Information presentation device

Abstract

To allow a driver to easily understand an ambient environment.SOLUTION: An information presentation device comprises: a light emission unit which is located in front of a driver's seat, and in which a plurality of light emission regions are arranged along a width direction of a vehicle; a static three-dimensional object detecting unit that detects a static three-dimensional object which exists in front of the vehicle; and an information presentation controlling unit that sequentially lights up a light emission region corresponding to a position of the static three-dimensional object from a far distance toward a neighborhood.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information presentation device. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicles have been proposed in which a light-emitting display unit is provided in front of the driver along the width direction of the vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1). In this vehicle, the light-emitting display unit is configured to light up an area corresponding to the direction of a moving object present in front of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-197407 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described vehicle, the light-emitting display unit can light up to allow the driver to understand the situation of moving objects, but it cannot allow the driver to understand the situation of stationary objects, making it difficult for the driver to fully understand the surrounding situation.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to allow the driver to easily grasp the surrounding situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information presentation device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a light-emitting unit arranged in front of the driver's seat and having a plurality of light-emitting areas arranged along the width direction of the vehicle, a static three-dimensional object detection unit that detects static three-dimensional objects in front of the vehicle, and an information presentation control unit that sequentially lights up the light-emitting areas corresponding to the positions of the static three-dimensional objects, moving from distant to nearby. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the driver can easily understand the surrounding situation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the layout of the area around the driver's seat in the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information presentation ECU. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a situation ahead of a vehicle. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a grid map. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating detection of a road surface, a dynamic three-dimensional object, and a static three-dimensional object. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates a radial grid map. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing changes over time in the lighting state of the light bar. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing changes over time in the lighting state of the light bar when there is a three-dimensional object with the possibility of collision. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow for controlling the lighting of the light bar. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a road surface detection process. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a dynamic three-dimensional object detection process. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a static three-dimensional object detection process. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a radial grid map generation process. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a light bar information generation process. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a state transition diagram of a vehicle. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a notification image. [Figure 18]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a notification image. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on an information display in a modified example. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on an information display in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <1. Vehicle 1 Configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the layout of the area around a driver's seat 2 in a vehicle 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 1 has a driver's seat 2 and a passenger seat 3 arranged side by side in the width direction of the vehicle 1. In the following, the width direction of the vehicle 1 will be simply referred to as the width direction.

[0010] The vehicle 1 is provided with a steering wheel 4 in front of a driver's seat 2, and an accelerator pedal 5 and a brake pedal 6 below the steering wheel 4.

[0011] The vehicle 1 is also provided with a dashboard 8 in front of the driver's seat 2 and passenger seat 3 and below the windshield 7. The dashboard 8 is arranged along the width direction.

[0012] A light bar 9 is disposed on the dashboard 8 at a position overlapping the lower part of the windshield 7. The light bar 9 is disposed along the width direction and is formed to have a length that is approximately the same as the length of the windshield 7 in the width direction. Therefore, the light bar 9 is arranged below the windshield 7 so as to be always visible.

[0013] The light bar 9 has a plurality of light-emitting portions 9a (24 in the figure) arranged one-dimensionally along the width direction. Each light-emitting portion 9a is formed in a rectangular or square shape and can emit light in any light-emitting manner (color, brightness, light-emitting pattern, etc.) using a full-color LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light-emitting portion 9a corresponds to the light-emitting region of the present technology. As will be described in detail later, the light bar 9 can notify the driver of the status of three-dimensional objects (dynamic three-dimensional objects and static three-dimensional objects) ahead of the vehicle 1 by the manner in which it emits light.

[0014] The light bar 9 may have a large number of light emitting portions 9a arranged in a line in the width direction so that the driver can recognize each light emitting portion 9a without distinguishing between them. In this case, the light bar 9 allows the driver to recognize the lit areas (light emitting areas) as if they were seamlessly arranged.

[0015] An information display 10 is disposed in the center of the width direction below the light bar 9. The information display 10 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and is capable of providing the driver with various information in the form of images. The position where the information display 10 is disposed is not limited to this as long as it is a position visible to the driver. For example, the information display 10 may be a head-up display that projects an image onto the windshield 7 in front of the driver's seat 2.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of vehicle 1. As shown in Fig. 2, vehicle 1 includes a drive mechanism 11, a brake mechanism 12, a steering mechanism 13, a vehicle control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 14, a map locator 15, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 16, a map database 17, a sensor unit 18, a communication unit 19, and an information presentation device 20, which are connected via a bus.

[0017] The information presentation device 20 also includes a surrounding environment measuring unit 21, an information presentation ECU 22, a light bar 9, and an information display 10.

[0018] In addition to the above-mentioned units, the information presentation device 20 may also include, for example, a map locator 15, a GNSS receiver 16, a map database 17, a sensor unit 18, a communication unit 19, and the like. Although the vehicle control ECU 14 and the information presentation ECU 22 are configured by different pieces of hardware, they may be configured by the same piece of hardware.Furthermore, the vehicle control ECU 14 and the information presentation ECU 22 may each be configured by a plurality of pieces of hardware.

[0019] The drive mechanism 11 is configured to include one or both of an engine and a motor generator, which are power sources for propelling the vehicle 1. The drive mechanism 11 drives the vehicle 1 to propel the vehicle 1. The drive mechanism 11 may also include a transmission.

[0020] The brake mechanism 12 is configured to include a friction brake such as a disc brake, a drum brake, or a powder brake. The brake mechanism 12 generates a friction force using hydraulic pressure, electromagnetic force, or the like to generate a braking force for stopping the rotation of the wheel.

[0021] The steering mechanism 13 is composed of devices related to steering, such as a power steering motor.

[0022] The vehicle control ECU 14 is a computer that controls the running of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control ECU 14 controls the operations of the drive mechanism 11, the brake mechanism 12, and the steering mechanism 13.

[0023] For example, the vehicle control ECU 14 determines a target torque based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 5 and the speed of the vehicle 1, and controls the drive mechanism 11 to output the determined target torque. Furthermore, the vehicle control ECU 14 determines the amount of braking (braking amount) based on the amount of depression of the brake pedal 6, and controls the brake mechanism 12 so as to obtain the determined amount of braking. Furthermore, the vehicle control ECU 14 determines the steering amount (steering angle) based on the operation amount of the steering wheel 4, and controls the steering mechanism 13 so as to obtain the determined steering amount.

