Display control device

Abstract

The display control device disclosed herein can improve the visibility of the meter display. [Solution] The display control device displays a meter image showing information about the vehicle on a display unit provided on the vehicle, and in the meter image, displays a gauge drawn along the scale arrangement of the meter, from a reference point to the position of the pointer, in accordance with the movement of the pointer, and draws the gauge side with a predetermined emphasis display based on the pointer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display control device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a display device that improves the visibility of an electronic display-type meter.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the conventional display of a meter by image generation, visibility is improved by drawing the pointer and the periphery of the pointer as regions with higher luminance than the background. For example, visibility is improved by generating an image such that white light is irradiated toward the tip of the pointer. However, in such image generation, although it becomes a drawing in which the periphery of the pointer is relatively colored, it is only the control of the periphery of the pointer. Therefore, there is room for improvement in intuitively grasping the value indicated by the pointer when the user views it.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a display control device that can improve the visibility related to the display of a meter by controlling highlighting.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The display control device according to claim 1 includes a display unit provided in front of the vehicle in the driver's seat that displays a meter image showing information about the vehicle, and a display control unit that displays a gauge drawn in accordance with the scale arrangement of the meter, from a reference point to the position of the pointer, in accordance with the movement of the pointer, and draws the gauge side with a predetermined emphasis display based on the pointer.

[0007] The display control device according to claim 1 expands and contracts the gauge and draws a highlighting display based on the gauge. This makes it easier for the user to grasp the value indicated by the current indicator.

[0008] The display control device according to claim 2, in claim 1, the display control unit draws the highlighted display such that the side closer to the pointer is emphasized more than the side closer to the reference point. According to the display control device according to claim 2, the visibility of the value indicated by the pointer at the current time can be improved.

[0009] The display control device according to claim 3 is configured such that, in claim 1 or 2, the display control unit renders a suppressed display on the gauge side in the area close to the reference point. According to the display control device described in claim 3, the user's discomfort can be reduced by rendering a suppressed display without emphasizing the area near the reference point.

[0010] The display control device according to claim 4, in any one of claims 1 to 3, divides the meter into a plurality of regions and changes the drawing pattern of the highlighting display according to the region to which the gauge belongs. According to the display control device according to claim 4, the user can easily understand which region the current indicator is pointing to.

[0011] The display control device according to claim 5, in claim 4, the display control unit changes the drawing pattern of the pointer when the pointer belongs to a specific area. According to the display control device according to claim 5, the design can be improved by changing the drawing of the pointer, and the change in the area to which it belongs can be easily noticed.

[0012] The display control device according to claim 6, in claim 4, wherein the display control unit emphasizes and displays the character information associated with the meter when the pointer belongs to a specific area. According to the display control device according to claim 6, it is possible to easily convey to the user the character information that is particularly important to emphasize in the area.

[0013] The display control device according to claim 7, in claim 4, wherein the display control unit draws the gauge side with a gradient and displays the gradient in different drawing patterns depending on the region to which the gauge belongs. According to the display control device according to claim 7, the distinction between regions can be clearly shown to the user and the user's visibility can be improved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As explained above, the display control device relating to this disclosure can improve the visibility of the meter display by controlling the highlighting. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the vehicle's hardware configuration. [Figure 2] This is a diagram to explain the meter image. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of drawing in a meter image. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the flow of a specific process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The vehicle 10 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0017] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of vehicle 10. As shown in Figure 1, vehicle 10 is equipped with a meter ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 20. Vehicle 10 is an example of a “vehicle” in this disclosure, and meter ECU 20 is an example of a “display control device” in this disclosure.

[0018] The meter ECU 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, a storage 24, an in-vehicle communication I / F (InterFace) 25, an input / output I / F 26, and a wireless communication I / F 27. The CPU 21, the ROM 22, the RAM 23, the storage 24, the in-vehicle communication I / F 25, the input / output I / F 26, and the wireless communication I / F 27 are communicably connected to each other via an internal bus 28.

