Head-up display device, display control device, and vehicle display system

Abstract

An HUD device (100), which is a head-up display device, is provided with: an image display unit (120) that displays a first virtual image (road image) and a second virtual image (AR image), the first virtual image is provided with a bending point in the vicinity of a travel route changing point of the vehicle, is composed of a arrow handle part extending towards the bending point, and is displayed on the road surface in an overlapping manner, and the second virtual image changes the display position along the first virtual image and is displayed in a stagnant manner in the vicinity of the bending point when the vehicle approaches the travel route changing point; and a control unit (110) that, when the second virtual image is displayed, performs control to project a shadow image that displays the second virtual image onto the first virtual image, and when the vehicle approaches the travel route change point and the second virtual image is stopped in the vicinity of the bending point of the first virtual image, performs control to stop projection of the shadow image. According to the present invention, it is possible for a driver to accurately and visually observe a route change location such as an intersection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a head-up display device, a display control device and a vehicle display system for a mobile body such as a vehicle, which allows a virtual display object (virtual image) to be visually observed by overlapping the foreground of the mobile body. Background Art

[0002] A head-up display device (hereinafter referred to as a HUD device) is known in the prior art, which can improve the expressiveness in the depth direction (the front and rear direction of the vehicle) by using a virtual display object (virtual image) (the visual observer can feel the depth through the inclined imaging surface (display area)), and present intuitive information to the visual observer. The HUD device forms an augmented reality (AR) in which a virtual image is arranged at a predetermined position in the depth or up, down, left, and right directions in the foreground (the real scene in the forward direction observed by the visual observer of the vehicle), and the virtual image is added to the real scenery (foreground) such as the road surface for display.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a navigation device that can display a destination guidance image ( Figure 2 The moving path of the vehicle is displayed by using a guide line 20, and as the vehicle approaches the guide point, a map in the form of a bird's-eye view of the front of the vehicle is gradually enlarged and displayed. When the vehicle approaches further, the map is stopped from being enlarged, and a destination direction image ( Figure 2 27: AR display by arrow marks). In addition, the so-called "map display" here refers to a display method of displaying a map and displaying the movement path of the vehicle on the map, and AR display refers to a display method of forming an augmented reality that displays navigation information on actual scenery, etc. to provide path guidance.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. WO2021 / 132553 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] However, according to the technology described in the above-mentioned patent document 1, when performing path guidance, there is a problem that it is difficult to correctly and intuitively grasp the location of right turn or left turn based on the distance from the route change location such as an intersection, and as a result, the driver as a visual observer sometimes misidentifies the route.

[0009] The present invention is made to solve such technical problems, and its object is to provide a head-up display device, a display control device, and a vehicle display system that enable a driver as a visual observer to accurately and intuitively visually observe a route change point such as an intersection.

[0010] Other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the following exemplary technical solutions and optimal implementations and the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Means for solving problems

[0012] In order to easily understand the outline of the present invention, the technical aspects of the present invention are exemplified below.

[0013] A first technical solution is a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image overlapping with a foreground on a display area that is virtually set in front of a vehicle as an imaging surface, wherein the device comprises: an image display unit that displays a first virtual image and a second virtual image, wherein the first virtual image has a bending point near a route change location of the vehicle, is composed of a portion of an arrow handle extending toward the bending point, and is displayed overlapping with a road surface, and the second virtual image changes its display position along the first virtual image, and is displayed near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the route change location; and a control unit that controls to project and display a shadow image of the second virtual image on the first virtual image when displaying the second virtual image, and controls to stop the projection of the shadow image when the vehicle approaches the route change location and causes the second virtual image to stop near the bending point of the first virtual image.

[0014] Here, the "first virtual image" refers to, for example, Figure 4 As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 1 , there is a bending point be near a route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle passes, and the route image Gu1 is composed of a portion of the arrow handle (axis s) extending toward the bending point be and a portion of the arrow tip (arrow ah) indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle, and is displayed overlapping with the road surface. The portion of the arrow tip is not essential. In addition, the "second virtual image" refers to, for example, Figure 4 (a) and (b), Figure 5As shown in (a) and (b), the display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) along with the movement of the vehicle. When the vehicle approaches a route change location such as an intersection, an AR image (Gu2, etc.) is displayed near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image). In addition, the AR image (Gu2) is composed of one or more arrow tip elements (arrows ah) that are visually observed from the road surface in the vicinity of the bending point be of the route image Gu1 (a route change location such as an intersection). In addition, the "route change location" refers to a right or left turn location such as an intersection, T-junction, or curve that the vehicle passes through when traveling toward the destination. In addition, "the vehicle approaches the route change location" refers to a situation where the distance from the route change location reaches a specified threshold. In this case, the control unit, for example, controls the second virtual image to move at a predetermined speed (position change corresponding to time) and displays it in animation on the image display unit.

[0015] According to the first technical solution, the control unit displays the second virtual image (AR image Gu2, Gu3 (Gu3′, Gu3″)) that is stagnant near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and the shadow image (for example, reference to Figure 4 (a) and (b) Sh1) are projected onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and the control of the projection of the shadow image Sh1 is stopped when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped, so that the driver as a visual observer can correctly and intuitively perceive the distance from the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) (in other words, the route change point such as an intersection). In other words, the driver as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle and the route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left by the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) relative to the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, a head-up display device can be provided that enables the driver as a visual observer to intuitively and accurately visually observe the distance from the route change point such as an intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image and the second virtual image.

[0016] In addition, in a second technical solution subordinate to the first technical solution, the control unit may control the second virtual image to move to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point and then stop when the second virtual image moving along the first virtual image approaches the location where the route is changed, and increase the number of arrow tip elements constituting the arrow tip in the bending direction of the first virtual image and display them adjacently or in an expanded manner.

