Display device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a display device for a vehicle that eliminates a sense of incongruity of a viewer when ranges of eyellipse are different according to switching between a virtual image and a real image.SOLUTION: A display device 1 for a vehicle, which emits display light L from an opening 17 toward a window shield WS, thereby visually recognizing a virtual image VI and a real image RI of a display image shown by the display light L, includes: a display unit 12 including a display element 121 and configured to transmit the light emitted by a light source 11 and display the display image; and a reflection unit 13 configured to reflect the light showing the display image displayed on the display unit 12, toward the window shield WS; and a control unit 15. The control unit 15 performs: a detection process of detecting a change in a state of a seat 50 accompanied by a change in eyellipse Ey of an occupant DR; and a turn-off process of turning off the display light L at least during a period from a change start to a change completion of the change in the state of the seat 50, based on a detection result in the detection process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle display device that switches and displays a virtual image and a real image for a viewer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, an electronic device described in Patent Document 1 is known. Patent Document 1 discloses that the electronic device determines whether to display a virtual image of a second image at a first position near a display unit that displays a first image or at a second position far from the front glass of the vehicle based on the running state of the vehicle, and switches the display position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above conventional display device, when the area of an eye ellipse or an eye box or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as an eye ellipse), which is a standard for visibility, is set in different areas depending on whether the virtual image is visible at the first position or the area where the virtual image is visible at the second position, when switching the display position, the virtual image is visible at both the first position and the second position, causing a sense of discomfort to the viewer.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle display device that eliminates the sense of discomfort of a viewer when the range of the eye ellipse differs with the switching of the display position.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention is provided in a vehicle C including a seat 50 on which a passenger sits and a light-transmitting member WS, and emits display light L (L1, L2) from an emission port 17 toward the light-transmitting member WS to visually recognize a virtual image VI and a real image RI of a display image represented by the display light L. A vehicle display device 1, comprising: a display element 121, a display unit 12 that transmits the light emitted by the light source 11 and displays the display image; a reflection unit 13 that reflects the light representing the display image displayed on the display unit 12 toward the light-transmitting member WS; and a control unit 15. The control unit 15 performs a detection process of detecting a state change of the seat 50 accompanied by a change in the iris Ey (Ey1, Ey2) of the passenger DR, and based on the detection result in the detection process, at least from the start to the completion of the state change of the seat 50, a light extinction process of turning off the display light L is executed.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, when there is a state change of the seat accompanied by a change in the iris of the passenger, the display light by the display unit is turned off from the start to the completion of the change, so that it is possible to prevent the passenger from feeling discomfort in visually recognizing the display image.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] (First Embodiment of the Present Invention) Hereinafter, the vehicle display device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration when generating a virtual image in the vehicle display device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration when generating a real image in the vehicle display device according to the present embodiment.

[0010] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle display device 1 includes, for example, a light source 11 composed of a light-emitting diode that emits light in the visible wavelength range mounted on a wiring board, emits white light, a display unit 12 that generates an image with the light incident from the light source 11 and switches the polarization of the emitted light to different first polarization and second polarization for display, and a control unit 15 that performs switching control of turning on / off the light source 11, control of the display content in the display unit 12, and switching control of the first polarization and the second polarization, etc. It consists of a PGU (Picture Generation Unit) 10, and a reflection unit 13 that reflects the display light L (display light L1 representing the display image of the virtual image VI in the case of FIG. 1, display light L2 representing the display image of the real image RI in the case of FIG. 2) representing the display image displayed on the display unit 12 toward the windshield WS (light-transmitting member). These are housed in the housing 16. The housing 16 is provided with an opening 17 (light exit) from which the display light L is emitted, and a cover glass 18 for protecting the inside is arranged at the opening 17. The windshield WS is an example of a light-projecting member, and the opening 17 is an example of a light exit.

[0011] The vehicle display device 1 is disposed below the windshield WS of the vehicle C (for example, inside the instrument panel), emits display light L (L1, L2), and projects it onto the windshield WS. The display light L is generated by the light source 11 and the display unit 12 of the PGU 10. The display light L emitted from the display unit 12 is transmitted through the reflecting unit 13 and emitted from the opening 17 of the housing 16 through the cover glass 18. The vehicle occupant DR (rider) visually recognizes the display light L reflected on the windshield WS from a viewpoint within the range of the eye ellipse Ey (Ey1, Ey2), thereby being able to visually recognize a virtual image VI as shown in FIG. 1 on the far side of the windshield WS and a real image RI as shown in FIG. 2 on the near side. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the center position of the eye ellipse Ey1 is set in front of and above the vehicle C compared to the eye ellipse Ey2.

