Display control device, head-up display device, display control program, and display system for vehicle

Abstract

To perform control to change a display position according to display duration time of a content, and thereby minimize interception of a field of front vision of a vehicle and thereby suppress troublesome and enhance visibility.SOLUTION: A display control device 60 for performing display control of a display device 80 for a vehicle superposing a content on a foreground of a vehicle and enabling visual recognition of the content has a control part 61 for generating a content displayed for display duration time of less than a threshold, changing the display position of the content according to the set display duration time, and allocating the display position to a display region of the display device for a vehicle, and displaying the content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device that performs display control of a display device for a vehicle capable of visually recognizing an image superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a display device that displays, for a predetermined display duration, content such as a caution image for alerting a user (viewer) and an image of a vehicle to be a caution target on a display unit provided on a dashboard of a vehicle, and then makes it non-displayed. Specifically, in paragraph

[0057] (FIG. 7(b)), it is described that a blue caution image (Ib) is displayed for 0.5 seconds as a single display time at intervals of 1.5 seconds.

[0003] Further, for example, Patent Document 2 describes a head-up display device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a HUD device unless otherwise specified) capable of visually recognizing an image superimposed on the foreground of a vehicle. According to the HUD device, a driver who is a viewer can visually recognize information indicated by content such as an image without significantly shifting the line of sight from the foreground, so that the load of line-of-sight movement can be reduced and safe driving can be contributed to.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the HUD device, the upper end of the display area virtually set in front of the vehicle is displayed superimposed on the foreground about 100 m ahead of the vehicle, for example. That is, when content is displayed in the area of the upper end of the display area, since it overlaps the foreground that the driver as the viewer wants to see, the foreground becomes difficult to see and the driver may feel annoyed. In particular, the closer to the fixation point, the stronger the tendency to feel annoyed.

[0006] On the other hand, if the display duration of the content is short, the time of being annoyed is reduced because the time of blocking the field of view is short. Conversely, if the display duration is long, the time of being annoyed increases. Further, if the display duration is short, when it takes time to direct the line of sight, the content becomes non-displayed while the line of sight is moving, or the content immediately becomes non-displayed even when the line of sight is directed, and the content may not be confirmed or may not be sufficiently visible.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a display control device and the like that suppress annoyance and enhance visibility by minimizing blocking of the forward field of view of the vehicle by performing control to change the display position according to the display duration of the content.

[0008] Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the aspects and best modes exemplified below and the accompanying drawings.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] Below, in order to easily understand the outline of the present invention, aspects according to the present invention are exemplified.

[0010] A first aspect is a display control device that performs display control of a vehicle display device that visually recognizes content superimposed on the foreground of a vehicle, generates the content to be displayed with a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display the content in a display area of the vehicle display device, and includes a control unit.

[0011] In the first aspect, the control unit generates content that is displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, and performs control to change the display position of the content according to the set display duration, allocate it to a display area, and display it. Therefore, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration to the upper region of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the driver as the viewer wants to see. As a result, the annoyance felt by the driver can be suppressed.

[0012] Here, the "foreground" refers to the forward view (scenery) that the driver as the viewer can visually recognize through the front window of the vehicle. Also, the "display duration less than the threshold value" means that the time continuously displayed in one display of the content is less than the threshold value, for example, 1 second or 1.5 seconds. Further, the "content" refers to the content of information expressed by text, image, etc. related to traffic signs such as "stop", "sound the siren", "speed limit", vehicle information such as "breakdown", "refueling", or the driving state of the driver such as "drowsiness" and "lane departure".

[0013] In a second aspect subordinate to the first aspect, the control unit may estimate the line-of-sight direction from the detected viewpoint position of the viewer, obtain a fixation point in the display area from the estimated line-of-sight direction, and perform control to allocate and display the content to an area near the estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point.

[0014] In the second aspect, since the control unit estimates the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position of the viewer, obtains the fixation point from the line-of-sight direction, and allocates and displays the content to an area near the estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration to the upper region of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the driver as the viewer wants to see. As a result, the annoyance felt by the driver can be suppressed.

[0015] Here, the "estimated line-of-sight region including the fixation point" refers to a point where the line of sight of the driver as the viewer converges (for example, P in FIG. 4 f See reference), and includes a region close to the fixation point that can be visually recognized without line-of-sight movement (for example, see the estimated line-of-sight region PFA in the display region VA shown in FIG. 5). Also, the "adjacent region" refers to the display region close to the estimated line-of-sight region PFA including the fixation point P f For example, the display regions VA1 to which content with a display duration of 1 second is assigned and VA2 to which content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds is assigned, as shown in FIGS. 4(a)(b) or FIGS. 5(a)(b).

[0016] Here, to obtain the fixation point from the viewer's viewpoint position, for example, calculate the vector from the corneal reflection point of the viewer to the pupil center on a plane perpendicular to the reference line connecting the plurality of cameras and the pupil center of the viewer, calculate the angle θ of the viewer's line of sight with respect to each reference line of the cameras based on each vector using a function including M parameters, determine the M parameters included in the function using a plurality of relational expressions derived based on the angle θ, and based on the direction of the line of sight calculated using the determined parameters, obtain the intersection point on the display device screen of the line of sight, which can be realized.

[0017] In a third aspect subordinate to the first aspect, the control unit may set a region including the upper end of the display region as the estimated line-of-sight region, and perform control to assign and display content in a region adjacent to the estimated line-of-sight region.

[0018] In a third aspect, in the display area, an area including the upper end of the display area is set (fixed) as the estimated line-of-sight area. Typically, the display area is arranged below the front area where the driver, who is the viewer, frequently directs their line of sight. Specifically, the upper end of the display area is arranged below the line of sight when the driver looks straight ahead horizontally. Also, in some embodiments, the display area is arranged such that the front area where the driver frequently directs their line of sight overlaps with the upper area (the area above the vertical center of the display area). Therefore, it can be estimated that the area including the upper end of the display area overlaps with or is close to the area where the driver frequently directs their line of sight. In the third aspect, in the display area, an area including the upper end of the display area is set as the estimated line-of-sight area, and content is assigned and displayed in the vicinity of this estimated line-of-sight area. For example, it is restricted to assign and display content with a short display duration to the area of the upper end of the display area where the line of sight is considered to tend to concentrate relatively, and thus it is possible to avoid the generated content overlapping with the foreground that the driver, who is the viewer, wants to see, and as a result, suppress the annoyance felt by the driver.

[0019] That is, the "estimated line-of-sight area" is set (fixed) to an area that overlaps with the front area where the driver frequently directs their line of sight and an area close to the front area where the driver frequently directs their line of sight, regardless of the detected fixation point of the driver (see, for example, the estimated line-of-sight area PFA in the display area VA shown in FIG. 5). Therefore, the "vicinity area" is also fixed regardless of the detected fixation point of the driver, and the display area VA1 to which content with a display duration of 1 second is assigned and the display area VA2 to which content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds is assigned, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), are fixedly set within the display area.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, which is dependent on the second or third aspect, the control unit may perform control to assign, in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area, a first display area to which content with a relatively short display duration is assigned and a second display area to which content with a display duration longer than the display duration is assigned, and to assign the first display area above the second display area.

[0021] In the fourth aspect, the control unit allocates a first display area VA1 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) to which content with a relatively short display duration is assigned and a second display area VA2 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) to which content with a longer display duration than that is assigned in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA (in other words, content with a display duration of 1 second and content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds, which is longer than this content, are respectively assigned to the first display area VA1 and the second display area VA2 close to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA including the fixation point Pf), and performs control to allocate the first display area VA1 above the second display area VA2. In particular, in the first display area VA1, since the line-of-sight movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is small even if the display duration is short, the content can be visually recognized immediately. Therefore, it is not necessary to spend time turning the line of sight, and the content will not become non-displayed while the line of sight is moving, so the content can be confirmed. Note that the display area VA (VA1, VA2) assigned according to the type of content is fixed, and as will be described later, for some content, it may be switched from the second display area VA2 to the first display area VA1 according to the urgency or importance.

[0022] In a fifth aspect dependent on the second or third aspect, the vehicle display device is a head-up display device used as an oblique image plane in which the display area virtually set in front of the vehicle is installed tilted forward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the control unit allocates a first display area to which content with a relatively short display duration is assigned and a second display area to which content with a longer display duration than the display duration is assigned in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area, and may perform control to allocate the first display area above and / or farther than the second display area.

[0023] In the fifth aspect, the control unit allocates, in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA, a first display area VA1 to which content with a relatively short display duration is allocated and a second display area VA2 to which content with a longer display duration compared thereto is allocated, and controls to allocate the first display area VA1 above and / or farther than the second display area VA2. By doing so, when using a HUD device having an oblique image plane as a vehicle display device, even if the display duration is short, the line-of-sight movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is small, and the focus of the eyes can be easily adjusted, so that the content can be visually recognized immediately. Therefore, it does not take time to direct the line of sight, and the content does not become non-displayed while the line of sight is moving, and the content can be confirmed.

[0024] In a sixth aspect subordinate to the first aspect, the control unit may perform control to allocate and display the display position of the content to the first display area or the second display area excluding the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point, the shorter the set display duration is.

