JP2022011415A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

To facilitate determination of a driver which other vehicle is to be watched when other vehicle existing around an own vehicle is displayed on a screen.SOLUTION: A display device 4 includes a processing unit 43 for setting a display priority for each other vehicle for displaying other vehicle on a screen 44 and changing display of other vehicle based on the display priority so that attention of the driver is directed to other vehicle with a high display priority. When a preceding vehicle traveling on the same lane as an own vehicle exists, if distance from the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, the processing unit 43 is configured to set the display priority of the other vehicle existing in an area in front of the preceding vehicle higher than that of the other vehicle existing in an area deeper the preceding vehicle with the preceding vehicle being a reference. If inter-vehicle distance is equal to or larger than the predetermined distance, it is configured such that a region ahead of the own vehicle is divided into a plurality of regions with distance from the own vehicle being a reference and the display priority of the other vehicle existing in the region ahead of the own vehicle is set higher.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a display device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional display device configured to display another vehicle existing around the own vehicle on a meter display centering on a figure of the own vehicle representing the own vehicle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-182906

However, for example, when there is a traffic jam, the number of other vehicles existing around the own vehicle may increase. In such a case, if all the other vehicles are displayed on a screen such as a meter display by the same display method, it may be difficult for the driver to determine which other vehicle should be watched.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a problem, and it is easy for the driver to determine which other vehicle should be watched when displaying another vehicle existing around the own vehicle on the screen. The purpose is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, the display device according to a certain aspect of the present invention is configured to display other vehicles existing around the own vehicle on a screen that can be visually recognized by the driver together with the own vehicle. The display device sets the display priority when displaying another vehicle on the screen for each other vehicle, and at the same time, the other vehicle is based on the display priority so that the driver's attention is directed to the other vehicle having a high display priority. It is equipped with a processing unit that changes the display of. When there is a preceding vehicle traveling in the same traveling lane as the own vehicle, the processing unit exists in a region in front of the preceding vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle if the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined distance. The display priority of the other vehicle is set higher than the display priority of the other vehicle existing in the area behind the preceding vehicle, and if the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, the own vehicle is based on the distance from the own vehicle. The area in front of the vehicle is divided into a plurality of areas, and the other vehicles existing in the area in front of the vehicle are configured to have a higher display priority.

According to this aspect of the present invention, since the display of the other vehicle changes based on the display priority, it is possible to easily determine which other vehicle the driver should pay attention to.

FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram of a vehicle including a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the distance measuring sensor. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example when another vehicle existing around the vehicle is displayed on the information display screen together with the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a display process according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of setting a display priority of another vehicle based on the preceding vehicle. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of setting a display priority of another vehicle based on a distance from the own vehicle. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating switching of display priority when another vehicle moves from a region having a high display priority to a region having a low display priority. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating switching of display priority when another vehicle moves from a region having a low display priority to a region having a high display priority.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, similar components are given the same reference numbers.

FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram of a vehicle 100 including a display device 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The vehicle 100 includes a camera 1, a distance measuring sensor 2, an object recognition device 3, a display device 4, and a vehicle control device 5. The camera 1, the distance measuring sensor 2, the object recognition device 3, the display device 4, and the vehicle control device 5 are connected to each other so as to be communicable via an in-vehicle network 6 conforming to a standard such as a controller area network.

The camera 1 is mounted in the vehicle interior of the vehicle 100 so as to face the front of the vehicle 100, and photographs the front region of the vehicle 100 at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 10 [Hz] to 40 [Hz]). , Generates an image (hereinafter referred to as "camera image") in which the front area is captured. Then, each time the camera 1 generates a camera image, the generated camera image is transmitted to the vehicle control device 5 via the in-vehicle network 6.

