Warning display device, warning display method, warning display program, and vehicle warning display system

Abstract

To improve excessive display of warning during traveling of a vehicle and display which does not transmit an intention to an occupant.SOLUTION: A display unit (12) disposed below a windshield of a vehicle, an illumination unit (11) disposed in at least a partial region of the windshield and configured to cause an occupant to visually recognize a light image via a light-receiving body by light emitted from a light source, and a control unit (13) configured to determine whether a state of the vehicle is a first state or a second state having a higher collision risk than the first state based on acquired surrounding environment information, the control unit performs a first notification control of displaying, in a first display mode, a light image notifying the lighting unit that the lighting unit is in the first state and displaying, on the display unit, a first warning image notifying that the lighting unit is in the first state, and performs a second notification control of displaying, in a second display mode, a light image notifying that the lighting unit is in the second state and displaying, on the display unit, a second warning image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a warning display device and the like that displays a warning in a manner that corresponds to the level of risk of collision with an obstacle, such as another vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] As the number of displays installed in vehicle cabins increases, there is a growing demand for synchronized display between the displays. However, in conventional technologies, display processing is performed individually by a control device for each display. Therefore, when a situation arises in which a control device must allocate resources to processing other than display, the processing speed of that control device decreases, resulting in a discrepancy in the timing of the synchronized display between multiple displays. This can cause users to feel uncomfortable with synchronized display between multiple displays.

[0003] To solve this problem, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology related to a vehicle control device that includes a display processing unit that performs output preprocessing on an interlocking image for a center information display (CID) and a meter multi-information display (meter MID) that are displayed in an interlocked manner between the CID and the interlocking image for the meter MID, a first image output unit that outputs the interlocking image for the CID that has been preprocessed by the display processing unit to the CID, and a second image output unit that outputs the interlocking image for the meter MID that has been preprocessed by the display processing unit to the meter MID. According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, the display processing unit performs output preprocessing on the interlocking images, which are images for each display that are displayed in an interlocked manner across multiple displays, to make them information that can be output to the displays. This makes it possible to reduce timing discrepancies in the output preprocessing for the interlocking images for each display, compared to when the output preprocessing is performed individually by the control devices for each display. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-197664 (see paragraphs

[0007] to

[0009] , Figure 2) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, the technology described in Patent Document 1 allows two different displays to work together to display information in a way that is less likely to cause the user to feel uncomfortable due to a discrepancy in display timing. However, for example, if two different displays are always working together in a display scene to support safe driving of a vehicle, the same warning image will be displayed on both displays even in a low-risk situation, such as a risk of collision with another vehicle. This means that other information is obstructed, resulting in excessive notifications, and the display may be obscured by the warning image, making it difficult for the occupants to understand the intended message, leaving room for improvement.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a warning display device or the like that improves excessive warning displays while the vehicle is in motion and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants, for example, by displaying a warning in a manner that corresponds to the level of risk of collision with obstacles, including other vehicles.

[0007] Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the following exemplary aspects and best modes, as well as the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to facilitate an understanding of the outline of the present invention, the following examples are given of embodiments according to the present invention.

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention includes a display unit that is arranged below a windshield of a vehicle and that displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle; an illumination unit that is arranged in at least a part of the windshield and that includes a light source that irradiates a light receiver, and that causes an occupant to visually recognize a light image of the light emitted from the light source via the light receiver; and a control unit that acquires ambient environment information of the vehicle and, based on the acquired ambient environment information, determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state, or acquires the collision risk from an external source, The control unit is a warning display device that, if the collision risk is in the first state, performs first state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display the light image in a first display mode, notifying that the collision risk is in the first state, and to display a first warning image in the display unit, notifying that the collision risk is in the first state; and, if the collision risk is in the second state, performs second state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display the light image in a second display mode, different from the first display mode, notifying that the collision risk is in the second state, and to display a second warning image, different from the first warning image, in the display unit.

[0010] Here, "collision risk" refers to a risk level that indicates the degree of danger of a collision between a vehicle (host vehicle) and an obstacle, including another vehicle, and is a parameter indicating that the higher the value, the higher the possibility of a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle. For example, if the risk level is determined on a five-level scale from 1 to 5, level 1 is the lowest risk level and corresponds to a state in which there is almost no risk of a collision with the obstacle (in other words, a sufficiently small risk), and level 5 is a level indicating a state in which there is a very high possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and the obstacle, or a state in which a collision is unavoidable. Here, when the risk level is determined to be, for example, "1" or "2," it is referred to as "a first state in which the collision risk is low," and when the risk level is determined to be, for example, "3," "4," or "5," it is referred to as "a second state in which the collision risk is high."

[0011] The collision risk may be determined based on a distance value between the host vehicle and an obstacle, including another vehicle, by comparing it with a threshold value, regardless of the risk level described above. Alternatively, the collision risk may not be determined by the control unit, but may be obtained and used by the control unit through calculations performed by a driving assistance device that realizes an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) for the vehicle, such as a forward collision warning (FCW).

[0012] In addition, "information about the vehicle's surrounding environment" refers to information about obstacles, including other vehicles, within the vehicle's omnidirectional field of view (presence or absence of obstacles, distance to obstacles, etc.), and is information obtained, for example, by a camera that captures the vehicle's omnidirectional field of view and a satellite positioning system (GPS: Global Positioning System), or by LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), etc.

[0013] In a first aspect, the control unit determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state, based on acquired ambient environment information about the vehicle, or acquires the collision risk from an external source. If the collision risk is in the first state, the control unit performs first state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display an optical image in a first display mode that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state, and to display a first warning image in the display unit that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state. On the other hand, if the collision risk is in the second state, the control unit performs second state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display an optical image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the second state, and to display a second warning image that is different from the first warning image, on the display unit. In this way, the control unit determines the risk of collision with an obstacle from the acquired information on the vehicle's surrounding environment (or acquires it from the vehicle ECU (driving assistance device) that realizes ADAS such as FCW), and by dividing the notification control into a first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and a second state in which the collision risk is relatively high, in other words, by performing first state notification control in the first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and performing second state notification control in the second state in which the collision risk is relatively high, it becomes possible for the lighting unit and display unit, which operate in conjunction with each other, to display appropriate warnings in a manner that corresponds to the collision risk, thereby improving excessive display of warnings while the vehicle is moving and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the first aspect, the lighting unit emits light, and the photoreceiver that makes the light image visible is positioned at a higher position than the display unit, so the occupant (driver) can grasp the collision risk from the display mode (first display mode, second display mode) of the lighting unit without having to move their line of sight from the state in which they are gazing straight ahead through the windshield while driving, which also contributes to safe driving.

[0015] In a second aspect dependent on the first aspect, the control unit may, in the first state notification control, cause the illumination unit to display the light image notifying the first state in the first display aspect in which the light image is displayed at a first intensity, and cause the display unit to display the first warning image consisting of a character or a pictogram indicating the first state; and, in the second state notification control, cause the illumination unit to display the light image notifying the second state in the second display aspect in which the light image is displayed at a second intensity higher than the first intensity, and cause the display unit to display the second warning image consisting of the character or pictogram notifying the second state and a frame image or a background image that is arranged around the character or pictogram and has a color similar to that of the light image in the illumination unit.

[0016] Here, "similar colors" refers to colors that form an angle of 60° or less from the center of the hue circle, and more preferably, colors that form an angle of 30° or less from the center of the hue circle. A hue circle is a circular arrangement of hues for the purpose of systematizing colors, and allows hues to be specified at angles from 0 to 360 degrees without units.

[0017] In a second aspect, in the first status notification control, the control unit controls the illumination unit to display a light image notifying a first status in a first display mode at a first intensity, and to display a first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the first status on the display unit. Then, in the second status notification control, the control unit controls the illumination unit to display a light image notifying a second status in a second display mode at a second intensity higher than the first intensity, and to display a second warning image on the display unit consisting of characters or pictograms notifying the second status and a frame image or background image that is arranged around the characters or pictograms and has a color similar to that of the light image in the illumination unit. Specifically, in a first state in which the risk of collision is relatively low, the control unit causes the lighting unit 11 to display a light image at a first intensity (first display mode), such as lighting at a low brightness or blinking at a slow cycle, and the display unit 12 to display a first warning image in which a small icon is displayed in the upper right corner, as shown in (a) of FIG. 8. On the other hand, in a second state in which the risk of collision is relatively high, the lighting unit 11 causes the lighting unit 11 to display a light image at a second intensity (second display mode), such as lighting at a high brightness or blinking at a fast cycle, and the display unit 12 to display a second warning image in which a large pictogram is displayed in the center and the frame is lit in a color similar to that of the lighting unit 11, as shown in (b) of FIG. 8. In this way, the control unit can give appropriate warnings to occupants depending on the risk of collision.

[0018] In particular, in the second state where the risk of collision is high, the intensity of the light image displayed by the lighting unit 11 is increased by lighting it at a high brightness or by flashing it at a high speed, and a large pictogram is displayed in the center of the display unit 12 with a frame of the same color as the lighting unit 11 to increase its visibility and attract the attention of the occupants.On the other hand, in the first state where the risk of collision is low, the lighting unit 11 displays the light image at a first intensity (first display mode), for example, by lighting it at a low brightness or flashing it at a slow cycle, and a warning image is displayed in the form of a small pictogram in the upper right corner of the display unit 12, thereby improving the problem of other information being obscured by the warning image and not conveying the intention to the occupants.

[0019] In a third aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, the control unit may, in the first state notification control, control the display unit to display the first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the first state in a first size, and in the second state notification control, control the display unit to display the second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the second state in a second size larger than the first size.

