Display control method and display control device

Abstract

To provide a display control method that can improve the recognition of the location of the charger. [Solution] The display control method is a display control method for displaying information about a charger in a transparent display area of ​​a display device that moves in conjunction with a moving body, and includes: a current position identification step for identifying the current position of the moving body; a charger information acquisition step for acquiring charger information of the charger; and a display control step for displaying guidance information based on the charger information on the side of the transparent display area in the direction in which the charger is located, when it is determined that the charger is within a visible range that can be seen through the transparent display area based on the current position of the moving body and the location of the charger.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a configuration for providing the position of a charger to a mover who moves together with a moving body has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the configuration of Patent Document 1, a screen of a charging space where a charger is installed as viewed from above is displayed on a display in an electric vehicle (moving body) to provide the position of the charger to the driver (mover) of the electric vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the screen used in the configuration such as Patent Document 1 is different from the scene actually seen by the mover, there is a possibility that it is difficult to recognize the position of the charger.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a display control method and a display control device capable of enhancing the recognizability of the position of a charger.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A display control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a display control method for displaying information about a charger in a transparent display area of ​​a display device that moves in conjunction with a moving object, and includes: a current position identification step for identifying the current position of the moving object; a charger information acquisition step for acquiring charger information including the location of the charger; and a display control step for displaying guidance information based on the charger information on the side of the transparent display area in the direction in which the charger is located, when it is determined that the charger is within a visible range that can be seen through the transparent display area based on the current position of the moving object and the location of the charger.

[0007] A display control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a display control device that displays information about a charger in a transparent display area of ​​a display device that moves in conjunction with a moving body, and comprises: a current position identification unit that identifies the current position of the moving body; a charger information acquisition unit that acquires charger information including the location of the charger; and a display control unit that controls the display device to display guidance information based on the charger information on the side of the transparent display area in the direction in which the charger is located, when it is determined that the charger is within a visible range that can be seen through the transparent display area based on the current position of the moving body and the location of the charger.

[0008] According to the above embodiment, the recognizability of the charger's location can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between an electric vehicle and a charger that displays location and direction information. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an electric vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the display status of positional and orientation information in the HUD display area. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the display control method. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the display control method. [Figure 6]This is a flowchart showing the display control method. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] [Embodiment] <Configuration of electric vehicles> Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The electric vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1 is an example of a mobile device and is equipped with a battery 11 as a charging device. The battery 11 is charged by a charger C connected to a charging port 12 and supplies power to various components that are driven by electricity, such as a motor (not shown) that drives the wheels (not shown) of the electric vehicle 1. For example, a rear camera 13 is provided in the rear of the interior of the electric vehicle 1. The rear camera 13 captures the rear imaging range R1. For example, side cameras 15 are provided on the left and right side mirrors 14 of the electric vehicle 1. The left and right side cameras 15 capture the left and right diagonally rear side imaging range R2, respectively. The rear camera 13 and side cameras 15 are examples of rear imaging units.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electric vehicle 1 further includes a HUD (Head-up Display) 21, a rearview mirror monitor 22, left and right side mirror monitors 23, a driver camera 24, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 25, and a controller 40.

[0012] HUD21 is an example of a display device that moves in conjunction with the electric vehicle 1. As shown in Figure 3, HUD21 displays forward position information P1, left / right position information P2, left / right direction information Q1, up / down position information P3, and up / down direction information Q2 of the charger C in the HUD display area 161, which is a transparent display area of ​​the windshield 16. The forward, left / right, and up / down position information P1, P2, P3, and the left / right and up / down direction information Q1, Q2 are examples of guidance information. The forward position information P1 is composed of a figure that resembles a sign supported by a pole. The left / right and up / down position information P2, P3 are composed of figures that resemble signs. The left / right and up / down direction information Q1, Q2 are composed of arrows that indicate the direction in which the charger C is located relative to the HUD display area 161.