[0019] The CPU 21 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 21 reads a program from the ROM 22 or the storage 24 and executes the program using the RAM 23 as a work area. The CPU 21 performs control of each of the above configurations and various arithmetic processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 22 or the storage 24.

[0020] The ROM 22 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 23 temporarily stores a program or data as a work area.

[0021] The storage 24 is composed of a storage device such as an eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card) or a UFS (Universal Flash Storage), and stores various programs and various data. The storage 24 stores a display control program 24A and setting information 24B. The display control program 24A is a program for causing the CPU 21 to execute a specific process described later. The setting information 24B stores, for example, the division of a plurality of areas of the meter, the mode of highlighting according to the division, and the timing of the highlight display.

[0022] The in-vehicle communication I / F 25 is an interface for connecting to other ECUs 30. The communication standard based on the CAN protocol is used for this interface. The in-vehicle communication I / F 25 is connected to the external bus 29. Although not shown in the figure, a plurality of ECUs are provided for each function of the vehicle 10 in addition to the ECU 30.

[0023] The input / output I / F 26 is an interface for communicating with the in-vehicle devices 40 mounted on the vehicle 10.

[0024] The in-vehicle devices 40 are various devices mounted on the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 includes, as examples of the in-vehicle devices 40, a sensor group 42, an operation unit 44, and a monitor 46.

[0025] The sensor group 42 includes sensors for detecting the state of the vehicle 10 and the surrounding situation of the vehicle 10, such as a 3D-LiDAR sensor, a millimeter-wave sensor, an infrared sensor, a wiper sensor, an accelerator position sensor, a shift sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, an illuminance sensor, a gyro sensor, a steering angle sensor, and an acceleration sensor, as well as a plurality of cameras for imaging the periphery of the vehicle 10. The sensor group 42 outputs the detection results of each sensor and the captured images by each camera to the meter ECU 20, the ECU 30, etc.

[0026] [[ID=1​​​​The monitor 46 is a meter display provided on the meter panel located in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle 10, and is used to display images and other information related to the operation of the functions of the vehicle 10 and explanations of those functions. The monitor 46 is an example of a "display unit" in this disclosure.

[0028] The wireless communication interface (I / F27) is a wireless communication module for communicating with external devices. This wireless communication module utilizes communication standards such as 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0029] Furthermore, the CPU 21 of the meter ECU 20 has an acquisition unit 21A and a control unit 21B as its functional configuration. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 21 reading and executing a display control program 24A stored in the storage 24. The control unit 21B is an example of the "control unit" of this disclosure.

[0030] The acquisition unit 21A acquires various types of information. For example, the acquisition unit 21A acquires detection information that the vehicle 10 can detect as various types of information. The detection information includes detection results from each sensor constituting the sensor group 42, and images captured by each camera. The acquisition unit 21A also acquires vehicle information as various types of information and outputs it to the display control unit 21B for output to the meter image 50. In this embodiment, the case where torque is used as vehicle information will be explained as an example. Note that this embodiment can be applied to the display of various types of vehicle information, not only torque, but also vehicle speed, engine speed, boost pressure, water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, voltage, etc.

[0031] The display control unit 21B performs display control related to the display on the monitor 46. For example, the control unit 21B displays 250 on the monitor 46 as shown in Figure 2. The meter image 50 is an arc shape that shows the torque value of the vehicle 10, and displays the needle (50A) and gauge (50B) along the scale arrangement of the meter. Note that the meter image 50 in Figure 2 is an image with the color scheme reversed for ease of explanation. The needle (50A) moves along the meter with the gauge (50B) from the zero reference point (B) according to the torque value. The gauge (50B) is drawn expanding and contracting along the scale arrangement of the meter in accordance with the movement of the needle (50A) from the reference point (B) to the position of the needle (50A). In addition, the gauge side is drawn with a gradient (50G) based on the needle (50A). The meter is also divided into multiple areas. In Figure 2, the area is divided into three regions: (A) near the reference point, (B) in the middle of the meter, and (C) near the maximum value of the meter.

