JP2005122583A - Virtual marker display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a virtual marker display device for allowing a driver to instinctively understand supplementary information such as an event concerned with a road state or an obstacle on a road, the position of the event and a recommended entrance speed without increasing driver's work load. <P>SOLUTION: The virtual marker display device comprises a road event database 101 for outputting an event such as a curve concerned with the forward road state of a driver's vehicle 401 and its positional information, a GPS antenna 102 and a navigation device 103 for specifying the current position and an advancing direction of the driver's vehicle 401, a virtual marker arithmetic unit 104 for calculating display information concerned with the sorts and positions of the virtual markers 206, 207 on driver's viewing point from the event and its position so that the driver observes the virtual markers 206, 207 indicating the sort of the event as if the virtual markers 206, 207 are arranged in the vicinity of a road side line 204 on the generation position of the event and an HUD 105 for superposing and displaying the virtual markers 206, 207 on the external from the driver's viewing point on the basis of the display information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a virtual sign display device that is a vehicle display device mounted on a vehicle.

As a conventional technique related to a road condition such as a sharp curve in traveling of a vehicle and a warning display for an obstacle on the road, there is a “vehicle display device” described in Patent Document 1, for example.
This device has an obstacle warning system and a curve approach speed warning system. The obstacle alarm system displays a first information screen indicating that an obstacle is present ahead when an obstacle is detected ahead of the host vehicle, and outputs an alarm when the possibility of reaching the obstacle is high. On the other hand, the curve approach speed warning system displays a second information screen that there is a curve ahead when it detects that the front of the vehicle's traveling path is a curve, and outputs an alarm to the driver in case of overspeed. To do. And when the obstacle and the curve are detected substantially simultaneously, the information with the shorter time until the alarm of each system is output is preferentially displayed as the display screen corresponding to the information. is there.

JP 2002-163783 A

However, in the above-mentioned conventional device, it is necessary for the driver himself to take the correspondence between the event shown on the display screen and the actual road condition or obstacle on the road, which may cause an increase in workload and an increase in judgment time. . In particular, in a scene where an alarm is issued, there is generally little mental and time allowance, and an increase in workload and judgment time is an important issue.
In addition, when a deceleration instruction is displayed on the display screen in the above-described conventional device, the driver needs to adjust the speed while alternately viewing the instruction speed on the display screen, the current speed of the speedometer, and the outside world. There was a problem that a very high workload was required instantaneously. In addition, there is a problem that it is not possible to understand to which point the instruction speed should be achieved.
In addition, when a plurality of events overlap, the above-mentioned conventional device preferentially displays one of the alarms according to the time sequence of the alarms. While one of the alarms is displayed, information on the other alarm is provided. Therefore, the driver cannot predict an event corresponding to the other alarm, and when one alarm is finished and the display is switched to the other alarm display, there is a problem that the driver cannot respond immediately.
As described above, the conventional apparatus has a problem that information cannot be instantly understood, and a physical and mentally high workload is required.
In the present invention, in view of such problems of the prior art, incidental information such as events regarding road conditions and road obstacles, the position of the event, recommended approach speed, etc. can be intuitively determined without increasing the driver's workload. It is an object of the present invention to provide a virtual sign display device that allows a driver to appropriately respond to an event by understanding.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides road event output means for outputting at least information on an event relating to a road condition ahead of the host vehicle and information on the position thereof, and a host vehicle position for specifying the current position and the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Based on the output of the specifying means, the road event output means and the vehicle position specifying means, it appears to the driver as if a virtual sign indicating the type of the event is installed near the roadside line of the event occurrence position The virtual sign calculation means for calculating the display information regarding the type and position of the virtual sign at the driver's viewpoint, and the display means for displaying the virtual sign superimposed on the outside at the driver's viewpoint based on the display information. It is configured.

  According to the present invention, the driver can intuitively understand incidental information such as events regarding road conditions and road obstacles, the positions of the events, and recommended approach speeds without increasing the driver's workload. It is possible to provide a virtual sign display device that can appropriately cope with the above.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof is omitted.