[0024] Furthermore, the vehicle control ECU 14 is capable of performing autonomous driving by appropriately controlling the drive mechanism 11, the brake mechanism 12, and the steering mechanism 13 so that the vehicle 1 continues to travel appropriately when the driver is away from the steering wheel 4, the accelerator pedal 5, and the brake pedal 6 (when the driver is not driving). Note that in this embodiment, for example, level 3 autonomous driving is assumed, but other levels may also be used.

[0025] Map locator 15 calculates the current position (latitude, longitude) of vehicle 1 based on satellite signals received by GNSS receiver 16. Map locator 15 also identifies the current position of vehicle 1 on a map by referring to map data stored in map database 17. For example, map locator 15 can identify not only the road on which vehicle 1 is traveling but also the lane on which it is traveling.

[0026] The sensor unit 18 collectively represents various sensors and operators provided in the vehicle 1. The sensor unit 18 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 1, a rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the rotary shaft of the drive mechanism 11, an accelerator pedal sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 5, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel 4, a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate, a G sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle 1, a brake switch that is turned ON or OFF depending on whether the brake pedal 6 is operated or not, and a brake pedal sensor that detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal 6.

[0027] The communication unit 19 performs network communication, so-called V2V communication (vehicle-to-vehicle communication), and road-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle control ECU 14 and the information presentation ECU 22 can acquire various types of information received by the communication unit 19. The communication unit 19 can also acquire various types of information, such as ambient environment information about the current location, road information, and weather information, through network communication such as the Internet.

[0028] The surrounding environment measuring unit 21 is a device for measuring the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The surrounding environment measuring unit 21 includes, for example, one or more of a stereo camera capable of capturing an image ahead of the vehicle 1, a radar device such as a millimeter wave radar or a laser radar, and a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). However, the surrounding environment measuring unit 21 may be other than these as long as it can recognize the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1.

[0029] The surrounding environment measuring unit 21 calculates the three-dimensional positions of objects (including the road surface) present in front of the vehicle 1 as point cloud data (hereinafter referred to as 3D point cloud data) and outputs the calculated 3D point cloud data to the information presentation ECU 22.

[0030] For example, if a stereo camera is provided, the surrounding environment measuring unit 21 calculates the three-dimensional position of each pixel by a so-called stereo method based on images captured by two cameras placed at a distance from each other. This allows the surrounding environment measuring unit 21 to calculate the three-dimensional position of each pixel in the captured images as 3D point cloud data.

[0031] Furthermore, when a radar device is provided, the surrounding environment measuring unit 21 irradiates radio waves ahead of the vehicle 1 and measures the reflected waves to measure the distance and direction to the point where the radio waves are reflected. The surrounding environment measuring unit 21 calculates the three-dimensional position of the point where the radio waves are reflected based on the distance and direction measured by the radar device. This allows the surrounding environment measuring unit 21 to calculate the three-dimensional positions of each point where the radio waves are reflected, i.e., the objects present ahead of the vehicle 1, as 3D point cloud data.

[0032] The information presentation ECU 22 is a computer that controls the lighting of the light bar 9 and the display of the information display 10 based on the 3D point cloud data acquired from the surrounding environment measuring unit 21. In the following, the lighting control of the light bar 9 and the display control of the information display 10 when the vehicle is being driven autonomously will be mainly described.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information presentation ECU 22. As shown in Fig. 3, the information presentation ECU 22 functions as a surrounding environment recognition unit 31, a route planning unit 32, an information presentation control unit 33, and a weather calculation unit 34 when controlling the illumination of the light bar 9 and the display of the information display 10.

[0034] The surrounding environment recognition unit 31 acquires 3D point cloud data from the surrounding environment measurement unit 21, and recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on the acquired 3D point cloud data. At this time, the surrounding environment recognition unit 31 functions as a data acquisition unit 41, a road surface detection unit 42, a dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43, and a static three-dimensional object detection unit 44.

[0035] The surrounding environment is assumed to include three-dimensional objects (static three-dimensional objects, dynamic three-dimensional objects) present around the vehicle 1, the road surface, and the like. A static three-dimensional object refers to a three-dimensional object that does not move by itself, such as a side wall, a traffic light, etc. A dynamic three-dimensional object refers to a three-dimensional object that can move by itself, such as a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a person, etc.

[0036] The data acquisition unit 41 acquires 3D point cloud data from the surrounding environment measurement unit 21. The road surface detection unit 42 detects the road surface based on the 3D point cloud data acquired by the data acquisition unit 41. The dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 detects a dynamic three-dimensional object based on the 3D point cloud data acquired by the data acquisition unit 41. The static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 detects a static three-dimensional object based on the 3D point cloud data acquired by the data acquisition unit 41. The specific processing of these functional units will be described later.

[0037] The route planning unit 32 predicts the trajectory of the dynamic three-dimensional object and plans the trajectory of the host vehicle (vehicle 1). At this time, the route planning unit 32 functions as a dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51 and a host vehicle trajectory planning unit 52.

[0038] The dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51 predicts the future trajectory of the dynamic three-dimensional object based on the temporal movement trajectory of the dynamic three-dimensional object detected by the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 . The vehicle trajectory planning unit 52 plans the trajectory of the vehicle based on the trajectory of the dynamic three-dimensional object predicted by the dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51, the position of the static three-dimensional object detected by the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44, etc. The specific processing of these functional units will be described later.

[0039] The information presentation control unit 33 controls the lighting of the light bar 9 and the display of the information display 10. At this time, the information presentation control unit 33 functions as a radial grid map generation unit 61, a light bar information generation unit 62, a light bar output unit 63, a driving state management unit 64, and a display control unit 65.

[0040] The radial grid map generating unit 61 associates the presence or absence of a dynamic three-dimensional object and a static three-dimensional object with each cell of the radial grid map, which will be described in detail later. The light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for lighting the light bar 9 in a predetermined light emission mode (color, brightness, lighting pattern) based on the radial grid map generated by the radial grid map generation unit 61. The light bar output unit 63 outputs the light emission information generated by the light bar information generation unit 62 to the light bar 9, and lights up the light bar 9 in the light emission mode indicated by the light emission information.