[0012] For the virtual image VI shown in FIG. 1, information that is highly necessary to draw the attention of the occupant DR, such as vehicle information such as the speed and engine speed of the vehicle C in the manual driving mode, route guidance displays such as turn-by-turn and maps, blind spot indicators, and warning displays such as over-speed warnings, is displayed on the far side of the windshield WS as seen from the occupant DR. Further, for the real image RI shown in FIG. 2, for example, entertainment content in the autonomous driving mode, assistants and agents that support the occupant DR, and characters indicating them are displayed on the near side of the windshield WS as seen from the occupant DR. The virtual image VI and the real image RI include not only characters and icons indicating this information but also background portions, and in a plan view from the occupant DR, this forms, for example, a substantially rectangular shape.

[0013] Here, the vehicle C on which the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment is mounted has an automatic driving mode in which the computer performs automatic driving and a manual driving mode in which the occupant DR performs a driving operation. When a predetermined trigger (for example, an operation of an automatic / manual changeover switch by the occupant DR, timing of entering a highway or a general road, parking or traveling, etc.) is detected, the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode are switched. In the case of the automatic driving mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 of the seat 50 on which the occupant DR is seated (the angle of rotation to the rear side with respect to the state where the angle between the seat surface of the seat 50 arranged horizontally (parallel to the front-rear direction) and the backrest portion 52 is substantially a right angle) increases (the backrest portion 52 is in a reclined state, hereinafter, this state is referred to as a reclining position), and the state of the seat 50 changes so that the height of the seat surface of the seat portion 51 becomes lower. In the case of the manual driving mode, the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 of the seat 50 on which the occupant DR is seated decreases (the backrest portion 52 is in an upright state, hereinafter, this state is referred to as a driving position), and the state of the seat 50 changes so that the height of the seat portion 51 becomes higher.

[0014] Then, the vehicle display device 1 is configured such that the display of the virtual image VI or the real image RI is switched according to the state change of the seat 50. For example, in the reclining position, as shown in FIG. 2, display processing is performed so that the occupant DR visually recognizes the real image RI within the range of the iris Ey2. In the driving position, as shown in FIG. 1, display processing is performed so that the occupant DR visually recognizes the virtual image VI within the range of the iris Ey1. In this case, while the state of the seat 50 is changing, the position of the occupant DR's eyes changes along with the state change of the seat 50, so that the position of the eyes moves between the iris Ey1 and the iris Ey2, and a sense of discomfort occurs in the visibility of the occupant DR. Therefore, the control unit 15 controls to turn off the display light L from the start to the completion of the state change of the seat 50. The details of the turning-off process of the control unit 15 accompanying the state change of the seat 50 will be described later.

[0015] Hereinafter, each configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the structures of the light source 11 and the display unit 12 in the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 12 is provided on the light exit side along the optical path from the light source 11. The display unit 12 includes, for example, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type display element 121, and a switching element 122 provided on the light exit side along the optical path from the display element 121, which switches the polarization of the emitted display light L into different first polarization and second polarization.

[0016] Here, the first polarization is described as S polarization and the second polarization is described as P polarization hereinafter, but the first polarization may be P polarization and the second polarization may be S polarization. Further, not limited to S polarization and P polarization, as long as the polarization angles of the first polarization and the second polarization are different from each other, for example, it is desirable that the polarization angles are different by at least 22.5 degrees or more.

[0017] The light source 11 is connected to a lighting / extinguishing control unit 23, which will be described later in FIG. 4, and lighting and extinguishing are controlled according to a signal sent from the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23. For example, it is controlled to light up when the vehicle display device 1 is started and to extinguish when it stops, or to extinguish during the period from the start to the completion of the state change of the seat 50 as described above. The display element 121 is connected to a display control unit 21, which will be described later in FIG. 4, and forms light representing a figure of an arbitrary shape according to a signal sent from the display control unit 21. The switching element 122 is connected to a display unit driving unit 22, which will be described later in FIG. 4, and is an element that switches the polarization according to a signal sent from the display unit driving unit 22. It extracts only the light rays of specific polarization, specifically, the S polarization as the first polarization and the P polarization as the second polarization as described above, from the light rays emitted from the display element 121, and performs a process of switching them.

