JP2024032399A - Display controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display controller capable of prompting a driver of a vehicle to view a content whose degree of importance is relatively high and which is needed to be recognized instantaneously by the driver from among plural kinds of contents in a display image which the driver views over a steering wheel.

SOLUTION: A display controller controls display of plural kinds of contents in a display image which a driver of a vehicle views over a steering wheel. The display controller includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a display control unit, and a degree-of-importance determination unit. The display control unit reduces display sizes of contents under a condition that a reduction rate of a display size of a low degree-of-importance content makes the display size of the low degree-of-importance content smaller than a display size of a high degree-of-importance content reduced at a reduction rate of the display size of the high degree-of-importance content, and/or shifts display positions of the contents under a condition that a shift quantity of a display position of the low degree-of-importance content is larger than a shift quantity of a display position of the high degree-of-importance content.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a display control device, and more particularly to a display control device that controls the display of multiple types of content in a display image that is viewed by a vehicle driver through a steering wheel.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle display device has been proposed that can reduce manufacturing costs, allows easy control of a mobile display unit, and makes it easy to recognize a mobile display unit that displays content (see Patent Document 1). This vehicle display device has a mobile display unit and a mobile terminal placed at a predetermined position in the vehicle, and at least one of the display size and display position of the content displayed in the mobile display unit is set within the vehicle. It is changed according to the position of the eyes of the driver seated in the driver's seat in the vehicle with respect to the reference position.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-94647

However, the vehicle display device as described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the importance of multiple types of content at all when changing the display size and display position of the content. Therefore, there is a problem in that the driver may not be able to instantly recognize highly important content, such as by making content with relatively high importance that the driver must be able to instantly recognize too small. Ta.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, and it is necessary for the driver to be able to instantly recognize multiple types of content in the display image that the driver of the vehicle views through the steering wheel. An object of the present invention is to provide a display control device that allows a driver to visually recognize content that has a relatively high degree of importance.

As a result of extensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventor has provided an importance determination unit that determines whether or not content is a low-importance content that has a relatively low importance among multiple types of content, and displays The above object can be achieved by configuring the control unit to reduce the display size of the content while satisfying a predetermined relationship and/or move the display position of the content while satisfying a predetermined relationship. They discovered this and completed the present invention.

That is, the display control device of the present invention is a display control device that controls the display of a plurality of types of content in a display image that is viewed by a driver of a vehicle through a steering wheel.
The display control device includes an acquisition unit that acquires position data of the driver's eyes, and a calculation unit that calculates an occluded area that is occluded by the steering wheel in the display image based on the position data of the driver's eyes, the steering wheel, and the display image. and at least the display size and display position of the content so that all of the multiple types of content are displayed outside the shielded area, based on the range data of the shielded area and the display size and display position data of the multiple types of content. It includes a display control section that controls one side.
The display control device further includes an importance determination unit that determines whether or not the content is a low-importance content whose importance is relatively low among the plurality of types of content.
In the display control device, the display control unit reduces the display size of the content while satisfying the relationship that the reduction rate of the display size of the low importance content is smaller than the reduction rate of the display size of the high importance content; Alternatively, the display position of the content is moved while satisfying the relationship that the amount of movement of the display position of the low importance content is larger than the movement amount of the display position of the high importance content.

According to the present invention, the importance determining section is provided for determining whether or not the importance level content is relatively low among a plurality of types of content, and the display control section is configured to display the content in a state where the above-mentioned relationship is satisfied. Because the display size of the content is reduced and/or the display position of the content is moved while satisfying the above relationship, multiple types of content in the display image that the driver of the vehicle views through the steering wheel. Therefore, it is possible to provide a display control device that allows a driver to visually recognize content with relatively high importance that the driver needs to be able to instantly recognize.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a display control device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing some examples of display control on a display image of the display control device shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a flowchart showing an example of display control in the display control device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, the display control device of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings cited below are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a display system including a display control device. In addition, the upper diagram in FIG. 2 shows the shielding area of a windshield etc., the displayable area of low importance content and high importance content, and the lower diagram shows display control in the vicinity of the shielding area of the upper diagram. Here are some examples.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the display system 1 includes a display device 10, an imaging device 20, and a display control device 30. The display control device 30 of the present embodiment controls the display of multiple types of content C1, C2, and C3 in the display image DI that the driver D of the vehicle V views through the steering wheel S. These contents C1 to C3 are displayed in a shielded area, as will be described later.

