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

Abstract

To display an image in a display area on the front side of a driver seat in a vehicle while suppressing hindrance to driving of a driver of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle display control device 12 acquires position information of a detection object in front of a vehicle. The vehicle display control device 12 generates an image which indicates a direction from the vehicle to the detection object based on the position information of the detection object. The vehicle display control device 12 limits displaying of an image in a predetermined area within a display area when the generated image is displayed in the display area on the front side of a driver seat in the vehicle, and allows the image to be displayed by superimposition on a foreground of the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a display control device for a vehicle that prevents the intended content of each image from being difficult to convey to the driver when a virtual image is superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle by projecting the image onto a projection member (see, for example, FIG. 6). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-001589 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when various information is displayed in a display area in front of the driver's seat of a vehicle, it is undesirable for the display to interfere with the driver's driving. Therefore, when various information is displayed in a display area in front of the driver's seat of a vehicle, it is required to display the various information in the display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while suppressing the driver's driving from being interfered with.

[0005] The vehicle display control device of Patent Document 1 above displays multiple groups of images, which are classified into multiple groups including a dynamic target group, a static target group, and a road surface group, on a single display by dividing the images into layers for each group. The vehicle display control device of Patent Document 1 aims to prevent the intended content of each image from being difficult to convey to the driver, but does not take into consideration that the display of these multiple images may interfere with the driver's driving.

[0006] Taking the above facts into consideration, the present disclosure aims to provide a vehicle display control device, a vehicle display control method, a vehicle display control program, and a vehicle that can display images in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while minimizing interference with the vehicle driver's driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the vehicle display control device includes an acquisition unit that acquires position information of a detected object in front of the vehicle, a generation unit that generates an image indicating the direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the position information of the detected object acquired by the acquisition unit, and a display control unit that, when displaying the image generated by the generation unit in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, limits the display of the image in a predetermined area within the display area and displays the image superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle.

[0008] The vehicular display control device acquires position information of a detected object in front of the vehicle. The vehicular display control device generates an image indicating the direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the acquired position information of the detected object. When displaying the generated image in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, the vehicular display control device limits the display of the image in a predetermined area within the display area and displays the image superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle. This allows the image to be displayed in the display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while minimizing interference with the driver's driving. Furthermore, the driver can be notified of vehicle surrounding information while minimizing interference with the driver's driving. Furthermore, by limiting the display of the image in the predetermined area, it is possible to reduce delays in the driver's detection of an obstacle in front of the vehicle. Furthermore, by limiting the display of the image in a predetermined area that is likely to interfere with the driver's driving, it is possible to reduce interference with the driver's driving.

[0009] In a second aspect of the vehicular display control device, in the vehicular display control device of the first aspect, when the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the display control unit limits the display of the image in the predetermined area so that the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area is less than the predetermined amount. This reduces the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area, making it possible to prevent the display of the image from interfering with the driver's driving.

[0010] A third aspect of the vehicular display control device is the vehicular display control device of the first or second aspect, wherein the predetermined area is an area in the display area that is equal to or higher than a reference height as seen by the driver of the vehicle. This limits the display of images in the upper area that is equal to or higher than the reference height as seen by the driver, which is likely to interfere with the driver's driving, thereby preventing the image display from interfering with the driver's driving. Specifically, limiting the display of images in the upper area that is equal to or higher than the reference height prevents the driver from discovering an obstacle late.

[0011] A fourth aspect of the vehicular display control device is the vehicular display control device of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the image extends from a lower portion of the display area toward the detected object as viewed by a driver of the vehicle, and the display control unit controls the display of the image from the lower portion of the display area to a location corresponding to the detected object when the distance between the vehicle and the detected object is equal to or less than a reference distance set according to the reference height, and controls the display of the image from the lower portion of the display area to a location corresponding to the reference height when the distance between the vehicle and the detected object exceeds the reference distance set according to the reference height. This changes the display mode of the image according to the reference distance set based on the reference height, thereby reducing the processing load when displaying the image.

