JP2019182068A - On-vehicle system and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique for displaying an image having a proper display form without the necessity for a plurality of optical sensors.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle system 1 comprises an RLS 10, a setting part 34 and a determination part 35. A detection part detects at least luminosity in front of a vehicle. The setting part is configured to set a display form of an image to be displayed. The setting part also sets the display form without referring to an output value of the detection part which is acquired when the detection part determines a lighting state that headlights of an oncoming vehicle are lit, and on the other hand, by reducing an influence exerted to the setting of the display form more than that of the output value which is acquired when the headlights are determined to be not in the lighting state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle system that displays an image.

  In order to improve the visibility of an image displayed by a display device, a technique for adjusting the display mode such as the luminance of the image according to the surrounding environment is used. In the following Patent Document 1, in a display device mounted on a vehicle, inappropriate brightness due to detection of a brake lamp and a tail lamp of a preceding vehicle by using two optical sensors that detect brightness in different directions. A technique for suppressing the adjustment has been proposed.

JP 2004-314860 A

  However, as a result of detailed studies by the inventor, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires two sensors that face different directions, which complicates the device configuration and restricts the design of the interior of the vehicle. Was found.

  One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for displaying an image of an appropriate display mode without requiring a plurality of optical sensors.

  One aspect of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle system (1) that is mounted on a vehicle and configured to display an image in front of a vehicle occupant, and includes a detection unit (10) and a setting unit (34). ) And a determination unit (35). The detection unit is configured to detect at least brightness in front of the vehicle. The setting unit is configured to set a display mode of an image to be displayed based on output values of a plurality of detection units having different detected timings. The determination unit is configured to determine whether or not it is a lighting state in which a headlamp of an oncoming vehicle that is a vehicle that runs facing the vehicle is lit. The setting unit does not refer to the output value acquired when it is determined that the lighting state is the lighting state by the determination unit, or is displayed more than the output value acquired when it is determined that it is not the lighting state. The display mode is set by reducing the influence on the setting.

  According to such a configuration, by recognizing the presence of a vehicle whose headlamp is lit, the display mode of the image is caused by a change in brightness that temporarily changes due to the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle. It can suppress changing. Therefore, it is possible to display an image of an appropriate display mode without requiring a plurality of optical sensors, particularly a sensor for detecting the brightness above the vehicle.

  Another aspect of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle system (1) that is mounted on a vehicle and configured to display an image forward when viewed from a vehicle occupant, the detection unit (10), and a setting unit (34) and a determination unit (35). The detection unit is configured to detect at least illuminance in front of the vehicle. The setting unit is configured to set a display mode of an image to be displayed based on a plurality of illuminances detected at different timings. The determination unit is configured to determine whether the illuminance exceeds a predetermined threshold. The setting unit does not refer to the illuminance acquired when it is determined that the illuminance is equal to or higher than the threshold value, or the display mode is higher than the illuminance acquired when it is determined that the illuminance is not equal to or higher than the threshold value. The display mode is set by reducing the influence on the setting.

  According to such a configuration, when the illuminance exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is possible to suppress a change in the display mode of the image due to a change in brightness at that time. The situation where the illuminance is too high is likely to be temporary, for example, when the headlight of an oncoming vehicle is lit. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the change in the display mode of the image due to the temporarily changing brightness without requiring a plurality of optical sensors, particularly a sensor for detecting the brightness above the vehicle. .

  Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a display device (30) that is mounted on a vehicle and configured to display an image forward as viewed from a vehicle occupant, the acquisition unit (33), and a setting Part (34) and a determination part (35). The acquisition unit acquires an output value of the detection unit (10) configured to detect at least brightness in front of the vehicle. The setting unit is configured to set a display mode of a displayed image based on a plurality of output values having different detected timings. The determination unit is configured to determine whether or not it is a lighting state in which a headlamp of an oncoming vehicle that is a vehicle that runs facing the vehicle is lit. The setting unit does not refer to the output value acquired when it is determined that the lighting state is the lighting state by the determination unit, or is displayed more than the output value acquired when it is determined that it is not the lighting state. The display mode is set by reducing the influence on the setting.

  According to such a configuration, similarly to the above-described vehicle-mounted system according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a plurality of optical sensors, in particular, a sensor that detects the brightness above the vehicle is not required, and an image with an appropriate display aspect is obtained. Can be displayed.