[0020] In a third aspect, the control unit controls the display unit to display a first warning image made up of characters or pictograms indicating a first state in a first size during first state notification control, and to display a second warning image made up of characters or pictograms indicating a second state in a second size larger than the first size during second state notification control. In this way, by displaying the characters or pictograms on the display unit in a small size (first warning image) in the first state in which the collision risk is low and in a large size (second warning image) in the second state in which the collision risk is high, it is possible to appropriately alert the occupant depending on the collision risk.

[0021] In a fourth aspect dependent on the first to third aspects, the control unit may, in the second status notification control, perform control to display the second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the second status closer to the center than the first warning image consisting of the characters or pictograms displayed in the first status notification control.

[0022] In the fourth aspect, in the second status notification control, the control unit controls the second warning image consisting of letters or pictograms indicating the second status to be displayed closer to the center than the first warning image consisting of letters or pictograms displayed in the first status notification control, thereby attracting the attention of the occupant to the second warning image and making it easier to communicate that there is a high risk of collision.

[0023] In a fifth aspect dependent on the first to fourth aspects, the control unit may, in the second status notification control, display the second warning image in which a character or a pictogram indicating the second status is displayed as a pop-up superimposed on another image, and control the frame of the pop-up to be a similar color to the light image in the illumination unit.

[0024] In a fifth aspect, the control unit, in the second condition notification control, displays a second warning image in which text or pictograms indicating the second condition are displayed as a pop-up overlaid on another image, and controls the frame of the pop-up to be a similar color to the light image in the lighting unit. By displaying text or pictograms as a pop-up on the display unit in this manner and making the frame a similar color to the light image in the lighting unit, the relationship between each display is more easily conveyed to the occupant. Furthermore, by displaying the pop-up itself overlaid on an information image such as vehicle speed, the occupant can easily grasp the collision risk.

[0025] In a sixth aspect which is dependent on the first to fifth aspects, a distance measurement unit is connected which detects the presence or absence of the obstacle and measures the distance to the obstacle when the obstacle is detected, and the control unit has a first threshold value which determines whether to evaluate the collision risk or not and a second threshold value which determines whether to judge the collision risk to be high when evaluating the collision risk, and the collision risk may be evaluated by referring to the distance information to the obstacle measured and acquired by the distance measurement unit, the first threshold value and the second threshold value.

[0026] Here, the "first threshold" refers to an arbitrary distance value selected within a distance range of, for example, 0 to 100 m between the vehicle (host vehicle) and an obstacle including another vehicle, and the "second threshold" refers to an arbitrary distance value within the above distance range that is smaller than the first threshold. Note that the distance range used here differs depending on whether the vehicle is traveling on a highway or in an urban area, etc.

[0027] In a sixth aspect, the control unit has a first threshold for determining whether to assess the collision risk and a second threshold for determining whether to determine the collision risk as high when assessing the collision risk. The control unit evaluates the collision risk by referring to distance information to the obstacle measured and acquired by the distance measurement unit and the first and second thresholds. For example, the control unit compares the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit with the first threshold, and if the distance information is equal to or less than the first threshold, further compares it with the second threshold. If the distance information exceeds the second threshold, the control unit determines that the collision risk is in a first state in which the collision risk is low, and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit to a first display mode corresponding to the distance information and displays a first warning image consisting of small characters or pictograms on the display unit. On the other hand, if the distance information is equal to or less than the second threshold, the control unit determines that the collision risk is in a second state in which the collision risk is high, and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit to a second display mode corresponding to the distance information and displays a second warning image consisting of larger characters or pictograms on the display unit than in the first state. In this way, by preparing a plurality of thresholds based only on the distance information between the vehicle (host vehicle) and obstacles including other vehicles measured by the distance measurement unit, the collision risk can be easily determined.

[0028] In a seventh aspect dependent on the first to fifth aspects, a turn indicator indicating the turning direction of the vehicle is further connected, and the control unit may determine that the collision risk is low when the distance measurement unit detects the obstacle, the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold, there is no input information obtained from the turn indicator, or the distance information indicates a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the input information, and may determine that the collision risk is high when the distance information indicates the same direction as the input information obtained from the turn indicator.

[0029] Here, the "predetermined threshold" refers to an arbitrary distance value selected within a distance range of, for example, 0 to 100 m between the vehicle and an obstacle, including another vehicle. However, the distance range used here differs depending on whether the vehicle is traveling on a highway or in an urban area. Furthermore, "distance information in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the input information" refers to, for example, a direction in which the other vehicle (obstacle) moves away from the vehicle, thereby reducing the risk of collision, and "distance information in the same direction as the direction indicated by the input information acquired from the turn signal" refers to, for example, a direction in which the other vehicle (obstacle) approaches the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of collision.

[0030] In a seventh aspect, the control unit determines that the collision risk is low when the distance measurement unit detects an obstacle and the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold, and there is no information input from the turn signal or the input information indicates a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the distance information (the direction in which the obstacle was detected), and on the other hand, determines that the collision risk is high when the input information acquired from the turn signal indicates the same direction as the direction indicated by the distance information (the direction in which the obstacle was detected). In this way, by evaluating the collision risk using the input information from the turn signal in addition to the distance measurement unit that measures the distance between the vehicle (host vehicle) and obstacles including other vehicles, it is possible to determine the occupant's intention to change lanes using the turn signal and more appropriately evaluate the collision risk by comparing the turning direction with the direction indicated by the distance information.

[0031] In an eighth aspect dependent on the first to fifth aspects, an inertial measurement unit that detects the behavior of the vehicle is further connected, and the control unit may determine that the collision risk is high when the distance measurement unit detects the obstacle and the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold, the inertial measurement unit detects the turning direction of the vehicle, and the turning direction matches the direction indicated by the distance information, and may determine that the collision risk is low when the inertial measurement unit does not detect a turning motion due to the vehicle changing lanes, or detects the turning motion, and the direction indicated by the turning motion does not match the direction indicated by the distance information.

[0032] Here, "when the turning direction and the direction indicated by the distance information match" refers to, for example, the direction in which an obstacle, including another vehicle, approaches the vehicle, and "when the turning direction and the direction indicated by the distance information do not match" refers to, for example, the direction in which an obstacle, including another vehicle, moves away from the vehicle.

[0033] In an eighth aspect, when the distance measurement unit detects an obstacle and the distance information exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit determines that the collision risk is high if the inertial measurement unit detects a turning motion caused by the occupant changing lanes and the direction indicated by the distance information matches, and determines that the collision risk is low if the inertial measurement unit does not detect a turning motion caused by the vehicle changing lanes or detects a turning motion but the direction indicated by the distance information does not match. In this way, by using the inertial measurement unit to detect the behavior of the vehicle based on a lane change, the turning direction of the vehicle can be detected even without input information from a turn signal, allowing for an appropriate collision risk assessment.

[0034] A ninth aspect is a warning display method for a warning display device having a display unit that is arranged below a windshield of a vehicle and that displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle, an illumination unit that is arranged in at least a partial area of ​​the windshield and includes a light source that irradiates a light receiver and causes an occupant to visually recognize a light image of the light emitted from the light source via the light receiver, and a control unit, in which the control unit acquires ambient environment information of the vehicle, and based on the acquired ambient environment information, determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state, or acquires the collision risk from an external device. a step of performing first state notification control by the control unit, if the collision risk is in the first state, causing the lighting unit to display the light image in a first display mode that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state, and displaying a first warning image on the display unit that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state; and a step of performing second state notification control, if the collision risk is in the second state, causing the lighting unit to display the light image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode, and displaying a second warning image that is different from the first warning image on the display unit.

[0035] In a ninth aspect, the control unit first determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state, based on ambient environment information about the vehicle acquired from the outside, or acquires the collision risk from the outside. Next, if the collision risk is in the first state, the control unit performs first state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display an optical image in a first display mode that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state, and to display a first warning image in the display unit that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state. On the other hand, if the collision risk is in the second state, the control unit performs second state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display an optical image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the second state, and to display a second warning image that is different from the first warning image, on the display unit. In this way, by having the control unit determine the risk of collision with an obstacle from the acquired information about the vehicle's surrounding environment and separately controlling the notification depending on whether the collision risk is a first state or a second state, in other words, by performing the first state notification control in the first state where the collision risk is relatively low and the second state notification control in the second state where the collision risk is relatively high, the lighting unit and the display unit, which operate in conjunction with each other, can each display an appropriate warning in a manner appropriate to the collision risk, thereby reducing excessive warning displays while the vehicle is traveling and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants. Furthermore, because the lighting unit emits light and the photoreceptor that displays the light image is positioned higher than the display unit, the occupants can grasp the collision risk from the display manner of the lighting unit without having to move their eyes from the state where they are gazing straight ahead through the windshield while driving, which also contributes to safe driving.

[0036] A tenth aspect is a warning display program for a warning display device having a display unit that is arranged under the windshield of a vehicle and that displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle, an illumination unit that is arranged in at least a part of the windshield and includes a light source that irradiates a light receiver, and causes an occupant to see a light image of the light emitted from the light source via the light receiver, and a control unit, in which a processor included in the control unit acquires ambient environment information of the vehicle, and based on the acquired ambient environment information, determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state, or The warning display program executes the following processes: a process of acquiring a signal from outside; a process of performing first state notification control, in which, if the collision risk is in the first state, the lighting unit displays the light image in a first display mode that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state, and the display unit displays a first warning image that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state; and a process of performing second state notification control, in which, if the collision risk is in the second state, the lighting unit displays the light image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode, and the display unit displays a second warning image that is different from the first warning image.

