JP2012006469A - Vehicular display device and display method of vehicular display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular display device capable of properly navigating-displaying index information such as a sign existing in a distant view.SOLUTION: This vehicular display device includes: a database for storing information on an index existing on a travel passage of a vehicle; an index mark of imitating the index appearing in visibility of the vehicle based on the information on the index; an image information generating part for generating image information including guide information indicated by the index; a head-up display for projecting and displaying the image information generated by the image information generating part on a windshield of the vehicle; and a control part for controlling the image information generating part in response to position information on the vehicle, displaying an index mark in a visibility position of making the index appear when a distance between the vehicle and the index approaches a preset distance and controlling so as to display the guide information on the index in a height position lower than a reference line of sight of a driver.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle display device that displays navigation information and the like for driving assistance in a front visual field region of a vehicle driver, and a display method for a vehicle display.

  Conventionally, there are navigation devices that support driving to a destination, and map information from a starting point or a current location to a destination, information on the current position of a vehicle, and the like are displayed on a display such as a liquid crystal panel provided in the vehicle. ing. In recent years, there is also a device that improves the driver's visibility by providing a head-up display (hereinafter referred to as HUD) that displays vehicle information such as navigation information and travel speed on the windshield of the vehicle.

  In the vehicle display device provided with the HUD, since navigation information and vehicle information are displayed on the windshield, the displayed information and the actual scene may overlap, which may hinder driving. For this reason, navigation information is normally displayed at a low position on the windshield, that is, at a position lower than the position of the line of sight when the driver looks forward, so as not to hinder driving. By the way, in the display apparatus for vehicles provided with the conventional HUD, when confirming information such as a distant sign, navigation information may not be displayed properly, and the sign may be overlooked or delayed. .

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle display device provided with a HUD, which displays a first image (such as a map image in the vicinity) below a driving field of view and a second above the driving field of view. An example of displaying an image (an enlarged image of a guide sign) is described. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle driving assistance device having a HUD, and a reference frame is provided at a position corresponding to the preceding vehicle of the HUD in order to indicate the degree of approach between the host vehicle and the front obstacle. An example of display is described.

  However, in the example of Patent Document 1, since a sign or the like is displayed with a sense of presence in the peripheral vision area (upper) of the HUD, the driver continuously watches the peripheral vision area. Anxiety remains. In addition, since it is difficult to identify which sign the magnified image displayed in the peripheral vision area (above) is, it seems that a plurality of information is provided for the driver's sense. Further, in the example of Patent Document 2, it is possible to mark the vehicle ahead and intuitively call attention, but there may be a delay in confirming a distant sign or the like. In particular, when the vehicle speed is high, such as on an expressway, a sign is overlooked or delayed.

JP 2006-1377 A JP 2007-153307 A

  In a display device for a vehicle equipped with a conventional HUD, when confirming information such as a distant sign, navigation information is not properly displayed, so the sign may be overlooked or delayed. Further, when a magnified image such as a sign is displayed in the peripheral vision region (upward) of the HUD as in Patent Document 1, the visual field is obstructed and it is difficult to identify which sign the magnified image belongs to. In Patent Document 2, there may be a delay in confirming a distant sign or the like.

  In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle display device and a display method for a vehicle display that can appropriately display information such as a sign in a distant view.

  A display device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a database storing information on an index existing on a travel route of the vehicle, and an index mark imitating an index appearing in the field of view of the vehicle based on the information on the index An image information generation unit that generates image information including guidance information indicated by the index, a head-up display that projects and displays the image information generated by the image information generation unit on a windshield of the vehicle, and the vehicle The image information generating unit is controlled in accordance with the position information of the vehicle, and when the distance between the vehicle and the index approaches a preset distance, the index mark is displayed at a visual field position where the index appears, and driving And a control unit that controls to display the guide information of the index at a height position lower than the person's reference line of sight.

