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

Abstract

To enable a driver to visually recognize a route change point, such as an intersection, accurately and intuitively.SOLUTION: A head-up display device (HUD device 100) includes: an image display section 120 that displays a first virtual image (route image) which has a bending point near a route change point of a vehicle, which includes an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bending point, and which is superimposed and displayed on a road surface, and a second virtual image (AR image) whose display position changes along the first virtual image and which is displayed to be stagnant near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the route change point; and a control section 110 that controls to project and display the shadow image of the second virtual image on the first virtual image when the second virtual image is displayed, and to stop projection of the shadow image when the vehicle approaches the route change point and the second virtual image is made to be stagnant near the bending point of the first virtual image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a head-up display device that is used in a moving body such as a vehicle and that allows a virtual display object (virtual image) to be visually recognized by being superimposed on the foreground of the moving body. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a head-up display device (hereinafter, simply referred to as HUD device) that uses a virtual display object (virtual image) to enhance expressiveness in the depth direction (front-rear direction of the vehicle) (the inclined imaging surface (display area) allows the viewer to feel depth), and allows intuitive information presentation to the viewer. This HUD device places a virtual image at a predetermined position in the depth, top, bottom, left, and right directions in the space of the foreground (the real view in the forward direction as seen by the viewer of the vehicle), and forms an augmented reality (AR) in which the virtual image is added to the real scenery (foreground) such as the road surface and displayed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a navigation device that displays the vehicle's travel route on a HUD device as a destination guide image (guide lines 20 in FIG. 2), gradually enlarges and displays a bird's-eye view map of the area in front of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches a guide point, and when the vehicle approaches further, stops enlarging the map and displays a destination direction image (27 in FIG. 2: AR display with arrow marks) showing the route to the guide point where the guide lines are displayed. Note that "map display" here refers to a display form in which a map is displayed and the vehicle's travel route is displayed on this map, and AR display refers to a display form in which navigation information is displayed on actual scenery or the like to form an augmented reality that provides route guidance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO2021 / 132553 Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, when providing route guidance using the technology described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that it is difficult to accurately and intuitively grasp the points where a right or left turn is required depending on the distance to a lane change point such as an intersection, and as a result, the driver, who is the viewer, may misrecognize the route.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to provide a head-up display device or the like that enables the driver, who is the viewer, to accurately and intuitively visually recognize lane change points such as intersections.

[0007] Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the following exemplary aspects and best modes, as well as the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to facilitate an understanding of the outline of the present invention, embodiments according to the present invention will be exemplified below.

[0009] A first aspect is a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, and includes an image display unit that displays a first virtual image having a bending point near a lane change point of the vehicle and consisting of an arrow-shaped portion extending toward the bending point, and being superimposed on a road surface, and a second virtual image whose display position changes along the first virtual image and is displayed stopped near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, and a control unit that controls the projection of the shadow image to be stopped when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and stops the second virtual image near the bending point of the first virtual image when the second virtual image is displayed.

[0010] Here, the "first virtual image" refers to a route image Gu1 that has a bend be near a course change point such as an intersection through which the vehicle passes, and is composed of an arrow shaft (s) portion extending toward the bend be and an arrowhead (ah) portion indicating the vehicle's traveling direction, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, as shown in FIG. 4(a)(b) and FIG. 5(a)(b). The arrowhead portion is not essential. The "second virtual image" refers to an AR image (Gu2, etc.) that changes its display position along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) as the vehicle moves, as shown in FIG. 4(a)(b) and FIG. 5(a)(b), and that is displayed stagnantly near the bend be of the first virtual image (route image) when the vehicle approaches a course change point such as an intersection. The AR image (Gu2) is composed of one or more arrowhead elements (arrowheads ah) that are visually recognized as floating above the road surface near the bend point be of the route image Gu1 (a lane change point such as an intersection). The "lane change point" refers to a right or left turn point such as an intersection, a T-junction, or a curve that the vehicle passes through when traveling toward the destination. The phrase "the vehicle approaches the lane change point" refers to a case where the distance to the lane change point reaches a predetermined threshold. In this case, the control unit controls the second virtual image to move at a preset speed (position change according to time), for example, and displays a moving image on the image display unit.

[0011] According to the first aspect, when the control unit displays the second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3 (Gu3′, GU3″)) that stops near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the control unit projects a shadow image (for example, see Sh1 in FIG. 4(a)(b)) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1 when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops, thereby allowing the driver, who is the viewer, to correctly and intuitively recognize the distance to the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) (in other words, a course change point such as an intersection). In other words, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the course change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left depending on the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image and the second virtual image, a head-up display device can be provided that allows the viewer, the driver, to intuitively and accurately visually recognize the distance to a lane-changing point such as an intersection.

[0012] In addition, in a second aspect dependent on the first aspect, when the second virtual image moving along the first virtual image approaches the lane change point, the control unit may move the second virtual image to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point and then stop the second virtual image, and may perform control to increase the number of arrowhead elements that constitute the arrowhead portion toward the bending direction of the first virtual image and display them adjacent to each other or to display them extended.

[0013] According to the second aspect, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moving along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) approaches a lane change point, the control unit moves the second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3) to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and then stops the second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3), and controls the control to increase the number of arrowhead elements toward the bending direction of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and display them adjacent to each other, or to display them extended, thereby correctly and intuitively guiding the driver, who is the viewer, to steer in the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), thereby improving the guiding effect to a lane change point such as an intersection.

