JP2010228541A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device allowing a driver to recognize change of an irradiation range of a headlight. <P>SOLUTION: The display device 100 for the vehicle includes an interface 26 mounted on the vehicle and acquiring control information of the headlight of which irradiation range is varied by control; a processor 21 and a graphic controller 23 drawing an image 10 having a vehicle image 13 simulating an appearance of the vehicle, and left and right headlight images 15l and 15r showing the irradiation range of the headlight together with the vehicle image 13 and varied in accordance with the control information acquired by the interface 26; and a liquid crystal display 29 for displaying the image 10 acquired by the graphic controller 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device that displays information related to a device mounted on a vehicle by display means.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a vehicle display device that displays the state of a device by displaying the state of various devices mounted on the vehicle together with a vehicle icon imitating the appearance of the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a type of such a display device for a vehicle that displays a headlamp icon indicating lighting of a headlamp together with a vehicle icon when the lighting information of the headlamp is acquired. Yes. According to such a vehicle display device, the driver can easily recognize the lighting of the headlamp.

JP 2001-191816 A

  Nowadays, headlamps whose irradiation range changes due to control according to the vehicle speed, steering operation, and the like when the vehicle is traveling have been spreading. According to such control of the headlamp, the driver can obtain higher drivability in driving at night.

  Here, the irradiation range of the headlamp that is changed by such control is specifically changed to follow the movement of the position of the gazing point by the driver. Therefore, the change of the irradiation range of the headlamp has been difficult to be recognized by the driving driver. Therefore, a request from the driver who wants to know the change of the irradiation range of the headlamp, and a request from the producer who wants to strongly appeal the effect of the headlamp by showing the change of the irradiation range to the driver. Had occurred.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a display device that allows a driver to recognize a change in the irradiation range of a headlamp.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting information acquisition means for acquiring control information of a headlight that is mounted on a vehicle and whose irradiation range is changed by the control, and an external appearance of the vehicle. A display image having a headlight image portion that changes in accordance with control information acquired by the headlight information acquisition means. It is assumed that the display device includes a drawing unit that draws and a display unit that displays a display image acquired from the drawing unit.

  According to the present invention, when the irradiation range of the headlamp mounted on the vehicle is changed by the control, the headlamp image portion indicating the irradiation range of the headlamp is also displayed on the display image displayed by the display unit. It will change according to the control information acquired by the lighting information acquisition means. According to the change in the headlamp image portion indicating the irradiation range of the headlamp together with the vehicle image portion imitating the appearance of the vehicle, the display device can make the driver recognize the change in the irradiation range of the headlamp. It is.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the lighting information acquisition means acquires information on the shake angle of the irradiation direction of the headlamp with respect to the vehicle as control information, and the drawing means displays the vehicle image according to the shake angle on the display image. The position of the headlight image part with respect to the part is changed. According to the present invention, the irradiation range due to the shake in the irradiation direction is obtained by acquiring the shake angle in the irradiation direction of the headlamp as control information and changing the position of the headlight image portion with respect to the vehicle image portion on the display image. Can be notified to the driver. Therefore, the invention according to claim 2 is a display device that acquires control information of a headlamp that causes fluctuations in the irradiation direction, which is particularly difficult to recognize a change in the irradiation range, and displays the change in the irradiation range as a display image. Particularly preferred.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the drawing means changes the position of the headlight image portion with respect to the vehicle image portion in a stepwise manner on the display image in accordance with the shake angle. As described above, it is difficult to recognize the change in the irradiation range due to the fluctuation in the irradiation direction. Therefore, according to the display of the display image in which the position of the headlight image portion with respect to the vehicle image portion is changed stepwise, it is possible to easily inform the driver of the change in the irradiation range due to the shake in the irradiation direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the drawing means enlarges the shake angle on the display image to change the position of the headlamp image portion with respect to the vehicle image portion. According to the present invention, the change in the position of the headlight image portion relative to the vehicle image portion on the display image is exaggerated because the deflection angle in the irradiation direction of the headlamp in an actual vehicle is enlarged. It becomes. According to such an enlargement of the shake angle on the display image, it is possible to notify the driver of changes in the irradiation range due to the shake in the irradiation direction which is difficult to recognize to the driver.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the drawing means changes the hue of the headlamp image portion on the display image according to the control information. According to the present invention, since the hue of the headlamp image portion on the display image changes according to the change by the control of the headlamp illumination range, the driver can change the headlamp illumination range by visually recognizing the display image. It can be recognized intuitively.

