JP2019219895A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a display device capable of directing attention of a viewer to a forward scene while guiding a traveling route of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A display device displays a route guidance image that is visually recognized by a driver as a virtual image Vi overlapping with a front scene of a vehicle. The display device acquires route guidance information for guiding a travel route of a vehicle to a set destination to control display of the route guidance image on the basis of the acquired route guidance information. The route guidance image is an image for notifying a route at a guide point between a current position and the destination of the vehicle. The display device displays a route guidance image G in a normal manner before the vehicle reaches the guide point, and displays a route guidance image Gs again in a simple form after the display.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional display device that displays a route guidance image visually recognized by a viewer (mainly, a driver of a vehicle) as a virtual image overlapping with a scene in front of the vehicle (see FIG. 5).

JP-A-2006-60445

  For example, the route guidance image reports the route at a guide point (for example, a branch point) from the current location of the vehicle to the set destination by various information such as graphics and characters. Conventionally, the route guidance image is displayed in the same manner regardless of the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the guide point, despite the fact that the driver tends to gaze at the scenery ahead when approaching the guide point. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a display device that can direct a viewer's attention to a scene in front while guiding the traveling route of a vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, a display device according to the present invention includes:
A display device that displays a route guidance image visually recognized by a viewer as a virtual image overlapping a scene in front of the vehicle,
Display control means for acquiring route guidance information for guiding a traveling route of the vehicle to a set destination, and performing display control of the route guidance image based on the acquired route guidance information,
The route guidance image is an image for notifying a route at a predetermined point from the current location of the vehicle to the destination,
The display control means displays the route guidance image in a predetermined mode before the vehicle reaches the predetermined point, and redisplays the route guidance image in a simple mode having a smaller amount of information than the predetermined mode after the display. indicate.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a viewer's attention can be directed to the scenery ahead while guiding the driving route of a vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure for demonstrating the mounting aspect to the vehicle of the head up display (HUD) apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of a display system for vehicles. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a display control process. (A) is a figure showing an example of a route guidance image of a normal mode, etc., and (b) is a figure showing an example of a route guidance image of a simple mode. (A) is a figure showing another example of a route guidance image of a normal mode, and (b) is a figure showing another example of a route guidance image of a simple mode. (A) is a diagram showing another example of a route guidance image in a normal mode, and (b) and (c) are diagrams showing another example of a route guidance image in a simple mode. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the example of an image transition of a route guidance image. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the example of an image transition of a route guidance image. 6 is a timing chart for explaining an example of an image transition of a route guidance image. (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the example of an image transition of a route guidance image. (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the example of the image transition of the route guidance image which concerns on a modification.

  A display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The display device according to the present embodiment is a HUD (Head-Up Display) device 10 included in the vehicle display system 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the HUD device 10 is provided inside the dashboard 2 of the vehicle 1 and integrates not only information on the vehicle 1 (hereinafter, also referred to as vehicle information) but also information other than the vehicle information. Notify the driver D. Note that the vehicle information includes not only information on the vehicle 1 itself but also information on the outside of the vehicle 1 related to the operation of the vehicle 1.

  The vehicle display system 100 is a system configured in the vehicle 1, and includes a HUD device 10, a peripheral information acquisition unit 40, a forward information acquisition unit 50, a line-of-sight detection unit 60, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 70. And a car navigation (car navigation) device 80.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the HUD device 10 is provided inside the dashboard 2 and emits the display light L toward the windshield 3. The display light L reflected by the windshield 3 travels to the driver D side. By placing the viewpoint in the eye box E, the driver D can visually recognize the image represented by the display light L as a virtual image Vi in front of the windshield 3. That is, the HUD device 10 displays the virtual image Vi at a position in front of the windshield 3. Thereby, the driver D can observe the virtual image Vi in a manner superimposed on the front scenery.

  The HUD device 10 includes the display unit 20 and the control device 30 illustrated in FIG. 2, and a reflection unit (not illustrated).

  The display unit 20 displays a superimposed image visually recognized by the driver D as a virtual image Vi under the control of the control device 30. The display unit 20 includes, for example, a thin film transistor (TFT) type LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a backlight that illuminates the LCD from behind, and the like. The backlight is composed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The display unit 20 generates the display light L by the LCD illuminated by the backlight displaying an image under the control of the control device 30. The generated display light L is emitted toward the windshield 3 after being reflected by the reflector. The reflector is composed of, for example, two mirrors, a folding mirror and a concave mirror. The turning mirror turns the display light L emitted from the display unit 20 back to the concave mirror. The concave mirror reflects the display light L from the folding mirror toward the windshield 3 while expanding the display light L. Thereby, the virtual image Vi visually recognized by the driver D is an enlarged image of the image displayed on the display unit 20. Note that the number of mirrors constituting the reflection unit can be arbitrarily changed according to the design.

