Image irradiation device

Abstract

An image irradiation device (42), which is provided in a vehicle (1) having a headlamp (41), comprises an image generation unit (424) that generates an image, and a control board (425) that acquires information related to a light distribution pattern of light irradiated by the headlamp (41) and that controls a display position of the image in accordance with the information.

Description

Image irradiation device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image projection device.

[0002] Known head-up displays include those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. The head-up display projects an image or video onto a windshield or a combiner, and allows a vehicle occupant to visually recognize the image by superimposing it on real space through the windshield or the combiner, thereby realizing so-called augmented reality (AR).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an information display device that detects the viewpoint position of an occupant and sets the display position of an image in response to the detected movement of the viewpoint position in order to reduce the movement of the occupant's viewpoint. Patent Document 2 discloses a head-up display device that adjusts the correlated color temperature of the image light of the head-up display in accordance with the correlated color temperature of the light irradiated by the headlamp in order to prevent the image light of the head-up display from becoming a protective color of the light irradiated by the headlamp.

[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-166891 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-199886

[0005] Incidentally, the light distribution pattern emitted by a headlamp has a boundary area where there is a large difference in brightness, such as the cut-off line of a low-beam light distribution pattern or the outer edge of a high-beam light distribution pattern. The position of this boundary area changes depending on the light distribution pattern. If an image of a head-up display is displayed near the boundary area of ​​a light distribution pattern, the image may be perceived as a nuisance by vehicle occupants.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an image projection device that does not cause the user to feel bothered by the image.

[0007] The image projection device of the present disclosure is an image projection device provided in a vehicle equipped with a lamp, and includes an image generation unit that generates an image, an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the light distribution pattern of light projected by the lamp, and a control unit that controls the display position of the image according to the information.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image projection device in which the image is less likely to be bothersome.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle system in a vehicle equipped with a head-up display (HUD) according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the HUD according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed and the headlamps are turned off. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed and the headlamps are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed and the headlamps are emitting a high-beam light distribution pattern. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an HUD image according to a comparative example. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed and the headlamps are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed and the headlamps are emitting a high-beam light distribution pattern. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when a leading vehicle is traveling ahead of the vehicle, the vehicle is traveling at a low speed, and the headlamps are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when a leading vehicle is traveling ahead of the vehicle, the vehicle is traveling at a high speed, and the headlamps are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0011] In the description of this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the terms "left-right direction," "up-down direction," and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the HUD (head-up display) 42 shown in FIG. 2. Here, the "left-right direction" refers to a direction including the "left direction" and the "right direction." The "up-down direction" refers to a direction including the "upward direction" and the "downward direction." The "front-rear direction" refers to a direction including the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction." Although not shown in FIG. 2, the left-right direction refers to a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

[0012] A vehicle system 2 in a vehicle 1 equipped with a head-up display (HUD) 42 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the vehicle system 2.

[0013] 1 , the vehicle system 2 includes a vehicle control unit 3, a vehicle display system 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "display system 4"), a sensor 5, a camera 6, and a radar 7. The vehicle system 2 further includes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 8, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 9, a wireless communication unit 10, and a storage device 11.

[0014] The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the driving of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured, for example, by at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (e.g., a System on a Chip (SoC)) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit configured of active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Processing Unit (MPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU). The CPU may be configured by multiple CPU cores. The GPU may be configured by multiple GPU cores. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). A vehicle control program may be stored in the ROM. For example, the vehicle control program may include an artificial intelligence (AI) program for autonomous driving. The AI ​​program is a program (trained model) constructed by supervised or unsupervised machine learning (particularly, deep learning) using a multi-layer neural network. The RAM may temporarily store the vehicle control program, vehicle control data, and / or surrounding environment information indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The processor may be configured to load a specified program from various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The computer system may also be configured with non-von Neumann type computers such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), etc. Furthermore, the computer system may be configured with a combination of von Neumann type computers and non-von Neumann type computers.

[0015] The display system 4 includes a headlamp 41 , a HUD 42 , and a display control unit 43 .

[0016] The headlamps 41 are disposed on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle 1. The headlamps 41 include one or more light-emitting elements such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) or LDs (Laser Diodes), and optical components such as lenses and reflectors. The headlamps 41 also include an adaptive driving beam (ADB) function that reduces glare to occupants of vehicles in front and oncoming vehicles. The headlamps 41 are an example of a lighting fixture.