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that a display image having a reference headlamp image portion that shows the irradiation range of the headlamp in the reference state together with the vehicle image portion is drawn. According to the present invention, the headlight image portion that changes in accordance with the change in the illumination range of the headlamp and the reference headlamp image portion that indicates the illumination range in the reference state of the headlamp are drawn on the display image. Will be. In this display image, the change in the irradiation range can be clearly shown to the driver by comparing the reference headlight image portion that does not follow the change in the irradiation range of the headlamp and the headlight image portion. Therefore, the display device can make the driver easily recognize the change in the irradiation range of the headlamp.

  In the invention according to claim 7, the lighting information acquisition means further acquires information on the lighting failure of the headlight as control information, and the drawing means has the headlight that has caused the lighting failure on the display image. Drawing of the headlamp image portion corresponding to the lamp is prohibited. According to the present invention, when the headlamp failure occurs, the drawing unit prohibits the drawing of the headlamp image portion indicating the irradiation range of the headlamp. Therefore, the reduction of the irradiation range due to the failure of the lamp is notified to the driver when the headlamp image portion disappears on the display image. Based on the above, the display device can allow the driver to easily recognize the failure of the headlamp.

  In the invention described in claim 8, the lighting information acquisition means further acquires room lamp lighting information related to lighting of the indoor lamp that illuminates the interior of the vehicle, and the drawing means lights the indoor lamp according to the room lamp lighting information. A display image having an interior light image portion showing the image along with the vehicle image portion is drawn. According to the present invention, when the indoor lamp that illuminates the interior of the vehicle is turned on, the indoor lamp image portion indicating the lighting of the indoor lamp is also displayed on the display image according to the indoor lamp lighting information acquired by the lighting information acquisition means. Will be displayed.

  In the invention according to claim 9, the lighting information acquisition means further acquires braking light lighting information relating to lighting of the braking light indicating the braking state of the vehicle, and the drawing means indicates the braking light according to the braking light lighting information. A display image having a brake light image portion showing lighting together with a vehicle image portion is drawn. According to this invention, when the vehicle is in a braking state, the brake light image portion indicating the lighting of the brake light is displayed on the display image according to the brake light lighting information acquired by the lighting information acquisition means. It becomes.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 10, the lighting information acquisition means further acquires direction indicator blinking information relating to blinking of the direction indicator of the vehicle, and the drawing means obtains the direction indicator flashing information according to the direction indicator blinking information. A display image having a direction indicator image portion showing blinking together with a vehicle image portion is drawn. According to this invention, when the direction indicator of the vehicle is blinking, the direction indicator image portion indicating the blinking of the direction indicator is also obtained on the display image by the lighting information acquisition unit. It will be displayed according to the blinking information.

  In these inventions of claims 8 to 10, along with the change in the irradiation range of the headlamp, lighting or blinking of an interior lamp, a brake lamp, or a direction indicator, which is an on-vehicle lighting device other than the headlamp, The driver is informed in an integrated manner by the display image. Thus, by displaying the information indicating the irradiation range of the headlamp in association with information on lighting or blinking of other lighting devices in association with the vehicle image portion, the behavior of visually recognizing the display image of the driver Can be motivated further. Therefore, the display device can make the driver recognize the change of the irradiation range effectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view of a display device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) an image when an AFS device is not operating, (b) an image having a right headlight image 15r, and (c) a left headlight. It is a figure for demonstrating the image which has the image 151, (d) The image which has a brake light image, (e) The image which has a direction indicator image, (f) The image which has a room light image. It is a block diagram which shows the electric circuit structure of the display apparatus for vehicles by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating control of the irradiation direction of the headlamp by an AFS control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the control flow by one Embodiment of this invention. In the control flow according to the embodiment of the present invention, (a) the correlation between the actual swing angle of the right headlight and the swing angle of the right headlight model corresponding to the steering amount, and (b) the actual left headlight. It is a figure which shows the correlation with a deflection angle and the deflection angle of a left headlamp model, respectively.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Fig.1 (a) is a front view of the display apparatus 100 for vehicles by one Embodiment of this invention. The vehicle display device 100 is accommodated in an instrument panel provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle, and is arranged with the front side shown in FIG. The vehicle display device 100 is a display device that functions as a combination meter by displaying an image 10 having images (not shown) such as a speedometer, a tachometer, and a fuel meter on the liquid crystal display 29. .