[0037] In a tenth aspect, a processor included in the control unit sequentially reads and executes a warning display program recorded in memory, thereby first determining whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on information about the vehicle's surrounding environment acquired from the outside, or acquiring the collision risk from the outside. If the collision risk is in the first state, first state notification control is performed to cause the lighting unit to display an optical image in a first display mode that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state, and to display a first warning image in the display unit that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state. On the other hand, if the collision risk is in the second state, second state notification control is performed to cause the lighting unit to display an optical image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the second state, and to display a second warning image that is different from the first warning image, on the display unit. In this way, by determining the risk of collision with an obstacle from the acquired information about the vehicle's surrounding environment and dividing the notification control into a first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and a second state in which the collision risk is relatively high—in other words, by performing the first state notification control in the first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and the second state notification control in the second state in which the collision risk is relatively high—it becomes possible for the lighting unit and display unit, which operate in conjunction, to display appropriate warnings in a manner appropriate to the collision risk, thereby improving excessive warning displays while the vehicle is traveling and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants. Furthermore, because the lighting unit emits light and the photoreceptor that makes the light image visible is positioned higher than the display unit, the occupants can grasp the collision risk from the display manner of the lighting unit without having to move their eyes from the state in which they are gazing straight ahead through the windshield while driving, which also contributes to safe driving.

[0038] An eleventh aspect is a warning display system for a vehicle including an environmental information monitoring device that monitors the environment surrounding a vehicle, a driving assistance device that detects environmental information acquired from the environmental information monitoring device and the behavior of the vehicle to assist a driving operation of a passenger on board the vehicle, and a warning display device, wherein the warning display device includes: a display unit that is arranged below a windshield of the vehicle and displays a warning image when a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle occurs; an illumination unit that is arranged in at least a partial area of ​​the windshield and includes a light source that irradiates light onto a photoreceptor, and causes the passenger to visually recognize a light image of the light emitted from the light source via the photoreceptor; and an illumination unit that acquires environmental information surrounding the vehicle from the environmental information monitoring device, and determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state based on the acquired environmental information. and a control unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state or acquires the collision risk from the driving assistance device, wherein the control unit, if the collision risk is in the first state, performs first state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display the light image that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state in a first display mode and to display on the display unit a first warning image that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state; and, if the collision risk is in the second state, performs second state notification control to cause the lighting unit to display the light image that notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the second state in a second display mode different from the first display mode and to display on the display unit a second warning image that is different from the first warning image.

[0039] In an eleventh aspect, the warning display device determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on information about the vehicle's surrounding environment obtained from the environmental information monitoring device, or obtains the collision risk from an external driving assistance device, and if the collision risk is in the first state, performs first state notification control to display, on the lighting unit, a light image in a first display mode that notifies that the collision risk is in the first state, and displays, on the display unit, a first warning image that notifies that the collision risk is in the first state; on the other hand, if the collision risk is in the second state, performs second state notification control to display, on the lighting unit, a light image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode, and displays, on the display unit, a second warning image that is different from the first warning image. In this way, the warning display device determines the risk of collision with an obstacle from acquired information about the vehicle's surrounding environment (or acquires this information from a vehicle ECU (driving assistance device) that realizes ADAS, such as FCW), and performs separate notification control for a first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and a second state in which the collision risk is relatively high; in other words, by performing first state notification control in the first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and performing second state notification control in the second state in which the collision risk is relatively high, it becomes possible for the lighting unit and display unit, which operate in conjunction with each other, to display appropriate warnings in a manner appropriate to the collision risk, and it is possible to provide a warning display system that improves excessive warning displays while the vehicle is traveling and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants. Furthermore, because the lighting unit emits light and the photoreceptor that makes the light image visible is positioned higher than the display unit, the occupants can grasp the collision risk from the display manner of the lighting unit without having to move their eyes from the state in which they are looking straight ahead through the windshield while driving, which also contributes to safe driving.

[0040] Those skilled in the art will easily understand that the exemplified embodiments according to the present invention can be further modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0041] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a schematic enlarged view of the vicinity of a steering handle when a warning display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a motorcycle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a mounting structure of an illumination unit included in the warning display device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a warning display system for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the basic processing operation of the warning display device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed procedures (collision risk evaluation 1) of the "collision risk evaluation" process (step ST15) shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed procedures (collision risk evaluation 2) of the "collision risk evaluation" process (step ST15) shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed procedures (collision risk evaluation 3) of the "collision risk evaluation" process (step ST15) shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of warning patterns for the illumination unit and the display unit that change depending on the collision risk. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle traveling scene in which the collision risk is evaluated using a plurality of thresholds using only the distance measurement unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle traveling scene when a collision risk is evaluated using a distance measurement unit and a direction indicator. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle traveling scene when a collision risk is evaluated using a distance measurement unit and an inertial measurement unit. [Figure 12A] FIG. 12A is a diagram showing an example of a warning pattern for the illumination unit and the display unit when it is determined that the vehicle is in the first state, which indicates a low collision risk. [Figure 12B]FIG. 12B is a diagram showing an example of a warning pattern for the illumination unit and the display unit when it is determined that the vehicle is in the second state, which indicates a high collision risk. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0042] The best mode described below is used to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and therefore, those skilled in the art should be aware that the present invention is not unduly limited by the mode described below (hereinafter referred to as the present mode).

[0043] (Configuration of the embodiment) Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic enlarged view of the vicinity of a steering wheel 2 when a warning display device 10 of this embodiment is applied to a motorcycle. As shown in FIG. 1, a cowl 3 is attached to the front of a vehicle 1 (motorcycle) facing a rider (driver) as a windshield. The cowl 3 is manufactured by injection molding using a light-transmitting PC material (light-transmitting resin glass) and is a windshield provided to rectify wind while riding. The cowl 3 controls the wind blowing on the rider while ensuring forward visibility for the rider. The warning display device 10 of this embodiment, which includes a display unit 12 and a control unit 13 (see FIG. 3), not shown, is mounted approximately in the center of the steering wheel 2 extending from the vehicle body to the left and right. The warning display device 10 of this embodiment further includes illumination units 11 arranged in separate left and right regions above the cowl 3. Note that reference numeral 4 denotes side mirrors.

[0044] In the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the illumination unit 11 includes a light source 111 that emits light toward a light receiver 112 that is disposed in at least a part of the cowl 3, as shown in FIG. 2 as an example of an implementation structure, and allows the occupant (driver) to visually recognize an optical image based on the light emitted from the light source 111. The light receiver 112 is disposed in left and right regions allocated above the cowl 3 so that its directionality can be recognized. The control unit 13 causes the light source 111 to light up or blink in a predetermined color, thereby guiding the display light toward the light receiver 112, and the light guided by the light receiver 112 is emitted toward the occupant, allowing the occupant to visually recognize the optical image.

[0045] The light source 111 is composed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and may be a single light source emitting light of one color tone (emission color), or multiple light sources 111 each emitting light of a different color tone (emission color). The color tone may also be changed by combining light sources 111 of three primary colors. The light receiver 112 may also be formed in a shape that allows the area to be distinguished by integrating it into one without being arranged in separate areas on the left and right sides of the cowl 3.

[0046] The display unit 12 is disposed below the cowl 3 and is provided near the rotation center of the steering handle 2 of the motorcycle. The display unit 12 is, for example, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 12 can display a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle, including another vehicle.

[0047] According to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the illumination unit 11 is disposed at a higher position than the display unit 12. Therefore, the illumination unit 11 can emit or flash the light source 111, allowing the occupant (driver) to easily grasp the light image without moving their line of sight while gazing straight ahead while driving. Note that the illumination unit 11 may not emit the light guided to the light receiver 112 toward the occupant, but may instead emit it toward the cowl 3, and the reflected light may be viewed by the occupant as a virtual image. Such a technology for viewing reflected light as a virtual image is described in detail, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6435611.

[0048] The control unit 13 acquires ambient environment information about the vehicle 1 (here, a motorcycle), and determines whether the "collision risk" is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on the acquired ambient environment information, or can acquire the collision risk from an external source (for example, see the driving assistance device 30 in FIG. 3). If the collision risk is in the first state, the control unit 13 performs first state notification control to cause the illumination unit 11 to display a light image in a first display mode that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state, and to display a first warning image in the display unit 12 that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the first state. If the collision risk is in the second state, the control unit 13 can perform second state notification control to cause the illumination unit 11 to display a light image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the second state, and to display a second warning image in the display unit 12 that is different from the first warning image.

[0049] Here, "surrounding environment information of vehicle 1" refers to information about obstacles, including other vehicles, within vehicle 1's omnidirectional field of view (e.g., whether or not there are obstacles, the distance to the obstacles, etc.). This information is acquired, for example, from an environmental information monitoring device 20, which includes a camera capturing images of vehicle 1's omnidirectional field of view, a GPD, or a LiDAR. LiDAR can measure the distance to the object by illuminating an object using near-infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light and capturing the reflected light with an optical sensor. Furthermore, "collision risk" refers to a risk level that indicates the degree of risk of a collision between the vehicle and an obstacle. A higher value indicates a higher likelihood of a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle. For example, if risk levels are classified on a five-point scale (1 to 5), level 1 is the lowest risk level, corresponding to a state in which there is almost no risk of a collision with the obstacle (in other words, a sufficiently low risk), and level 5 indicates a state in which there is a very high possibility of a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle or a state in which a collision is unavoidable. Here, if the risk level is determined to be, for example, "1" or "2," it is said to be in a "first state with a low collision risk," and if the risk level is determined to be, for example, "3," "4," or "5," it is said to be in a "second state with a high collision risk."

[0050] The collision risk may be determined based on a distance value between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and an obstacle including another vehicle by comparing it with a threshold value, as will be described later, regardless of the risk level. Alternatively, the collision risk may not be determined by the control unit 13, but may be acquired and used by the control unit 13 through calculation by the driving assistance device 30 that realizes ADAS, such as FCW.

