On-vehicle display system

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle display system which can alleviate a sense of unease of a driver.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle display system 1 includes a display control part controlling display of a display unit. The display control part executes, when an own vehicle performs follow-up control of a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the own vehicle, follow-up control object display to a preceding vehicle icon 6 corresponding to the preceding vehicle on the display unit, does not display, when a further preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the preceding vehicle is detected during execution of the follow-up control, an icon corresponding to the further preceding vehicle on the display unit, and execute, when the further preceding vehicle becomes a deceleration control object of the own vehicle during execution of the follow-up control, deceleration control object display to a further preceding vehicle icon 7 corresponding to the further preceding vehicle on the display unit while keeping the follow-up control object display to the preceding vehicle icon 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle display system. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2017-41126 is known as a technical document relating to an in-vehicle display system mounted on a host vehicle. In the in-vehicle display system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2017-41126, when a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle is a control target of the host vehicle (for example, a tracking control target), a control target display for a preceding vehicle icon is displayed on the display screen of the host vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-41126 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a vehicle ahead of the preceding vehicle is traveling ahead of the preceding vehicle, the preceding vehicle may be subject to deceleration control, for example. In such a case, if a control target icon for the preceding vehicle icon is displayed on the display screen instead of the preceding vehicle icon, the driver may feel uneasy.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide an in-vehicle display system that can alleviate the driver's anxiety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The in-vehicle display system of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle display system that is mounted on a vehicle and displays the situation around the vehicle on a display inside the vehicle cabin, and is equipped with a display control unit that controls the display of the display.When the vehicle performs follow-up control on a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle, the display control unit displays a follow-up control target on the preceding vehicle icon corresponding to the preceding vehicle on the display, and even if a second preceding vehicle traveling in front of the preceding vehicle is detected while follow-up control is being performed, the display control unit does not display an icon corresponding to the second preceding vehicle on the display, and when the second preceding vehicle becomes a target for deceleration control by the vehicle while follow-up control is being performed, the display control unit displays a deceleration control target on the second preceding vehicle icon corresponding to the second preceding vehicle on the display. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle display system that can alleviate the driver's anxiety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an in-vehicle display system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the ECU shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the functional configuration of an in-vehicle display system according to one embodiment. The in-vehicle display system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is mounted on a vehicle, such as an autonomous vehicle or a driver assistance vehicle. As shown in Fig. 1, the in-vehicle display system 1 includes a camera 2, a sensor 3, a display 4, a speaker 5, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The in-vehicle display system 1 displays the situation around the vehicle on the display 4 installed in the vehicle cabin.

[0011] The camera 2 captures an image of the external environment of the host vehicle. In this embodiment, the camera 2 is a front camera that is provided, for example, behind the windshield of the host vehicle and captures an image of the area in front of the host vehicle. The camera captures an image of a preceding vehicle or the like located in front of the host vehicle. The camera 2 may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. The camera 2 transmits the captured image of the external environment of the host vehicle to the ECU 10.

[0012] The sensor 3 is a detection device that detects the external environment of the host vehicle (the situation around the host vehicle). In other words, the sensor 3 is an external sensor. The sensor 3 is, for example, a radar sensor. The radar sensor is a detection device that detects objects around the host vehicle using radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light. The radar sensor is, for example, a millimeter wave radar or a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The sensor 3 detects the distance and relative position to a preceding vehicle located in front of the host vehicle. The sensor 3 detects the speed and other information of a vehicle ahead of the preceding vehicle located in front of the preceding vehicle. The sensor 3 transmits information on the detected objects to the ECU 10.

[0013] The display 4 is provided in the cabin of the vehicle. For example, the display 4 is provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle. The display 4 has a display screen 41 (see FIG. 2) for displaying images. The display 4 displays images on the display screen 41 in response to a control signal from the ECU 10. The display 4 may be a HUD (Head Up Display) that projects and displays images onto the windshield or a projection screen of the vehicle.

[0014] The speaker 5 is provided in the cabin of the vehicle. The speaker 5 is a device used to provide information to the occupants of the vehicle by sound. The speaker 5 is configured to be able to output sound or voice to the occupants in the cabin of the vehicle.

[0015] The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a central processing unit (CPU) and a storage unit such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM). In the ECU 10, various functions are realized, for example, by the CPU executing programs stored in the storage unit.

