Display control device and method for vehicle, display device for vehicle, storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to a display control device for a vehicle, a display device for a vehicle, a display control method for a vehicle, and a computer-readable storage medium, for improving the aesthetic quality of content that guides the travel path of a vehicle. When a path line indicated by path line information included in map information for navigation is offset in the vehicle width direction according to the distance of the position of the vehicle from the path line in the vehicle width direction, the display control ECU displays the content in a position in the HUD that corresponds to the path line after the offset.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a display control device for vehicles, a display device for vehicles, a display control method for vehicles, and a computer-readable storage medium storing a display control program for vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Japanese Patent No. 6536855 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology in which, when following a vehicle ahead of itself, the position of the vehicle ahead is detected, and a marker image corresponding to the detected position of the vehicle ahead is superimposed on the vehicle ahead and displayed on a HUD (Head-up Display).

[0003] When displaying navigation aids (HUDs) with markers indicating the vehicle's path, the presence of a vehicle ahead is not always guaranteed. Therefore, the display position could be controlled based on the path lines provided by the navigation map information. However, using the path lines as the basis for content placement leads to insufficient accuracy in the vehicle's width direction. Therefore, displaying the content consistently on the path lines would result in inaccuracies. Figure 7 As shown, sometimes the content is displayed in a way that is off-center from the driver's perspective in the width direction relative to the lane the vehicle is traveling in, which detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the content. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure was made in consideration of the above facts, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle display control device, a vehicle display device, a vehicle display control method, and a vehicle display control program that can improve the aesthetics of the content guiding the vehicle's driving path.

[0005] The vehicle display control device involved in the first method includes a display control unit that, when the path line represented by the path line information included in the navigation map information is offset in the vehicle width direction according to the distance between the vehicle's position and the path line along the vehicle width direction, the display control unit causes the content to be displayed on the display device at the position corresponding to the offset path line.

[0006] In the first method, when the path line is corrected (offset) in the vehicle width direction based on the vehicle's position, the content is displayed on the display device at the position corresponding to the offset path line. This prevents the content from being displayed as if its position deviates from the vehicle width direction relative to the lane being traveled, thus improving the aesthetics of the content guiding the vehicle's travel path.

[0007] The second method is based on the first method, whereby the display control unit determines the vehicle width direction based on the vehicle's orientation detected by the orientation sensor.

[0008] In the second method, since the vehicle's orientation detected by the orientation sensor is used to determine the vehicle's width direction, the vehicle's width direction can be determined with high precision.

[0009] The third method is based on the first or second method, in which the display control unit uses the position of the occupant's viewpoint inside the vehicle as the position of the vehicle.

[0010] In the third method, since the vehicle's position is determined by the viewpoint of the occupants, it is possible to prevent content from being displayed in a way that deviates from the vehicle's width relative to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, as observed by the occupants. Therefore, according to the third method, the aesthetics of the content as observed by the occupants can be further improved.

[0011] The fourth method is based on any one of the methods 1 to 3, and the above-mentioned display device is a HUD.

[0012] As described above, in methods 1 through 3, it is possible to suppress the content from being displayed with its position deviating from the vehicle's width direction relative to the lane it is traveling in. Therefore, by making the display device a HUD, it is possible to enable the display device to function as an AR (Augmented Reality) HUD.

[0013] The vehicle display device involved in the fifth method includes the vehicle display control device and display device described in any of the methods 1 to 4.

[0014] According to method 5, similar to method 1, the aesthetics of the content guiding the vehicle's travel path can be improved.

[0015] The vehicle display control method involved in the sixth method performs a process by computer including the following steps: when the path line represented by the path line information included in the navigation map information is offset in the vehicle width direction according to the distance between the vehicle's position and the path line along the vehicle width direction, the content is displayed on the display device at the position corresponding to the offset path line.

[0016] According to method 6, similar to method 1, the aesthetics of the content guiding the vehicle's travel path can be improved.

[0017] The vehicle display control program involved in the seventh method causes the computer to perform a process including the following steps: when the path line represented by the path line information included in the navigation map information is offset in the vehicle width direction according to the distance between the vehicle's position and the path line along the vehicle width direction, the content is displayed on the display device at the position corresponding to the offset path line.