First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 6 are diagrams illustrating a virtual sign display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the virtual sign display device of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, 101 is a road event database, 102 is a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna, 103 is a navigation device, 104 is a virtual sign calculation device, 105 is a HUD (Head Up Display), and 106 is a vehicle speed sensor. 107 are illuminance sensors.
In the present embodiment, attention is paid to a sharp curve as an event relating to a road condition requiring caution, a position of the sharp curve as a position of the event, and a recommended approach speed on the sharp curve as incidental information. The incidental information is auxiliary information such as an instruction of a recommended approach speed in the vicinity where an event such as a sharp curve occurs. The in-vehicle road event database 101, which is a road event output means, stores a sharp curve and its position, and outputs them to the navigation device 103. The GPS antenna 102 and the navigation device 103 which are own vehicle position specifying means specify the current position and traveling direction of the own vehicle. The virtual sign calculation device 104 identifies the sharp curve position ahead of the own vehicle from the current position and traveling direction of the own vehicle, the sharp curve and the position. From the driver's point of view, the virtual sign indicating the entry to the sharp curve that is the type of the event is installed near the roadside line of the sharp curve approach point that is the occurrence location of the event. Each of the virtual sign position, the symbol indicating the sharp curve, and the analog display that shows the difference between the recommended approach speed and the current vehicle speed when the current vehicle speed exceeds the recommended approach speed on the sharp curve And output to the HUD 105 as display means. The HUD 105 superimposes and displays the virtual sign calculated by the virtual sign calculation device 104 on the outside world from the viewpoint of the driver (driver's external view).

  This will be described in more detail below. The road event database 101 is a database stored in an in-vehicle storage device, and a position approximately 1.8 m directly on the roadside line of the approaching position of the sharp curve (hereinafter referred to as “steep curve sign position”) is expressed in three-dimensional coordinates (latitude , Longitude, altitude). This sign position conforms to the installation position of general road signs. Further, each set of data regarding the recommended approach speed of the steep curve and the presence or absence of a subsequent curve, which will be described later, is held as a set. The GPS antenna 102 and the navigation device 103, which are vehicle position specifying means, calculate the current vehicle position (latitude, longitude, altitude) and traveling direction. The virtual sign calculation device 104 is a digital computer, and can be visually recognized by the driver from the sharp curve sign position held in the road event database 101 and the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle output from the navigation device 103 according to the logic described later. A steep curve sign position ahead in a certain range is specified, the steep curve sign position is converted to the coordinates of the driver viewpoint, the display position of the virtual sign is calculated, and a sign image showing a sharp curve is generated. At the same time, the difference between the recommended approach speed of the sharp curve held in the road event database 101 and the current vehicle speed input from the vehicle speed sensor 106 is calculated, and an analog display proportional to the difference is added, finally A virtual signage video is generated. The HUD 105, which is a display unit, projects a virtual sign image output from the virtual sign calculation device 134 onto the corresponding driver viewing angle using a wide area of the windshield as a display area, and performs a superimposed display with the outside world. Further, the HUD 105 adjusts the display luminance according to the illuminance of the driver's seat input from the illuminance sensor 107 so that the virtual sign image has a luminance comparable to that of the outside world.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a display image of a virtual sign in the driver's seat.
In FIG. 2, 201 is a steering wheel, 202 is a windshield, 203 is a rearview mirror, 204 is a roadside line of the road that can be seen beyond the windshield 202, 205 is a display area of the HUD 105 (FIG. 1), and 206 and 207 are virtual signs. is there.
Virtual signs 206 and 207 indicating the presence of a sharp curve are displayed superimposed on the outside through the HUD 105 (FIG. 1) on the roadside line at the approach position of the sharp curve. Virtual signs 206 and 207 are projected in the range of the display area 205. A highly visible virtual signage image without a double image can be obtained by applying surface processing to prevent the back reflection of the projected image on the back surface (outer surface) of the windshield 202 where the display area 205 of the HUD 105 is formed. It is possible to display. The illuminance sensor 107 shown in FIG. 1 is installed, for example, on the back side of the room mirror 203, and the illuminance sensor 107 is opened in front of the windshield 202 so that the illuminance at the driver's seat can be measured. It has become.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart in the virtual sign display device of the present embodiment.
