JP4715325B2 - Information display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for displaying information accompanying operation of a vehicle to an occupant.

  In recent years, a display device (so-called night vision) that detects pedestrians and obstacles at night and displays their presence has been mounted on vehicles. The night vision indicator is generally provided below the driver's driving field of view (for example, in the instrument panel), but in order to see the display, the driver looks at the line of sight when driving. It is necessary to deflect a little from. In addition, since the sense of distance is small in the display image, it may take time for the driver to recognize the display content. Therefore, there is a need for a system that displays an image that supports safe driving on the front window of the vehicle and provides safety information even if the driver does not look away.

For example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 below is known as a technique for displaying safe driving information at a position where the line of sight during driving is hardly deviated. In this technique, a projector for a head-up display is mounted on a vehicle, and the display position of the head-up display display image is shifted from the front of the driver according to the traveling direction of the vehicle. Specifically, in the case of a right turn, the display image is displayed at a position shifted to the right from the front of the driver, and in the case of a left turn, the display image is displayed at a position shifted from the front of the driver to the left. Is. As a result, first, the presence of the display can be recognized by peripheral vision, and the guidance display is displayed on the corresponding side in the foreground, offset from the driver's front to the left and right, so that the display image does not interfere with the foreground viewing. Annoyance is prevented, and there is an effect that the turning direction at the next intersection can be quickly determined without a sense of incongruity.
JP-A-8-83397

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when an emergency situation occurs (for example, when the danger of a collision is imminent) or when important information to be notified is generated (for example, when the remaining fuel is low) If the emergency information is displayed in the same way as the guidance display, it is unclear whether the driver can recognize the information instantly (driving the display image). Because the display is shifted from the front.

  In addition, safe driving support information (information that is not currently in a dangerous state, but to assist in safe driving) and emergency information (current danger is imminent, the driver can perform some kind of danger avoidance operation) In the case of urgent information), the driver may not be able to make a quick decision unless the display format is changed significantly.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and information that can be transmitted to the driver as reliably as possible (for example, information with high urgency or information with high importance) that should be transmitted to the driver. An object is to provide a display device.

  The information display device according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problem, includes display means, vehicle operation information acquisition means, display data storage means, and control means. The display means can display a three-dimensional display using a flat display and parallax superimposed on a scenery outside the vehicle. The vehicle operation information acquisition means acquires information associated with vehicle operation. The display data storage means stores display data for stereoscopic display and display data for flat display. Further, the control means reads either the display data for stereoscopic display or the display data for flat display from the display data storage means according to the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition means, and uses the read display data as an image object. The display means is a flat display or a three-dimensional display. The “image object” referred to here includes not only a graphic object but also a character object.

  In general, when a person is watching a landscape (three-dimensional object), a planar image object is displayed on the screen between itself and the landscape, and a stereoscopic image object is displayed. In comparison with the case, the impact is greater when a stereoscopic image object is displayed. In addition, when a stereoscopic image object is always displayed, a planar image object is normally displayed, and a stereoscopic image object is displayed only at a special time. In some cases, the latter has a greater impact when a stereoscopic image object is displayed.

Therefore, if the flat display and the three-dimensional display are performed according to the acquired information as in the information display device described above, it is possible to surely transmit the information transmitted to the driver.
Further, the control means includes a dangerous spot approach degree judging means for judging the degree of approach to the dangerous spot from the dangerous spot information around the vehicle acquired by the vehicle driving information acquiring means and the current position information of the vehicle, and the vehicle driving information acquisition. The vehicle has dangerous driving degree determining means for determining the dangerous driving degree of the vehicle from the presence information and movement information of the object around the vehicle acquired by the means, and the determination result and the dangerous driving degree determination determined by the dangerous part approaching degree determining means Based on the determination result determined by the means, either display data for stereoscopic display or display data for flat display is read from the display data storage means.
Specifically, display data for stereoscopic display is read when the determined approach degree or dangerous driving degree exceeds a predetermined threshold, and display data for flat display is read otherwise. ing.
Because of this, it is effective especially when you want to convey the fact to the driver among the fact that the vehicle is approaching the dangerous place and there is a possibility that it may come into contact with objects existing around the vehicle. Can be transmitted by stereoscopic display.
By the way, the image object may be displayed anywhere as long as it is within the driver's field of view, but a particularly effective place is a position overlapping a dangerous place or an object.
Therefore, in the first aspect of the present invention, based on the viewpoint detection means for detecting the driver's viewpoint and the driver's viewpoint detected by the viewpoint detection means, the viewing position of the image object by the driver is a dangerous place or Display position determining means for determining the display position of the image object so as to overlap the object, and the control means is configured to display the image object at the display position determined by the display position determining means when causing the display means to perform planar display or stereoscopic display. Is displayed.
If this is the case, the driver can intuitively know what information is to be transmitted to the driver, so that the information can be more effectively transmitted to the driver. .
By the way, even if the image object is displayed as described above, no information is transmitted unless the driver views it.
Therefore, in the first aspect of the present invention, the information display device is configured to include the line-of-sight detection means and the movement position determination means. That is, the gaze detection means detects the driver's gaze direction, and the movement position determination means displays the gaze direction detected by the gaze detection means at the viewpoint detected by the viewpoint detection means on the display means at the viewpoint. If the direction of the image object does not match, the moving position of the image object is determined so as to match. Then, when the movement position is determined by the movement position determination means, the control means moves the image object to the movement position and displays it on the display means. If it is in this way, a driver can be made to see an image object certainly.

