Display control device and display control method

Abstract

When breaking news is obtained, the system will reliably notify users of the breaking news in a concise format. [Solution] The news flash acquisition unit 191 acquires the text information of "news flash" and sends it to the control unit 199. In addition, the emergency alert acquisition unit 192 acquires the subtitle information of "emergency alert" and sends it to the control unit 199. When the control unit 199 receives this news flash information, it extracts strings from the information. Next, the control unit 199 determines whether the extracted strings contain keywords such as "tsunami" and "earthquake," performs selection processing such as discarding duplicate strings, and then determines whether the number of selected strings is less than or equal to a predetermined number. If the strings contain "tsunami" and "earthquake" and the result of the predetermined number determination is negative, the control unit 199 displays the phenomenon strings such as "tsunami" and "earthquake" as icons and sets the number of characters displayed on the second display unit 175 to within a predetermined number.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device, a display control method, a display control program, and a recording medium on which the display control program is recorded.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, information that requires quick reporting, such as phenomena that are currently occurring or phenomena whose occurrence is predicted (hereinafter also referred to as "quick report information"), has been acquired from the outside, and the acquired quick report information has been displayed on a display device. As one of the technologies for displaying such quick report information on a display device, there is one that displays the quick report information acquired from the outside on a display device mounted on a vehicle (see Patent Document 1: hereinafter referred to as "conventional example").

[0003] In the technology of this conventional example, in a vehicle, there are four displays (display devices): a display for a navigation device arranged on a dashboard, a meter unit display arranged in front of the driver's seat, a head-up display that projects a virtual image on a part of the front windshield in front of the driver's seat, and a windshield display that can display information on most of the front windshield. Then, based on the shooting result by a line-of-sight detection camera that detects the driver's line of sight, among the four displays, the display closest to the driver's line-of-sight direction is selected, and the acquired quick report information is displayed on the selected display.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the conventional technology described above, the acquired breaking news information is displayed directly on the selected display without any editing or other processing. However, due to constraints such as the size of the vehicle interior and the installation location of the display, the navigation system display and the meter display installed in the vehicle cannot generally be as large as home displays. As a result, when displaying important breaking news information consisting of text, etc., in an appropriate size for notification, there is a limit to the number of characters that can be displayed on the navigation system display and the meter display.

[0006] On the other hand, head-up displays and windshield displays can display breaking news consisting of many characters in an appropriate size that is legible. However, displaying many characters at once can widen the display area of ​​the breaking news and potentially obstruct the driver's forward view. This situation is undesirable from the standpoint of safe driving.

[0007] Therefore, conventional technologies could not reliably communicate acquired breaking news information to users (drivers). Furthermore, conventional technologies did not display the acquired breaking news information in a way that ensured the driver's forward visibility.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can reliably notify users of breaking news information in a simplified format as soon as it is acquired. Meeting this need is one of the problems that the present invention aims to solve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The invention described in claim 1 is a display control device characterized by comprising: a breaking news information acquisition unit that acquires breaking news information from an external source; an extraction unit that extracts a predetermined string of characters based on the breaking news information acquired by the breaking news information acquisition unit; and a display control unit that displays the contents of the breaking news information acquired by the breaking news information acquisition unit on a first display unit, and displays information based on the predetermined string of characters extracted by the extraction unit on a second display unit different from the first display unit.

[0010] The invention described in claim 10 is a display control method used in a display control device that displays breaking news information, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring the breaking news information from an external source; an extraction step of extracting a predetermined string of characters based on the breaking news information acquired in the acquisition step; and a display control step of displaying the contents of the breaking news information acquired in the acquisition step on a first display unit, and displaying information based on the predetermined string of characters extracted in the extraction step on a second display unit different from the first display unit.

[0011] The invention described in claim 11 is a display control program characterized by causing a computer in a display control device that displays breaking news information to execute the display control method described in claim 10.

