Display device, display system, display method, and program

Abstract

This display device includes a control unit that acquires the reclining angle of each of a plurality of rear seats provided in a cabin space of a vehicle, and according to the reclining angle of each rear seat, displays content visible to an occupant seated on each rear seat on one of a plurality of display areas provided in the cabin space.

Description

Display device, display system, display method and program

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

[0002] Conventionally, an in-vehicle display device has been proposed that presents images with minimal distortion to occupants even when the occupants or the projector are not directly facing a screen installed in the vehicle space (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-208594

[0004] When a passenger watching a video with minimal distortion reclines their seat, the passenger's field of view shifts, and the display position of the content that the passenger can see must be changed.

[0005] The technology disclosed herein has been developed in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that enables passengers seated in the rear seats of a vehicle to change the display position of content depending on the reclining angle of their seats.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the technology disclosed herein employs the following configuration: That is, a display device as one aspect of the technology disclosed herein includes a control unit that acquires the reclining angles of each of a plurality of rear seats provided in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, and displays content visible to passengers seated in each rear seat in one of a plurality of display areas provided in the passenger compartment, according to the reclining angle of each rear seat.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the display position of content can be changed according to the reclining angles of each of the multiple rear seats.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a view of a display device according to an embodiment as viewed from the side of a vehicle with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in an upright position. FIG. 2 is a view of the display device according to an embodiment as viewed from the rear of the vehicle cabin with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in an upright position. FIG. 3 is a view of the display device according to an embodiment as viewed from the side of the vehicle with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in a reclining position. FIG. 4 is a view of the display device according to an embodiment as viewed from the rear of the vehicle cabin with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in a reclining position. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a control unit of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation executed by the control unit of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a plurality of display modes in a display device according to an embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each configuration and their combinations in the present embodiments are merely examples, and addition, omission, substitution, and other modifications of the configurations are possible as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments, but is limited only by the claims.

[0010] <Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a view of a display device according to an embodiment as seen from the side of a vehicle with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in an upright position. FIG. 2 is a view of the display device according to an embodiment as seen from the rear of a vehicle interior space with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in an upright position. FIG. 2(a) is a view of the vehicle interior space as seen from the rear, and FIG. 2(b) illustrates a simplified version of a display area 10A (described below). FIG. 3 is a view of the display device according to an embodiment as seen from the side of the vehicle with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in a reclined position. FIG. 4 is a view of the display device according to an embodiment as seen from the rear of the vehicle with an occupant sitting in the rear seat in a reclined position. FIG. 4(a) is a view of the vehicle interior space as seen from the rear, and FIG. 4(b) illustrates a simplified version of a display area 10A (described below). A vehicle V includes a vehicle interior space V1, which includes a display device 1, a front seat 2, and a rear seat 3. The vehicle V may be, for example, an automobile such as a passenger car. For convenience, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1 , the direction of travel of the vehicle V is referred to as the front side, and the opposite direction is referred to as the rear side. The ceiling side of the vehicle V is referred to as the upper side, and the floor side is referred to as the lower side. Furthermore, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2 , the right side of the vehicle V relative to the direction of travel is referred to as the right side, and the left side of the vehicle V relative to the direction of travel is referred to as the left side. Note that the terms upper side, lower side, front side, rear side, right side, and left side merely indicate the relative positional relationship of each element described in this embodiment. Here, the term "occupant" in this specification refers to a user of the display device 1, specifically, an occupant in the rear seat 3 of the vehicle V. In this embodiment, the "upright state" of the rear seat 3 refers to a state in which the reclining angle of the rear seat 3 is less than a predetermined angle. In addition, the "reclined state" of the rear seat 3 refers to a state in which the reclining angle of the rear seat 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle. The upright state and the reclined state will be described in detail later.

[0011] [Configuration] The display system of this embodiment includes a display device 1 and a rear seat 3. In this embodiment, the display device 1 includes a video output unit 10 and a control unit 11. The display device 1 of this embodiment is configured to be able to change the display position of content C (described below) displayed on the video output unit 10 within a display area 10A (described below). The video output unit 10 includes a front-projection projector 101, a ceiling-projection projector 102, a front screen 103, and a ceiling screen 104. In this embodiment, the front-projection projector 101, the ceiling-projection projector 102, the front screen 103 (referred to as the "front area" in the present invention), and the ceiling screen 104 (referred to as the "ceiling area" in the present invention) are all provided in a vehicle interior space V1. The front-projection projector 101 displays an image I, including content C, on the front screen 103 that is visible to passengers seated in the rear seat 3. Furthermore, the ceiling projector 102 displays an image I including content C that can be viewed by passengers seated in the rear seats 3 on the ceiling screen 104. The front screen 103 is installed between the front seats 2 and the rear seats 3. The front screen 103 may be a dividing wall (partition) that divides the vehicle interior space V1 into a front area and a rear area. The ceiling screen 104 may be the interior lining of the ceiling in the vehicle interior space V1.

