JP2022077198A - Superimposed image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a superimposed image display device which allows an occupant to clearly recognize a route of a vehicle in a periphery of a guide target point without reducing visibility of a road in the periphery of the guide target point.SOLUTION: A superimposed image display device is configured to display a guide object for performing guidance to a guide target point when there is the guide target point being a guide target in front in the travel direction of a vehicle, display the guide object in a first mode visually recognized in such a state that a bottom surface is in contact in parallel with a road surface in front in the travel direction of the vehicle when a distance to the guide target point from the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold in a case of displaying the guide object, and display the guide object in a second mode visually recognized in such a state that at least a portion of the bottom surface is apart from the road surface in front in the travel direction of the vehicle when the distance to the guide target point from the vehicle is less than the threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a superimposed image display device that supports traveling of a vehicle.

Conventionally, various means have been used as information providing means for providing various information for providing vehicle running support such as route guidance and warning of obstacles to the occupants of the vehicle. For example, a display on a liquid crystal display installed in a vehicle, a sound output from a speaker, or the like. In recent years, as one of such information providing means, there is a device that provides information by displaying an image superimposed on the surrounding environment (landscape, actual scene) of the occupant. For example, in addition to a head-up display and a window shield display, a method of superimposing an image on a captured image of the surroundings of a vehicle displayed on a liquid crystal display and the like is applicable.

Here, when guiding the occupants of the vehicle to the guidance target point by displaying the image superimposed on the surrounding environment, it is effective to superimpose the superimposed image on the vicinity of the guidance target point. be. The guide target points include, for example, a guide branch point where the vehicle turns left or right, a feature (facility, signboard, etc.) that serves as a mark for the guide branch point, an obstacle that requires attention. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-12001 provides an image of an arrow indicating the right / left turn direction superimposed on the road surface of the road around the guided intersection included in the live-action image in front of the vehicle when the vehicle approaches the guided intersection. The display technology is disclosed.

JP-A-2007-12001 (7th page, FIG. 9)

The technique described in Patent Document 1 allows the user to enter the guidance target intersection and exit the guidance target intersection from the time the vehicle approaches the guidance target intersection until the vehicle passes through the guidance target intersection. The image of the arrow that touches each road surface in parallel is visually recognized. As a result, the road around the guidance target point is largely covered by the image of the arrow, and there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to see the road on which the vehicle should travel in the future, that is, the course of the vehicle. In particular, when the guidance target point is a guidance target intersection as in Patent Document 1, the exit road of the guidance target intersection is covered, so that the course of the vehicle (the road on which the vehicle should enter) at the guidance target intersection is determined. It can also be difficult to do.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and when the vehicle approaches the guidance target point, a guidance object for guiding the guidance target point is provided from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. Provided is a superposed image display device that enables the occupant to clearly recognize the course of the vehicle around the guidance target point without deteriorating the visibility of the road around the guidance target point because the visibility is made to be visually recognized in a separated state. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above object, the superimposed image display device according to the present invention is a superimposed image display device mounted on a vehicle and superimposing a guidance object for guiding information to the occupants of the vehicle on the scenery around the vehicle. Therefore, when there is a guidance target point to be guided in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle, the object display means for displaying the guidance object for guiding to the guidance target point is provided, and the object display means is provided. When the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the guidance object is displayed in the first aspect in which the bottom surface is visually recognized in parallel with the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. When the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is less than the threshold value, the guidance object is visually recognized in a state where at least a part of the bottom surface is separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. Is displayed.
The "landscape" includes, in addition to the scenery (actual scenery) actually seen from the vehicle, an image obtained by capturing the scenery, an image reproducing the scenery, and the like.

According to the superimposed image display device according to the present invention having the above configuration, when the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is large, the guidance object is visually recognized in contact with the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. , It is possible to make the occupants clearly recognize the contents of the guidance by the guidance object in correspondence with the road. On the other hand, when the vehicle approaches the guidance target point, the guidance object is visually recognized in a state of being separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction, so that the guidance target point is not deteriorated in visibility of the road around the guidance target point. It is possible to make the occupants clearly recognize the course of the vehicle in the surrounding area.

It is a block diagram which showed the navigation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the driving support processing program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which showed an example of the traveling guidance screen displayed on the liquid crystal display. It is a figure which showed the image of the guide object displayed on the liquid crystal display. It is a figure which showed the transition of the image of the guide object displayed on the liquid crystal display when passing through a guide branch point. It is a flowchart of the sub-processing program of the guide object display position determination processing. It is a figure which showed the shape of the guide object which arranges the vehicle away from the guide branch point. It is a figure which showed the shape of the guide object which is arranged in the state that a vehicle is close to a guide branch point. It is a figure which showed the arrangement example of the guide object when the vehicle is in a state away from a guide branch point. It is a figure which showed the arrangement example of the guide object when the vehicle is in a state away from a guide branch point. It is a figure which showed the arrangement example of the guide object when a vehicle is in a state of approaching a guide branch point. It is a figure which showed the arrangement example of the guide object when a vehicle is in a state of approaching a guide branch point. It is a figure which showed an example of the visual recognition image which visually recognized the guide object arranged in the three-dimensional space. It is a figure which showed the traveling guidance screen which is displayed on the liquid crystal display as the vehicle travels. It is a schematic block diagram of the superimposition image display device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which showed the display example of the guide object in the superimposed image display apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the first embodiment and the second embodiment in which the superimposed image display device according to the present invention is embodied in a navigation device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, a schematic configuration of the navigation device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a navigation device 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a current position detection unit 11 that detects the current position of a vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted, and a data recording unit 12 in which various data are recorded. , A navigation ECU 13 that performs various arithmetic processes based on the input information, an operation unit 14 that accepts operations from the user, and a liquid crystal display 15 that displays an actual scene image of the front of the traveling direction to the user. Communication is performed between the speaker 16 that outputs voice guidance regarding route guidance, the DVD drive 17 that reads DVD as a storage medium, and an information center such as a probe center or a VICS (registered trademark: Vehicle Information and Communication System) center. It has a communication module 18. Further, the navigation device 1 is connected to a front camera 19 and various sensors installed for the vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted via an in-vehicle network such as CAN.