[0017] According to the second technical solution, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moving along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) approaches a route change location, the control unit causes the second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3) to move to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and then stop, and controls the number of arrow tip elements in the bending direction of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) to be increased and displayed adjacently or in an extended manner, thereby enabling the driver, who is a visual observer, to be correctly and intuitively guided to turn in the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), thereby improving the guidance effect to route change locations such as intersections.

[0018] In addition, in a third technical solution subordinate to the first technical solution, the control unit may control the display properties of the second virtual image or the shadow image of the second virtual image to express the sense of distance between the vehicle and the route change point while causing the second virtual image to move along the first virtual image until it stops near the bending point of the first virtual image.

[0019] According to the third technical solution, the control unit controls the display attribute of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) or the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) while moving the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) until it stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). Therefore, the control unit, for example, controls the display attribute so that the color of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) gradually approaches the hue of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), so that the driver as a visual observer can easily recognize that the vehicle is gradually approaching the route change point. In other words, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is moved along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), by controlling the display attribute of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), the distance between the vehicle and the route change point such as the intersection can be correctly expressed.

[0020] A fourth technical solution is a display control device, which includes a processing device and is connected to a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image overlapping with a foreground on a display area that is virtually set in front of a vehicle as an imaging surface, wherein the processing device displays a first virtual image that has a bending point near a route change point of the vehicle and is composed of a portion of an arrow handle extending toward the bending point, and is displayed overlapping with a road surface, and a second virtual image that changes its display position along the first virtual image and stops being displayed near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the route change point, and when the second virtual image is displayed, controls a shadow image of the second virtual image to be projected and displayed on the first virtual image, and when the vehicle approaches the route change point and causes the second virtual image to stop being projected near the bending point of the first virtual image, controls the shadow image to be stopped.

[0021] According to the fourth technical solution, the processing device projects the shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image when the second virtual image is displayed on the head-up display device, and stops the projection of the shadow image when the second virtual image is stopped, so that the driver as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly perceive the distance from the bending point of the first virtual image. In other words, the driver as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle and the route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left by the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image of the second virtual image relative to the first virtual image. In this way, a display control device can be provided that enables the driver as a visual observer to intuitively and accurately visually observe the distance from the route change point such as an intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image and the second virtual image.

[0022] A fifth technical solution is a vehicle display system, comprising: a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image overlapping with a foreground on a display area that is virtually set in front of the vehicle as an imaging surface; a display control device that controls the generation of the virtual image and displays it on the head-up display device; and a navigation device that provides route guidance information to the display control device, wherein the display control device displays a first virtual image having a bending point near a route change point of the vehicle and composed of a portion of an arrow handle extending toward the bending point, overlapping a road surface, and a second virtual image whose display position changes along the first virtual image and stops being displayed near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the route change point, on the head-up display device, and when the second virtual image is displayed, controls a shadow image of the second virtual image to be projected and displayed on the first virtual image, and controls the projection of the shadow image to be stopped when the vehicle approaches the route change point and the second virtual image stops near the bending point of the first virtual image.

[0023] According to the fifth technical solution, the display control device projects the shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image when the second virtual image is displayed on the head-up display device, and stops the projection of the shadow image when the second virtual image is stopped, so that the driver as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly perceive the distance from the bending point of the first virtual image. In other words, the driver as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle and the route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left by the presence or absence of the shadow image of the second virtual image relative to the projection of the first virtual image. In this way, a vehicle display system can be provided that enables the driver as a visual observer to intuitively and accurately visually observe the distance from the route change point such as the intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image and the second virtual image.

[0024] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the technical solutions of the present invention described above may be further modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an application example of the head-up display device according to the present embodiment applied to a vehicle and is cited for explaining the relationship between the eye position of the driver and an imaging plane (display area) virtually set in front of the vehicle.

[0026] Figure 2 : is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle display system including the head-up display device according to the present embodiment.

[0027] Figure 3 : is a flowchart showing the operation of the head-up display device according to the present embodiment.

[0028] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a head-up display device according to the present embodiment. Figure 4 (a) shows that when the AR image (second virtual image) moves along the route (first virtual image) image from the front side of the screen to the back side of the screen, the shadow image of the AR image (second virtual image) is projected and displayed on the route image (first virtual image). Figure 4 (b) shows a case where the AR image (second virtual image) moving along the route image (first virtual image) is viewed from above.

[0029] Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a head-up display device according to the present embodiment. Figure 5 (a) shows a case where the AR image (second virtual image) is close to the bending point of the route image (first virtual image). Figure 5(b) shows a case where the AR image (second virtual image) is stagnant near the bending point of the route image (first virtual image).

[0030] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a head-up display device according to the present embodiment. Figure 6 (a) shows a case where the number of arrow tip locations is increased and displayed adjacent to each other when the AR image (second virtual image) is stopped near the bending point of the route image (first virtual image). Figure 6 (b) shows a case where the AR image (second virtual image) is moved to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point of the route image (first virtual image). Figure 6 (c) shows a case where the AR image (first virtual image) is stretched and displayed while the AR image is stagnant.

[0031] Explanation of symbols

[0032] 100: head-up display device (HUD device);

[0033] 110: Control unit;

[0034] 120: image display unit;

[0035] 121: LCD;

[0036] 122: Relay optical system;

[0037] 200: processing device (processor);

[0038] 300: display control device;

[0039] 400: navigation device;

[0040] 401: Behavior sensor;

[0041] 402: Camera;

[0042] 403: LiADR;

[0043] 404: Eye position sensor;

[0044] 500: I / O interface;

[0045] 1000: Vehicle display system;

[0046] VA: display area;

[0047] Gu1 (first virtual image): route image;

[0048] Gu2, Gu3, Gu3′, Gu3″ (second virtual image): AR image;

[0049] Sh1: shadow image;

[0050] s: the position of the arrow handle in the route image;

[0051] be: the bending point of the route image;

[0052] ah: the location of the arrow tip of the route image;

[0053] Gu31, Gu32, Gu33: arrow tip elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] The best embodiment described below is for easy understanding of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art should note that the present invention is not improperly limited to the embodiment described below (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment).