[0018] Note that the switching of polarization by the switching element 122 may be performed by an electrical process, or a polarizing plate or a wavelength plate may be disposed on the light emission port side of the display element 121, and the polarization may be switched by physically rotating the optical axis direction around the central axis direction by a predetermined angle with respect to the central axis. In any case, the switching of polarization is performed under the control of the display unit driving unit 22.

[0019] The reflecting unit 13 includes a first mirror 131, a second mirror 132, and a third mirror 133 each formed of a flat or curved mirror. The first mirror 131 reflects the display light L1 (first light beam) that becomes S-polarized light, which is the first polarization, and transmits the display light L2 (second light beam) that becomes P-polarized light, which is the second polarization. The second mirror 132 reflects the display light L2 (second light beam) that has passed through the first mirror 131. The respective display lights L1 and L2 reflected by the first mirror 131 and the second mirror 132 are guided to the third mirror 133, reflected by the third mirror 133, and emitted to the windshield WS, enabling the occupant DR to visually recognize the respective display images. The display light L1 is an example of the first light beam, and the display light L2 is an example of the second light beam.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, since the first mirror 131 is a mirror that transmits the display light L2, the display light L2 reflected by the second mirror 132 can naturally pass through from the back side to the front side of the second mirror 132. That is, the display light L2 that has passed through the first mirror 131 is reflected by the second mirror 132, passes through the first mirror 131 again, and is guided to the third mirror 133. Therefore, the second mirror 132 can be disposed close to the back side of the first mirror 131, and an increase in the size of the housing 16 can be prevented.

[0021] Specifically describe the display images represented by the display light L1 in FIG. 1 and the display light L2 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, when injecting the display light L1 which is S-polarized light with respect to the first mirror 131, by arranging the display unit 12 at a position sufficiently close to the first mirror 131, when regarding the first mirror 131, the third mirror 133 and the windshield WS as one imaging optical system, the position of the display unit 12 becomes closer than the focal length of the imaging optical system. That is, the positional relationship between the optical focus F of the imaging optical system and the display unit 12 becomes the first state where the display unit 12 is arranged on the exit side of the optical focus F. In the case of this first state, a virtual image VI is visually recognized by the occupant DR in the distance.

[0022] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when injecting the display light L2 which is P-polarized light with respect to the second mirror 132, by arranging the display unit 12 at a position sufficiently far from the second mirror 132, when regarding the second mirror 132, the third mirror 133 and the windshield WS as one imaging optical system, the position of the display unit 12 becomes farther than the focal length of the imaging optical system. That is, the positional relationship between the optical focus F of the imaging optical system and the display unit 12 becomes the second state where the display unit 12 is arranged on the light source 11 side of the optical focus F. In the case of this second state, a real image RI is visually recognized by the occupant DR in front of the eyes.

[0023] That is, for example, in the manual driving mode, when it is desired to visually recognize the virtual image VI outside the windshield WS as seen from the occupant DR, the switching element 122 of the display unit 12 switches to inject the display light L as the display light L1 which is S-polarized light, and the display image represented by the display light L1 is displayed on the windshield WS by the imaging optical system composed of the first mirror 131, the third mirror 133 and the windshield WS. Also, for example, in the automatic driving mode, when it is desired to visually recognize the real image RI inside the windshield WS as seen from the occupant DR, the switching element 122 of the display unit 12 switches to inject the display light L as the display light L2 which is P-polarized light, and the display image represented by the display light L2 is displayed on the windshield WS by the imaging optical system composed of the second mirror 132, the third mirror 133 and the windshield WS.

[0024] At this time, when the optical axis direction is set as the roll axis, the display unit 12 may be pitch-rotated so that the display image (virtual image VI, real image RI) represented by the display light L is displayed vertically or obliquely with respect to the road surface.

[0025] As described above, the control unit 15 in FIGS. 1 and 2 performs switching control of lighting / extinguishing of the PGU 10, control of display contents in the display unit 12, switching control of the first polarization and the second polarization, and the like. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the PGU 10 in the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment. Note that in FIG. 4, only the minimum configuration directly related to the present invention is described, and other known configurations are omitted.

