Vehicle display control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle display control device that enables selection of a vehicle to be displayed as peripheral information of own vehicle without giving discomfort to a user.SOLUTION: A vehicle display control device 10 includes: a detection part 52 that detects a preceding vehicle preceding in a travel lane in which own vehicle travels, and the other vehicles traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to the travel lane; and a display control part 56 that, when the detection part 52 detects the preceding vehicle, causes only the other vehicle, among the other vehicles, existing in an inter-vehicle section between own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, to be displayed as the other vehicle image simulating the other vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to a display control device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that, while following a vehicle ahead, an image showing the vehicle ahead, a vehicle in an adjacent lane, and the vehicle itself is displayed as a display showing the surrounding situation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7086798 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the prior art, when other targets cannot be displayed sufficiently to show the surrounding situation due to the display space or performance issues, it is necessary to select the targets to be displayed. If the targets to be displayed are not selected appropriately, the user may feel uncomfortable.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a display control device for a vehicle that enables a user to select vehicles to be displayed as peripheral information of the vehicle without causing discomfort to the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicular display control device according to claim 1 includes a detection unit that detects a preceding vehicle that is ahead of the host vehicle in a driving lane in which the host vehicle is driving and other vehicles that are driving in an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane, and a display control unit that, when the detection unit detects the preceding vehicle, displays only the other vehicles in an inter-vehicle section that is a section between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle as other vehicle images that resemble the other vehicles. The vehicular display control device according to claim 1 makes it possible to select vehicles to be displayed as peripheral information of the host vehicle without causing a sense of incongruity to the user.

[0007] The vehicular display control device according to claim 2 is the vehicular display control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the detection unit detects the other vehicle without detecting the leading vehicle, the display control unit displays the other vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle in the traveling direction as the other vehicle image. According to the vehicular display control device according to claim 2, an occupant can visually understand other vehicles that may be newly detected as leading vehicles when changing lanes into the driving lane.

[0008] The vehicular display control device according to claim 3 is the vehicular display control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control unit displays, as a leading vehicle image imitating the leading vehicle, the leading vehicle that is located furthest from the host vehicle in the driving lane among the leading vehicles detected by the detection unit, and displays, as the other vehicle image, only the other vehicle that is located furthest from the host vehicle in each of the adjacent lanes located on the left and right of the driving lane among the other vehicles detected by the detection unit. According to the vehicular display control device according to claim 3, an occupant can visually understand the leading vehicle with the shortest inter-vehicle distance or the other vehicle that will have the shortest inter-vehicle distance if the other vehicle traveling in each adjacent lane changes lanes into the driving lane.

[0009] The vehicular display control device according to claim 4 is the vehicular display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, when the other vehicle moves into the driving lane between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the display control unit displays the other vehicle as a preceding vehicle image that imitates the preceding vehicle. According to the vehicular display control device according to claim 4, an occupant of the host vehicle can visually understand that the other vehicle moving into the driving lane has been detected by the host vehicle as a new preceding vehicle.

[0010] The vehicular display control device according to claim 5 is the vehicular display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display control unit displays the other vehicle image using animation when the other vehicle enters the inter-vehicle section, and hides the other vehicle image using animation when the other vehicle leaves the inter-vehicle section. According to the vehicular display control device according to claim 5, occupants are less likely to feel a visual discomfort when the other vehicle image is displayed or hidden. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to select vehicles to be displayed as surrounding information of the vehicle without giving the user a sense of incongruity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle display control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a vehicle display control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen of the second display unit when another vehicle is detected without detecting a leading vehicle during autonomous driving. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen of the second display unit when a preceding vehicle and another vehicle are detected during autonomous driving. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen of the second display unit when another vehicle changes lanes into a driving lane between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle during autonomous driving. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a display process according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A vehicular display control device 10 mounted on a vehicle 12 (hereinafter also referred to as the subject vehicle) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle 12 is an example of the "subject vehicle".

[0014] (Hardware configuration of the vehicle display control device 10) As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle display control device 10 of this embodiment includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) .

[0015] The ECU 28 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 30, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 34, a storage 36, and an input / output interface 38. Each component is connected to each other via an internal bus 39 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0016] The CPU 30 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 30 reads programs from the ROM 32 or storage 36 and executes the programs using the RAM 34 as a work area. The CPU 30 also controls the above-mentioned components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the programs recorded in the ROM 32 or storage 36.

