WO2014192594A1

WO2014192594A1 - On-vehicle device

Info

Publication number: WO2014192594A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/063344
Authority: WO
Inventors: 直人中澤
Original assignee: 日本精機株式会社
Priority date: 2013-05-31
Filing date: 2014-05-20
Publication date: 2014-12-04
Also published as: JP2014235550A

Abstract

Provided is an on-vehicle device with which a driver can ascertain the illuminated colour of a traffic light, even without looking. A display unit (12) of a head-up display device (11) for displaying a background and vehicle information is configured so as to accurately convey, without the need for a driver to look, and as a result of a microcomputer changing a background colour of the head-up display device (11) on the basis of a colour corresponding to an illumination state acquired by an illumination-state acquisition means of the microcomputer, said illumination-state acquisition means being for acquiring the illumination state of a traffic light, information related to the illuminated colour of the traffic light, by displaying the background colour on a large surface area.

Description

In-vehicle device

The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device.

There are various types of in-vehicle devices such as a device that supports driving of a driver and is used for accident prevention, and one of them displays signal color information of a traffic light.
For example, the traffic signal detection / notification system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a device that issues a warning to a driver when a red signal changes to a blue signal, and includes a camera unit, a monitor unit, a detection unit, and a notification unit. . The red signal image captured by the camera unit is displayed on the monitor unit, and the driver touches the red signal image with a finger or an instrument, or the camera angle is adjusted to a predetermined location on the monitor screen. Then, the detection unit detects the timing when the red signal disappears and becomes a blue signal, and informs the driver by the notification unit using information means such as sound, light, vibration and the like.

In addition, in the vehicle display device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the direction hidden by the sun visor is captured by a camera and displayed on a display device. The pattern is captured by an HDRC (High Dynamic Range Cmos) camera. The recognition unit extracts a traffic light from the captured video of the camera and sends it to the display device in accordance with the operation of the display request switch to display the traffic light on the screen.

JP 2010-123100 A JP 2006-260011 A

However, in the warning device described in Patent Document 1, a signal is captured by a camera unit attached to a vehicle, and it is determined by image processing whether the captured signal image is a red signal or a blue signal. Based on the result, the warning is displayed on the monitor, but after the driver performs some operation, the driver watches the small image of the traffic light displayed on the monitor, or the sound from the displayed traffic light There is a problem that attention must be focused on changes and changes in light.
Also, in the case of the vehicle display device described in Patent Document 2, a traffic light is extracted from the captured video captured by the HDRC camera by the pattern recognition unit, and the traffic light is displayed on the screen of the display according to the operation of the display request switch. Therefore, there is a problem that the signal on the screen of the display must be watched.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described present situation, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle device capable of confirming a lighting color of a traffic light without a driver's attention.

In order to achieve the above object, an in-vehicle device according to the present invention includes:
An in-vehicle device that controls a display device that displays vehicle information together with a background,
Lighting state acquisition means for acquiring the lighting state of the traffic light;
Control means for controlling a background color displayed by the display device to a color corresponding to the lighting state acquired by the lighting state acquisition unit;
It is characterized by that.
The on-vehicle device according to the present invention is
An in-vehicle device that controls illumination means for illuminating a dial or a pointer with one of a plurality of colors,
Lighting state acquisition means for acquiring the lighting state of the traffic light;
Control means for controlling the color of illumination by the illumination means to a color corresponding to the lighting state acquired by the lighting state acquisition means,
It is characterized by that.

According to the present invention, the lighting color of the traffic light can be confirmed without the driver's attention.

It is a schematic block diagram of the head-up display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of the vehicle-mounted apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the display state of the background color which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a display flowchart of the 1st lighting color display processing concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the display of the 2nd lighting color display process which concerns on other one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The in-vehicle device 10 according to this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the background color displayed on the display (display device) 12 including the LED light source 13 is set according to the color of the lighting state of the traffic light. It comprises a microcomputer (control means) 14 to be controlled.
The display 12 is configured as the display 12 of the head-up display device 11, and the display light emitted from the display 12 is reflected to the driver side by the windshield A, and the driver forms the display image through the windshield A. The vehicle information displayed together with the background can be visually recognized.
Here, the background refers to a portion other than the portion where the vehicle information is displayed. The background displayed on the display device 12 by the display device 12 is the background, and the background color is the background color.