[0026] In FIG. 4, the PGU 10 includes a control unit 15, a light source 11, and a display unit 12. The control unit 15 issues a command to the display unit 12 to generate light representing a figure of an arbitrary shape based on information sent from various devices 30 such as a vehicle speed sensor, a navigation device, RADAR (Radio Detecting and Ranging), and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). The display control unit 21 issues a command to the switching element 122 to switch the polarization direction of the display light L based on a signal transmitted from the driving mode detection unit 20 including a switch for switching the driving mode (manual driving mode or automatic driving mode) and a processing unit for detecting the switching of the driving mode. The lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 detects the state of the seat 50 based on the result measured by the measurement sensor 40 that measures the state of the seat 50, for example, and issues a command to the light source 11 to switch the lighting / extinguishing of the light source 11. The display control unit 21, the display unit driving unit 22, and the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 cooperate with each other to control the vehicle display device 1.

[0027] In the configuration of FIG. 4, for example, in the case of the manual driving mode, the display unit driving unit 22 performs switching control so that the switching element 122 emits the display light L1 that is S-polarized, and the display control unit 21 controls the display element 121 to generate the display light L1 representing the vehicle information, route guidance information, warning display, etc. as described above.

[0028] Also, for example, in the case of the automatic driving mode, the display unit driving unit 22 performs switching control so that the switching element 122 emits the display light L2 that is P-polarized, and the display control unit 21 controls the display element 121 to generate the display light L2 representing the assistant or agent that supports the occupant DR, the characters indicating them, etc. as described above.

[0029] The lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 detects the state change of the seat 50 accompanied by the change of the iris Ey1 or iris Ey2 of the occupant DR when switching the driving mode from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode or from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, and controls the light source 11 to extinguish the display lights L1 and L2 at least from the start of the change to the completion of the change in the state change of the seat 50.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the state change of the seat 50 accompanied by the change of the iris Ey at the time of switching the driving mode in the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5(A) shows the seat state in the case of the manual driving mode, and FIG. 5(B) shows the seat state in the case of the automatic driving mode. As shown in FIG. 5, the seat 50 includes a seat portion 51 and a backrest portion 52, and the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 and, if necessary, the height of the seat portion 51 are measured by the measurement sensor 40.

[0031] The lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 detects an increase in the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 accompanying the switching from the manual operation mode (driving position) in Fig. 5(A) to the automatic operation mode (reclining position) in Fig. 5(B), and a decrease in the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 accompanying the switching from the automatic operation mode (reclining position) in Fig. 5(B) to the manual operation mode (driving position) in Fig. 5(A) from the measurement results of the measurement sensor 40 (detection process). Then, the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 turns off the light source 11 so that the display lights L1 and L2 are not displayed at least during the period from the start to the completion of the increase in the inclination angle or during the period from the start to the completion of the decrease in the inclination angle (extinguishing process).

[0032] Depending on the vehicle C, when switching the operation mode from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode or from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, the height of the seat portion 51 may be changed as a state change of the seat 50 accompanied by changes in the irises Ey1 and Ey2 of the occupant DR. Specifically, the seat portion 51 is raised to improve the visibility in the manual operation mode, and the seat portion 51 is lowered to relax in the automatic operation mode. That is, in this case, the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 detects a decrease in the height of the seat portion 51 accompanying the switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode, and an increase in the height of the seat portion 51 accompanying the switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode (detection process). Then, the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 turns off the light source 11 so that the display lights L1 and L2 are not displayed at least during the period from the start to the completion of the increase in the height of the seat portion 51 or during the period from the start to the completion of the decrease in the height of the seat portion 51 (extinguishing process).

[0033] Next, the processing of the control unit 15 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the control unit 15 in the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment. First, the display unit driving unit 22 receives an instruction to switch the driving mode from the driving mode detection unit 20 (S1). The lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 that cooperates with the display unit driving unit 22 starts an extinguishing process of extinguishing the light source 11 so that the display lights L1 and L2 are not displayed (S2) (extinguishing process). The lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 detects a change in the state of the seat 50 from the information measured by the measurement sensor 40 (S3). It is determined whether the completion of the state change of the seat 50 has been detected (S4). If the completion of the state change has not been detected, the extinguished state is maintained (S5) (extinguishing process), and the process of S4 is repeated until the state change is completed. When the completion of the state change is detected, the display unit driving unit 22 that received the instruction to switch the driving mode from the driving mode detection unit 20 in S1 determines whether it is the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode based on the signal transmitted from the driving mode detection unit 20 (S6).