  Hereinafter, displaying the image visually recognized by the driver D as the virtual image Vi on the display unit 20 is also referred to as “displaying a superimposed image”. Controlling the display of the display unit 20 by the control device 30 is also referred to as “performing display control of a superimposed image”. The display unit 20 is not limited to the one using an LCD as long as it can display a superimposed image, and may be an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a digital micro mirror device (DMD), or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS). A display device may be used.

  The control device 30 includes a microcomputer that controls the entire operation of the HUD device 10 and includes a control unit 31, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33. The control device 30 includes a drive circuit and an input / output circuit for communicating with various systems in the vehicle 1 as a configuration (not shown).

  The ROM 32 stores an operation program and various image data in advance. The RAM 33 temporarily stores various calculation results and the like. The control unit 31 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31a that executes an operation program stored in a ROM 32, and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 31b that executes image processing in cooperation with the CPU 31a. In particular, the ROM 32 stores an operation program for executing a display control process described later. Note that a part of the control unit 31 may be configured by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The configurations of the control device 30 and the control unit 31 are arbitrary as long as the functions described below are satisfied.

  The control unit 31 controls the driving of the display unit 20. For example, the control unit 31 drives and controls the backlight of the display unit 20 with the CPU 31a, and drives and controls the LCD of the display unit 20 with the GPU 31b that operates in cooperation with the CPU 31a.

  The CPU 31a of the control unit 31 controls the display of the superimposed image based on various image data stored in the ROM 32 in cooperation with the GPU 31b. The GPU 31b determines the control content of the display operation of the display unit 20 based on the display control command from the CPU 31a. The GPU 31b reads, from the ROM 32, image part data necessary to compose one screen displayed on the display unit 20, and transfers the image part data to the RAM 33. The GPU 31b uses the RAM 33 to create picture data for one screen based on image part data and various image data received from the outside of the HUD device 10 by communication. Then, when the picture data for one screen is completed in the RAM 33, the GPU 31b transfers the picture data to the display unit 20 in synchronization with the image update timing. Thereby, the superimposed image visually recognized by the driver D is displayed on the display unit 20 as the virtual image Vi. In addition, a layer is assigned in advance to each image constituting the image visually recognized as the virtual image Vi, and the control unit 31 can perform individual display control of each image.

  Further, the control unit 31 controls the display position of the content image (such as a route guidance image described later) in the display area of the virtual image Vi and the display distance of the content image. 4A and 4B, the frame indicated by the virtual image Vi indicates a display area of the virtual image Vi, and the content image is an image visually recognized as a virtual image in the display area. This is equivalent to displaying the content image in the display area of the superimposed image on the display unit 20 that displays the superimposed image visually recognized by the driver D as the virtual image Vi.

  The control of the display position means that the control unit 31 controls the display unit 20 so that an image is displayed at an arbitrary position in the display area of the virtual image Vi as viewed from the driver D. The control of the display distance is control of how far ahead the vehicle 1 displays the content image when viewed from the driver D. That is, the control of the display distance means that the control unit 31 controls the display unit 20 so that the content image is visually recognized at a position facing the front of the vehicle 1 by a predetermined distance. The control of the display distance is realized by the control unit 31 being able to control the display of the content image in the display area of the virtual image Vi in a manner having depth. For example, in order to display a content image in a mode having the depth, 3D image data is stored in the ROM 32 in advance, and a perspective method (for example, based on a distance from the vehicle 1 to a superimposition target (for example, a front road)) is used. For example, rendering of a content image is controlled by using a single point perspective drawing method. Also, by arranging the display surface of the display unit 20 (the display surface of the LCD or the screen when DMD or LCOS is used) at an angle, the virtual surface (the display surface of the display unit 20) on which the virtual image Vi is displayed is displayed. The content image may have a depth by setting the corresponding surface (front surface) to be inclined forward with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle 1. In this case, in consideration of the projection of the image desired to be visually recognized from the viewpoint of the driver D onto the virtual plane, the control unit 31 may perform the drawing control on the content image in a manner having depth. As the viewpoint position of the driver D, the control unit 31 may use an assumed viewpoint position stored in the ROM 32 in advance, or may use gaze information from the gaze detection unit 60.

  As described above, since the content image can be displayed in a mode having a depth, the control unit 31 performs the content image (particularly, the route guidance image) in the AR (Augmented Reality) mode shown in FIG. Can be displayed. When displaying the route guidance image in the AR mode, for example, the control unit 31 specifies a target to be superimposed on the route guidance image based on route guidance information and a front image described later. Specifically, the control unit 31 specifies the shape and position coordinates of the road ahead by a known image analysis method such as a pattern matching method from the front image, and displays the route guidance image drawn based on the route guidance information. Determine the size. The front road on which the route guidance image is superimposed may be specified based on traffic information acquired by V2I (details will be described later) from the roadside infrastructure via the peripheral information acquisition unit 40. Then, the control unit 31 may display the route guidance image of the determined display size on the display unit 20 according to the specified shape and position coordinates of the front road. For example, the control unit 31 performs the AR mode based on the distance from the vehicle 1 to the road ahead and the data (data indicating a table, a mathematical expression, an image part, etc.) for generating the route guidance image according to the traffic information. The display control of the route guidance image is performed. The data may be stored in the ROM 32 in advance.