[0012] The invention described in claim 12 is a recording medium characterized in that the display control program described in claim 11 is recorded in a manner readable by a computer in a display control device that displays breaking news information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a display control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows the configuration of the regeneration unit in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows the configuration of the control unit shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4]This is a flowchart illustrating the display control process performed by the device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart illustrating the display process of the breaking news information shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of Type 2 rapid information. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating the process of transmitting breaking news information using the device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates an example (part 1) of displaying breaking news information on the head-up display device 175. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates an example (part 2) of displaying breaking news information on the head-up display device 175. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates an example (part 3) of displaying breaking news information on the head-up display device 175. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In the following description and drawings, the same or equivalent elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0015] [composition] Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of the display control device 100 according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the display control device 100 is located inside a vehicle, which is a mobile device, and receives and processes terrestrial digital television broadcast waves. This vehicle is equipped with a position detection unit 210, which is connected to the display control device 100. The display control device 100 is also capable of communicating with external devices such as wireless transmitters and mobile phones located in other vehicles.

[0016] The above-mentioned position detection unit 210 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver or the like, and sequentially detects the position (current position) of the vehicle based on the reception results of radio waves sent from a plurality of GPS satellites. Then, the position detection unit 210 sends the detected position information of the vehicle to the display control device 100.

[0017] <Configuration of the display control device 100> Next, the configuration of the above-mentioned display control device 100 will be described.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the display control device 100 includes an antenna 110, an RF processing unit 120, a reproduction processing unit 130, an antenna 140, and a wireless communication unit 145. The display control device 100 also includes an input unit 150, an audio output unit 160, a first display unit 170, and a second display unit 175. Furthermore, the display control device 100 includes a position information acquisition unit 180 and a control unit 190.

[0019] The above-mentioned antenna 110 receives terrestrial digital television broadcast waves transmitted from a broadcasting station. The received signal RFS from the antenna 110 is sent to the RF processing unit 120.

[0020] The above-mentioned RF processing unit 120 receives the received signal RFS sent from the antenna 110. Then, the RF processing unit 120 performs a channel selection process of extracting the signal of the desired broadcasting station to be selected from the received signal RFS according to the channel selection command CSL sent from the control unit 190, and converts it into an intermediate frequency signal IFD having components in a predetermined intermediate frequency band. The intermediate frequency signal thus obtained (hereinafter simply referred to as "signal IFD") is sent to the reproduction processing unit 130. Here, the signal IFD is a digital signal.

[0021] The playback processing unit 130, under the control of the control unit 190, processes the IFD signal sent from the RF processing unit 120 to generate video data IDT to be sent to the control unit 190 and audio data ADT to be supplied to the sound output unit 160. Details of the configuration of the playback processing unit 130 will be described later.

[0022] The antenna 140 receives radio signals transmitted from external devices such as radio transmitters and mobile phones located in other vehicles, and also transmits radio signals to external devices. The signals received by the antenna 140 are output to the radio communication unit 145. The antenna 140 also receives transmission signals sent from the radio communication unit 145 and transmits a radio signal corresponding to the transmission signal to the external device.

[0023] The wireless communication unit 145 processes the received signal sent from the antenna 140, converts it into a digital data signal that can be processed by the control unit 190, and sends it to the control unit 190. The wireless communication unit 145 also processes the signal sent from the control unit 190, converts it into a transmission signal corresponding to a wireless signal to be sent to an external device, and sends it to the antenna 140.

[0024] The input unit 150 described above is composed of a key section provided on the main body of the display control device 100, and / or a remote input device equipped with a key section. Here, the key section provided on the main body can be a touch panel provided on the display device of the first display unit 170. Alternatively, instead of, or in combination with, a configuration that uses voice recognition technology to input by voice can also be adopted.

[0025] By operating this input unit 150, the user can set the operation content and input operation commands for the display control device 100. For example, the user can input settings such as selecting a broadcasting station or specifying the display of breaking news information to be shown on the second display unit 175 using the input unit 150. The input content to the input unit 150 is sent to the control unit 190 as input data IPD.

[0026] The above-described sound output unit 160 comprises (i) a DA (Digital to Analogue) converter that converts audio data ADT sent from the playback processing unit 130 into an analog signal, (ii) an amplifier that amplifies the analog signal output from the DA converter, and (iii) a speaker that converts the amplified analog signal into sound. This sound output unit 160 plays back and outputs broadcast audio corresponding to the broadcast wave of the selected channel.

[0027] The first display unit 170 described above includes, for example, (i) a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel, or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), and (ii) a display control circuit that causes the display device to display an image based on the first output video data IMT1 sent from the control unit 190. This first display unit 170 plays back and displays broadcast video corresponding to the selected channel. In this embodiment, the display device of the first display unit 170 is mounted near the front panel inside the vehicle. The first display unit 170 is configured to perform the function of a first display unit.

