JP2009248721A - Information display device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information display device for a vehicle capable of providing suitable information display for a driver by changing a virtual image displayed in a visual field of the driver according to visibility of an obstacle. <P>SOLUTION: The information display device for the vehicle is provided with a head-up display 3 for reflecting a display image of a display unit 5 on a windshield 7 and overlappedly displaying the virtual image 8 of the reflected display image in the visual field of the driver 9; an obstacle detection part 11 for detecting the obstacle 21 at a front side of the vehicle; a visibility presumption part 12 for presuming the visibility of the obstacle 21 detected by the obstacle detection part 11; and a display control part 13 for forming the display image of the display unit 5 according to the visibility of the obstacle 21 presumed by the visibility presumption part 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle information display device.

Conventionally, when an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle is detected, a vehicle that uses a head-up display to display a virtual image with a frame surrounding the obstacle in the driver's field of view or a mark superimposed on the obstacle The information display device technology is known (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).
JP-A-6-215300 JP 2002-54421 A JP 2006-17626 A

However, in the conventional invention, when the obstacle visibility by the driver is low, if the frame is displayed as a virtual image around the obstacle, the driver can confirm the position by visually recognizing the frame, but cannot recognize the type of the obstacle. There was a problem.
On the other hand, if the driver's visibility of the obstacle is high and the mark is displayed as a virtual image on the obstacle, the driver can recognize the position and type of the obstacle by the mark, but cannot see the obstacle directly. There was a problem that it was not possible to obtain information.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to change the virtual image displayed in the driver's field of view according to the visibility of the obstacle, thereby displaying appropriate information. A vehicle information display device that can be provided to a driver.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the display image of the display device is reflected on the windshield, and a virtual image of the reflected display image is displayed superimposed on the driver's field of view, and an obstacle in front of the vehicle is detected. The obstacle detection means, the visibility estimation means for estimating the visibility of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means, and the display of the indicator according to the visibility of the obstacle estimated by the visibility estimation means Display control means for creating an image.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided display control means for creating a display image of the display device in accordance with the visibility of the obstacle estimated by the visibility estimation means.
As a result, a display image of the display image corresponding to the obstacle visibility estimated by the visibility estimating means is displayed in the driver's field of view, so that a virtual image to be displayed in the driver's field of view when an obstacle is detected is displayed. By changing according to the visibility of the obstacle, an appropriate information display can be provided to the driver.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Example 1 will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle in which the vehicle information display device according to the first embodiment is employed, FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the vehicle information display device according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 illustrates display control according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are diagrams for explaining the field of view of the driver of the vehicle information display apparatus according to the first embodiment.

First, the overall configuration will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the vehicle information display device 1 of the first embodiment, a so-called head-up display 3 is mounted on a vehicle 2, and the head-up display 3 is provided in an instrument panel of the vehicle 2. By projecting light from the light source 4 to the display 5 and reflecting the display image displayed on the display 5 to the windshield 7 by the reflecting mirror 6, the virtual image 8 is displayed superimposed on the field of view of the driver 9. is there.

Moreover, the reflecting mirror 6 of Example 1 can set the reflective position to the windshield 7 to an arbitrary position by changing the inclination angle arbitrarily.
Further, the display control of the display image on the display 5 is performed by the controller 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown), as well as a display control processing program to be described later stored in the ROM. Is read out and executed by the CPU, the obstacle detection unit 11 (corresponding to the obstacle detection unit in the claims), the visibility estimation unit 12 (corresponding to the visibility estimation unit in the claims), and the display control unit 13 Functional units such as (display information determination unit 14, output video control unit 15, and display control means in claims) are included.
The controller 10 is electrically connected to various devices 16 and various sensors 17.

The obstacle detection unit 11 captures an image of the front of the vehicle with the visible light camera 16a and analyzes the obtained video to determine the presence or absence of an obstacle.
Alternatively, the presence or absence of an obstacle is determined using a far-infrared camera 16b, an ultrasonic distance measuring device 16c (so-called laser radar device), or the like.
In the first embodiment, the presence / absence of an obstacle on the travel lane of the vehicle 2 is determined, but a road other than the travel lane or an obstacle on the side may be detected.

The visibility estimation unit 12 analyzes the video imaged by the visible light camera 16a, and estimates the visibility of the driver 9 from the contrast.
Alternatively, the visibility of the driver 9 is estimated from the difference between the image captured by the far-infrared camera 16b and the image captured by the visible light camera 16a.
Alternatively, the ambient conditions outside the vehicle (from the operating conditions of various devices 17 such as an illuminance sensor 17a that detects the brightness outside the vehicle and a rain sensor 17b that detects the amount of rain, or various devices 16 such as a fog lamp 16d (head lamp) and a wiper 16e) For example, the visibility of the driver 9 is estimated by judging fog or rainy weather.

