JP2017166913A - Display controller and display control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display controller, etc., with which it is possible to appropriately arouse the attention of a driver to a recognition object around the own vehicle that is recognized by an automatic drive function.SOLUTION: An HCU that functions as a display controller generates an overhead view display 40 that is displayed on a display screen 11a provided in the interior of a vehicle which is equipped with an automatic drive function. The overhead view display 40 includes an own vehicle icon 41 that indicates the own vehicle and a map background 42 that indicates a road shape around the own vehicle. When a recognition object around the vehicle is recognized by the automatic drive function, an other vehicle icon 43 that indicates other vehicles is displayed on the map background 42. A virtual viewpoint position in the overhead view display 40 is set side rearward of the own vehicle icon 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The disclosure according to this specification relates to a display control device and a display control method for controlling display of a display area provided in a vehicle interior of a vehicle.

  Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a display device for a vehicle that presents information around a host vehicle acquired by a camera, a radar, or the like to a driver using an overhead image. In this vehicle display device, the virtual viewpoint position in the overhead image can be adjusted according to the angle of the monitor provided in the vehicle interior. Specifically, the virtual viewpoint position is variable in a range from directly above the host vehicle to immediately above the host vehicle.

JP 2015-23484 A

  Now, the development of a vehicle having an automatic driving function capable of performing a driving operation on behalf of a driver is rapidly advanced. However, even when the vehicle is controlled by the automatic driving function, the driver may be obliged to monitor the operation of the system related to automatic driving. For this reason, the inventor of the present disclosure thought that it is desirable that information on other vehicles around the host vehicle recognized by the automatic driving function is also presented to the driver.

  However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in the overhead view image in which the virtual viewpoint position is set directly above or directly above the host vehicle, the distance between the virtual viewpoint position and the rear of the host vehicle is short. The range behind the host vehicle that can be presented must be narrow. Therefore, if the scale is reduced in order to expand the range behind the host vehicle that can be displayed in the bird's-eye view image, the side view of the host vehicle is difficult to see on the side of the host vehicle. Therefore, the conventional bird's-eye view image cannot call attention to a recognition object that is relatively far from the own vehicle, or cannot reliably call attention to a recognition object that is relatively close to the own vehicle.

  The present disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a display technology capable of accurately alerting the driver of recognition objects around the host vehicle recognized by the automatic driving function. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect disclosed is a display area (in a vehicle (A)) having an automatic driving function capable of performing a driving operation on behalf of a driver. A recognition information acquisition unit (33) that acquires the recognition object information related to the recognition object when the recognition object is recognized around the vehicle by the automatic driving function. The vehicle image (41) indicating the vehicle and the map image (42) indicating the shape of the road around the vehicle are generated as display objects to be displayed in the display area, and displayed automatically. An image generation unit (35) for displaying, on the map image, an object image (43) indicating the recognition object based on the recognition object information when the recognition object is recognized by the driving function, and image generation Part is A virtual viewpoint position in downward display is a display control unit that defines the side after the own vehicle image.

  Further, the disclosed second aspect is a display control method for controlling display of the display area (11a) provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle (A), wherein at least one processor (21, 22) includes: When a recognition target object is recognized around the vehicle by an automatic driving function capable of performing a driving operation on behalf of the driver, the recognition object information related to the recognition target object is acquired (S101), and the vehicle indicating the vehicle An overhead view display (40, 240, 340) including at least an image (41) and a map image (42) showing a road shape around the vehicle is generated as a display object to be displayed in the display area (S102), and by an automatic driving function When the recognition object is recognized, an object image indicating the recognition object is drawn on the map image (S104), and the virtual viewpoint position in the overhead view display is defined on the rear side of the vehicle image ( S1 4) it is a display control method.

  As in these aspects, the virtual viewpoint position in the overhead view display is defined on the side of the own vehicle image, so that the distance between the viewpoint position and the rear of the own vehicle image can be ensured. Therefore, the range of the map image behind the own vehicle shown by the bird's-eye view display is secured to a position far from the own vehicle. In addition, if the viewpoint position is defined on the side of the vehicle image, the overhead view display can display the side of the vehicle image from a close position. As a result, the map image in the range indicating the side of the host vehicle is enlarged.

  According to the above, the bird's-eye view viewed from the side is an object that shows the recognition object relatively far from the own vehicle while ensuring the visibility of the object image showing the recognition object relatively close to the own vehicle. Images can also be presented. Therefore, the bird's-eye view display can accurately alert the driver of the recognition objects around the host vehicle recognized by the automatic driving function.

  Note that the reference numbers in the parentheses merely show an example of a correspondence relationship with a specific configuration in an embodiment described later, and do not limit the technical scope at all.

It is a figure which shows the layout around the driver's seat of the vehicle provided with the automatic driving function. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of HCU, automatic operation ECU, vehicle control ECU, etc. in 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a specific structure of automatic operation ECU, HCU, and vehicle control ECU. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in normal display mode. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in lane change mode. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in lane change mode in the case of changing lanes to a right lane. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in lane change mode in the case of changing lanes to the left lane. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in the lane change mode at the time of low speed driving | running | working. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in the lane change mode at the time of high speed driving | running | working. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the bird's-eye view display production | generation process implemented in HCU. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the mode switching process implemented in HCU. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in the normal display mode of 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in the normal display mode of 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the bird's-eye view display in the lane change mode of 3rd embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. In addition, the overlapping description may be abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol to the corresponding component in each embodiment. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of the other embodiment described above can be applied to the other part of the configuration. In addition, not only combinations of configurations explicitly described in the description of each embodiment, but also the configurations of a plurality of embodiments can be partially combined even if they are not explicitly specified unless there is a problem with the combination. .