[0018] According to method 7, similar to method 1, the aesthetics of the content guiding the vehicle's driving path can be improved.

[0019] This disclosure can improve the aesthetics of the content guiding the vehicle's driving path. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating a simplified structure of the vehicle display device and its surroundings according to the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a simplified diagram representing an example of a HUD.

[0022] Figure 3 It is a functional block diagram of the display control ECU.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of display control processing performed by the display control ECU.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of offsetting the path line represented by the path line information in the vehicle width direction.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating that, in the implementation method, the content of the guiding vehicle's driving path is displayed in a state from the driver's perspective, without any misalignment in the vehicle width direction relative to the lane being traveled.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating that, in the prior art, the content guiding the vehicle's travel path is displayed as if it were misaligned in the vehicle width direction relative to the lane the vehicle is traveling in, from the driver's perspective. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1The diagram illustrates a vehicle display device 10 according to an embodiment. The vehicle display device 10 includes: a HUD 12, mounted in a vehicle, which is an example of a display device; and a display control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 22, which controls the display of images displayed in the HUD 12 to enable the HUD 12 to function as an AR-HUD. The display control ECU 22 is an example of a vehicle display control device according to this disclosure.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, the HUD 12 includes: a display unit 14 that emits projection light for displaying an image; a reflector 16, which is composed of a concave mirror and reflects / projects the projection light emitted from the display unit 14 onto the vehicle's windshield 18; and a reflector angle changing ACT (actuator) 20. The interior surface of the area in the windshield 18 where the projected image is displayed is treated with a semi-transparent, semi-reflective mirror, allowing occupants to visually confirm the projected image and also to visually confirm the scenery outside the vehicle through the windshield 18. The reflector angle changing ACT 20 changes the projection position of the displayed image on the windshield 18 by changing the angle of the reflector 16.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the display control ECU 22 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 24 and memory 26 such as ROM (Read-Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). Additionally, the display control ECU 22 includes a non-volatile storage unit 28 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) and a communication interface (I / F) 30. The CPU 24, memory 26, storage unit 28, and communication I / F 30 are connected via an internal bus 32, enabling them to communicate with each other.

[0030] The storage unit 28 stores the display control program 34. The display control ECU 22 reads the display control program 34 from the storage unit 28, expands it in the memory 26, and executes the expanded display control program 34 in the memory 26 by the CPU 24. Figure 3 The display control unit 36 ​​shown functions to perform the display control processing described later. When the path line represented by the path line information included in the navigation map information is offset in the vehicle width direction according to the distance between the vehicle's position and the path line along the vehicle width direction, the display control unit 36 ​​displays the content in the HUD 12 at the position corresponding to the offset path line. The display control program 34 is an example of a vehicle display control program disclosed herein.

[0031] Additionally, the display control ECU 22 is connected to the system bus 40, which is connected to: a surrounding environment acquisition device group 42, which acquires information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle; and a position sensor 56, which detects the vehicle's position. The surrounding environment acquisition device group 42 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) device 44, an in-vehicle communication unit 46, a navigation system 48, a radar device 52, and a camera 54, etc., as devices for acquiring and displaying information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

[0032] The GNSS device 44 receives GNSS signals from multiple GNSS satellites to determine the vehicle's position (latitude and longitude). The vehicle-mounted communication unit 46 is a communication device that enables inter-vehicle communication with other vehicles and inter-road communication with roadside equipment. The navigation system 48 includes a map information storage unit 50 that stores map information and processes data based on the position information obtained from the GNSS device 44 and the map information stored in the map information storage unit 50 to display the vehicle's position on a map and guide the user along a route to the destination.

[0033] The map information stored in the map information storage unit 50 includes path line information representing path lines set along each road represented by the map information. More specifically, it also includes... Figure 5 As shown, the path information is represented by the latitude and longitude of each point discretely arranged on the path.