[0051] Please refer to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a warning display system 100 for a vehicle according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the warning display system 100 for a vehicle according to this embodiment includes an environmental information monitoring device 20 that monitors the environment surrounding a vehicle 1 (here, a motorcycle), a driving assistance device 30 that detects environmental information surrounding the vehicle 1 acquired from the environmental information monitoring device 20 and the behavior of the vehicle 1 to assist the driving operation of a passenger in the vehicle 1, and the warning display device 10 according to this embodiment. The warning display device 10, the environmental information monitoring device 20, and the driving assistance device 30 according to this embodiment are connected to each other via a control area network (CAN), which is an in-vehicle LAN, so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally with each other.

[0052] The warning display device 10 includes an illumination unit 11, a display unit 12, and a control unit 13. The illumination unit 11 includes a light source 111 (see FIG. 2) that irradiates a light receiver 112 (see FIG. 2) that is arranged in at least a partial area of ​​the windshield (here, cowl 3) of the vehicle 1 (here, a motorcycle), and the light emitted from the light source 111 can be transmitted to the occupant via the light receiver 112 to produce a visually recognizable light image. The display unit 12 is arranged below the windshield (cowl 3) of the vehicle 1 (here, a motorcycle), and can display a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle, including another vehicle.

[0053] The control unit 13 acquires ambient environment information about the vehicle 1 from the lighting unit 11 and the environmental information monitoring device 20, and can determine whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state, based on the acquired ambient environment information. The control unit 13 can also acquire the collision risk from a driving assistance device 30 that implements an ADAS such as an FCW. Furthermore, when the collision risk is in the first state in which the collision risk is low, the control unit 13 performs a "first state notification control" in which the lighting unit 11 displays a light image in a first display mode that notifies the vehicle that the collision risk is in the first state, and the display unit 12 displays a first warning image that notifies the vehicle that the collision risk is in the first state. On the other hand, when the collision risk is in the second state in which the collision risk is high, the control unit 13 can perform a "second state notification control" in which the lighting unit 11 displays a light image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode that notifies the vehicle that the collision risk is in the second state, and the display unit 12 displays a second warning image that is different from the first warning image.

[0054] In addition, in the "first state notification control," the control unit 13 can control the illumination unit 11 to display a light image notifying the first state in a first display mode that displays the light image at a first intensity, and the display unit 12 to display a first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms (icons) indicating the first state; and in the "second state notification control," the control unit 13 can control the illumination unit 11 to display a light image notifying the second state in a second display mode that displays the light image at a second intensity that is higher than the first intensity, and the display unit 12 to display a second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms notifying the second state and a frame image or background image that is arranged around the characters or pictograms and is similar in color to the light image in the illumination unit 11.

[0055] Here, "similar colors" refers to colors that form an angle of 60° or less from the center of the hue circle, and more preferably, colors that form an angle of 30° or less from the center of the hue circle. A hue circle is a circular arrangement of hues for the purpose of systematizing colors, and allows hues to be specified at angles from 0 to 360 degrees without units.

[0056] In addition, in the "first state notification control," the control unit 13 can control the display unit 12 to display a first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating a first state in which the collision risk is low, in a first size, and in the "second state notification control," to display a second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating a second state in which the collision risk is high, in a second size larger than the first size, on the display unit 12.

[0057] In addition, in the "second status notification control", the control unit 13 can control the display of a second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the second status closer to the center than the first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms displayed in the first status notification control.

[0058] In addition, in the "second status notification control", the control unit 13 can display a second warning image in which characters or pictograms indicating the second status are displayed as a pop-up overlaid on another image, and control the frame of the pop-up to be the same color as the light image in the lighting unit 11.

[0059] In addition to the environmental information monitoring device 20 and the driving assistance device 30, at least one of a distance measurement unit 14, a direction indicator 15, and an inertial measurement unit 16 is connected to the control unit 13. The distance measurement unit 14 is a distance sensor that detects the presence or absence of an obstacle using, for example, ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, millimeter waves, or the like, and that can measure the distance to the obstacle when an obstacle is detected, and can be replaced by using the environmental information monitoring device 20. The direction indicator 15 is, for example, a switch that can be operated left or right and is provided on the steering handle 2 of the vehicle 1 (two-wheeled vehicle) shown in FIG. 1, and is a turn signal that operates in conjunction with an indicator (not shown) that transmits left or right input information to the control unit 13 when the occupant (driver) operates the switch.

[0060] The inertial measurement unit 16 is an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) or the like that detects the behavior of the vehicle 1 (here, a motorcycle), and can detect three-dimensional inertial motion (translational motion in three orthogonal axial directions and rotational motion) of the vehicle 1. Note that instead of using an IMU, the behavior of the vehicle 1, such as turning, may be detected by determining the position information of the vehicle 1 using a GPS and performing image processing on omnidirectional images of the vehicle 1 captured by a camera or the like.

[0061] The control unit 13 has a first threshold value for determining whether to evaluate the collision risk and a second threshold value for determining whether to determine the collision risk as high when evaluating the collision risk, and can evaluate the collision risk by referring to the distance information to the obstacle measured and acquired by the distance measurement unit 14 and the first and second threshold values. Here, the "first threshold value" refers to an arbitrary distance value selected within a distance range of, for example, 0 to 100 m between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and an obstacle including another vehicle, and the "second threshold value" refers to an arbitrary distance value within the above distance range that is smaller than the first threshold value. Note that the distance range used here differs depending on whether the vehicle is driving on a highway or in an urban area, etc.

[0062] Furthermore, the control unit 13 can determine that the collision risk is low when the distance measurement unit 14 detects an obstacle, the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold, there is no input information acquired from the direction indicator 15, or the distance information indicates a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the input information, and can determine that the collision risk is high when the distance information indicates the same direction as the input information acquired from the direction indicator 15. Here, the "predetermined threshold" refers to an arbitrary distance value selected within a distance range of, for example, 0 to 100 m, between the host vehicle and an obstacle, including another vehicle. However, the distance range used here differs depending on whether the vehicle is traveling on a highway or in an urban area. Furthermore, "the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the input information in which the distance information is acquired" refers to, for example, a direction in which the other vehicle (obstacle) moves away from the host vehicle, thereby resulting in a low collision risk, and "the direction in which the distance information is acquired in the same direction as the direction indicated by the input information acquired from the direction indicator 15" refers to, for example, a direction in which the other vehicle (obstacle) approaches the host vehicle, thereby resulting in a high collision risk.

[0063] Furthermore, the control unit 13 can determine that the collision risk is high when the distance measurement unit 14 detects an obstacle and the distance information exceeds a predetermined threshold, the inertial measurement unit 16 detects a turning motion due to a lane change by the occupant, and the direction of the distance information matches, and can determine that the collision risk is low when the inertial measurement unit 16 does not detect a turning motion due to a lane change by the vehicle 1, or detects a turning motion but the direction of the distance information does not match. Here, "when the turning direction matches the direction indicated by the distance information" refers to, for example, a direction in which an obstacle, including another vehicle, approaches the vehicle, and "when the turning direction does not match the direction indicated by the distance information" refers to, for example, a direction in which an obstacle, including another vehicle, moves away from the vehicle.

[0064] The control unit 13 is equipped with a processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit) including a memory, and the memory is equipped with storage elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) to which a program area and a work area are allocated, or ROM (Read Only Memory). The warning display program of this embodiment executed by the processor is allocated to the program area, and threshold information such as a first threshold and a second threshold that are set in advance for distance information used to determine the collision risk, the collision risk generated by the warning display program, and the display pattern (or screen information) displayed on the illumination unit 11 and the display unit 12 are allocated and stored in the work area.

[0065] (Operation of the embodiment) 1 to 3 will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 8. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the basic processing operation of the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, and Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a warning pattern for the illumination unit 11 and the display unit 12 that changes depending on the collision risk.

[0066] 4, the control unit 13 first detects the start-up of the vehicle 1 (step ST11). Here, a vehicle ECU (not shown) detects that an ignition switch (IG) is turned ON (IG-ON) and notifies the control unit 13, thereby enabling the control unit 13 to detect the start-up of the vehicle 1. When the control unit 13 detects the start-up of the vehicle 1 (step ST11 "YES"), it acquires ambient environment information of the vehicle 1 from the ambient environment information monitoring device 20 connected via the CAN 40 (step ST12). The ambient environment information of the vehicle 1 is, for example, information acquired by the ambient environment information monitoring device 20, such as a camera or LiDAR that captures an omnidirectional field of view of the vehicle 1.

[0067] Next, if the presence of an obstacle, including another vehicle, is confirmed based on the acquired surrounding environment information (step ST13 "YES"), the control unit 13 acquires distance information between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and the obstacle, including the other vehicle (step ST14). Subsequently, the control unit 13 determines the collision risk between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and the obstacle, including the other vehicle, based on the surrounding environment information of the vehicle 1 acquired from the environment information monitoring device 20 (step ST15). Here, the collision risk refers to a risk level that indicates the degree of danger of a collision between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and the obstacle, including the other vehicle, and is a parameter indicating that the higher the value, the higher the possibility of a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle 1 (host vehicle). For example, if the risk level is determined on a five-level scale from 1 to 5, level 1 is the lowest risk level and corresponds to a state where there is almost no risk of a collision with the obstacle (in other words, a state where the risk is sufficiently small), and level 5 is a level indicating a state where there is a very high possibility of a collision between the obstacle and the host vehicle, or a state where a collision is unavoidable.

[0068] In the collision risk determination process of step ST15, the control unit 13 determines whether the vehicle is in a first state in which the collision risk is low, or in a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state. Here, "the collision risk is in the first state" refers to a case in which the risk level is determined to be, for example, "1" or "2," and "the collision risk is in the second state" refers to a case in which the risk level is determined to be, for example, "3," "4," or "5." Note that the control unit 13 may not determine the collision risk itself, but may instead acquire and use the collision risk calculated by a vehicle ECU (driving assistance device 30) that realizes ADAS, such as an FCW, connected to the CAN 40.