[0014] In addition, in a third aspect that is dependent on the first aspect, the control unit may control display attributes of the second virtual image or a shadow image of the second virtual image while moving the second virtual image along the first virtual image until the second virtual image is brought to a stop near a bend point of the first virtual image, to express a sense of distance between the vehicle and the lane change point.

[0015] According to the third aspect, the control unit controls the display attributes of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) or the shaded image Sh1 of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) until the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moves along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). Therefore, the control unit controls the display attributes to gradually bring the color of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) closer to the hue of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), for example, so that the driver, who is the viewer, can easily recognize that the vehicle is gradually approaching the lane change point. In other words, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is moved along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stopped near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the display attributes of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) can be controlled to correctly represent the distance between the vehicle and a lane change point such as an intersection.

[0016] A fourth aspect is a display control device including a processing device to which a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area that is an imaging surface virtually set in front of a vehicle is connected, wherein the processing device displays on the head-up display device a first virtual image that has a bending point near a lane change point of the vehicle and consists of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bending point, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, and a second virtual image whose display position changes along the first virtual image and is displayed stalled near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, and when the second virtual image is displayed, the processing device controls the projection of a shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image, and controls the projection of the shadow image to be stopped when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and the second virtual image is stalled near the bending point of the first virtual image.

[0017] According to the fourth aspect, when the processing device displays the second virtual image that stops near the bending point of the first virtual image on the head-up display device, the processing device projects a shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image, and controls to stop the projection of the shadow image when the second virtual image stops, thereby allowing the driver, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance to the bending point of the first virtual image. In other words, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle and a course change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left depending on whether or not the shadow image of the second virtual image is projected onto the first virtual image. In this way, it is possible to provide a display control device that allows the driver, who is the viewer, to intuitively and accurately visually recognize the distance to a course change point such as an intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image and the second virtual image.

[0018] A fifth aspect is a display system for a vehicle having a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, a display control device that generates the virtual image and controls the display on the head-up display device, and a navigation device that provides route guidance information to the display control device, in which the display control device displays on the head-up display device a first virtual image that has a bend point near a lane change point of the vehicle and consists of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bend point, and is superimposed on a road surface, and a second virtual image that changes its display position along the first virtual image and is displayed stalled near the bend point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, and when the second virtual image is displayed, the display control device controls the projection of a shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image, and controls the projection of the shadow image to be stopped when the vehicle approaches the lane change point.

[0019] According to the fifth aspect, when the display control device displays the second virtual image that stops near the bending point of the first virtual image on the head-up display device, the display control device projects a shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image, and when the second virtual image stops, the display control device controls to stop the projection of the shadow image, thereby allowing the driver, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance to the bending point of the first virtual image. In other words, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle and a course change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left depending on whether or not the shadow image of the second virtual image is projected onto the first virtual image. In this way, it is possible to provide a display system for a vehicle that allows the driver, who is the viewer, to intuitively and accurately visually recognize the distance to a course change point such as an intersection by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image and the second virtual image.

[0020] Those skilled in the art will easily understand that the exemplified embodiments according to the present invention can be further modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an example of application of a head-up display device of this embodiment to a vehicle, and is a diagram cited for explaining the relationship between the driver's eye position and an imaging surface (display area) that is virtually set in front of the vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle display system including the head-up display device of this embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the head-up display device of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of a head-up display device of this embodiment, where Figure 4(a) shows a case in which a shadow image of an AR image (second virtual image) is projected onto a route image (first virtual image) and displayed as the AR image (second virtual image) moves from the front side of the screen to the back side of the screen along a route (first virtual image) image, and Figure 4(b) shows a bird's-eye view of the AR image (second virtual image) moving along the route image (first virtual image). [Diagram 5] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of a head-up display device of this embodiment, where Figure 5(a) shows the case where the AR image (second virtual image) approaches the vicinity of a bend point of the route image (first virtual image), and Figure 5(b) shows the case where the AR image (second virtual image) stagnates in the vicinity of the bend point of the route image (first virtual image). [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of a head-up display device of this embodiment, in which Figure 6(a) shows a case in which the number of arrowhead portions is increased and displayed adjacent to each other when the AR image (second virtual image) is stagnant near the bend point of the root image (first virtual image), Figure 6(b) shows a case in which the AR image (second virtual image) is moved to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the bend point of the root image (first virtual image), and Figure 6(c) shows a case in which the AR image (first virtual image) is stretched and displayed when the AR image is stagnant. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] The best mode described below is used to easily understand the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art should be aware that the present invention is not unduly limited by the mode described below (hereinafter, referred to as the present mode).

[0023] Hereinafter, a vehicle display system 1000 including a head-up display device (hereinafter, referred to as an HUD device 100 unless otherwise specified) according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] (Configuration of the embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an example of application of a HUD device 100 of this embodiment to a vehicle 1, and is a diagram cited to explain the relationship between the driver's eye position and a display area, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle.

[0025] In the following description, when a driver 4, who is a viewer of the HUD device 100 seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle 1, faces forward of the vehicle 1, the left-right direction is the X-axis (the left direction is the X-axis positive direction), the up-down direction is the Y-axis (the up direction is the Y-axis positive direction), and the front-rear direction is the Z-axis (the forward direction is the Z-axis positive direction).