[0025] In the sixth aspect, the control unit performs control to allocate and display the display position of the content to the first or second display area VA1, VA2 excluding the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA, the shorter the set display duration is. Since the estimated line-of-sight area PFA is the area that the driver who is the viewer gazes at, the closer to the fixation point, the more important it is. By setting the display elapsed time shorter the closer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA, the obstruction of the field of view due to the foreground and the content overlapping can be minimized. Therefore, it can contribute to safe driving.

[0026] In a seventh aspect subordinate to the first aspect, the control unit may perform control to repeatedly display the changed display position at an arbitrary timing according to the type of the content displayed on the vehicle display device.

[0027] In the seventh aspect, the control unit performs control to repeatedly display at an arbitrary timing at a display position changed according to the type of content displayed on the vehicle display device. As a result, the driver, who is the viewer, has a reduced chance of overlooking the content by repeatedly displaying the content, which can contribute to safe driving. Here, the content that requires repeated display is, for example, vehicle information such as "failure" and "refueling", or is related to the driver's driving state such as "drowsiness" and "lane departure". Conversely, the content that does not require repeated display is, for example, traffic signs such as "stop first", "sound the siren", and "speed limit".

[0028] In addition, for the repeated display of the above-described content, for example, when the display position is set in the display area VA1 according to the position of the fixation point for the first time (see FIGS. 4 and 5), the display positions for the second and third times are also set to the display position (display area VA1) based on the position of the fixation point for the first time. Specifically, the repeated display of the content is a blinking display. For example, the ON time is 1 to 1.5 seconds and the OFF time is 5 to 10 seconds. Also, an upper limit is set for the number of displays, for example, up to 3 times. When setting the display duration for each type of content, if it is the same type of content, it will be displayed in the same display area. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), if there is content (temporary stop) that has been displayed and then erased once, and the next content to be displayed is of the same type, the content will be allocated and displayed at the location (display area VA1 or VA2) where it was previously allocated and displayed. In the case of the lane departure warning (LDW: Lane Departure Warning) for driving support, after being displayed once, if the lane departure warning criteria are reached again within a predetermined time (the second time within the predetermined time), the display duration may be shortened and the display position may be changed to a position that is more likely to enter the driver's line of sight.

[0029] In the eighth aspect, which is subordinate to the first aspect, when the control unit determines that the content displayed on the in-vehicle display device is content with high urgency or importance, the control unit may set a shorter display duration for the content.

[0030] In the eighth aspect, if the content to be displayed is content with high urgency or importance, the control unit can change the display position to a position closer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA and easier for the driver's line of sight to enter by setting a shorter display duration for the content. In this case, it is possible to avoid overlooking important content and raise awareness.

[0031] In a ninth aspect subordinate to the second aspect, when it is determined that the viewer is not viewing the content based on the estimated line-of-sight direction of the viewer, the control unit may set a shorter display duration for the content.

[0032] In the ninth aspect, when it is determined based on the estimated line-of-sight direction that the viewer is not viewing the content, the control unit can change the display position to a position easier for the driver's line of sight to enter by setting a shorter display duration for the content, and can avoid overlooking. For example, confirmation of content such as traffic signs is important in the driving scene, and overlooking may lead to accidents. Therefore, by changing the display position to a position easier for the driver as the viewer to view, the chance of overlooking can be reduced and it can contribute to safe driving. Note that the determination as to whether the driver as the viewer is viewing the content is possible by estimating the line-of-sight direction from the driver's viewpoint position and calculating the fixation point P in the display area (image formation plane) virtually set in front of the vehicle from the obtained driver's line-of-sight direction. f This can be achieved by calculating it.

[0033] A tenth aspect is a head-up display device that forms an image of content in a display area virtually set in front of a vehicle, includes an image display unit that superimposes the content generated in the foreground of the vehicle and projects and displays the content toward a projection member, and a control unit that generates the content to be displayed with a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to display the content in the display area assigned to the image display unit.

[0034] In the tenth aspect, the control unit generates content to be displayed with a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, allocates it to the display area, and performs control to display it on the image display unit. For this reason, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration to the upper region of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus, it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the viewer, the driver, wants to see. As a result, a head-up display device that suppresses the annoyance felt by the driver can be provided.

[0035] The eleventh aspect is a display control program for performing display control of a vehicle display device that overlays and visually recognizes content on the foreground of a vehicle. The processor included in the display control device is caused to execute a process of generating the content to be displayed with a display duration less than a threshold value, and a process of changing the display position of the content according to the set display duration and performing control to allocate and display it in the display area of the vehicle display device.

[0036] In the eleventh aspect, by reading and executing the display control program recorded in the memory by the processor included in the display control device, content to be displayed with a display duration less than a threshold value is generated, the display position of the content is changed according to the set display duration, allocated to the display area, and control is performed to display it on the vehicle display device. For this reason, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration to the upper region of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus, it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the viewer, the driver, wants to see. As a result, the annoyance felt by the driver can be suppressed.

[0037] A twelfth aspect is a vehicle display system including a head-up display device that forms an image of content in a display area virtually set in front of a vehicle, and a display control device that controls the display of the head-up display device. The display control device generates content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display the content in the display area. The head-up display device superimposes the generated content on the foreground of the vehicle and projects and forms an image of the content toward a projection member.

[0038] In the twelfth aspect, the display control device generates content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display the content in the display area. The head-up display device superimposes the generated content on the foreground of the vehicle and projects and forms an image of the content toward a projection member. Therefore, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration in an upper region of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the viewer, i.e., the driver, wants to see. As a result, a vehicle display system can be provided that suppresses the annoyance felt by the driver.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0039]

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 1C

Figure 2

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0040] The best embodiments described below are used for easily understanding the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art should note that the present invention is not unduly limited by the embodiments described below (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiments).

[0041] Hereinafter, a vehicle display system 100 to which the display control device 60 of the present embodiment is applied will be exemplified and described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] (Configuration of the Embodiment) FIG. 1A is a diagram cited to explain the outline of a vehicle display device 80 (here, HUD device 80a) applied to the vehicle display system 100 according to the present embodiment, and is a diagram cited to explain the relationship between the viewpoint position in the height direction of the viewer and the display area VA (imaging surface) virtually set in front of the vehicle 10. In FIG. 1A, the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10 is the Z direction (the forward direction is the positive Z direction), the direction along the left-right direction (the width direction of the vehicle 10) of the vehicle 10 is the X direction (the left direction is the positive X direction), and the up-down direction is the Y direction (the upward direction is the positive Y direction).

[0043] As shown in FIG. 1A, the projection display by the HUD device 80a reflects the display light L projected by the HUD device 80a provided inside the dashboard 11 of the vehicle 10 in the direction of the viewer 14 (the driver seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle 10) by the windshield 13 of the vehicle 10 to display the virtual image V. In other words, the HUD device 80a projects the display light L (the virtual image V which is the content) emitted from the image display unit 83 (the liquid crystal display 831 in FIG. 6 described later) onto the windshield 13 which is the projection member. The windshield 13 reflects this projection onto a predetermined area (the eye box). The viewer 14 can visually recognize the display light L (the virtual image V) by directing his / her eyes to the predetermined area (the eye box). Thereby, the viewer 14 can visually recognize the content superimposed on the front view of the vehicle 10.

[0044] The "eyebox" used in the description of the HUD device 80a refers to: (1) an area where the entire virtual image V displayed by the image display unit 83 (see FIG. 6) can be visually recognized within the area, and at least a part of the virtual image V displayed by the image display unit 83 cannot be visually recognized outside the area; (2) an area where at least a part of the virtual image V can be visually recognized within the area, and no part of the virtual image V can be visually recognized outside the area; (3) an area where at least a part of the virtual image V can be visually recognized at a predetermined luminance or higher within the area, and the entire virtual image V is less than the predetermined luminance outside the area; or (4) when the HUD device 80a can display a stereoscopic virtual image V, an area where at least a part of the virtual image V can be stereoscopically viewed, and no part of the virtual image V can be stereoscopically viewed outside the area. That is, when the viewer 14 places the eyes (both eyes) outside the eyebox, the viewer 14 cannot visually recognize the entire virtual image V, perceives that the visibility of the entire virtual image V is very low and is difficult to perceive, or cannot stereoscopically view the virtual image V. The predetermined luminance is, for example, about 1 / 50 of the luminance of the virtual image V visually recognized at the center of the eyebox. The "eyebox" is set to be the same as the area (also called an eyeblipse) where the viewing position of the viewer 14 is assumed in the vehicle 10 on which the HUD device 80a is mounted, or includes most of the eyeblipse (for example, 80% or more). Also, the depression angle LD is defined as the angle formed by the straight line VL parallel to the road surface from the center of the eyebox and the straight line (dashed line) connecting the center of the eyebox and the center of the display area VA.

[0045] In this case, the HUD device 80a projects the display light L such that the virtual image V is inclined at 45° or less with respect to the road surface on which the vehicle 10 travels, and the upper part of the virtual image V appears to be inclined farther from the viewer 14 than the lower part. Thereby, the viewer 14 can visually recognize the virtual image V mainly superimposed on the road surface on the front side of the vehicle 10 and obtain various information indicated by the content.