Hereinafter, each component of the navigation device 1 will be described in order.
The current position detection unit 11 includes a GPS 21, a vehicle speed sensor 22, a steering sensor 23, a gyro sensor 24, and the like, and can detect the current position, direction, vehicle running speed, current time, and the like of the vehicle. .. Here, in particular, the vehicle speed sensor 22 is a sensor for detecting the moving distance and the vehicle speed of the vehicle, generates a pulse according to the rotation of the drive wheel of the vehicle, and outputs the pulse signal to the navigation ECU 13. Then, the navigation ECU 13 calculates the rotation speed and the moving distance of the drive wheels by counting the generated pulses. It is not necessary for the navigation device 1 to include all of the above four types of sensors, and the navigation device 1 may include only one or a plurality of of these sensors.

Further, the data recording unit 12 is a driver for reading a hard disk (not shown) as an external storage device and a recording medium, a map information DB 31 recorded on the hard disk, a predetermined program, and the like, and writing predetermined data to the hard disk. It is equipped with a recording head (not shown). The data recording unit 12 may be configured by a flash memory, a memory card, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, instead of the hard disk. Further, the map information DB 31 may be stored in an external server and acquired by the navigation device 1 by communication.

Here, the map information DB 31 is, for example, a link data 32 relating to a road (link), a node data 33 relating to a node point, a branch point data 34 relating to a branch point, point data relating to a point such as a facility, and a map display for displaying a map. It is a storage means in which data, search data for searching a route, search data for searching a point, and the like are stored.

Further, the link data 32 includes the width of the road to which the link belongs, the cant, the bank, the condition of the road surface, the number of lanes of the road, the place where the number of lanes decreases, and the width of each link constituting the road. Data representing narrowed points, crossings, etc., data representing corners such as radius of curvature, intersections, T-shaped roads, corner entrances and exits, and road attributes, data representing downhill roads, uphill roads, etc. are roads. Data representing highways and general roads (national roads, prefectural roads, narrow streets, etc.) are recorded for each type.

Further, as the node data 33, the coordinates (positions) of the actual road branch points (including intersections, T-shaped roads, etc.) and the node points set for each predetermined distance according to the radius of curvature of each road, etc. A node attribute that indicates whether a node is a node corresponding to an intersection, a connection link number list that is a list of link numbers of links that connect to a node, and an adjacency that is a list of node numbers of nodes that are adjacent to a node via a link. Data related to the node number list, the height (altitude) of each node point, etc. are recorded.

Further, the branch point data 34 includes the intersection name of the branch point, the corresponding node information for specifying the node forming the branch point, the connection link information for specifying the link connected to the branch point, and the link connected to the branch point. Information such as the name of the corresponding direction and the shape of the branch point is stored. It also stores structures that can serve as landmarks when guiding left and right turns at branch points.

On the other hand, the navigation ECU (electronic control unit) 13 is an electronic control unit that controls the entire navigation device 1, a CPU 41 as a calculation device and a control device, and a working memory for the CPU 41 to perform various calculation processes. In addition to the RAM 42 that stores the route data when the route is searched, the control program, and the ROM 43 and ROM 43 that record the driving support processing program (FIG. 2) described later are read. It is provided with an internal storage device such as a flash memory 44 for storing a program. The navigation ECU 13 has various means as a processing algorithm. For example, the object display means displays a guidance object for guiding to a guidance target point when there is a guidance target point to be guided ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

The operation unit 14 is operated when inputting a departure point as a travel start point and a destination as a travel end point, and has a plurality of operation switches (not shown) such as various keys and buttons. Then, the navigation ECU 13 controls to execute various corresponding operations based on the switch signals output by pressing each switch or the like. The operation unit 14 may have a touch panel provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal display 15. Further, the configuration may include a microphone and a voice recognition device.

In addition, the liquid crystal display 15 has a map image including roads, traffic information, operation guidance, operation menus, key guidance, guidance routes from the departure point to the destination, guidance information along the guidance routes, news, weather forecasts, and the like. The time, mail, TV program, etc. are displayed. Further, particularly in the first embodiment, the liquid crystal display 15 displays an image captured by the front camera 19, that is, a landscape (actual view image) around the vehicle at the present time (particularly in front of the vehicle) during normal driving, which is further necessary. The guide object is superimposed and displayed on the landscape according to the above.

Here, as the guide object displayed superimposed on the landscape, there are various information related to the vehicle and various information used for supporting the driving of the occupant. For example, a warning to an object (another vehicle, a pedestrian, a guidance sign) to be warned to an occupant, a guidance route set by the navigation device 1, and guidance information based on the guidance route (an arrow indicating a right / left turn direction, a guidance branch). Icon indicating a dot mark, distance to a guide branch point, etc.), warning displayed on the road surface (crash caution, speed limit, etc.), lane marking line where the vehicle is traveling, current vehicle speed, shift position, remaining energy, advertisement There are images, facility information, guide signs, map images, traffic information, news, weather forecasts, times, screens of connected smartphones, etc. In the first embodiment described below, the guidance object is used as guidance information for guiding at the guidance branch point ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction together with the future course of the vehicle. More specifically, it is displayed superimposed on the road surface of the road ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and indicates the future course of the vehicle (especially when approaching the guidance branch point, the exit direction of the guidance branch point along the guidance route). Multiple arrows.