  The display method for a vehicle display according to the embodiment of the present invention stores information on an index existing on a travel route of a vehicle in a database, and simulates an index appearing in the field of view of the vehicle based on the information on the index. And image information including guidance information indicated by the indicator is generated, the generated image information is projected and displayed on the windshield of the vehicle by a head-up display, and a distance between the vehicle and the indicator is set in advance. The index mark is displayed at a visual field position where the index appears when the distance approaches, and the guide information of the index is controlled to be displayed at a height position lower than the reference line of sight of the driver. And

  According to the vehicle display device of the present invention, index information can be accurately grasped, and oversight and confirmation mistakes can be reduced. Moreover, since the index mark is displayed in the same shape (color of the same system) as the actual index, it is possible to identify which index the guidance information displayed in the navigation area belongs to.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle display device according to an embodiment. The lineblock diagram showing HUD (head up display) in the embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the display position of the display information in the embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the front visual field during driving | running | working on a road. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of marker information. The flowchart which shows the display operation | movement of a sign mark and guidance information. Explanatory drawing explaining the display process of a marker mark. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the calculation formula which calculates | requires the width | variety of the height direction of a marker mark. Explanatory drawing which shows the distance from the own vehicle position to a sign, and the vertical position of a sign. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the calculation formula which calculates | requires the horizontal width | variety of a display mark. Explanatory drawing which shows the distance from the own vehicle position to a sign, and the horizontal position of a sign.

  Hereinafter, a display device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle display device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the vehicle display device 10 includes a system control unit 11, a vehicle information acquisition unit 12, a navigation information generation unit 13, and an antenna 14. The vehicle information acquisition unit 12 and the navigation information generation unit 13 are included in the system control unit 11. It is connected. Further, an operation unit 15, an image information generation unit 16, and a control signal generation unit 17 are connected to the system control unit 11.

  The system control unit 11 controls the operation of the vehicle display device 10 and is a computer system including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The vehicle information acquisition unit 12 is based on information from a vehicle speed sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like that detects the vehicle speed or inclination of the host vehicle, and the vehicle speed information, acceleration information, and the direction of travel accompanying steering of the steering wheel (forward / back). , Right / left turn) information, brake information, etc. Further, information such as the travel time and travel distance after starting the engine is acquired and input to the system control unit 11.

  The navigation information generation unit 13 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like via an in-vehicle LAN, and includes a GPS reception unit that detects the current position of the host vehicle. The GPS receiver is connected to the antenna 14, receives a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite by the antenna 14, and acquires current position information of the vehicle based on the received signal.

  The navigation information generation unit 13 includes a database 131. The database 131 stores map information, road vehicle width information, road inclination information, travel lane width and number information, road sign information and building information on the vehicle travel route, and the like. ing. The navigation information generation unit 13 generates navigation information for guiding a route to the destination (for example, information obtained by superimposing the current position of the vehicle on a two-dimensional map for route guidance).

  The operation unit 15 detects an input from an operation button (not shown) provided on the vehicle, and gives an on / off instruction for navigation display, information on a departure place and a destination, and the like by a driver's operation. input. The operation unit 15 may be a touch panel type that touches the display.

  The image information generation unit 16 generates image information based on information from the vehicle information acquisition unit 12 and the navigation information generation unit 13, and supplies the image information to the display device 20 (FIG. 2). The control signal generation unit 17 generates a position control signal for switching the display position of image information displayed on the display unit 30 (described later) as necessary, and supplies the position control signal to the display device 20.

  Moreover, you may provide an obstruction detection part in the display apparatus 10 for vehicles. The obstacle detection unit, for example, mounts a plurality of cameras on the vehicle, captures images around the vehicle, analyzes the captured images, identifies obstacles (such as animals) on the road, and In some cases, the driver is notified. Alternatively, if there is a vehicle that approaches rapidly from the rear, it is notified that there is an obstacle. As a method for detecting an obstacle, a method for detecting an obstacle around the vehicle by attaching a plurality of ultrasonic sensors or radar to the vehicle may be used in addition to a method for photographing the surroundings with a camera.

  Next, the configuration of the display device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, an example in which a head-up display (HUD) is used as the display device 20 will be described. The HUD is a projector disposed at a position corresponding to the driver's seat on the dashboard of the vehicle, for example, and projects an image on the windshield in front of the driver's seat.

  In FIG. 2, the HUD 20 includes a light flux generation unit 21, an irradiation lens 22, and an optical lens 23 that controls the irradiation range. The irradiation lens 22 and the optical lens 23 constitute an optical box 24, and the focus and magnification can be controlled. Furthermore, a mirror 25 for controlling the irradiation position, a lens 26 for enlarging the image, and a drive unit 27 for controlling the angle of the mirror 25 are included.

