Vehicle display control device and vehicle display method

Abstract

To provide a vehicular display control device that can suppress a display from wastefully consuming electric power, even when a screen of the display mounted on a vehicle is enlarged in size.SOLUTION: A vehicular display control device is provided with a display control part 105 that can partially control brightness in a display area of a display 13 mounted on an own vehicle and an area specifying part 102 that specifies a visible area which is an area which an occupant is likely to gaze at, on the basis of a result of detecting the occupant in the own vehicle. The display control part 105 controls brightness in a non-visible area which is outside an area specified to be the visible area by the area specifying part 102, of the display area of one display 13, to be reduced compared to brightness when the area specifying part specifies the visible area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle display control device and a vehicle display method. [Background technology]

[0002] Toward the realization of a carbon-neutral society, there is an increasing need for energy conservation. In response to this, technologies for reducing the power consumption of displays mounted on vehicles are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for reducing the brightness of a display that is not in the driver's line of sight among multiple displays mounted on a vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-24402 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The increase in power consumption due to the larger screens of display devices installed in vehicles is becoming an issue. In response to this issue, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not reduce the brightness of the entire display screen if the driver's line of sight is directed at even a part of the screen. Therefore, power consumption is wasted by maintaining the brightness of the screen outside the area where the driver may be gazing (hereinafter referred to as the visible area).