[0013] The HUD display area 161 has the same shape as the interior side surface of the windshield 16 and comprises an outer peripheral area 161A and a main area 161B. The outer peripheral area 161A is a rectangular frame-shaped area between the outer edge of the HUD display area 161 and a position a predetermined length inward from that outer edge. The main area 161B is the area inside the outer peripheral area 161A. To facilitate identification of the outer peripheral area 161A and the main area 161B, the HUD 21 may display a line at the boundary between the outer peripheral area 161A and the main area 161B, or the outer peripheral area 161A may be displayed in a predetermined semi-transparent color.

[0014] The rearview mirror monitor 22 is an example of a rear display unit, and is installed, for example, in the center of the upper part of the windshield 16. The rearview mirror monitor 22 displays the rear image Gb captured by the rear camera 13. The rearview mirror monitor 22 displays the rear position information P4, which is guidance information for the charger C, overlaid on the rear image Gb. The rear position information P4, like the left and right position information P2, is composed of shapes that resemble signs.

[0015] The left and right side mirror monitors 23 are examples of rear display units, and are provided on the left and right sides in front of the dashboard 17, for example. The left and right side mirror monitors 23 display the left and right side imaging images Gs respectively imaged by the left and right side cameras 15. Each side mirror monitor 23 superimposes and displays the diagonal rear position information P5 as guidance information of the charger C on the side imaging image Gs. The diagonal rear position information P5 is composed of a figure imitating a sign, similar to the left and right position information P2.

[0016] The driver camera 24 is provided inside the vehicle and images the face of the driver D.

[0017] The GPS receiver 25 is provided inside the vehicle and receives radio waves from a plurality of navigation satellites.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 40 is configured to be able to communicate between the map information server 31 and the charger information server 32. The map information server 31 stores map information. The map information includes road information regarding roads and building information regarding buildings. The charger information server 32 stores charger information regarding the charger C. The charger information includes information such as the location of the charger C, available time, availability for use, availability for rapid charging, number of charging cables, and installation floor number of the charger C when the charger C is installed in a multi-story charger installation facility.

[0019] The controller 40 is a computer, and includes, for example, a storage unit 41 configured by a memory or the like, and a processor 42 configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. By reading and executing the display control program stored in the storage unit 41, the processor 42 functions as a display control device including a designation reception unit 421, a current position identification unit 422, a charger information acquisition unit 423, a driver position identification unit 424, and a display control unit 425.

[0020] The designated reception unit 421 receives notification that a specific charger C has been designated by the driver D or a passenger. The designated reception unit 421 accepts the designation by, for example, displaying information about the charger C on a display device or screen (not shown) attached to the controller 40, or on a portable terminal (not shown) held by the driver D, and detecting the operation of the controller 40's control panel (not shown) or the portable terminal. The driver D designates, for example, the destination, or at least one charger C that they wish to identify as a candidate destination. In the following, a designated charger C may be referred to as "designated charger C," and an undesignated charger C may be referred to as "undesignated charger C."

[0021] The current location identification unit 422 acquires map information from the map information server 31. Based on the map information and the radio waves received by the GPS receiver 25, the current location identification unit 422 determines the current location (own vehicle position) of the electric vehicle 1.

[0022] The charger information acquisition unit 423 acquires charger information from the charger information server 32.

[0023] The driver position identification unit 424 acquires images from the driver camera 24 and identifies the position of the driver D inside the vehicle.

[0024] The display control unit 425 controls the HUD 21 based on map information and charger information to display the front, left, right, and up / down position information P1, P2, P3 and left / right and up / down direction information Q1, Q2 of the charger C located in the non-image range R3 in the HUD display area 161 visible to the driver D, as shown in Figure 1. The non-image range R3 is all areas not included in the rear image range R1 and the side image range R2. The display control unit 425 displays forward position information P1 superimposed on the scenery on the side of the HUD display area 161 in the direction where the charger C is located, if the charger C is within the visible range of the driver D via the HUD display area 161, that is, if the charger C is in the forward target range T1. In this case, the display control unit 425 displays the forward position information P1 of the charger C regardless of whether the driver D can see the charger C or not.