[0032] The display control unit 21B draws the highlighting so that the side closer to the pointer (50A) is emphasized more than the side closer to the reference point (P). In the example in Figure 2, the gradient is drawn so that the position closer to the pointer (50A) is darker and the position closer to the reference point is lighter. The highlighting may also be done by changing the display manner by creating a difference in brightness or contrast. In this way, the side closer to the pointer is emphasized more than the side closer to the reference point, which improves the user's visibility. The display control unit 21B can also make the area close to the reference point an area where the highlighting on the gauge side is not drawn, that is, an area where the gauge side is suppressed. In this case, suppressing the display near the reference point without emphasizing it can reduce the user's discomfort.

[0033] Figure 3 shows an example of drawing in a meter image. It shows the transition from the no-rotation state in (1-1) to the maximum torque value in (1-6). In (1-1), the boundaries of the divisions into (A), (B), and (C) regions are shown for explanatory purposes. In (1-2), it is the low torque state. At this time, the gauge (50B), pointer (50A), and gradient (50G) in the area enclosed by (C1-1) are drawn in a "blue" color. In (1-3), the gauge (50B) has advanced to the branching point from region (A) to region (B). In the area enclosed by (C1-2), the "blue" color of the gauge (50B), pointer (50A), and gradient (50G) is made lighter and the drawing pattern is changed to become darker. Similarly, as the gauge (50B) progresses in response to the subsequent increase in torque, the area enclosed by (C1-2) maintains its "blue" color while changing the drawing pattern to lighten the color and darken it (illustration omitted). This reduces the visual clutter of the color and allows the reader to focus on the current indicator (50A) as it progresses.

[0034] In (1-4) and (1-5), the gauge (50B) has advanced partway through area (B). The area enclosed by (C2-1) and (C2-2) is an intermediate area, and the gauge (50B), pointer (50A), and gradient (50G) are drawn in a "yellow" color. The area between area (A) and area (B) is a "yellow" gradient. As the drawing progresses from (1-4) to (1-5), the area enclosed by (C2-2) changes its drawing style so that the "yellow" color of the gauge (50B), pointer (50A), and gradient (50G) is emphasized on the side closer to the pointer (50A) more than on the side closer to the reference point (P).

[0035] Furthermore, when the pointer (50A) moves to a different area, the pointer (50A) may be temporarily highlighted by emitting light or flashing to explicitly inform the user that the area to which the pointer (50A) belongs has changed. This makes it easier for the user to understand the area transition.

[0036] In (1-6), the gear ratio has advanced to near the maximum value of high torque. The area enclosed by (C3-1) is the final region, and the gauge (50B), needle (50A), and gradient (50G) are drawn in the color "red". At this time, the text information "UP" associated with the meter is highlighted to indicate that the threshold of region (C) has been exceeded. As described above, the display control unit 21B controls the display to change the drawing pattern, thereby emphasizing the timing that makes the driver aware of gear changes. In addition, by changing the drawing pattern according to the region division, it becomes easier for the user to understand which region the needle is currently pointing to. Furthermore, the use of gradients according to the region makes the distinction between regions clear to the user, improving user visibility. In addition, by changing the drawing of the needle, the design can be improved and changes in the region to which it belongs can be easily noticed. Furthermore, regarding text information, it becomes easier to convey to the user text information that you want to particularly emphasize in a region.

[0037] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a specific process performed by the meter ECU 20. The CPU 21 reads the display control program 24A from the storage 24, loads it into the RAM 23, and executes it, thereby performing the specific process. As an example, the specific process is performed repeatedly and automatically at regular intervals.

[0038] In step S100, the CPU 21 acquires information about vehicles that the vehicle 10 can detect. This vehicle information is acquired and updated as needed and referenced in subsequent processing steps.

