JP2007290411A - Control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device for a vehicle for improving visibility of an occupant. <P>SOLUTION: This control device 10 is provided with: a photographing means 1 for photographing faces of occupants P1 and P2; a wearing decision means 2a for deciding whether the occupants P1 and P2 wear sunglasses S or color contact lenses based on images of the faces of the occupants P1 and P2 photographed by the photographing means 1; at least one display means 3 disposed in a cabin to display information to the occupants P1 and P2; and a luminance control means 2 for controlling luminance of the display in the display means 3. When it is decided that the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S or the color contact lenses by the wearing decision means 2a, the luminance control means 2c increases the luminance of the display in the display means 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that displays and controls various types of information visually recognized by an occupant, for example.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a vehicle light control device that adjusts the luminance of a light emitting element according to illuminance data detected by an illuminance detection element (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-206103 A

  However, in the conventional vehicle light control device described above, when the occupant wears sunglasses or the like, the display on a display device such as a meter disposed in the passenger compartment may be difficult to see.

  The present invention is for solving such problems, and has as its main object to improve the visibility of passengers.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention provides:
Photographing means for photographing a passenger's face;
Wearing determination means for determining whether or not the occupant is wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens based on an image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means;
At least one display means disposed in the passenger compartment and displaying information to the occupant;
A brightness control means for controlling the brightness of display in the display means,
The vehicle control device characterized in that the luminance control means increases the luminance of display on the display means when the wearing determination means determines that an occupant is wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens. It is.

  According to this one aspect, the display of the display means is darkened by wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens, and the brightness of the display is canceled by increasing the display brightness of the display means. It can be in an optimal state. Thereby, the visibility of the passenger | crew who wears sunglasses or a color contact lens can be improved.

In this aspect, it further comprises gaze direction estimating means for estimating the gaze direction of the occupant based on the image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means,
In the display means that exists in the sight line direction of the occupant based on the sight line direction of the occupant wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens, which is estimated by the sight line direction estimation means. The display brightness may be increased. Thereby, the brightness | luminance in the display of the display means which only the passenger | crew wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens can visually recognize can be raised.

  In this one aspect, the brightness control means is present in the sight line direction of the occupant based on the sight line direction of the occupant who is not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens estimated by the sight line direction estimation means. The display brightness of the display means may not be increased. Thereby, since the display of the display means which the passenger | crew who is not wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens can visually recognize can be maintained at a normal brightness, the visibility of the passenger can be prevented from being lowered. .

  In this aspect, the brightness control means is configured such that the brightness of the display with respect to the occupant when the sunglasses or the color contact lens is worn is the occupant when the sunglasses or the color contact lens is not worn. The display brightness of the display means may be controlled so as to be substantially the same as the display brightness. As a result, even when the occupant is wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens, the display on the display means can be viewed in substantially the same manner as when the heel is not wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens. Therefore, the visibility of the occupant can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention provides
Photographing means for photographing a passenger's face;
Color detection means for detecting a color of a lens of a sunglasses or a color of a color contact lens worn by the occupant based on an image of the face of the occupant photographed by the photographing means;
At least one display means disposed in the passenger compartment and displaying information to the occupant;
A display color changing means for changing a display color in the display means, and a vehicle control device comprising:
The display color changing means changes the display color on the display means based on the color of the sunglasses lens or the color contact lens detected by the color detecting means. It may be a control device.

  According to this aspect, even when the occupant wears sunglasses or a color contact lens, the display unit can display an optimum color according to the color of the sunglasses lens or the color of the color contact lens. Thereby, the visibility of the passenger | crew who wears sunglasses or a color contact lens can be improved.

In this aspect, it further comprises gaze direction estimation means for estimating the gaze direction of the occupant based on the image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means,
The display color changing means is present in the sight line direction of the occupant based on the sight line direction of the occupant wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens estimated by the sight line direction estimation means. The display color at may be changed. Thereby, the display color of the display means which only the passenger | crew wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens can visually recognize can be changed.