[0025] Specifically, the display control unit 425 calculates the forward target range T1 based on the position of driver D, the shape of the HUD display area 161, and the distance from driver D to the HUD display area 161, and determines whether or not charger C is present in the forward target range T1 based on the position of the vehicle and the location of the charger. If the display control unit 425 determines that charger C is present in the forward target range T1, it displays the forward position information P1. In this case, when the electric vehicle 1 is viewed from above, the display control unit 425 displays forward position information P1 to the right of the first intersection point between the HUD display area 161 and a virtual straight line extending from driver D to charger C if the second intersection point is to the right of the first intersection point between the HUD display area 161 and a virtual straight line extending from driver D in the direction of travel of the electric vehicle 1. If the second intersection point is to the left of the first intersection point, the display control unit 425 displays forward position information P1 to the left of the first intersection point if the second intersection point is located at a position that coincides with the first intersection point.

[0026] If the charger C is located to the right or left of the visible range from the driver D via the HUD display area 161, that is, if the charger C is located in the right-side target range T2 or the left-side target range T3 of the non-image-capturing range R3, which is to the right of the forward target range T1, the display control unit 425 displays left-right position information P2 and left-right direction information Q1 in the right or left portion of the outer peripheral area 161A corresponding to the location of the charger C. If the charger C is located above or below the range visible from the driver D via the HUD display area 161, for example, if the electric vehicle 1 is located within the charger installation facility and the charger C is installed on a different floor from the electric vehicle 1, the display control unit 425 displays up-down position information P3 and up-down direction information Q2 in the upper or lower portion of the outer peripheral area 161A corresponding to the location of the charger C.

[0027] The display control unit 425 controls the rearview mirror monitor 22 based on map information and charger information to display the rear position information P4 of charger C, which is located in the same rear target range T4 as the rear imaging range R1, on the side of the display area of ​​the rearview mirror monitor 22 in the direction where charger C is located, superimposed on the rear imaging image Gb, as shown in Figure 1. At this time, the display control unit 425 displays the rear position information P4 of charger C regardless of whether charger C is visible on the rearview mirror monitor 22 or not. Specifically, the display control unit 425 displays the charger C on the right side of the display area when the electric vehicle 1 is viewed from above, when the charger C is located to the right of the optical axis of the rear camera 13, when the charger C is located to the left, on the left side of the display area, and when the charger C is located in a position that coincides with the optical axis, on the position that coincides with the optical axis of the display area.

[0028] The display control unit 425 controls each side mirror monitor 23 based on map information and charger information to display the diagonal rear position information P5 of charger C, which is located in the same diagonal rear target range T5 as the side imaging range R2, on the side of the display area of ​​the side mirror monitor 23 in the direction where charger C is located, superimposed on the side imaging image Gs, as shown in Figure 1. At this time, the display control unit 425 displays the diagonal rear position information P5 of charger C regardless of whether charger C is visible on the side mirror monitor 23 or not. Specifically, the display control unit 425 displays the charger C on the right side of the display area when the electric vehicle 1 is viewed from above, when the charger C is located to the right of the optical axis of the side camera 15, when the charger C is located to the left, when the charger C is located to the left, and when the charger C is located in a position that coincides with the optical axis, it displays the charger C in a position that coincides with the optical axis in the display area.

[0029] <Display control methods for electric vehicles> As shown in Figure 4, the current position identification unit 422 of the controller 40 identifies the current position (own position) of the electric vehicle 1 (step S1). The charger information acquisition unit 423 acquires charger information (step S2). In step S2, the charger information acquisition unit 423 acquires charger information relating to chargers C installed within a predetermined range centered on the vehicle's position. The driver location identification unit 424 identifies the location of driver D (step S3).

