Vehicle display control device and display processing method

Abstract

To provide a display control device for a vehicle and a display processing method which can reduce a burden on a driver when information displayed on a display is recognized in consideration of a field of view of the driver.SOLUTION: A display control device for a vehicle detects a line of sight of a driver, and estimates a field of view of the driver from the detected line of sight. The display control device for the vehicle controls display information displayed on a display on the basis of a positional relation between the estimated field of view and the display of the vehicle. Thereby, information displayed in accordance with a recognition level of the driver to information displayed on the display is controlled on the basis of the positional relation between the field of view of the driver and the display, and can be displayed in such a manner that the driver can easily recognize it.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a driving assistance device that detects the driver's line of sight, determines display objects that require monitoring based on the detected line of sight, and displays the determined display objects on a monitor installed in an instrument panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-023565 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, since the driver's line of sight moves while driving, the display unit in the vehicle cabin is not always within the driver's field of vision, and therefore the driver's level of awareness of the information displayed on the display unit varies depending on the position of the display unit relative to the driver's field of vision.

[0005] For example, if the display unit is located in the center of the driver's field of vision, the driver's level of awareness of the displayed information is high and it is easy to recognize detailed information such as text information. On the other hand, if the display unit is located at the edge of the driver's field of vision, the driver's level of awareness of the display unit is low and it is thought that recognizing text information and the like becomes a burden on the driver.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to reduce the burden on the driver when recognizing information displayed on a display unit, taking into account the driver's field of vision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] First Aspect The display control device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a line-of-sight detection unit that detects the line of sight of a driver, a field-of-view estimation unit that estimates the field of view of the driver from the detected line of sight, and a display control unit that controls display information to be displayed on the display unit based on the positional relationship between the estimated field of view and the display unit of the vehicle. The visual field estimation unit estimates the center of the driver's line of sight after ΔT seconds based on an angular velocity indicating the speed at which the driver's line of sight moves, and estimates a predetermined range around the center of the line of sight as the driver's visual field. .

[0008] First Aspect In the vehicle display control device according to the present invention, the driver's line of sight is detected, and the driver's field of view is estimated from the detected line of sight. Then, the display information displayed on the display unit is controlled based on the positional relationship between the estimated field of view and the display unit of the vehicle. Therefore, the driver's recognition level of the information displayed on the display unit is controlled based on the positional relationship between the driver's field of view and the display unit. to The information displayed on the display unit can be controlled to be displayed in a manner that is easy for the driver to recognize, thereby taking into consideration the driver's field of vision and reducing the burden on the driver when recognizing information displayed on the display unit. In the first mode, the driver's gaze center in ΔT seconds is estimated based on the angular velocity indicating the speed of movement of the driver's gaze. This makes it possible to predict the driver's field of view in ΔT seconds and control the display information, so that information can be displayed on the display unit without delaying the actual movement of the driver's field of view, thereby reducing the cognitive burden on the driver.

[0009] A vehicle display control device according to a second aspect includes a gaze detection unit that detects the driver's gaze, a field of view estimation unit that estimates the driver's field of view from the detected gaze, and a display control unit that controls display information to be displayed on the display unit based on the positional relationship between the estimated field of view and the vehicle's display unit. The field of view estimation unit detects a fixation point at which the driver's gaze is fixed, and when movement from the first fixation point to the second fixation point occurs within Δt seconds and the vertical displacement of the driver's gaze with respect to a virtual line segment connecting the first fixation point and the second fixation point is within Δdm, estimates the field of view angle from the first fixation point as the range of the driver's field of view to the second fixation point.

[0010] In the second aspect, similar to the first aspect, the driver's field of view is taken into consideration to reduce the burden on the driver when recognizing information displayed on the display unit. Furthermore, in the second aspect, a fixation point where the driver's gaze is fixed is detected, and threshold conditions are set for the gaze movement time Δt from the first fixation point to the second fixation point and the vertical displacement Δd of the driver's gaze relative to the virtual line segment connecting the first fixation point and the second fixation point. Then, when the threshold conditions are satisfied, the field of view angle from the first fixation point to the second fixation point is estimated as the range of the driver's field of view. This allows the range of the field of view, which varies among individuals, to be set in accordance with the characteristics of the driver, thereby reducing the driver's cognitive burden.