  In this one aspect, the display color changing means is based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation means and not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens. The display color on the existing display means may not be changed. Thereby, since the color of the display of the display means visually recognized by the occupant who is not wearing sunglasses or the color contact lens can be normally maintained, it is possible to suppress the visibility of the occupant from being lowered. .

  In this one aspect, the display color changing means is configured such that the display color for the occupant when the sunglasses or the color contact lens is mounted is not the sunglasses or the color contact lens. The display color on the display means may be changed so as to be substantially the same as the display color for the passenger. As a result, even when the occupant is wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens, the display on the display means can be viewed in substantially the same manner as when the heel is not wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens. Therefore, the visibility of the occupant can be improved.

Furthermore, one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is as follows.
Photographing means for photographing a passenger's face;
Wearing determination means for determining whether or not the occupant is wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens based on an image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means;
At least one mirror member disposed in the vehicle and reflecting light from the subject to project the subject to the occupant;
A vehicle control apparatus comprising: a reflectance control means for controlling reflectance in the mirror member;
When the wearing determination means determines that an occupant is wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens, the reflectance control means increases the reflectance of the mirror member. It may be a control device.

  According to this aspect, the reflected light of the subject from the mirror member is reduced by increasing the reflectance of the mirror member due to the occupant wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens. Can do. Therefore, the visibility of the occupant can be improved.

In this aspect, it further comprises gaze direction estimation means for estimating the gaze direction of the occupant based on the image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means,
The said reflectance control means is the said mirror member which exists in the said passenger | crew's gaze direction based on the said gaze direction of the said passenger | crew which is wearing the said sunglasses or the said color contact lens estimated by the said gaze direction estimation means. The reflectance at may be increased. Thereby, only the mirror member which the passenger | crew who wears sunglasses or a color contact lens has visually recognized can increase a reflectance.

  In this aspect, the reflectance control unit is configured to change the line of sight of the occupant based on the line of sight of the occupant estimated by the line of sight estimation unit and not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens. The reflectance of the existing mirror member may not be increased. Thereby, since the reflectance of the mirror member visually recognized by the occupant not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens can be maintained at the normal reflectance, it is possible to suppress the visibility of the occupant from being lowered. .

  In this aspect, the reflectance control means is configured so that the amount of light reflected from the mirror member that reaches the occupant when the sunglasses or the color contact lens is mounted is worn by the sunglasses or the color contact lens. The reflectance of the mirror member may be controlled so as to be substantially the same as the amount of reflected light from the mirror member that reaches the occupant when not. Thereby, even when the occupant wears sunglasses or a color contact lens, the mirror member can be visually recognized in substantially the same manner as when the sunglass or the color contact lens is not worn. Therefore, the visibility of the occupant can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a passenger | crew's visibility can be improved.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the vehicle control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control device 10 according to the first embodiment mainly includes a camera 1 that captures an occupant P, an ECU 2 that performs various control processes based on captured images captured by the camera 1, and a passenger. On the other hand, it is comprised from the display apparatus 3 which displays various information.

  For example, the camera 1 is disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle rearview mirror 50 and photographs the faces of the passengers P1 and P2 (FIG. 2). For example, a CCD camera is used as the camera 1, but any camera such as a C-MOS camera or an infrared camera can be used as long as the faces of the passengers P1 and P2 can be photographed.

  In addition, although the camera 1 is arrange | positioned in the rear-view mirror 50 vicinity, arbitrary positions of the vehicle which can image | photograph the passenger | crew P1, P2 faces, such as a meter display part of a vehicle, a dashboard part, a steering wheel part, a windshield part, etc. Can be arranged. The captured images of the faces of the passengers P1 and P2 captured by the camera 1 are transmitted to the ECU 2.

  The ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 2 is composed of a microcomputer, executes various processes according to control and arithmetic programs, and controls the above-mentioned CPU that controls each part of the device 1, and an execution program for this CPU. The ROM includes a ROM, a readable / writable RAM (Random Access Memory) for storing calculation results, a timer, a counter, an input / output interface, and the like. Further, the timer and the counter are stored in the ROM and realized by a program executed by the CPU.