[0030] The designated reception unit 421 determines whether or not it has received a designation for a specific charger C (step S4). If the designated reception unit 421 determines YES in step S4, it identifies the designated charger C as designated charger C and stores it in the storage unit 41 (step S5). After the processing in step S5 is performed in the designated reception unit 421, or if NO is determined in step S4, the display control unit 425 calculates the distance from the electric vehicle 1 (own vehicle) to the charger C, the horizontal angle of the installation position of the charger C with respect to the direction of travel of the own vehicle, and the height difference between the own vehicle and the charger C (step S6). In step S6, the display control unit 425 calculates the distance from the vehicle to charger C based on the vehicle's position, map information, and location information included in the charger information. Based on the vehicle's position, the driver D's position, map information, and location information included in the charger information, the display control unit 425 calculates the angle between a virtual straight line extending from driver D in the direction of travel and a virtual straight line connecting driver D and charger C as the horizontal angle of the installation position of charger C relative to the vehicle's direction of travel. Based on the vehicle's position, map information, and the floor on which charger C is installed included in the charger information, the display control unit 425 calculates the height difference between the vehicle and charger C.

[0031] The display control unit 425 determines whether or not the charger C is present in the target ranges T1, T4, and T5 shown in Figure 1, which are forward, backward, and diagonally backward (step S7). If the display control unit 425 determines YES in step S7, it identifies the chargers C located in the target range T1, T4, T5 in the front, rear, and diagonally rear as chargers C that will display the front, rear, and diagonally rear position information P1, P4, P5 (step S8).

[0032] After performing the processing in step S8, or if NO is determined in step S7, the display control unit 425 determines whether or not charger C exists in the target ranges T2 and T3 to the right and left, respectively, as shown in Figure 5 (step S9). If the display control unit 425 determines YES in step S9, it identifies the chargers C located in the target ranges T2 and T3 to the right and left as chargers C that will display the left / right position information P2 and left / right direction information Q1 (step S10).

[0033] After performing the processing in step S10, or if the result in step S9 is NO, the display control unit 425 determines whether or not the vehicle is located within the charging facility (step S11). If the display control unit 425 determines YES in step S11, it determines whether there is a charger C located on a different floor from the vehicle within the charger installation facility, based on the height difference between the vehicle and the charger C (step S12). If the display control unit 425 determines YES in step S12, it identifies a charger C on a different floor from the current vehicle as a charger C that will display the vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2 (step S13).

[0034] If the display control unit 425 determines NO in step S11, that is, if it determines that the vehicle is located outside the charging facility, it determines whether or not there are any charging chargers C installed on a different floor from the vehicle among the charging chargers C for which the front, rear, and diagonally rear position information P1, P4, P5 is displayed (step S14). Here, if the display control unit 425 determines NO in step S7, it determines NO in step S14 because there is no charger C that displays the position information P1, P4, and P5.

[0035] If the display control unit 425 determines YES in step S14, it sets the display height of the front, rear, and diagonally rear position information P1, P4, P5 to a height corresponding to the height difference between the vehicle and the charger C (step S15). If the charger C is installed on a higher or lower floor than the vehicle, the display control unit 425 sets the display height of the position information P1, P4, P5 of the charger C to a higher or lower position than when the charger C is installed at approximately the same height as the vehicle. For example, as shown in Figure 3, if the charger C indicated by the front position information P11 is installed on the 3rd floor of the charger installation facility, the display control unit 425 sets the display height of the front position information P11 to a higher position than when the charger C is installed on the 1st floor of the charger installation facility or on the ground at approximately the same height as the road the vehicle is traveling on, as shown by the dashed line.

[0036] After processing in step S13 or step S15, or if NO is determined in step S12 or step S14, the display control unit 425 sets the display size of the forward, left / right, up / down, rear, and diagonal rear position information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and left / right and up / down direction information Q1, Q2 of the display target to a size corresponding to the distance from the vehicle to the charger C, as shown in Figure 6 (step S16). In step S16, the display control unit 425 sets the display size to be smaller the longer the distance from the vehicle to the charger C. For example, as shown in Figure 3, if the distance from the vehicle to the charger C indicated by the forward position information P13 is longer than the distance to the charger C indicated by the forward position information P14, the display control unit 425 sets the display size of the forward position information P13 to be smaller than that of the forward position information P14.