[0041] When a predetermined condition is met, the driving state management unit 64 transitions the vehicle to a driving state corresponding to the met condition from among a plurality of driving states. At this time, if the driving state management unit 64 determines that the autonomous driving cannot be continued, it terminates the autonomous driving and transfers driving to the driver. The driving states will be described later.

[0042] The display control unit 65 controls the display of the information display 10 based on the driving state managed by the driving state management unit 64 and the light emission information generated by the light bar information generation unit 62. For example, the display control unit 65 causes the information display 10 to display the conditions determined by the driving state management unit 64, or causes the information display 10 to display a simulated light bar 9 based on the light emission information. The specific processing of these functional units will be described later.

[0043] The weather calculation unit 34 calculates the weather of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, based on the current position of the vehicle 1 and weather information acquired via the communication unit 19.

[0044] <2. Light Bar 9 illumination control during autonomous driving> Next, a specific example of lighting control of the light bar 9 during autonomous driving will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a situation ahead of the vehicle 1. Here, lighting control of the light bar 9 under the situation shown in Fig. 4 will be described.

[0045] 4, assume that another vehicle 101 is traveling to the left front of vehicle 1 (host vehicle), that there is a pedestrian 102 to the left front of vehicle 1, that there are multiple cones 103 placed on the road (driving lane) ahead of vehicle 1, and that there is a side wall 104 extending along the direction of travel on the right side of vehicle 1. Also assume that pedestrian 102 is closer to vehicle 1 than another vehicle 101.

[0046] In such a situation, the data acquisition unit 41 acquires the 3D point cloud data from time to time. The data acquisition unit 41 outputs the acquired 3D point cloud data to the road surface detection unit .

[0047] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the grid map 71. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the detection of the road surface, dynamic three-dimensional objects, and static three-dimensional objects.

[0048] The road surface detection unit 42 performs a bird's-eye view transformation to compress the position in the height direction for each point shown in the 3D point cloud data. Next, the road surface detection unit 42 divides (votes) each bird's-eye view transformed point into one of the cells based on the bird's-eye view transformed two-dimensional (planar) position in a grid map 71 in which each cell is a square as shown in Fig. 5. 5, cells that cannot be recognized by the surrounding environment measuring unit 21 are filled in black, so points are not divided into cells that are filled in black.

[0049] Next, for each cell, the road surface detection unit 42 calculates the height of the lowest cell among one or more points included in that cell as the minimum height (groundMinZ) of that cell. After calculating the minimum heights (groundMinZ) of all cells, the road surface detection unit 42 extracts, for each cell, points whose heights range from the minimum height (groundMinZ) to a value obtained by adding a predetermined value ε to the minimum height (groundMinZ). Note that the predetermined value ε is set to any value in the range of 5 cm to 30 cm, for example.

[0050] The points extracted in this manner correspond to the road surface, and therefore the road surface detection unit 42 detects the road surface 110 by extracting these points. In reality, if there is no point corresponding to the road surface in a cell, it is possible that a point corresponding to a three-dimensional object will be extracted. However, this is a small enough proportion of the total that even if such a point is detected as the road surface, the impact will be small.

[0051] When the road surface detection unit 42 extracts a point cloud corresponding to the road surface, it calculates the average value of the heights of all the extracted point clouds as the road surface height (groundAveZ).

[0052] The dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 extracts a point cloud from the point cloud indicated in the 3D point cloud data, excluding the point cloud detected as the road surface. Then, from the extracted point cloud, the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 extracts points at heights ranging from the value obtained by adding the road surface height (groundAveZ) to the minimum three-dimensional object height (minDynObjZ) to the value obtained by adding the road surface height (groundAveZ) to the maximum three-dimensional object height (maxDynObjZ) as the point cloud of three-dimensional objects. The minimum three-dimensional object height (minDynObjZ) is set to, for example, 30 cm, and the maximum three-dimensional object height (maxDynObjZ) is set to, for example, 150 cm. Therefore, the point cloud within the range of 30 cm to 150 cm from the road surface is detected as the point cloud of the three-dimensional object to be controlled. The detected points have not yet been classified into either a dynamic or static three-dimensional object.

[0053] The dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 detects dynamic three-dimensional objects using a dynamic three-dimensional object detection algorithm such as L-Shape Fitting on the point cloud extracted as a three-dimensional object, and estimates the coordinate position, posture (which direction it is facing), and size of the detected dynamic three-dimensional object. The dynamic three-dimensional objects detected here are a dynamic three-dimensional object 111 corresponding to the other vehicle 101 and a dynamic three-dimensional object 112 corresponding to the pedestrian 102, as shown in FIGS.

[0054] The static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 removes the point cloud detected as a dynamic three-dimensional object from the point cloud extracted as a three-dimensional object, and extracts the remaining point cloud as a point cloud of a static three-dimensional object. The static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 detects static three-dimensional objects by applying a nonlinear clustering algorithm, such as DBSCAN, to the point clouds of the extracted static three-dimensional objects and combining point clouds of static three-dimensional objects that are close in Euclidean distance to each other. The static three-dimensional objects detected here are a static three-dimensional object 113 corresponding to the cone 103 and a static three-dimensional object 114 corresponding to the side wall 104, as shown in FIGS.

[0055] The dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51 predicts the trajectories of the dynamic three-dimensional objects 111, 112 using an algorithm such as a Kalman filter based on time-series data of the coordinate positions, postures, and sizes of the dynamic three-dimensional objects 111, 112 detected by the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43.

[0056] The vehicle trajectory planning unit 52 plans the trajectory of the vehicle based on the trajectories of the dynamic three-dimensional objects 111, 112 predicted by the dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51, the positions of the static three-dimensional objects 113, 114 detected by the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44, etc.