Further, the speaker 16 outputs voice guidance for guiding the traveling along the guidance route and traffic information guidance based on the instruction from the navigation ECU 13.

Further, the DVD drive 17 is a drive capable of reading data recorded on a recording medium such as a DVD or a CD. Then, based on the read data, music or video is played back, the map information DB 31 is updated, and the like. A card slot for reading / writing a memory card may be provided instead of the DVD drive 17.

Further, the communication module 18 is a communication device for receiving traffic information including various information such as traffic jam information, regulation information, and traffic accident information transmitted from a traffic information center, for example, a VICS center or a probe center. For example, mobile phones and DCM.

Further, the front camera 19 is an image pickup device having a camera using a solid-state image pickup element such as a CCD, and is installed with the optical axis direction facing forward in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Then, the captured image captured by the front camera 19 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 as a landscape (actual scene image) around the vehicle (particularly in front of the vehicle) as described above.

Subsequently, a travel support processing program executed by the navigation ECU 13 in the navigation device 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the traveling support processing program according to the first embodiment. Here, the travel support processing program is executed after the ACC power supply (accessory power supply) of the vehicle is turned on, and the vehicle travels by visually recognizing the guidance object superimposed on the scenery around the vehicle displayed on the liquid crystal display 15. It is a program to provide support. The programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 6 below are stored in the RAM 42 and ROM 43 included in the navigation device 1 and executed by the CPU 41.

In the following description, an example of providing vehicle travel guidance along a guidance route set by the navigation device 1 will be described as vehicle travel support using a guidance object. In addition, the guidance object to be displayed is guidance information for guiding at the guidance branch point in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction together with the future course of the vehicle, and is particularly superimposed on the road surface of the road in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. Take as an example the process of displaying a plurality of arrows that are displayed and indicate the future course of the vehicle (especially the exit direction of the guidance branch point along the guidance branch when approaching the guidance branch point) as a guidance object. explain. However, the navigation device 1 can also provide guidance and information other than the above-mentioned traveling support by using the guidance object. Further, the guide object to be displayed can be information other than the above arrow. For example, warnings to occupants as guidance objects (other vehicles, pedestrians, guide signs), warnings to be displayed on the road surface (crash caution, speed limit, etc.), lane markings in which the vehicle travels , Current vehicle speed, shift position, remaining energy, advertising image, facility information, guide sign, map image, traffic information, news, weather forecast, time, screen of connected smartphone, etc. can be displayed.

First, in the travel support processing program, in step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1, the CPU 41 performs a guide object display position determination process (FIG. 6) described later. In the guide object display position determination process, the shape of the guide object to be displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 and the position (range) in which the guide object is displayed are concretely determined based on the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next guide branch point. It is a process to decide. The guide branch point is a branch point (intersection) to which guidance such as a right / left turn instruction is given when the navigation device 1 guides traveling according to a guidance route set in the navigation device 1.

Subsequently, in S2, the CPU 41 generates an image of the guide object having the shape determined in S1, further transmits a control signal to the liquid crystal display 15, and an image of the guide object generated to the liquid crystal display 15. Is drawn with respect to the position (range) determined in S1. The liquid crystal display 15 displays an image captured by the front camera 19 in advance, that is, a landscape (actual view image) around the vehicle (particularly in front of the vehicle) at the present time. As a result, it becomes possible for the occupants of the vehicle to visually recognize the guide object superimposed on the landscape.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a traveling guide screen 51 displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 in S5. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal display 15 displays the current landscape 52 in front of the vehicle captured by the front camera 19. Then, the image 53 of the guide object is displayed so as to be superimposed on the landscape 52 in front of the vehicle. The image 53 of the guide object includes an image of a plurality of arrow-shaped objects, and displays images of the plurality of objects so as to be positioned at predetermined intervals along the future course of the vehicle. More specifically, when the vehicles are away from the guide branch point, they are arranged along the straight-ahead direction, and the direction of each arrow also indicates the straight-ahead direction. This suggests to the occupants that the distance to the guidance branch point ahead in the direction of travel is still far. On the other hand, when the vehicle is close to the guide branch point, the images of a predetermined number of objects on the vehicle side are also arranged along the straight direction, and the direction of each arrow also indicates the straight direction, but the other directions are the direction of travel. The images of the objects in are arranged in an arc along the exit direction of the vehicle at the guide branch point, and the direction of each arrow also indicates the exit direction.

Further, the image 53 of the guide object is basically visually recognized in a state where the bottom surface is in parallel with the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction when the vehicle is away from the guide branch point (hereinafter, the first aspect). (Referred to as the second aspect), and when the vehicle is close to the guide branch point, the vehicle is visually recognized in a state where at least a part of the bottom surface is separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction (hereinafter referred to as the second aspect). ) Is displayed. However, when the vehicle is away from the guide branch point, all the images of the plurality of objects are displayed in the above-mentioned first aspect, but when the vehicle is close to the guide branch point, all the images of the plurality of objects are displayed in the above-mentioned first aspect. Instead of displaying in the second aspect, as shown in FIG. 4, the images of a predetermined number of objects on the vehicle side are displayed in the first aspect, and the images of the other objects are displayed in the second aspect. However, in a state where the vehicle is close to the guide branch point, all the images of the plurality of objects may be displayed in the above-mentioned second aspect.

