Driving assistance information display method and driving assistance information display device

Abstract

A controller (20) detects an object around a vehicle (Vh) on the basis of an image obtained from a camera (10) mounted on the vehicle (Vh), and calculates position information indicating the relative positional relationship between the vehicle (Vh) and the object on the basis of the image. The controller (20) calculates a reliability indicating the certainty of the position information calculated for the object, generates driving assistance information for the occupant to recognize the position information of the object on the basis of the position information and the reliability relating to the object, and displays the driving assistance information on a display (13).

Description

Driving assistance information display method and driving assistance information display device

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance information display method and a driving assistance information display device.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses an information processing device that can assist in safe driving of a vehicle. The information processing device includes a detection processing unit that detects a convex mirror and an object reflected in the convex mirror based on an image captured by an imaging device mounted on the vehicle, a calculation unit that calculates the position of the object in the convex mirror, a generation unit that generates driving assistance information based on the position of the object in the convex mirror, and an output unit that outputs the generated driving assistance information.

[0003] JP 2018-148491 A

[0004] By using images captured from a vehicle, it is possible to calculate position information, which is the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and an object. However, the reliability of position information differs between objects reflected on reflective surfaces such as curve mirrors and objects whose appearance can be directly observed by a camera. Therefore, passengers cannot correctly recognize the difference in reliability of such position information.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance information display method and a driving assistance information display device that allow a driver to correctly recognize differences in the reliability of position information.

[0006] A driving assistance information display method according to one aspect of the present invention includes calculating position information of an object and a reliability indicating the accuracy of the position information based on sensor information obtained from a sensor mounted on a vehicle, generating driving assistance information based on the position information and the reliability, and displaying the driving assistance information on a display.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the occupant can recognize the difference in reliability of the object position information.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a driving assistance information display device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a vehicle and the environment around the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a driving assistance information display method according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a convex mirror and objects reflected in the convex mirror. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on a display. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on a display.

[0009] A driving assistance information display device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The driving assistance information display device 1 is mounted on a vehicle. The driving assistance information display device 1 includes a camera 10, a GPS receiver 11, a map database 12, a display 13, and a controller 20.

[0010] The camera 10 is mounted in front of the vehicle, for example, near the rearview mirror inside the vehicle. The camera 10 is an imaging device equipped with an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 10 captures images of the scenery ahead of the vehicle and outputs the captured images. The camera 10 captures images at a predetermined imaging cycle.

[0011] The GPS receiver 11 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites in order to calculate the position of the vehicle.

[0012] The map database 12 is a storage device that stores map data. The map data is data that indicates map information related to roads and structures attached to the roads. The road information includes, for example, information on the type, shape, and lanes of the road. The structure information includes information on the position and type of road markings such as stop lines at intersections, and information on the position, shape, and type of three-dimensional structures. Three-dimensional structures include convex mirrors. The map database 12 may obtain map data from an external map data server using cloud computing.

[0013] The display 13 is a device that displays information to an occupant (typically, a driver). The display 13 is disposed in a position visible to the occupant, for example, in the center of the vehicle on the instrument panel. Under the control of the controller 20, the display 13 displays driving assistance information that assists the occupant in driving. In this embodiment, the driving assistance information is information for recognizing the position information of objects present around the vehicle. In addition to the driving assistance information, the display 13 can also display information from a navigation system, information related to audio equipment, and the like.

[0014] The controller 20 is a general-purpose microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, and input / output units. A computer program is installed in the microcomputer. By executing the computer program, the microcomputer functions as multiple information processing circuits equipped in the controller 20.

[0015] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the multiple information processing circuits provided in the controller 20 are realized by software. Of course, it is also possible to configure the multiple information processing circuits for executing the information processing described below using dedicated hardware. Furthermore, the multiple information processing circuits may be configured using individual hardware.

[0016] The controller 20 displays information on the display 13. The controller 20 includes an acquisition unit 21, a detection unit 22, a recognition unit 23, a calculation unit 24, a generation unit 25, and a display control unit 26 as a plurality of information processing circuits.

[0017] The acquisition unit 21 acquires an image from the camera 10. The detection unit 22 recognizes an object in the image using a known image processing technique. The recognition unit 23 recognizes the type of object detected by the detection unit 22.

[0018] The calculation unit 24 calculates position information of the object based on the image. The position information is information for defining the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the object. The position information is defined, for example, in a three-dimensional space that is the real space in which the vehicle exists, or in a two-dimensional plane based on the ground surface.