(First embodiment)
The functions of the display control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure are realized by an HCU (HMI (Human Machine Interface) Control Unit) 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The HCU 20 is mounted on the vehicle A together with electronic control units such as an automatic operation ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50 and a vehicle control ECU 80. The HCU 20, the automatic operation ECU 50, and the vehicle control ECU 80 are electrically connected to each other and can communicate with each other. The vehicle A has an automatic driving function by the operation of the automatic driving ECU 50 and the vehicle control ECU 80.

  The automatic operation ECU 50 is electrically connected to a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 71, a lidar 72, a millimeter wave radar 73, a camera unit 74, a map database 75, a V2X receiver 76, and the like. The automatic driving ECU 50 acquires information related to the traveling environment around the host vehicle necessary for automatic driving from these configurations (71 to 76).

  The GNSS receiver 71 receives positioning signals from a plurality of artificial satellites. The GNSS receiver 71 measures the current position of the vehicle A based on the received positioning signal. The GNSS receiver 71 sequentially outputs the measured position information of the vehicle A to the automatic operation ECU 50.

  The lidar 72, the millimeter wave radar 73, and the camera unit 74 are stationary objects such as moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles, falling objects on the road, traffic signals, guardrails, curbs, road signs, road markings, and marking lines. It is an autonomous sensor that detects an object. The lidar 72, the millimeter wave radar 73, and the camera unit 74 sequentially output detected object information relating to the detected moving object and stationary object to the automatic operation ECU 50, respectively.

  The lidar 72 irradiates the laser beam in the traveling direction of the vehicle A, and acquires the detected object information by receiving the laser beam reflected by the moving object and the stationary object that exist in the traveling direction. The millimeter wave radar 73 irradiates the millimeter wave toward the traveling direction of the vehicle A, and acquires the detected object information by receiving the millimeter wave reflected by a moving object and a stationary object existing in the traveling direction. The millimeter wave radar 73 can detect an object farther away than the lidar 72.

  The camera unit 74 includes a monocular or compound-eye front camera that captures a front area of the vehicle A, and an image processing unit that analyzes an image of the front area captured by the front camera. The camera unit 74 acquires detected object information by extracting a moving object and a stationary object that appear in the image of the front area.

  The map database 75 is a storage medium that stores a large number of map data. The map data includes road shape information such as the curvature, slope, and section length of each road, and non-temporary traffic regulation information such as speed limit and one-way traffic. The map database 75 causes the automatic driving ECU 50 to acquire map data around the current position of the vehicle A and the traveling direction.

  The V2X receiver 76 exchanges information by wireless communication between an in-vehicle communication device mounted on another vehicle and a roadside device installed beside the road. The V2X receiver 76 can receive the relative position information of other vehicles, for example, by inter-vehicle communication with an in-vehicle communication device of another vehicle. In addition, the V2X receiver 76 can receive temporary traffic regulation information, congestion information, weather information, and the like by road-to-vehicle communication with a roadside device. The V2X receiver 76 sequentially outputs each received information to the automatic operation ECU 50.

  The automatic driving ECU 50 performs an acceleration / deceleration control and a steering control of the vehicle A in cooperation with the vehicle control ECU 80, thereby exhibiting an automatic driving function capable of performing the driving operation of the vehicle A on behalf of the driver. According to the cooperative operation of the automatic operation ECU 50 and the vehicle control ECU 80, the vehicle A can perform constant speed cruise, follow-up traveling to the preceding vehicle, automatic traveling in the lane, change of the lane, and the like.

  The automatic operation ECU 50 is mainly configured by a microcomputer having a CPU 51, a GPU 52, a RAM 53, a storage medium 54, and an input / output interface 55 (see FIG. 3). The automatic operation ECU 50 can execute the automatic operation program stored in the storage medium 54 by the CPU 51 and the GPU 52. The automatic driving ECU 50 constructs the traveling environment recognition unit 61, the traveling plan generation unit 62, the ECU communication unit 64, and the HCU communication unit 65 as functional blocks related to automatic driving based on the automatic driving program.

  The traveling environment recognition unit 61 recognizes the traveling environment of the vehicle A by combining the position information acquired from the GNSS receiver 71, the detected object information acquired from each autonomous sensor, the map data acquired from the map database 75, and the like. . The traveling environment recognizing unit 61 recognizes the shape and moving state of the object around the vehicle A based on the integration result of the detected object information, and combines the position information and the map data, particularly within the detection range of each autonomous sensor. Thus, a virtual space that reproduces the actual driving environment in three dimensions is generated.

  The travel plan generation unit 62 generates a travel plan for causing the vehicle A to automatically travel using the automatic driving function based on the travel environment recognized by the travel environment recognition unit 61. The travel plan includes a long-term travel plan and a short-term travel plan.

  The long-term driving plan defines a route for directing the vehicle A to the destination set by the driver. The long-term driving plan reflects road shape information and non-temporary traffic regulation information included in the map data, temporary traffic regulation information received by the V2X receiver 76, and the like.

  The short-term travel plan defines a planned travel locus for realizing travel according to the long-term travel plan using the virtual space around the vehicle A generated by the travel environment recognition unit 61. In the short-term travel plan, execution of steering for lane change, acceleration / deceleration for speed adjustment, and sudden braking for collision avoidance is specifically determined.