Further, the image of the object is a two-dimensional plane image, and in the second aspect, as shown in FIG. 4, the image of the object is displayed so as to be visually recognized in a state of being inclined with respect to the road surface ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The direction of inclination is the direction corresponding to the exit direction at the guide branch point, and more specifically, the outer peripheral side (left side when turning right, right side when turning left) with respect to the turning direction at the guide branch point. The direction of inclination is such that The specific value of the inclination angle θ is set based on the shape of the guide branch point as described later. Further, in the second aspect, the image of the object may be in a state where the bottom surface is completely separated from the road surface ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle, or a part of the bottom surface may be in contact with the road surface.

Then, in the first embodiment, when the vehicle is close to the guide branch point, the image 53 of the guide object is displayed in the latter half portion superimposed on the guide branch point, so that the travel guidance screen is displayed. When the occupant of the vehicle visually recognizes 51, the image 53 of the guide object does not reduce the visibility of the road around the guide junction. In particular, by not reducing the visibility of the exit road at the guidance junction, it is possible to make the occupants surely grasp the course of the vehicle (the road on which the vehicle should enter) at the guidance junction.

After that, in S3, the CPU 41 identifies the current position of the vehicle based on the detection result of the current position detection unit 11 and the map information. When specifying the current position of the vehicle, a map matching process for matching the current position of the vehicle with the map information is also performed. After that, the CPU 41 reads out the guidance route set by the navigation device 1 and determines whether or not the vehicle has entered the guidance branch point where the exit direction is guided by the guidance object displayed in S2. However, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle has entered the guide branch point may be performed based on, for example, an image captured by the front camera 19 without using the current position of the vehicle. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on the steering operation or the brake operation performed on the vehicle.

Then, when it is determined that the vehicle has entered the guidance branch point where the exit direction is guided by the guidance object displayed in S2 (S3: YES), the process proceeds to S4. On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle has not entered the guidance branch point where the exit direction is guided by the guidance object displayed in S2 (S3: NO), the vehicle returns to S1 and the guidance object Continue to display.

Subsequently, in S4, the CPU 41 transmits a control signal to the liquid crystal display 15, and as shown in FIG. 5, the image 53 of the guidance object displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 is gradually enlarged while guiding. Among the images of the plurality of arrow-shaped objects included in the object, the images of the objects located closest to the vehicle are gradually hidden in order. This makes it possible to give the occupant the feeling that the vehicle is passing through the guide junction where the guide object is actually placed. The images of the objects are hidden in such a manner that the images of all the objects are hidden at the timing when the vehicle completes the passage of the guide branch point.

After that, in S5, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the vehicle has completed passing through the guide branch point. For example, the determination is made based on the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection unit 11 and the map information. However, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle has completed passing through the guide branch point may be performed based on, for example, an image captured by the front camera 19 without using the current position of the vehicle. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on the steering operation or the brake operation performed on the vehicle.

Then, when it is determined that the vehicle has completed passing through the guidance branch point (S5: YES), a control signal is transmitted to the liquid crystal display 15, and the guidance object displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 is temporarily removed. It is displayed (S6). The captured image captured by the front camera 19, that is, the landscape (actual view image) around the vehicle at the present time (particularly in front of the vehicle) is continuously displayed. However, the landscape image may also be hidden and the display screen of the liquid crystal display 15 may be switched to a map image display or the like.

Further, after a while (for example, 3 seconds later) after the vehicle completes passing through the guide branch point, the processing after S1 is executed again, and the image of the guide object is displayed again on the liquid crystal display 15. However, the guide object may not be displayed until the distance to the next guide branch point along the guide path is within a predetermined distance (for example, within 1 km).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle has not completed passing through the guide branch point (S5: NO), the vehicle returns to S4 and the guide object is continuously displayed.

Next, a sub-process of the guide object display position determination process executed in S1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a sub-processing program for guiding object display position determination processing.

First, in S11, the CPU 41 identifies the current position of the vehicle based on the detection result of the current position detection unit 11 and the map information. When specifying the current position of the vehicle, a map matching process for matching the current position of the vehicle with the map information is also performed. After that, the guide route set by the navigation device 1 is read out, and the distance from the current position of the specified vehicle to the next guide branch point along the guide route is calculated.

Next, in S12, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the distance to the next guide branch point calculated in S11 is less than the threshold value. The threshold value is determined by the road type of the road on which the vehicle travels, and for example, the highway is set to 300 m. On the other hand, if the general road is 100 m shorter than the expressway, or if there is another branch point within 100 m on the front side of the guide branch point, the distance from the guide branch point to the other branch point is set.

In S12, the distance that is the determination condition is a fixed value, but it may be a fluctuating value. For example, the distance may be such that at least a part of the image of the guide object displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 is superimposed on the guide branch point which is the guide target point. In that case, it is determined whether or not at least a part of the guide object is superimposed on the guide branch point and is visually recognized by the occupant of the vehicle.

Then, when it is determined that the distance to the guide branch point calculated in S11 is less than the threshold value (S12: YES), the process proceeds to S15. On the other hand, when it is determined that the distance to the next guide branch point calculated in S11 is equal to or greater than the threshold value (S12: NO), the process proceeds to S13.

In S13, the CPU 41 selects a plurality of arrows 61 arranged at predetermined intervals along the straight-ahead direction as the guide object as the guide object to be displayed. The direction of each arrow 61 also indicates the straight direction. The number of arrows 61 and the arrangement interval can be appropriately set.

Subsequently, in S14, the CPU 41 sets the "position where the guide object is superimposed on the landscape" as a position on the road surface a predetermined distance ahead (for example, 10 m ahead) in the traveling direction with respect to the current position of the vehicle. After that, it shifts to S17.

