Display control device and display control program

Abstract

The objective is to provide a display control device and a display control program that can suppress the feeling of discomfort experienced by occupants when displaying surrounding surveillance images. [Solution] The system detects surrounding landmarks and lanes from the monitoring results of the surrounding environment monitoring device, and displays an image of the vehicle 30 that mimics the vehicle itself, as well as images of surrounding vehicles 34 that mimic surrounding vehicles, and also displays the white lines 32 of the detected lanes. At this time, if the current location is not a highway or main road, the system controls the system to hide the white lines 32 of the lanes. Alternatively, if the current location is on a non-public road other than a parking lot, the system hides the white lines 32 of the lanes.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, among the images of surrounding objects for which information has been acquired by an acquisition unit that acquires information about surrounding objects existing around the host vehicle, the images of surrounding objects other than the first preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling are suppressed from being displayed on the HUD. For the meter display, a vehicle display device is disclosed that displays the first preceding vehicle and displays other surrounding objects while gradually toning them down according to their importance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A technique for displaying the white line of a lane detected by a camera as a surrounding monitoring image is known. In this technique, the display is mainly premised on highways and arterial roads. When displaying the white line in an environment other than highways and arterial roads or on unpaved roads, there is a possibility that things other than the white line may be misdetected and the white line may be displayed, which may cause discomfort to the passengers. Therefore, there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object thereof is to provide a display control device and a display control program capable of suppressing discomfort felt by passengers when displaying a surrounding monitoring image.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The display control device according to the first embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires the detection result of the current position of the vehicle and the detection result of a white line, and a control unit that displays an image of the vehicle that is modeled after the vehicle, displays the white line based on the detection result of the white line acquired by the acquisition unit, and controls the display so that the white line is not displayed when the current position is not on an expressway or main road.

[0007] According to the first embodiment, the acquisition unit acquires the detection result of the vehicle's current position and the detection result of the white line.

[0008] The control unit displays an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle itself, and displays white lines based on the white line detection results acquired by the acquisition unit. The display is controlled so that the white lines are hidden when the current location is not on a highway or main road. As a result, white lines are not displayed when the vehicle is not on a highway or main road, preventing false detections and thus reducing the likelihood of the occupant feeling uneasy.

[0009] The display control device according to the second embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires the detection result of the current position of the vehicle and the detection result of a white line, and a control unit that displays an image of the vehicle that is modeled after the vehicle, displays the white line based on the detection result of the white line acquired by the acquisition unit, and controls the display so that the white line is not displayed when the current position is on a non-public road other than a parking lot.

[0010] According to the second embodiment, the acquisition unit acquires the detection result of the vehicle's current position and the detection result of the white line.

[0011] The control unit displays an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle itself, and displays white lines based on the white line detection results acquired by the acquisition unit. Furthermore, the display is controlled so that the white lines are not displayed when the current location is on an unpublic road other than a parking lot. As a result, white lines are not displayed on unpublic roads other than parking lots, preventing false detections and thus reducing the likelihood of the occupant feeling uneasy.

[0012] The display control device according to the third embodiment, in the display control device according to the first or second embodiment, allows the control unit to display other vehicles sideways relative to the vehicle when the white line is not displayed.

[0013] According to the third embodiment, the display of the orientation of other surrounding vehicles is suppressed, thereby preventing occupants from feeling uncomfortable.

[0014] The display control program according to the fourth embodiment causes the computer to obtain the detection result of the vehicle's current position and the detection result of the white line, display an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle, display the white line based on the acquired white line detection result, and execute a process to control the display so that the white line is not displayed if the current position is not on an expressway or main road.

[0015] According to the fourth embodiment, a display control program can be provided that can suppress the occupants from feeling uncomfortable when displaying surrounding surveillance images.

[0016] The display control program according to the fifth embodiment causes the computer to obtain the detection result of the vehicle's current position and the detection result of the white line, display an image of the vehicle that is modeled after the vehicle, display the white line based on the acquired detection result of the white line, and execute a process to control the display so that the white line is not displayed if the current position is on a non-public road other than a parking lot.

