Signal information display device and signal information display method

Abstract

To visually acquire information of a signal displayed in a traffic light even without directing a line of sight to a display device of a car navigation system.SOLUTION: Signal information indicating a content of a signal displayed on a traffic light 30 ahead of a vehicle in a direction of travel is acquired by a first acquisition section 11. Regarding the acquired signal information, a signal display control section 14 executes display for reporting the signal information in a color in the other portion excluding a display portion of a state of the vehicle in a meter display 20 of an instrument panel of the vehicle. The display can be performed on e.g., frames 24, 25, 25-1 to 25-3, 28-1, and 28-2 which are outer edges of a meter panel 21 and meters 22, 23 and 26 of the meter display 20. Environment information around the vehicle is acquired by a second acquisition section 12 and on the basis of the acquired environment information, it may also be determined by a determination section 13 whether or not a condition to make a visual recognition of the traffic light 30 hard for a crew member of the vehicle is established.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal information display device and a signal information display method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 proposes a driving assistance device that, when an arrow signal is lit in the direction in which the vehicle can pass among the lit traffic lights at an intersection, displays the arrow signal in an enlarged form on the display device of a car navigation system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-48293 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Recognizing traffic light signals is important from the viewpoint of safe and smooth vehicle operation. On the other hand, it is desirable to minimize the opportunities to obtain visual information from the display device of a car navigation system while driving a vehicle. In particular, in terms of preventing the occurrence of traffic accidents, it is effective to prevent the behavior of repeatedly shifting one's gaze from the front of the vehicle to another position while driving, which is known as "glancing." An example of another position to which one may shift one's gaze is the display device of the car navigation system. The present invention aims to enable visual acquisition of traffic light information displayed on a traffic light without directing one's gaze to the display device of the car navigation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, a signal information display device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A first acquisition unit that acquires signal information indicating the content of a signal displayed on a traffic signal ahead in a traveling direction of the vehicle; a signal display control unit that executes a display that notifies the user of the signal information in a color in a portion of a meter display of an instrument panel of the vehicle other than a portion that displays the vehicle state; Equipped with.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a signal information display method according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A signal information display method using a controller having a calculation unit and an input / output unit, The input / output unit acquires signal information indicating the content of a signal displayed on a traffic signal ahead in a traveling direction of the vehicle, The calculation unit executes a display that notifies the signal information in a color in a portion of a meter display of an instrument panel of the vehicle other than a portion that displays the vehicle state. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to visually obtain signal information displayed on a traffic signal without directing one's gaze to the display device of a car navigation system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a signal information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a meter display of a vehicle on which traffic light information is displayed by the traffic light display control unit of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the signal information display method of this embodiment executed by each unit of the signal information display device of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a traffic signal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a pattern for notifying traffic light information on the meter display of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of a pattern for notifying traffic light information on the meter display of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of a meter display of a vehicle on which traffic light information is displayed by the traffic light display control unit of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a pattern for notifying traffic light information on the meter display of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a pattern for notifying traffic light information on the meter display of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a pattern for notifying traffic light information on the meter display of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a traffic signal. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of a pattern for notifying traffic light information on the meter display of FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a traffic signal. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of a pattern for notifying traffic light information on the meter display of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent parts or components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings.

[0010] The following embodiments are examples of devices and the like for embodying the technical idea of ​​the present invention. The technical idea of ​​the present invention does not limit the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of each component part to those described below.

[0011] A traffic light information display device 10 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown). The traffic light information display device 10 can display traffic light information, which indicates the content of a traffic light displayed on a traffic light ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction, on a meter display 20 (FIG. 2) provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle, and can notify the user by the color of the traffic light. The meter display 20 is a unit in which the front of a meter panel 21 (described later) is covered with a cover panel (not shown). A vehicle occupant can visually confirm the display of the instruments on the meter panel 21 through the cover panel. The meter display 20 may be of an analog display type that uses an analog meter (not shown) as an instrument, or may be of a digital display type that displays an instrument using an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display or the like.

[0012] The signal information display device 10 in Fig. 1 has, for example, a general-purpose microcontroller as a controller. The microcontroller has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). For example, the microcontroller can virtually construct multiple information processing circuits by having the CPU execute a program stored in the memory.