(Route guidance image)
Here, the route guidance image displayed in the superimposed image will be described. The route guidance image is an image for notifying a route at a guide point (predetermined point) from the current location of the vehicle 1 to a destination set by the user (mainly, the driver D). In the present embodiment, a normal mode and a simple mode are prepared as route guidance images. The simple mode is a mode in which the amount of information is smaller than the normal mode.

  FIG. 4A shows an example of a route guidance image G in a normal mode. The route guidance image G in the normal mode is displayed before the vehicle 1 reaches the guide point P (intersection in the figure), and is an image for notifying the route at the guide point P. The route guidance image G in the normal mode includes a direction instruction image composed of an arrow indicating the direction in which the vehicle should proceed at the guide point P, and information on the guide point P shown above the direction instruction image (information indicating the name of the intersection and the lane). And a distance image indicating the distance to the guide point P shown below the direction indication image.

FIG. 4B shows an example of the route guidance image Gs in a simple mode. The route guide image Gs in the simple mode is displayed after the route guide image G in the normal mode is displayed and before the vehicle 1 reaches the guide point P. The route guidance image Gs in the simple mode is also an image for notifying the route at the guide point P. The route guidance image Gs in the simple mode is a direction instruction image in the AR mode, and is visually recognized along the front road as a real scene. As described above, the route guide image Gs in the simple mode has a smaller amount of information than the normal mode, as can be seen from the comparison with the route guide image G in the normal mode illustrated in FIG.
As described above, when the vehicle 1 approaches the guide point P after displaying the route guidance image G in the normal mode, the display is switched (redisplayed) to the display in the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode, thereby driving. The attention of the person D can be directed to the front scenery (the intersection in the example of FIG. 4B).

  FIGS. 5A and 5B show other examples of the normal mode and the simple mode. The route guidance image G in the normal mode shown in FIG. 5A includes a direction instruction image and a road image indicating a road shape. On the other hand, the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode shown in FIG. 5B is composed of only the direction instruction image. Embodiments such as these may be used.

6A to 6C show other examples of the normal mode and the simple mode, in which a plurality of simple modes are prepared.
The route guidance image G in the normal mode shown in FIG. 6A includes a direction instruction image, a road image, a distance image, and a name image indicating the name of the intersection as the guide point P. The route guidance image Gs1 according to the first mode, which is a simple mode shown in FIG. 6B, includes a direction instruction image and a road image. The route guidance image Gs2 according to the second mode, which is a simple mode shown in FIG. 6C, is composed of only a direction instruction image. Thus, as a simple mode, the first mode and the second mode having a smaller amount of information than the first mode may be provided. In such a case, the information amount of each route guidance image has a relationship of “normal route guidance image Gs> first mode route guidance image Gs1> second mode route guidance image Gs2”.

  When displaying the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode, the condition for displaying either the first mode or the second mode will be described later. Hereinafter, as a concept including both the route guidance image G in the normal mode and the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode, there is a case where the route guidance image is described without a symbol. Further, the route guidance image Gs1 of the first mode and the route guidance image Gs2 of the second mode may be simply referred to as a simple route guidance image Gs.

  The CPU 31a of the control unit 31 communicates with each of the peripheral information acquisition unit 40, the forward information acquisition unit 50, the visual line detection unit 60, the ECU 70, and the car navigation device 80. As the communication, for example, communication systems such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet, MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport), and LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) can be applied.

  The peripheral information acquisition unit 40 acquires information on the periphery (external) of the vehicle 1 and is configured by a module that enables communication (V2I: Vehicle To roadside Infrastructure) between the vehicle 1 and a roadside infrastructure. For example, the peripheral information acquisition unit 40 has a communication device that wirelessly communicates with a roadside infrastructure. For example, a roadside wireless device installed as an infrastructure from a base station of a driving safety support system (DSSS). , Traffic information including the position and shape of the road around the vehicle 1 is acquired.

  The peripheral information acquisition unit 40 performs communication between the vehicle 1 and a wireless network (V2N: Vehicle To Cellular Network), communication between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle (V2V: Vehicle To Vehicle), and communication between the vehicle 1 and a pedestrian. (V2P: Vehicle To Pedestrian) and various modules that enable communication between the vehicle 1 and the roadside infrastructure (V2I: Vehicle To Roadside Infrastructure). That is, the peripheral information acquisition unit 40 may be configured to be able to communicate by V2X (Vehicle To Everything) between the vehicle 1 and the outside of the vehicle 1. When this configuration is adopted, for example, (i) the peripheral information acquisition unit 40 includes a communication module that can directly access a WAN (Wide Area Network), an external device (such as a mobile router) that can access the WAN, and a public wireless LAN (Local Area LAN). Network) and a communication module for communicating with an access point or the like, and performs Internet communication. Further, the peripheral information acquisition unit 40 includes a GPS controller that calculates the position of the vehicle 1 based on a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal received from an artificial satellite or the like. These configurations enable V2N communication. (Ii) The peripheral information acquisition unit 40 includes a wireless communication module that conforms to a predetermined wireless communication standard, and performs communication using V2V or V2P. The traffic information is not limited to V2I, and may be obtained by any communication (at least one of V2N, V2V, and V2P) of V2X.