[0016] The ECU 10 has, as its functional configuration, a preceding vehicle recognition unit 11, a preceding vehicle recognition unit 12, a following control unit 13, a deceleration control unit 14, a display control unit 15, and a notification unit 16.

[0017] The preceding vehicle recognition unit 11 determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle based on the detection results of at least one of the camera 2 and the sensor 3. The preceding vehicle recognition unit 11 may determine the presence of a preceding vehicle based on the image captured by the camera 2 by using, for example, well-known image processing techniques such as edge extraction, noise removal, pattern matching, etc., or a machine learning model trained by deep learning, etc. The preceding vehicle recognition unit 11 may determine the presence of a preceding vehicle based on, for example, the detection results of radio waves or light reflected by the preceding vehicle. The preceding vehicle recognition unit 11 recognizes the speed of the preceding vehicle and the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the detection results of the sensor 3.

[0018] The second-preceding vehicle recognition unit 12 determines whether or not there is a second-preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the preceding vehicle based on the detection results of at least one of the camera 2 and the sensor 3. The second-preceding vehicle recognition unit 12 may determine the presence of the second-preceding vehicle based on the image captured by the camera 2 by using well-known image processing techniques such as edge extraction, noise removal, pattern matching, etc., or a machine learning model trained by deep learning, etc. The second-preceding vehicle recognition unit 12 may determine the presence of the second-preceding vehicle based on the detection results of the second-preceding vehicle, the bottom of the preceding vehicle, or the road surface on which the preceding vehicle is traveling, etc. The second-preceding vehicle recognition unit 12 recognizes the vehicle speed of the second-preceding vehicle and the distance between the host vehicle and the second-preceding vehicle based on the detection results of the sensor 3.

[0019] When there is a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle, the following control unit 13 performs following control to adjust the vehicle speed of the host vehicle so that the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined set inter-vehicle distance. The following control unit 13 performs following control, for example, as part of ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control). The following control unit 13 cooperates with a brake hold function, which is a function of operating a brake device to apply automatic brakes, and causes the host vehicle to travel or stop so as to follow the preceding vehicle.

[0020] When a vehicle ahead of the preceding vehicle is present ahead of the preceding vehicle and the vehicle speed of the vehicle ahead of the preceding vehicle is decreasing, the deceleration control unit 14 executes deceleration control to decrease the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The deceleration control unit 14 cooperates with a brake hold function, which is a function for operating the brake device to apply automatic brakes, to decrease the vehicle speed of the host vehicle.

[0021] The display control unit 15 controls the display on the display 4. Each of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 41 of the display 4. As shown in Fig. 2, when the host vehicle performs tracking control for a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle, the display control unit 15 displays a preceding vehicle icon 6 corresponding to the preceding vehicle on the display screen 41 of the display 4. Even if a second preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the preceding vehicle is detected during the execution of tracking control, the display control unit 15 does not display a second preceding vehicle icon 7 corresponding to the second preceding vehicle on the display screen 41 of the display 4. Note that in Fig. 2, information to be displayed on the display screen 41 of the display 4 is represented by a solid line, and information not to be displayed on the display screen 41 of the display 4 is represented by a dashed line.

[0022] When the host vehicle performs follow-up control on a preceding vehicle, the display control unit 15 executes a follow-up control target display for the preceding vehicle icon 6. Specifically, the display control unit 15 controls the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6 and the follow-up control target icon 61 corresponding to the preceding vehicle icon 6 as the follow-up control target display for the preceding vehicle icon 6. When the host vehicle performs follow-up control on a preceding vehicle, the display control unit 15 changes the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6 to white, for example. When the host vehicle performs follow-up control on a preceding vehicle, the display control unit 15 displays the follow-up control target icon 61 in an area of the display screen 41 close to the preceding vehicle icon 6. The follow-up control target icon 61 includes, for example, text information such as "target to follow."