[0019] The generation unit 25 generates driving assistance information for the occupant to recognize the position information of the object. The display control unit 26 controls the display 13 to display the driving assistance information on the display 13.

[0020] The driving assistance information display method according to this embodiment will be described using the situation shown in FIG. 2 as an example. FIG. 2 illustrates a situation in which a vehicle Vh is entering an intersecting road at a T-shaped intersection. First, second, and third other vehicles Va1, Va2, and Va3, other than the vehicle Vh, are traveling on the intersecting road. A convex mirror M is attached to the intersection so that the occupants of the vehicle Vh can indirectly view the situation on the intersecting road. In the following description, it is assumed that the visibility of the intersecting road is poor from the vehicle Vh positioned just before the intersection. The occupants (as well as the camera 10) can directly view the first other vehicle Va1. However, the occupants cannot directly view the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 traveling behind the first other vehicle Va1. However, the occupants can view the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 reflected in the convex mirror M. That is, the occupants can indirectly view the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 via the convex mirror M.

[0021] The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 shows the flow of processing of the driving support information display method, which is executed by the controller 20.

[0022] The acquisition unit 21 acquires an image captured by the camera 10 (S10).

[0023] The detection unit 22 detects an object in the image using a known image processing technique (S11). Methods for detecting an object include edge detection and pattern recognition processing. The detection unit 22 also detects the position of the object in the image (coordinates on the image) through the detection of the object in the image. The recognition unit 23 recognizes the object (S12). The objects recognized by the recognition unit 23 include moving objects and stationary objects. The recognition unit 23 also recognizes types of moving objects, such as vehicles and people, and similarly recognizes types of stationary objects, such as curve mirrors, roads, and white lines.

[0024] In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the camera 10 can directly capture the first other vehicle Va1 and the convex mirror M. Furthermore, the camera 10 cannot directly capture the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 or the white line L2 on the road. However, the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 and the white line L2 on the road are reflected in the convex mirror M. The first other vehicle Va1 and the convex mirror M are detected and recognized by the processing of steps S11 and S12. The second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 and the left and right white lines L2 on the road are also detected and recognized by the processing of steps S11 and S12. The detection unit 22 and the recognition unit 23 can recognize objects located inside the outer periphery of the convex mirror M as objects reflected in the convex mirror M. Hereinafter, the first to third other vehicles Va1, Va2, and Va3 will be collectively referred to simply as other vehicles Va.

[0025] The calculation unit 24 calculates position information for each object recognized on the image (S13). The position information of the object is defined on a two-dimensional plane simulating the surface of the earth in real space, for example, in map coordinates. To calculate the position information, the calculation unit 24 stores various camera parameters such as the mounting position and orientation of the camera 10 attached to the vehicle Vh and the characteristics of the lens equipped in the camera 10. The calculation unit 24 calculates the position information based on these parameters.

[0026] In the case of an object that can be directly captured by the camera 10, the calculation unit 24 calculates the position information (map coordinates) of the object from the position of the object on the image using camera parameters. On the other hand, in the case of an object reflected in the convex mirror M, the calculation unit 24 calculates the position information (map coordinates) of the object based on the position information of the convex mirror M, the inclination of the convex mirror M, and the position and size of the object on the convex mirror M.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, the vertical size Pmv of the convex mirror M in the image depends on the distance between the vehicle Vh and the convex mirror M in real space. Furthermore, the horizontal size Pmh of the convex mirror M in the image depends on the distance between the vehicle Vh and the convex mirror M in real space and the inclination of the convex mirror M. The inclination of the convex mirror M refers to the angle when the convex mirror M is rotated around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, based on a state in which the convex mirror M is directly facing the vehicle Vh. Therefore, the calculation unit 24 can identify the inclination of the convex mirror M from the ratio between the vertical size Pmv of the convex mirror M and the horizontal size Pmh of the convex mirror M.

[0028] The position of an object in the convex mirror M depends on the inclination of the convex mirror M and the direction of the object as seen from the convex mirror M (see FIG. 2). In addition, the size Pcv of an object in the convex mirror M depends on the inclination of the convex mirror M and the distance between the convex mirror M and the object.

[0029] The calculation unit 24 can identify a vector (direction and distance) from the convex mirror M to the object from the tilt of the convex mirror M and the position and size Pcv of the object on the convex mirror M. The calculation unit 24 can use this vector to identify the relative position of the object with respect to the convex mirror M. As described above, the position information of the convex mirror M that can be directly captured by the camera 10 can be identified. The calculation unit 24 can identify the position information of the object reflected in the convex mirror M by considering the relative positional relationship between the vehicle Vh, the convex mirror M, and the object.

