Display control device, head-up display device, display control method, program, and in-vehicle system

Abstract

When placing multiple pieces of content superimposed on a real-world scene on the same screen, the aim is to make the viewer easily understand the location of each piece of content and the distance between them. [Solution] A display control device 700 includes a control unit 701 that controls an image display unit that causes a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle 1, wherein the control unit moves a first virtual object from the front of the screen to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and controls the size and position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, and after starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves a second virtual object from the front of the screen to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device and the like that can cause a viewer boarding a vehicle to perceive that a virtual object exists at a predetermined real space position in front of the vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a navigation device that displays a guidance image for guiding a driving route of a vehicle, for example, on a head-up display (HUD) device, and can intuitively present a road to turn right or left at a real space position such as an intersection (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In recent years, an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) is linked with navigation information to detect oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, etc., and by superimposing alert information on the front view (scene) of the vehicle visible to a viewer (mainly a driver) through the windshield, an AR-HUD (augmented reality - head-up display) device that can minimize the movement of the viewer's viewpoint has been mounted on vehicles.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

[0008] , FIG. 2)

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in a HUD device that displays contents such as a guidance image superimposed on a real scene in the front view of the vehicle described above, when arranging a plurality of contents on the same screen, it is difficult to understand the positions of each content and the distance difference between the contents, and there is a problem that it is difficult to understand which part of the real scene in the front view of the vehicle the content is pointing to.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a display control device, etc., that makes it easy for a viewer (especially the driver) inside a vehicle to understand the position of each piece of content and to grasp the distance difference between pieces of content when multiple pieces of content, such as guidance images superimposed on a real scene, are placed on the same screen.

[0006] Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the embodiments and best embodiments described below, as well as the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The following are examples of embodiments of the present invention to facilitate understanding of its outline.

[0008] A first aspect of the present invention is a display control device comprising a control unit for controlling an image display unit that causes a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, wherein the control unit moves a first virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and controls the display size and position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle, and after starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves a second virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

[0009] Here, "virtual object" refers to an AR (augmented reality) element of a vehicle that is displayed as if superimposed on the road surface, or as if it is detached from the road surface and changes position as it moves along the road surface. The "first virtual object" refers to, for example, as shown in Figure 8, a road with multiple intersections (5a, 5b, 5c) in front of the vehicle 8, and when displaying a message to encourage a left turn at intersection 5c, the "second virtual object" refers to the "second virtual object" which refers to the "second virtual object" which refers to the "second virtual object" which refers to the "second virtual object" which refers to the "third virtual object" which refers to the "third virtual object" which will be described later, refers to the "third virtual object" which refers to the "third virtual object" which refers to the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is the "second virtual object" which is

[0010] Furthermore, "real-world spatial position" refers to the spatial position of a foreground object (a real object in the real world) within the vehicle's forward field of view. This includes points such as intersections where the vehicle needs to change lanes, or points requiring a turn such as going straight or turning left or right. "First real-world spatial position" refers to intersection 5a shown in Figure 7(B), "second real-world spatial position" refers to intersection 5b, and "third real-world spatial position," which will be described later, refers to intersection 5c.

[0011] Furthermore, "control to adjust the display size and position of virtual objects" means that when performing movement control and / or maintenance control of virtual objects (first virtual object, second virtual object), the display size of the virtual objects is adjusted according to the distance to a real-space location such as an intersection, and the display position of the virtual objects is adjusted according to the guidance direction at that real-space location. For this reason, the control unit prepares in advance a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from the real-world size change rate (the rate of change corresponding to real objects in the real world that exist at the real-space location), and uses that function (characteristic line) as needed to control the display size and position of the virtual objects. This allows for a display of a reasonably easy-to-view size at the far end of the image display surface (far from the vehicle), and prevents the display size from becoming too large at the near end of the image display surface (closer to the vehicle), thereby achieving an appropriate change in display size from far to near and realizing a perspective display that does not feel unnatural.

[0012] In the first embodiment, the control unit moves the first virtual object from the front of the image display surface of the image display unit (see, for example, 113a in Figure 1) to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and controls the display size and position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement. After starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, the control unit moves the second virtual object from the front of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement. In this way, after the control unit starts moving the first virtual object to the first real-space position, it controls the movement of the second virtual object from the front side (closer to the vehicle) of the image display surface of the image display unit to the second real-space position which is further away than the first real-space position. For example, by moving the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) so that it overtakes the previously placed content (the first virtual object), it is possible to clearly communicate to the viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle that the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) is located further away than the previously placed content (the first virtual object). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content at the first spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, and then maintaining the next content at the second spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, it becomes easier for the viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle to grasp the distance difference between the content (the first virtual object and the second virtual object). Furthermore, by placing the first content (the first piece of content) close to the vehicle, it becomes easier to represent the effect of the next piece of content overtaking the first piece of content.

[0013] In a second embodiment dependent on the first embodiment, the control unit may perform control to start moving the second virtual object to the second real-space position after the first virtual object has reached the first real-space position.

[0014] In the second embodiment, the control unit controls the movement of the second virtual object to the second real-space position after the first virtual object has reached the first real-space position, making it easier for a viewer (mainly the driver) inside the vehicle to observe the movement of both the first and second virtual objects from start to finish. In other words, a viewer inside the vehicle can easily understand how far away the real-space position to which each virtual object corresponds is from the vehicle.

[0015] In a third embodiment dependent on the first or second embodiment, the control unit may perform control to set the path for moving the second virtual object to the second real space location to pass through the first virtual object located at the first real space location.

[0016] In the third embodiment, the control unit controls the path for moving the second virtual object to a second real-space position so that it passes through the first virtual object located at the first real-space position. As a result, a person observing from inside the vehicle can recognize that the second virtual object and the first virtual object are at the same distance from each other when the second virtual object moves to the position where the first virtual object is located. Furthermore, by observing from that point until the second virtual object moves and maintains that position, it becomes easier to understand the distance difference between the second real-space position to which the second virtual object is associated and the first real-space position to which the first virtual object is associated. In other words, the difficulty for a person observing from inside the vehicle to recognize the timing when the first and second virtual objects are at the same distance from each other is resolved, as the second virtual object does not pass near the first virtual object.

[0017] In a fourth embodiment dependent on the first to third embodiments, the control unit may perform control to set the speed at which the first virtual object is moved to the first real space position and the speed at which the second virtual object is moved to the second real space position to be the same.

[0018] In the fourth embodiment, the control unit performs control to set the speed at which the first virtual object moves to the first real-space position and the speed at which the second virtual object moves to the second real-space position to the same value. As a result, compared to the case where the movement speeds of the first and second virtual objects are different, it becomes easier for an observer in the vehicle to grasp the distance to the first real-space position and the distance to the second real-space position based on the time difference between the start and maintenance of the movement of the first and second virtual objects.

[0019] In a fifth embodiment dependent on the first to fourth embodiments, the control unit may, after starting to move the second virtual object to at least the second real-space position, move the third virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a third real-space position that is in front of the vehicle and further away than the second real-space position, and perform control to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object so that it is maintained at the third real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle, and set the speed at which the first virtual object virtually moves to the first real-space position and the speed at which the second virtual object virtually moves to the second real-space position to the same first speed, and set the speed at which the third virtual object virtually moves to the third real-space position to a second speed different from the first speed.

[0020] In the fifth embodiment, the control unit sets the speed at which the first virtual object virtually moves to a first real-space position and the speed at which the second virtual object virtually moves to a second real-space position to the same first speed, and sets the speed at which the third virtual object virtually moves to a third real-space position to a second speed different from the first speed. For example, by setting the second speed slower than the first speed, the movement time of the third object, which moves a relatively long distance, can be shortened, thereby reducing redundancy.

[0021] In a sixth embodiment dependent on the first to fifth embodiments, the control unit may, after starting to move the second virtual object to at least the second real-space position, move the third virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a third real-space position that is in front of the vehicle and further away than the second real-space position, and perform control to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object so that it is maintained at the third real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle, and set the speed at which the first virtual object virtually moves to the first real-space position and the speed at which the second virtual object virtually moves to the second real-space position to the same first speed, and set the speed at which the third virtual object virtually moves to the third real-space position to a second speed that is faster than the first speed.

[0022] In the sixth embodiment, the control unit sets the speed at which the first virtual object virtually moves to a first real-space position and the speed at which the second virtual object virtually moves to a second real-space position to the same first speed, and sets the speed at which the third virtual object virtually moves to a third real-space position to a second speed that is faster than the first speed. By doing so, the movement time of the third object, which moves a relatively long distance, can be shortened, thereby reducing redundancy. Here, the "first speed" is set to, for example, 100 km / h, and the "second speed" is set to, for example, 150 km / h. Alternatively, the "first speed" may be set to, for example, the vehicle speed measured while the vehicle is running + 40 km / h, and the "second speed" may be set to the vehicle speed measured while the vehicle is running + 80 km / h.

[0023] In a seventh embodiment dependent on the first to sixth embodiments, the first real space position and the second real space position are located at positions offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, and the control unit may control the first virtual object to move from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, and when it reaches the vicinity of the first real space position, to bend and move toward the first real space position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle; and the second virtual object to move from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, and when the second virtual object reaches the vicinity of the second real space position, to bend and move toward the second real space position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle.