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3 , when the host vehicle performs deceleration control on a second-first vehicle traveling ahead of the preceding vehicle, the display control unit 15 displays a second-first vehicle icon 7 corresponding to the second-first vehicle on the display screen 41 of the display 4. When the host vehicle performs deceleration control on the second-first vehicle, the display control unit 15 executes a deceleration control target display for the second-first vehicle icon 7. Specifically, the display control unit 15 controls the color of the second-first vehicle icon 7 and a deceleration control target icon 71 corresponding to the second-first vehicle icon 7 as the deceleration control target display for the second-first vehicle icon 7. The color of the second-first vehicle icon 7 is different from the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6. When the host vehicle performs deceleration control on the second-first vehicle, the display control unit 15 changes the color of the second-first vehicle icon 7 to, for example, red or yellow. When the host vehicle performs deceleration control on the second-first vehicle, the display control unit 15 displays the deceleration control target icon 71 in an area of the display screen 41 close to the second-first vehicle icon 7. The deceleration control target icon 71 is different from the following control target icon 61. The deceleration control target icon 71 includes, for example, "deceleration target" as text information.

[0024] When the second-leading vehicle becomes a target of deceleration control for the host vehicle during the execution of follow-up control, the display control unit 15 displays the second-leading vehicle icon 7 while displaying the preceding vehicle icon 6. When the second-leading vehicle becomes a target of deceleration control for the host vehicle during the execution of follow-up control, the display control unit 15 displays the second-leading vehicle icon 7 as a target of deceleration control while maintaining the display of the preceding vehicle icon 6 as a target of follow-up control. Specifically, when the second-leading vehicle becomes a target of deceleration control for the host vehicle during the execution of follow-up control, the display control unit 15 keeps the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6 white and displays the follow-up control target icon 61, while changing the color of the second-leading vehicle icon 7 to red or yellow and displays the deceleration control target icon 71.

[0025] The notification unit 16 controls the speaker 5. When the vehicle ahead of the vehicle becomes a target for deceleration control of the host vehicle, the notification unit 16 causes the speaker 5 to output a notification sound. The notification sound may be a periodic sound whose volume or frequency changes over time. The notification sound may be, for example, an intermittent sound. The notification sound may be, for example, a sound that simulates the running sound or engine sound of another vehicle. The notification sound may give the listener the impression that another vehicle is approaching.

[0026] Next, an example of processing by the ECU 10 of the in-vehicle display system 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing each step of processing by the ECU 10. As shown in FIG. 4, in step S1, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the host vehicle is performing follow-up control for the preceding vehicle. If the host vehicle is performing follow-up control for the preceding vehicle (step S2: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S2. If the host vehicle is not performing follow-up control for the preceding vehicle (step S2: NO), the ECU 10 ends the processing.

[0027] In step S2, the ECU 10 executes a follow-up control target display for the preceding vehicle icon 6. In step S3, the ECU 10 determines whether the second preceding vehicle has become a target for deceleration control. If the second preceding vehicle has become a target for deceleration control (step S3: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S4. If the second preceding vehicle is not a target for deceleration control (step S3: NO), the ECU 10 ends the processing. Even if the second preceding vehicle is detected, if the second preceding vehicle is not a target for deceleration control, the ECU 10 does not display the second preceding vehicle icon 7.

[0028] In step S4, the ECU 10 executes deceleration control target display for the second-leading vehicle icon 7. In step S4, the ECU 10 displays the second-leading vehicle icon 7 while displaying the preceding vehicle icon 6. In step S4, the ECU 10 changes the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6 to white and displays the following control target icon 61, while changing the color of the second-leading vehicle icon 7 to red or yellow and displaying the deceleration control target icon 71.

[0029] As described above, in the in-vehicle display system 1, when the host vehicle performs follow-up control on a preceding vehicle, the display control unit 15 displays the preceding vehicle icon 6 corresponding to the preceding vehicle as a target of follow-up control on the display 4, and does not display the second-preceding vehicle icon 7 corresponding to the preceding vehicle on the display 4 even if a second-preceding vehicle is detected during follow-up control. Furthermore, when the second-preceding vehicle becomes a target of deceleration control for the host vehicle during follow-up control, the display control unit 15 displays the second-preceding vehicle icon 7 as a target of deceleration control on the display 4 while maintaining the display of the preceding vehicle icon 6 as a target of follow-up control. As a result, when the second-preceding vehicle becomes a target of deceleration control, the display of the preceding vehicle icon 6 as a target of follow-up control is maintained while the display of the second-preceding vehicle icon 7 as a target of deceleration control is displayed. This alleviates the driver's anxiety compared to, for example, when the host vehicle performs follow-up control and the display of the second-preceding vehicle icon 7 as a target of deceleration control is displayed instead of the display of the preceding vehicle icon 6 as a target of follow-up control. Therefore, the in-vehicle display system 1 can alleviate the driver's anxiety.

