Display control device and display control method

Abstract

To prevent a driver from feeling uncomfortable with an image that is displayed on a display.SOLUTION: A display control device 13 includes: a position detecting unit 131 for detecting a position of a head DH of a driver and a position of an eye DE of the driver; a region adjusting unit 132 for adjusting the position of a region R, to be displayed on a display 12, in an outside image PQ, depending on the detection result by the position detecting unit 131; and a display controlling unit 133 for displaying, on the display 12, an image PE corresponding to the region R of the position adjusted by the region adjusting unit 132. When there is a change in the position of the head DH so as to move in both the up-down direction and the left-right direction of a vehicle 1, the region adjusting unit 132 prevents adjustment of the position of the region R to a position corresponding to the change, in the up-down direction, of the position of the eye DE, and adjusts the position of the region R to a position corresponding to a change in the position of the eye DE in the left-right direction and / or the front-back direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device and a display control method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for displaying an image outside a vehicle has been disclosed. Patent Document 1 describes that "a camera is attached outside the vehicle corresponding to the position of a display screen. (A plurality of) sensors are oriented toward the driver of the vehicle to sense the position of the driver's eyes. An ECU for a display system analyzes the position of the driver's eyes to obtain a line of sight. An image from the camera is displayed on the display screen corresponding to the driver's line of sight. As a result, the vehicle does not obstruct the driver's field of view, and the display system provides the driver with an image that would be seen if the vehicle body were not there."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the display system described in Patent Document 1, an image that would be seen if the vehicle body were not there is displayed on the display. Therefore, when the position of the driver's eyes moves in the vertical direction, the area of the image displayed on the display moves in the vertical direction so as to correspond to the position of the driver's eyes. However, in this case, the driver may feel discomfort with respect to the image displayed on the display. An object of the present invention is to provide a display control device and a display control method capable of suppressing the driver from feeling discomfort with respect to an image displayed on a display. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To achieve the above objective, for example, the display control device of this embodiment is: Inside the vehicle The inner surface of the vehicle body in a position that obstructs the driver's view. On the displays arranged, An external imaging camera positioned on the outer surface of the vehicle body at the aforementioned location, obstructing the driver's view, captures images in the direction from the driver's eye position toward the external imaging camera. Images of the exterior of the aforementioned vehicle The body of the vehicle appears to be transparent. A display control device that displays, A position detection unit that detects the position of the driver's head and the position of the driver's eyes, A region adjustment unit adjusts the position of the area to be displayed on the display from the image of the outside of the vehicle, according to the detection result of the position detection unit. A display control unit that displays an image on the display corresponding to the region adjusted by the region adjustment unit, Equipped with, When the position of the head changes so that the vehicle moves both vertically and horizontally, the region adjustment unit prohibits adjusting the position of the region to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the eye position, and adjusts the position of the region to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the eye position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] This technology can help prevent drivers from feeling uncomfortable with the images displayed on the screen when their actual eye position changes vertically, even if they have no intention of moving vertically. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device including a display control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of the in-vehicle device according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows a specific example of the processing performed by the display control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of processing by the display control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows a specific example of processing in a conventional display control device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0009] First, with reference to Figure 1, the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 including the display control device 13 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 including the display control device 13 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the in-vehicle device 10 includes an imaging unit 11, a display 12, and a display control device 13.

[0010] The imaging unit 11 includes an external imaging camera 111 and a driver imaging camera 112. The external imaging camera 111 captures images of the exterior of the vehicle 1 and generates an external image PQ. The external imaging camera 111 outputs the generated external image PQ to the display control device 13. The driver imaging camera 112 captures images of the driver and generates a driver image PD. The driver imaging camera 112 outputs the driver image PD to the display control device 13. Each of these cameras includes an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor), a data processing circuit that generates an image from the image sensor, and a data transmission circuit that outputs the captured image to the display control device 13.

[0011] The display 12 is located inside the vehicle 1. The display 12 is equipped with, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays a portion of the external image PQ according to the instructions of the display control device 10. The display 12 displays the image PE corresponding to the region R of the external image PQ at a position adjusted by the display control device 10. Region R will be explained with reference to Figure 3.