[0030] In addition, if the convex mirror M has a depression angle, it is preferable to perform the above calculation taking the depression angle into consideration. In addition, in the example shown in Figure 2, the size Pcv of the object on the convex mirror M is shown as the size in the vertical direction, but the size in the horizontal direction may also be used.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3 , the generation unit 25 calculates the reliability of the calculated position information for the object (S14). Because the object required for the driving assistance information is a moving object moving on an intersecting road, the following description will use the other vehicle Va shown in FIG. 2 as an example. The first other vehicle Va1, which can be directly captured by the camera 10, is close to the vehicle Vh, so the reliability of the position information for the first other vehicle Va1 is high. On the other hand, the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 reflected in the convex mirror M are recognized by two vectors via the convex mirror M, and the observation distance from the vehicle Vh to the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 is long. Therefore, the reliability of the position information for the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 is low. Therefore, the generation unit 25 calculates the reliability based on the relative positional relationship between the vehicle Vh, the convex mirror M, and the other vehicle Va. Specifically, the generation unit 25 calculates the reliability of the first other vehicle Va1, which can be recognized without going through the curve mirror M, i.e., the first other vehicle Va1, which can be captured directly by the camera 10, to be higher than the reliability of the position information of the second and third other vehicles Va2 and Va3 reflected in the curve mirror M.

[0032] Furthermore, the reliability of the position information of the second and third other vehicles Va2, Va3 differs depending on the positions of the second and third other vehicles Va2, Va3 and how they are reflected in the curve mirror M. Therefore, the reliability is calculated taking into consideration the various factors described below.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2 , of the second and third other vehicles Va2, Va3 reflected in the convex mirror M, the third other vehicle Va3, which is farther away from the convex mirror M, appears relatively smaller in size on the convex mirror M. As the size on the convex mirror M becomes smaller, the detection accuracy of the third other vehicle Va3 on the convex mirror M decreases. In other words, it can be said that the reliability of the position information of the third other vehicle Va3 is lower than the reliability of the position information of the second other vehicle Va2. Therefore, the generation unit 25 calculates a lower reliability for the other vehicle Va reflected in the convex mirror M as the other vehicle Va is farther away from the convex mirror M.

[0034] Furthermore, even when another vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M, there are cases where only a portion of the other vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M. For example, this is the case when only a portion of the other vehicle Va is inside the convex mirror M, and the remaining portion is outside the convex mirror M. Also, even when the other vehicle Va is entirely inside the convex mirror M, there are cases where a portion of the other vehicle Va is obstructed by another object. When only a portion of the other vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M, the size and position of the other vehicle Va cannot be correctly recognized on the convex mirror M, and therefore the reliability of the position information can be said to be low. Therefore, when only a portion of the other vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M, the calculation unit 24 calculates the reliability to be lower than when the entire other vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M.

[0035] As described above, the objects recognized by the recognition unit 23 include the left and right white lines L2, which are stationary objects reflected in the convex mirror M. If the left and right white lines L2 can be detected continuously, it is assumed that the objects are clearly reflected in the convex mirror M. In this case, it is highly likely that the size and position of the other vehicle Va have been correctly recognized, and therefore it is considered that the position information of the other vehicle Va has also been calculated with high reliability. Therefore, the generation unit 25 may calculate the reliability based on the stationary objects reflected in the convex mirror M.

[0036] When the convex mirror M is tilted with respect to the vehicle Vh, the size of the other vehicle Va on the convex mirror M becomes smaller. When the size on the convex mirror M becomes smaller, the recognition accuracy of the other vehicle Va on the convex mirror M decreases. Therefore, the reliability of the position information of the other vehicle Va also decreases. Therefore, when the convex mirror M is tilted greatly, the generation unit 25 calculates the reliability to be lower than when the convex mirror M is facing directly towards the vehicle Vh.

[0037] If the road on which the other vehicles Va and Vh are located has a slope or is uneven, a discrepancy may occur between the distance from vehicle Vh to the convex mirror M and the distance from the convex mirror M to the other vehicle Va recognized on the image and those distances recognized in real space. For this reason, it can be said that the reliability of the position information of the other vehicles Va and Vh is low when the road has a slope or is uneven. Therefore, when the road shape on which the other vehicles Va or Vh are located is not flat, the generation unit 25 calculates the reliability to be lower than when the road shape on which the other vehicles Va or Vh are located is flat.