[0005] One object of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle display control device and a vehicle display method that make it possible to reduce wasteful power consumption of a display even when the screen of the display installed in the vehicle is enlarged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object is achieved by the combination of features recited in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous embodiments of the disclosure. The reference numerals in parentheses in the claims correspond to specific means described in the following embodiment as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, 1st The vehicle display control device is used in a vehicle and includes a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within the display area of ​​a display (13) mounted on the vehicle, and includes an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be the area that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on the result of detecting the vehicle occupant, and the display control unit controls the brightness of a non-visible area, which is outside the area specified by the area specifying unit as the visible area, within the display area of ​​one display, to be lower than when it is specified as the visible area. When the brightness of the non-visible area of ​​the display area is reduced compared to when the non-visible area is specified as the visible area, the brightness is controlled so that the extent of reduction in brightness is reduced as the importance of the content displayed in the display area with respect to driving the vehicle increases. . In order to achieve the above object, the second vehicle display control device of the present disclosure is used in a vehicle capable of switching between manual driving and automatic driving, and is a vehicle display control device equipped with a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within the display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, and is equipped with an area identification unit (102) that identifies a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be the area that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on the results of detecting the vehicle occupant, and the display control unit controls the brightness of a non-visible area, which is outside the area identified by the area identification unit as the visible area, within the display area of ​​one display device, to be lowered compared to when it is identified as the visible area, and when the brightness of the area identified as the non-visible area within the display area is lowered compared to when it is identified as the visible area, the amount of brightness reduction is controlled to be different when the vehicle is in automatic driving and when the vehicle is in manual driving. In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle display control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle display control device that is used in a vehicle and includes a display control unit (105) that is capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, and includes an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be an area that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on a result of detecting an occupant of the vehicle, and the display control unit controls the brightness of a non-visible area, which is outside the area specified by the area specifying unit as the visible area, within the display area of ​​one display device, to be lowered compared to when the area is specified as the visible area, and the area specifying unit In this system, a blurred area is additionally specified at the boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area to blur the difference in brightness between the visible area and the non-visible area.When there are multiple occupants in the vehicle, a visible area and a blurred area are specified for each of the multiple occupants in the display area of ​​a single display, and the display control unit controls the brightness of the blurred area in the display area so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area, and controls the brightness of the area in the display area where the blurred areas for the multiple occupants intersect so that it is the same brightness as when it is specified as the visible area. In order to achieve the above object, a fourth vehicle display control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle display control device that is used in a vehicle and includes a display control unit (105) that is capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, and includes an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be an area that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on a result of detecting an occupant of the vehicle, and a distance specifying unit (103) that specifies a distance from the occupant to a position on the display area, and the display control unit is configured to specify a non-visible area, which is an area outside the area specified by the area specifying unit as the visible area, within the display area of ​​one display device. The brightness is controlled to be lower than when the visible area is identified, and the area identification unit additionally identifies a blurred area at the boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one display device to blur the difference in brightness between the visible area and the non-visible area, and based on the distance from the occupant to a position on the display area identified by the distance identification unit, the width of the blurred area is identified to be wider as the distance from the occupant becomes closer, and the display control unit controls the brightness of the blurred area within the display area so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area. In order to achieve the above object, a fifth vehicle display control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle display control device used in a vehicle and equipped with a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display (13) mounted on the vehicle, and equipped with an area identification unit (102) that identifies a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be gazed upon by an occupant of the vehicle, based on the result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle, and the display control unit controls the brightness of a non-visible area, which is outside the area identified by the area identification unit as a visible area, within the display area of ​​one display, to be lower than when the area is identified as a visible area, and the area identification unit additionally identifies a blurred area at the boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one display to blur the brightness difference between the visible area and the non-visible area, and does not identify a blurred area for an area where the edge of the visible area coincides with the edge of the content displayed in the display area, and the display control unit controls the brightness of the blurred area within the display area to gradually decrease from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, 1st The vehicle display method is a vehicle display control method executed by at least one processor, and includes a display control step for partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) used in a vehicle and mounted on the vehicle, and includes a region specifying step for specifying a visible region, which is a region that is estimated to be a region that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on the result of detecting the vehicle occupant, and in the display control step, the brightness of a non-visible region, which is outside the region specified as the visible region in the region specifying step, within the display area of ​​one display device, is reduced compared to when the non-visible region is specified as the visible region. When the brightness of the non-visible area of ​​the display area is reduced compared to when the non-visible area is specified as the visible area, the brightness is controlled so that the extent of reduction in brightness is reduced as the importance of the content displayed in the display area with respect to driving the vehicle increases. . In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle display method of the present disclosure is a vehicle display control method executed by at least one processor, used in a vehicle capable of switching between manual driving and automatic driving, and including a display control step capable of partially controlling the brightness within the display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, and includes an area identification step of identifying a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be an area that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on the results of detecting the vehicle occupant, and in the display control step, the brightness of a non-visible area, which is outside the area identified as the visible area in the area identification step, within the display area of ​​one display device, is reduced compared to when it is identified as the visible area, and when the brightness of the area identified as the non-visible area within the display area is reduced compared to when it is identified as the visible area, the amount of brightness reduction is controlled to differ between when the vehicle is in automatic driving and when the vehicle is in manual driving. In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle display method of the present disclosure is a vehicle display control method that includes a display control step executed by at least one processor and that is used in a vehicle and capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, and includes an area specifying step of specifying a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be an area that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on a result of detecting an occupant of the vehicle, and in the display control step, the brightness of a non-visible area, which is outside the area specified as the visible area in the area specifying step, within the display area of ​​one display device, is reduced compared to when the area is specified as the visible area. Within the area, a blurred area is additionally identified at the boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area to blur the difference in brightness between the visible area and the non-visible area.When there are multiple occupants in the vehicle, a visible area and a blurred area are identified for each of the multiple occupants in the display area of ​​a single display, and in the display control process, the brightness of the blurred area in the display area is controlled so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area, and the brightness of the area in the display area where the blurred areas for the multiple occupants intersect is controlled so that it is the same brightness as when it is identified as the visible area. In order to achieve the above object, a fourth vehicle display method of the present disclosure is a vehicle display control method that includes a display control step executed by at least one processor and that is used in a vehicle and capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, and includes an area specifying step of specifying a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be an area that the occupant is likely to gaze at, based on a result of detecting an occupant of the vehicle, and a distance specifying step of specifying a distance from the occupant to a position on the display area, and in the display control step, a part of the display area of ​​one display device that is outside the area specified as the visible area in the area specifying step is specified. The brightness of the non-visible area is reduced compared to when it is identified as a visible area. In the area identification process, a blurred area is additionally identified at the boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one display device to blur the brightness difference between the visible area and the non-visible area. Based on the distance from the occupant to a position on the display area identified in the distance identification process, the width of the blurred area is identified to be wider as the distance from the occupant becomes closer. In the display control process, the brightness of the blurred area within the display area is controlled so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area. In order to achieve the above object, a fifth vehicle display method of the present disclosure is a vehicle display control method executed by at least one processor, which is used in a vehicle and includes a display control step capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display (13) mounted on the vehicle, and includes an area identification step of identifying a visible area, which is an area that is estimated to be gazed upon by an occupant of the vehicle, based on the result of detecting the vehicle occupant, and the display control step reduces the brightness of a non-visible area, which is outside the area identified as the visible area in the area identification step, within the display area of ​​one display, compared to when the area is identified as the visible area, and the area identification step additionally identifies a blurred area at the boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one display, to blur the brightness difference between the visible area and the non-visible area, and does not identify a blurred area for an area where the edge of the visible area coincides with the edge of the content displayed in the display area, and the display control step controls the brightness of the blurred area within the display area so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area.

[0009] According to these, the brightness of the non-visible area, which is outside the visible area and is estimated to be the area where the occupant is likely to look, is reduced compared to when the non-visible area is specified as the visible area. Therefore, it is possible to reduce power consumption in the area outside the visible area of ​​the display area of ​​the display. As a result, even if the screen of the display installed in the vehicle is enlarged, it is possible to reduce wasted power consumption of the display. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an HCU 10. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an example of specifying an area when no blurred area is provided. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an example of specifying an area when a blurred area is provided. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining changes in the width of a blurred region depending on the occupant distance; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining brightness control of an intersection area. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of brightness control-related processing in the HCU 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A number of embodiments for the purpose of disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, parts having the same functions as parts shown in the drawings used in the previous explanations in the number of embodiments will be given the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted. For parts given the same reference numerals, the explanations in other embodiments may be referred to.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) <General configuration of vehicle system 1> A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used in a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 1 includes an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 10, an autonomous driving ECU 11, an interior camera 12, and a display 13. For example, the HCU 10 and the autonomous driving ECU 11 may be configured to be connected to an in-vehicle LAN (see the LAN in FIG. 1). In the following, a case where the vehicle using the vehicle system 1 is an automobile will be described as an example. Note that the vehicle using the vehicle system 1 is not necessarily limited to an automobile. The vehicle using the vehicle system 1 will be referred to as the host vehicle below.