[0057] Furthermore, if the trajectories of the dynamic three-dimensional objects 111, 112 predicted by the dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51 overlap with the planned trajectory of the vehicle at the same time, the vehicle trajectory planning unit 52 determines that the dynamic three-dimensional object is a dynamic three-dimensional object that may collide. In addition, if the static three-dimensional objects 113, 114 detected by the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 overlap with the planned trajectory of the vehicle at the same time, the vehicle trajectory planning unit 52 determines that the static three-dimensional object is a static three-dimensional object that may have a collision risk. Then, the vehicle trajectory planning unit 52 assigns additional information indicating a possibility of collision in the nearest vicinity to the dynamic or static three-dimensional object that is closest to the vehicle among the dynamic or static three-dimensional objects that may collide.

[0058] 7 is a diagram showing a radial grid map 72. In addition to the grid map 71 described above, the radial grid map generation unit 61 generates a radial grid map 72 in which cells are divided by grid lines drawn radially from a position corresponding to the driver's position. In other words, the radial grid map 72 is a map in which cells spread radially to match the driver's field of view. Note that, if the surrounding environment measuring unit 21 is a camera, the radial grid map 72 may be a map in which cells spread radially to match the position of the surrounding environment measuring unit 21.

[0059] The radial grid map generating unit 61 associates the presence or absence of a dynamic three-dimensional object with each cell of the radial grid map 72 based on the coordinate positions, postures, and sizes of the dynamic three-dimensional objects 111 and 112 detected by the dynamic three-dimensional object detecting unit 43. In Fig. 7, the cells to which the dynamic three-dimensional objects 111 and 112 are respectively associated are shown by hatching as dynamic three-dimensional object cells 121 and 122.

[0060] Furthermore, the radial grid map generating unit 61 associates the presence of static three-dimensional objects with each cell of the radial grid map 72 that corresponds to a cell in which the static three-dimensional objects 113, 114 have been detected in the grid map 71. In Fig. 7, the cells to which the static three-dimensional objects 113, 114 have been associated are indicated by a dot pattern as static three-dimensional object cells 123, 124.

[0061] The radial grid map generating unit 61 may associate the presence or absence of a static three-dimensional object with each cell of the radial grid map 72 based on the three-dimensional positions of the static three-dimensional objects 113, 114 detected by the static three-dimensional object detecting unit 44.

[0062] Here, the number of horizontal cells in the radial grid map 72 is the same as the number of light-emitting sections 9a in the light bar 9, and the horizontal positions of the radial grid map 72 (e.g., positions from the left end) and the widthwise positions of the light-emitting sections 9a in the light bar 9 (e.g., positions from the left end) are respectively associated with each other. Then, based on a plurality of cells arranged in the vertical direction in the radial grid map 72, one light-emitting unit 9a corresponding to the width direction is controlled to light up.

[0063] That is, the presence or absence of dynamic and static three-dimensional objects displayed two-dimensionally on the radial grid map 72 is displayed on the light bar 9 as one-dimensional information.

[0064] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the change over time in the lighting state of the light bar 9. In FIG. When a dynamic three-dimensional object cell is present among a plurality of cells arranged along the vertical direction in the radial grid map 72, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for causing the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the width direction to blink at a blinking speed corresponding to the distance to the dynamic three-dimensional object cell closest to the vehicle 1 and in a color (e.g., green) corresponding to the dynamic three-dimensional object. For example, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information such that the blinking speed becomes faster (the blinking cycle becomes shorter) as the distance to the vehicle 1 becomes closer.

[0065] 8, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for causing the light emitting unit 9a (referred to as light emitting area 131 in FIG. 8) corresponding to the dynamic three-dimensional object cell 121 to blink in green. The light bar information generation unit 62 also generates light emission information for causing the light emitting unit 9a (referred to as light emitting area 132 in FIG. 8) corresponding to the dynamic three-dimensional object cell 122 to blink in green at a blinking speed faster than that of the light emitting area 131.

[0066] When the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information corresponding to the dynamic three-dimensional object, it outputs the generated light emission information to the light bar output unit 63. The light bar output unit 63 blinks the light bar 9 based on the input light emission information.

[0067] Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the blinking rate of the light-emitting unit 9a (light-emitting area 132) corresponding to the position of the pedestrian 102 closer to vehicle 1 than the other vehicle 101 is faster, and the blinking rate of the light-emitting unit 9a (light-emitting area 131) corresponding to the position of the other vehicle 101 farther from vehicle 1 than the pedestrian 102 is slower.

[0068] Furthermore, the light bar information generating unit 62 generates light emission information for sequentially lighting up the light emitting units 9a corresponding to the positions of the static three-dimensional objects from the far side to the near side.

[0069] Specifically, the light bar information generation unit 62 detects whether there is a static three-dimensional object cell associated with a static three-dimensional object in the cell row (one row in the horizontal direction) farthest from the vehicle 1 in the radial grid map 72, i.e., the cell row located at the top in the vertical direction. If there is a static three-dimensional object cell, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for lighting the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to that cell in a color (e.g., blue) corresponding to the static three-dimensional object and at a predetermined brightness value (1). The brightness value can be set in the range of 0 to 1, and is set to 1, which is the maximum value, in this example. In the example of Figure 8, there is a static three-dimensional object cell 124 corresponding to the side wall 104 in the cell row farthest from the vehicle 1, so the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information to light up the light-emitting unit 9a (represented as light-emitting area 134 in Figure 8) corresponding to that static three-dimensional object cell 124 in blue.

[0070] When the light bar information generation unit 62 generates the light emission information, it outputs the generated light emission information to the light bar output unit 63. The light bar output unit 63 turns on the light bar 9 based on the input light emission information. As a result, the light emitting unit 9a (light emitting area 134) corresponding to the far side of the side wall 104 is turned on in blue at maximum brightness.

[0071] Next, after a predetermined time (several milliseconds) has elapsed, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for the cell row (one horizontal row) in the radial grid map 72 that is the second farthest from the vehicle 1, in the same way as for the farthest cell row, to light the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the static three-dimensional object cell 124 in a color corresponding to the static three-dimensional object and with a brightness value of (1), and outputs this information to the light bar output unit 63.

[0072] Similarly, the light bar information generation unit 62 detects static three-dimensional object cells in the radial grid map 72, starting from the cell row farthest from the vehicle 1 (the uppermost cell row), and if a static three-dimensional object cell is found, generates light emission information to light the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to that cell in a color corresponding to the static three-dimensional object and with a brightness value of (1), and outputs this information to the light bar output unit 63.