  The ECU 2 determines whether the occupants P1 and P2 are wearing sunglasses S, a gaze direction estimation unit 2b that estimates the gaze direction of the occupants P1 and P2, and a display device 3 display. And a luminance control unit 2c for controlling the luminance. The mounting determination unit 2a, the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b, the luminance control unit 2c, the color detection unit 12a described later, the display color change unit 12c, and the reflectance control unit 22c are stored in the ROM of the ECU 2, for example. It is realized by a program executed by

  The wearing determination unit 2a determines whether or not the passengers P1 and P2 are wearing the sunglasses S based on the images of the faces of the passengers P1 and P2 taken by the camera 1.

  The wearing determination unit 2a performs, for example, template matching processing that compares a template image of sunglasses S stored in advance with images of the faces of the passengers P1 and P2, so that the passengers P1 and P2 can wear the sunglasses S or color contacts. It is determined whether or not a lens is attached. Note that the template matching process is a well-known image processing method, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b estimates the line-of-sight directions of the occupants P1 and P2 based on the images of the faces of the occupants P1 and P2 captured by the camera 1. The line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b estimates the line-of-sight directions of the occupants P1 and P2 based on, for example, the face directions and gaze positions of the occupants P1 and P2.

  The luminance control unit 2 c controls the luminance of display on the display device 3 by transmitting a luminance signal to the display device 3. For example, the luminance control unit 2 c transmits a low luminance signal to the display device 3 to lower the display luminance on the display device 3. On the other hand, the luminance control unit 2 c increases the display luminance in the display device 3 by transmitting a high luminance signal to the display device 3.

  The display device 3 is disposed in the passenger compartment and displays various types of information to the passengers P1 and P2. The display device 3 is a meter that displays vehicle status such as vehicle speed, engine speed, travel distance, shift position (eg, drive, back), and control status (eg, hybrid power supply status). Display device 3a, navigation device 3b for displaying maps, travel routes, etc., clock display device 3c for digitally displaying current time, date, etc., head-up display (Head Up) for projecting and displaying various information on the windshield Display (HUD) device 3d, switch device (for example, characters displayed on the switch) 3e, television device, multimedia device that displays a plurality of media in an integrated manner, etc. A display device is included.

  The display device 3 displays the information by causing a light emitting element built in a liquid crystal display, an LED display, or the like to emit light. Based on the luminance signal transmitted from the luminance control unit 2c of the ECU 2, the display device 3 adjusts the luminance of the display, for example, by increasing or decreasing the light amount of the light emitting element incorporated in the liquid crystal display.

  By the way, conventionally, when the occupant is wearing sunglasses, the display of the display device feels darker for the occupant than when the occupant is not wearing sunglasses. Thereby, there exists a possibility that the visibility of a display apparatus may fall.

  Therefore, in the vehicle control apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, when the wearing determination unit 2a of the ECU 2 determines that the occupant P1 is wearing the sunglasses S, the luminance control unit 2c is the gaze direction estimation unit. Based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by 2b, control is performed to increase the display brightness on the display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1. Thereby, the visibility of the display device 3 with respect to the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S can be improved.

  Next, an example of a control processing flow of the vehicle control apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a control processing flow of the vehicle control apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The camera 1 captures the faces of the occupants P1, P2 (S100), and the images of the faces are transmitted to the mounting determination unit 2a of the ECU 2.

  The wearing determination unit 2a performs template matching processing based on the images of the faces of the occupants P1 and P2 photographed by the camera 1, and determines whether or not the occupants P1 and P2 are wearing the sunglasses P1 (S110). .

