Electronic devices

Abstract

To provide an electronic device having a function of displaying an image on a ceiling so that the image does not hinder driving.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle device according to the present invention includes display means that displays an image on a ceiling 200 of a vehicle, detecting means that detects whether the vehicle is travelling or not, and control means that controls the display means. The control means, when travelling of the vehicle is detected, makes the display means display a minified image on the ceiling 200, and when stop of the vehicle is detected, makes the display means display a magnified image on the ceiling. This can prevent the image displayed on the ceiling from entering a field of view of a driver U1 during travelling.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an in-vehicle electronic device having a function of displaying an image on the ceiling inside a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Some automobile instrument panels are integrally formed with a display for displaying a navigation image, an electronic mirror, and an image of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by an on-board camera. In addition to such displays, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle display device that displays moving images captured by a camera on the ceiling of the vehicle cabin based on the vehicle speed and the surrounding environment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-14450 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By using technology to display a large image on the entire ceiling of the vehicle, it is expected that passengers in the back seats will be able to enjoy various videos like with current rear monitors, and that during autonomous driving, the driver will recline the seat and watch sports videos or search for nearby facilities together with the passengers while watching the large screen on the ceiling. Figure 1(A) is a schematic side view of a vehicle, and Figure 1(B) is an X-ray arrow view of Figure 1(A). A large screen 12 is formed on the ceiling 10 of the vehicle in the area indicated by the diagonal lines.

[0005] However, while the large screen 12 on the ceiling has the advantage that passengers U2 in the back seats can enjoy powerful and easy-to-view images, if the driver U1 starts driving while the large screen 12 is displaying something, the front part of the large screen 12 will be in the driver U1's field of vision, interfering with or obstructing driving.

[0006] Generally, the upper limit angle θ at which a person can see upward when looking ahead is approximately 60 degrees from the center of the eye. For this reason, depending on the position at which the large screen 12 on the ceiling is displayed and the position and angle of the seat, the image of the ceiling may enter the field of view or visual field of the driver U1.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art and to provide an electronic device having a function of displaying an image on the ceiling so as not to interfere with driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electronic device of the present invention includes a display means for displaying an image on the ceiling of a vehicle, a detection means for detecting whether the vehicle is moving or not, and a control means for controlling the display means, wherein the control means displays a reduced image on the ceiling when it is detected that the vehicle is moving, and displays an enlarged image on the ceiling when it is detected that the vehicle is stopped.

[0009] The electronic device of the present invention includes a display means for displaying an image on the ceiling of a vehicle, a determination means for determining whether the vehicle is driving autonomously or not, and a control means for controlling the display means, wherein the control means displays an enlarged image on the ceiling if it is determined that the vehicle is driving autonomously, and displays a reduced image on the ceiling if it is determined that the vehicle is not driving autonomously.

[0010] The electronic device of the present invention includes a display means for displaying an image on the ceiling of a vehicle, a determination means for determining the upper limit position of the ceiling of the driver's field of vision, and a control means for controlling the display area of ​​the image on the display means based on the upper limit position.

[0011] In one aspect, the control means controls the display area so that an image does not enter the upper limit position of the ceiling. In one aspect, the control means causes the display means to reduce the image. In one aspect, the electronic device further includes detection means for detecting a seat position and an angle of the seat backrest, and the determination means determines the upper limit position of the ceiling based on a detection result of the detection means. In one aspect, the electronic device further includes imaging means for imaging a driver, and the determination means determines the upper limit position of the ceiling based on a viewpoint of the driver imaged by the imaging means. In one aspect, the determination means further determines the upper limit position of the ceiling based on a line of sight of the driver imaged by the imaging means. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, a reduced image is displayed on the ceiling while driving, which prevents the image displayed on the ceiling from entering the driver's field of vision and creates an entertainment space inside the vehicle without interfering with driving. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a large screen on the ceiling of a vehicle. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 4 is a flow chart illustrating a display operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(A) shows an example in which a normal-sized image is displayed on the ceiling, and FIG. 4(B) shows an example in which a reduced-sized image is displayed on the ceiling. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a display operation according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating seat information for displaying a reduced image according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a reduced image generating method according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating detection of a driver's viewpoint and line of sight direction for displaying a reduced image according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The electronic device of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and has a function of displaying an image on the ceiling of the vehicle. The electronic device of the present invention can be, for example, an in-vehicle electronic device having an audio-visual navigation function, an in-vehicle electronic device having a function of receiving terrestrial digital broadcasting and radio broadcasting, an in-vehicle electronic device having a function of wirelessly connecting to a server, a network, etc. EXAMPLES