[0024] In the seventh aspect, the control unit moves the first virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. When it reaches the vicinity of the first real-space position, it bends and moves it toward the first real-space position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. The second virtual object is moved from the front side of the screen in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. When the second virtual object reaches the vicinity of the second real-space position, control is performed to bend and move it toward the second real-space position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. In this way, by offsetting and arranging the first virtual object and the second virtual object to the left or right, it is possible to make the distance perception easily understandable by linear movement while making the foreground in the front view of the vehicle easier to see.

[0025] In an eighth aspect that depends on the first to sixth aspects, the first real-space position and the second real-space position are arranged at positions offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. The control unit moves the first virtual object from a position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle on the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit toward the first real-space position. The second virtual object is moved from a position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle on the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit toward the second real-space position. A third virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. After starting the movement of the second virtual object at least up to the second real-space position, the third virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle to a third real-space position that is farther than the second real-space position. Control may be performed to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object so that it is maintained at the third real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

[0026] In the eighth aspect, the control unit moves the first virtual object from a position in front of the image display surface, offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, toward the first real-space position, moves the second virtual object from a position in front of the image display surface, offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, toward the second real-space position, moves the third virtual object from in front of the image display surface in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, and after starting the movement of the second virtual object at least up to the second real-space position, moves the third virtual object from in front of the screen in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle to a third real-space position that is farther than the second real-space position, and performs control to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object so that it is maintained at the third real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle. In this way, the first object and the second object start moving from positions offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, and the third object moves straight from the center of the road without offset, making it easier to see the foreground in the forward field of view of the vehicle and finally making the sense of distance easier to understand by linear movement.

[0027] In a ninth aspect dependent on any of the fifth, sixth, and eighth aspects, the control unit may perform control to make the brightness of the third virtual object higher than the brightness of the first virtual object and the second virtual object.

[0028] In the ninth aspect, the control unit performs control to make the brightness of the third virtual object higher than the brightness of the first virtual object and the second virtual object. In this way, by making the brightness of the third virtual object higher than the brightness of the first virtual object and the second virtual object, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, when there is a road including a plurality of intersections (5a, 5b, 5c) in front of the host vehicle 8 and a display prompting a left turn at the intersection 5c is performed, the guidance image 7c (third virtual object) indicating the route change direction of the host vehicle 8 superimposed on the intersection 5c can be emphasized to prompt the route change and draw the attention of the viewer.

[0029] In a tenth embodiment dependent on the first to ninth embodiments, the control unit may control the brightness of the first virtual object when moving it to the first real-space position to be lower than the brightness of the first virtual object when it reaches the first real-space position, and the brightness of the second virtual object when moving it to the second real-space position to be lower than the brightness of the second virtual object when it reaches the second real-space position.

[0030] In the tenth embodiment, the control unit controls the brightness of the first virtual object when it is moved to a first real-space position to be lower than the brightness of the first virtual object when it reaches the first real-space position, and controls the brightness of the second virtual object when it is moved to a second real-space position to be lower than the brightness of the second virtual object when it reaches the second real-space position. By controlling the brightness of the first or second virtual object when it is moved to the first or second real-space position to be lower than the brightness when it reaches each position, the viewer inside the vehicle can recognize the movement of the vehicle, and it becomes easier to grasp the first or second real-space position indicated by each content (first virtual object, second virtual object).

[0031] An eleventh aspect of the present invention is a head-up display device that causes a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, comprising: an image display unit having an image display surface; and a control unit that moves a first virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and controls the display size and position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle; and after starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves a second virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

[0032] In the eleventh embodiment, the control unit initiates the movement of the first virtual object to the first real-space position, and then controls the movement of the second virtual object from the front side (closer to the vehicle) of the image display surface of the image display unit (see, for example, 113a in Figure 1) to the second real-space position which is further away than the first real-space position. In this way, when multiple contents (virtual objects) to be superimposed on the real-world view in front of the vehicle are placed on the same screen (at least the first and second virtual objects), by, for example, moving the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) so as to overtake the previously placed content (the first virtual object), it is possible to provide a head-up display device that clearly communicates to a viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle that the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) is located further away than the previously placed content (the first virtual object). Furthermore, by controlling the previously placed content to maintain a first spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, and then controlling the next placed content to maintain a second spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, it becomes easier for the viewer (primarily the driver) inside the vehicle to grasp the distance difference between the content (the first virtual object and the second virtual object). In addition, by placing the previously placed content (the first content) closer to the vehicle, it becomes easier to represent the effect of the next placed content overtaking the previously placed content. Moreover, by displaying the vehicle's guidance direction superimposed on the forward view (scenery) of the vehicle as seen by the viewer (driver) through the windshield, attention is enhanced, and the unique effect of an AR-HUD (Augmented Reality Head-Up Display) device is obtained, which minimizes the viewer's (driver's) eye movement.

[0033] A twelfth aspect of the present invention is a display control method for controlling an image display unit to cause a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, the method comprising: a control unit moving a first virtual object from the front of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and performing control to adjust the display size and display position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle; and, after the control unit has started moving the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moving a second virtual object from the front of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and performing control to adjust the display size and display position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

[0034] In the twelfth embodiment, after the control unit starts moving the first virtual object to the first real-space position, it controls the movement of the second virtual object from the front side (closer to the vehicle) of the image display surface of the image display unit (see, for example, 113a in Figure 1) to the second real-space position which is further away than the first real-space position. For example, by moving the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) so that it overtakes the previously placed content (the first virtual object), it is possible to clearly communicate to a viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle that the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) is located further away than the previously placed content (the first virtual object). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content at the first spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, and then maintaining the next content at the second spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, it becomes easier for a viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle to grasp the distance difference between the content (the first virtual object and the second virtual object). Furthermore, by placing the first content (the first piece of content) close to the vehicle, it becomes easier to represent the effect of the next piece of content overtaking the first piece of content.

[0035] A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a program for a display control device comprising a control unit for controlling an image display unit that causes a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, wherein the program causes a processor in the control unit to perform the following processes: move a first virtual object from the front of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and adjust the display size and display position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle; and, after starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, move a second virtual object from the front of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and adjust the display size and display position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

[0036] In the 13th embodiment, the processor in the control unit reads and executes a program stored in memory, thereby initiating the movement of the first virtual object to the first real-space position. After that, control can be performed to move the second virtual object from the front side (closer to the vehicle) of the image display surface of the image display unit (see, for example, 113a in Figure 1) to the second real-space position which is further away than the first real-space position. For example, by moving the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) so as to overtake the previously placed content (the first virtual object), it is possible to clearly communicate to a viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle that the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) is located further away than the previously placed content (the first virtual object). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content in a first spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, and then maintaining the next placed content in a second spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, it becomes easier for the observer (primarily the driver) inside the vehicle to grasp the distance difference between the content (the first virtual object and the second virtual object). In addition, by placing the previously placed content (the first content) closer to the vehicle, it becomes easier to represent the effect of the next placed content overtaking the previously placed content.

[0037] A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is an in-vehicle system comprising: a navigation device that generates virtual objects and provides route guidance for a vehicle; and a display control device that controls a display device that causes a viewer riding in the vehicle to perceive the virtual objects as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, wherein the display control device moves a first virtual object among the virtual objects generated by the navigation device from the front side of the display screen of the display device to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and controls the display size and position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle; and after starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves a second virtual object among the virtual objects from the front side of the display screen of the display device to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

[0038] In the 14th embodiment, after the display control device starts moving the first virtual object to a first real-space position generated by the navigation device, it controls the movement of the second virtual object from the front side (closer to the vehicle) of the image display surface of the display device (see, for example, 113a in Figure 1) to a second real-space position that is further away than the first real-space position. For example, by moving the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) so that it overtakes the previously placed content (the first virtual object), it is possible to provide an in-vehicle system that clearly communicates to a viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle that the next content to be placed (the second virtual object) is located further away than the previously placed content (the first virtual object). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content at the first spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, and then maintaining the next content at the second spatial position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement, it becomes easier for a viewer (mainly the driver) in the vehicle to grasp the distance difference between the content (the first virtual object and the second virtual object). Furthermore, by placing the first content (the first piece of content) close to the vehicle, it becomes easier to represent the effect of the next piece of content overtaking the first piece of content.

[0039] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the embodiments of the present invention illustrated can be further modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0040] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a parallax-type 3D head-up display device. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a display control device and its peripheral configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic processing operation of a display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of Embodiment 1 of the display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of Embodiment 2 of the display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of Embodiment 3 of the display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle driving scene used to explain the basic processing operation of the display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving scene referenced to explain the processing operation of Embodiment 1 of the display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving scene referenced to explain the processing operation of Embodiment 2 of the display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving scene referenced to explain the processing operation of Embodiment 3 of the display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0041] The best embodiments described below are used to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art should note that the present invention is not unduly limited by the embodiments described below (hereinafter referred to as "these embodiments").

[0042] (Configuration of the embodiment) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, refer to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle system 3 including a parallax-type 3D head-up display device (HUD device) 100.

[0043] In Figure 1, the direction along the line segment connecting the left and right eyes EL and ER of the observer 4 (in other words, the width direction of vehicle 1) is defined as the left-right direction (or lateral direction: X direction), the direction along the line segment perpendicular to the left-right direction and perpendicular to the ground or a surface equivalent to the ground (here, the road surface 6) is defined as the up-down direction (or height direction: Y direction), and the direction along the line segments perpendicular to both the left-right and up-down directions (the direction indicating the forward and backward direction of vehicle 1) is defined as the forward-backward direction (Z direction). Here, the positive Z direction is forward, and the negative Z direction is backward.

