Display System

Abstract

To provide a display system which enables a user to quickly, satisfactorily visually recognize a video after an aerial display begins to display the video.SOLUTION: A display system comprises light-emitting marker 4 in the lower side of a video display region 300 of an aerial display 3. To start displaying a video, the marker 4 is lighted (b) and a time is waited until a driver gazes the marker 4. When the driver has gazed the lighted marker 4, the aerial display 3 is caused to start displaying a video that gradually rises from the position of the marker 4 (c, d), and the marker 4 is turned off when the video has reached the normal display position and the video thereafter is displayed at this position (e).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display system that uses a display that displays an image in an image display area that is transparent when no image is displayed. [Background technology]

[0002] Known examples of displays that display images in an image display area that becomes transparent when no image is being displayed include transparent displays that use organic electroluminescence (EL) (e.g., Patent Document 1) and aerial displays that use corner reflectors (e.g., Patent Documents 2 and 3).

[0003] Furthermore, a known display system that uses a display that displays images in an image display area that becomes transparent when no image is being displayed is one in which a transparent display is positioned so that it overlaps the front windshield of the vehicle as seen by the driver, and the transparent display is used to display various information so that it is superimposed on the scenery in front of the vehicle (for example, Patent Document 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-144508 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-137779 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-105966 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-301639 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When using a display that displays images in an image display area that becomes transparent when the image is not being displayed, such as a transparent display or an aerial display, the image display area in which the image is displayed is in a state where there is no object to be viewed when the image is not being displayed.

[0006] For this reason, when the image starts to be displayed, the image suddenly appears in an empty space, and it takes time for the user's eyes to focus on the image and become able to see it clearly, and the user's attention may be distracted until the image becomes clearly visible.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to enable a user to quickly and clearly view an image after the image starts to be displayed in a display system that uses a display that displays an image in an image display area that becomes transparent when the image is not being displayed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a display system using a display that displays an image in a predetermined image display area and that is transparent when the image is not displayed, the system comprising: a marker arranged near the image display area; a gaze point detection means for detecting a user's gaze position; and an image display control means for controlling the display of the image on the display. Here, when the display is not displaying an image, the image display control means starts displaying the image in the image display area using the display when the gaze point detection means detects a gaze position that indicates that the user is gazing at the marker.

[0009] Here, in this display system, the marker may be an illuminant. With such a display system, when a user gazes at a marker, their eyes focus roughly on the image display area of ​​the display, so that after the display begins to display in response to the user's gaze at the marker, the user can quickly focus on the displayed image and view it.

[0010] Furthermore, to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a display using a display that displays an image in a predetermined image display area, the image display area being transparent when the image is not being displayed, the display comprising: a marker that is an illuminant arranged near the image display area and whose light emission can be controlled, a gaze point detection means that detects the user's gaze position, and an image display control means that controls the display of the image on the display. Here, the image display control means causes the marker to emit light when starting to display an image in the image display area using the display while the marker is not emitting light and the display is not displaying an image, and then waits for the gaze point detection means to detect a gaze position that indicates that the user is gazing at the marker before starting to display the image in the image display area using the display.

[0011] According to such a display system, when the display of an image starts, the marker is illuminated to prompt the user to gaze at the marker, and when the user gazes at the marker, the image starts to be displayed. When the user gazes at the marker, their eyes generally focus on the image display area of ​​the display, so after the display starts in response to the user's gaze at the marker, the user can quickly focus on the displayed image and view it.

[0012] Here, the above display system may be configured such that, when the image display control means starts displaying the image in the image display area using the display, the image is displayed so that it extends from a position close to the marker in the image display area in a direction away from the marker to a predetermined display position.

[0013] By doing so, the focus and the visual target can be smoothly shifted from the marker to the displayed image. Here, the above display system may be a display system installed in an automobile, in which case the user may be the driver of the automobile, the display may be a transparent display placed on the dashboard of the automobile that is transparent when not displaying an image, and the marker may be an opaque frame of the transparent display or an illuminant fixed to the top or left and right sides of the transparent display.

[0014] Alternatively, in the case of a display system mounted on a vehicle, the user may be the driver of the vehicle, the display may be an aerial display that displays images in the space directly above the dashboard of the vehicle as the image display area, and the marker may be positioned near the bottom edge of the image display area above the dashboard.

[0015] The present invention also provides a display system mounted on an automobile, which has a transparent display placed on the dashboard of the automobile and which becomes transparent when not displaying an image, and a marker which is an illuminant fixed above or to the left and right sides of the transparent display.