  The ECU communication unit 64 performs an output process of information directed to the vehicle control ECU 80 and an acquisition process of information from the vehicle control ECU 80. Specifically, the ECU communication unit 64 generates vehicle control information having a content according to the planned travel locus formulated by the travel plan generation unit 62, and sequentially outputs the vehicle control information to the vehicle control ECU 80 together with the operation information of the automatic driving function. The operation information is information indicating whether or not the automatic driving function is operating. In addition, the ECU communication unit 64 can sequentially acquire the control state of the in-vehicle actuator group 90 from the vehicle control ECU 80, and can correct the content of the vehicle control information.

  The HCU communication unit 65 performs information output processing for the HCU 20 and information acquisition processing from the HCU 20. The HCU communication unit 65 can acquire approval operation information (described later) from the driver from the HCU 20. In addition, the HCU communication unit 65 operates the automatic driving function based on the surrounding recognition object information recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 61, the planned traveling locus based on the short-term traveling plan generated by the traveling plan generation unit 62, and the like. The information is sequentially output to the HCU 20 together with the information.

  The vehicle control ECU 80 is electrically connected to a vehicle-mounted actuator group 90 mounted on the vehicle A. The in-vehicle actuator group 90 includes, for example, a throttle actuator, an injector, a brake actuator, a driving motor generator, a steering actuator, and the like. The vehicle control ECU 80 integrally controls acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle A by a control signal output toward the in-vehicle actuator group 90.

  The vehicle control ECU 80 is mainly configured by a microcomputer having at least one processor 81, a RAM 83, a storage medium 84, an input / output interface 85, and the like (see FIG. 3). The vehicle control ECU 80 includes a power unit ECU, a brake ECU, a steering ECU, an integrated ECU, and the like. The vehicle control ECU 80 executes the vehicle control program stored in the storage medium 84 by the processor 81, thereby constructing the actuator control unit 80a as a functional block related to vehicle control.

  The actuator control unit 80a generates a control signal output from the vehicle control ECU 80 toward the in-vehicle actuator group 90. The actuator control unit 80a acquires vehicle control information from the automatic driving ECU 50 in a state where the automatic driving function is operating, and generates a control signal based on the vehicle control information. In addition, the actuator control unit 80a generates a control signal having contents according to the driving operation input by the driver in a state where the automatic driving function is stopped, and outputs the control signal to the in-vehicle actuator group 90.

  The HCU 20 controls the acquisition of operation information input by the driver and the information presentation to the driver in an integrated manner. The HCU 20 is electrically connected to a plurality of notification devices 10 that notify information to the driver and the steering switch 15.

  The notification device 10 is configured to notify various information related to the vehicle A to passengers of the vehicle A including the driver based on the control signal output by the HCU 20. The notification device 10 may be configured to be mounted in advance on the vehicle A, or may be configured to be temporarily mounted on the vehicle A by being brought into the passenger compartment by a passenger of the vehicle A. In addition to display devices such as a meter device 11 and a head-up display (HUD) device 12, for example, the plurality of notification devices 10 include a speaker and a tactile sense presentation device.

  The meter device 11 is disposed in front of the driver's seat 17 in the passenger compartment of the vehicle A. The meter device 11 has a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal display is provided with a display screen 11 a that can be viewed by a driver sitting in the driver's seat 17. The display screen 11a functions as a multi-information display. The meter device 11 displays a display including various images on the display screen 11a based on the control signal acquired from the HCU 20.

  Similar to the meter device 11, the HUD device 12 notifies the driver through vision. Based on the control signal acquired from the HCU 20, the HUD device 12 projects image light toward the projection region 12a. The projection area 12a is provided on the surface of the windshield 18 on the vehicle interior side. The light of the image reflected on the vehicle interior side by the projection area 12a is perceived by the driver sitting on the driver's seat 17. The driver can visually recognize the virtual image of the image projected by the HUD device 12 overlaid on the outside scene in front of the vehicle A. The contents of the virtual image display by the HUD device 12 are associated with the contents of the image display of the meter device 11.

  A plurality of steering switches 15 are arranged in the spoke portion of the steering wheel. An approval operation or the like for approving the execution of the lane change by the automatic driving function is input to the steering switch 15. Operation information such as an approval operation input to the steering switch 15 is acquired by the HCU 20 and sequentially transmitted to the automatic driving ECU 50.

  The HCU 20 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 21, a GPU 22, a RAM 23, a storage medium 24, and an input / output interface 25 (see FIG. 3). The HCU 20 can execute the display control program stored in the storage medium 24 by the CPU 21 and the GPU 22. Based on the display control program, the HCU 20 includes a travel plan acquisition unit 31, an approval processing unit 32, a recognition information acquisition unit 33, an image generation unit 35, a viewpoint control unit 36, and a device control unit 38 as functional blocks related to information presentation. To construct.

  The travel plan acquisition unit 31 acquires the latest short-term travel plan, position information of the vehicle A, and surrounding map data from the HCU communication unit 65. The travel plan acquisition unit 31 acquires occurrence information of an event (hereinafter referred to as “LC event”) that involves a lane change of the vehicle A by the automatic driving function based on the planned travel locus defined in the short-term travel plan. LC events include, for example, a simple lane change from a driving lane to an overtaking lane, overtaking of a preceding vehicle, merging into a main road on a highway, exit from a main road, and the like. In addition, the travel plan acquisition unit 31 acquires speed information indicating the current travel speed of the vehicle A and speed information indicating the travel speed scheduled when the lane change is started based on the planned travel locus.