[0012] The display area 10A is a predetermined display area for displaying an image I including content C such as video and text information. The display area 10A includes a front screen 103 and a ceiling screen 104 as multiple display areas. In this embodiment, the image displayed in the display area 10A by the front projection projector 101 and the ceiling projection projector 102 is referred to as image I. The image I includes content C. The content C includes predetermined content ("viewed content" in the present invention). The predetermined content in this specification refers to information that is intentionally viewed by a passenger seated in a seat and is the object of the passenger's viewing. Specifically, the predetermined content includes, for example, information related to the navigation function, the playback function, the air conditioning function, entertainment content, etc. The content C may also include common content ("background content" in the present invention). The common content in this specification refers to content that is commonly viewable by passengers seated in multiple rear seats, and may include information that is not intentionally viewed. Specifically, the common content may include, for example, a background image. The image I may include common content that matches the content of the predetermined content, and the common content may be displayed in the display area 10A other than the display position of the predetermined content. Furthermore, the image I may be displayed so that the predetermined content overlaps the common content. The image output unit 10 is not limited to the embodiment including a projector and a screen. For example, the front projection projector 101 and the ceiling projection projector 102 may not be provided, and a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display may be provided instead of the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. This allows the image I including the content C to be displayed in the display area 10A without the front projection projector 101 and the ceiling projection projector 102. The display area 10A may also be formed of a flexible display material.The flexible display material may be, for example, a curved OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), which is a type of organic electroluminescence (EL), electronic paper, or flexible liquid crystal. By using such a display material, the display area 10A may be formed as a single seamless rectangular sheet. In this manner, for example, the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104 may be integrally formed. The display area 10A may then be formed as an integral curved surface, and configured to cover the occupants. Furthermore, when a display material is used for the display area 10A, the display area 10A may be formed as a plurality of displays connected together.

[0013] The rear seats 3 include multiple rear seats, including a right rear seat 31 and a left rear seat 32. The right rear seat 31 includes a seating sensor 311, a reclining sensor 312, a speaker 313, a seat surface 314, and a back surface 315. The left rear seat 32 includes a seating sensor 321, a reclining sensor 322, a speaker 323, a seat surface 324, and a back surface 325. The seat surfaces 314, 324 are arranged substantially parallel to the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle V. An occupant seated in the right rear seat 31 can recline the back surface 315 to any angle. An occupant seated in the left rear seat 32 can recline the back surface 325 to any angle.

[0014] The seating sensor 311 is a sensor for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated in the right rear seat 31, and the seating sensor 321 is a sensor for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated in the left rear seat 32. In this case, the seating sensor 311 may be a pressure-sensitive sensor arranged on the seat surface portion 314, and the seating sensor 321 may be a pressure-sensitive sensor arranged on the seat surface portion 324. Furthermore, the seating sensors 311 and 321 may be configured by at least one camera that captures an image of the vehicle interior space V1, a human presence sensor, or the like.

[0015] The reclining sensor 312 is a sensor for detecting the degree to which the occupant of the right rear seat 31 has reclined the seat back 315 relative to the seat cushion 314. The reclining sensor 322 is a sensor for detecting the degree to which the occupant of the left rear seat 32 has reclined the seat back 325 relative to the seat cushion 324. In other words, the reclining sensor 312 detects the reclining angle of the right rear seat 31, and the reclining sensor 322 detects the reclining angle of the left rear seat 32. In this specification, the reclining angle refers to the inclination angle of the seat backs 315, 325 relative to the seat cushions 314, 324. The reclining angle is based on a reference angle (described below) and indicates a negative angle when the seat back is tilted forward relative to the seat cushion, and a positive angle when the seat back is tilted backward. The reclining sensors 312, 322 in this embodiment are rotary encoders or the like and detect the seat reclining angle. The reclining angle detected by the reclining sensors 312, 322 is used by a reclining angle processing unit 1112 (described later) to determine whether the reclining angle is less than a predetermined angle or greater than or equal to a predetermined angle. The reclining sensors 312, 322 are an example of a reclining angle detection unit. Examples of methods for detecting the reclining angle include a method of measuring the angle using a rotary encoder or the like, a method of detecting the reclining angle by switching a physical switch between conductive and non-conductive states when the reclining angle reaches a certain threshold value, and a method of calculating the reclining angle from video captured by a camera. However, these reclining angle detection methods are merely examples and are not particularly limited.

[0016] The speaker 313 is an acoustic device that forms a sound field for the passenger in the right rear seat 31. The speaker 323 is an acoustic device that forms a sound field for the passenger in the left rear seat 32. The speaker 313 is provided in the right rear seat 31, and the speaker 323 is provided in the left rear seat 32. In this embodiment, the speakers 313 and 323 are headrest speakers or the like, and are provided in each rear seat. This allows different sound fields to be formed in each rear seat. The sound image localization may also be changed according to the display position of the content C being viewed by the passenger. This allows the passenger in the right rear seat 31 and the passenger in the left rear seat 32 to enjoy different sounds when viewing different content C. However, the speakers 313 and 323 are not limited to this. For example, they may be headphones or the like provided in each rear seat.