[0017] The ROM 32 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 34 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 36 is configured by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and is a non-temporary recording medium that stores various programs including an operating system and various data. In this embodiment, the ROM 32 or the storage 36 stores a display program for performing display processing, etc. Furthermore, various input / output devices are connected to the input / output interface 38.

[0018] Here, the ECU 28 is electrically connected to the autonomous driving ECU 40. Like the ECU 28, the autonomous driving ECU 40 is configured to include a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a storage, an input / output interface, and the like, all of which are not shown.

[0019] The autonomous driving ECU 40 is connected to a group of sensors 42 that detects the current situation of the vehicle and a group of actuators 44 that control the traveling of the vehicle. The group of sensors 42 includes a plurality of sensors selected from various types of sensors, such as a camera, radar, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), and a GPS (global positioning system) sensor. The camera captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle. The radar uses radio waves to detect the distance and direction of objects around the vehicle. The LIDAR uses laser light to detect the distance and direction of objects around the vehicle. The GPS sensor detects the current position of the vehicle. In addition to these, the group of sensors 42 is configured to include sensors that detect the state of the occupant. For example, the group of sensors 42 may be configured to include biological sensors that detect the occupant's heart rate, alertness, etc.

[0020] The actuator group 44 includes an acceleration / deceleration actuator that adjusts the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle, and a steering actuator that drives the vehicle's steering device. The autonomous driving ECU 40 controls the operation of the actuator group 44 in accordance with the current situation of the vehicle detected by the sensor group 42, thereby performing autonomous driving of the vehicle. Note that a planned route indicating the route along which the vehicle is planned to travel is stored in a memory unit of the autonomous driving ECU 40, and the autonomous driving ECU 40 causes the vehicle to travel along the planned route stored in the memory unit.

[0021] The ECU 28 is connected to a head-up display device 23 and a meter 25. The first display unit 24 is configured by a projection surface projected by the head-up display device 23. The second display unit 26 is a display unit displayed on the meter 25, which is located in front of the driver's seat on an instrument panel (not shown) provided in the front part of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 12. The first display unit 24 and the second display unit 26 are provided in positions visible to the driver. In this way, the vehicular display control device 10, the first display unit 24, and the second display unit 26 configure a vehicular display system.

[0022] An accelerator position sensor 46 and a steering sensor 48 are connected to the ECU 28. The accelerator position sensor 46 is a sensor that detects the position of an accelerator pedal (not shown) that is provided below the driver's seat. The steering sensor 48 is a sensor that detects the load applied to the steering wheel 16 by the occupant. That is, the steering sensor 48 of this embodiment is configured not to detect the load when the steering wheel 16 is operated by the autonomous driving ECU 40 during autonomous driving, but to detect the load when the occupant is operating the steering wheel 16.

[0023] (Functional configuration of the vehicle display control device 10) The vehicular display control device 10 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions. The functional configuration realized by the vehicular display control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0024] 2, the vehicle display control device 10 is configured to include, as functional components, a detection unit 52, a detection unit 54, and a display control unit 56. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 30 of the ECU 28 reading and executing a program.

[0025] The detection unit 52 detects vehicles around the vehicle 12. Specifically, the detection unit 52 detects a vehicle (hereinafter, a preceding vehicle) traveling ahead in the lane in which the vehicle 12 is traveling (hereinafter, a traveling lane), and a vehicle (hereinafter, another vehicle) traveling in a lane adjacent to the traveling lane (hereinafter, an adjacent lane). The detection unit 52 acquires information about the surrounding vehicles based on a signal from the autonomous driving ECU 40, for example.

[0026] The detection unit 54 detects a section between the vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle. Specifically, the detection unit 54 detects a section including a section corresponding to the section between the vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle in an adjacent lane (hereinafter also referred to as an adjacent section). The detection unit 54 acquires information about the section between the vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle based on, for example, a signal from the autonomous driving ECU 40. The section between the vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle is an example of an "inter-vehicle section."

[0027] The display control unit 56 displays the surrounding information of the vehicle 12 in a display area (hereinafter also referred to as the display area) of the second display unit 26 provided in the vehicle cabin. Specifically, the display control unit 56 acquires signals from the sensor group 42, and displays the surrounding information of the vehicle 12 based on the acquired signals in the display area.