On the other hand, in S15, the CPU 41 has a plurality of arrows 61 arranged at predetermined intervals along the straight-ahead direction as the guide objects to be displayed, and the vehicle at the guide branch point ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A combination of a plurality of arrows 62 arranged in an arc along the exit direction (right direction in FIG. 8) is selected as the guide object. As for the directions of the arrows 61 and 62, the arrows 61 arranged in the straight direction on the front side indicate the straight direction, and the arrows 62 on the traveling direction side indicate the exit direction. The number of arrows 61 and 62 and the arrangement interval can be appropriately set. Further, in S15, only the arrow 62 pointing in the exit direction may be selected as the guide object.

Subsequently, in S16, the CPU 41 separates the "position where the guide object is superimposed on the landscape" for the arrow 62 upward from the road surface a predetermined distance ahead (for example, 10 m ahead) in the traveling direction with respect to the current position of the vehicle. The position is set. On the other hand, for the arrow 61, the "position where the guide object is superimposed on the landscape" is set as the position on the road surface a predetermined distance ahead (for example, 10 m ahead) in the traveling direction with respect to the current position of the vehicle, as in S14. .. After that, it shifts to S17.

Next, in S17, the CPU 41 creates a three-dimensional space corresponding to the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle (particularly, in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction). In addition to roads, buildings, road signs, and the like may be modeled in the three-dimensional space, or only roads may be modeled. Alternatively, the road may be simply a blank three-dimensional space with only the ground that is not modeled. Further, the three-dimensional space may be stored in the map information DB 31 as three-dimensional map information in advance, and in S17, the three-dimensional map information around the corresponding own vehicle position may be read out from the map information DB 31. Further, a three-dimensional space may be generated based on the image captured by the front camera 19. For example, by performing point cloud matching on an image captured by the front camera 19, it is possible to detect a road or a structure around the road and generate a three-dimensional space.

Further, in S17, the CPU 41 also specifies the current position and orientation of the own vehicle in the generated three-dimensional space based on the parameters detected by the current position detection unit 11. In particular, the position of the front camera 19 installed in the vehicle is the current position of the own vehicle, and the optical axis direction of the front camera 19 is the direction of the own vehicle. The position of the front camera 19 corresponds to the position of the occupant of the vehicle, and the optical axis direction of the front camera 19 also corresponds to the line-of-sight direction of the occupant of the vehicle.

Subsequently, in S18, the CPU 41 generates a guide object to be displayed on the liquid crystal display 15. The shape of the generated guide object is a shape composed of a plurality of arrows selected in S13 or S15 (FIGS. 7 and 8). Further, the guide object is a two-dimensional polygon, and basically there is no thickness. However, it may be a three-dimensional polygon having a thickness. Further, the shape of the guide object generated in S18 can be appropriately changed, and may be a shape other than the arrow as long as it can indicate the straight-ahead direction and the exit direction at the guide branch point. Further, it does not have to be a plurality of arrows, and may be only one arrow.

Subsequently, in S19, the CPU 41 arranges the guide object generated in S18 with respect to the three-dimensional space generated in S17. The position where the guide object is arranged in the three-dimensional space is determined based on the "position where the guide object is superimposed on the landscape" set in S14 or S16.

For example, in S14, a case where the “position where the guide object is superimposed on the landscape” is set to a position on the road surface a predetermined distance ahead (for example, 10 m ahead) in the traveling direction with respect to the current position of the vehicle will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of guide objects (7 in the example shown in FIG. 9) which are guide objects on the road surface in front of the vehicle 64 in the traveling direction in the three-dimensional space and at a position in front of the current position of the vehicle 64 by a predetermined distance. ) Arrows 61 are arranged at predetermined intervals. In particular, among the plurality of arrows 61, the vehicle is arranged at a position where the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the arrow 61 closest to the vehicle is a predetermined distance (for example, 10 m). Further, the plurality of arrows 61 are arranged at positions along the future course of the vehicle, and when the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the guide branch point is equal to or more than the threshold value, they are arranged along the linear direction as shown in FIG. Will be done. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, each arrow 61 is arranged in a state where the bottom surface is in parallel with the road surface.

On the other hand, in S16, the "position where the guide object is superimposed on the landscape" is set for the arrow 62 at a position separated upward from the road surface a predetermined distance ahead (for example, 10 m ahead) in the traveling direction with respect to the current position of the vehicle. The case where it is done will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of guide objects (7 in the example shown in FIG. 11) which are guide objects on the road surface in front of the vehicle 64 in the traveling direction in the three-dimensional space and at a position in front of the current position of the vehicle 64 by a predetermined distance. ) Arrows 61 and 62 are arranged at predetermined intervals. In particular, among the plurality of arrows 61 and 62, the vehicle is arranged at a position where the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the arrow 61 and 62 closest to the vehicle is a predetermined distance (for example, 10 m). Further, the plurality of arrows 61 and 62 are arranged at positions along the future course of the vehicle, and when the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the guide branch point is less than the threshold value, a plurality of arrows 61 and 62 on the vehicle side as shown in FIG. The individual arrows 61 are arranged along the straight line direction, and the other arrows 62 on the traveling direction side are arranged in an arc shape along the exit direction (right direction in FIG. 11) of the guide branch point 65. Further, the arrow 61 is arranged in a state where the bottom surface is in parallel with the road surface as shown in FIG. 10, while the arrow 62 is separated from the road surface by at least a part of the bottom surface as shown in FIG. It is placed in the state of being.