[0016] The present invention also provides a display system mounted on an automobile, which includes a floating display that displays an image in a space immediately above the dashboard of the automobile, and a marker disposed near a bottom edge of an image display area above the dashboard where the floating display displays an image. Here, in this display system, the marker may be an illuminant.

[0017] In such display systems, too, the user can use the marker as a guide to quickly focus on the displayed image and view the image clearly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, according to the present invention, in a display system that uses a display that displays an image in an image display area that becomes transparent when the image is not being displayed, the user can quickly and clearly view the image after the image starts to be displayed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a display system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of an in-vehicle camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing an aerial display and a marker according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing a display start process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a processing example of a display start process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a display control process according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another exemplary configuration of a display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a video display in another configuration example according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a display system according to the first embodiment. The display system is a system mounted on an automobile, and includes an in-car camera 1, a DMS 2 (Driver Monitoring System 2), an aerial display 3, a marker 4, peripheral devices 5, and a data processing device 6. The peripheral devices 5 are, for example, an input device, a storage device, a front camera that captures images in front of the automobile, a radar device that detects surrounding objects, etc.

[0021] The in-vehicle camera 1 is a near-infrared camera placed in front of the driver's seat inside the vehicle cabin as shown in FIG. 2, and captures an image of the driver from that position. The DMS 2 recognizes the position and direction of the driver's eyes from the video captured by the in-vehicle camera 1 and calculates the gaze point, which is the position where the driver is looking. The aerial display 3 is a display device used by the data processing device 6 for display output, and is mounted inside the dashboard as shown in Figure 3a. As shown in Figure 3b, the aerial display 3 displays an image in an aerial image display area 300 above the top panel of the dashboard so that it is superimposed on the scenery in front of the car as seen by the driver.

[0022] Here, the image display area 300 is a rectangular plane with the normal line roughly in the longitudinal direction of the automobile, and the bottom side of the image display area 300 is set to extend roughly above the upper surface of the top panel of the dashboard.

[0023] Furthermore, when the aerial display 3 is not displaying an image, the space above the top panel of the dashboard is empty, and there is nothing to be seen, as shown in FIG. 3a. For example, as shown in Figure 3c, the aerial display 3 can be composed of a display 31 that displays an image, a beam splitter 32, and a reflector 33. The image 310 displayed by the display 31 is reflected by the beam splitter 32 toward the reflector 33, and the reflector 33 retro-reflects the light incident from the beam splitter 32 back to the beam splitter 32. Then, the light that has passed through the beam splitter 32 is gathered together to display an image 320 in the air.

[0024] Next, the marker 4 is a light-emitting body formed of an LED or the like, and whether or not the marker 4 emits light can be controlled by the data processing device 6. As shown in Figures 3a and 3b, the marker 4 has an illuminating portion that extends left and right along the bottom edge of the video display area 300 of the aerial display 3, an illuminating portion that extends front and back through the bottom left edge of the video display area 300, and an illuminating portion that extends front and back through the bottom right edge of the video display area 300.When the marker 4 emits light, the driver can recognize the position and range of the bottom edge of the video display area 300 of the aerial display 3 from the position and shape of the marker 4.

[0025] In the first embodiment, the data processing device 6 displays an image using the aerial display 3 when a predetermined display start event occurs. For example, when the data processing device 6 detects an obstacle using a forward camera or radar device provided as a peripheral device 5, it displays a mark calling attention in the video display area 300 using the aerial display 3. Alternatively, for example, the data processing device 6 may execute a navigation application in the background that calculates the current position and sets a route to the destination, and when the data processing device 6 approaches within a predetermined distance a point along the route where a course change should be made, it may display an image in the video display area 300 using the aerial display 3 that provides information on the distance to the course change point and the course change direction.

[0026] Then, the data processing device 6 starts displaying the image using the aerial display 3 in this way by performing a display start process shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in the display start processing, the data processing device 6 first turns on the marker 4 (step 402). Note that the initial state of the marker 4 is off. Then, the process waits for the driver's gaze point detected by the DMS 2 to reach the position of the marker 4 (step 404). Then, when the driver's gaze point reaches the position of marker 4, the image is raised from bottom to top in image display area 300 to the normal display position, and thereafter the image starts to be displayed in the normal display position (step 406). In other words, the image starts to be displayed with a so-called bottom-to-top slide transition.

