JP2018089997A - Vehicle display device and display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a driver to have appropriate communication with a passenger with a rear view monitor continuously displaying an image of a camera at a rear side of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A rear view monitor has a reflection material such as a half mirror on a surface of a display panel. A display control section is configured to: acquire information from means such as a seating sensor which detects presence or absence of a passenger in a rear seat; and delete a portion of an image shown on the display section when determining the presence of the passenger in the rear seat. Then, the rear view monitor is made to be used as a rear view mirror showing the passenger in the rear seat in a manner that uses the half mirror corresponding to the deleted portion as a reflection material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a display device for a vehicle and a display method for displaying an image obtained by photographing the rear of the vehicle.

  A rear view monitor has been proposed as a device for displaying the scenery behind a vehicle such as an automobile in place of the optical rear view mirror. The rear view monitor uses a camera installed at the rear of the vehicle to capture the rear and display the image on the screen. The rear view monitor has an advantage that the state behind the vehicle can be displayed more widely and accurately than the rear view mirror. On the other hand, the rear view monitor cannot show the interior of the passenger compartment like the rear view mirror. In order to solve this problem, a room mirror with a display function has been devised in which a half mirror is provided in front of the liquid crystal display panel of the rear view monitor, and the monitor display mode and the mirror mode are switched by a driver's operation (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2006-55782, A

  When the rear of the vehicle is displayed in the monitor display mode, the driver can communicate with the passengers in the rear seats through conversation, but may feel uncomfortable because the eye contact, facial expression, and gesture cannot be seen. . The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of appropriately communicating with a passenger while using a rear view monitor function.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a vehicle display device according to an aspect of the present invention is a device that displays an image of a rear image of a vehicle, and includes a display unit having a display surface having a structure that functions as a mirror; A determination unit that determines whether or not there is a passenger in the rear seat in the vehicle, and a display control that hides a part of the display of the image displayed on the display unit when it is determined that a passenger is present in the rear seat. A section. A portion of the display surface where the image is not displayed functions as a mirror.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a display method. This is a method of displaying an image of the rear of the vehicle, and determines whether there is a passenger in the rear seat in the vehicle, and functions as a mirror when it is determined that a passenger is present in the rear seat. A part of the display of the image displayed on the display unit having the display surface having the structure as described above is not displayed. As a result, the portion of the display surface where the image is not displayed is caused to function as a mirror.

  In addition, what converted the expression of this invention between the method, an apparatus, a system, a storage medium, a computer program, etc. is also effective as an aspect of this invention.

It is an external view which shows the structure of the vehicle interior containing the rear view monitor which is a component of 1st Embodiment. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the rear view monitor of FIG. It is a front view which shows the structure of the backlight of FIG. It is a front view which shows the other structure of the backlight of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the display apparatus for vehicles concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure showing the screen of a rear view monitor when the lower light source part of a backlight is turned off. It is a figure showing the screen of a rear view monitor when the upper light source part of a backlight is turned off. It is a figure showing the screen of a rear view monitor when the left side light source part of a backlight is turned off. It is a figure showing the screen of a rear view monitor when the right light source part of a backlight is turned off. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the display apparatus for vehicles concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the display apparatus for vehicles concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the display apparatus for vehicles concerning a 4th embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the display apparatus for vehicles concerning a 5th embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the display apparatus for vehicles of FIG.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a vehicle interior including a rear view monitor which is a component of the first embodiment. The rear view monitor 110 is mounted at a position where a room mirror which is a conventional optical rear view mirror is mounted. A cluster panel 203 and a steering wheel 202 are in front of a driver seat (not shown), and a dashboard 204 is in front of the cluster panel 203. A center console 205 is installed at the lower center of the dashboard 204. A windshield 206 is provided upward from the dashboard 204. The rear view monitor 110 is arranged at the upper center of the windshield 206. The rear view monitor 110 displays an image of the rear of the vehicle taken by a camera installed rearward at the rear end of the vehicle or the rear end of the roof.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an internal configuration of the rear view monitor 110. The right side of FIG. 2 shows the front of the vehicle, and the left side shows the rear of the vehicle, that is, the passenger compartment side. In FIG. 2, the casing 111 mainly covers the front side, the upper side, and the lower side of the vehicle, and opens toward the rear side of the vehicle. The display panel 114 includes a backlight 112 and a liquid crystal panel 113. The liquid crystal panel 113 displays an image on the display surface 115 when irradiated with light from the backlight 112. The display panel 114 is disposed on the far side of the opening portion of the casing 111. The half mirror 116 is disposed so as to cover the front surface of the display panel 114. The half mirror 116 functions as a transparent material such as transparent glass when viewed from the dark side, and functions as a reflective material such as a mirror when viewed from the bright side. A thin metal film is deposited on the front or back surface of the half mirror 116, and this metal film becomes the mirror surface 117 when the half mirror 116 functions as a reflective material. The mirror surface 117 is a surface that reflects light incident from the outside when the rear view monitor 110 functions as a mirror. As long as the display panel 114 emits light from behind the half mirror 116 and forms a display image, the display panel 114 is not limited to a combination of a liquid crystal panel and a backlight, and is self-luminous such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. It may be a formula display panel.