[0037] If step S7 is determined to be NO, there is no charger C that displays the front, rear, and diagonally rear position information P1, P4, P5, so the display control unit 425 does not set the display size of the position information P1, P4, P5. If step S7 is determined to be YES, there is a charger C that displays the front, rear, and diagonally rear position information P1, P4, P5, so the display control unit 425 sets the display size of the position information P1, P4, P5.

[0038] If step S9 is determined to be NO, there is no charger C that displays left / right position information P2 and left / right direction information Q1, so the display control unit 425 does not set the display size of left / right position information P2 and left / right direction information Q1. If step S9 is determined to be YES, there is a charger C that displays front, rear, and diagonal rear position information P1, P4, P5, so the display control unit 425 sets the display size of left / right position information P2 and left / right direction information Q1.

[0039] If NO is determined in step S11 or step S12, there is no charger C that displays the vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2, so the display control unit 425 does not set the display size of the vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2. If YES is determined in both step S11 and step S12, there is a charger C that displays the vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2, so the display control unit 425 sets the display size of the vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2.

[0040] The display control unit 425 determines whether or not the designated charger C exists (step S17). If the display control unit 425 determines YES in step S17, it sets the display modes of the position information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 representing the designated charger C and the non-designated charger C to be different modes from each other (step S18). In step S18, the display control unit 425 may set the display color of the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 of the unspecified charger C to gray so that the designated charger C stands out more than the unspecified charger C, while setting the display color of the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 of the designated charger C to red or blue, which are more noticeable than gray. The display control unit 425 may also set the system to not display the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 of the unspecified charger C, and to display the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 of the designated charger C. The display control unit 425 may also set the display size of the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 of the designated charger C to be larger than that of the unspecified charger C, or to increase the display height of the designated charger C.

[0041] After processing in step S18, or if NO is determined in step S17, the display control unit 425 displays the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 of the target to be displayed (step S19). In this case, if a person or animal is present at the display location of the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2, it is preferable that the display control unit 425 does not display the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 that overlap with the person or animal. With this configuration, the driver D can respond quickly to people or animals suddenly appearing on the road.

[0042] Regardless of whether the electric vehicle 1 is located within the charging facility, the display control unit 425 displays the forward, rear, and diagonally rear position information P1, P4, and P5 on the side of the HUD display area 161, rearview mirror monitor 22, and side mirror monitor 23 facing the direction where the charger C is located, at the height position set in step S15, the display size set in step S16, and the display format set in step S18.

[0043] Regardless of whether the electric vehicle 1 is located within the charging facility, the display control unit 425 displays the left-right position information P2 and left-right direction information Q1 on the right or left side of the outer peripheral area 161A using the display size set in step S16 and the display format set in step S18. In this case, the larger the angle between the virtual line connecting the driver D and the right or left edge of the HUD display area 161 and the virtual line connecting the driver D and the charger C when viewed from above, that is, the further back the position of the charger C is relative to the vehicle, the more the display control unit 425 displays the left-right position information P2 and left-right direction information Q1 on the lower side of the right or left side of the outer peripheral area 161A.

[0044] When the electric vehicle 1 is located within the charger installation facility and the vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2 are to be displayed, the display control unit 425 displays them in the upper or lower part of the outer peripheral area 161A with the display size set in step S16 and the display format set in step S18. At this time, the display control unit 425 displays the vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2 in the upper or lower part of the outer peripheral area 161A on the side of the vehicle in the direction where the charger C is located.

[0045] The display control unit 425 determines whether or not the vehicle has arrived at charger C (step S20). If the display control unit 425 determines YES in step S20, it terminates the display control process of the charger C. If the display control unit 425 determines NO in step S20, the current position identification unit 422 identifies the vehicle's position (step S1).