Hereinafter, the operation flow of the present embodiment, that is, the calculation method of the display position of the virtual sign in the virtual display calculation device 104, and the generation method of the analog display indicating the difference between the recommended approach speed and the current vehicle speed are shown in FIG. A description will be given according to 3.
In the branching process of S301, it is determined whether or not the sign position of the sharp curve that is the event stored in the road event database 101 (FIG. 1) exists in the display area. The display area referred to here corresponds to an area where the driver can visually recognize the sign. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display area of virtual signs. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the display area 402 is a fan-shaped range in front of the host vehicle 401 centered on the host vehicle 401. Since this display area 402 is set for the purpose of limiting the processing target after S302, it is sufficient to define it with an approximate value. Typically, it is sufficient to set ψ = 100 ° and r = 300m. is there. From the latitude, longitude and traveling direction of the current position of the vehicle output from the navigation device 103, and the latitude and longitude of the sharp curve sign position stored in the road event database 101, the sharp curve sign position based on the own vehicle 401 is obtained. The two-dimensional polar coordinates (r _p , ψ _p ) are obtained, and if r _p <300 m and | ψ _p | <50 °, the roadside line point at the entry point of the sharp curve is determined to be within the display area 402, and the process proceeds to S302. . If it is determined that it is outside the display area 402, the process proceeds to S308, and the virtual sign relating to the sharp curve is deleted.
For the sharp curve determined to be within the display area 402 in S301, the virtual sign display position at the driver's viewpoint is calculated in the virtual sign display position calculation process in S302. First, the three-dimensional coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) and the traveling direction of the current position of the vehicle output from the navigation device 103, and the three-dimensional coordinates (latitude, From the longitude and altitude, three-dimensional coordinates (x, y, z) of the virtual sign display position based on the horizontal front of the vehicle reference point (the reference point of the current position of the vehicle) are calculated by coordinate conversion. Next, after offsetting (shifting) the relative position (Δx, Δy, Δz) between the vehicle reference point and the driver's eye point, the virtual sign display position relative to the driver's eye point is set to polar coordinates (r, θ, ψ ) And output. At this time, the design point of the vehicle may be used as the coordinates of the driver eye point.

Next, in the branching process of S303, it is determined whether or not the recommended approach speed information is stored in the road event database 101 for the sharp curve to be processed in S302. If it is not stored, the process skips to S307.
Next, in the branch process of S304, it is determined whether the recommended approach speed information is continuous. Whether or not the recommended approach speed information is continuous corresponds to the presence or absence of the following curve stored in the road event database 101. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a continuous curve. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the vehicle travels at a recommended approach speed at a preceding curve entry point 501 and escapes at a previous recommended approach speed at a curve end point 502. Then, with normal braking deceleration, the case where the recommended approach speed at the next curve entry point 503 cannot be matched is defined as having a subsequent curve, and stored in the road event database 101 as the data attribute of the previous curve. is there. Therefore, when information having a following curve is added to the sharp curve data in the road event database 101, it is determined that the recommended approach speed information is continuous, and the process proceeds to S305. On the other hand, when the information with the following curve is not added, it is determined that the recommended approach speed information is not continuous, and the process skips to S306.

Next, in the setting process of the minimum recommended approach speed in S305, the lowest recommended approach speed value is extracted from the group of sharp curves determined that the recommended approach speed information is continuous. The transition process is executed as a substitute value for the recommended approach speed.
Next, in the overspeed determination process of S306, the difference between the current vehicle speed input from the vehicle speed sensor 106 and the recommended approach speed of the nearest sharp curve is calculated. If this value is positive (recommended approach speed is This value is output as an overspeed when it is over).
Next, in the virtual sign display processing of S307, a virtual sign display video is generated from the virtual sign display position calculated in S302 and the excess speed calculated in S306.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the shape and configuration of the virtual sign.