[0017] According to the fifth embodiment, a display control program can be provided that can suppress the occupants from feeling uncomfortable when displaying surrounding surveillance images. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, the present invention provides a display control device and a display control program that can suppress the feeling of discomfort experienced by occupants when displaying surrounding surveillance images. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1]It is a diagram showing an overview of the interior of a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the meter ECU, multimedia ECU, and advanced driving support ECU in the in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of peripheral monitoring display. [Figure 5] It is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the multimedia ECU. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the multimedia ECU of the in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of the horizontal display of the surrounding vehicle image.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the interior of a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the arrow UP indicates the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction, and the arrow RH indicates the right side in the vehicle width direction. The vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the following description respectively mean the up and down in the vehicle vertical direction and the left and right in the vehicle width direction.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, an instrument panel 70 is provided at the front part of the vehicle interior in the vehicle 10. A windshield glass 74 is provided at the front end of the instrument panel 70. The windshield glass 74 extends in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and partitions the inside of the vehicle compartment and the outside of the vehicle compartment.

[0022] The right-side end of the windshield glass 74 is fixed to the right-side front pillar 76 of the vehicle. The front pillar 76 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the windshield glass 74 is fixed to the inner end of this front pillar 76 in the vehicle width direction. The left-side end of the windshield glass 74 is fixed to the left-side front pillar of the vehicle (not shown).

[0023] The instrument panel 70 extends in the vehicle width direction, and a steering wheel 72 is provided on the right side of the instrument panel 70. In other words, in this embodiment, as an example, it is a right-hand drive vehicle with the steering wheel 72 on the right side, and the driver's seat is set on the right side of the vehicle.

[0024] A display 14 is provided in the instrument panel 70 at a position corresponding to the front of the steering wheel 72, and a multimedia display 15 is provided in the center of the instrument panel 70. The display 14 and the multimedia display 15 are, for example, composed of touch panels including liquid crystals, and display the vehicle's driving status, the operating status of driver assistance systems, etc., and accept touch operations.

[0025] Next, the configuration of the control system of the in-vehicle device 12 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the in-vehicle device 12 according to this embodiment.

[0026] The in-vehicle device 12 according to this embodiment includes a meter ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 16 as an example of a display control device, a multimedia ECU 17 as another example of a display control device, a driving state detection sensor 18, a surrounding condition monitoring device 20, and an advanced driver assistance ECU 22, etc., each of which is connected to the vehicle network 24.

[0027] The meter ECU 16 is connected to a display 14, which controls the display 14 to perform processes such as displaying multiple meters, monitoring the vehicle's surroundings, and displaying various vehicle information. Furthermore, if a vehicle malfunction occurs, the meter ECU 16 notifies the occupants by displaying the malfunction on the display 14. Examples of vehicle information displayed on the display 14 include the operating status of driver assistance systems. The display mode of the display 14 can be switched using a switch (not shown), allowing the driver to change the display mode according to their preference.

[0028] The multimedia ECU 17 is connected to a multimedia display 15, and controls the multimedia display 15 to display information such as vehicle surroundings monitoring results, map images, and settings screens for various vehicle functions.

[0029] The driving state detection sensor 18 detects the driving state of the vehicle 10. The driving state detection sensor 18 includes, for example, at least one sensor from among various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an accelerator pedal position sensor, and a brake sensor.

[0030] The surrounding environment monitoring device 20 detects information that represents the conditions of the environment surrounding the vehicle. For example, it includes at least one device from among various devices such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, an in-vehicle communication device, a navigation system, a radar device, an ultrasonic sensor, and a camera.

[0031] The advanced driver assistance ECU 22 has the function of acquiring surrounding information detected by the surrounding situation monitoring device 20, providing the surrounding information to other ECUs, and controlling the steering and brakes when necessary. For example, when the driving state detection sensor 18 detects that the accelerator has been released and the surrounding situation monitoring device 20 detects a vehicle ahead or an intersection, the advanced driver assistance ECU 22 controls the brakes to assist in deceleration. Specifically, the advanced driver assistance ECU 22 controls various driver assistance functions such as the adaptive cruise control function, which follows the speed of the preceding vehicle and controls acceleration and deceleration in accordance with the changes in the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle; the lane tracing assist function, which warns of the possibility of deviating from the lane or road and assists with some of the steering operations to avoid deviating from the lane or road; and the lane change assist function, which assists with some of the steering operations necessary for changing lanes. Note that the preceding vehicle following function is not limited to the adaptive cruise control function, but may be other preceding vehicle following functions. Similarly, the lane change function is not limited to the lane change assist function, but may be other lane change functions. Furthermore, the driver assistance functions are not limited to those mentioned above, and other various driver assistance functions may also be applied.

