JP2000057491A - On-vehicle information presenting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an on-vehicle information presenting device enabling a driver to stably drive a vehicle without feeling physical disorder generated due to a parallax between both eyes even when the driver visually recognizes a display image indicating a forward obstacle while visually recognizing the obstacle itself. SOLUTION: An inter-vehicle distance and direction from a forward vehicle are detected by a scanning laser rader 1 and the vehicle position of the forward vehicle is calculated by a display control part 17 based on the inter-vehicle distance and direction from the forward vehicle. Then a display image for displaying the forward vehicle as a pointed target is displayed, the display image is projected from a display part 21 to the direction of the vehicle position on the front glass 11 of its own vehicle, so that the forward vehicle is displayed so as to be visually recognized by the display image projected as a virtual image. In this case, the display part 2 projects at least two display images at a prescribed interval capable of maximizing the parallax between both eyes in a direction horizontal to its own vehicle to display them.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle information display device capable of indicating the position of a preceding vehicle or an obstacle ahead of a host vehicle with a simple configuration, and more particularly to an obstacle or a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle. The present invention relates to a vehicle information presenting apparatus applicable to an approach warning system for notifying a driver of approach to a vehicle, a follow-up traveling system that keeps a prescribed distance between a preceding vehicle and a following-up traveling, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle information presenting apparatus, an "inter-vehicle distance display apparatus and a target cruise" described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-94756 shown in FIG. 17 has been reported. This system uses a head-up display to mark the position of the target vehicle ahead of the host vehicle during follow-up driving at the corresponding position in the front field of view so that the target vehicle can be easily recognized. To display.

More specifically, first, a target mark 153 is emitted as a display image from a display 171 comprising a combination of a fluorescent display tube, a liquid crystal display and a light source, or a combination of a dial and a light source on which a target mark is printed in advance. . Evening get mark 15 emitted from the display 71
3 is projected onto the combiner 75 via three mirrors 172, 173, 174 and displayed as a virtual image in front of the windshield 108.

Here, the display position of the target mark 153 can be adjusted by moving an arbitrary one of the three mirrors 172, 173, 174 in the vertical and horizontal directions. A driving device (not shown) for moving the mirror operates in response to an instruction signal from a signal processing unit (not shown) in auto cruise, and a target mark 153 is formed around the target vehicle in a front view of the windshield 108. The mirror position is adjusted to be located.

[0005]

However, in the conventional "inter-vehicle distance display device and target cruise", in order to change the display position of the target mark 153, a movable mechanism for moving a plurality of mirrors is required. Since space is required, there is a problem in that the apparatus must be increased in size when configuring the apparatus, and it is difficult to dispose the apparatus in a vehicle compartment or an instrument panel.

Further, the optical system composed of a plurality of mirrors is omitted, and the target mark 153 displayed on the display 171 is directly projected on the combiner 75.
Although it is said that the display position may be changed by moving the display 171, it is difficult to change the imaging distance with a simple mechanism.

Further, when the driver is visually recognizing the preceding vehicle, the display of the target mark 153 at the display position near the preceding vehicle is also in the field of view, so that the displayed images overlap in the horizontal direction due to the binocular parallax of the driver. You may see more than one. For this reason, it becomes difficult to establish a correspondence between the preceding vehicle and the target mark 153, and the target mark 15
There is a problem that the display of No. 3 is troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image display apparatus that allows a driver to view a display image indicating a front obstacle while visually recognizing the front obstacle. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle information presentation device that can be run with a sense of security without causing a sense of incongruity.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an obstacle detecting means for detecting a distance and a direction to a forward obstacle, and a position calculating means for calculating a position of the forward obstacle based on the distance and a direction to the forward obstacle And display means for displaying a display image with the forward obstacle as an instruction target and projecting the display image toward the obstacle position direction on the windshield of the own vehicle, and a virtual image on the windshield. In the vehicle information presenting device for instructing the front obstacle to be visually recognizable by the display image projected as the vehicle, the display means displays at least two display images at a predetermined interval at which the binocular parallax is the largest at the own vehicle. The point is that the image is projected and displayed in the horizontal direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the display means projects a display image having a horizontally long shape having a predetermined length.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, an obstacle detecting means for detecting a distance and a direction to a forward obstacle, and Position calculating means for calculating the position of the forward obstacle,
Area determining means for dividing the display area on the windshield of the vehicle into a plurality of small display areas, determining which small display area the position of the obstacle corresponds to, and each small display area on the windshield And a plurality of display means having a display image that can be projected, and one display means corresponding to the plurality of display means so as to project the display image onto the small display area determined by the area determination means. And a selecting means for selecting the