[0015] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle electronic device (vehicle-mounted device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle-mounted device 100 includes an input unit 110, a vehicle information acquisition unit 120, a seat information acquisition unit 130, a communication unit 140, a media playback unit 150, a display unit 160, an audio output unit 170, a storage unit 180, and a control unit 190.

[0016] The input unit 110 receives input from a user and outputs it to the control unit 190. The vehicle information acquisition unit 120 acquires vehicle information, such as vehicle speed information (vehicle speed pulse), gear position information, parking information, blinker information, and vehicle position information, via an in-vehicle bus or the like. The vehicle position information may include, for example, position information using a GPS satellite, and position information using an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor. In addition, in a vehicle that supports autonomous driving, information related to autonomous driving is included as vehicle information.

[0017] The communication unit 140 enables wired or wireless communication with electronic devices mounted on the vehicle, and enables wireless communication with a server or the like via an external network. In one embodiment, the communication unit 140 includes a telematics control unit (TCU) as a communication module, and receives GPS signals using the TCU, connects to a wireless LAN, and connects to a public wireless network such as 3G / 4G / 5G.

[0018] Media playback unit 150 plays audio data and video data stored in storage unit 180 or other recording media, and outputs the data from display unit 160 and audio output unit 170. Media playback unit 150 may also have a navigation function and a function for playing terrestrial digital broadcasts and radio broadcasts.

[0019] The display unit 160 displays images played by the media playback unit 150, images received from the communication unit 140, and the like in the vehicle interior. In this embodiment, the display unit 160 has at least a function of displaying images on the ceiling of the vehicle. The method of displaying images on the ceiling is not particularly limited, but for example, an image may be projected onto the ceiling using a projector, or an LCD display, an organic EL display, or the like may be attached to the ceiling and an image may be displayed thereon.

[0020] The audio output unit 170 outputs, to the vehicle interior, audio played by the media playback unit 150 and audio received from the communication unit 140. The storage unit 180 stores data to be played by the media playback unit 150, data necessary for the in-vehicle device 100, application software, and the like.

[0021] The control unit 190 controls the overall operation of the in-vehicle device 100. This control is performed by hardware and / or software. In one embodiment, the control unit 190 includes a microcontroller unit including a ROM / RAM and the like, and the ROM / RAM stores a program for controlling the operation of the in-vehicle device 100. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 controls a function of displaying an image on the ceiling, which is included as a part of the functions of the in-vehicle device 100, via the display unit 160. The control of this display function will be described in detail below.

[0022] 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the display function according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, when the display unit 160 displays an image on the ceiling (S100), the control unit 190 judges whether the vehicle is moving or not based on the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle information acquisition unit 120 (S110). For example, when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a certain speed, when the parking brake is on, or when the change in the vehicle position per unit time by the GPS or the like is equal to or lower than a certain value, the control unit 190 judges that the vehicle is stopped, and otherwise judges that the vehicle is moving.

[0023] When the control unit 190 determines that the vehicle is stopped, it causes the display unit 160 to display a normal-sized image on the ceiling (S120), and when it determines that the vehicle is moving, it causes the display unit 160 to display a reduced image on the ceiling (S130). The control unit 190 constantly monitors whether the vehicle is moving or not, and switches the size of the image to be displayed on the ceiling depending on whether the vehicle is moving or not.