[0017] 5 is a diagram illustrating the control unit 11 of the display device 1 according to the embodiment. The control unit 11 is a so-called computer, and is electrically connected to the front projection projector 101, the ceiling projection projector 102, the seating sensors 311 and 321, the reclining sensors 312 and 322, the speakers 313 and 323, etc. As shown in FIG. 5 , the control unit 11 includes, for example, a CPU 111, a main memory device 112, an auxiliary memory device 113, a communication IF (Interface) 114, an input / output IF (Interface) 115, a communication bus 116, etc.

[0018] The CPU 111 is a computing device such as a microprocessor or a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes a program to perform the processes described in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the CPU 111 provides functions such as a seating information processing unit 1111, a reclining angle processing unit 1112, a position processing unit 1113, and a display state processing unit 1114.

[0019] The seating information processing unit 1111 obtains and determines whether or not an occupant is seated in each rear seat of the rear seat 3 based on the detection results of the seating sensor 311 provided in the right rear seat 31 and the seating sensor 321 provided in the left rear seat 32.

[0020] The reclining angle processing unit 1112 acquires the reclining angles of the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 from a reclining sensor 312 provided on the right rear seat 31 and a reclining sensor 322 provided on the left rear seat 32. If the reclining angle acquired by the reclining angle processing unit 1112 based on the reclining sensor 312 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the reclining angle processing unit 1112 determines that the right rear seat 31 is in a reclined state. If the reclining angle acquired by the reclining angle processing unit 1112 based on the reclining sensor 322 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle, the reclining angle processing unit 1112 determines that the left rear seat 32 is in a reclined state. If the reclining angle acquired by the reclining angle processing unit 1112 based on the reclining sensor 312 is less than the predetermined angle, the reclining angle processing unit 1112 determines that the right rear seat 31 is in an upright state. Furthermore, if the reclining angle acquired by the reclining angle processing unit 1112 based on the reclining sensor 322 is less than a predetermined angle, it is determined that the left rear seat 32 is in an upright position.

[0021] Here, the upright state and reclining state in this specification will be explained. The rear seat 3 in this specification reclines so that the back portion thereof tilts backward. For the right rear seat 31, a state in which the back portion 315 is perpendicular to the seat surface 314 is defined as 0°, and this angle is defined as the reference angle. The upright state for the right rear seat 31 refers to a state in which the back portion 315 is reclined from the reference angle to a predetermined angle relative to the seat surface 314, i.e., a state in which the reclining angle of the right rear seat 31 is less than the predetermined angle. The reclining state for the right rear seat 31 refers to a state in which the back portion 315 is reclined at a predetermined angle or more relative to the seat surface 314, i.e., a state in which the reclining angle of the right rear seat 31 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle. For the left rear seat 32, a state in which the back portion 325 is perpendicular to the seat surface 324 is defined as 0°, and this angle is defined as the reference angle. The upright state of the left rear seat 32 refers to a state in which the back surface 325 is reclined at a predetermined angle relative to the seat surface 324 from a reference angle, i.e., the reclining angle of the left rear seat 32 is less than the predetermined angle. The reclining state of the left rear seat 32 refers to a state in which the back surface 325 is reclined at a predetermined angle or more relative to the seat surface 324, i.e., the reclining angle of the left rear seat 32 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle. The predetermined angle is an angle determined by a certain threshold value based on whether the content C displayed on the front screen 103 or the content C displayed on the ceiling screen 104 is easily viewable in the occupant's field of view when the occupant reclins according to the reclining angle. In this embodiment, the predetermined angle is set in the range of 30° to 40° relative to the reference angle, but this is merely an example and is not limited to this. The predetermined angle may be different when the rear seat 3 is changed from an upright position to a reclined position than when it is changed from a reclined position to an upright position. Specifically, the predetermined angle may be set to 40° when the rear seat 3 is changed from an upright position to a reclined position, and may be set to 30° when the rear seat 3 is changed from a reclined position to an upright position.This makes it possible to prevent so-called hunting, in which the display position of content C changes irregularly when the reclining angle of the rear seat 3 is fixed near the threshold value.