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is applied to an approach warning system for notifying an abnormal approach when an abnormal approach to an obstacle ahead is attempted. The gist of the display means is to display a display image indicating the approaching obstacle as an instruction target when the approaching obstacle is approaching abnormally.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is applied to a follow-up traveling system that performs a follow-up control so that an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined distance according to the own vehicle speed. Means is to display a display image indicating a preceding vehicle to be followed.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a display image indicating an obstacle ahead is displayed, and the display image is projected toward the position of the obstacle on the windshield of the vehicle. Then, a display image projected as a virtual image on the windshield is provided so as to visually indicate the obstacle ahead, and at least two display images are provided to the host vehicle at predetermined intervals at which the binocular disparity is maximized. In contrast, by projecting and displaying in the horizontal direction, even if the driver views the display image indicating the front obstacle while visually recognizing the front obstacle, there is no sense of incongruity caused by binocular parallax, and the driver is safe. You can drive with your heart in mind.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by projecting a horizontally long display image having a predetermined length, it is possible to improve the visibility of a display image in which a forward obstacle is designated.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the distance and direction to the front obstacle are detected, and the position of the front obstacle is calculated based on the distance and direction to the front obstacle. Next, the display area on the windshield of the host vehicle is divided into a plurality of small display areas, and it is determined which small display area the position of the obstacle in front corresponds to. Next, a plurality of display means having a display image that can be projected are prepared corresponding to each of the small display areas on the windshield, and a plurality of display means are provided so as to project the display image on the determined small display area. By selecting a corresponding one of the display means, the display means can be reduced in size, and an apparatus configuration which can be easily arranged on the instrument panel can be provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle approaches the obstacle in front abnormally, it is adapted to the approach warning system for notifying that the vehicle is approaching abnormally, and the vehicle approaches the obstacle ahead in an abnormal manner. In the case of, by displaying a display image indicating the approaching obstacle as an instruction target, it is possible to prevent an abnormal approach between the preceding obstacle and the host vehicle, thereby preventing a rear-end collision. .

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a preceding vehicle to be followed is instructed by adapting to a following traveling system that performs a following control so that an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined distance corresponding to the own vehicle speed. By displaying the display image, the following vehicle to be followed can be easily visually recognized, and, for example, the start operation of following travel can be performed with confidence.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle information presentation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The scanning laser radar 1 has a built-in light-emitting unit for emitting laser light, a light-receiving unit for receiving reflected light, and a scanning unit for scanning the laser light within a predetermined irradiation range. Irradiate while scanning within a predetermined irradiation range toward the front of the vehicle,
The light reflected by the vehicle body or reflector of the vehicle ahead is detected by the light receiving unit, and the distance between the vehicles is measured based on the delay time from the emission time to the arrival time, and the vehicle direction is determined from the scanning direction of the laser light. It is to detect.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the scanning laser radar 1 detects the directions and inter-vehicle distances of vehicles 39 and 41 running ahead of the host vehicle 9. Note that the measurement range of the scanning laser radar 1 is set to, for example, a hatched portion 43.

The display controller 17 calculates the display position of the preceding vehicle based on the ranging signal from the scanning laser radar 1 and outputs a display signal to the display 21. The display unit 21 projects a display image at a corresponding display position on a windshield, which will be described later, according to a display signal from the display control unit 17.