[0012] The display control device 13 controls the operations of each part constituting the in-vehicle device 10. The display control device 13 controls the operations of the imaging unit 11 and the display 12 respectively. The display control device 13 displays an image PE of a partial region R of the external image PQ on the display 12 so that the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle 1 can be seen transparently. The display control device 13 acquires the external image PQ and the driver image PD from the imaging unit 11. Further, the display control device 13 causes the display 12 to display an image PE of a partial region R of the external image PQ. Regarding the display control device 13, after explaining FIG. 2, the explanation will return to FIG. 1 again.

[0013] Next, referring to FIG. 2, the arrangement of the in-vehicle device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of the in-vehicle device 10 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are shown. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are orthogonal to each other. The X-axis is parallel to the left-right direction of the vehicle 1, the Y-axis is parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1, and the Z-axis is parallel to the up-down direction of the vehicle 1. The positive direction of the X-axis is the right direction of the vehicle 1, the positive direction of the Y-axis is the front direction of the vehicle 1, and the positive direction of the Z-axis is the up direction of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes an in-vehicle device 10 and a vehicle body 20. The in-vehicle device 10 is mounted on the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle 1. The vehicle body 20 includes an A-pillar 21. The A-pillar 21 includes a right A-pillar 21R and a left A-pillar 21L.

[0014] The external imaging cameras 111 include a right external imaging camera 111R and a left external imaging camera 111L. The right external imaging camera 111R is arranged, for example, on the outer surface of the right A-pillar 21R. The left external imaging camera 111L is arranged, for example, on the outer surface of the left A-pillar 21L. The driver imaging camera 112 is arranged, for example, in the vicinity of the rearview mirror. The display 12 includes a right display 12R and a left display 12L. The right display 12R is disposed on the inner surface of the right A-pillar 21R. The left display 12L is disposed on the inner surface of the left A-pillar 21L. The display control device 13 is disposed, for example, on the dashboard.

[0015] The imaging direction V1 indicates the imaging direction of the right external imaging camera 111R. The imaging direction V1, for example, coincides with the direction from the position of the driver's eyes DE (not shown) to the right external imaging camera 111R. The imaging range θ1 indicates the imaging range of the right external imaging camera 111R. FIG. 2 shows a U-axis, a V-axis, and a Z-axis. The U-axis, the V-axis, and the Z-axis define positions in the external image PQ captured by the right external imaging camera 111R. The Z-axis is parallel to the vertical direction of the vehicle body 20. The V-axis, for example, is parallel to the imaging direction V1, and the U-axis is a direction orthogonal to the Z-axis and the V-axis. The positive direction of the U-axis is the right direction of the driver's line of sight, and the positive direction of the V-axis is the depth direction of the driver's line of sight. Note that the V-axis is not limited to the imaging direction V1 as long as it does not deviate significantly from the driver's line of sight. For example, the V-axis may be a direction perpendicular to the surface on which an image is displayed on the display 12, or may be a direction parallel to a straight line connecting the center of the surface on which an image is displayed on the display 12 and the position of the driver's eyes DE. The imaging direction V2 indicates the imaging direction of the left external imaging camera 111L. The imaging direction V2, for example, coincides with the direction from the position of the driver's eyes DE (not shown) to the left external imaging camera 111L. The imaging range θ2 indicates the imaging range of the left external imaging camera 111L. V-axis, U-axis, and Z-axis corresponding to the imaging direction V2 may be provided.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows the driver's head DH. The imaging direction W indicates the imaging direction of the driver imaging camera 112. The imaging range φ indicates the imaging range of the driver imaging camera 112. The imaging range φ includes the driver's head DH.