[0044] The in-vehicle system 3 in vehicle 1, shown in Figure 1, includes an pupil (or face) detection camera 43 for detecting the direction and position of the gaze direction and position of the left eye EL and right eye ER of a viewer 4 (such as a driver riding in vehicle 1), a forward (broadly speaking, surrounding) imaging camera (e.g., stereo camera) 45, an image processing unit 46 (including a distance measuring unit 47 and an object type / size detection unit 48), a HUD device 100, a communication unit 123 (having functions such as GPS communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication), and an ECU (electronic control unit) 120 capable of collecting various information about vehicle 1 (e.g., lighting on / off information, vehicle speed information, engine information, etc.).

[0045] The in-vehicle system 3 may also include a navigation device 121. The navigation device 121 incorporates a positioning unit such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) and has map information, and can generate navigation information that includes at least the distance from the current position of the vehicle 1 to predetermined real-space locations such as intersections (5a, 5b, 5c shown in Figures 7 to 10, described later). The navigation device 121 can update its map database by acquiring the latest map information, for example, through communication with an external center (not shown) via a V2X (Vehicle to X) type communication system. Here, the map information stored in the map database is mapping data that represents the driving environment of the vehicle 1. It is particularly preferable that the mapping data be digital data of a highly accurate dynamic map. Here, a "dynamic map" is a digital map that combines a vast amount of constantly changing dynamic information, such as traffic regulations, construction information, accidents and congestion, pedestrian and signal information, with static information such as highly accurate 3D position information (road surface information, diagonal line information, 3D structures).

[0046] The in-vehicle system 3 may also be equipped with a radar unit 125 or the like as a distance measuring means, if necessary. The distance measuring means can be used, for example, to measure the distance from vehicle 1 to a vehicle ahead (an object ahead). Based on this measurement result, display control can be performed, for example, by performing a parallax-type 3D display in an area where there is no object ahead.

[0047] Furthermore, the distance measuring unit 47 included in the image processing unit 46 may, for example, refer to a pair of original images captured by a stereo camera, such as the surrounding imaging camera 45, and detect parallax for the same object (referred to as the target object) by stereo matching, for example, searching for corresponding points in each image, and measure the distance to the target object using the principle of triangulation based on this parallax.

[0048] Alternatively, the radar unit 125 may measure the distance and direction to the target object (forward target object) by emitting radio waves toward the target object (forward target object) and measuring the reflected waves.

[0049] The information acquisition unit 119 of the HUD device 100 acquires measured distance information and other data as appropriate and supplies it to the control unit 701 of the stereoscopic display device 111. The HUD device 100 is installed, for example, in the dashboard (not shown) of a vehicle 1. This HUD device 100 includes a stereoscopic display device 111, an optical unit 116, a light emission window 118, and an information acquisition unit 119. The information acquisition unit 119 can acquire various information from the communication unit 123, ECU 120, radar unit 125, and image processing unit 46, etc.

[0050] The stereoscopic display device 111 is, in this case, a parallax-type 3D display device. This stereoscopic display device (parallax-type 3D display device) 111 includes an image generation unit 112, an image display unit (a display panel such as a liquid crystal display device, having an image display surface 113a for displaying images) 113, a light ray separation unit 114 which has a lenticular lens or a parallax barrier (parallax barrier) and separates the light emitted from the image display surface 113a into light rays for the left and right eyes, and a display control device 700 of this embodiment.

[0051] The display control device 700 of this embodiment includes a control unit 701 that performs display control when displaying a virtual object VOB (see arrow mark FU) in such a way that it is perceived by a viewer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in the vehicle 1 as being located at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle 1 (for example, the center of an intersection). The control unit 701 can, for example, control the operation of the image generation unit (specifically, for example, image rendering) 112 and the image display unit 113, and can also switch between 2D and 3D display, and can also control the visibility of content images as a measure against crosstalk. The configuration of the control unit 701 will be described later with reference to Figure 2.

[0052] The optical unit 116 has a curved mirror (concave mirror, etc.) 117 that reflects light from the light separation unit 114 and projects the image display light K1, K2 onto the windshield (projection target member) 2. However, it may also have other optical members (lenses, auxiliary reflectors, etc.).

[0053] In Figure 1, the stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100 displays parallax viewpoint images (sometimes referred to as "parallax images") for each of the left and right eyes. As shown in Figure 1, each parallax image is displayed as virtual images VL and VR on the first display surface, which is the virtual image forming surface (virtual image area) PS. A stereoscopic image with a sense of depth (stereoscopic image, 3D image) is displayed as a virtual object VOB on the second display surface, which is the convergence surface (stereoscopic image display surface VS), located further back from the viewer 4 than the first display surface PS.

[0054] If 2D display control is performed instead of 3D display control, planar virtual images VL and VR will be displayed on the first display surface PS. Since the perception of distance can be expressed by changes in display size and display position (which depend on the movement speed of vehicle 1), it is possible to achieve this not only with 3D display that controls convergence angle and focus, but also with pseudo-2D display. Furthermore, this may be applied not only to the HUD device 100, but also to display devices such as a center information display (CID) or a head-mounted display (HMD).

[0055] The control unit 701 moves the first virtual object VOB1 (for example, see the unguided image 7a in Figure 7(A)) from the front of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 to a first real-space position in front of the vehicle 1 (for example, see the intersection 5a in Figure 7(A)), and controls the display size and display position of the first virtual object VOB1 so that it is maintained at the first real-space position 5a in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1, and controls the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 to at least the first real-space position 5a. After starting, the second virtual object VOB2 (see, for example, the unguided image 7b in Figure 7(B)) is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to a second real-space position 5b that is further away than the first real-space position 5a (see, for example, the intersection 5b in Figures 7(A)(B)). The display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 are then adjusted so that it is maintained at the second real-space position 5a in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1. This allows for the movement control and maintenance control of the virtual object VOB, which will be described later.

[0056] Here, a virtual object VOB is an AR (augmented reality) element of vehicle 1 that is displayed as if superimposed on the road surface 6, or separated from the road surface 6 and moving along the road surface 6, changing its position as it moves along the road surface 6. The first virtual object VOB1 is, for example, as shown in Figure 8, a non-guidance image 7a represented by an arrow mark superimposed on the intersection 5a closest to vehicle 8 when there is a road in front of vehicle 8 that includes multiple intersections (5a, 5b, 5c) and a display is made to encourage a left turn at intersection 5c. The second virtual object VOB2 is a non-guidance image 7b represented by an arrow mark superimposed on the intersection 5b, the second closest intersection to vehicle 8. The third virtual object VOB3, which will be described later, is a guidance image 7c represented by an arrow mark superimposed on the intersection 5c furthest from vehicle 8, which is a point where a left turn is encouraged. Furthermore, a real-space position refers to the spatial position of a foreground object (a real object in the real world) within the forward field of view of vehicle 1. For example, it refers to a point where the vehicle needs to change lanes, such as an intersection, or a point where it needs to go straight or turn left or right. The first real-space position is, for example, intersection 5a shown in Figure 7(B), the second real-space position is intersection 5b, and the third real-space position, which will be described later, is intersection 5c.

[0057] The control unit 701 controls the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) from the front of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 to a predetermined first real-space position (intersection 5a) in front of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), as shown in Figures 7(A) and 7(B). It also controls the display size and position of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) so that it is maintained at the first real-space position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). Then, after starting the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to at least the first real-space position (intersection 5a), the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a). Control is then performed to adjust the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) so that it is maintained at the second real-space position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8).

[0058] Furthermore, the control that adjusts the display size and position of virtual objects refers to the process of adjusting the display size of virtual objects VOB (first virtual object VOB1, second virtual object VOB2) according to the distance to a real-world location such as an intersection, and adjusting the display position of virtual objects VOB according to the guidance direction at that real-world location, when performing movement control and / or maintenance control of virtual objects VOB (first virtual object VOB1, second virtual object VOB2). Therefore, the control unit 701 prepares in advance a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from the real-world size change rate (the rate of change corresponding to the real-world object that exists at a real-space position). When necessary, it uses this function (characteristic line) to control the display size and display position of the virtual object VOB. This allows the display to be of a reasonably easy-to-view size at the far end of the image display surface 131a (image display unit 131) (far from the vehicle), and prevents the display size from becoming too large at the near end of the image display surface 131a (closer to the vehicle 8). This enables an appropriate change in display size from far to near, resulting in a perspective display that feels natural.

[0059] Furthermore, the control unit 701 can, for example, as shown in Figures 7(A) and 7(b), control the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) after the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) has reached the first real-space position (intersection 5a).

[0060] Furthermore, the control unit 701 can perform control to set the path for moving the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) so that it passes through the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) located at the first real-space position (intersection 5a).

[0061] Furthermore, the control unit 701 can perform control to set the speed at which the first virtual object VOB1 (unguided image 7a) moves to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) to be the same as the speed at which the second virtual object VOB2 (unguided image 7b) moves to the second real-space position (intersection 5b).