[0055] Hereinafter, a vehicle display system 1000 including a head-up display device (hereinafter referred to as HUD device 100 unless otherwise specified) according to the present embodiment will be exemplified and described with reference to the drawings.

[0056] (Structure of Embodiment)

[0057] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an application example of the HUD device 100 according to the present embodiment applied to the vehicle 1 and is cited for explaining the relationship between the eye position of the driver and a display area as an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle.

[0058] In the following description, the driver 4 who is a visual observer of the HUD device 100 sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 takes the left-right direction when facing the front of the vehicle 1 as the X-axis (the left direction is the positive direction of the X-axis), the up-down direction as the Y-axis (the up direction is the positive direction of the Y-axis), and the forward-backward direction as the Z-axis (the front direction is the positive direction of the Z-axis).

[0059] Reference Figure 1 The HUD device 100 of this embodiment is disposed in the front panel 5 of the vehicle 1, and includes a control unit 110 and an image display unit 120 (in a dotted line frame). The HUD device 100 emits display light L toward the front windshield 2 (an example of a projected component), and visually observes an image on a display area VA as an imaging surface virtually set on the front side (positive direction of the Z axis) of the front windshield 2. As a result, the driver 4 as a visual observer can visually observe an image (virtual image) that overlaps with the foreground FV as a real space that is visually observed through the front windshield 2.

[0060] The display area VA is an area of ​​a plane, a curved surface or a partial curved surface where the image generated inside the HUD device 100 is formed as a virtual image, and is also called an imaging surface. The visual observability of the display area VA itself is actually so low that it cannot be visually observed by the driver 4 or is difficult to be visually observed. In the display area VA, the angle (tilt angle θt) formed with the horizontal direction (XZ plane) with the left and right direction (X-axis direction) of the vehicle 1 as the axis and the angle formed by the line segment connecting the center of the eye movement range (the eye position of the driver 4) and the upper end of the display area VA and the line segment connecting the center of the eye movement range (the eye position of the driver 4) and the lower end of the display area VA are set as the vertical viewing angle, and the angle (vertical configuration θv) formed by the bisector of the vertical viewing angle and the horizontal direction (XZ plane).

[0061] In addition, the eye movement range refers to an area that is set to be the same as the area (also called the field of view) configured as the eye position (center of the eye movement range) of the driver 4 assumed in the vehicle compartment or includes most of it (for example, more than 80%). Therefore, the eye movement range refers to (1) an area in which the entire virtual image can be visually observed in the area, and no part of it can be visually observed outside the area, (2) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be visually observed in the area, and even a part of it cannot be visually observed outside the area, (3) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be visually observed at a predetermined brightness (for example, the brightness of the virtual image relative to the image visually observed at the center of the eye movement range is about 1 / 50) or more, and the entire virtual image outside the area is less than the predetermined brightness, (4) in the case of being able to display a virtual image that can be observed in stereo, at least a part of the virtual image can be observed in stereo, and even a part of the virtual image cannot be observed in stereo outside the area. That is, when the driver 4 arranges both eyes outside the eye movement range, the driver 4 cannot observe the entire virtual image or the visual observability of the virtual image is very low and it is difficult to perceive or the virtual image cannot be observed in stereo.

[0062] The image display unit 120 has a display surface for displaying an image, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display 121 and a relay optical system 122. The liquid crystal display 121 may be a transmissive display that transmits light from a backlight source (not shown) or a projection display that projects an image (virtual image) onto a screen. In these cases, the display surface is the display surface of the transmissive display and the screen of the projection display. The liquid crystal display 121 may also be equipped with an actuator (not shown) such as a motor controlled by the control unit 110 and be rotatable.

[0063] The relay optical system 122 is disposed on the optical path of the light (display light L) of the image (virtual image) from the liquid crystal display 121 between the liquid crystal display 121 and the front windshield 2, and is composed of one or more optical components that project the display light L of the image (virtual image) from the liquid crystal display 121 onto the front windshield 2 outside the image display unit 120. The relay optical system 122 includes at least one concave mirror, but in addition, for example, it may include one or more refractive optical components such as lenses, diffractive optical components such as holograms, reflective optical components, or a combination of these.

[0064] The relay optical system 122 may be equipped with an actuator (not shown) such as a motor controlled by the control unit 110 and may be rotatable. Specifically, when the vehicle display system 1000 is stopped, the actuator may change the position or angle of the relay optical system 122 in such a manner that sunlight from the outside reaches the liquid crystal display 121 without passing through the relay optical system 122, and when the vehicle display system 1000 is started, the position or angle of the relay optical system 122 may be changed in such a manner that display light of an image from the liquid crystal display 121 is projected onto a predetermined position of the front windshield 2.

[0065] The image display unit 120 can change the angle (tilt angle θt) formed between the display area VA and the travel path of the vehicle 1 by driving the actuator.

[0066] The tilt angle θt is set to an angle such that the upper portion (the portion in the positive direction of the Y axis) of the display area VA viewed from the driver 4 is located farther from the driver 4 than the lower portion (the portion in the negative direction of the Y axis) in a manner along a horizontal plane (e.g., the road surface of the driving route of the vehicle 1). The tilt angle θt may not be 0 [degrees] (the display area VA is parallel to the road surface), but is preferably set to less than 20 [degrees] and adjusted to a preset angle (or adjusted to a preset angle range). However, the set value of the tilt angle θt can be arbitrarily changed by the driver 4.

[0067] In addition, the vertical configuration angle θv is set to an angle such that all or most of the display area VA is arranged on the lower side in the horizontal direction. The vertical configuration angle θv is typically set to be less than 5 [degrees] downward in the horizontal direction and adjusted to a preset angle (or adjusted to a preset angle range). However, the setting value of the vertical configuration angle θv can be arbitrarily changed by the driver 4.