  The forward information acquisition unit 50 is, for example, a stereo camera that captures an image of the scenery ahead of the vehicle 1, a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging) that measures the distance to an object (for example, a road ahead) located in front of the vehicle 1, and the like. , A sonar for detecting an object located in front of the vehicle 1, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, and the like. The forward information acquisition unit 50 transmits to the CPU 31a a forward image (data indicating the forward image) obtained by capturing the front scenery by the stereo camera, data indicating the distance to the object measured by the distance measurement sensor, and other detection data. .

  The line-of-sight detection unit 60 includes, for example, an imaging unit (for example, a stereo camera) that images the face of the driver D and generates image data, and an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image data. Is detected. For example, the line-of-sight detection unit 60 detects the line-of-sight direction of the driver D by a known image analysis method such as a pattern matching method, and transmits detection data indicating a detection result to the CPU 31a.

  The CPU 31a refers to table data in which the line of sight direction and the position of the viewing target are stored in advance in the ROM 32, and specifies the target that the driver D is currently viewing. The line of sight direction may be detected based on, for example, any one of the eyes of the driver D, or may be detected as the center of gravity of both eyes. The viewpoint positions EP shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B schematically show the positions of the centers of gravity of the eyes, and do not limit the gaze detection method. As long as the CPU 31a can specify the target visually recognized by the driver D, the detection data is arbitrary. In addition, the line-of-sight detection unit 60 may detect the direction of the face of the driver D by a known image analysis method and use the detected data as detection data. In this case, the CPU 31a may refer to the table data in which the face direction and the position of the visual recognition target are stored in advance in the ROM 32 and specify the target that the driver D is currently viewing. . Instead of using the table data, the position of the visual recognition target may be obtained by a mathematical expression from the line of sight. The data indicating the mathematical expression may be stored in the ROM 32 in advance.

  In addition, the gaze detection unit 60 may be an imaging unit, an electro-oculogram sensor, or a motion sensor mounted on a wearable device worn by the driver D on the head. The direction of the line of sight and the direction of the face can be detected in the same manner as described above, based on the image data obtained by the imaging means. Further, the electro-oculography sensor detects the gaze direction of the driver D based on the measured electro-oculography. The motion sensor includes, for example, one or a combination of an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor, and detects the direction of the face of the driver D.

  Note that the CPU 31a may be configured to detect the gaze direction and the face direction of the driver D based on signals from the imaging unit and various sensors. As long as the CPU 31a can specify the target visually recognized by the driver D, the detection method and the detection configuration of the driver's D gaze direction and face direction are arbitrary.

  The ECU 70 controls each part of the vehicle 1 and transmits, for example, vehicle speed information indicating the current vehicle speed V of the vehicle 1 to the CPU 31a. Note that the CPU 31a may acquire vehicle speed information from a vehicle speed sensor. In addition, the ECU 70 transmits to the CPU 31a measurement amounts such as the engine speed, warning information of the vehicle 1 itself (such as low fuel and abnormal engine oil pressure), and other vehicle information. Based on the information acquired from the ECU 70, the CPU 31a can display images indicating the vehicle speed, the engine speed, various warnings, and the like on the display unit 20 via the GPU 31b. That is, in addition to the route guidance image, an image Vc (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) indicating vehicle information can be displayed in the display area of the virtual image Vi. Further, the image Vc may include, for example, an image indicating traffic information (for example, a speed limit) acquired by the V2I via the peripheral information acquisition unit 40.

  The car navigation device 80 includes a GPS controller that calculates the position of the vehicle 1 based on a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal received from an artificial satellite or the like. The car navigation device 80 has a storage unit that stores the map data, reads out the map data near the current position from the storage unit based on the position information from the GPS controller, and displays the guidance route to the destination set by the user. decide. Then, the car navigation device 80 outputs information on the current position of the vehicle 1 and the determined guidance route to the control unit 31. In addition, the car navigation device 80 outputs information indicating the name and type of the facility in front of the vehicle 1 and the distance between the facility and the vehicle 1 to the control unit 31 by referring to the map data. Map data includes road shape information (lane, road width, number of lanes, intersections, curves, branch roads, etc.), regulation information on road signs such as speed limits, and information on each lane when there are multiple lanes. Various types of information are associated with the position data. The car navigation device 80 outputs these various types of information to the control unit 31 as route guidance information. The route guidance information includes information indicating a guide point P (for example, an intersection or a branch road) on a route to the set destination. Note that the car navigation device 80 is not limited to the one mounted on the vehicle 1, and performs wired or wireless communication with the control unit 31 and has a car navigation function such as a mobile terminal (smartphone, tablet PC (Personal Computer), or the like). ).