[0073] In this case, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for the cell row (one horizontal row) in the radial grid map 72 that is the third farthest from the vehicle 1, to light up the light emitting units 9a corresponding to the static three-dimensional object cells 123, 124 in a color corresponding to the static three-dimensional object and with a brightness value of (1), and outputs this information to the light bar output unit 63. In this way, when approaching the vehicle 1, the light emitting portion 9a (denoted as the light emitting area 133 in FIG. 8) corresponding to the cone 103 is lit in blue with a luminance value of (1).

[0074] Next, when the light bar information generation unit 62 detects a static three-dimensional object cell in the cell row (one horizontal row) that is the fourth farthest from the vehicle 1 in the radial grid map 72, the static three-dimensional object cell 123 that was detected in the cell row that is the third farthest is no longer detected. In such a case, the light bar information generating unit 62 generates light emission information for attenuating the luminance value of the light emitting unit 9a for which the static three-dimensional object cell 123 is no longer detected by a predetermined attenuation rate (a value less than 1) and lighting it up.

[0075] Furthermore, when the light bar information generation unit 62 detects a static three-dimensional object cell in the cell row (one horizontal row) that is the fifth farthest from vehicle 1 in the radial grid map 72, the static three-dimensional object cell 123 that was detected in the cell row that is the third farthest continues to be not detected. In such a case, the light bar information generating unit 62 generates light emission information for lighting the light emitting unit 9a for which the static three-dimensional object cell 123 is no longer detected by further attenuating the luminance value by a predetermined attenuation rate (a value less than 1).

[0076] By doing so, as shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to light up the light emitting section 9a (light emitting area 133) corresponding to the farthest cone 103 so that it gradually becomes darker.

[0077] Furthermore, the light emitting units 9a (light emitting areas 134) corresponding to the side wall 104 arranged on the right side of the vehicle 1 along the traveling direction are illuminated so that the corresponding light emitting units 9a move from left to right over time, as shown in Fig. 8. In other words, the light bar 9 can be illuminated so that it slides in the same direction as the driver's line of sight when viewing static three-dimensional objects arranged continuously along the traveling direction.

[0078] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the change over time in the lighting state of the light bar 9 when there is a three-dimensional object with the possibility of collision. The lighting state of the light bar 9 described above is an example of a case where there is no three-dimensional object that may collide with the vehicle 1 (host vehicle). On the other hand, when there is a three-dimensional object that may collide with the vehicle 1 (host vehicle), the display state of the light bar 9 differs from the case where there is no three-dimensional object that may collide with the vehicle 1 (host vehicle).

[0079] Here, an example will be described in which a pedestrian 102 shown in Fig. 4 is moving toward vehicle 1 and may collide with vehicle 1. Note that the display modes of light-emitting units 9a corresponding to other vehicles 101, cones 103, and side walls 104 that are not likely to collide with vehicle 1 are the same as in the above cases, and therefore will not be described here.

[0080] When there is a possibility that the pedestrian 102 will collide with the vehicle 1, additional information indicating that there is a possibility of collision with the vehicle 1 is added to the dynamic solid object cell 122 corresponding to the pedestrian 102 in the radial grid map 72.

[0081] When there is a cell to which additional information indicating a possibility of collision is added among the multiple cells arranged along the vertical direction in the radial grid map 72, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emitting information for causing the corresponding light emitting unit 9a (here, the light emitting area 132) to blink in a color (e.g., orange) different from that for a static three-dimensional object and a dynamic three-dimensional object, and outputs the light emitting information to the light bar output unit 63. The blinking speed is set to be faster than that of a dynamic three-dimensional object.

[0082] The light bar output unit 63 controls the lighting of the light bar 9 based on the input light emission information. This allows the driver to easily recognize the light emitting unit 9a (light emitting area 132) corresponding to the pedestrian 102 who may be at risk of being hit by the vehicle 1, as shown in Fig. 9 .

[0083] <3. Lighting control flow> FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for controlling the lighting of the light bar 9. 10, when the process of controlling the lighting of the light bar 9 is started, in step S1 the data acquisition unit 41 acquires 3D point cloud data from the surrounding environment measurement unit 21. In step S2, the road surface detection unit 42 executes road surface detection processing to detect the road surface 110 based on the 3D point cloud data.

[0084] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the road surface detection process. As shown in FIG. 11, when the road surface detection process starts, in step S11, the road surface detection unit 42 performs a bird's-eye view transformation on each point shown in the 3D point cloud data, compressing the position in the height direction. In step S12, the road surface detection unit 42 divides (votes) each bird's-eye view transformed point in the grid map 71 into one of the cells. In step S13, for each cell of the grid map 71, the road surface detection unit 42 calculates the height of the lowest cell among one or more points included in that cell as the minimum height (groundMinZ) of that cell. In step S14, the road surface detection unit 42 extracts, for each cell, points whose heights range from the minimum height (groundMinZ) to a value obtained by adding a predetermined value ε to the minimum height (groundMinZ), as a point cloud of the road surface 110. In step S15, the road surface detection unit 42 calculates the average height of all the extracted point clouds as the road surface height (groundAveZ), and ends the road surface detection process.

[0085] Returning to FIG. 10, in step S3, the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 performs a dynamic three-dimensional object detection process to detect a dynamic three-dimensional object. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the dynamic three-dimensional object detection process. As shown in Figure 12, when the dynamic three-dimensional object detection process starts, in step S21, the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 extracts a point cloud from the point cloud indicated in the 3D point cloud data, excluding the point cloud detected as the road surface. Then, from the extracted point cloud, the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 extracts points at heights ranging from the value obtained by adding the road surface height (groundAveZ) to the minimum three-dimensional object height (minDynObjZ) to the value obtained by adding the road surface height (groundAveZ) to the maximum three-dimensional object height (maxDynObjZ) as the point cloud of three-dimensional objects. In step S22, the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 detects dynamic three-dimensional objects using a dynamic three-dimensional object detection algorithm such as L-Shape Fitting on the extracted point cloud, and estimates the coordinate position, orientation, and size of the detected dynamic three-dimensional object, thereby terminating the dynamic three-dimensional object detection process.