The ranging sensor 2 irradiates the ranging area around the vehicle 100 with a plurality of laser beams or radio waves having different irradiation angles horizontally and in parallel as shown in FIG. 2A. Receives the reflected light of each laser beam or the reflected wave of each irradiated radio wave. Then, the distance measuring sensor 2 is based on the received reflected light or reflected wave, and the road or obstacle (for example, a building, a traveling vehicle such as a preceding vehicle or a following vehicle on the road, an oncoming vehicle, or a stopped vehicle) existing in the distance measuring region. , Curbs, falling objects, pedestrians, etc.). As shown in FIG. 2B, the distances to the road and obstacles are acquired for each reflection point (irradiation point) of the laser beam or radio wave, and the distance measuring sensor 2 reaches each reflection point. After associating the distance with the coordinate information of each reflection point, they are transmitted as distance measurement data to the object recognition device 3 via the in-vehicle network 6.

Examples of the ranging sensor 2 that irradiates the laser beam include a lidar (LiDAR; Light Detection And Ranging). Further, as the distance measuring sensor 2 that irradiates radio waves, for example, a millimeter wave radar sensor can be mentioned. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, a rider attached to the roof of the vehicle 100 is used as the distance measuring sensor 2.

The object recognition device 3 recognizes other vehicles existing around the vehicle 100 based on the distance measurement data, and also provides the recognized information about the other vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "other vehicle information") via the in-vehicle network 6. Is transmitted to the display device 4 and the vehicle control device 5. Specifically, the object recognition device 3 includes a laser beam or the like that reflects a reflection point satisfying a predetermined condition from the same object among a plurality of reflection points detected based on a reflected wave such as an irradiated laser beam. By grouping as reflection points, other vehicles existing around the vehicle 100 are recognized. In the following description, in order to clearly distinguish the vehicle 100 from other vehicles existing around the vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 may be referred to as the own vehicle 100 as necessary.

The display device 4 includes an information display screen 44 (see FIG. 4) arranged at a position visible to the driver of the vehicle 100. The information display screen 44 is, for example, various displays such as a liquid crystal display and an organic EL display. The other vehicle information transmitted from the object recognition device 3 includes type information of each other vehicle (passenger vehicle, truck, two-wheeled vehicle, etc.), position information of each other vehicle based on the vehicle 100 (relative position information), and so on. In addition, information on the preceding vehicle regarding the presence or absence of another vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "preceding vehicle") traveling in front of the vehicle 100 and in the same lane as the vehicle 100 and the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is included in this implementation. Based on the other vehicle information, the display device 4 according to the form displays other vehicles existing around the vehicle 100 on the information display screen 44 together with the vehicle 100, for example, as shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, if the other vehicle is a passenger car, the display device 4 displays a predetermined passenger car icon at a relative position of the other vehicle. Similarly, if the other vehicle is a truck, the icon for the predetermined truck is displayed at the relative position of the other vehicle, and although not shown, if the other vehicle is a two-wheeled vehicle, the icon for the predetermined two-wheeled vehicle is displayed. Is displayed at the relative position of the other vehicle.

In addition to the above-mentioned camera images and other vehicle information, the vehicle control device 5 has various types of driving support necessary for automatically performing a part or all of driving operations related to acceleration, steering, and braking. Information (for example, appearance information of the driver, current position information of the vehicle 100, vehicle speed information, etc.) is input. Then, the vehicle control device 5 creates a driving plan for the vehicle 100 based on this information, and automatically performs a part or all of the driving operations related to acceleration, steering, and braking according to the driving plan. In addition, "acceleration, steering, and braking" may be read as, for example, "acceleration, deceleration, and turning", "driving, braking, and steering".

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the display device 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the display device 4 includes a communication interface 41, a storage unit 42, a processing unit 43, and an information display screen 44.

The communication interface 41 includes an interface circuit for connecting the display device 4 to the in-vehicle network 6. That is, the communication interface 41 is connected to the object recognition device 3 via the in-vehicle network 6. Each time the communication interface 41 receives other vehicle information from the object recognition device 3, the received other vehicle information is passed to the processing unit 43.

The storage unit 42 has a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs, data, and the like used for processing in the processing unit 43.

The processing unit 43 includes one or more processors and peripheral circuits thereof. The processing unit 43 executes various computer programs stored in the storage unit 42 and comprehensively controls the overall operation of the display device 4, and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 43 executes display processing for displaying other vehicles existing around the vehicle 100 on the information display screen 44 based on the other vehicle information received via the communication interface 41. Details of this display process will be described later with reference to FIG.