(Display control processing)
Next, a display control process for displaying a route guidance image visually recognized by the driver D as a virtual image overlapping the road ahead of the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. The display control process is executed by the control unit 31, and is continuously executed, for example, in a state where the vehicle 1 is turned on.

  When the display control process is started, first, the control unit 31 acquires route guidance information from the car navigation device 80 (Step S1). In step S1, the control unit 31 specifies a guide point P based on the acquired route guidance information, and calculates an estimated arrival time T up to the guide point P. For example, the control unit 31 calculates the expected arrival time T based on the distance from the vehicle 1 to the guide point P and the current vehicle speed V. The vehicle speed V may be indicated by the vehicle speed information acquired from the ECU 70, or may be obtained by time-differentiating the position of the vehicle 1 indicated by the GPS signal of the car navigation device 80. Further, the HUD device 10 may acquire the estimated arrival time T calculated by an external device (for example, the car navigation device 80).

  Subsequently, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the estimated arrival time T is equal to or shorter than a threshold time Tth (T ≦ Tth) predetermined in the ROM 32 (step S2). This determination corresponds to determining whether or not the display timing of the route guidance image G in the normal mode has come.

  If T ≦ Tth (Step S2; Yes), the control unit 31 causes the display unit 20 to display the route guidance image G in a normal mode (Step S3).

  Subsequent to step S3, the control unit 31 acquires line-of-sight information indicating the line-of-sight direction of the driver D from the line-of-sight detection unit 60 (step S4), and determines whether the driver D is visually recognizing the route guidance image G in the normal mode. It is determined whether or not it is (step S5).

  When the driver D has not visually recognized the route guidance image G in the normal mode (Step S5; No), the control unit 31 determines that the estimated arrival time T is equal to or less than the first time set in the ROM 32 in advance (T ≦ T1). ) Is determined (step S6). This determination corresponds to determining whether or not the display timing of the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode has come. Note that the relationship between the threshold time Tth, the first time T1, and a later-described second time T2 is "Tth> T1> T2", as shown in FIG.

When T ≦ T1 is not satisfied (that is, T> T1) (step S6; No), the display timing of the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode has not been reached, and the control unit 31 executes the processing again from step S1. .
If T ≦ T1 (Step S6; Yes), the control unit 31 determines whether or not the current vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than a threshold speed Vth predetermined in the ROM 32 (V ≧ Vth) (Step S6). ).

When V ≧ Vth is not satisfied (that is, V <Vth) (Step S7; No), the control unit 31 causes the display unit 20 to display the route guidance image Gs1 in the first mode as the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode. (Step S8).
When V ≧ Vth (Step S7; Yes), the control unit 31 causes the display unit 20 to display the route guidance image Gs2 in the second mode as the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode (Step S9).

  In step S5, when the driver D has visually recognized the route guidance image G in the normal mode (step S5; Yes), the control unit 31 determines that the estimated arrival time T is equal to or less than the second time predetermined in the ROM 32 ( It is determined whether or not T ≦ T2) (step S10). This determination corresponds to determining whether or not the display timing of the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode (particularly, the route guidance image Gs2 in the second mode) has come.

If T ≦ T2 is not satisfied (that is, T> T2) (step S10; No), the display timing of the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode has not been reached, and the control unit 31 starts again from step S1. .
If T ≦ T2 (Step S10; Yes), the control unit 31 causes the display unit 20 to display the route guidance image Gs2 in the second mode as the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode (Step S9).

  Returning to step S2, if T ≦ Tth is not satisfied (that is, T> Tth) (step S2; No), the control unit 31 determines whether or not the route guidance image G has been displayed (step S11). ). Specifically, when the displayed flag stored in the flag storage area in the RAM 33 is in the off state, the control unit 31 determines that the route guidance image G has not been displayed (Step S11; No). In this case, since the route guidance image G is never displayed after the guide point P is specified in step S1, the non-display state of the route guidance image G is continued (step S12).

  The displayed flag is turned off by default at the start of the display control process. For example, the control unit 31 sets the displayed flag to the ON state in conjunction with the execution of step S3. The control unit 31 clears the control unit 31 to the off state when it is determined to be Yes in step S13 described later or when a new guide point P is specified based on the route guidance information acquired in step S1.

  When the displayed flag is on, the control unit 31 determines that the route guidance image G has been displayed (step S11; Yes), and executes the process of step S7 described above.