[0017] Next, returning to FIG. 1, the configuration of the display control device 13 according to the present embodiment will be described. The display control device 13 comprises a processor 13A and memory 13B. The processor 13A consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), etc. The memory 13B consists of ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 13B may also include a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive). In addition to these devices, the display control device 13 includes interface circuits for connecting sensors and peripheral devices, and an in-vehicle network communication circuit for communicating with other in-vehicle devices via the in-vehicle network. The display control device 13 realizes various functional configurations by having the processor 13A execute the control program 134 stored in the memory 13B. The display control device 13 is composed of, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0018] The display control device 13 can be configured, for example, by an integrated circuit. Integrated circuits include LSIs, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), and PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices). PLDs include, for example, FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). Furthermore, the integrated circuit may include analog circuits as part of its configuration, or it may be a combination of a processor and an integrated circuit. A combination of a processor and an integrated circuit is called a microcontroller (MCU), SoC (System-on-a-chip), system LSI, or chipset.

[0019] The display control device 13 comprises a position detection unit 131, a region adjustment unit 132, and a display control unit 133. Specifically, the processor 13A functions as the position detection unit 131, the region adjustment unit 132, and the display control unit 133 by executing a control program 134 stored in the memory 13B.

[0020] The position detection unit 131 acquires a driver image PD from the driver imaging camera 112. The position detection unit 131 also detects the position of the driver's head DH and the position of the driver's eyes DE based on the driver image PD. For example, the position detection unit 131 performs image processing on the driver image PD to detect the position of the driver's head DH and the position of the driver's eyes DE. In this embodiment, the position detection unit 131 will describe the case where it detects the position of the driver's dominant eye as the position of the driver's eye DE. Furthermore, the case where the driver's dominant eye is set to the right eye will be described.

[0021] The region adjustment unit 132 acquires an external image PQ from the external imaging camera 111. The region adjustment unit 132 also adjusts the position of the region R to be displayed on the display 12 from the external image PQ captured by the external imaging camera 111, according to the detection result of the position detection unit 131. For example, when the position of the head DH changes to move both vertically and horizontally within the vehicle 1, or when the position of the head DH changes to move both vertically and longitudinally within the vehicle 1, the region adjustment unit 132 performs the following process. That is, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE, and adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to at least one of the horizontal and longitudinal changes in the position of the eye DE. In other words, the region adjustment unit 132 does not move the position of region R vertically, but moves it horizontally and longitudinally to at least one of the longitudinal directions. The left-right direction corresponds to the X-axis direction in Figure 2, the front-back direction corresponds to the Y-axis direction in Figure 2, and the up-down direction corresponds to the Z-axis direction in Figure 2.

[0022] For example, when the position of the head DH changes to move both vertically and horizontally, the region adjustment unit 132 performs the following process: the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE, and adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the position of the eye DE. This case will be further explained with reference to Figure 3.

[0023] Furthermore, for example, when the position of the head DH changes to move in both the vertical and horizontal directions, the region adjustment unit 132 performs the following process: that is, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of eye DE, and adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the position of eye DE. For example, if the position of eye DE moves forward, which is in the positive direction of the Y-axis, the region adjustment unit 132 adjusts the position of region R in the positive direction of the U-axis. Also, for example, if the position of eye DE moves backward, which is in the negative direction of the Y-axis, the region adjustment unit 132 adjusts the position of region R in the negative direction of the U-axis. For example, if the driver leans their upper body forward, the position of the eyes DE moves forward, which is the positive direction of the Y-axis. Also, for example, if the driver leans their upper body backward, the position of the eyes DE moves backward, which is the negative direction of the Y-axis.

[0024] The display control unit 133 displays the image PE corresponding to the region R whose position has been adjusted by the region adjustment unit 132 on the display 12. The display control unit 133 extracts the image PE corresponding to region R from the external image PQ captured by the right external imaging camera 111R and displays the extracted image PE on the right display 12R. In addition, the display control unit 133 extracts the image PE corresponding to region R from the external image PQ captured by the left external imaging camera 111L and displays the extracted image PE on the left display 12L.