As shown in FIG. 3, the display section 21 may be installed in the instrument panel 13 in front of the driver 15 or on the instrument panel 13 as long as the view of the driver 15 is not obstructed. The display unit 21 is installed at a position and an angle such that the display image projected on the windshield 11 is directed to the driver's eye point (viewpoint). The width of the display unit 21 in the vehicle width direction may be set according to the display position of the display image and the measurement range on the left and right of the scanning laser radar 1. That is, in order that the display image and the vehicles 39 and 41 in front of the host vehicle 9 overlap with each other and are visible to the driver 15, the display image may be projected within the measurement range 43 where the distance can be measured by the laser radar 1.

When the scanning laser radar 1 operates, as shown in FIG. 3, the direction θ and the inter-vehicle distance L of the obstacle 39 in front of the host vehicle 9 are detected. The detection result is sent to the display control unit 17 as a distance measurement signal. In the display control unit 17,
Based on the angle θ of the obstacle 39 in front of the host vehicle 9 to be displayed and the inter-vehicle distance L, the host vehicle 9 as viewed from the driver 15 is displayed.
The angle φ (counterclockwise is defined as positive) of the obstacle 39 ahead is obtained.

The angle φ is the forward distance a from the driver's 15 viewpoint to the scanning laser radar 1,
From the distance m in the right direction from the viewpoint 5 to the scanning laser radar 1,

(Equation 1) Becomes The display unit 21 projects the display image 19 toward the windshield 11 in the direction of the angle φ so that the driver 15 can visually recognize the display image.

Here, FIGS. 4A and 4B show the display unit 2.
1 shows an example. FIG. 4A is a front view, and FIG.
(B) is a sectional view. The liquid crystal panel 33 is a horizontally long panel for displaying a display image in the vehicle width (left / right) direction of the vehicle. On the back of the liquid crystal panel 33, a high-brightness backlight 35 is built in.
Is transmitted through the liquid crystal panel 33 and a display image is projected on the front window 11.

The display unit 21 shown in FIG.
In response to a display signal from the vehicle, as shown in FIG.
A display image 19 is projected by a head-up display (hereinafter, referred to as a HUD image). As a result, the display image 19 indicating the obstacle 39 in front of the scanning laser radar 1 captured as the preceding vehicle is presented, and the driver can easily visually recognize the vehicle to be indicated while looking ahead. .

However, when the driver 15 is looking at the obstacles 39 and 41 in front of the driver, the display image 19 is not at the focal point of the driver's eyes because the eye is focused at, for example, 20 m or more. The driver sees the display image 19 as a virtual image.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the display unit 21 displays a display image (real image) 19 on the inner surface of the windshield 11 while the driver 15 is visually recognizing the vehicle ahead, the vehicle 15 and the like are displayed. From the difference of the presentation distance from the display image 19,
When the focus of the eyes of the driver 15 is on the vehicle ahead or the like (sometimes at infinity), one display image 19 is divided into a virtual image 45 by the left eye and a virtual image 47 by the right eye due to the binocular parallax.
Are recognized as two virtual images.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, when the driver 15 sees the vehicle 39 ahead and the display image 19 (controlled by the display signal from the display control unit 17) in association with each other, A virtual image 45 and a virtual image 47 are provided below the left and right of the vehicle 39.
It is visually recognized as. It is difficult for the two virtual images 45 and 47 to correspond to the vehicle 39 to be indicated,
The display was insufficient.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, two marks at predetermined intervals, for example, a triangular mark, are displayed on the inner surface of the windshield 11. As a result, while viewing the vehicle ahead, the display image 19 and the display image 2 are displayed.
0, the display image 19 of the two is a virtual image 45 of the left eye and a virtual image 47 of the right eye, and the display image 20 is a virtual image 49 of the left eye and a virtual image 51 of the right eye due to the binocular parallax. Are recognized as a total of four virtual images.

As a result, as shown in FIG.
When the vehicle 5 is viewing the vehicle 39 ahead, display images (real images) 19 and 2 are displayed on the inner surface of the windshield 11 from the display unit 21.
When 0 is displayed, four virtual images 45, 47, 49, and 51 arranged below and to the left and right of the vehicle 39 to be indicated are presented.