[0011] In the vehicle display control device of the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the field of view estimation unit estimates a predetermined range around the center of the driver's line of sight as the driver's field of view, and the display control unit displays the display information when the display unit is located inside the estimated driver's field of view.

[0012] In the third aspect, a predetermined range around the center of the driver's line of sight is estimated as the driver's field of view. Then, display information is displayed when the display unit is within the driver's field of view. This provides information when the driver turns their gaze toward the display unit, reducing the driver's cognitive burden.

[0013] In a fourth aspect, in the first or second aspect, the field of view estimation unit estimates a predetermined range around the center of the driver's gaze as the driver's field of view, and when the display unit is located inside the estimated driver's field of view, the display control unit changes the mode of the display information based on the positional relationship between the center of the driver's gaze and the display unit.

[0014] In the fourth mode, when the display unit is located within the driver's field of view, the mode of display information is changed based on the positional relationship between the center of the driver's line of sight and the display unit. This allows the amount of information displayed to be controlled taking into consideration the fact that the driver's level of awareness differs between the center and the edge of the driver's field of view, for example, thereby reducing the driver's cognitive burden.

[0015] In the fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the field of view estimation unit estimates a first field of view, which is the range of the driver's central field of view, and the display control unit displays the display information in a manner including text information when the display unit is located inside the first field of view, and displays the display information in a manner not including text information when the display unit is located outside the first field of view.

[0016] In a fifth aspect, a first field of view, which is the range of the driver's central field of view, is estimated. Then, when a display unit is located inside the first field of view, the display information is displayed in a manner including text information. On the other hand, when a display unit is located outside the first field of view, the display information is displayed in a manner not including text information. This increases the amount of specific information when the display unit is located in the central field of view, where the driver's level of awareness is highest, and reduces the amount of information when the display unit is located outside the central field of view, where the driver's level of awareness is lower, thereby reducing the driver's cognitive burden.

[0017] In the sixth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the field of view estimation unit estimates a second field of view, which is the range of the driver's effective field of view, and when the display unit is located outside the second field of view, the display control unit displays the display information in a manner that emphasizes colors.

[0018] In the sixth aspect, a second field of view, which is the range of the driver's effective field of view, is estimated. If a display unit is located outside the second field of view, the display information is displayed in an enhanced color. This reduces the driver's cognitive burden by displaying the information in an enhanced color when the display unit is located "outside the effective field of view," where colors can generally be distinguished but specific shapes, characters, etc. are difficult to recognize.

[0019] A seventh aspect is the first or second aspect, wherein the display information is evaluation information on the driving operation of the driver.

[0020] In the seventh aspect, the evaluation information on the driver's driving performance can be displayed in a manner that places less burden on the driver, thereby contributing to reducing the psychological annoyance the driver may feel in response to the evaluation.

[0021] A display processing method according to an eighth aspect is a display processing method in which a computer executes processing to detect the driver's line of sight, estimate the driver's field of view from the detected line of sight, and control display information to be displayed on the display unit based on the positional relationship between the estimated field of view and the vehicle's display unit.The method estimates the center of the driver's line of sight in ΔT seconds based on an angular velocity indicating the speed at which the driver's line of sight moves, and estimates a predetermined range around the center of the line of sight as the driver's field of view.

[0022] In the eighth aspect, similarly to the first aspect, the burden on the driver when recognizing information displayed on the display unit can be reduced by taking into consideration the driver's field of view. In addition, the information can be displayed on the display unit without delaying the actual movement of the driver's field of view, thereby reducing the burden on the driver when recognizing the information.

[0023] Ninth aspect The display processing method according to the present invention detects the line of sight of a driver, estimates the field of view of the driver from the detected line of sight, and controls display information to be displayed on the display unit based on the positional relationship between the estimated field of view and the display unit of the vehicle. The computer executes the process Display processing method The system detects a fixation point where the driver's line of sight is fixed, and when the movement from the first fixation point to the second fixation point is completed within Δt seconds and the amount of vertical displacement of the driver's line of sight with respect to the virtual line segment connecting the first fixation point and the second fixation point is within Δdm, estimates the field of view angle from the first fixation point as the range of the driver's field of view to the second fixation point. .