  By the way, there are various viewpoints in evaluating information, for example, urgency, importance, reliability, etc., but the control means described above is, for example, the urgency of information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition means. If the urgency of the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition unit is lower than the predetermined threshold value, the flat display is displayed. It is preferable that the display data for reading is read out (claim 2). The “predetermined threshold value” mentioned here can be arbitrarily set and may be changed according to the preference of the driver or the like.

  If it is in this way, since a plane display and a three-dimensional display are switched according to the urgency level of the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition means, and the image object is displayed, the information with high urgency level is reliably driven. Can be communicated to the person.

  In addition, for example, when the importance of the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition unit is higher than a predetermined threshold, the control unit reads display data for stereoscopic display from the display data storage unit, and the vehicle operation information acquisition unit If the importance of the acquired information is lower than a predetermined threshold, display data for flat display may be read out. The “predetermined threshold value” mentioned here can be arbitrarily set and may be changed according to the preference of the driver or the like.

  If it is in this way, since a plane display and a three-dimensional display are switched according to the importance of the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition means, and the image object is displayed, the highly important information is reliably driven. Can be communicated to the person.

Further, the dangerous driving degree determination means may determine the dangerous driving degree in consideration of the start timing and the operation amount of the driving operation of the driver (claim 4 ).
If this is the case, for example, it is considered that the driver has recognized that he or she has approached a dangerous spot and has performed an avoidance operation, so that the degree of dangerous driving can be determined more accurately.

Incidentally, visual axis detecting means, and the position of the feature points in the face of the driver, may be configured to estimate the gaze direction from the relationship between the position of the driver's eyes (claim 5). Here, “feature points on the driver's face” are, for example, the nose, mouth, chin, ears, and the like.

If the line-of-sight detection means is configured in this way, the line-of-sight direction can be set with a simple configuration compared to the case of using another method for detecting the line-of-sight direction (for example, a method for detecting the eye movement and estimating the line-of-sight direction). Can be estimated.
By the way, the display means described above may be anything as long as it can display an image object superimposed on a scenery outside the vehicle as a flat display and a stereoscopic display using parallax. It is good that it is a display means as described in claim 6.
In other words, the display means includes a first projection means for projecting an image for the left eye, a second projection means for projecting an image for the right eye, and a perspective view having a reflecting surface having a shape represented by a three-dimensional elliptic equation. It is preferable to include a projected image reflecting means that can be used. It is assumed that such projection means is installed on the dashboard, near the driver's head, or on glasses, goggles, etc. worn by the driver. Further, it is assumed that the projected image reflecting means is configured as a screen provided between the front window and the driver, or configured as a lens unit such as glasses or goggles worn by the driver. By configuring the display means in this manner, the driver can be surely stereoscopically viewed, and the above-described effects can be further enhanced.
Further, the control means may further have a function as described in claim 7. In other words, the control means stores the display data for stereoscopic display corresponding to the display data for flat display when the predetermined condition is satisfied after the display data for flat display is displayed as an image object on the display means. The display data for stereoscopic display read out from the means may be displayed as a three-dimensional image object on the display means.
The "predetermined condition" here refers to, for example, a situation where the degree of approach to the dangerous spot is further increased, or a situation where the possibility of contact with an object in the traveling direction of the vehicle is further increased. This is a condition that matches the situation where the warning should be issued more strongly.
In this way, by transmitting information to the driver by a two-stage method, the information is more effectively transmitted to the driver.