[0046] <Effects of the Embodiment> The display control unit 425 displays forward position information P1 at a position corresponding to the charger C within the visible range of the driver D via the HUD display area 161. Therefore, driver D can intuitively recognize the location of charger C.

[0047] Based on the settings in step S16, the display control unit 425 displays the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 in a size corresponding to the distance from the vehicle to the charger C. Therefore, driver D can intuitively recognize the distance to charger C.

[0048] The display control unit 425 displays the position information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 in a display format that depends on whether or not it is the designated charger C, based on the settings in step S18. Therefore, driver D can intuitively recognize the designated charger C.

[0049] The display control unit 425 displays the position information P1, P4, and P5 at a height corresponding to the height difference between the vehicle and the charger C, based on the settings in step S15. Therefore, driver D can intuitively recognize whether charger C is installed at a higher or lower position than their own vehicle.

[0050] The display control unit 425 displays left / right and up / down position information P2, P3, and left / right and up / down direction information Q1, Q2 at the end of the HUD display area 161 on the side where the charger C is located. Therefore, driver D can intuitively recognize the direction of charger C, which is located in a range that is not visible to driver D, via the HUD display area 161. In particular, since the direction in which charger C is located is indicated by the left / right and up / down direction information Q1 and Q2, which are composed of arrows, driver D can recognize the position of charger C more intuitively. In addition, since the left / right and up / down position information P2 and P3 do not include pole-like shapes such as the forward position information P1, driver D can easily recognize that charger C is outside the visible range that can be seen via the HUD display area 161.

[0051] The display control unit 425 displays the left / right position information P2 and left / right direction information Q1 on the lower right or left side of the outer peripheral area 161A as the position of the charger C relative to the vehicle moves further back. Therefore, driver D can more intuitively recognize the direction of charger C, which cannot be seen through the HUD display area 161.

[0052] The display control unit 425 displays vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2 on the upper or lower part of the outer peripheral region 161A on the side of the vehicle in which the charger C is located. Therefore, driver D can more intuitively recognize the direction of charger C, which is located on an upper or lower floor.

[0053] When the electric vehicle 1 is located within the charging facility, the display control unit 425 displays vertical position information P3 and vertical direction information Q2 indicating that the charger C is located on an upper or lower floor than the electric vehicle 1. Therefore, driver D will experience less anxiety due to the time lost searching for charger C, and the effort required to find charger C will also be reduced.

[0054] The display control unit 425 causes the rear position information P4 or diagonal rear position information P5 to be displayed on the rearview mirror monitor 22 and the side mirror monitor 23. Therefore, driver D can intuitively recognize the location of charger C, which it has just passed.

[0055] [Differentiation] The location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2, which serve as guidance information, are displayed in sizes corresponding to the distance from the vehicle to charger C. However, they can also be displayed in the same size regardless of the distance from the vehicle to charger C. It is not necessary to provide the processor 42 with a function to display location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 in a display format depending on whether or not it is the designated charger C. At least one of the location information P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 does not need to be displayed, or at least one of them may be replaced with a character indicating direction. In place of, or in conjunction with, at least one of the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2, a graphic or character representing at least one of the following—the available time of charger C, whether it is usable, whether fast charging is available, the number of charging cables, and the floor on which it is installed—may be displayed as guidance information. At least one of the location information P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and direction information Q1, Q2 may be set to a display format corresponding to at least one of the following: the usable time of charger C, whether it is usable or not, whether fast charging is possible or not, the number of charging cables, and the floor on which it is installed.

[0056] The processor 42 may perform the above-described display control processing only when its own vehicle is located at a charging facility. With this configuration, for example, while driving towards a designated charging facility, information about charger C, which the driver does not intend to use, will not be displayed, thus reducing annoyance and improving convenience. Furthermore, methods for detecting when the vehicle is located at a charging station may include detecting the end of navigation with the charging station as the destination, or detecting when the vehicle has stopped at a charging station while navigating to the destination.