  Note that the reference numerals in parentheses described in this column and in the claims indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiment described later as one aspect, and the technical scope of the present disclosure It is not limited.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted system. It is a side view which shows arrangement | positioning of RLS and an image display part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control part. It is a flowchart of a brightness | luminance setting process. It is a figure explaining the time-dependent change of the illumination intensity outside a vehicle at the normal time, and the sampling method of illumination intensity. It is a figure explaining the time-dependent change of the illumination intensity outside a vehicle when an oncoming vehicle lights a headlamp, and the sampling method of illumination intensity. It is a figure explaining the time-dependent change of the illumination intensity outside a vehicle when an oncoming vehicle lights a headlamp, and the sampling method of illumination intensity. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the illuminance outside a vehicle shown by a brightness-illuminance table, and HUD brightness | luminance.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. Embodiment]
[1-1. Constitution]
An in-vehicle system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used by being mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. Hereinafter, a vehicle on which the in-vehicle system 1 is mounted is described as a host vehicle, and a vehicle other than the host vehicle is described as another vehicle. The in-vehicle system 1 includes a rain light sensor (hereinafter, RLS) 10, an oncoming vehicle detection device 20, and a head-up display (hereinafter, HUD) 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the RLS 10 is a sensor that detects the brightness in front of the vehicle 3. In the present embodiment, an illuminance sensor is used as the RLS. The RLS 10 can be used when detecting raindrops as well as brightness. Note that a sensor or device other than the illuminance sensor may be used as long as the brightness in front of the vehicle 3 can be detected.

  The oncoming vehicle detection device 20 is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device having a communication module (not shown), and can perform communication between devices mounted on other vehicles. The oncoming vehicle detection device 20 acquires information such as the position of other vehicles located around the host vehicle, the road on which the vehicle is traveling, the traveling direction, and on / off of the headlamps by inter-vehicle communication. The oncoming vehicle detection device 20 may use another device that can acquire the information of the other vehicle described above. For example, not vehicle-to-vehicle communication but road-to-vehicle communication may be used, or a communication system using a network such as the Internet may be used.

  The HUD 30 includes an image display unit 31 and a control unit 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the image display unit 31 emits a light beam based on the image toward the windshield 5 that is a projection target member. The windshield 5 is configured to be positioned in the direction in which the display light is emitted by the image display unit 31. This light beam is reflected by the windshield 5 and travels to the viewpoint of a driver 7 as an example of a passenger. The driver can visually recognize the virtual image 9 in front of the vehicle 3.

  The image displayed as the virtual image 9 may include vehicle information and foreground information. The vehicle information includes, for example, numerical information indicating the traveling state of the vehicle 3, specifically, information such as the vehicle speed, the engine speed, and the remaining amount of fuel. The foreground information includes information for supplementing the foreground visually recognized by the driver through the windshield 5, specifically, information on the position and traveling direction of the pedestrian and other vehicles, the route to be traveled, and the like. The member to be projected is not limited to the windshield 5 but may be a known combiner.

  The control unit 32 sends a control signal for controlling a light source and a liquid crystal panel (not shown) included in the image display unit 31 to the image display unit 31. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control unit 32 includes a microcomputer having a CPU 41 and a semiconductor memory (hereinafter, memory 42) such as a RAM or a ROM. Various functions of the control unit 32 are realized by the CPU 41 executing a program stored in a non-transitional physical recording medium. In this example, the memory 42 corresponds to a non-transitional tangible recording medium that stores a program. Also, by executing this program, a method corresponding to the program is executed. The control unit 32 may include one microcomputer or a plurality of microcomputers.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 32 includes an acquisition unit 33, a setting unit 34, a determination unit 35, and an output unit 36. The method of realizing the functions of the respective units included in the control unit 32 is not limited to software, and some or all of the functions may be realized using one or a plurality of hardware. For example, when the function is realized by an electronic circuit that is hardware, the electronic circuit may be realized by a digital circuit, an analog circuit, or a combination thereof.

  The acquisition unit 33 acquires a signal output from the RLS 10. In other words, the acquisition unit 33 acquires the illuminance in front of the vehicle 3 from the RLS 10. This illuminance parameter corresponds to the output value.

  The setting unit 34 sets the display mode of the displayed image based on a plurality of illuminances detected at different timings by the RLS 10. In the present embodiment, the average value of illuminance sampled at a predetermined cycle within a predetermined period is calculated, and the luminance of an image to be displayed is set according to the calculated average illuminance. In addition, the setting unit 34 sets the display mode with respect to the illuminance acquired when it is determined that the lighting state is determined by the determination unit 35 described later, rather than the illuminance acquired when it is determined that the lighting state is not. The display mode is set with a small influence. Details of the characteristic processing of the setting unit 34 will be described later. The lighting state is a state in which the headlamp of an oncoming vehicle that is another vehicle that runs opposite to the vehicle 3 is on.

