JP2009237649A - Image display system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display system such as a road information display system for displaying a proper image according to the movement of a traveling object such as a vehicle by using a display direction control type display device. <P>SOLUTION: In a road information display system 10, a direction control type display device 20 is installed at the prescribed position of a road surface R, and a distance from the display device 20 of a moving (or traveling) vehicle 30 is detected by a vehicle location detection device 22, and a field of view is calculated by a visual field calculation device 24 from an angle made by the location of a vehicle and the height of the display device 20, and the display image of the display device 20 is controlled by an image controller 26 based on the field of view. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display system and method, and more particularly to a traffic information display device that is installed on a road and displays traffic information to a vehicle driver or the like, and an image display system and method such as a still image or moving image display device on a street.

  Advances in display panel technology have made it possible to increase the size, increase the display brightness, and increase the resolution, and the application range is rapidly expanding. Such a display panel can display a large amount of text and image (still image and moving image) information and can provide information to a large number of people at the same time. A technique for displaying different images from a plurality of viewpoints using the same display panel has also been proposed. Information (display image) information displayed on these display panels or image display devices can be transmitted in a timely manner from a remote location by wired or wireless communication means, for example.

  Conventional techniques related to such an image display apparatus are disclosed or proposed in various technical documents. By dividing a large number of pixels (pixels) and a drive system of one LCD (liquid crystal display device) into two groups and providing viewing angle adjusting means (lenses and the like) corresponding to each group on the surface of the pixels, for example, An in-vehicle LCD that displays different images (screens) in a driver's seat and a passenger seat of a vehicle is disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A multi-image simultaneous display is disclosed in which a diffraction grating array having a function of diverging or condensing light is provided on the front surface of a liquid crystal display element, and different images can be simultaneously displayed under the same conditions for each observation direction (for example, , See Patent Document 2). An image display device is disclosed in which a parallax barrier method is applied to enable a plurality of observers to select and observe different two-dimensional images or three-dimensional (three-dimensional) images according to their purposes (for example, (See Patent Document 3). An angle-dependent multiplexed input / output method that distinguishes the input of multiple people at different angles with respect to the screen by pointing the observer at a certain point on the screen with a device that emits a light beam such as a laser pointer Is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 4). Also, a display image that uses a viewing angle control display device that can limit the direction in which the screen to be displayed can be seen and displays different images depending on the angle between the normal line of the display device and the straight line connecting the display device and the observer A display method is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 5).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-186526 (page 3, FIG. 2) JP-A-6-332354 (page 3-4, FIG. 1) JP-A-11-205822 (page 3, FIG. 1) JP-A-6-230896 (2nd page, FIG. 1) JP-A-6-230735 (page 2-3, FIG. 1)

  However, the conventional image display system as described above has the following problems or drawbacks. In the in-vehicle device, even if different images are displayed for the driver seat and the passenger seat, it is necessary for the driving driver to pay attention to the display screen of the in-vehicle device, which may hinder safe driving. In addition, it is impossible or difficult to provide necessary image information in a timely manner to a vehicle or a person who is driving or moving.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an image display system and method that can detect and provide necessary information appropriately by detecting a vehicle or a person who is driving or moving. The purpose is to provide.

According to the image display system and method of the present invention, the following characteristic configuration is adopted.
(1) First, an image display system of the present invention is an image display system using a display direction control type display device capable of displaying different information from a plurality of viewpoints.
Position information detecting means for detecting position information from the display device of a subject who observes the display device;
An image display system comprising: a display image control unit that obtains a visual field for the subject based on the position information detected by the position information detection unit and displays appropriate image information on the display device.
(2) Next, according to the image display method of the present invention, an image display for displaying a different image for each field of view of the display device using a display direction control type display device capable of displaying a different image for each of a plurality of fields of view. In the method
Detecting position information corresponding to a distance from the display device of a subject who observes a display image of the display device;
Calculating a visual field of the display device from a three-dimensional angle based on the detected distance and an installation height of the display device;
Displaying an appropriate image on the display device based on the calculated field of view.

According to the image display system and method of the present invention that employs the characteristic configuration as described above, the following practical specific effects can be obtained.
That is, by using one display direction control type display device, it is possible to individually display and provide appropriate image information to a moving vehicle or person. Since the hardware for this purpose is simple, it can be realized at low cost without making a large capital investment.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of an image display system and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a traffic information display system which is a preferred embodiment of an image display system according to the present invention. The traffic information display system 10 includes a display device 20, a vehicle position detection device 22, a visual field calculation device 24, and an image control device 26 that are installed at predetermined height positions on a road (not shown) on which the vehicle travels. It is configured. The display device 20, the vehicle position detection device 22, the visual field calculation device 24, and the image calculation device 26 do not necessarily have to be individually configured as illustrated. For example, the visual field calculation device 24 may be integrated with the vehicle position detection device 22, and the image control device 26 may be built in the display device 20.