The display device 12 includes a three-color LED light source 13 that emits light of three colors of red, yellow, and blue based on the color according to the lighting state of the traffic light. Further, the display 12 is in a transparent state (a state without a background color) as a normal background color, and includes a light source of a color different from the three colors of the signal, for example, a white LED light source 13 to make the background white. You may do it. On each LED light source 13, an optical member is provided, which can emit diffused light, and the background color is changed by irradiating the windshield A with a light emission color according to the lighting state. .

The microcomputer (microcomputer) 14 constituting the in-vehicle device 10 includes a lighting state acquisition unit that acquires the lighting state of the traffic light, and the display unit 12 is based on the color corresponding to the lighting state acquired by the lighting information acquisition unit. The color of light emitted by is determined according to the lighting state of the traffic light, the lighting or blinking of the signal is controlled, and the blinking interval is also controlled. The microcomputer 14 includes a CPU (Cetral Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and is controlled and processed according to a program stored in the RAM or ROM.
A navigation unit 16 is connected to the microcomputer 14 via a communication line 15 mounted on the vehicle. The microcomputer 14 obtains color information according to the lighting state of the traffic light from, for example, optical beacons, FMVICS (registered trademark) (Vehicle Infomation and Communication System), and information on the host computer in which traffic information is aggregated. 16 is input.
Note that the color information corresponding to the point state of the traffic light can be obtained by performing image processing on photographing information obtained by the camera.
The microcomputer 14 is provided with vehicle information acquisition means, and various vehicle information is input from an ECU (Engine Control Unit) 17 connected via the communication line 15, and information on the vehicle state (stop state, vehicle speed, etc.) is obtained. The navigation unit 16 receives information such as vehicle position information, distance information to a traffic signal, and passing information passing through the traffic signal from the navigation unit 16 by its GPS (Global Positioning System) function.
Furthermore, in order to acquire information on the surroundings such as the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle and its movement, the microcomputer 14 receives acquisition information from a radar and image processing information from a camera.
The microcomputer 14 can also be used as a control unit of the head-up display device 11. In this case, the head-up display device 11 constitutes the in-vehicle device 10 of the present invention.
In the in-vehicle device 10, as shown in FIG. 3, the display light emitted from the indicator 12 of the head-up display device 11 is reflected to the driver side by the windshield A, and the driver passes through the windshield A. The display image is formed and the displayed vehicle information can be visually recognized, and the LED light source 13 is controlled by the microcomputer 14 so that the display image is formed through the windshield A according to the color according to the state of the traffic light. The background color can be changed.

The 1st lighting color display process by the microcomputer 14 which displays the color according to the lighting state of the traffic light by the vehicle-mounted apparatus 10 comprised in this way is demonstrated.
The first lighting color display process is a process performed while the vehicle is traveling, and the second lighting color display process described later is a process performed while the vehicle is stopped with a red signal.
First, when the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on or when the on-vehicle device 10 is turned on, the on-vehicle device 10 is activated, and the first lighting color display process by the microcomputer 14 is started.
Information on the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light corresponding to the travel route is input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16, and the microcomputer 14 determines whether or not the lighting color of the traffic light is “blue”. (Step S1).

When the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is “blue” (step S1: Yes), the vehicle information from the ECU 17 connected to the microcomputer 14 is displayed. Based on this, the microcomputer 14 determines whether or not the vehicle speed is in a stopped state (step S2).

If the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is not “blue” (step S1: No), the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light is “yellow”. Is determined by the microcomputer 14 (step S3).

If the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is not “yellow” (step S3: No), the vehicle information from the navigation unit 16 or the image by the radar or camera. The microcomputer 14 determines whether or not the distance from the processing information to the traffic signal is 50 m or more (step S4).