  The approval processing unit 32 executes an approval process based on the occurrence information of the LC event acquired by the travel plan acquisition unit 31. The approval process is a process for requesting the driver to approve the execution of the lane change by the automatic driving function. The driver can approve the execution of the lane change by pressing the specific steering switch 15 associated with “Yes”. Further, the driver can deny the execution of the lane change by an operation of pressing a specific steering switch 15 associated with “No”. The approval processing unit 32 acquires operation information of the approval operation and the denial operation by the driver, and outputs whether or not the lane change can be performed to the automatic driving ECU 50. By acquiring information indicating that the lane change has been approved from the approval processing unit 32, the automatic driving ECU 50 can start the planned lane change.

  The recognition information acquisition unit 33 acquires the recognition object information of the moving object and the stationary object around the vehicle A recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 61 from the automatic driving ECU 50. The recognition information acquisition unit 33 continuously acquires the recognition object information regardless of whether or not an LC event has occurred. The recognized object information acquired by the recognition information acquisition unit 33 includes relative position information and speed information of other vehicles running around the vehicle A in parallel. In the following description, the above-mentioned “vehicle A” is referred to as “own vehicle A” in order to distinguish it from other vehicles.

  The image generation unit 35 generates a display object to be displayed on the display screen 11a and a display object to be projected on the projection area 12a. The image generation unit 35 generates an overhead view display 40 as one of display contents to be displayed on the display screen 11a. The overhead view display 40 is a display mode in which the host vehicle A is looked down from directly above as a normal display mode except when an LC event occurs (see FIG. 4). The bird's-eye view display 40 is in a lane change mode mainly when an LC event occurs, and has a display mode in which the host vehicle A is looked down from the rear side (see FIGS. 5 to 9).

  The viewpoint control unit 36 switches the display mode of the overhead view display 40 between the normal display mode and the lane change mode by controlling the virtual viewpoint position of the overhead view display 40 generated by the image generation unit 35. The viewpoint control unit 36 performs display mode switching based on the occurrence of the LC event. In the following description, the virtual viewpoint position in the normal display mode is referred to as “first viewpoint position”, and the virtual viewpoint position in the lane change mode is referred to as “second viewpoint position”.

  In the bird's-eye view display 40 shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, a vehicle icon 41 and a map background 42 are drawn. In addition, the other vehicle icon 43 and the scheduled trajectory line 45 are further drawn on the overhead view display 40 in accordance with the situation of the host vehicle A.

  The own vehicle icon 41 is an image portion showing the own vehicle A. The own vehicle icon 41 is displayed in the center of the overhead view display 40. In the normal display mode, the front-rear direction of the vehicle icon 41 is along the vertical direction of the display screen 11a. In addition, the front side of the own vehicle icon 41 indicating the traveling direction of the own vehicle A is directed upward of the display screen 11a.

  The map background 42 is an image portion that shows the shape of the road around the host vehicle A. The road shape indicated by the map background 42 is output from the map database 75 (see FIG. 2) to the automatic driving ECU 50 (see FIG. 2), and based on the map data acquired by the travel plan acquisition unit 31 (see FIG. 2). Has been drawn. In the map background 42, not only the overall shape of the road on which the vehicle A travels but also the number of lanes and the like are faithfully reproduced.

  The other vehicle icon 43 is an image portion that shows another vehicle running in parallel with the host vehicle A. The other vehicle icon 43 is displayed on the map background 42 based on the recognition object information by the traveling environment recognition unit 61 (see FIG. 2) when another vehicle as a recognition object is recognized around the own vehicle A. It is additionally displayed. The relative positional relationship between the other vehicle icon 43 and the own vehicle icon 41 corresponds to the actual relative positional relationship between the other vehicle and the own vehicle A. When there are a plurality of other vehicles around the host vehicle A, a plurality of other vehicle icons 43 are displayed on the overhead view display 40. The other vehicle icon 43 has substantially the same shape as the host vehicle icon 41 and is drawn in a display color different from that of the host vehicle icon 41.

  The planned trajectory line 45 is an image portion showing the future behavior of the host vehicle A. The scheduled trajectory line 45 is added to the overhead view display 40 mainly when an LC event occurs. The planned trajectory line 45 has a shape extending in the shape of an arrow from the vicinity of the vehicle icon 41. The planned trajectory line 45 notifies the driver of a planned lane change by a curved shape based on the planned travel trajectory.

  In the overhead view display 40 in the normal display mode shown in FIG. 4, the first viewpoint position is set immediately above the host vehicle icon 41. In addition, the overhead view display 40 in the normal display mode is displayed in a perfect circle on the display screen 11a. On the other hand, in the overhead view display 40 in the lane change mode shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the second viewpoint position is located on the side of the vehicle icon 41 with respect to the first viewpoint position. The distance in the virtual space from the first viewpoint position to the host vehicle icon 41 is substantially the same as the distance in the virtual space from the second viewpoint position to the host vehicle icon 41. FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing a difference in the aspect of the overhead view display 40 due to a difference in viewpoint position when the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle A and a plurality of other vehicles is the same. It is.