[0034] If it is the automatic driving mode in S6, the display unit driving unit 22 sends a control signal to the switching element 122 so that the display light L2 that is P-polarized is emitted from the display unit 12 (S7) (switching process). At this time, the display control unit 21 that cooperates with the display unit driving unit 22 and the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 extracts the content to be displayed as the real image RI as described above as the display content. Also, the seat 50 is in a state suitable for visually recognizing the real image RI displayed in the automatic driving mode (the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 increases / the height of the seat portion 51 decreases).

[0035] If it is the manual driving mode in S6, the display unit driving unit 22 sends a control signal to the switching element 122 so that the display light L1 that is S-polarized is emitted from the display unit 12 (S8) (switching process). At this time, the display control unit 21 that cooperates with the display unit driving unit 22 and the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 extracts the content to be displayed as the virtual image VI as described above as the display content. Also, the seat 50 is in a state suitable for visually recognizing the virtual image VI displayed in the manual driving mode (the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 decreases / the height of the seat portion 51 increases).

[0036] In S7 or S8, when the preparation for displaying the real image RI or the virtual image VI is complete, the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 ends the extinguishing of the light source 11 and starts the lighting process (S9). When either the real image RI or the virtual image VI is displayed (S10), the process ends. At the time when the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 starts the lighting process in S9, since the state change of the seat 50 is complete, the occupant DR can comfortably view the real image RI or the virtual image VI from the viewpoint of the appropriate iris Ey.

[0037] Note that in FIG. 6, the processes of S6 to S8 are performed after detecting the completion of the state change of the seat 50, but they may also be performed while maintaining the extinguished state during the state change of the seat 50.

[0038] Also, in FIG. 6, the extinguishing process is started after switching the driving mode and before detecting the state change of the seat 50, and the lighting process is performed after the completion of the state change of the seat 50. However, the extinguishing process may be started simultaneously with the state change of the seat 50 after switching the driving mode, and the lighting process may be performed simultaneously with the completion of the state change of the seat 50. In this case, as described above, the processes of S6 to S8 are executed during the state change of the seat 50.

[0039] Furthermore, in S3, the process of detecting the state change of the seat 50 by the lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 is to detect the state change of the seat 50 accompanying the switching of whether to view the virtual image VI corresponding to the manual driving mode in S1 or to view the real image RI corresponding to the automatic driving mode. However, as will be described later in other embodiments, a process of detecting the state change of the seat 50 may be performed regardless of the switching of the driving mode.

[0040] As described above, in the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 15 executes a detection process for detecting a change in the state of the seat 50 accompanied by a change in the iris Ey of the occupant DR, and a lighting-off process for turning off the display light L at least from the start to the completion of the change in the state of the seat 50 based on the detection result in the detection process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occupant DR from feeling discomfort when the display of the virtual image VI / real image RI is switched along with the change in the state of the seat 50.

[0041] Further, the control unit 15 executes a switching process for causing the virtual image VI of the display image to be visually recognized in the manual driving mode of the vehicle C and causing the real image RI of the display image to be visually recognized in the automatic driving mode of the vehicle C, and for detecting a change in the state of the seat 50 accompanying the switching between visually recognizing the virtual image VI corresponding to the manual driving mode or visually recognizing the real image RI corresponding to the automatic driving mode in the switching process. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately display the display image of the virtual image VI or real image RI according to the driving mode, and to reliably detect a change in the state of the seat 50 accompanying the switching of the driving mode.

[0042] Furthermore, the seat 50 includes a seat portion 51 and a backrest portion 52, the change in the state of the seat 50 is a change in the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52, and in the detection process, the control unit 15 detects an increase in the inclination angle accompanying the switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode by the switching process and a decrease in the inclination angle accompanying the switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode by the switching process. In the lighting-off process, the display light L is turned off at least from the start to the completion of the increase in the inclination angle or from the start to the completion of the decrease in the inclination angle. Therefore, when the iris Ey changes along with the change in the inclination angle state of the backrest portion 52, it is possible to eliminate the discomfort of the occupant DR's visual recognition during the state change.

[0043] Furthermore, the state change of the seat 50 is a change in the height of the seat 50. In the detection process, the control unit 15 detects a decrease in the height of the seat 50 accompanying the switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode by the switching process, and an increase in the height of the seat 50 accompanying the switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode by the switching process. In the light-off process, at least during the period from the start to the completion of the increase in the height of the seat 50 or during the period from the start to the completion of the decrease in the height of the seat 50, the display light L is turned off. Therefore, when the iris Ey changes as the state of the height of the seat 50 changes, it is possible to eliminate the sense of discomfort in the visual recognition of the passenger DR that occurs during the state change.