[0062] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, for example, the control unit 701 starts moving the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) to at least the second real-space position (intersection 5b), then moves the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) from the front side of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 to the third real-space position (intersection 5c), which is in front of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) and further away than the second real-space position (intersection 5b), and performs control to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) so that it is maintained at the third real-space position (intersection 5c) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). In this case, the control unit 701 can perform control such as setting the speed at which the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) virtually moves to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the speed at which the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) virtually moves to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) to the same first speed, and setting the speed at which the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) virtually moves to the third real-space position (intersection 5c) to a second speed different from the first speed.

[0063] Here, the "first speed" is set to, for example, 100 km / h, and the "second speed" is set to, for example, 150 km / h. Alternatively, the "first speed" may be set to, for example, the vehicle speed measured while the vehicle is in motion + 40 km / h, and the "second speed" may be set to the vehicle speed measured while the vehicle is in motion + 80 km / h.

[0064] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, for example, the control unit 701 starts moving the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) to at least the second real-space position (intersection 5b), then moves the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) from the front side of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 to the third real-space position (intersection 5c), which is in front of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) and further away than the second real-space position (intersection 5b), and performs control to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object (guidance image 7c) so that it is maintained at the third real-space position (intersection 5c) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). In this case, the speed at which the first virtual object VOB1 (guidance image 7c) virtually moves to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the speed at which the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) virtually moves to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) can be set to the same first speed, while the speed at which the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) virtually moves to the third real-space position (intersection 5c) can be set to a second speed that is faster than the first speed.

[0065] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, for example, the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the second real-space position (intersection 5b) may be positioned offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). In this case, the control unit 701 moves the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) from the front side of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), and when it reaches the vicinity of the first real-space position (intersection 5a), it bends and moves it toward the first real-space position (intersection 5a) which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). Then, the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 in the straight direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). When the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) reaches the vicinity of the second real-space position (intersection 5b), control can be performed to curve and move it toward the second real-space position (intersection 5b) which is offset to the left or right from the straight direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8).

[0066] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, for example, the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the second real-space position (intersection 5b) may be positioned offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). In this case, the control unit 701 moves the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) from a position in front of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113, which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), toward the first real-space position (intersection 5a). Next, the control unit 701 moves the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from a position in front of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113, which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), toward the second real-space position (intersection 5b). Then, the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 in the direction of the straight-ahead movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), and after the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) to at least the second real-space position (intersection 5b) is started, the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the third real-space position (intersection 5c), which is in the direction of the straight-ahead movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) and is further away from the second real-space position (intersection 5b), and control is performed to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) so that it is maintained at the third real-space position (intersection 5c) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8).

[0067] Furthermore, the control unit 701 can control the brightness of the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) to be higher than the brightness of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) and the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b).

[0068] Furthermore, the control unit 701 can control the brightness of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) when moving to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) to be lower than the brightness of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) when it reaches the first real-space position (intersection 5a), and the brightness of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) when moving to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) to be lower than the brightness of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) when it reaches the second real-space position (intersection 5b).

[0069] Refer to Figure 2. Figure 2 shows a preferred configuration example of the control unit 701 of Figure 1. The control unit 701 includes at least a movement control unit 701a, a maintenance control unit 701b, a display size adjustment unit 701c, and a display position adjustment unit 701d.

[0070] In performing movement control of the virtual object VOB, the movement control unit 701a, in cooperation with the display size adjustment unit 701c, can adjust the display size of the virtual object according to the distance to a predetermined real-space position obtained from the navigation device 121, and, in cooperation with the display position adjustment unit 701d, can adjust the display position of the virtual object VOB according to the guidance direction at a predetermined real-space position. As a result, the movement control unit 701a can represent the guidance image 7c, which includes non-guidance images 7a and 7b represented as, for example, arrow marks, as moving along the road surface 6.

[0071] In performing maintenance control of the virtual object VOB, the maintenance control unit 701b works in cooperation with the display size adjustment unit 701c to adjust the display size of the virtual object VOB according to the distance to a predetermined real-space position acquired from the navigation device 121, and also works in cooperation with the display position adjustment unit 701d to adjust the display position of the guidance images 7c, including non-guidance images 7a and 7b, which are represented as arrow marks, as virtual objects VOB according to the guidance direction at a predetermined real-space position.

[0072] Furthermore, the display size adjustment unit 701c and the display position adjustment unit 701d prepare a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from the real-world size change rate (the rate of change corresponding to the size of real objects existing in real space). By using this function (characteristic line) as needed to change the display size and display position of the virtual object VOB, it is possible to display an object of a reasonably easy-to-view size at a distance, while suppressing the display size from becoming too large at a close distance, thereby achieving an appropriate change in display size from far to near and realizing a perspective display that does not feel unnatural (see Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-14544, a prior application filed on February 2, 2024, by the same applicant as the present applicant).

[0073] In the display control device 700 of this embodiment, each of the functions described above, possessed by the control unit 701 (movement control unit 701a, maintenance control unit 701b, display size adjustment unit 701c, and display position adjustment unit 701d), is realized by a program executed by a computer (recorded in memory). In this case, the control unit 701 includes, for example, a computer consisting of a processor and at least one memory (e.g., RAM) as hardware for executing the above-mentioned program. Furthermore, at least a part of the above-mentioned functions can also be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which logic circuits are formed is also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0074] (Operation of the embodiment) The basic processing operations of the display control device 700 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 3 and 7(A) and 7(B). Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the basic processing operations of the display control device 700 according to this embodiment, and Figures 7(A) and 7(B) are diagrams showing an example of a vehicle driving scene cited to explain the basic processing operations of the display control device 700 according to this embodiment.

[0075] Refer to Figure 3. First, the HUD device 100 generates a virtual object VOB using the image generation unit 112 of the stereoscopic display device 111 (step ST101). The virtual object VOB generated here is, for example, the non-guidance images 7a and 7b represented by arrow marks in Figure 7(A) or Figure 7(B).

[0076] In the following explanation, for example, as shown in Figure 7(B), if there is a road in front of the vehicle 8 that includes multiple intersections (5a, 5b, 5c), and the HUD 100's stereoscopic display device 111 (image display unit 113) displays a message prompting the driver to turn left at intersection 5c, the non-guidance image 7a, represented by an arrow mark, superimposed on the first real-space position (intersection 5a) closest to the vehicle 8, will be described as the first virtual object (VOB1), and the non-guidance image 7b, represented by an arrow mark, superimposed on the second closest real-space position (intersection 5b) from the vehicle 8, will be described as the second virtual object (VOB2). Furthermore, in Figure 8 and later, the guidance image 7c, represented by an arrow mark, superimposed on the third closest real-space position (intersection 5c) from the vehicle 8, will be described as the third virtual object (VOB3).

[0077] Next, in the display control device 700 of this embodiment, when the control unit 701 detects the display timing after the generation of the virtual object VOB (step ST102 "YES"), it starts movement control to move the first virtual object VOB1 toward the first real space position (intersection 5a), for example as shown in Figure 7(A) (step ST103). At this time, the control unit 701 (movement control unit 701a) may, for example, add an animation to the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) so that it moves from the vehicle 8 side toward the first real space position (intersection 5a), as shown in the dashed frame in Figure 7(b), and place it so that it is superimposed on the first real space position (intersection 5a), or it may not add an animation, as shown in the wavy frame in Figure 7(A). The wavy frame indicates the virtual image area of ​​the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113.

[0078] Next, when the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) reaches the first real-space position (intersection 5a) (step ST104 "YES"), the control unit 701 performs control to maintain the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) at the first real-space position (intersection 5a) (step ST105). This maintenance control of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) is performed to foreshadow the subsequent movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) by causing the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to remain stationary at the first real-space position (intersection 5a) for a certain period of time (for example, 1 second) before the subsequent movement of the second virtual object VOB2 begins. In the control unit 701, the above-mentioned maintenance control is performed by the maintenance control unit 701b, and, similar to the movement control, is realized by adjusting the display size and display position of the first virtual object VOB1 in cooperation with the display size adjustment unit 701c and the display position adjustment unit 701d.

[0079] When performing movement control of the first virtual object VOB1 and / or maintenance control of the first virtual object VOB1, the display size adjustment unit 701c and the display position adjustment unit 701d prepare in advance a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from, for example, the real-world size change rate (the rate of change of size corresponding to a real object existing in real space), and use that function (characteristic line) as needed to control the display size and display position of the first virtual object VOB1. As a result, at the far end of the image display surface 113a in the image display unit 113, the display is made to be a size that is easy to see to some extent, and at the near end of the image display surface 113a, the display size is prevented from becoming too large, thereby achieving an appropriate change in display size from far to near and realizing a perspective display that does not feel unnatural.

[0080] After the movement control unit 701a starts moving the first virtual object VOB1 to the first real-space position (intersection 5a), the control unit 701 controls the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 from the front side of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 of the HUD device 100 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a) (step ST106). At this time, the movement control unit 701a controls the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 toward the second real-space position (intersection 5b) by adding an animation that makes the second virtual object VOB2 pass over the first virtual object VOB1, as shown in the dashed frame in Figure 7(B). By performing such an effect, the viewer 4 who is in the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can perceive that the second virtual object VOB2 is located further away from the first virtual object VOB1 within the same screen. Note that the virtual image area (virtual image formation surface) is synonymous with the first display surface PS shown in Figure 1.