The display control device 30 of this embodiment includes an acquisition section 31, a calculation section 33, and a display control section 35. The acquisition unit 31 includes, for example, an eye position data acquisition unit 31A that acquires eye position data of the driver D acquired by the imaging device 20. Further, the position data of the driver D's eyes can also be acquired by the rotation speed of a motor, a camera, a sensor, etc. that can calculate the forward/backward movement, up/down movement, inclination angle, etc. of the seat in the seat position adjustment mechanism 50. , the image capturing device 20 and the seat position adjustment mechanism 50 may be used. Further, when acquiring the eye position data of the driver D, a sensor that can calculate the tension of the seat belt may be used. In addition, this acquisition unit 31 acquires steering wheel position data that acquires position data of the steering wheel S and display image DI acquired by the steering wheel position adjustment mechanism 40, the motor rotation speed of the display device 10, a camera, a sensor, etc. It may include a section 31B and a display image position data acquisition section 31C. The calculation unit 33 calculates a shielding area SA that is blocked by the steering wheel S in the display image DI based on the position data of the eyes of the driver D, the steering wheel S, and the display image DI. The display control unit 35 controls the content so that all of the plurality of types of content C1, C2, and C3 are displayed outside the shielding area SA, based on the range data of the shielding area SA and the display size/display position data of the plurality of types of content. control at least one of the display size and display position.

Furthermore, the display control device 30 of this embodiment further includes an importance determination section 37. The importance determining unit 37 determines whether or not the content is a low-importance content whose importance is relatively low among a plurality of types of content. In the example shown in FIG. 2, contents C1 and C2 are high importance contents, and content C3 is low importance content. Examples of high-importance content that the driver D needs to be able to instantly recognize include vehicle speed, blinkers, and navigation direction instructions. On the other hand, examples of low importance content include vehicle interior temperature and driving mode.

Furthermore, in the display control device 30 of the present embodiment, the display control unit 35 controls the display size of the content while satisfying the relationship that the reduction rate of the display size of the low-importance content is smaller than the reduction rate of the display size of the high-importance content. and moving the display position of content while satisfying the relationship that the amount of movement of the display position of low importance content is greater than the amount of movement of the display position of high importance content. Do at least one of them.

Here, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the display control unit 35 moves the display position of content C1 upward (from dotted line notation to solid line notation), and moves the display position of content C2 to the left. (From dotted line notation to solid line notation). Furthermore, the display control unit 35 reduces the display size of the content C3 (from dotted line notation to solid line notation).

Furthermore, there may be areas that cannot be displayed for each content due to vehicle regulations, display image specifications, and the like. In that case, it is preferable that the display control unit 35 moves the display position of the low importance content within the displayable area DA1 of the low importance content, and further moves the display position of the low importance content within the displayable area DA2 of the high importance content. It is preferable to move the display position of the content.

Examples of the non-displayable area include, but are not limited to, positions that are out of the line of sight of the driver D. For example, a position that overlaps with the external environment that the driver D wants to focus on (the center in the direction of travel, a preceding vehicle, a pedestrian at an intersection, a road sign, etc.) may be set as the non-displayable area. Here, "on the line of sight" may be interpreted as within the range of peripheral vision that can be perceived without moving the eyes, that is, within the visual field. When the distance between the vehicle V equipped with the display control device of this embodiment and other vehicles or pedestrians is short, content indicating these situations may be set as high importance content. Furthermore, when the distance between the vehicle V equipped with the display control device of this embodiment and other vehicles or pedestrians is long, content indicating vehicle speed, turn signals, road signs, etc. may be considered high importance content as described above. It is preferable to do so.

Further, it is preferable that the displayable area DA2 for the high importance content exists near the shielding area SA of the displayable area DA1 for the low importance content (see FIG. 2).

Furthermore, there may be a minimum display size for each content depending on vehicle regulations, display image specifications, and the like. In that case, it is preferable that the display control unit 35 reduce the display size of the low-importance content within a size range that is equal to or larger than the minimum display size of the low-importance content, and further reduce the display size of the high-importance content to a larger size. It is preferable to reduce the size within a size range that is greater than or equal to the minimum display size of the importance level content.

Further, the minimum display size of high importance content is preferably larger than the minimum display size of low importance content (see FIG. 2).

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the display control unit 35 moves the display position of the high importance content in the direction in which the amount of movement of the high importance content is the least.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the display control unit 35 moves the display position of the low importance content in the same direction as the moving direction of the high importance content.

Next, specifications of the constituent elements in the above-described embodiment will be explained in detail.

(Display device)
The display device 10 may be a head-up display (HUD) that displays the driving status of the vehicle using an image displayed on a window glass or the like as shown in the illustrated example, or a thin-film transistor liquid crystal display that displays the driving status of the vehicle. One example is the meter panel.