[0068] In addition, the control unit 110 includes mapping data for establishing a correspondence between the vertical configuration angle θv of the display area VA and the driving amount of the actuator, and mapping data for establishing a correspondence between the tilt angle θt of the display area VA and the driving amount of the actuator. And, using these mapping data, the actuator can be driven so as to achieve the set tilt angle θt and vertical configuration angle θv.

[0069] Figure 2 1 is a block diagram showing a structure of a vehicle display system 1000 including a HUD device 100. Figure 2 As shown, the vehicle display system 1000 includes a display control device 300 and a navigation device 400, which are connected in a manner that both parties can communicate with each other via an I / O interface 500. The I / O interface 500 is also connected to a behavior sensor 401, a camera 402, a LiADR (Light Detection And Ranging: light detection and ranging, laser radar)) 403, an eye position sensor 404, etc.

[0070] The display control device 300 includes a processing device (hereinafter referred to as a processor 200) and a HUD device 100. The processor 200 is responsible for interfacing with the navigation device 400 or various sensors 401 to 404 connected to the I / O interface 500, and can also display a first virtual image (see below) superimposed on the road surface on the HUD device 100. Figure 4 When the vehicle 1 approaches a route change point such as an intersection, a second virtual image (see below) that stops near the bending point of the first virtual image Gu1 is displayed along the first virtual image Gu1. Figure 4 When the second virtual image Gu2 is displayed, a shadow image of the second virtual image Gu2 is projected onto the first virtual image Gu1 (see the following description). Figure 4 The control of (a) and (b) Sh1) is to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1 when the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point and the second virtual image Gu2 is stopped near the bending point of the first virtual image Gu1. The details will be described later.

[0071] Here, the "first virtual image" refers to, for example, Figure 4 As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 1 , there is a bending point be near a route change point such as an intersection, and the route image Gu1 is composed of a portion of an arrow shaft (axis s) extending toward the bending point be and a portion of an arrow tip (arrow ah) indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and is displayed overlapping with the road surface. In addition, the "second virtual image" refers to, for example, Figure 4As shown in (a) and (b), the display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the vehicle 1 approaches a route change location such as an intersection, an AR image Gu2 stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image). In addition, the AR image Gu2 is composed of one or more arrow tip elements (arrows ah) that are visually observed in the vicinity of the bending point be of the route image Gu1 in a manner suspended above the road surface. In addition, the "route change location" refers to an intersection or a T-junction, a curve, or other right or left turn location that the vehicle 1 passes through when traveling toward the destination.

[0072] The HUD device 100 is used Figure 1 As described above, the control unit 110 and the image display unit 120 are included, and the image display unit 120 includes a liquid crystal display 121 and a relay optical system 122 .

[0073] When displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), the control unit 110 projects and displays a shadow image Sh1 (see FIG. 1 ) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) on the first virtual image (route image Gu1). Figure 4 According to the control of (a) and (b)), when the vehicle 1 approaches a route change point such as an intersection, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and the projection of the shadow image Sh1 is stopped. Here, "the vehicle 1 approaches a route change point such as an intersection" means that the distance to the route change point reaches a predetermined threshold value. In this case, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is animatedly displayed to move at a predetermined speed (position change corresponding to time) under the control of the control unit 110.

[0074] In addition, the control unit 110 may make the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) move to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and then stop when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moving along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) approaches a route change point such as an intersection (see FIG. Figure 5 The number of arrow tip elements constituting the arrow tip ah is increased in the bending direction (left and right direction of the picture angle) of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and the AR image Gu3′ is displayed adjacent to the arrow tip ah as the AR image Gu3′ (to be described later). Figure 6 (b) Gu3 is composed of arrow tip elements Gu31, Gu32, and Gu33 constituting the portion of the arrow tip ah, and these are displayed adjacently) or the arrow tip elements are displayed in an extended manner (refer to the arrow tip elements described later). Figure 6 (c) Gu3″) control.

[0075] In addition, when the control unit 110 moves the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the control unit 110 controls the display attributes of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) or the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image to express the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change point such as the intersection. When the control unit 110 moves the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), for example, by gradually making the color of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) close to the color of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the driver as a visual observer can easily recognize that the vehicle 1 is gradually approaching the route change point such as the intersection.

[0076] In order to perform the above control, the control unit 110 includes, for example, a processor with a built-in or external memory (ROM / RAM) and a graphic controller that draws the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2, etc.) generated by the processor 200 in a VRAM (Video RAM: video memory) allocated to a specified area of ​​the RAM and displays them on the image display unit 120 according to the display timing. The processor executes the above functions by executing the program recorded in the ROM. In addition, at least a part of the above functions can also be implemented by hardware such as FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or logic circuits without relying on the processor.

[0077] The image display unit 120 is controlled by the control unit 110. For example, Figure 4 As shown in (a) and (b), a first virtual image (route image Gu1) displayed overlapping with the road surface and having a bending point be near a route change point such as an intersection passed by the vehicle 1 is composed of a portion of an arrow handle (axis s) extending toward the bending point be and a portion of the arrow tip (arrow ah) indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and a second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3 (Gu3′, Gu3″)) whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point.

[0078] Here, the AR images Gu2 and Gu3 (Gu3′ and Gu3″) displayed as the second virtual image will be supplementally described. The AR images Gu2 and Gu3 used in this embodiment represent the field of view FV (see FIG. 1 ) of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment. Figure 1) is a mark of the direction of the route of the vehicle 1 displayed along with the route image Gu1. The mark is composed only of one or more arrow tips (arrow ah) positioned parallel to or perpendicular to the road surface at a route change location such as an intersection (the former is AR image Gu2, and the latter is AR image Gu3), indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. When the vehicle 1 is far away from the route change location, it is displayed relatively small, and when the vehicle 1 is close to the route change location, it is displayed relatively large. Compared with an AR image expressed by a normal arrow image, since there is no need for an arrow handle (axis s), the display area occupied in the viewing angle of the HUD device 100 is reduced, thereby improving visual observability without obstructing the forward field of view. In addition, for example, as described later Figure 6 As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 1 , information other than the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 can be expressed by forming the portion of the arrow tip (arrow ah) with two or more arrow tip elements ( Gu31 , Gu32 , Gu33 ).

