Display control device, vehicle display device, display control method and program

Abstract

To obtain a vehicular display device which can emphatically convey changes of an operation state of vehicle functions, which are hard for occupants to notice, to the occupant through visual sensation.SOLUTION: A vehicular display device 10 includes a liquid crystal screen 22A provided at a meter display 22 and a projected screen 24A provided at a head-up display 24 as a display part 20. The vehicular display device 10 includes a CPU 32 which causes the projected screen 24A to display an image showing an operation state of functions related to a vehicle 12 and then causes the liquid crystal screen 22A to perform transfer display of the image when the operation state automatically changes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle display device that includes a meter as a first display and a head-up display as a second display. The vehicle display device has a function of linking the brightness of the meter display and the head-up display display. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-230625 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, in a vehicle display device equipped with a meter and a head-up display, it is desirable to link the content displayed on the meter and the content displayed on the head-up display so that the user can intuitively understand the content.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a display control device, a vehicle display device, a display control method, and a program that can visually highlight changes in the operating status of vehicle functions that are difficult for occupants to notice. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the vehicle display device includes a first display unit provided on a meter display and visible to vehicle occupants, a second display unit provided on the projection surface of a head-up display and displayed adjacent to and above the first display unit at the occupant's line of sight, and a control unit that, when the operating state of a function related to the vehicle automatically changes, displays an image indicating the operating state on the second display unit and then shifts the image to be displayed on the first display unit.

[0007] "Transitional display" means that a display corresponding to or related to a display that has been erased from one display unit appears on another display unit. The timing of erasure and appearance may be simultaneous or there may be a time lag. Furthermore, "operational state" includes the operating or inoperable state of a device related to a vehicle function, as well as the setting state of enabling or disabling the function.

[0008] The vehicle display device of the first aspect is applied to a vehicle equipped with automatic functions such as automatic headlights, automatic wipers, etc. For example, even if the headlights are on at dusk, it is difficult to notice through the window, but the vehicle display device of the first aspect can visually emphasize and notify the occupant of operating states that are difficult for the occupant to notice, such as the on state of the automatic headlights.

[0009] A second aspect of the vehicle display device includes a first display unit provided on a meter display and visible to vehicle occupants, a second display unit provided on the projection surface of a head-up display and displayed adjacent to and above the first display unit at the occupant's line of sight, and a control unit that, when a function that is enabled at the time of starting the vehicle is disabled by the occupant, periodically displays an image indicating the disabled state on the second display unit and then transitions the image to be displayed on the first display unit.

[0010] The meanings of "transition display" and "operation state" are as described above. The vehicle display device of the second aspect is applied to a vehicle equipped with safety functions such as VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) and a lane keeping system. For example, even if a safety function such as VSC is disabled and its status is displayed on the meter, if the disabled state is normal, the occupant may not notice that the function has been disabled. In contrast, the vehicle display device of the second aspect can visually emphasize and notify the occupant of an operation state that is difficult for the occupant to notice, such as the disabled state of a safety function.

[0011] In the vehicle display device of the third aspect, the control unit causes the image that is previously displayed on the first display unit to be shifted to be displayed on the second display unit, and then causes the image to be shifted to be displayed on the first display unit again.

[0012] According to the vehicle display device of the third aspect, it is possible to notify the occupant that the operation state of the function has already changed before the image showing the operation state of the function is highlighted.

[0013] In the vehicle display device of a fourth aspect, the control unit executes the transition display of the image between the second display unit and the first display unit by animation.

[0014] According to the vehicle display device of the fourth aspect, it is possible to notify the occupant that a change in the operating state of a function has occurred without giving the occupant a sense of discomfort.

[0015] In the vehicle display device of a fifth aspect, the control unit causes the second display unit and the first display unit to display the image with different designs.

