Vehicle display control device, method and program

Abstract

To enhance visibility of display information even if displaying information on a small-size display unit which does not widely cover the front visual field of an occupant.SOLUTION: A display control ECU displays, on a HUD 56, road width lines 62 which simulate border lines of a traffic lane on which an own vehicle is traveling and at the same time displays markers 66 and a belt-like path line 68 including the markers 66 in positions corresponding to future positions of the own vehicle on the HUD 56 and on a head-up display, displaying them in a form which can discriminate the markers 66 from the path line 68 by coloring the path line 68. In addition, the display control ECU displays the road width lines 62, the markers 66 and the path line 68 on a meter display 58 and at the same time displays the path line 68 in color different from the markers 66 and the road width lines 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle display control device, a vehicle display control method, and a vehicle display control program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting a running state of a vehicle, calculating a predicted running trajectory of a future vehicle based on the detected running state, and displaying the calculated predicted running trajectory on a head-up type display device. In this technique, a point group is arranged at predetermined intervals on a curve indicating the predicted running trajectory of the center of gravity of the vehicle, and a frame having a width substantially the same as the width of the vehicle is arranged while aligning the center of gravity with each of the points in the point group, and the arrangement is displayed as a bird's-eye view.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technique described in Patent Document 1 is premised on displaying information on a superimposed (AR: Augmented Reality) type head-up display that entirely covers the forward view of the occupant in the front seat of the vehicle. However, it is very difficult to construct an optical system for realizing such a large head-up display, and it is not realistic at present. On the other hand, when the technique described in Patent Document 1 is applied to information display on a small display unit such as a small head-up display or an instrument panel display whose display range is a part of the forward view of the occupant, the visibility of the information to be displayed on the display unit is reduced. In addition, it becomes difficult for the driver to intuitively grasp that the information displayed on the display unit corresponds to the actual foreground that the driver is viewing, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object thereof is to obtain a vehicle display control device, a vehicle display control method, and a vehicle display control program that can improve the visibility of display information even when information is displayed on a small display unit that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle display control device according to a first aspect is a vehicle display control device that displays a road width line simulating a boundary line of a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling on a display device, and displays a marker and a strip-shaped track line including the marker at a position corresponding to a future position of the host vehicle on the display device, characterized in that the track line is colored so as to be displayed in a manner distinguishable from the marker.

[0007] In the first aspect, a road width line, a marker, and a track line including the marker are displayed on the display device, and the track line is colored so as to be displayed in a manner distinguishable from the marker. Thereby, even when information is displayed on a small display device that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant, the visibility of the display information can be improved.

[0008] A second aspect is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the track line is displayed in a color different from the marker and the road width line.

[0009] In the second aspect, the track line is displayed in a color different from the marker and the road width line. Thereby, even when information is displayed on a small display device that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant, the visibility of the display information can be improved.

[0010] The vehicle display control method according to the third aspect causes a computer to execute a process including displaying, on a display device, a road width line simulating a boundary line of a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and displaying a marker and a strip-shaped track line including the marker at a position corresponding to a future position of the host vehicle on the display device, and is characterized in that the track line is colored so as to be displayed in a manner distinguishable from the marker.

[0011] In the third aspect, similar to the first aspect, even when information is displayed on a small display device that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant, the visibility of the display information can be improved.

[0012] The fourth aspect is characterized in that, in the third aspect, the track line is displayed in a color different from the marker and the road width line.

[0013] In the fourth aspect, similar to the second aspect, even when information is displayed on a small display device that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant, the visibility of the display information can be improved.

[0014] The vehicle display control program according to the fifth aspect is a vehicle display control program for causing a computer to execute a process including displaying, on a display device, a road width line simulating a boundary line of a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and displaying a marker and a strip-shaped track line including the marker at a position corresponding to a future position of the host vehicle on the display device, and is characterized in that the track line is colored so as to be displayed in a manner distinguishable from the marker.

[0015] In the fifth aspect, similar to the first aspect, even when information is displayed on a small display device that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant, the visibility of the display information can be improved.

[0016] The sixth aspect is characterized in that, in the fifth aspect, the track line is displayed in a color different from the marker and the road width line.