[0012] A fifth aspect of the vehicular display control device is the vehicular display control device of any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the image includes a plurality of arrow figures arranged along a straight line connecting the lower center of the display area to the detected object as seen by the driver of the vehicle, thereby enabling the driver to quickly recognize an obstacle ahead of the vehicle.

[0013] A vehicle of a sixth aspect is a vehicle including the vehicular display control device of any one of the first to fifth aspects and a head-up display that displays the image in response to a control signal output from the vehicular display control device, thereby making it possible to display the image in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while minimizing the driver's interference with driving.

[0014] A seventh aspect of the vehicle display control method is a vehicle display control method in which a computer executes a process to acquire position information of a detected object in front of the vehicle, generate an image indicating a direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the acquired position information of the detected object, and display the generated image in a display area in front of a driver's seat of the vehicle by restricting display of the image in a predetermined area within the display area and superimposing the image on the foreground of the vehicle. As a result, similar to the first aspect, the image can be displayed in the display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while minimizing interference with the driver's driving.

[0015] A vehicle display control program according to an eighth aspect causes a computer to execute a process to acquire position information of a detected object ahead of the vehicle, generate an image indicating a direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the acquired position information of the detected object, and, when displaying the generated image in a display area in front of a driver's seat of the vehicle, limit the display of the image in a predetermined area within the display area and display the image by superimposing it on the foreground of the vehicle. As a result, similar to the first aspect, the image can be displayed in the display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while minimizing interference with the driving of the vehicle driver. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, the present disclosure has the advantage of being able to display an image in a display area in front of the driver's seat of a vehicle while minimizing interference with the driving of the vehicle driver. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining details of displaying an image in a display area in front of the vehicle. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle display control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a computer of a vehicle display control device. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the vehicle display control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a process of limiting the amount of information displayed in a predetermined area so that it is less than a predetermined amount of information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] <Embodiment>

[0019] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicular display control device of this embodiment displays, for example, an image IM for alerting the driver that there is a person in front of the vehicle in a display area D in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle. When displaying the image IM in the display area D, the vehicular display control device displays the image IM superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 1.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining details of displaying an image IM in a display area D in front of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, when a person X, which is an example of a detected object in front of the vehicle, is present in front of the vehicle, the image IM is displayed in the display area D in front of the vehicle. In this case, if the image IM is superimposed and displayed in an area P1 that is equal to or higher than a reference height in the display area D, it may actually interfere with the driver's driving. This is because, when driving a vehicle, the driver often looks into the distance, and if the image IM is displayed in an area P1 that is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference height from the driver's perspective, the image IM may always be in the driver's field of vision.

[0022] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, the vehicular display control device of this embodiment restricts the display of image IM in an area P1 that is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference height as seen from the driver. Then, as shown in Fig. 2, the vehicular display control device displays image IM superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle in an area P2 different from the area P1 that is equal to or higher than the reference height within the display area D. This makes it possible to notify the driver of vehicle surroundings information while minimizing interference with the driver's driving. This will be explained in detail below.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle display control system 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle display control system 10 includes a vehicle display control device 12 and a display device 14. The vehicle display control system 10 is mounted on a vehicle.

[0024] (Vehicle display control device) As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicular display control device 12 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 51 and a storage unit 53.

[0025] More specifically, the vehicular display control device 12 can be realized by, for example, a computer as shown in Fig. 4. The computer that realizes the vehicular display control device 12 includes a CPU 51, a memory 52 as a temporary storage area, and a non-volatile storage unit 53. The computer also includes an input / output interface (I / F) 54 to which input / output devices (not shown) are connected, and a read / write (R / W) unit 55 that controls reading and writing of data from and to a recording medium 59. The computer also includes a network I / F 56 that is connected to a network such as the Internet. The CPU 51, memory 52, storage unit 53, input / output I / F 54, R / W unit 55, and network I / F 56 are connected to one another via a bus 57.

[0026] The storage unit 53 can be realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 53 as a storage medium stores a program for causing the computer to function. The CPU 51 reads the program from the storage unit 53, loads it into the memory 52, and sequentially executes the processes contained in the program.