Further, the arrow 62 is arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the road surface. The direction of inclination is the direction corresponding to the exit direction at the guide branch point, and more specifically, the outer peripheral side (left side when turning right, right side when turning left) with respect to the turning direction at the guide branch point. The direction of inclination is such that Further, the value of the inclination angle θ is set based on the shape of the guide branch point. Specifically, it is set based on the angle between the approach direction and the exit direction of the vehicle at the guidance branch point, and the larger the angle between the approach direction and the exit direction (that is, the larger the turning angle of the vehicle when passing), the larger the angle. Set the tilt angle θ to be larger. For example, if the angle between the approach direction and the exit direction is 90 degrees, the tilt angle θ is 30 degrees, and if the angle between the approach direction and the exit direction is 120 degrees, the tilt angle θ is 45 degrees. When the angle between the approach direction and the exit direction is 45 degrees, the inclination angle θ is set to 15 degrees. Further, the arrow 62 may be in a state where the bottom surface is completely separated from the road surface, or a part of the bottom surface may be in contact with the road surface.

Next, in S20, the CPU 41 first visually recognizes the three-dimensional space in which the guide object is arranged from the position of the vehicle (corresponding to the viewpoint) specified in S17 in the traveling direction of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a visual image). ). For example, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a visual recognition image 66 acquired when a vehicle and a guide object are arranged in the manner shown in FIG. In particular, since the position of the vehicle is the position of the front camera 19, the acquired visual image 66 is an image that can be visually recognized when the guide object arranged in the three-dimensional space is visually recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the viewpoint of the front camera 19. However, it also corresponds to the view of the occupants of the vehicle.

After that, the CPU 41 stores the shape of the guide object and the position of the guide object included in the visual recognition image 66 as the shape of the guide object to be displayed by the liquid crystal display 15 and the position of the guide object. Here, the shape of the guide object stored in S20 is the shape of the guide object that can be visually recognized when the guide object arranged in the three-dimensional space is visually recognized from the viewpoint of the vehicle (more accurately, the front camera 19). .. Further, the position of the guide object stored in S20 is the position of the guide object that can be visually recognized when the guide object arranged in the three-dimensional space is visually recognized from the viewpoint of the vehicle (more accurately, the front camera 19).

After that, in S21, the CPU 41 determines the range in which the guide object is displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 based on the shape of the guide object and the position of the guide object stored in S20. The display range of the guide object is a range in which the guide object having the shape stored in S20 is displayed at the same position as the guide object arranged in the three-dimensional space. After that, the process proceeds to S2, a control signal is transmitted to the liquid crystal display 15 as described above, and an image of the guide object having the shape stored in S20 is determined in S21 to the liquid crystal display 15. Display in the display range.

As a result, the travel guidance screen 51 displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 as the vehicle travels becomes a screen as shown in FIG. First, when the distance from the vehicle to the guide branch point is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the image 53 of the guide object is displayed superimposed on the landscape 52 in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction captured by the front camera 19 according to the first aspect. The position where the image 53 of the guide object is superimposed is, for example, 10 m ahead of the vehicle. In the first aspect, the image 53 of the guide object is visually recognized by the occupant in a state where the bottom surface is in parallel with the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. Further, the image 53 of the guide object is visually recognized in a state where the images of the plurality of arrows are arranged along the straight-ahead direction. This suggests to the occupants that the distance to the guidance branch point ahead in the direction of travel is still far. Since the relative position with respect to the vehicle is fixed, the display size of the displayed guide object image 53 is also fixed.

After that, when the vehicle approaches the guide branch point and the distance from the vehicle to the guide branch point is less than the threshold value, the image of a predetermined number of arrows on the vehicle side in the image 53 of the guide object is the first aspect. The display mode of the image of the arrow other than that is switched from the first mode to the second mode. In the second aspect, the image 53 of the guide object is visually recognized by the occupant with at least a part of the bottom surface separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. In particular, it is visually recognized in a state of being inclined with respect to the road surface. Further, among the images 53 of the guide objects, the images of the arrows displayed by the second target are visually recognized in a state of being arranged along the exit direction. This suggests to the occupant the exit direction of the guidance branch point near the front in the direction of travel.

After that, after the vehicle enters the guide branch point, the image 53 of the guide object gradually increases as the vehicle passes through the guide branch point. Further, the images of the arrows at positions closer to the vehicle are hidden in order (S4), and the image 53 of the guide object disappears from the liquid crystal display 15 at the timing when the vehicle passes the guide branch point (S6). After a while after disappearance, the image 53 of the guide object is displayed again in the first aspect.

As a result, when the occupant of the vehicle visually recognizes the travel guidance screen 51, when the distance from the vehicle to the guidance branch point is long, the content of the guidance by the image 53 of the guidance object is clearly shown to the occupant in correspondence with the road. It becomes possible to recognize. On the other hand, when the vehicle approaches the guide branch point, the image 53 of the guide object is visually recognized in a state of being separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction, so that the visibility of the road around the guide branch point is not deteriorated. It is possible to make the occupants clearly recognize the course of the vehicle around the guide junction. In particular, by not reducing the visibility of the exit road at the guidance junction, it is possible to make the occupants surely grasp the course of the vehicle (the road on which the vehicle should enter) at the guidance junction.