  The display information determination unit 14 of the display control unit 13 determines the position of the obstacle imaged by the visible light camera 16a when the obstacle detection unit 11 determines that there is an obstacle.

The output video control unit 15 of the display control unit 13 displays a display image for obstacle surrounding arrangement arranged around the position of the obstacle determined by the display information determination unit 14 or an obstacle arranged to overlap the obstacle. After determining the size, type, color, and the like for the superimposed display image, a display image is created and output to the display 5.
It should be noted that the virtual image 8 of the display image of the display device 5 has a sufficiently wide display range of the head-up display 3 and changes the display position in the display device 5 to change the field of view of the driver 9, specifically from the driver 9. It is designed to be superimposed on the position where the obstacle can be seen.
At this time, the position of the virtual image may be adjusted by adjusting the angle of the reflecting mirror 6 or may be used in combination.

Further, as will be described later, in the first embodiment, a frame 18 (see FIG. 4) is adopted as a display image for obstacle surrounding arrangement that is displayed only around the obstacle so as not to obstruct the visual observation of the obstacle. The frame 18 is arranged so as to surround the left and right sides with an appropriate size, a predetermined color, and brightness according to the obstacle.
On the other hand, a mark 19 (see FIG. 5) is adopted as a display image for obstacle superimposition to be displayed superimposed on the position of the obstacle. This mark 19 specifies the type of obstacle by known pattern matching or the like. In addition to being determined by extraction, they are arranged in a state of being overlapped with a size, a predetermined color, and brightness according to an obstacle.

  When the obstacle detection unit 11 determines that there is an obstacle, the alarm device 20 warns the driver 9 for a predetermined time by using an alarm or a voice by announcement.

Next, the operation will be described.
[Display control processing by controller]
Next, display control processing by the controller 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The process described below is a process that is repeatedly performed at short intervals from the start to the stop of the engine.

First, in step S1, the obstacle detection unit 11 takes an image of the front of the vehicle with the visible light camera 16a, analyzes the obtained video to determine whether there is an obstacle, and then proceeds to step S2.
In step S2, if the obstacle detection unit 11 determines that there is an obstacle in step S1, the process proceeds to step S3. If it is determined that there is no obstacle, the process returns to step S1.

In step S3, after the visibility estimation part 12 analyzes the image | video imaged with the visible light camera 16a and estimates the quality of the visibility of the driver 9 from contrast, it transfers to step S4.
In step S4, if the visibility estimating unit 12 determines that the visibility of the driver 9 is good (high) in step S3, the process proceeds to step S5. If the visibility is determined to be poor (low), step S4 is performed. The process proceeds to S6.

In step S5, after the display control part 13 produces the display image of the frame 18 and outputs it to the indicator 5, it transfers to step S7.
In step S6, after the display control part 13 produces the display image of the mark 19 and outputs it to the indicator 5, it transfers to step S7.

In step S7, the obstacle detection unit 11 determines whether or not the collision with the obstacle is avoided. If it is avoided, the process proceeds to step S8, and if not avoided, the process returns to step S3.
In this determination, it is determined that the collision with the obstacle is avoided when the obstacle moves out of the predetermined range from the image captured by the visible light camera 16a.
For example, the traveling lane in front of the vehicle is set as a predetermined range, and it is determined that the collision with the obstacle is avoided when the obstacle is out of this range.
In step S8, the display on the display 5 is terminated and one process is terminated.

[About virtual image display]
In the vehicle information display device 1 configured as described above, first, when the obstacle detection unit 11 determines the presence or absence of an obstacle and detects the obstacle, the visibility estimation unit 12 determines whether the visibility is good or bad. Is estimated (step S1 → step S2 → step S3).

Next, when the visibility is good (high), the display control unit 13 creates a display image of the frame 18 and then outputs it to the display 5 (step S4 → step S5).
In addition, the alarm device 20 is activated for a predetermined time to alert the driver 9.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the driver 9 has an obstacle 21 (in the first embodiment, an example in which a pedestrian crossing the driving lane is an obstacle) and a frame displayed in a virtual image around the obstacle 21. 18 will be visually recognized.

Therefore, the alarm by the alarm device 20 and the virtual image display of the frame 18 can surely inform the driver 9 of the presence of the obstacle 21 to call attention and improve safety.
In addition, the driver 9 can directly view the obstacle 21 and view the state (type, direction, size, color, etc.) of the obstacle 21 instantaneously and in detail, and can provide more information about the obstacle 21 to the driver 9.

