Vehicular video display device

Abstract

To suppress visually induced motion sickness of an occupant.SOLUTION: A vehicular video display device 100 includes: a display unit 2 mounted on a vehicle, for displaying a video content; an information acquisition unit 11 for acquiring travel information on the travel state of the vehicle; and a control unit 12 for controlling the display unit 2 so as to adjust the display size of the video content on the basis of the travel information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle video display device for displaying video content inside a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of device, a device has been known that projects an image from a projector onto the wall surface of a vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the device described in Patent Document 1, the projection angle of the image by the projector is adjusted according to the reclining angle of the rear seat on which the passenger watching the image is seated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in recent years, the need to enjoy video content on a large screen inside a vehicle has been increasing. However, when watching video content on a large screen in the limited space inside a vehicle, passengers are likely to experience motion sickness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A vehicle video display device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a display unit mounted on a vehicle and configured to display video content, an information acquisition unit configured to acquire travel information regarding a travel state of the vehicle, and a control unit configured to control the display unit to adjust a display size of the video content based on the travel information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress motion sickness of passengers.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In recent years, the need to enjoy video content on a large screen inside a vehicle has been increasing. However, when viewing video content on a large screen in the limited space inside a vehicle, passengers are more likely to experience motion sickness. That is, generally, the optimal distance from the viewer to the screen (optimal viewing distance) is about three times the height of the screen. However, when viewing video content on a large screen in the limited space inside a vehicle, it is difficult to secure the optimal viewing distance. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the vehicle video display device is configured as follows so that it is possible to suppress motion sickness of the passengers even when viewing video content on a large screen in the limited space inside the vehicle.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an occupant of a vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle video display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewing video content, with a part of the vehicle 1 cut away. In the following, for convenience, the front-rear direction and the up-down direction as shown in the drawing are defined, and the configuration of each part will be described according to this definition. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is a two-row seat vehicle having a front seat located in front of the vehicle and a rear seat located behind the front seat, and the front seat is composed of a driver's seat and a passenger seat. In FIG. 1, for convenience, one front seat (driver's seat or passenger seat) is shown.

[0010] A display unit 2 capable of displaying video content on a large screen is provided inside the vehicle 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the display unit 2 is configured as a projector system including a projector 2a and a screen 2b. The projector 2a has a pan-tilt mechanism and a zoom mechanism, and is configured to be able to change the projection range. The screen 2b is attached to an arbitrary location inside the vehicle, for example, the ceiling 1a of the vehicle 1, using a fixture 3 such as a clip. When the screen 2b is attached to the ceiling 1a of the vehicle 1, a wide projection range can be secured, and video content can be viewed on a large screen. Note that the display unit 2 may be configured as a liquid crystal display or the like attached to the instrument panel, the back of the front seat, the ceiling, etc., or may be configured as an aerial display that forms an image of video in the vehicle space.

[0011] The seat 4 of each seat in the vehicle 1 has a seat cushion portion 4a that supports the occupant's buttocks, a seat back portion 4b that supports the occupant's back, and a headrest portion 4c that is provided at the upper part of the seat back portion 4b and supports the occupant's head. The seat cushion portion 4a has a front-rear position adjustment mechanism that is slidable in the front-rear direction and can be fixed at an arbitrary position. The seat back portion 4b has a reclining mechanism that can fix the inclination angle with respect to the seat cushion portion 4a at an arbitrary angle. The headrest portion 4c has an up-down position adjustment mechanism that is movable upward from the upper end portion of the seat back portion 4b and can be fixed at a predetermined position.

[0012] A center console 5 is provided between the two left and right seats 4 of the front seats and the rear seats. The projector 2a can be arranged at any place inside the vehicle. When the screen 2b is attached to the ceiling 1a of the vehicle 1, the projector 2a can be arranged, for example, on the center console 5 so as to project video content in the direction of the screen 2b, that is, toward the overhead space of the passengers. Note that in FIG. 1, only the center console (rear center console) 5 provided between the rear seats is shown, and an example of arranging the projector 2a on the rear center console 5 is shown.