[0027] Then, when the image has been raised to the normal display position (step 408), the marker 4 is turned off (step 410), the display start process ends, and the image continues to be displayed at the normal display position. After starting to display the image in this manner, if a predetermined display end event occurs, the data processing device 6 ends the display of the image using the aerial display 3. For example, if an obstacle is detected and a mark indicating a warning is displayed using the aerial display 3, the display of the image using the aerial display 3 will end once the obstacle is gone, and if an image guiding the distance to a course change point and the course change direction is displayed, the display of the image using the aerial display 3 will end once the course change point has been passed.

[0028] Now, according to the display start processing described above, when a display start event occurs and the image display starts while the marker 4 is off and no display is being performed using the aerial display 3, as shown in Figure 5a, the marker 4 is first turned on as shown in Figure 5b to encourage the driver to look at the marker 4.

[0029] Here, when the driver looks at the illuminated marker 4, the driver's eyes will be focused approximately on the image display area 300 of the aerial display 3. When the driver gazes at the illuminated marker 4, an image will rise from the position of the marker 4 into the space above the dashboard, as shown in Figures 5c and 5d. Before this image is displayed, the focus of the driver's eyes is on the position of marker 4, so the driver can quickly shift his focus to the image rising upward from the position of marker 4 and view it.

[0030] Then, when the image reaches the normal display position shown in FIG. 5e, the marker 4 goes out, and thereafter the image is displayed at that position. The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In the first embodiment described above, the marker 4 is an illuminant, but the marker 4 may not be an illuminant, and may be an object or sign with a color that is clearly visible to the driver. Also, in the first embodiment described above, the image may not be raised at the start of display, and the image may be displayed in the normal display position from the beginning.

[0031] Even in this way, when the driver looks at the marker 4, his eyes will roughly focus on the image display area 300 of the aerial display 3, so after the display on the aerial display 3 begins, the driver can quickly focus on the displayed image and view it.

[0032] A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The configuration of the display system according to the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the display system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in this second embodiment, the data processing device 6 controls the display of images using the aerial display 3 by the display control process shown in Fig. 6. The images displayed in this second embodiment include, for example, display of vehicle status such as vehicle speed and time, display of estimated arrival time at the destination, display of route to the destination, etc.

[0033] That is, in the display control process, the data processing device 6 monitors whether the driver's gaze point detected by the DMS 2 is at the position of the marker 4 (step 602). In the second embodiment, the initial state of the marker 4 is turned on.

[0034] Then, when the driver's gaze point reaches the position of marker 4, the image is raised from bottom to top to the normal display position, and thereafter the image starts to be displayed in the normal display position (step 604). In other words, the image starts to be displayed with a so-called bottom-to-top slide transition.

[0035] Next, the marker 4 is turned off (step 606), and the DMS 2 monitors whether the driver's gaze point detected by the DMS 2 is no longer within the video display area 300 (step 608). Then, if the point of gaze is no longer located within the image display area 300, the display of the image using the aerial display 3 is stopped (step 610), the marker 4 is turned on (step 612), and the process returns to step 602.

[0036] The display control process performed by the data processing device 6 has been described above. According to this type of display control processing, the image is displayed only when the driver is gazing at the marker 4 and indicates an intention to view the image on the aerial display 3, thereby preventing the image from being displayed even when the driver does not need it, thereby preventing the image from interfering with the driver's confirmation of the situation ahead.

[0037] In addition, the display of the image on the aerial display 3 begins when the driver is gazing at the marker 4 and the driver's eyes are focused on the position of the marker 4, so the driver can quickly shift his focus to the image rising upward from the position of the marker 4 and view it.

[0038] The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In the second embodiment described above, the data processing device 6 may constantly display the image on the aerial display 3, and step 604 of the display control process may be a process of increasing the opacity of the image displayed by the aerial display 3, and step 610 may be a process of increasing the transparency of the image displayed by the aerial display 3.

[0039] Also, in the second embodiment described above, the image may be displayed in the normal display position from the beginning without being raised at the start of display. Even in this way, when the driver looks at the marker 4, the driver's eyes will focus roughly on the image display area 300 of the aerial display 3, so after the display on the aerial display 3 begins, the driver can quickly focus on the displayed image and view it.

[0040] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. In the first and second embodiments described above, the aerial display 3 may be replaced with a transparent display using organic EL (Electro Luminescence) or the like.

[0041] That is, in this case, as shown in FIG. 7a, a transparent display 7 is placed on the top panel of the dashboard so as to display an image above the dashboard that overlaps with the scenery ahead of the vehicle as seen from the driver.