  After the execution of steps S8 and S9, when the display condition is completed (step S13; Yes), the control unit 31 hides (erases) the route guidance image Gs (Gs1 or Gs2) in the simple mode (step S13). S12). Here, the case where the display condition is ended means, for example, (i) a case where the estimated arrival time T becomes a value (including 0) less than the second time T2 and it can be considered that the vehicle has arrived at or approached the guide point P. (Ii) When a predetermined period has elapsed since the start of the display of the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode, or (iii) the position of the vehicle 1 indicated by the GPS signal has reached the guide point P. For example.

  When the display condition is not completed (Step S13; No) or after execution of Step S12, the control unit 31 executes again from the processing of Step S1. When a new guide point P is specified based on the route guide information acquired in step S1, a route guide image for notifying the route at the new guide point P is displayed. The above display control processing is continuously executed until the HUD device 10 is turned off, for example.

  Subsequently, features of the HUD device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described appropriately in association with the above-described processing, and will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, and 10 (similarly in FIG. 11 described later), portions indicated by reference signs G, Gs, Gs1, and Gs2 schematically indicate that the route guidance image of each mode is displayed. In these figures, the arrows and the like superimposed on the windshield 3 are merely notations for facilitating the understanding of the description.

  The control unit 31 causes the display unit 20 to display the route guidance image Gs2 of the second mode as a simple mode when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and displays the route guidance of the first mode as a simple mode when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. The image Gs1 is displayed on the display unit 20.

The case where the predetermined condition is satisfied is, for example, a case where the control unit 31 specifies that the driver D is visually recognizing the route guidance image G in the normal mode based on the line-of-sight information (step S5; Yes).
As shown in FIG. 7A, when the driver D specifies that the driver D has visually recognized the route guidance image G in the normal mode (Step S5; Yes), when the display timing comes (Step S10; Yes). 7), the route guidance image Gs2 of the second mode is displayed as a simple mode as shown in FIG. 7B (step S9). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8A, when it is specified that the driver D does not visually recognize the route guidance image G in the normal mode (Step S5; No), the display timing comes (Step S5). S6; Yes), and the like, the route guidance image Gs1 of the first mode is displayed as a simple mode as shown in FIG. 8B (step S8).
As described above, when the driver D misses the route guidance image G in the normal mode, the route guidance image Gs1 in the first mode having a larger amount of information than that in the second mode is displayed as a simple mode. Accordingly, information close to the route guidance image G in the normal mode can be re-presented to the driver D while preventing the driver D from visually recognizing the front scenery as much as possible, which is user-friendly.

The case where the predetermined condition is satisfied is, for example, a case where the speed V of the vehicle 1 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold (threshold speed Vth) (Step S7; Yes). The threshold speed Vth is a speed (for example, 80 km / h or the like) at which the vehicle 1 can be considered to be running at high speed.
When the display timing of the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode comes (Step S6; Yes), if V ≧ Vth (Step S7; Yes), the route guidance image Gs2 in the second mode is displayed as the simple mode (Step S9). ). On the other hand, when V <Vth (Step S7; No), the route guidance image Gs1 of the first mode is displayed as a simple mode (Step S8).
As described above, when driving at a high speed where the driver D tends to gaze at the real scene (forward scenery), the route guidance image Gs2 of the second mode having a smaller amount of information than the first mode is displayed as a simple mode. In addition, it is possible to suppress that driving is hindered by information presentation.

When the control unit 31 specifies that the driver D is not visually recognizing the route guidance image G in the normal mode based on the line of sight information (step S5; No), the controller 31 displays the route guidance image G in the normal mode. Compared with the case where D has been visually recognized (Step S5; Yes), the timing of re-display in a simple manner is advanced.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, when the driver D is viewing the route guidance image G in the normal mode, when the estimated arrival time T to the guide point P is equal to or less than the second time T2 (step S10; Yes), while displaying in the simple mode, when the driver D does not visually recognize the route guide image G in the normal mode, when the estimated arrival time T becomes equal to or less than the first time T1 (step S6). Yes), display in a simple manner.
As described above, when the driver D misses the route guidance image G in the normal mode, the display in the simple mode is performed earlier than in the case where the driver D does not miss the route guidance image G. The information necessary for the route guidance can be re-presented to the driver D at an early stage while preventing the disturbance as much as possible, and it is user-friendly.

In addition, the control unit 31 obtains the estimated arrival time T from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the guide point P (including calculating the expected arrival time T), and sets the estimated arrival time T to a predetermined threshold. When the time becomes equal to or shorter than the time Tth (predetermined time) (T ≦ Tth) (Step S2; Yes), the route guidance image G in the normal mode is displayed on the display unit 20 (Step S3), and when the route guidance image G is not displayed. , T> Tth (No in step S2 and No in step S11), the non-display state is continued (step S12). On the other hand, when T> Tth after the route guidance image G in the normal mode is displayed with T ≦ Tth, the display of the route guidance image is continued (Yes in step S2, processing in step S3). If the result of step S2 is No after the transition, the result is Yes in step S11).
For example, when it is assumed that the vehicle 1 is traveling at the vehicle speed V = V1, the vehicle 1 gradually approaches the guide point P, and the expected arrival time T becomes T = Tth from the state of T> Tth. As shown in FIG. 10 (a) to FIG. 10 (b), the route guidance image G in the normal state is displayed (from the non-display state to the display state).
Thereafter, when the vehicle 1 is decelerated and the vehicle speed V becomes V2 lower than V1 (V = V2 (<V1)) as shown in FIG. 10C, the calculation is performed based on the vehicle speed V. It is assumed that the expected arrival time T becomes longer and T> Tth again. In this state again, if the processing in step S11 is not provided, the route guidance image G may disappear even though the vehicle 1 is approaching the guide point P, but by providing the processing in step S11. Even if T> Tth again, the display of the route guidance image (in the figure, the route guidance image Gs in a simple mode) can be continued as shown in FIG.