[0013] Once the arrangements of the projector 2a and the screen 2b are determined, the initial setting of the projection range can be performed using the pan-tilt mechanism and the zoom mechanism of the projector 2a. The initial setting is performed so that the projection range is suitable for each passenger to view a test still image with all the seats 4 of the vehicle 1 reclined while the vehicle 1 is stopped. In the initial setting, in addition to the projection range for displaying a single large screen (full screen display) that all passengers view, the projection range for displaying a plurality of screens (multi-display display) at positions corresponding to each seat can be set.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the main configuration of a vehicle video display device (hereinafter, device) 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the device 100 includes a display unit 2 (projector 2a), a controller 10 for controlling the display unit 2, a user terminal 6 capable of outputting video content, and a sensor 7 capable of detecting the running state of the vehicle 1. The controller 10 is connected to each of the display unit 2 (projector 2a), the user terminal 6, and the sensor 7 by wire or wirelessly.

[0015] As the user terminal 6 capable of outputting video content, for example, portable devices such as smartphones, portable game consoles, and video cameras carried by passengers can be used. The entertainment system installed in the vehicle 1 can also be used as the user terminal 6. The user terminal 6 outputs a video signal corresponding to the video content selected according to the operation by the passenger, who is the user, to the projector 2a via the controller 10.

[0016] The user terminal 6 may transmit (output) a video file corresponding to the video content selected according to the operation by the passenger to the controller 10. The video file transmitted from the user terminal 6 to the controller 10 is stored in the memory of the controller 10. Video files and image files are stored in advance in the memory of the controller 10. The video file transmitted from the user terminal 6 to the controller 10 may be stored together with the files stored in advance in the memory of the controller 10, or may be stored after erasing the files stored in advance.

[0017] As the sensor 7 capable of detecting the driving state of the vehicle 1, for example, positioning sensors such as GPS installed in smartphones or wearable devices carried by passengers can be used. In this case, based on the time-series position information detected by the positioning sensor (sensor 7), the moving speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1 can be estimated. The vehicle speed sensor and acceleration sensor installed in the vehicle 1 can also be used as the sensor 7. In this case, the controller 10 is connected to the electronic control unit to which signals from the vehicle speed sensor and acceleration sensor (sensor 7) installed in the vehicle 1 are input, and is connected to the sensor 7 via the electronic control unit.

[0018] The controller 10 includes a computer having a processor such as a CPU, memories such as a ROM and a RAM, and other peripheral circuits, and is built into, for example, the projector 2a. The controller 10 may include an independent computer not built into the projector 2a, or a user terminal such as a smartphone carried by a passenger may be used as the controller 10. The processor of the controller 10 functions as the information acquisition unit 11 and the control unit 12 by executing a program stored in the memory in advance.

[0019] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires travel information regarding the travel state of the vehicle 1 detected by the sensor 7. More specifically, it acquires time-series position information detected by a positioning sensor (sensor 7), or information on the moving speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1 detected by a vehicle speed sensor or an acceleration sensor (sensor 7). The acceleration of the vehicle 1 includes not only the acceleration in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 but also the acceleration in the vehicle width direction. The travel information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 is temporarily stored in the memory of the controller 10.

[0020] The control unit 12 controls the display unit 2 to display video content by transmitting a video signal to the display unit 2, and also controls the display unit 2 to adjust the display size of the video content based on the travel information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. More specifically, it estimates the moving speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1 based on the time-series position information detected by the positioning sensor (sensor 7) and temporarily stored in the memory of the controller 10, and adjusts the display size of the video content based on the estimated moving speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, it adjusts the display size of the video content based on the moving speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1 detected by a vehicle speed sensor or an acceleration sensor (sensor 7).