[0013] The multiple information processing circuits can constitute an input / output unit and a calculation unit of the controller. The input / output unit can constitute a first acquisition unit 11 and a second acquisition unit 12 described later of the signal information display device 10, and the calculation unit can constitute a determination unit 13 and a signal display control unit 14 described later of the signal information display device 10. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which multiple information processing circuits built in a microcontroller are realized by software. Of course, it is also possible to prepare dedicated hardware for executing each information processing of each unit 11 to 14 described later and to configure an information processing circuit. In addition, the multiple information processing circuits may be configured by individual hardware. The dedicated hardware includes devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) arranged to execute the functions of each unit 11 to 14 and conventional circuit components.

[0014] Below, an example of the procedure of the signal information display method of this embodiment, which is executed by the first acquisition unit 11, the second acquisition unit 12, the judgment unit 13 and the signal display control unit 14 of the signal information display device 10, is described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 3.

[0015] The first acquisition unit 11 acquires traffic light information indicating the contents of a signal displayed on a traffic light ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle (step S101). The first acquisition unit 11 may acquire the traffic light information from optical beacon information received by a receiver (not shown) of the vehicle, for example, as in a traffic light information utilization driving support system (TSPS; Traffic Signal Prediction Systems). The first acquisition unit 11 may acquire the traffic light information by image processing from an image of the area ahead in the traveling direction captured by a camera (not shown) of the vehicle, for example.

[0016] The second acquisition unit 12 acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle (step S103). The environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle may include, for example, an image captured by a camera of the vehicle, or may include information about the illuminance of the surroundings of the vehicle measured by an illuminance sensor (not shown) of the vehicle. The environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle may include, for example, weather forecast information provided on the Internet accessed by the vehicle via wireless communication.

[0017] The process of step S101 performed by the first acquisition unit 11 and the process of step S103 performed by the second acquisition unit 12 may be performed in reverse order, or may be performed simultaneously in parallel.

[0018] The determination unit 13 determines whether or not a condition that makes it difficult for vehicle occupants to see the traffic signal is established based on the environmental information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 (step S105). In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, an example will be described in which signal information of a traffic signal 30 that displays three signals 31 to 33 of green, yellow, and red is displayed on the meter panel 21 of the meter display 20. Note that the signal color of the green signal 31 is actually green, but in this specification, it is referred to as blue, which is a commonly used name.

[0019] Conditions that make it difficult for vehicle occupants to see the traffic signal 30 include, for example, (1) There is a preceding vehicle in front of the vehicle that blocks the occupant's view of the traffic signal 30 ahead. (2) The vehicle is traveling in a rainy area. (3) The vehicle is traveling at night after sunset. (4) The vehicle is backlit, with light coming from a light source into the eyes of the occupants. The conditions may be satisfied when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied. (1) to (4) are all scenes that may make it difficult for a vehicle occupant to visually recognize the signal of the traffic signal 30 ahead. These scenes can be determined using devices and functions mounted on the vehicle, as described later. The conditions that make it difficult to see the traffic signal 30 may be satisfied when at least one of the scenes other than (1) to (4) is satisfied. Conversely, the scenes that are candidates for determining whether the conditions that make it difficult to see the traffic signal 30 are satisfied may be some of the scenes (1) to (4), and the conditions may be satisfied when at least one of the some scenes is satisfied.

[0020] The determination unit 13 can determine whether or not a preceding vehicle exists ahead of the vehicle and whether or not the vehicle is in a backlit state where light from a light source for the vehicle enters the eyes of the occupant by, for example, image processing from an image captured by a camera of the vehicle. The determination unit 13 can determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a place with bad weather such as rain, for example, by using weather forecast information provided on the Internet. The location of the vehicle can be specified by position information obtained by a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor (not shown) of the vehicle. The determination unit 13 can determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling at night after sunset and whether or not the vehicle is in a backlit state where light from a light source for the vehicle enters the eyes of the occupant based on, for example, the illuminance of the space in front of the vehicle measured by an illuminance sensor of the vehicle. In particular, the determination unit 13 can determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling at night after sunset by whether or not the illuminance of the space in front of the vehicle is less than a predetermined threshold value.

[0021] When the determination unit 13 determines that the environmental information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 does not satisfy the condition that makes it difficult for the vehicle occupants to see the traffic signal 30 (NO in step S105), the process proceeds to step S115 described below. When the determination unit 13 determines that the environmental information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12 satisfies the above condition (YES in step S105), the determination unit 13 determines whether or not a trigger event that starts the display of traffic signal information has occurred (step S107). The trigger event is, for example, (5) The vehicle slows down as it approaches traffic signal 30. (6) The vehicle's lane change indicator is operated. It is also possible to use the following.