[0024] 4(A) and (B) are plan views of the ceiling seen from the direction corresponding to FIG. 1(B), and FIG. 4(A) is a display example of a normal-sized image, and FIG. 4(B) is a display example of a reduced image. When the vehicle is stopped, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the control unit 190 causes a predetermined normal-sized image 210A to be displayed on the ceiling 200. On the other hand, when the vehicle is running, the control unit 190 causes an image 210B, which is a normal-sized image reduced at a certain ratio, to be displayed on the ceiling 200, as shown in FIG. 4(B), so that a non-display area R of the image is formed in the front part of the ceiling. The non-display area R is an area that enters the driver's field of vision or field of view. The ratios of reduction in the vertical and horizontal directions may be the same (same aspect ratio) or different, and the ratios of reduction are set in advance.

[0025] When the display unit 160 projects an image onto the ceiling using a projector, the display unit 160 can reduce the area projected onto the ceiling by changing the magnification. Alternatively, the display unit 160 may project black, white, or a similar color to the ceiling onto an area corresponding to the non-display area R, thereby creating an effect similar to that when no projection is performed. When the display unit 160 displays an image onto the ceiling using a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, the display unit 160 does not drive the area corresponding to the non-display area R of the liquid crystal display, thereby creating an image similar to that when no projection is performed. In this case, the non-display area displays normally black or normally white of the liquid crystal display. Alternatively, the display unit 160 may drive the area corresponding to the non-display area R to display black, white, or a similar color to the ceiling, thereby creating an effect similar to that when no projection is performed.

[0026] Thus, according to this embodiment, by displaying reduced image 210B on ceiling 200 while the vehicle is traveling, non-display area R is formed in front of ceiling 200, which makes it possible to prevent the image of the ceiling from entering the upper part of the driver's field of vision. As a result, the driver is not hindered from driving by the image of the ceiling, and other passengers can enjoy in-car entertainment.

[0027] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the display function according to the second embodiment of the present invention. When the display unit 160 displays an image on the ceiling (S200), the control unit 190 judges whether the vehicle is in an automatic driving state or not based on the automatic driving information acquired from the vehicle information acquisition unit 120 (S210). The automatic driving information includes information for identifying the level of automatic driving. For example, the automatic driving information includes: Level 0: The driver always performs driving operations; Level 1: Assistance is provided for steering / braking or acceleration, but assistance is not provided for all of steering / braking / acceleration (automation of specific functions); Level 2: The driver is responsible for safe driving, but assistance is provided for all of steering / braking / acceleration (automation of composite functions); Level 3: The driver performs driving operations by himself only when the function reaches its limit (semi-automation); and Level 4: All driving operations and surrounding monitoring are left to the system (fully automatic driving).

[0028] The control unit 190 judges whether or not the vehicle is being driven autonomously based on the level of the autonomous driving information (S210). For example, when the autonomous driving information is level 4, the control unit 190 judges that the vehicle is being driven autonomously. If the control unit 190 judges that the vehicle is being driven autonomously, it causes the display unit 160 to display a normal-sized image 210A on the ceiling 200 (S220), and if it determines that the vehicle is not being driven autonomously, it causes the display unit 160 to display a reduced image 210B on the ceiling 200 (S230). The control unit 190 constantly monitors whether or not the vehicle is being driven autonomously, and switches the size of the image displayed on the ceiling depending on whether or not the vehicle is being driven autonomously.

[0029] Thus, according to this embodiment, by displaying reduced image 210B when the vehicle is not in automatic driving mode, non-display area R is formed in front of ceiling 200, which makes it possible to prevent the image of the ceiling from entering the upper part of the driver's field of vision. As a result, the driver is not hindered from driving by the image of the ceiling, and other passengers can enjoy in-car entertainment.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the autonomous driving is determined to be in automatic driving when the autonomous driving information is at level 4, but this is only an example, and the control unit 190 may determine that the autonomous driving is in automatic driving when the autonomous driving is at level 3, which is semi-automatic driving, and may switch the normal size image to a reduced image when the level is lower than level 3. The control unit 190 may also vary the size of the reduced image according to the level of the autonomous driving. For example, the control unit 190 may display a normal size image at level 4, display an image reduced at a first ratio at levels 3 and 2, and display an image reduced at a second ratio larger than the first ratio at levels 1 and 0.