  Note that the present invention is not limited by the above embodiments, modifications, and drawings. Modifications (including deletion of components) can be made as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention.

(Modification)
During the above-described display control process, a reroute (for example, a destination change by a user operation or a route change by the car navigation device 80 without changing the destination) may occur. This situation will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 11A and 11B are the same as FIGS. 10A and 10B.
When the rerouting occurs in the state shown in FIG. 11B and the guide point P is changed to a distant point, the distance from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the guide point P becomes longer, so that the state shown in FIG. As described above, it is conceivable that the expected arrival time T becomes longer regardless of the increase or decrease of the vehicle speed V. In this case, it is assumed that T> Tth again. In this state again, if no countermeasures are taken, the route guidance image may be hidden or the route guidance image corresponding to the guide point P before the occurrence of the reroute may be displayed. In order to prevent this, the control unit 31 executes a notification that the distance to the guide point P has been extended (a notification by an image or a sound) and a control for hiding the route guidance image corresponding to the guide point P before the update. You may make it. When the guide point P is updated in step S8 or S9 due to the occurrence of a reroute, a process of displaying a route guidance image corresponding to the updated guide point P is executed. The route guidance image Gs in the simple mode shown in FIG. 11C may be displayed corresponding to the guide point P after the reroute has occurred.

  When the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode is displayed again after the route guidance image G in the normal mode is displayed, the route guidance image G in the normal mode may be immediately switched to the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode. The switching may be performed after an interval. Specifically, the case where the interval is provided means that the route guidance image G in the simple mode is temporarily erased (including erasure due to fade-out), and then the route guidance image G in the simple mode is displayed after a predetermined period has elapsed. Gs is displayed (including display by fade-in). Switching from the route guidance image G in the normal mode to the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode may be performed with a cross fade.

  Further, as long as the purpose of directing the driver D's attention to the scenery ahead while guiding the traveling route of the vehicle 1 can be achieved, the display control process shown in FIG. Is optional. For example, in displaying either the first mode or the second mode as a simple mode, steps S5 and S10 may be deleted and only the determination regarding the vehicle speed V (step S7) may be performed. In addition, in which of the first mode and the second mode is displayed as the simple mode, step S7 may be deleted, and only the determination regarding the visual recognition target (step S5) may be performed.

  Further, in the above-described display control processing, an example in which the first mode and the second mode can be displayed as the simple mode has been described. However, as shown in FIGS. Types may be used. In the above description, the display timing of the route guidance image is determined based on the estimated arrival time T (steps S2, S6, S10). However, the display timing of the route guidance image is changed from the vehicle 1 to the guide point P. The configuration may be such that the determination is made based on the distance S to the reference. The distance S may be calculated based on, for example, a GPS signal, traffic information obtainable by V2I, a detection signal of a distance measurement sensor, and the like. In such a case, when the distance S becomes equal to or less than the threshold distance Sth, the route guidance image G in the normal mode is displayed, and when the distance S becomes equal to or less than the predetermined distance smaller than the threshold distance Sth, the route guidance in the simple mode is displayed. What is necessary is just to display the image Gs.

  Further, the control unit 31 causes the display unit 20 to display the route guidance image Gs2 of the second mode as a simple mode when the conditions of steps S5 and S7 are satisfied as the predetermined conditions, and when the predetermined conditions are not satisfied, Although the example in which the route guidance image Gs1 of the first aspect is displayed on the display unit 20 as the simple aspect has been described, the invention is not limited to this. For example, a case where the predetermined condition is satisfied may be a case where a caution factor (a vehicle that is interrupted in front of the vehicle 1 or that a road ahead is under construction, etc.) is detected. The control unit 31 may detect the causal factor based on information that can be obtained by V2X via the peripheral information obtaining unit 40 through any communication or various information from the forward information obtaining unit 50.

  Further, the direction instruction image included in the route guidance image is not limited to an image prompting a right turn or a left turn at a branch road or an intersection. The direction instruction image may be an image indicating straight ahead, an image for alerting a sharp curve, or the like. Further, as long as the direction instruction image included in the route guidance image can notify the route at the guide point P, its shape, color, and size are arbitrary, and are not limited to images showing arrows. In addition, the direction instruction image may be a character image that notifies a route at the guide point P.