[0026] Please refer to Fig. 1. The HUD device 100 of this embodiment is provided in the dashboard 5 of the vehicle 1, and includes a control unit 110 and an image display unit 120 (within the dashed line frame). The HUD device 100 emits display light L toward the front windshield 2 (an example of a projection target member), and allows the image to be viewed in a display area VA, which is an imaging surface that is virtually set forward of the front windshield 2 (in the positive direction of the Z axis). This allows the driver 4, who is the viewer, to view an image (virtual image) superimposed on the foreground FV, which is a real space viewed through the front windshield 2.

[0027] The display area VA is a plane, curved, or partially curved area on which an image generated inside the HUD device 100 is formed as a virtual image, and is also called an imaging surface. The display area VA itself has low visibility to the extent that it is not actually visible to the driver 4, or is difficult to be seen. In the display area VA, the angle (tilt angle θt) between the horizontal direction (XZ plane) with the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the vehicle 1 as an axis, the angle between the line segment connecting the center of the eye box (the eye position of the driver 4) and the upper end of the display area VA, and the angle between the line segment connecting the center of the eye box (the eye position of the driver 4) and the lower end of the display area VA are set as the vertical angle of view, and the angle (vertical arrangement θv) between the bisector of this vertical angle of view and the horizontal direction (XZ plane) is set.

[0028] The eyebox is an area that is set to be the same as the area (also called the iris) where the eye position (center of the eyebox) of the driver 4 in the vehicle cabin is expected to be located, or to include a large part of it (e.g., 80% or more). For this reason, the eyebox is: (1) an area in which the entire virtual image can be seen, and a part of it cannot be seen outside the area; (2) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be seen, and no part of it can be seen outside the area; (3) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be seen with a predetermined brightness (e.g., about 1 / 50 of the brightness of the virtual image of the image seen at the center of the eyebox) or more, and the entire virtual image is below the predetermined brightness outside the area; and (4) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be seen stereoscopically, and no part of the virtual image can be seen stereoscopically outside the area, when a stereoscopically viewable virtual image can be displayed. That is, if the driver 4 places both eyes outside the eyebox, the driver 4 cannot see the entire virtual image, the visibility of the virtual image is very low and it is difficult to perceive, or the virtual image cannot be viewed stereoscopically.

[0029] 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 (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 is the screen of the projection display. The liquid crystal display 121 may be equipped with an actuator (not shown) such as a motor controlled by the control unit 110, and may be rotatable.

[0030] The relay optical system 122 is disposed on the optical path of light (display light L) of an 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 members 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, and may additionally include, for example, one or more refractive optical members such as lenses, diffractive optical members such as holograms, reflective optical members, or a combination of these.

[0031] The relay optical system 122 may be rotatable by being fitted with an actuator (not shown) such as a motor controlled by the control unit 110. Specifically, while the vehicular display system 1000 is stopped, the actuator can change the position and angle of the relay optical system 122 so that sunlight from the outside is not directed toward the liquid crystal display 121 through the relay optical system 122, and while the vehicular display system 1000 is operating, the actuator can change the position and angle of the relay optical system 122 so that the display light of an image from the liquid crystal display 121 is projected onto a predetermined position on the front windshield 2.

[0032] The image display unit 120 can change the angle (tilt angle θt) between the display area VA and the driving lane of the vehicle 1 by driving the actuator described above.

[0033] The tilt angle θt is set to an angle such that the upper part (the part in the positive Y-axis direction) of the display area VA as seen by the driver 4 is located farther from the driver 4 than the lower part (the part in the negative Y-axis direction) so as to be aligned with a horizontal plane (for example, the road surface of the driving lane on which the vehicle 1 is traveling). The tilt angle θt does not have to be 0 [degree] (the display area VA and the road surface are parallel), and is preferably set to less than 20 [degree], and is adjusted to a preset angle (or adjusted to be within a preset angle range). However, the set value of the tilt angle θt may be arbitrarily changeable by the driver 4.

[0034] Moreover, the vertical arrangement angle θv is set to an angle such that all or most of the display area VA is arranged below the horizontal direction. The vertical arrangement angle θv is typically set to less than 5 degrees below the horizontal direction, and is adjusted to a preset angle (or adjusted to be within a preset angle range). However, the set value of the vertical arrangement angle θv may be arbitrarily changeable by the driver 4.

[0035] The control unit 110 includes table data associating the vertical arrangement angle θv of the display area VA with the drive amount of the actuator, and table data associating the tilt angle θt of the display area VA with the drive amount of the actuator. Using these table data, the control unit 110 can drive each actuator so as to achieve the set tilt angle θt and vertical arrangement angle θv.

[0036] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicular display system 1000 including the HUD device 100. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicular display system 1000 includes a display control device 300 and a navigation device 400, which are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other bidirectionally via an I / O interface 500. A behavior sensor 401, a camera 402, a LiADR (Light Detection And Ranging) 403, an eye position sensor 404, etc. are further connected to the I / O interface 500.

[0037] The display control device 300 includes a processing device (hereinafter, referred to as a processor 200) and the HUD device 100. The processor 200 controls an interface with the navigation device 400 connected to the I / O interface 500 or various sensors 401 to 404, and also controls a first virtual image (see Gu1 in Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) described later) displayed on the HUD device 100 by being superimposed on the road surface, and a display position of the first virtual image Gu1 that changes according to the first virtual image Gu1, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point such as an intersection, stops near a bending point of the first virtual image Gu1. When the second virtual image Gu2 is displayed, a shadow image (see Sh1 in Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) described later) of the second virtual image Gu2 is projected onto the first virtual image Gu1, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point and the second virtual image Gu2 is stopped near the bending point of the first virtual image Gu1, the projection of the shadow image Sh1 can be stopped. Details will be described later.