[0022] The determination unit 13 can determine whether the vehicle is approaching the traffic signal 30 by using, for example, map information obtained by a car navigation device (not shown) of the vehicle and vehicle position information obtained by a GNSS sensor. The determination unit 13 can obtain information, for example, from an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle to recognize the deceleration of the vehicle and the operation of a lane change indicator.

[0023] If the determination unit 13 determines that a trigger event has not occurred (NO in step S107), it does not notify the signal display control unit 14 that it has determined that the content satisfies the condition that makes it difficult for vehicle occupants to see the traffic signal 30 (step S109). If the determination unit 13 determines that a trigger event has occurred (YES in step S107), it notifies the signal display control unit 14 that it has determined that the content satisfies the condition that makes it difficult for vehicle occupants to see the traffic signal 30 (step S111).

[0024] When notified by the determination unit 13 that the conditions that make it difficult for vehicle occupants to see the traffic signal 30 are established, the signal display control unit 14 executes a display that notifies the traffic signal information in color on the meter display 20 in Fig. 2 (step S113). When the determination unit 103 determines that the conditions that make it difficult for vehicle occupants to see the traffic signal 30 are not established, the signal display control unit 14 ends the execution of the display that notifies the traffic signal information in color in step S115.

[0025] This completes the series of steps in the signal information display method of this embodiment. The signal information display device 10 of this embodiment can repeatedly execute the steps in Fig. 3 while the signal information display device 10 is in operation.

[0026] The display of the traffic light information by color, which is executed by the traffic light display control unit 14 in step S113, can be executed in other parts of the meter display 20 except for the part displaying the vehicle state. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the meter display 20 displays two meters 22 and 23 on the left and right sides of the meter panel 21, the notification of the traffic light information can be executed by displaying a frame of the same color as the traffic light color on the outer edge of the panel. FIG. 5 shows a case where a frame 24 of the same color as the traffic light color is displayed on the outer edge of the meter panel 21, which is the outer edge of the panel. For example, when the traffic light information of the traffic light 30 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 is blue, the traffic light display control unit 14 lights up the blue frame 24 on the outer edge of the meter panel 21.

[0027] The notification of signal information on the meter display 20 that displays two meters 22 and 23 on the left and right sides of the meter panel 21 can also be performed, for example, by displaying a frame of the same color as the signal color on the outer edge of the meter. The outer edges of the meters 22 and 23 correspond to the meter outer edge. For example, when the signal information of the traffic signal 30 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 is blue, the signal display control unit 14 may light up a blue frame 25 on the outer edge of the meter 22 on the left side of the meter panel 21 as shown in FIG. 6. When the signal information of the traffic signal 30 acquired by the first acquisition unit 11 is green, the signal display control unit 14 may light up a blue frame 25 on the outer edge of the meter 23 on the right side of the meter panel 21. When a lane change indicator (not shown) is operated, the signal display control unit 14 can perform a display that notifies signal information related to the operation direction of the lane change indicator. The signal information in this case includes information on the signal color and information on the operation direction of the lane change indicator. The traffic light color information can be notified, for example, by displaying a frame of the same color as the traffic light information on the outer edge of the meter 22 or 23. The information on the operation direction of the lane change indicator can be notified, for example, by a time-series display pattern or a position display pattern. The position display pattern may be, for example, a pattern in which a frame is displayed only on the outer edge of the meter 22 or 23 on the same side as the operation direction of the lane change indicator.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 7, the notification of signal information in the meter display 20 that displays only one meter 26 on the meter panel 21 may be performed, for example, by lighting a frame on the outer edge of the meter 26. When the lane change indicator is operated, the signal display control unit 14 may perform a display that notifies signal information related to the operation direction of the lane change indicator, for example, on the outer edge of the meter 26. In this case, too, the information on the operation direction of the lane change indicator may be notified by a time-series display pattern or a position display pattern. The time-series display pattern may be, for example, a pattern in which the blinking period of a dashed frame 27 displayed on the outer edge of the meter 26 is changed in response to the operation direction of the lane change indicator. The position display pattern may be, for example, a pattern in which the length of the dashed line of the frame 27 is changed in response to the operation direction of the lane change indicator.