As described above, in order to inform the driver of the position and direction of the vehicle 39 to be indicated, the two display images 1 are displayed.
By displaying the marks 9 and 20 (four virtual images) at predetermined intervals, the vehicle 39 in the outside world and the HUD images 19 and 2 are displayed.
0 can be visually recognized at the same time, the discomfort caused by the binocular parallax can be reduced, and the vehicle
It is easier to respond to

Here, the distance between the two triangular marks to be displayed and the distance between the display image (real image) 19 and the display image 20 (real image) displayed on the inner surface of the windshield 11 are set as follows. And so on).

That is, the best distance is the display image (real image) 1
The distance may be calculated from the image formation distance at which the display image 9 and the display image 20 (real image) are displayed, the distance between the inner surface of the windshield 11 and both eyes of the driver 15, and the center distance between both eyes. For example, if the distance between the left and right eyes is １ ／ (generally about 3.25 cm), the binocular parallax becomes the largest. In this case, even if the driver 15 views infinity, the four virtual images 45, 47, 4
9 and 51 can be visually recognized at substantially equal intervals.

As described above, for example, the distance between the left and right eyes is 1 /
By setting the distance 2 between the display image (real image) 19 and the display image 20 (real image) displayed on the inner surface of the windshield 11 as the best distance, the configuration of the display unit 17 which is extremely small as compared with the related art. Can be realized. At the same time, the correspondence between the display image 19 (the virtual images 45, 47, 49, and 51) and the preceding vehicle can be further easily provided.

A display image 19 using a triangular mark,
By using horizontally long marks 53 and 55 having a predetermined width in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 10 instead of 20, a bar-shaped virtual image in which two images are connected as shown in FIG. 57 can be displayed below the vehicle 39 to be instructed. As a result, the correspondence between the virtual image 57 corresponding to the marks 53 and 55 and the vehicle 39 to be pointed can be easily visually recognized.

Even when a relatively simple display unit that cannot form a distant image is used, there is no sense of incongruity between the vehicle ahead and the display image (virtual image), and the correspondence between the vehicle ahead and the display target can be easily determined. Can be visually recognized. Instead of the preceding vehicle 39 as an instruction target, a general obstacle such as a pedestrian in front of the vehicle, a dangerous object, or the like, which can obstruct the own vehicle, can also be handled as an instruction target.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle information presenting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle state detection unit 2, the vehicle control unit 5, and the vehicle drive unit 7 shown in FIG.
The embodiment will be described.

The display controller 17 calculates the display position of the lower part of the preceding vehicle to be indicated based on the ranging signal from the scanning laser radar 1 and the control state signal indicating the control state of the vehicle. Display signals are output to 23 to 31. A plurality of display units 23 to 31 are connected to the display control unit 17, each of which selectively displays the position of an obstacle such as a vehicle ahead, and two marks having a predetermined interval (a triangle display). Image 19). The configurations of the display units 23 to 31 are substantially the same, and only the projection angles with respect to the windshield 11 are different.

The display control unit 17 divides the display area on the windshield of the own vehicle into a plurality of small display areas, determines which small display area the vehicle position of the preceding vehicle corresponds to, and determines the determined small display area. The display unit 2 projects a display image onto the display area.
One corresponding display unit is selected from 3 to 31, and a display image displayed by the selected display unit is projected and displayed on the windshield.

Next, the basic configuration of each of the display units 23 to 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. Each display unit 2
It is assumed that any one of the display units 3 to 31 is used among the display units shown in FIGS. FIG. 13 (a),
In (b), the display unit 31 includes a small liquid crystal panel 33 and a backlight 35, and uses five display units 31. A selection signal is sent from the display control unit 17 to the liquid crystal panel 33, and two display images (marks and the like) are projected on predetermined positions of the windshield 11.