[0038] Here, the "first virtual image" refers to a route image Gu1 that has a bend be near a course change point such as an intersection, and is composed of an arrow shaft (s) portion extending toward the bend be and an arrowhead (ah) portion indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, as shown in FIG. 4(a)(b). The "second virtual image" refers to an AR image Gu2, etc., whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) as shown in FIG. 4(a)(b), and which stagnates near the bend be of the first virtual image (route image) when the vehicle 1 approaches a course change point such as an intersection. The AR image Gu2 is composed of one or more arrowhead elements (arrowhead ah) that are visually recognized as floating above the road surface near the bend be of the route image Gu1. In addition, the "course change point" refers to an intersection, a T-junction, a curve, or other point at which the vehicle 1 passes while traveling toward the destination.

[0039] As described with reference to FIG. 1, the HUD device 100 includes a control unit 110 and an image display unit 120, and the image display unit 120 includes a liquid crystal display 121 and a relay optical system 122.

[0040] When displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), the control unit 110 performs control to project and display a shadow image Sh1 (see FIG. 4(a)(b)) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1 when the vehicle 1 approaches a course change point such as an intersection and causes the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to stop near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). Here, "the vehicle 1 approaches a course change point such as an intersection" refers to a case where the distance to the course change point reaches a predetermined threshold, and in this case, under the control of the control unit 110, a moving image display is performed in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moves at a preset speed (position change according to time).

[0041] In addition, when a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moving along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) approaches a lane change point such as an intersection, the control unit 110 may move the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and then stop the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) (see AR image Gu3 in Figures 5(a) and (b)), increase the number of arrowhead elements that constitute the portion of the arrowhead ah toward the bending direction (left and right direction of the angle of view) of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and display them adjacent to each other as AR image Gu3' (Gu3 in Figure 6(b) described later, which is composed of arrowhead elements Gu31, Gu32, and Gu33 that constitute the portion of the arrowhead ah, and display these adjacent to each other), or may extend and display the arrowhead elements (see Gu3'' in Figure 6(c) described later).

[0042] Furthermore, when the control unit 110 moves the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops it near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the control unit 110 may control the display attributes of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) or the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image to express a sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and a course change point such as an intersection. When the control unit 110 moves the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops it near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), for example, the control unit 110 gradually brings the color of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) closer to the hue of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), thereby allowing the driver, who is the viewer, to easily recognize that the vehicle 1 is gradually approaching a course change point such as an intersection.

[0043] In order to perform the above-mentioned control, the control unit 110 includes, for example, a processor with built-in memory (ROM / RAM) or an externally attached memory, and a graphics controller that draws the first virtual image (root image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2, etc.) generated by the processor 200 in a VRAM (Video RAM) allocated to a predetermined area of ​​the RAM and displays them on the image display unit 120 according to the display timing, and the processor executes the programs recorded in the ROM to execute each of the above-mentioned functions. Also, at least a part of the above-mentioned functions can be realized by hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a logic circuit, without using a processor.

[0044] The image display unit 120 is controlled by the control unit 110 described above, and the image display unit 120 displays, for example, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), a first virtual image (route image Gu1) having a bend point be near a lane change point such as an intersection through which the vehicle 1 passes, and consisting of an arrow shaft portion (shaft s) extending toward the bend point be and an arrowhead portion (arrowhead ah) indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1, superimposed on the road surface, and a second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3 (Gu3', Gu3'')) whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and which stagnates near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point.

[0045] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given on the AR images Gu2, Gu3 (Gu3', Gu3'') displayed as the second virtual image. The AR images Gu2, Gu3 used in this embodiment are marks indicating the course direction of the vehicle 1 displayed in association with the route image Gu1 in the field of view FV (see FIG. 1) of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment. This mark consists of only one or more arrowheads (ah) positioned parallel or perpendicular to the road surface at a course change point such as an intersection (the former is AR image Gu2, the latter is AR image Gu3), indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, is displayed relatively small when the vehicle 1 is away from the course change point, and is displayed relatively large when the vehicle 1 approaches the course change point. Compared to an AR image expressed by a normal arrow image, the arrow shaft (s) is not required, so the display area occupying the angle of view of the HUD device 100 is reduced, and therefore visibility can be improved without obstructing the forward visibility. In addition, for example, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b) described later, by configuring the arrowhead (ah) portion with two or more arrowhead elements (Gu31, Gu32, Gu33), information other than the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 can be expressed.

[0046] Returning to Fig. 2 for the explanation, the navigation device 400 uses a behavior sensor 401 (described later) or a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or gyro sensor to obtain map data from built-in map data or through wireless communication with the outside of the vehicle, and performs information processing such as guidance to facilities in the vicinity of the vehicle 1 and route guidance. Then, based on the results of this information processing, for example, when it is detected that the vehicle 1 is approaching an intersection where it should turn, a signal for prompting display output based on the results of this information processing is transferred to the display control device 300 (HUD device 100) via the I / O interface 500 at an appropriate timing.