  3 and 4 are front views when the configuration of the backlight 112 is viewed from the passenger compartment side. The backlight 112 in FIG. 3 functions as three light source units arranged in the vertical direction when viewed from the front, that is, the upper light source unit 112a, the central light source unit 112b, and the lower light source unit 112c. On the other hand, the backlight 112 of FIG. 4 functions as three light sources arranged in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front, that is, the left light source 112d, the central light source 112e, and the right light source 112f. These light source units can be turned on and off independently. Each light source unit may be provided with a combination of a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a light guide panel, and is realized by controlling a plurality of light sources such as LEDs arranged side by side for each section. May be. Thereby, the screen of the liquid crystal panel 113 can select display or non-display of the display surface 115 for each position where each light source unit of the backlight 112 is located.

  When the backlight 112 is on, the inside of the housing 111 in FIG. 2 is on the bright side, and the outside of the housing 111 is on the dark side. Accordingly, an image displayed on the liquid crystal panel 114 can be viewed from the outside of the mirror surface 117 via the half mirror 116. As a result, the image displayed on the display surface 115 passes through the half mirror 116 and reaches the eyes of the driver.

  On the other hand, when the backlight is turned off, the inside of the housing 111 is on the dark side, and the outside of the housing 111 is on the bright side. Accordingly, the inside of the reflecting surface 117 is hardly visible from the outside of the mirror surface 117 through the half mirror 116, and most of the light incident on the half mirror 116 from the outside of the mirror surface 117 is reflected by the mirror surface 117. That is, the display surface 115 functions as a mirror while displaying a rear video. Thereby, the rear view monitor 110 which is a display unit can be used as a rear view mirror for viewing the rear including the passenger sitting on the rear seat.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle display device 100 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle display device 100 includes a rear view monitor 110 and a rear view monitor control unit 120. As described above, the rear view monitor 110 includes the display panel 114 and the half mirror 116.

  The rear view monitor control unit 120 includes a display control unit 121, a determination unit 122, a shooting control unit 123, and a passenger information acquisition unit 124a. The rear view monitor control unit 120 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a memory, and the like, which perform various data processing, and a control program. The rear view monitor control unit 120 may be built in the rear view monitor 110 or may be realized as part of a control function of a navigation device, an in-vehicle computer, or the like.

  The imaging control unit 123 receives video data behind the vehicle from the camera 300 and transmits this video data to the display control unit 121. The shooting control unit 123 also transmits a signal for adjusting a shooting range, a shooting angle, and the like to the camera 300.

  The passenger information acquisition unit 124 a receives a signal, which is a material for determining the presence or absence of an occupant in the rear seat, from the seating sensor 410 installed in the vehicle, and passes this signal to the determination unit 122. When the seating sensor 410 is configured as a left seating sensor 410a and a right seating sensor 140b provided in the left and right rear seats, the presence or absence of left and right occupants in the rear seat is determined from the left seating sensor 410a and the right seating sensor 140b. Receive a signal that will be the material to judge.

  The seating sensor 410 is installed on the seating surface of the rear seat or the like, and detects the presence or absence of an occupant in the rear seat by pressure or load. The seating sensor 410 may be provided in each of the left and right rear seats. In this case, the seating sensor 410 includes a left-side seating sensor 410a and a right-side seating sensor 410b. These sensors transmit signals relating to the presence or absence of an occupant to the passenger information acquisition unit 124a of the rear view monitor control unit 120.

  As a device for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant in the rear seat, in addition to the seating sensor, a seat belt wearing sensor for detecting an ON / OFF signal of a seat belt for the rear seat, a camera for photographing the rear seat, or the like may be used. Good. Also in these cases, the configuration may be such that the passengers in the left and right rear seats are detected.

  The determination unit 122 determines the presence or absence of a passenger in the rear seat or the presence or absence of a passenger in the left and right rear seats from the signal received from the passenger information acquisition unit 124a, and notifies the display control unit 121 of the result.

  The display control unit 121 receives the video data from the imaging control unit 123 and acquires the determination result of the presence or absence of a passenger in the rear seat from the determination unit 122. The display control unit 121 transmits video data and a signal instructing a display method according to the presence or absence of a passenger in the rear seat to the rear view monitor 110.