  When it is determined by the wearing determination unit 2a that the occupant P1 is wearing the sunglasses S (Yes in S110), the gaze direction estimation unit 2b is based on the face image of the occupant P1 taken by the camera 1, The line-of-sight direction of the passenger P1 is estimated (S120). On the other hand, if it determines with passenger | crew P1, P2 not wearing sunglasses S by the mounting determination part 2a (No of S110), the routine of this control process will be complete | finished.

  The luminance control unit 2c is based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b. A high luminance signal is transmitted to the device 3a and the HUD device 3d) (S130).

  When receiving the high luminance signal from the luminance control unit 2c, the display device 3 existing in the sight line direction of the passenger P1 increases the luminance of the display by a predetermined value (S140). Here, as the predetermined value, for example, an optimum value is set in advance by experiments and stored in the ROM of the ECU 2.

  Further, the predetermined value may be set so that the display brightness of the display device 3 is substantially the same when the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S and when the sunglasses S are not worn. . Thus, even when the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S, the display on the display device 3 can be visually recognized in substantially the same manner as when the sunglasses S are not worn.

  As described above, in the vehicle control apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, when the wearing determination unit 2a of the ECU 2 determines that the occupant P1 is wearing the sunglasses S, the luminance control unit 2c is the gaze direction estimation unit. Based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by 2b, control is performed to increase the display brightness on the display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1. Accordingly, the decrease in the amount of reflected light that reaches the eyes of the occupant P1 from the display of the display device 3 due to the wearing of the sunglasses S is canceled by increasing the display brightness of the display device 3, and the brightness of the display for the occupant P1. It is possible to obtain the optimum state. Therefore, the visibility of the display device 3 with respect to the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S can be improved.

  Next, a modification of the vehicle control device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.

  In the first embodiment, when the wearing determination unit 2a of the ECU 2 determines that the driver P1 is wearing the sunglasses S (Yes in S110), the luminance control unit 2c controls the display device 3. A high luminance signal may be transmitted (S150), and control may be performed to increase the display luminance on the display device 3 (S160) (FIG. 4). In other words, the ECU 2 of the vehicle control device 10 shown in FIG. 5 may be configured without the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b.

  In the first embodiment, the wearing determination unit 2a determines whether or not the occupants P1 and P2 are wearing the sunglasses S, but is the occupants P1 and P2 wearing the color contact lenses? It may be determined whether or not. This color contact lens is a contact lens having the same function as sunglasses that reduces the amount of transmitted light and reduces the amount of light incident on the eyes of the passengers P1 and P2.

  In this case, when the wearing determination unit 2a of the ECU 2 determines that the occupant P1 is wearing the color contact lens, the luminance control unit 2c wears the color contact lens estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b. Based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1, the control is performed to increase the display brightness in the display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1.

  Thus, the decrease in the amount of reflected light reaching the eyes of the occupant P1 from the display of the display device 3 due to the mounting of the color contact lens is canceled by increasing the display brightness of the display device 3, and the display of the display for the occupant P1. The brightness can be optimized. Therefore, the visibility of the display device 3 with respect to the occupant P1 wearing the color contact lens can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the brightness control unit 2c of the ECU 2 estimates the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses and the occupant P2 not wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b. Even if the display device 3 exists in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 who wears the sunglasses S based on the line-of-sight direction, 3 may be controlled so as not to increase the display brightness.

  Thereby, it can suppress that the visibility of crew member P2 which is not wearing sunglasses S falls. The display device 3 that is controlled so as not to increase the brightness of the display corresponds to a navigation device, a clock display device, or the like that can be visually recognized by any occupant P1, P2.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment.

  The ECU 12 of the vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment includes a color detection unit 12a that detects the color of the lens of the sunglasses S, a display color change unit 12c that changes the display color of the display device 3, and the above-described configuration. And a line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b for estimating the line-of-sight direction of the passengers P1 and P2.

  For example, the color detection unit 12a performs well-known image processing on the face image of the occupant P1 captured by the camera 1, and detects the color of the lens of the sunglasses S worn by the occupant P1.

  The display color changing unit 12c controls the display color of the display device 3 by controlling the light amount of the red R light emitting element, the green G light emitting element, and the blue B light emitting element in the display color of the display device 3. change.