  Here, the display device 20 is a display direction control type display device as will be described later, and is a large number of pixels composed of, for example, LEDs (light emitting diodes) of three primary colors of RGB (red, green and blue) arranged in a matrix. It is preferable that the display device be capable of appropriately displaying the display luminance depending on the weather and ambient brightness. That is, the display brightness is increased in the daytime on a clear day, and is adjusted to the maximum display brightness particularly when exposed to direct sunlight. On the other hand, the display brightness is adjusted low at night when the surroundings are dark. As a result, an image can always be clearly displayed with optimum brightness regardless of changes in the environment.

  The vehicle position detection device 22 measures the distance between the display device 20 and a vehicle (not shown) traveling on the road by a radar or other known distance measuring means. The visual field calculation device 24 calculates a three-dimensional angle (pitch, yaw and roll angle) based on the position of the vehicle detected by the vehicle position detection device 22 and the height of the image display device 20 from the road surface. By obtaining the three-dimensional angle, for example, it is possible to provide appropriate information to the vehicle (the driver) traveling in each lane on a two-lane road.

  For example, a camera is used as the vehicle position detection device 22. By selecting and setting the installation position of such a camera with respect to the display device 20, the angle formed by the vehicle and the display device 20 can be easily obtained. For example, by installing the camera at the center position of the display device 20 and preparing an angle table for each pixel of the image, it is possible to use the angle as it is (that is, the angle between the camera and the vehicle is used as it is). Available). As another example, when the camera is installed at a position moved in the horizontal (left and right) direction from the center position of the display device 20, the elevation angle formed by the camera and the vehicle can be used as it is. With such a configuration, an angle formed between the display device 20 and the driver's seat of the vehicle, an angle formed between the display device 20 and the position of the face of the person (driver), and the like can be obtained.

  Next, the operation of the traffic information display system 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram of an image displayed for each field of view of the display device 20. FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship between the display device 20 and the vehicle in the traffic information display system 10 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the display device 20 is attached at a height H from the road surface R. The display device 20 is a display direction control type display device capable of displaying different images depending on whether the field of view is s1 or s2. If the distance from the display device 20 is the distance D1 shown in FIG. 2A, the direction from the display device 20 is within the visual field s1 as indicated by the solid arrow v1. On the other hand, when the distance from the display device 20 is D2 and the direction from the display device 20 is a broken-line arrow v2, it is within the visual field s2.

Therefore, when an observer (for example, a driver of a vehicle) is in the field of view s1 of the display device 20, road congestion information (specifically, in the direction of OO in the traveling direction of the observer) Accident occurrence, traffic congestion X km, etc.) are displayed. On the other hand, when the observer further approaches the display device 20 and the field of view becomes s2, for example, a second image showing an intersection in front, a destination in each direction, danger information (for example, a crosswalk of a schoolchild or a train crossing), etc. indicate. As described above, the display device 20 can appropriately display different images useful for the observer for each field of view (that is, a predetermined range of the elevation angle of the display device 20 when viewed from the observer side of the display device 20). This is a direction control type display device.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2B, the relationship between the display device 20 and the position detection device 22 which is position information detection means of the vehicle as an observer will be described. In this road information display system, a display device 20 is installed at a position at a height H on the road surface R. In addition to the example in which the camera is used, the position detection device 22 includes, for example, an antenna 23 and emits a pulsed radio wave (or laser beam or the like) having a predetermined frequency along the road surface R. The reflected wave of the emitted radio wave from the vehicle 30 is received by the antenna 23, and the distance D from the vehicle 30 to the display device 20 is obtained from the time difference. Such a position detection device 22 is widely put into practical use in surveying devices and the like, is a well-known technique, and can quickly detect the distance D with necessary accuracy. In addition, since the display device 20 is fixedly installed on the road surface R, for example, by reading an IC tag attached to the vehicle 30 with a plurality of IC tag readers arranged along the road surface R at predetermined intervals. It is also possible to realize the vehicle position detection device 22.

The vehicle position detection device 22 obtains an angle formed by the driver of the vehicle 30 traveling on the road surface R toward the display device 20 and the display device 20 as described above using, for example, a camera. The field-of-view calculation device 24 shown in FIG. 1 has an angle (or elevation angle a =) based on the position information detected by the vehicle position detection device 22, that is, the distance D from the display device 20 and the height H of the display device 20 from the road surface R. tan ⁻¹ H / D).

  Next, the operation of the road information display system 10 which is a preferred embodiment of the image information display system according to the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or the image display method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To do.

First, the position of the vehicle 30, that is, the distance D between the vehicle 30 and the display device 20 is detected by the vehicle position detection device 22 (step A1). Next, the angle (elevation angle a) between the vehicle 30 and the display device 20 is calculated by the visual field calculation device 24 (step A2). This angle a is the ratio of the position information of the vehicle 30 as described above, that is, the distance D between the vehicle 30 and the display device 20 detected by the vehicle position detection device 22 and the height H of the display device 20 from the road surface R (H / D), it is possible to calculate easily and quickly with reference to a tan ^-1 table prepared in advance.