[0069] If the collision risk is in a first state (risk level is "1" or "2"), where the collision risk is low ("YES" in step ST16), the control unit 13 performs "first state notification control" to cause the lighting unit 11 to display a light image in a first display mode, which notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state, and to cause the display unit 12 to display a first warning image, which notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the first state (step ST17). On the other hand, if the collision risk is in a second state (risk level is "3," "4," or "5"), where the collision risk is high ("YES" in step ST18), the control unit 13 performs "second state notification control" to cause the lighting unit 11 to display a light image in a second display mode, which is different from the first display mode, which notifies the driver that the collision risk is in the second state, and to display a second warning image, which is different from the first warning image, on the display unit 12 (step ST19). Note that the collision risk may be determined by the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle, including another vehicle, by comparing it with a threshold value, regardless of the risk level.

[0070] In the "first state notification control," the control unit 13 controls the illumination unit 11 to display a light image notifying the first state in a first display mode at a first intensity, and also controls the display unit 12 to display a first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the first state. In the "second state notification control," the control unit 13 controls the illumination unit 11 to display a light image notifying the second state in a second display mode at a second intensity higher than the first intensity, and also controls the display unit 12 to display a second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms notifying the second state and a frame image or background image that is arranged around the characters or pictograms and has a color similar to that of the light image in the illumination unit 11.

[0071] Specifically, in a first state in which the collision risk is low, the control unit 13 causes the illumination unit 11 to display a light image at a first intensity (first display mode), such as lighting at low brightness or blinking at a slow cycle, and the display unit 12 to display a first warning image in which a small pictogram (icon) is displayed in the upper right corner, as shown in (a) of Fig. 8. On the other hand, in a second state in which the collision risk is high, the illumination unit 11 causes the illumination unit 11 to display a light image at a second intensity (second display mode), such as lighting at high brightness or blinking at a fast cycle, and the display unit 12 to display a second warning image in which a large pictogram (icon) is displayed in the center and the frame is illuminated in a color similar to that of the illumination unit 11, as shown in (b) of Fig. 8, thereby making it possible to appropriately alert the occupant according to the collision risk. In particular, in the second state where the risk of collision is high, the intensity of the light image displayed by the lighting unit 11 is increased by lighting it at a high brightness or by flashing it at a high speed, and a large pictogram is displayed in the center of the display unit 12 with a frame of the same color as the lighting unit 11 to increase its visibility and attract the attention of the occupants.On the other hand, in the first state where the risk of collision is low, the lighting unit 11 displays the light image at a first intensity (first display mode), for example, by lighting it at a low brightness or flashing it at a slow cycle, and a warning image is displayed in the form of a small pictogram (icon) in the upper right corner of the display unit 12, thereby improving the problem of other information being obscured by the warning image and not conveying the intention to the occupants.

[0072] Note that the control unit 13 may perform control in the "first state notification control" to display on the display unit 12 a first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms (icons) indicating a first state in a first size, and in the "second state notification control" to display on the display unit 12 a second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating a second state in a second size larger than the first size. In this way, the characters or pictograms displayed on the display unit 12 are displayed in a small size (first warning image) in the first state in which the collision risk is low, and in a large size (second warning image) in the second state in which the collision risk is high, thereby making it possible to appropriately alert the occupants according to the collision risk.

[0073] In addition, in the "second state notification control," the control unit 13 may perform control to display a second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms (icons) indicating the second state closer to the center than the first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms (icons) displayed in the "first state notification control." This allows the second warning image to be drawn to the occupant's attention, making it easier to convey that there is a high collision risk. In addition, in the "second state notification control," the control unit 13 may perform control to display a second warning image in which characters or pictograms (icons) indicating the second state are displayed as a pop-up overlaid on another image, and to make the frame of the pop-up a similar color to the light image displayed by the illumination unit 11. In this way, when characters or pictograms (icons) are displayed as a pop-up on the display unit 12, making the frame a similar color to the light image displayed by the illumination unit 11 makes it easier for the occupant to understand the relationship between each display. In addition, the pop-up itself may be displayed overlaid on an information image, such as vehicle speed, to make the occupant easily understand the collision risk.

[0074] 5 to 7 are flowcharts illustrating three detailed examples of the procedure for the "collision risk evaluation" process (step ST15) shown in Fig. 4, and show collision risk evaluation 1, collision risk evaluation 2, and collision risk evaluation 3. Fig. 9 is an operational concept diagram illustrating an example of a driving scene of the vehicle 1 when the collision risk is evaluated using only the distance measurement unit 14 and a plurality of thresholds, Fig. 10 is an example of a driving scene of the vehicle 1 when the collision risk is evaluated using the distance measurement unit 14 and the direction indicator 15, and Fig. 11 is an operational concept diagram illustrating an example of a driving scene of the vehicle 1 when the collision risk is evaluated using the distance measurement unit 14 and the inertial measurement unit 16.

[0075] Hereinafter, detailed procedures of the collision risk evaluation process will be specifically explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 and 9 to 11, using three examples (collision risk evaluation 1, collision risk evaluation 2, and collision risk evaluation 3).

[0076] Collision risk evaluation 1 shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5 illustrates a case in which the collision risk is evaluated using only the distance measurement unit 14 and multiple thresholds. Fig. 9 illustrates a scene in which a vehicle 1 (a motorcycle as the subject vehicle) is traveling in the left lane and another vehicle (a four-wheeled vehicle) is traveling behind in the right lane (in a second state in which the collision risk is high, the occupant is indicating an intention to change lanes to the right by operating the turn signal 15), and illustrates a state in which the other vehicle is detected as an obstacle only by the distance measurement unit 14 of the vehicle 1. Here, the control unit 13 internally holds (stores in memory) in advance a first threshold for determining whether to evaluate the collision risk and a second threshold for determining whether to determine the collision risk is high when evaluating the collision risk, and can evaluate the collision risk by referring to the distance information to the obstacle measured and acquired by the distance measurement unit 14, as well as the first and second thresholds. Here, the "first threshold" refers to an arbitrary distance value selected within a distance range of, for example, 0 to 100 m between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and an obstacle including another vehicle, and the "second threshold" refers to an arbitrary distance value within the above-mentioned distance range that is smaller than the first threshold. However, the above-mentioned distance range differs depending on whether the vehicle is traveling on a highway or in an urban area, etc.

[0077] The distance measurement unit 14 constantly monitors whether or not there are any obstacles, including other vehicles, around the vehicle 1 (host vehicle). If there is an obstacle, the distance measurement unit 14 measures the distance to the obstacle and transfers the distance information obtained as a result of the measurement to the control unit 13. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, in assessing the collision risk, the control unit 13 first compares the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit 14 with a first threshold and determines whether the distance information is equal to or less than the first threshold (step ST151a). Here, if the distance information exceeds the first threshold (step ST151a "NO"), the control unit 13 ends the collision risk determination process, resets the display mode of the illumination unit 11, and, if a warning image is displayed on the display unit 12, ends the collision risk evaluation process.

[0078] On the other hand, if the distance information is equal to or less than the first threshold (step ST151a "YES"), the control unit 13 further compares the distance information with a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold to determine whether the distance information is equal to or less than the second threshold (step ST152a). Here, if the distance information exceeds the second threshold (step ST152 "NO"), for example, the display by the illumination unit 11 is changed to a first display mode according to the distance information, and a first warning image consisting of small characters or pictograms is displayed on the display unit 12. On the other hand, if the distance information is equal to or less than the second threshold (step ST152a "YES"), the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is in a second state where the collision risk is high (step ST153a), and, for example, the display by the illumination unit 11 is changed to a second display mode according to the distance information, and a second warning image consisting of larger characters or pictograms than in the first state is displayed on the display unit 12.

[0079] In this way, by preparing a plurality of thresholds based only on the distance information between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) measured by the distance measurement unit 14 and obstacles including other vehicles, it is possible to determine the collision risk.

[0080] Next, collision risk evaluation 2 will be described. Collision risk evaluation 2 shown in the flowchart of Fig. 6 illustrates a case where a collision risk is evaluated using distance measurement unit 14 and direction indicator 15. Fig. 10 illustrates a scene in which vehicle 1 (a motorcycle as the subject vehicle) is traveling in the left lane and another vehicle (a four-wheeled vehicle) is traveling behind in the right lane, and in a second state in which the collision risk is high, the occupant is indicating an intention to change lanes to the right (with a right turn input) by operating direction indicator 15.

[0081] The distance measurement unit 14 constantly monitors whether or not there are any obstacles, including other vehicles, around the vehicle 1 (host vehicle). If there are any, it measures the distance to the obstacle and transfers the distance information obtained as a result of the measurement to the control unit 13. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, in assessing the collision risk, the control unit 13 compares the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit 14 with a "predetermined threshold" and determines whether the distance information is less than the predetermined threshold (step ST151b). Here, the "predetermined threshold" refers to an arbitrary distance value selected within a distance range of, for example, 0 to 100 m, between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and the obstacle, including other vehicles. However, the distance range differs depending on whether the vehicle is traveling on a highway or in an urban area, for example.

[0082] Here, if the distance information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step ST151b "NO"), the control unit 13 ends the collision risk determination process and resets the display mode of the illumination unit 11 and, if a warning image is displayed on the display unit 12. On the other hand, if the distance information is less than the predetermined threshold (step ST151b "YES"), the control unit 13 further determines whether or not there is input information from the direction indicator 15 (step ST152b). Here, if there is no information input from the direction indicator 15 (step ST152b "NO"), the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is low (step ST156b), and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit 11 to a first display mode corresponding to the distance information and displays a first warning image consisting of small characters or pictograms on the display unit 12.