  In addition, with the switching from the normal display mode to the lane change mode, the overhead view display 40 is enlarged along the horizontal direction HD of the display screen 11a and reduced along the vertical direction VD of the display screen 11a. As described above, the bird's-eye view display 40 in the lane change mode has an elliptical display form in which the long axis is aligned in the horizontal direction HD. Thus, even when the display mode of the overhead view display 40 is switched, the display position of the vehicle icon 41 is maintained at the center of the overhead view display 40. Therefore, the display position of the vehicle icon 41 on the display screen 11a does not substantially change before and after the viewpoint position is switched. The horizontal direction HD of the display screen 11a is defined along the width direction of the own vehicle A in a stationary state, and the vertical direction VD of the display screen 11a is along the direction of the own vehicle A in a stationary state. It is prescribed.

  In addition, the second viewpoint position of the overhead view display 40 in the lane change mode can move around the host vehicle icon 41 around the host vehicle icon 41. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second viewpoint position is changed based on the left and right moving directions of the own vehicle A that moves by changing the lane. Specifically, when the host vehicle A is planning to change the lane to the right lane, the second viewpoint position is a position that turns from the rear of the host vehicle icon 41 to the left as shown in FIG. It is prescribed. On the other hand, when the host vehicle A is scheduled to change lanes to the left lane, the second viewpoint position is defined as a position that wraps around from the rear of the host vehicle icon 41 to the left as shown in FIG. Is done. As described above, the second viewpoint position is moved according to the direction of the lane change so that the moving direction of the host vehicle A in the lane change faces the upper side of the display screen 11a.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the second viewpoint position of the overhead view display 40 is changed based on the current traveling speed of the host vehicle A or the traveling speed scheduled when the lane change is started. . Specifically, as the traveling speed of the host vehicle A becomes slower, the second viewpoint position is set to a higher position away from the virtual road surface on which the host vehicle icon 41 travels, as shown in FIG. As a result, the depression angle overlooking the vehicle icon 41 from the second viewpoint position is enlarged.

  On the other hand, as the traveling speed increases, the second viewpoint position approaches the virtual road surface on which the host vehicle icon 41 travels as shown in FIG. As a result, the depression angle overlooking the own vehicle icon 41 from the second viewpoint position is reduced. As described above, the second viewpoint position when the traveling speed of the host vehicle A is high is defined to be lower than the second viewpoint position when the traveling speed of the host vehicle A is low. FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing the difference in the aspect of the overhead view display 40 due to the difference in the viewpoint position when the relative positional relationship between the host vehicle A and a plurality of other vehicles is the same. It is.

  The device control unit 38 illustrated in FIG. 2 generates a control signal that is output to the notification device 10. Specifically, the device control unit 38 generates a control signal for displaying the overhead view display 40 generated by the image generation unit 35 and the viewpoint control unit 36 on the display screen 11 a and outputs the control signal to the meter device 11.

  Details of the display control method for controlling the overhead view display 40 will be described below. First, the contents of the overhead view display generation process for generating the overhead view display 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 based on FIG. The overhead view display generation process shown in FIG. 10 is started by the HCU 20 when the power source of the host vehicle A is switched on and the meter device 11 is activated. The overhead view display generation process is repeatedly performed until the power source of the host vehicle A is switched to the off state.

  In S101, information necessary for generating the overhead view display 40 is acquired, and the process proceeds to S102. In S101, information indicating the display mode and the viewpoint position set by the viewpoint control unit 36 (see S114 in FIG. 11), the recognized object information acquired by the recognition information acquisition unit 33, and the schedule acquired by the travel plan acquisition unit 31 Reference is made to information such as the travel locus and map data.

  In S102, an intermediate image of the overhead view display 40 in which the vehicle icon 41 is superimposed on the map background 42 is drawn in accordance with the viewpoint position and map data acquired in S101, and the process proceeds to S103. In S103, it is determined whether or not recognition object information indicating another vehicle has been acquired in S101. If the recognized object information has not been acquired, the process proceeds to S105. On the other hand, if the recognized object information has been acquired, the process proceeds to S104.

  In S104, the other vehicle icon 43 is drawn on the map background 42 based on the recognized object information, and the process proceeds to S105. If a plurality of pieces of recognized object information have been acquired in S101, a plurality of other vehicle icons 43 are drawn on the map background 42.

  In S105, it is determined based on the information acquired in S101 whether the display mode is a lane change mode. If it is the normal display mode, the process returns to S101. On the other hand, when it is lane change mode, it progresses to S106. In S106, the planned trajectory line 45 is drawn on the map background 42 based on the information on the planned travel trajectory acquired in S101, and the process returns to S101.

  Next, the contents of the mode switching process for switching the viewpoint position of the overhead view display 40 between the first viewpoint position and the second viewpoint position based on the occurrence information of the LC event, refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 based on FIG. However, the following will be described. The mode switching process shown in FIG. 11 is started by the HCU 20 based on the fact that the power source of the host vehicle A is switched to the on state, similarly to the overhead view display generation process (see FIG. 10). The mode switching process is repeatedly executed in parallel with the overhead view display generation process until the power of the host vehicle A is switched to the off state.

  In S111, based on the short-term travel plan notified to the travel plan acquisition unit 31, a process of acquiring LC event occurrence information is performed, and the process proceeds to S112. In S112, it is determined whether or not the LC event occurrence information has been acquired in S111. If the occurrence information of the LC event is acquired in S111 and an affirmative determination is made in S112, the process proceeds to S113.