[0079] return Figure 2 The navigation device 400 uses the behavior sensor 401 described later or a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) or other global satellite navigation system (GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System) or gyro sensor to obtain map data based on built-in map data or through wireless communication with the outside of the vehicle, and performs information processing such as surrounding facility guidance or route guidance for the vehicle 1. Then, based on the results of the information processing, for example, when it is detected that the vehicle 1 is approaching an intersection where it should turn, a signal urging the display output based on the results of these information processing is transmitted to the display control device 300 (HUD device 100) via the I / O interface 500 at an appropriate timing.

[0080] As described above, the navigation device 400 has map data. The map data can, for example, obtain the latest map data and store it by communicating with an external center (not shown) via a V2X (Vehicle to X) type communication system (not shown). Here, the map data is mapping data that is digitized in a manner that represents the driving environment of the vehicle 1. As mapping data, digital data of a high-precision dynamic map is particularly preferred. In addition, a dynamic map refers to a digital map that combines huge dynamic information that changes all the time, such as traffic rules or engineering information, accidents or traffic jams, pedestrians or signal information, and static information such as high-precision three-dimensional position information (road surface information, lane information, three-dimensional structures).

[0081] The behavior sensor 401 includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) for detecting the behavior of the vehicle 1, a vehicle speed sensor, or a steering sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel. In addition, the IMU can use a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) to measure the driving condition or posture of the vehicle (according to the acceleration [m / s 2 ] detects translational motion in three-axis directions, and detects rotational motion according to angular velocity [deg / s]). Information recognized or detected by the behavior sensor 401 is transmitted to the navigation device 400 or the display control device 300 (HUD device 100) via the I / O interface 500.

[0082] In addition to the above-mentioned behavior sensor 401, the vehicle display system 1000 has a camera 402, a LiDAR 403, and an eye position sensor 404 for recognizing the driving environment including the surroundings in front of the vehicle 1. The camera 402 at least captures the front view (real scene) of the vehicle 1, and the LiDAR 403 uses near-infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light to irradiate light, for example, to obstacles in front of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 402, and the reflected light is captured by the optical sensor, and the distance to the obstacle is determined based on the time difference.

[0083] The eye position sensor 404 is composed of an infrared camera or the like for detecting the eye position of the driver 4. The display control device 300 (processing device 200) can obtain an image captured by the infrared camera (an example of information that can estimate the position of the eye), and identify the position of the eye of the driver 4 by analyzing the captured image. In addition, the processing device 200 can also obtain information on the position of the eye of the driver 4 identified from the image captured by the infrared camera from the I / O interface 500. In addition, the method of obtaining the position of the eye of the driver 4 of the vehicle 1 or obtaining information that can estimate the position of the eye of the driver 4 is not limited to this, and can be obtained using a known eye position detection (estimation) technology.

[0084] The I / O interface 500 communicates with other components (reference numerals 400 to 404) in addition to the display control device 300 via an ECU (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1, for example, in accordance with the CAN (Controller Area Network) standard (also referred to as CAN communication). In addition, the communication standard adopted by the I / O interface 500 is not limited to CAN, and includes, as an in-vehicle communication (internal communication) interface, a wired communication interface such as CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport), UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter), or USB (Universal Serial Bus), or a short-range wireless communication interface within several tens of meters such as a personal area network (PAN) such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) network, a local area network (LAN) such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi (registered trademark) network.

[0085] In addition, the I / O interface 500 can also be based on wireless wide area network (WWAN0, IEEE802.16-2004 (WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)), based on IEEE802.16e (Mobile WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), 4G, 4G-LTE, LTE Advanced (Advanced Long Term Evolution Technology, or Advanced LTE), 5G and other cellular communication standards including wide area communication networks (for example, Internet communication networks) and other vehicle-external communication (external communication) interfaces.

[0086] (Operation of Implementation Method)

[0087] Figure 3 : is a flowchart showing the operation of the HUD device 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 according to the present embodiment. Figure 4 (a) shows that when the AR image moves along the route image from the front side of the screen to the back side of the screen, the shadow image of the AR image is projected onto the route image. Figure 4(b) shows a case where an AR image moving along a route image is viewed from above. Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 according to the present embodiment. Figure 5 (a) shows the case where the AR image is close to the bending point of the route image. Figure 5 (b) shows a situation where the AR image is stagnant near the bending point of the route image. Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 according to the present embodiment. Figure 6 (a) shows a case where the number of arrow tip locations is increased and displayed adjacent to each other when the AR image stops near a curve point of the route image. Figure 6 (b) shows a case where the AR image is moved to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point of the route image. Figure 6 (c) shows a case where the AR image is stretched and displayed while the AR image is stagnant.

[0088] Below, while referring to Figure 3 to Figure 6 Detailed explanation Figure 2 The operation of the vehicle display system 1000 shown is mainly the operation of the HUD device 100 .

[0089] First, the navigation device 400 displays a map including the current position of the vehicle 1 on the image display unit 120 (liquid crystal display 121) of the HUD device 100 via the display control device 300. In addition, a guidance route to a set destination can be displayed on the map, and an image showing the direction of route change can be displayed near the route change point according to the guidance route, and an enlarged map near the intersection can be displayed on the screen for route guidance.