[0022] The position processing unit 1113 determines whether or not to display content C in the display area 10A and the display position based on the determination result of the reclining angle processing unit 1112 and the processing result of the display state processing unit 1114 (described later). More specifically, for example, when an occupant is seated in the rear seat 3 in an upright position, the position processing unit 1113 instructs the front projection projector 101 to display content C on the front screen 103, and when the rear seat 3 is reclined, the position processing unit 1113 instructs the ceiling projection projector 102 to display content C on the ceiling screen 104. Furthermore, depending on the presence or absence of seating acquired by the seating information processing unit 1111, the position processing unit 1113 determines whether or not content C is displayed or the display position of content C is not changed for seats where no occupancy is detected. When the reclining angle of the right rear seat 31 or the left rear seat 32 is less than a predetermined angle, the occupant can easily view content C displayed on the front screen 103. Furthermore, when the right rear seat 31 or the left rear seat 32 is reclined beyond a predetermined angle, the occupant can easily view the content C displayed on the ceiling screen 104. Therefore, when the right rear seat 31 or the left rear seat 32 is changed from an upright position to a reclined position, the display position of the content C viewed by the occupant is switched from the front screen 103 to the ceiling screen 104, allowing the occupant to continue viewing the content C displayed on the ceiling screen 104 without straining their neck. In this way, the position processing unit 1113 displays the content C visible to the occupant seated in the right rear seat 31 or the left rear seat 32 in one of the multiple display areas (the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104) of the display area 10A based on the reclining angle of the right rear seat 31 or the left rear seat 32. However, the occupant seated in the right rear seat 31 is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 . In addition, in this embodiment, the passenger seated in the left rear seat 32 is used as an example of a passenger who reclines, but this is not limiting. For example, the passenger may be another passenger seated in the right rear seat 31, for example.

[0023] Furthermore, the method of switching the display position of content C between the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104 is not limited to switching at a certain threshold value in the reclining angle. For example, the display position of content C may be gradually moved from the front screen 103 side to the ceiling screen 104 side in conjunction with the reclining angle of the rear seat 3. In this case, if the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104 are molded integrally as described above, content C may be displayed in the area between the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104.

[0024] The display state processing unit 1114 determines whether the image I and content C displayed on the front screen 103 from the forward projection projector 101 and the image I and content C displayed on the ceiling screen 104 from the ceiling projection projector 102 are appropriate for the occupants, and corrects the images if they are not appropriate for the occupants. The display state processing unit 1114 references information such as the resolution and aspect ratio of the display area 10A stored in the auxiliary storage device 113 (described later) and determines where the image I and content C are displayed. If the display state processing unit 1114 determines that an image that is not appropriate for the occupants is being displayed, the display state processing unit 1114 corrects the image so that it is appropriate for the occupants by enlarging or reducing the image I and content C or instructing the position processing unit 1113 to move the display position of content C. The display state processing unit 1114 may also perform further processing such as enlarging or reducing the content C whose display position has been moved. For example, if content C is composed of multiple pieces of content, content C including the multiple pieces of content may be displayed on both the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. In this case, the size of each piece of content C may be changed to a size that is easy for the occupants to view, depending on the number of pieces of content C displayed on each of the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. Here, appropriate images will be described in this specification. An appropriate image in this specification refers to an image that can be viewed by the occupants with the correct image ratio and correct shape. In contrast, examples of inappropriate images include an image that is physically separated and displayed across the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104, an image that is distorted in the case of a curved display area 10A, and an image that is distorted and displayed in the display area 10A due to the installation positions of the front projector 101 and the ceiling projector 102. The display state processing unit 1114, in cooperation with the position processing unit 1113, etc., corrects these inappropriate images, and the image is displayed as an appropriate image to the occupants.The correction involves changing the display position of content C, or performing keystone correction or the like on the image I or content C by the display state processing unit 1114. However, the mode of correction is not limited to this, and the image I or content C may be corrected based on information that can be acquired from a tilt sensor or a photoelectric sensor provided in the front projection projector 101, the ceiling projection projector 102, or the like.

[0025] The main memory device 112 is used as a cache for programs and data read by the CPU 111 and as a work area for the CPU. Specifically, the main memory device 112 is a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The main memory device 112 stores, for example, content C to be displayed in the display area 10A, and the occupant can display any content C.

[0026] The auxiliary storage device 113 stores programs executed by the CPU 111, setting information used in this embodiment, etc. Specifically, the auxiliary storage device 113 is an HDD, an SSD, a flash memory, or the like.

[0027] The communication IF 114 transmits and receives data to and from a server or another computer device via the Internet, etc. Specifically, the communication IF 114 is a wired or wireless network card, etc. In this embodiment, the communication IF 114 may be used to access content provided by a video distribution service, etc., or to connect to content using a two-way communication system.

[0028] The input / output IF 115 electrically connects the control unit 11 and peripheral devices. The input / output IF 115 enables data to be transmitted and received between the CPU 111 and the peripheral devices. The input / output IF 115 is connected to the front projection projector 101, the ceiling projection projector 102, seating sensors 311 and 321, reclining sensors 312 and 322, speakers 313 and 323, etc. Information detected by the seating sensors 311 and 321 and the reclining sensors 312 and 322 is input to the CPU 111 via the input / output IF 115. The CPU 111 processes the information input to the CPU 111, and based on the processing results of the CPU 111, an image I including content C is displayed in the display area 10A by the front projection projector 101 and the ceiling projection projector 102.