[0029] The information on the operation direction of the lane change indicator may be notified by, for example, lighting up the semicircular left half frame 28-1 or the right half frame 28-2 on the outer edge of the meter 26 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The display patterns of Figs. 8 and 9 are also examples of time-series display patterns. In the display patterns of Figs. 8 and 9, for example, the information on the signal color in the operation direction of the lane change indicator can be notified by lighting up the frames 28-1 and 28-2 in the same color as the signal information in the operation direction of the lane change indicator. The notification of the signal information corresponding to the operation direction of the lane change indicator may be performed using an intermediate film having a self-luminous function arranged on the meter panel 21 of the meter display 20 or the cover panel covering the meter panel 21. For example, the example shown in Fig. 10 shows a case where three regions 29-1 to 29-3 are provided on the cover panel, and intermediate films that emit light in blue, yellow, and red are arranged in each of the regions 29-1 to 29-3. In this example, the areas among the areas 29-1 to 29-3 that emit light in the same color as the traffic light information are illuminated by the traffic light display control unit 14. For ease of explanation, Fig. 10 shows a state in which all the areas 29-1 to 29-3 emit light in blue, yellow, and red, respectively. When notifying traffic light information, it is sufficient to illuminate only the areas among the areas 29-1 to 29-3 that emit light in the same color as the traffic light information.

[0030] FIG. 11 shows an arrow-type traffic signal 30 having a "green light arrow." The traffic signal 30 in FIG. 11 has a green arrow signal 36 for right turns only, in addition to three color signals 31-33 of green, yellow, and red. In this traffic signal 30, for example, the green arrow signal 36 can be lit simultaneously with the red signal 33 to display a signal indicating that only right turns are permitted by two or more signals of two or more colors. In this case, the signal display control unit 14 can, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, display notifying the signal information of the signal 33 by lighting a red frame 24 corresponding to the signal 33 at the outer edge of the meter panel 21 corresponding to the signals 31-33. The signal display control unit 14 can display notifying the signal information of the right turn signal 36 by lighting a blue frame 25 corresponding to the signal 36 at the outer edge of the right meter 23 corresponding to the signal 36.

[0031] FIG. 13 shows an arrow-type traffic signal 30 having three "blue light arrows." The traffic signal 30 in FIG. 13 has three color signals 31-33, namely, green, yellow, and red, as well as green arrow signals 34-36, each of which is for turning left, going straight, and turning right. In this traffic signal 30, for example, the green arrow signals 34-36 can be lit simultaneously with the red signal 33 to display signals indicating left turn, going straight, and turning right by two or more signals of two or more colors. This is displayed to ensure the safety of oncoming vehicles and facilitate smooth traffic flow when moving in the direction of the arrow signal. In this case, the signal display control unit 14 can, for example, display the signal information of the signal 33 by lighting the red frame 24 corresponding to the signal 33 at the outer edge of the meter panel 21 corresponding to the signals 31-33, as shown in FIG. 14. The signal display control unit 14 can execute a display notifying the signal information of the left-turn and right-turn signals 34, 36 by lighting blue frames 25-1, 25-3 corresponding to the signals 34, 36 on the outer edges of the left and right meters 22, 23 corresponding to the signals 34, 36. The signal display control unit 14 can execute a display notifying the signal information of the straight-through signal 35 by lighting a blue frame 25-2 corresponding to the signal 35 inside the red frame 24 corresponding to the signal 33 on the outer edge of the meter of the meter panel 21 corresponding to the signal 35.

[0032] 11 and 13 have been described by taking as an example a case where signal information is notified using two colors, red and green, corresponding to the contents of two or more signals 33, 36 or signals 33 to 36. However, signal information may be notified using three or more colors corresponding to the contents of three or more signals.

[0033] In the case where the meter display 20 is of an analog display type, the light of a light source of a color corresponding to the color of the signal information among a plurality of light sources of different colors can be guided by a light-guiding member (not shown) to light up each of the frames 24, 25, 25-1 to 25-3, 28-1, and 28-2 in the desired color.

[0034] In this embodiment, the determination unit 13 determines whether or not a condition that makes it difficult for vehicle occupants to see a traffic signal is established based on the environmental information acquired by the second acquisition unit 12. When the determination unit 13 determines that the condition is established, the signal display control unit 14 notifies the meter display 20 of traffic signal information upon occurrence of a trigger event. The notification of traffic signal information can be performed, for example, in other parts of the meter display 20 excluding the parts displaying the vehicle state, such as frames 24, 25, 25-1 to 25-3, 28-1, and 28-2 on the outer edges of the meter panel 21 and the meters 22, 23, and 26.

