 20S (refer to Figure 2)) includes the part and emits light with a flashing period of 200ms to 600ms, but the structure of the light-emitting portion is not limited to such a structure.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the flange portion 38 is provided to extend obliquely upward and rearward of the vehicle from a portion adjacent to the light emitting portion 34 on the upper side. However, a configuration without providing such a flange portion 38 is also possible.

[0073] In addition, in the above embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown in the schematic partial enlarged view, a light diffusion portion 34D for diffusing light from the inside of the vehicle cabin is formed on a lens cover 34C disposed on the surface of the light emitting portion 34 facing the inside of the vehicle cabin, so that the inside of the light emitting portion 34 in a non-light emitting state is not easily visible, but the present invention is not limited to structures including such a structure.

[0074] In addition, as a modification of the above embodiment, for example, a configuration may be provided in which a side-viewing detection device for detecting the driver's side-viewing is provided, and when the side-viewing detection device detects the driver's side-viewing, the light emitting unit (34) is caused to emit light. Also, as another modification, the light emitting unit (34) may be caused to emit light for a predetermined purpose other than a warning. In addition, a plurality of light emitting units (34) may also be used as illumination.

[0075] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. Figure 5 The CPU 40A shown reads and executes each process of the software (program). As the processor in this case, FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) and other PLD (Programmable Logic Device: Programmable Logic Controller) that can change the circuit structure after manufacturing, and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit: Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and other dedicated electronic circuits as processors with circuit structures specially designed to perform specific processes are exemplified. In addition, each process can be executed by one of these various processors, or by a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types (for example, multiple FPGAs, and a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.). In addition, more specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is an electronic circuit composed of a combination of circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0076] In addition, each program described in the above embodiments may also be provided in a manner recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. In addition, the program may also be in a form downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0077] In addition, the above embodiments and the above-described multiple modification examples can be appropriately combined and implemented.

[0078] As described above, an example of the present disclosure has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above. Needless to say, various modifications can be made and implemented without departing from the gist thereof.

Claims

1. A display device for a vehicle, wherein: the display device for the vehicle has a light-emitting device, and the light-emitting device includes a linear light-emitting portion provided on the front side of the vehicle compartment so that a driver can visually confirm direct light emitted from the light-emitting portion; a memory; a processor connected to the memory; and an information acquisition device that acquires information on the periphery of the vehicle, wherein the light-emitting portion is set at a height position lower than the field of view when the driver drives while looking straight ahead, the processor is configured to: when executing a program for notifying the start of the vehicle in front, when it is determined based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device that the degree of necessity of alerting the driver is within a specified range lower than a preset reference, control the light-emitting device so that the light-emitting portion emits light; thereafter, when the vehicle in front has advanced a specified distance but the vehicle has not yet started, continue to generate a beeping sound by a speaker until the vehicle starts.

2. The display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: the light-emitting portion is set and arranged such that the direction of observing the light-emitting portion from a position assumed as the driver's viewpoint is within a range of a depression angle of 20° to 40° in the vehicle lateral view angle with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction passing through the position assumed as the viewpoint.

3. The display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: the light-emitting portion is provided in a part of the front side of the vehicle compartment including the middle area in the vehicle width direction and emits light with a blinking period of 200 ms to 600 ms.

4. The display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: a cornice portion is provided that extends and protrudes obliquely upward from a position adjacent to the light-emitting portion on the upper side toward the rear of the vehicle.

5. The display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: on the light-emitting portion, a lens cover is provided on the surface facing the inside of the vehicle compartment, and a light diffusion portion for diffusing light from the inside of the vehicle compartment is formed on the lens cover so that the inside of the light-emitting portion in the non-light-emitting state is not easily seen.

6. The display device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: the light-emitting portion is provided at a boundary portion between an upper panel constituting an upper side of an instrument panel provided at the front part of the vehicle compartment and a lower panel constituting a lower side of the instrument panel and joined to the upper panel.

7. The display device for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein: the light-emitting portion extends in a substantially vehicle width direction.

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