[0028] Furthermore, the display control unit 56 changes the display screen of the second display unit 26 when the detection unit 52 detects a leading vehicle or another vehicle. Furthermore, the display control unit 56 changes the display screen displayed on the second display unit 26 when the detection unit 54 detects that another vehicle is entering or leaving the adjacent section detected by the detection unit 54. Specifically, the display control unit 56 changes the display of the other vehicle image M3 (described later) using animation. Animation in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, techniques related to displaying or hiding an image, such as fading in or fading out. For example, the image may be continuously changed to a different image, or the color or brightness may change as the image moves. The display control unit 56 may also change the display of the leading vehicle image M2 (described later) using animation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, "fading in" refers to gradually displaying an image from the foreground, and "fading out" refers to gradually hiding an image from the background. Here, "foreground" refers to a direction approaching the host vehicle image M1, which corresponds to the downward direction in the second display unit 26. Furthermore, the "deep side" is the direction away from the host vehicle image M1, and coincides with the upward direction in the second display unit 26. In other words, when an image is to be displayed, it is displayed from the side closer to the host vehicle image M1, and when an image is to be hidden, it is hidden from the side farthest from the host vehicle image M1, so that the occupant is less likely to feel a visual discomfort when an image is displayed or hidden.

[0029] Hereinafter, a part of the display screen of the second display unit 26 displayed by the function of the display control unit 56 during automatic driving will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0030] 3 is an example of the display screen of the second display unit 26 when another vehicle is detected without detecting a preceding vehicle. As shown in FIG. 3, the display area displays a host vehicle image M1 that resembles the vehicle 12, a vehicle image M3 that resembles another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane, and an inter-vehicle target M4 that indicates the setting of the inter-vehicle distance during autonomous driving. The vehicle image M3 in this embodiment includes a vehicle image M3T that depicts a large vehicle such as a truck and a vehicle image M3B that depicts a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle. Note that the vehicle image M3 may also include an image of a passenger car.

[0031] Here, the host vehicle image M1 is displayed superimposed on the inter-vehicle object M4 in the area (hereinafter referred to as the driving lane area) sandwiched between lane auxiliary lines 100 indicating the driving lane at the bottom of the display area. Here, the lane auxiliary lines 100 include a lane auxiliary line 100L indicating the left edge of the driving lane area and a lane auxiliary line 100R indicating the right edge of the driving lane area. Furthermore, the directions indicated by "left" and "right" are left and right directions in the traveling direction of the vehicle 12, and correspond to the left and right directions on the second display unit 26. As an example, in FIG. 3, the host vehicle image M1 is displayed as an image resembling a white passenger car.

[0032] The other vehicle image M3 is displayed in a display area outside the driving lane area. Specifically, the other vehicle image M3 is displayed in a color (e.g., gray) different from that of the host vehicle image M1 in an area to the left of the lane auxiliary line 100L indicating the adjacent lane on the left (hereinafter referred to as the left lane area) and an area to the right of the lane auxiliary line 100R indicating the adjacent lane on the right (hereinafter referred to as the right lane area). The other vehicle image M3 is displayed with its display position and size changed according to the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 12 and the other vehicle. For example, as the other vehicle moves away ahead of the vehicle 12, the other vehicle image M3 is displayed in a reduced size at the top of the display area. Here, "forward" refers to the traveling direction of the vehicle 12 and corresponds to the upward direction in the second display unit 26. When the other vehicle image M3 appears in the display area, it is displayed by fading in, and when the other vehicle image M3 disappears from the display area, it is faded out and hidden.

[0033] As an example, in FIG. 3, the other vehicle image M3T is gray and is displayed in front of the left lane area. Here, the dashed arrow in FIG. 3 indicates how the image is displayed by fading in. Specifically, the other vehicle image M3T is gradually displayed from the front side along the direction of the dashed arrow in FIG. 3. Also, the other vehicle image M3B is gray and is displayed in front of the right lane area. In this way, by fading in the other vehicle image M3T, it is indicated that a large vehicle such as a truck has been detected in the adjacent lane on the left. Also, by displaying the other vehicle image M3B, it is indicated that a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle is present in the adjacent lane on the right.

[0034] The number of inter-vehicle objects M4 displayed in the driving lane area corresponds to the specified value of the setting of the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle to be followed. In this embodiment, four inter-vehicle objects M4 are displayed when the specified value is "longest," three when the specified value is "long," two when the specified value is "medium," and one when the specified value is "short." As an example, in FIG. 3, the specified value is "longest," so four inter-vehicle objects M4 are displayed.