[0086] Returning to FIG. 10, in step S4, the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 performs a static three-dimensional object detection process to detect a static three-dimensional object. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the static three-dimensional object detection process. 13, when the static three-dimensional object detection process starts, in step S31 the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 removes point clouds detected as dynamic three-dimensional objects from point clouds detected as three-dimensional objects, and extracts the remaining point cloud as a point cloud of static three-dimensional objects. In step S32, the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 applies a nonlinear clustering algorithm, such as DBSCAN, to the extracted point clouds of static three-dimensional objects by combining point clouds of static three-dimensional objects that are close in Euclidean distance, thereby detecting static three-dimensional objects and terminating the static three-dimensional object detection process.

[0087] Returning to FIG. 10, in step S5, the dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51 predicts the trajectory of the dynamic three-dimensional object using an algorithm such as a Kalman filter based on the time series data of the coordinate position, posture, and size of the dynamic three-dimensional object detected by the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43. In step S6, the vehicle trajectory planning unit 52 plans the trajectory of the vehicle based on the trajectory of the dynamic three-dimensional object predicted by the dynamic three-dimensional object trajectory prediction unit 51, the position of the static three-dimensional object detected by the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle trajectory planning unit 52 assigns additional information indicating a possibility of collision in the nearest vicinity to the dynamic or static three-dimensional object that is closest to the vehicle among the dynamic or static three-dimensional objects that may collide.

[0088] In step S7, the radial grid map generating unit 61 generates a radial grid map 72 and performs a radial grid map generating process to associate the presence or absence of a dynamic three-dimensional object and a static three-dimensional object with each cell. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the radial grid map generation process. 14, when the radial grid map generation process starts, in step S41 the radial grid map generation unit 61 generates a radial grid map 72. In step S42, the radial grid map generation unit 61 associates the presence or absence of a dynamic three-dimensional object with each cell of the radial grid map 72 based on the coordinate position, orientation, and size of the dynamic three-dimensional object detected by the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43. In step S43, the radial grid map generation unit 61 associates the presence of a static three-dimensional object with a cell of the radial grid map 72 that corresponds to a cell in the grid map 71 in which a static three-dimensional object has been detected. In step S44, the radial grid map generation unit 61 stores information for each cell of the radial grid map 72 in a predetermined storage unit, and ends the radial grid map generation process.

[0089] Returning to FIG. 10, in step S8, the light bar information generating unit 62 performs a light bar information generating process for generating light emission information of the light bar 9. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of the light bar information generation process. As shown in FIG. 15, when the light bar information generation process is started, the light bar information generation unit 62 reads out the radial grid map 72 in step S51.

[0090] In step S52, the light bar information generation unit 62 detects cells to which additional information indicating a possibility of collision has been added. In step S53, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for causing the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the cells to which the additional information indicating a possibility of collision has been added to flash in orange, and outputs the information to the light bar output unit 63. As a result, the light bar output unit 63 causes the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the cells to which the additional information indicating a possibility of collision has been added to flash in orange.

[0091] In step S54, the light bar information generation unit 62 initializes distance information of the dynamic three-dimensional object corresponding to each light-emitting unit 9a. In step S55, the light bar information generation unit 62 selects one cell row in the radial grid map 72, starting from the farthest cell row. In step S56, the light bar information generation unit 62 acquires information (data) associated with the selected cell row. In step S57, if there is a cell in which a dynamic three-dimensional object is determined to exist, the light bar information generation unit 62 acquires the distance to the cell in which the dynamic three-dimensional object is determined to exist, and sets this as distance information of the light-emitting unit 9a corresponding to that cell. In step S58, the light bar information generation unit 62 determines whether the closest data row in the radial grid map 72 has been selected. If the closest data row has not been selected (No in step S58), the process returns to step S55. If the closest data row has been selected (Yes in step S58), the process proceeds to step S59. In steps S55 to S58, the closest distance information, which is considered to include a dynamic three-dimensional object, is acquired from among the vertical cell rows corresponding to the light-emitting unit 9a.

[0092] In step S59, the light bar information generation unit 62 determines the blinking speed of the corresponding light emitting unit 9a based on the distance information acquired in steps S55 to S58. In step S60, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emitting information for blinking the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the dynamic three-dimensional object cell in green at the determined blinking speed, and outputs the information to the light bar output unit 63. As a result, the light bar output unit 63 blinks the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the dynamic three-dimensional object in green.

[0093] In step S61, the light bar information generation unit 62 selects one cell row in order from the farthest cell row in the radial grid map 72. In step S62, the light bar information generation unit 62 acquires information (data) associated with the selected cell row. In step S63, the light bar information generation unit 62 attenuates the luminance value of the light-emitting unit 9a corresponding to the static three-dimensional object by a predetermined attenuation rate (a value less than 1) and lights it up.

[0094] In step S64, the light bar information generation unit 62 sets the brightness value of the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the cell where the static three-dimensional object is assumed to be present to 1. In step S65, the light bar information generation unit 62 generates light emission information for lighting the corresponding light emitting unit 9a in blue with the brightness value determined in steps S63 and S64, and outputs the light emission information to the light bar output unit 63. As a result, the light bar output unit 63 lights the light emitting unit 9a corresponding to the static three-dimensional object in blue.

[0095] In step S62, the light bar information generation unit 62 waits for a predetermined time to elapse. In step S67, the light bar information generation unit 62 determines whether the closest data row in the radial grid map 72 has been selected. If the closest data row has not been selected (No in step S67), the process returns to step S61, and if the closest data row has been selected (Yes in step S67), the light bar information generation process ends.

[0096] <4. State transition> Next, the transition of the driving state managed by the driving state management unit 64 will be described. Fig. 17 and Fig. 18 are diagrams showing examples of notification images. Fig. 16 is a state transition diagram of the vehicle 1. As shown in Fig. 16, the vehicle 1 has an automatic driving execution state, an automatic driving continuation impossible state, a system error state, and a manual driving execution state.

[0097] The driving state management unit 64 determines whether the conditions for transitioning the driving state are met based on the remaining battery level, the current position of the vehicle, the trajectory of the dynamic three-dimensional object detected by the dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43, the static three-dimensional object detected by the static three-dimensional object detection unit 44, the trajectory of the vehicle planned by the vehicle trajectory planning unit 52, etc. If the conditions for transitioning the driving state are met, the driving state management unit 64 transitions the vehicle to a driving state according to the met condition.