[0013] The autonomous driving ECU 11 is an electronic control device that includes, for example, a processor, memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The autonomous driving ECU 11 executes control programs stored in the memory to perform processes related to autonomous driving. The autonomous driving ECU 11 is capable of switching the degree of autonomous driving of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the automation level). There can be multiple automation levels, as defined by, for example, the SAE. The automation levels are classified, for example, into levels 0 to 5 as follows:

[0014] Level 0 is the level at which the driver performs all driving tasks without intervention from the vehicle's systems. Driving tasks can also be referred to as dynamic driving tasks. Examples of driving tasks include steering, acceleration / deceleration, and peripheral monitoring. Level 0 corresponds to so-called manual driving. Level 1 is the level at which the system assists with either steering or acceleration / deceleration. Level 1 corresponds to so-called driver assistance. Level 2 is the level at which the system assists with both steering and acceleration / deceleration. Level 2 corresponds to so-called partial driving automation. Levels 1 and 2 are also considered part of automated driving. Level 3 is the level at which the system can perform all driving tasks in specific locations, such as highways, and the driver takes over driving operations in emergencies. At Level 3, the driver is required to respond quickly when the system requests a takeover. Level 3 corresponds to so-called conditional driving automation. Level 4 is the level at which the system can perform all driving tasks except under certain circumstances, such as on roads that cannot be handled or in extreme environments. Level 4 corresponds to so-called high driving automation. Level 5 is the level at which the system can perform all driving tasks in all environments. Level 5 corresponds to what is known as fully automated driving.

[0015] The host vehicle of this embodiment may be configured to be able to switch the automation level only among some of levels 0 to 5. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the host vehicle is able to switch between manual driving and automated driving at level 1 or higher.

[0016] The interior camera 12 captures an image of a predetermined range inside the vehicle. It is preferable that the interior camera 12 captures an image of at least an area including the driver's seat of the vehicle. It is more preferable that the interior camera 12 captures an image of an area including the passenger seat in addition to the driver's seat of the vehicle. The interior camera 12 may capture an image of an area including the passenger seat and rear seats in addition to the driver's seat of the vehicle. There may be multiple interior cameras 12.

[0017] The interior camera 12 includes, for example, a near-infrared light source, a near-infrared camera, and a control unit for controlling them. The control unit analyzes an image captured by the near-infrared camera. The control unit detects the presence of an occupant by recognizing the occupant's face. The control unit analyzes the captured image to detect facial features of the occupant. The control unit detects the occupant's facial direction based on the detected facial features of the occupant. As an example, the control unit may detect the occupant's facial direction from the relative positional relationship of each part of the face. The facial direction angle may be expressed, for example, by defining the occupant's forward direction as 0 degrees, with a rotation angle to the right from the forward direction as a positive angle and a rotation angle to the left as a negative angle. The occupant's facial direction may be calculated two-dimensionally as horizontal movement, or three-dimensionally as horizontal and vertical movement. In this embodiment, a case in which the occupant's facial direction is calculated two-dimensionally as horizontal movement will be described.

[0018] The control unit may detect the gaze direction of the occupant. In this case, the control unit detects the pupil and corneal reflex from the captured image by image recognition processing. Then, the gaze direction is detected from the detected facial direction and the positional relationship between the detected pupil and corneal reflex. The gaze direction may be expressed as a straight line starting from the eye point, which is the position of the occupant's eyes. The eye point may be specified as coordinates in a three-dimensional space with a predetermined position on the vehicle as the origin, for example. The coordinates of the eye point may be specified based on the correspondence between the eye position in the captured image and a position in the three-dimensional space.

[0019] The display 13 displays information. The display 13 is provided inside the vehicle. Examples of the display 13 include a meter MID (Multi Information Display), a CID (Center Information Display), a passenger seat display, a HUD (Head-Up Display), an electronic mirror, and a large display. The display 13 is capable of partially controlling the brightness within the display area. For example, an organic EL display or the like may be used as the display 13.

[0020] The meter MID is a display device placed in front of the driver's seat. The display area of ​​the meter MID is assumed to be provided in the same position as the location of the meter MID. As an example, the meter MID may be configured to be provided in the meter panel. The CID is a display device placed in the center cluster. The display area of ​​the CID is assumed to be provided in the same position as the location of the CID. The passenger seat side display is a display device placed in front of the passenger seat. The display area of ​​the passenger seat side display is assumed to be provided in the same position as the location of the passenger seat side display.

[0021] The HUD projects a display image formed on a display element based on image data acquired from the HCU 10 onto a projection area defined on a projection member in front of the driver's seat. This allows a virtual image of the display image to be superimposed on the external scenery in front of the vehicle and be displayed so as to be visible. The projection area defined on the projection member in front of the driver's seat corresponds to the display area. The projection member onto which the HUD projects the display image may be a front windshield or a translucent combiner.