[0029] The input / output IF 115 may further be connected to an input device provided in the vehicle interior space V1. Examples of the input device include a controller, a switch, a touch panel, a camera, a motion sensor, and a microphone. The input device receives an operation from the occupant and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 11. The controller is preferably installed in a location that is easily accessible to the occupant, such as the center console, the door lining, the armrest, or the headrest of the front seat. For example, if the display area 10A is configured with a touch panel or the like, the input device may receive an input from the occupant via a touch operation. The input device may further include a camera, a microphone, or the like, and may receive an input from the occupant through eye tracking, a motion such as the occupant shaking their head, gestures, voice recognition, or the like. A communication device such as a smartphone carried by the occupant may be connected to the control unit 11 via wired or wireless communication and used as the input device. The occupant may manually move the display position of the content C using these input devices.

[0030] The input / output IF 115 may further be connected to a camera that captures images of the vehicle interior space V1 or a motion sensor that is positioned facing the vehicle interior space V1. As described above, the camera or motion sensor may be provided in the vehicle interior space V1 as the seating sensors 311, 321 or the reclining sensors 312, 322. Also, a tilt sensor or a photoelectric sensor may be provided in the forward projection projector 101, the ceiling projection projector 102, or the like, and connected to the input / output IF 115. This allows the display state of the video I or the content C to be fed back when the display state processing unit 1114 performs processing.

[0031] The input / output IF 115 may further be connected to an input device provided outside the vehicle interior space V1. The input device may be, for example, an external camera. Information about the outside of the vehicle V acquired by the external camera may be displayed in the display area 10A. For example, by displaying an image from an external camera installed in front of the vehicle V on the front screen 103, passengers sitting in the rear seats 3 can also enjoy the view from the front of the vehicle.

[0032] The input / output IF 115 may further be connected to a drive device. The drive device is a device for reading and writing a removable storage medium, such as an input / output device for a flash memory card or a USB adapter for connecting a USB memory. The removable storage medium may also be a disk medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (registered trademark). The drive device may read a program from the removable storage medium and store it in the main memory device 112 or the like.

[0033] 1 to 4, the operation of the display device 1 according to the embodiment will be described by illustrating two states in which the display device 1 is used. However, the operation and display mode of the display device 1 according to the embodiment are not limited to the following.

[0034] In the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the passengers in the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are both seated in an upright position. At this time, the passengers are viewing a single content C displayed on the front screen 103. In the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the passengers in the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are both seated in a reclined position. Also, the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrates an example in which the passengers in the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are viewing different content C. At this time, the passenger in the right rear seat 31 is viewing content C1 displayed on the front screen 103, and the passenger in the left rear seat 32 is viewing content C2 displayed on the ceiling screen 104. Here, content C1 and content C2 are displayed as predetermined content.

[0035] Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation performed by the control unit 11 of the display device 1 according to the embodiment. Below, the operation performed by the control unit 11 of the display device 1 and the program executed by the control unit 11 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. The process performed by the control unit 11 shown in Fig. 6 is assumed to be repeatedly executed while the display device 1 is receiving power from an accessory power source or an ignition power source, for example.

[0036] The seating information processing unit 1111 of the control unit 11 acquires the presence or absence of an occupant seated in the rear seat 3 from the detection results of the seating sensors 311 and 321 (FIG. 6: S10).

[0037] If the seating information processing unit 1111 determines that an occupant is seated based on the detection results of the seating sensors 311, 321 (S10: YES), the reclining angle processing unit 1112 of the control unit 11 determines, based on the detection results of the reclining sensors 312, 322, whether the reclining angle of the seat in the rear seat 3 in which the occupant is seated is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle (threshold value) (Figure 6: S20).

[0038] If the reclining angle processing unit 1112 determines that the reclining angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle (S20: YES), the position processing unit 1113 determines whether to move the display position of content C displayed on the front screen 103 to the ceiling screen 104 (FIG. 6: S30). The position processing unit 1113 sends a signal to the front projection projector 101 and the ceiling projection projector 102 to instruct them to move the display position of content C displayed on the front screen 103 to the ceiling screen 104.

[0039] To explain step S20 and step S30 in more detail, if the reclining angles of all of the right rear seat 31 and left rear seat 32 (the multiple rear seats of rear seat 3) obtained from both reclining sensors 312 and 322 are less than a predetermined angle, a single piece of content C may be displayed only on front screen 103. Also, if the reclining angles of at least some of the multiple rear seats of rear seat 3 are equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, video output unit 10 may be caused to display a single piece of content C at least on ceiling screen 104 of display area 10A.

[0040] Next, a case will be described in which content C consisting of multiple pieces of content is displayed in a divided form on the front screen 103, and a passenger sitting in the right rear seat 31 and a passenger sitting in the left rear seat 32 are viewing different pieces of content C. If the reclining angles of at least some of the seats are less than a predetermined angle based on the reclining angles of the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 acquired from both the reclining sensors 312 and 322, the video output unit 10 may display the content being viewed by the passengers sitting in those seats on the front screen 103 in the display area 10A. If the reclining angles of at least some of the seats in the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the video output unit 10 may display at least some of the content C being viewed by the passengers sitting in those seats on at least the ceiling screen 104 in the display area 10A.

