JP4274111B2 - Proper inter-vehicle distance display control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for displaying a head-to-display on a head-up display of an inter-vehicle distance and a proper inter-vehicle distance between a preceding vehicle and the host vehicle.

  Conventionally, various techniques for displaying to a driver a display according to the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying a distance between vehicles on a digital display unit of a liquid crystal display and displaying a sensor value interlocked with an accelerator petal with a pointer on a scale.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for displaying a host vehicle mark and speed, a forward vehicle mark and speed on a head-up display, and further displaying an inter-vehicle distance between the marks.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for displaying an inter-vehicle distance, a safe inter-vehicle distance, and a dangerous inter-vehicle distance on a scale portion of a display unit incorporated in an instrument panel.

Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for displaying a host vehicle, a preceding vehicle, and a distance on a segment of a liquid crystal display unit incorporated in a display segment combination meter.
JP-A-9-126790 Japanese Patent No. 3052151 JP 2002-0779850 A JP 2002-163798 A

  In the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the inter-vehicle distance is indicated by a number, the driver needs time to understand the number itself and to judge safety at the distance. Moreover, from the driver's psychology, the operation | movement which confirms the difference with these states and the state of the preceding vehicle actually seen through a windshield will necessarily enter. Therefore, attention is dispersed for these judgments and operations, and a time during which the driver cannot concentrate on driving occurs.

  In addition, in each of the techniques of Patent Documents 3 and 4, the driver can visually determine the inter-vehicle distance. However, as in the first and second embodiments, the state of the preceding vehicle actually viewed It is conceivable that an operation for confirming the difference from the above will inevitably enter, and this will disperse attention and cause a time during which the driver cannot concentrate on driving.

  In order to avoid such a situation where the driver's attention is dispersed and the driver cannot concentrate on driving, it is necessary to minimize the time required to grasp the situation on the display to the driver. Is desirable.

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that allows a driver to grasp the distance and the degree of danger between a host vehicle and a preceding vehicle faster than before.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to an actual inter-vehicle distance calculating means for calculating an actual inter-vehicle distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle, and based on the speed of the own vehicle, Two marks are simultaneously displayed on an appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference specifying means for calculating an appropriate inter- vehicle distance range as a reference that matches the appropriate inter-vehicle distance , and a head-up display that displays an image on the windshield. the proper vehicle distance reference specifying means the head-up display so that the distance between the two marks mutual changes in accordance with the deviation for proper inter-vehicle distance range calculated by the actual headway distance which the actual inter-vehicle distance calculating means has calculated controls, the head such that the distance between the two marks one another is zero when the actual inter-vehicle distance is in the proper vehicle distance range Display control means for controlling the display, wherein the display control means has a first mark on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the preceding vehicle as viewed from the driver. The head-up display is controlled to be displayed at a position, and the display control means is configured to control the first mark of the two marks when the actual inter-vehicle distance is not within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. The head-up display is controlled so that a second mark different from the above is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the position corresponding to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range in front of the host vehicle as viewed from the driver , Further, when the actual inter-vehicle distance is within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range, the second mark is a position where the distance to the first mark is zero. To appear, it is appropriate following distance display control device and controls the head-up display.

  In this way, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device uses the head-up display to display two marks on the windshield, so the driver checks the actual distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle. Even when doing so, it is not necessary to move the line of sight greatly. Further, since the distance between the two marks changes based on the deviation of the actual inter-vehicle distance from the appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference, the driver can visually acquire information on the current risk of the inter-vehicle distance. In addition, since the distance between the two marks becomes zero when the actual inter-vehicle distance satisfies the appropriate inter-vehicle distance standard, the driver can determine at a glance whether the distance between the current vehicle and the preceding vehicle is at an appropriate distance. I can grasp it.

  With the function of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device as described above, the driver can grasp the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the degree of danger faster than before.

Here, “the distance between two marks is zero” means that the positions of one mark and the other mark completely coincide, one mark overlaps the other mark, Mark and the other mark
The position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the front end of the vehicle seen from the driver and the position of the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the preceding vehicle seen from the driver are separated by a distance sufficiently smaller than the distance. It is a concept that includes

  In this way, the driver can sensuously understand that one of the two marks represents the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, so that the driver can grasp more quickly. .