[0032] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the main electrical system configurations of the meter ECU 16, multimedia ECU 17, and advanced driver assistance ECU 22 in the in-vehicle device 12 according to this embodiment. Note that the meter ECU 16, multimedia ECU 17, and advanced driver assistance ECU 22 are basically configured as general computers, so here we will explain using the meter ECU 16 as a representative example, and the multimedia ECU 17 and advanced driver assistance ECU 22 will be indicated by the same reference numerals as in Figure 3.

[0033] The meter ECU16 consists of a general-purpose microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 16A, ROM (Read Only Memory) 16B, RAM (Random Access Memory) 16C, storage 16D, interface (I / F) 16E, and bus 16F.

[0034] The CPU 16A is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the device by executing various programs. The ROM 16B stores various control programs such as display control programs and various parameters in advance. The RAM 16C is used as a work area when the CPU 16A executes various programs. The storage 16D is composed of various storage units such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), and flash memory, and stores various data and application programs. The I / F 16E is connectable to the vehicle network 24 and transmits and receives various data with other ECUs such as the meter ECU 16 that are connected to the vehicle network 24. The various parts of the meter ECU 16 are electrically interconnected by the bus 16F. In this embodiment, the display control program is described as being stored in the ROM 16B, but it may also be stored in the storage 16D.

[0035] In this embodiment, at least one of the display 14 and the multimedia display 15 is capable of displaying a Situation Awareness (SA) view (surroundings monitoring display) that shows the vehicle situation around the vehicle. The surroundings monitoring display shows an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle itself, as well as object images representing objects (for example, other vehicles such as preceding vehicles) that are present around the vehicle as detected by the driving state detection sensor 18 and the surroundings monitoring device 20, thereby informing the occupants of the situation around the vehicle.

[0036] In the surrounding area monitoring display described above, surrounding objects and lanes are detected from the monitoring results of the surrounding area monitoring device 20, and as shown in the upper part of Figure 4, an image of the vehicle 30 that simulates the own vehicle and an image of surrounding vehicles 34 that simulates surrounding vehicles are displayed, as well as the white lines 32 of the detected lanes. Surrounding vehicles are displayed based on information from ultrasonic sensors such as clearance sonar as part of the surrounding area monitoring device 20, for example, and the white lines 32 are displayed based on images captured by a camera as part of the surrounding area monitoring device. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the surrounding area monitoring display.

[0037] However, in some locations, such as on roads other than highways or main roads, or on unofficial roads, the display of lane markings (marked with white line 32) in the surrounding surveillance images may appear unnatural. For example, a white stone or other object may be mistakenly detected as a white line, resulting in the display of white line 32.

[0038] Therefore, in the in-vehicle device 12 according to this embodiment, control is performed to hide the lane markings 32 when the current location is not a highway or main road. Alternatively, control is performed to hide the lane markings 32 when the current location is not a public road other than a parking lot. For example, as shown in the lower part of Figure 4, the white markings 32 are hidden. In this case, the gray line area that simulates the road on which the surrounding vehicle image 34 is traveling may be left as gray, as shown in the lower left of Figure 4, or the gray line may be blurred, as shown in the lower right of Figure 4. In the following, an example of hiding the white markings 32 when the location is not a highway or main road will be described as representative. In this disclosure, highways include expressways and motorways. High-standard main roads may also be used as a substitute for expressways. Main roads refer to roads that form the core of the road traffic network, including roads connecting major areas in the country such as expressways, as well as national roads and prefectural roads. Furthermore, a public road refers to a road established for the use of public traffic, while a non-public road refers to a road other than a public road, such as a privately owned and used private road.