[0047] As described above, the navigation device 400 has map data. The map data can be acquired and stored as the latest map data by communication 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 to represent the driving environment of the vehicle 1. The mapping data is preferably digital data of a particularly high-precision dynamic map. Note that a dynamic map is a digital map that combines a huge amount of dynamic information that changes from moment to moment, such as traffic regulations, construction information, accidents, congestion, pedestrians, and traffic lights information, with static information such as high-precision three-dimensional position information (road surface information, lane information, three-dimensional structures).

[0048] The behavior sensor 401 includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) vehicle speed sensor that detects the behavior of the vehicle 1, or a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel. The IMU uses a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) to measure the driving situation and attitude of the vehicle (acceleration [m / s 2The motion sensor 401 can detect translational motion in three axial directions from the velocity [deg / s] and rotational motion from the angular velocity [deg / s]. Information recognized or detected by the motion sensor 401 is transferred to the navigation device 400 and the display control device 300 (HUD device 100) via the I / O interface 500.

[0049] In addition to the above-mentioned behavior sensor 401, the vehicular display system 1000 has a camera 402 that recognizes the surrounding driving environment including the front of the vehicle 1, a LiDAR 403, and an eye position sensor 404. The camera 402 captures at least the front field of view (actual scene) of the vehicle 1, and the LiDAR 403 uses near-infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light to irradiate light onto, for example, an obstacle or the like present in front of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 402, captures the reflected light with an optical sensor, and determines the distance to the obstacle based on the time difference.

[0050] The eye position sensor 404 is composed of an infrared camera or the like that detects the eye position of the driver 4. The display control device 300 (processing device 200) acquires an image captured by the infrared camera (one example of information from which the eye position can be estimated) and can identify the eye position of the driver 4 by analyzing this captured image. Note that the processing device 200 may acquire information on the eye position of the driver 4 identified from the image captured by the infrared camera from the I / O interface 500. Note that the method of acquiring the eye position of the driver 4 of the vehicle 1 or information from which the eye position of the driver 4 can be estimated is not limited to these, and may be acquired using a known eye position detection (estimation) technology.

[0051] The I / O interface 500 communicates (also referred to as CAN communication) with other components (reference numerals 400 to 404) via an ECU (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1 in addition to the display control device 300 according to, for example, the CAN (Controller Area Network) standard. Note that the communication standard adopted by the I / O interface 500 is not limited to CAN, and includes, for example, wired communication interfaces such as CANFD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport: MOST is a registered trademark), UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter), or USB (Universal Serial Bus), or in-vehicle communication (internal communication) interfaces that are short-range wireless communication interfaces within several tens of meters, such as a personal area network (PAN) such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) network, or a local area network (LAN) such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi (registered trademark) network.

[0052] In addition, the I / O interface 500 may include an external communication (external communication) interface such as a wide area communication network (e.g., an Internet communication network) based on cellular communication standards such as a wireless wide area network (WWAN0, IEEE802.16-2004 (WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)), IEEE802.16e-based (Mobile WiMAX), 4G, 4G-LTE, LTE Advanced, and 5G.

[0053] (Operation of the embodiment) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, in which FIG. 4(a) shows a case where a shadow image of an AR image is projected onto a route image and displayed when the AR image moves from the front side of the screen to the back side of the screen along the route image, and FIG. 4(b) shows a case where the AR image moving along the route image is viewed from above. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, in which FIG. 5(a) shows a case where the AR image approaches the vicinity of a bending point of the route image, and FIG. 5(b) shows a case where the AR image stagnates near the bending point of the route image. Also, Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, where Figure 6(a) shows a case where the number of arrowhead parts is increased and displayed adjacently when the AR image is stagnant near the bend point of the root image, Figure 6(b) shows a case where the AR image is moved to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the bend point of the root image, and Figure 6(c) shows a case where the AR image is stretched and displayed when the AR image is in a stagnant state.

[0054] Hereinafter, the operation of the vehicular display system 1000 shown in FIG. 2, mainly the operation of the HUD device 100, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0055] 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 guide route to a set destination is displayed on the map, and an image showing the course change direction before a course change point based on the guide route is displayed, and an enlarged map of the vicinity of an intersection is displayed to provide route guidance on the screen.

[0056] The HUD device 100 (control unit 110) monitors whether or not the navigation device 400 has searched for a guided route (step ST01), and if a guided route has been searched for (step ST01 “YES”), displays a map in the form of a bird’s-eye view at a predetermined scale (a scale set by default) on the image display unit 120 (step ST02). Next, when the vehicle 1 moves according to the guided route determined by the navigation device 400 and approaches a course change point such as an intersection, the control unit 110 compares the remaining distance to the intersection with a display switching threshold (step ST03). Here, the “display switching threshold” indicates the remaining distance when the display is switched from a map display at a predetermined scale to a screen that displays an enlarged route image Gu2 in the vicinity of the course change point, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), and refers to, for example, a point 300 m before the course change point that is set in advance.

[0057] When the remaining distance to a course change point such as an intersection reaches a display switching threshold value (step ST03 “YES”) as the vehicle 1 moves, the control unit 110 enlarges the scale of the map displayed on the image display unit 120, and enlarges and displays the course change point such as an intersection together with the surrounding map on the image display unit 120. At the same time, the control unit 110 also performs control to superimpose the route image Gu1 on the road surface and display the AR image Gu2 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. 4(a) and (b).