[0017] The headlamp 41 includes a high beam lamp 411 configured to project a high beam light distribution pattern H ahead of the vehicle 1, and a low beam lamp 412 configured to project a low beam light distribution pattern L ahead of the vehicle 1. The high beam lamp 411 and the low beam lamp 412 may be integrally provided in a single housing, or may be provided in separate housings. The low beam light distribution pattern L is an example of a light distribution pattern with a cutoff line, which has a cutoff line CL extending in the left-right direction. The high beam light distribution pattern H is an example of a light distribution pattern without a cutoff line CL.

[0018] At least a portion of the HUD 42 is located inside the vehicle 1. Specifically, the HUD 42 is installed in a predetermined location inside the vehicle 1. For example, the HUD 42 may be disposed within the dashboard 12 of the vehicle 1. The HUD 42 is a visual interface between the vehicle 1 and the occupant. The HUD 42 is configured to display predetermined information (hereinafter referred to as HUD information) to the occupant so that the HUD information is superimposed on the real space outside the vehicle 1 (particularly, the surrounding environment ahead of the vehicle). In this manner, the HUD 42 is an augmented reality (AR) display. The HUD information displayed by the HUD 42 is, for example, vehicle driving information related to the driving of the vehicle 1 and / or surrounding environment information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (particularly, information related to objects present outside the vehicle 1). Details of the HUD 42 will be described later. The HUD 42 is an example of an image projection device.

[0019] The display control unit 43 is configured to control the operation of the headlamps 41 and the HUD 42. The display control unit 43 is configured by an electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (e.g., SoC, etc.) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit configured of active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor includes at least one of a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, and a TPU. The memory includes a ROM and a RAM. The computer system may also be configured by a non-von Neumann type computer such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

[0020] In this embodiment, the vehicle control unit 3 and the display control unit 43 are provided as separate components, but the vehicle control unit 3 and the display control unit 43 may also be configured as an integrated unit. In this regard, the display control unit 43 and the vehicle control unit 3 may be configured as a single electronic control unit. Furthermore, the display control unit 43 may be configured as two electronic control units: an electronic control unit configured to control the operation of the headlamps 41, and an electronic control unit configured to control the operation of the HUD 42. Furthermore, a control board 425 of the HUD 42, which will be described later, may be configured as a part of the display control unit 43.

[0021] The sensor 5 includes at least a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 1 and outputs speed information that is the detection result to the vehicle control unit 3. In addition to the vehicle speed sensor, the sensor 5 may further include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a seating sensor that detects whether the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, a face direction sensor that detects the direction of the driver's face, an external weather sensor that detects the external weather conditions, and a human presence sensor that detects whether a person is inside the vehicle. The sensor 5 is an example of a speed detection unit.

[0022] The camera 6 is a camera including an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 6 includes one or more external cameras 61 and an internal camera 62. The external camera 61 is configured to acquire image data showing the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and output the image data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 acquires surrounding environment information based on the transmitted image data. Here, the surrounding environment information may include information about objects present outside the vehicle 1 (pedestrians, other vehicles including the preceding vehicle, signs, etc.). More specifically, the external camera 61 detects a leading vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 1 and outputs image data showing the leading vehicle to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 acquires surrounding environment information including information about the leading vehicle and information about the distance and position of the leading vehicle relative to the vehicle 1 based on the transmitted image data. The external camera 61 may be configured as a monocular camera or a stereo camera. The external camera 61 is an example of a vehicle detection unit. The surrounding environment information is an example of leading vehicle information.

[0023] The internal camera 62 is disposed inside the vehicle 1 and is configured to acquire image data showing the occupant. The internal camera 62 functions as a tracking camera that tracks the occupant's viewpoint E. Here, the occupant's viewpoint E may be either the viewpoint of the occupant's left eye or the viewpoint of the occupant's right eye. Alternatively, the viewpoint E may be defined as the midpoint of a line segment connecting the viewpoint of the left eye and the viewpoint of the right eye. The display control unit 43 may identify the position of the occupant's viewpoint E based on the image data acquired by the internal camera 62. The position of the occupant's viewpoint E may be updated at a predetermined interval based on the image data, or may be determined only once when the vehicle is started.