[0017] In the sixth aspect, similar to the second aspect, even when information is displayed on a small display device that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant, the visibility of the displayed information can be improved.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] The present invention has an effect that even when information is displayed on a small display unit that does not widely cover the forward field of view of the occupant, the visibility of the displayed information can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The in-vehicle system 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a communication bus 12, and connected to the communication bus 12 are a surrounding situation acquisition device group 14, a vehicle running state detection sensor group 26, an autonomous driving ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 34, and a display control ECU 42. Note that FIG. 1 shows only a part of the in-vehicle system 10. Also, hereinafter, the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle system 10 will be referred to as the host vehicle.

[0021] The surrounding situation acquisition device group 14 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) device 16, an in-vehicle communicator 18, a navigation system 20, a radar device 22, a camera 24, etc., as devices for acquiring information representing the surrounding environment of the host vehicle.

[0022] The GPS device 16 receives GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites to measure the position of the host vehicle. The positioning accuracy of the GPS device 16 improves as the number of receivable GPS signals increases. The in-vehicle communicator 18 is a communication device that performs at least one of vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles and road-to-vehicle communication with roadside units. The navigation system 20 includes a map information storage unit 20A that stores map information, and based on the position information obtained from the GPS device 16 and the map information stored in the map information storage unit 20A, it performs processing such as displaying the position of the host vehicle on a map or guiding a route to a destination.

[0023] The radar device 22 includes a plurality of radar devices with different detection ranges, detects objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles existing around the host vehicle as point cloud information, and acquires the relative position and relative speed between the detected objects and the host vehicle. Further, the radar device 22 incorporates a processing device that processes the detection results of surrounding objects. Based on changes in the relative position and relative speed with respect to individual objects included in the detection results of the most recent multiple detections, etc., the processing device excludes roadside objects such as noise and guardrails from the monitoring targets, and performs follow-up monitoring of specific objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles as monitoring target objects. Then, the radar device 22 outputs information such as the relative position and relative speed with respect to individual monitoring target objects. The camera 24 captures the surroundings of the host vehicle with a plurality of cameras and outputs the captured images.

[0024] In addition, the vehicle driving state detection sensor group 26 includes, as a plurality of sensors that acquire the driving state of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor 28 that detects the steering angle of the host vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 30 that detects the driving speed of the host vehicle, and an acceleration sensor 32 that detects the acceleration applied to the host vehicle.

[0025] The automatic driving ECU 34 is connected to a throttle ACT 36 that changes the throttle opening of the host vehicle and a brake ACT 38 that changes the braking force generated by the braking device of the host vehicle. Further, the automatic driving ECU 34 is connected to a steering ACT 40 that changes the steering amount by the steering device of the host vehicle.

[0026] The automatic driving ECU 34 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a communication I / F (Inter Face). The automatic driving software is stored in the storage unit. When the automatic driving mode is selected by the CPU executing the automatic driving software, the automatic driving ECU 34 performs an automatic driving process for automatically driving the host vehicle without a driving operation by the occupant of the host vehicle. The automatic driving process is a process of determining the situation of the host vehicle and its surroundings based on the information obtained from the surrounding situation acquisition device group 14 and the vehicle driving state detection sensor group 26, and controlling the throttle ACT 36, the brake ACT 38, and the steering ACT 40.

[0027] In this embodiment, the level of the automatic driving performed by the automatic driving ECU 34 is level 2 or level 3. In level 2 or level 3 automatic driving, the driver is required to monitor the automatic driving by the automatic driving ECU 34 and intervene as necessary, for example, in case of deviating from the controllable range, or in case of improper operation due to false detection, undetected detection, or failure of sensors.

[0028] The display control ECU 42 includes a CPU 44, a memory 46 such as a ROM and a RAM, a non-volatile storage unit 48 such as an HDD and an SSD, and a communication I / F 50. The CPU 44, the memory 46, the storage unit 48, and the communication I / F 50 are communicably connected to each other via an internal bus 52. A display control program 54 is stored in the storage unit 48. The display control ECU 42 performs the display control process described later when the display control program 54 is read out from the storage unit 48 and expanded in the memory 46, and the display control program 54 expanded in the memory 46 is executed by the CPU 44.