[0090] The HUD device 100 (control unit 110) monitors whether the navigation device 400 retrieves the guidance route (step ST01). If the guidance route is retrieved (step ST01 "Yes"), a map with a specified scale (default set scale) is displayed in a top view on the image display unit 120 (step ST02). Next, when the vehicle 1 moves along the guidance route determined by the navigation device 400 and approaches a route change point such as an intersection, the control unit 110 compares the remaining distance to the intersection with the display switching threshold (step ST03). Here, the "display switching threshold" refers to the value indicating that the display is switched from a map display with a specified scale to, for example, a map display with a specified scale. Figure 4 As shown in (a) of FIG. 1 , the remaining distance when the screen of the route image Gu2 enlarged near the route change point is displayed refers to, for example, a point 300 m before the preset route change point.

[0091] As the vehicle 1 moves, when the remaining distance to the route change point such as an intersection reaches the display switching threshold (step ST03 "Yes"), the control unit 110 enlarges the scale of the map displayed on the image display unit 120, and the route change point such as the intersection and the surrounding area are displayed on the image display unit 120. Figure 1 At the same time, the route image Gu1 is displayed overlapping the road surface, and the AR image Gu2 is displayed along the road surface (step ST04). An example of the route image Gu1 and AR image Gu2 displayed at this time is shown in FIG. Figure 4 are shown in (a) and (b).

[0092] like Figure 4 As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 1 , the route image Gu1 has a bending point be near the point where the vehicle 1 changes its route, and is composed of a portion of an arrow handle (axis s) extending toward the bending point be and a portion of an arrow tip (arrow ah) indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, and is displayed overlapping the road surface. Figure 4 As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 1 , the display position changes along the route image Gu1. When the vehicle 1 approaches a route change point such as an intersection, for example, Figure 5 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the display mode is changed so that the AR image Gu3 is displayed as being stopped near the bending point be of the route image Gu1 .

[0093] When the control unit 110 displays the AR image Gu2 on the image display unit 120, for example, Figure 4 (a) and (b), Figure 5 As shown in (a), until the vehicle 1 approaches a route change point such as an intersection and stops near the bending point be of the route image Gu1, a shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 is generated and the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 is projected on the route image Gu1 for display (step ST05). In addition, Figure 4 (b) is a diagram showing the AR image Gu2 moving along the route image Gu1 as seen from above, and is a diagram showing that a shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 is projected and displayed on the route image Gu1 to enhance understanding.

[0094] Furthermore, in step ST03 , if the remaining distance to the route change point such as an intersection has not yet reached the display switching threshold (step ST03 : No), the control unit 110 repeatedly executes the processing of step ST02 until the display switching threshold is reached.

[0095] The control unit 110 also controls the display properties of the AR image Gu2 or the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 while the AR image Gu2 is moved along the route image Gu1 and stops near the bending point be of the route image Gu1, thereby expressing the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change location (step ST06). For example, the control unit 110 makes the color of the AR image Gu2 gradually approach the color tone of the route image Gu1 as the vehicle 1 moves, thereby enabling the driver 4 as a visual observer to easily understand that the vehicle 1 is gradually approaching the route change location. In other words, by controlling the display properties of the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) while the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is moved along the route image Gu1 (first virtual image) and stops near the bending point be of the route image Gu1 (first virtual image), the driver 4 as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change location such as the intersection.

[0096] Furthermore, as described later, even if the size, density, etc. of the shadow image Sh1 are controlled, the distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change point such as an intersection can be recognized more intuitively and accurately.

[0097] Next, when the vehicle 1 approaches a route change point such as an intersection, specifically, when the vehicle 1 approaches the vicinity of a bend in the route image Gu1 (step ST07 “Yes”), the control unit 110 changes the display mode of the AR image Gu2 so that it is visually observed from above the road surface near the bend be of the route image Gu1 (refer to FIG. Figure 5 (a), (b) Gu3, Figure 6 (a) Gu3′, Figure 6 (b) Gu3″), at this time, the control unit 110 also controls the vehicle 1 to stop after moving to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point be of the route image Gu1 (step ST08). In addition, “the vehicle 1 approaches the vicinity of the bending point of the route image Gu1” means a situation where the distance from a route change location such as an intersection reaches a predetermined threshold value. In this case, the control unit 110 controls the AR image GU2 (second virtual image) to stop and display it on the image display unit 120 after controlling it to move at a predetermined speed (position change corresponding to time) (animated display). In addition, “the vicinity of the bending point be of the route image Gu1” means that it cannot be uniquely defined because it depends on the viewing angle of the HUD device 100, but for example, it is the distance from the current position of the vehicle 1 to 30m before the bending point.

[0098] Specifically, in step ST08, the control unit 110, for example, Figure 6As shown in an example of the screen configuration in (a) and (b), for the AR image Gu3′, toward the bending direction of the route image Gu1 (the left side in the left-right direction of the viewing angle), the number of arrow tip elements is increased at the position of the arrow tip ah and displayed adjacently (arrow tip elements Gu31, Gu32, Gu33), or, for example, Figure 6 As shown in an example of the screen composition in (c), the display mode is changed by expanding the display. In addition, at this time, the AR image Gu3′ is moved to a position offset in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point be of the route image Gu1 (right side in the horizontal direction of the viewing angle) and then stopped.

[0099] This is a measure for the control unit 110 to increase the number of arrow tip elements at the arrow tip ah position and display them adjacent to each other (AR image Gu3′ including arrow tip elements Gu31, Gu32, and Gu33) or display them in an expanded manner (AR image Gu3″) with respect to the AR image Gu3, so that the center line a (center position of the viewing angle) of the arrow handle (axis s) of the route image Gu1 is aligned with the top end b (offset position) of the tip of the last arrow tip element Gu33 at the arrow tip (arrow ah) of the AR image 3′, thereby accurately conveying the sense of distance from the route change point such as an intersection to the driver 4 as a visual observer.