[0024] The radar 7 includes at least one of a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, and a laser radar (e.g., a LiDAR unit). For example, the LiDAR unit is configured to detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. In particular, the LiDAR unit is configured to acquire 3D mapping data (point cloud data) indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and then transmit the 3D mapping data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 identifies surrounding environment information based on the transmitted 3D mapping data.

[0025] The HMI 8 is composed of an input unit that accepts input operations from the driver and an output unit that outputs driving information and the like to the driver. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode selector switch that switches the vehicle's driving mode, and the like. The output unit is a display (excluding the HUD 42) that displays various driving information. The GPS 9 is configured to acquire current location information of the vehicle 1 and output the acquired current location information to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0026] The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive information (e.g., driving information, etc.) about other vehicles around the vehicle 1 from the other vehicles and transmit information (e.g., driving information, etc.) about the vehicle 1 to the other vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is also configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure facilities such as traffic lights and marker lights and transmit driving information about the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure facilities (road-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is also configured to receive information about pedestrians from portable electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, etc.) carried by pedestrians and transmit driving information about the vehicle 1 to the portable electronic devices (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication). The vehicle 1 may communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure facilities, or portable electronic devices directly in ad hoc mode or via an access point. Furthermore, the vehicle 1 may communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure facilities, or portable electronic devices via a communication network (not shown). The communication network includes at least one of the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and a radio access network (RAN). The wireless communication standard is, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), LPWA, DSRC (registered trademark), or Li-Fi. In addition, the vehicle 1 may communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure facilities, or portable electronic devices using a fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G).

[0027] The storage device 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). Two-dimensional or three-dimensional map information and / or a vehicle control program may be stored in the storage device 11. For example, the three-dimensional map information may be composed of 3D mapping data (point cloud data). The storage device 11 is configured to output the map information and the vehicle control program to the vehicle control device 3 in response to a request from the vehicle control device 3. The map information and the vehicle control program may be updated via the wireless communication unit 10 and a communication network.

[0028] Next, the HUD 42 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the HUD 42 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the HUD 42 includes a HUD main body 420. The HUD main body 420 includes a housing 422 and an exit window 423. The exit window 423 is a transparent plate that transmits visible light. Inside the housing 422, the HUD main body 420 includes a picture generation unit (PGU) 424, a control board 425, a plane mirror 426, a drive mechanism 427, and a concave mirror 428.

[0029] The image generation unit 424 is configured to generate an image. The image generation unit 424 includes a light source, optical components, and a display device. The light source is, for example, a laser light source or an LED light source. The laser light source is, for example, an RGB laser light source configured to emit red laser light, green laser light, and blue laser light, respectively. The optical components include a prism, a lens, a diffuser, a magnifying glass, etc. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device), etc. The drawing method of the image generation unit 424 may be a raster scan method, a DLP method, or an LCOS method. If the DLP method or the LCOS method is adopted, the light source of the HUD 42 may be an LED light source. Note that if the liquid crystal display method is adopted, the light source of the HUD 42 may be a white LED light source.

[0030] An image forming surface made up of a large number of pixels is formed on the display device of the image generating unit 424. The image generating unit 424 is configured to form an image using a portion of the image forming surface. Furthermore, the image generating unit 424 is configured to change the display position of the image by changing the positions of the pixels that form the image.

[0031] The control board 425 is configured to control the operations of the image generation unit 424 and the drive mechanism 427. The control board 425 is equipped with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, and the processor executes a computer program read from the memory to control the operation of the image generation unit 424. The control board 425 may also control the drive mechanism 427 to change the orientation (angle) of the concave mirror 428.

[0032] The control board 425 acquires the information and image data transmitted from the display control unit 43. The acquired information or image data includes information related to the light distribution pattern of light emitted by the headlamps, leading vehicle information related to a leading vehicle, and speed information related to the speed of the vehicle 1. The control board 425 is further configured to generate a control signal for controlling the operation of the image generation unit 424 in accordance with the information and image data, and to transmit the generated control signal to the image generation unit 424. More specifically, the control board 425 is configured to control the display position of an image generated by the image generation unit 424 in accordance with the acquired information and image data. The control board 425 is an example of an acquisition unit and an example of a control unit.