[0098] The autonomous driving execution state is a state in which autonomous driving is being executed by the vehicle control ECU 14. The driving state management unit 64 transitions to the autonomous driving execution state when the driver performs an operation to execute autonomous driving and the conditions for enabling autonomous driving are met.

[0099] While the autonomous driving execution state is set, the light bar information generation unit 62 and the light bar output unit 63 light up the light bar 9 in lighting modes corresponding to the dynamic three-dimensional objects and static three-dimensional objects, respectively, as described above.

[0100] When a predetermined advance notification condition is met while the automatic driving execution state is set, the display control unit 65 displays on the information display 10 a notification image corresponding to the met advance notification condition.

[0101] The advance notification conditions are conditions under which autonomous driving will not be possible in the near future or it is better not to continue autonomous driving. Examples of advance notification conditions include when the remaining battery charge falls below a predetermined value (e.g., 30%), when the vehicle 1 approaches an exit of a highway, when the vehicle 1 enters an area where autonomous driving is not possible, when autonomous driving has been performed for a long period of time (e.g., 2 hours) and the driver is prompted to take a break, etc.

[0102] When any of these advance notification conditions is met, the display control unit 65 causes the information display 10 to display a notification image corresponding to the met notification condition while continuing to control the lighting of the light bar 9. For example, when the remaining battery charge falls below a predetermined value, the display control unit 65 displays a notification image 81 shown in Fig. 17 on the information display 10. The notification image 81 indicates that automatic driving will be terminated and the vehicle will be switched to manual driving due to the insufficient remaining battery charge.

[0103] Furthermore, if a condition that prevents autonomous driving from continuing corresponding to the pre-notification condition is met after the pre-notification condition is met, the vehicle control ECU 14 will terminate autonomous driving, and therefore the driver will promptly switch to manual driving when notified that the pre-notification condition has been met. When the driver switches to manual driving, the driving state management unit 64 transitions the driving state to a manual driving execution state and causes the vehicle control ECU 14 to end automatic driving. In addition, if a condition that prevents automatic driving from continuing corresponding to the pre-notification condition that has been met is met without the driver switching to manual driving, the driving state management unit 64 may transition the driving state, for example, to a state where automatic driving cannot be continued.

[0104] If a predetermined condition for disabling continuation is met while the automatic driving execution state is set, the driving state management unit 64 transitions the driving state to an automatic driving continuation disabling state.

[0105] The non-continuation condition is a condition under which autonomous driving cannot be continued and must be immediately terminated. Examples of non-continuation conditions include the presence of an obstacle that cannot be avoided by autonomous driving, road construction on the road, the occurrence of bad weather such as heavy rain or dense fog, or the vehicle becoming stuck due to aggressive driving, etc.

[0106] When the continuation prohibition condition is met, the vehicle control ECU 14 stops the vehicle 1 after performing a so-called minimum risk maneuver in order to stop the vehicle 1 safely.

[0107] Furthermore, the light bar information generating unit 62 and the light bar output unit 63 display an abnormal state by flashing all the light emitting units 9a of the light bar 9, for example, twice in yellow, to notify the driver that autonomous driving cannot be continued. Thereafter, the light bar information generating unit 62 and the light bar output unit 63 control the light bar 9 to be turned on again until the vehicle 1 stops.

[0108] When a predetermined non-continuation condition is met while the automatic driving execution state is set, the display control unit 65 displays on the information display 10 a notification image corresponding to the met non-continuation condition. 18, when there is an obstacle that cannot be avoided, the display control unit 65 displays a notification image 82 on the information display 10. The notification image 82 indicates that there is an obstacle that cannot be avoided and that automatic driving will be terminated and switched to manual driving. Furthermore, when bad weather occurs, the display control unit 65 displays a notification image 83 on the information display 10. The notification image 83 indicates that automatic driving will be terminated and the vehicle will be switched to manual driving due to the occurrence of bad weather. Furthermore, if the vehicle becomes stuck due to aggressive driving or the like, the display control unit 65 displays a notification image 84 on the information display 10. The notification image 84 indicates that the vehicle has become stuck due to aggressive driving or the like, and that automatic driving will be terminated and switched to manual driving.

[0109] If a predetermined system error condition is met while the automatic driving execution state is set, the driving state management unit 64 transitions the driving state to a system error state.

[0110] The system error condition is a condition under which autonomous driving cannot be continued under any circumstances. For example, the system error condition may be a failure of the sensor unit 18 or the surrounding environment recognition unit 31, or an error in the control algorithm.

[0111] When a system error condition is met, the vehicle control ECU 14 immediately terminates the automatic driving. After that, when the driver switches to manual driving, the driving state management unit 64 transitions the driving state to a manual driving execution state.

[0112] Furthermore, when a system error condition is met, the light bar information generating unit 62 and the light bar output unit 63 notify the driver that a system error has occurred by, for example, flashing all the light emitting units 9a of the light bar 9 twice in yellow and then lighting them in yellow. Thereafter, the light bar information generating unit 62 and the light bar output unit 63 continue to light the light bar 9 in yellow until the driving mode is switched to manual driving.

[0113] If a system error condition is established while the automatic driving execution state is set, the display control unit 65 displays on the information display 10 a notification image corresponding to the established system error condition.

[0114] When the driving state transitions to the manual driving execution state, the light bar information generating unit 62 and the light bar output unit 63 end the lighting control of the light bar 9. As a result, all the light emitting units 9a of the light bar 9 are turned off.

[0115] <5. Variations> The above embodiment is merely an example of how the present invention can be implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the above example, and various modifications are possible.

[0116] The display control unit 65 may acquire light emission information from the light bar information generation unit 62, and display a pseudo light bar 9 on the upper part of the information display 10 based on the acquired light emission information. 19 , the display control unit 65 displays an image 91 that resembles a light bar 9 on the information display 10. At this time, the display control unit 65 can also display the image 91 that resembles the light bar 9 on the information display 10 together with notification images 81, 82, 83, and 84. This allows the driver to grasp the surrounding situation from the image 91 that resembles the light bar 9 when viewing the information display 10.