[0038] Based on this perspective, the generation unit 25 calculates the reliability for each other vehicle Va. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the reliability decreases in the order of the first other vehicle Va1, the second other vehicle Va2, and the third other vehicle Va3. This reliability may be a relative evaluation between the other vehicles Va, and does not need to be an absolute evaluation for each individual other vehicle Va.

[0039] The generation unit 25 generates driving assistance information based on the position information and reliability of the other vehicle Va (S15). The driving assistance information is information that allows the occupant to recognize the position information of the other vehicle Va. Specifically, the generation unit 25 acquires the position of the vehicle Vh from the GPS receiver 11 and reads map information of the periphery of the vehicle Vh from the map database 12 based on the position of the vehicle Vh. The generation unit 25 generates driving assistance information to be displayed on the display 13 based on the position information of the vehicle Vh, the map information of the periphery of the vehicle Vh, and the position information of the other vehicle Va. At this time, the generation unit 25 also determines the display mode of the other vehicle Va. The generation unit 25 determines the display mode of the other vehicle Va so that the lower the reliability, the more ambiguous the display mode. The display control unit 26 then displays the driving assistance information on the display 13 (S16).

[0040] 5, the driving assistance information embodied as the display screen 130 of the display 13 will be described. The display screen 130 displays map information of the area around the vehicle Vh and the other vehicle Va according to its position information. A host vehicle model Ivh that simulates the vehicle Vh is also displayed so that the relative positional relationship between the other vehicle Va and the vehicle Vh can be understood.

[0041] As one of the features of this embodiment, the display mode of the other vehicle Va is more ambiguous as the reliability of the position information of the other vehicle Va decreases. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the other vehicle Va is displayed using a distribution that represents the possibility of the other vehicle Va being present.

[0042] For example, the first other vehicle Va1 has the highest reliability of its location information, so a first model Iva1 that resembles the shape of the vehicle is displayed. This first model Iva1 makes it possible to uniquely identify the area in which the first other vehicle Va1 exists. Next, the second other vehicle Va2 has a lower reliability of its location information than the first other vehicle Va1, so it is displayed as a second model Iva2 that is elliptical and has a larger area than the first model Iva1. The second model Iva2 is a distribution that represents the possibility of the existence of the other vehicle Va, and is expressed with a gradation, such that the color tone becomes weaker the further away from the center. This second model Iva2 has a wider range than the first model Iva1, and is further expressed with a gradation, so that the position of the second other vehicle Va2 is expressed ambiguously. Finally, the third other vehicle Va3 has a lower reliability of its location information than the second other vehicle Va2, so it is displayed as a third model Iva3 that is elliptical and has a larger area than the second model Iva2. Like the second model Iva2, the third model Iva3 shows a distribution that indicates the possibility of the presence of the third other vehicle Va3, and is expressed with a gradation. Furthermore, the third model Iva3 is expressed in a weaker color tone so that its visual impression is relatively weaker than that of the second model Iva2. The third model Iva3 has a wider range than the second model Iva2, and is expressed in a weaker color tone, so that the position of the third other vehicle Va3 is expressed more ambiguously.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 6 , another example of driving assistance information embodied as the display screen 130 of the display 13 will be described. The recognition unit 23 can predict the future behavior of the other vehicle Va based on changes in the appearance of the other vehicle Va. For example, the recognition unit 23 can predict whether the other vehicle Va will turn right or left based on the blinking of the turn signal of the other vehicle Va. Furthermore, the recognition unit 23 can predict whether the other vehicle Va will stop in the future based on the illumination of the brake lights of the other vehicle Va. Therefore, when the future behavior of the other vehicle Va is predicted, the generation unit 25 may also refer to the future behavior of the other vehicle Va to generate the driving assistance information. In the example shown in FIG. 6 , it is assumed that the turn signal of the second other vehicle Va2 is blinking, and an arrow Ida indicating the traveling direction of the second other vehicle Va2 is displayed near the second model Iva2 representing the second other vehicle Va2. This allows the occupant to recognize the future behavior of the other vehicle Va.

[0044] 5 and 6 represent the position of the other vehicle Va on map information referenced from the map database 12. However, the generation unit 25 may also schematically reproduce the environment around the vehicle Vh that has been detected and recognized based on an image, without using the map information in the map database 12.