As shown in FIG. 6, the virtual sign 206 is composed of a symbol 601 indicating a sharp curve and an analog display unit 602 indicating an overspeed. If the symbol 601 is designed to be similar to an actual road sign, the driver can easily understand the event intuitively. When the excess speed is 0 or less, the analog display unit 602 indicating the excess speed displays the length as 0 and projects from the outer edge of the sign by a length proportional to the excess speed. In addition, the analog display unit 602 is easy to display within the limited display area 205 (FIG. 2) of the HUD 105 (FIG. 1), and the analog display unit 602 overlaps the preceding vehicle even when there is a preceding vehicle. It is designed to protrude diagonally upward so that it does not occur. The virtual sign 206 composed of the symbol 601 and the analog display unit 602 indicating the overspeed is obtained by dividing a predetermined size (for example, a diamond having a side of 800 mm) by the distance r to the virtual sign display position. (View angle conversion). The display positions are the angles θ and ψ in polar coordinates calculated in S302. If the display figure, display size, and display position of the virtual sign determined by these are input to the HUD 105, it is projected to the display position of the display area 205 of the corresponding windshield, as if the sign is installed in the outside world Is displayed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the road event database 101 that outputs at least information about the situation of the road ahead of the host vehicle 401 such as a sharp curve and the position thereof, and the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle 401 From the GPS antenna 102 and the navigation device 103 that identify the vehicle, the current position and traveling direction of the own vehicle 401, the event and its position, in the vicinity of the roadside line 204 of the occurrence position of the event (for example, before the sharp curve), A virtual sign arithmetic device 104 that calculates display information regarding the type and position of the virtual signs 206 and 207 from the driver's viewpoint, so that the driver looks as if the virtual signs 206 and 207 indicating the type of the event are installed; And a HUD 105 that superimposes and displays virtual signs 206 and 207 on the outside world from the viewpoint of the driver based on the display information. According to such a configuration, since the virtual signs 206 and 207 are displayed as if a warning sign is installed at the approaching position of the sharp curve, the driver can indicate an event (steep curve warning) indicated by the warning sign. Can be easily associated with the actual road condition (steep curve), the position where the event occurs can be understood intuitively, and the workload can be reduced and the determination time can be shortened.
Further, the HUD 105 projects a display image on the windshield 202 and displays it superimposed on the actual outside world. Since the virtual signs 206 and 207 are superimposed and displayed on the outside by the HUD 105 in this way, it is easy to move the line of sight between the virtual signs 206 and 207 and the visual indication of the warning display by the virtual signs 206 and 207. Can be kept low.
The road event database 101 is an in-vehicle database, and outputs events related to steady road conditions, events related to obstacles on the road, positions of the events, and incidental information. In this way, because events related to road conditions are obtained from the in-vehicle road event database 101, events, positions, and incidental information for steady road conditions such as sharp curves can be displayed to the driver as virtual signs, with a simple configuration Thus, the above effect can be obtained with certainty.
Further, the virtual sign calculation device 104 calculates additional display information related to the auxiliary information together with display information related to the types and positions of the virtual signs 206 and 207 from the driver's viewpoint, and the HUD 105 displays the virtual signs 206, 207 is superimposed and displayed, and accompanying information is displayed. Thereby, the accompanying information can be presented to the driver together with the display information regarding the type and position of the virtual signs 206 and 207.
The accompanying information is an instruction of a recommended approach speed in the vicinity where the event occurs, and an instruction of the recommended approach speed is displayed as an additional display of the virtual signs 206 and 207. In this way, since the indication regarding the recommended approach speed indication in the vicinity where the event has occurred is added to the virtual signs 206 and 207 as supplementary information, the driver must The position and recommended approach speed can be grasped at the same time. In addition, since the recommended approach speed instruction is additionally displayed on the virtual signs 206 and 207 and superimposed on the outside world, the driver can view the outside world from the peripheral vision while viewing the recommended approach speed instruction. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly move the line of sight between the recommended approach speed instruction and the outside world, and the driver's workload can be reduced.