(Basic configuration)
Hereinafter, the electric circuit configuration of the vehicle display device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, a connection configuration between the vehicle display device 100 and the outside will be described. The vehicle display device 100 is connected to a battery 32, a vehicle-mounted local area network (in-vehicle LAN) 31, and a ground wiring 34 for grounding. The battery 32 is connected to the vehicle display device 100 and supplies power to the vehicle display device 100. Between the battery 32 and the vehicle display device 100, a power supply system that is always conducted and a power supply system via the ignition relay 33b are provided. The in-vehicle LAN 31 is connected to the vehicle display device 100 and supplies information to the vehicle display device 100. The in-vehicle LAN 31 is connected to a skid prevention device 35, a vehicle control device 39, an adaptive front-lighting system (AFS) control device 37 connected to a steering angle sensor 38, a power supply control device 33, and the like.

  The skid prevention device 35 is composed of a microcomputer, and is a device that controls the braking force generated on each wheel in accordance with the operation of the brake pedal by the driver. In addition, when detecting a side slip of the vehicle, the side slip prevention device 35 controls each wheel to generate an appropriate braking force so as to prevent the side slip, and corrects and maintains the traveling direction of the vehicle. The skid prevention device 35 has a rotation angle sensor (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of each wheel as a sensor for control. The skid prevention device 35 calculates the rotational angular velocity of the wheel using the detection results of these rotational angle sensors, and further multiplies the dynamic radius of the wheel to calculate the traveling speed of the vehicle. As described above, the skid prevention device 35 outputs information notifying the generation of the braking force and the vehicle speed value related to the traveling speed on the in-vehicle LAN 31.

  The vehicle control device 39 is composed of a microcomputer, and is a device that integrally controls various devices mounted on the vehicle. For example, the vehicle control device 39 controls lighting, blinking, and extinguishing of on-vehicle lighting devices such as a headlight, a room light, and a direction indicator by an operation by the driver. The vehicle control device 39 then displays headlamp lighting information regarding lighting of the headlamp, room lamp lighting information regarding lighting of the indoor lamp that illuminates the interior of the vehicle, direction indicator blinking information regarding blinking of the direction indicator, and the like. Output above. In addition, the vehicle control device 39 obtains a signal for notifying the generation of the braking force output on the in-vehicle LAN 31 by the skid prevention device 35, and lights a brake light indicating the braking state of the host vehicle to the following vehicle. At this time, the vehicle control device 39 outputs braking lamp lighting information regarding lighting of the braking lamp on the in-vehicle LAN 31.

  The steering angle sensor 38 is a device that detects the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the steering wheel operated by the driver. The steering angle sensor 38 is housed in the steering, and includes a magnet portion that rotates integrally with the steering, and a magnetoresistive element fixed to the vehicle side. A magnetoresistive element is an element that exhibits a resistance value proportional to the density of a passing magnetic flux of the element by receiving the action of a magnetic field from the outside. The steering angle sensor 38 measures the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the magnet unit by applying a voltage to the magnetoresistive element and measuring the resistance value of the element. The steering angle sensor 38, which calculates the rotation direction and rotation angle of the steering based on the resistance value of the magnetoresistive element, outputs the steering rotation angle to the AFS control device 37 as the steering amount.

  The AFS control device 37 is a device that controls the irradiation direction of the headlamps and changes the irradiation range of the headlamps according to the steering operation of the driver and the traveling speed of the vehicle. The AFS control device 37 controls the deflection angle of the headlamp in the irradiation direction with respect to the vehicle based on the steering amount acquired from the steering angle sensor 38 and the vehicle speed value acquired from the in-vehicle LAN 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the AFS control device 37 detects the driver's rightward steering at a traveling speed of, for example, 10 kilometers per hour (km / h) or more, and the maximum value from the reference direction along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. A deflection angle to the left of about 5 degrees is given to the irradiation direction of the left headlamp. In addition, when the AFS control device 37 detects the steering of the driver in the right direction, the AFS control device 37 gives a rightward deflection angle of about 15 degrees from the reference direction along the vehicle front-rear direction to the irradiation direction of the right headlamp. As shown in FIG. 2, the AFS control device 37 outputs information on the ON / OFF state on the in-vehicle LAN 31 as AFS activation information. Note that the left and right deflection angles of the headlamp described above are examples, and may be set as appropriate for each vehicle. In addition, in the specification in which the steering position is installed on the left side of the vehicle, the left and right maximum swing angles are set larger on the left side than on the right side.