[0058] As shown in Fig. 4(a) and (b), the route image Gu1 has a bend be near a lane change point of the vehicle 1, and is composed of an arrow shaft (s) portion extending toward the bend be and an arrowhead (ah) portion indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface. Also, as shown in Fig. 4(a) and (b), the display position of the AR image Gu2 changes along the route image Gu1, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point such as an intersection, for example, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the display form of the AR image Gu2 changes and the image is displayed as an AR image Gu3, stagnating near the bend be of the route image Gu1.

[0059] When displaying the AR image Gu2 on the image display unit 120, the control unit 110 performs control to generate a shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 until the vehicle 1 approaches a course change point such as an intersection and stops near a bending point be of the route image Gu1, and to project and display the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 onto the route image Gu1 (step ST05), as shown in Fig. 4(a)(b) and Fig. 5(a). Note that Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing an overhead view of the AR image Gu2 moving along the route image Gu1, and is shown to deepen understanding that the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 is projected and displayed on the route image Gu1.

[0060] In step ST03, if the remaining distance to the course change point such as an intersection has not yet reached the display switching threshold (step ST03 "NO"), the control unit 110 repeatedly executes the process of step ST02 until the remaining distance reaches the display switching threshold.

[0061] The control unit 110 further moves the AR image Gu2 along the route image Gu1 and controls the display attributes of the AR image Gu2 or the shaded image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 until the AR image Gu2 stops near the bend point be of the route image Gu1, thereby expressing the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and the lane change point (step ST06). For example, the control unit 110 gradually brings the color of the AR image Gu2 closer to the hue of the route image Gu1 as the vehicle 1 moves, so that the driver 4, who is the viewer, can easily grasp that the vehicle 1 is gradually approaching the lane change point. In other words, the control unit 110 controls the display attributes of the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) until the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) moves along the route image Gu1 (first virtual image) and stops near the bend point be of the route image Gu1 (first virtual image), thereby allowing the driver 4, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle 1 and the lane change point such as an intersection.

[0062] As will be described later, the size, density, etc. of the shaded image Sh1 can also be controlled to allow the driver to more intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle 1 and a lane change point such as an intersection.

[0063] Next, when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point such as an intersection, specifically, when the vehicle 1 approaches the vicinity of a bend point on the route image Gu1 (step ST07 “YES”), the control unit 110 changes the display form of the AR image Gu2 so that it is visible floating above the road surface near the bend point be on the route image Gu1 (see Gu3 in Figures 5(a) and (b), Gu3' in Figure 6(a), and Gu3'' in Figure 6(b)). At this time, the control unit 110 also controls the AR image Gu2 to move to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bend direction of the bend point be on the route image Gu1 and then stop it there (step ST08). Note that "the vehicle 1 approaches the vicinity of the bend point of the route image Gu1" refers to a case where the distance to a lane change point such as an intersection reaches a predetermined threshold, and in this case, the control unit 110 performs control to move (display a moving image) the AR image GU2 (second virtual image) at a preset speed (position change according to time) and then stop it and display it on the image display unit 120. Also, "the vicinity of the bend point be of the route image Gu1" cannot be uniquely defined because it is determined depending on the angle of view of the HUD device 100, but refers to a distance of 30 m from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the bend point, for example.

[0064] Specifically, in step ST08, the control unit 110 performs control to change the display mode by increasing the number of arrowhead elements at the part of the arrowhead ah and displaying them adjacent to each other (arrowhead elements Gu31, Gu32, Gu33) in the bending direction of the root image Gu1 (left side in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) as shown in Fig. 6(a)(b), or by elongating and displaying them as shown in Fig. 6(c), as shown in Fig. 6(c). At this time, the control unit 110 also performs control to move the AR image Gu3' to a position offset in the opposite direction (right side in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the bending direction of the bending point be of the root image Gu1 and then stop it.

[0065] This is a measure by which the control unit 110 displays the AR image Gu3 by increasing the number of arrowhead elements in the arrowhead ah portion in the curvature direction of the route image Gu1 (to the left in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) (AR image GU3' including arrowhead elements Gu31, Gu32, Gu33) or by extending and displaying them (AR image Gu3''), and aligning the center line a (center position of the angle of view) of the arrow shaft s portion of the route image Gu1 with the pointed tip b (offset position) of the final arrowhead element Gu33 in the arrowhead ah portion of the AR image 3', thereby accurately conveying to the viewer, driver 4, the sense of distance to a lane change point such as an intersection.

[0066] Furthermore, when the control unit 110 displays the AR image Gu3 (Gu3', Gu3'') whose display form has been changed while stopping it near the bend point be of the route image Gu1, it also performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 before stopping it (step ST09). In this way, the control unit 110 projects the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 onto the route image Gu1 until the vehicle 1 approaches a course change point such as an intersection, and performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1 when the vehicle 1 approaches the course change point such as an intersection, and displays the AR image Gu3 (Gu3', Gu3'') that stops near the bend point be of the route image Gu1, thereby allowing the driver 4, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly grasp the distance to the bend point be of the route image Gu1 (in other words, the distance to the course change point such as an intersection).