  The display method will be specifically described. When there is no passenger in the rear seat, the display control unit 121 transmits a signal instructing to turn on all the light sources of the backlight 112 to the rear view monitor 110. Thereby, in the backlight of the type shown in FIG. 3, all of the upper light source unit 112a, the central light source unit 112b, and the lower light source unit 112c are turned on. On the other hand, in the backlight of the type shown in FIG. 4, all of the left light source unit 112d, the central light source unit 112e, and the right light source unit 112f are lit. In response to this, an image of the rear of the vehicle photographed by the camera 300 is displayed using the entire screen of the rear view monitor 110. This display method is the same as that of a conventional general rear view monitor. Hereinafter, this display method is referred to as “monitor display mode”.

  On the other hand, when a passenger is present in the rear seat, the display control unit 121 transmits to the rear view monitor 110 a signal instructing to turn off a part of the backlight 112. In the type of backlight shown in FIG. 3, for example, based on an instruction from the user, one of the upper light source unit 112 a and the lower light source unit 112 c of the backlight 112 is instructed to be turned off. On the other hand, in the backlight of the type shown in FIG. 4, it is ordered to turn off the side where the passenger is present among the left light source unit 112 d and the right light source unit 112 f of the backlight 112. In response to this, the video captured by the camera 300 is displayed only on the screen of the rear view monitor 110 where the light source of the backlight 112 is lit. A portion of the screen of the rear view monitor 110 where no image is displayed becomes a rear view mirror and shows the interior of the vehicle including the rear seat, so that a passenger sitting on the rear seat is shown. Hereinafter, this display method is referred to as “mixed mode”. In the mixed mode, the upper and lower parts, or the left and right parts of the rear view monitor 110 are controlled to display and hide images according to the presence or absence of a rear seat passenger, while the central part of the rear view monitor 110 is Always display video. Further, in the portion that is not displayed in the mixed mode, only the light source unit may be turned off, and display of the display range corresponding to the non-display portion on the display panel 114 may be stopped. In the non-display portion in the mixed mode, the display of the liquid crystal panel 113 corresponding to the non-display range may be black display with the backlight 112 being entirely lit.

  FIG. 6 shows a screen of the rear view monitor 110 when the lower light source part 112c of the backlight 112 of the type shown in FIG. 3 is turned off and the central light source part 112b and the upper light source part 112a are turned on. The lower portion 221b of the rear view monitor 110 displays the interior of the rear seat in the rear view mirror, and the rear and rear images captured by the camera 300 are displayed in the center and upper portion 221a. In FIG. 6, the image behind the vehicle captured by the camera 300 is displayed by being shifted upward by the range of the lower portion 221b. FIG. 7 shows a screen of the rear view monitor 110 when the upper light source unit 112a of the backlight 112 of the type in FIG. 3 is turned off and the central light source unit 112b and the lower light source unit 112c are turned on. The upper portion 222a of the rear view monitor 110 displays the interior of the rear seat reflected in the rear view mirror, and the center and lower portion 222b display images of the rear of the vehicle taken by the camera 300. In FIG. 7, the upper portion 222a is displayed in the vehicle rear image captured by the camera 300 without shifting the image behind the vehicle because it is a range in which images above the horizon and sky are often captured.

  FIG. 8 shows a screen of the rear view monitor 110 when the left light source 112d of the backlight 112 of the type in FIG. 4 is turned off and the central light source 112e and the right light source 112f are turned on. The left side portion 223a of the rear view monitor 110 displays the interior of the rear seat reflected in the rear view mirror, and the center and right side portions 223b display images of the rear of the vehicle taken by the camera 300. FIG. 9 shows a screen of the rear view monitor 110 when the right light source part 112f of the backlight 112 of the type shown in FIG. 4 is turned off and the central light source part 112e and the left light source part 112d are turned on. In the center and left side portion 224a of the rear view monitor 110, an image of the rear of the vehicle taken by the camera 300 is displayed, and in the right side portion 224b, the state of the interior of the rear seat reflected in the rear view mirror is displayed.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the vehicle display device 100 according to the first embodiment. The display control unit 121 may be set to the monitor mode as an initial state (S101). In that case, the display control unit 121 subsequently determines the presence or absence of a passenger in the rear seat based on the signal from the passenger information acquisition unit 124a (S201). When there is no person in the rear seat (No in S201), the display control unit 121 causes the rear view monitor 110 to continue or start display in the monitor mode.