[0016] The vehicle display device of the fifth aspect is applied to a case where a simple indicator is used for notification in the first display unit, but the function is visually represented in the second display unit. The vehicle display device of the fifth aspect can assist an occupant in understanding vehicle functions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, changes in the operating state of vehicle functions that are difficult for occupants to notice can be visually emphasized and communicated to occupants. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a display unit provided at a driver's seat as a vehicle display device according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle display device according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3] 1A to 1E are diagrams showing images displayed on a display unit of a vehicle display device according to a first embodiment, showing (A) images before the headlights are turned on, (B) images during changes when the headlights are turned on, (C) images during changes when the headlights are turned on, (D) images after the headlights are turned on, and (E) images after a certain time has passed since the headlights were turned on. [Figure 4] 10A to 10E are diagrams showing images displayed on the display unit when the VSC function is disabled in a vehicle display device according to a second embodiment, showing (A) normal, (B) highlighting, (C) highlighting, (D) highlighting, and (E) a certain time after highlighting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] A vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Note that "front" in Figures 1, 3 and 4 means the front when observing the front of the vehicle from the rear of the vehicle.

[0020] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 shows a vehicle display device 10 according to a first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle display device 10 according to this embodiment includes a display unit 20 provided in front of an occupant in the driver's seat of a vehicle 12, and a control device 30 that controls the image of content to be displayed on the display unit 20.

[0021] The display unit 20 has an LCD screen 22A as a first display unit provided on the meter display 22, and a projection screen 24A as a second display unit provided on the projection surface of the head-up display 24 and displayed adjacent to the LCD screen 22A above the vehicle at the occupant's eye level.

[0022] Supplementally, in the vehicle 12 of this embodiment, the meter display 22 is provided in front of the dashboard 14. The liquid crystal screen 22A is provided in front of this meter display 22. Furthermore, in the vehicle 12 of this embodiment, a head-up display 24 is provided on the dashboard 14 adjacent to the meter display 22 on the front side of the vehicle. The head-up display 24 has a projection unit (not shown) inside the dashboard 14, and an image is projected from the projection unit onto a projection screen 24A set on the windshield 16, which serves as a projection surface. Note that the projection surface of the head-up display 24 is not limited to the windshield 16, and a combiner (reflector) provided on the dashboard 14 may also be used as the projection surface.

[0023] The control device 30 is provided inside the dashboard 14, near the display unit 20. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 32, which is an example of a hardware processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 33, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 34, and an input / output interface (I / O) 36. The CPU 32, the ROM 33, the RAM 34, and the I / O 36 are interconnected via a bus 38. Note that the control device 30 may include a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) in addition to or instead of the ROM 33.

[0024] ROM 33 stores a display program for causing CPU 32 to execute display processing, and image data to be displayed on display unit 20. CPU 32 reads the display program from ROM 33 and loads it into RAM 34. CPU 32 then loads and executes the display program to operate as a control unit. The display program may be stored in a non-transitory recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), read via a recording medium reading device, and loaded into RAM 34.

[0025] The I / O 36 is connected to a meter display 22 and a head-up display 24 that constitute the display unit 20 .

[0026] Various ECUs (Electronic Control Units) are also connected to the I / O 36. The ECUs connected to the control device 30 include a vehicle control ECU 50, an engine ECU 52, a brake ECU 54, a body ECU 56, and a camera ECU 58. These ECUs are connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) 60. Note that the connection method is not limited to this, and various ECUs may be connected via a gateway ECU, for example.

[0027] The vehicle control ECU 50 is an ECU that controls safety functions such as VSC (Vehicle Stability Control), traction control, lane keeping system, etc. The vehicle control ECU 50 cooperates with other ECUs such as the engine ECU 52, brake ECU 54, camera ECU 58, etc. to realize the safety functions.

[0028] The engine ECU 52 is an ECU that controls the output of the engine. The engine ECU 52 acquires the vehicle speed and engine speed of the vehicle 12 in order to control the engine. In this embodiment, the engine ECU 52 transmits the vehicle speed and engine speed to the I / O 36.

[0029] The brake ECU 54 is an ECU that controls the brakes. For example, when the cruise control function is activated, the brake ECU 54 controls the brakes of each wheel to keep the vehicle 12 at a preset vehicle speed and to maintain a constant distance from the vehicle ahead.