[0067] 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 these are displayed smaller as the vehicle 1 moves, making them appear farther away (large-small perspective), and by superimposing the AR image Gu2 and its shadow image Sh1 on the route image Gu1, objects located behind can be made to appear farther away (superimposed perspective), and furthermore, the more the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 moves as the vehicle 1 moves, the more it can be made to appear farther away by applying a blur (blurring process) to the shadow image Sh1 (or by darkening the brightness or making the size closer to the route image Gu1) (elimination perspective). Therefore, the sense of distance (perspective) to a lane change point such as an intersection can be emphasized by these three pictorial techniques and presented to the driver 4, who is the viewer.

[0068] Therefore, by projecting the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 onto the route image Gu1 until the vehicle approaches a lane change point such as an intersection, and stopping the projection of the shadow image Sh1 when the vehicle stops, and further controlling the display attributes of the shadow image Sh1, the distance to the lane change point (the distance to the bend point be of the route image Gu1) can be more easily and intuitively grasped. In other words, the driver 4 who is the viewer can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle and a lane change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left, by the presence or absence of projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 onto the route image Gu1, or by controlling the attributes of the shadow image Sh1.

[0069] (Modification) According to the above-mentioned vehicle display system 1000, when the HUD device 100 displays a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stagnates near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), it projects a shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is caused to stagnate, it performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image (Sh1).

[0070] On the other hand, the HUD device 100 can be regarded simply as a display device, and when the display control device 300 (processing device 200) displays the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (root image Gu1) on the HUD device 100, the display control device 300 (processing device 200) can perform control to project a shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (root image Gu1), and to stop the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops. That is, the processing device 200 of the display control device 300 can independently execute the above-mentioned series of controls. In this case, the processing load of the HUD device 100 (control unit 110) can be reduced.

[0071] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the head-up display device of this embodiment is a head-up display device 100 that projects and displays virtual images (route image Gu1, AR images Gu2, Gu3 (see FIGS. 4(a) and 5(a)) superimposed on the foreground in a display area VA that is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle 1, as shown in FIG. 1. The HUD device 100 has a bending point be in the vicinity of a lane change point of the vehicle 1, and is made up of an arrow shaft (shaft s) extending toward the bending point be, and includes a first virtual image (route image Gu1) superimposed on the road surface and an AR image (array image) Gu2 that is displayed along the first virtual image (route image Gu1). The display position changes, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stops near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) is displayed. An image display unit 120 (see FIG. 2) displays the second virtual image (AR image Gu2). When displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), the control unit 110 (see FIG. 2) performs control to project and display a shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point and causes the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to stop the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2).

[0072] According to the HUD device 100 of the present embodiment, when the control unit 110 displays the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), 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), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops, the control unit 110 performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image (Sh1), thereby allowing the driver 4, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance to the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In other words, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle and a course change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left depending on the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), a head-up display device can be provided that enables the viewer, the driver 4, to intuitively and accurately visually recognize the distance to a lane change point such as an intersection.

[0073] In addition, in the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is composed of one or more arrowhead (Ah) portions that are visually perceived as floating above the road surface near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), which moves along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) as the vehicle 1 moves, approaches a lane change point, the control unit 110 may control the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to be moved to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and then to stop the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), and to increase the number of arrowhead elements in the arrowhead (ah) portions toward the bending direction (left side in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and display them adjacent to each other (for example, see Figures 6(a) and 6(b)), or to display them extended (for example, see GU3'' in Figure 6(c)).

[0074] According to the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moving along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) approaches a lane change point, the control unit 110 moves the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and then stops the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), and controls the display to increase the number of arrow elements in the arrowhead portion (ah) toward the bending direction of the first virtual image (route image) (left side in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) and display them adjacent to each other, or to display them extended, thereby intuitively and correctly guiding the driver 4, who is the viewer, to steer in the bending direction of the bending point of the first virtual image, thereby enhancing the guiding effect to the target element. In this case, moving to a position offset in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the bending point be of the first virtual image (root image Gu1) means, for example, moving from the center line a of the arrow shaft portion of the first virtual image (root image Gu1) to the pointed tip portion b of the arrowhead element Gu33 of the arrowhead portion of the second virtual image (AR image 3'), as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b).

[0075] In addition, the second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3, Gu3', Gu3'') is displayed as floating upward from the road surface near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), so that the driver 4, who is the viewer, can be presented with a three-dimensionally easy-to-understand display form that the driver 4 is approaching the guidance point. In other words, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can easily grasp the guidance point without error and intuitively. Specifically, the AR image Gu2 is visually recognized as floating upward parallel to the road surface near the bend point bc of the route image Gu1, for example, as shown in Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b), and the AR images Gu3', GU3'' are visually recognized as floating vertically along the road surface near the bend point bc of the route image Gu1, for example, as shown in Fig. 6(a), Fig. 6(b), and Fig. 6(c), so that the driver 4 can be intuitively presented with the approach to the guidance point.

[0076] In addition, in the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 110 may 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) while moving the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) until it stops near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) to express the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and the lane change point.

[0077] According to the HUD device 100 of the present embodiment, 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 bringing the color of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) closer to the hue of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), so that the driver 4 who is the viewer can easily recognize that the vehicle 1 is gradually approaching the lane change point. In other words, by controlling the display attribute of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) 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 lane change point can be correctly expressed. In addition, even if the size, density, blur, etc. of the shaded image Sh1 are controlled, the distance between the vehicle and the lane change point can be intuitively and correctly expressed.