[0081] Next, when vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) reaches the second real-space position (intersection 5b) (step ST107 "YES"), the control unit 701 (maintenance control unit 701b) executes control to maintain the second virtual object VOB2 at the second real-space position (intersection 5b) (step ST108). The maintenance control of the second virtual object VOB2 is performed by the maintenance control unit 701b, and is realized by the maintenance control unit 701b working in cooperation with the display size adjustment unit 701c and the display position adjustment unit 701d to adjust the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2. As described above, the control to adjust the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 is performed by preparing in advance a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from the real-world size change rate (the rate of change corresponding to the real object existing in real space), and using that function (characteristic line) as needed to change the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2.

[0082] Furthermore, the first virtual object VOB1 and the second virtual object VOB2, which are non-guidance images 7a, disappear from view on the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 when the first real-space position (intersection 5a) or the second real-space position (intersection 5b) moves out of the virtual image area shown within the dotted line frame in Figure 7 (A) or (B) as the vehicle 2 (own vehicle 8) moves forward. In addition, the third virtual object VOB3, which is a guidance image 7c, is erased when the occupant (driver) performs a rotation operation. In this way, when the display termination condition for the virtual objects VOB (VOB1, VOB2, VOB3) is met (step ST109 "YES"), the series of processing operations described above is terminated. On the other hand, if the display termination condition is not met (ST109 "NO"), the processing from step ST101 onwards is repeatedly executed.

[0083] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the display control device 700 of this embodiment is a display control device 700 that includes a control unit 701 that controls an image display unit (for example, the image display unit 113 of the stereoscopic display device 111 in the HUD device 100) that makes the viewer 4 riding in the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8) perceive that the virtual object VOB exists at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle 1 (see vehicle 8 in Figures 7(a) and 7(b)), as shown in Figure 1. The control unit 701 of the display control device 700 moves the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) from the front side of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 to a predetermined first real-space position (intersection 5a) in front of the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8), as shown in Figures 7(A) and 7(B), and controls the display size and display position of the first virtual object VOB1 so that it is maintained at the first real-space position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8). Then, after starting the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to at least the first real-space position (intersection 5a), the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a). Control is then performed to adjust the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) so that it is maintained at the second real-space position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8).

[0084] According to the display control device 700 of this embodiment, after the control unit 701 starts moving the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to the first real space position (intersection 5a), it controls the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from the front side (closer to the vehicle 8) of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 to the second real space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real space position (intersection 5a). For example, by moving the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) so that it overtakes the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1), it is possible to clearly communicate to the viewer 4 (mainly the driver) in the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8) that the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) is located further away than the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) at a first spatial position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), and then maintaining the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) at a second spatial position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can easily grasp the distance difference between the content (first virtual object VOB1 and second virtual object VOB2). In addition, by placing the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) close to the own vehicle 8, it becomes easier to express the effect of the next placed content overtaking the previously placed content.

[0085] Furthermore, according to the display control device 700 of this embodiment, the control unit 701 controls the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) after the first virtual object VOB1 has reached the first real-space position (intersection 5a). This makes it easier for the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) to observe the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 and the second virtual object VOB2 from start to finish. In other words, the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can easily grasp how far away the real-space positions (intersections 5a, 5b) to which each virtual object VOB1 and VOB2 are from the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8).

[0086] Furthermore, according to the display control device 700 of this embodiment, the control unit 701 controls the path for moving the second virtual object VOB2 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) so that it passes through the first virtual object VOB1 located at the first real-space position (intersection 5a). As a result, the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can recognize that the second virtual object VOB2 and the first virtual object VOB1 are located at the same distance from each other at the time the second virtual object VOB2 moves to the position where the first virtual object VOB1 is located. In addition, by observing from that time until the second virtual object VOB2 moves and maintains that position, it becomes easy to grasp the distance difference between the second real-space position (intersection 5b) to which the second virtual object VOB2 is associated and the first real-space position (intersection 5a) to which the first virtual object VOB1 is associated. In other words, it is possible to resolve the issue where a observer 4 (primarily the driver) aboard vehicle 1 (our own vehicle 8) would have difficulty recognizing the timing when the first virtual object VOB1 and the second virtual object VOB2 were at the same distance from each other, unless the second virtual object VOB2 passed near the first virtual object VOB1.

[0087] Although not shown in the flowchart in Figure 3, the control unit 701 can perform control to set the speed at which the first virtual object VOB1 moves to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the speed at which the second virtual object VOB2 moves to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) to be the same. As a result, the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in vehicle 1 (our own vehicle 8) can more easily grasp the distance to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the distance to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) based on the time difference from the start of movement to the maintenance of movement of the first virtual object VOB1 and the second virtual object VOB2, compared to the case where the movement speeds of the first virtual object VOB1 and the second virtual object VOB2 are different.

[0088] Furthermore, the control unit 701 can control the brightness of the first virtual object VOB1 when it is moved to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) to be lower than the brightness of the first virtual object VOB1 when it reaches the first real-space position (intersection 5a), and the brightness of the second virtual object VOB2 when it is moved to the second real-space position (intersection 5b) to be lower than the brightness of the second virtual object VOB2 when it reaches the second real-space position (intersection 5b). In this way, by controlling the brightness of the first or second virtual object (VOB1, VOB2) to be lower than the brightness when it reaches the first real-space position (intersection 5a) or the second real-space position (intersection 5b), the viewer 4 (mainly the driver) inside vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can recognize the movement of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), and it becomes easier to grasp the location of the first or second real-space position (intersection 5a or 5b) indicated by each content (first virtual object VOB1, second virtual object VOB2).

[0089] Next, referring to Figures 4 to 10, we will provide three examples (Examples 1, 2, and 3) of specific processing operations when, in a navigation display that guides the vehicle 1 along its route, there is a road ahead of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) that includes multiple intersections (5a, 5b, 5c), and the HUD 100's stereoscopic display device 111 displays a message prompting the vehicle to turn left at intersection 5c. Each of these will be explained in detail.

[0090] (Example 1) Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 8. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of Embodiment 1 of the display control device 700 according to this embodiment, and Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving scene cited to explain the processing operation of Embodiment 1.

[0091] In Figure 4, the control unit 701 first detects the startup of vehicle 1 (step ST201). Here, the ECU 120 (see Figure 1) detects the ON (IG-ON) of the ignition switch (IG) and notifies the control unit 701 via the information acquisition unit 119, allowing the control unit 701 to detect the startup of vehicle 1. When the control unit 701 detects the startup of vehicle 1 (step ST201 "YES"), it acquires an image of the foreground in the forward field of view of vehicle 1 and the position information of vehicle 1 via the information acquisition unit 119 and transfers them to the control unit 701 (step ST202). Here, the foreground is obtained by acquiring an image processed by the image processing unit 46 (including the distance measurement unit 47 and the object type / size detection unit 48) from an image captured by an imaging camera (e.g., a stereo camera) 45, and the position information of vehicle 1 can be obtained from the communication unit 123 (which has functions such as GPS communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication).

[0092] In response, the control unit 701 waits for the movement control unit 701a to wait for the timing of the display of the stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100 to arrive (step ST203 "YES"), and then controls the movement of the non-guidance image 7a, which is the first virtual object VOB1 represented by the arrow shown in Figure 8, along the path (approximately the center of the road on which the vehicle 8 is traveling) (step ST204). Then, when the vehicle 1 (the vehicle 8) reaches the vicinity of the intersection 5a, which is the first real-space position (step ST205 "YES"), the movement control unit 701a controls the placement of the non-guidance image 7a superimposed on the intersection 5a in the virtual image area (see the first display surface PS in Figure 1) (step ST206).

[0093] Next, the movement control unit 701a moves the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, along the path, and when the vehicle 8 reaches the vicinity of the intersection 5b, which is the second real-space position (step ST207 "YES"), it places the non-guidance image 7b superimposed on the intersection 5b in the virtual image area shown in the dashed frame in Figure 8 and maintains the virtual object VOB2 for a certain period of time. At this time, the movement control unit 701a adds an animation that makes the non-guidance image 7b overtake the previously placed non-guidance image 7a, thereby making it easy for the observer 4 (mainly the driver) in the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8) to understand that the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, is located further away from the first virtual object VOB1, which is the first placed non-guidance image 7a (step ST208).

[0094] Furthermore, the maintenance control of the virtual object VOB2 is performed by the maintenance control unit 701b, which works in cooperation with the display size adjustment unit 701c and the display position adjustment unit 701d to adjust the display size and display position of the non-guidance image 7b. The control to adjust the display size and display position of the non-guidance image 7b can be performed by, for example, preparing a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from the real-world size change rate (the rate of change corresponding to the real object existing in real space), and using that function (characteristic line) as needed to change the display size and display position of the non-guidance image 7b.

[0095] Next, the movement control unit 701a moves the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, along the path, and when the vehicle 8 reaches the vicinity of the intersection 5c, which is the third real-space position (step ST209 "YES"), it controls the position and maintain of the guidance image 7c superimposed on the intersection 5c. At this time, as in step ST208, the movement control unit 701a adds an animation to the virtual image area shown within the dashed frame in Figure 8, such that the guidance image 7c overtakes the non-guidance image 7b which was placed earlier, thereby clearly communicating to the observer 4 (mainly the driver) in the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8) that the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, is located further away from the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2 which was placed earlier (step ST210).