[0044] Furthermore, the reflecting portion 13 includes a first mirror 131 that reflects the display light L1 and transmits the display light L2, and a second mirror 132 that reflects the display light L2. When the display element 121 emits the display light L1, the first mirror 131 and the second mirror 132 are arranged such that the positional relationship between the optical focus F of the imaging optical system including the windshield WS and the reflecting portion 13 and the display portion 12 is such that the display portion 12 is on the opening 17 side of the optical focus F, allowing the virtual image VI to be visually recognized. When the display element 121 emits the display light L2, the display portion 12 is in a second state on the light source 11 side of the optical focus F, allowing the real image RI to be visually recognized. Therefore, the virtual image VI can be switched and visually recognized outside the windshield WS as seen from the passenger DR and inside the windshield WS as seen from the passenger DR.

[0045] (Other Embodiments of the Present Invention) The vehicle display device 1 according to other embodiments will be described below. The vehicle display device 1 according to this embodiment controls the turning off / on of the PGU 10 based on the detection result of the state change of the seat 50 regardless of the driving mode. Note that descriptions overlapping with those of the first embodiment in this embodiment are omitted.

[0046] In the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment, similar to the case of the first embodiment, a virtual image VI is displayed so as to be visible outside the windshield WS as viewed from the occupant DR, and a real image RI is displayed so as to be visible inside the windshield WS as viewed from the occupant DR. And it has eye ellipses Ey1 and Ey2 suitable for viewing the respective display images (virtual image VI, real image RI). In the first embodiment, the state of the seat 50 was changed according to the switching of the display image corresponding to the driving mode. However, in the present embodiment, when a change in the state of the seat 50 is detected regardless of the driving mode, the display light is turned off / on.

[0047] That is, in the detection process, the control unit 15 detects an increase in the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 and a decrease in the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52. In the light-off process, at least from when the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 increases and reaches the first angle until it reaches a second angle larger than the first angle, or at least from when the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 decreases and reaches the second angle until it reaches the first angle, the display light L is turned off.

[0048] The above-mentioned first angle is the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 when the eyes of the occupant DR are located at the lower end boundary of the eye ellipse Ey1, and the second angle is the inclination angle of the backrest portion 52 when the eyes of the occupant DR are located at the upper end boundary of the eye ellipse Ey2.

[0049] That is, while the position of the eyes of the occupant DR moves from the range of the eye ellipse Ey1 to the eye ellipse Ey2 due to the angle adjustment of the backrest portion 52, the light source 11 of the PUG10 is turned off so that no display image is displayed. Also, while the position of the eyes of the occupant DR moves from the range of the eye ellipse Ey2 to the eye ellipse Ey1 due to the angle adjustment of the backrest portion 52, the light source 11 of the PUG10 is turned off so that no display image is displayed.

[0050] By doing so, when the eye ellipse Ey changes with the change in the inclination angle state of the backrest portion 52, it is possible to eliminate the discomfort of the occupant DR's visual recognition that occurs during the state change.

[0051] In addition, in the detection process, the control unit 15 also detects a decrease in the height of the seat part 51 and an increase in the height of the seat part 51. In the light extinction process, at least from when the height of the seat part 51 decreases and reaches the first height until it reaches the second height lower than the first height, or at least from when the height of the seat part 51 increases and reaches the second height until it reaches the first height, the display light L is extinguished.

[0052] The above-mentioned first height is the height of the seat part 51 when the eyes of the occupant DR are located at the lower end boundary of the eye ellipse Ey1, and the second height is the height of the seat part 51 when the eyes of the occupant DR are located at the upper end boundary of the eye ellipse Ey2.

[0053] By doing so, when the eye ellipse Ey changes along with the change in the state of the height of the seat part 51, it is possible to eliminate the sense of discomfort in the visual recognition of the occupant DR that occurs during the state change.

[0054] In the above, the vehicle display device 1 switches between the first polarization and the second polarization when switching between the display of the virtual image VI and the real image RI. However, the method of switching between the display of the virtual image VI and the real image RI is arbitrary. For example, by sliding the display unit 12 in the optical axis direction, the distance between the optical focus F and the display unit 12 can be changed to switch between the virtual image VI and the real image RI for display. Also, by shifting the axis of the light beam emitted from the display unit 12 when displaying the virtual image VI and when displaying the real image RI, respective optical systems can be formed to switch between the virtual image VI and the real image RI for display.