As a result of the determination by the microcomputer 14, when the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light is “blue” and the vehicle speed is 0 based on the vehicle information (step S <b> 2: Yes), the microcomputer 14 displays “blue” on the display 12. Is sent to the LED light source 13, and the “blue” light diffused by the optical member is irradiated on the windshield A so that the background color of the head-up display device 11 becomes “blue”. Display is started (step S5).
As a result, the driver does not watch the small display from the large background color of the head-up display device 11, and the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light in front of the stop state of the vehicle is “blue”. It is possible to grasp the indication that the traffic light changes from the “blue” color by blinking.

If the information of the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is “blue” and the vehicle speed is not a stop state of 0 from the vehicle information (step S2: No), the microcomputer 14 A command to start lighting display is sent to the “blue” LED light source 13 of the display 12, and the “blue” light diffused by the optical member is irradiated on the windshield A so that the background color becomes “blue”. Display is started (step S6).
Accordingly, the driver can check that the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light ahead of the travel route of the vehicle is “blue” without gazing at a small display from the large background color of the head-up display device 11. The display can be grasped and confirmed.

If the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is not “blue” but “yellow” (step S3: Yes), the microcomputer 14 displays the display 12 A command to start lighting display is sent to the “yellow” LED light source 13, and the “yellow” light diffused by the optical member is irradiated on the windshield A to start the lighting display for changing the background color to “yellow”. (Step S7).
As a result, the driver does not watch the small display from the large background color of the head-up display device 11, and the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light ahead of the stop state of the vehicle is “yellow”. Can be checked and confirmed.

If the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light after being input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is neither “blue” nor “yellow” (step S3: No), it has been described in step S4. In this case, the lighting color of the traffic light is “red”. In this case, the microcomputer 14 acquires the distance information to the traffic light from the vehicle information from the navigation unit 16 or the image processing information by the radar or the camera, and the distance Is determined by the microcomputer 14 (step S4). Based on this determination, the microcomputer 14 sends a blinking display start command to the “red” LED light source 13 of the display unit 12, and the optical member. The “red” light diffused in step 1 is irradiated on the windshield, and the background color is displayed in a blinking state of “red”. This “red” blinking display is started by the microcomputer 14 controlling the blinking interval (cycle) of the “red” color according to the distance information from the navigation unit 16 or the like to the traffic light, and if it is 50 m or more (step S4: Yes) ) A blinking command with a long and slow interval is sent (step S8).

On the other hand, when the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is neither “blue” nor “yellow” (step S3: No), from the navigation unit 16 or the like. If the distance information to the traffic light is 50 m or less (step S4: No) according to the acquired information, the microcomputer 14 sends a command to start blinking display with a short “red” blinking interval (cycle) (step S9). .
Thereby, the driver can grasp and confirm the display that the traffic light in front of the vehicle is “red” without gazing at a small display from the large background color of the head-up display device 11. It is possible to grasp the distance to the traffic light whether it is 50m or more ahead or 50m or less by the blinking interval (flashing cycle), and that the color corresponding to the lighting state is approaching the "red" traffic light I can grasp it.

Next, the microcomputer 14 determines whether or not the vehicle has passed the traffic light based on the traffic light position information from the navigation unit 16 (step S10).
When the vehicle passes the traffic light (step S10: Yes), the microcomputer 14 starts lighting display and blinks on the three LED light sources 13 based on the "blue", "yellow", and "red" traffic lights of the display 12. From the display start command, a normal background color lighting display start command is sent to the display 12, and the background color is set to normal by irradiating the front glass A with, for example, “white” light diffused by the optical member. “White” lighting state, transparent state without background color, or normal night lighting state.
This change to the normal background color is visually troublesome if the background color is suddenly changed, so that the normal vehicle information is changed from the background color based on the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light via the microcomputer 14. It is started to gradually return to the background color or the like for display (step S11).
When the vehicle does not pass the traffic light (step S10: No), the microcomputer 14 ends without sending a normal background color lighting display start command to the display 12.
The first lighting color display process is repeatedly performed at predetermined intervals by the microcomputer 14 and the microcomputer 14 starts blinking display or lighting display start until the color information changes according to the lighting state of the traffic light. The command is maintained as it is.