(imaging device)
The imaging device 20 is preferably capable of acquiring the driver's line of sight data, and such an imaging device may include, for example, a driving monitor camera. The above-mentioned imaging device is placed in front of the driver, typically on the column cover of the steering wheel S (see Figure 1), but it is also placed on the top surface of the dashboard, the top end of the windshield, or the front end of the roof. It may be placed in

(Display control device)
The display control device 30 includes a computer (not shown) that controls the display image DI of the display device 10 in response to inputs from the imaging device 20, the steering wheel position adjustment mechanism 40, and the seat position adjustment mechanism 50. Further, this computer includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory), which are not shown.

A CPU is an arithmetic device that realizes control and functions of the entire computer by reading programs and data from a storage device such as an HDD or ROM onto a RAM and executing processing. The CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. can be integrated into the same package. Further, the display control device 30 may have a configuration in which other logic processors such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), logic circuits, etc. are used instead of the CPU.

The HDD stores programs (for example, a program for calculating the position of the driver's eyes, a steering wheel, a display image, a program for determining importance) and data (for example, a steering wheel in a vehicle, display size data for a display image, display position data, This is a non-volatile storage device that stores data for determining importance level. Examples of stored programs and data include an OS (Operating System), which is basic software that controls the entire computer, and application software that provides various functions on the OS. The HDD manages stored programs and data using a predetermined file system or DB (database). Note that the computer may include an SSD (Solid State Drive) or the like instead of the HDD or in addition to the HDD.

The RAM is a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily stores programs and data (for example, position data of the driver's eyes, steering wheel, and displayed images). ROM is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off.

(Steering wheel position adjustment mechanism, seat position adjustment mechanism)
As the steering wheel position adjustment mechanism 40 and the seat position adjustment mechanism 50, conventionally known position adjustment mechanisms can be used.

Next, a specific example of display control in the display control device described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, in step 1 (denoted as "S1" in the figure, the same applies hereinafter), the range data of the shielding area calculated by the calculation unit 33 is input.

In step 2, display size and display position data of multiple types of content stored in the HDD, RAM, etc. are input. As display size/display position data, for example, if the operation is not yet started, the initial display size/display position data may be input, and if the operation is in progress, the display changed by the previous display control may be entered. All you have to do is input the size and display position data. Furthermore, the HDD, RAM, etc. have preset data regarding the relative importance of each content, the displayable area (non-displayable area) according to the importance of each content, the minimum display size, and the movement direction. is also stored.

In step 3, the display control unit 35 determines whether the content is displayed in the shielded area.

In step 4, the display control unit 35 determines whether each content is in contact with an area that cannot be displayed, depending on the importance determined by the importance determination unit 37.

In step 5, the display control unit 35 moves one unit in a preset movement direction. Here, the amount of movement in "one unit movement" can be set as appropriate within a range where the amount of movement does not become too large.

In step 6, the display control unit 35 determines whether the display size of each content is the minimum display size, depending on the importance determined by the importance determination unit 37.

In step 7, the display control unit 35 reduces the display size by one unit. Here, the reduction rate for "1 unit reduction" can be set as appropriate within a range that does not make the reduction rate too small.

Next, advantages of this embodiment will be explained.
According to this embodiment, the above-mentioned importance determination section 37 is provided, and the display control section 35 reduces the display size of the content while satisfying the above-mentioned relationship, or displays the content while satisfying the above-mentioned relationship. By moving the position or combining these, the initial display state of multiple types of content, which had a display size and display position with excellent visibility, can be displayed outside the shielded area without unnecessarily changing. be able to. As a result, among the multiple types of content in the display image that the driver of the vehicle sees through the steering wheel, the driver can see relatively high-importance content that the driver needs to be able to instantly recognize. be able to. Furthermore, low-importance content can also be made visible to the driver.

Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the display control unit 35 moves the display position of the low importance content within the displayable area of the low importance content, thereby improving the visibility of the low importance content. It can be further improved.

Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the display control unit 35 moves the display position of the high importance content within the displayable area of the high importance content, thereby improving the visibility of the high importance content. It can be further improved.

Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the displayable area of the high-importance content is set in the vicinity of the shielded area of the displayable area of the low-importance content, so the amount of movement of the display position of the high-importance content is can be made smaller, and the visibility of high-importance content can be further improved.

Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the display control unit 35 reduces the display size of the low importance content within a size range that is greater than or equal to the minimum display size of the low importance content. visibility of content can be further improved.

Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the display control unit 35 reduces the display size of the high importance content within a size range that is greater than or equal to the minimum display size of the high importance content. visibility of content can be further improved.