  The power supply control device 33 is a device that is composed of a microcomputer and integrally controls the power supplied to each device mounted on the vehicle. The power supply control device 33 is connected to a battery 32 (connection illustration is omitted), an ignition switch 33a, an ignition relay 33b, and the like. The power supply control device 33 that receives supply of power from the battery 32 detects a pressing operation of the ignition switch 33a by the driver, applies a voltage to the ignition relay 33b, and puts the relay 33b in an energized state. Further, the power supply control device 33 outputs information on the ON / OFF state of the ignition of the vehicle on the in-vehicle LAN 31 based on the detected pressing operation of the ignition switch 33a by the driver.

  Next, an electrical configuration in the vehicle display device 100 will be described. The vehicle display device 100 is centered on a processor 21, a random access memory (RAM) 21a, a read only memory (ROM) 21b connected to the processor 21, a graphic controller 23, a multiplex communication interface 25, an internal power supply 27, and A power interface 28 is provided. In addition, the graphic controller 23 is connected to the liquid crystal display 29 and the video RAM 23a.

  The processor 21 is an arithmetic device for executing arithmetic processing of a program, and is connected to a RAM 21 a, a ROM 21 b, and a graphic controller 23 via a bus 22. The RAM 21a is a storage device that temporarily stores information necessary for the arithmetic processing of the processor 21. The ROM 21b is a non-volatile semiconductor memory, and stores programs and the like that are processed by the processor 21 and the graphic controller 23. In addition, the ROM 21b has a specification storage area 21c for storing values set for each vehicle specification at the time of factory shipment.

  The multiplex communication interface 25 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN 31 and receives various information output on the in-vehicle LAN 31. Then, the multiplex communication interface 25 selects and obtains information used by the vehicle display device 100 from the received information. The information acquired by the multiplex communication interface 25 includes, for example, vehicle ignition ON / OFF information, vehicle speed value information, AFS operation information, and each light output by the devices 33, 35, 37, and 39 described above. Information on lighting or blinking of the lamp device is included. Information acquired by the multiplex communication interface 25 is supplied to the processor 21.

  The graphic controller 23 is an arithmetic device for executing arithmetic processing of a program related to image processing, and is a device that draws the image 10 displayed on the liquid crystal display 29. Here, the drawing of the image 10 specifically indicates a calculation process for generating gradation data for each sub-pixel of the liquid crystal display 29. The graphic controller 23 acquires information from the processor 21 and refers to information stored in the ROM 21b. Then, the graphic controller 23 executes arithmetic processing for generating gradation data of the image 10 while temporarily storing information necessary for the arithmetic processing in the video RAM 23a. The gradation data of the image 10 drawn as described above is output from the graphic controller 23 to the liquid crystal display 29.

  The liquid crystal display 29 is a display that displays the image 10 and is a dot matrix type TFT transmissive liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix. Each pixel of the liquid crystal display 29 is composed of three color sub-pixels provided with red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color filters, respectively, and can display the image 10 in color. . The liquid crystal display 29 drives each pixel based on the gradation data acquired from the graphic controller 23. By illuminating each of the driven pixels with a backlight arranged on the back side in the display direction, the liquid crystal display 29 can realize the display of the image 10.

  The power interface 28 is supplied with power from the battery 32 when the ignition switch 33a is energized. The power supply interface 28 supplies power to each component constituting the vehicle display device 100 such as the processor 21. Specifically, the power supply interface 28 performs a process such as transformation or smoothing on the supplied power, and generates power suitable for the operation of each component. The internal power supply 27 is always supplied with power from the battery 32. The internal power supply 27 is a configuration for supplying electric power necessary for displaying a warning displayed even when the ignition state of the vehicle is OFF.

(Characteristic part)
Hereinafter, the characteristic part of the display apparatus 100 for vehicles by one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  First, a characteristic electric configuration of the vehicle display device 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  The vehicle display device 100 has an interface 26. The vehicle display device 100 is electrically connected to the steering angle sensor 38 via the interface 26, and acquires the steering amount of the steering as control information related to the deflection angle of the irradiation direction of the headlamp from the steering angle sensor 38. . In addition, the vehicle display device 100 acquires the vehicle speed value output on the in-vehicle LAN 31 by the skid prevention device 35.