As described in detail above, according to the navigation device 1 according to the first embodiment, the drawing method of the image of the guidance object, and the computer program executed by the navigation device 1, the guidance target to be guided ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When there is a point, a guidance object for guiding to the guidance target point is displayed (S2). On the other hand, when displaying the guidance object, when the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Displays the guidance object in the first aspect in which the bottom surface is visually recognized in parallel with the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction, and when the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is less than the threshold value. The guide object is displayed in the second aspect in which at least a part of the bottom surface is visually recognized away from the road surface ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle (S11 to S21). Therefore, when the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is large, the guidance object is visually recognized in contact with the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction, so that the content of the guidance by the guidance object is clarified in correspondence with the road. It is possible to make the occupants recognize it. On the other hand, when the vehicle approaches the guidance target point, the guidance object is visually recognized in a state of being separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction, so that the guidance target point is not deteriorated in visibility of the road around the guidance target point. It is possible to make the occupants clearly recognize the course of the vehicle in the surrounding area.
Further, the guidance target point is a guidance branch point to be guided, and in the second aspect, the guidance object is inclined in a direction corresponding to the exit direction at the guidance branch point with respect to the road surface in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle. Since it is visually recognized in this state, it is possible for the occupant to easily visually recognize the exit direction at the guide branch point without deteriorating the visibility of the road around the guide branch point.
Further, the guide target point is a guide branch point to be guided, and the inclination angle of the guide object is set based on the angle between the approach direction and the exit direction of the vehicle at the guide branch point. It is possible to make the occupants visually and easily recognize the exit direction at the guide branch point without deteriorating the visibility of the road around the point.
Further, the guide object includes a plurality of objects arranged along the future course of the vehicle at predetermined intervals, and when the distance from the vehicle to the guide target point is equal to or more than the threshold value, the plurality of objects are all first. When the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is less than the threshold value, a predetermined number of objects on the vehicle side are displayed in the first aspect among the plurality of objects, and other objects are displayed. Is displayed in the second aspect. Therefore, when the vehicle approaches the guidance target point, the portion of the guidance object superimposed on the guidance target point can be visually recognized in a state of being separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction.
Further, the guidance target point is a guidance branch point to be guided, and the plurality of objects are arrows indicating the exit direction of the vehicle at the guidance branch point, and the first aspect is arranged along the straight-ahead direction. Since the second aspect is visually recognized in a state of being arranged along the exit direction, the visibility of the road around the guidance target point is lowered when the vehicle approaches the guidance branch point. It is possible to make the occupant clearly recognize the exit direction of the vehicle at the guidance target point without any problem and by the direction of the arrow of the guidance object.
In addition, as the vehicle passes through the guidance target point, the objects closest to the vehicle are hidden in order, so it is as if the vehicle passes through the guidance target point where the guidance object is actually placed. It is possible to give the occupants a good feeling.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the superimposed image display device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. In the following description, the same reference numerals as the configuration of the superimposed image display device according to the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 14 are the same as or corresponding to the configuration of the superimposed image display device and the like according to the first embodiment. It shows.

The schematic configuration of the superimposed image display device according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the superimposed image display device according to the first embodiment. Further, the various control processes are almost the same as the superimposed image display device according to the first embodiment.
However, the superimposed image display device according to the first embodiment displays the captured image captured by the front camera 19 on the liquid crystal display 15 of the navigation device 1, and further displays the guide object on the liquid crystal display 15. , While the guide object is superimposed and displayed on the landscape around the vehicle, the superimposed image display device according to the second embodiment uses a head-up display system as a means for displaying the image superimposed on the landscape around the vehicle. Is different.

Hereinafter, a schematic configuration of the superimposed image display device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram of the superimposed image display device 101 according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15, the superimposed image display device 101 basically has a navigation device 103 mounted on the vehicle 102 and a front display 104 mounted on the vehicle 102 and connected to the navigation device 103. The front display 104 functions as a head-up display together with the windshield 105 of the vehicle 102, and serves as an information providing means for providing various information to the occupant 106 of the vehicle 102.

Here, the front display 104 is a liquid crystal display installed inside the dashboard 107 of the vehicle 102 and having a function of displaying an image on an image display surface provided on the front surface. As the backlight, for example, CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) or white LED is used. As the front display 104, a combination of an organic EL display or a liquid crystal projector and a screen may be used in addition to the liquid crystal display.

Then, the front display 104 functions as a head-up display together with the windshield 105 of the vehicle 102, and the image output from the front display 104 is reflected on the windshield 105 in front of the driver's seat to be visually recognized by the occupant 106 of the vehicle 102. It is configured as follows. A guide object is displayed on the front display 104 as needed. In the second embodiment described below, the guidance object is the guidance information for guiding at the guidance branch point ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle together with the future course of the vehicle as in the first embodiment. More specifically, it is displayed superimposed on the road surface of the road ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and indicates the future course of the vehicle (especially when approaching the guidance branch point, the exit direction of the guidance branch point along the guidance route). Multiple arrows, etc.

Further, when the occupant 106 visually recognizes the image displayed on the front display 104 by reflecting the windshield 105, the occupant 106 does not have the position of the windshield 105 but the front display at a position far beyond the windshield 105. The image displayed on the 104 is configured to be visually recognized as a virtual image 110. Further, the virtual image 110 is displayed superimposed on the surrounding environment (landscape, actual scene) in front of the vehicle, and is superimposed on, for example, an arbitrary object (road surface, building, object subject to warning, etc.) located in front of the vehicle. It is also possible to display it.

Here, the position where the virtual image 110 is generated, more specifically, the distance L from the occupant 106 to the virtual image 110 (hereinafter referred to as an imaging distance) L is determined by the position of the front display 104. For example, the image formation distance L is determined by the distance (optical path length) along the optical path from the position where the image is displayed on the front display 104 to the windshield 105. For example, the optical path length is set so that the image formation distance L is 1.5 m.

Further, a front camera 111 is installed above the front bumper of the vehicle, behind the rearview mirror, and the like. The front camera 111 is an image pickup device having a camera using a solid-state image pickup element such as a CCD, and is installed with the optical axis direction facing forward in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Then, by performing image processing on the captured image captured by the front camera 111, the situation of the front environment (that is, the environment in which the virtual image 110 is superimposed) visually recognized by the occupant 106 through the front glass is detected. To. A sensor such as a millimeter wave radar may be used instead of the front camera 111.