[0027] 3, the CPU 51 of the vehicular display control device 12 functionally includes an acquisition unit 510, a generation unit 512, and a display control unit 514. The processing of the acquisition unit 510, the generation unit 512, and the display control unit 514 will be described later.

[0028] 3, the storage unit 53 of the vehicular display control device 12 stores image information 530 and predetermined area information 532. The image information 530 is information used to generate the image IM. The predetermined area information 532 is information related to the predetermined area P1, and it is set in advance as to which location in the display area D is the predetermined area P1.

[0029] (display device) The display device 14 displays various information in a display area in front of the vehicle in response to a control signal output from the vehicle display control device 12. The display device 14 is, for example, a head-up display (HUD) mounted on the vehicle.

[0030] Next, the operation of the vehicle display control system 10 according to the embodiment will be described.

[0031] When the vehicle display control device 12 receives a control signal indicating that an object to be detected has been detected ahead of the vehicle, the vehicle display control device 12 executes a vehicle display control processing routine shown in FIG.

[0032] In step S100, the acquisition unit 510 of the CPU 51 of the vehicle display control device 12 acquires position information indicating the position of the detected object X in the display area D in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle. For example, the acquisition unit 510 acquires the position information of the detected object X in the display area D using a known image processing algorithm. The detected object is, for example, a person or the like present in front of the vehicle.

[0033] In step S102, the generation unit 512 of the CPU 51 of the vehicle display control device 12 generates an image IM indicating the direction from the vehicle to the detection object X, based on the position information of the detection object X acquired in step S100. Specifically, the generation unit 512 reads out the image information 530 stored in the storage unit 53, and generates the image IM indicating the direction from the vehicle to the detection object X, based on the read-out image information 530.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, image IM includes a plurality of arrow shapes arranged along a straight line connecting the center of the bottom of display area D to detection object X as viewed from driver A of the vehicle. Furthermore, image IM has arrows extending from the bottom of display area D to detection object X as viewed from driver A of the vehicle. By arranging a plurality of arrow shapes along a straight line connecting the center of the bottom of display area D to detection object X in this way, it is possible to display image IM in the display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle without displaying image IM in area P1, which may interfere with driver A's driving. This allows driver A to quickly recognize detection object X, which is an obstacle ahead of the vehicle.

[0035] In step S104, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 of the vehicular display control device 12 determines whether the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 will be equal to or greater than a predetermined amount when the image IM generated in step S102 is displayed in the display area D. The amount of information refers to, for example, the number of pixels or the area of ​​the image IM displayed in the predetermined area P1. As shown in FIG. 2, the predetermined area in this embodiment is the area P1 that is at or above a reference height within the display area D as seen by the driver of the vehicle.

[0036] For example, even if an image is displayed in the predetermined area P1, if the area of ​​the image is equal to or smaller than a predetermined area, the image may not interfere with the driver's driving.

[0037] Therefore, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 for the vehicle display control device 12 reads the predetermined area information 532 from the storage unit 53, and determines whether, when the image IM generated in step S102 is displayed in the display area D based on the predetermined area information 532, the image IM is also displayed in the predetermined area P1 and the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. If the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, if the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 is less than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0038] In step S106, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 of the vehicle display control device 12 controls the display device 14 to display the image IM generated in step S102 in the display area D in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, while restricting the display of the image IM in a predetermined area P1 within the display area D, and superimposing the image IM on the foreground of the vehicle.

[0039] Specifically, when the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 exceeds a predetermined amount, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 of the vehicle display control device 12 restricts the display of the image IM in the predetermined area P1 so that the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 is less than the predetermined amount.

[0040] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the process of limiting the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 so that it is less than a predetermined amount of information. As shown in Fig. 6, if the image IM is displayed as is in the display area D, a portion IM1 of the image IM will also be displayed in the predetermined area P1.