[0042] 7a and 7b, a narrow opaque frame 71 is provided to surround the transparent display 7. As the markers 4, light-emitting bodies are provided at the upper left and upper right corners of the transparent display 7.

[0043] In the first embodiment, when the transparent display 7 is used, the display start process shown in Fig. 4 is performed in the same manner. However, in step 406, for example, as shown in Figs. 8a, 8b, 8c, and 8d, the display area of ​​the transparent display 7 is set to the image display area 300, and the image gradually descends from the upper side of the frame 71 to appear in the image display area 300. Once the image is displayed in the normal display position, the image is subsequently displayed in the normal display position. That is, the image display starts with a so-called top-to-bottom slide transition. However, in step 406, the video may be displayed in the normal display position from the beginning.

[0044] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, when the transparent display 7 is used, the display control process shown in FIG. 6 is performed in the same manner. However, in step 602, if the driver is gazing at the marker 4 or the frame 71, the process proceeds to step 604. Also, in step 604, for example, as shown in FIGS. 8a, 8b, 8c, and 8d, the display area of ​​the transparent display 7 is set to the image display area 300, and the image gradually descends from the upper side of the frame 71 to appear in the image display area 300. Once the image is displayed in the normal display position, the image is subsequently displayed in the normal display position. That is, the image display starts with a so-called top-to-bottom slide transition. However, in step 604, the image may be displayed in the normal display position from the beginning.

[0045] When using the transparent display 7 in this manner, just as when using the aerial display 3, the driver can quickly focus on the displayed image and view it after the transparent display 7 begins to display.

[0046] In the first and second embodiments, when the transparent display 7 is used, only the frame 71 may be provided, and no marker 4 may be provided. Alternatively, only the marker 4 may be provided, and no frame 71 may be provided. Furthermore, instead of using the marker 4 as an illuminant, the marker 4 may be an object or sign with a color that can be clearly seen by the driver.

[0047] Even in this way, when the driver looks at the marker 4 or the frame 71, the driver's eyes will be focused on the image display area 300 of the transparent display 7, so after the transparent display 7 starts displaying, the driver can quickly focus on the displayed image and view it. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...in-vehicle camera, 2...DMS, 3...aerial display, 4...marker, 5...peripheral device, 6...data processing device, 7...transparent display, 31...display, 32...beam splitter, 33...reflector, 61...frame, 300...image display area.

Claims

1. A display system using a display that displays an image in a predetermined image display area, and the image display area is transparent when the image is not being displayed, a marker arranged near the video display area; a gaze point detection means for detecting a gaze position of a user; a video display control means for controlling the display of the video on the display, The display system is characterized in that the video display control means starts displaying video in the video display area using the display when the gaze point detection means detects a gaze position indicating that the user is gazing at the marker while the display is not displaying video.

2. 2. The display system of claim 1, A display system characterized in that the marker is an illuminant.

3. A display system using a display that displays an image in a predetermined image display area, and the image display area is transparent when the image is not being displayed, a marker that is a light-emitting body that is arranged near the image display area and whose light emission can be controlled; a gaze point detection means for detecting a gaze position of a user; a video display control means for controlling the display of the video on the display, A display system characterized in that the image display control means, when starting to display an image in the image display area using the display while the marker is not illuminated and the display is not displaying an image, causes the marker to illuminate, and then waits for the gaze point detection means to detect a gaze position indicating that the user is gazing at the marker before starting to display an image in the image display area using the display.

4. 4. A display system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, A display system characterized in that, when the image display control means starts displaying the image in the image display area using the display, the image is displayed so that the image extends from a position close to the marker in the image display area in a direction away from the marker to a predetermined display position.

5. 10. The display system according to claim 1, which is mounted on a vehicle, the user is a driver of the vehicle; the display displays an image on a panel that is disposed on a dashboard of the automobile and that is transparent when no image is displayed; The panel is not a front window of the vehicle, A display system characterized in that the marker is an opaque frame of the panel.

6. 4. The display system according to claim 2 or 3, which is mounted on a vehicle, the user is a driver of the vehicle; the display displays an image on a panel that is disposed on a dashboard of the automobile and that is transparent when no image is displayed; The panel is not a front window of the vehicle, A display system characterized in that the markers are fixed on the top or left and right sides of the panel.

7. 4. The display system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, which is mounted on a vehicle, the user is a driver of the vehicle; the display is an aerial display that displays an image in a space immediately above a dashboard of the automobile as the image display area, A display system characterized in that the marker is arranged at a position near the bottom edge of the image display area on the dashboard.

Images