[0024] In the ninth aspect, similar to the second aspect, the driver's field of view is taken into consideration to reduce the burden on the driver when recognizing information displayed on the display unit, and the range of the field of view, which varies from person to person, can be set to suit the characteristics of the driver, thereby reducing the driver's cognitive burden. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] As described above, the vehicle display control device according to the present invention has the excellent effect of taking into consideration the driver's field of view and reducing the burden on the driver when recognizing information displayed on the display unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a driving evaluation system configured to include a vehicle display control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a front portion of a vehicle interior of a vehicle to which a vehicular display control device according to an embodiment is applied, viewed from the rear side of the vehicle. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle display control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a driving evaluation device according to an embodiment; [Figure 5]1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a vehicle display control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing examples of the driver's field of view and the manner in which information is displayed on a display unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a driver's fixation point; [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a display process in the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, a system S including a vehicle display control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 1, the system S of this embodiment is configured to include a vehicle display control device 10 and a driving evaluation device 12 mounted on a vehicle V. The vehicle V and the driving evaluation device 12 are connected by a network N. Although a plurality of vehicles V are connected to the network N, only one vehicle V is shown in Fig. 1 for the sake of convenience.

[0029] The driving evaluation device 12 of this embodiment is a control device provided outside the vehicle V, for example.

[0030] Here, the vehicle display control device 10 of this embodiment displays evaluation information related to the driving performance of a driver P (see FIG. 6) who drives each vehicle V as "display information" on the display units 23 (A to C) of the vehicle V. At this time, the vehicle display control device 10 estimates the field of view of the driver P from the line of sight of the driver P and controls the display of information on the display units 23 (A to C).

[0031] In this embodiment, a plurality of display units 23 (A to C) provided in the cabin of the vehicle V will be described as an example of the "display unit" of the present invention. The vehicle display control device can display display information on a selected part or all of these display units 23 (A to C). When no distinction is made between the individual display units, they will be described simply as display units 23.

[0032] 2, the display units 23 (A to C) are provided at the front of the cabin of the vehicle V. An instrument panel 14 is provided at the front of the cabin of the vehicle V. The instrument panel 14 extends in the vehicle width direction, and a steering wheel 16 is provided on the right side of the instrument panel 14. That is, in this embodiment, as an example, the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle in which the steering wheel 16 is provided on the right side, and the driver's seat is located on the right side of the vehicle.

[0033] The first display unit 23A is configured as a meter display provided in front of the driver's seat on the right side in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 14. The first display unit 23A is provided in a position that is visible to the driver P when he or she is looking ahead of the vehicle.

[0034] The second display unit 23B is configured by a display provided in the center of the instrument panel 14 in the vehicle width direction, on the vehicle front side of the driver's seat.

[0035] The third display unit 23C is provided on the windshield glass 18. The third display unit 23C is set above the vehicle with respect to the first display unit 23A, and is configured by a projection surface onto which an image is projected by a head-up display device (not shown). Specifically, the head-up display device is provided further forward in the vehicle than the instrument panel 14, and an image is projected from this head-up display device onto the third display unit 23C on the windshield glass 18.

[0036] (Hardware configuration of the vehicle display control device 10) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the vehicular display control device 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicular display control device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 24, a storage 26, a communication I / F (communication interface) 28, and an input / output I / F (input / output interface) 30. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 32 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0037] The CPU 20 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 20 reads programs from the ROM 22 or storage 26 and executes the programs using the RAM 24 as a work area. The CPU 20 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the programs recorded in the ROM 22 or storage 26.

[0038] The ROM 22 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 24 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 26 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. In this embodiment, the ROM 22 or the storage 26 stores programs for performing display processing and various data.