[0033] The concave mirror 428 is disposed on the optical path of the light emitted from the image generation unit 424 and reflected by the plane mirror 426. Specifically, the concave mirror 428 is disposed in front of the image generation unit 424 and the plane mirror 426 inside the HUD main body 420. The concave mirror 428 is configured to reflect the light emitted by the image generation unit 424 toward the windshield 18 (e.g., the front window of the vehicle 1) through the emission window 423. The concave mirror 428 has a reflective surface that is curved in a concave shape, and reflects the image of the light emitted from the image generation unit 424 and formed at a predetermined magnification.

[0034] Light emitted from the exit window 423 of the HUD main body 420 is irradiated onto the windshield 18. A portion of the light irradiated from the HUD main body 420 onto the windshield 18 is reflected toward the occupant's viewpoint E. As a result, the occupant recognizes the light (predetermined image) emitted from the HUD main body 420 as a virtual image formed at a predetermined distance in front of the windshield 18. In this way, the image displayed by the HUD 42 is superimposed on the real space in front of the vehicle 1 through the windshield 18, allowing the occupant to visually recognize a virtual image object I formed by the predetermined image as floating above the road outside the vehicle. The windshield 18 is an example of a display unit.

[0035] When forming a 2D image (planar image) as the virtual image object I, a predetermined image is projected to become a virtual image at a single distance that is arbitrarily determined. When forming a 3D image (stereoscopic image) as the virtual image object I, multiple predetermined images, which may be identical or different, are projected to become virtual images at different distances. The distance of the virtual image object I (the distance from the occupant's viewpoint E to the virtual image) can be adjusted by adjusting the distance from the image generation unit 424 to the occupant's viewpoint E (for example, by adjusting the distance between the image generation unit 424 and the concave mirror 428). The HUD main body 420 does not necessarily have to include the plane mirror 426. In this case, the light emitted from the image generation unit 424 is incident on the concave mirror 428 without being reflected by the plane mirror 426.

[0036] Next, the image of the HUD 42 that the occupant of the vehicle 1 visually recognizes on the windshield 18 and the control of the display position thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6. FIG.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an image (hereinafter referred to as the image of the HUD 42) generated by light emitted from the HUD 42 in the HUD 42 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is traveling on a road R at a speed of less than 60 km / h and the headlights 41 are off. As shown in FIG. 3, an occupant of the vehicle 1 views the image of the HUD 42 on the windshield 18 while standing on the dashboard 12 of the vehicle 1. The image of the HUD 42 is displayed superimposed on the road R ahead of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the image is displayed at one of display positions A, B, and C. In this embodiment, the display position of the image refers to the position at which the top of the image of the HUD 42 is displayed on the windshield 18.

[0038] In this embodiment, the height of the viewpoint E of the occupant of the vehicle 1 is set to 0° as the reference for the display position ( FIG. 2 ). The angle θ ( FIG. 2 ) formed between the reference height and the top of the image on the HUD 42 is indicated as a negative (-) sign. That is, display position A is located 2.8° below the reference height and is indicated as "-2.8°" in FIG. 3 . Display position B is located 3.8° below the reference height and is indicated as "-3.8°" in FIG. 3 . Display position C is located 4.8° below the reference height and is indicated as "-4.8°" in FIG. 3 . This also applies to the following drawings. Note that display positions A, B, and C are merely examples, and the angle θ is not limited to 2.8°, 3.8°, or 4.8°. The image may be displayed on the left or right edge of the windshield 18, rather than in the center in the horizontal direction. The number of display positions is not limited to three, as long as it is plural.