  For example, the display color changing unit 12 c transmits a color instruction signal to the display device 3. The display device 3 changes the display color by adjusting the light amounts of the red R light emitting element, the green G light emitting element, and the blue B light emitting element based on the color instruction signal from the display color changing unit 12c.

  More specifically, the display device 3 causes the green G light-emitting element and the red R light-emitting element to emit light based on the color instruction signal from the display color changing unit 12c, thereby changing the display color to yellow. At this time, when the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S of the blue lens, the yellow display on the display device 3 appears white to the occupant P1 looking through the sunglasses S. In this manner, the display on the display device 3 can be changed to an optimum color according to the color of the lens of the sunglasses S worn by the occupant P1.

  In the vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the same parts as those in the vehicle control device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Detailed description will be omitted.

  By the way, conventionally, when the occupant wears sunglasses, the display color of the display device that the occupant sees through the sunglasses changes compared to the case where the occupant does not wear sunglasses. Thereby, since it is different from the display color originally assumed, the visibility of the display device may be lowered.

  Therefore, in the vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment, the display color changing unit 12c includes the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b, and the color detection unit. Based on the color of the lens of the sunglasses S detected by 12a, the color of display on the display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 is changed. Thereby, the visibility of the display device 3 with respect to the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S can be improved.

  Next, an example of a control processing flow of the vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control processing flow of the vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment.

  An image of the face of the occupant P1 is taken by the camera 1 (S200), and the face image is transmitted to the color detection unit 12a of the ECU 2.

  Next, the color detection unit 12a performs well-known image processing on the face image of the occupant P1 photographed by the camera 1, and detects the color of the lens of the sunglasses S (S210).

  Thereafter, the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b estimates the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 based on the face image of the occupant P1 captured by the camera 1 (S220).

  The display color changing unit 12c is based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b and the color of the lens of the sunglasses S detected by the color detection unit 12a. A color instruction signal is transmitted to the display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 (S230).

  The display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 adjusts the light amounts of the red R light emitting element, the green G light emitting element, and the blue B light emitting element based on the color instruction signal from the display color changing unit 12c. The display color is changed (S240).

  Note that the display color changing unit 12c, for example, looks almost the same color as when the occupant P1 wears sunglasses S but does not wear sunglasses S (so that it appears as a normal display color). ), A color instruction signal is transmitted to the display device 3, and the display color on the display device 3 is controlled.

  Specifically, it is assumed that the normal display color on the display device 3 is white and the color of the lens of the sunglasses S worn by the occupant P1 is blue. In this case, the display color changing unit 12c transmits a color instruction signal to the display device 3 and causes the green G light emitting element and the red R light emitting element of the display device 3 to emit light, thereby causing the display device 3 to display the display. Control the color to yellow.

  Accordingly, the yellow display of the display device 3 appears white to the eyes of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S of blue lenses. That is, the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S can visually recognize the display on the display device 3 in white, which is a normal display color.

  As described above, in the vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment, the display color changing unit 12c of the ECU 12 has the line-of-sight direction and color of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b. Based on the color of the lens of the sunglasses S detected by the detection unit 12a, the display color on the display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 is changed.

  In addition, the display color changing unit 12c notifies the display device 3 of a color instruction signal so that even when the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S, the display color changing unit 12c looks almost the same normal color as when the sunglasses S are not worn. The display color in the display device 3 is controlled.

  Thus, even when the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S, the occupant P1 can visually recognize the display on the display device 3 with the optimum display color (normal display color) set at the time of design, for example. it can. Therefore, the visibility of the display device 3 with respect to the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S can be improved.

  Next, a modified example of the vehicle control device 20 according to the second embodiment will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the color detection unit 12a of the ECU 2 detects the color of the lens of the sunglasses S (S210), and the display color changing unit 12c uses the color of the lens of the sunglasses S detected by the color detection unit 12a. Based on this, a color instruction signal may be transmitted to the display device 3 (S250), and the display color on the display device 3 may be changed (S260) (FIG. 7). That is, the ECU 12 of the vehicle control device 20 shown in FIG. 5 may be configured without the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b.