[0041] Therefore, if IM1, which is a part of the image IM, is displayed in the predetermined area P1 when the image IM is displayed as is in the display area D, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 of the vehicular display control device 12 performs control so that IM1, which is a part of the image IM, is not displayed in the predetermined area P1 as shown in Fig. 6. Alternatively, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 of the vehicular display control device 12 performs control so that only a part of the image IM1 is displayed in the predetermined area P1.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, when the distance between the vehicle and the detection object X exceeds a reference distance L set according to the reference height, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 for the vehicle display control device 12 controls to display the image IM excluding IM1 from the bottom of the display area D to the location corresponding to the detection object X. As a result, no image is displayed in the predetermined area P1, the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 becomes less than a predetermined amount, and the display of the image IM is prevented from interfering with the driver's driving. Note that the display control unit 514 may reduce the area or the number of pixels of the image displayed in the predetermined area P1 so that the amount of information displayed in the predetermined area P1 becomes less than the predetermined amount.

[0043] In step S108, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 of the vehicular display control device 12 controls the display device 14 to display the image IM generated in step S102 superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle. Specifically, when the distance between the vehicle and the detected object X is equal to or less than a reference distance L set according to the reference height, the display control unit 514 of the CPU 51 of the vehicular display control device 12 controls to display the image IM as is from the bottom of the display area D to a point corresponding to the reference height.

[0044] This limits the display of images in the predetermined area P1, and allows the images to be displayed in the display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while preventing the images from interfering with the driving of the vehicle driver.

[0045] As described above, the vehicle display control device 12 of the vehicle display control system 10 according to this embodiment acquires position information of a detected object in front of the vehicle. Based on the position information of the detected object, the vehicle display control device 12 generates an image indicating the direction from the vehicle to the detected object. When displaying an image in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, the vehicle display control device 12 limits the display of the image in a predetermined area within the display area and displays the image superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle. This allows the image to be displayed in the display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle while minimizing interference with the driver's driving.

[0046] Furthermore, the vehicular display control device 12 according to this embodiment can notify the driver of vehicle surroundings information while minimizing interference with the driver's driving. Furthermore, the vehicular display control device 12 can reduce delays in the driver's detection of obstacles ahead of the vehicle by limiting the display of images in a predetermined area. Furthermore, the vehicular display control device 12 can prevent image display from interfering with the driver's driving by limiting the display of images in a predetermined area that is likely to interfere with the driver's driving.

[0047] Although the vehicular display control system 10 according to the embodiment has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0048] For example, in the above embodiment, the predetermined area P1 is an area that is at or above a reference height within the display area D as seen from the driver of the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The predetermined area P1 can be set in advance using the predetermined area information 532, and therefore another area may be set as the predetermined area P1 as long as it is an area that would interfere with the driver's driving. For example, since the area on the driver's seat side within the display area D is an area that is likely to be in the driver's field of view, the area on the driver's seat side within the display area D (for example, an area on the driver's seat side within the display area D that is at or above a reference height within the display area D as seen from the driver of the vehicle) may be set as the predetermined area.

[0049] Furthermore, the processing performed by the CPU in the above-described embodiments by reading software (programs) may be performed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of such processors include programmable logic devices (PLDs) whose circuit configuration can be changed after fabrication, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and dedicated electrical circuits, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), which are processors with circuit configurations specifically designed to perform specific processing. Furthermore, the processing may be performed by one of these various processors, or by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Furthermore, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor devices.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, various data are stored in the storage, but this is not limiting. For example, a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory may be used as the storage unit. In this case, various programs and data are stored in these recording media. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10. Vehicle display control system 12 Vehicle display control device 14 Display device 52 memory 53 Storage section 510 Acquisition Department 512 Generation part 514 Display control unit 530 Image Information 532 Predetermined area information

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires position information of a detected object in front of the vehicle; a generation unit that generates an image indicating a direction from the vehicle to the detection object based on the position information of the detection object acquired by the acquisition unit; a display control unit that, when displaying the image generated by the generation unit in a display area in front of a driver's seat of the vehicle, limits display of the image in a predetermined area within the display area and displays the image superimposed on a foreground of the vehicle; Including, the predetermined area is an area that is at or above a reference height within the display area as seen from the driver of the vehicle, the image extends from a lower portion of the display area toward the detection object as seen by the driver of the vehicle; The display control unit When the distance between the vehicle and the detection object is equal to or shorter than a reference distance set according to the reference height, the image is displayed from a lower portion of the display area to a portion corresponding to the detection object, When the distance between the vehicle and the detection object exceeds a reference distance set according to the reference height, the image is controlled to be displayed from the bottom of the display area to a position corresponding to the reference height. Vehicle display control device.