  In S113, the speed information of the host vehicle A is acquired based on the travel plan, and the process proceeds to S114. The speed information acquired in S113 may be information indicating the current travel speed of the host vehicle A, or may be information indicating the travel speed planned when the lane is changed. In S114, the second viewpoint position is defined based on the speed information acquired in S113 and the planned travel locus in the travel plan acquired in S111, and the process proceeds to S115. The viewpoint position defined in S114 is referred to in S101 (see FIG. 10) of the overhead view display generation process.

  In S115, the process which switches the display mode of the overhead view display 40 from normal display mode to lane change mode is performed, and it progresses to S116. The overhead view display 40 is switched from an image in the normal display mode to an image in the lane change mode by so-called cross fade. Specifically, the transmittance of the image from the second viewpoint position is changed from 100 to 0 in parallel with the transition of the transmittance of the image from the first viewpoint position from 0 to 100. In order to realize such cross-fade display, in the overhead view display generation process during the transition period of the display mode, an image from the first viewpoint position and an image from the second viewpoint position are both generated.

  In S116, it is determined whether or not the LC event that acquired the occurrence information in the latest S111 has ended. The LC event is terminated when, for example, the lane change is completed, or when a denial operation is input by the driver. By repeating S116, the process waits for the end of the LC event, and proceeds to S117 based on the end of the LC event.

  In S117, the process which switches the display mode of the overhead view display 40 from lane change mode to normal display mode is performed, and it returns to S101. The display switching in S117 is also performed by crossfading of two types of images, as in S115.

  As in the first embodiment described so far, the virtual viewpoint position in the overhead view display 40 is switched from the first viewpoint position immediately above the host vehicle icon 41 to the second viewpoint position behind the host vehicle icon 41. The distance between the viewpoint position and the back of the vehicle icon 41 is generally maintained. Therefore, the range of the map background 42 on the rear side of the host vehicle shown by the overhead view display 40 is secured to a position far from the host vehicle A even when switched to the lane change mode, as is clear from the comparison between FIGS. 4 and 5. Can be done.

  In addition, the second viewpoint position in the lane change mode approaches the side of the vehicle icon 41. Therefore, the map background 42 in the range indicating the side of the host vehicle A can be enlarged as is apparent from the comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5. As a result, the bird's-eye view display 40 from the second viewpoint position shows other vehicles relatively far from the host vehicle A while ensuring the visibility of the other vehicle icons 43 indicating other vehicles relatively close to the host vehicle A. The other vehicle icon 43 shown can also be presented. Therefore, the bird's-eye view display 40 can accurately alert the driver of the recognition objects around the host vehicle A when changing the lane by the automatic driving function.

  Further, according to the switching from the normal display mode to the lane change mode, the bird's-eye view display 40 can show the driver at a glance the change in the control state of the vehicle A by the automatic driving function.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the first viewpoint position of the overhead view display 40 in the normal display mode is defined immediately above the vehicle icon 41. Therefore, the range of the map background 42 ahead of the host vehicle indicated by the overhead view display 40 in the normal display mode can also be secured to a position far from the host vehicle A. According to the above, the bird's-eye view display 40 can easily present the presence of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle A to the driver with the other vehicle icon 43.

  In addition, in 1st embodiment, a 2nd viewpoint position is prescribed | regulated so that the left-right direction of the own vehicle A which changes lanes may face the upper side of the display screen 11a. According to the above, even if the display mode is changed to the lane change mode, the traveling direction of the host vehicle icon 41 remains directed above the overhead view display 40. Therefore, the driver can easily grasp the actual situation around the host vehicle A from the situation indicated by the bird's-eye view display 40 and can recognize the direction in which the lane is changed at a glance.

  In the first embodiment, the second viewpoint when the traveling speed of the host vehicle A is high is set lower than the first viewpoint when the traveling speed is low. According to such position adjustment of the second viewpoint, the bird's-eye view display 40 during low-speed traveling can present the surroundings of the vehicle icon 41 in an easy-to-see manner. As a result, the driver can easily grasp the sense of distance to other vehicles to be aware of from the overhead view display 40. On the other hand, as is apparent from the comparison between FIG. 8 and FIG. Can be displayed reliably. As a result, the bird's-eye view display 40 can call the driver's attention about other vehicles approaching from the rear and far away.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the overhead view display 40 is enlarged along the horizontal direction HD of the display screen 11a with the switching from the normal display mode to the lane change mode. According to the above, a wide range behind the host vehicle that can be displayed on the overhead view display 40 can be secured. Therefore, the bird's-eye view display 40 can surely alert the driver of other vehicles far from the host vehicle A. In addition, the overhead view display 40 can notify the driver of changes in the control state of the automatic driving function in an easy-to-understand manner by changing the overall shape.

  In the first embodiment, the display position of the vehicle icon 41 is maintained before and after the change of the viewpoint position associated with the switching of the display mode. Therefore, the driver can easily associate the information on the map background 42 and the positional relationship of the other vehicle icon 43 in the overhead view 40 before and after the viewpoint position is switched.

  In the first embodiment, the display screen 11a corresponds to a “display area”, the HCU 20 corresponds to a “display control device”, the CPU 21 and the GPU 22 correspond to a “processor”, and the travel plan acquisition unit 31 generates “occurrence”. It corresponds to an “information acquisition unit”. The own vehicle icon 41 corresponds to the “own vehicle image”, the map background 42 corresponds to the “map image”, and the other vehicle icon 43 corresponds to the “object image”.