  On the other hand, when there is a person in the rear seat (Yes in S201), the display control unit 121 turns off one of the light source units of the backlight 112. That is, when the backlight 112 of the type shown in FIG. 3 is used, either the upper light source unit 112a or the lower light source unit 112c is turned off. When the backlight 112 of the type shown in FIG. 4 is used, either the left light source 112d or the right light source 112f is turned off. Thereby, the display on the rear view monitor 110 is set to the mixed mode in which the rear seat is projected (S111).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating another processing procedure performed by the vehicle display device 100 according to the first embodiment. The display control unit 121 may be set to the monitor mode as an initial state (S101). In that case, subsequently, the display control unit 121 determines whether or not there is a passenger in either of the left and right rear seats based on the signal from the passenger information acquisition unit 124a (S201). When there is no person in the left or right rear seat (No in S201), the display control unit 121 causes the rear view monitor 110 to continue or start display in the monitor mode.

  If it is determined that there is a passenger in either the left or right rear seat (Yes in S201), the display control unit 121 determines whether it is the left or right (S211a). When the passenger in the rear seat is on the left (Yes in S211a), the display control unit 121 turns off the left light source unit 112d of the backlight 112. On the other hand, when the passenger in the rear seat is on the right (No in S211a), the display control unit 121 turns off the right light source unit 112f of the backlight 112. Thereby, the display on the rear view monitor 110 is set to the mixed mode in which the side where the passenger is present is set (S111a, S111b).

  For simplicity, it is possible to adopt a modification technique in which the condition for setting the monitor mode is only “presence / absence of passengers” and does not consider whether the passengers are on the left or right. In this case, when the passenger information acquisition unit 124a receives a signal indicating that a passenger is present from one of the left and right seating sensors 410a and 410b, the passenger information acquisition unit 124a notifies the determination unit 122 of only a signal indicating the presence of the passenger. In the mixed mode, it is determined in advance which of the left and right sides of the rear view monitor 110 functions as a mirror, and the display control unit 121 turns off the backlight of the portion as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. That is, in this modification technique, the mirror portion in the mixed mode is fixed, and a wide angle of view is set here so that both the left and right rear seats are reflected.

  This modification technique has a simple processing procedure and is easy to implement. In addition, when the passenger is on both the left and right, there is an advantage that the driver can see them at the same time.

  Further, the backlight 112 of the rear view monitor 110 can be divided and driven so as to realize both the dividing operation shown in FIG. 3 and the dividing operation shown in FIG. 4, and when the passenger in the rear seat is left or right, When the left light source unit 112d or the right light source unit 112f is turned off and the passengers in the rear seat are both left and right, the lower light source unit 112c or the upper light source unit 112a may be turned off. Further, when a passenger is present in the center of the rear seat, the lower light source unit 112c or the upper light source unit 112a may be turned off.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when there is no passenger in the rear seat, the rear of the vehicle can be viewed in a wide range using the monitor mode. On the other hand, when there is a passenger in the rear seat, the driver can communicate with the passenger in the mixed mode while using the rear view monitor function.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle display device 100 according to the second embodiment. The rear view monitor control unit 120 of the vehicle display device 100 includes a voice detection unit 124b instead of the passenger information acquisition unit 124a of the first embodiment. Other configurations of the vehicular display device 100 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  The microphone 420 is installed near the rear seat, and transmits an audio signal collected near the rear seat to the voice detection unit 124b. The microphones 420 may be provided in the vicinity of the left and right rear seats. In this case, the microphones 420a and 420b are installed on the left and right of the rear seats, respectively, and the sound signals collected near the left and right rear seats are detected. To the unit 124b. The voice detection unit 124b notifies the determination unit 122 of the level of the received voice signal. The determination unit 122 determines whether to set the monitor mode or the mixed mode based on the level received from the sound detection unit 124b, and notifies the display control unit 121 of the result.

  The determination unit 122 stores a predetermined volume level threshold and a conversation end determination time. The determination unit 122 compares the volume level collected by the microphone 420 with this threshold value in the monitor mode. When the volume level is equal to or higher than the threshold value, it is determined that there is an utterance from the passenger in the rear seat where the microphone is installed, and the monitor mode is changed to the mixed mode. The mixed mode in this case is a mixed mode in which the rear side is confirmed by turning off the lower light source unit 112c or the upper light source unit 112a shown in FIG.

  Further, the determination unit 122 compares the volume level of the sound collected by the microphone 420a or 420b with the threshold value in the monitor mode, and the passenger on the rear seat whose volume level is equal to or higher than the threshold value speaks. Judgment is made and the monitor mode is changed to the mixed mode. In this case, the mixing mode is a mixing mode in which the rear side of the left light source unit 112d or the right light source unit 112f shown in FIG. In the mixed mode, if the volume level collected near the rear seat falls below the threshold value on both the left and right sides, the duration of the lower state is measured. If this duration exceeds the conversation end determination time, it is determined that the conversation with the passenger in the rear seat has ended, and the mixed mode is returned to the monitor mode.