[0039] The communication I / F 28 is an interface for the vehicle display control device 10 to communicate with other devices such as the driving evaluation device 12 and external servers, and uses standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0040] The input / output I / F 30 is electrically connected to a driver camera 34 mounted on the vehicle V and the display units 23 (A to C) inside the vehicle cabin. The driver camera 34 is a camera for capturing an image of the face of the driver P, and is provided, for example, on the instrument panel 14 or the steering wheel 16, and is positioned facing the driver P. The image data captured by the driver camera 34 is used to detect the line of sight of the driver P.

[0041] (Hardware configuration of driving evaluation device 12) Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the driving evaluation device 12. As shown in Fig. 4, the driving evaluation device 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 40, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 42, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 44, a storage 46, a communication I / F (communication interface) 48, and an input / output I / F (input / output interface) 50. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 52 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0042] The CPU 40 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 40 reads programs from the ROM 42 or storage 46 and executes the programs using the RAM 44 as a work area. The CPU 40 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the programs recorded in the ROM 42 or storage 46.

[0043] The ROM 42 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 44 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 46 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. In this embodiment, the ROM 42 or the storage 46 stores programs for performing various processes and various data.

[0044] The communication I / F 48 is an interface for the driving evaluation device 12 to communicate with other devices such as the vehicle V and an external server, and uses standards such as CAN, Ethernet (registered trademark), LTE, FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0045] The input / output I / F 30 is electrically connected to an input device 54 and a display device 56. The input device 54 is a device for inputting predetermined instructions to the driving evaluation device 12, and is configured to include, for example, a mouse and a keyboard. The display device 56 is a device such as a display for displaying information output from the driving evaluation device 12.

[0046] The driving evaluation device 12 realizes various functions using the above hardware resources. In this embodiment, the driving evaluation device 12 acquires driving data related to a plurality of driving evaluation items that are set in advance for various driving operations, and evaluates the driving operations performed by the driver P based on the acquired driving data. For example, the driving evaluation device 12 calculates a score and counts the number of times for each driving evaluation item based on the acquired driving data. The corresponding driving operation is evaluated based on the calculated score. The driving data is transmitted from the vehicle V to the driving evaluation device 12, for example. Note that the driving data may be transmitted from the vehicle V to an external server and then transmitted from the external server to the driving evaluation device 12.

[0047] (Functional configuration of the vehicle display control device 10) The vehicular display control device 10 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions. The functional configuration realized by the vehicular display control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0048] 5, the vehicle display control device 10 includes, as functional components, a data acquisition unit 60, a line-of-sight detection unit 62, a field-of-view estimation unit 64, and a display control unit 66. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 20 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 26.

[0049] The data acquiring unit 60 acquires evaluation information on the driving operation performed by the driver P of the vehicle V. In this embodiment, the data acquiring unit 60 acquires the driving evaluation information transmitted to the vehicle V from the driving evaluation device 12.

[0050] The line-of-sight detection unit 62 detects the line of sight of the driver P. Specifically, the line-of-sight detection unit 62 detects the line of sight of the driver P based on image data of the eyeballs of the driver P captured by the driver's camera 34.

[0051] The visual field estimation unit 64 estimates the visual field of the driver P based on the line of sight detected by the line of sight detection unit 62. Specifically, the visual field estimation unit 64 estimates a predetermined range around the center of the driver's line of sight as the driver's visual field.

[0052] The "center of gaze" is a fixation point at which the driver P's gaze is fixed when the driver P gazes at one point, and refers to the center of the field of view of the driver P. In addition, in one example of this embodiment, the "driver's field of view" is the range that the driver P can see when the driver P gazes at one point without moving his or her eyes. It is generally said that the human field of view ranges from the center of gaze 60° above, 70° below, and 100° toward the ear.

[0053] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the driver's field of view estimated by the field of view estimation unit 64. In Fig. 6, the line-of-sight center of the driver P is indicated by an arrow "O" when the driver P is viewed from the side. Also shown are a first field of view centered on the line-of-sight center O, a second field of view X2 around the first field of view X1, and a third field of view X3 around the second field of view.

[0054] As shown in this figure, the visual field estimation unit 64 estimates the visual field by dividing it into three fields: a first visual field X1, a second visual field X2, and a third visual field X3, with the visual field centered on the gaze center O detected from the driver P's line of sight.