[0045] Furthermore, in the driving assistance information described above, the vehicle Vh and the other vehicle Va are represented in map information (a two-dimensional plane) in order to recognize the relative position of the other vehicle Va with respect to the vehicle Vh. However, the driving assistance information may also represent the vehicle Vh and the other vehicle Va in a three-dimensional space that simulates the real space in which the vehicles exist. When using such a three-dimensional space, the other vehicle Va and its reliability may be represented using particles in which multiple particles are radially gathered. If multiple particles are densely packed together, it can be represented that the reliability of the other vehicle Va is high, and if multiple particles are widely dispersed, it can be represented that the reliability of the other vehicle Va is low.

[0046] 3, the display control unit 26 determines whether to end the display in accordance with a predetermined condition (S17). If the display control unit 26 determines to continue the display, the acquisition unit 21 performs the process of step S10. On the other hand, if the display control unit 26 determines to end the display, this process ends.

[0047] As described above, the driving assistance information display method of this embodiment includes calculating the position information and reliability of the other vehicle Va based on an image captured by the camera 10, generating driving assistance information for the occupant to recognize the position information of the other vehicle Va based on the position information and reliability, and displaying the driving assistance information on the display 13. According to this method, it is possible to display driving assistance information that takes into account the reliability of the position information, so that the occupant can correctly recognize differences in the reliability of the position information of the other vehicle Va.

[0048] In the driving assist information display method of this embodiment, displaying the driving assist information on the display 13 includes displaying the other vehicle Va according to the position information, and displaying the other vehicle Va in a more ambiguous display manner as the reliability decreases. According to this method, the lower the reliability of the position information of the other vehicle Va, the more ambiguous the display manner of the other vehicle Va. This allows the occupant to visually recognize the difference in the reliability of the position information of the other vehicle Va.

[0049] In this embodiment, the other vehicle Va is represented using a distribution that indicates the possibility of the other vehicle Va's presence, or particles that are a radial collection of multiple particles. This display format allows the reliability of the location information of the other vehicle Va to be expressed by the difference in the distribution representation and the size of the distribution, or the density and size of the particles. The occupant can visually recognize the difference in the reliability of the location information of the other vehicle Va.

[0050] The reliability of the position information differs between another vehicle Va that is directly captured from the vehicle Vh and another vehicle Va that is reflected in the convex mirror M. By taking into consideration the relative positional relationship between the vehicle Vh, the convex mirror M, and the other vehicle Va, the generation unit 25 can accurately calculate the reliability.

[0051] The reliability of the position information of the other vehicle Va differs depending on how the other vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M. By differentiating the reliability between when only a part of the other vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M and when the entire other vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M, the generation unit 25 can accurately calculate the reliability.

[0052] According to the driving assistance information display method of the present embodiment, it is possible to evaluate how another vehicle Va is reflected in the convex mirror M from the state of the stationary object reflected in the convex mirror M. By referring to the stationary object reflected in the convex mirror M, the generation unit 25 can accurately calculate the reliability.

[0053] In this embodiment, even if the distance from the convex mirror M to the other vehicle Va is the same, if the inclination of the convex mirror M is large, the size of the other vehicle Va reflected in the convex mirror M will be smaller. Therefore, by referring to the inclination of the convex mirror M, the generation unit 25 can accurately calculate the reliability.

[0054] In the present embodiment, if the road on which the other vehicles Va and Vh are located has a slope or unevenness, the accuracy of calculating the position information of the other vehicle Va decreases. Therefore, by referring to whether the road on which the other vehicles Va and Vh are located is flat, the generation unit 25 can accurately calculate the reliability.

[0055] The driving assistance information display method of this embodiment is configured by processing using only an image (first image) obtained from one camera (first camera) 10. However, the driving assistance information display method may also include calculating position information of another vehicle Va based on a second image obtained from a second camera different from the first camera 10, and calculating a high reliability if it can be determined that position information obtained from the first image and position information obtained from the second image regarding the same object are similar. If position information obtained from different cameras is similar, it means that the position information has been calculated with high accuracy. Therefore, by using complementary information, the generation unit 25 can correctly calculate the reliability. Whether or not the position information is similar can be determined by whether or not the distance between the position information is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

[0056] Furthermore, the reliability may be calculated by referring to the position information of the other vehicle Va transmitted from a different type of sensor, another vehicle, or an external device other than the camera.

[0057] In this embodiment, the camera 10 captures an image of the area ahead of the vehicle Vh. However, the camera 10 may capture an image of a part or the entire area around the vehicle Vh.