[0035] 4A and 4B show examples of the display screen of the second display unit 26 when a preceding vehicle and another vehicle are detected. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the display area displays a subject vehicle image M1, a preceding vehicle image M2 simulating a preceding vehicle in the driving lane, another vehicle image M3, and an inter-vehicle object M4. Here, if the detection unit 52 detects multiple other vehicles in each adjacent section, the display area displays only another vehicle image M3 representing the other vehicle located closest to the vehicle 12 in each adjacent section. Note that the preceding vehicle image M2 may include an image of a passenger car, an image of a large vehicle such as a truck, an image of a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle, etc. Being closest to the vehicle 12 is an example of "being closest to the subject vehicle."

[0036] The leading vehicle image M2 is displayed in the driving lane area superimposed on the inter-vehicle object M4. The display position and size of the leading vehicle image M2 are changed depending on the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 12 and the leading vehicle. For example, as the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 12 and the leading vehicle increases, the leading vehicle image M2 is displayed in a reduced size at the top of the display area. When the leading vehicle image M2 appears in the display area, it is displayed by fading in, and when the leading vehicle image M2 disappears from the display area, it is displayed by fading out. As an example, in FIG. 4(A), the leading vehicle image M2 is an image that resembles a white passenger car, different from the host vehicle image M1, and is displayed in front of the driving lane area. Here, the dashed arrow in FIG. 4(A) shows how the image is displayed by fading in. Specifically, the leading vehicle image M2 is gradually displayed from the front side along the direction of the dashed arrow in FIG. 4(A). In this way, by displaying the leading vehicle image M2 in white, it is indicated that the leading vehicle shown in the leading vehicle image M2 is the target to be followed during autonomous driving. Also, by fading in the leading vehicle image M2, it is indicated that the leading vehicle has been detected in the driving lane.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4(A), one other vehicle image M3T is displayed in the section indicated by the vehicle gap 200 in the left lane area, and one other vehicle image M3B is displayed in the section indicated by the vehicle gap 200 in the right lane area. Here, the vehicle gap 200 is the width indicating the section detected by the detection unit 54, and indicates the width of the section between the host vehicle image M1 and the leading vehicle image M2 in the display area. Also, as shown in FIG. 4(B), if the host vehicle image M1 and the leading vehicle image M2 approach each other due to a narrowing of the vehicle gap between the vehicle 12 and the leading vehicle, the section indicated by the vehicle gap 200 also becomes shorter. Therefore, the other vehicle image M3T that is outside the section indicated by the vehicle gap 200 is hidden. Here, the dashed arrow in FIG. 4(B) indicates how the image is hidden by fading out. Specifically, the other vehicle image M3T is gradually hidden from the rear side along the direction of the dashed arrow in FIG. 4(B). In this way, by displaying only the other vehicle image M3 in the section indicated by the vehicle distance 200, only other vehicles that have the potential to become leading vehicles to be followed during automatic driving if the vehicle changes lanes into the driving lane are displayed as other vehicle images M3.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows an example of the display screen of the second display unit 26 when another vehicle changes lanes into a lane between the vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, another vehicle changing lanes from the adjacent lane on the left to the driving lane is displayed as a leading vehicle image M2. Here, the white dashed arrow in FIG. 5 indicates the movement of the image. Specifically, the leading vehicle image M2 is gradually moved in the direction of the white dashed arrow in FIG. 5. Furthermore, the leading vehicle image M2 that was previously displayed in front of the driving lane area is hidden. Similarly, the other vehicle images M3T and M3B that deviate from the section indicated by the distance between the host vehicle image M1 and the new leading vehicle image M2 are also hidden. Here, the dashed arrow in FIG. 5 indicates the hiding of the image by fading out. Specifically, the leading vehicle image M2 and the other vehicle images M3T and M3B are gradually hidden from the rear side along the direction of the dashed arrow in FIG. 5. In this way, the other vehicle that has cut in between vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle and changed lanes is displayed as a new preceding vehicle image M2, and the preceding vehicle image M2 that has been displayed until now is hidden, thereby displaying only the preceding vehicle image M2 that indicates the preceding vehicle to be followed during autonomous driving. Also, by hiding the other vehicle images M3T and M3B, it is displayed that there is no other vehicle that has the potential to become a new preceding vehicle to be followed during autonomous driving by changing lanes into the driving lane.