[0055] The first field of view X1 indicates the range of the "central field of view" of the driver P. The field of view estimation unit 64 estimates, for example, a range of 1° to 2° above, below, and toward the ear from the gaze center O as the "central field of view." Generally, it is said that the field of view of a human being has the highest resolution within a field of view angle of 1° to 2° above, below, and toward the ear from the gaze center. It is believed that the color, shape, text information, etc. of an object can be clearly recognized within this first field of view X1.

[0056] The second visual field X2 indicates the range of the driver P's "effective visual field." The visual field estimation unit 64 estimates, for example, the "effective visual field" as a range of 4° to 20° above, below, and toward the ear from the gaze center O, around (outside) the first visual field X1. Generally, the human visual field is considered to have a relatively high resolution up to the inner visual field of 4° to 20° above, below, and toward the ear from the gaze center O, around the "central visual field." While it is difficult to clearly recognize text information in this second visual field X2, it is considered possible to fairly clearly recognize the color and shape of an object.

[0057] The third visual field X3 indicates the range of the driver P's "peripheral vision." The visual field estimation unit 64 estimates, for example, the range of 60° above, 70° below, and 100° toward the ear from the center of gaze O around (outside) the second visual field X2 as the "peripheral vision." Generally, it is believed that a human's visual field can recognize, although with low resolution, an area within the visual field of 60° above, 70° below, and 100° toward the ear from the center of gaze, respectively, around the "effective visual field." While it is difficult to clearly understand text information or the shape of an object in this third visual field X3, it is believed that the color of an object and major movements can be recognized to some extent.

[0058] Here, the visual field estimation unit 64 of this embodiment calculates an angular velocity indicating the line of sight velocity of the driver's line of sight based on the detected line of sight of the driver P, and estimates the position of the line of sight center O after ΔT seconds based on the calculated angular velocity. Then, the visual field after ΔT seconds centered on the estimated line of sight center O is estimated as the visual field of the driver P. This makes it possible to control the display unit based on the visual field of the driver P after ΔT seconds.

[0059] The value of ΔT is set, for example, in accordance with the calculation speed of the CPU (processor) 20. This makes it possible to control the display unit without delaying the movement of the actual driver's field of view.

[0060] It is known that the angle of the visual field (width of peripheral vision) around the gaze center changes depending on age and the degree of mental tension. Therefore, in this embodiment, the fixation points where the gaze of the driver P is fixed (i.e., the driver P is gazing at) are detected, and the range of the visual field of the driver P is estimated based on the gaze movement between the detected fixation points.

[0061] In detecting the fixation point of the driver P, for example, a point or range where the line of sight of the driver P is fixed for a period of time equal to or longer than a predetermined threshold may be recognized as the fixation point.

[0062] Specifically, a method for estimating the visual field from the fixation point will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 shows a trajectory Y of the driver P's line of sight when the driver P moves his / her line of sight from a first fixation point O1 to a second fixation point O2, and a virtual line segment (indicated by an arrow) Z connecting the first fixation point O1 and the second fixation point O2. Two line segments L1 and L2 extending parallel to each other vertically above and below the virtual line segment Z each indicate a position where the amount of displacement in the vertical direction with respect to the virtual line segment Z is Δdm.

[0063] The visual field estimation unit 64 calculates the visual field angle from the first fixation point O1 to the second fixation point O2 from the first fixation point O1 as the visual field center when the gaze movement from the first fixation point O1 to the second fixation point O2 is completed within Δt [seconds] and the vertical displacement of the gaze Y of the driver P with respect to the virtual line segment Z connecting the first fixation point O1 and the second fixation point O2 is within Δd [m]. Then, the size of the calculated visual field angle is estimated as the range of the visual field of the driver P relative to the gaze center.

[0064] The values ​​of Δt [seconds] and Δd [m] may be, for example, average values ​​of the time obtained from experimentally observing the movement of the line of sight between two objects captured within the field of view, or may be calculated based on an image captured by the driver's camera 34 while the driver P is asked to gaze at an image displayed on a display unit inside the vehicle cabin before driving the vehicle V.