  As another aspect, the voice detection unit 124b performs a voice recognition process on the signal collected by the microphone 420 and detects a voice containing an utterance component. As the voice recognition process, an existing voice recognition process can be used. As a specific example of the speech recognition processing, phonemes based on the acoustic model are extracted from the signal collected by the microphone 420, and it is determined that the speech is based on the language model.

  The determination unit 122 determines that there is an utterance voice from the rear seat based on the fact that the voice detection unit 124b detects the utterance component. Also in this case, the determination unit 122 may store a predetermined volume level threshold value, and may determine that there is an utterance voice from the rear seat when the utterance is at a volume level equal to or higher than the threshold value.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure of the vehicular display device 100 according to the second embodiment. Similar to the first embodiment, the display control unit 121 sets the display of the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode as an initial state (S101). When the sound detection unit 124b does not detect a sound signal having a certain volume level from the vicinity of the rear seat (No in S202), the display control unit 121 continues display in the monitor mode. On the other hand, when the voice detection unit 124b detects a voice signal from the vicinity of the rear seat (Yes in S202), the display control unit 121 sets the mixed mode in which the rear seat is projected (S111).

  If it is determined during the mixed mode that the conversation with the passenger in the rear seat is ended using the procedure for determining the end of conversation (Yes in S203), the display control unit 121 switches the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode. Return (S103).

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure of the vehicle display device 100 according to the second embodiment. Similar to the first embodiment, the display control unit 121 sets the display of the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode as an initial state (S101). When the sound detection unit 124b does not detect a sound signal having a certain volume level from the vicinity of the left or right rear seat (No in S202), the display control unit 121 continues the display in the monitor mode. On the other hand, when the sound detection unit 124b detects a sound signal from the vicinity of the rear seat (Yes in S202), the display control unit 121 determines whether the sound is emitted from the left or right (S212a) and then emits the sound. The mixed mode in which the rear seat of the selected side is projected is set (S111a, S111b).

  If the end of the conversation with the passenger on the left or right of the rear seat is determined during the mixed mode using the procedure for determining the end of the conversation (S203a, S203b), the display control unit 121 displays the display on the rear view monitor 110. The monitor mode is restored (S103).

  For simplicity, it is possible to adopt a modification technique in which the condition for setting the monitor mode is only “presence / absence of passengers” and does not consider whether the passengers are on the left or right. In this case, only one microphone may be installed on the rear seat. When the voice detection unit 124b receives a signal indicating that the passenger speaks from either of the left and right microphones 420a and 420b, the voice detection unit 124b notifies only the signal indicating the passenger's speech to the determination unit 122. In the mixed mode, it is determined in advance which of the left and right sides of the rear view monitor 110 functions as a mirror, and the display control unit 121 turns off the backlight of the portion as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. That is, in this modification technique, the mirror portion in the mixed mode is fixed, and a wide angle of view is set here so that both the left and right rear seats are reflected.

  In this modified technique, as in the modified technique of the first embodiment, the mirror display portion in the mixed mode is not limited to the left and right sides of the rear view monitor, but may be the top and bottom.

  This modification technique is advantageous in terms of cost because it does not require two microphones. Furthermore, the processing procedure is simple and easy to implement. In addition, when passengers are present on both the left and right sides, there is an advantage that the driver can see them simultaneously.

  When the voice detection unit 124b detects a voice signal from the rear seat (Yes in S202), the display control unit 121 may shift to the mixed mode after determining that the voice signal or speech has continued for a predetermined time. . For example, this is a case where an audio signal or utterance continues for 10 seconds or more.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the mixed mode is set and the end determination is performed using the voice uttered by the passenger. This embodiment is particularly effective when the user wants to use the mixed mode only when talking with a passenger in the rear seat.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram of the vehicular display device 100 according to the third embodiment. The rear view monitor control unit 120 of the vehicle display device 100 includes a mixed mode start / end command acquisition unit 125 in addition to that of the first embodiment. An operation interface 500 such as a switch is installed near the driver's seat of the vehicle. The rest is the same as the first embodiment.

  The operation interface 500 receives an operation in which the driver commands the start or end of the mixed mode. When the driver's operation is performed, the operation interface 500 transmits a command by the operation to the mixed mode start / end command acquisition unit 125.

  When the mixed mode start / end command acquisition unit 125 acquires the driver's command from the operation interface 500, the mixed mode start / end command acquisition unit 125 notifies the determination unit 122 of this as a mixed mode start / end signal.