[0096] Then, as the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) moves, the control unit 701 erases the non-guidance images 7a and 7b when at least one of the non-guidance images 7a and 7b is in the virtual image area and cannot be superimposed on the actual scenery (intersections 5a and 5b) (step ST211 "YES") (step ST212). On the other hand, if the vehicle 8 rotates in accordance with the guidance image 7c while the guidance image 7c is maintained at the intersection 7c (step ST213 "YES"), the control unit 701 erases the guidance image 7c and terminates the above operation (step ST214). If, in step ST205, vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5a (step ST205 "NO"), in step ST207, vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5b (step ST207 "NO"), and in step ST209, vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5c (step ST209 "NO"), then the processes in steps ST206, ST208, and ST210 are skipped, and the processes from step ST211 onwards are executed.

[0097] Although not shown in the flowchart in Figure 4, the control unit 701 performs control such as setting the speed at which the non-guidance image 7a is virtually moved to the first real-space location, intersection 6a, in step ST204, and the speed at which the non-guidance image 7b is virtually moved to the second real-space location, intersection 5b, in step ST206, to the same first speed, and setting the speed at which it is virtually moved to the third real-space location, intersection 5c, to a second speed different from the first speed. By setting the second speed slower than the first speed, for example, by setting the first speed to 100 km / h and the second speed to 150 km / h, the movement time of the guidance image 7c, which is the third object with a relatively long movement distance, can be shortened, thereby reducing redundancy. Alternatively, the same effect can be obtained by setting the first speed to, for example, the vehicle speed measured during vehicle operation + 40 km / h, and the second speed to the vehicle speed measured during vehicle operation + 80 km / h.

[0098] As described above, in Embodiment 1, the control unit 701 starts moving the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, to at least the second real-space position (intersection 5b), and then moves the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, from the front side of the image display surface (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 (stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100) to the third real-space position, intersection 5c, which is in front of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) and further away than the second real-space position, intersection 5b, and performs control to adjust the size and position of the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, so that it is maintained at the third real-space position (intersection 5c) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1. At this time, the speed at which the first virtual object VOB1, which is the non-guidance image 7a, virtually moves to the first real-space position (intersection 5a), and the speed at which the second virtual object VOB2, which is the non-guidance image 7b, virtually moves to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), are set to the same first speed, while the speed at which the third virtual object VOB3, which is the guidance image 7c, virtually moves to the third real-space position (intersection 5c), is set to a second speed that is faster than the first speed. By setting the speed at which the third virtual object VOB3, which is the guidance image 7c, virtually moves to the third real-space position (intersection 5c), to a second speed that is faster than the first speed, the movement time of the third object VOB3 (guidance image 7c), which has a relatively long movement distance, can be shortened, thereby reducing redundancy.

[0099] (Example 2) Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 9. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of Embodiment 2 of the display control device 700 according to this embodiment, and Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving scene cited to explain the processing operation of Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 2, as shown in Figure 9, the first real-space location, intersection 5a, and the second real-space location, intersection 5b, are set to positions offset to the left from the road on which vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) is traveling, and the third real-space location, intersection 5c, is set to approximately the center (a position not offset to the left or right) on the road on which vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) is traveling.

[0100] In Figure 4, the control unit 701 first detects the startup of vehicle 1 (step ST301). Here, the ECU 120 (see Figure 1) detects the ON (IG-ON) of the ignition switch (IG) and notifies the control unit 701 via the information acquisition unit 119, allowing the control unit 701 to detect the startup of vehicle 1. When the control unit 701 detects the startup of vehicle 1 (step ST301 "YES"), it acquires an image of the foreground in the forward field of view of vehicle 1 and the position information of vehicle 1 via the information acquisition unit 119 and transfers them to the control unit 701 (step ST302). Here, the foreground is obtained by acquiring an image processed by the image processing unit 46 (including the distance measurement unit 47 and the object type / size detection unit 48) from an image captured by an imaging camera (e.g., a stereo camera) 45, and the position information of vehicle 1 can be obtained from the communication unit 123 (which has functions such as GPS communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication).

[0101] In response, the control unit 701 waits for the movement control unit 701a to wait for the timing of the display on the stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100 to arrive (step ST303 "YES"), and then performs movement control to move the non-guidance image 7a, which is the first virtual object VOB1 represented by the arrow shown in Figure 9, along the path (approximately the center of the road on which the vehicle 8 is traveling) (step ST304). Then, when the vehicle 8 reaches the vicinity of the intersection 5a, which is the first real-space position (step ST305 "YES"), the movement control unit 701a moves the non-guidance image 7a by curving its trajectory toward the intersection 5a offset to the left of the road, and then performs control to maintain the non-guidance image 7a, which is the first virtual object VOB1, at the intersection 5a offset to the left (step ST306).

[0102] Next, the movement control unit 701a starts displaying the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, and controls the non-guidance image 7b to move along the road on which the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) is traveling (step T307). Then, when the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) reaches the vicinity of the intersection 5b, which is the second real-space position (step ST308 "YES"), the movement control unit 701a moves the non-guidance image 7b to the second intersection 5b by curving its trajectory toward the first intersection 5b which is offset to the left, and then the maintenance control unit 701b controls the non-guidance image 7b to maintain it at the offset position of the intersection 5b (step ST309).

[0103] Then, the movement control unit 701a starts displaying the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, and performs movement control to move the guidance image 7c in a straight line along the route (the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling) (step T310). When the vehicle 1 (the vehicle 8) reaches the vicinity of the intersection 5c, which is the third real-space position (step ST311 "YES"), the movement control unit 701a moves the guidance image 7c in a straight line toward the intersection 5c, and then the maintenance control unit 701b performs control to maintain the guidance image 7c at the intersection 5c (step ST312).

[0104] Furthermore, when performing the movement control and / or maintenance control of the non-guidance images 7a, 7b and guidance image 7c described above, the control unit 701 adjusts the display size of the non-guidance images 7a, 7b and guidance image 7c according to the distance to the intersections 5a, 5b, and 5c, which are real-space locations, and adjusts the display position of the non-guidance images 7a, 7b and guidance image 7c according to the guidance direction at the real-space location. For this reason, the control unit 701 prepares in advance a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from the real-world size change rate (the rate of change corresponding to real objects existing in real space), and uses that function (characteristic line) as needed to control the display size and display position of the virtual object VOB. In this way, at a distance on the far side of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113, the display is made to be a size that is reasonably easy to see, and at a close distance on the near side, the display size is suppressed from becoming too large, thereby achieving an appropriate change in display size from far to near and achieving a perspective display that does not feel unnatural.

[0105] Finally, as the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) moves, the control unit 701 erases the non-guidance images 7a and 7b when at least one of them is in the virtual image area and cannot be superimposed on the actual scenery (intersections 5a and 5b) (step ST313 "YES") (step ST314). On the other hand, if the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) rotates in accordance with the guidance image 7c while the guidance image 7c is maintained at the intersection 7c (step ST315 "YES"), the control unit 701 erases the guidance image 7c and terminates the above operation (step ST316). If, in step ST305, vehicle 8 has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5a (step ST305 "NO"), in step ST308, vehicle 8 has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5b (step ST308 "NO"), and in step ST311, vehicle 8 has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5c (step ST311 "NO"), then the processes in steps ST306, ST307, ST309, ST310, and ST312 are skipped, and the processes in steps ST313 to ST316 are executed.

[0106] In the above-described embodiment 2, for example, as shown in Figure 9, the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the second real-space position (intersection 5b) are located at positions offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). The control unit 701 moves the non-guidance image 7a, which is the first virtual object VOB1, from a position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) on the front side (downward direction of the screen) of the image display surface (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113 toward the first real-space position (intersection 5a), and then moves the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, from a position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) on the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit 113 toward the second real-space position (intersection 5b). Then, the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113 of the image display unit 113 in the direction of the straight-ahead movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). After the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) to at least the second real-space position (intersection 5b) is started, the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object COB3, is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the third real-space position (intersection 5c), which is in the direction of the straight-ahead movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) and is further away from the second real-space position (intersection 5b). Control is then performed to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) so that it is maintained at the third real-space position (intersection 5c) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8).

[0107] In this way, the first virtual object VOB1, which is the non-guidance image 7a, and the second virtual object VOB2, which is the non-guidance image 7b, start moving from a position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), while the third object VOB3, which is the guidance image 7c, moves in a straight line from the center of the road without any offset. This makes the foreground in the forward field of view of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) easier to see, and ultimately makes it easier to understand the sense of distance through straight-line movement.

[0108] (Example 3) Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 10. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of Embodiment 3 of the display control device 700 according to this embodiment, and Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle driving scene cited to explain the processing operation of Embodiment 3. Similar to Embodiment 2, in Embodiment 3, as shown in Figure 10, the first real-space location, intersection 5a, and the second real-space location, intersection 5b, are set to positions offset to the left from the road on which vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) is traveling, and the third real-space location, intersection 5c, is set to approximately the center (a position not offset to the left or right) on the road on which vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) is traveling.

[0109] In Figure 6, the control unit 701 first detects the startup of vehicle 1 (step ST401). Here, the ECU 120 (see Figure 1) detects the ON (IG-ON) of the ignition switch (IG) and notifies the control unit 701 via the information acquisition unit 119, allowing the control unit 701 to detect the startup of vehicle 1. When the control unit 701 detects the startup of vehicle 1 (step ST401 "YES"), it acquires an image of the foreground in the forward field of view of vehicle 1 and the position information of vehicle 1 via the information acquisition unit 119 and transfers them to the control unit 701 (step ST402). Here, the foreground is obtained by acquiring an image processed by the image processing unit 46 (including the distance measurement unit 47 and the object type / size detection unit 48) from an image captured by an imaging camera (e.g., a stereo camera) 45, and the position information of vehicle 1 can be obtained from the communication unit 123 (which has functions such as GPS communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication).