[0039] As described above, the display position of the image may be changed by changing the positions of the pixels that form the image on the image forming surface of the image generation unit 424. The display position of the image may be changed by the control board 425 controlling the orientation (angle) of the concave mirror 428 via the drive mechanism 427. Alternatively, the display position of the image may be changed by moving the plane mirror 426 or the concave mirror 428 using a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0040] Furthermore, the HUD 42 of this embodiment is configured to control the display position of the image of the HUD 42 in accordance with information regarding the light distribution pattern of light emitted by the headlamp 41. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the image of the HUD 42 in the HUD 42 of this embodiment when the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 is emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern L. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the image of the HUD 42 in the HUD 42 of this embodiment when the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 is emitting a high-beam light distribution pattern H. In FIGS. 4 and 5 , the vehicle 1 is traveling on a road R at a speed of less than 60 km / h. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the HUD 42 of this embodiment controls the display position of the image of the HUD 42 in accordance with whether the light emitted from the headlamp 41 is the low-beam light distribution pattern L or the high-beam light distribution pattern H.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4 , when a low-beam light distribution pattern L having a cutoff line CL is being projected, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at display position B or display position C, which is located below the cutoff line CL. More specifically, the low-beam lamps 412 of the headlamps 41 are projecting the low-beam light distribution pattern L. The control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires information indicating this from the headlamps 41 via the display control unit 43 ( FIG. 1 ). When the control board 425 acquires this information, the control board 425 displays the image of the HUD 42 at display position B or display position C, which is located below the cutoff line CL of the low-beam light distribution pattern L. It is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at display position A while the low-beam light distribution pattern L is being projected.

[0042] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 5 , when a high beam distribution pattern H without a cutoff line CL is being emitted, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at one of display positions A, B, and C. More specifically, the high beam lamps 411 of the headlamps 41 are emitting the high beam distribution pattern H. The control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires information indicating this from the headlamps 41 via the display control unit 43 (Fig. 1). When the control board 425 acquires this information, the control board 425 displays the image of the HUD 42 at one of display positions A, B, and C.

[0043] In the following, in order to clearly explain the difference between the low beam distribution pattern L and the high beam distribution pattern H, we will explain the case where the image is displayed at display position C when the low beam distribution pattern L is illuminated, and the image is displayed at display position A when the high beam distribution pattern H is illuminated.

[0044] 4 and 5 , the display position C of the image on the windshield 18 when the low-beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated and the display position A of the image on the windshield 18 when the high-beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated are different from each other. Furthermore, the display position C of the image when the low-beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated is lower than the display position A of the image when the high-beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated. More specifically, when the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamp 41 is irradiating the low-beam light distribution pattern L, the control board 425 displays the image at the display position C. This display position C is lower than the display position A of the image when the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamp 41 is irradiating the high-beam light distribution pattern H.

[0045] 6 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 is emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern L in a HUD according to a comparative example. As shown in FIG. 6, the low-beam light distribution pattern L has a cutoff line CL extending in the left-right direction so as to illuminate the road surface such as the road R while not causing glare to oncoming vehicles or occupants of vehicles ahead. While strong light is emitted below the cutoff line CL, no light is emitted above the cutoff line CL. In other words, the vicinity of the cutoff line CL is one of the boundary regions with a large difference between light and dark. Display position A is located near the cutoff line CL.

[0046] If the HUD image is displayed across the cutoff line CL at display position A, it may be difficult to see the image. In addition, the cutoff line CL is an area that occupants often look at, and if the HUD image is displayed in this area, the image's presence may be too large and some occupants may find it annoying.

[0047] Furthermore, difficulty in viewing the HUD image can also occur when the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 is emitting a high-beam light distribution pattern H. In recent years, it has become known to control the light distribution pattern so as to block the area corresponding to the oncoming vehicle in order to reduce glare to occupants of oncoming vehicles while the high-beam light distribution pattern H is being emitted (so-called high-beam light distribution pattern with ADB function). The outer edge H1 of the blocked area in such a high-beam light distribution pattern with ADB function is one of the areas with a large difference in brightness (shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 ). For example, if the HUD image is displayed in the upper right corner (display position D) for the occupant, the image may be difficult to view if it extends beyond this outer edge H1.

[0048] However, with the HUD 42 of this embodiment, the control board 425 controls the display position of the image on the HUD 42 in accordance with information about the light distribution pattern emitted from the headlamp 41. This makes it possible to avoid the image being displayed near a boundary area in the light distribution pattern where there is a large difference in brightness. This reduces the annoyance felt by the occupants of the vehicle 1 regarding the image on the HUD 42.