[0083] On the other hand, when input information is transferred from the direction indicator 15, the control unit 13 receives the input information (here, a right turn input) (step ST153b) and compares the input information with the distance information (step ST154b). Here, if the distance information indicates the same direction as the direction indicated by the input information, in other words, if another vehicle is approaching the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) (step ST154b "YES"), the control unit 13 determines that the second state is one in which the collision risk is high (step ST155b), and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit 11 to a second display mode corresponding to the distance information, and displays a second warning image on the display unit 12 consisting of larger characters or pictograms than in the first state. Furthermore, if the distance information indicates a direction opposite to that indicated by the input information, in other words, if another vehicle is moving away from vehicle 1 (own vehicle) (step ST154b "NO"), it is determined that the vehicle is in a first state in which the risk of collision is low (ST156b), and, for example, the display by the lighting unit 11 is changed to a first display mode corresponding to the distance information, and a first warning image consisting of small letters or pictograms is displayed on the display unit 12.

[0084] In this way, when the distance measurement unit 14 detects an obstacle, the distance information is below a predetermined threshold, and there is no information input from the direction indicator 15, or the distance information indicates the opposite direction to the direction indicated by the input information (the direction in which the obstacle was detected), the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is in the first state, in which the collision risk is low, and on the other hand, when the input information acquired from the direction indicator 15 indicates the same direction as the direction indicated by the distance information (the direction in which the obstacle was detected), the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is in the second state, in which the collision risk is high. In this way, the collision risk can be more appropriately evaluated by using the input information from the direction indicator 15 (the occupant's intention to change lanes) in addition to the distance measurement unit 14 that measures the distance between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and obstacles including other vehicles.

[0085] Next, collision risk evaluation 3 will be described. Collision risk evaluation 3 shown in Fig. 7 illustrates a case where collision risk is evaluated using the distance measurement unit 14 and the inertial measurement unit 16. Fig. 11 illustrates a driving scene where vehicle 1 (a motorcycle as the subject vehicle) is traveling in the left lane and another vehicle (a four-wheeled vehicle) is traveling behind in the right lane, and shows how the inertial measurement unit 16 detects the behavior of vehicle 1 in a second state where the collision risk is high, causing the vehicle to perform a turning operation in conjunction with a lane change.

[0086] The distance measurement unit 14 constantly monitors whether or not there are any obstacles, including other vehicles, around the vehicle 1 (host vehicle), and if there are any, measures the distance to the obstacle and transfers the distance information obtained as a result of the measurement to the control unit 13. As shown in FIG. 7, in assessing the collision risk, the control unit 13 compares the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit 14 with a predetermined threshold value set in advance and determines whether or not the distance information is less than the predetermined threshold value (step ST151c). Here, the "predetermined threshold value" refers to an arbitrary distance value selected within a distance range of, for example, 0 to 100 m, as the distance between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and the obstacle, including the other vehicle.

[0087] If the distance information exceeds a predetermined threshold ("NO" in step ST151c), the control unit 13 ends the collision risk determination process, resets the display mode of the illumination unit 11, and if a warning image is displayed on the display unit 12, ends the collision risk evaluation 3 process. On the other hand, if the distance information is less than the predetermined threshold ("YES" in step ST151c), the control unit 13 further determines whether or not there is input information regarding the behavior of the vehicle 1 (turning operation due to lane change) from the inertial measurement unit 16 (step ST152b). If no turning operation due to lane change is detected from the input information transferred from the inertial measurement unit 16 ("NO" in step ST152c), the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is in a first state (step ST155c), and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit 11 to a first display mode corresponding to the distance information and displays a first warning image consisting of small characters or pictograms on the display unit 12.

[0088] On the other hand, if the inertial measurement unit 16 detects a turning motion due to a lane change (step ST152c "YES"), the control unit 13 further compares the detected direction with the direction indicated by the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit 14, and determines whether the direction indicated by the distance information matches the turning direction of the vehicle 1 (step ST153c). Here, if the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit 14 matches the direction indicated by the turning motion due to the lane change indicated by the inertial measurement unit 16 (step ST153c "YES"), the control unit 13 determines that the state is a second state in which the collision risk is high (step ST154c), and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit 11 to a second display mode corresponding to the distance information, and displays a second warning image on the display unit 12 consisting of larger characters or pictograms than in the first state. Furthermore, if the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit 14 does not match the turning direction due to lane change indicated by the behavior of the vehicle 1 by the inertial measurement unit 16 (step ST153c "NO"), the control unit 13 determines that the vehicle is in a first state in which the risk of collision is low (step ST155c), and, for example, changes the display by the lighting unit 11 to a first display mode corresponding to the distance information, and displays a first warning image consisting of small letters or pictograms on the display unit 12.

[0089] In this way, the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is high when the distance measurement unit 14 detects an obstacle, the inertial measurement unit 16 detects a turning movement associated with the vehicle 1 changing lanes, and the turning direction of the vehicle 1 matches the direction indicated by the distance information while the distance measurement unit 14 detects an obstacle and the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold. On the other hand, the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is low when the inertial measurement unit 16 does not detect a turning movement associated with the vehicle 1 changing lanes, or when the turning direction of the vehicle 1 associated with the lane change does not match the direction indicated by the distance information. In this way, by detecting the behavior of the vehicle 1 using the inertial measurement unit 16, it is possible to detect the driving operation of the occupant even without input information from the turn signal 15, and to appropriately evaluate the collision risk. Note that, here, the matching of the turning direction of the vehicle 1 associated with a lane change with the direction indicated by the distance information means that the vehicle 1 is approaching an obstacle, including another vehicle, and the mismatch of the turning direction of the vehicle 1 associated with a lane change with the direction indicated by the distance information means that the vehicle 1 is moving away from an obstacle, including another vehicle.

[0090] In the warning display device 10 of the present embodiment described above, examples have been described in which the collision risk is evaluated by preparing multiple thresholds using only the distance measurement unit 14, or the collision risk is evaluated using the distance measurement unit 14 and the turn indicator 15, or the collision risk of the vehicle 1 is evaluated using the distance measurement unit 14 and the inertial measurement unit 16, but by combining these to evaluate the collision risk, a more reliable collision risk evaluation is possible.

[0091] 12A shows an example of a warning pattern for the illumination unit 11 and the display unit 12 when it is determined that the vehicle is in the first state, in which the collision risk is low, and FIG. 12B shows an example of a warning pattern for the illumination unit 11 and the display unit 12 when it is determined that the vehicle is in the second state, in which the collision risk is high. The warning pattern shown in FIG. 12A is an example of a display for the illumination unit 11 and the display unit 12 when it is determined that the vehicle is in the first state, in which the collision risk is low. The illumination unit 11 displays an image in a first display mode, for example, by lighting at a low brightness or blinking at a slow cycle, and the display unit 12 displays a first warning image, in which only small pictograms are displayed on the edge of the screen, without displaying a warning image such as a pop-up, in order to avoid interfering with normal displays such as a speed display, because the collision risk is low ("first state notification control").

[0092] 12B is an example of a warning pattern displayed on the illumination unit 11 and the display unit 12 when the vehicle is determined to be in a second state with a high collision risk. In contrast to the first display mode when the collision risk is low, the illumination unit 11 displays a second display mode, such as lighting with high brightness or flashing at a fast cycle, and the display unit 12 displays a second warning image that clearly informs the driver of the situation by popping up a warning image or lighting a screen frame, etc., because the situation is one in which a collision is highly likely unless the occupant (driver) avoids the obstacle ("second state notification control"). In this way, by performing the "first state notification control" in the first state with a low collision risk and the "second state notification control" in the second state with a high collision risk, the illumination unit 11 and the display unit 12, which operate in conjunction with each other, can display appropriate warnings in a mode corresponding to the collision risk, thereby improving excessive warning displays while the vehicle 1 is traveling and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupant.

[0093] (Variation) Although the warning display device 10 of this embodiment has been described only in terms of its application to a two-wheeled vehicle equipped with a cowl 3 as a windshield as the vehicle 1, it can also be similarly applied to a four-wheeled vehicle equipped with a HUD (head-up display) as the lighting unit 11, which emits light guided to the photoreceptor 112 toward the windshield rather than toward the occupant, and causes the occupant to view the reflected light as a virtual image.

[0094] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the warning display device 10 of this embodiment includes, for example, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a display unit 12 that is arranged below the windshield (cowl 3) of the vehicle 1 and displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle including another vehicle; an illumination unit 11 that is arranged in at least a part of the windshield and includes a light source 111 that irradiates a light receiver 112 with light emitted from the light source 111, and causes the occupant to see a light image via the light receiver 112; and a control unit 13 that acquires information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and, based on the acquired information about the surrounding environment, determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state, or acquires the collision risk from outside. Then, if the collision risk is in a first state, the control unit 13 performs a ``first state notification control'' in which the lighting unit 11 displays a light image in a first display mode to notify that the collision risk is in the first state, and the display unit 12 displays a first warning image to notify that the collision risk is in the first state; and if the collision risk is in a second state, the control unit 13 performs a ``second state notification control'' in which the lighting unit 11 displays a light image in a second display mode different from the first display mode to notify that the collision risk is in the second state, and the display unit 12 displays a second warning image different from the first warning image.

[0095] According to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 13 determines the risk of collision with an obstacle from the acquired information on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (or acquires it from the vehicle ECU (driving assistance device 30) that realizes ADAS such as FCW), and by dividing the notification control into a first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and a second state in which the collision risk is relatively high, in other words, by performing ``first state notification control'' in the first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and performing ``second state notification control'' in the second state in which the collision risk is relatively high, it becomes possible for the lighting unit 11 and display unit 12, which operate in conjunction with each other, to display appropriate warnings in a manner according to the collision risk, and it is possible to improve excessive display of warnings while the vehicle is moving and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants. In addition, since the lighting unit 11 emits light and the photoreceptor 112 that makes the light image visible is positioned at a higher position than the display unit 12, the occupant can grasp the collision risk from the display mode of the lighting unit 11 without having to move their eyes from the state in which they are looking straight ahead through the windshield (cowl 3) while driving, which also contributes to safe driving.