[0046] Incidentally, a viewing angle AV is set for the HUD device 80a. If the virtual range in the space where the virtual image V can be formed by the HUD device 80a is taken as the display area VA which is the imaging surface, the viewing angle AV is the viewing angle defined based on the virtual line connecting the eye of the viewer 14 and the outer edge of the display area VA. The viewing angle AV is the angular range within which the viewer 14 can view the virtual image V. By changing the angle (depression angle LD) formed by the straight line VL parallel to the road surface with reference to the height of the eye of the viewer 14 and the straight line (broken line) connecting the eye of the viewer 14 and the virtual image V, the angle at which the viewer 14 can view the virtual image V (the angle at which the viewer 14 looks down at the virtual image V as seen from the viewpoint position EP) can be adjusted.

[0047] FIG. 1B is a diagram cited to explain the relationship between the display area VA virtually set in front of the vehicle 10 and the viewing angle AV of the vehicle display device 80 (here, the HUD device 80a). As shown in FIG. 1B, the HUD device 80a is set such that the horizontal viewing angle (for example, about 10 to 12°) in the horizontal direction is larger than the vertical viewing angle (for example, about 4 to 5°) in the vertical direction. The forward range that overlaps with the display area VA which is the imaging surface when viewed from the viewpoint position EP of the viewer 14 is the range of the viewing angle AV. The display area VA corresponds to the display surface of the HUD device 80a (to be described later) (in other words, the display area VA has a conjugate relationship with the display surface of the image display unit 83 to be described later), and the virtual image V viewed in the display area VA corresponds to the content projected and displayed on the display surface of the HUD device 80a (image display unit 83).

[0048] In FIG. 1B, the vertical direction of the display area VA is the vertical viewing angle, and the horizontal direction is the horizontal viewing angle. In the display area VA, the area between the upper end PU and the lower end PL of the viewing angle AV is bisected by a boundary line (in the figure, a dashed-dotted line), and the lower side (the side that feels closer when viewed from the viewer 14) of the area partitioned thereby can be defined as the "front side", and the upper side (the side that feels farther when viewed from the viewer 14) can be defined as the "rear side". Note that the boundary line is an example and is not limited thereto.

[0049] FIG. 1C illustrates an image 90 displayed on the HUD device 80a. The image 90 includes, for example, a 2D image 91 and a 2D image 92 that are represented two-dimensionally, and a 3D image 93 that is represented three-dimensionally. The 2D image 91 is imaged two-dimensionally on the XY plane at the display distance D1 and is an image that does not give the driver, who is the viewer, a sense of perspective. According to such a 2D image 91, the entire display can be clearly recognized generally without adjusting the focus of the eyes of the driver 14, who is the viewer. On the other hand, one end of the 2D image 92 is on the XY plane at the display distance D3, and the other end is on the XY plane at the display distance D4, which is farther from the driver 14 than the display distance D3. The 2D image 92 is imaged two-dimensionally and is an image that gives the driver 14, who is the viewer, a sense of perspective. Such a 2D image 92 can give a three-dimensional impression because the entire display is clearly recognized by adjusting the focus of the eyes of the driver 14, who is the viewer. An example of the 3D image 93 is an image that is imaged as a three-dimensional object having a volume, with one end on the XY plane at the display distance D2 and the other end on the XY plane at the display distance D3, which is farther from the driver 14 than the display distance D2, and gives the driver 14, who is the viewer, a sense of three-dimensionality.

[0050] Here, increasing the display distance D, in other words, means imaging the image 90 at a position farther from the eyebox (the area where the eyes of the driver 14, who is the viewer, are located). For example, it means bringing the 2D image 91 displayed at the display distance D1 and the 3D image 93 displayed between the display distances D2 and D3 closer to the display distance D4 on the far side. Also, decreasing the display distance D, in other words, means imaging the image 90 at a position closer to the eyebox. For example, it means bringing the 2D image 91 displayed at the display distance D4 and the 3D image 93 displayed between the display distances D2 and D3 closer to the display distance D1 on the near side.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle display system 100 to which the display control device 60 of the present embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle display system 100 includes a vehicle ECU 20, an in-vehicle monitoring device 30, a navigation device 40, an operation input device 50, and a display control device 60. All of these can transmit information bidirectionally via an I / O interface 70.

[0052] The vehicle ECU 20 is an electronic control unit that controls the drive system of the vehicle 10 such as an engine and a motor, the braking system such as brakes, and the steering system such as steering. It also includes a driving support ECU (electronic control unit) that supports the driving of the driver 14, and has at least one of a driving support function that supports the driving operation of the driver and an automatic driving function that can substitute for the driving operation of the driver. Based on the detection information acquired from the in-vehicle monitoring device 30, it recognizes the driving environment in front of the vehicle 10 and controls the vehicle 10 according to the analysis result of the recognized detection information. In addition, it is also possible to provide various display information indicating the state of the vehicle 10 to the display control device 60 of the present embodiment via the I / O interface 70.

[0053] The in-vehicle monitoring device 30 is sensors necessary for recognizing the surrounding driving environment including the front of the vehicle 10, and includes a camera 301, a GPS 302 (Global Positioning System), a LiDAR 303 (Light Detection And Ranging), a behavior sensor 304, and the like. The information recognized or detected by the in-vehicle monitoring device 30 is transferred to the vehicle ECU 20, the navigation device 40, and the display control device 60 of the present embodiment via the I / O interface 70.

[0054] Note that the camera 301 captures at least the forward view (real scene) of the vehicle 10 and the eyes of the driver who is the viewer 14. The GPS 302 measures the current location of the vehicle 10. The LiDAR 303 uses near-infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, etc. to irradiate light on obstacles existing in front of the vehicle 10 photographed by the camera 301, for example, captures the reflected light with an optical sensor, and determines the distance to the obstacle based on the time difference. The behavior sensor 304 includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that detects the behavior of the vehicle 10, a vehicle speed sensor, etc. The IMU uses a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) to measure (detect translational motion in three-axis directions from acceleration [m / s 2 , and rotational motion from angular velocity [deg / s]).

[0055] The navigation device 40 uses a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as GPS 52 and a gyro sensor to obtain map information from the map information DB 400 or through wireless communication with the outside of the vehicle, and performs functions such as guiding the surrounding facilities and routes of the vehicle 10. The navigation device 40 can transfer a signal that prompts a display output based on this guidance information to the display control device 60 via the I / O interface 70 at an appropriate timing. Note that the map information (map information DB 400) can obtain and store the latest map information through communication with an external center (not shown) via, for example, a V2X (Vehicle to X) type communication system. Here, the map information is mapping data digitized to represent the driving environment of the vehicle 10. It is preferably digital data of a particularly high-precision dynamic map as the mapping data. Note that a dynamic map is a digital map that combines a vast amount of dynamic information that changes moment by moment, such as traffic regulations, construction information, accidents and traffic jams, pedestrian and signal information, etc., and static information such as high-precision three-dimensional position information (three-dimensional structures such as road surface information, lane information, and road signs).

[0056] The operation input device 50 is, for example, a group of switches provided near the steering wheel. By the driver, who is the viewer 14, operating these switches, the operation input device 50 can perform operations such as ON / OFF switching of the vehicle display device 80 (HUD device 80a), selection of the execution functions of the driving support device (vehicle ECU 20), setting of the air volume of the air conditioner, etc. Further, it is possible to input setting information (equivalent to the position of the glove box) for instructing the rotation amount (rotation position information) of a concave mirror (refer to the third relay optical unit 839 in FIG. 7) of the vehicle display device 80 (HUD device 80a), which will be described later.

[0057] The I / O interface 70 performs communication (also referred to as CAN communication) between the vehicle ECU 20 and the navigation device 40, in addition to the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, according to, for example, the CAN (Controller Area Network) standard. Note that the communication standard adopted by the I / O interface 70 is not limited to CAN, and includes, for example, wired communication interfaces such as CAN FD (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 such as personal area networks (PAN) such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) networks and short-range wireless communication interfaces within several tens of meters such as local area networks (LAN) such as 802.11x Wi-Fi (registered trademark) networks. Further, the I / O interface 70 may include an out-of-vehicle communication (external communication) interface such as a wide-area communication network (for example, an Internet communication network) according to cellular communication standards such as wireless wide-area network (WWAN0, IEEE802.16-2004 (WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)), IEEE802.16e-based (Mobile WiMAX), 4G, 4G-LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G, etc.

[0058] The display control device 60 of this embodiment performs display control of a vehicle display device 80 (such as the HUD device 80a) that allows a driver to visually recognize content superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle 10. For this purpose, the display control device 60 generates content that is displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display it in the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80. It has a control unit 61 and a storage unit 62. Here, "foreground" refers to an object in the forward field of view (scenery) that the driver, who is the viewer 14, can visually recognize through the front window of the vehicle 10. Also, "display duration less than the threshold value" means that the time continuously displayed in one display of the content is less than, for example, 1 second or 1.5 seconds. Further, "content" refers to information content expressed in text, images, etc., related to traffic signs such as temporary stops, sirens, speed limits, vehicle information such as malfunctions and refueling, or the driving state of the driver such as drowsiness and lane departure.

[0059] Note that the vehicle display device 80 is not limited to the HUD device 80a and may be a center information display (CID) provided in the center of the console of the vehicle 10 or a head-mounted display worn on the driver's head.