[0049] Although the above embodiment has been described mainly as the HUD 42 changing the display position of the image of the HUD 42, the control of the HUD 42 is not limited thereto. The HUD 42 may be controlled not to change the display position of the image of the HUD 42, in accordance with information regarding the light distribution pattern emitted from the headlamp 41. For example, if the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed near a boundary area in the light distribution pattern where there is a large difference in brightness, there may be cases where it is not necessary to change the image of the HUD 42 even if the light distribution pattern is changed. In such a case, the HUD 42 may be controlled to maintain the display position of the image of the HUD 42, taking into account the information regarding the light distribution pattern. This prevents the display position of the image of the HUD 42 from being changed unnecessarily, thereby reducing the inconvenience associated with changing the display position.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the HUD 42 has been described as being capable of changing the display position of the image of the HUD 42 in height relative to the occupant's viewpoint E, i.e., in the vertical direction. However, the change in the display position is not limited to the vertical direction. The display position of the image of the HUD 42 may also be changed in the horizontal direction. For example, even if the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at display position D across the outer edge H1, by changing the display position of the image in the left or right direction, it is possible to avoid the image of the HUD 42 being displayed near the outer edge H1, where there is a large difference in brightness.

[0051] In the HUD 42 of this embodiment, a display position C of the HUD 42 image on the windshield 18 when the low-beam light distribution pattern L is projected is different from a display position A of the HUD 42 image on the windshield 18 when the high-beam light distribution pattern H is projected. When the high-beam light distribution pattern H is projected, the HUD 42 image may be displayed at any position that is easily visible to the occupant without crossing the outer edge H1. On the other hand, when the low-beam light distribution pattern L is projected, the HUD 42 image is displayed at display position B or display position C, which is a position that avoids the cutoff line CL. In this way, the HUD 42 image is displayed at a position that is easily visible to the occupant, while not being displayed near the cutoff line CL, thereby reducing the annoyance caused by the HUD 42 image.

[0052] The display position C of the image when the low-beam light distribution pattern L is illuminated is lower than the display position A of the image when the high-beam light distribution pattern H is illuminated. When the high-beam light distribution pattern H is illuminated, the image of the HUD 42 may be displayed near the center of the forward field of view, where it is easily visible to the occupant. On the other hand, when the low-beam light distribution pattern L is illuminated, the image is displayed at a low position that avoids the cutoff line CL located near the center of the forward field of view. This reduces the annoyance caused by the image of the HUD 42.

[0053] When the low-beam light distribution pattern L is being emitted, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at display position B or display position C, which is located below the cutoff line CL. More specifically, when the control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires information indicating that the low-beam lamps 412 of the headlamps 41 are emitting the low-beam light distribution pattern L, the control board 425 displays the image of the HUD 42 at display position B or display position C, which is located below the cutoff line CL of the low-beam light distribution pattern L. In this way, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at a position that avoids the cutoff line CL, thereby reducing the annoyance caused by the image of the HUD 42.

[0054] When the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamps 41 are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern L, the control board 425 displays the image of the HUD 42 at display position C. This display position C is lower than display position A of the image of the HUD 42 when the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamps 41 are emitting a high-beam light distribution pattern H. In this way, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at a position that is easily visible to the occupant, while not being displayed near the cut-off line CL, thereby reducing the annoyance caused by the image of the HUD 42.

[0055] Note that the HUD 42 of this embodiment may control the display position of the image of the HUD 42 in accordance with speed information of the vehicle 1. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the image of the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the road R at a speed of 60 km / h or more and the headlamps 41 of the vehicle 1 are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern L. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the image of the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the road R at a cruising speed, for example, a speed of 60 km / h or more, and the headlamps 41 of the vehicle 1 are emitting a high-beam light distribution pattern H. In Figs. 7 and 8, the same components as those shown in Figs. 4 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. A speed of 60 km / h is an example of a first threshold speed.

[0056] When the speed of the vehicle 1 is less than 60 km / h, the control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires speed information indicating this from the sensor 5 via the vehicle control unit 3 and the display control unit 43 ( FIG. 1 ). When the control board 425 acquires the speed information, the control board 425 controls the display position of the image on the HUD 42 based on the acquired speed information. When the speed of the vehicle 1 is 60 km / h or more, the control board 425 of the HUD 42 also acquires speed information indicating this and controls the display position of the image on the HUD 42 based on the acquired speed information.

[0057] 7, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed and the low beam light distribution pattern L is being emitted, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at display position B, which is higher among a plurality of display positions (display position B and display position C) located below the cutoff line CL. When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at display position C.