[0022] An electronic mirror is a display that sequentially displays imaging images of the left and right rear sides and / or the rear of the host vehicle that are sequentially imaged by a surrounding monitoring camera. The surrounding monitoring camera is a camera that images a predetermined range around the host vehicle. The electronic mirror that performs the function of a side mirror may be configured to be respectively arranged at the bases of the left and right pillars located on both sides of the front windshield. The electronic mirror that performs the function of a rearview mirror may be configured to be arranged above the front windshield. The display area of the electronic mirror shall be provided at the same position as the arrangement position of the electronic mirror.

[0023] Examples of a large-sized display include a pillar-to-pillar type display (hereinafter referred to as a PtoP display). The PtoP display is a display in which a display area extends between the left and right pillars located on both sides of the front windshield. The PtoP display may be realized by arranging a plurality of displays in a horizontal row on the instrument panel. The PtoP display may also be configured to be realized by one display.

[0024] The HCU10 is an electronic control device including, for example, a processor, a memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these components. The HCU10 controls the display on the display 13 by executing a control program stored in the memory. This HCU10 corresponds to a vehicle display control device. The memory mentioned here is a non-transitory tangible storage medium that non-temporarily stores programs and data readable by a computer. Also, the non-transitory tangible storage medium is realized by a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk or the like. The display 13 whose display is controlled by the HCU10 may be of multiple types. Details of the HCU10 will be described below.

[0025] <Schematic configuration of HCU10> Next, a schematic configuration of the HCU 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the HCU 10 includes an occupant state identification unit 101, an area identification unit 102, a distance identification unit 103, a vehicle state identification unit 104, and a display control unit 105 as functional blocks. Execution of processing of each functional block of the HCU 10 by a computer corresponds to execution of a vehicle display control method. Some or all of the functions executed by the HCU 10 may be configured as hardware using one or more ICs or the like. Some or all of the functional blocks included in the HCU 10 may be realized by a combination of software execution by a processor and hardware components.

[0026] The occupant state identification unit 101 identifies the state of an occupant of the vehicle. The occupant state identification unit 101 may identify the presence of an occupant of the vehicle from the detection result of the presence of an occupant of the vehicle by the interior camera 12. When there are multiple occupants in the vehicle, the occupant state identification unit 101 may identify the presence of multiple occupants. The occupant state identification unit 101 may also identify the type of occupant from the position where the occupant is recognized in the image captured by the interior camera 12. The occupant type may be a driver, a front passenger seat occupant, a rear seat occupant, etc. A driver is an occupant sitting in the driver's seat. A front passenger seat occupant is an occupant sitting in the front passenger seat. A rear seat occupant is an occupant sitting in the rear seat. In the following description, the occupant state identification unit 101 will be described as distinguishing between, for example, a driver and a front passenger seat occupant as the type of occupant.

[0027] The occupant state identification unit 101 may identify the facial direction of the occupant of the vehicle from the detection result of the facial direction by the interior camera 12. The occupant state identification unit 101 may also identify the gaze direction of the occupant of the vehicle from the detection result of the gaze direction by the interior camera 12. The occupant state identification unit 101 may also be configured to partially perform the functions of the control unit of the interior camera 12 described above. The occupant state identification unit 101 may detect the presence, facial direction, and gaze direction of the occupant based on the image captured by the interior camera 12.

[0028] The region identification unit 102 identifies a region (hereinafter, "visible region") that is estimated to be the occupant's gaze based on the result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle. The region identification unit 102 may identify the visible region based on the facial direction of the occupant identified by the occupant state identification unit 101. The visible region may be a range that corresponds to the so-called effective field of view. The effective field of view is a range of approximately 20 degrees, 10 degrees to the left and 10 degrees to the right from the person's point of gaze. The effective field of view is a range in which the color and shape of an object can be recognized almost clearly. The range outside the effective field of view corresponds to the peripheral field of view. The peripheral field of view is a range in which the color and shape of an object cannot be recognized clearly, but the movement of the object can be recognized. The visible region may be a range that adds a margin to the effective field of view, taking into account an error in identifying the visible region based on the result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle. Alternatively, the visible region may be a range that adds a margin to the effective field of view so as to include a range of the effective field of view that anticipates movements in the facial direction and gaze direction. For example, the visible region may be a range of several tens of degrees to the left and several tens of degrees to the right and several tens of degrees to the left and several tens of degrees from the person's point of gaze. The region identification unit 102 may identify the visual recognition region from the facial direction by utilizing a correspondence relationship between the facial direction and the visual recognition region that has been previously associated. This correspondence relationship may be a mathematical formula or a map. The region identification unit 102 may identify the visual recognition region based on the gaze direction of the occupant identified by the occupant state identification unit 101. In this case, the visual recognition region may be identified from the gaze direction by utilizing a correspondence relationship between the gaze direction and the visual recognition region that has been previously associated. This processing by the region identification unit 102 corresponds to a region identification step.

[0029] The shape of the visual recognition area identified by the area identification unit 102 may be elliptical or circular. The range of a person's effective visual field on the display area of ​​the display device 13 is elliptical. However, if the boundary for brightness control (described later) depending on whether or not the area is a visual recognition area is elliptical, it may cause discomfort to the occupant compared to when the boundary is rectangular. Therefore, it is preferable that the shape of the visual recognition area identified by the area identification unit 102 is rectangular. The following description will be given taking as an example a case where the shape of the visual recognition area identified by the area identification unit 102 is rectangular.