  In the second embodiment, the color detection unit 12a of the ECU 12 detects the color of the lens of the sunglasses S worn by the occupant P1, but even if it detects the color of the color contact lens worn by the occupant P1. Good. In this case, the display color changing unit 12a includes the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the color contact lens estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b and the color of the color contact lens detected by the color detection unit 12a. Based on this, the display color on the display device 3 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the passenger P1 is changed.

  Thereby, even when the occupant P1 wears the color contact lens, the occupant P1 can visually recognize the display of the display device 3 with an optimum display color set at the time of design, for example. Therefore, the visibility of the display device 3 with respect to the occupant P1 wearing the color contact lens can be improved.

  In the second embodiment, the display color changing unit 12c of the ECU 12 has the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimating unit 2b and the occupant not wearing the sunglasses S. Even if the display device 3 exists in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P2 who does not wear the sunglasses S, even if the display device 3 exists in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S based on the line-of-sight direction of the P2, You may control so that the color of the display in the display apparatus 3 may not be changed. Thereby, it can suppress that the visibility of crew member P2 which is not wearing sunglasses S falls.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the vehicle control device according to the third embodiment.

  The ECU 22 of the vehicle control device 30 according to the third embodiment includes a reflectance control unit 22c that controls the reflectance of the mirror member 23 provided in the vehicle, and the above-described passengers P1 and P2 wear the sunglasses S. And a gaze direction estimation unit 2b that estimates the gaze direction of the occupants P1 and P2 described above.

  The mirror member 23 has a function of reflecting light from the subject and projecting the subject to the passengers P1 and P2. The mirror member 23 is configured to vary the light reflectance.

  For example, the mirror member 23 includes a reflection plate that reflects light, and a liquid crystal plate that is disposed on the front surface of the reflection plate and transmits incident light and reflected light. By controlling the voltage applied to the liquid crystal plate in the mirror member 23, the transmittance of the liquid crystal plate is controlled, and the reflectance of light is controlled.

  Further, the mirror member 23 is disposed in a vehicle such as a side mirror disposed on the side of the vehicle, a room mirror 50 disposed above the windshield, etc., and can be arbitrarily viewed by the passengers P1 and P2. Including mirrors.

  The reflectance control unit 22 c of the ECU 22 controls the reflectance of the mirror member 23 by controlling the voltage applied to the liquid crystal plate of the mirror member 23.

  In the vehicle control device 30 according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the same parts as those of the vehicle control devices 10 and 20 according to the first and second embodiments shown in FIGS. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  By the way, conventionally, when the occupant wears sunglasses, the reflected light of the subject from the mirror member is reduced compared to the case where sunglasses are not worn, and the subject reflected on the mirror may be difficult to see.

  Therefore, in the vehicle control device 30 according to the third embodiment, when the mounting determination unit 2a of the ECU 22 determines that the occupant P1 is wearing the sunglasses S, the reflectance control unit 22c Based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the estimation unit 2b, the reflectance of the mirror member 23 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 is increased. Thereby, the decrease in the reflected light of the subject from the mirror member 23 caused by the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S can be canceled by increasing the reflectance at the mirror member 23. Therefore, the visibility of the mirror member 23 with respect to the passenger P1 can be improved.

  Next, an example of a control processing flow of the vehicle control device 30 according to the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control process flow of the vehicle control device 30 according to the third embodiment.

  Images of the faces of the occupants P1, P2 are taken by the camera 1 (S300), and the face images are transmitted to the mounting determination unit 2a of the ECU 22.

  The wearing determination unit 2a performs template matching processing based on the images of the faces of the occupants P1 and P2 captured by the camera 1, and determines whether or not the occupants P1 and P2 are wearing the sunglasses S (S310). .