[0029] The display control ECU 42 has a head-up display (hereinafter referred to as HUD) 56 and a meter display 58 connected thereto. The HUD 56 according to the present embodiment is a small-sized HUD that uses reflection on the windshield or the like to display a part of the forward field of view of the occupant of the host vehicle as a display range (forming an image in the lower part of the foreground), as shown by reference numeral 60 in FIG. 2. The meter display 58 is a display provided on the instrument panel of the host vehicle. The display control ECU 42 controls the information display on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58.

[0030] Note that the automatic driving ECU 34 is an example of an automatic driving control unit, and the display control ECU 42 is an example of a display control unit. Also, the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 are examples of a display unit.

[0031] Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. While the automatic driving ECU 34 is performing automatic driving, the driver needs to continuously pay attention to the behavior of the vehicle and the surrounding traffic conditions, continuously grasp the behavior of the vehicle and the surrounding traffic conditions, and be prepared in terms of awareness and behavior in case of the need for intervention. However, if the vehicle side were to continuously transmit the surrounding situation captured by the sensors to the driver as it is, it would increase the burden on the driver due to excessive information transmission, which is not in line with the purpose of automatic driving of reducing the driving load.

[0032] Also, when the vehicle side detects some necessity and starts an unsteady driving operation, such as when the vehicle branches or merges lanes, or changes lanes, the vehicle side can prompt the driver to pay attention. However, for example, when the vehicle side fails to detect an obstacle on the road that occurs suddenly and continues steady driving as if it has to avoid the obstacle, the vehicle side does not have the intention to request attention in the first place, so the vehicle side cannot arouse attention.

[0033] Based on these problems, the display control ECU 42 performs the display control process shown in FIG. 3. In step 100 of the display control process, the display control ECU 42 determines whether automatic driving is being performed by the automatic driving ECU 34.

[0034] If the determination in step 100 is negative, the process proceeds to step 120. In step 120, the display control ECU 42 causes the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 to display normal images. An example of the normal image displayed on the HUD 56 is shown in FIG. 4(A), and an example of the normal image displayed on the meter display 58 is shown in FIG. 4(B).

[0035] On the other hand, when the automatic driving is being performed by the automatic driving ECU 34, the determination in step 100 is affirmative and the process proceeds to step 102. In step 102, the display control ECU 42 acquires the lane information recognized by the automatic driving ECU 34 from the automatic driving ECU 34. The lane information includes information on the own lane in which the host vehicle is traveling (information such as whether it is a straight line or a curve) and information on the adjacent lanes adjacent to the left and right of the own lane (such as the presence or absence of adjacent lanes). Then, based on the lane information acquired from the automatic driving ECU 34, the display control ECU 42 generates, as an image including the road width line 62 simulating the lane boundary line, a first-person single-lane display image as shown in FIG. 5(A) as an example and a third-person multi-lane display image as shown in FIG. 5(B) as an example, respectively.

[0036] The first-person single-lane display image is an image similar to the state in which the driver looks ahead through the windshield of the host vehicle, and the lanes adjacent to the left and right of the own lane are excluded from the display target. The first-person single-lane display image is an image in which the own lane is displayed as large as possible while the display of information that is not important for monitoring the driving is omitted, thereby minimizing annoyance, and various displays described later are displayed in a large and easily visible manner.

[0037] The third-person multi-lane display image is an image that shows the vehicle's own lane and the lanes adjacent to the left and right, as if looking down on the own vehicle from the rear upper side. By excluding non-existent lanes from the display targets, the maximum number of lanes is three under normal conditions. However, it is not limited to a maximum of three lanes for the sake of clarity in transitional states such as branching and merging. In the third-person multi-lane display image, the own vehicle is displayed as icon 64. The third-person multi-lane display image can display, for example, the approach of other vehicles from the right rear or left rear and the situation of retaining the lane change until other vehicles pass when changing the lane of the own vehicle, and then changing the lane, as well as the situation of retaining the lane change.

[0038] In the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image, a road width line 62 simulating the lane boundary line is displayed. For example, when the own vehicle approaches a curve on the road it is traveling on, the road width line 62 changes from the display shown in FIG. 6 to the display shown in FIG. 7, and when the own vehicle approaches a branch on the road it is traveling on, the road width line 62 changes from the display shown in FIG. 6 to the display shown in FIG. 9. As a result, the driver understands that the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image are road schematic diagrams (perspective expressions of lane boundaries) in a relationship of similarity and reduction to the actual scene. Also, when the own vehicle is about to change lanes, as shown in FIG. 8, the road width line 62 remains unchanged while the marker 66 and the track line 68 described later change, so that the driver understands that the own vehicle is about to change lanes.