As described above, the information display screen 44 is various displays such as a liquid crystal display and an organic EL display, and is arranged at a position where the driver of the vehicle 100 can see, and responds to a signal output from the processing unit 43. Information (for example, text information and image information) is displayed.

Although the hardware configuration of the object recognition device 3 and the vehicle control device 5 is not shown, it includes a communication interface, a storage unit, and a processing unit as in the display device 4.

Here, during driving support by the vehicle control device 5, it is desirable to disclose the information grasped by the vehicle side to the driver and inform the driver whether the information grasped by the vehicle side is accurate or the like. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, another vehicle existing around the vehicle 100 grasped by the vehicle side, that is, another vehicle existing around the vehicle 100 recognized by the object recognition device 3 is displayed as a display device. It is displayed on the information display screen 44 by 4.

However, for example, when there is a traffic jam, the number of other vehicles existing around the vehicle 100 may increase. In such a case, if all the other vehicles are displayed on the information display screen 44 by the same display method, it becomes difficult for the driver to determine which other vehicle should be watched, and many other vehicles are displayed. The driver may find it annoying if it is displayed in the same way.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display priority is set for each other vehicle recognized by the object recognition device 3, and the display priority is set so that the driver's attention is directed to the other vehicle having a high display priority. Based on this, we decided to change the display of other vehicles. Hereinafter, the details of the display processing according to this embodiment, which is executed in the processing unit 43 of the display device 4, will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the display process according to the present embodiment. The display device 4 executes this routine every time it receives information on another vehicle from the object recognition device 3.

In step S1, the display device 4 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle exists based on the preceding vehicle information included in the other vehicle information. If the preceding vehicle is present, the display device 4 proceeds to the process of step S2. On the other hand, the display device 4 proceeds to the process of step S4 if the preceding vehicle does not exist.

In step S2, the display device 4 determines whether or not the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is less than the predetermined distance D1 set according to the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle 100 based on the preceding vehicle information included in the other vehicle information. Is determined. The predetermined distance D1 is set to a larger value when the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle 100 is higher than when the current vehicle speed is low. If the distance between the display device 4 and the preceding vehicle is less than the predetermined distance D1, the display device 4 proceeds to the process of step S3. On the other hand, if the distance between the display device 4 and the preceding vehicle is a predetermined distance D1 or more, the display device 4 proceeds to the process of step S4.

In step S3, the display device 4 sets the display priority of each other vehicle existing around the own vehicle 100 with reference to the preceding vehicle.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, in the display device 4, the display priority of the other vehicles X2 and X3 existing in the region in front of the preceding vehicle X1 is higher than that of the preceding vehicle X1 with respect to the preceding vehicle X1. The display priority of each of the other vehicles X1 to X5 is set so as to be higher than the display priority of the other vehicles X4 and X5 existing in the back area. This is due to the following reasons.

That is, when the distance between the preceding vehicle X1 and the vehicle is less than the predetermined distance D1, the other vehicles X2 and X3 existing in the region between the own vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle X1 move from the adjacent lane to the own vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle X1. If the lane is changed between, there is a high possibility that the driving of the own vehicle 100 will be directly affected, and for that reason, the drivers for the other vehicles X2 and X3 existing in the area in front of the preceding vehicle X1. It is necessary to pay particular attention to. On the other hand, even if the other vehicles X4 and X5 existing in the area deeper than the preceding vehicle X1 change lanes in front of the preceding vehicle X1, it is unlikely that the driving of the own vehicle 100 will be directly affected. This is because there is little need to pay the driver's attention to such distant other vehicles X4 and X5.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the region in front of the preceding vehicle X1 is set as the first region. Further, the area behind the preceding vehicle X1 is further divided into two areas, the front side area is used as the second area, and the back side area is used as the third area. When the display priority of each of the other vehicles X1 to X5 is set with reference to the preceding vehicle, the boundary line L1 between the first region and the second region is, for example, parallel to the road width direction passing through the center position P of the preceding vehicle X1. It is said to be a parallel line. Further, for the boundary line L2 between the second region and the third region, for example, the distance T1 (or the inter-vehicle distance) from the own vehicle 100 to the center position P of the preceding vehicle X1 is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient α larger than 1. It is a line parallel to the road width direction passing through the position where the distance is T2.