[0065] If the time required for the line of sight to move from the first fixation point O1 to the second fixation point O2 and the vertical displacement of the line of sight are both within a threshold, the visual field estimation unit 64 determines that the driver P can clearly recognize the two separated fixation points within the visual field. As a result, the visual field angle from the first fixation point O1 as the line of sight center to the second fixation point O2 is estimated as the range of the visual field of the driver P.

[0066] The display control unit 66 controls the display information to be displayed on the display units 23 (A to C) based on the positional relationship between the visual field estimated by the visual field estimation unit 64 and the corresponding display units 23 (A to C).

[0067] Specifically, the display control unit 66 displays the display information Q1 in a manner including text information when the display unit is located inside the first visual field X1 (central visual field) of the driver P (see FIG. 5). In this example, the display information Q1 includes a clear graphic image indicating that the driving operation is good and the text information "Good."

[0068] Furthermore, when a display unit is present outside (around) the first visual field X1 of the driver P, the display control unit 66 displays the display information Q2 or Q3 in a form that does not include text information.

[0069] Display information Q2 is a display mode when the display unit is located inside the second visual field X2 (effective visual field). In this example of display information Q2, the text information is removed from display information Q1, and only clear graphic images are displayed.

[0070] Display information Q3 is a display mode when the display unit is outside the second field of view X2 but inside the third field of view X3. In this example of display information Q3, a simple graphic image is displayed that has the same outline as the graphic images of display information Q1 and display information Q2. This graphic image is a monochrome blue graphic image so that the blue color, which indicates good driving performance, is emphasized in the image.

[0071] In this way, the display control unit 66 changes the manner of display information displayed on the display unit based on the positional relationship between the center of the driver P's line of sight and the display unit.

[0072] Furthermore, when the display unit is located outside the third field of view X3, the display control unit 66 determines that the display unit is not located within the field of view of the driver P, and does not display the display information.

[0073] It should be noted that if 60% or more of the display area is within a predetermined field of view, it may be determined that the display area is within the field of view. The value of 60% is merely an example and can be changed as appropriate.

[0074] (action) Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0075] (Display processing) An example of the flow of the display processing will be described using the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. The processing in the vehicle display control device 10 is realized by the CPU 20 functioning as a data acquisition unit 60, a gaze detection unit 62, a field of view estimation unit 64, and a display control unit 66.

[0076] In step S100, the driving evaluation information transmitted from the driving evaluation device 12 to the vehicle V is acquired by the function of the data acquisition unit 60.

[0077] In step S102, the line of sight detection unit 62 detects the line of sight of the driver P based on the image data captured by the driver camera 34. detection do.

[0078] In step S104, the field of view of driver P is estimated using the function of field of view estimation unit 64. At this time, as described above, the position of the gaze center after ΔT seconds is estimated based on the angular velocity of driver P's gaze. Then, the driver's field of view centered on the estimated gaze center after ΔT seconds is estimated. Specifically, CPU 20 estimates the driver's first field of view X1, second field of view X2, and third field of view X3 based on the function of the field of view estimation unit.

[0079] In step S106, the display control unit 66 determines whether or not the display unit that displays evaluation information (display information) for the driving operation is located inside the first field of view X1. If the CPU 20 determines that the display unit is located inside the first field of view X1, the CPU 20 proceeds to step S108, and causes the display unit to display display information Q1 (see FIG. 6) that includes text information.

[0080] On the other hand, if the CPU 20 determines in step S106 that the display unit is not present inside the first field of view X1, the process proceeds to step S110.

[0081] In step S110, it is determined whether or not the display unit is inside the second field of view X2 by the function of the display control unit 66. If it is determined that the display unit is inside the second field of view X2, the CPU 20 proceeds to step S112, and causes the display unit to display display information Q2 (see FIG. 6) that does not include text information.

[0082] On the other hand, if the CPU 20 determines in step S110 that the display unit is not located inside the second field of view X2, the process proceeds to step S114.

[0083] In step S114, it is determined whether or not the display unit is inside the third field of view X3 by the function of the display control unit 66. If it is determined that the display unit is inside the third field of view X3, the CPU 20 proceeds to step S116 and causes the display unit to display display information Q3 (see FIG. 6) in an enhanced color mode.