[0041] In addition, a case will be described in which video I includes common content viewable from each of right rear seat 31 and left rear seat 32, and content C consisting of predetermined content that is the visual target of an occupant seated in either of right rear seat 31 and left rear seat 32, and the occupant seated in either of the seats is simultaneously viewing content C consisting of the common content and the predetermined content. When the reclining angles of either of right rear seat 31 and left rear seat 32 acquired from both reclining sensors 312 and 322 are less than the predetermined angle, video output unit 10 may display the predetermined content being viewed by the occupant seated in either of the seats on front screen 103 of display area 10A. Furthermore, when the reclining angle of any of the seats is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the video output unit 10 may be caused to switch the display position of the predetermined content from the front screen 103 to the ceiling screen 104.

[0042] After changing the display position of content C, the display state processing unit 1114 of the control unit 11 determines whether the display state of the video I and content C is appropriate ( S40 in FIG. 6 ). If it is determined in step S40 that the display state of the video I and content C is inappropriate, the display state processing unit 1114, for example, references information such as the resolution and aspect ratio of the display area 10A stored in the auxiliary storage device 113 or the like, and determines where in the display area 10A the video I and content C are displayed. Based on the determination result of the display state processing unit 1114, the shapes of the video I and content C are corrected ( S50 in FIG. 6 ). Furthermore, if a tilt sensor or the like is provided in the front projection projector 101, ceiling projection projector 102, or the like, the video I and content C may be corrected based on information obtained from the tilt sensor or the like.

[0043] [Example of Display Mode] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating multiple display modes in the display device 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified version of the display area 10A when the vehicle interior space V1 is viewed from the rear, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 . As shown in FIG. 7 , the display area 10A may include a side display area 105 (the “side area” in the present invention) and a floor display area 106 (the “floor area” in the present invention). The side display area 105 includes a right side display area 1051 and a left side display area 1052. The side display area 105 is a display area disposed on the side of the vehicle V (vehicle interior space V1). For example, a screen may be provided on a side window or a display may be provided on a side door. The floor display area 106 is a display area disposed on the floor area of ​​the vehicle. The floor display area 106 may be provided by embedding a display in the floor of the vehicle interior space V1. 7, the following describes the manner in which the image I and content C are displayed by the display device 1 in the display area 10A, which includes the front screen 103, the ceiling screen 104, the side display area 105, and the floor display area 106. However, the manner in which the image I and content C are displayed by the display device 1 described here is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display area 10A may include at least one of the front screen 103, the ceiling screen 104, the side display area 105, and the floor display area 106.

[0044] FIG. 7A shows a state in which a single piece of content C is displayed on the front screen 103. In this case, both the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are in an upright position. Also, both the passengers seated in the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 view the single piece of content C displayed on the front screen 103. In other words, in the state shown in FIG. 7A, the reclining angles of all the rear seats 3 are less than a predetermined angle, and the control unit 11 displays content C only on the front screen 103. FIG. 7B shows a state in which a single piece of content C is duplicated and displayed on both the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. In this case, at least one of the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 is in a reclined position. Thus, when either the right rear seat 31 or the left rear seat 32 is reclined, the content C displayed on the front screen 103 is duplicated and displayed on the ceiling screen 104. 7(b) shows a situation where the reclining angle of at least one of the rear seats 3 is less than a predetermined angle and the reclining angle of at least one other seat is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, and the control unit 11 displays content C on both the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. Alternatively, when both the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are reclined, a single piece of content C may be displayed only on the ceiling screen 104.

[0045] FIG. 7C shows a state in which content C, which is composed of multiple contents including content C1 and content C2, is displayed in a divided manner on the front screen 103. Here, content C1 and content C2 are displayed as predetermined contents. In this case, both the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are in an upright position, and the passenger sitting in the right rear seat 31 views content C1, while the passenger sitting in the left rear seat 32 views content C2. In other words, in the state shown in FIG. 7C, the reclining angles of all the rear seats 3 are less than a predetermined angle, and the control unit 11 displays content C only on the front screen 103. In FIG. 7D, the state in which both the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are in an upright position changes to the state in which the left rear seat 32 is reclined, and the display position of only content C2 is moved from the front screen 103 to the ceiling screen 104. That is, the situation shown in Figure 7(d) is a case where the reclining angle of at least one of the rear seats 3 is less than a predetermined angle and the reclining angle of at least one other seat is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, and content C is distributed and displayed on the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. In addition, in Figure 7(e), content C1 displayed on the front screen 103 is enlarged and displayed across the entire front screen 103, and content C2 displayed on the ceiling screen 104 is enlarged and displayed across the entire ceiling screen 104.