Then, the display device 4 sets the display priority of the other vehicle (X2, X3 in the example shown in FIG. 6) existing in the first region to "level 1", and the other vehicle existing in the second region (X2, X3). In the example shown in FIG. 6, the display priority of X4) is set to "level 2", which has the next highest priority after level 1, and the display of other vehicles (X5 in the example shown in FIG. 6) existing in the third region. The priority is set to "level 3", which has the next highest priority after level 2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display priority of the other vehicle existing in the first region is the highest, and the display priority of the other vehicle existing in the third region is the lowest.

In this way, when the display priority of each of the other vehicles X1 to X5 is set with the preceding vehicle X1 as a reference, the preceding vehicle X1 straddles the first region and the second region. Then, the display priority is set to level 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the display priority of the preceding vehicle X1 may be set to "level 0", which has a higher display priority than level 1, and is always different from other vehicles X2 to X5. It may be displayed.

In step S4, the display device 4 sets the display priority of each other vehicle existing around the own vehicle 100 with reference to the distance from the own vehicle 100.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the display device 4 has a plurality of regions in front of the own vehicle 100 based on the distance from the own vehicle 100 (in the example shown in FIG. 7, the first region and the second region). The display priority of each of the other vehicles X1 to X5 is set so that the display priority is basically higher for the other vehicles existing in the front area.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the display priority of each of the other vehicles X1 to X5 is set based on the distance from the own vehicle 100, the boundary line L1 between the first region and the second region is from the own vehicle 100. The distance is a line parallel to the road width direction passing through the position where the predetermined distance D1 is set according to the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle 100 described above. That is, the boundary line L1 becomes a line that passes through a position farther from the own vehicle 100 as the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle 100 increases. This is because the higher the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle 100, the longer the mileage per unit time of the own vehicle 100, and it is necessary for the driver to pay attention to other vehicles in front over a wide range. Further, the boundary line L2 between the second region and the third region is a line parallel to the road width direction passing through a position having a distance T3 obtained by multiplying a predetermined distance D1 by a predetermined coefficient α larger than 1.

Then, the display device 4 sets the display priority of the other vehicle (X2, X3 in the example shown in FIG. 7) existing in the first region to "level 1", and the other vehicle existing in the second region (X2, X3). In the example shown in FIG. 6, the display priority of X1 and X4) is set to "level 2", which has the next highest priority after level 1, and another vehicle existing in the third region (X5 in the example shown in FIG. 6). The display priority of is set to "level 3", which has the next highest priority after level 2.

In this way, when the display priority of each of the other vehicles X1 to X5 is set based on the distance from the own vehicle 100, the display priority of the preceding vehicle becomes level 2 or level 3, but the preceding vehicle X1 Exceptionally, the display priority may be set to level 1, or the display priority may be set to "level 0", which is higher than level 1, and the display is always different from other vehicles X2 to X5. You may do it.

In step S5, the display device 4 displays another vehicle existing around the own vehicle 100 on the information display screen 44. At this time, the display device 4 changes the display of the other vehicle based on the display priority so that the driver's attention is directed to the other vehicle having a high display priority. At that time, the method of changing the display of the other vehicle is not particularly limited, and the other vehicle having the higher display priority may be emphasized and displayed by, for example, darkening the color. , Other vehicles with lower display priority may be displayed inconspicuously, for example, by increasing the transparency. At this time, for example, other vehicles having a display priority of a certain level or less may be completely transparent so as not to be displayed.

The display device 4 according to the present embodiment described above is configured to display another vehicle existing around the own vehicle 100 on the information display screen 44 that can be visually recognized by the driver together with the own vehicle 100. The display device 4 sets the display priority for displaying the other vehicle on the information display screen 44 for each other vehicle, and is based on the display priority so that the driver's attention is directed to the other vehicle having a high display priority. A processing unit 43 for changing the display of another vehicle is provided. When there is a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the own vehicle 100, the processing unit 43 moves to a region in front of the preceding vehicle with the preceding vehicle as a reference if the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is less than the predetermined distance D1. The display priority of other existing vehicles is set higher than the display priority of other vehicles existing in the area behind the preceding vehicle, and if the inter-vehicle distance is a predetermined distance D1 or more, the distance from the own vehicle 100 is used as a reference. The area in front of the own vehicle 100 is divided into a plurality of areas, and the other vehicles existing in the front area are configured to have a higher display priority.