[0058] Here, FIG. 4 , which shows a case in which the low-beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated and the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively slow speed, is compared with FIG. 7 , which shows a case in which the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively fast speed. When the speed of the vehicle 1 is less than 60 km / h ( FIG. 4 ), the image of the HUD 42 is also displayed at display position C. On the other hand, when the speed of the vehicle 1 is 60 km / h or more ( FIG. 7 ), the image of the HUD 42 is displayed only at display position B. Comparing FIG. 7 and FIG. 4 , display position B when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively fast speed is higher than display position C when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively slow speed. Display position C is an example of the first display position. Display position B is an example of the second display position.

[0059] 8, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed and the high beam distribution pattern H is being emitted, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at the higher of the multiple display positions, display position A or display position B. When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at display position C.

[0060] Here, a comparison is made between FIG. 5 , which shows a case in which the high beam distribution pattern H is irradiated and the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively slow speed, and FIG. 8 , which shows a case in which the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively fast speed. When the speed of the vehicle 1 is less than 60 km / h ( FIG. 5 ), the image of the HUD 42 is also displayed at display position C. On the other hand, when the speed of the vehicle 1 is 60 km / h or more ( FIG. 8 ), the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at display position A or display position B, but is not displayed at display position C. Comparing FIG. 8 with FIG. 5 , display position A or display position B is higher than display position C. Display position C is an example of the first display position. Display position A or display position B is an example of the second display position.

[0061] The display position of the image may be changed by continuously changing the angle θ little by little from display position B to display position C according to the speed of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the display position of the image may be changed so as to switch from display position B to display position C based on a speed of 60 km / h. The same applies to a change from display position C to display position B. The same applies to a change from display position A to display position B, from display position A to display position B, and vice versa.

[0062] When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, the occupant's viewpoint E tends to be higher compared to when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a slow speed. This is because the faster the traveling speed, the more the occupant tries to look at something farther away. According to the HUD 42 of this embodiment, the display position of the image of the HUD 42 is controlled not only in accordance with information related to the light distribution pattern but also in accordance with speed information of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, the display position A or display position B of the image of the HUD 42 is higher than the display position C of the image of the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively low speed. Therefore, the annoyance of the image of the HUD 42 can be reduced, and the image can be displayed at a position that is easily visible to the occupant even if the occupant's viewpoint E becomes higher as the vehicle 1 travels faster.

[0063] The speed of 60 km / h is an example, and the reference threshold speed is not limited to this. The number of thresholds is not limited to one, and multiple thresholds may be set.

[0064] The HUD 42 of this embodiment may control the display position of the image of the HUD 42 depending on whether or not there is a leading vehicle 100 traveling in front of the vehicle 1. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the image of the HUD 42 when the leading vehicle 100 is traveling in front of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 is traveling on road R at a speed of less than 60 km / h, and the headlamps 41 of the vehicle 1 are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern L. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the image of the HUD 42 when the leading vehicle 100 is traveling in front of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 is traveling on road R at a speed of 60 km / h or more, and the headlamps 41 of the vehicle 1 are emitting a low-beam light distribution pattern L. In Figs. 9 and 10 , the same components as those shown in Figs. 4 and 7 are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0065] As shown in Figures 9 and 10 , a leading vehicle 100 is traveling on a road R in front of the vehicle 1. At this time, the headlamp 41 emits a low-beam light distribution pattern L so as not to cause glare to the occupants of the leading vehicle 100. The headlamp 41 may also have an ADB function that controls the light distribution pattern of the headlamp 41 so as not to emit light onto an area corresponding to the leading vehicle 100, even when emitting a high-beam light distribution pattern H. The control of the display position of the image on the HUD 42 is the same whether the headlamp 41 emits the low-beam light distribution pattern L or the high-beam light distribution pattern H together with the ADB function. The case where the headlamp 41 emits the low-beam light distribution pattern L will be described below.