[0084] On the other hand, if the CPU 20 determines in step S114 that the display unit is not located inside the third field of view X3, the process proceeds to step S118, where the process ends without displaying any display information on the display unit.

[0085] As described above, the vehicular display control device 10 according to this embodiment detects the line of sight of the driver P and estimates the fields of view X1 to X3 of the driver P from the detected line of sight. Then, the display information displayed on the display unit is controlled based on the positional relationship between the estimated fields of view X1 to X3 and the display unit of the vehicle. Therefore, based on the positional relationship between the field of view of the driver P and the display unit, the information to be displayed on the display unit is controlled in accordance with the driver's level of recognition of the information displayed on the display unit, and can be displayed in a manner that is easy for the driver to recognize. This reduces the burden on the driver when recognizing information displayed on the display unit, taking into account the driver's field of view.

[0086] Specifically, a predetermined range (X1 to X3) around the line-of-sight center O of the driver P is estimated as the field of view of the driver. Then, the display information is displayed at a timing when the display unit is included inside the field of view of the driver P. This provides information at the timing when the driver P directs his / her line of sight toward the display unit, thereby reducing the cognitive burden on the driver.

[0087] Furthermore, when the display unit is located inside the field of view X1 to X3 of the driver P, the manner of the displayed information is changed based on the positional relationship between the center of the driver P's line of sight O and the display unit. This allows the amount of information to be displayed to be controlled taking into consideration the fact that the driver's level of awareness differs between the center and the edge of the driver's field of view, thereby reducing the driver's burden of awareness.

[0088] For example, as shown in Fig. 6, when a display unit is located inside a first field of view X1, which is the range of the central visual field of the driver P, display information Q1 including text information is displayed. On the other hand, when a display unit is located outside the first field of view X1, display information Q2 not including text information is displayed.

[0089] This allows the amount of specific information to be increased when the display unit is located in the central field of vision where the driver's level of awareness is highest, and the amount of information to be reduced when the display unit is located outside the central field of vision where the driver's level of awareness is lower, thereby reducing the driver's cognitive burden.

[0090] Furthermore, for example, when a display unit is located outside the second visual field X2 (i.e., inside the third visual field X3), which is the range of the effective visual field of the driver P, the display information Q1 is displayed in an enhanced color. As a result, when a display unit is located "outside the effective visual field," where it is generally possible to distinguish colors but difficult to recognize specific shapes, characters, etc., the burden on the driver to recognize the information can be reduced by displaying the information in an enhanced color.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the center of the driver's gaze after ΔT seconds is estimated based on the angular velocity indicating the movement speed of the gaze of the driver P. This makes it possible to predict the field of view of the driver P after ΔT seconds and control the display information, so that information can be displayed on the display unit without delaying the actual movement of the driver's field of view, thereby reducing the cognitive burden on the driver.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fixation point at which the driver's line of sight is fixed is detected, and the visual field corresponding to the characteristics of each driver can be estimated based on the detected fixation point.

[0093] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, a fixation point where the driver P's gaze is fixed is detected, and the gaze movement time Δt from the first fixation point O1 to the second fixation point O2 and the virtual line segment Z connecting the first fixation point O1 and the second fixation point O2 are set. A threshold condition is then set for the vertical displacement Δd of the driver's gaze with respect to the virtual line segment Z. When the displacement Δd satisfies the threshold condition, the visual field angle from the first fixation point O1 as the gaze center O to the second fixation point O2 is estimated as the range of the driver's visual field. This allows the range of the visual field, which varies from person to person, to be set in accordance with the characteristics of the driver, thereby reducing the cognitive burden on the driver.

[0094] In the system S including the vehicular display control device 10, evaluation information on the driving operation of the driver P can be displayed in a manner that places less burden on the driver P. This also contributes to reducing the psychological annoyance that the driver P feels in response to the evaluation. [supplementary explanation]

[0095] Although the vehicular display control device 10 according to the embodiment has been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the driving evaluation device 12 is provided outside the vehicle V, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the driving evaluation device 12 may be mounted on the vehicle V.