[0039] In step 104, the display control ECU 42 acquires an array of coordinates of the future position of the own vehicle from the automatic driving ECU 34 and selects a future position to display the marker 66 (see FIG. 5, etc.). As an example, communication is performed between the display control ECU 42 and the automatic driving ECU 34 every 100 milliseconds. In each communication, as shown in FIG. 10, a case where an array of coordinates of the future position of the own vehicle at 100-millisecond intervals (for example, 50 = up to 5 seconds later) is transmitted from the automatic driving ECU 34 to the display control ECU 42 will be described.

[0040] At time t0, the display control ECU 42 sets the current position of the host vehicle as the reference point n0, makes the marker 66 non-displayed for the nine coordinates n1 to n9 from the front, and selects the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed for the tenth coordinate n10. Similarly, the display control ECU 42 makes the marker 66 non-displayed for the coordinates n11 to n19 and selects the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed for the coordinate n20. Thereby, an array of the marker 66 at 1-second intervals is generated for the array of the coordinates of the future position received from the automatic driving ECU 34.

[0041] Also, at time t1, which is 100 milliseconds later, the host vehicle will generally move to the position of the coordinate n1 at time t0, and the display control ECU 42 generates a new array of the marker 66 based on the new position of the host vehicle. At that time, while maintaining the display / non-display attributes for each coordinate at time t0, the marker 66 is made non-displayed for n1 to n8, the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed is selected for n9, the marker 66 is made non-displayed for n10 to n18, and the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed is selected for n19. In other words, the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed is switched so that the time difference from the current time of the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed becomes smaller as time elapses (e.g., time t0 → time t1). Thereby, at time t1, an array of the marker 66 whose phase has moved 100 milliseconds to the host vehicle side compared to time t0 is generated.

[0042] In step 106, based on the result of selecting the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed in step 104, the display control ECU 42 converts the coordinates of the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed into the coordinates on the first-person one-lane display image shown in FIG. 5(A) and displays the marker 66 on the converted coordinates of the first-person one-lane display image. Also, the coordinates of the future position where the marker 66 is to be displayed are converted into the coordinates on the third-person multi-lane display image shown in FIG. 5(B), and the marker 66 is displayed on the converted coordinates of the third-person multi-lane display image.

[0043] By the processes of steps 104 and 106 above, on the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image, markers 66 are respectively displayed at positions corresponding to the future position of the host vehicle, and the arrangement of markers 66 advances (moves downward in terms of display) toward the reference position corresponding to the host vehicle according to the running of the host vehicle. This results in a display where the arrangement of markers 66 placed on the road at regular intervals (e.g., every 1 second) appears to flow. Thereby, the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image can be intuitively grasped by the driver as corresponding to the actual foreground.

[0044] During the period when the display control ECU 42 is not communicating with the automatic driving ECU 34 (for example, the period between time t0 and time t1), it is desirable to calculate the display position of marker 66 by extrapolation or the like and display marker 66. Thereby, since marker 66 has an animated continuous movement, a higher-quality and smoother display becomes possible.

[0045] In step 108, the display control ECU 42 displays a strip-shaped track line 68 including the arrangement of markers 66 on the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image, with the width direction of the host vehicle as the width direction and the arrangement of the future position of the host vehicle as the length direction (see FIGS. 5(A) and (B)). In the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image, the extending direction of the strip-shaped track line 68 indicates the traveling direction of the host vehicle, enabling the driver to intuitively grasp the traveling position of the host vehicle.

[0046] Also, the strip-shaped track line 68 extending in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is perceived by the driver as a representation similar to a rail laid on the road, and the markers 66 placed at regular intervals are perceived by the driver as a representation similar to sleepers on a railway track. In this way, the representation by markers 66 and the track line 68 becomes a mental model with a sense of familiarity for many people, enabling the driver to intuitively recognize that it is a preview display of the future time when the host vehicle will travel.