[0028] The second display unit 175 described above is a head-up display device and comprises (i) a light source unit located on the ceiling inside the vehicle that emits light that constitutes an image based on the second output video data IMT2 sent from the control unit 190, and (ii) a combiner located near the position of the sun visor that projects the display image emitted from the light source unit and reflects the display image to the driver's eye point. In this embodiment, the second display unit 175 displays breaking news information such as "emergency warning" and "news flash". The second display unit 175 is configured to perform the function of a second display unit.

[0029] In the following explanation, "emergency alerts" and "breaking news" will be collectively referred to as "breaking information." Furthermore, the second display unit 175 will also be referred to as "head-up display device 175."

[0030] The position acquisition unit 180 receives vehicle position information sent from the position detection unit 210. The position acquisition unit 180 then sends the acquired vehicle position information PSI to the control unit 190. In this embodiment, the position acquisition unit 180 performs the function of the position acquisition unit.

[0031] The control unit 190 performs various processes and controls the overall operation of the display control device 100. This control unit 190 is configured with a central processing unit (CPU) and its peripheral circuits as arithmetic means. The control unit 190 executes various programs to realize the various functions of the display control device 100. Details of the control unit 190's configuration will be described later.

[0032] The program executed by the control unit 190 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, CD-ROM, or DVD, and is loaded and executed from that recording medium. This program may also be acquired in the form of a portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD, or it may be acquired by distribution via a network such as the Internet.

[0033] Configuration of the regeneration processing unit 130 Next, the configuration of the regeneration unit 130 will be described.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the playback processing unit 130 includes a demodulation unit 131, a decoding unit (demultiplex unit) 132, an audio processing unit 133, and a video processing unit 134.

[0035] The demodulation unit 131 receives the IFD signal sent from the RF processing unit 120. The demodulation unit 131 then performs OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) demodulation on the IFD signal. The demodulated signal is then sent as a DMD signal to the decoding unit 132 and the control unit 190.

[0036] The decoding unit 132 receives the signal DMD sent from the demodulation unit 131. The decoding unit 132 then decodes the signal DMD and sends the decoding result for audio as decoded audio data DAD to the audio processing unit 133. The decoding unit 132 also sends the decoding result for video as decoded video data DID to the video processing unit 134.

[0037] The audio processing unit 133 generates audio data ADT based on the decoded audio data DAD. The generated audio data ADT is sent to the audio output unit 160.

[0038] The video processing unit 134 generates video data IDT based on the decoded video data DID. The generated video data IDT is sent to the control unit 190.

[0039] Configuration of Control Unit 190 Next, the configuration of the control unit 190 will be described.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 190 includes a news bulletin acquisition unit 191, an emergency alert acquisition unit 192, and an external news bulletin information acquisition unit 193. The control unit 190 also includes a storage unit 195 and a control unit 199.

[0041] The news flash acquisition unit 191 receives video data IDT sent from the video processing unit 134. Subsequently, the news flash acquisition unit 191 analyzes the video data IDT to determine whether or not it contains video of a "news flash." If the video data IDT contains video of a "news flash," the news flash acquisition unit 191 acquires the text information from that "news flash." The text information from the "news flash" thus acquired is sent to the control unit 199.

[0042] The emergency alarm acquisition unit 192 receives the DMD signal sent from the demodulation unit 131. Subsequently, the emergency alarm acquisition unit 192 acquires TMCC (Transmission Multiplexing Configuration Control) information from the DMD signal and determines whether or not an emergency alarm signal has been detected. If an emergency alarm signal is detected, the emergency alarm acquisition unit 192 decodes the DMD signal and acquires subtitle information and text information (hereinafter also simply referred to as "subtitle information") for the "emergency alarm". The subtitle information for the "emergency alarm" thus acquired is sent to the control unit 199.

[0043] In the following explanation, the text information for "Breaking News" and the subtitle information for "Emergency Warnings" will be collectively referred to as "Type 1 Breaking News Information."

[0044] The external rapid information acquisition unit 193 acquires rapid information transmitted from external devices (hereinafter also referred to as "external rapid information" or "Type 2 rapid information") via the antenna 140 and the wireless communication unit 180. The external rapid information acquisition unit 193 then sends the acquired external rapid information to the control unit 199.