[0039] Here, we will describe the functional configuration in which at least one of the CPUs 16A and 17A of the meter ECU 16 and multimedia ECU 17, which perform peripheral monitoring and display, executes a program stored in ROMs 16B and 17B. Since the functional configurations of the meter ECU 16 and multimedia ECU 17 are the same, the following description will refer to the multimedia ECU 17. Figure 5 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the multimedia ECU 17.

[0040] As shown in Figure 5, the multimedia ECU 17 has the functions of an acquisition unit 40, a current location identification unit 42, and a control unit 44, as the CPU 17A executes a program stored in the ROM 17B.

[0041] The acquisition unit 40 acquires the detection results from the surrounding situation monitoring device 20. For example, it acquires the vehicle's location information detected by the GPS device 20A of the surrounding situation monitoring device 20, and images of the area around the vehicle taken by the camera 20B.

[0042] The current location identification unit 42 identifies the current location from the vehicle's location information acquired by the acquisition unit 40. For example, it identifies the current location from navigation information such as map information from a navigation device or images captured by camera 20B. In this embodiment, it identifies whether the current location is a place other than a highway or main road, or whether it is an unpublic road. Specifically, it may determine whether the vehicle has left a highway, main road, or public road by judging from navigation information or images captured by camera 20B indicating that the vehicle is moving out of its lane. For example, it may determine that the vehicle has left a highway, main road, or public road when it detects that the vehicle has entered a private property, crossed a sidewalk, or crossed a lane on the navigation system.

[0043] The control unit 44 displays the surrounding monitoring images on the multimedia display 15 along with the vehicle image 30, based on the detection results of objects around the vehicle 10 detected by the surrounding situation monitoring device 20. For example, as shown in the upper part of Figure 4, the control unit 44 displays the vehicle image 30, and also displays surrounding vehicle images 34 and lane markings 32 as surrounding monitoring images.

[0044] Furthermore, the control unit 44 controls whether or not to display the white lines 32 based on the location identification result of the current location identification unit 42. Specifically, if the identified current location is not a highway or main road, or is not a public road, the control unit 44 ignores the detection of the white lines 32 and controls the display on the multimedia display 15 so that the white lines 32 are not displayed. However, if a parking lot is detected based on navigation information or parking space detection, the lane display and parking space display are resumed.

[0045] Next, we will describe the processing performed by the multimedia ECU 17 of the in-vehicle device 12 configured according to this embodiment as described above. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the multimedia ECU 17 of the in-vehicle device 12 according to this embodiment. Note that the processing in Figure 6 starts, for example, when a predetermined operation to start the surrounding monitoring display is performed. Also, although the processing in Figure 8 will be described below as processing performed by the multimedia ECU 17, it may also be processing performed by the meter ECU 16.

[0046] In step 100, the CPU 17A detects surrounding targets and proceeds to step 102. In this embodiment, surrounding targets, including the white lines 32, are detected by acquiring the detection results of the driving state detection sensor 18 and the detection results of the surrounding situation monitoring device 20.

[0047] In step 102, the CPU 17A displays the vehicle image 30 and surrounding monitoring images on the multimedia display 15 and proceeds to step 104. For example, as shown in the upper part of Figure 4, the surrounding monitoring display is performed by displaying the vehicle image 30 and surrounding vehicle images 34 and landmark images such as lane markings 32 as surrounding monitoring images.

[0048] In step 104, the CPU 17A detects the current location and proceeds to step 106. Specifically, the acquisition unit 40 detects the vehicle's location information from the GPS device 20A of the surrounding situation monitoring device 20 as the current location, and identifies the location of the current location from navigation information such as map information from the navigation device.

[0049] In step 106, the CPU 17A determines whether the current location is on a highway or main road. If this determination is denied, the process proceeds to step 108; if it is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 110. Alternatively, in step 106, the CPU 17A may determine whether the current location is on an unofficial road; if affirmed, the process proceeds to step 108; if denied, the process proceeds to step 110.

[0050] In step 108, the CPU 17A hides the white line 32 and proceeds to step 112. That is, the control unit 44 controls the display on the multimedia display 15 to hide the white line 32 detected in step 100. However, if the current location is a parking lot, white lines such as lane lines and parking space lines within the parking lot will be displayed.