[0025] Next, with reference to Figures 3 and 5, a specific example of the processing performed by the display control device will be described. Figure 3 shows a specific example of the processing of the display control device 13 according to this embodiment. Figure 5 shows a specific example of the processing of a conventional display control device. Conventional display control devices differ from the display control device 13 according to this embodiment in the following respects. Specifically, when the position of the head DH changes to move both vertically and horizontally, the region adjustment unit 132 of the display control device 13 according to this embodiment prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE. In contrast, conventional display control devices adjust the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE.

[0026] To clearly explain how to adjust the position of region R when the position of the driver's head DH changes, Figures 3 and 5 illustrate, for convenience, the case where the external image PQ captured by the right external imaging camera 111R is a still image. On the other hand, when the display control device 13 according to this embodiment is actually used, the external image PQ is a moving image generated at a predetermined frame rate. The frame rate is, for example, 60 FPS.

[0027] Figures 3 and 5 illustrate the case where a portion of the external image PQ captured by the right external imaging camera 111R is displayed on the right display 12R. Figures 3 and 5 each include a head position display unit DHM, a region position display unit RPM, and an image display unit PM. The head position display unit DHM shows the change in the position of the head DH detected based on the driver image PD. The region position display unit RPM shows the position of region R adjusted by the conventional display control device or the display control device 13 from the external image PQ captured by the right external imaging camera 111R. The image display unit PM shows the change in the image displayed on the right display 12R by the conventional display control device or the display control device 13.

[0028] First, with reference to Figure 5, a specific example of the processing of a conventional display control device will be explained. As shown in the head position indicator DHM in Figure 5, the position of the driver's head DH changes from position DHA, through position DHB, to position DHC. Position DHA is the position of the head DH when the driver tilts their head DH to the right (positive direction of the X-axis in Figure 2). Position DHB is the position of the head DH when the driver does not tilt their head DH. Position DHC is the position of the head DH when the driver tilts their head DH to the left (negative direction of the X-axis in Figure 2).

[0029] Position DEA indicates the position of the driver's dominant right eye when head DH is at position DHA. The (X,Y,Z) coordinates of position DEA are (XA,Y,ZA). Position DEB indicates the position of the driver's dominant right eye when head DH is at position DHB. The (X,Y,Z) coordinates of position DEB are (XB,Y,ZB). Position DEC indicates the position of the driver's dominant right eye when head DH is at position DHB. The (X,Y,Z) coordinates of position DEC are (XC,Y,ZC). Note that the value of the Y coordinate is either unchanged or the change is below a predetermined threshold and can be ignored. The coordinates XA, XB, and XC are given by the following equation (1). XA > XB > XC (1) Furthermore, the coordinates ZA, ZB, and ZC are given by the following equation (2). ZB>ZC>ZA (2)

[0030] As shown in the region position display unit RPM in Figure 5, when the head DH is at position DHA, the display control unit adjusts region R to region RA of the external image PQ. When the head DH is at position DHB, the display control unit adjusts region R to region RB of the external image PQ. When the head DH is at position DHC, the display control unit adjusts region R to region RC of the external image PQ. Corresponding to equations (1) and (2), region RA is located to the upper left of region RB, and region RC is located to the upper right of region RB. Furthermore, region RA is positioned above region RC. Each of regions RA, RB, and RC corresponds to an example of region R. When the driver's head DH is not tilted, and the head DH is in position DHB, region R is adjusted to region RB. When the driver tilts their head DH to the right (positive X-axis direction in Figure 2), region R is adjusted to move in the negative U-axis direction and the positive Z-axis direction in Figure 2 (region RA). Also, when the driver tilts their head DH to the left (negative X-axis direction in Figure 2), region R is adjusted to move in the positive U-axis direction and the positive Z-axis direction in Figure 2 (region RC).

[0031] As shown in the image display unit PM of Figure 5, when the head DH is at position DHA, the display control device displays the image PA of region RA on the right display 12R. When the head DH is at position DHB, the display control device displays the image PB of region RB on the right display 12R. When the head DH is at position DHC, the display control device displays the image PC of region RC on the right display 12R. Each of the images PA, region RB, and image PC corresponds to an example of image PE.