[0030] When the vehicle ahead of the vehicle becomes a target for deceleration control of the vehicle itself, the notification unit 16 outputs a notification sound from the speaker, thereby reliably informing the driver that the vehicle ahead of the vehicle becomes a target for deceleration control.

[0031] The display control unit 15 controls the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6 and the following control target icon 61 corresponding to the preceding vehicle icon 6 as a follow-up control target display for the preceding vehicle icon 6. This makes it possible to reliably notify the driver that the preceding vehicle is a follow-up control target.

[0032] The display control unit 15 controls the color of the second-first vehicle icon 7 and the deceleration control target icon 71 corresponding to the second-first vehicle icon 7 as a deceleration control target display for the second-first vehicle icon 7. This makes it possible to reliably notify the driver that the second-first vehicle is a deceleration control target. The color of the second-first vehicle icon 7 is different from the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6, and the deceleration control target icon 71 corresponding to the second-first vehicle icon 7 is different from the following control target icon 61 corresponding to the preceding vehicle icon 6. This makes it possible to distinguish between the following control target and the deceleration control target and to notify the driver.

[0033] Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0034] The in-vehicle display system 1 does not have to output the notification sound from the speaker 5. The in-vehicle display system 1 does not have to include the speaker 5 and the notification unit 16.

[0035] The display control unit 15 may control either the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6 or the follow-up control target icon 61 as the follow-up control target display for the preceding vehicle icon 6. In other words, it is sufficient for the display control unit 15 to control at least one of the color of the preceding vehicle icon 6 or the follow-up control target icon 61 as the follow-up control target display for the preceding vehicle icon 6.

[0036] The display control unit 15 may control either the color of the second-preceding vehicle icon 7 or the deceleration control target icon 71 as the deceleration control target display for the second-preceding vehicle icon 7. In other words, it is sufficient for the display control unit 15 to control at least one of the color of the second-preceding vehicle icon 7 or the deceleration control target icon 71 as the deceleration control target display for the second-preceding vehicle icon 7.

[0037] The in-vehicle display system 1 does not need to be equipped with a camera 2. The preceding vehicle recognition unit 11 may recognize the presence of a preceding vehicle, etc., based on the detection result of the sensor 3. The second preceding vehicle recognition unit 12 may recognize the presence of a second preceding vehicle, etc., based on the detection result of the sensor 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...in-vehicle display system, 4...display, 5...speaker, 6...leading vehicle icon, 7...preceding vehicle icon, 15...display control unit, 16...notification unit, 61...following control target icon, 71...deceleration control target icon.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle display system that is mounted on a vehicle and displays a situation around the vehicle on a display inside the vehicle, a display control unit that controls the display of the display, The display control unit, when the host vehicle performs follow-up control on a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle, displays a follow-up control target on the display for a preceding vehicle icon corresponding to the preceding vehicle, and even if a second preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the preceding vehicle is detected while the follow-up control is being performed, does not display an icon corresponding to the second preceding vehicle on the display, and when the second preceding vehicle becomes a target for deceleration control of the host vehicle while the follow-up control is being performed, displays a deceleration control target on the display for the second preceding vehicle icon corresponding to the second preceding vehicle while maintaining the follow-up control target display for the preceding vehicle icon.

2. a notification unit that controls a speaker in the vehicle interior; The in-vehicle display system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit causes the speaker to output a notification sound when the second preceding vehicle becomes a target for deceleration control of the host vehicle.

3. The in-vehicle display system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control unit controls at least one of the color of the preceding vehicle icon and the following control target icon corresponding to the preceding vehicle icon as the following control target display for the preceding vehicle icon.

4. the display control unit controls at least one of a color of the second-leading vehicle icon and a deceleration control target icon corresponding to the second-leading vehicle icon as the deceleration control target display for the second-leading vehicle icon, the color of the second preceding vehicle icon is different from the color of the preceding vehicle icon; The in-vehicle display system according to claim 3 , wherein the deceleration control target icon is different from the follow-up control target icon.

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