[0035] The meter display 20 is a place that a passenger frequently looks at even while driving in order to check the vehicle's status such as the traveling speed. A passenger who looks at the meter display 20 can recognize traffic light information from the color of the frames 24, 25, 25-1 to 25-3, 28-1, and 28-2 displayed on the outer edge of the meter panel 21 or the meters 22, 23, and 26. Alternatively, the passenger can recognize traffic light information from the color of the light-emitting areas 29-1 to 29-3 of the cover panel. The passenger can visually obtain traffic light information displayed on the traffic light 30, which is difficult to see, on the meter display 20 without directing the line of sight toward the front of the vehicle to the display device of the car navigation system, which changes direction more than the meter display 20.

[0036] The meter display 20 is a place that a passenger regularly looks at to obtain information on instruments such as the meters 22, 23, and 26. Within the meter display 20, the meter panel 21 and the outer edges of the meters 22, 23, and 26 are particularly portions that are not often used to display the vehicle's status. By using these portions, signal information can be displayed without impairing the original display function of the meter display 20. In addition, the passenger can recognize the information on the traffic signal 30 with a small amount of information.

[0037] The signal display control unit 14 controls the meter display 20 to display the signal information in a color, so that the passenger can easily visually recognize the content of the signal information by the displayed color.

[0038] The notification contents of the traffic light information can be changed, for example, by the above-mentioned blinking of the frames 24, 25, 25-1 to 25-3, 28-1, 28-2, and the regions 29-1 to 29-3, continuous increase and decrease in brightness while lit, or a time-series display pattern with a change in the cycle thereof. The notification contents of the traffic light information may be changed by a positional display pattern that changes the illuminated parts of the frames 24, 25, 25-1 to 25-3, 28-1, 28-2, and the regions 29-1 to 29-3. The traffic light display control unit 14 can easily notify the contents that are differentiated according to the contents of the traffic light information by changing the notification contents of the traffic light information according to the time-series display pattern or the positional display pattern.

[0039] In this embodiment, when the determination unit 13 determines that a condition that makes it difficult for vehicle occupants to see a traffic signal has been established, the signal display control unit 14 executes a display that notifies signal information in color on the meter display 20. However, it is not necessarily necessary for the determination unit 13 to determine whether the condition has been established, and the execution of a display that notifies signal information in color on the meter display 20 does not necessarily have to be limited to a case where it is determined that the condition has been established.

[0040] In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not a condition that makes it difficult for a vehicle occupant to see a traffic signal is established based on environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle acquired by the second acquisition unit 12. However, it is not necessarily necessary to determine whether or not a condition is established based on environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle, and the environmental information used to determine whether or not a condition is established does not have to be limited to that acquired by the second acquisition unit 12.

[0041] The traffic light information display device 10 and the method described in this embodiment are based on obtaining traffic light information indicating the content of the signal displayed on the traffic light 30, and notifying the traffic light information by color in other parts of the instrument panel 20 except for the part displaying the vehicle status. According to the traffic light information display device 10 and the method described in this embodiment,3 the vehicle occupants can visually obtain the traffic light information displayed on the traffic light 30 without directing their eyes to the display device of the car navigation system.

[0042] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment can be modified or changed based on the above disclosure. All the components of the above embodiment and all the features described in the claims may be individually extracted and combined as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 Signal information display device 11 First acquisition part 12 Second acquisition part 13 Judgment section 14 Signal display control section 20 Meter Display 30 Traffic lights 31~36 signal

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires signal information indicating the content of a signal displayed on a traffic signal ahead in a traveling direction of the vehicle; a signal display control unit that executes a display that notifies the user of the signal information in a color in a portion of a meter display of an instrument panel of the vehicle other than a portion that displays the vehicle state; A signal information display device comprising:

2. The signal information display device according to claim 1 , wherein the other portion includes at least a panel outer edge portion of the meter display or a meter outer edge portion of the meter display.

3. 3. The traffic light information display device according to claim 1, wherein the signal display control unit, when the signal information indicates the contents of two or more signals displayed simultaneously on the traffic light, executes a display to notify the user of the signal information in two or more colors corresponding to the contents of the two or more signals.

4. A second acquisition unit that acquires environmental information around the vehicle; a determination unit that determines whether or not a condition that makes it difficult for an occupant of the vehicle to visually recognize the traffic signal is established based on the acquired environmental information, The signal display control unit, when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, executes a display that notifies the user of the signal information by using a color. The signal information display device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A signal information display method using a controller having a calculation unit and an input / output unit, The input / output unit acquires signal information indicating the content of a signal displayed on a traffic signal ahead in a traveling direction of the vehicle, the computing unit executes a display to notify the signal information in a color in a portion of a meter display of an instrument panel of the vehicle other than a portion displaying the vehicle state; How to display signal information.

Images