The determination unit 35 is configured to determine whether or not the lighting state is present. This determination is performed with reference to the information on the other vehicle acquired by the oncoming vehicle detection device 20 described above.
The output unit 36 outputs an image to be displayed and information indicating a display mode such as luminance to the image display unit 31. In the image display part 31, the display light which shows the image input by the output part is irradiated so that it may become a set display mode.

[1-2. processing]
Next, luminance setting processing executed by the CPU 41 of the control unit 32 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is started when the HUD 30 is activated.

First, in S <b> 1, the CPU 41 acquires the front illuminance detected by the RLS 10.
In S2, the CPU 41 determines, based on the output from the oncoming vehicle detection device 20, whether there is an oncoming vehicle that irradiates the headlamp toward the host vehicle, that is, whether the lighting state described above is present. To do. If it is determined that the above-described oncoming vehicle exists, the CPU 41 proceeds to S5. On the other hand, if it is determined that the oncoming vehicle does not exist, the CPU 41 proceeds to S3.

  In S3, the CPU 41 executes normal illuminance acquisition control. FIG. 5 shows an example of a change with time in the illuminance outside the vehicle. The illuminance outside the vehicle is the illuminance detected by the RLS 10. The sampling frequency is n, and the illuminance is periodically sampled every 1 / n seconds. Note that the sampling timing may be adjusted by the CPU 41 acquiring illuminance at a predetermined cycle, or may be adjusted by the RLS 10 outputting at a predetermined cycle.

  In S4, the CPU 41 calculates an average value (hereinafter, average illuminance) of m times of sampling results. In other words, the average value of illuminance acquired in a predetermined period in the past from the present time is calculated. The average illuminance can be obtained by employing various average value calculation methods, and for example, an arithmetic average or a weighted average can be used. After S4, the process proceeds to S7.

  In S5, the CPU 41 executes control for suppressing the influence of the headlamps in the brightness setting of the image. Specifically, by performing any one of the following (i) to (iv), the influence of the illuminance acquired in the lighting state on the average illuminance is reduced. In the description of S5, when an oncoming vehicle is detected, it is a timing when it is determined that the lighting state is present.

(I) Illumination Sampling Frequency Reduction FIG. 6 shows an example of a change in illuminance outside the vehicle when an oncoming vehicle is detected at a timing indicated by a broken line. During the period until the oncoming vehicle is detected, the illuminance outside the vehicle is low, and after detecting the oncoming vehicle, the illuminance is temporarily increased by the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle.

  The sampling frequency is n until an oncoming vehicle is detected. Here, the illuminance is referred to a times within a predetermined period, and the average value of the a samples is calculated as the average illuminance for changing the image luminance.

  When an oncoming vehicle is detected, the sampling frequency is changed to m. Here, m <n. At this time, if the number of times that sampling can be performed within a predetermined period is b, b <a. When the predetermined period crosses the timing when the oncoming vehicle is detected, the number of times that sampling can be performed is a number between a and b.

By lowering the sampling frequency in this way, the number of times the detected illuminance is acquired when there is a high possibility of being greatly affected by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle is reduced, and the effect that the illuminance has on the average illuminance is affected. Get smaller.
Note that the predetermined period for sampling the illuminance may be changed before and after the detection of the oncoming vehicle. It is sufficient that the frequency after at least the oncoming vehicle is detected is lowered.

(Ii) Increase in the number of reference samples of average illuminance By increasing the number of samplings for calculating the average illuminance compared to the normal time, the influence of temporary illuminance change is reduced. Specifically, the reference period of the illuminance sample for calculating the average illuminance is set to a long period until the past so that the ratio of the illuminance acquired before detecting the oncoming vehicle is increased. For example, in FIG. 7, until the oncoming vehicle is detected, the average illuminance is calculated with reference to the illuminance detected in the period c. However, when the oncoming vehicle is detected, the average illuminance is calculated in the period d longer than the period c. To do.

  Since the illuminance samples to be referred to are increased by extending the sampling period in this way, the influence of the illuminance acquired on the average illuminance when greatly influenced by the headlamp is reduced.

  Note that the method of increasing the number of samples to be referred to is not limited to this, and various methods may be used in which the ratio of illuminance acquired before detecting an oncoming vehicle is increased. For example, the illuminance may be detected at a frequency higher than the frequency n in advance, and the sampling frequency may be increased for the period before the oncoming vehicle is detected without changing the period for referring to the sample.