In FIGS. 14A and 14B, the display unit 3
Reference numeral 1 denotes a transmission type film 63 having two small display marks (triangles) 59 and 61 and a backlight 35, and five display units 31 are used. A selection signal is sent from the display control unit 17 to the backlight 35, and two display marks (triangles) 59,
A display image corresponding to 61 is projected.

In FIGS. 15A and 15B, the display unit 3
Reference numeral 1 denotes an arrangement of two small LEDs 37 and five display units 31.
Use A selection signal is sent from the display control unit 17 to the two LEDs 37, and the two LEDs 37 are positioned at predetermined positions on the windshield 11.
Two light spots corresponding to the three LEDs 37 are projected.

As shown in FIG. 16, a light-emitting display body 65 indicated by arrows indicating a plurality of different directions is connected to each of the display units 23-3.
1 and installed below the upper surface of the instrument panel in front of the driver 15 and switches the display according to a selection signal from the display control unit 17 in accordance with the direction of an obstacle such as a vehicle ahead. The position of the obstacle is projected corresponding to each small display area on the windshield according to the direction indicated by the displayed arrow.

Each of the display sections shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 indicates the position of a vehicle or the like running ahead of the host vehicle, so that the size can be further reduced as compared with the related art. Can be improved.

Next, the operation of the vehicle information presenting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Based on the ranging signal from the scanning laser radar 1, the display position of the lower part of the preceding vehicle to be instructed is calculated, and
The display signal is output to any one of 31. At this time, the display control unit 17 divides the display area on the windshield 11 into, for example, five small display areas in the horizontal direction, and determines which small display area the vehicle position of the preceding vehicle corresponds to. Next, one corresponding display unit is selected from the display units 23 to 31 so as to project a display image on the determined small display area, and a display signal is output to the selected display unit to drive the display unit. Therefore, a display image is projected on the windshield 11 from the display unit. As shown in FIG.
For example, the display images 45, 47,
49 and 51 are projected.

As a result, the size of the display units 23 to 31 can be extremely reduced as compared with the related art, and it is possible to provide a device configuration which can be easily arranged on the instrument panel.

Further, the display area on the windshield 11 is divided into a plurality of small display areas, and the display sections are provided in the respective directions to be pointed, so that the size of each display section can be reduced. Further, it is possible to reduce discomfort on display caused by binocular parallax. In addition, the effect of binocular parallax can be further reduced by inserting a lens into the display unit and increasing the imaging distance of the display image.

Even in the case of using a relatively simple display unit that cannot perform distant image formation, there is no sense of incongruity between the vehicle ahead and the display image (virtual image), and the correspondence between the vehicle ahead and the display target can be easily determined. Can be visually recognized.

In the second embodiment, the display unit 23
Although the description has been given of the case where five to 31 are used, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and the number of display units may be set according to the required accuracy of the information provided to the driver 15. Needless to say, as the number of copies increases, the accuracy of the displayed position information improves.

In the first and second embodiments, a laser radar is used to measure the inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle, but a radio wave radar may be used. The display units 23 to 31 use a liquid crystal panel, a film on which a display image pattern is printed, an LED array, and the like. However, in order to display a predetermined mark for indicating a vehicle ahead, an EL panel or a fluorescent display is used. A display unit that emits a character pattern, such as a tube, may be used. Further, a light source such as a cold cathode tube, a lamp, or an LED may be used as the backlight 35.

Further, the display image 19 is displayed on the windshield 11.
Although the light is reflected on the inner surface and presented to the driver, a reflection-enhancing film may be provided on the windshield 11 to increase the brightness of the display image. Furthermore, a hologram image using diffraction by laser light may be projected on the windshield 11 and presented to the driver. Further, a separate combiner made of a semi-transmissive member may be provided between the windshield 11 and the driver 15, and a hologram image may be projected on the combiner.

It should be noted that, instead of the preceding vehicle to be instructed,
Common obstacles include pedestrians in front of the vehicle, dangerous objects, etc.
An object that becomes an obstacle to the own vehicle can also be handled as an instruction target.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
A block diagram shown in FIG. 12 is used as a basic configuration of an approach warning system to which the vehicle information presentation device according to the embodiment is applied. The scanning laser radar 1 and five display units 23, 25, and 2 shown in FIG.
7, 29, and 31 have been described in the second embodiment, and will not be described.