[0066] The external camera 61 detects the vehicle in front 100 and outputs image data showing the vehicle in front 100 to the vehicle control unit 3 ( FIG. 1 ). The vehicle control unit 3 generates vehicle in front information based on the image data and outputs it to the control board 425 via the display control unit 43. The vehicle in front information includes information on whether the vehicle in front 100 is present, and the distance and position of the vehicle in front 100 relative to the vehicle 1. The control board 425, which has acquired the vehicle in front information, is configured to display the image of the HUD 42 so that it does not overlap the vehicle in front 100.

[0067] 9 , when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively slow speed and the low beam light distribution pattern L is being emitted, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at either display position B or display position C, provided that the image is located below the cutoff line CL and the vehicle in front 100. Because display position A is located in a position that overlaps with the vehicle in front 100, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at display position A.

[0068] 10, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed and the low beam light distribution pattern L is being emitted, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at display position B, which is higher among a plurality of display positions (display position B and display position C) located below the cutoff line CL and the leading vehicle 100. When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at display position C.

[0069] As described above, according to the HUD 42 of this embodiment, the control board 425 displays the HUD image so that it does not overlap with the vehicle in front 100. This makes it easier to prevent the image of the HUD 42 from overlapping with the vehicle in front 100, which would distract the driver from driving.

[0070] Furthermore, even when a leading vehicle 100 is traveling ahead of the vehicle 1, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively fast speed, the display position B of the image on the HUD 42 is higher than the display position C of the image on the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively slow speed. Therefore, even if the occupant's viewpoint E becomes higher because the leading vehicle 100 is traveling ahead of the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 is traveling fast, the image can be displayed at a position that is easy for the occupant to see.

[0071] In the above description, the angle formed between the reference height and the upper end of the image on the HUD 42 is defined as θ, but the angle θ is not limited to this. The angle formed between the reference height and the upper end of the display area in which the image forming surface can display an image may also be defined as θ.

[0072] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. The present embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0073] This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2022-059110, filed on March 31, 2022, and incorporates by reference all of the contents of the aforementioned Japanese application.

Claims

1. An image projection device provided in a vehicle equipped with a lamp, an image generation unit that generates an image; an acquisition unit that acquires information about a light distribution pattern of light emitted by the lighting fixture; a control unit that controls a display position of the image in accordance with the information.

2. The lamp is configured to emit a cutoff line light distribution pattern having a cutoff line extending in the left-right direction and a cutoff line non-distribution pattern not having the cutoff line, the image projection device is configured to display the image on a display unit toward an occupant of the vehicle, 2. The image projection device according to claim 1, wherein a display position of the image on the display unit when the light distribution pattern with cutoff line is projected and a display position of the image on the display unit when the light distribution pattern without cutoff line is projected are different from each other.

3. 3. The image projection device according to claim 2, wherein the display position of the image when the light distribution pattern with cutoff line is projected is lower than the display position of the image when the light distribution pattern without cutoff line is projected.

4. The image projection device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the display position of the image when the light distribution pattern with a cutoff line is projected is below the cutoff line.

5. The lamp is configured to irradiate a low-beam light distribution pattern as the light distribution pattern with cutoff line, 4. The image projection device according to claim 2, wherein when the acquisition unit acquires information indicating that the lamp is emitting the low beam light distribution pattern, the control unit displays the image below a cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern.

6. The lamp is configured to emit a high beam light distribution pattern as the cutoff line-free light distribution pattern, 6. The image projection device according to claim 5, wherein, when the acquisition unit acquires the information indicating that the lamp is emitting the low beam light distribution pattern, the control unit displays the image lower than when the acquisition unit acquired the information indicating that the lamp is emitting the high beam light distribution pattern.

7. the acquisition unit acquires leading vehicle information from a vehicle detection unit that detects a leading vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle; The image projection device according to claim 1 , wherein when the acquisition unit acquires the leading vehicle information, the control unit displays the image so as not to overlap the detected leading vehicle.

8. the acquisition unit acquires speed information from a speed detection unit that detects the speed of the vehicle; The image projection device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the display position of the image in accordance with the speed information.

9. the acquisition unit acquires speed information from a speed detection unit that detects the speed of the vehicle; When the acquisition unit acquires speed information indicating that the speed of the vehicle is less than a first threshold speed, the control unit displays the image at a first display position; When the acquisition unit acquires speed information indicating that the speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold speed, the control unit displays the image at a second display position; The image projection device according to claim 1 , wherein the second display position is higher than the first display position.