[0057] The processor 42 may perform a charge level detection step to detect the remaining charge level of the battery 11, and may perform the display control processing described above only if the remaining charge level is below a threshold. Alternatively, the processor 42 may perform the display control processing described above only if an operation to check the remaining charge level of the battery 11 is performed using the control unit of the controller 40 or a mobile terminal. With this configuration, guidance information will only be displayed when charging is needed or likely to be needed, reducing annoyance and improving convenience.

[0058] The processor 42 may perform the above-described display control processing only if the distance from its own vehicle to the nearest charger C is less than or equal to a threshold distance. With this configuration, if the distance from the vehicle to the nearest charger C is long and there is little need to immediately refer to guidance information, the guidance information will not be displayed, thus reducing annoyance and improving convenience.

[0059] While the example shows a configuration in which the display positions of position information P1, P2, P3 and direction information Q1, Q2 are set based on the visible range (forward target range T1) seen from driver D via the HUD display area 161, the display positions of position information P1, P2, P3 and direction information Q1, Q2 may also be set based on the visible range seen from passengers in the front or rear seats via the HUD display area 161.

[0060] The positions of the rear camera 13 and the side camera 15 are not particularly limited and may be installed in locations other than those described above. The HUD display area 161 may be smaller than the interior side surface of the windshield 16, or it may be provided on the interior side surface of a transparent member made of a separate material from the windshield 16. The rearview mirror monitor 22 may be configured to be attached to an existing rearview mirror.

[0061] The controller 40 may be equipped with a map information storage unit, and the current location determination unit 422 may acquire map information from the map information storage unit. In this case, the controller 40 does not need to have a function to communicate with the map information server 31. The current location determination unit 422 may also determine the vehicle's position using images from the vehicle's onboard camera or cameras installed around the vehicle. Furthermore, if the GPS receiver 25 is unable to receive radio waves, the current location determination unit 422 may determine the vehicle's position based on the vehicle's position at that time and subsequent speed, acceleration, steering wheel operation, etc.

[0062] The map information may include charger information. In this case, the controller 40 does not need to have a function to communicate with the charger information server 32. Alternatively, the controller 40 may not have a charger information acquisition unit 423, and the current location identification unit 422 may function as the charger information acquisition unit. The charger information acquisition unit 423 may also acquire information such as the location of charger C using images from the vehicle's onboard camera, cameras installed around the vehicle, or probe information from a vehicle that was charging at charger C.

[0063] In this example, the processor 42 executes a display control program to realize the functional configurations of the designation reception unit 421, the current location identification unit 422, the charger information acquisition unit 423, the driver location identification unit 424, and the display control unit 425. However, some or all of these may be realized by individual hardware configurations. The designated reception unit 421 may automatically specify a charger C that can be reached with the remaining charge of the battery 11, or in this case, it may specify a currently available charger C from among the chargers C that can be reached with the remaining charge based on the charger information. The driver position identification unit 424 may also identify the position of driver D based on the position of the seat. The display control unit 425 does not need to display the diagonal rear position information P5 of the charger C located in the rear target range T4, among the charger C located in the diagonal rear target range T5. The display control unit 425 may display the left-right position information P2 and left-right direction information Q1 in the vertical center of the right or left portion of the outer peripheral area 161A, regardless of the position of the charger C relative to the vehicle. The display control unit 425 may display the information in the center of the left-right direction in the upper or lower part of the outer peripheral region 161A, regardless of the direction in which the charger C is located relative to the vehicle.