The display control unit 17 shown in FIG. 12 is configured to control the distance measurement signal detected by the scanning laser radar 1 and the own vehicle 9.
When the inter-vehicle distance L between the vehicle and the vehicle is within a predetermined distance, it functions as an alarm determining unit that determines that the vehicle is approaching abnormally.
Further, the display control unit 17 also functions as an approach warning unit that notifies the driver 15 of an abnormal approach to the preceding vehicle 39. The approach warning unit informs the driver 15 or a passenger of the vehicle that he or she is approaching the preceding vehicle abnormally using a buzzer or a red lamp, and encourages safe driving. When the vehicle approaches the preceding vehicle abnormally, the display image indicating the approaching vehicle as an instruction target is displayed on any one of the display units 23 to 31 to indicate the preceding vehicle abnormally approaching. .

Next, the operation of the approach warning system to which the vehicle information presentation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described. The warning determination unit determines whether the vehicle approaches the preceding vehicle abnormally within a predetermined distance based on the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle detected by the scanning laser radar 1, and the vehicle approaches the preceding vehicle abnormally. In this case, the approach warning unit notifies the user of an abnormal approach by an alarm sound.

Further, when the vehicle approaches the preceding vehicle abnormally, the display control unit 17 calculates the display position of the lower part of the preceding vehicle to be warned based on the ranging signal from the scanning laser radar 1. Then, a display signal is output to any one of the display units 23 to 31. As a result, a display image indicating the preceding vehicle to be warned is projected on the windshield 11 from the corresponding display unit.

As a result, when the vehicle information presentation device is applied to the approach warning system, the measurement state of the scanning laser radar 1 can be presented to the driver in an easy-to-understand manner, and the correspondence between the vehicle ahead and the display image to be warned can be easily determined. Can be visually recognized.

Note that, instead of the preceding vehicle to be instructed,
Common obstacles include pedestrians in front of the vehicle, dangerous objects, etc.
An object that becomes an obstacle to the own vehicle can also be handled as an instruction target.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
A block diagram shown in FIG. 12 is used as a basic configuration of a follow-up traveling system to which the vehicle information presentation device according to the embodiment is applied. Note that the scanning laser radar 1, the display control unit 17, and the five display units 23, 25, 27, 29, and 31 shown in FIG. 12 have been described in the second embodiment and will not be described.

The vehicle state detecting section 2 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a running speed of the vehicle, a steering sensor for detecting a steering angle by steering, a shift position sensor for detecting an operation position of a shift lever, and an accelerator opening at the time of accelerator operation. It is composed of a plurality of sensors attached to the vehicle, such as an accelerator opening sensor for detecting, and a brake sensor for detecting the operation amount of the foot brake.

The vehicle control unit 5 determines the distance between the vehicle 39 and the preceding vehicle 39 measured by the scanning laser radar 1 and the traveling state of the own vehicle detected by the vehicle state detection unit 2.
For example, a control signal for traveling following a preceding vehicle on a highway is generated and output to the vehicle drive unit 7.

The vehicle drive unit 7 includes a throttle actuator for adjusting the amount of air supplied to the engine, a brake actuator for adjusting the braking amount of the brake, a shift actuator for adjusting the speed ratio of the automatic transmission, and the like. Each part is controlled so that the vehicle speed becomes in accordance with the control signal from the vehicle.

Next, the operation of the following running system to which the vehicle information presenting apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described. First, the vehicle state detection unit 2 detects the traveling state of the vehicle from a plurality of sensors attached to the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, a steering sensor, a shift position sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, and a brake sensor,
In the vehicle control unit 5, based on the traveling state of the own vehicle,
Following control is performed so that the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle detected by the scanning laser radar 1 becomes a predetermined distance according to the own vehicle speed. As a result, in the vehicle drive unit 7, the vehicle control unit 5
The throttle actuator, the brake actuator, the shift actuator, and the like are controlled so that the traveling speed specified by (1) is obtained. As a result, the following control is performed so that the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined distance corresponding to the own vehicle speed.