In addition, an in-vehicle camera 112 is installed on the upper surface of the instrument panel of the vehicle. The in-vehicle camera 112 is an image pickup device having a camera using a solid-state image pickup element such as a CCD, and is installed with the optical axis direction facing the driver's seat. The range in which the face of the occupant is generally expected to be located in the vehicle is set as the detection range (the imaging range of the in-vehicle camera 112), and the face of the occupant 106 sitting in the driver's seat is imaged. Then, image processing is performed on the captured image captured by the in-vehicle camera 112 to detect the eye position (line-of-sight start point) and the line-of-sight direction of the occupant 106.

Then, the superimposed image display device according to the second embodiment displays the image 120 of the guide object on the front display 104 as shown in FIG. 16 in S5 of the above-mentioned traveling support processing program (FIG. 2). As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, the image 120 of the guide object displayed on the front display 104 is visually recognized by the occupant of the vehicle, so that the virtual image 121 of the image 120 of the guide object is superimposed on the landscape through the windshield 105. It is visually recognized.

As a result, similarly to the superimposed image display device according to the first embodiment, it is possible to accurately grasp the course of the vehicle, the position of the guide branch point to be turned left or right, and the exit direction at the proposed branch point. In the superimposed image display device according to the second embodiment, in the guide object display position determination process of S1, the shape of the guide object to be displayed on the front display 104 and the position (range) where the guide object is displayed are determined. .. Further, it is desirable that the current position and orientation of the own vehicle specified in the three-dimensional space in S17 are the position of the occupant of the vehicle and the line-of-sight direction of the occupant detected by using the in-vehicle camera 112.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, as a means for displaying an image superimposed on the landscape around the vehicle, the liquid crystal display 15 on which the actual scene image is displayed is used in the first embodiment, and the head-up display system is used in the second embodiment, but the windshield is used. On the other hand, a window shield display (WSD) that displays an image may be used. In WSD, the windshield may be used as a screen to display an image from the projector, or the windshield may be used as a transmissive liquid crystal display. The image displayed on the windshield by the WSD is an image superimposed on the landscape around the vehicle.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the guide object is an image of a plurality of arrows indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle at the guiding branch point ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle together with the future course of the vehicle, but as another image. Is also good. For example, the guide object may be an image of a single arrow. Further, the guide object may be a warning image for an object (for example, another vehicle, a pedestrian, a guide sign) to be warned to the occupants of the vehicle, an image of a lane marking in which the vehicle travels, or the like.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the guide object is used to guide the guide branch point, but the point to be guided by the guide object is not limited to the guide branch point, for example, a lane reduction point or the like. It may be another point that calls attention to the occupants of the vehicle such as a confluence section. In addition, it is desirable to change the content of the guidance object to be displayed depending on the type of guidance target point.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the traveling support using the guide object is performed both when traveling on the expressway and when traveling on the general road, but only when traveling on the expressway or when traveling on the general road. You may do it only at the time.

Further, in the first embodiment, the actual scene image and the guide object captured by the front camera 19 are displayed on the liquid crystal display 15 of the navigation device 1, but the display for displaying the actual scene image and the guide object is in the vehicle. As long as it is an arranged display, it may be a display other than the liquid crystal display 15.

Further, in the second embodiment, the front display 104 is configured to generate a virtual image in front of the windshield 105 of the vehicle 102, but a configuration in which a virtual image is generated in front of a window other than the windshield 105 may be used. Further, the target for reflecting the image by the front display 104 may be a visor (combiner) installed around the windshield 105 instead of the windshield 105 itself.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the processing of the traveling support processing program (FIG. 2) is executed by the navigation ECU 13 of the navigation device 1, but the execution subject can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be configured to be executed by a control unit of the liquid crystal display 15, a vehicle control ECU, or another on-board unit.

1 ... Navigation device, 15 ... Liquid crystal display, 19 ... Front camera, 41 ... CPU, 42 ... RAM, 43 ... ROM, 51 ... Travel guidance screen, 52 ... Landscape, 53 ... Guide object image, 61, 62 ... Arrows ( Guidance object example), 64 ... Vehicle, 65 ... Guidance branch point (Example of guidance target point)

Claims (5)

A superimposed image display device that superimposes and visually recognizes a guidance object mounted on a vehicle and guiding information to the occupants of the vehicle on the scenery around the vehicle.
It has an object display means for displaying the guidance object for guiding to the guidance target point when there is a guidance target point to be guided in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle.
The object display means is
When the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the guidance object is displayed in the first aspect in which the bottom surface is visually recognized in parallel with the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. ,
When the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is less than the threshold value, the guidance object is displayed in the second aspect in which at least a part of the bottom surface is separated from the road surface in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction. Superimposed image display device to display. The guidance target point is a guidance branch point to be guided.
The superimposed image display according to claim 1, wherein in the second aspect, the guide object is visually recognized in a state of being tilted in a direction corresponding to the exit direction at the guide branch point with respect to the road surface ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Device. The guidance target point is a guidance branch point to be guided.
The superimposed image display device according to claim 2, wherein the tilt angle of the guide object is set based on the angle between the approach direction and the exit direction of the vehicle at the guide branch point. The guide object includes a plurality of objects arranged along the future course of the vehicle at predetermined intervals.
The object display means is
When the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is equal to or greater than the threshold value, all the plurality of objects are displayed in the first aspect.
When the distance from the vehicle to the guidance target point is less than the threshold value, a predetermined number of objects on the vehicle side among the plurality of objects are displayed in the first aspect, and the other objects are displayed in the second mode. The superimposed image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is displayed in an embodiment. The guidance target point is a guidance branch point to be guided.
The plurality of objects are arrows indicating the exit direction of the vehicle at the guidance branch point.
The first aspect is visually recognized in a state of being arranged along the straight direction.
The superimposed image display device according to claim 4, wherein the second aspect is visually recognized in a state of being arranged along the exit direction.

Images