[0046] 7(f), common content C3 is displayed on the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104, and predetermined content C4 is displayed on the front screen 103 to be viewed by the passenger sitting in the left rear seat 32. In other words, video I includes content C made up of common content C3 and predetermined content C4, and the predetermined content C4 is displayed on the front screen 103 so as to overlap the common content C3. In FIG. 7(g), the passenger sitting in the left rear seat 32 reclines, and the display position of only the predetermined content C4 is moved from the front screen 103 to the ceiling screen 104.

[0047] 7(a) to 7(g), common content may be displayed in at least one of the side display area 105 and the floor display area 106. The common content is not limited to a background image, and may include, for example, an image that can serve as ambient lighting. Alternatively, the entire display area 10A may be used to display a 360-degree image to the occupants. The 360-degree image may be, for example, an image captured by an external vehicle camera installed outside the vehicle interior space V1.

[0048] [Operations and Effects] The display device 1 in this embodiment includes a control unit 11. The control unit 11 acquires the reclining angles of the rear seats 3 provided in the vehicle interior space V1 of the vehicle V. The rear seats 3 include a right rear seat 31 and a left rear seat 32. The control unit 11 displays content C visible to occupants seated in each rear seat of the rear seats 3 in a display area 10A including a plurality of display areas provided in the vehicle interior space V1, according to the reclining angles of each rear seat of the rear seats 3. This allows the display position of the content to be changed according to the reclining angles of each rear seat of the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32. As a result, the content C can be displayed in an easily viewable position in the display area 10A, according to the posture of each occupant seated in each rear seat of the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32.

[0049] Furthermore, in the display device 1 of this embodiment, the control unit 11 obtains whether or not an occupant is seated in each rear seat of the rear seats 3, and displays content C corresponding to each rear seat in one of the display areas of the display area 10A according to the reclining angle of the seat in which the occupant is seated. In this way, by detecting the seat occupancy status, it is possible to determine whether or not to adjust the position of content C for each seat.

[0050] Furthermore, in the display device 1 of this embodiment, the display area 10A is a plurality of display areas including a front screen 103, which is a front area disposed between the front seats 2 and the rear seats 3, and a ceiling screen 104, which is a ceiling area in the passenger compartment V1 of the vehicle V. When the reclining angles of all of the rear seats 3 are less than a predetermined angle, the control unit 11 displays the content C only on the front screen 103. When the reclining angle of at least one of the rear seats 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle and the reclining angle of at least one other seat is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the control unit 11 displays the content C on both the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. As a result, when passengers seated in each of the rear seats are viewing the same content C, even if some of the passengers are reclining, the content C can be easily viewed by both the passengers who are not reclining and the passengers who are reclining.

[0051] Furthermore, in the display device 1 of this embodiment, content C may be composed of multiple pieces of content. When content C includes multiple pieces of content, the control unit 11 splits and displays the multiple pieces of content only on the front screen 103 when the reclining angles of all of the rear seats 3 are less than a predetermined angle. When the reclining angle of at least one seat of the rear seats 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle and the reclining angle of at least one other seat is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the control unit 11 splits and displays the multiple pieces of content on both the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. In this way, when passengers seated in the rear seats 3 are each viewing different pieces of content and some of the passengers recline, the passengers who do not recline and the passengers who reclined can each view different pieces of content in a way that is easy to see.

[0052] Furthermore, in the display device 1 of this embodiment, when content C is composed of multiple pieces of content, the multiple pieces of content displayed in each display area 10A may be displayed with their respective sizes changed according to the number of pieces of content. By dividing the display area according to the number of pieces of content, it is possible to create a display area that is as large as possible to suit the posture of an occupant who is simultaneously viewing multiple pieces of content in each display area and that is easy to view.

[0053] Furthermore, the display device 1 of this embodiment may display background content (common content) on both the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. In this case, the viewing target content (predetermined content) may be displayed so as to overlap the background content. In this way, for example, when the viewing target content is overlaid on the background content, even when a passenger who is simultaneously viewing the background content and the viewing target content reclines, the passenger can view the viewing target content in an easy-to-view state.

[0054] Furthermore, in the display device 1 of this embodiment, the display area 10A may be a plurality of display areas including at least one of the side display area 105 and the floor display area 106 in addition to the front screen 103 and the ceiling screen 104. In this case, background content may be displayed in at least one of the side display area 105 and the floor display area 106. In this way, by displaying an image even in the display area 10A that is included in the indirect visual field of the occupant, the sense of immersion for the occupant can be improved.

[0055] The display system of this embodiment also includes reclining sensors 312, 322 provided in each of the rear seats 3, which includes a right rear seat 31 and a left rear seat 32, and a control unit 11. The reclining sensors 312, 322 detect the reclining angle of the rear seat 3. The control unit 11 acquires the reclining angle of the rear seat 3 and controls the display position of content C to be displayed on the video output unit 10 within the display area 10A in accordance with the reclining angle of the rear seat 3. This allows content C to be displayed at an easy-to-view position in the display area 10A, even if the rear seats 3 include a plurality of rear seats, in accordance with the posture of the occupants of each seat.