  Here, “the position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the preceding vehicle” means a position on the windshield that overlaps the preceding vehicle when viewed from the driver, and is close to the preceding vehicle when viewed from the driver. That is, it is a concept that includes both a position on the windshield and a position that is sufficiently close to the distance from the host vehicle to a position that is separated from the host vehicle by an appropriate inter-vehicle distance.

  In this way, the driver can sensuously understand that the second mark of the two marks represents the appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference, so that the driver can be grasped more quickly. .

Moreover, the invention according to claim 2 is the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means satisfies that the actual inter-vehicle distance continuously satisfies the appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference for a reference time or more. Based on the above, the second mark is changed to a light color.

  By doing in this way, the deterioration of the visibility through a windshield by the mark display which became low necessity can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device according to the first or second aspect , the head-up display is provided.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, two cursors (corresponding to marks) are displayed on the windshield surface using a head-up display so that the driver who drives the vehicle can quickly grasp the relationship between the preceding vehicle and the appropriate inter-vehicle distance. It comes to realize the function.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a device mounted on a vehicle in order to realize such a function. The vehicle is equipped with an appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1, a front monitoring camera 2, an inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3, a vehicle speed sensor 4, a steering sensor 5, an image display ECU 6, and a head-up display 7.

  The front monitoring camera 2 is a device that periodically images the front of the vehicle (for example, every several tens of milliseconds) and outputs a signal indicating the captured image to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1.

  The inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3 is a device that transmits laser light or millimeter waves to the front of the vehicle, receives the reflected waves, and outputs a signal based on the time difference from transmission to reception to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1. .

  The vehicle speed sensor 4 is a device that outputs a speed signal based on the vehicle speed pulse signal to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1.

  The steering sensor 5 is a device that detects the steering angle of the vehicle and outputs a signal of the steering angle to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1.

  The image display ECU 6 is a device that receives a video signal output from the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 and displays an image based on the video signal on the head-up display 7.

  The head-up display 7 is a projector that projects a semi-permeable membrane surface embedded in a windshield surface of a vehicle and a video light based on control from the image display ECU 6 on the semi-permeable membrane surface of the vehicle dashboard. have.

  With such a configuration of the image display ECU 6 and the head-up display 7, the head-up display 7 can display an image based on the video signal output from the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 on the windshield. It should be noted that the area where the image is displayed on the windshield may be only a portion corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the road ahead when viewed from the driver 6, or the entire windshield.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 includes an image processing unit 11, an inter-vehicle distance measurement unit 12, an own vehicle speed measurement unit 13, a vehicle information memory unit 14, a video signal output unit 15, and a control unit 16. have.

  The image processing unit 11 receives the video signal output from the front monitoring camera 2 and performs image analysis processing on the video signal, thereby specifying the preceding vehicle portion and the lane portion in the image, and Data is output to the control unit 16.

  The inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 12 receives a signal based on the time difference from the inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3, calculates the inter-vehicle distance based on this signal, and outputs the calculation result data to the control unit 16.

  The own vehicle speed measuring unit 13 receives a signal from the vehicle speed sensor 4, calculates the traveling speed of the own vehicle based on the signal, and outputs data of the calculation result to the control unit 16.

  The vehicle information memory unit 14 has a storage medium such as a RAM and a ROM. In this ROM, the program read and executed by the control unit 16, the speed-appropriate inter-vehicle distance correspondence data for associating the traveling speed of the vehicle with the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range, and the position of the front monitoring camera 2 and the eye position of the driver Camera position correction data and the like for correcting the shift are included. The appropriate inter-vehicle distance range refers to a distance range having a certain spread as a standard that matches the appropriate inter-vehicle distance. For example, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range at 100 km / h is 100 to 150 meters. The upper limit and the lower limit of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range are increased as the speed increases.

  The video signal output unit 15 receives the drawing command output from the control unit 16 and outputs a video signal based on the drawing command to the image display ECU 6. The drawing command includes a command for designating the display position, size, shape, color tone, and the like of characters to be displayed and images.