[0047] In step 112, the display control ECU 42 determines whether the inter-vehicle setting for the automatic driving is being changed. If the inter-vehicle setting is being changed, the determination in step 112 is affirmed and the process proceeds to step 114. In step 114, the display control ECU 42 causes the inter-vehicle setting line 70 (the number of the inter-vehicle setting lines 70 changes according to the set inter-vehicle time) representing the set inter-vehicle time to be displayed on the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image respectively (see FIGS. 5(A) and (B)).

[0048] In this way, when the inter-vehicle setting line 70 is displayed, the driver can grasp the set inter-vehicle time. Also, in the present embodiment, the inter-vehicle setting line 70 is stationary on the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image. On the other hand, since the marker 66 is a marker whose display position moves as the host vehicle travels, it is possible to avoid the marker 66 and the inter-vehicle setting line 70 from being confused with each other.

[0049] If the inter-vehicle setting is not being changed, the determination in step 112 is negated and step 114 is skipped. In this case, the inter-vehicle setting line 70 is not displayed on the first-person single-lane display image and the third-person multi-lane display image.

[0050] In step 116, as shown in FIG. 5, the display control ECU 42 causes the first-person single-lane display image to be displayed on the HUD 56. When displaying an image on the HUD 56, a process of changing the display position of the image on the HUD 56 according to the steering angle is performed.

[0051] That is, first, the steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor 28 is acquired. If the steering angle of the steering wheel is 0, as shown in FIG. 11 for example, the first-person single-lane display image is displayed on the HUD 56 so that the image center of the first-person single-lane display image to be displayed on the HUD 56 coincides with the center CL of the display range of the HUD 56.

[0052] On the other hand, when the steering angle is not 0, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the image center of the first-person one-lane display image to be displayed on the HUD 56 is offset by an offset amount corresponding to the steering angle amount in the direction of the steering angle (right direction or left direction) with respect to the center CL of the display range of the HUD 56, and the first-person one-lane display image is displayed on the HUD 56.

[0053] As an example, FIG. 12 offsets the image center of the first-person one-lane display image to the right with respect to the center CL of the display range of the HUD 56. Thereby, when the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is curved, it is possible to make the driver feel that the image displayed on the HUD 56 always exists at an appropriate position within the lane without shifting outside the corner.

[0054] In the next step 118, as also shown in FIG. 5, the display control ECU 42 causes the meter display 58 to display the third-person multi-lane display image. When the process of step 118 is performed, the process returns to step 100, and steps 102 to 118 are repeated while the determination in step 100 is affirmed.

[0055] In level 2 or level 3 automated driving, a situation where driver intervention is required may occur. As an example, FIG. 13 shows a situation where, although a bus is traveling in the left lane adjacent to the left side of the host lane, the host vehicle is about to change lanes to the left lane (a situation where the vehicle side does not recognize that the bus is a dangerous presence when changing lanes), and it is desirable for the driver to intervene to cancel the lane change. Also in such a case, by displaying the marker 66, the track line 68, the road width line 62, etc. on the HUD 56, the driver can be quickly made aware that the host vehicle is about to change lanes to the left lane. Then, even if the vehicle side does not give any particular warning, the driver can recognize that the bus is a dangerous presence when changing lanes and perform an intervention operation to cancel the lane change.

[0056] Further, as an example, FIG. 14 shows a situation where the host vehicle is attempting to go straight even though the front of its own lane is blocked by lane restrictions (a situation where the vehicle side does not recognize that the front of its own lane is blocked), and it is desirable for the driver to intervene to change lanes. Even in such a case, by displaying markers 66, track lines 68, road width lines 62, etc. on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58, the driver can be quickly made aware that the host vehicle is attempting to go straight. Then, even without the vehicle side giving any particular warning, the driver can recognize that the front of the own lane in which the host vehicle is attempting to go straight is blocked and perform an intervention operation to change lanes.

[0057] As described above, in this embodiment, the display control ECU 42 causes the marker 66 to be displayed at positions on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 corresponding to the future position of the host vehicle acquired from the automatic driving ECU 34 that performs the automatic driving of the host vehicle, and moves the display positions of the marker 66 on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 toward the reference positions on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 corresponding to the host vehicle according to the running of the host vehicle. As a result, since the display position of the marker 66 moves in synchronization with the running of the host vehicle, even when information is displayed on the small HUD 56 and meter display 58 that do not cover a wide range of the occupant's forward view, it is possible to intuitively grasp that the display information corresponds to the actual scene.