[0045] The memory unit 195 described above is configured with non-volatile memory elements. Various information data used by the control unit 190 is stored in the memory unit 195. The information data stored in the memory unit 195 includes keyword information KWI and icon information ICI, as shown in Figure 3.

[0046] The keyword information KWI above has pre-stored keywords related to phenomena such as "tsunami," "volcanic eruption," "earthquake," and "national protection," keywords related to alert levels such as "warning," "advisory," and "forecast," and keywords related to regional information such as "Hokkaido" and "northern Hokkaido." The icon information ICI above has pre-stored icon (graphic) data that represents the phenomenon keywords with pictures. For example, for the keyword "tsunami," icon data representing a "large wave" is stored (see Figure 9(B) below). Also, for the keyword "earthquake," icon data representing a "catfish" is stored (see Figure 8(B) below).

[0047] If the content of the input data IPD sent from the input unit 150 is a station selection specification, the control unit 199 generates a station selection command CSL corresponding to the specified desired broadcasting station and sends it to the RF processing unit 120.

[0048] The control unit 199 receives video data IDT sent from the video processing unit 134. The control unit 199 also receives subtitle information for "emergency alert" sent from the emergency alert acquisition unit 192. If no emergency alert is detected, the control unit 199 sends the video data IDT to the first display unit 170 as the first output video data IMT1. If an emergency alert is detected, the control unit 199 generates video data by superimposing the "emergency alert" subtitle information onto the video data IDT and sends this to the first display unit 170 as the first output video data IMT1.

[0049] Furthermore, when the control unit 199 receives the "emergency alert" subtitle information sent from the emergency alert acquisition unit 192, it refers to the keyword information KWI in the storage unit 195 to determine whether or not the same string as the breaking news keyword exists in the subtitle information. If the control unit 199 finds that the same string as the breaking news keyword exists in the subtitle information, it extracts that string.

[0050] Furthermore, when the control unit 199 receives the text information of "News Flash" sent from the news flash acquisition unit 191, it refers to the keyword information KWI in the storage unit 195 to determine whether or not a string identical to the news flash keyword exists in the text information. If the result of this determination is positive, the control unit 199 extracts the string identical to the news flash keyword.

[0051] Furthermore, when the control unit 199 receives external breaking news information sent from the external breaking news information acquisition unit 193, it refers to the keyword information KWI in the storage unit 195 to determine whether or not a string identical to the breaking news keyword exists in the external breaking news information. If the result of this determination is positive, the control unit 199 extracts the string identical to the breaking news keyword.

[0052] Furthermore, the control unit 199 receives vehicle location information PSI sent from the location acquisition unit 180. Based on the extracted predetermined string, regional information, and acquired vehicle location information PSI, the control unit 199 generates second output video data IMT2 to be displayed on the second display unit 175, while referring to icon information ICI in the storage unit 195. The second output video data IMT2 thus generated is sent to the second display unit 175.

[0053] Furthermore, when the control unit 199 acquires Type 1 or Type 2 breaking news information, it generates a breaking news information acquisition report. The control unit 199 then transmits this breaking news information acquisition report to an external device using short-range wireless communication via the wireless communication unit 145 and antenna 140. The control unit 199 is configured to periodically transmit acquisition reports to identify external devices that are capable of short-range wireless communication at that time.

[0054] Details of the display control processing for the second display unit 175 performed by the control unit 199, and the transmission of the acquisition report of the breaking news information, will be described later.

[0055] Here, the control unit 199 performs the functions of both the extraction unit and the display control unit.

[0056] [Operation] The operation of the display control device 100 configured as described above will be explained focusing mainly on the display control processing of "breaking news information" to the second display unit 175 by the control unit 190.

[0057] In this embodiment, the display control process for "breaking news information" is executed regardless of whether or not the broadcast content transmitted from the broadcasting station is being played back for viewing.

[0058] In other words, in this embodiment, regardless of whether or not broadcast content is being played back for viewing, the control unit 199 generates a channel selection command CSL corresponding to the channel selection recently specified by the user and sends it to the RF processing unit 120. Upon receiving the channel selection command CSL, the RF processing unit 120 performs channel selection processing to extract the signal of the desired broadcast station from the received signal RFS and converts it into a signal IFD having components in a predetermined intermediate frequency band. The RF processing unit 120 then sends the signal IFD to the playback processing unit 130 (see Figure 1).