[0021] Motion sickness occurs when there is a discrepancy between the motion information received by the viewer's eyes (information regarding the magnitude of the moving speed, the direction and magnitude of the acceleration, etc.) and the motion information sensed by the body such as the inner ear, muscles, and joints, causing the brain to become confused and the autonomic nerves to be disrupted. Therefore, when a passenger in vehicle 1 watches video content, the greater the moving speed or acceleration of vehicle 1, the more likely a discrepancy will occur between the motion information received by the eyes and the motion information sensed by the body, making it easier to experience motion sickness.

[0022] Figures 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the adjustment of the display size of video content by control unit 12. Figure 3A shows an example of the adjustment of the display size according to the moving speed V of vehicle 1, and Figure 3B shows an example of the adjustment of the display size according to the acceleration (absolute value) A of vehicle 1.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, control unit 12 controls display unit 2 to reduce the display size of the video content as the moving speed V of vehicle 1 increases or as the acceleration A of vehicle 1 increases. More specifically, when display unit 2 is a projector system, with the size of the projection range initially set during the stop of vehicle 1 as the display size of 100%, display unit 2 (projector 2a) is controlled according to the moving speed V or acceleration A. When display unit 2 is a display, with the size of the entire display as the display size of 100%, display unit 2 is controlled according to the moving speed V or acceleration A.

[0024] For example, when the moving speed V or the acceleration A is equal to or greater than the threshold values V1 and A1, the display unit 2 is controlled to have a display size of 90%, and when the moving speed V or the acceleration A is equal to or greater than the threshold values V2 and A2, the display unit 2 is controlled to have a display size of 80%. In this way, as the moving speed or acceleration of the vehicle 1 increases, the display size is decreased to reduce the proportion of video content occupying the field of view of the occupant, thereby suppressing the deviation between the movement information received by the eyes and the movement information felt by the body, and suppressing motion sickness. Also, by adjusting the display size step by step, it is possible to suppress motion sickness while reducing the discomfort that can be given to the occupant watching the video content due to the adjustment of the display size.

[0025] The moving speed V and the acceleration A of the vehicle 1 may be the average value or the maximum value during a predetermined period. In this case, it is possible to prevent the display size of the video content from being frequently changed. The control unit 12 may control the display unit 2 to decrease the display size of the video content as the frequency of the acceleration A of the vehicle 1 being equal to or greater than a predetermined value increases.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the controller 10. The process shown in this flowchart starts, for example, when the controller 10 is activated, and is repeated at a predetermined cycle until the controller 10 is stopped. As shown in FIG. 4, first, in step S1, it is determined whether video content is being displayed by the display unit 2. If it is affirmed in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2, and if it is negated in step S1, the process ends. In step S2, travel information regarding the traveling state of the vehicle 1 detected by the sensor 7 is acquired, and the moving speed V or the acceleration A is compared with the threshold values V1, V2 or the threshold values A1, A2. Next, in step S3, the display size of the video content is adjusted to the display size corresponding to the comparison result in step S2 based on preset characteristics (FIGS. 3A and 3B).

[0027] While the video content is being displayed, constantly check the driving state of vehicle 1 and adjust the display size according to the driving state, so that even when viewing video content on a large screen in the limited space inside the vehicle, it is possible to suppress the motion sickness of the passengers (steps S1 to S3). That is, when vehicle 1 is stopped or in a relatively gentle driving state, the video content is displayed on a large screen, and in a driving state where the moving speed and acceleration are large and there is a high possibility of motion sickness, the display size is reduced, so that it is possible to suppress motion sickness while enjoying the merits of a large screen.

[0028] According to this embodiment, the following operational effects can be achieved. (1) The device 100 is mounted on vehicle 1, and includes a display unit 2 that displays video content, an information acquisition unit 11 that acquires driving information regarding the driving state of vehicle 1, and a control unit 12 that controls the display unit 2 to adjust the display size of the video content based on the driving information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (FIGS. 1 and 2). By adjusting the display size of the video content according to the driving state of vehicle 1, even when viewing video content on a large screen in the limited space inside the vehicle, it is possible to suppress the motion sickness of the passengers.