  Each of the image processing unit 11, the inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 12, the own vehicle speed measuring unit 13, and the video signal output unit 15 can be realized by causing the CPU of the microcomputer to execute a program that realizes the above functions. .

  The control unit 16 includes a CPU and the like, and reads out and executes a program from the ROM of the vehicle information memory unit 14. Based on the signals output from the measurement unit 12, the vehicle speed measurement unit 13, and the steering sensor 5, a drawing command is output to the video signal output unit 15.

  FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the display control program 100 that the control unit 16 reads from the vehicle information memory unit 14 and repeatedly executes without interruption. Hereinafter, an operation performed by the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 when the control unit 16 executes the display control program 100 will be described.

  When starting the execution of the display control program 100, the control unit 16 first acquires data on the traveling speed of the host vehicle from the host vehicle speed measuring unit 13 in step 105.

  Subsequently, in step 110, it is determined whether or not the speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the cursor display permission speed (for example, 50 km / h) based on the travel speed data acquired immediately before. The cursor display permission speed may be determined in advance when the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 is shipped, or may be set by the driver. If the speed of the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the cursor display permission speed, then step 113 is executed, and if it is less than the cursor display permission speed, step 140 is executed subsequently.

  In step 113, data on the actual inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle is acquired from the inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 12.

  Subsequently, at step 115, an appropriate inter-vehicle distance range is specified. Specifically, speed-appropriate inter-vehicle distance correspondence data is read from the vehicle information memory unit 14, and an appropriate inter-vehicle distance range corresponding to the traveling speed acquired in the immediately preceding step 105 is specified based on the read data. At this time, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range may be corrected based on the steering angle of the vehicle received from the steering sensor 5.

  Subsequently, in step 120, based on the actual inter-vehicle distance acquired in step 113 and the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range specified in step 115, it is determined whether or not the actual inter-vehicle distance is within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. If the actual inter-vehicle distance is not within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range, step 125 is subsequently executed, and if the actual inter-vehicle distance is within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range, step 145 is subsequently executed.

  In step 125, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance maintenance time, which is a variable assigned to a predetermined area of the RAM of the vehicle information memory unit 14, is reset to zero. The appropriate inter-vehicle distance maintaining time is a variable that is retained even after the execution of the display control program 100 is completed, and the value is inherited in the next execution of the display control program 100.

  Subsequently, at step 130, it is determined whether or not the actual inter-vehicle distance exceeds the upper limit of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. If it exceeds, the step 140 is executed, and if not, the step 135 is executed. When this determination process is executed, the actual inter-vehicle distance is out of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range (see step 120), so that the actual inter-vehicle distance exceeds the upper limit of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range, Indicates that the distance from the vehicle is far enough to be safe. The fact that the actual inter-vehicle distance does not exceed the upper limit of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range indicates that the distance from the preceding vehicle is closer than the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range.

  In step 135, processing for displaying two cursors on the head-up display 7 is performed. FIG. 3 shows the windshield 20 viewed from the driver and the scenery through the windshield 20 when the head-up display 7 displays two cursors by this processing. In FIG. 3, the preceding vehicle 24 is traveling in the left lane delimited by the center line 23 of the road sandwiched between the road frame lines 21 and 22. Further, a cursor that is visible at the tail of the preceding vehicle 24 is a position cursor 25, and a cursor that is visible at the tip of the preceding vehicle 24 is a reference cursor 26.

  In step 135, the control unit 16 outputs a drawing command to the video signal so that the position cursor 25 is displayed at a position on the windshield 20 corresponding to the line-of-sight direction near the rear end of the preceding vehicle 24 as viewed from the driver. Output to the output unit 15.

  For this purpose, the drawing command to be output is a concave character type of a size that surrounds the entire bottom of the vehicle just shallowly at a position corresponding to the position immediately below the preceding vehicle portion in the captured image received from the image processing unit 11. This is a command for drawing the position cursor 25 composed of a frame line. At this time, by correcting the position of the preceding vehicle portion received from the image processing unit 11 using the camera position correction data in the vehicle information memory unit 14, the position of the front monitoring camera 2 and the position of the driver's eyes are corrected. Reduce errors due to misalignment.