[0030] It is preferable that the region identification unit 102 additionally identifies a blurred region at the boundary between the visible region and the non-visible region outside the visible region within the display region of one display device 13. The blurred region is a region for blurring the difference in luminance between the visible region and the non-visible region. As will be described later, the display luminance of the non-visible region is lowered compared to when the region identification unit 102 identifies the non-visible region. Here, if a blurred region is not provided, the occupant may perceive the steep difference in luminance between the non-visible region and the visible region, which may cause discomfort to the occupant. In contrast, by providing a blurred region, the luminance of the non-visible region can be suppressed while preventing discomfort to the occupant. If a blurred region is not provided, the region identification unit 102 may identify the area outside the visible region as the non-visible region. If a blurred region is provided, the region identification unit 102 may identify the display region other than the visible region and the blurred region as the non-visible region.

[0031] Here, the identification of an area by the area identification unit 102 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example in which no blurred area is provided. In the example of Figure 3, an example in which the occupant is the driver Dr will be described. The dashed-dotted line in Figure 3 indicates the front position of the driver Dr. DrAR in Figure 3 represents the area identified by the area identification unit 102 for the driver Dr. VAR in Figure 3 represents the visible area. NVAR in Figure 3 represents the non-visible area. NBLD in Figure 3 represents the luminance distribution within the display area of ​​one display 13 in the case in which no blurred area is provided. As will be described later, as shown in Figure 3, in the visible area within the display area, the luminance is not reduced from the default, as indicated by A. On the other hand, in the non-visible area within the display area, the luminance is reduced from the default, as indicated by B.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a blurred area is provided. In the example of FIG. 4, the case where the occupant is the driver Dr will also be described. The dashed-dotted line in FIG. 4 also indicates the front position of the driver Dr. BAR in FIG. 4 indicates the blurred area. HBLD in FIG. 4 represents the luminance distribution within the display area of ​​one display 13 when a blurred area is provided. As will be described later, as shown in FIG. 4, in the blurred area within the display area, the luminance gradually decreases from the luminance of the visible area to the luminance of the non-visible area, as indicated by C.

[0033] When there are multiple occupants in the vehicle, the region identification unit 102 preferably identifies a visible region and a blurred region for each of the multiple occupants in the display region of one display device 13. The region identification unit 102 may determine whether there are multiple occupants in the vehicle from the presence of the occupants of the vehicle identified by the occupant state identification unit 101. Note that the region identification unit 102 may be configured not to identify a visible region and a blurred region for occupants other than the driver.

[0034] The distance determination unit 103 determines the distance from the occupant to a position on the display area of ​​the display device 13 (hereinafter referred to as the occupant distance). The distance determination unit 103 may determine the distance from the occupant to the edge of the visible area determined by the area determination unit 102. The edge of the visible area may be, for example, the edge in the left-right direction of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the left edge of the visible area will be referred to as the left edge. Hereinafter, the right edge of the visible area will be referred to as the right edge. Note that if the display area of ​​the display device 13 extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the above-mentioned left and right may be replaced with front and rear. The distance determination unit 103 determines the occupant distance for each of the left edge and the right edge. The distance determination unit 103 may determine the occupant distance from the position of the edge of the visible area using a correspondence relationship between the position on the display area and the occupant distance, which is previously associated with the type of occupant. This correspondence relationship may be a mathematical formula or a map. The position of the edge of the visible area may be the position of a representative point among the edges, such as the center point of the vehicle in the vertical direction.

[0035] It is preferable that the region identification unit 102 identifies the blur region with a wider width as the occupant distance becomes closer based on the occupant distance identified by the distance identification unit 103. For the blur region on the left edge side, the region identification unit 102 may identify the blur region with a starting point at the left edge as the occupant distance to the left edge becomes closer. For the blur region on the right edge side, the region identification unit 102 may identify the blur region with a starting point at the right edge as the occupant distance to the right edge becomes closer. The wider the width of the blur region, the more ambiguous the boundary between the visible region and the non-visible region becomes, making it less likely that the occupant will feel uncomfortable. With the above configuration, it is possible to make the blur region closer to the occupant and easier to see less likely to cause discomfort.

[0036] Here, using FIG. 5, we will explain how the width of the blurred area changes depending on the occupant distance. In the example of FIG. 5, we will also explain the case where the occupant is the driver Dr. The dashed line in FIG. 5 also indicates the front position of the driver Dr. In the example of FIG. 5, the visible area of ​​the driver Dr is shifted to the left from the front position compared to the example of FIG. 3. In other words, the example of FIG. 5 shows a case where the driver Dr's line of sight is shifted to the left from the front position. BARL in FIG. 5 indicates the blurred area on the left edge side. BARR in FIG. 5 indicates the blurred area on the right edge side. As shown in FIG. 5, the width of the blurred area BARR on the right edge side, which is closer to the driver Dr, is wider than the width of the blurred area BARL on the left edge side, which is farther from the driver Dr.