[0032] Thus, when the driver's eye position DE moves vertically, the conventional display control device moves the area R of the image displayed on the right display 12R vertically to correspond to the position of the driver's eye position DE. However, even if the driver has no intention of moving up or down, the actual position of the eyes DE may change vertically. In this case, the driver may feel uncomfortable with the image PE displayed on the display 12 because the image area R displayed on the right display 12R is moved vertically to correspond to the position of the driver's eyes DE. Furthermore, because detecting the position of the eye DE and extracting the image of region R to be displayed on the right display 12R requires processing time, it is not possible to synchronize the timing of the vertical movement of region R of the image displayed on the right display 12R with the timing of the vertical movement of the eye DE. As a result, the driver may feel uneasy about the image PE displayed on the display 12. To resolve this issue, the area adjustment unit 132 of the display control device 13 according to this embodiment prohibits the adjustment of the position of area R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of eye DE.

[0033] Next, with reference to Figure 3, a specific example of the processing of the display control device 13 will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of the processing of the display control device 13. Figure 3, like Figure 5, includes a head position display unit DHM, a region position display unit RPM, and an image display unit PM. The head position display unit DHM shown in Figure 3 is identical to the head position display unit DHM shown in Figure 5.

[0034] As shown in the region position display unit RPM in Figure 3, when the head DH is at position DHA, the region adjustment unit 132 adjusts region R to region RA of the external image PQ. When the head DH is at position DHB, the region adjustment unit 132 adjusts region R to region RB of the external image PQ. When the head DH is at position DHC, the region adjustment unit 132 adjusts region R to region RC of the external image PQ. Referring to Figure 5, and corresponding to equations (1) and (2) described above, region RA is located to the left of region RB (negative direction of the U-axis in Figure 2), and region RC is located to the right of region RB (positive direction of the U-axis in Figure 2). When the driver's head DH is not tilted, and the head DH is in position DHB, region R is adjusted to region RB. When the driver tilts the head DH to the right (positive X-axis direction in Figure 2), region R moves in the negative U-axis direction in Figure 2 and is adjusted to prevent movement in the Z-axis direction (region RA). Also, when the driver tilts the head DH to the left (negative X-axis direction in Figure 2), region R moves in the positive U-axis direction in Figure 2 and is adjusted to prevent movement in the Z-axis direction (region RC).

[0035] As shown in the image display unit PM of Figure 3, when the head DH is at position DHA, the display control unit 133 displays the image PA of region RA on the right display 12R. When the head DH is at position DHB, the display control unit 133 displays the image PB of region RB on the right display 12R. When the head DH is at position DHC, the display control unit 133 displays the image PC of region RC on the right display 12R.

[0036] When the position of the head DH changes in the vertical and horizontal directions, the area adjustment unit 132 of the display control device 13 performs the following processing. Specifically, the area adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of area R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE, and adjusts the position of area R to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the position of the eye DE. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling discomfort with the image PE displayed on the display 12. Furthermore, by prohibiting the adjustment of the position of area R to a position corresponding to the vertical change, the processing time can be shortened.

[0037] Next, an example of the processing of the display control device 13 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the display control device 13 according to this embodiment. In Figure 4, the case where the driver's dominant eye is pre-set to either the right or left eye will be described. As shown in Figure 4, first, in step S101, the position detection unit 131 acquires a driver image PD from the driver imaging camera 112. Next, in step S103, the position detection unit 131 detects the position of the driver's head DH based on the driver's image PD. Next, in step S105, the position detection unit 131 detects the position of the driver's dominant eye DE based on the driver image PD.