  The determination unit 122 changes the mode to the mixed mode when there is a passenger in the rear seat and receives the mixed mode start signal in the monitor mode. That is, in the monitor mode, the determination unit 122 continues the monitor mode when there is no passenger even if the mixed mode start signal is received, or when the mixed mode start signal is not received even if there is a passenger. Further, when receiving the mixed mode end signal in the mixed mode, the determination unit 122 changes the display to the monitor mode.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the vehicle display device 100 according to the third embodiment. The flow up to S201 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. When it is found that a passenger is present in the rear seat (Yes in S201), the display control unit 121 waits for a start operation from the user. At this time, it is still in the monitor mode. When the mixed mode start signal is received (Yes in S221), the display control unit 121 sets the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the mixed mode in which the rear seat is projected (S111).

  During the mixed mode, the display control unit 121 continues the mixed mode unless a mixed mode end signal is received from the mixed mode start / end command acquisition unit 125 (No in S222). When the mixed mode end signal is received (Yes in S222), the display control unit 121 returns the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode (S103).

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure of the vehicular display device 100 according to the third embodiment. The flow up to S211a is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. If there is a passenger in the rear seat (Yes in S201) and it is known whether it is on the left or right (S211a), the display control unit 121 waits for a start operation from the user. At this time, it is still in the monitor mode. When the mixed mode start signal is received (Yes in S221a, Yes in S221b), the display control unit 121 sets the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the mixed mode that reflects the rear seat on the side where the passenger is present (S111a, S111b). .

  During the mixed mode, the display control unit 121 continues the mixed mode unless a mixed mode end signal is received from the mixed mode start / end command acquisition unit 125 (No in S222a, No in S222b). When the mixed mode end signal is received (Yes in S222a, Yes in S222b), the display control unit 121 returns the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode (S103).

  For simplicity, it is possible to adopt a modification technique in which the condition for setting the monitor mode is only “presence / absence of passengers” and does not consider whether the passengers are on the left or right. In this case, when the passenger information acquisition unit 124a receives a signal indicating that a passenger is present from one of the left and right seating sensors 410a and 410b, the passenger information acquisition unit 124a notifies the determination unit 122 of only a signal indicating the presence of the passenger. Hereinafter, the configuration and operational effects are the same as those of the modification technique of the previous embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the driver is free to select either the monitor mode or the mixed mode even when a passenger is present in the rear seat. This is particularly effective when priority is given to the monitor mode even when a passenger is present in the rear seat.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle display device 100 according to the fourth embodiment. The rear view monitor control unit 120 of the vehicle display device 100 includes a travel speed information acquisition unit 126 in addition to that of the first embodiment. A traveling speed information tracking unit 600 that monitors the traveling speed of the vehicle, such as a controller area network (CAN) or a navigation system, is provided in the vehicle. The rest is the same as the first embodiment.

  The travel speed information acquisition unit 126 acquires travel speed information from the travel speed information tracking unit 600 and notifies the determination unit 122 of the information. The determination unit 122 changes the monitor mode to the mixed mode if there is a passenger in the rear seat and the traveling speed is lower than the predetermined speed in the monitor mode. On the other hand, when the traveling speed becomes a predetermined speed or more in the mixed mode, the mode is returned to the monitor mode. The determination unit 122 stores a predetermined determination value as the predetermined speed. An example of the predetermined determination value is 30 km / h.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the vehicle display device 100 according to the fourth embodiment. The flow up to S201 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. When it is determined that a passenger is present in the rear seat (S201), the determination unit 122 determines whether or not the current traveling speed is less than the determination value based on the signal from the traveling speed information acquisition unit 126. Judgment is made (S231).

  If the current traveling speed is equal to or higher than the determination value (No in S231), the monitor mode is continued. When the traveling speed becomes less than the determination value (Yes in S231), the display control unit 121 sets the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the mixed mode in which the rear seat is projected (S111). While the running speed is less than the determination value during the mixed mode (No in S232), the display control unit 121 continues the mixed mode. When the traveling speed is equal to or higher than the determination value (Yes in S232a), the display control unit 121 returns the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode (S103).

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure of the vehicular display device 100 according to the fourth embodiment. The flow up to S211a is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. If a passenger is present in the rear seat (Yes in S201) and it is determined whether the passenger is on the left or right (S211a), the determination unit 122 determines the current travel based on the signal from the travel speed information acquisition unit 126. It is determined whether or not the speed is less than the determination value (S231a, S231b).

  If the current traveling speed is equal to or higher than the determination value (No in S231a, No in S231b), the monitor mode is continued. When the traveling speed is less than the determination value (Yes in S231a, Yes in S231b), the display control unit 121 sets the display on the rear view monitor 110 to a mixed mode that reflects the rear seat on the side where the passenger is present (S111a, S111b). . While the traveling speed is less than the determination value during the mixed mode (No in S232a, No in S232b), the display control unit 121 continues the mixed mode. When the traveling speed becomes equal to or higher than the determination value (Yes in S232a, Yes in S232b), the display control unit 121 returns the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode (S103).