On the other hand, if the visibility is poor (low), the display control unit 13 creates a display image of the mark 19 and then outputs it to the display 5 (step S4 → step S6).
At this time, the alarm device 20 is operated for a predetermined time to alert the driver 9.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the driver 9 can call the driver 9 attention by visually recognizing the mark 19 displayed as a virtual image at a position overlapping the obstacle 21.

  Therefore, for example, even when the visibility is poor due to fog or rain, the driver 9 is surely informed of the presence of the obstacle 21 by the alarm by the alarm device 20 and the virtual image display of the mark 19 to call attention. Can improve safety.

  If the obstacle detection unit 11 determines that the collision with the obstacle 21 has been avoided, the display of the virtual image display is terminated (step S7 → step S8).

Next, the effect will be described.
As described above, in the invention of the first embodiment, the display image of the display 5 is reflected on the windshield 7 and the virtual image 8 of the reflected display image is superimposed on the field of view of the driver 9 and displayed. The display 3, the obstacle detection unit 11 that detects the obstacle 21 in front of the vehicle, the visibility estimation unit 12 that estimates the visibility of the obstacle 21 detected by the obstacle detection unit 11, and the visibility estimation unit 12 A display control unit 13 that creates a display image of the display 5 according to the estimated visibility of the obstacle 21, so that the driver 9 can be surely informed of the presence of the obstacle 21 to call attention. , Can improve safety.

  In addition, when the visibility estimating unit 12 estimates that the obstacle 21 is highly visible, the display control unit 13 displays a frame 18 that is displayed only around the obstacle so as not to block the viewing of the obstacle 21. Is created and displayed as a virtual image, and when the visibility of the obstacle 21 is estimated to be low by the visibility estimator 12, the mark 19 to be displayed superimposed on the position of the obstacle 21 is created and displayed as a virtual image. It is possible to display an appropriate virtual image according to the visibility, which is preferable.

Example 2 will be described below.
In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and only the differences will be described in detail.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining display control according to the second embodiment.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a display image in which the frame 18 and the mark 19 are combined with the intensity level is created according to the visibility stage estimated by the visibility estimation unit 12.
Specifically, in the second embodiment, the controller 10 performs display control processing based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

Since Steps S11 to S13, Step 17 and Step 18 are the same as Steps S1 to S3, Step 7 and Step 8 of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.
In step S14, the visibility estimation unit 12 divides the visibility of the obstacle 21 into four levels of level 1 to level 4 in descending order, and then proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, display images corresponding to levels 1 to 4 estimated in step S14 are created and displayed, and then the process proceeds to step S17.
Specifically, at level 1 where the visibility of the obstacle 21 is the highest, only the frame 18 is displayed with standard luminance.
At level 2, the frame 18 is displayed with standard luminance, and the mark 19 is displayed with luminance lower than the standard luminance (luminance lower than the standard luminance of the frame 18).
At level 3, the mark 19 is displayed with standard luminance, and the frame 18 is displayed with luminance lower than the standard luminance (luminance lower than the standard luminance of the mark 19).
At level 4 where the visibility of the obstacle 21 is the lowest, only the mark 19 is displayed with standard luminance.

In the vehicular information display device 1 configured as described above, when the visibility of the obstacle 21 is gradually changed to a low level, the direction of the level 1 → level 2 → level 3 → level 4 is changed each time. A display image is created, and a virtual image 8 of this display image is displayed in the field of view of the driver 9.
On the other hand, when the visibility of the obstacle 21 gradually changes to a high level, a display image is created each time the level 4 → level 3 → level 2 → level 1 is shifted, and a virtual image of this display image is created. 8 is displayed in the field of view of the driver 9.
Thereby, in addition to the same operations and effects as in the first embodiment, a display image combined with the intensity of the display image of the frame 18 and the mark 19 according to the change in the visibility of the obstacle 21 is created. The display image can be displayed in the field of view of the driver 9, which is preferable.

Therefore, in Example 2, the visibility estimation unit 12 estimates the level of visibility of the obstacle 21 in multiple stages, and the display control unit 13 performs the visibility level 1 estimated by the visibility estimation unit 12. In accordance with ˜4, a display image in which the display images of the frame 18 and the mark 19 are combined with the intensity level is created, so that an appropriate display corresponding to the change in the visibility of the obstacle 21 can be provided to the driver 9.
Thereby, the display change of the frame 18 and the mark 19 can be performed step by step, the display transition of the frame 18 and the mark 19 can be made smooth, and the uncomfortable feeling of the driver 9 can be eliminated.