[0038] Next, in step S107, the region adjustment unit 132 acquires an external image PQ from the external imaging camera 111. Next, in step S109, the region adjustment unit 132 determines whether the position of the driver's head DH detected by the position detection unit 131 has changed in the vertical direction. If the region adjustment unit 132 determines that the position of the head DH has not changed in the vertical direction (step S109; NO), the process proceeds to step S113. If the region adjustment unit 132 determines that the position of the head DH has changed in the vertical direction (step S109; YES), the process proceeds to step S111. Then, in step S111, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits the adjustment of the position of region R in accordance with the change in the vertical position of the driver's dominant eye. Next, in step S113, the region adjustment unit 132 adjusts the position of region R in accordance with changes in the position of the driver's dominant eye in directions other than the vertical direction (i.e., the left-right and front-back directions).

[0039] Next, in step S115, the display control unit 133 extracts an image PE from the external image PQ captured by the external imaging camera 111 that corresponds to the region R at the position adjusted by the region adjustment unit 132. Next, in step S117, the display control unit 133 displays the image PE extracted in step S115 on the display 12. Next, in step S119, the display control device 13 determines whether or not to terminate the display process. The "display process" is the process of displaying the image PE on the display 12, that is, the process consisting of steps S101 to S117 in Figure 4. The display control device 13, for example, receives an operation from the driver and determines whether or not to terminate the display process according to the received operation. If it is determined that the display process should not be terminated (step S119; NO), the process returns to step S101. If it is determined that the display process should be terminated (step S119; YES), the process then terminates.

[0040] Steps S103 and S105 correspond to an example of a "detection step". Step S113 corresponds to an example of an "adjustment step". Step S117 corresponds to an example of a "display step". Furthermore, the process described in Figure 4 is not executed when the driver gets into the vehicle and sits in the driver's seat for the first time. Specifically, when the driver gets into the vehicle and sits in the driver's seat, and the area adjustment unit 132 sets the reference position of area R according to the driver's physique and eye height captured by the driver imaging camera 112, the process described in Figure 4 is not executed. Therefore, the present invention does not prevent setting the reference position of area R according to the driver's physique.

[0041] As described above with reference to Figures 1 to 5, the display control device 13 of this embodiment is a display control device 13 that displays an external image PQ, which is an image of the outside of the vehicle 1, on a display 12 located inside the vehicle 1, such that the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle 1 is visible through it. The display control device 13 comprises a position detection unit 131 that detects the position of the driver's head DH and the position of the driver's eyes DE, a region adjustment unit 132 that adjusts the position of a region R of the external image PQ to be displayed on the display 12 according to the detection result of the position detection unit 131, and a display control unit 133 that displays an image PE corresponding to the region R at the position adjusted by the region adjustment unit 132 on the display 12. When the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves in the vertical and horizontal directions, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eyes DE, and adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the position of the eyes DE.

[0042] When the position of the head DH changes so that it moves both vertically and horizontally within the vehicle 1, and also relative to the vehicle 1, the region adjustment unit 132 performs the following process. That is, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of eye DE, and instead adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the position of eye DE. In other words, the region adjustment unit 132 does not move the position of region R vertically, but moves it horizontally. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling any discomfort with the image PE displayed on the display 12 due to the vertical movement of the region R.

[0043] Furthermore, in the display control device 13, when the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves both vertically and longitudinally, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE, and instead adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to the longitudinal change in the position of the eye DE. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling any discomfort with the image PE displayed on the display 12 due to the vertical movement of the region R.

[0044] Furthermore, in the display control device 13, the position detection unit 131 detects the position of the driver's dominant eye as the position of the driver's eye DE. Therefore, the region adjustment unit 132 adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to a change in at least one of the left-right and front-back directions of the dominant eye's position. Thus, the position of region R can be properly adjusted. As a result, the correct image PE can be displayed on the display 12.

[0045] Furthermore, in the display control device 13, when the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves vertically and horizontally, the area adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of area R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE, and adjusts the position of area R to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the position of the eye DE. In other words, when the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves vertically and horizontally, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE. Therefore, when the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves vertically and horizontally, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling discomfort with the image PE displayed on the display 12 due to the vertical movement of the position of region R.

[0046] Furthermore, in the display control device 13, when the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE, and adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to the longitudinal change in the position of the eye DE. In other words, when the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves vertically and longitudinally, the region adjustment unit 132 prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eye DE. Therefore, when the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves vertically and longitudinally, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling discomfort with the image PE displayed on the display 12 due to the vertical movement of the position of region R.