  In addition, the route guidance image G in the normal mode and the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode corresponding to the predetermined guide point P have a smaller amount of information in the simple mode than in the normal mode, and have the same information in both directions. As long as the instruction image is included, the difference in the information amount between the two and the difference in the display mode are arbitrary.

  Further, the route guidance image Gs2 of the second aspect is not limited to an image having a smaller amount of information than the route guidance image Gs1 of the first aspect, and may be an image having lower visibility than the route guidance image Gs1 of the first aspect. Good. The low visibility of the route guidance image Gs2 of the second aspect is, for example, at least one of lower display brightness, smaller image size, lower saturation, higher transparency, and the like than the route guidance image Gs1 of the first aspect. Any condition that satisfies these conditions may be used.

  The projection target of the display light L is not limited to the windshield 3, but may be a combiner including a plate-shaped half mirror, a hologram element, and the like. Further, the display device that executes the above display control processing is not limited to the HUD device 10. The display device may be configured as a head mounted display (HMD) mounted on the head of the driver D of the vehicle 1. Then, in the image displayed by the HMD as a virtual image, the display control of the route guidance image may be executed by the same method as described above. That is, the display device is not limited to the display device mounted on the vehicle 1 and may be any display device used in the vehicle 1.

The HUD device 10 (an example of a display device) described above is visually recognized by a viewer (for example, the driver D. Other occupants of the vehicle 1) as a virtual image Vi overlapping the scenery in front of the vehicle 1. Display the route guidance image. The HUD device 10 acquires route guidance information for guiding the traveling route of the vehicle 1 to the set destination, and performs a display control unit (for example, a display control unit that performs display control of a route guidance image based on the acquired route guidance information). , A control unit 31 and a display unit 20) that displays an image under the control of the control unit 31. The route guidance image is an image for notifying the route at a guide point P (predetermined point) from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the destination. Then, the route guidance image G in the normal mode (predetermined mode) is displayed, and after the display, the route guidance image Gs in the simple mode is displayed again.
According to this configuration, as described above, the attention of the viewer can be directed to the front scenery while guiding the traveling route of the vehicle 1.

  In the above description, descriptions of well-known technical matters have been appropriately omitted in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 vehicle display system 10 HUD device 20 display unit 30 control device 31 control unit (31a CPU, 31b GPU)
32 ROM, 33 RAM
40: peripheral information acquisition unit 50: forward information acquisition unit 60: gaze detection unit 70: ECU
80: Car navigation (car navigation) device 1: Vehicle, 2: Dashboard, 3: Windshield D: Driver, E: Eye box, EP: View point position, L: Display light Vi: Virtual image Vc: Image showing vehicle information G: route guidance image in a normal mode Gs: route guidance image in a simple aspect Gs1: route guidance image in a first aspect Gs2: route guidance image in a second aspect P: guide point

Claims (6)

A display device that displays a route guidance image visually recognized by a viewer as a virtual image overlapping a scene in front of the vehicle,
Display control means for acquiring route guidance information for guiding a traveling route of the vehicle to a set destination, and performing display control of the route guidance image based on the acquired route guidance information,
The route guidance image is an image for notifying a route at a predetermined point from the current location of the vehicle to the destination,
The display control means displays the route guidance image in a predetermined mode before the vehicle reaches the predetermined point, and redisplays the route guidance image in a simple mode having a smaller amount of information than the predetermined mode after the display. indicate,
Display device. There are a plurality of simple modes, including a first mode, and a second mode that satisfies at least one of a smaller amount of information and lower visibility than the first mode,
The display control means,
When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the route guidance image is displayed in the second mode as the simple mode,
When the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the route guidance image is displayed in the first mode as the simple mode,
The display device according to claim 1. The case where the predetermined condition is satisfied is a case where the display control unit specifies that the route guidance image in the predetermined mode is visually recognized by the viewer based on visual line information indicating the visual line direction of the viewer. ,
The display device according to claim 2. The case where the predetermined condition is satisfied is a case where the speed of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.
The display device according to claim 2. When the display control unit specifies that the route guide image in the predetermined mode is not visually recognized by the viewer based on line-of-sight information indicating the line-of-sight direction of the viewer, the route guide image in the predetermined mode Compared to the case where the viewer has identified that the viewer was visually recognizing, hasten the timing of re-display in the simple mode,
The display device according to claim 1. The display control means obtains an estimated arrival time from the current location to the predetermined location,
When the expected arrival time is equal to or less than a predetermined time, the route guidance image is displayed in the predetermined mode,
When the route guidance image is in the non-display state, if the expected arrival time is longer than the predetermined time, the non-display state is continued as it is,
After the expected arrival time is shorter than the predetermined time and the route guidance image is displayed in the predetermined mode, if the expected arrival time is longer than the predetermined time, the display of the route guidance image is continued. Do
The display device according to claim 1.