[0096] In the above embodiment, evaluation information related to driving operation is used as an example of the display information displayed on the display unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Various types of information related to driving assistance for the driver can be used as the display information displayed on the display unit by the vehicle display control device 10.

[0097] Furthermore, the processing performed by the CPU 20 after reading the program in the above embodiment may be performed by various processors other than the CPU 20. 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. 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, such as multiple FPGAs or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA. The hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor devices.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, various data are stored in storage 26 and storage 46, but this is not limiting. For example, non-transitory recording media such as CDs (Compact Disks), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), and USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory may be used as storage units. In this case, various programs and data are stored in these recording media. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 10. Vehicle display control device 24 Display 25 Display section 26 Display section 62 Gaze detection unit 64 Field of view estimation unit 66 Display control unit Q1 Display information Q2 Display information Q3 Display information V vehicle X1 First field of view (driver's field of view) X2 Second field of view (driver's field of view) X3 Third field of view (driver's field of view)

Claims

1. a gaze detection unit that detects the driver's gaze; a visual field estimation unit that estimates the visual field of the driver from the detected line of sight; a display control unit that controls display information displayed on the display unit based on the estimated positional relationship between the field of view and the display unit of the vehicle; and The field of view estimation unit estimates the driver's line of sight center in ΔT seconds based on an angular velocity indicating the movement speed of the driver's line of sight, and estimates a predetermined range around the line of sight center as the driver's field of view.

2. A gaze detection unit that detects the driver's gaze; a visual field estimation unit that estimates the visual field of the driver from the detected line of sight; a display control unit that controls display information displayed on the display unit based on the estimated positional relationship between the field of view and the display unit of the vehicle; and The field of view estimation unit detects a fixation point at which the driver's line of sight is fixed, and when movement from the first fixation point to the second fixation point is achieved within Δt seconds and the amount of vertical displacement of the driver's line of sight with respect to a virtual line segment connecting the first fixation point and the second fixation point is within Δdm, estimates the field of view angle from the first fixation point as the range of the driver's field of view.

3. The field of view estimation unit estimates a predetermined range around the center of the driver's line of sight as the driver's field of view, 3. The display control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the display information when the display unit is located within a field of view of the estimated driver.

4. The field of view estimation unit estimates a predetermined range around the center of the driver's line of sight as the driver's field of view, 3. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit changes the manner of the display information based on a positional relationship between a center of the driver's line of sight and the display unit when the display unit is located inside an estimated field of view of the driver.

5. The visual field estimation unit estimates a first visual field, which is the range of the driver's central visual field, 5. The vehicle display control device according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit displays the display information in a manner including character information when the display unit is located inside the first field of view, and displays the display information in a manner not including character information when the display unit is located outside the first field of view.

6. The visual field estimation unit estimates a second visual field, which is a range of the driver's effective visual field, The vehicle display control device according to claim 4 , wherein the display control unit displays the display information in an enhanced color when the display unit is located outside the second field of view.

7. A display control device for a vehicle as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the display information is evaluation information regarding the driver's driving operation.

8. Detecting the driver's line of sight, The driver's field of view is estimated from the detected line of sight, A display processing method in which a computer executes processing to control display information to be displayed on a display unit based on a positional relationship between an estimated field of view and a display unit of a vehicle, the method comprising: A display processing method that estimates the driver's gaze center after ΔT seconds based on an angular velocity that indicates the movement speed of the driver's gaze, and estimates a predetermined range around the gaze center as the driver's field of view.

9. Detects the driver's line of sight, The driver's field of view is estimated from the detected line of sight, A display processing method in which a computer executes processing to control display information to be displayed on a display unit based on a positional relationship between an estimated field of view and a display unit of a vehicle, the method comprising: This display processing method detects a fixation point where the driver's line of sight is fixed, and if movement from the first fixation point to the second fixation point occurs within Δt seconds and the vertical displacement of the driver's line of sight with respect to the virtual line segment connecting the first fixation point and the second fixation point is within Δdm, estimates the field of view angle from the first fixation point as the range of the driver's field of view.

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