Further, when the following control is performed, the display control unit 17 calculates the display position of the lower part of the preceding vehicle to be followed based on the distance measurement signal from the scanning laser radar 1, and displays the display units 23 to 31. The display signal is output to any one of them. As a result, a display image indicating the preceding vehicle to be followed is projected on the windshield 11 from the corresponding display unit.

As a result, when the vehicle information presentation device is applied to the following traveling system, the measurement state of the scanning laser radar 1 can be presented to the driver in an easy-to-understand manner, and the correspondence between the preceding vehicle to be followed and the display image can be easily determined. The start operation of following travel can be performed with confidence.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle information presentation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a measurement range of the scanning laser radar 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a positional relationship between a vehicle ahead and a display image.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are a top view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a display unit used in the first embodiment. FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a vehicle ahead and a display image as viewed from the inside of the host vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a phenomenon of appearance of a virtual image due to binocular parallax.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a vehicle ahead and a display image as seen by a driver.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing generation of a virtual image using binocular parallax in the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a virtual vehicle and a vehicle ahead seen by a driver.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a modification of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a vehicle information presentation device according to second to fourth embodiments of the present invention.

13A and 13B are a top view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a display unit according to the second embodiment.

14A and 14B are a top view and a cross-sectional view illustrating another configuration of the display unit according to the second embodiment.

15A and 15B are a top view and a cross-sectional view illustrating another configuration of the display unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the display unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of a display unit of a conventional vehicle information presentation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 scanning laser radar 2 vehicle state detection unit 5 vehicle control unit 7 vehicle drive unit 9 own vehicle 11 windshield 13 instrument panel 15 driver 17 display control unit 19, 20 display image 21 to 31 display unit 33 liquid crystal panel 35 backlight 37 LED 39, 41 Forward vehicle 43 Measurement range 45, 47, 49, 51, 57 Virtual image 53, 55 Mark 59, 61 Display mark 63 Film 65 Light emitting display 67, 69 Vehicle information presenting device

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) G08B 21/00 G01S 17/88 A

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An obstacle detecting means for detecting a distance and a direction to a forward obstacle; a position calculating means for calculating a position of a forward obstacle based on a distance and a direction to the forward obstacle; Display means for displaying a display image targeting an obstacle and projecting the display image toward the position of the obstacle on the windshield of the own vehicle, and projected as a virtual image on the windshield. In a vehicle information presenting apparatus for indicating a front obstacle visually so as to be visually recognizable by a display image, the display means may display at least two display images at predetermined intervals at which binocular disparity is maximized in a horizontal direction with respect to the host vehicle. An information presenting device for a vehicle, wherein the information is projected and displayed on a vehicle. 2. The information presenting apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said display means projects a display image having a horizontally long shape having a predetermined length. 3. An obstacle detecting means for detecting a distance and a direction to a forward obstacle; a position calculating means for calculating a position of a forward obstacle based on the distance and a direction to the forward obstacle; The display area on the windshield is divided into a plurality of small display areas, and the area determining means for determining which small display area corresponds to the position of the front obstacle, and corresponding to each small display area on the windshield do it,
A plurality of display means having a display image that can be projected; and a selection means for selecting a corresponding one of the plurality of display means so as to project the display image onto the small display area determined by the area determination means. And a vehicle information presenting device. 4. Appropriate to an approach warning system for notifying an abnormal approach when approaching an obstacle in front abnormally, wherein the display means is approaching abnormally to an obstacle ahead. 4. The vehicle information presenting device according to claim 1, wherein a display image in which an approaching obstacle is indicated is displayed in the case. 5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display means is adapted to perform following control so that an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined distance according to the own vehicle speed, and the display means displays a display image indicating a preceding vehicle to be followed. The vehicle information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the information is displayed.