  The light beam generation unit 21 is supplied with the image information from the image information generation unit 16, and the light beam generation unit 21 outputs a light beam for displaying the image information. The light beam is irradiated onto the mirror 25 via the irradiation lens 22 and the optical lens 23. The light beam reflected by the mirror 25 is magnified by the magnifying lens 26 and projected onto the windshield FG (display unit 30) of the vehicle. The optical box 24, the mirror 25, and the magnifying lens 26 constitute a projection optical system.

  The display range of the projected image can be controlled by the optical lens 22, and the irradiation position can be controlled by adjusting the angle of the mirror 25. The drive unit 27 is driven by the position control signal from the control signal generation unit 17 and adjusts the angle of the mirror 25 to change the display position of the display information.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the display position of the display information. The display unit 30 is substituted by the windshield FG in front of the driver's seat, and projects the image information from the HUD 20 onto the area 301 of the windshield FG in front of the driver's seat. A display unit 31 such as an LCD display can be arranged at the center of the dashboard of the vehicle, and various information can be displayed on the display unit 31.

  In the present embodiment, the display area 301 (navigation area) is positioned at a position below the windshield FG, that is, a position below the driver's reference line of sight (view) so that a real scene can be watched preferentially during driving. ) Is set. Image information to be projected and displayed includes map information, vehicle information, obstacle information, index information, and the like. The present embodiment has a feature in the display method of the index information. Hereinafter, a display example of the index information will be described. The indicator includes a sign for guiding the driver, a signboard for guidance, and the like. In the following description, a case where information on the sign is displayed will be described.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a front view when traveling on a highway, for example. The area most watched by the driver in the front visual field is the front central area 300. In the present embodiment, a peripheral area 302 surrounding the central area 300 and a display area 301 (navigation area) for displaying image information are set. If there is a sign B ahead, a sign mark (index mark) is set in the peripheral area 302. The guide information of the sign is displayed in the navigation area 301.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the sign information. In FIG. 4, when a sign B (signboard) related to route guidance approaches a position where it can be seen in a distant view, a sign mark B1 imitating the sign B is displayed in the peripheral area 302, and a sign is displayed in the navigation area 301, as shown in FIG. B guide information B2 is enlarged and displayed.

  In other words, the sign information (the sign mark B1 and the guide information B2) is displayed superimposed on the foreground by the HUD 20, but when there is a sign in the distant view, the sign on the field of view is small, so the area around the HUD is targeted. The sign B1 of the sign B (signboard) is displayed. In the navigation area 301, guide information B2 converted into an appropriate format based on the sign information acquired from the database 131 is displayed. The guidance information B2 is information indicating, for example, the name of the place (place name), the direction (arrow), the distance, the exit from the main road, the service area, and the like.

  Therefore, the driver can visually recognize that there is a sign in the distant view with the sign mark B1, and can read the guidance information B2 written on the sign to confirm the direction in which the vehicle should travel. Since the guidance information B2 is stored in the database 131 of the navigation information generation unit 13, the current position of the host vehicle can be detected by the GPS reception unit, and the traveling speed can be known from the information from the vehicle information acquisition unit 12, A sign mark B1 is displayed at a position where the sign B appears when the host vehicle approaches a distance set in advance on the sign. Also, the guide information B2 obtained by converting the format of the sign information is displayed.

  Since the height of the sign B and the amount of protrusion to the road side are stored in the database 131, the display position of the sign mark B1 is corrected according to the actual position of the sign B. The mark B1 is displayed in the same shape and the same color as the actual shape of the mark B. The position where the sign B appears (height position, width position) varies depending on the position of the traveling lane of the host vehicle and also varies depending on the height of the host vehicle. Since the vehicle height is known in advance, the display position of the mark mark B1 can be corrected according to the traveling of the host vehicle.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the display operation of the mark mark B1 and the guidance information B2 performed under the control of the system control unit 11. Step S0 in FIG. 6 is a start step, and in step S1, it is determined whether or not the information of the next appearing sign is included in the data of the database 131. It is determined whether or not the next appearing sign is in a position to enter the field of view. If the determination in steps S1 and S2 is NO, the process returns.