[0051] Meanwhile, in step 110, the CPU 17A displays the white line 32 and proceeds to step 112. The control unit 44 controls the display on the multimedia display 15 so that the white line 32 is hidden. This prevents the display of the white line 32, which may have been misdetected in locations other than highways and main roads, from causing any sense of incongruity.

[0052] In step 112, the CPU 17A determines whether or not to terminate the peripheral monitoring display. This determination, for example, determines whether an operation to terminate the peripheral monitoring display has been performed. Alternatively, it determines whether or not an instruction to operate other functions such as air conditioning or audio has been given. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 100 and the above process is repeated. If the determination is positive, the series of processes ends.

[0053] In the above embodiment, when the surrounding vehicle image 34 is displayed as a surrounding monitoring image in step 102, surrounding vehicles are often traveling in the same direction as the vehicle itself (vertical orientation). Therefore, when detecting surrounding vehicles and displaying the surrounding vehicle image 34, the horizontal display of the surrounding vehicle image 34 may be prohibited.

[0054] If the display of surrounding vehicle images 34 in landscape orientation is prohibited, then in locations other than highways or main roads, or on unofficial roads, such as parking lots, surrounding vehicles may often appear sideways relative to the user's vehicle. Therefore, when the white lines 32 are hidden (in locations other than highways or main roads, or on unofficial roads), the display of surrounding vehicle images 34 in landscape orientation relative to the user's vehicle image 30 may be permitted, as shown in Figure 7. This helps to reduce user discomfort.

[0055] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a peripheral monitoring display is enabled on at least one of the display 14 and the multimedia display 15, but this is not the only example. For example, a peripheral monitoring display may be shown on a HUD (Head-Up Display), and operations may be accepted on the peripheral monitoring display.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the display 14 is controlled by the meter ECU 16 and the multimedia display 15 is controlled by the multimedia ECU 17, but this is not the only configuration. For example, the display 14 and the multimedia display 15 may be controlled by a single ECU.

[0057] Furthermore, although the processing performed by the multimedia ECU17 in each of the above embodiments has been described as software processing performed by executing a program, it is not limited to this. For example, it may be processing performed by hardware such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Alternatively, it may be processing that combines both software and hardware. In the case of software processing, the program may be stored in various storage media and distributed.

[0058] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is of course possible to implement it in various modified forms without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0059] 10 vehicles 12 Onboard equipment 14 displays 15 Multimedia Display 16. Meter ECU (Display Control Unit) 16A, 17A CPU 17. Multimedia ECU (Display Control Unit) 20 Surrounding Condition Monitoring Devices 20A GPS device 20B Camera 30. Image of your own vehicle 32 White Line 34. Images of surrounding vehicles 40 Acquisition Department 42 Location Identification Section 44 Control Unit

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires the detection result of the vehicle's current position and the detection result of the white line, A control unit that displays an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle, displays the white lines based on the detection results of the white lines acquired by the acquisition unit, and controls the display so that the white lines are not shown when the current location is not on an expressway or main road. A display control device equipped with the following features.

2. An acquisition unit that acquires the detection result of the vehicle's current position and the detection result of the white line, A control unit that displays an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle, displays the white lines based on the detection results of the white lines acquired by the acquisition unit, and controls the display so that the white lines are not shown when the current location is on a non-public road other than a parking lot. A display control device equipped with the following features.

3. The acquisition unit further acquires the detection results of other vehicles in the vicinity of its own vehicle, The display control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit displays other vehicles based on the detection result of other vehicles, and when the white line is hidden, permits the display of other vehicles sideways relative to the own vehicle.

4. On the computer, The system obtains the detection results for the vehicle's current position and the detection results for the white lines. A display control program that displays an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle, displays the white lines based on the acquired detection results of the white lines, and executes a process to control the display so that the white lines are not displayed when the current location is not on an expressway or main road.

5. On the computer, The system obtains the detection results for the vehicle's current position and the detection results for the white lines. A display control program that displays an image of the vehicle that mimics the vehicle, displays the white lines based on the acquired detection results of the white lines, and executes a process to control the display so that the white lines are not displayed when the current location is on a non-public road other than a parking lot.

Images