[0059] In the playback processing unit 130, the demodulation unit 131 demodulates the IFD signal sent from the RF processing unit 120 to generate the DMD signal. The demodulation unit 131 then sends the generated DMD signal to the decoding unit 132 and the emergency alarm acquisition unit 192 of the control unit 190. Upon receiving the DMD signal, the emergency alarm acquisition unit 192 detects an emergency alarm signal, decodes the DMD signal to obtain the "Emergency Alarm" subtitle information, and sends it to the control unit 199 (see Figure 3).

[0060] Furthermore, in the playback processing unit 130, the decoding unit 132 decodes the signal DMD sent from the demodulation unit 131, generates decoded audio data DAD and sends it to the audio processing unit 133, and also generates decoded video data DID and sends it to the video processing unit 134 (see Figure 2). Subsequently, the video processing unit 134 processes the decoded video data DID sent from the decoding unit 132 and generates video data IDT. The video processing unit 134 then sends the generated video data IDT to the news flash acquisition unit 191 and the control unit 199 of the control unit 190. Upon receiving the video data IDT, the news flash acquisition unit 191, if the video data IDT contains video of a "news flash," acquires the text information of "news flash" and sends it to the control unit 199 (see Figure 3).

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 199 transmits a request to acquire Type 2 rapid alert information to the outside via the wireless communication unit 145 and antenna 140. When Type 2 rapid alert information transmitted from a nearby external device is received, the external rapid alert information acquisition unit 193 acquires the Type 2 rapid alert information via the antenna 140 and wireless communication unit 145 and sends it to the control unit 199 (see Figure 3).

[0062] Furthermore, the position detection unit 210 sequentially sends the current position of the detected vehicle to the position acquisition unit 180. The control unit 199 then sequentially acquires the vehicle's position information PSI sent from the position acquisition unit 180.

[0063] <Display control processing> Under these circumstances, as shown in Figure 4, first, in step S11, the control unit 199 determines whether or not an "emergency warning" was issued by determining whether or not it has acquired subtitle information for "emergency warning". If the result of this determination is positive (step S11: Y), the control unit 199 extracts a string from the subtitle information for "emergency warning". Then, the process proceeds to step S13, which will be described later.

[0064] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S11 is negative (step S11:N), the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the control unit 199 determines whether or not there was a "breaking news" by determining whether or not it has acquired the text information of "breaking news". If the result of this determination is positive (step S12:Y), the control unit 199 extracts a string from the text information of "breaking news". Then, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0065] Step S13 involves the "display of breaking news information." Details of the process in step S13 will be described later.

[0066] Once the processing in step S13 is complete, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the control unit 199 generates a report of the acquisition of breaking news information. The control unit 199 then transmits the report of the acquisition of breaking news information to the outside in the vicinity via the wireless communication unit 145 and antenna 140. After this, the process proceeds to step S15. If the result of the determination in step S12 described above is negative (step S12:N), the process proceeds to step S15.

[0067] In step S15, "processing of Type 2 rapid information" is performed. Details of the processing in step S15 will be described later. Once the processing in step S15 is completed, the process returns to step S11.

[0068] Subsequently, steps S11 to S15 are repeated to perform the display control process for the breaking news information.

[0069] Display processing of breaking news information Next, we will explain the "display processing of breaking news information" in step S13 described above.

[0070] As shown in Figure 5, in this "display of breaking news information," first, in step 21, the control unit 199 refers to the keyword information KWI in the storage unit 195 and determines whether or not a string matching the keyword exists. If the result of this determination is positive (step S21:Y), the process proceeds to step S22.

[0071] In step S22, it is determined whether the extracted string contains regional information. If the result of this determination is negative (step S22:N), the process proceeds to step S24, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S22 is positive (step S22:Y), the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the control unit 199 determines whether the extracted regional information has a location relationship with the vehicle's current location. If the result of this determination is positive (step S23:Y), the process proceeds to step S24.

[0072] In step S24, the control unit 199 performs character selection on the extracted strings, such as selecting strings with similar phrases and selecting strings of regional information that are not geographically related. For example, if both "alarm" and "warning" are extracted, "alarm" is selected and "warning" is not used.