[0031] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment relates to a method for generating a reduced image to be displayed on a ceiling. The control unit 190 acquires information on the seat position and the angle of the backrest from the seat information acquisition unit 130, estimates the position of the driver's viewpoint based on the acquired information, and determines the size of the reduced image based on the estimation result.

[0032] 6 shows a schematic side view of the seat and the driver. As shown in the figure, the control unit 190 acquires position information A of the seat 220 in the X direction (e.g., the amount of movement from a reference position) and angle information B of the backrest of the seat 220 (the amount of inclination from a reference angle) via the seat information acquisition unit 130. In one embodiment, the vehicle is provided with a sensor that detects the position of the seat 220 in the X direction and a sensor that detects the angle of the backrest of the seat 220, and the position information A and angle information B detected by these sensors are provided to the seat information acquisition unit 130 via an in-vehicle bus.

[0033] 7 shows an operation flow for explaining a method for generating a reduced image. First, the control unit 190 acquires the position information A and angle information B of the seat via the seat information acquisition unit 130 (S300). Next, the control unit 190 calculates the coordinates of the viewpoint E of the driver U1 in the XZ space (plane) including the viewpoint E (S310) using the acquired position information A and angle information B, as well as height information C in the Z direction from the seat surface to the viewpoint E when a standard person sits and head information D in the X direction from the headrest to the viewpoint E (the size and shape of the seat 220 are known). The height information C and head information D of the standard person may be stored in the storage unit 180 in advance, or may be input by the user from the input unit 110.

[0034] Next, the control unit 190 calculates the upper limit position P of the ceiling that does not enter the upper field of vision of the driver U1 (S320). In general, the upper limit angle θ at which a person can see upward when looking forward is about 60 degrees. The ceiling 200 is assumed to be approximately horizontal in the X direction, and the overall height in the Z direction from the seat or the bottom of the vehicle to the ceiling 200 is assumed to be known. The control unit 190 calculates the distance F in the Z direction from the viewpoint E to the ceiling 200, and further calculates the upper limit position P of the ceiling 200 that the driver U1 can see from the relationship between the distance F and the upper limit angle θ.

[0035] Next, the control unit 190 causes the display unit 160 to execute a process of reducing the image so that the image does not exceed the upper limit position P of the ceiling 200 (S330), and causes the reduced image to be displayed on the ceiling 200 (S340).

[0036] In this way, according to this embodiment, the upper limit position of the ceiling can be accurately calculated based on the seat information and the driver's viewpoint, and a reduced image with high accuracy that does not exceed the upper limit position can be generated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the image of the ceiling from entering the upper part of the driver's field of vision with high accuracy.

[0037] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above third embodiment, the coordinate position of the viewpoint E is calculated using the viewpoint height C and head information D of a standard person when seated, but in the fourth embodiment, the driver's viewpoint E and line of sight direction are detected using an imaging camera mounted in the vehicle. Furthermore, instead of the seat information from the seat information acquisition unit 130, position information A and angle information B of the seat 220 may be detected from imaging data captured by the imaging camera.

[0038] The mounting position of the imaging camera is not particularly limited, but for example, the imaging camera is mounted at a position where it can capture an image of the face of the driver U1 and the seat 220 from the ceiling 200, or as shown in Fig. 8, it is mounted on a column cover 310 behind the steering wheel 320 and captures an image of the face of the driver U1 through the gaps in the steering wheel 320. The imaging camera 300 may be multiple cameras such as a stereo camera, or may be an RGB camera or an infrared camera.