[0030] The body ECU 56 is an ECU that controls various lights, including the headlights 40, power windows, etc. The vehicle 12 of this embodiment is equipped with automatic headlights that automatically turn on or off depending on the illuminance outside the vehicle. The body ECU 56 is electrically connected to an illuminance sensor 14A provided on the dashboard 14 and the headlights 40 provided at the front of the vehicle 12. The body ECU 56 turns on the headlights 40 when the illuminance outside the vehicle detected by the illuminance sensor 14A falls below a predetermined threshold, and turns off the headlights 40 when the illuminance outside the vehicle exceeds the threshold. The body ECU 56 then transmits the operating status of the headlights 40, whether they are on or off, to the I / O 36.

[0031] The camera ECU 58 has a function of detecting the situation around the vehicle 12 based on information acquired from various sensors such as a camera, millimeter-wave radar, and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) provided outside the vehicle 12. The camera ECU 58 detects a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 12 based on information acquired from the various sensors, and the vehicle control ECU 50 can follow the preceding vehicle while maintaining a constant inter-vehicle distance based on the detection information. The camera ECU 58 transmits the situation around the preceding vehicle and the vehicle 12 to the I / O 36 as detection information.

[0032] The vehicle display device 10 configured as above exhibits the following effects. As shown in Figures 3(A) to (E), in the display unit 20 of this embodiment, the liquid crystal screen 22A is located on the lower side of the vehicle at the eye level of the occupant sitting in the driver's seat, and the projection screen 24A is located adjacent to the liquid crystal screen 22A on the upper side of the vehicle.

[0033] 3(A) to 3(E) are examples showing the state of the display unit 20 in a vehicle 12 equipped with an automatic light function. As shown in Fig. 3(A), before the headlights 40 are turned on, a vehicle speed image 100 indicating the speed of the vehicle 12 is displayed in the center of the liquid crystal screen 22A. In addition, a vehicle speed image 110 indicating the speed of the vehicle 12 is displayed in the center of the projection screen 24A, and a level image 112 indicating the level of the vehicle speed is displayed around the vehicle speed image 110.

[0034] Here, when the illuminance outside the vehicle detected by the illuminance sensor 14A falls below a predetermined threshold, the body ECU 56 turns on the headlights 40 and transmits information indicating that the headlights 40 have been turned on to the control device 30. Then, when the control device 30 receives the information related to the turning on of the headlights 40, the image on the display unit 20 changes as follows.

[0035] First, the CPU 32 fades out the vehicle speed image 110 and the level image 112 downward on the projection screen 24A (see FIG. 3(B)), and then fades in the image image 120 simulating the on state of the headlights 40 from below (see FIG. 3(C)). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3(D), the CPU 32 displays the vehicle speed image 114, which has a smaller number of pixels than the image image 120, to the right of the image image 120.

[0036] Meanwhile, the CPU 32 displays a level image 102 indicating the degree of vehicle speed around the vehicle speed image 100 on the liquid crystal screen 22A, and displays a lighting indicator 130 indicating the lighting state of the headlights 40 on the left side of the liquid crystal screen 22A.

[0037] After the above changes, the image 120 and the vehicle speed image 114 are displayed on the projection screen 24A of the display unit 20. Then, after a predetermined time (about 2 to 3 seconds) has elapsed, the CPU 32 erases the vehicle speed image 114 and fades out the image 120 downward.

[0038] Furthermore, the CPU 32 fades out the image image 120 on the projection screen 24A and simultaneously erases the level image 102 on the liquid crystal screen 22A. Then, the CPU 32 fades in the vehicle speed image 110 and the level image 112 from below on the projection screen 24A. As a result, the image on the display unit 20 becomes as shown in FIG. 3(E). Note that the lit indicator 130 remains displayed on the left side of the liquid crystal screen 22A.

[0039] (Second embodiment) The second embodiment is an example of the display unit 20 when the VSC function is disabled by the occupant.

[0040] Normally, safety devices such as VSC are enabled when the vehicle 12 is started, but the function can be disabled using a switch (not shown) provided on the center console or the like. For example, if the occupant disables the VSC function, as shown in Fig. 4(A), a disabled indicator 140 indicating that the VSC function is disabled is displayed on the left side of the liquid crystal screen 22A.