[0040] (action) 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of display processing by the vehicle display control device 10. This display processing is executed by the CPU 30 of the ECU 28 reading a program from the ROM 32 or storage 36, expanding it into the RAM 34, and executing it. As an example, the display processing shown in FIG. 6 is repeatedly executed while the vehicle 12 is traveling for displaying the host vehicle image M1 and the inter-vehicle object M4 in the display area. Furthermore, in the following processing, when the leading vehicle image M2 and the other vehicle image M3 are newly displayed or hidden, they are displayed or hidden using animation (fade-in, fade-out, etc.).

[0041] 6, the CPU 30 acquires surrounding information. Specifically, the CPU 30 acquires signals from the sensor group 42 using the function of the display control unit 56, and acquires surrounding information of the vehicle 12 based on the acquired signals.

[0042] In step S101, the CPU 30 determines whether or not a preceding vehicle has been detected. If the CPU 30 determines that a preceding vehicle in the driving lane has been detected (step S101: YES), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if the CPU 30 determines that a preceding vehicle in the driving lane has not been detected (step S101: NO), the process proceeds to step S102. The CPU 30 may also detect another vehicle changing lanes from an adjacent lane to the driving lane as a preceding vehicle.

[0043] In step S102, the CPU 30 determines whether or not another vehicle has been detected. If the CPU 30 determines that another vehicle located ahead of the vehicle 12 has been detected (step S102: YES), the CPU 30 proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, if the CPU 30 determines that another vehicle located ahead of the vehicle 12 has not been detected (step S102: NO), the CPU 30 returns to step S100.

[0044] In step S103, the CPU 30 displays an other vehicle image M3 showing the other vehicle detected in step S102 in the display area (see FIG. 3). Then, the CPU 30 returns to step S100.

[0045] In step S104, the CPU 30 detects a section between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Specifically, the CPU 30 detects a section that includes an adjacent section.

[0046] In step S105, the CPU 30 determines whether or not another vehicle has been detected in the detected section. If the CPU 30 determines that another vehicle has been detected in the detected section (step S105: YES), the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, if the CPU 30 determines that another vehicle has not been detected in the detected section (step S105: NO), the process proceeds to step S107.

[0047] In step S106, the CPU 30 displays a leading vehicle image M2 showing the detected leading vehicle and an other vehicle image M3 showing the detected other vehicle. Specifically, the CPU 30 displays the leading vehicle image M2 showing the leading vehicle detected in step S101 and the other vehicle image M3 showing the other vehicle detected in step S105 in the display area (see FIG. 4(A)). Then, the CPU 30 returns to step S100. Note that if the CPU 30 detects a other vehicle that deviates from the detected section, it hides the other vehicle image M3 showing the other vehicle (see FIG. 4(B)).

[0048] In step S107, the CPU 30 displays a leading vehicle image M2 showing the detected leading vehicle. Specifically, the CPU 30 displays the leading vehicle image M2 showing the leading vehicle detected in step S101 in the display area. Then, the CPU 30 returns to step S100. Note that, if the CPU 30 detects another vehicle changing lanes from an adjacent lane as the leading vehicle in step S101, it displays an other vehicle image M3 showing the other vehicle as the leading vehicle image M2. The CPU 30 also hides the leading vehicle image M2 showing the leading vehicle leaving the detected section and the other vehicle image M3 showing the other vehicle leaving the detected section (see FIG. 5).

[0049] As described above, the vehicle display control device 10 according to this embodiment, when a preceding vehicle and another vehicle are detected, displays only the other vehicle traveling in the adjacent section as the other vehicle image M3. Therefore, the vehicle display control device 10 according to this embodiment makes it possible to select the vehicle to be displayed as the surrounding information of the vehicle 12 without causing discomfort to the occupant. Furthermore, even if it is not possible to adequately display objects indicating the surrounding conditions due to space or performance issues of the second display unit 26, another vehicle that may be recognized as a preceding vehicle due to a lane change is displayed as the other vehicle image M3, so the occupant is less likely to feel discomfort when the display changes when the other vehicle changes lanes into the driving lane.

[0050] In the vehicular display control device 10 according to this embodiment, when a different vehicle is detected without detecting a preceding vehicle, the different vehicle located ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 12 is displayed in the display area as a different vehicle image M3. Therefore, according to the vehicular display control device 10 according to this embodiment, the occupant can visually understand the different vehicle that may be newly detected as a preceding vehicle when changing lanes into the driving lane.