(Second embodiment)
An overhead view display 240 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 12 is a modification of the first embodiment. In the overhead view display 240 of the second embodiment, the first viewpoint position in the normal display mode is different from that of the first embodiment. The first viewpoint position in the overhead view display 240 is set directly above and behind the host vehicle icon 41. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a difference in the aspect of the overhead view display 40 due to a difference in viewpoint position in comparison with FIG. The relative positional relationship between the host vehicle A shown in FIGS. 12 and 5 and a plurality of other vehicles is the same. The viewpoint position of the bird's-eye view display 240 turns around the host vehicle icon 41 and moves to the second viewpoint position on the side of the host vehicle icon 41 in accordance with the switching of the display mode (see FIG. 5).

  In addition, the bird's-eye view display 240 of the second embodiment is displayed on the display screen 11a in a horizontally long elliptical shape with the horizontal direction HD as the major axis even in the normal display mode. Therefore, even if the display mode is switched, the overall shape of the overhead view display 240 does not change.

  In the second embodiment described so far, the viewpoint position is switched from the first viewpoint position just behind the host vehicle icon 41 to the second viewpoint position behind the host vehicle icon 41, The distance from the back of the vehicle icon 41 is increased. Therefore, the range of the map background 42 behind the host vehicle indicated by the bird's-eye view display 240 can be secured to a position far from the host vehicle A, as is apparent from the comparison between FIGS. 12 and 5.

  In addition, the second viewpoint position in the lane change mode approaches the side of the vehicle icon 41. Therefore, the map background 42 in the range indicating the side of the host vehicle A can be enlarged as is apparent from the comparison between FIGS. 12 and 5. As a result, the bird's-eye view display 240 from the second viewpoint position ensures that the other vehicle icon 43 indicating another vehicle that is relatively close to the own vehicle A is easy to see, while other vehicles that are relatively far from the own vehicle A are displayed. The other vehicle icon 43 shown can also be presented. Therefore, the bird's-eye view display 240 of the second embodiment can also exhibit the same effect as that of the first embodiment, and can accurately alert the driver of the recognition objects around the host vehicle A.

(Third embodiment)
An overhead view display 340 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 is another modification of the first embodiment. A plurality of grid lines 344 are drawn on the overhead view display 340 of the third embodiment. The plurality of grid lines 344 are overlaid on the map background 42 as with the vehicle icon 41. Each grid line 344 is arranged concentrically around the vehicle icon 41. The pair of grid lines 344 that are adjacent in the radial direction have different display modes, such as a solid line and a broken line. The actual distance corresponding to the interval between the pair of grid lines 344 adjacent to each other is maintained even before and after the viewpoint position is changed due to the switching of the display mode. Each grid line 344 is not limited to a concentric circle shape, and may be, for example, a concentric ellipse shape or a lattice shape.

  In the third embodiment described so far, similarly to the first embodiment, the overhead view display 340 can accurately alert the driver of the recognition objects around the host vehicle A. In addition, in the third embodiment, the relative size of the grid line 344 with respect to the map background 42 is maintained before and after the viewpoint position is switched. Therefore, the driver can easily grasp each other's sense of scale in the overhead view display 340 of each display mode.

  Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the grid lines 344 are displayed concentrically around the host vehicle icon 41, so the driver is guided toward the center of the concentric circles, and the inside of the overhead view display 340 Therefore, the position of the vehicle icon 41 can be easily grasped.

(Other embodiments)
Although a plurality of embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. it can.

  In the embodiment described above, the virtual viewpoint position in the overhead view display is switched from the first viewpoint position to the second viewpoint position based on the occurrence of the LC event. However, irrespective of the occurrence of the LC event, the overhead view viewed from the second viewpoint position may be continuously displayed on the display screen.

  In the above embodiment, the second viewpoint position is defined so that the left and right moving directions in which the vehicle moves due to the planned lane change are on the upper side of the overhead view display. However, the second viewpoint position may be defined such that the moving direction of the vehicle is below the overhead view display. According to such a method for defining the second viewpoint position, the overhead view display is a display that makes it easier to see the side range of the host vehicle that is the lane change destination.

  In the said embodiment, the 2nd viewpoint position was prescribed | regulated to the high position, so that the running speed of the vehicle was slow. However, the second viewpoint position may be defined as a lower position as the traveling speed of the vehicle is slower. Furthermore, the position adjustment of the second viewpoint corresponding to the traveling speed may not be performed.

  The overall shape of the overhead view display can be changed as appropriate. For example, the overhead view display in the lane change mode may be a perfect circle. Furthermore, the bird's-eye view display may be a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is along the horizontal direction HD.

  The shape, size, and display color of the own vehicle icon and the other vehicle icon can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, the display position of the own vehicle icon may be changed with the switching of the display mode. Alternatively, the display mode may be switched while maintaining the display position of the host vehicle icon, and the process of moving the display position of the host vehicle icon during the overhead view after switching may be executed. According to such processing, the display position of the vehicle icon can be changed while preventing the driver from losing sight of the vehicle icon.

  The time from the acquisition of the occurrence information to the start of display mode switching can be changed as appropriate. For example, after the occurrence information is acquired, the switch from the normal display mode to the lane change mode may be executed after waiting for the vehicle to reach a specific point.