  The vertical width of the position cursor 25 is proportional to the width of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. More specifically, the vertical width of the position cursor 25 displayed on the windshield 20 is the same as the line-of-sight width of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range on the actual road viewed from the driver.

  Alternatively, with respect to the drawing position of the position cursor 25, the control unit 16 acquires the actual inter-vehicle distance acquired in the previous step 113 along the road shape based on the position of the lane portion in the captured image received from the image processing unit 11. A position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight position when the driver sees a position away from the host vehicle by a distance may be calculated, and the calculated position may be used as the drawing position of the position cursor 25. At this time, by using the camera position correction data in the vehicle information memory unit 14 to correct the position of the lane portion received from the image processing unit 11, the difference between the position of the front monitoring camera 2 and the position of the driver's eyes. Reduce errors due to

  In step 135, the control unit 16 displays the reference cursor 26 at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction corresponding to the actual appropriate inter-vehicle distance range on the road ahead of the host vehicle as viewed from the driver. The drawing command is output to the video signal output unit 15.

  In order to output this drawing command, the control unit 16 automatically performs an appropriate inter-vehicle distance specified in the previous step 115 along the road shape based on the position of the lane portion in the captured image received from the image processing unit 11. When the driver sees a position away from the vehicle, a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight position is calculated, and the calculated position is set as the drawing position of the reference cursor 26. At this time, by using the camera position correction data in the vehicle information memory unit 14 to correct the position of the lane portion received from the image processing unit 11, the difference between the position of the front monitoring camera 2 and the position of the driver's eyes. Reduce errors due to Further, the shape of the reference cursor 26 in the drawing command is an upward U-shaped figure having a size proportional to the size of the position cursor 25 so as to fit inside the frame line of the position cursor 25 described above. After step 135, one execution of the display control program 100 ends.

  By the processing of the control unit 16 as described above, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 has the own vehicle speed equal to or higher than the cursor display permission speed (see step 110), and the actual inter-vehicle distance is closer than the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. (See steps 120 and 130), the position cursor 25 is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the rear end of the preceding vehicle 24 as viewed from the driver, and the reference cursor The head-up display 7 is controlled so that 26 is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction corresponding to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range in front of the host vehicle as viewed from the driver. Accordingly, the closer the actual inter-vehicle distance is within the appropriate distance range, the smaller the distance between the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 is. The distance of 26 increases.

  In addition, the position cursor 25 has a concave character shape with a size that surrounds the entire bottom of the vehicle, and the size of the reference cursor 26 is proportional to the position cursor 25. Then, as the actual inter-vehicle distance changes, the size of the entity of the preceding vehicle imaged by the camera changes. Therefore, the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 become larger when the distance between the actual vehicles becomes shorter, and become smaller when the distance between the actual vehicles becomes longer.

  In step 140, if the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 are currently displayed on the head-up display 7, a command to delete the display is output to the video signal output unit 15. FIG. 4 shows the road ahead through the windshield 20, the preceding vehicle 24, and the like viewed from the driver when the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 are deleted. After step 240, one execution of the display control program 100 ends.

  By such processing of the control unit 16, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 determines whether the speed of the host vehicle is less than the cursor display permission speed (see step 110) or the distance from the preceding vehicle is extremely safe. (See steps 120 and 130), the display of the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 on the head-up display 7 is prohibited.

  In step 145, the value of the variable value of the appropriate inter-vehicle distance maintenance time is increased (counted up). The amount to be increased is the execution time for one time of the display control program 100. When the execution of the display control program 100 is repeated, each time the actual inter-vehicle distance is determined to be within the proper inter-vehicle distance range, the proper inter-vehicle distance maintenance time is counted up, and the actual inter-vehicle distance falls within the proper inter-vehicle distance range. The appropriate inter-vehicle distance maintenance time is reset every time it is determined that it is not within the range (see step 125), so the appropriate inter-vehicle distance maintenance time indicates the time during which the actual inter-vehicle distance is maintained within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. Will hold the value.