  In the vehicle display device 100 described above, the control flow realized by the processor 21 executing the program stored in the ROM 21b and the image 10 realized by this control flow are shown in FIG. 4 and FIGS. (F), FIG. 2, FIG. 5 demonstrates in detail.

  First, when control is started in step S100, it is determined whether or not the processor 21 is activated in step S101. In step S101, when it is confirmed that the processor 21 is activated by the power supplied by the internal power supply 27 or the power supply interface 28, the control flow proceeds to step S102. If the processor 21 is not activated in step S101, the control flow proceeds to step S122 and ends. In step S102, the graphic controller 23 refers to the background data stored in the ROM 21b and lays out the background data in a virtual three-dimensional space in the video RAM 23a. In step S103, the layout of the three-dimensional vehicle model is executed.

  In step S104, the processor 21 acquires the headlamp lighting information and determines whether the headlamp is lit. When it is determined in step S104 that the headlamp is turned off, the control flow proceeds to step S112. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the headlamp is lit, in step S105, the graphic controller 23 lays out the reference light source model of the left and right headlamps at a position corresponding to the headlamp of the vehicle model. The light direction of the reference light source model is defined as a reference direction along the front-rear direction of the vehicle model.

  According to the background data, the vehicle model, and the reference light source model laid out by the control flow up to step S105, the image 10 having the vehicle image 13 and the reference headlight image 15 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 29 (FIG. 1 (a)). The vehicle image 13 is an image simulating the appearance of a vehicle on which the vehicle display device 100 is mounted, and is an image in which the vehicle is drawn from the upper rear side. The reference headlamp image 15 is an image that is displayed when the headlamp mounted on the vehicle is turned on, and is an image that schematically shows the irradiation range of the headlamp in the reference state together with the vehicle image 13. Furthermore, when the headlight that has been turned on by the driver has a lighting failure, the processor 21 cannot acquire headlight lighting information. Therefore, the drawing of the reference headlamp image 15 on the image 10 displayed on the liquid crystal display 29 is prohibited.

  In step S106, the processor 21 determines whether or not the AFS control device 37 is activated based on the AFS activation information and the vehicle speed value. If it is determined in step S106 that the AFS control device 37 is not operating, the control flow proceeds to step S112. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S106 that the AFS control device 37 is operating, determination of the steering direction of the steering is executed in step S107.

  If it is determined in step S107 that the steering direction of the steering is rightward, in step S108, the light direction of the right headlight light source model corresponding to the steering amount of the steering is defined. In addition, the light source color is defined so that the saturation of the light source model increases according to the steering amount. In step S109, the light source model of the prescribed light direction and light source color is laid out at a position corresponding to the right headlamp of the vehicle model, and the control flow proceeds to step S112. According to the right headlight light source model laid out in this step S109, the irradiation range of the right headlamp is schematically shown together with the vehicle image 13, and has the right headlight image 15r whose position with respect to the vehicle image 13 changes according to the steering amount. The image 10 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 29 (see FIG. 1B).

  If it is determined in step S107 that the steering direction of the steering is leftward, in step S110, the light direction of the left headlight light source model corresponding to the steering amount of the steering is defined. In addition, the light source color is defined so that the saturation of the light source model increases according to the steering amount. In step S111, the light source model of the prescribed light direction and light source color is laid out at a position corresponding to the left headlamp of the vehicle model, and the control flow proceeds to step S112. According to the left headlamp light source model laid out in step S111, the irradiation range of the left headlamp is schematically shown together with the vehicle image 13, and has the left headlamp image 15l whose position with respect to the vehicle image 13 changes according to the steering amount. The image 10 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 29 (see FIG. 1C).

  Here, the angle between the front-rear direction of the vehicle model defined by step S109 and step S111 in this embodiment and the light beam direction of the right headlight light source model and the left headlight light source model is stepped according to an increase in the steering amount. (See FIGS. 5A and 5B). In addition, the deflection angle (for example, right side: 0 to 15 degrees, left side: 0 to 5 degrees) of the headlight with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle is expanded, and the front-rear direction of these vehicle models and each headlight light source model The angle between the light beam direction (for example, right side: 0 to 30 degrees, left side: 0 to 20 degrees) is set. According to the above, the positions of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r with respect to the vehicle image 13 change stepwise by expanding the swing angle of the headlamp. In addition, the hues of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r in the image 10 change as the headlight deflection angle increases.