[0041] At this time, a vehicle speed image 100 indicating the speed of the vehicle 12 is displayed in the center of the LCD screen 22A, and a vehicle speed image 110 indicating the speed of the vehicle 12 is displayed in the center of the projection screen 24A, and a level image 112 indicating the degree of vehicle speed is displayed around the vehicle speed image 110.

[0042] Here, when a preset time has elapsed since disabling the VSC function, the CPU 32 changes the display on the liquid crystal screen 22A and the projection screen 24A. Specifically, first, the CPU 32 fades out the vehicle speed image 110 and the level image 112 downward on the projection screen 24A. The CPU 32 also separates the invalid indicator 140 from its original position on the liquid crystal screen 22A, and moves the separated invalid indicator 140A diagonally upward and toward the center, fading it out from the liquid crystal screen 22A (see FIG. 4(B)).

[0043] Then, in accordance with fading out the invalid indicator 140A on the liquid crystal screen 22A, the CPU 32 causes an enlarged invalid indicator 142, which is an enlarged version of the invalid indicator 140, to fade in from below on the projection screen 24A (see FIG. 4(C)). Meanwhile, on the liquid crystal screen 22A, a level image 102 indicating the level of the vehicle speed is displayed around the vehicle speed image 100.

[0044] 4(D), on the display unit 20, the enlargement disable indicator 142 is displayed in the center of the projection screen 24A, and the disable indicator 140 is displayed on the left side of the liquid crystal screen 22A. Then, after a predetermined time (about 2 to 3 seconds) has elapsed, the CPU 32 fades out the enlargement disable indicator 142 downward.

[0045] The CPU 32 fades in the invalid indicator 140A from above on the liquid crystal screen 22A in accordance with the fading out of the enlarged invalid indicator 142 on the projection screen 24A. Then, the CPU 32 moves the faded-in invalid indicator 140A diagonally downward and to the left, disabling the VSC function and superimposing it on the displayed invalid indicator 140. The CPU 32 also fades in the vehicle speed image 110 and the level image 112 from below on the projection screen 24A.

[0046] After the above changes, each display unit 20 returns to the initial display state (see FIG. 4(A)), as shown in FIG. 4(E). In this embodiment, the changes in the image on the display unit 20 shown in FIGS. 4(A) to 4(E) are performed at preset time intervals, but this is not limiting, and the changes may also be performed when the vehicle 12 stops or when it enters a curve.

[0047] (Action and effect) The effects of the vehicle display device 10 of each of the above embodiments are as follows. The vehicular display device 10 of the first embodiment is characterized in that when the headlights 40 are automatically turned on by the auto light function, the CPU 32 as the control unit performs the following control: Specifically, the CPU 32 displays an image 120 indicating the lighting state on the projection screen 24A, and then shifts the image 120 to be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 22A in place of the lighting indicator 130.

[0048] Here, in the transition display in the first embodiment, the image 120 fades out from the projection screen 24A, and at the same time, the lighting indicator 130 related to the image 120 appears on the liquid crystal screen 22A. According to the vehicle display device 10 of the first embodiment, the lighting state of the headlights 40, which is normally notified on the liquid crystal screen 22A of the meter display 22, can be emphasized by the head-up display 24. For example, at dusk, even if the automatic light function is activated and the headlights 40 are turned on, the occupant may not notice. However, according to the first embodiment, the operating state of the headlights 40, which is difficult for the occupant to notice, can be visually emphasized and communicated to the occupant.

[0049] The vehicle display device 10 of the first embodiment is characterized in that different designs are displayed on the projection screen 24A and the LCD screen 22A to notify the lighting status. Specifically, in the first embodiment, a lighting indicator 130 with a simple design is displayed on the LCD screen 22A, and an image 120 that allows the lighting status to be visually understood is displayed on the projection screen 24A. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, even if the occupant does not understand the meaning of the indicator, the image displayed on the projection screen 24A can help the occupant understand the vehicle function related to the indicator.

[0050] Furthermore, the vehicle display device 10 of the second embodiment is characterized in that when a function such as VSC that is enabled at the time of starting the vehicle 12 is disabled by an occupant, the CPU 32 serving as the control unit performs the following control. Specifically, the CPU 32 periodically displays an enlarged disabled indicator 142 indicating a disabled state on the projection screen 24A, and then transitions the enlarged disabled indicator 142 to be displayed as a disabled indicator 140 on the liquid crystal screen 22A.