[0037] It is preferable that the area identification unit 102 does not identify a blurred area in an area where the edge of the visible area coincides with the edge of the content displayed in the display area. In other words, it is preferable not to provide a blurred area in an area where the edge of the visible area coincides with the edge of the content displayed in the display area. This is because the edge of the content is less likely to cause discomfort to the occupants even if the change in brightness is abrupt. Examples of content displayed in the display area include navigation information, audio information, meter information, and entertainment information. Navigation information is, for example, a route guidance image. Audio information is, for example, an image related to the operation of audio equipment. Meter information is, for example, an image that schematically represents an instrument. Entertainment information is, for example, an image of a movie. The edge of the content refers to the boundary between content when multiple content is displayed within the display area of ​​a single display 13.

[0038] The vehicle state identification unit 104 identifies the state of the host vehicle. The vehicle state identification unit 104 identifies whether the host vehicle is being manually driven or automatically driven by monitoring the automatic driving ECU 11. Note that the automatic driving may be limited to automatic driving of LV3 or higher without a monitoring obligation.

[0039] The display control unit 105 controls the display on the display device 13. The display control unit 105 controls the brightness within the display area of ​​the display device 13. The display control unit 105 is capable of partially controlling the brightness within the display area of ​​the display device 13. The display control unit 105 controls the brightness of a region of the display area of ​​one display device 13 that is identified by the region identification unit 102 as a non-visual region so as to be lower than the brightness of a region identified as a visible region. For example, the brightness of the visible region is not lowered from the default brightness, whereas the brightness of the non-visual region is lowered below the default brightness. This processing by the display control unit 105 corresponds to a display control step. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption in the non-visual region of the display area of ​​one display device 13. As a result, even if the screen of the display device 13 installed in the vehicle is enlarged, it is possible to reduce wasteful power consumption of the display device 13. The display control unit 105 may set the brightness of the non-visual region to 0, or may not lower the brightness of the non-visual region to 0. Reducing the brightness of the non-visible region of the display region compared to when the non-visible region is identified as the visible region will be referred to as brightness reduction processing below.

[0040] When performing the brightness reduction process, the display control unit 105 preferably controls the brightness reduction so that the greater the importance of the content displayed in the display area with respect to driving the vehicle, the smaller the extent to which the brightness is reduced. It is considered that the higher the importance of content with respect to driving the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as driving importance), the greater the need to maintain higher brightness. This is because the lower the brightness of the area, the less likely the occupants will be aware of the content. In contrast, with the above configuration, it is possible to maintain higher brightness for content with higher driving importance while reducing the brightness of the non-visual area. The display control unit 105 may determine the driving importance of the content based on a correspondence relationship between the type of content and the driving importance that is previously associated. For example, navigation information and meter information may be classified as having high driving importance. Audio information and entertainment information may be classified as having low driving importance. The driving importance may be classified into two categories: high and low.

[0041] It is preferable that the display control unit 105 controls the brightness of the display area so that it increases as the occupant distance increases based on the occupant distance determined by the distance determination unit 103. This is because, if the brightness of the display area is uniform, the area farther away from the occupant appears darker. With the above configuration, it is possible to make the display area easier to see regardless of the distance from the occupant.

[0042] When performing the brightness reduction process, the display control unit 105 preferably controls the brightness reduction so that the extent of the brightness reduction differs depending on whether the vehicle is being driven automatically or manually. The content required differs between automatic and manual driving. In contrast, the above configuration makes it possible to maintain a higher brightness for the content required depending on whether the vehicle is being driven automatically or manually, while reducing the brightness of the non-visible area.

[0043] During manual driving, the display control unit 105 may reduce the brightness by a smaller amount for content with a higher driving importance. This is because it is considered that the higher the driving importance of content is, the more necessary it is during manual driving. During manual driving, the display control unit 105 may reduce the brightness by a smaller amount for content with a higher driving importance. During manual driving, the display control unit 105 may reduce the brightness by a larger amount for content with a lower driving importance. This is because it is considered that the higher the driving importance of content is, the more necessary it is during manual driving. On the other hand, during autonomous driving, the display control unit 105 may uniformly reduce the brightness by a smaller amount regardless of the driving importance. This is because the impact of attracting attention to content on driving is smaller during autonomous driving.

[0044] The display control unit 105 preferably controls the brightness of the blurred region of the display region so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible region to the brightness of the non-visual region. This makes it possible to suppress the brightness of the non-visual region while minimizing the discomfort felt by the occupants. The visible region and the blurred region are identified by the region identification unit 102.

[0045] When the display control unit 105 identifies the visual recognition areas of a plurality of passengers by the area identification unit 102, it may control to reduce the brightness of the areas corresponding to the non-visual recognition areas for any of the passengers. Reducing the brightness here refers to reducing it compared to the case of identifying the visual recognition areas.

[0046] The display control unit 105 may control the brightness of the area corresponding to the area where the blurring areas for a plurality of passengers intersect in the display area to be the same as the brightness when identifying the visual recognition areas. The area corresponding to the area where the blurring areas for a plurality of passengers intersect is hereinafter referred to as the intersection area. The intersection area is an area sandwiched between the visual recognition areas. Therefore, if the brightness of the intersection area is reduced compared to the visual recognition areas, there is a possibility of giving the passengers a sense of discomfort. In contrast, according to the above configuration, such a sense of discomfort can be avoided for the passengers.