[0034] Radar device 52 irradiates radio waves (e.g., millimeter waves) around the vehicle and detects pedestrians, other vehicles, and other objects in the vicinity of the vehicle based on the reflected waves of the irradiated radio waves, obtaining the relative position and relative speed of the detected objects relative to the vehicle. Furthermore, based on recent detection results including changes in relative position and relative speed with each object, radar device 52 excludes noise, roadside objects such as guardrails from the monitored objects, and tracks and monitors specific objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles as surrounding landmarks. Moreover, radar device 52 outputs information such as the relative position and relative speed with each surrounding landmark. Camera 54 uses multiple cameras to capture images of the area around the vehicle and outputs the captured images.

[0035] Next, as for the purpose of this embodiment, refer to Figure 4 The display control processing performed by the display control ECU22 during the period when the vehicle's ignition switch is turned on is explained.

[0036] In step 100 of the display control process, the display control unit 36 ​​determines whether the current timing is appropriate for displaying the driving path of the guided vehicle on the HUD 12. For example, if ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) is on and the vehicle is following another vehicle, the determination in step 100 is negative, and the process proceeds to step 102. Furthermore, in step 102, the display control unit 36 ​​processes the display of other information (such as a marker indicating the ACC's set interval time) on the HUD 12.

[0037] Furthermore, if the determination in step 100 is affirmative, proceed to step 104. In step 104, the display control unit 36 ​​obtains the current position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle from the GNSS device 44. Specifically, the current position of the vehicle obtained here is the latitude and longitude of the location where the GNSS device 44 is installed in the vehicle.

[0038] In the next step 106, the display control unit 36 ​​reads from the storage unit 28 the relative position of the occupants' eyepoints inside the vehicle, based on the vehicle's position (the installation position of the GNSS device 44). This relative position can be pre-measured and stored in the storage unit 28, for example, but it can also be detected by a camera or the like that captures images of the passenger compartment, including the occupants. Furthermore, the display control unit 36 ​​calculates the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the occupants' eyepoints inside the vehicle based on the vehicle's position obtained in step 104 and the read relative position.

[0039] In step 108, the display control unit 36 ​​obtains path information (representing path information set for the road the vehicle is currently traveling on) from the navigation system 48 corresponding to the vehicle's position obtained in step 104, and stores it in the memory 26. In step 110, the display control unit 36 ​​obtains the vehicle's orientation from the orientation sensor 56.

[0040] In step 112, the display control unit 36 ​​calculates the distance ΔD between the position of the occupant's viewpoint inside the vehicle and the path line represented by the path line information obtained in step 108 along the vehicle width direction (orthogonal to the vehicle's orientation obtained from the orientation sensor 56). Figure 5 ).

[0041] In step 114, the display control unit 36 ​​shifts the path line represented by the path line information stored in the memory 26 by shifting the latitude and longitude of each point column included in the path line information stored in the memory 26 by a distance ΔD in the vehicle width direction. Figure 5The offset path line is indicated by the reference numeral "60". Furthermore, the display control unit 36 ​​displays a content 62 showing multiple vehicle travel paths arranged on the path line 60, which is offset by a distance ΔD in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, the content 62 uses a rectangular shape whose midpoint in the length direction is bent towards the direction of the vehicle travel path.

[0042] In step 116, the display control unit 36 ​​transforms the coordinate values ​​of each content 62 disposed on the offset path line 60 into coordinate values ​​for the display coordinate system of the HUD 12, and displays each content 62 in the HUD 12 based on the transformed coordinate values. Thus, as... Figure 6 As shown, the content 62 projected onto the windshield 18 is displayed in a manner that is not deviated from the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, as observed by the occupant.

[0043] If the processing in step 116 ends, the process returns to step 100. During the period when the determination in step 100 is positive, steps 104 to 116 are repeated. Thus, even if the distance ΔD changes, the content 62 can be displayed without deviation by following the change in distance ΔD.