(Iii) Excluded from reference sample of average illuminance Of the illuminance samples acquired during the period determined to be in the lighting state, a sample having an illuminance equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold is not used to calculate the average illuminance. . Thereby, the influence which the illuminance acquired when there is a high possibility of being greatly affected by the headlamps has an influence on the average illuminance can be reduced. In addition, you may exclude all the illumination intensity samples acquired during the period determined to be a lighting condition from calculation of average illumination intensity.

  Note that the method for calculating the average illuminance when the reference sample is excluded is not particularly limited. For example, the average illuminance may be calculated with a sample that is less by the amount excluded from the reference sample, or the average illuminance calculated before detecting the oncoming vehicle may be used as it is as the current average illuminance.

(Iv) Others For example, an illuminance sample acquired during a period in which it is determined that the lighting state is on may obtain an average illuminance such that the weight is reduced. As described above, various methods can be used in which the influence of the illuminance sample acquired during the period of lighting condition is reduced.

  In S6, the CPU 41 calculates the average illuminance based on the illuminance acquired by the sampling method determined in S5. Here, as in S4, various average value calculation methods can be employed.

  In S7, the CPU 41 refers to the luminance-illuminance table. The luminance-illuminance table is a table in which the HUD luminance with respect to the illuminance outside the vehicle is shown. Here, the illuminance outside the vehicle is the average illuminance obtained in S4 or S6. The HUD luminance is the luminance of the image displayed by the image display unit 31. As shown in FIG. 8, the higher the illuminance outside the vehicle, the higher the HUD luminance. By having such a relationship between the illuminance outside the vehicle and the HUD luminance, the brighter the vehicle exterior, the brighter the image is displayed, and the driver can view the image better.

In S8, the CPU 41 changes the luminance of the image displayed by the HUD 30 to the luminance set in S7. Thereafter, the brightness setting process in FIG. 4 is terminated.
[1-3. effect]
According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1a) When the in-vehicle system 1 detects a lighting state in which the headlamps of the oncoming vehicle are lit, the in-vehicle system 1 sets the luminance of the displayed image by reducing the influence of the illuminance acquired at that time. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the luminance of the image from being changed due to a temporary environmental change in which the headlight of the oncoming vehicle is received, and the driver from being dazzled. Therefore, an image with appropriate luminance can be displayed without the need for a plurality of optical sensors, particularly a sensor for detecting the brightness above the vehicle.
(1b) Since the in-vehicle system 1 can detect the lighting state by communication such as inter-vehicle communication, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of sensors necessary for setting the brightness of the image.

[2. Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this indication was described, this indication is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can carry out various modifications.

  (2a) In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle system 1 has exemplified the configuration in which an image is displayed by a head-up display, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an EL display, which is disposed in front of the passenger of the vehicle 3, may be used.

  (2b) In the above embodiment, the luminance is exemplified as an example of the image display mode set according to the average illuminance. However, the display mode to be set may be other than the luminance. Further, the luminance and the display mode other than the luminance may be set at the same time. For example, the color of the image, the size of the image or character, the contrast, etc. may be set according to the average illuminance.

  (2c) In the above embodiment, the average illuminance is calculated by reducing the influence of the illuminance detected when it is determined that the lighting state is present. However, the illuminance detected when the lighting state is determined is There is no need to refer to it. By comprising in this way, the influence of the illumination intensity acquired when it determines with it being a lighting condition can be reduced more highly.

  (2d) In the embodiment described above, the influence of the illuminance acquired when setting the display mode of the image when the lighting state is determined is reduced. However, it is not determined whether or not the lighting state is present, it is determined whether or not the illuminance detected by the RLS 10 exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the illuminance acquired when setting the display mode of the image accordingly. You may be comprised so that the process mentioned above, such as reducing an influence, may be performed.

  (2e) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration for detecting that the headlight of the oncoming vehicle is lit by communication processing such as inter-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication is illustrated. However, it may be detected that the headlight of the oncoming vehicle is lit by a method other than this. For example, a camera that captures the front of the vehicle 3 may be provided as the oncoming vehicle detection device 20, and it may be detected that the headlamps of the oncoming vehicle are lit by performing image processing on a captured image of the camera. Alternatively, it may be determined that the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle is lit when the output value of the RLS 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  (2f) In (iii) of S5 of the above embodiment, the method of calculating the average illuminance without referring to the illuminance equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold when it is determined that the lighting state is present. However, even when the lighting state is not determined, the average illuminance may be calculated without referring to the illuminance greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

  (2g) In the above embodiment, the RLS 10 has exemplified the configuration for detecting the illuminance in front of the vehicle 3. However, as long as the range includes the front of the vehicle 3, the illuminance may be widely detected other than the front of the vehicle 3.