[0096] Furthermore, according to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, in the "first state notification control," the control unit 13 controls the illumination unit 11 to display a light image notifying a first state in a first display mode in which the light image is displayed at a first intensity, and also controls the display unit 12 to display a first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the first state. Then, in the "second state notification control," the control unit 13 controls the illumination unit 11 to display a light image notifying a second state in a second display mode in which the light image is displayed at a second intensity higher than the first intensity, and also controls the display unit 12 to display a second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms notifying the second state and a frame image or background image that is arranged around the characters or pictograms and has a color similar to that of the light image in the illumination unit 11. In particular, in the second state where the risk of collision is high, the intensity of the light image displayed by the lighting unit 11 is increased by lighting it at a high brightness or by flashing it at a high speed, and a large pictogram is displayed in the center of the display unit 12 with a frame of the same color as the lighting unit 11 to increase its visibility and attract the attention of the occupants.On the other hand, in the first state where the risk of collision is low, the lighting unit 11 displays the light image at a first intensity (first display mode), for example, by lighting it at a low brightness or flashing it at a slow cycle, and a warning image is displayed in the form of a small pictogram in the upper right corner of the display unit 12, thereby improving the problem of other information being obscured by the warning image and not conveying the intention to the occupants.

[0097] Furthermore, according to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 13 controls the display unit 12 to display a first warning image made up of characters or pictograms indicating a first state in a first size in the "first state notification control," and to display a second warning image made up of characters or pictograms indicating a second state in a second size larger than the first size in the "second state notification control." In this way, the characters or pictograms displayed on the display unit 12 are displayed in a small size (first warning image) in the first state in which the collision risk is low, and in a large size (second warning image) in the second state in which the collision risk is high, thereby making it possible to appropriately alert the occupant depending on the collision risk.

[0098] Furthermore, according to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, in the "second state notification control," the control unit 13 controls the second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the second state to be displayed closer to the center than the first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms displayed in the first state notification control, thereby attracting the attention of the occupant to the second warning image and making it easier to convey to them that there is a high risk of collision.

[0099] Furthermore, according to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 13 performs control in the "second state notification control" to display a second warning image in which characters or pictograms indicating the second state are displayed as a pop-up overlaid on another image, and to make the frame of the pop-up a similar color to the light image in the illumination unit 11. In this way, by making the frame of characters or pictograms a similar color to the light image in the illumination unit 11 when they are displayed as a pop-up on the display unit 12, the relationship between each display can be more easily conveyed to the occupant. Furthermore, by displaying the pop-up itself overlaid on an information image such as vehicle speed, the occupant can easily grasp the collision risk.

[0100] Furthermore, according to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 13 has a first threshold for determining whether to evaluate the collision risk and a second threshold for determining whether to determine the collision risk as high when evaluating the collision risk. The control unit 13 evaluates the collision risk by referring to the distance information to the obstacle measured and acquired by the distance measurement unit 14 and the first and second thresholds. For example, the control unit 13 compares the distance information measured by the distance measurement unit 14 with the first threshold, and if the distance information is equal to or less than the first threshold, further compares it with the second threshold. If the distance information exceeds the second threshold, the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is in a first state in which the collision risk is low, and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit 11 to a first display mode corresponding to the distance information and displays a first warning image consisting of small characters or pictograms on the display unit 12. On the other hand, if the distance information is equal to or less than the second threshold, the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is in a second state in which the collision risk is high, and, for example, changes the display by the illumination unit 11 to a second display mode corresponding to the distance information and displays a second warning image consisting of larger characters or pictograms on the display unit 12 than in the first state. In this way, by preparing a plurality of thresholds based only on the distance information between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) measured by the distance measurement unit 14 and obstacles including other vehicles, the collision risk can be easily determined.

[0101] Furthermore, according to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is low when the distance measurement unit 14 detects an obstacle, the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold, there is no information input from the turn signal 15, or the input information indicates a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the distance information (the direction in which the obstacle was detected), and on the other hand, determines that the collision risk is high when the input information acquired from the turn signal 15 indicates the same direction as the direction indicated by the distance information (the direction in which the obstacle was detected). In this way, by evaluating the collision risk using the input information from the turn signal 15 in addition to the distance measurement unit 14 that measures the distance between the vehicle 1 (host vehicle) and obstacles including other vehicles, the control unit 13 can determine the occupant's intention to change lanes using the turn signal 15 and more appropriately evaluate the collision risk by comparing the turning direction with the direction indicated by the distance information.

[0102] Furthermore, according to the warning display device 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 13 determines that the collision risk is high when the distance measurement unit 14 detects an obstacle, the inertial measurement unit 16 detects a turning motion due to the occupant changing lanes, and the distance information is below a predetermined threshold, and the detected direction matches the direction indicated by the distance information (the direction in which the obstacle, including other vehicles, is approaching the vehicle), and determines that the collision risk is low when the inertial measurement unit 16 does not detect a turning motion due to the vehicle 1 changing lanes, or detects a turning motion but the direction does not match the direction indicated by the distance information (the direction in which the obstacle, including other vehicles, is moving away from the vehicle). In this way, by detecting the behavior of the vehicle 1 based on a lane change using the inertial measurement unit 16, the turning direction of the vehicle 1 can be detected even without input information from the turn signal 15, and an appropriate collision risk assessment can be performed.

[0103] The warning display method of this embodiment is a warning display method in a warning display device 10 having, for example, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a display unit 12 that is arranged below the windshield (cowl 3) of a vehicle 1 and displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle including another vehicle, an illumination unit 11 that is arranged in at least a partial area of ​​the windshield (cowl 3) and includes a light source 111 that irradiates a light receiver 112, and causes the light emitted from the light source 111 to be visible to an occupant via the light receiver 112 as a light image, and a control unit 13. The warning display method includes, for example, steps (ST11 to ST15) in which the control unit 13 acquires ambient environment information about the vehicle 1, and determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on the acquired ambient environment information, or acquires the collision risk from outside; and if the collision risk is in the first state, the control unit 13 displays a light image in a first display mode on the illumination unit 11, and displays a light image in a first display mode on the display unit 12, This warning display method includes the steps of performing a "first state notification control" (ST16 "YES" to ST17) to display a first warning image that notifies that the collision risk is in a first state, and, if the collision risk is in a second state, performing a "second state notification control" (ST18 "YES" to ST19) to display on the lighting unit 11 a light image that notifies that the collision risk is in a second state in a second display mode different from the first display mode, and to display on the display unit 12 a second warning image that is different from the first warning image.

[0104] According to the warning display method of this embodiment, the control unit 13 determines the risk of collision with an obstacle from acquired information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and performs separate notification control depending on whether the collision risk is a first state or a second state, i.e., whether the collision risk is relatively low or relatively high. In other words, the control unit 13 performs "first state notification control" in the first state, in which the collision risk is relatively low, and "second state notification control" in the second state, in which the collision risk is relatively high. This allows the lighting unit 11 and the display unit 12, which operate in conjunction with each other, to display appropriate warnings in a manner appropriate to the collision risk, thereby preventing excessive warning displays while the vehicle is traveling and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants. Furthermore, because the lighting unit 11 emits light and the photoreceptor 112 that visually recognizes the light image is positioned higher than the display unit 12, the occupants can grasp the collision risk from the display mode of the lighting unit 11 without having to shift their line of sight from the state in which they are gazing straight ahead through the windshield (cowl 3), which also contributes to safe driving.

[0105] The warning display program of this embodiment is a warning display program for a warning display device 10, which has, for example, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a display unit 12 that is arranged below the windshield (cowl 3) of the vehicle 1 and displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle including another vehicle, an illumination unit 11 that is arranged in at least a part of the windshield (cowl 3) and includes a light source 111 that irradiates a light receiver 112, and causes the light emitted from the light source 111 to be visible to the occupant via the light receiver 112 as a light image, and a control unit 13. The warning display program causes the processor of the control unit 13 to, for example, acquire ambient environment information of the vehicle 1, and determine whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on the acquired ambient environment information (steps ST11 to ST15), and if the collision risk is in the first state, display a light image in the illumination unit 11 in a first display mode to notify that the collision risk is in the first state, and display a light image in the display unit 12 in a first display mode to notify that the collision risk is in the first state. This is a warning display program that executes a process of performing a "first state notification control" of displaying a first warning image that notifies that the collision risk is in a first state (step ST16 "YES", ST17), and a process of performing a "second state notification control" of displaying, if the collision risk is in a second state, a light image on the lighting unit 11 in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode, and displaying a second warning image on the display unit 12 that is different from the first warning image (step ST18 "YES", ST19).

[0106] According to the warning display program of this embodiment, the processor of the control unit 13 sequentially reads and executes the warning display program stored in memory, thereby determining the risk of collision with an obstacle from acquired information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. By dividing the notification control into a first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and a second state in which the collision risk is relatively high—in other words, by performing a "first state notification control" in the first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and a "second state notification control" in the second state in which the collision risk is relatively high—the lighting unit 11 and the display unit 12, which operate in conjunction with each other, can each display appropriate warnings in a manner appropriate to the collision risk, thereby reducing excessive warning displays while the vehicle is traveling and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupant. Furthermore, because the lighting unit 11 emits light and the photoreceptor 112 that visually recognizes the light image is positioned higher than the display unit 12, the occupant can grasp the collision risk from the display mode of the lighting unit 11 without having to shift their line of sight from the state in which they are gazing straight ahead through the windshield (cowl 3), thereby contributing to safe driving.