[0078] The display control device of this embodiment is a display control device 300 including a processing device 200 to which a head-up display device (HUD device 100) is connected, which projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area VA, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle 1, as shown in Fig. 2. The display control device 300 includes the processing device 200, which displays a first virtual image (route image Gu1) that has a bending point be in the vicinity of a lane change point of the vehicle 1, consists of an arrow shaft (shaft s) portion extending toward the bending point be, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, and a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops in the vicinity of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu2) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point, as shown in Figs. 4(a) and 4(b), for example. A head-up display device (HUD device 100) displays the first virtual image (AR image Gu2), 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) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1). When the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped in the vicinity of 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).

[0079] According to the display control device 300 of this embodiment, when the processing device 200 displays the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), 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), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops, the processing device 200 performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image (Sh1), thereby allowing the driver 4, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance to the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In other words, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and a course change point such as an intersection where a right or left turn should be made, depending on the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), a display control device 300 can be provided that enables the viewer, the driver 4, to intuitively and accurately visually recognize the distance to a lane change point such as an intersection.

[0080] Furthermore, the vehicular display system of this embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a vehicular display system 1000 having a head-up display device (HUD device 100) that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on the foreground in a display area VA, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle 1, a display control device 300 that generates a virtual image and controls its display on 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 vehicular display system 1000 includes a display control device 300 that, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b), has a bending point be in the vicinity of a lane change point of the vehicle 1, and is made up of an arrow shaft (shaft s) extending toward the bending point be and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, and a second virtual image (route image Gu1) whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) as the vehicle 1 moves, and which stagnates in the vicinity of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point. A virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed on a head-up display device (HUD device 100), and when a 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) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point and causes the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to stagnate in the vicinity of the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), control is performed to stop the projection of the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2).

[0081] According to the vehicle display system 1000 of the present embodiment, when the display control device 300 displays the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), 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), and when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops, the display control device 300 controls to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1, thereby allowing the driver 4, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance to the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In other words, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and a course change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left, depending on the presence or absence of the projection of the shadow image Sh1 of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, by appropriately controlling the display positions of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2), a vehicle display system 1000 can be provided that enables the viewer, the driver 4, to intuitively and accurately visually recognize the distance to a lane change point such as an intersection.

[0082] The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and those skilled in the art could easily modify the above-described exemplary embodiments to the extent that they fall within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 100 Head-up display device (HUD device), 110 Control unit, 120 Image display unit, 121 Liquid crystal display, 122 Relay optical system, 200 Processing unit (processor), 300 Display control device, 400 Navigation device, 401 Behavior sensor, 402 Camera, 403 LiADR, 404 Eye position sensor, 500 ···I / O interface, 1000···Vehicle display system, VA··Display area, Gu1 (first virtual image), ···Route image, Gu2, Gu3, Gu3´, Gu3´´ (second virtual image), ··AR image, Sh1··Shade image, s··Arrow shaft portion of route image, be··Bending point of route image, ah··Arrowhead portion of route image, Gu31, Gu32, Gu33··Arrowhead element

Claims

1. A head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image on a display area, which is an image forming surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, by superimposing the virtual image on a foreground, an image display unit that displays a first virtual image having a bending point near a lane change point of the vehicle, the first virtual image being formed of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bending point and being displayed superimposed on a road surface, and a second virtual image whose display position changes along with the first virtual image and which is displayed stagnantly near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point; a control unit that, when displaying the second virtual image, performs control to project and display a shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image, and controls to stop the projection of the shadow image when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and causes the second virtual image to stagnate in the vicinity of a bending point of the first virtual image.

2. The control unit is 2. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein when the second virtual image moving along the first virtual image approaches the lane change point, the second virtual image is moved to a position offset in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the bending point and then stopped, and the number of arrowhead elements constituting the arrowhead portion is increased toward the bending direction of the first virtual image and displayed adjacent to each other, or the number of arrowhead elements is extended and displayed.

3. The control unit is 3. The head-up display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a display attribute of the second virtual image or a shadow image of the second virtual image being controlled to express a sense of distance between the vehicle and the lane change point while the second virtual image is moved along the first virtual image and is brought to a stop near a bend point of the first virtual image.

4. A display control device including a processing device, to which a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground is connected to a display area that is an image formation surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, The processing device includes: a first virtual image having a bend point near a lane change point of the vehicle, comprising an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bend point, and displayed superimposed on a road surface; and a second virtual image whose display position changes along the first virtual image and whose display position is stopped near the bend point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, are displayed on the head-up display device; A display control device that, when displaying the second virtual image, performs control to project and display a shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image, and when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and causes the second virtual image to stagnate in the vicinity of a bend point of the first virtual image, performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image.

5. A display system for a vehicle includes a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area that is an imaging plane virtually set in front of a vehicle, a display control device that generates the virtual image and controls the display on the head-up display device, and a navigation device that provides route guidance information to the display control device, The display control device includes: a first virtual image having a bend point near a lane change point of the vehicle, comprising an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bend point, and displayed superimposed on a road surface; and a second virtual image whose display position changes along the first virtual image and whose display position is stopped near the bend point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, are displayed on the head-up display device; A display system for a vehicle, which performs control to project and display a shadow image of the second virtual image onto the first virtual image when displaying the second virtual image, and performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and causes the second virtual image to stagnate near a bending point of the first virtual image.

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