  (2h) A plurality of functions of one constituent element in the above embodiment may be realized by a plurality of constituent elements, or a single function of one constituent element may be realized by a plurality of constituent elements. . Further, a plurality of functions possessed by a plurality of constituent elements may be realized by one constituent element, or one function realized by a plurality of constituent elements may be realized by one constituent element. Moreover, you may abbreviate | omit a part of structure of the said embodiment. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to or replaced with the configuration of the other embodiment. In addition, all the aspects included in the technical idea specified from the wording described in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

  (2i) In addition to the in-vehicle system 1 described above, a non-transitional device such as a display device including a control unit 32 constituting the in-vehicle system 1, a program for causing a computer to function as the control unit 32, a semiconductor memory in which the program is recorded, etc. The present disclosure can also be realized in various forms such as an actual recording medium and a display mode setting method.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... In-vehicle system, 10 ... RLS, 30 ... HUD, 33 ... Acquisition part, 34 ... Setting part, 35 ... Determination part

Claims (9)

An in-vehicle system (1) mounted on a vehicle and configured to display an image forward as viewed from a passenger of the vehicle,
A detection unit (10) configured to detect at least brightness in front of the vehicle;
A setting unit (34) configured to set a display mode of an image to be displayed based on output values of the plurality of detection units detected at different timings;
A determination unit (35) configured to determine whether or not a headlight of an oncoming vehicle that is a vehicle that runs opposite to the vehicle is in a lighting state;
The setting unit does not refer to the output value acquired when it is determined by the determination unit that the lighting state is the lighting state, or is acquired when it is determined that the lighting state is not the lighting state. An in-vehicle system that sets the display mode with a smaller influence on the setting of the display mode than the output value. The in-vehicle system according to claim 1,
The display mode is an in-vehicle system including at least the brightness of an image. The in-vehicle system according to claim 1 or 2,
The setting unit increases an interval for acquiring the output value when the determination unit determines that the lighting state is determined, as compared with a case where the setting unit determines that the lighting state is not determined. The in-vehicle system according to claim 1 or 2,
When the determination unit determines that the lighting state is the lighting state, the setting unit acquires the output value that is referred to for setting the display mode as compared to a case where the setting state is determined not to be the lighting state. In-vehicle system that lengthens the extended period. It is an in-vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the determination unit determines that the lighting state is the lighting state, the setting unit sets the display mode without referring to the output value whose brightness exceeds a predetermined threshold. The in-vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The determination unit detects that the headlight of the oncoming vehicle is lit by vehicle-to-vehicle communication or road-to-vehicle communication, and the brightness of the front of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold by the detection unit. The vehicle-mounted system which determines with the said lighting condition at least any one of them when it is determined. An in-vehicle system (1) mounted on a vehicle and configured to display an image forward as viewed from a passenger of the vehicle,
A detection unit (10) configured to detect at least the illuminance in front of the vehicle;
A setting unit (34) configured to set a display mode of a displayed image based on a plurality of the illuminances detected at different timings;
A determination unit (35) configured to determine whether the illuminance exceeds a predetermined threshold,
The setting unit is obtained without referring to the illuminance acquired when it is determined that the illuminance is equal to or higher than the threshold value or when the illuminance is determined not to be equal to or higher than the threshold value. An in-vehicle system that sets the display mode with a smaller influence on the setting of the display mode than the illuminance. It is an in-vehicle system given in any 1 paragraph of Claims 1-7,
The in-vehicle system displays the image by a head-up display. A display device (30) mounted on a vehicle and configured to display an image forward when viewed from a passenger of the vehicle,
An acquisition unit (33) for acquiring an output value of the detection unit (10) configured to detect at least brightness in front of the vehicle;
A setting unit (34) configured to set a display mode of an image to be displayed based on a plurality of the output values detected at different timings;
A determination unit (35) configured to determine whether or not a headlight of an oncoming vehicle that is a vehicle that runs opposite to the vehicle is in a lighting state;
The setting unit does not refer to the output value acquired when it is determined by the determination unit that the lighting state is the lighting state, or is acquired when it is determined that the lighting state is not the lighting state. A display device that sets the display mode by making the influence on the setting of the display mode smaller than an output value.

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