[0056] In addition, in the rear seats 3 of the display system of this embodiment, a speaker 313 is disposed in the right rear seat 31, and a speaker 323 is disposed in the left rear seat 32. The speakers 313 and 323 form a sound field for each rear seat that corresponds to content C that is visible from each rear seat. Thus, even if each passenger in each rear seat is viewing different content, the sense of immersion for each passenger can be improved by dividing the sound field.

[0057] The display method of this embodiment is a display method for displaying, in display area 10A, an image I including content C that is visible to occupants seated in each rear seat of rear seat 3 of vehicle V, in which control unit 11, which is a computer, executes the following steps: acquiring the reclining angle of each rear seat of rear seat 3; and controlling the display position of content C so that content C is displayed in one of display areas 10A according to the reclining angle of each rear seat of rear seat 3. According to this, even if rear seat 3 includes multiple rear seats, content C can be displayed in an easily viewable position in display area 10A according to the posture of the occupant in each seat.

[0058] The program of this embodiment is a program for displaying, in display area 10A, video I including content C that is visible to occupants seated in each rear seat of rear seat 3 of vehicle V, and causes control unit 11, which is a computer, to execute step S20 of acquiring the reclining angle of rear seat 3 and step S30 of controlling the display position of content C to be displayed in display area 10A based on the reclining angle of rear seat 3. With this, even if rear seat 3 includes multiple rear seats, content C can be displayed in an easily viewable position in display area 10A in accordance with the posture of the occupant in each seat.

[0059] <Computer-readable recording medium> The above-mentioned program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, etc. Then, the computer, etc. can read and execute the program from this recording medium to provide the function.

[0060] Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs through electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer. Among such recording media, those that can be removed from a computer include, for example, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-R / Ws, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, DAT, 8mm tapes, and memory cards such as flash memory. Furthermore, recording media that are fixed to a computer include hard disks and ROMs (read-only memories). Furthermore, SSDs (Solid State Drives) can be used both as recording media that can be removed from a computer and as recording media that are fixed to a computer.

[0061] Although the embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described above, each aspect disclosed in this specification can be combined with any other feature disclosed in this specification.

[0062] 1: Display device 10: Video display unit 10A: Display area 11: Control unit 2: Front seat 3: Rear seat I: Video C, C1, C2, C3, C4: Contents

Claims

1. A display device comprising a control unit that acquires the reclining angle of each of a plurality of rear seats provided in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, and displays an image of content visible to passengers seated in each of the rear seats in one of a plurality of display areas in the passenger compartment, according to the reclining angle of each rear seat.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires whether or not each of the rear seats is occupied, and displays the content in one of the plurality of display areas depending on the reclining angle of each of the rear seats that is occupied.

3. The display device described in claim 1, wherein the multiple display areas include a forward area located between the front seats and the multiple rear seats and a ceiling area of ​​the vehicle, and the control unit displays the content only in the front area when the reclining angles of all of the rear seats are less than a predetermined angle, and displays the content in both the forward area and the ceiling area when the reclining angle of at least one seat among the multiple rear seats is less than the predetermined angle and the reclining angle of at least one other seat among the multiple rear seats is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle.

4. The display device described in claim 3, wherein the control unit divides and displays the plurality of contents only in the front area when the reclining angles of all of the rear seats are less than the predetermined angle, and distributes and displays the plurality of contents between the front area and the ceiling area when the reclining angle of at least one of the rear seats is less than the predetermined angle and the reclining angle of at least one other of the rear seats is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit changes and displays the size of each of the plurality of contents depending on the number of the plurality of contents displayed in each of the plurality of display areas.

6. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit displays background content in both the front area and the ceiling area, and displays the content to be viewed superimposed on the background content.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of display areas further include at least one of a side area arranged on a side of the vehicle and a floor area arranged on the floor of the vehicle, and the control unit displays the background content in at least one of the side area and the floor area.

8. A display system comprising: a reclining angle detection unit that detects the reclining angle of each of multiple rear seats provided in the passenger compartment of a vehicle; and a control unit that acquires the reclining angle of each rear seat and displays, in one of multiple display areas in the passenger compartment, an image of content that is visible to occupants seated in each rear seat, according to the reclining angle of each rear seat.

9. The display system according to claim 8, further comprising a speaker provided in each of the plurality of rear seats, the speaker forming a sound field for each of the rear seats that corresponds to the content visible from each of the rear seats.

10. A display method for displaying images of content visible to passengers seated in multiple rear seats provided in the passenger compartment of a vehicle in multiple display areas in the passenger compartment, the display method comprising the steps of: acquiring the reclining angle of each of the multiple rear seats; and controlling the display position of the content so that it is displayed in one of the multiple display areas according to the reclining angle of each rear seat.

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