[0047] Here, the brightness control of the intersection area will be described using FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the case where the passengers are the driver Dr and the passenger in the passenger seat Ps will be described as an example. The dashed line in FIG. 6 indicates the front position of the driver Dr. The dotted line in FIG. 6 indicates the front position of the passenger in the passenger seat Ps. DrAR in FIG. 6 represents the area identified by the area identification unit 102 for the driver Dr. PsAR in FIG. 6 represents the area identified by the area identification unit 102 for the passenger in the passenger seat Ps. IAR in FIG. 6 indicates the intersection area. The blurring area BAR in FIG. 6 corresponds to the right end side blurring area for the driver Dr. As shown in FIG. 6, the areas corresponding to the visual recognition areas of the driver Dr and the passenger in the passenger seat Ps do not have their brightness reduced. Also, for the intersection area IAR, the brightness is not reduced in the same manner as the visual recognition areas.

[0048] <Brightness Control Related Processing in HCU10> Subsequently, using the flowchart of FIG. 7, an example of the flow of processing related to the brightness control (hereinafter referred to as brightness control related processing) within the display area of one display 13 in HCU10 will be described. The flowchart of FIG. 7 may be configured to start, for example, when the power switch of the host vehicle is turned on. The power switch is a switch for starting an internal combustion engine or a motor generator.

[0049] First, in step S1, the driver and vehicle states are identified. In S1, the occupant state identification unit 101 identifies the presence of an occupant, their facial direction, etc. In S1, the vehicle state identification unit 104 identifies whether the vehicle is being manually driven or automatically driven. In step S2, the area identification unit 102 identifies the visible area of ​​the occupant based on the facial direction identified in S1.

[0050] In step S3, the distance identification unit 103 identifies the occupant distance to the edge of the visible area based on the visible area identified in S2. In step S4, the area identification unit 102 identifies a blurred area for the occupant based on the visible area identified in S2 and the occupant distance identified in S3. Also in S4, the area identification unit 102 identifies the display area other than the visible area and the blurred area as a non-visual area.

[0051] In step S5, the display control unit 105 performs brightness control on the display area of ​​the display device 13 according to the area identified in S4. This is described in detail above. In S5, as described above, brightness control may be performed according to whether the vehicle is being driven automatically or manually. In S5, as described above, brightness control may be performed according to the type of content displayed in the display area.

[0052] In step S6, if it is time to end the brightness control-related process (YES in S6), the brightness control-related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not time to end the brightness control-related process (NO in S6), the process returns to S1 and repeats. The brightness control-related process can be ended when the power switch is turned off, for example.

[0053] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, a configuration in which no shading areas are provided at the top and bottom edges of the visible area is shown, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a configuration in which shading areas are provided at the top and bottom edges of the visible area may be used.

[0054] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also within the technical scope of the present disclosure. The control unit and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a special-purpose computer comprising a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a special-purpose hardware logic circuit. Alternatively, the apparatus and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor executing a computer program with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 Vehicle system, 10 HCU (vehicle display control device), 13 Display, 102 Area determination unit, 103 Distance determination unit, 105 Display control unit

Claims

1. A vehicle display control device is used in a vehicle and includes a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may be gazing at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; The display control unit controls the brightness of a non-visible area of ​​the display area of ​​one of the displays, which is outside the area identified as the visible area by the area identification unit, to be lowered compared to when it is identified as the visible area, and when lowering the brightness of the non-visible area of ​​the display area compared to when it is identified as the visible area, the vehicle display control device controls the brightness reduction to be smaller the greater the importance of the content displayed in the display area with respect to driving the vehicle.

2. A vehicle display control device used in a vehicle capable of switching between manual driving and automatic driving, comprising a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may be gazing at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; The display control unit controls the brightness of non-visible areas of the display area of ​​one of the displays, which are outside the area identified as the visible area by the area identification unit, to be lowered compared to when the area is identified as the visible area, and when lowering the brightness of the area identified as the non-visible area of ​​the display area compared to when it is identified as the visible area, the vehicle display control device controls the brightness to be reduced by a different amount when the vehicle is being driven autonomously and when the vehicle is being driven manually.

3. A vehicle display control device is used in a vehicle and includes a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may be gazing at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; the display control unit controls the luminance of a non-visible region, which is outside the region identified as the visible region by the region identification unit, in the display region of one of the display devices, to be lower than the luminance of a non-visible region identified as the visible region by the region identification unit, the region specifying unit additionally specifies a blurred region at a boundary between the visible region and the non-visible region outside the visible region within the display region of one of the displays, for blurring a difference in luminance between the visible region and the non-visible region; and when a plurality of occupants are present in the vehicle, the region specifying unit specifies the visible region and the blurred region for each of the plurality of occupants within the display region of one of the displays; The display control unit controls the brightness of the blurred area of ​​the display area so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area, and controls the brightness of the area of ​​the display area that corresponds to the area where the blurred areas for multiple occupants intersect so that it is the same brightness as when it is identified as the visible area.