Example 3 will be described below.
In the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first or second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof is omitted, and only differences are described in detail.

  FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram of the vehicle information display apparatus according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the field of view of the driver of the vehicle information display apparatus according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the third embodiment includes a distance detection unit 30 that detects the distance from the vehicle 2 to the obstacle 21, and the display control unit 13 detects the distance when the obstacle 21 has low visibility. The difference from the first embodiment is that a display image is created by combining the display image of the distance detected by the unit 30 and the display image of the mark 19.
The distance from the vehicle 2 to the obstacle 21 is measured using the ultrasonic distance measuring device 16c or a stereo camera (not shown).
Therefore, in Example 2, as shown in FIG. 8, the distance 31 and the mark 19 are displayed as virtual images.
The position, size, color, etc. of the distance 31 can be set as appropriate.
Thereby, in addition to the operations and effects of the first and second embodiments, when the driver 9 has low visibility and a sense of distance to the obstacle 21 cannot be obtained, the obstacle by the mark 19 with respect to the driver 9 The position and type of 21 and the distance information to the obstacle 21 can be provided, and the effect of further improving safety can be obtained.

  Therefore, in Example 3, the distance detection unit 30 capable of detecting the distance from the vehicle 2 to the obstacle 21 is provided, and the display control unit 13 is estimated by the visibility estimation unit 12 that the visibility of the obstacle 21 is poor. In this case, a display image of the distance 31 detected by the distance detection unit 30 is created, and the virtual image 8 of this display image is displayed around the obstacle 21 or superimposed on the obstacle 21 in the field of view of the driver 9. Therefore, it is possible to improve safety when the visibility of the obstacle 21 is poor.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.
For example, the specific shape and type of the display image for obstacle surrounding arrangement and the display image for obstacle superposition can be set as appropriate.
In addition to being able to set various obstacles such as pedestrians, various vehicles, and buildings as obstacles, a plurality of virtual images can be displayed simultaneously.

It is a figure explaining the vehicle by which the vehicle information display apparatus of Example 1 was employ | adopted. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a vehicle information display device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating display control according to the first embodiment. It is a figure explaining the field of view of the driver of the information display device for vehicles of Example 1. It is a figure explaining the field of view of the driver of the information display device for vehicles of Example 1. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating display control according to the second embodiment. It is a system configuration | structure figure of the information display apparatus for vehicles of Example 3. FIG. It is a figure explaining the field of view of the driver of the information display device for vehicles of Example 3.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle information display apparatus 2 Vehicle 3 Head-up display 4 Light source 5 Indicator 6 Reflector 7 Front glass 8 Virtual image 9 Driver 10 Controller 11 Obstacle detection part 12 Visibility estimation part 13 Display control part 14 Display information judgment part 15 Output Image control unit 16 Various devices 16a Visible light camera 16b Far-infrared camera 16c Ultrasonic ranging device 16d Fog lamp 16e Wiper 17 Various sensors 17a Illuminance sensor 17b Rain sensor 18 Frame 19 Mark 20 Alarm 21 Obstacle 30 Distance detection unit 31 Distance

Claims (4)

A head-up display that reflects the display image of the display device on the windshield and displays a virtual image of the reflected display image superimposed on the driver's field of view;
Obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles ahead of the vehicle;
Visibility estimation means for estimating the visibility of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means;
Display control means for creating a display image of the display according to the visibility of the obstacle estimated by the visibility estimation means;
A vehicle information display device comprising: The vehicle information display device according to claim 1,
The display control means, when the visibility estimating means estimates that the visibility of the obstacle is high, displays the obstacle surrounding arrangement so that it is displayed only around the obstacle so as not to obstruct the visual observation of the obstacle. Create an image, display a virtual image,
When the visibility estimating means estimates that an obstacle is low in visibility, a vehicle for creating a virtual image is created by creating a display image for obstacle superimposition to be displayed superimposed on the position of the obstacle. Information display device. The vehicle information display device according to claim 1 or 2,
The visibility estimation means estimates the level of obstacle visibility in multiple stages,
The display control means creates a display image that combines the display image for obstacle surrounding arrangement and the display image for obstacle superimposition according to the level of brightness estimated by the visibility estimation means with brightness intensity. A vehicle information display device characterized by the above. In the vehicle information display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Provided with distance detection means capable of detecting the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle,
The display control means creates a display image of the distance information detected by the distance detection means when the visibility estimation means estimates that the obstacle visibility is poor, and creates a virtual image of the display image as a driver. An information display device for a vehicle, characterized by being displayed around the obstacle or superimposed on the obstacle.

Images