[0051] In the vehicular display control device 10 according to this embodiment, the preceding vehicle in the driving lane that is closest to the vehicle 12 is displayed as a preceding vehicle image M2 in the display area, and other vehicles in each adjacent lane that are closest to the vehicle 12 are displayed as other vehicle images M3. Therefore, according to the vehicular display control device 10 according to this embodiment, the occupant can visually understand the preceding vehicle with the shortest inter-vehicle distance, or the other vehicle that will have the shortest inter-vehicle distance if the other vehicle traveling in each adjacent lane changes lanes into the driving lane.

[0052] In the vehicle display control device 10 according to this embodiment, when another vehicle changes lanes into a driving lane between the vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle, the other vehicle is displayed as a preceding vehicle image M2. Therefore, according to the vehicle display control device 10 according to this embodiment, the occupant can visually understand that the other vehicle that is changing lanes from an adjacent lane into the driving lane is detected by the vehicle 12 as a new preceding vehicle.

[0053] In the vehicular display control device 10 according to this embodiment, when the other vehicle enters an adjacent section, the other vehicle image M3 representing the other vehicle is faded in and displayed, and when the other vehicle leaves the adjacent section, the other vehicle image M3 representing the other vehicle is faded out and hidden. Therefore, according to the vehicular display control device 10 according to this embodiment, the occupants are unlikely to feel any visual discomfort when the other vehicle image M3 is displayed or hidden.

[0054] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, the vehicular display control device 10 displays the peripheral information of the vehicle 12 on the second display unit 26, but is not limited to this. The vehicular display control device 10 may display the peripheral information of the vehicle 12 on the first display unit 24. In this case, the first display unit 24 displays an image similar to that of the second display unit 26, but if the display area of ​​the first display unit 24 is smaller than that of the second display unit 26, the first display unit 24 may be configured to display a portion of the image of the second display unit 26.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the vehicle display control device 10 displays one leading vehicle image M2 or one other vehicle image M3 in each of the driving lane and adjacent lanes, but this is not limiting. The vehicle display control device 10 may display multiple leading vehicle images M2 in the driving lane and multiple other vehicle images M3 in each adjacent lane.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the vehicle display control device 10 hides the other vehicle image M3 that indicates a vehicle that has deviated from an adjacent section, but this is not limited to this. The vehicle display control device 10 may hide the other vehicle image M3 in a section where the road marking indicating the boundary line between the adjacent lane and the other lane is a road marking indicating that a vehicle change is prohibited (for example, a solid yellow line).

[0057] In the above embodiment, when another vehicle changes lanes into the driving lane, the vehicle display control device 10 fades out the preceding vehicle image M2 that has been displayed in the driving lane, so that it is no longer displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The vehicle display control device 10 may change the color of the preceding vehicle image M2 that has been displayed in the driving lane to a different color (for example, gray) and display it.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the control processing executed by the CPU 30 by reading software (programs) may be executed by various processors other than a CPU. In this case, examples of processors include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing specific processing. Furthermore, the control processing may be executed by one of these various processors, or by two or more processors of the same or different types. The hardware structure of these various processors may be, more specifically, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the program is pre-stored (installed) in the ROM 32 or the storage 36, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The program may also be downloaded from an external device via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Vehicle display control device, 12 Vehicle, M1 Vehicle image, M2 Leading vehicle image, M3 Other vehicle image, 52 Detection unit, 56 Display control unit

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects a preceding vehicle that is traveling in a driving lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and another vehicle that is traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane; a display control unit that, when the detection unit detects the preceding vehicle, displays only the other vehicles in an inter-vehicle section that is a section between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle as other vehicle images that resemble the other vehicles; and A vehicle display control device comprising:

2. the display control unit, when the detection unit detects the other vehicle without detecting the leading vehicle, displays the other vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle in a traveling direction among the other vehicles as the other vehicle image. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1 .

3. The display control unit among the preceding vehicles detected by the detection unit, the preceding vehicle located furthest from the host vehicle in the driving lane is displayed as a preceding vehicle image simulating the preceding vehicle; among the other vehicles detected by the detection unit, only the other vehicle located closest to the host vehicle in each of the adjacent lanes located on the left and right of the driving lane is displayed as the other vehicle image. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the display control unit, when the other vehicle moves into the driving lane between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle, displays the other vehicle as a leading vehicle image that imitates the leading vehicle. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1 .

5. the display control unit displays the image of the other vehicle by animation when the other vehicle enters the inter-vehicle section, and hides the image of the other vehicle by animation when the other vehicle exits the inter-vehicle section. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1 .

Images