[0110] In response, the control unit 701 waits for the movement control unit 701a to wait for the timing of the display of the stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100 to arrive (step ST403 "YES"), and then performs movement control to move (straight ahead) the non-guidance image 7a, which is the first virtual object VOB1 represented by the arrow shown in Figure 10, from a position offset to the left from the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, toward the intersection 5a, which is a first real-space position also offset to the left from the road (step ST404). Then, when the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) reaches the intersection 5a, which is the first real-space position (step ST405 "YES"), the maintenance control unit 701b performs control to maintain the non-guidance image 7a at the first intersection 5a (step ST406).

[0111] Next, the control unit 701 starts displaying the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, and performs movement control to move the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) straight from a position offset to the left of the road it is traveling on towards the intersection 5b, which is the first real-space position also offset to the left of the road (step ST407). When the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) reaches the intersection 5b, which is the second real-space position (step ST408 "YES"), the maintenance control unit 701b performs control to maintain the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, at the intersection 5b, which is the second real-space position (step ST409).

[0112] Then, the movement control unit 701a starts displaying the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, and performs movement control to move the guidance image 7c in a straight line along the route (road on which the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) is traveling) (step ST410). When the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) reaches the vicinity of the intersection 5c, which is the third real-space position (step ST411 "YES"), the movement control unit 701a moves the guidance image 7c in a straight line toward the intersection 5c, and then the maintenance control unit 7701b performs control to maintain the guidance image 7c at the intersection 5c (step ST412).

[0113] Furthermore, when performing the movement control and / or maintenance control of the non-guidance images 7a, 7b and guidance image 7c described above, the control unit 701 adjusts the display size of the non-guidance images 7a, 7b and guidance image 7c according to the distance to the intersections 5a, 5b, and 5c, which are real-space locations, and adjusts the display position of the non-guidance images 7a, 7b and guidance image 7c according to the guidance direction at the real-space location. For this reason, the control unit 701 prepares in advance a function (characteristic line) that shows the relationship between distance and display size, which is adjusted to a rate of change different from the real-world size change rate (the rate of change corresponding to real objects existing in real space), and uses that function (characteristic line) as needed to control the display size and display position of the virtual object VOB. In this way, at a distance on the far side of the screen (the stereoscopic display screen VA of the stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100), the display size is made to be reasonably easy to see, and at a close distance on the near side of the screen, the display size is prevented from becoming too large, thereby achieving an appropriate change in display size from far to near and realizing a perspective display that does not feel unnatural.

[0114] Then, as the vehicle 8 moves, the control unit 701 erases the non-guidance images 7a and 7b when at least one of them is in the virtual image area and cannot be superimposed on the actual scenery (intersections 5a and 5b) (step ST413 "YES") (step ST414). On the other hand, if the vehicle 8 rotates in accordance with the guidance image 7c while the guidance image 7c is maintained at the intersection 7c (step ST415 "YES"), the control unit 701 erases the guidance image 7c and terminates the series of processing operations described above (step ST416). If, in step ST405, vehicle 8 has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5a (step ST405 "NO"), in step ST408, vehicle 8 has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5b (step ST408 "NO"), and in step ST311, vehicle 8 has not yet reached the vicinity of intersection 5c (step ST411 "NO"), then the processes in steps ST406, ST407, ST409, ST410, and ST412 are skipped, and the processes in steps ST413 to ST416 are executed.

[0115] As described above, in Embodiment 3, for example, as shown in Figure 10, the first real-space position (intersection 5a) and the second real-space position (intersection 5b) are located at positions offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). The control unit 701 then moves, for example, the non-guided image 7a, which is the first virtual object VOB1, from a position in front of the image display surface 113a (virtual image area) of the image display unit 113, which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), toward the first real-space position (intersection 5a). Next, the non-guidance image 7b, which is the second virtual object VOB2, is moved from a position offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) on the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 toward the second real-space position (intersection 5b). Subsequently, the guidance image 7c, which is the third virtual object VOB3, is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 toward the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8). Then, after starting the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) to at least the second real-space position (intersection 5b), the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) is moved from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the third real-space position (intersection 5c), which is in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) and is further away than the second real-space position (intersection 5b). Control is then performed to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object VOB3 (guidance image 7c) so that it is maintained at the third real-space position (intersection 5c) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8).

[0116] In this way, the first virtual object VOB1, which is the non-guidance image 7a, and the second virtual object VOB2, which is the non-guidance image 7b, are controlled to move in a straight line from a position offset to the left of the road on which vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) is traveling, toward an intersection offset in the same direction, and to maintain the vehicle at the target intersection (5a or 5b) once it reaches it. The third object VOB3, which is the guidance image 7c, is moved in a straight line from the center of the road that is not offset toward the target intersection 5c. In this way, the foreground in the forward field of view of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can be easily seen by the observer 4 inside vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), and ultimately the sense of distance can be easily understood through straight-line movement.

[0117] Although Examples 1, 2, and 3 all illustrate navigation displays, the same approach can be applied to other applications, such as Points of Interest (POIs) that overlay information about nearby shops and events onto the actual scenery.

[0118] (supplementary explanation) The head-up display device of this embodiment is a head-up display device (HUD device 100) that makes a viewer 4 riding in the vehicle 1 perceive that a virtual object VOB exists at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle 1, as shown in Figure 1, for example. The HUD device 100 includes an image display unit 113 having an image display surface 113a, and controls the display size and position of the first virtual object VOB1 from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to a predetermined first real-space position (intersection 5a) in front of the vehicle 1, and maintains the first virtual object VOB1 at least up to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1, and provides control to adjust the display size and position of the first virtual object VOB1 as it moves forward, and provides control to maintain the first virtual object up to the first real-space position (intersection 5a) The head-up display device (HUD device 100) includes a control unit 701 that, after the movement of object VOB1 begins, moves the second virtual object VOB2 of the virtual objects VOB from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to a second real-space position (intersection 5b) that is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a), and controls the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 so that it is maintained at the second real-space position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1.

[0119] According to the head-up display device (HUD device 100) of this embodiment, after the control unit 701 starts moving the first virtual object VOB1 to the first real-space position (intersection 5a), it controls the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 from the front side (closer to the vehicle) of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a). For example, by moving the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) so that it overtakes the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1), the HUD device 100 can provide a clear indication to the viewer 4 (mainly the driver) in the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8) that the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) is located further away than the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) at a first spatial position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), and then maintaining the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) at a second spatial position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can easily grasp the distance difference between the content (first virtual object VOB1 and second virtual object VOB2). In addition, by placing the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) closer to the own vehicle 8, it becomes easier to express the effect of the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) overtaking the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1). Furthermore, by overlaying the direction of guidance for vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) onto the forward view (scenery) of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) as seen by the viewer 4 (driver) through the windshield, the device enhances visibility and minimizes the viewer 4's (driver's) eye movement, thus achieving a unique effect as an AR-HUD (Augmented Reality Head-Up Display) device.

[0120] The display control method of this embodiment is a display control method that controls an image display unit 113 (for example, the stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100) to make a viewer 4 riding in the vehicle 1 perceive that a virtual object VOB exists at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle 1 (for example, intersections 5a, 5b, 5c, etc.), as shown in Figure 1. The display control method, for example as shown in Figures 3 and 7(A)(B), includes the steps (ST101~ST105) of the control unit 701 moving the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) of the virtual objects VOB from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to a predetermined first real space position (intersection 5a) in front of the vehicle 1, and adjusting the display size and display position of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) so that it is maintained at the first real space position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1, and the control unit 701 controlling at least the first real space position (intersection 5a) The display control method includes the steps (ST106~ST109) of moving the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from among the virtual objects VOB to the point 5a), moving it from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to a second real space position (intersection 5b) that is further away from the first real space position (intersection 5a), and adjusting the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) so that it is maintained at the second real space position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1.

[0121] According to the display control method of this embodiment, after the control unit 701 starts moving the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to the first real-space position (intersection 5a), it can control the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from the front side (closer to the vehicle 8) of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a). Therefore, it is possible to clearly communicate to the viewer 4 (mainly the driver) in the vehicle 1 (vehicle 8) that the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) is located at a greater distance than the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content at a first spatial position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), and then controlling the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) to be maintained at a second spatial position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8), the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in vehicle 1 (own vehicle 8) can easily grasp the distance difference between the contents (first virtual object VOB1 and second virtual object VOB2). In addition, by placing the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) closer to the own vehicle 8, it becomes easier to express the effect of the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) overtaking the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1).

[0122] The program of this embodiment is a program for a display control device 700 that includes a control unit 701 that controls an image display unit 113 (stereoscopic display device 111 of the HUD device 100) that makes a viewer 4 riding in the vehicle 1 perceive that a virtual object VOB is located at a predetermined real-space position (such as an intersection) in front of the vehicle 1, as shown in Figure 1. The program then controls the processor of the control unit 701 to move, for example, the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) of the virtual object VOB from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to a predetermined first real-space position (intersection 5a) in front of the vehicle 1, as shown in Figures 3 and 7(A)(B), and adjusts the display size and display position of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) so that it is maintained at the first real-space position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1 (steps ST101 to ST105), and at least the first real-space position (intersection This program performs the following steps (ST106~ST109): After starting the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to the difference point 5a), it moves the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from among the virtual objects VOB from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the second real space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real space position (intersection 5a), and controls the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) so that it is maintained at the second real space position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1.