[0060] The control unit 61 can estimate the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position EP (see FIG. 1A) of the detected driver, who is the viewer 14, obtain a fixation point in the display area VA from the estimated line-of-sight direction, and perform control to allocate and display the content in an area near the estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point. Here, the "estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point" refers to an area (for example, the area PFA in the display area VA shown in FIG. 5) that includes the point where the line of sight of the driver, who is the viewer 14, converges (for example, P in FIG. 4 f See) and is close to the fixation point that can be viewed with a single view without line-of-sight movement. Also, the "nearby area" refers to a display area close to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA including the fixation point, for example, the display areas VA1 and VA2 shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0061] Note that from the viewpoint position EP of the driver, who is the viewer 14, to the fixation point Pf To obtain it, for example, a vector from the corneal reflection point of the viewer 14 to the pupil center on a plane perpendicular to the reference line connecting the camera 301 (see FIG. 2) and the pupil center of the viewer 14 is calculated, and based on each vector, the angle θ of the viewer's line of sight with respect to each reference line of the camera 301 is calculated using a function including M parameters. Then, M parameters included in the function are determined using a plurality of relational expressions derived based on the angle θ, and based on the direction of the line of sight calculated using the determined parameters, the intersection point on the display device screen of the line of sight can be obtained (for example, see WO2012 / 077713).

[0062] In addition, the control unit 61 can set a region including the upper end of the display region VA as an estimated line-of-sight region, and perform control to assign and display content in a region near the estimated line-of-sight region. Typically, the display region VA is arranged below the front region where the driver, who is the viewer, frequently directs their line of sight. Specifically, the upper end of the display region VA is arranged below the line of sight when the driver faces forward horizontally. Also, the display region is arranged such that the front region where the driver frequently directs their line of sight overlaps with the upper region (the region above the vertical center of the display region). Therefore, the region including the upper end of the display region VA can be estimated to overlap with or be close to the region where the driver frequently directs their line of sight. That is, the "estimated line-of-sight region" referred to here is set (fixed) to a region that overlaps with the front region where the driver frequently directs their line of sight and is close to the front region where the driver frequently directs their line of sight, regardless of the detected fixation point P of the driver (for example, refer to the estimated line-of-sight region PFA in the display region VA shown in FIG. 5). Therefore, the "region in the vicinity" is also fixed regardless of the detected fixation point P of the driver, and the display regions VA1 to which content with a display duration of 1 second and VA2 to which content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds are assigned, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), are fixedly set within the display region. f regardless of the detected fixation point P of the driver (for example, refer to the estimated line-of-sight region PFA in the display region VA shown in FIG. 5). Therefore, the "region in the vicinity" is also fixed regardless of the detected fixation point P of the driver, and the display regions VA1 to which content with a display duration of 1 second and VA2 to which content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds are assigned, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), are fixedly set within the display region. f regardless of the detected fixation point P of the driver, and the display regions VA1 to which content with a display duration of 1 second and VA2 to which content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds are assigned, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), are fixedly set within the display region.

[0063] Further, the control unit 61 can allocate a first display area VA1 to which content with a relatively short display duration is allocated and a second display area VA2 to which content with a display duration longer than that is allocated in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA (see FIGS. 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c) for both), and can perform control to allocate the first display area VA1 above the second display area VA2. In the first display area VA1 located above the second display area VA2, even if the display duration is short, the line-of-sight movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is small, so the content can be visually recognized immediately.

[0064] Further, the control unit 61 can also perform control to allocate the first display area VA1 above and farther away from the second display area VA2. When using the HUD device 80a having an oblique image plane (display area VA or imaging plane) as the vehicle display device 80, even if the display duration is short, the line-of-sight movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is small, and it is also easier to focus the eyes, so there is an advantage that the content can be visually recognized immediately.

[0065] Further, the shorter the set display duration is, the more the control unit 61 allocates and displays the content at the first display area VA1 or the second display area VA2 excluding the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA including the fixation point P f In this case, since the estimated line-of-sight area PFA is the area that the driver, who is the viewer 14, gazes at, the closer to the fixation point P f the more important it is. By setting the display elapsed time shorter as it gets closer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA, it is possible to minimize the obstruction of the field of view caused by the foreground and the content overlapping.

[0066] In addition, the control unit 61 can perform control to repeatedly display at an arbitrary timing at a display position changed according to the type of content displayed on the vehicle display device 80. In this case, the driver 14, who is the viewer, has a reduced chance of overlooking the content by repeatedly displaying the content. Here, the content that requires repeated display is, for example, information about the vehicle such as a failure or refueling, or is due to the driver's driving state such as drowsiness or lane departure. Conversely, the content that does not require repeated display is, for example, traffic signs such as "Stop First", "Sound Siren", and "Speed Limit". Note that the repeated display of the above-described content is, for example, at the first time, at the fixation point P f When the display position is set in the display area VA1 according to the position (see FIGS. 4 and 5), the second and third times are also set to the display position (display area VA1) based on the position of the first fixation point P f Specifically, the repeated display of the content is a blinking display. For example, the ON time is 1 to 1.5 seconds, and the OFF time is 5 to 10 seconds. Also, an upper limit is set for the number of displays, for example, up to 3 times. When setting the display duration for each type of content, if it is the same type of content, it will be displayed in the same display area VA. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), if there is content (temporary stop) that has been displayed and then erased once, and the next content to be displayed is of the same type, the content will be allocated and displayed at the place (display area VA1 or VA2) where it was previously allocated and displayed.

[0067] In addition, when it is determined that the content displayed on the vehicle display device 80 is content with a high degree of urgency or importance, the control unit 61 can set a short display duration for the content. If the displayed content is content with a high degree of urgency or importance, by setting a short display duration for the content, the display position can be changed to a position that is more likely to enter the driver's line of sight closer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA. In this case, it is possible to avoid overlooking important content and arouse attention.

[0068] In addition, when it is determined that the viewer 14 is not viewing the content based on the estimated line-of-sight direction of the estimated viewer 14, the control unit 61 can set a shorter display duration for the content. In this case, the display position can be changed to a position where it is easy to enter the driver's line of sight, and overlooking can be avoided. For example, confirmation of content such as traffic signs is important in the driving scene, and overlooking may lead to an accident. Therefore, by changing the display position to a position where it is easy for the driver, who is the viewer, to view, the chance of overlooking is reduced. Note that the determination as to whether the viewer 14 is viewing the content is made by estimating the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position of the driver, and from the obtained line-of-sight direction of the driver, the fixation point P f in the display area (imaging surface) virtually set in front of the vehicle can be calculated (see, for example, WO2012 / 077713).

[0069] To perform the above-described control, the control unit 61 includes a viewpoint position detection unit 611, a line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612, a content generation unit 613, a display position calculation unit 614, a display distance determination unit 615, and a display control unit 616.

[0070] The viewpoint position detection unit 611 has a function of detecting the viewpoint position of the driver who is the viewer 14. The viewpoint position detection unit 611 can detect the viewpoint position of the driver with high accuracy, for example, by performing image recognition on the eyes (pupil images) of the driver photographed by the camera 301 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 30. When a HUD device is used as the vehicle display device, the viewpoint position of the driver can also be detected by capturing the rotation position information (the position of the eyebox) of a concave mirror (see the third relay optical unit 839 in FIG. 7) described later, which is set by the driver who is the viewer 14 operating the operation input device 50.

[0071] The line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612 has a function of estimating the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position of the driver, who is the viewer detected by the viewpoint position detection unit 611. For example, the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612 calculates a vector from the corneal reflection point of the viewer 14 to the pupil center on a plane perpendicular to the reference line connecting the camera 301 and the pupil center of the viewer 14, and calculates the angle θ of the viewer 14's line of sight with respect to each reference line of the camera based on each vector using a function including M parameters. The M parameters included in the function are determined using a plurality of relational expressions derived based on the angle θ, and the line-of-sight direction calculated using the determined parameters can be estimated. This is described in detail, for example, in WO2012 / 077713, including the calculated vectors and relational expressions.

[0072] The content generation unit 613 has a function of generating content such as text and images related to the driving state of the driver, such as traffic signs like "Stop temporarily", "Sound the siren", "Speed limit", vehicle information like "Breakdown", "Refuel", or "Drowsiness", "Lane departure", etc., and allocating (writing) it to the display area VA. Based on the content generated by the content generation unit 613, for example, when the HUD device 80a is used as the vehicle display device 80, the HUD device 80a (see the image display unit 83 described later: FIGS. 6 and 7) can be driven. The content includes display distance data for driving the image display unit 83 to display the content at the display distance determined by the display distance determination unit 615 described later. Details will be described later.

[0073] The display position calculation unit 614 has a function of calculating the display position for allocating and displaying content at an arbitrary position within the display area VA. The display position calculation unit 614 calculates the display position of the content based on a preset correction value in order to display the content in accordance with the position of the captured image (the foreground of the vehicle 10) captured and acquired by the camera 301 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 30. Here, the correction value is a value set based on the deviation amount between the position of the instrument box where the viewpoint of the driver, who is the viewer 14, is assumed to be located and the mounting position of the camera 301 on the vehicle 10. That is, the display position calculation unit 614 calculates the display position when displaying the content on the imaging surface (display area VA) based on the coordinate system with the mounting position of the camera 301 as a reference and the coordinate system with the position of the instrument box as a reference, that is, the display position based on the viewpoint position of the driver. The display position when displaying the content based on the viewpoint position of the driver is specified based on the above-described viewpoint position of the camera 301 and the driver's viewpoint position. The technology for specifying the display position when displaying the content based on the driver's viewpoint position is described in detail, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-142770.