[0047] Furthermore, in the display control device 13, the vehicle body 20 includes the A-pillar 21, and the display 12 includes the right display 12R and the left display 12L, which are located on the A-pillar 21. Therefore, since the right display 12R and the left display 12L are positioned on the A-pillar 21, the image PE can be displayed so that the A-pillar 21 is visible through it. Consequently, the A-pillar 21 does not obstruct the driver's view.

[0048] Furthermore, in the display control device 13, when the driver is seated in the vehicle 1, the area adjustment unit 132 does not prohibit adjusting the position of the front area R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eyes DE. Therefore, when the driver gets into vehicle 1, the area adjustment unit 132 adjusts the position of area R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eyes DE. Thus, when the driver gets into vehicle 1, the position of area R can be properly adjusted.

[0049] Furthermore, the display control method of this embodiment is a display control device 10 that displays an external image PQ, which is an image of the outside of the vehicle 1, on a display 12 located inside the vehicle 1, such that the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle 1 is visible through it, and includes a detection step of detecting the position of the driver's head DH and the position of the driver's eyes DE; an adjustment step of adjusting the position of a region R to be displayed on the display 12 from the external image PQ according to the detection result of the detection step; and a display step of displaying an image PE corresponding to the region R at the position adjusted in the adjustment step on the display 12. When the position of the head DH changes so that the vehicle 1 moves both vertically and horizontally, the adjustment step prohibits adjusting the position of region R to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eyes DE, and instead adjusts the position of region R to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the position of the eyes DE. Therefore, the display support method of this embodiment has the same effects as the display control device 13 of this embodiment.

[0050] The embodiment described above is merely an example of one embodiment of the present invention, and can be modified and applied as desired without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, Figure 1 is a diagram that classifies the components according to their main processing content in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. The components can be further classified into many more components depending on the processing content. Alternatively, a single component can be classified to perform even more processing. Furthermore, the processing of each component may be performed on one piece of hardware or on multiple pieces of hardware. Also, the processing of each component may be implemented by one program or by multiple programs.

[0051] Furthermore, in Figure 1, the display control device 13 may integrate at least one of the imaging unit 11 and the display 12.

[0052] Furthermore, while this embodiment includes a position detection unit 131, a region adjustment unit 132, and a display control unit 133, it is not limited to these. A server device that is communicably connected to the display control device 13 via a network such as the Internet may include at least one of the position detection unit 131, the region adjustment unit 132, and the display control unit 133.

[0053] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes a case where the position detection unit 131 detects the position of the driver's dominant eye as the position of eye DE, it is not limited to this. The position detection unit 131 may also detect, for example, the center position of both eyes as the position of eye DE.

[0054] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes the case where the display 12 is positioned on the A-pillar 21, it is not limited to this. The display 12 can be positioned in any location on the vehicle body 20 that obstructs the driver's view. For example, the display 12 may be positioned on the B-pillar or the like. Furthermore, although this embodiment describes the case where the external imaging camera 111 is positioned on the A-pillar 21, it is not limited to this. The external imaging camera 111 should be positioned in a location where it can capture the external image PQ.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the position detection unit 131 detects changes in the position of the head DH and the position of the eyes DE, it uses the Y-axis, which is the front-to-back direction in the vehicle 1, and the Y-axis, which is the left-to-right direction in the vehicle 1, as references. However, the X-axis may be replaced with the U-axis and the Y-axis with the V-axis to detect changes in the position of the head DH and the position of the eyes DE.

[0056] Furthermore, when the display control method of the present invention is implemented using a computer, the control program 134 executed by the computer can be configured as a recording medium or a transmission medium for transmitting the control program 134. The recording medium can be a magnetic, optical, or semiconductor memory device. Specifically, examples include portable or fixed recording media such as flexible disks, HDDs, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), DVDs, Blu-ray® Discs, magneto-optical disks, flash memory, and card-type recording media. Alternatively, the recording medium may be a non-volatile storage device such as RAM, ROM, or HDD provided by the display control device 13. Alternatively, the display control device 13 may download the control program 134 from a server device that is connected to the display control device 13 via a network.