[0123] According to the program of this embodiment, the processor in the control unit 701 reads the program stored in memory and executes it, thereby starting the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to the first real-space position (intersection 5a). After that, it is possible to control the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from the front side (closer to the vehicle 8) of the image display surface 113a of the image display unit 113 to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a). For example, by moving the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) so as to overtake the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1), it is possible to clearly communicate to the viewer 4 (mainly the driver) in the vehicle 1 that the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) is located at a greater distance than the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) at a first spatial position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1, and then maintaining the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) at a second spatial position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1, the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in vehicle 1 can easily grasp the distance difference between the content (first virtual object VOB1 and second virtual object VOB2). In addition, by placing the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) close to the vehicle 8, it becomes easier to express the effect of the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) overtaking the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1).

[0124] The in-vehicle system of this embodiment is an in-vehicle system 3 comprising, for example, as shown in Figure 1, a navigation device 121 that generates virtual objects VOB and provides route guidance for the vehicle 1, and a display control device 700 that controls a display device (e.g., a HUD device 100) that makes a viewer 4 riding in the vehicle 1 perceive that the virtual objects VOB are located at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle 1. For example, as shown in Figures 7(A) and 7(B), the display control device 700 moves the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) among the virtual objects VOB generated by the navigation device 121 from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the display device (e.g., a HUD device 100) to a predetermined first real-space position (intersection 5a) in front of the vehicle 1, and controls the display size and display position of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) so that it is maintained at the first real-space position (intersection 5a) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1. The in-vehicle system 3 then initiates the movement of the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to at least the first real-space position (intersection 5a), and then moves the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from the virtual object VOB from the front side of the image display surface 113a of the display device (e.g., HUD device 100) to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a), and controls the display size and display position of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) so that it is maintained at the second real-space position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle 1.

[0125] According to the in-vehicle system 3 of this embodiment, after the display control device 700 starts moving the first virtual object VOB1 (non-guidance image 7a) to the first real-space position (intersection 5a), it controls the movement of the second virtual object VOB2 (non-guidance image 7b) from the front side (closer to the vehicle 8) of the display device (e.g., HUD device 100) image display surface 113a to the second real-space position (intersection 5b), which is further away from the first real-space position (intersection 5a). For example, by moving the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) so that it overtakes the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1), the in-vehicle system 3 can be provided that clearly communicates to the viewer 4 (mainly the driver) in the vehicle 1 that the next content to be placed (second virtual object VOB2) is located further away than the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1). Furthermore, by maintaining the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) at a first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1, and then maintaining the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) at a second spatial position (intersection 5b) in accordance with the forward movement of vehicle 1, the observer 4 (mainly the driver) riding in vehicle 1 can easily grasp the distance difference between the content (first virtual object VOB1 and second virtual object VOB2). In addition, by placing the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1) close to the vehicle 8, it becomes easier to express the effect of the next placed content (second virtual object VOB2) overtaking the previously placed content (first virtual object VOB1).

[0126] The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art will be able to easily modify the exemplary embodiments described above to the extent included in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 1...Vehicle, 2...Windshield (projected element), 3...In-vehicle system, 4...Viewer, 5a...First real-space location (intersection), 5b...Second real-space location (intersection), 5c...Third real-space location (intersection), 6...Road surface, VOB...Virtual object, VOB1...First virtual object (non-guidance image 7a), VOB2...Second virtual object (non-guidance image 7b), VOB3...Third virtual object (guidance image 7c), 43...Pupil imaging camera, 45...Surrounding imaging camera, 46...Image processing unit, 47...Distance measuring unit, 48...Object type / size detection unit, 100...HUD device, 111...3D display device, 112...Image generation unit, 113...Image display unit, 113a...Image display surface, 114...Light beam separation unit, 116...Optical unit, 117...Curved mirror, 118...Light emission window, 119...Information acquisition unit, 120...ECU, 121...Navigation device, 123...Communication unit, 125...Radar unit, 700...Display control device, 701a...Movement control unit, 701b...Maintenance control unit, 701c...Display size adjustment unit, 701d...Display position adjustment unit

Claims

1. A display control device comprising a control unit that controls an image display unit that causes a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, The control unit, The first virtual object among the virtual objects is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and control is performed to adjust the display size and display position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle. A display control device that, after initiating the movement of the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves a second virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and display position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

2. The control unit, The display control device according to claim 1, wherein after the first virtual object reaches the first real-space position, control is performed to start moving the second virtual object to the second real-space position.

3. The control unit, The display control device according to claim 1 or 2, which performs control to set the path for moving the second virtual object to the second real space position to pass through the first virtual object located at the first real space position.

4. The control unit, The display control device according to claim 1, which performs control to set the speed at which the first virtual object is moved to the first real space position and the speed at which the second virtual object is moved to the second real space position to be the same.

5. The control unit, After starting to move the second virtual object to at least the second real-space position, the third virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display unit's screen to a third real-space position that is in front of the vehicle and further away than the second real-space position, and control is performed to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object so that it is maintained at the third real-space position in accordance with the vehicle's forward movement. The speed at which the first virtual object virtually moves to the first real-space position and the speed at which the second virtual object virtually moves to the second real-space position are set to the same first speed. The display control device according to claim 1, which performs control to set the speed at which the third virtual object virtually moves to the third real space position to a second speed different from the first speed.

6. The control unit, After starting to move the second virtual object to at least the second real-space position, the third virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a third real-space position that is in front of the vehicle and further away than the second real-space position, and control is performed to adjust the display size and display position of the third virtual object so that it is maintained at the third real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle. The speed at which the first virtual object virtually moves to the first real-space position and the speed at which the second virtual object virtually moves to the second real-space position are set to the same first speed. The display control device according to claim 1, which performs control to set the speed at which the third virtual object virtually moves to the third real space position to a second speed that is faster than the first speed.

7. The first real-space position and the second real-space position are located at positions offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. The control unit, The first virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. When approaching the vicinity of the first real-space position, the vehicle is bent and moved toward the first real-space position which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the second virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, and when the second virtual object reaches the vicinity of the second real-space position, it is controlled to bend and move toward the second real-space position which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle.

8. The first real-space position and the second real-space position are located at positions offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. The control unit, The first virtual object is moved from a position on the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit, which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, toward the first real-space position. The second virtual object is moved from a position on the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit, which is offset to the left or right from the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle, toward the second real-space position. The third virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit in the straight-ahead direction of the vehicle. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein after starting to move the second virtual object to at least the second real space position, the third virtual object is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a third real space position which is in the straight direction of the vehicle and is further away than the second real space position, and the display size and display position of the third virtual object are adjusted in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle so as to be maintained at the third real space position.

9. The control unit, The display control device according to any one of claims 5, 6, or 8, which controls the brightness of the third virtual object to be higher than the brightness of the first virtual object and the second virtual object.

10. The control unit, The brightness of the first virtual object when moving it to the first real-space position is made lower than the brightness of the first virtual object when it reaches the first real-space position. The display control device according to claim 1, which controls the brightness of the second virtual object when it is moved to the second real-space position to be lower than the brightness of the second virtual object when it has reached the second real-space position.

11. A head-up display device that causes a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, An image display unit having an image display surface, The first virtual object among the virtual objects is moved from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and control is performed to adjust the display size and display position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle. A head-up display device comprising: a control unit that, after starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves a second virtual object from among the virtual objects from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and display position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

12. A display control method for controlling an image display unit to cause a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, The control unit, The steps include: moving a first virtual object from among the virtual objects from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and performing control to adjust the display size and display position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle; The control unit, A display control method comprising the steps of: starting the movement of the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position; moving a second virtual object from among the virtual objects from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position; and performing control to adjust the display size and display position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

13. A program for a display control device comprising a control unit that controls an image display unit that causes a viewer riding in a vehicle to perceive a virtual object as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, The processor in the control unit, The process involves moving the first virtual object among the virtual objects from the front of the image display surface of the image display unit to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and performing control to adjust the display size and display position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle. A program that performs the following steps: after starting to move the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves the second virtual object from the front side of the image display surface of the image display unit to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and display position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

14. An in-vehicle system comprising: a navigation device that generates virtual objects and provides route guidance for a vehicle; and a display control device that controls a display device that causes a viewer riding in the vehicle to perceive the virtual objects as existing at a predetermined real-space position in front of the vehicle, The aforementioned display control device is The navigation device moves the first virtual object among the virtual objects generated by the navigation device from the front of the display screen of the display device to a predetermined first real-space position in front of the vehicle, and controls are performed to adjust the display size and display position of the first virtual object so that it is maintained at the first real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle. An in-vehicle system that, after initiating the movement of the first virtual object to at least the first real-space position, moves a second virtual object from among the virtual objects from the front side of the display screen of the display device to a second real-space position further away than the first real-space position, and controls the display size and display position of the second virtual object so that it is maintained at the second real-space position in accordance with the forward movement of the vehicle.

Images