  For simplicity, it is possible to adopt a modification technique in which the condition for setting the monitor mode is only “presence / absence of passengers” and does not consider whether the passengers are on the left or right. The configuration and operational effects for this are the same as the modification technique of the previous embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the vehicle is not in the mixed mode during high-speed traveling, and the driver can widely check the rear using the monitor mode, so that safety can be particularly secured.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 21 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle display device 100 according to the fifth embodiment. The rear view monitor control unit 120 of the vehicle display device 100 includes a motion information acquisition unit 127 in addition to the first embodiment. A motion sensor 700 for detecting the motion and direction of the driver is installed near the driver's seat of the vehicle. The rest is the same as the first embodiment.

  The motion information acquisition unit 127 acquires motion information based on the driver's gesture from the motion sensor 700, and notifies the display control unit 121 of the motion information as a motion signal.

  The motion sensor 700 is constituted by a combination of a plurality of photodiodes, for example, and detects a motion caused by a driver's gesture. That is, in the motion sensor 700 configured by arranging the left photodiode L and the right photodiode R side by side, the output values OL and OR are always observed.

  When an object crosses in front of the photodiode, the output value from the photodiode decreases. If the object does not move left and right in front of the motion sensor 700, the value of OL-OR is almost zero. When the object moves from left to right in front of the photodiode, the value of OL-OR changes in the order of zero, negative, positive, and zero. Therefore, when the driver moves his / her hand from right to left or from left to right, the direction can be detected.

  In the monitor mode, the display control unit 121 sets the mixed mode in which the rear seat on the side where the passenger is present is displayed on the screen in the direction of motion when the passenger is present in the rear seat and the motion signal is received. . Specifically, the display control unit 121 sets a mixed mode in which the left rear seat is displayed on the left side of the rear view monitor 110 when a passenger is present on the left side and receives a motion signal from the right to the left. When the passenger is on the left side and receives a motion signal in the direction from left to right, the display control unit sets a mixed mode in which the right rear seat is displayed on the right side of the rear view monitor 110. The same applies when there is a passenger on the right side.

  In the mixed mode, when the display control unit 121 receives a motion signal in the direction opposite to the side where the rear seat is reflected, the display control unit 121 returns the mode to the monitor mode. Specifically, when the left or right rear seat is reflected on the left side of the rear view monitor 110 and the left and right rear seats are received, the display control unit 121 returns the mode to the monitor mode. Conversely, when a motion signal in the direction from right to left is received, the display control unit 121 continues the mixed mode. The same applies when the rear seat is reflected on the right side.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the vehicle display device 100 according to the fifth embodiment. The flow up to S201 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  When it is found that a passenger is present in the rear seat (Yes in S201), the display control unit 121 enters a state of waiting for the driver's gesture while continuing the monitor mode. When the motion information acquisition unit 127 receives a motion signal (Yes in S241), the display control unit 121 determines whether the direction of motion is from bottom to top or from top to bottom (S242a, S242b).

  The display control unit 121 sets the mixed mode in which the rear seat is displayed on the screen opposite to the direction of motion. That is, if the motion is from the bottom to the top (Yes in S242a), it is set to the mixed mode in which the rear seat is projected downward (S121a). If the motion is from the top to the bottom (Yes in S242b), the rear seat is moved upward. The mixed mode for projecting is set (S121b). If the motion direction is neither bottom-up nor top-down (No in S242b), the monitor mode is continued.

  During the mixed mode, unless the motion signal is received from the motion information acquisition unit 127, the display control unit 121 continues the mixed mode (No in S243a, No in S243b). When the motion signal is received (Yes in S243a, Yes in S243b), the display control unit 121 determines whether the direction of motion is from top to bottom or from bottom to top (S245a and S245b). If the direction of motion is not the same as the side where the rear seat is reflected, the mixed mode is continued (No in S245a, No in S245b). However, if they are the same (Yes in S245a, Yes in S245b), the display control unit 121 returns the display of the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode (S103).

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure of the vehicular display device 100 according to the fifth embodiment. The flow up to S101 is the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The display control unit 121 is in a state of waiting for a driver's gesture during the monitor mode. When the motion information acquisition unit 127 receives a motion signal (Yes in S241), the display control unit 121 determines whether the motion direction is right to left or left to right (S246a, S246b). If the motion direction is neither right to left nor left to right (No in S246b), the monitor mode is continued.