[0074] Note that since the viewpoint position of the camera 301 is different from the driver's viewpoint position, a technology is also known for converting the content generated at the viewpoint position of the camera 301 into a display image adjusted to the driver's viewpoint position using three-dimensional view conversion (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-185988). View conversion is a drawing method for expressing the content generated in the state seen from a certain viewpoint position in the state seen from a different viewpoint position in three-dimensional space. Specifically, using a parallel transformation matrix, the position of the image in the reference coordinate system in which the figure is generated is translated so as to match the coordinate system based on the viewpoint position of the person viewing the figure, and using a rotation transformation matrix, the translated image is rotated toward the viewpoint position. The image is converted by a combination of the coordinate system. By using this view conversion, which is generally used in the field of three-dimensional graphics, the image is generated in real time so as to overlap the driver's field of view following the change in the foreground accompanying the movement of the vehicle 10 and the change in the driver's viewpoint position, who is the viewer 14, and can be converted and displayed.

[0075] The display distance determination unit 615 determines the display distance of the content to be allocated and displayed in the display area VA, and has a function of determining at what display distance (the viewing point position EP of the driver who is the viewer 14, or the distance from the reference point set in the vehicle 10 to the content allocated and displayed in the display area VA (also referred to as the imaging distance)) and in what spatial arrangement the content is to be displayed. Note that the control of the display distance means controlling, as seen from the driver who is the viewer 14, how far in front of the vehicle 10 the content is displayed. Here, "increasing the display distance" means, in other words, imaging the content at a position farther from the instrument box, for example, arranging the content on the upper side (the back side shown in FIG. 1B), and "decreasing the display distance" means, in other words, imaging the content at a position closer to the instrument box, for example, arranging the content on the lower side (the front side shown in FIG. 1B).

[0076] The control of the display distance is realized by controlling the display of the content in the display area VA in a manner with depth. To display the content in a manner with depth, for example, it is realized by controlling the drawing of the content generated using a perspective method (for example, the one-point perspective method) based on the distance (position information) to a specific object such as a traffic sign included in the forward view of the vehicle 10. Also, by tilting the image plane of the HUD device 80a (oblique image plane), the virtual plane (display area VA corresponding to the image plane) on which the content is displayed can be set to be tilted forward with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle 10 to give the content depth. In this case, considering the projection from the viewing point position EP of the driver who is the viewer 14 to the virtual plane of the content to be viewed, the content generation unit 613 may control the drawing of the display area VA in a manner with depth for the content.

[0077] The display control unit 616 reads out, in synchronization with the display timing, the content (written) drawn by the content generation unit 613 in synchronization with the update timing from the VRAM area allocated to a partial area of the storage unit 62, and displays it on the vehicle display device 80 (here, the HUD device 80a).

[0078] For example, a processor with a built-in memory (ROM / RAM) or an externally attached processor is mounted on the control unit 61 including the above-described viewpoint position detection unit 611, the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612, the content generation unit 613, the display position calculation unit 614, the display distance determination unit 615, and the display control unit 616. The processor generates content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and the graphics controller performs control to allocate and display it in the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80. In this way, when the processor executes the program recorded in the memory and operates in cooperation with the graphics controller, the above-described respective functions are executed. Further, at least a part of the above-described functions can also be realized by hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a logic circuit, regardless of the processor or the graphics controller.

[0079] Note that the storage unit 62 is a memory on which, for example, a static RAM, a dynamic RAM, or a flash memory, etc., in which a program area and a work area are allocated, is mounted. Here, in the program area, a program for the display control device 60 (control unit 61) to execute a process of generating content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changing the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performing control to allocate and display it in the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80 is stored. Also, in the work area, display information including the content generated during the execution of the above-described program is stored, and this display information is developed in a VRAM (Video RAM) area allocated to a part of the work area, and the display content is sequentially updated in synchronization with the update timing.

[0080] (Operation of the Embodiment) FIGS. 3A and 3B are flowcharts (FIG. 3A shows operation (1) and FIG. 3B shows operation (2)) cited to explain the operation of the display control device 60 of the present embodiment. FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing an example of area allocation to the display area VA of the content generated by the display control device 60 of the present embodiment. Note that FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) show the first display area VA1 (display duration 1 second area) and the second display area VA2 (display duration 1.5 seconds area) allocated in the vicinity of the fixation point P f in the display area VA. The example shows a circular allocation around the fixation point P f FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams showing an example of circular allocation around the fixation point P f FIGS. 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c) are diagrams showing an example of rectangular allocation in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA including the fixation point P

[0081] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the operation of the display control device 60 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail. Here, the description will be made on the premise that the HUD device 80a is used as the vehicle display device 80

[0082] In FIG. 3A, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 61 generates the content to be displayed on the vehicle display device 80 (see step ST101 in FIG. 3A). The control unit 61 controls the content generation unit 613 to generate, for example, traffic signs such as "Stop", "Sound siren", "Speed limit", vehicle information such as "Failure", "Refueling", or content related to the driver's driving state such as "Drowsiness" and "Lane departure", and allocate (write) them to the display area VA. When, for example, the HUD device 80a is used as the vehicle display device 80, the image display unit 83 (see FIG. 6) can be driven. In this case, the content includes display distance data for driving the image display unit 83 so as to display the content at the display distance determined by the display distance determination unit 615 described later

[0083] Next, the control unit 61 detects the viewpoint position of the driver who is the viewer 14 (step ST102). The detection of the viewpoint position is performed by the viewpoint position detection unit 611. The viewpoint position detection unit 611 can detect the viewpoint position of the driver with high accuracy, for example, by performing image recognition on the eyes (pupil images) of the driver captured by the camera 301 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 30. When the HUD device 80a is used as the vehicle display device 80, the viewpoint position of the driver can also be detected by taking in the rotation position information (the position of the eyebox) of a concave mirror (see the third relay optical unit 839 in FIG. 7) described later, which is set by the driver who is the viewer 14 operating the operation input device 50.

[0084] Next, the control unit 61 performs calculations for estimating the line-of-sight direction (step ST103). The estimation of the line-of-sight direction is performed by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612. The line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612 calculates, for example, the vector from the corneal reflection point of the viewer 14 to the pupil center on a plane perpendicular to the reference line connecting the camera 301 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 30 and the pupil center of the viewer 14, and calculates the angle θ of the viewer 14's line of sight with respect to each reference line of the camera based on each vector. The angle θ is calculated using a function including M parameters, and M parameters included in the function are determined using a plurality of relational expressions derived based on the angle θ. The direction of the line of sight calculated using the determined parameters can be estimated. This is described in detail, for example, in WO2012 / 077713, including the calculated vectors and relational expressions.

[0085] Next, the control unit 61 determines an estimated line-of-sight area PFA (see FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)) including the fixation point P in the display area VA f from the estimated line-of-sight direction (step ST104). The determination of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA is also performed by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612. The line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612 determines the point where the line of sight of the driver who is the viewer 14 converges (for example, the fixation point P in FIG. 4) by obtaining the intersection of the line of sight on the display device screen based on the direction of the line of sight calculated using the parameters determined when estimating the line of sight, and the fixation point P f that can be visually recognized without line-of-sight movement fDetermine a region close to it (for example, refer to the estimated line-of-sight region PFA in the display region VA shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)).

[0086] Next, the control unit 61 determines whether the line of sight of the driver, who is the viewer 14, is within the oblique image plane (also referred to as the display region VA or the imaging plane) (step ST105). Whether the line of sight is within the oblique image plane can be determined from the line-of-sight direction estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612. Here, when it is determined that the driver's line of sight direction is within the oblique image plane (step ST105 “YES”), the control unit 61 further determines whether it is attempting to display content with a short display duration (step ST106). Here, content with a short display duration refers to content for which, for example, 1 second or 1.5 seconds is set as the display duration.

[0087] Here, when the condition that the line of sight of the driver, who is the viewer 14, is within the oblique image plane and the content has a short display duration is satisfied (step ST105 “YES”, step ST106 “YES”), the control unit 61 performs control to allocate and display the content to the display regions VA1 and VA2 excluding the estimated line-of-sight region PFA such that the shorter the set display duration, the more the content is allocated to the display regions VA1 and VA2. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4(a), 5(a), and 5(b), for example, the control unit 61 allocates content with a display duration of 1 second and content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds, which is longer than this content, to the first display region VA1 and the second display region VA2 close to the estimated line-of-sight region PFA including the fixation point P f respectively.

[0088] Also, at this time, by performing control to allocate the first display area VA1 above the second display area VA2, or by performing control to allocate it upward and far away, in the first display area VA1, even if the display duration is short, less line-of-sight movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is required, and it is easier to focus, so that the content can be visually recognized immediately. Note that the display area VA (VA1, VA2) allocated according to the type of content is fixed, and as will be described later, for some content, the allocation may be changed from the second display area VA2 to the first display area VA1 according to the urgency and importance.