  In step S2, the distance to the next sign that appears next is calculated from the traveling position and traveling speed of the host vehicle. If the distance approaches the field of view, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, outline information of the sign B is collected. In other words, highway signs are generally rectangular, but depending on the type and amount of guidance information (for example, when only exits are displayed or when multiple directions and directions are displayed), the width and height of the signs Because the length varies and the width and height of the sign changes depending on the type of service area (with or without gas station or restaurant), the sign outline information is collected from the sign image content and image elements. To do. Also, the color information of the sign B is acquired.

  In step S4, an image of the marker mark B1 is created based on the outer shape information of the marker B acquired in the step. The color of the mark B1 may be a color that approximates the actual mark B. In step S5, an appropriate display position of the peripheral region 302 on the HUD 20 is calculated from the relative relationship between the position / size of the sign B and the vehicle position, and the sign mark B1 is displayed at the sign position in step S6. In step S7, the guide information B2 of the sign B is displayed in the navigation area 301 on the HUD 20 (FIG. 5).

  In step S8, the amount of change in the relative position between the vehicle position and the sign position is calculated, and when the change amount is equal to or greater than a preset value, the process returns to step S5 to correct the display position of the sign mark B1. Hereinafter, each time a new sign appears, steps S1 to S8 are repeated. Also, the sign mark B1 changes in display position and size in accordance with the change in the relative position of the vehicle and the sign (that is, the progress of the own vehicle), and to the distance at which the actual sign B guidance information can be sufficiently confirmed on the own vehicle. When approaching, the mark B1 and the guidance information B2 are deleted. The distance at which the guidance information can be sufficiently confirmed may be set in advance, or may be set by the driver operating the operation unit 15, and at least the sign mark B1 before the vehicle passes the sign position. The display of the guidance information B2 is terminated.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the display process of the mark B1 in step S5. FIG. 7A shows the foreground as seen from the driver when the sign B approaches the distance that the field of view enters when viewing on a highway, for example. The display center of the guidance information B2 is indicated by a point P1. The sign B shows the case where the vertical width is RV1 and the horizontal width is RH1. At this time, the lower end of the sign B is located at the height RV0 from the point P1, and the left end of the sign B is the width in the horizontal direction. It is in a position protruding by RH0.

  On the other hand, FIG. 7B shows the display position of the mark mark B1 of the image generated by the image information generation unit 17. As shown in FIG. 7B, if the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the image generated by the image information generation unit 17 is Nh and the number of pixels in the vertical direction is Nv, the mark mark B1 has a horizontal width Rh1. And a pixel having a vertical width Rv1. Rh1 and Rv1 are proportional to RH1 and RV1 in (a).

  In FIG. 7B, when the display center of the guidance information B2 is the point P1, the height from the road surface to P1 is represented by Rb0, and the height from P1 to the lower end of the mark mark B1 is represented by Rv0. . The width from the left end of the image area to the left end of the sign mark B1 is represented by Rh0, the width from the right end of the image area to the right end of the sign mark B1 is represented by Rh2, and the width of the sign mark B1 from the upper end of the image area. The width to the upper end is represented by Rv2.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calculation formula for obtaining the widths Rb0, Rv0, Rv1, and Rv2 in the height direction of FIG. 7B, and FIG. 9 illustrates the sign B (point B) from the vehicle position (point O). It is a figure which shows the distance to the position of P1, and the perpendicular | vertical (height) position of the marker B. Note that the viewpoint position of the driver is indicated by a point O ′. The vertical width of the sign B is v1.

  In FIG. 9, the points set on the vertical line of the sign B are P3, P1, P0, and P2, respectively, the height from the point P3 to the sign B is v2, and the height between the sign B and the point P0 is v0, The height between the points P0 and P2 is b0. If the distance between the point O and the point P0 (= the distance between the point O ′ and the point P1) is OP, and the distance between the point O and the point R is OR, the width Rb0 in the height direction in FIG. Rv0, Rv1, and Rv2 can be obtained by the calculation formula of FIG.