  In step S112, the processor 21 determines whether or not the brake lamp is lit based on the brake lamp lighting information output on the in-vehicle LAN 31 by the vehicle control device 39. If it is determined in step S112 that the brake lamp is turned off, the control flow proceeds to step S114. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S112 that the brake light is lit, the layout of the brake light source model having a red light source color at a position corresponding to the brake light of the vehicle model is executed in step S113. According to the brake light source model laid out in step S113, the image 10 having the brake light image 16 indicating the lighting of the brake light together with the vehicle image 13 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 29 (FIG. 1D). reference).

  In step S114, the processor 21 determines whether or not the direction indicator blinks based on the direction indicator blinking information output on the in-vehicle LAN 31 by the vehicle control device 39. If it is determined in step S114 that both the left and right direction indicators are off, the control flow proceeds to step S118. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S114 that any of the direction indicators is blinking, it is determined in step S115 whether the blinking direction indicator is on the left or right. If it is determined in step S115 that the right direction indicator is blinking, a blinking light source model blinking in orange light source color is laid out at the position of the vehicle model corresponding to the right direction indicator in step S116. . On the other hand, if it is determined in step S115 that the left turn indicator is blinking, a blinking light source model blinking in orange light source color is laid out at the position of the vehicle model corresponding to the left turn indicator in step S117. Is done. According to the blinking light source model laid out in step S116 or step S117, the image 10 having the direction indicator image 17 indicating the blinking of the direction indicator together with the vehicle image 13 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 29 (FIG. 1 (e)).

  In step S <b> 118, the processor 21 determines whether or not the interior lamp is lit based on the interior lamp lighting information output on the in-vehicle LAN 31 by the vehicle control device 39. If it is determined in step S118 that the room light is turned off, the control flow proceeds to step S120. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S118 that the interior lamp is lit, a layout of the interior lamp light source model that irradiates the interior of the vehicle model in step S119 is executed. According to the room light source model laid out in this step S119, the image 10 having the room light image 18 showing the lighting of the room light together with the vehicle image 13 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 29 (FIG. 1 (f)). reference).

  In step S120, the graphic controller 23 executes a process of rendering the image 10 by rendering a virtual three-dimensional space. In step S <b> 121, the gradation data of the image 10 drawn by the graphic controller 23 is output to the liquid crystal display 29. Then, upon completion of step S121, the control flow returns to step S101 again, and the above-described control is repeated. When the processor 21 stops in step S101, the present control flow moves to step S122 and ends.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, when the headlamp illumination range changes according to the steering amount, the left and right headlamp images 15l and 15r showing the headlamp illumination range also on the image 10. Is changed according to the steering amount of the steering. Therefore, the vehicle display device 100 can make the driver recognize the change in the irradiation range of the headlamp.

  In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, a device is devised to easily notify the driver of changes in the irradiation range due to fluctuations in the irradiation direction that are difficult to recognize. Specifically, in the image 10, the positions of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r with respect to the vehicle image 13 change stepwise according to the shake angle. Further, the change in the position of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r is exaggerated because the swing angle in the irradiation direction of the headlight in an actual vehicle is enlarged. Further, when the hues of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r on the image 10 change as the headlight swing angle increases, the change in the irradiation range of the headlight can be notified intuitively. Can do. According to the above display change, it is possible to easily notify the driver of the change in the irradiation range due to the fluctuation in the irradiation direction of the headlamp. Therefore, the present invention is particularly suitable as a vehicle display device 100 that displays a change in the irradiation range with the image 10 for a headlamp that causes a fluctuation in the irradiation direction, in which it is particularly difficult to recognize the change in the irradiation range. It can be remarkably exhibited.

  Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r that change according to the change of the illumination range of the headlamp on the image 10, and the reference headlamp that indicates the illumination range in the reference state of the headlamp. Both the image 15 and the image 15 are displayed. According to the comparison between the reference headlight image 15 that does not follow the change in the illumination range of the headlamp and the left and right headlamp images 15l and 15r, the vehicle display device 100 knows the change in the illumination range to the driver. It can be clearly stated.