  Subsequently, in step 150, whether or not the actual inter-vehicle distance has been maintained within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range for a reference time (for example, 1 minute) or not, and whether or not the appropriate inter-vehicle distance maintenance time variable is the reference time or more. judge. This reference time may be a fixed value or may be set freely by the driver. If it is not maintained for the reference time or longer, then step 155 is executed, and if it is maintained, step 160 is executed subsequently.

  In step 160, a drawing command for displaying the reference cursor 26 so as to overlap the position cursor 25 is output to the video signal output unit 15. Here, the display positions of the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 when they overlap in the drawing command are positions on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the rear end of the preceding vehicle 24 as viewed from the driver.

  FIG. 5 shows the positions of the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 that are displayed on the windshield by the head-up display 7 when such a drawing command is output, as viewed from the driver. As described above, the position cursor 25 is a concave frame line, and the reference cursor 26 is sized so as to be inside the frame line. Therefore, the reference cursor 26 is placed in the position cursor 25 from the driver. It looks like it is in place.

  In step 160, as in step 155, a drawing command for displaying the reference cursor 26 so as to overlap the position cursor 25 is output to the video signal output unit 15. However, the drawing command output here is lighter than the display colors of the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 in the drawing commands output in step 140 and step 160 (thin, it has a lower emphasis level, such as lower brightness). A command to display the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 in a color tone. As a result, the head-up display 7 displays the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 having a lighter color tone than the other cases on the windshield.

  After steps 155 and 160, execution of the display control program 100 ends.

  By the processing of the control unit 16, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 has the speed of the host vehicle equal to or higher than the cursor display permission speed (see step 110), and the actual inter-vehicle distance is within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. In the case (see step 120), the position cursor 25 is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the rear end of the preceding vehicle 24 as viewed from the driver, and the reference cursor 26 is the position cursor. The head-up display 7 is controlled so as to be within 25 (see steps 155 and 160). As a result, the driver can visually and instantly grasp that the current actual inter-vehicle distance is within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range without diverting his line of sight from the front.

  If the actual inter-vehicle distance is continuously within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range for the reference time or longer (see step 150), that is, the necessity of displaying the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 becomes relatively low. The position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 are changed to those having a lighter color tone. Therefore, the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 are less conspicuous than in other cases, and the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 are less likely to obstruct the field of view in front of the vehicle, and the deterioration of the visibility through the windshield can be reduced.

  By executing the display control program 100 as described above, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 displays the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 on the head-up display that displays an image on the windshield, and further, the position cursor. 25 is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the preceding vehicle 24 viewed from the driver, and the reference cursor 26 corresponds to an appropriate inter-vehicle distance range in front of the host vehicle viewed from the driver. The head-up display 7 is controlled so that the two cursors overlap each other so as to be displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction and when the actual inter-vehicle distance falls within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range.

  By such an operation, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 uses the head-up display 7 to display the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 on the windshield 20, so that the driver can move between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. When checking the actual interval, it is not necessary to move the line of sight greatly. Further, since the distance between the two cursors changes based on the deviation of the actual inter-vehicle distance from the appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference, the driver can visually acquire information on the danger level of the current inter-vehicle distance. Further, since the reference cursor 26 is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction corresponding to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range in front of the host vehicle as viewed from the driver, the driver is positioned at the position corresponding to the actual appropriate inter-vehicle distance. It is possible to instantly grasp where the vehicle is on the road without changing the line of sight from the front.

  Here, the mounting position of the front monitoring camera 2 in the vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In the example of FIG. 6, the front monitoring camera 2 is mounted at approximately the same front-rear position as the position of the eyes of the driver 32 sitting on the driver seat 31 and photographs the front through the windshield 33. In this case, the image captured by the camera and the image viewed by the driver are almost the same.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the front monitoring camera 2 is installed slightly ahead of the driver's eyes (specifically, a distance X forward). The case where the front monitoring camera 2 is integrated with the vehicle rearview mirror also corresponds to this example. Such a mounting position is excellent from the viewpoint of securing a mounting space for the front monitoring camera 2 and ensuring forward visibility for the front monitoring camera 2. However, in this case, as compared with the case of FIG. 6, the amount of correction of the deviation between the field of view of the front monitoring camera 2 and the field of view of the driver becomes large.