[0100] In addition, the control unit 110 also controls the projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 before the stop when the AR image Gu3 (Gu3′, Gu3″) after the display mode is changed is stopped and displayed near the bending point be of the route image Gu1, thereby stopping the projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 before the stop (step ST09). In this way, the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 is projected on the route image Gu1 until the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point such as an intersection, and the projection of the shadow image Sh1 is stopped when the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point such as an intersection, and the AR image Gu3 (Gu3′, Gu3″) stopped near the bending point be of the route image Gu1 is displayed, thereby enabling the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and correctly grasp the distance from the bending point be of the route image Gu1 (in other words, the distance from the route change point such as an intersection).

[0101] In addition, the control unit 110 displays the AR image Gu2 and the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 on the image display unit 120 in addition to the route image Gu1, and by making these smaller as the vehicle 1 moves, the image can be seen far away (size perspective method), and by overlapping the AR image Gu2 and its shadow image Sh1 with the route image Gu1, the image located behind can be seen farther (overlapping perspective method), and by making the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 move with the movement of the vehicle 1, the shadow image Sh1 becomes more blurred (defocusing processing) (or the brightness is darkened and the size is close to the route image Gu1), and it can be seen far away (deletion perspective method). Therefore, according to these three painting techniques, the sense of distance (perspective) of the route change point such as the intersection can be enhanced, and the driver 4 as a visual observer can be prompted.

[0102] Therefore, by projecting the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 on the route image Gu1 until approaching the route change point such as an intersection, and stopping the projection of the shadow image Sh1 when stagnating, and by controlling the display attributes of the shadow image Sh1, the distance to the route change point (the distance to the bending point be of the route image Gu1) can be more easily understood and intuitively grasped. In other words, the driver 4 as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left by the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 relative to the route image Gu1 or the attribute control of the shadow image Sh1.

[0103] (Variation Example)

[0104] According to the above-mentioned vehicle display system 1000, it is described that the HUD device 100 performs the following control, when displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that is stagnant near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), a shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is projected onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stagnant, the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) is stopped.

[0105] In contrast, if the HUD device 100 is regarded as a display device only, the display control device 300 (processing device 200) can perform the following control: when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that is stagnant near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) is displayed on the HUD device 100, the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is projected onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stagnant, the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) is stopped. That is, the processing device 200 of the display control device 300 can perform the above-mentioned series of controls alone. In this case, the processing burden of the HUD device 100 (control unit 110) can be reduced.

[0106] (Effects of Embodiments)

[0107] As described above, the head-up display device of this embodiment is, for example, Figure 1 As shown, the virtual image (route image Gu1, AR image Gu2, Gu3 (refer to Figure 4 (a) Figure 5 (a)) is projected and displayed in a head-up display device 100 overlapping with the foreground on a display area VA as an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle 1. Moreover, the HUD device 100, for example, Figure 4 (a) Figure 4 As shown in (b), it has: an image display unit 120 (refer to Figure 2 ), which displays a first virtual image (route image Gu1) and a second virtual image (AR image Gu2), wherein the first virtual image has a bending point be near the route change location of the vehicle 1, is composed of a portion of an arrow handle (axis s) extending toward the bending point be, and is displayed overlapping with the road surface, and the second virtual image changes its display position along the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the route change location; and the control unit 110 (refer to Figure 2 ), which controls the projection and display of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) on the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), and controls the stopping of the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) when the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1).

[0108] According to the HUD device 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 110 projects the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed and stops the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped, thereby enabling the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and correctly perceive the distance from the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In other words, the driver 4 as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle and the route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left by the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) relative to the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, a head-up display device can be provided that enables the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and accurately visually observe the distance to a route change point such as an intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2).

[0109] In addition, in the HUD device 100 of the present embodiment, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) may be composed of one or more arrow tip (Ah) portions visually observed in a manner of floating above the road surface near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and the control unit 110 may cause the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to move to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and then stop, and increase the number of arrow tip elements of the arrow tip (ah) portion in the bending direction of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) (to the left in the left-right direction of the viewing angle) and display them adjacent to each other (for example, refer to Figure 6 (a) Figure 6 (b)) or expanded display (for example, referring to Figure 6 (c) GU3″) control.

[0110] According to the HUD device 100 of the present embodiment, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moving along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) approaches the route change location, the control unit 110 controls the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to move to a position offset in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and then stop, and controls the number of arrow elements at the part (ah) of the arrow tip in the bending direction of the first virtual image (route image) (to the left in the left-right direction of the viewing angle) and displays them adjacently or in an extended manner, thereby enabling the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and correctly guide the steering in the bending direction of the bending point of the first virtual image, thereby improving the guidance effect to the target element. In addition, here, the movement to a position offset in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) refers to, for example, Figure 6 (a) Figure 6 As shown in (b), it moves from the center line a of the arrow shaft of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) to the tip end b of the tip element Gu33 of the arrow tip of the second virtual image (AR image 3').

[0111] In addition, since the second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3, Gu3′, Gu3″) is displayed in the vicinity of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) in a manner suspended above the road surface, the driver 4 as a visual observer can be prompted to approach the guidance location in a three-dimensional and easy-to-understand display manner. In other words, it is easy for the driver 4 as a visual observer to correctly and intuitively grasp the guidance location. Specifically, the AR image Gu2, for example, Figure 4 (a) Figure 4 As shown in (b), the AR images Gu3′ and Gu3″ are visually observed to float upward in parallel with the road surface near the bending point bc of the route image Gu1. Figure 6 (a) Figure 6 (b) Figure 6 As shown in (c) of FIG. 1 , since the image is visually viewed as floating vertically along the road surface near the bending point bc of the route image Gu1 , it is possible to intuitively indicate that the image is approaching the guidance point.

[0112] In addition, in the HUD device 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 110 can control the display attributes of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) or the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to express the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change point while causing the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to move along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) until it stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1).