As a result, the display of the other vehicle changes based on the display priority, so that the driver can easily determine which other vehicle should be watched. In addition, since many other vehicles are not displayed in the same manner without sharpness, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling annoyed.

If there is a preceding vehicle, the display priority setting method (that is, the front area of the own vehicle is divided based on the preceding vehicle to give priority to the display of each other vehicle) based on the distance from the preceding vehicle. In order to change (whether to set the degree or to divide the front area of the own vehicle to set the display priority of each other vehicle), the driving scene is set for other vehicles existing around the own vehicle. Appropriate display priority can be set according to the situation. As a result, other vehicles that the driver wants to pay attention to can be appropriately displayed according to the driving scene.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are only a part of the application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited to the specific configuration of the above embodiments. do not have.

For example, in the above embodiment, the display priority of other vehicles existing around the own vehicle 100 is set based on the position of the preceding vehicle and the distance from the own vehicle 100, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example. , Display priority of other vehicles existing in the area in front of the predetermined number of other vehicles when the other vehicles traveling in the area in front of the own vehicle 100 are counted in order of the relative distance to the own vehicle 100. May be set higher than the display priority of other vehicles existing in the area behind the other vehicles, which is the predetermined number of vehicles.

Further, for example, when there is a region where the recognition accuracy of the other vehicle by the object recognition device 3 is low (for example, a region having a curve in front or a distant region in bad weather), the other vehicle existing in that region. The display priority may be lowered.

Further, for example, in the above embodiment, if there is another vehicle traveling in the vicinity of each of the boundary lines L1 and L2, the following problems may occur. That is, for example, if there is another vehicle traveling in the vicinity of the boundary line L1, the other vehicle frequently straddles the boundary line L1 and moves back and forth between the first region and the second region. Sometimes. Then, hunting may occur in which the display of other vehicles changes frequently.

Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of such hunting, when moving from the region with high display priority to the region with low display priority, another vehicle moves from the region with high display priority to the region with low display priority by a predetermined hysteresis distance. At that time, it may be determined that the other vehicle has moved from the area having a high display priority to the area having a low display priority.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, regarding the movement from the region having a high display priority to the region having a low display priority, when another vehicle moves from the boundary lines L1 and L2 by a distance D2 for a predetermined hysteresis. , It is determined that the other vehicle has moved from the region with high display priority to the region with low display priority, and regarding the movement from the region with low display priority to the region with high display priority, as shown in FIG. 9, the other vehicle has each boundary line L1. When straddling L2, it may be determined that another vehicle has moved from a region having a low display priority to a region having a high display priority. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of hunting and prevent the display priority of other vehicles from being easily lowered.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the distance D2 for the hysteresis is set to half the total length of the vehicle preset for each type of other vehicle (passenger car, truck, motorcycle, etc.), but the length is not limited to this. do not have.

100 Vehicle, own vehicle 3 Object recognition device 4 Display device 43 Processing unit 44 Information display screen

Claims (1)

It is a display device configured to display other vehicles existing around the own vehicle on a screen that can be visually recognized by the driver together with the own vehicle.
The display priority when displaying the other vehicle on the screen is set for each of the other vehicles, and the driver pays attention to the other vehicle having a high display priority based on the display priority. It is equipped with a processing unit that changes the display of the other vehicle.
The processing unit
When there is a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the own vehicle
If the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, the display priority of the other vehicle existing in the region in front of the preceding vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle is set to the region behind the preceding vehicle. Higher than the display priority of the other vehicle existing in
If the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the area in front of the own vehicle is divided into a plurality of areas based on the distance from the own vehicle, and the other vehicle existing in the front area has a higher display priority. Configured to
Display device.

Images