[0089] Note that the control for allocating and displaying the content is executed by the content generation unit 613 and the display control unit 616 based on the display position calculated by the display position calculation unit 614 and the display distance determined by the display distance determination unit 615.

[0090] Next, the control unit 61 determines whether the driver, who is the viewer 14, is visually recognizing the displayed content (see step ST108 in FIG. 3B). Here, if it is determined that the driver is not visually recognizing the content (step ST108 “YES”), the control unit 61 can set the display duration of the content to be short. In this case, by changing the display position to a position where it is easy to enter the driver's line of sight (from the display area VA2 to the display area VA2) (step ST109), overlooking can be avoided. For example, confirmation of content such as traffic signs is important in the driving scene, and overlooking may lead to an accident. Therefore, by changing the display position to a position where it is easy for the driver, who is the viewer, to visually recognize, the chance of overlooking is reduced.

[0091] Note that the determination of whether the viewer 14 is visually recognizing the content is possible by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612 estimating the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position EP of the driver, who is the viewer 14, and calculating the fixation point P f in the display area VA (imaging area) virtually set in front of the vehicle 10 from the obtained line-of-sight direction of the driver (see, for example, WO2012 / 077713).

[0092] Next, the control unit 61 determines whether the content to be displayed is content with a high level of urgency or importance (step ST110). Here, content with a high level of urgency or importance is, for example, vehicle information such as "failure" or "refueling", or something related to the driver's driving state such as "drowsiness" or "lane departure". Here, when it is determined that the content has a high level of urgency or importance (step ST110 "YES"), the control unit 61 can set the display duration of the content to be short. In this case, by changing the display position to a position where it is easier to enter the driver's line of sight (from the display area VA2 to the display area VA2) (step ST111), the display position can be changed to a position where it is easier to enter the driver's line of sight closer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA. In this case, it is possible to avoid overlooking important content and arouse attention.

[0093] For example, in the case of a lane departure warning (LDW: Lane Departure Warning) for driving assistance, after displaying it once, if the lane departure warning criteria are reached again within a predetermined time (the second time within the predetermined time), the display duration is shortened and the display position is changed to a position where it is easier to enter the driver's line of sight.

[0094] Next, the control unit 61 determines whether the content to be displayed is recursive display content (step ST112). Here, recursive display content, in other words, content that requires repeated display, is, for example, vehicle information such as "failure" or "refueling", or something related to the driver's driving state such as "drowsiness" or "lane departure". Conversely, content that does not require repeated display is, for example, traffic signs such as "primary stop", "sound the siren", or "speed limit". Here, when it is determined that the content is recursive display content (step ST112 "YES"), the control unit 61, for example, for the first time, the fixation point P fWhen the display position is set in the display area VA1 according to the position of , the content is also assigned and displayed at the display position (display area VA1) based on the position of the first fixation point for the second and third times (step ST113).

[0095] Note that the repeated display of the content here is specifically a blinking display. For example, the ON time is 1 to 1.5 seconds and the OFF time is 5 to 10 seconds. Also, an upper limit is set for the number of displays, for example, up to 3 times (that is, when the "display count n" reaches, for example, "3" (step ST114 "YES"), the recursive display ends).

[0096] When setting the display duration for each type of content, if it is the same type of content, it will be displayed in the same display area VA. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), if there is content that has been displayed and then erased (paused) once, and the next content to be displayed is of the same type, the content will be assigned and displayed at the location (display area VA1 or VA2) where it was previously assigned and displayed.

[0097] Note that in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3A and 3B, in step ST105, if it is determined that the line of sight of the driver, who is the viewer 14, is not on the oblique image plane (step ST105 "NO"), or in step ST106, if it is determined that the content to be displayed is not content with a short display elapsed time (step ST106 "NO"), in both cases, the above-described series of processes are terminated. Also, in ST108, if it is determined that the driver, who is the viewer 14, is not viewing the content to be displayed (step ST108 "NO"), the process of step ST110 is skipped. Further, in step ST110, if it is determined that the content is not content with a high urgency or importance (step ST110 "NO"), the process of step ST112 is skipped. Additionally, in step ST114, if the display count of the content that requires recursive display is less than n (=3) (step ST114 "NO"), the process of step ST113 is repeatedly executed.

[0098] Also, here, the control unit 61 determines the content to be displayed in the order of "whether the driver, who is the viewer 14, is viewing the content", "whether the urgency and importance are high", and "whether the content requires recursive display" by the driver who is the viewer 14, but this order is not absolute and can be arbitrarily changed.

[0099] (Modification example) As described above, the display control device 60 according to the present embodiment has been described as a device in which the control unit 61 generates content to be displayed with a display duration less than the threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display it in the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80. However, by incorporating this function into the HUD device 80a, the HUD device 80a can realize the above-described functions alone. In this case, the load on the display control device 60 can be reduced.

[0100] The head-up display device according to the present embodiment is a HUD device 80a in which a display area VA virtually set in front of the vehicle 10 is an oblique image plane installed with a forward tilt with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10. And the HUD device 80a includes, for example, a control unit 81, a storage unit 82, and an image display unit 83, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0101] The control unit 81 generates content to be displayed with a display duration less than the threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display it in the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80. The image display unit 83 superimposes the content generated in the foreground of the vehicle 10 and projects and displays the content toward the projection member (windshield 13).

[0102] The control unit 81 includes a viewpoint position detection unit 811, a line-of-sight direction estimation unit 812, a content generation unit 813, a display position calculation unit 814, a display distance determination unit 815, and a display control unit 816. The viewpoint position detection unit 811 has a function of detecting the viewpoint position of the driver who is the viewer 14. The line-of-sight direction estimation unit 812 has a function of estimating the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position of the driver who is the viewer detected by the viewpoint position detection unit 611. The content generation unit 813 has a function of generating content (virtual image V) represented by vehicle information and driving state information displayed on the image display unit 83 and allocating it to the display area VA. The display position calculation unit 814 has a function of calculating the display position in order to allocate and display the content at an arbitrary position within the display area VA. The display distance determination unit 815 has a function of determining the display distance of the content allocated and displayed in the display area VA and displaying the content within the display area VA in a manner with depth. The display control unit 816 has a function of reading out the content drawn (written) in synchronization with the update timing by the content generation unit 813 from the VRAM area allocated to a partial area of the storage unit 82 and displaying it on the image display unit 83 in synchronization with the display timing. Since these have the same functions as those of the viewpoint position detection unit 611, the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 612, the content generation unit 613, the display position calculation unit 614, and the display distance determination unit 615 of the display control device 60 shown in FIG. 2, the details here are omitted for the purpose of avoiding duplication.

[0103] The control unit 81 including the above-described viewpoint position detection unit 811, line-of-sight direction estimation unit 812, content generation unit 813, display position calculation unit 814, display distance determination unit 815, and display control unit 816 has, for example, a processor with a built-in memory (ROM / RAM) or an externally attached one. The processor generates content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and controls the graphics controller to perform display by allocating it to the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80. In this way, the processor executes a program recorded in the memory and operates in cooperation with the graphics controller to execute each of the above-described functions. Further, at least a part of the above-described functions can also be realized by hardware such as an FPGA or a logic circuit, regardless of the processor or the graphics controller.

[0104] Note that the storage unit 82 is a memory in which, for example, a static RAM, a dynamic RAM, or a flash memory, etc., to which a program area and a work area are allocated, is implemented. Here, in the program area, a program for the display control device 60 (control unit 61) to execute a process of generating content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changing the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performing control to allocate and display it in the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80 is stored. Also, in the work area, display information including the content generated during the execution of the above-described program is stored, and this display information is developed in a VRAM (Video RAM) area allocated to a part of the work area and the display content is sequentially updated in synchronization with the update timing.

[0105] The image display unit 83 includes a projection unit 830 and a liquid crystal display 831. The liquid crystal display 831 is, for example, a transmissive display that transmits light from a backlight, and an actuator such as a motor controlled by the control unit 81 is attached to the display surface and is rotatable. The projection unit 830 is disposed on the optical path of the display light L, which is the light of the image from the liquid crystal display 831, between the projection unit 830 and the windshield 13, and projects the display light L of the image from the liquid crystal display 831 onto the windshield 13 outside the image display unit 83, and is composed of one or more optical members.

[0106] The internal structure of the projection unit 830 is shown in FIG. 7. The projection unit 830 is composed of a stereoscopic image display unit 840 and a relay optical unit 841. The stereoscopic image display unit 840 forms a 3D real image 833, and the relay optical unit 841 enlarges the 3D real image 643 and forms a second 3D real image 644, and projects the display light L of this second 3D real image 644 toward the front windshield 2 of the vehicle 10.

[0107] The stereoscopic image display unit 840 generates a 3D real image 833 formed in three dimensions, and has an image projection unit 835 and a vibrating screen 836. The image projection unit 835 is a projector that emits video light (not shown) representing the image included in the display data based on the display data input from the control unit 81, adjusts the timing of displaying the image according to the display distance data included in the display data, and quickly switches the images projected in synchronization with the vibration position of the vibrating screen 836. In other words, the image projection unit 835 projects an image suitable for the vibration position of the vibrating screen 836 onto the vibrating screen 836 based on the display distance data.