[0039] The data captured by the imaging camera 300 is provided to the control unit 190. The control unit 190 performs image analysis on the received imaging data, cuts out the face image of the driver U1, recognizes the black part of the left or right eye of the cut-out face image as the viewpoint E, and calculates its coordinate position. The control unit 190 also detects the line of sight (for example, the driver is looking downward or upward) based on the relationship between the area of ​​the black part of the eye and the white part surrounding it. For example, if the driver has a low seat height or the backrest is tilted more, the line of sight of the driver U1 will be somewhat upward, and conversely, if the driver has a high seat height or the backrest is not tilted much, the line of sight of the driver U1 will be somewhat downward. Furthermore, the control unit 190 recognizes the seat 220 from the imaging data of the imaging camera 300, and detects the position of the seat 220 in the X direction and the angle of the backrest. The position of the viewpoint E, the position of the seat 220, or the angle of the backrest can be calculated from the known correspondence between the coordinates of the imaging space of the imaging camera 300 and the coordinates of the XYZ space inside the vehicle.

[0040] The control unit 190 calculates the upper limit position P of the ceiling based on the seat position information A, angle information B, the viewpoint E of the driver U1, and the line of sight direction calculated from the image data. The example in Fig. 8 shows the upper limit position P when the line of sight of the driver U1 is the horizontal direction H, the upper limit position P1 when the line of sight is a diagonally downward direction H1, and the upper limit position P2 when the line of sight is a diagonally upward direction H2. The control unit 190 causes the display unit 160 to generate a reduced image so that it does not exceed the upper limit positions P1, P2, and P3 of the ceiling, and causes the display unit 160 to display this on the ceiling 200, as in the third embodiment.

[0041] In this way, according to this embodiment, the seat information and the driver's viewpoint and line of sight direction are detected from the imaging data of the imaging camera 300, so that the upper limit position of the ceiling according to the driver's driving environment can be calculated more accurately, and a reduced-size image according to the upper limit position can be generated with high accuracy. As a result, it is possible to prevent the image of the ceiling from entering the upper part of the driver's field of vision with high accuracy.

[0042] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 100: In-vehicle device 110: Input unit 120: Vehicle information acquisition unit 130: Seat information acquisition unit 140: Communication unit 150: Media playback unit 160: Display unit 170: Audio output unit 180: Memory unit 190: Control unit

Claims

1. A display means for displaying an image on a ceiling of the vehicle; A detection means for detecting whether the vehicle is moving; a control means for controlling the display means, The control means, when detecting that the vehicle is moving, displays a reduced image on the ceiling so that the image does not enter the upper limit of the ceiling of the driver's field of vision, and when detecting that the vehicle is stopped, displays an enlarged image on the ceiling.

2. A display means for displaying an image on a ceiling of the vehicle; A determination means for determining whether the vehicle is autonomous; a control means for controlling the display means, The control means is an electronic device that, when it is determined that the vehicle is operating autonomously, displays an enlarged image on the ceiling, and, when it is determined that the vehicle is not operating autonomously, displays a reduced image on the ceiling so that the image does not enter the upper limit of the ceiling of the driver's field of vision.

3. A display means for displaying an image on a ceiling of the vehicle; a determining means for determining an upper limit position of a ceiling of a driver's field of vision; a control means for controlling a reduction in a display area of ​​the image on the display means based on the upper limit position so that the image does not enter the upper limit position of the ceiling of the driver's field of vision; An electronic device comprising:

4. The electronic device further includes a detection means for detecting a seat position and a seat back angle; The electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein the determining means determines an upper limit position of the ceiling based on a detection result of the detecting means.

5. The electronic device further includes an imaging means for imaging the driver; 5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the determining means determines the upper limit position of the ceiling based on a viewpoint of the driver captured by the imaging means.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the determining means further determines an upper limit position of the ceiling based on a line of sight direction of the driver captured by the imaging means.

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