[0029] (2) The driving information includes information regarding the moving speed V of vehicle 1. The control unit 12 controls the display unit 2 to reduce the display size of the video content as the moving speed V increases (FIG. 3A). When the passengers of vehicle 1 view video content, as the moving speed V of vehicle 1 increases, it becomes easier for a deviation to occur between the motion information entering the eyes and the motion information felt by the body, and it becomes easier to experience motion sickness. By reducing the display size only in a driving state where the moving speed V of vehicle 1 is large and there is a high possibility of motion sickness, it is possible to appropriately suppress the motion sickness of the passengers while enjoying the merits of a large screen.

[0030] (3) The driving information includes information regarding the acceleration A of the vehicle 1. The control unit 12 controls the display unit 2 so as to reduce the display size of the video content as the acceleration A is larger or as the frequency at which the acceleration A becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value is higher (FIG. 3B). When the occupant of the vehicle 1 views the video content, as the acceleration A of the vehicle 1 is larger or as the frequency at which the acceleration A becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value is higher, a deviation is more likely to occur between the movement information entering the eyes and the movement information felt by the body, and the occupant is more likely to experience motion sickness. By reducing the display size only in the driving state where the acceleration A of the vehicle 1 is large or the frequency at which the acceleration A becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value is high and motion sickness is likely to occur, it is possible to appropriately suppress the occupant's motion sickness while enjoying the merit of a large screen.

[0031] (4) The display unit 2 has a projector 2a that projects video content toward the upper space of the occupant of the vehicle 1 (FIG. 1). When projecting video content toward the upper space of the occupant using the projector 2a, a wide projection range can be secured on the ceiling 1a of the vehicle 1, and the video content can be displayed on a large screen. In this case, while the viewing experience of the video content by the occupant can be improved, the occupant is more likely to experience motion sickness. By adjusting the display size of the video content according to the driving state of the vehicle 1, it is possible to suppress the occupant's motion sickness even when viewing the video content on a large screen in the limited space inside the vehicle.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the specific arrangement example of the display unit 2 (the projector 2a and the screen 2b) has been described with reference to FIG. 1 and the like, but the display unit mounted on the vehicle and displaying the video content is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the projector 2a may be arranged on the floor of the vehicle 1 or the like, or may be attached to the ceiling 1a or the like.

[0033] In the above embodiment, an example in which the display size of the video content is adjusted in three steps from 100% to 90% and 80% has been described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B and the like, but these are merely examples, and the adjustment of the display size of the video content based on the driving information is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the adjustment may be performed in two steps or four or more steps.

[0034] The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications as long as the features of the present invention are not impaired. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine one or more of the above embodiments and modifications, and it is also possible to combine the modifications with each other.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0035] 1 Vehicle, 2 Display unit, 2a Projector, 2b Screen, 3 Fixture, 4 Seat, 4a Seat cushion part, 4b Seat back part, 4c Headrest part, 5 Center console, 6 User terminal, 7 Sensor, 10 Controller, 11 Information acquisition unit, 12 Control unit, 100 Vehicle video display device (device)

Claims

1. A display unit mounted on a vehicle and displaying video content, an information acquisition unit that acquires driving information regarding the driving state of the vehicle, and a control unit that controls the display unit to adjust the display size of the video content based on the driving information acquired by the information acquisition unit. A vehicle video display device characterized by comprising the above components.

2. In the vehicle video display device according to Claim 1, the driving information includes information regarding the moving speed of the vehicle, and the control unit controls the display unit so that the display size of the video content becomes smaller as the moving speed is higher. A vehicle video display device characterized by this.

3. In the vehicle video display device according to Claim 1, the driving information includes information regarding the acceleration of the vehicle, and the control unit controls the display unit so that the display size of the video content becomes smaller as the acceleration is higher, or as the frequency at which the acceleration becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value is higher. A vehicle video display device characterized by this.

4. In the vehicle video display device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, the display unit has a projector that projects the video content toward the space above the vehicle occupants. A vehicle video display device characterized by this.

Images