[0108] The vibration screen 836 is a diffusion film made of polycarbonate that diffuses the video of the image projection unit 835 over a certain angular range. It receives the display light L from the image projection unit 835, forms a real image, and reciprocates along the optical axis of the display light L emitted by the image projection unit 835. The vibration screen 836 can send a signal indicating the vibration position to the image projection unit 835 continuously or intermittently. The image projection unit 835 may adjust the timing of displaying the image so that the image is visually recognized at a position corresponding to the display distance data included in the display data based on the signal indicating the vibration position.

[0109] The HUD device 80a according to this embodiment adjusts the length in the depth direction Z of the image while keeping the amplitude of the vibration screen 836 in the screen vibration direction constant under the control of the control unit 81. That is, the display light L is not emitted during the period when the vibration screen 836 is located within the first range of its amplitude, and the display light L is emitted during the period when the vibration screen 836 is located within the second range of its amplitude. By adjusting the positions and ratios of the first range and the second range, the position and length in the depth direction Z of the image are adjusted. Specifically, the vibration screen 836 vibrates at a frequency of 60 [Hz] or more, and within this period of 1 / 60 [sec], the projection unit 830 projects different videos of a plurality of frames to form different videos (real images) of a plurality of frames at each vibration position. That is, the HUD device 80a according to this embodiment can generate a 3D real image 833 by overlapping the real images of a plurality of frames in the vibration direction of the vibration screen 836. Note that the HUD device 80a of this embodiment may also adjust the length in the depth direction Z of the image by changing the amplitude of the vibration screen 836.

[0110] The relay optical unit 841 in FIG. 2 receives the light of the 3D real image 833 generated by the stereoscopic image display unit 840, forms an intermediate magnified 3D real image of this 3D real image 833, and then projects the display light L, which is the light of this 3D real image, toward the windshield 13. The relay optical unit 841 includes, for example, a first relay optical unit 837 composed of a lens group that receives the light of the 3D real image 833 generated by the stereoscopic image display unit 840; a second relay optical unit 838 that reflects the light passing through the first relay optical unit 837 and forms a magnified 3D real image 834 of the 3D real image 833 in cooperation with the optical power of the first relay optical unit 837; and a third relay optical unit 839 that reflects the display light L, which is the light of the 3D real image 834, toward the windshield 13.

[0111] The first relay optical unit 837 has a function of magnifying each image formed at each vibration position of the vibration screen 836 in the 3D real image 833 at different magnifications. Although it is schematically illustrated as a single lens in FIG. 7, it is actually composed of a synthetic lens formed by synthesizing a plurality of thin film lenses not shown.

[0112] The second relay optical unit 838 is composed of, for example, a mirror having a concave reflecting surface with positive optical power. It receives the light of the 3D real image 833 from the first relay optical unit 837, reflects the incident light toward the third relay optical unit 839, and forms a magnified 3D real image 834 of the 3D real image 833 in cooperation with the optical power of the first relay optical unit 837 between the second relay optical unit 838 and the third relay optical unit 839. Note that the second relay optical unit 838 may be omitted by giving the first relay optical unit 837 the optical action that the second relay optical unit 838 is responsible for.

[0113] The third relay optical unit 839 is a concave mirror that reflects the display light L of the 3D real image 834 toward the windshield 13, and has a function of correcting image distortion due to the curved surface shape of the windshield 13 and a function of magnifying the 3D real image 834.

[0114] Note that the projection unit 830 may adopt a known 3D display method such as a parallax division method including a parallax barrier method or a lenticular lens method, a spatial reproduction method including a light field method or a hologram method. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-2016-212318, a transmissivity adjustment screen method in which a plurality of screens having a dimming layer with adjustable transmissivity are arranged in the thickness direction, and a projector projects an image while rapidly switching the projected image toward the plurality of screens, and in response to the rapid switching of the projected image, the plurality of screens respectively appropriately adjust the dimming rate to display a 3D real image inside. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-2004-168230, a method in which a plurality of liquid crystal display elements are stacked in the thickness direction to display a 3D real image inside, or a light field display method.

[0115] According to the HUD device 80a according to the present embodiment, the control unit 81 generates content to be displayed with a display duration less than the threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, allocates it to the display area VA, and controls the image display unit 83 to display it. Therefore, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration in the upper region of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus it is possible to avoid the generated content overlapping with the foreground that the driver, who is the viewer 14, wants to see. As a result, it is possible to provide the HUD device 80a that suppresses the annoyance felt by the driver.

[0116] (Effect of the embodiment) As described above, the display control device 60 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a display control device 60 that controls the display of the vehicle display device 80 that superimposes and visually recognizes the content on the foreground of the vehicle 10 as shown in FIG. 2. The display control device 60 includes a control unit 61 that generates content to be displayed with a display duration less than the threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and controls to allocate it to the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80 for display.

[0117] According to the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 61 generates content that is displayed for a display duration less than the threshold value, and performs control to change the display position of the content according to the set display duration, allocate it to the display area, and display it. For this reason, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration to the area at the upper end of the display area VA where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus, it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the driver, who is the viewer 14, wants to see. As a result, the annoyance felt by the driver can be suppressed. Here, the "display duration less than the threshold value" means that the time continuously displayed in one display of the content is less than the threshold value, for example, 1 second or 1.5 seconds. Further, the "content" refers to the content of information expressed by text, image, etc. related to traffic signs such as "temporary stop", "sounding siren", "speed limit", vehicle information such as "breakdown", "refueling", or the driving state of the driver such as "drowsiness" and "lane departure".

[0118] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 61 estimates the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position of the viewer 14, and obtains the fixation point P f from the line-of-sight direction, and allocates and displays the content to the area near the estimated line-of-sight area PFA including the fixation point P f . For this reason, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration to the area at the upper end of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus, it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the driver, who is the viewer, wants to see. As a result, the annoyance felt by the driver can be suppressed. Here, the "estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point" refers to the area (refer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA in the display area VA shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), for example) near the fixation point that can be visually recognized without line-of-sight movement, including the point where the line of sight of the driver, who is the viewer 14, concentrates (refer to P f in FIG. 4(a), for example). Further, the "area in the vicinity" refers to the fixation point P fIt refers to a display area close to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA including, for example, the display areas VA1 to which content with a display duration of 1 second is assigned, and the display areas VA2 to which content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds is assigned, as shown in FIGS. 4(a)(b) or FIGS. 5(a)(b)(c).

[0119] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 62 sets an area including the upper end of the display area VA as the estimated line-of-sight area, and performs control to assign and display content in an area near the estimated line-of-sight area. In this way, in the display area VA, an area including the upper end of the display area is set (fixed) as the estimated line-of-sight area. Typically, the display area VA is arranged below the front area where the driver, who is the viewer, frequently directs their line of sight. Specifically, the upper end of the display area is arranged below the line of sight when the driver looks straight ahead horizontally. Also, in some embodiments, the display area VA is arranged such that the front area where the driver frequently directs their line of sight overlaps with the upper area (the area above the vertical center of the display area). Therefore, it can be estimated that the area including the upper end of the display area VA overlaps with or is close to the area where the driver frequently directs their line of sight. Therefore, in the display area VA, since the area including the upper end of the display area VA is set as the estimated line-of-sight area and content is assigned and displayed in the vicinity of this estimated line-of-sight area, for example, it is restricted to assign and display content with a short display duration to the area of the upper end of the display area VA where it is considered that the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the driver, who is the viewer, wants to see. As a result, the annoyance felt by the driver can be suppressed.

[0120] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 61 allocates a first display area VA1 to which content with a relatively short display duration is assigned and a second display area VA2 to which content with a longer display duration than that is assigned in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA (in other words, content with a display duration of 1 second and content with a display duration of 1.5 seconds, which is longer than this content, are respectively assigned to the first display area VA1 and the second display area VA2 close to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA including the fixation point Pf), and performs control to allocate the first display area VA1 above the second display area VA2. Therefore, in the first display area VA1, even if the display duration is short, the line-of-sight movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is small, so the content can be visually recognized immediately. Thus, it is not necessary to spend time turning the line of sight, and the content does not become non-displayed while the line of sight is moving, so the content can be confirmed. Note that the display area VA (VA1, VA2) assigned according to the type of content is fixed, and as will be described later, for some content, the assignment may be changed from the second display area VA2 to the first display area VA1 according to the urgency and importance.

[0121] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 61 allocates a first display area VA1 to which content with a relatively short display duration is assigned and a second display area VA2 to which content with a longer display duration than that is assigned in the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA, and performs control to allocate the first display area VA1 above and / or farther away from the second display area VA2. By doing so, when using the HUD device 80a having an oblique image plane as the vehicle display device 80, even if the display duration is short, the line-of-sight movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is small, and it is also easy to focus the eyes, so the content can be visually recognized immediately. Thus, it is not necessary to spend time turning the line of sight, and the content does not become non-displayed while the line of sight is moving, so the content can be confirmed.

[0122] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 61 performs control to allocate and display the content in the first or second display area VA1, VA2 excluding the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area PFA as the set display duration becomes shorter. Here, since the estimated line-of-sight area PFA is the area that the driver, who is the viewer, gazes at, the closer to the fixation point P f is, the more important it is. By setting the display elapsed time shorter as it is closer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA, it is possible to minimize the obstruction of the field of view due to the foreground and the content overlapping. Therefore, it can contribute to safe driving.