[0107] The warning display system 100 for a vehicle of this embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a warning display system 100 for a vehicle that includes an environmental information monitoring device 20 that monitors the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, a driving assistance device 30 that detects environmental information acquired from the environmental information monitoring device 20 and the behavior of the vehicle 1 to assist the driving operation of the occupants on board the vehicle 1, and a warning display device 10. In the warning display system 100 for a vehicle, the warning display device 10 includes a display unit 12 that is arranged below the windshield (cowl 3) of the vehicle 1 and that displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle including another vehicle; an illumination unit 11 that is arranged in at least a part of the windshield (cowl 3) and includes a light source 111 (see FIG. 2) that irradiates a light receiver 112 (see FIG. 2) with light emitted from the light source 111, and that causes a light image to be visually recognized by an occupant via the light receiver 112; and an environmental information monitoring device 20 that acquires ambient environment information about the vehicle 1 from the environmental information monitoring device 20 and, based on the acquired ambient environment information, determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state. and a control unit 13 that determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or acquires the collision risk from the driving assistance device 30, and if the collision risk is in a first state, the control unit 13 performs a "first state notification control" of displaying, on the lighting unit 11, a light image in a first display mode that notifies that the collision risk is in the first state, and on the display unit 12, a first warning image that notifies that the collision risk is in the first state, and if the collision risk is in a second state, the control unit 13 performs a "second state notification control" of displaying, on the lighting unit 11, a light image in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode that notifies that the collision risk is in the second state, and on the display unit 12, a second warning image that is different from the first warning image.

[0108] According to the vehicle warning display system 100 of this embodiment, the warning display device 10 determines the risk of collision with an obstacle from the surrounding environmental information of the vehicle 1 acquired from the environmental information monitoring device 20, or acquires the collision risk from a vehicle ECU (driving assistance device 30) that realizes ADAS such as FCW, and divides the notification control into a first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and a second state in which the collision risk is relatively high.In other words, by performing ``first state notification control'' in the first state in which the collision risk is relatively low and performing ``second state notification control'' in the second state in which the collision risk is relatively high, the lighting unit 11 and display 1 unit 12, which operate in conjunction with each other, can each display an appropriate warning in a manner according to the collision risk, and it is possible to provide a vehicle warning display system 100 that improves excessive display of warnings while the vehicle is traveling and displays that do not convey the intention to the occupants. Furthermore, since the lighting unit 11 emits light and the photoreceptor 112 that displays the light image is positioned higher than the display unit 12, the occupants can grasp the collision risk through the display mode of the lighting unit 11 without having to move their eyes from the state where they are looking straight ahead while driving the vehicle 1 through the windshield (cowl 3), which also contributes to safe driving.

[0109] The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and those skilled in the art will be able to easily modify the above-described exemplary embodiments to the extent that they fall within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 1 Vehicle (motorcycle), 2 Steering handle, 3 Cowl (windshield), 4 Side mirror, 10 Warning display device, 11 Lighting unit, 12 Display unit, 13 Control unit, 14 Distance measurement unit, 15 Turn indicator, 16 Inertial measurement unit, 20 Environmental information monitoring device, 30 Driving assistance device, 40 CAN, 100 Vehicle warning display system, 111 Light source, 112 Light receiver

Claims

1. a display unit disposed below a windshield of the vehicle, the display unit displaying a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle; an illumination unit that is disposed in at least a portion of the windshield and includes a light source that irradiates a light receiver with light, and that causes a passenger to visually recognize an optical image of the light emitted from the light source through the light receiver; a control unit that acquires ambient environment information of the vehicle, and determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on the acquired ambient environment information, or acquires the collision risk from an external device; The control unit If the collision risk is in the first state, first state notification control is performed to display the light image in a first display mode on the lighting unit, the light image notifying that the collision risk is in the first state, and to display a first warning image on the display unit, the first warning image notifying that the collision risk is in the first state; If the collision risk is in the second state, the warning display device performs second state notification control, in which the lighting unit displays the light image that notifies the user that the collision risk is in the second state in a second display mode that is different from the first display mode, and the display unit displays a second warning image that is different from the first warning image.

2. The control unit In the first status notification control, displaying the light image informing the first state in the first display mode in which the light image is displayed at a first intensity on the illumination unit, and displaying the first warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicative of the first state on the display unit; In the second status notification control, 2. The warning display device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit displays the light image indicating the second state in the second display mode in which the light image is displayed at a second intensity higher than the first intensity, and the display unit displays the second warning image consisting of the character or pictogram indicating the second state and a frame image or background image that is arranged around the character or pictogram and has a color similar to that of the light image in the lighting unit.

3. The control unit In the first status notification control, displaying the first warning image, which is made up of characters or pictograms indicating the first state, in a first size on the display unit; In the second status notification control, The warning display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is controlled to display the second warning image consisting of the character or pictogram indicating the second state at a second size larger than the first size.

4. The control unit In the second status notification control, 2. The warning display device according to claim 1, wherein the second warning image consisting of characters or pictograms indicating the second state is controlled to be displayed closer to the center than the first warning image consisting of the characters or pictograms displayed in the first state notification control.

5. The control unit In the second status notification control, 2. The warning display device according to claim 1, wherein the second warning image is displayed by superimposing a character or pictogram indicating the second state as a pop-up on another image, and the frame of the pop-up is controlled to be a similar color to the light image in the lighting unit.

6. a distance measurement unit that detects the presence or absence of the obstacle and measures the distance to the obstacle when the obstacle is detected is connected; The control unit A warning display device as described in claim 1, which has a first threshold value that determines whether to evaluate the collision risk depending on the distance to the obstacle, and a second threshold value that determines whether to judge the collision risk to be high when evaluating the collision risk, and evaluates the collision risk by referring to the distance information to the obstacle measured and acquired by the distance measurement unit, the first threshold value, and the second threshold value.

7. A turn indicator is further connected to indicate the turning direction of the vehicle, The control unit 7. The warning display device according to claim 6, wherein the distance measurement unit detects the obstacle, and when the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold, the collision risk is determined to be low if there is no input information obtained from the direction indicator or the distance information indicates a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the input information, and the collision risk is determined to be high if the distance information indicates the same direction as the input information obtained from the direction indicator.

8. An inertial measurement unit that detects the behavior of the vehicle is further connected, The control unit 7. The warning display device according to claim 6, wherein when the distance measurement unit detects the obstacle and the distance information is less than a predetermined threshold, the inertial measurement unit detects the turning direction of the vehicle and determines that the collision risk is high if the turning direction matches the direction indicated by the distance information, and determines that the collision risk is low if the inertial measurement unit does not detect a turning motion due to the vehicle changing lanes, or detects the turning motion and the direction indicated by the turning motion does not match the direction indicated by the distance information.

9. A warning display method for a warning display device having a display unit that is arranged below a windshield of a vehicle and that displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle, an illumination unit that is arranged in at least a part of the windshield and includes a light source that irradiates a light receiver, and that causes a vehicle occupant to visually recognize a light image of the light emitted from the light source via the light receiver, and a control unit, The control unit acquiring ambient environment information of the vehicle, and determining whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on the acquired ambient environment information, or acquiring the collision risk from an external source; The control unit a step of performing first state notification control, in which, if the collision risk is in the first state, the light image notifying that the collision risk is in the first state is displayed in a first display manner on the illumination unit, and a first warning image notifying that the collision risk is in the first state is displayed on the display unit; The control unit If the collision risk is in the second state, the lighting unit displays the light image, which notifies the user that the collision risk is in the second state, in a second display mode different from the first display mode, and the display unit performs second state notification control to display a second warning image, which is different from the first warning image.

10. A warning display program for a warning display device having: a display unit that is arranged under a windshield of a vehicle and that displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle; an illumination unit that is arranged in at least a part of the windshield and includes a light source that irradiates a light receiver, and that causes a passenger to visually recognize a light image of the light emitted from the light source via the light receiver; and a control unit, A processor included in the control unit a process of acquiring surrounding environment information of the vehicle, and determining whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on the acquired surrounding environment information, or acquiring the collision risk from an external source; a process of performing first state notification control, which, if the collision risk is in the first state, displays the light image in a first display mode on the illumination unit, notifying that the collision risk is in the first state, and displays a first warning image on the display unit, notifying that the collision risk is in the first state; and a process of performing second state notification control in which, if the collision risk is in the second state, the light image notifying that the collision risk is in the second state is displayed in the lighting unit in a second display mode different from the first display mode, and a second warning image different from the first warning image is displayed on the display unit.

11. A warning display system for a vehicle including an environmental information monitoring device that monitors the surrounding environment of a vehicle, a driving assistance device that detects environmental information acquired from the environmental information monitoring device and behavior of the vehicle to assist a driving operation of a passenger in the vehicle, and a warning display device, The warning display device includes: a display unit that is disposed below the windshield of the vehicle and that displays a warning image when there is a risk of collision between the vehicle and an obstacle including another vehicle; an illumination unit that is disposed in at least a part of the windshield and that includes a light source that irradiates a light receiver, and that causes an occupant to visually recognize a light image of the light emitted from the light source via the light receiver; and a control unit that acquires ambient environment information of the vehicle from the environmental information monitoring device, and determines whether the collision risk is in a first state or a second state in which the collision risk is higher than the first state based on the acquired ambient environment information, or that acquires the collision risk from the driving assistance device, The control unit a first state notification control is performed in which, if the collision risk is in the first state, the lighting unit displays the light image in a first display mode, notifying that the collision risk is in the first state, and the display unit displays a first warning image, notifying that the collision risk is in the first state; and, if the collision risk is in the second state, the lighting unit displays the light image in a second display mode, different from the first display mode, notifying that the collision risk is in the second state, and the display unit displays a second warning image, different from the first warning image.

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