[0057] Furthermore, for example, the processing units in the flowchart shown in Figure 4 are divided according to the main processing content in order to facilitate understanding of the processing of the display control device 13, and the present invention is not limited by the way the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The processing of the display control device 13 may be further divided into more processing units depending on the processing content. Also, the processing of the display control device 13 may be divided so that one processing unit includes even more processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 vehicle 11 Imaging Unit 111 External imaging camera 112 Driver imaging camera 12 displays 13 Display control device 13A Processor 13B memory 131 Position detection unit 132 Area adjustment section 133 Display Control Unit 134 Control Program DH head DE Eye PE image PD driver image PQ External Image R region

Claims

1. A display control device that displays an image of the outside of the vehicle, captured by an external imaging camera positioned on the outer surface of the vehicle body at a location that obstructs the driver's view, in a direction from the driver's eye position toward the external imaging camera, on a display positioned on the inner surface of the vehicle body at a location that obstructs the driver's view, so as if the vehicle body were transparent. A position detection unit that detects the position of the driver's head and the position of the driver's eyes, A region adjustment unit adjusts the position of the area to be displayed on the display from the image of the outside of the vehicle, according to the detection result of the position detection unit. A display control unit that displays an image on the display corresponding to the region adjusted by the region adjustment unit, Equipped with, When the position of the head changes so that the vehicle moves both vertically and horizontally, the region adjustment unit prohibits adjusting the position of the region to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the eye position, and adjusts the position of the region to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the eye position. Display control device.

2. When the position of the head changes so that the vehicle moves both vertically and longitudinally, the region adjustment unit prohibits adjusting the position of the region to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the eye position, and adjusts the position of the region to a position corresponding to the longitudinal change in the eye position. The display control device according to claim 1.

3. The position detection unit has a preset setting indicating whether the driver's dominant eye is the right eye or the left eye, and detects the position of the driver's dominant eye as the preset position of the driver's eye. The display control device according to claim 1.

4. When the position of the head changes so that the vehicle moves vertically and horizontally, the region adjustment unit prohibits adjusting the position of the region to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the eye position, and adjusts the position of the region to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the eye position. The display control device according to claim 1.

5. When the position of the head changes so as to move in the vertical and longitudinal directions of the vehicle, the region adjustment unit prohibits adjusting the position of the region to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the eye position, and adjusts the position of the region to a position corresponding to the longitudinal change in the eye position. The display control device according to claim 1.

6. The position of the vehicle body that obstructs the driver's view includes the A-pillar, The aforementioned display includes a display positioned on the A-pillar, The display control device according to claim 1.

7. When the position detection unit first detects the position of the driver's head and the position of the driver's eyes while the driver is seated in the vehicle, the area adjustment unit does not prohibit adjusting the position of the area to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the position of the eyes. The display control device according to claim 1.

8. A display control method for a display control device, which displays on a display located on the inner surface of a vehicle body at a position that obstructs the driver's view inside the vehicle, an image of the outside of the vehicle captured by an external imaging camera located on the outer surface of the vehicle body at the position that obstructs the driver's view, in the direction from the driver's eye position toward the external imaging camera, so as if the vehicle body were transparent, A detection step for detecting the position of the driver's head and the position of the driver's eyes, An adjustment step is performed to adjust the position of the area of ​​the image of the vehicle's exterior that is to be displayed on the display, according to the detection result of the above detection step. A display step in which an image corresponding to the area of ​​the position adjusted in the adjustment step is displayed on the display, Includes, When the position of the head changes so that the vehicle moves both vertically and horizontally, the adjustment step prohibits adjusting the position of the region to a position corresponding to the vertical change in the eye position, and instead adjusts the position of the region to a position corresponding to the horizontal change in the eye position. Display control method.

Images