[0055] Also, when it is desired to adjust the tilt angle of the virtual image VI or the real image RI with respect to the road surface, for example, the display unit 12 may be provided with a motor that performs pitch rotation with the optical axis direction as the roll axis. By changing the tilt of the display unit 12 with this motor, it is also possible to display a real image RI that stands perpendicular to the road surface or a virtual image VI that is tilted with respect to the road surface.

Explanation of Signs

[0056] Vehicle C Passenger DR Eyelet Ey Optical focus F Display light L Real image RI Virtual image VI Windshield WS Vehicle display device 1 PGU 10 Light source 11 Display unit 12 Reflection unit 13 Control unit 15 Housing 16 Opening 17 Cover glass 18 Driving mode detection unit 20 Display control unit 21 Display unit drive unit 22 Lighting / extinguishing control unit 23 Various devices 30 Measurement sensor 40 Seat 50 Seat part 51 Backrest part 52 Display element 121 Switching element 122 First mirror 131 Second mirror 132 Third mirror 133

Claims

1. A vehicle display device provided in a vehicle having a seat on which a passenger sits and a light-transmitting member, and configured to emit display light from an emission port toward the light-transmitting member to allow a virtual image and a real image of a display image represented by the display light to be visually recognized, comprising a display element, and a display unit that transmits light emitted by a light source and displays the display image, a reflection unit that reflects light representing the display image displayed on the display unit toward the light-transmitting member, and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs a detection process of detecting a state change of the seat accompanied by a change in the iris of the passenger, and based on the detection result in the detection process, performs a light extinction process of extinguishing the display light at least from the start to the completion of the change in the state of the seat, A vehicle display device characterized by performing the above.

2. The control unit further performs a switching process of switching to visually recognize the virtual image of the display image in the manual driving mode of the vehicle and visually recognize the real image of the display image in the automatic driving mode of the vehicle, and in the detection process, detects a state change of the seat accompanying the switching in the switching process of visually recognizing the virtual image corresponding to the manual driving mode or visually recognizing the real image corresponding to the automatic driving mode. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The seat includes a seat portion and a backrest portion, the state change of the seat is an angular change in the inclination angle of the backrest portion, and the control unit in the detection process, detects an increase in the inclination angle accompanying the switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode by the switching process, and a decrease in the inclination angle accompanying the switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode by the switching process, and in the light extinction process, extinguishes the display light at least from the start to the completion of the increase in the inclination angle or from the start to the completion of the decrease in the inclination angle. The vehicle display device according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The state change of the seat is a height change of the seat, and the control unit in the detection process, detects a decrease in the height of the seat accompanying the switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode by the switching process, and an increase in the height of the seat accompanying the switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode by the switching process. In the turning-off process, at least during the period from the start of the increase to the completion of the increase in the height of the seat, or during the period from the start of the decrease to the completion of the decrease in the height of the seat, the display light is turned off. The vehicle display device according to claim 2, characterized in that.

5. The seat includes a seat portion and a backrest portion. The change in the state of the seat is a change in the inclination angle of the backrest portion. The control unit is In the detection process, an increase in the inclination angle and a decrease in the inclination angle are detected. In the turning-off process, At least during the period from when the inclination angle increases and reaches a first angle to when it reaches a second angle larger than the first angle, or At least during the period from when the inclination angle decreases and reaches the second angle to when it reaches the first angle, The vehicle display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the display light is turned off.

6. The change in the state of the seat is a change in the height of the seat. The control unit is In the detection process, a decrease in the height and an increase in the height are detected. In the turning-off process, At least during the period from when the height decreases and reaches a first height to when it reaches a second height lower than the first height, or At least during the period from when the height increases and reaches the second height to when it reaches the first height, The vehicle display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the display light is turned off.

7. The reflecting portion is A first mirror that reflects a first light ray and transmits a second light ray, A second mirror that reflects the second light ray, Including The first mirror and the second mirror are When the display element emits the first light ray, the positional relationship between the optical focus of the imaging optical system including the light-transmitting member and the reflecting portion and the display portion is in a first state where the display portion is on the light-emitting port side of the optical focus, and the virtual image is visually recognized. When the display element emits the second light ray, the display portion is in a second state on the light source side of the optical focus, and the real image is visually recognized. The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is arranged as described above.

Images