[0073] Next, in step S25, the control unit 199 determines whether the selected string contains user-specified keywords. For example, if the selected string contains "warning" but does not contain "alert," and the user-specified keywords contain "alert" but do not contain "warning," the result of this determination will be negative. Similarly, if the selected string contains "volcanic eruption" but does not contain "tsunami" or "earthquake," and the user-specified keywords contain "tsunami" or "earthquake" but do not contain "volcanic eruption," the result of this determination will also be negative. If the result of this determination is positive (step S25: Y), the process proceeds to step S26.

[0074] In step S26, the control unit 199 determines whether the number of selected characters is less than or equal to a predetermined number. If the result of this determination is positive (step S26: Y), the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, the control unit 199 generates second output video data IMT2 with the selected string of characters at an appropriate size for clear visibility and sends it to the head-up display device 175. As a result, the breaking news information is displayed on the head-up display device 175, and the process in step S13 is completed. The process then proceeds to step S14 in Figure 4 described above. In this embodiment, the selected string of characters is displayed in a blinking manner.

[0075] Here, the predetermined number of characters is determined in advance based on experiments, simulations, and experience, taking into consideration the size of the display area for the breaking news information in the head-up display device 175, the size of the characters suitable for information confirmation, etc., from the viewpoint of reliably informing the user (driver) of the content of the breaking news information.

[0076] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S26 is negative (step S26:N), the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the control unit 199 refers to the icon information ICI in the storage unit 195 and displays a portion of the selected string as an icon, keeping the number of characters displayed within a predetermined number. The control unit 199 then generates second output video data IMT2, which includes the icon and the string within the predetermined number, and sends it to the head-up display device 175. As a result, the breaking news information is displayed on the head-up display device 175, and the process in step S13 is completed. The process then proceeds to step S14 in Figure 4 described above.

[0077] On the other hand, if the result of the judgment in step S21 described above is negative (step S21:N), the process proceeds to step S29. Also, if the result of the judgment in step S23 described above is negative (step S23:N), the process proceeds to step S29. Furthermore, if the result of the judgment in step S25 described above is negative (step S25:N), the process proceeds to step S29.

[0078] In step S29, the control unit 199 generates second output video data IMT2, which is an image of an icon indicating that breaking news information has been acquired, and sends it to the head-up display device 175. As a result, an icon indicating that breaking news information has been acquired is displayed on the head-up display device 175 (see Figure 10, described later), and the process in step S13 is completed. Then, the process proceeds to step S14 in Figure 4 described above.

[0079] Processing of Type 2 Breaking News Information Next, we will explain the "processing of Type 2 rapid information" in step S15 described above.

[0080] As shown in Figure 6, this "processing of Type 2 rapid information" first involves the control unit 199 determining in step 31 whether or not it has received Type 2 rapid information transmitted via short-range wireless communication from a nearby external device. If the result of this determination is negative (step S31:N), the process in step S15 ends. Then, the process returns to step S11 in Figure 4.

[0081] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S31 is positive (step S31:Y), the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the control unit 199 determines whether or not it has acquired the first type of rapid information at the present time. If the result of this determination is negative (step S32:N), the process proceeds to step S34, which will be described later.

[0082] If the result of the determination in step S32 is positive (step S32:Y), the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, the control unit 199 determines whether the content of the first type of rapid information and the content of the second type of rapid information are the same. If the result of this determination is positive (step S33:Y), the process of step S15 ends. Then, the process returns to step S11 in Figure 4. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S33 is negative (step S33:N), the process proceeds to step S34.

[0083] In step S34, the control unit 199 performs the same processing as in step S13 in Figure 5 described above, and displays the breaking news information on the head-up display device 175. In this embodiment, if the result of the determination in step S33 is negative, that is, if the content of the first type breaking news information and the content of the second type breaking news information are different, the content of the second type breaking news information is displayed. After this, the process proceeds to step S35.

[0084] In step S35, the control unit 199 generates a report of acquisition of Type 2 rapid information. The control unit 199 then transmits the report of acquisition of Type 2 rapid information via short-range wireless communication to nearby external devices other than the external device that previously transmitted the Type 2 rapid information, via the wireless communication unit 145 and antenna 140. Once the report of acquisition of Type 2 rapid information has been transmitted to the external devices, the process in step S15 is completed. The process then returns to step S11 in Figure 4.

[0085] <Processing for sending breaking news information> Next, the process of transmitting breaking news information by the display control device 100 will be described.

[0086] When processing the transmission of breaking news information, as shown in Figure 7, first, in step S41, the control unit 199 determines whether or not it has transmitted a report of acquisition of Type 1 or Type 2 breaking news information to an external device. If the result of this determination is negative (step S41:N), the process in step S41 is repeated.