According to such an in-vehicle device 10, the display of color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light must be grasped and confirmed by paying attention to the display of the small area in the display device such as the icon and the traffic light image so far. However, the lighting color of the traffic light can be displayed in a large area by changing the background color of the indicator 12 of the head-up display device 11 in accordance with the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light. Therefore, the lighting color of the traffic light can be grasped and confirmed without gazing, and the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light can be reliably displayed.

Next, a second lighting color display process, which is another embodiment of the in-vehicle apparatus of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG.
The second lighting color display process is a process performed while the vehicle is stopped with a red signal.
In this in-vehicle device 10, instead of displaying the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light which is the first lighting color display process with the background color, the “red” signal is used at the intersection as the second lighting color display process. The driver of the vehicle in a stopped state can display that it has become a “blue” signal.

First, the second lighting color display process by the microcomputer 14 is started in a state where the in-vehicle device 10 is activated.
The microcomputer 14 receives color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light on the travel route via the navigation unit 16, and the microcomputer 14 determines whether the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light is “red”. Determination is made (step S21).

When the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light after being input to the microcomputer 14 via the navigation unit 16 is “red” (step S21: Yes), the “red” of the display 12 from the microcomputer 14 is displayed. A command to start lighting display is sent to the LED light source 13, and the “red” light diffused by the optical member is irradiated on the windshield to set the background color to the “red” lighting display state (step S22).

When the color information corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light from the navigation unit 16 input to the microcomputer 14 is not “red” (step S21: No), the image processing information from the camera input to the microcomputer 14 and the radar Whether or not the vehicle ahead has moved is determined by the microcomputer 14 based on the acquired information or the like (step S23).

If the preceding vehicle does not move from the vehicle acquisition information input to the microcomputer 14 (step S23: No), there is a risk of a rear-end collision when starting the host vehicle, and therefore the microcomputer 14 displays a “red” lighting display. The start command is still sent (step S27).

On the other hand, when the vehicle ahead moves from the image processing information from the camera input to the microcomputer 14 or the information acquired by the radar (step S23: Yes), the stop time from the moment the vehicle turns into a green light is 5 It is determined by the microcomputer 14 based on the lighting state acquisition information for acquiring the color corresponding to the state of the traffic light and the time information from the microcomputer 14 or the navigation unit 16 (step S24). .

When the microcomputer 14 determines that the stop time of the host vehicle is 5 seconds or longer (step S24: Yes), the microcomputer 14 starts blinking display from the microcomputer 14 to the “blue” LED light source 13 of the display unit 12 to display a warning to start the vehicle. Is transmitted, and the “blue” light diffused by the optical member is irradiated on the windshield A to make the background color blink “blue” (step S25).
Accordingly, the driver can confirm that the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light has changed to “blue” and that the vehicle may start, without paying attention to the display of the small area so far. By displaying the background color blinking in “blue” on the display 12, it is possible to easily confirm the display color, and it is possible to take measures such as prompting a smooth start.

When the microcomputer 14 determines that the color corresponding to the state of the traffic light is “blue” and the stop time of the host vehicle is 5 seconds or less from the moment when it changes to “blue” (step S24: No), the traffic light is turned on. A display for notifying that the color corresponding to the state has changed to “blue” is performed, and a command to start lighting display is sent from the microcomputer 14 to the “blue” LED light source 13 of the display device 12 and diffused by the optical member. The illuminated display of the “blue” light is applied to the windshield A to make the background color “blue” (step S26).
As a result, the background color by the indicator 12 of the head-up display device 11 is “blue” without the driver gazing at the display of the small area so far, indicating that the lighting color of the traffic light has changed to “blue”. Since the lighting display is started, it can be easily confirmed, the vehicle can start smoothly, and contribute to traffic safety.

Note that the second lighting color display process by the in-vehicle device 10 is repeatedly performed at predetermined intervals, and the blinking display start and lighting display start commands are maintained as they are from the microcomputer 14 until the vehicle starts. .
Even when the in-vehicle device 10 displays a warning that the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light has changed from a red signal to a blue signal, when the microcomputer 14 determines that the vehicle has started, based on the vehicle information, From the command for starting the lighting display to the “blue” LED light source 13 of the display device 12 and the blinking display start command from the microcomputer 14, a command for the lighting emission to gradually return to the normal background color is sent to the display device 12. The background color is set to a normal state, such as a transparent state with no color, a night illumination state, or “white” light from the LED light source 13 is irradiated on the windshield A. By gradually returning the change to the normal background color by the microcomputer 14, the visual troublesomeness can be eliminated.