  In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, when a failure occurs in the headlamp, such as a filament breakage, the reference headlamp image 15 and the left and right headlamp images 15l and 15r are drawn on the image 10. The steps of the control flow required to do this are skipped. By prohibiting the drawing of each of these headlight images 15, 15 l, 15 r, the reduction of the irradiation range due to the headlamp failure of the headlamp causes the reference headlight image 15 and The driver is notified when the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r disappear.

  In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, a brake light image 16 indicating lighting of the brake light, a direction indicator image 17 indicating blinking of the direction indicator, and an indoor light image 18 indicating lighting of the indoor light are displayed on the image 10. Will be displayed in association with the vehicle image 13. By using these images 16, 17, and 18 to motivate the driver to visually recognize the image 10, the driver can be effectively made aware of changes in the irradiation range.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the multiplex communication interface 25 and the interface 26 are in the “lighting information acquisition unit” described in the claims, and the processor 21 and the graphic controller 23 are in the “drawing unit” in the claims. The liquid crystal display 29 is displayed in the “display means” described in the claims, the image 10 is displayed in the “display image” described in the claims, and the vehicle image 13 is displayed in the “vehicle image section” described in the claims. 15l and 15r are described in the “headlight image portion” in the claims, the reference headlight image 15 is in the “reference headlight image portion” in the claims, and the room light image 18 is in the claims. In the “room light image portion”, the brake light image 16 corresponds to the “brake light image portion” described in the claims, and the direction indicator image 17 corresponds to the “direction indicator image portion” described in the claims.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although one embodiment by the present invention was described, the present invention is not interpreted limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments within the range which does not deviate from the gist.

  In the above embodiment, the vehicle model and each light source model are laid out in the virtual three-dimensional space in the video RAM 23a, and the gradation data of the image 10 is generated by rendering these models. However, the generation process is not limited as long as the image 10 having the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r whose positions change according to the change in the vehicle image 13 and the irradiation range of the headlamps can be drawn. For example, even the vehicle display device 100 that draws the image 10 by sequentially superimposing two-dimensional and two-dimensional image data such as the background image, the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r, and the vehicle image 13 in the video RAM 23a. Good. Alternatively, the vehicle in which the two-dimensional image data is once generated by rendering the vehicle model and a part of the light source model and then the image 10 is drawn by further superimposing the two-dimensional image data such as the room light image 18, for example. Display device 100 may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the vehicle is used in combination with the AFS control device 37 that changes the irradiation range by giving a swing angle in the irradiation direction of the headlamp, and notifies the driver of the change of the irradiation range according to the swing angle. The display device 100 has been described as an example. However, for example, an auxiliary headlamp is lit by the operation of a direction indicator, and combined with a device that expands the irradiation range of the headlamp, a vehicle display device that notifies the driver of the expansion of the irradiation range by an image. There may be. In addition to the change or switching of the illumination range linked to the driver's operation as described above, a change in the headlight irradiation direction due to the driver's direct operation, the so-called headlamp The vehicle display device may notify the driver of Hi / Low switching by changing the position of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r with respect to the vehicle image 13.

  In the above embodiment, the vehicle display device 100 acquires the steering amount detected by the steering angle sensor 38 as the control information of the headlamps by the interface 26. However, the display device 100 for vehicles which acquires the steering amount of the steering acquired by the AFS control apparatus 37 via in-vehicle LAN31 and the multiplex communication interface 25 may be sufficient. Further, the vehicle display device 100 that acquires information other than the steering amount of the steering, for example, the actual headlight deflection angle, from the AFS control device 37 may be used as the headlight control information.

  In the above-described embodiment, as a lighting device other than the headlamp, an image having a room light image 18, a direction indicator image 17, and a brake light image 16 indicating lighting or blinking of a room light, a brake light, and a direction indicator. 10 has been described as an example. However, a lighting device other than these, for example, a vehicular display device that displays lighting images indicating lighting of front and rear fog lights, vehicle width lights, reverse lights, and the like may be used. Or the display apparatus for vehicles which does not display the lighting image regarding lighting apparatuses other than these headlamps may be sufficient.