[0117] Also, as shown in Figure 20, the display control unit 65 can superimpose an image 91 resembling a light bar 9 on the information display 10 while a predetermined content image 92 (e.g., a video from a video distribution site, a web browser image, etc.) is displayed on the information display 10. This allows the driver viewing the content image 92 to simultaneously understand the surrounding situation through the image 91 that resembles the light bar 9, allowing for a smooth switch to manual driving.

[0118] The detection methods of the road surface, dynamic three-dimensional objects, and static three-dimensional objects in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and the road surface, dynamic three-dimensional objects, and static three-dimensional objects may be detected by other methods. For example, if the surrounding environment recognition unit 31 is a stereo camera, the road surface, dynamic three-dimensional objects, and static three-dimensional objects may be detected by performing image analysis on images captured by the stereo camera.

[0119] In the above embodiment, when there are multiple three-dimensional objects that may cause a collision, the light-emitting unit 9a corresponding to the three-dimensional object that may cause a collision that is closest to the vehicle 1 is configured to flash in orange. However, the light-emitting unit 9a corresponding to the three-dimensional object that may cause a collision that has the highest priority may be configured to flash in orange based on a predetermined priority, rather than the distance from the vehicle 1. For example, it may be possible to set the priority to be higher in the order of side walls, fallen objects, vehicles, and pedestrians.

[0120] In the above-described embodiment, the light-emitting units 9a corresponding to the dynamic and static three-dimensional objects are displayed separately based on their blinking speed and color. However, the display mode of the light-emitting units 9a corresponding to the dynamic and static three-dimensional objects is not limited to this as long as the distance and position of the dynamic and static three-dimensional objects can be grasped. For example, it is conceivable to lower the brightness value of the light-emitting units 9a as the dynamic and static three-dimensional objects become farther away, or to vary the light-emitting texture (light-emitting shape) of the light-emitting units 9a depending on the type of dynamic and static three-dimensional object.

[0121] <6. Summary> As described above, the information presentation device 20 of the embodiment includes a light-emitting unit (light bar 9) arranged in front of the driver's seat 2 and having multiple light-emitting areas arranged along the width direction of the vehicle 1, a static three-dimensional object detection unit 44 that detects static three-dimensional objects in front of the vehicle 1, and an information presentation control unit 33 that sequentially lights up the light-emitting areas (light-emitting unit 9a) that correspond to the positions of static three-dimensional objects from far away to close. This allows the information display device 20 to sequentially light up the light-emitting units 9a at positions where static three-dimensional objects are located, from far away to close. That is, the information display device 20 can light up the light-emitting units 9a so that the light-emitting units 9a slide in the same direction as the flow of the driver's field of vision when actually viewing a static three-dimensional object. In this way, the information display device 20 allows the driver to easily and intuitively grasp the surrounding situation.

[0122] When the corresponding static three-dimensional object disappears, the information presentation control unit 33 lights up the light emitting area (light emitting unit 9a) corresponding to the position of the static three-dimensional object by attenuating the brightness over time. This allows the information display device 20 to more clearly reproduce the flow of the field of view that the driver would see when actually viewing a static three-dimensional object, thereby allowing the information display device 20 to allow the driver to more easily grasp the surrounding environment.

[0123] The vehicle 1 is equipped with a dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 43 that detects dynamic three-dimensional objects in front of the vehicle 1, and the information presentation control unit 33 lights up the light-emitting area (light-emitting unit 9a) corresponding to the position of the dynamic three-dimensional object and the light-emitting area (light-emitting unit 9a) corresponding to the position of the static three-dimensional object in different light-emitting modes. This allows the information presentation device 20 to allow the driver to easily understand whether the object is a dynamic three-dimensional object or a static three-dimensional object.

[0124] The information presentation control unit 33 blinks the light emitting area (light emitting unit 9a) corresponding to the position of the dynamic three-dimensional object, and lights up the light emitting area (light emitting unit 9a) corresponding to the position of the static three-dimensional object. As a result, the information presentation device 20 allows the position of dynamic three-dimensional objects to be clearly grasped by flashing them, and for static three-dimensional objects, the position is lit in a sliding manner, allowing the position to be easily grasped in a display manner similar to the flow of the field of view.

[0125] The display control unit 65 is provided for displaying an image 91 resembling a light-emitting unit (light bar 9) superimposed on the display unit (information display 10) when a predetermined content image 92 is displayed on the display unit. As a result, the information presentation device 20 can allow the driver viewing the content image 92 to simultaneously understand the surrounding situation through the image 91 that resembles the light bar 9. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1 vehicle 9 Light Bar 10 Information Display 20 Information presentation device 21 Surrounding environment recognition device 22 Information presentation ECU 41 Data Acquisition Section 42 Road surface detection unit 43 Dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit 44 Static three-dimensional object detection unit 61 Radial grid map generator 62 Light bar information generation unit 63 Light bar output section 64 Operational Status Control Unit 65 Display control unit

Claims

1. a light-emitting unit disposed in front of the driver's seat and having a plurality of light-emitting regions arranged along the width direction of the vehicle; a static three-dimensional object detection unit that detects a static three-dimensional object in front of the vehicle; an information presentation control unit that sequentially lights up light-emitting areas corresponding to the positions of the static three-dimensional objects in order from far to near; An information presentation device comprising:

2. The information presentation control unit lights up the light-emitting area corresponding to the position of the static three-dimensional object by attenuating the brightness over time when the corresponding static three-dimensional object disappears. The information presentation device according to claim 1 .

3. A dynamic three-dimensional object detection unit is provided to detect a dynamic three-dimensional object in front of the vehicle, The information presentation control unit lights up a light emitting area corresponding to the position of the dynamic three-dimensional object and a light emitting area corresponding to the position of the static three-dimensional object in different light emitting modes. The information presentation device according to claim 1 .

4. The information presentation control unit blinks a light-emitting area corresponding to the position of the dynamic three-dimensional object, and lights up a light-emitting area corresponding to the position of the static three-dimensional object. The information presentation device according to claim 3 .

5. a display control unit that displays an image simulating the light-emitting unit on a display unit while a predetermined content image is being displayed on the display unit; The information presentation device according to claim 1 .

Images