  As shown in the remarks column of FIG. 8, the point O can be obtained from the vehicle position information from the navigation information generation unit 13, and the point P1 and the vertical width v1 of the sign B and the height v0 from P0 are as follows. It can be obtained from the marker position information in the database 131. Therefore, the height position and size of the mark mark B1 on the image can be determined based on the calculation formula of FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a calculation formula for obtaining horizontal widths Rho, Rh1, and Rh2 in FIG. 7B. FIG. 11 shows a sign B (point P1) from the vehicle position (point O ′). It is a figure which shows the distance to (position) and the horizontal position of the label | marker B. FIG. Note that the viewpoint position of the driver is indicated by a point O ′. The width of the sign B in the horizontal direction is h1.

  In FIG. 11, points set on the horizontal line of the sign B are denoted as L, P, P1, and R, respectively. Point P indicates the center position of the marker B. Further, the horizontal distance from the point L to the sign B is h0, and the horizontal distance between the sign B and the point R is h2. When the distance between the point O ′ and the point P1 is OP, Rh0, Rh1, and Rh2 in FIG. 7B can be obtained by the calculation formula shown in FIG.

  As shown in the remarks column of FIG. 10, the point O ′ can be obtained from the vehicle position information from the navigation information generation unit 13, and the lateral width h1 of the sign B can be obtained from the sign position information in the database 131. it can. Therefore, the horizontal position and size of the marker mark B1 on the image can be determined based on the calculation formula shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the sign B is seen in a distant view, the sign mark B1 is displayed at a position where the sign B can be seen, and the sign guide information B2 is enlarged and displayed in the navigation area 301. Therefore, the sign information can be accurately grasped, and oversight and confirmation mistakes can be reduced.

  In addition, since the mark mark B1 is displayed in the same shape (color of the same system) as the actual sign, it is possible to identify which sign the guide information B2 displayed in the navigation area 301 is. In addition, the mark B1 can be displayed in the peripheral area so as not to obstruct the driver's view and to minimize the actual view.

  The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, an example of displaying sign information as an indicator has been described. However, in addition to signs, information such as signs around the destination (information indicating city halls, stations, police stations, libraries, etc.) can be applied. it can. Moreover, since displaying information on all signs becomes troublesome in urban areas, it may be limited to signs at intersections of main roads, signs on highways, and the like. Modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Display apparatus 11 for vehicles ... System control part 12 ... Vehicle information acquisition part 13 ... Navigation information generation part 131 ... Database 14 ... Antenna 15 ... Operation part 16 ... Image information generation part 17 ... Control signal generation part 20 ... Display apparatus ( Head-up display)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Light beam generation part 22 ... Irradiation lens 23 ... Optical lens 24 ... Optical box 25 ... Mirror 26 ... Magnifying lens 27 ... Drive part 30 ... Display part 301 ... Display area (navigation area)
302 ... Peripheral area

Claims (6)

A database that stores information on indicators that exist on the vehicle's travel route;
An index mark that imitates an index that appears in the field of view of the vehicle based on the information of the index, and an image information generation unit that generates image information including guidance information indicated by the index;
A head-up display that projects and displays the image information generated by the image information generation unit on a windshield of the vehicle;
The image information generation unit is controlled according to the position information of the vehicle, and when the distance between the vehicle and the index approaches a preset distance, the index mark is displayed at a visual field position where the index appears. A control unit that controls to display the guide information of the indicator at a height position lower than the reference line of sight of the driver;
A vehicle display device characterized by comprising:   The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit corrects a display position and a size of the index mark according to a change in a relative position between the vehicle and the index.   The control unit controls the display of the indicator mark and the guidance information at least before the vehicle passes the position of the indicator after displaying the indicator mark and the guidance information. The vehicle display device according to claim 1.   The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the image information generation unit generates the index mark with the same shape as the outer shape of the index and a color similar to the index. Store the information of the indicators that exist on the driving route of the vehicle in the database,
Generating image information including an index mark imitating an index appearing in the field of view of the vehicle based on the information of the index, and guidance information indicated by the index;
Projected display of the generated image information on the windshield of the vehicle by a head-up display,
When the distance between the vehicle and the indicator approaches a preset distance, the indicator mark is displayed at a visual field position where the indicator appears, and the indicator is guided to a height position lower than the reference line of sight of the driver. A display method for a vehicle display, wherein the display is controlled so as to display information.   6. The display method for a vehicle display according to claim 5, wherein the display position and size of the index mark are corrected in accordance with a change in relative position between the vehicle and the index.

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