  Next, it is determined whether the angle a calculated by the visual field calculation device 24 is the visual field s1 or s2 shown in FIG. 2A (step A3). As the vehicle 30 moves (runs), the angle a also changes. Therefore, the visual field calculation device 24 calculates the angle a at an appropriate preset period (for example, every 5 seconds), and determines whether the visual field corresponding to the angle is s1 or s2. Finally, information (image) corresponding to the visual field obtained by the visual field calculation device 24 is determined by the image control device 26 and displayed on the display device 20 (step A4).

  The preferred embodiments of the image display system and method according to the present invention have been described above in detail. However, such an embodiment is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that various modifications and changes can be made in accordance with a specific application without departing from the gist and spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the preferred embodiment described above, the application example to the road information display system has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to providing information to the vehicle driver on the road, but can be applied to advertisements and the like in the corresponding cases. That is, information such as a store existing in the direction may be displayed on a display device for a pedestrian with a specific field of view, and information on another store or the like in that direction may be displayed on a pedestrian with another field of view. .

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, when a specific vehicle travels (or moves) in different fields of view of the display device, different images are displayed on the display device. However, by providing a vehicle tracking device, the traveling of a specific vehicle is tracked, and when the vehicle moves from one field of view to another, the displayed image is switched, and the same image is always displayed to the driver of the vehicle. You may be made to do. Moreover, you may make it display the separate information suitable for the vehicle by providing the apparatus which acquires the information (for example, destination etc.) of a vehicle.

(Characteristics of the invention)
The image information display system of the present invention further has the following features.
(3) The image display system according to (1), wherein the position information detection unit is a camera provided at a position of the display device.
(4) The image display system according to (3), wherein the camera is installed at a central position of the display device.
(5) The image display system according to (3), wherein the camera is installed at a position horizontally moved in the left-right direction from the center of the display device.
(6) The image display system according to (1), wherein the position information detection unit is a radar device that detects a reflected wave of an electromagnetic wave emitted from an antenna.
(7) The image display system according to (1), wherein the position information detection unit includes an IC tag and a plurality of IC tag readers provided at predetermined intervals.
(8) The display device is a road information display system that is installed at a predetermined height from a road surface and displays necessary image information for a vehicle traveling on a plurality of lanes on the road surface toward the display device. The image information display system according to any one of (1), (3) to (7).
(9) The image information display system according to (8), wherein the position information detection unit tracks a specific vehicle and displays information for the vehicle on the display device even when the vehicle moves.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of an image display system according to the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing of the road information display system which is suitable embodiment of the image display system of this invention, (A) is explanatory drawing of a display direction control type display apparatus, (B) is the vehicle, vehicle position It is explanatory drawing of the positional relationship of a detection apparatus and a display apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the road information display system by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Image display system (road information display system)
20 display device (display direction control type display device)
22 Vehicle position detection device 24 Field of view calculation device 26 Image control device 30 Vehicle H Display device height R Road surface D Distance a between vehicle and display device angle (elevation angle of display device)
s1, s2 field of view

Claims (9)

In an image display system using a display direction control type display device capable of displaying different information from a plurality of viewpoints,
Position information detecting means for detecting position information from the display device of a subject who observes the display device;
An image display system comprising: display image control means for obtaining a field of view for the subject based on position information detected by the position information detection means and displaying appropriate image information on the display device.   The image display system according to claim 1, wherein the position information detection unit is a camera provided at a position of the display device.   The image display system according to claim 2, wherein the camera is installed at a central position of the display device.   The image display system according to claim 2, wherein the camera is installed at a position moved horizontally from the center of the display device in the left-right direction.   The image display system according to claim 1, wherein the position information detection unit is a radar device that detects a reflected wave of an electromagnetic wave emitted from an antenna.   The image display system according to claim 1, wherein the position information detection unit includes an IC tag and a plurality of IC tag readers provided at predetermined intervals.   The display device is a road information display system that is installed at a predetermined height from a road surface and displays necessary image information for a vehicle traveling in a plurality of lanes on the road surface toward the display device. An image information display system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   The image information display system according to claim 7, wherein the position information detection unit tracks a specific vehicle and displays information for the vehicle on the display device even when the vehicle moves. In an image display method for displaying a different image for each field of view of the display device using a display direction control type display device capable of displaying a different image for each of a plurality of fields of view,
Detecting position information corresponding to a distance from the display device of a subject who observes a display image of the display device;
Calculating a visual field of the display device from a three-dimensional angle based on the detected distance and an installation height of the display device;
And displaying an appropriate image on the display device based on the calculated visual field.

Images