  When the wearing determination unit 2a determines that the occupant P1 is wearing the sunglasses S (Yes in S310), the gaze direction estimation unit 2b is based on the face image of the occupant P1 captured by the camera 1, The line-of-sight direction of the passenger P1 is estimated (S320). On the other hand, if it determines with the passenger | crew P1, P2 not wearing sunglasses S by the mounting determination part 2a (No of S310), the routine of this control processing will be complete | finished.

  The reflectance control unit 22c controls the mirror member 23 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b. A signal is transmitted (S330).

  When receiving the control signal from the reflectance control unit 22c, the mirror member 23 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 increases the reflectance (S340). The reflectance control unit 22c is configured so that the amount of light reflected from the mirror member 23 is substantially the same when the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S and when the sunglasses S are not worn. The reflectance of 23 is controlled. As a result, even when the occupant P1 wears the sunglasses S, the subject reflected on the mirror member 23 can be visually recognized in substantially the same manner as when the sunglasses S are not worn.

  As described above, in the vehicle control device 30 according to the third embodiment, when the mounting determination unit 2a of the ECU 22 determines that the occupant P1 is wearing the sunglasses S, the reflectance control unit 22c Based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the estimation unit 2b, the reflectance of the mirror member 23 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 is increased. As a result, the decrease in the reflected light of the subject from the mirror member 23 due to the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S can be canceled by increasing the reflectance at the mirror member 23. Therefore, the visibility of the mirror member 23 with respect to the passenger P1 can be improved.

  Next, a modification of the vehicle control device 30 according to the third embodiment will be described.

  In the third embodiment, when it is determined by the mounting determination unit 2a of the ECU 22 that the driver P1 is wearing the sunglasses S (Yes in S310), the reflectance control unit 22c controls the mirror member 23. The control signal may be transmitted (S350), and the reflectance of the mirror member 23 may be increased (S360) (FIG. 10). That is, the ECU 30 of the vehicle control device shown in FIG. 8 may be configured without the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b.

  In the third embodiment, the wearing determination unit 2a of the ECU 22 determines whether or not the occupants P1 and P2 are wearing the sunglasses S, but the occupants P1 and P2 are wearing the color contact lenses. It may be determined whether or not.

  In this case, when the mounting determination unit 2a of the ECU 22 determines that the occupant P1 is wearing a color contact lens, the reflectance control unit 22c wears the color contact lens estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b. Based on the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1, the reflectance of the mirror member 23 existing in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 is increased.

  The decrease in the amount of reflected light reaching the eyes of the occupant P1 from the mirror member 23 due to the mounting of the color contact lens can be canceled by increasing the reflectance of the mirror member 23. Therefore, the visibility of the mirror member 23 with respect to the occupant P1 wearing the color contact lens can be improved.

  In the third embodiment, the reflectance control unit 22c of the ECU 22 estimates the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S estimated by the line-of-sight direction estimation unit 2b and the occupant not wearing the sunglasses S. Based on the line-of-sight direction of P2, even if the mirror member 23 exists in the line-of-sight direction of the occupant P1 wearing the sunglasses S, You may control so that the reflectance in the mirror member 23 may not be raised. Thereby, it can suppress that the visibility of crew member P2 which is not wearing sunglasses S falls.

  As mentioned above, although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described using the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment and is within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the first to third embodiments, when the wearing determination unit 2a determines that the occupant P1 is wearing the sunglasses S, the display brightness, display color, and reflectance are controlled. In parallel with the above, voice assistance may be provided by a voice output device provided in the vehicle, and assistance by lighting / flashing of a light may be performed by a light device.

  The present invention can be used, for example, in a vehicle control device that displays and controls various types of information visually recognized by an occupant.