4. A vehicle display control device is used in a vehicle and includes a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may be gazing at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; a distance specifying unit (103) for specifying a distance from the occupant to a position on the display area, the display control unit controls the luminance of a non-visible region, which is outside the region identified as the visible region by the region identification unit, in the display region of one of the display devices, to be lower than the luminance of a non-visible region identified as the visible region by the region identification unit, the area specifying unit additionally specifies a blurred area at a boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one of the displays, for blurring a difference in luminance between the visible area and the non-visible area, and specifies a width of the blurred area to be wider as the distance from the occupant becomes closer based on the distance from the occupant to a position on the display area specified by the distance specifying unit; The display control unit controls the brightness of the blurred region of the display region so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible region to the brightness of the non-visible region.

5. A vehicle display control device is used in a vehicle and includes a display control unit (105) capable of partially controlling the brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying unit (102) that specifies a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may be gazing at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; the display control unit controls the luminance of a non-visible region, which is outside the region identified as the visible region by the region identification unit, in the display region of one of the display devices, to be lower than the luminance of a non-visible region identified as the visible region by the region identification unit, the region specifying unit additionally specifies a blurred region at a boundary between the visible region and the non-visible region outside the visible region within the display region of one of the displays, for blurring a difference in luminance between the visible region and the non-visible region, and does not specify the blurred region for a region where an edge of the visible region coincides with an edge of the content displayed in the display region; The display control unit controls the brightness of the blurred region of the display region so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible region to the brightness of the non-visible region.

6. Executed by at least one processor, A display control method for a vehicle, the method including a display control step for partially controlling brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying step of specifying a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may gaze at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; In the display control process, the brightness of a non-visible area of ​​the display area of ​​one of the displays, which is outside the area identified as the visible area in the area identification process, is reduced compared to when it is identified as the visible area, and when the brightness of the non-visible area of ​​the display area is reduced compared to when it is identified as the visible area, the vehicle display control method controls so that the greater the importance of the content displayed in the display area with respect to driving the vehicle, the smaller the extent of the brightness reduction.

7. Executed by at least one processor, A vehicle display control method used in a vehicle capable of switching between manual driving and automatic driving, the method including a display control step capable of partially controlling brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying step of specifying a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may gaze at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; In the display control process, the brightness of a non-visible area of ​​the display area of ​​one of the displays, which is outside the area identified as the visible area in the area identification process, is reduced compared to when it is identified as the visible area, and when the brightness of the area identified as the non-visible area of ​​the display area is reduced compared to when it is identified as the visible area, the brightness is controlled so that the amount of reduction in brightness differs when the vehicle is being driven autonomously and when the vehicle is being driven manually.

8. Executed by at least one processor, A display control method for a vehicle, the method including a display control step for partially controlling brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying step of specifying a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may gaze at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; In the display control step, a luminance of a non-visual area, which is outside the area identified as the visible area in the area identification step, is reduced compared to when the non-visual area is identified as the visible area, in the display area of ​​one of the display devices; In the area specifying step, a blurred area is additionally specified at a boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one of the displays, in order to blur the luminance difference between the visible area and the non-visible area. When a plurality of occupants are present in the vehicle, the visible area and the blurred area are specified for each of the plurality of occupants within the display area of ​​one of the displays. In the display control process, the brightness of the blurred area of ​​the display area is controlled so that it gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible area to the brightness of the non-visible area, and the brightness of the area of ​​the display area that corresponds to the area where the blurred areas for multiple occupants intersect is controlled so that it is the same brightness as when it is identified as the visible area.

9. Executed by at least one processor, A display control method for a vehicle, the method including a display control step for partially controlling brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying step of specifying a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may gaze at, based on the result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; a distance specifying step of specifying a distance from the occupant to a position on the display area, In the display control step, a luminance of a non-visual area, which is outside the area identified as the visible area in the area identification step, is reduced compared to when the non-visual area is identified as the visible area, in the display area of ​​one of the display devices; In the area specifying step, a blurred area is additionally specified at a boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one of the displays, in order to blur the difference in luminance between the visible area and the non-visible area. Based on the distance from the occupant to a position on the display area specified in the distance specifying step, the width of the blurred area is specified to be wider as the distance from the occupant becomes closer. In the display control step, the brightness of the blurred region of the display region is controlled so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible region to the brightness of the non-visible region.

10. Executed by at least one processor, A display control method for a vehicle, the method including a display control step for partially controlling brightness within a display area of ​​a display device (13) mounted on the vehicle, an area specifying step of specifying a visual recognition area, which is an area that is estimated to be a region that the occupant may gaze at, based on a result of detecting the occupant of the vehicle; In the display control step, a luminance of a non-visual area, which is outside the area identified as the visible area in the area identification step, is reduced compared to when the non-visual area is identified as the visible area, in the display area of ​​one of the display devices; In the area specifying step, a blurred area is additionally specified at a boundary between the visible area and the non-visible area outside the visible area within the display area of ​​one of the displays, for blurring the luminance difference between the visible area and the non-visible area, and the blurred area is not specified for an area where an edge of the visible area coincides with an edge of the content displayed in the display area, In the display control step, the brightness of the blurred region of the display region is controlled so that the brightness gradually decreases from the brightness of the visible region to the brightness of the non-visible region.

Images