  In the above embodiment, the viewpoint position is switched to the second viewpoint position while maintaining the virtual distance from the vehicle icon to the first viewpoint position. However, if other vehicles around the vehicle can be accurately alerted with the other vehicle icon, the virtual distance from the vehicle icon to the second viewpoint position is longer than the virtual distance from the vehicle icon to the first viewpoint position. It may be good or short.

  In the above embodiment, the display mode is switched by crossfading the image from the first viewpoint position and the image from the second viewpoint position. However, the effects related to the switching of the display mode can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the transition period of the display mode, an animation for continuously moving the viewpoint position from one of the first viewpoint position and the second viewpoint position to the other may be displayed. Further, the effect accompanying the switching of the display mode may be omitted.

  The grid lines of the third embodiment may be temporarily displayed in the transition period and periods before and after the transition period. Alternatively, the grid lines may be always displayed in each of the normal display mode and the lane change mode.

  In the above embodiment, the occurrence information of the LC event is extracted based on the travel plan formulated by the travel plan generation unit. However, the configuration for transmitting LC event occurrence information can be changed as appropriate. For example, in an in-vehicle system in which the automatic driving ECU is omitted and the vehicle control ECU is provided with a lane change support function unit, the execution information of the lane change support by the activation of such a support function unit is obtained as the LC event. It can be generated information.

  In the above-described embodiment, the meter device is used as a display device that displays a bird's-eye view display. However, the overhead view display may be a virtual image displayed on the projection area by the HUD device, or may be displayed on the display screen of the center display 13 (see FIG. 1) provided between the driver seat and the passenger seat. May be.

  In the embodiment described above, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) of the HCU are used as the processor that executes the display control program. However, each functional unit related to display control may be appropriately realized by various electronic control units mounted on the vehicle. For example, if the automatic operation ECU is an in-vehicle system that also functions as an HCU, the CPU 51 and the GPU 52 (see FIG. 3) of the automatic operation ECU may execute the display control program. Further, the CPU and each GPU of the automatic operation ECU and the HCU may process the display control program in cooperation. Further, the number of processors provided in the automatic operation ECU, the HCU, and the like may be increased as appropriate. Various non-transitional tangible storage media such as a flash memory and a hard disk can be adopted as a configuration for storing a program executed by each processor.

A vehicle, HD horizontal direction, 11a display screen (display area), 20 HCU (display control device), 21 CPU (processor), 22 GPU (processor), 31 travel plan acquisition unit (information acquisition unit), 33 recognition information acquisition Unit, 35 image generation unit, 36 viewpoint control unit, 40, 240, 340 overhead view display, 41 own vehicle icon (own vehicle image), 42 map background (map image), 43 other vehicle icon (object image), 344 grid line

Claims (9)

In a vehicle (A) having an automatic driving function capable of performing a driving operation on behalf of a driver, a display control device for controlling display of a display area (11a) provided in a passenger compartment of the vehicle,
A recognition information acquisition unit (33) that acquires recognition object information related to the recognition object when a recognition object is recognized around the vehicle by the automatic driving function;
An overhead view display (40, 240, 340) including at least a host vehicle image (41) indicating the vehicle and a map image (42) indicating a road shape around the vehicle is generated as a display object to be displayed in the display area. When the recognition object is recognized by the automatic driving function, an image generation unit (35) that displays an object image (43) indicating the recognition object on the map image based on the recognition object information. And comprising
The said image generation part is a display control apparatus which prescribes | regulates the virtual viewpoint position in the said bird's-eye view display to the back side of the said own vehicle image. An occurrence information acquisition unit (31) for acquiring occurrence information of an event accompanied by a lane change of the vehicle by the automatic driving function;
Based on the occurrence information, the virtual viewpoint position in the overhead view display is set from the first viewpoint position directly above or behind the host vehicle image to the second side of the host vehicle image from the first viewpoint position. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a viewpoint control unit (36) for changing to a viewpoint position.   The display control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the viewpoint control unit defines the second viewpoint position such that a left and right moving direction of the vehicle that moves by changing a lane faces an upper side of the display area.   The display control device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the viewpoint control unit defines the second viewpoint position when the traveling speed is higher than the second viewpoint position when the traveling speed of the vehicle is low.   The display control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image generation unit expands the overhead view display along a horizontal direction (HD) of the display area based on the occurrence information.   The said viewpoint control part changes the said viewpoint position from said 1st viewpoint position to said 2nd viewpoint position, maintaining the display position of the said own vehicle image in the said display area. The display control apparatus according to 1. The image generation unit draws a plurality of grid lines (344) superimposed on the map image on the overhead view display,
The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an actual distance corresponding to an interval between a pair of grid lines adjacent to each other is maintained before and after the change of the viewpoint position.   The display control device according to claim 7, wherein the image generation unit draws a plurality of concentric circles or a plurality of concentric ellipse grid lines centered on the vehicle image on the overhead view display. A display control method for controlling display of a display area (11a) provided in a passenger compartment of a vehicle (A),
At least one processor (21, 22)
When a recognition object is recognized around the vehicle by an automatic driving function capable of performing a driving operation on behalf of the driver, the recognition object information related to the recognition object is acquired (S101),
An overhead view display (40, 240, 340) including at least a host vehicle image (41) indicating the vehicle and a map image (42) indicating a road shape around the vehicle is generated as a display object to be displayed in the display area. (S102),
When the recognition object is recognized by the automatic driving function, an object image indicating the recognition object is drawn on the map image (S104),
A display control method for defining a virtual viewpoint position in the overhead view display on the rear side of the vehicle image (S114).

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