  In the above embodiment, the positions of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r are changed stepwise in order to inform the driver of changes in the irradiation range due to fluctuations in the irradiation direction that are difficult to recognize. In addition, the position of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r is changed by increasing the shake angle in the irradiation direction of the headlamp in an actual vehicle, or the hue of the left and right headlight images 15l and 15r is increased as the shake angle increases. I was devised to change. However, if the change of the irradiation range can be notified to the driver, the exaggeration on the display may be omitted. Moreover, the display apparatus for vehicles which displays the image by which the reference | standard headlamp image 15 which shows the irradiation range in the reference | standard state of a headlamp was abbreviate | omitted may be sufficient.

  In the above embodiment, when a headlamp failure occurs, drawing of a headlamp image corresponding to the headlamp is prohibited. However, it may be a vehicle display device that always displays an image having a headlamp image regardless of the malfunction of the headlamp.

  In the above implementation means, the liquid crystal display 29 has been described as an example of “display means” for displaying an image. However, the “display means” is not limited to the liquid crystal display 29. For example, a “display unit” using a liquid crystal panel other than a transmissive TFT, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), or electroluminescence (EL) may be used. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a so-called Head-up Display (HUD) device that displays a virtual image on a windshield of a vehicle, for example, in addition to a vehicle display device that functions as a combination meter.

10 images (display images), 13 vehicle images (vehicle image portions), 15 reference headlight images (reference headlight image portions), 15l left headlight images (headlight image portions), 15r right headlight images ( Headlight image portion), 16 brake light image (brake light image portion), 17 direction indicator image (direction indicator image portion), 18 indoor light image (interior light image portion), 21 processor (drawing means), 21c Specification storage area section, 22 bus, 23 graphic controller (drawing means), 23a video RAM, 25 multiplex communication interface (lighting information acquisition means), 26 interface (lighting information acquisition means), 27 internal power supply, 28 power supply interface , 29 Liquid crystal display (display means), 31 In-vehicle LAN, 32 Battery, 33 Power supply control device, 33a Ignition switch, 3b ignition relay 34 ground wiring, 35 anti-skid device, 37 AFS controller, 38 a steering angle sensor, 39 vehicle controller, display device 100 vehicle (display device)

Claims (10)

A lamp information acquisition means mounted on a vehicle for acquiring control information of a headlamp whose irradiation range is changed by control;
A vehicle image part simulating the appearance of the vehicle, and a headlamp image part showing the irradiation range of the headlamp together with the vehicle image part, according to the control information acquired by the lamp information acquisition means Drawing means for drawing a display image having a headlight image portion that changes;
Display means for displaying a display image acquired from the drawing means. The headlamp information acquisition means acquires information on a swing angle in the irradiation direction of the headlamp with respect to the vehicle as the control information,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the drawing unit changes a position of the headlamp image unit with respect to the vehicle image unit on the display image according to the shake angle.   The display device according to claim 2, wherein the drawing unit changes the position of the headlamp image unit with respect to the vehicle image unit in a stepwise manner on the display image according to the shake angle.   4. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the drawing unit enlarges the shake angle on the display image to change the position of the headlight image unit with respect to the vehicle image unit. 5.   The display device according to claim 1, wherein the drawing unit changes a hue of the headlight image portion on the display image according to the control information.   The said drawing means draws the said display image which has the reference | standard headlamp image part which shows the said irradiation range in the reference | standard state of the said headlamp with the said vehicle image part, The any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. A display device according to claim 1. The lighting information acquisition means further acquires, as the control information, information related to the lighting failure of the headlamp,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the drawing unit prohibits drawing of the headlamp image portion corresponding to the headlamp in which the lamp failure has occurred on the display image. . The lighting information acquisition means further acquires room lamp lighting information related to lighting of a room lamp that illuminates the interior of the vehicle,
8. The display according to claim 1, wherein the drawing unit draws the display image having an interior light image portion that indicates lighting of the interior light together with the vehicle image portion in accordance with the interior light lighting information. apparatus. The lighting information acquisition means further acquires braking light lighting information related to lighting of a braking light indicating a braking state of the vehicle,
9. The display according to claim 1, wherein the drawing unit draws the display image having a brake light image portion that indicates lighting of the brake light together with the vehicle image portion in accordance with the brake light lighting information. apparatus. The lighting information acquisition means further acquires direction indicator blinking information relating to blinking of the vehicle direction indicator,
The said drawing means draws the said display image which has a direction indicator image part which shows blinking of the said direction indicator with the said vehicle image part according to the said direction indicator blink information. The display device described.

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