It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the camera, passenger | crew, and display apparatus in a vehicle interior. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing flow of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing flow of the control apparatus for vehicles which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the system configuration | structure of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing flow of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing flow of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the system configuration | structure of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing flow of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing flow of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on the modification of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Camera 2 ECU
2a Wear determination unit 2b Gaze direction estimation unit 2c Luminance control unit 3 Display device 12a Color detection unit 12c Display color change unit 22c Reflectance control unit 23 Mirror member

Claims (12)

Photographing means for photographing a passenger's face;
Wearing determination means for determining whether or not the occupant is wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens based on an image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means;
At least one display means disposed in the passenger compartment and displaying information to the occupant;
A brightness control means for controlling the brightness of display in the display means,
The vehicle control device characterized in that the luminance control means increases the luminance of display on the display means when the wearing determination means determines that an occupant is wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens. . The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
Further comprising gaze direction estimation means for estimating a gaze direction of the occupant based on an image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means,
The luminance control means displays on the display means existing in the sight line direction of the occupant based on the sight line direction of the occupant wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens estimated by the sight line direction estimation means. The vehicle control device characterized by increasing the brightness of the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
The luminance control means is a display on the display means that exists in the sight line direction of the occupant based on the sight line direction of the occupant not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens, which is estimated by the gaze direction estimation means. The vehicle control device characterized by not increasing the brightness of the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The luminance control means is configured such that the luminance of the display for the occupant when the sunglasses or the color contact lens is worn is the luminance of the display for the occupant when the sunglasses or the color contact lens is not worn. And a display control means for controlling the display brightness so as to be substantially the same. Photographing means for photographing a passenger's face;
Color detection means for detecting the color of a lens of a sunglasses worn by the occupant or the color of a color contact lens based on an image of the occupant's face photographed by the photographing means;
At least one display means disposed in the passenger compartment and displaying information to the occupant;
A display color changing means for changing a display color in the display means, and a vehicle control device comprising:
The display color changing means changes the display color on the display means based on the color of the sunglasses lens or the color contact lens detected by the color detecting means. Control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 5,
Further comprising gaze direction estimation means for estimating a gaze direction of the occupant based on an image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means,
The display color changing means is the display means existing in the sight line direction of the occupant based on the sight line direction of the occupant wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens estimated by the sight line direction estimation means. A control device for a vehicle, wherein the display color is changed. The vehicle control device according to claim 6,
The display color changing means in the display means existing in the sight line direction of the occupant based on the sight line direction of the occupant not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens, estimated by the sight line direction estimation means. A vehicle control device characterized by not changing a display color. The vehicle control device according to claim 5 or 6,
The display color changing means is configured such that a color of the display for the occupant when wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens is the display color for the occupant when not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens. The vehicle control device, wherein the display color on the display means is changed so as to be substantially the same as the color. Photographing means for photographing a passenger's face;
Wearing determination means for determining whether or not the occupant is wearing sunglasses or a color contact lens based on an image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means;
At least one mirror member disposed in the vehicle and reflecting light from the subject to project the subject to the occupant;
A vehicle control apparatus comprising: a reflectance control means for controlling reflectance in the mirror member;
When the wearing determination means determines that an occupant is wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens, the reflectance control means increases the reflectance of the mirror member. Control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 9,
Further comprising gaze direction estimation means for estimating a gaze direction of the occupant based on an image of the occupant's face imaged by the imaging means,
The said reflectance control means is the said mirror member which exists in the said passenger | crew's gaze direction based on the said gaze direction of the said passenger | crew which is wearing the said sunglasses or the said color contact lens estimated by the said gaze direction estimation means. The vehicle control device characterized by increasing the reflectance in the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 10,
The reflectance control means is based on the sight line direction of the occupant not wearing the sunglasses or the color contact lens, which is estimated by the sight line direction estimation means, in the mirror member existing in the sight line direction of the occupant. A control apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that the reflectance is not increased. The vehicle control device according to claim 9 or 10,
The reflectance control means is configured so that the amount of reflected light from the mirror member that reaches the occupant when the sunglasses or the color contact lens is mounted is not the sunglasses or the color contact lens. The vehicle control device, wherein the reflectance of the mirror member is controlled so as to be substantially the same as the amount of light reflected from the mirror member reaching the passenger.

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