[0058] Also, in this embodiment, the display control ECU 42 switches the future position of the host vehicle at which the marker 66 is displayed so that the time difference from the current time of the future position of the host vehicle decreases as time elapses, thereby moving the display positions of the marker 66 on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 toward the reference positions on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58. Thereby, the display positions of the marker 66 on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 can be moved by a simple process of switching the future position at which the marker 66 is displayed.

[0059] Also, in the present embodiment, the display control ECU 42 causes the marker 66 to be displayed at a plurality of positions on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 corresponding to a plurality of future positions of the host vehicle with time differences from the current time being different by predetermined times. Thereby, from the display intervals of the plurality of markers 66, it is possible to intuitively grasp the change in the behavior of the host vehicle in the time axis direction including acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle.

[0060] Also, in the present embodiment, the display control ECU 42 sets the vehicle width direction of the host vehicle as the width direction, the arrangement of the future positions of the host vehicle as the length direction, and causes a strip-shaped trajectory line 68 including the arrangement of the markers 66 to be displayed on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58. Thereby, from the extending direction of the trajectory line 68, it is possible to intuitively grasp the traveling position of the host vehicle.

[0061] Also, in the present embodiment, the display control ECU 42 causes a road width line 62 simulating the boundary line of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to be displayed on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58. Thereby, it is possible to more intuitively grasp that the display information corresponds to the actual scene.

[0062] Also, in the present embodiment, when the inter-vehicle time is changed, the display control ECU 42 causes an inter-vehicle setting line 70 corresponding to the set inter-vehicle time to be displayed on the HUD 56 and the meter display 58, so that the inter-vehicle time can be grasped.

[0063] Note that in the present embodiment, the marker 66 is rhombus-shaped, but it is not limited thereto, and other shapes such as circular shape and elliptical shape may be used.

[0064] Also, although the mode in which the automatic driving ECU 34 performs level 2 or level 3 automatic driving has been described above, it is not limited thereto, and it may be applied to a mode in which level 4 or level 5 automatic driving is performed. In level 4 or higher automatic driving, intervention by the driver is not required, but by performing the display according to the present invention, it is possible to intuitively let the vehicle occupants grasp that the automatic driving is functioning normally and give a sense of security.

[0065] Also, in the above, the mode of performing the display according to the present invention (display of the marker 66, the track line 68, the road width line 62, etc.) for each of the HUD 56 and the meter display 58 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the display according to the present invention may be performed only for either one of the HUD 56 and the meter display 58, and normal display (for example, the display in FIG. 4) may be performed for the other display.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0066] 10 In-vehicle system 28 Steering angle sensor 34 Autopilot ECU 42 Display control ECU 56 HUD 58 Meter display 62 Road width line 66 Marker 68 Track line 70 Inter-vehicle setting line

Claims

1. A vehicle display control device that causes a display device to display a road width line simulating a boundary line of a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and to display a marker and a band-shaped track line including the marker at a position corresponding to a future position of the host vehicle on the display device, wherein the track line is colored so as to be displayed in a manner distinguishable from the marker, characterized in that it is a vehicle display control device.

2. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1, wherein the track line is displayed in a color different from the marker and the road width line.

3. A vehicle display control method in which a computer executes a process including causing a display device to display a road width line simulating a boundary line of a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and to display a marker and a band-shaped track line including the marker at a position corresponding to a future position of the host vehicle on the display device, wherein the track line is colored so as to be displayed in a manner distinguishable from the marker, characterized in that it is a vehicle display control method.

4. The vehicle display control method according to claim 3, wherein the track line is displayed in a color different from the marker and the road width line.

5. A vehicle display control program for causing a computer to execute a process including causing a display device to display a road width line simulating a boundary line of a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, and to display a marker and a band-shaped track line including the marker at a position corresponding to a future position of the host vehicle on the display device, wherein the track line is colored so as to be displayed in a manner distinguishable from the marker, characterized in that it is a vehicle display control program.

6. The vehicle display control program according to claim 5, wherein the track line is displayed in a color different from the marker and the road width line.

Images