In addition, the indication of the recommended approach speed is proportional to the difference between the recommended approach speed and the current speed of the host vehicle, as shown in FIG. 6, with the length (or area) of the display figure constituting the analog display unit 602. It is supposed to be displayed. As described above, the virtual indications 206 and 207 are provided with the analog display unit 602 indicating the overspeed, so that the speed can be adjusted while monitoring the outside world, the conventional speed instruction display, the current vehicle speed display by the speedometer, The need for mutual confirmation of the outside world is eliminated, and the workload during speed adjustment can be greatly reduced. Since the recommended approach speed is instructed at the position where the virtual signs 206 and 207 are displayed, the driver only needs to achieve the recommended approach speed before passing the virtual signs 206 and 207. It is possible to intuitively grasp the time margin at the time, and to appropriately distribute the workload.
Furthermore, when the curves are continuous, it seems that virtual signs 206 and 207 are continuously installed in the vicinity of the position where the curve is generated, so that the driver is informed of the event indicated by the virtual signs 206 in front of the curve. Subsequent events can be predicted while mainly addressing. In addition, when the virtual signs 206 and 207 are continuous, the indication of the recommended approach speed is displayed by adding the instruction of the lowest recommended approach speed in the continuous virtual signs 207 to the front virtual sign 206. It is like that. In this way, an indication of the overspeed corresponding to the lowest recommended approach speed of the continuous curve is added to the virtual sign 206 in the foreground, so the driver can predict the speed and speed at an early stage while predicting the sequence and position of the continuous curve. Coordination can be completed and appropriate workload distribution can be made.
In addition, the virtual signs 206 and 207 are displayed so that the display size of the virtual signs 206 and 207 is a driver viewing angle that is inversely proportional to the distance between the current vehicle 401 and the display position of the virtual signs 206 and 207. Yes. As a result, the driver can accurately grasp the sense of distance to the virtual signs 206 and 207 according to the apparent size of the virtual signs 206 and 207, and can more accurately determine the occurrence position of the event. become able to.
In addition, since this embodiment has a simple configuration, a system can be constructed at a relatively low cost.

Second Embodiment FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are diagrams showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the virtual sign display device of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 7, 701 is a road event database, 702 is a GPS antenna, 703 is a navigation device, 704 is a virtual sign calculation device, 705 is a HUD, 706 is a vehicle speed sensor, and 707 is an illuminance sensor. It is the same as the form. Reference numeral 708 denotes a receiving antenna, 709 denotes a data communication device, 710 denotes an electronic camera, and 711 denotes an image processing device, which are parts added to the first embodiment.
Thus, in the present embodiment, an in-vehicle receiving antenna 708 and a data communication device 709 are added as road event output means to the first embodiment. Thus, a function of displaying warning information as a virtual sign for non-stationary events such as a faulty vehicle or a road obstacle such as a falling object from the outside of the vehicle is provided, so that a large number of events can be flexibly dealt with. In addition, a camera 710 for photographing the front of the vehicle is added as an imaging means. Further, an image processing apparatus 711 is added as a road sign detection means for detecting an actual road sign and specifying the position of the road sign, and the image processing apparatus 711 adds a virtual sign to the actual road sign from the driver's viewpoint. The display offset function is provided so that the visibility of both actual road signs and virtual signs can be ensured.
That is, the configuration of 701 to 707 in FIG. 7 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and corresponds to 101 to 107 in FIG. The configuration added to the first embodiment includes a data communication device 709 having a receiving antenna 708 as a road event output means, a camera 710 as an imaging means, and an image processing device as a road sign detection means. 711. The data communication device 709 receives an unsteady road condition or an event related to a road obstacle transmitted from the outside of the vehicle, and an event occurrence position. The specific communication methods are FM multiplex broadcasting, optical beacons, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), etc., and the received events include accidents, broken cars, road fallen objects, lane restrictions, construction, work Information on one-way alternating traffic, face-to-face traffic, freezing, roadside obstacles, and the like.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display image of the virtual sign at the driver's seat in the present embodiment.