In the above embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 12 corresponds to an actual inter-vehicle distance calculating unit. Further, the CPU of the control unit 16 executes step 115 of the display control program 100 to function as an appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference specifying unit. The CPU of the control unit 16 functions as a display control unit by executing steps 120 to 160 of the display control program 100.
(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the image processing unit 11, the inter-vehicle distance measurement unit 12, the own vehicle speed measurement unit 13, the vehicle information memory unit 14, the video signal output unit 15, and the control unit 16 each execute a program. Although the functions are realized, it is not always necessary to do so, and any or all of them may be realized as dedicated hardware for realizing the functions.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the position cursor 25 and the reference cursor 26 are displayed based on the relationship between the actual inter-vehicle distance and the appropriate distance range. Instead of the appropriate distance range, the appropriate distance itself having no width may be used. Alternatively, the appropriate distance range may have only a lower limit value and no upper limit value. That is, the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device 1 displays two cursors on a head-up display that displays an image on the windshield, and the two cursors are displayed in accordance with the deviation of the actual inter-vehicle distance from the “appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference”. As long as the distance between them changes.

It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the structure of the apparatus mounted in the vehicle, and the appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control apparatus 1 in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the display control program 100 which CPU of the control part 16 performs. It is a figure which shows the position cursor 25, the reference | standard cursor 26, a front road, etc. which passed through the windshield 20 seen from the driver. It is a figure which shows the front road etc. over the windshield 20 seen from the driver. It is a figure which shows the position cursor 25, the reference | standard cursor 26, a front road, etc. which passed through the windshield 20 seen from the driver. It is a figure which shows the attachment position of the front monitoring camera 2 in a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the attachment position of the front monitoring camera 2 in a vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control apparatus, 2 ... Front monitoring camera, 3 ... Inter-vehicle distance measuring device,
4 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 5 ... Steering sensor, 6 ... Image display ECU,
7 ... Head-up display, 11 ... Image processing unit, 12 ... Inter-vehicle distance measurement unit,
13 ... Own vehicle speed measurement unit, 14 ... Vehicle information memory unit, 15 ... Video signal output unit,
16 ... control unit, 20 ... windshield, 21 ... road border, 22 ... road border,
23 ... center line, 24 ... preceding vehicle, 25 ... position cursor, 26 ... reference cursor,
31 ... Driver sheet, 32 ... Driver, 33 ... Windshield,
34 ... Steering, 100 ... Display control program.

Claims (3)

An actual inter-vehicle distance calculating means for calculating an actual inter-vehicle distance from the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle;
An appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference specifying means for calculating an appropriate inter- vehicle distance range as a reference conforming to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the speed of the own vehicle;
Two marks are simultaneously displayed on a head-up display that displays an image on the windshield, and the two marks are displayed as appropriate values calculated by the appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference specifying unit for the actual inter-vehicle distance calculated by the actual inter-vehicle distance calculating unit. The head-up display is controlled so that the distance between the two marks changes according to the deviation from the inter-vehicle distance range, and the two marks are displayed when the actual inter-vehicle distance is within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. Display control means for controlling the head-up display so that the distance between them becomes zero, and
The display control means controls the head-up display so that the first mark of the two marks is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the preceding vehicle as viewed from the driver. ,
When the actual inter-vehicle distance is not within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range, the display control means is configured to display a second mark that is different from the first mark among the two marks in front of the host vehicle. The head-up display is controlled so that it is displayed at a position on the windshield corresponding to the line-of-sight direction of the position corresponding to the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range, and the actual inter-vehicle distance falls within the appropriate inter-vehicle distance range. The appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device controls the head-up display so that the second mark is displayed at a position where the distance to the first mark becomes zero .   The display control means changes the second mark into a light color based on the fact that the actual inter-vehicle distance satisfies the appropriate inter-vehicle distance reference continuously for a reference time or longer. The appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device described in 1.   3. The appropriate inter-vehicle distance display control device according to claim 1, further comprising the head-up display.

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