[0113] According to the HUD device 100 of the present embodiment, during the period when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is moved along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) until it stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), for example, by gradually making the color of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) close to the hue of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the driver 4 as a visual observer can easily recognize that the vehicle 1 is gradually approaching the route change point. In other words, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is moved along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change point can be accurately expressed by controlling the display attributes of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2). In addition, even if the size, density, blur, etc. of the shadow image Sh1 are controlled, the distance between the vehicle and the route change point can be intuitively and accurately expressed.

[0114] In addition, the display control device of this embodiment is, for example, Figure 2 As shown, the display control device 300 includes a processing device 200 and is connected to a head-up display device (HUD device 100) that projects and displays a virtual image overlapping with a foreground on a display area VA that is virtually set in front of the vehicle 1 as an imaging surface. Moreover, the processing device 200 of the display control device 300, for example, Figure 4 (a) Figure 4 As shown in (b), a first virtual image (route image Gu1) is displayed overlapping with a road surface and a display position is changed along the first virtual image (route image Gu1), which is composed of a portion of an arrow handle (axis s) extending toward the bending point be and has a bending point be near a route change point of the vehicle 1. When the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point, a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) is displayed on a head-up display device (HUD device 100). When the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed, a control is performed to project and display a shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) on the first virtual image (route image Gu1). When the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), a control is performed to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2).

[0115] According to the display control device 300 of the present embodiment, the processing device 200 projects the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed and stops the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped, thereby enabling the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and correctly perceive the distance from the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In other words, the driver 4 as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left by the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) relative to the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, a display control device 300 can be provided which enables the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and accurately visually observe the distance to a route change point such as an intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2).

[0116] In addition, the vehicle display system of this embodiment, for example, Figure 2 As shown, a vehicle display system 1000 includes: a head-up display device (HUD device 100) that projects and displays a virtual image overlapping with a foreground on a display area VA that is virtually set in front of a vehicle 1 as an imaging surface; a display control device 300 that generates a virtual image and controls the display of the head-up display device (HUD device 100); and a navigation device 400 that provides route guidance information to the display control device 300. The display control device 300 of the vehicle display system 1000, for example, Figure 4 (a) Figure 4As shown in (b), a first virtual image (route image Gu1) having a bending point be near a route change point of the vehicle 1 and composed of a portion of an arrow handle (axis s) extending toward the bending point be, displayed overlapping with a road surface, and a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) as the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point is displayed on a head-up display device (HUD device 100), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed, a control is performed to project and display a shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) on the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the route change point and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), a control is performed to stop the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2).

[0117] According to the vehicle display system 1000 of the present embodiment, the display control device 300 projects the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that is stagnant near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and stops the projection of the shadow image Sh1 when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stagnant, thereby enabling the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and correctly perceive the distance from the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In other words, the driver 4 as a visual observer can intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle 1 and the route change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left by the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) relative to the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, a vehicle display system 1000 can be provided that enables the driver 4 as a visual observer to intuitively and accurately visually observe the distance to a route change location such as an intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2).

[0118] The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and those skilled in the art should be able to easily modify the above-described exemplary embodiments within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground on a display area virtually set in front of a vehicle as an imaging surface, characterized in that: The head-up display device has: an image display unit that displays a first virtual image and a second virtual image, wherein the first virtual image has a bending point near a location where the vehicle changes its route and is composed of a portion of an arrow handle extending toward the bending point, the first virtual image being displayed overlapping with a road surface, and the second virtual image changing its display position along the first virtual image and being displayed while being stationary near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the location where the vehicle changes its route; as well as A control unit controls the projection and display of a shadow image of the second virtual image on the first virtual image when the second virtual image is displayed, and controls the stopping of the projection of the shadow image when the vehicle approaches the route change point and the second virtual image stops near a bending point of the first virtual image.

2. The head-up display device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit controls the second virtual image to move to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point and then stop when the second virtual image moving along the first virtual image approaches the path change point, and to increase the number of arrow tip elements constituting the arrow tip in the bending direction of the first virtual image and display them adjacently or in an expanded manner.

3. The head-up display device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The control unit controls display attributes of the second virtual image or a shadow image of the second virtual image to express a sense of distance between the vehicle and the route change point while causing the second virtual image to move along the first virtual image until it stops near a bending point of the first virtual image.

4. A display control device comprising a processing device, the processing device being connected to a head-up display device, and the head-up display device projects and displays a virtual image overlapping with a foreground on a display area virtually set in front of a vehicle as an imaging surface, the display control device being characterized in that: The processing device displays a first virtual image and a second virtual image on the head-up display device, wherein the first virtual image has a bending point near the location where the vehicle changes its route and is composed of a portion of an arrow handle extending toward the bending point, and the first virtual image is displayed overlapping with a road surface, and the second virtual image changes its display position along the first virtual image and is displayed while being stationary near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the location where the vehicle changes its route. The processing device controls the projection and display of a shadow image of the second virtual image on the first virtual image when the second virtual image is displayed, and controls the stopping of the projection of the shadow image when the vehicle approaches the route change location and the second virtual image stops near a bending point of the first virtual image.

5. A vehicle display system comprising: a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image overlapping with a foreground on a display area virtually set in front of the vehicle as an imaging surface; a display control device that generates the virtual image and controls the display of the virtual image on the head-up display device; and a navigation device that provides route guidance information to the display control device, wherein: The display control device displays a first virtual image and a second virtual image on the head-up display device, wherein the first virtual image has a bending point near the vehicle's route change location and is composed of a portion of an arrow handle extending toward the bending point, and the first virtual image is displayed overlapping with a road surface, and the second virtual image changes its display position along the first virtual image and is displayed while being stationary near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the route change location. The display control device controls the projection and display of a shadow image of the second virtual image on the first virtual image when displaying the second virtual image, and controls the stopping of the projection of the shadow image when the vehicle approaches the route change location and the second virtual image stops near a bending point of the first virtual image.

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