[0087] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S41 is positive (step S41:Y), the process proceeds to step S42. In step S42, the control unit 199 determines whether or not it has received a request to acquire breaking news information from an external device such as a wireless transmitter located in another vehicle, via the antenna 140 and the wireless communication unit 145. If the result of this determination is negative (step S42:N), the process proceeds to step S43.

[0088] In step S43, the control unit 199 transmits the currently acquired breaking news information to the requesting device via the wireless communication unit 145 and antenna 140. After this, the process returns to step S41.

[0089] Subsequently, steps S41 to S43 are repeated to perform the process of transmitting the breaking news information.

[0090] <Example of displaying breaking news information on the head-up display device 175 (Part 1)> Figure 8(A) shows an example of the image displayed on the first display unit 170 when an emergency warning is issued. In this case, the current location of the vehicle where the display control device 100 is located is assumed to be "Saitama Prefecture". Furthermore, it is assumed that the user-specified keyword includes "earthquake".

[0091] At this time, in step S11, the control unit 199 refers to the keyword information KWI and extracts from the emergency warning subtitle information, for example, "emergency," "earthquake," "breaking news," "emergency," "earthquake," "breaking news," "Chiba Prefecture," "earthquake," "warning," "Chiba," "Ibaraki," "Tochigi," "Gunma," "Saitama," "Tokyo," "Kanagawa," and "Shizuoka." Then, in step S23, the control unit 199 determines that the regional information is related to the vehicle's current location.

[0092] Next, in step S24, the extracted string selection process is performed, and for example, "urgent," "earthquake," "breaking news," "warning," and "Saitama" are selected. Then, when the predetermined number of characters is 8, in step S28, the phenomenon keyword "earthquake" is displayed as an icon, and "urgent," "breaking news," "warning," and "Saitama" are selected as the strings to be displayed. As a result, the breaking news information shown in Figure 8(B) is displayed on the head-up display device 175.

[0093] <Example of displaying breaking news information on the head-up display device 175 (Part 2)> Figure 9(A) shows an example of the video displayed on the first display unit 170 when a news flash occurs. In this case, the current location of the vehicle where the display control device 100 is located is assumed to be "eastern Hokkaido". It is also assumed that the user-specified keyword includes "tsunami".

[0094] At this point, in step S11, the control unit 199 refers to the keyword information KWI and extracts, for example, "tsunami," "warning," "Hokkaido," and "eastern" from the text information of the news bulletin. Then, in step S23, the control unit 199 determines that the regional information is related to the vehicle's current location.

[0095] Next, in step S24, the extracted strings are selected, for example, "tsunami," "warning," "Hokkaido," and "eastern." Then, when the predetermined number of characters is 8, in step S28, the phenomenon keyword "tsunami" is displayed as an icon, and "warning," "Hokkaido," and "eastern" are selected as the strings to be displayed. As a result, the head-up display device 175 displays the breaking news information shown in Figure 9(B).

[0096] <Example of displaying breaking news information on the head-up display device 175 (Part 3)> Figure 10 shows an example in which, in step S29 described above, only an icon indicating that breaking news information has been acquired is displayed on the head-up display device 175.

[0097] As described above, in this embodiment, the news flash acquisition unit 191 acquires the text information of "news flash" when the video data IDT contains video of "news flash" and sends it to the control unit 199. Also, when an emergency warning signal is detected, the emergency warning acquisition unit 192 acquires the subtitle information of "emergency warning" and sends it to the control unit 199. When the control unit 199 receives the text information of "news flash" or the subtitle information of "emergency warning", it extracts strings from the information. Next, the control unit 199 determines whether the extracted strings contain keywords such as "tsunami" or "earthquake", performs selection processing such as discarding duplicate strings, and then determines whether the number of selected strings is less than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0098] If the result of the determination is positive, the control unit 199 displays the selected string on the head-up display device 175 in an appropriate size for notification. If the result of the determination is negative, the control unit 199 displays the phenomenon string, such as "tsunami" or "earthquake," as an icon and limits the number of characters displayed on the head-up display device 175 to within a predetermined number.