[0039] In step S102, the CPU 21 starts controlling the display of the meter image 50 according to the acquired vehicle information.

[0040] In step S104, the CPU 21 updates the vehicle information values ​​and controls the movement of the pointer and gauge.

[0041] In step S106, the CPU 21 changes the drawing patterns of the gauge (50B) and gradient (50G) according to the position of the updated pointer (50A).

[0042] In step S108, the CPU 21 determines whether the pointer (50A) has moved to a different area. If it determines that it has moved, it proceeds to step S106; otherwise, it repeats this step.

[0043] In step S110, the CPU 21 changes the drawing patterns of the pointer (50A), gauge (50B), and gradient (50G) according to the transitioned area. After this step, the process returns to step S104 and is repeated until the meter display is terminated.

[0044] With the above configuration, the meter ECU20 can improve the readability of the meter by controlling the highlighting. In addition, since only the gauge side is highlighted relative to the needle, and the maximum value side is not highlighted relative to the needle, it becomes easier for the user to understand the current position of the needle.

[0045] (others) While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person with ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure may conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical idea set forth in the claims, and these modifications or alterations are also understood to fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] Furthermore, the effects described in the above embodiments are descriptive or illustrative, and are not limited to those described in the above embodiments. In other words, the technology relating to this disclosure may produce other effects that would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art of this disclosure from the descriptions in the above embodiments, in addition to or in lieu of the effects described in the above embodiments.

[0047] The processing described in the above embodiment can also be implemented using dedicated hardware circuits. In this case, it may be executed on one piece of hardware or on multiple pieces of hardware.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the display control program 24A was stored in the storage 24. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the display control program 24A may also be stored in the ROM 22.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the monitor 46, which is a meter display, is used as an example of the "display unit" of this disclosure. However, the example of the "display unit" is not limited to a meter display. For example, the example of the "display unit" may be other displays such as a center display and a head-up display (HUD). Alternatively, the example of the "display unit" may be a combination of multiple displays such as a meter display and a center display.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the meter ECU 20 is configured to perform the specific processing shown in Figure 2. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the specific processing may be performed in cooperation with the meter ECU 20 and other ECUs.

[0051] In addition, the specific processing that the CPU 21 reads and executes in the above embodiment may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of such processors include PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices) such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacturing, and dedicated electrical circuits that are processors with circuit configurations specifically designed to execute specific processing, such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). Furthermore, the specific processing may be executed by one of these various processors, or by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, multiple FPGAs, and a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0052] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which the display control program 24A is pre-stored (installed) in the storage 24, the invention is not limited to this configuration. The display control program 24A may be provided in the form of a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Alternatively, the display control program 24A may be provided in the form of a download from an external device via a network. The technology disclosed herein can also be applied to programs and program products. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 10 vehicles 20. Meter ECU (Display Control Unit) 21B Display Control Unit 46 Monitor (Display Unit) 50 meter image

Claims

1. A display control unit provides a display unit on the vehicle that displays a meter image showing information about the vehicle, and in the meter image, displays a gauge drawn along the scale arrangement of the meter, from a reference point to the position of the pointer, in accordance with the movement of the pointer, and draws the gauge side with predetermined emphasis based on the pointer. A display control device equipped with the following features.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit draws the highlighting display such that the side closer to the pointer is emphasized more than the side closer to the reference point.

3. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit makes the area close to the reference point an area on the gauge side for drawing a suppression display.

4. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit divides the meter into a plurality of regions and changes the drawing mode of the highlighting display according to the region to which the gauge belongs.

5. The display control device according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit changes the drawing pattern of the pointer when the pointer belongs to a specific area.

6. The display control device according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit causes the character information associated with the meter to be highlighted and displayed when the pointer belongs to a specific area.

7. The display control device according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit draws the gauge side with a gradient and displays the gradient in different drawing patterns depending on the region to which the gauge belongs.

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