[0058] In this embodiment, the controller 20 recognizes the surroundings using images captured by the camera 10, and is therefore able to calculate the position information of other vehicles Va reflected in the curved mirror M. However, a wide variety of sensors other than the camera 10 can be used as long as they can identify the position information of other vehicles Va reflected in the curved mirror M.

[0059] In this embodiment, a curved mirror M is used as an example of a reflective surface that reflects light. However, the body of another vehicle, a window of a building, or the like may also be used as a reflective surface. This allows the generation unit 25 to generate, as driving assistance information, information about another vehicle Va that is in an area with poor visibility from the vehicle Vh.

[0060] In this embodiment, the location information is exemplified by map coordinates corresponding to map information. However, the location information may be information indicating the relative positional relationship between the vehicle Vh and the other vehicle Va, and may be spatial coordinates in three-dimensional space. Furthermore, the location information may be expressed by a vector from the vehicle Vh to the other vehicle Va, or a vector from the vehicle Vh to the convex mirror M and from the convex mirror M to the other vehicle Va.

[0061] In this embodiment, the object for which the reliability of the position information is calculated is the other vehicle Va. However, the object to be calculated may be a wide range of moving objects other than the other vehicle Va, such as a person or a two-wheeled vehicle.

[0062] A driving assistance information display device 1 including a sensor mounted on a vehicle and a controller 20 that displays information on a display visible to the vehicle occupants also constitutes part of this embodiment. In this driving assistance information display device 1, the controller 20 executes the driving assistance information display device described above. This driving assistance information display device 1 can display driving assistance information that takes into account the reliability of the position information, allowing the occupants to correctly recognize differences in the reliability of the position information of the other vehicle Va.

[0063] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0064] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Driving assistance information display device 10 Camera 11 GPS receiver 12 Map database 13 Display 20 Controller 21 Acquisition unit 22 Detection unit 23 Recognition unit 24 Calculation unit 25 Generation unit 26 Display control unit

Claims

1. A driving assistance information display method executed by a controller that displays information on a display visible to a vehicle occupant, comprising: detecting objects around the vehicle based on sensor information obtained from a sensor mounted on the vehicle; calculating position information indicating the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the object based on the sensor information; calculating a reliability indicating the accuracy of the calculated position information for the object; generating driving assistance information for the occupant to recognize the position information of the object based on the position information and the reliability for the object; and displaying the driving assistance information on the display.

2. The driving assistance information display method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the driving assistance information on the display includes: displaying the object according to the position information; and displaying the object in a more ambiguous display manner as the reliability becomes lower.

3. The driving support information display method according to claim 2, wherein the object is displayed using a distribution that indicates the possibility of the object being present, or particles that are a radial collection of a plurality of particles.

4. A driving assistance information display method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor information is an image captured by an imaging device serving as the sensor, and the object includes an object reflected on a reflective surface that reflects light.

5. The driving assistance information display method according to claim 4, wherein the reliability is calculated based on a relative positional relationship between the vehicle, the reflective surface, and the object.

6. The driving assistance information display method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein when only a part of the object is reflected on the reflecting surface, the reliability is calculated to be lower than when the entire object is reflected on the reflecting surface.

7. The driving assistance information display method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the reliability is calculated based on a stationary object reflected on the reflecting surface.

8. A driving assistance information display method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the reliability is calculated to be lower the greater the inclination of the reflecting surface compared to a state in which the reflecting surface is directly facing the vehicle.

9. The driving assistance information display method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein when the road shape on which the object exists is not flat, the reliability is calculated to be lower than when the road shape on which the object exists is flat.

10. A driving assistance information display method according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein when the road shape on which the vehicle is located is not flat, the reliability is calculated to be lower than when the road shape on which the vehicle is located is flat.

11. A driving assistance information display method according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the position information of the object is calculated based on second sensor information obtained from a second sensor different from the first sensor, and when it can be determined that the position information obtained from the first sensor information and the position information obtained from the second sensor information regarding the same object are similar, the reliability is calculated to be high.

12. A driving assistance information display method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the object is another vehicle other than the vehicle, and when the future behavior of the other vehicle is predicted, the driving assistance information is generated also by referring to the future behavior of the other vehicle.

13. A driving assistance information display device comprising: a sensor mounted on a vehicle; and a controller that displays information on a display visible to an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the controller: detects objects around the vehicle based on sensor information obtained from the sensor; calculates position information indicating the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the object based on the sensor information; calculates a reliability indicating the accuracy of the calculated position information for the object; generates driving assistance information for the occupant to recognize the position information of the object based on the position information and the reliability for the object; and displays the driving assistance information on the display.

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