2. an acquisition unit that acquires position information of a detected object in front of the vehicle; a generation unit that generates an image indicating a direction from the vehicle to the detection object based on the position information of the detection object acquired by the acquisition unit; a display control unit that, when the image generated by the generation unit is displayed in a display area in front of a driver's seat of the vehicle and configured to include a first area and a second area, if the image straddling the boundary between the first area and the second area is generated, limits the display of the image in the first area, which is a part of the image, and displays the image superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle; A display control device for a vehicle including:

3. when an amount of information to be displayed in the predetermined area is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount of information, the display control unit limits the display of the image in the predetermined area so that the amount of information to be displayed in the predetermined area is less than the predetermined amount of information. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1 .

4. the image is configured to include a plurality of arrow figures arranged along a straight line connecting the detection object from the center of the bottom of the display area as seen from the driver of the vehicle, The vehicle display control device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. 3. A vehicle comprising: the vehicular display control device according to claim 1; and a head-up display that displays the image in response to a control signal output from the vehicular display control device.

6. Obtains the position information of detected objects in front of the vehicle, generating an image showing a direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the acquired position information of the detected object; When the generated image is displayed in a display area in front of a driver's seat of the vehicle, the display of the image is limited to a predetermined area within the display area, and the image is displayed superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle. A vehicle display control method in which processing is executed by a computer, the predetermined area is an area that is at or above a reference height within the display area as seen from the driver of the vehicle, the image extends from a lower portion of the display area toward the detection object as seen by the driver of the vehicle; When the distance between the vehicle and the detection object is equal to or shorter than a reference distance set according to the reference height, the image is displayed from a lower portion of the display area to a portion corresponding to the detection object, When the distance between the vehicle and the detection object exceeds a reference distance set according to the reference height, the image is controlled to be displayed from the bottom of the display area to a position corresponding to the reference height. A display control method for a vehicle.

7. Obtains the position information of detected objects in front of the vehicle, generating an image showing a direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the acquired position information of the detected object; When the generated image is displayed in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, the display area being configured to include a first area and a second area, if the image straddling the boundary between the first area and the second area is generated, the display of the image in the first area, which is a part of the image, is restricted, and the image is displayed by being superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle. A vehicle display control method in which processing is executed by a computer.

8. Obtains the position information of detected objects in front of the vehicle, generating an image showing a direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the acquired position information of the detected object; When the generated image is displayed in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, the display of the image is limited to a predetermined area within the display area, and the image is superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle. Fold it and display it. A vehicle display control program for causing a computer to execute processing, the predetermined area is an area that is at or above a reference height within the display area as seen from the driver of the vehicle, the image extends from a lower portion of the display area toward the detection object as seen by the driver of the vehicle; When the distance between the vehicle and the detection object is equal to or shorter than a reference distance set according to the reference height, the image is displayed from a lower portion of the display area to a portion corresponding to the detection object, When the distance between the vehicle and the detection object exceeds a reference distance set according to the reference height, the image is controlled to be displayed from the bottom of the display area to a position corresponding to the reference height. Vehicle display control program.

9. Obtains the position information of detected objects in front of the vehicle, generating an image showing a direction from the vehicle to the detected object based on the acquired position information of the detected object; When the generated image is displayed in a display area in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle, the display area being configured to include a first area and a second area, if the image straddling the boundary between the first area and the second area is generated, the display of the image in the first area, which is a part of the image, is restricted, and the image is displayed by being superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle. A vehicle display control program for causing a computer to execute processing.

Images