[0123] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, the control unit 61 performs control to repeatedly display the content at an arbitrary timing at the display position changed according to the type of the content displayed on the vehicle display device 80. As a result, the driver, who is the viewer, has fewer chances of missing the content by repeatedly displaying it, and can contribute to safe driving. Here, the content that requires repeated display is, for example, vehicle information such as "failure", "refueling", or is related to the driver's driving state such as "drowsiness" or "lane departure". Conversely, the content that does not require repeated display is, for example, traffic signs such as "primary stop", "sound siren", "speed limit". In the case of the lane departure warning (LDW), which is one of the driving support functions, after being displayed once, if the lane departure warning criteria are reached again within a predetermined time (the second time within the predetermined time), the display duration may be shortened and the display position may be changed to a position that is more likely to enter the driver's line of sight.

[0124] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, if the displayed content is content with high urgency or importance, the control unit 61 can change the display position to a position closer to the estimated line-of-sight area PFA and easier to enter the driver's line of sight by setting the display duration of the content shorter. In this case, it is possible to avoid missing important content and arouse attention.

[0125] Also, in the display control device 60 of the present embodiment, when the control unit 61 determines that the viewer is not viewing the content based on the estimated line-of-sight direction, by setting the display duration of the content to be short, the display position can be changed to a position where it is easy to enter the driver's line of sight, and overlooking can be avoided. For example, confirmation of content such as traffic signs is important in the driving scene, and overlooking may lead to an accident. Therefore, by changing the display position to a position where it is easy for the driver, who is the viewer, to view, the chance of overlooking can be reduced and it can contribute to safe driving. Note that the determination as to whether or not the driver, who is the viewer, is viewing the content is made by estimating the line-of-sight direction from the driver's viewpoint position and calculating the fixation point P in the display area (imaging plane) that is virtually set in front of the vehicle from the obtained driver's line-of-sight direction. f This is possible by calculating.

[0126] Also, the head-up display device of the present embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, an HUD device 80a that forms an image of the content in a display area VA (imaging plane) that is virtually set in front of the vehicle 10. And the HUD device 80a has an image display unit 83 that superimposes the content generated in the foreground of the vehicle 10 and projects and displays the content toward a projection member (windshield 13), and a control unit 81 that generates the content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to display the content in the display area VA assigned to the image display unit 83.

[0127] According to the HUD device 80a of the present embodiment, the control unit 81 generates content to be displayed with a display duration less than the threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, allocates it to the display area VA, and controls the image display unit 83 to display it. Therefore, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration in the upper region of the display area VA where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the driver who is the viewer 14 wants to see. As a result, it is possible to provide the HUD device 80a that suppresses the annoyance felt by the driver.

[0128] Further, the display control program of the present embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a display control program for performing display control of the vehicle display device 80 that superimposes and visually recognizes content on the foreground of the vehicle 10. And the display control program causes the processor included in the display control device 60 to perform, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, a process of generating content to be displayed with a display duration less than the threshold value (step ST101 in FIG. 3A), and a process of changing the display position of the content according to the set display duration and performing control to allocate and display it in the display area VA of the vehicle display device 80 (steps ST102 to ST107).

[0129] According to the display control program of the present embodiment, by the processor included in the display control device 60 reading and executing the display control program recorded in the memory, it is possible to generate content to be displayed with a display duration less than the threshold value, change the display position of the content according to the set display duration, allocate it to the display area, and perform control to display it on the vehicle display device 80. Therefore, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration in the upper region of the display area where the line of sight tends to concentrate relatively, and thus it is avoided that the generated content overlaps with the foreground that the driver who is the viewer wants to see. As a result, it is possible to suppress the annoyance felt by the driver.

[0130] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, the vehicle display system of the present embodiment is a vehicle display system 100 including a head-up display device (HUD device 80a) that forms an image of content on a display area VA (imaging surface) virtually set in front of the vehicle 10, and a display control device 60 that controls the display of the HUD device 80a. And in the vehicle display system 100, the display control device 60 generates content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display the content in the display area VA. The HUD device 80a superimposes the content generated in the foreground of the vehicle 10 and projects and displays the content toward a projection member (windshield 13).

[0131] According to the vehicle display system 100 of the present embodiment, the display control device 60 generates content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display the content in the display area VA. The HUD device 80a superimposes the generated content on the foreground of the vehicle 10 and projects and displays the content toward a projection member (windshield 13). Therefore, for example, it is restricted to allocate and display content with a short display duration in the upper region of the display area VA where the line of sight tends to be relatively concentrated. As a result, it is possible to avoid the generated content overlapping with the foreground that the viewer 14, i.e., the driver, wants to see. As a result, a vehicle display system 100 that suppresses the annoyance felt by the driver can be provided.

[0132] The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and those skilled in the art will be able to easily modify the above-described exemplary embodiments to the extent included in the scope of the claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0133] 10 ··· Vehicle, 11 ··· Dashboard, 13 ··· Projection member (windshield), 14 ··· Viewer (driver), 20 ··· Vehicle ECU, 30 ··· In-vehicle monitoring device, 40 ··· Navigation device, 50 ··· Operation input device, 60 ··· Display control device, 61 ··· Control unit, 62 ··· Memory unit, 70 ··· I / O interface, 80 ··· Vehicle display device, 80a ··· Head-up display device (HUD device), 81 ··· Control unit (HUD device side), 82 ··· Memory unit (HUD device side), 83 ··· Image display unit, 100 ··· Vehicle display system, 301 ··· Camera, 302 ··· GPS, 303 ··· LiDAR, 304 ··· Behavior sensor, 400 ··· Map information DB, 611 ··· Viewpoint position detection unit, 612 ··· Line-of-sight direction estimation unit, 613 ··· Content generation unit, 614 ··· Display position calculation unit, 615 ··· Display distance determination unit, 616 ··· Display control unit, 811 ··· Viewpoint position detection unit (HUD device side), 812 ··· Line-of-sight direction estimation unit (HUD device side), 813 ··· Content generation unit (HUD device side), 814 ··· Display position calculation unit (HUD device side), 815 ··· Display distance determination unit (HUD device side), 816 ··· Display control unit (HUD device side), 830 ··· Projection unit, 831 ··· Liquid crystal display, VA ··· Display area (imaging surface), VA1 ··· First display area, VA2 ··· Second display area, P f ··· Fixation point, PFA ··· Estimated line-of-sight area

Claims

1. A display control device for performing display control of a vehicle display device that superimposes and visually recognizes content on the foreground of a vehicle, a control unit that generates the content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to allocate and display the content in a display area of the vehicle display device. A display control device having.

2. The control unit, estimates the line-of-sight direction from the detected viewpoint position of the viewer, obtains a fixation point in the display area from the estimated line-of-sight direction, and allocates and displays the content in an area near the estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point. The display control device according to claim 1, which performs control.

3. The control unit, sets an area including the upper end of the display area as an estimated line-of-sight area, and performs control to allocate and display the content in an area near the estimated line-of-sight area. The display control device according to claim 1.

4. The control unit, allocates a first display area to which content having a relatively short display duration is allocated and a second display area to which content having a display duration longer than the display duration is allocated near the estimated line-of-sight area, and The display control device according to claim 2 or 3, which performs control to allocate the first display area above the second display area.

5. The vehicle display device, is a head-up display device used as an oblique image plane installed by tilting the display area virtually set in front of the vehicle forward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, The control unit, allocates a first display area to which content having a relatively short display duration is allocated and a second display area to which content having a display duration longer than the display duration is allocated near the estimated line-of-sight area, and The display control device according to claim 2 or 3, which performs control to allocate the first display area above and / or farther than the second display area.

6. The control unit, performs control to allocate and display the content in the first display area or the second display area excluding the vicinity of the estimated line-of-sight area including the fixation point as the set display duration is shorter. The display control device according to claim 4.

7. The control unit, The display control device according to claim 1, which performs control to repeatedly display the changed display position at an arbitrary timing according to the type of the content displayed on the in-vehicle display device.

8. The control unit The display control device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the content displayed on the vehicle display device is content with high urgency or importance, the display duration of the content is set to be short.

9. The control unit The display control device according to claim 2, wherein when it is determined based on the estimated line-of-sight direction of the viewer that the viewer is not viewing the content, the display duration of the content is set to be short.

10. A head-up display device that forms an image of content in a display area virtually set in front of a vehicle, An image display unit that superimposes the generated content in the foreground of the vehicle and projects and displays the content toward a projection member; A head-up display device having a control unit that generates the content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to display the content in the display area assigned to the image display unit.

11. A display control program for performing display control of a vehicle display device that superimposes content in the foreground of a vehicle for viewing, On a processor included in the display control device, A process of generating the content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value; A display control program that causes the processor to execute a process of changing the display position of the content according to the set display duration and performing control to display the content in the display area of the vehicle display device.

12. A vehicle display system including a head-up display device that forms an image of content in a display area virtually set in front of a vehicle and a display control device that performs display control of the head-up display device, The display control device Generates content to be displayed for a display duration less than a threshold value, changes the display position of the content according to the set display duration, and performs control to display the content in the display area; The head-up display device A vehicle display system that superimposes the generated content in the foreground of the vehicle and projects and forms an image of the content toward a projection member.

Images