[0051] In the transition display in the second embodiment, the magnification disable indicator 142 fades out from the projection screen 24A, and at the same time, a disable indicator 140 having a smaller number of pixels than the magnification disable indicator 142 appears on the LCD screen 22A. When a safety function such as VSC is disabled, even if the disabled state is displayed on the LCD screen 22A, the occupant may not notice if the disabled state is normal. In contrast, the vehicle display device 10 of the second embodiment can visually emphasize and notify the occupant of an operating state that is difficult for the occupant to notice, such as the disabled state of a safety function.

[0052] The vehicle display device 10 of the second embodiment has the following feature: the CPU 32 enlarges the invalid indicator 140 that is previously displayed on the liquid crystal screen 22A, shifts it to be displayed on the projection screen 24A as the enlarged invalid indicator 142, and then shifts it to be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 22A again as the invalid indicator 140.

[0053] According to the second embodiment, it is possible to notify the occupant that the operation state of the function has already changed before the image showing the operation state of the function is highlighted.

[0054] The second embodiment is an example of a notification when the VSC function is disabled, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second embodiment can also be applied when the idling stop function is disabled, when the blind spot monitor is disabled, when the brake hold function is disabled, etc.

[0055] Furthermore, the vehicle display device 10 of each embodiment is characterized in that the CPU 32 executes the transition display of images between the liquid crystal screen 22A and the projection screen 24A using animation. That is, the vehicle display device 10 of each embodiment can notify the occupant that a change in the operating state of a function has occurred without giving the occupant a sense of discomfort.

[0056] In the vehicle display device 10 of each embodiment, when an indicator is highlighted using the projection screen 24A of the head-up display 24, the indicator is switched to the LCD screen 22A after a certain period of time has elapsed since the highlighting. By setting the highlighting period to a length that allows the occupant to reliably understand the content of the image, it is possible to prevent the occupant from feeling that the display is bothersome.

[0057] The animation on the display unit 20 in each embodiment relates to image movement such as fading in and out, but is not limited to this. For example, the indicator image may be changed continuously to different images, or the color or brightness may be changed as the image moves. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10 Vehicle display device 12 vehicles 16 Front window (projection surface) 22 Meter display 22A LCD screen (first display) 24 Head-up display 24A Projection screen (second display) 32 CPU (control unit) 120 Image (image showing the operating state) 130 Lighting indicator (image showing working status) 140 Disabled indicator (image showing disabled state) 140A Disabled Indicator (Image showing disabled state) 142 Enlarged Disabled Indicator (Image showing disabled state)

Claims

1. A display control device that controls a first display unit provided in a vehicle interior and a second display unit provided in a location different from a location where the first display unit is provided in the vehicle interior, a control unit that, when an operating state of a function related to the vehicle changes, erases a vehicle speed image indicating the vehicle speed from the second display unit, displays an image simulating the operating state on the second display unit, and displays information corresponding to the image on the first display unit; A display control device comprising:

2. The control unit The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the information displayed on the first display unit and the image displayed on the second display unit are displayed with different patterns.

3. The control unit The display control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transition of the information and the image between the second display unit and the first display unit is performed by animation.

4. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first display unit is a meter display, and the second display unit is a head-up display.

5. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; the first display unit; the second display unit; A vehicle display device comprising:

6. A display control method for controlling a first display unit provided in a vehicle interior and a second display unit provided in a location different from a location where the first display unit is provided in the vehicle interior, When an operating state of the function related to the vehicle changes, a vehicle speed image indicating the vehicle speed is erased from the second display unit, an image simulating the operating state is displayed on the second display unit, and information corresponding to the image is displayed on the first display unit. A display control method in which processing is performed by a computer.

7. A program for controlling a first display unit provided in a vehicle interior and a second display unit provided in a location different from a location where the first display unit is provided in the vehicle interior, When an operating state of the function related to the vehicle changes, a vehicle speed image indicating the vehicle speed is erased from the second display unit, an image simulating the operating state is displayed on the second display unit, and information corresponding to the image is displayed on the first display unit. A program that causes a computer to perform a process.

Images