[0044] As described above, in this embodiment, the display control ECU 22 functions as the display control unit 36, which displays content 62 in the HUD 12 at a position corresponding to the offset path line when the path line information included in the navigation map information is offset in the vehicle width direction according to the distance between the vehicle's position and the path line along the vehicle width direction. This prevents content 62 from being displayed with its position deviating from the vehicle's driving lane in the vehicle width direction, thus improving the aesthetics of the content 62 guiding the vehicle's driving path.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the display control unit 36 ​​determines the vehicle width direction based on the vehicle's orientation detected by the orientation sensor 56. This allows for high-precision determination of the vehicle width direction.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the display control unit 36 ​​uses the position of the occupants' viewpoint as the vehicle's position. This prevents the content 62 from being displayed in a way that deviates from the vehicle's width relative to the lane it is traveling in, thus further improving the aesthetics of the content 62 as viewed from the occupants' perspective.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, HUD12 is used as a display device. According to this disclosure, since it is possible to suppress the content from being displayed in a position that deviates from the vehicle width direction relative to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, HUD12 can function as an AR-HUD.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the method of using a shape in which a rectangular shape is bent in the middle of its length direction towards the direction of the vehicle's travel path as the content 62 guiding the vehicle's travel path has been described. However, the content 62 is not limited to the shape described above, and may also be, for example, a triangular shape.

[0049] Furthermore, while the above description describes the application of HUD12 as a display device in this disclosure, the display device is not limited to HUD12; for example, it could be a vehicle's instrument panel display, etc.

[0050] Furthermore, while the above description describes how the display control program 34 involved in this disclosure is pre-stored (installed) in the storage unit 28, the display control program involved in this disclosure can also be provided in a manner recorded on non-temporary recording media such as HDD, SSD, and DVD.

Claims

1. A display control device for a vehicle, wherein, The vehicle display control device includes a display control unit as described below: Get the current location of this vehicle. Detect and read the relative positions of the occupants' viewpoints within the vehicle. Obtain path information corresponding to the obtained position of the vehicle, which represents the path line set for the road that the vehicle is currently traveling on. Calculate the distance along the vehicle width from the position of the occupant's viewpoint to the path line represented by the acquired path line information. The latitude and longitude of each point in the path information are offset by the distance in the vehicle width direction, thereby offsetting the path represented by the path information in the vehicle width direction by the distance. The coordinate values ​​of each content positioned on the offset path are transformed into coordinate values ​​for the display coordinate system of the HUD, which is the display device. The HUD then displays each content based on the transformed coordinate values. As described above, a rectangular shape is used where the middle portion of the shape is bent towards the direction guiding the vehicle's travel path. The display control unit determines the vehicle width direction based on the vehicle's orientation detected by the orientation sensor.

2. A display device for a vehicle, wherein, Includes the vehicle display control device and display device as described in claim 1.

3. A display control method for a vehicle, wherein, The process, performed by a computer, includes the following steps: obtaining the current location of the vehicle. Detect and read the relative positions of the occupants' viewpoints within the vehicle. Obtain path information corresponding to the obtained position of the vehicle, which represents the path line set for the road that the vehicle is currently traveling on. The distance along the vehicle width direction from the position of the occupant's viewpoint to the path line represented by the acquired path line information is calculated, and the vehicle width direction is determined based on the vehicle's orientation detected by the orientation sensor. The latitude and longitude of each point in the path information are offset by the distance in the vehicle width direction, thereby offsetting the path represented by the path information in the vehicle width direction by the distance. The coordinate values ​​of each content configured on the offset path line are transformed into coordinate values ​​for the display coordinate system of the HUD, which is a display device. The HUD displays each content based on the transformed coordinate values. The content is a graphic with a shape in which a rectangular graphic is bent in the middle of its length direction toward the direction of the vehicle's driving path.

4. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, The computer-readable storage medium stores a vehicle display control program that causes a computer to perform a process including the following steps: Get the current location of this vehicle. Detect and read the relative positions of the occupants' viewpoints within the vehicle. Obtain path information corresponding to the obtained position of the vehicle, which represents the path line set for the road that the vehicle is currently traveling on. The distance along the vehicle width direction from the position of the occupant's viewpoint to the path line represented by the acquired path line information is calculated, and the vehicle width direction is determined based on the vehicle's orientation detected by the orientation sensor. The latitude and longitude of each point in the path information are offset by the distance in the vehicle width direction, thereby offsetting the path represented by the path information in the vehicle width direction by the distance. The coordinate values ​​of each content configured on the offset path line are transformed into coordinate values ​​for the display coordinate system of the HUD, which is a display device. The HUD displays each content based on the transformed coordinate values. The content is a graphic with a shape in which a rectangular graphic is bent in the middle of its length direction toward the direction of the vehicle's driving path.

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