In FIG. 8, 801 is a handle, 802 is a windshield, 803 is a rearview mirror, 804 is a roadside line of a road that can be seen beyond the windshield 802, 805 is a display area of HUD705 (FIG. 7), 806 and 808 are virtual signs, 809 is an actual road sign and 810 is a road obstacle.
As shown in FIG. 8, a camera 710 made of a stereo camera having a pair of left and right lenses is attached to the back of a rearview mirror 803 toward the front of the vehicle, and images a roadside line 804 and a road sign 809 in front of the vehicle. doing. The image processing apparatus 711 in FIG. 7 extracts roadside lines 804 and road signs 809 from the video captured by the camera 710 using a known pattern recognition technique, and extracts them by the ranging function of the stereo camera of the camera 710. Outputs the position coordinates of the object.
Thus, in this embodiment, for example, display of virtual signs 806 and 808 as shown in FIG. 8 can be realized. Similar to the first embodiment, the virtual sign 806 is composed of an analog display indicating warning and overspeed for a sharp curve (see FIG. 6). However, as described below, the virtual sign 806 does not overlap with the actual traffic sign 809. The display is offset in the direction of the side line 804 (to the left of the actual traffic sign 809 when viewed from the driver). Further, the virtual sign 808 indicates a warning for the obstacle 810 on the road.

The processing flow in the virtual sign operation device 704 is basically the same as that in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. However, in the virtual sign display position calculation process S302, since the event occurrence position data received via the data communication device 709 may be only two-dimensional coordinates, the altitude of the virtual sign display position is output from the navigation device 703. The calculation is performed as a three-dimensional coordinate instead of the altitude of the vehicle. Then, the three-dimensional coordinates (x, y, z) of the virtual sign display position with respect to the horizontal front of the vehicle reference point are calculated. Further, the three-dimensional coordinates of the virtual sign display position are offset from the coordinates (point sequence or vector data) of the roadside line 804 input from the image processing apparatus 711 so as to be 1.8 m directly above the latest roadside line 804. Thereafter, polar coordinates (r, θ, ψ) of the virtual sign display position with respect to the driver eye point are obtained. Furthermore, the image processing device 711 displays the actual road sign 809 regardless of the virtual sign corresponding to the event received via the data communication device 709 and the virtual sign corresponding to the event (steep curve) input from the road event database 701. If it is extracted, the polar coordinate value of the driver eye point of the actual road sign 809 is calculated. After that, if the display viewing angles (θ, ψ) are close compared to the polar coordinate values of each virtual sign, it is determined that both displays overlap, and the horizontal viewing angle ψ of the virtual sign is rotated in the negative direction. The overlap is avoided so that the virtual sign is on the left side of the actual road sign (in the direction of the roadside line).
In addition, in the virtual sign display process S307, the virtual sign is displayed with a symbol corresponding to the type of event received via the data communication device 709, which is a process added to the first embodiment.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the in-vehicle data communication device 709 provided with the receiving antenna 708 is related to an event related to an unsteady (or steady) road condition inputted from the outside of the own vehicle, and an obstacle on the road. An event, the position of the event, and incidental information are output. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the data communication device 709 can use the data communication device 709 to record the event, its position, and incidental information regarding road conditions such as unsteady road surface freezing and faulty vehicles, road obstacles, etc. Since it is received and displayed as a virtual sign 808, it is possible to present the latest road conditions and warnings about obstacles on the road to the driver, and a more flexible and effective display system can be constructed.
It also has a camera 710 that captures the front of the vehicle and an image processing device 711 that detects the actual road sign 809 and identifies the position of the road sign 809. The actual road sign 809 and the virtual sign 806 are the driver's viewpoint. In the case of overlapping, the display position of the virtual sign 806 is offset. As a result, even if there is an actual road sign 809, the actual road sign 809 and the virtual sign 806 do not appear to overlap each other, so both visibility is ensured and the reliability to the display system is further improved To do.