  When the direction of motion is either right to left or left to right (Yes in S246a, Yes in S246b), the display control unit 121 determines whether there is a passenger in the rear seat on the far side in the direction of motion. Judgment is made (S247a, S247b). When a passenger is present in the rear seat on the front side in the direction of motion (Yes in S247a, Yes in S247b), the display control unit 121 sets the display on the rear view monitor 110 to the mixed mode in which the rear seat on that side is projected. . That is, the motion from the right to the left direction is detected (Yes in S246a), and when the passenger is in the left rear seat (Yes in S247a), the mixed mode (S121c) in which the left rear seat is displayed is set. Conversely, when the motion from the left to the right is detected (Yes in S246b), and the passenger is in the right rear seat (Yes in S247b), the mixed mode (S121d) for reflecting the right rear seat is set. If none of the above applies (No in S247a, No in S247b), the monitor mode is continued.

  During the mixed mode, the display control unit 121 continues the mixed mode unless a motion signal is received from the motion information acquisition unit 127 (No in S243a, No in S243b). When the motion signal is received (Yes in S243a, Yes in S243b), the display control unit 121 determines whether the direction of the motion is right to left or left to right (S248a and S248b). If the direction of motion is the same as the side where the rear seat is reflected (No in S248a, No in S248b), the mixed mode is continued as it is. However, if the opposite is true (Yes in S248a, Yes in S248b), the display control unit 121 returns the display of the rear view monitor 110 to the monitor mode (S103).

  With this configuration, the side that functions as a mirror in the mixed mode can be freely set according to preference and situation. In addition, the mirror display position can be set and the mixed mode can be ended with an intuitive feeling such as a swipe operation. In the present embodiment, the motion detection direction and the direction to function as a mirror in the mixed mode may be the motion detection direction functioning as a mirror. It may be made to function as. Furthermore, a touch panel as the operation interface 500 is disposed on the mirror surface 117, and the mixed mode may be controlled in accordance with the same operation on the touch panel.

  The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be applied to combinations of components and processing processes, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in each embodiment, when there is a passenger in the rear seat, the monitor mode and the mixed mode may be switched periodically. For this purpose, an interval timer (not shown) may be provided inside the display control unit 121 to measure the mode switching timing. According to this modification, the driver can periodically check the status of the rear seat.

  In each embodiment, the video displayed on the rear view monitor 110 may be shifted or reduced together with the switching to the mixed mode. In the mixed mode, a part of the displayed video is missing. For example, when the left portion of the rear view monitor 110 is functioned as a mirror, the left portion of the monitor image is missing. Here, by shifting the display image to the right, it is possible to improve the deterioration of the left and right balance of the display image. For this purpose, a video conversion unit (not shown) is provided in the display control unit 121, and a video shift or reduction process may be performed here. Further, the display range may be expanded by reducing the video. According to this modification, it is possible to improve the reduction of the video display range in the mixed mode.

  110 rear view monitor, 120 rear view monitor control unit, 121 display control unit, 123 photographing control unit, 124a passenger information acquisition unit, 124b voice detection unit, 125 mixed mode start / end command acquisition unit, 126 travel speed information acquisition unit, 127 Motion information acquisition unit

Claims (8)

A device for displaying an image of the rear of a vehicle,
A display unit having a display surface having a structure that functions as a mirror;
A determination unit for determining the presence or absence of a passenger in the rear seat in the vehicle;
When it is determined that a passenger is present in the rear seat, a display control unit that hides a part of the display of the image displayed on the display unit,
And a portion of the display surface where the image is not displayed functions as a mirror.   2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, when a passenger is present in the rear seat, the display control unit hides a part in a vertical direction in displaying an image displayed on the display unit. Display device.   The display unit includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight that can be turned on and off in the vertical direction of the liquid crystal panel, and the display control unit turns off a part of the backlight in the vertical direction. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the display of the image is hidden by the operation.   The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination unit determines the presence or absence of a passenger using information from a seating sensor installed in the rear seat.   The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination unit determines the presence or absence of a passenger using sound information from a microphone installed in the rear seat. An acquisition unit that acquires travel speed information of the vehicle;
The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control unit hides a part of the image display when the traveling speed is less than a predetermined speed. It further comprises a motion information acquisition unit that acquires information from a device that detects motion based on the driver's gesture,
The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit controls a position to be non-displayed according to the acquired motion. A method for displaying an image of the rear of a vehicle,
Determining the presence or absence of a passenger in the rear seat of the vehicle,
When it is determined that a passenger is present in the rear seat, a part of the display of the image displayed on the display unit having the display surface having a structure functioning as a mirror is hidden, thereby displaying the image of the display surface. A display method in which the hidden part functions as a mirror.

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