[0064] While an electric vehicle 1 and a HUD 21 were given as examples of a mobile device and a display device, respectively, they could be a person and AR glasses, in which case information about a charger for a mobile device used by the person could be displayed in the transparent display area of ​​the AR glasses. The HUD display area 161 may display information about chargers for devices other than the battery 11, such as mobile devices, or it may display information about chargers for the battery 11 on AR glasses used by pedestrians or passengers. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 1...Electric vehicle (mobile unit), 11...Battery (device to be charged), 13...Rear camera (rear imaging unit), 15...Side camera (rear imaging unit), 16...Windshield, 21...HUD (display unit), 22...Rearview mirror monitor (rear display unit), 23...Side mirror monitor (rear display unit), 42...Processor (display control unit), 161...HUD display area (transparent display area), 421...Designation reception unit, 422...Current location identification unit, 423 ...Charger information acquisition unit, 425...Display control unit, C...Charger, Gb...Rear image (captured image), Gs...Side image (captured image), P1, P11, P12, P13, P14...Front position information (guidance information), P2...Left / right position information (guidance information), P3...Up / down position information (guidance information), P4...Rear position information (guidance information), P5...Diagonal rear position information (guidance information), Q1...Left / right direction information (guidance information), Q2...Up / down direction information (guidance information).

Claims

1. A display control method for displaying information about a charger in a transparent display area of ​​a display device that moves in conjunction with a moving object, A current location determination step to determine the current location of the moving object, A charger information acquisition step, which acquires charger information including the location of the aforementioned charger, A display control method comprising: a display control step in which, based on the current position of the moving body and the location of the charger, it is determined that the charger is within a visible range that can be seen through the transparent display area, and then guidance information based on the charger information is displayed on the side of the transparent display area in the direction in which the charger is located.

2. In the display control method described in claim 1, The display control step is a display control method that displays the guidance information in a display format corresponding to the distance from the mobile body to the charger.

3. In the display control method described in claim 1, The process further includes a designation acceptance step that accepts that a predetermined charger has been designated, The display control step is a display control method that displays the guidance information in a display format that corresponds to whether or not the charger is the charger specified in the designated reception step.

4. In the display control method described in claim 1, The display control step is a display control method in which, if it is determined that the charger is located outside the viewing range based on the current position of the moving body and the location of the charger, the guidance information is displayed at the end of the transparent display area on the side in the direction in which the charger is located.

5. In the display control method described in claim 1, The display control step is performed only when the mobile body is located in the facility where the charger is installed.

6. In the display control method described in claim 5, The aforementioned facility has multiple floors, The charger is installed on at least one of the floors of the aforementioned multi-floor complex. The display control step is a display control method in which, if the mobile body is located in the facility and the charger is installed on a floor different from the floor on which the mobile body is located, the guidance information is displayed at the end of the transparent display area on the different floor side.

7. In the display control method described in claim 1, The method further includes a charge level detection step for detecting the remaining charge level of a device to be charged by the charger, The display control step is performed only when the remaining charge detected in the remaining charge detection step is less than or equal to a threshold amount.

8. In the display control method described in claim 1, The display control step is performed only when the distance from the mobile body to the nearest charger is less than or equal to a threshold distance.

9. In the display control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The aforementioned mobile body is an electric vehicle, The transparent display area is provided on the windshield of the electric vehicle, The charger is a display control method used for charging the battery of the electric vehicle.

10. In the display control method described in claim 9, The electric vehicle comprises a rear imaging unit that captures images of the area behind the electric vehicle, and a rear display unit that displays the images captured by the rear imaging unit. The display control step is a display control method in which, if it is determined that the charger is located within the imaging range of the rear imaging unit based on the current position of the moving body and the location of the charger, the guidance information is displayed on the side of the display area of ​​the rear display unit that is in the direction of the charger's location.

11. A display control device that displays information about a charger in a transparent display area of ​​a display device that moves in conjunction with a moving object, A current location identification unit that identifies the current location of the moving object, A charger information acquisition unit that acquires charger information including the location of the aforementioned charger, A display control device comprising: a display control unit that controls the display device to display guidance information based on the charger information on the side of the transparent display area in the direction in which the charger is located, when it is determined that the charger is located within a visible range that can be seen through the transparent display area, based on the current position of the moving object and the location of the charger.

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