Furthermore, according to the preferred embodiment of this embodiment, the minimum display size of high importance content is set larger than the minimum display size of low importance content, so the display size of high importance content is not made too small. , it is possible to further improve the visibility of high-importance content.

Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the display control unit 35 moves the display position of the high importance content in the direction in which the amount of movement of the high importance content is the smallest, so that the display of the high importance content is The amount of positional movement can be reduced, and the visibility of high-importance content can be further improved.

Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the display control unit 35 moves the display position of the low importance content in the same direction as the moving direction of the high importance content, so that It is possible to prevent the display positions of high-level content from becoming disjointed, and it is possible to further improve the visibility of low-level content.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to some embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

In the present invention, in order to allow the driver to visually recognize relatively high-importance content that the driver needs to be able to instantly recognize, it is possible to determine whether the content is low-importance content that is relatively low in importance among multiple types of content. The display control unit is configured to reduce the display size of the content while satisfying the above-mentioned relationship, and/or reduce the display position of the content while satisfying the above-mentioned relationship. The main point is to move.

Therefore, the display control that is executed preferentially among reducing the display size of the content and moving the display position of the content is not limited. However, from the perspective of ensuring visibility, it is preferable to move the display position of high-importance content rather than reduce the display size, and it is preferable to reduce the display size of low-importance content rather than move the display position. preferable.

In addition, for example, in order to prevent visibility from decreasing due to disparity in the display positions of low-importance content and high-importance content that have been moved, an example is given in which the display positions are moved in the same direction. However, the directions of movement do not necessarily have to be the same. For example, within the displayable area of the high importance content, the low importance content and the high importance content may be moved in an appropriate amount and direction so as to be displayed in a well-organized manner.

Furthermore, for example, if the display position of the content is moved in a preset movement direction in the minimum display size of each content, and the content can be displayed outside the shielded area by moving it outside the displayable area. In this case, it is preferable to stop the display control when the content comes into contact with the non-displayable area. In this case, the display position of the content may be moved in another preset direction.

Furthermore, for example, the above-mentioned components are not limited to the above-mentioned components, and details of the specifications of the display device, imaging device, display control device, steering wheel position adjustment mechanism, and seat position adjustment mechanism may be changed. Alternatively, it is also possible to apply a suitable combination of each preferable form.

1 Display system 10 Display device 20 Imaging device 30 Display control device 31 Acquisition unit 31A Eye position data acquisition unit 31B Steering wheel position data acquisition unit 31C Display image position data acquisition unit 33 Calculation unit 35 Display control unit 37 Importance determination Part 40 Steering wheel position adjustment mechanism 50 Seat position adjustment mechanism C1, C2, C3 Content D Driver DA1, DA2 Displayable area DI Display image S Steering wheel SA Shielding area V Vehicle

Claims (9)

A display control device that controls the display of multiple types of content in a display image viewed by a vehicle driver through a steering wheel,
an acquisition unit that acquires position data of the driver's eyes, and calculates an occluded area that is occluded by the steering wheel in the display image based on the position data of the driver's eyes, the steering wheel, and the display image. and a calculation unit, based on the range data of the shielding area and the display size/display position data of the plurality of types of content, display size and display of the content so that all of the plurality of types of content are displayed outside the shielding area. A display control device including a display control unit that controls at least one of the positions,
further comprising an importance determination unit that determines whether or not the content is a low importance content whose importance is relatively low among the plurality of types of content,
The display control unit reduces the display size of the content in a state where a reduction rate of the display size of the low importance content is smaller than a reduction rate of the display size of the high importance content, and/or A display control device that moves the display position of content while satisfying a relationship in which the amount of movement of the display position of low-importance content is greater than the amount of movement of the display position of high-importance content. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit moves the display position of the low-importance content within a displayable area of the low-importance content. 3. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit moves the display position of the high importance content within a displayable area of the high importance content. 4. The display control device according to claim 3, wherein the displayable area for the high-importance content exists near the shielded area of the displayable area for the low-importance content. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit reduces the display size of the low-importance content within a size range that is equal to or larger than a minimum display size of the low-importance content. 6. The display control device according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit reduces the display size of the high importance content within a size range that is equal to or larger than a minimum display size of the high importance content. 7. The display control device according to claim 6, wherein a minimum display size of the high importance content is larger than a minimum display size of the low importance content. 2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit moves the display position of the high importance content in a direction where the amount of movement of the high importance content is the least. 9. The display control device according to claim 8, wherein the display control unit moves the display position of the low importance content in the same direction as the moving direction of the high importance content.

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