[0099] Therefore, it does not obstruct the driver's forward view, thus contributing to traffic safety, and it can also reliably notify users of breaking news.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 199 determines whether or not the extracted regional information of the breaking news information has a location relationship with the vehicle's current location. If it determines that there is a location relationship, it notifies the user of the content of the breaking news information; if it determines that there is no location relationship, it does not notify the user of the content of the breaking news information. In this way, it is possible to prevent users from being notified of breaking news information that is not urgent for them.

[0101] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the display control process for "breaking news information" is performed regardless of whether or not the broadcast content transmitted from the broadcasting station is being played for viewing. Therefore, even during periods when the broadcast content is not being viewed, the driver can still be informed of breaking news information.

[0102] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the display control device cannot acquire the Class 1 breaking news information, the Class 1 breaking news information can be acquired from external devices such as wireless transmitters or mobile phones located in other vehicles.

[0103] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when breaking news information is acquired, it is possible to reliably notify the user of the breaking news information in a simplified display.

[0104] [Variations of the Embodiment] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible.

[0105] For example, in the above embodiment, if the number of characters selected to inform the user is less than or equal to a predetermined number, only the characters are displayed on the head-up display device. In contrast, for strings representing phenomena such as "tsunami" or "earthquake," icons may be displayed along with the strings.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the predetermined number of displayable characters was set to 8 characters, but this is not limited to that.

[0107] Furthermore, although a head-up display device was used as the second display unit in the above embodiment, other display devices such as a windshield display device may be used as the display device for displaying breaking news information.

[0108] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, whether or not there was a "breaking news" was determined based on video data, and the text information of the "breaking news" was obtained from the video data. Alternatively, the determination of whether or not there was a "breaking news" could be made based on audio data.

[0109] In the above embodiment, TMCC information was acquired, and it was determined whether or not an emergency warning signal was detected to obtain emergency warning information. Alternatively, emergency warning information may be obtained by referring to the emergency information descriptor described in the PMT (Program Map Table) in terrestrial digital broadcasting.

[0110] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the acquisition report of breaking news information is transmitted via short-range wireless communication to wireless transmitters located in nearby vehicles. Alternatively, the acquisition report of breaking news information may be transmitted to external devices via simultaneous broadcast communication.

[0111] Furthermore, when Type 1 or Type 2 breaking news information is acquired, a breaking news acquisition flag may be set and transmitted externally. The display control device may also continuously check for any transmission of breaking news information from external sources (i.e., whether there are any external devices with the breaking news flag set) during periods when the breaking news acquisition flag is not set. The flag may also be turned off after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the breaking news flag was set.

[0112] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the vehicle's current position was obtained based on the reception results of radio waves transmitted from multiple GPS satellites, but the vehicle's current position may also be obtained based on the currently received broadcast station area code information and broadcast station name.

[0113] Furthermore, when displaying breaking news information on a head-up display device, the colors may be inverted, or the brightness may be changed according to the time, weather, etc.

[0114] Furthermore, although the present invention was applied to a display control device mounted on a vehicle in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to display control devices located on other mobile bodies besides vehicles, and can also be applied to display control devices located in homes.

[0115] Furthermore, the functions of the control unit in the above embodiment may be realized by configuring part or all of the above control unit as a computer with a central processing unit (CPU) or the like as a computing means, and executing a pre-prepared program on the computer. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, CD-ROM, or DVD, and is read from the recording medium and executed by the computer. This program may also be acquired in the form of being recorded on a portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD, or by being acquired in the form of distribution via a network such as the Internet. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 100 ... Display control device 170 … First display unit (first display section) 175… Second display unit, head-up display device (second display section) 180 ... Position acquisition unit (position acquisition section) 191… News Flash Acquisition Department (part of the Breaking News Information Acquisition Department) 192… Emergency Warning Acquisition Unit (part of the Rapid Information Acquisition Unit) 193 … External Breaking News Acquisition Unit (part of the Breaking News Acquisition Unit) 199 ... Control Unit (Extraction Unit, Display Control Unit)

Claims

[Claim 1] A breaking news acquisition unit that acquires breaking news information from external sources; Based on the breaking news information acquired by the aforementioned breaking news information acquisition unit, an extraction unit extracts a predetermined string; A display control unit which causes the content of the breaking news information acquired by the breaking news information acquisition unit to be displayed on the first display unit, and causes the information based on the predetermined string extracted by the extraction unit to be displayed on a second display unit different from the first display unit; A display control device characterized by comprising:

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