In addition, the second lighting color display process for displaying that the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light in the in-vehicle device 10 of this embodiment has changed from the red signal to the blue signal and the lighting of the traffic light of the embodiment already described. Although the first lighting color display process for displaying the color according to the state has been described as an independent process, these lighting color display processes are performed in combination, and the color corresponding to the lighting state of the traffic light is displayed during traveling. It is desirable to perform the first lighting color display processing to be performed, and when stopping at the intersection, it is desirable to perform the second lighting color display processing for displaying the change from the red signal to the blue signal. These two lighting color display processes are repeatedly performed.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the microcomputer 14 constituting the in-vehicle device 10 performs the lighting color display processing by controlling the display device 12 including the LED light source 13 of the head-up display device 11 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the vehicle-mounted device 10 may be configured by the head-up display device 11 itself by using the control unit of the head-up display device 11 also as the microcomputer 14.
In addition, the display device 12 that can change the background color can be configured by another display device such as a liquid crystal display device provided in a vehicle.
In addition, the case where the lighting color display is displayed by changing the background color of the head-up display device has been described as an example. Illumination means for changing to a plurality of colors may be provided, and the microcomputer 14 may display the illumination color by changing the color information according to the state of the traffic light.
For in-vehicle meters and combination meters, change the illumination color to illuminate indicators such as dials to display the lighting color of the traffic light, or change the illumination color to illuminate the pointer to display the lighting color of the traffic signal It is desirable that the microcomputer 14 controls a wide range of illumination with a large area, such as illuminating the periphery of the dial from the outside or illuminating the entire dial.
The vehicle-mounted meter or combination meter control means may be used also as the microcomputer 14, and the vehicle-mounted device 10 can be configured with only the meter or the combination meter.
Furthermore, the background color and the illumination color are not limited to changing using the three color LED light sources, and the background color and the illumination color may be changed using other light sources.

The present invention is suitable for an in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle traveling on a road surface having a traffic light and controls a display device, for example, as a vehicle instrument mounted on a moving body such as an automobile or a motorcycle.

10 On-vehicle device 11 Head-up display device (display device)
12 Display 13 LED light source 14 Microcomputer (lighting state acquisition means, control means)
15 Communication line 16 Navigation unit (vehicle information acquisition means, passage information acquisition means)
17 ECU (vehicle information acquisition means)
A Windshield

Claims

An in-vehicle device that controls a display device that displays vehicle information together with a background,
Lighting state acquisition means for acquiring the lighting state of the traffic light;
Control means for controlling a background color displayed by the display device to a color corresponding to the lighting state acquired by the lighting state acquisition unit;
In-vehicle device characterized by the above.
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information,
The control means blinks a background displayed on the display device based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition means.
The in-vehicle device according to claim 1.
Including passage information acquisition means for acquiring information passing through the traffic light in the lighting state acquired by the lighting state acquisition means as passage information;
The control means gradually returns the background color displayed by the display device controlled to a color according to the lighting state based on the passage information acquired by the passage information acquisition means to a normal color.
The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by things.
An in-vehicle device that controls illumination means for illuminating a dial or a pointer with one of a plurality of colors,
Lighting state acquisition means for acquiring the lighting state of the traffic light;
Control means for controlling the color of illumination by the illumination means to a color corresponding to the lighting state acquired by the lighting state acquisition means,
In-vehicle device characterized by the above.
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information,
The control means blinks the illumination of the illumination means based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition means.
The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 characterized by things.
Including passage information acquisition means for acquiring information passing through the traffic light in the lighting state acquired by the lighting state acquisition means as passage information;
The control means gradually returns the illumination color of the illumination means controlled to a color according to the lighting state based on the passage information acquired by the passage information acquisition means to a normal color.
The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by things.