The embodiment described above is described in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not described in order to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment includes all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the virtual sign display apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the windshield vicinity of the virtual sign display apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a display example. It is a figure which shows the processing flow in the virtual sign display apparatus of the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the display area of the virtual sign in the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the case where the curve in the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention continues. It is a figure which shows the shape and structure of the virtual label | marker in the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the virtual marker display apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure and display example of windshield vicinity of the virtual sign display apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 ... Road event database 102 ... GPS antenna
103 ... Navigation device 104 ... Virtual sign operation device
105 ... HUD 106 ... Vehicle speed sensor
107 ... Illuminance sensor 201 ... Handle
202 ... windshield 203 ... room mirror
204 ... Roadside 205 ... Display area
206, 207 ... virtual signs
401 ... Own car 402 ... Display area
501 ... Curve entry point 502 ... Curve end point
503 ... Next curve entry point
601 ... Symbol 602 ... Analog display
701… Road event database 702… GPS antenna
703… Navigation device 704… Virtual sign operation device
705 ... HUD 706 ... Vehicle speed sensor
707 ... Illuminance sensor 708 ... Reception antenna
709 ... Data communication device 710 ... Electronic camera
711 ... Image processing apparatus
801 ... handle 802 ... windshield
803 ... Room mirror 804 ... Roadside line
805 ... Display area 806, 808 ... Virtual sign
809 ... Actual road sign 810 ... Obstacle on the road

Claims (10)

Road event output means for outputting at least information on an event relating to a road condition ahead of the host vehicle and the position of the event;
Own vehicle position specifying means for specifying the current position and traveling direction of the own vehicle;
As if the virtual sign indicating the type of the event is installed in the vicinity of the roadside line of the event occurrence position from the current position and traveling direction of the own vehicle, the event related to the road condition and the position of the event Virtual sign calculation means for calculating display information related to the type and position of the virtual sign from the viewpoint of the driver so that it can be seen by the driver;
A virtual sign display device comprising: display means for superimposing and displaying the virtual sign on the outside world from the viewpoint of the driver based on the display information.   2. The virtual sign display according to claim 1, wherein the road event output means is an in-vehicle database, and outputs an event related to a steady road condition, an event related to an obstacle on the road, a position of the event, and incidental information. apparatus.   The road event output means is an in-vehicle data communication device, and includes an event relating to an unsteady or steady road condition inputted from outside the own vehicle, an event relating to an obstacle on the road, the position of the event, and incidental information. The virtual sign display device according to claim 1, wherein the virtual sign display device outputs the virtual sign display device. The virtual sign calculation means calculates additional display information related to incidental information together with display information related to the type and position of the virtual sign from the driver's viewpoint,
4. The virtual sign display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the supplementary information while superimposing the virtual sign on an external world from a driver's viewpoint. 5.   The supplementary information is an instruction of a recommended approach speed in the vicinity where the event occurs, and an instruction of a recommended approach speed is displayed as an additional display of the virtual sign. Or a virtual sign display device.   6. The virtual display according to claim 5, wherein the indication of the recommended approach speed displays the difference between the recommended approach speed and the current speed of the host vehicle in proportion to the length or area of the display graphic. Sign display device.   When the virtual sign is continuous, the indication of the recommended approach speed is displayed by adding the instruction of the lowest recommended approach speed in the continuous virtual sign to the previous virtual sign. The virtual sign display device according to claim 5 or 6.   The display means displays the virtual sign so that a display size of the virtual sign becomes a driver viewing angle that is inversely proportional to a distance between the current vehicle and the display position of the virtual sign. Item 8. The virtual sign display device according to any one of Items 1 to 7.   9. The virtual sign according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is a head-up display that projects a display image on a windshield of the host vehicle and displays the projected image superimposed on the actual outside world. Display device. Imaging means for photographing the front of the vehicle;
Road sign detection means for detecting a real road sign and specifying the position of the road sign;
10. The virtual sign display device according to claim 1, wherein when the actual road sign and the virtual sign overlap with each other at a driver's viewpoint, the display position of the virtual sign is offset.

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