By the way, when the driver is looking far away while driving, when a stereoscopically displayed image object is displayed, the driver needs to move both eyes in the center direction in order to focus on the image object. If the distance to the three-dimensionally displayed image object (virtual image) is constant, the amount of movement increases as the background of the image object becomes a distant view. Therefore, a display that supports the movement of both eyes may be performed.
That is, as described in claim 8, it is preferable to provide marker display means for displaying a marker for supporting stereoscopic viewing of an image object to be stereoscopically displayed at a position corresponding to the display position of the image object. More specifically, prior to display of the images the object, displaying the marker according to the distance where the background image object is displayed.

Further, instead of changing the marker interval , the size of the marker may be changed as in the invention described in claim 9 . For example, a small marker may be displayed if the background of the place where the image object is displayed is a distant view, and a large marker may be displayed if the background of the place where the image object is displayed is a close view.

In this way, the driver can know the display position of the image object in advance and can easily focus on the three-dimensionally displayed image object .
In the invention described in claim 10, the marker has at least two point shapes, and the marker display means displays the two point shapes with the interval between the two point shapes as an interval according to the distance of the background. It is characterized by.
That is, in the invention described in claim 10, two markers (points) are displayed in the vicinity of the display position of the image object at intervals according to the distance of the background. Note that “according to the distance of the background” here means that if the background of the place where the image object is displayed is a distant view, the distance between the two markers is reduced and the place where the image object is displayed. If the background of is a foreground, it means that the interval between two markers is widened for display.
In the invention described in claim 11, the point shape is a light emitter, and the marker display means causes the two light emitters to emit light with the interval between the two point shapes as an interval according to the distance of the background. Yes.

  Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following embodiments, and various forms can be adopted as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[Description of configuration]
The information display device 11 of the present embodiment is used by being mounted on a vehicle. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, the display data storage unit 12, the display controller 13, the face photographing camera 14, A right-eye projector 15, a left-eye projector 16, and a screen 17 are provided. In addition, a steering wheel angle sensor 21, a brake pedal sensor 22, a navigation device 23, and a millimeter wave radar device 24 are connected to the information display device 11.

  The display data storage unit 12 includes a nonvolatile memory such as an SRAM, a hard disk, and the like, and includes display data for displaying image objects such as marks and characters for calling attention. The display data is composed of display data for stereoscopic display and display data for plane display for each image object.

  The display controller 13 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an I / O interface, and the like, and includes a display data storage unit 12, a face photographing camera 14, a steering wheel angle sensor 21, a brake pedal sensor 22, a navigation device 23, and a millimeter wave radar. Information is input from the device 24 and processing described later is executed, and information is output to the right-eye projector 15, the left-eye projector 16, and the screen 17.

  The face photographing camera 14 is a camera that photographs a driver's face, and is installed on the ceiling of the driver's seat. The face camera 14 may be installed on the dashboard, in the instrument panel, in the vicinity of the room mirror, or the like. The driver's viewpoint and line-of-sight direction are detected based on the image photographed by the face photographing camera 14.

The right-eye projector 15 is a projector that outputs an image to be incident on the right eye of the driver, and is installed on the ceiling of the driver's seat. Details of the installation state will be described later.
The left-eye projector 16 is a projector that outputs an image to be incident on the driver's left eye, and is installed on the ceiling of the driver's seat. Details of the installation state will be described later. The

  The screen 17 is made of acrylic for projecting images output from the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 (a material having an angle dependency with a refractive index of 1.492, a transmittance of 91%, and a surface reflectance of 4%). Screen. And when it is not used, it is stored in a case provided in the ceiling portion of the driver's seat, but when it is in use, it comes down from the ceiling of the driver's seat to the front of the driver. Details will be described later.

The steering angle sensor 21 is a sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel.
The brake pedal sensor 22 is a sensor that detects an operation amount of the brake pedal.
The navigation device 23 is a well-known navigation device, but the map data included in the navigation device 23 stores information on the dangerous location (the type of danger and the position information).

The millimeter wave radar device 24 is a device that detects the position and moving speed of an obstacle such as another vehicle or a pedestrian existing in front of the vehicle.
Here, the details of the installation state of the right-eye projector 15, the left-eye projector 16, and the screen 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2A is a schematic transmission diagram when the vehicle is viewed from above. A screen case 31 is provided on the ceiling of the vehicle, and the screen 17 can be housed from the front side of the vehicle. The screen 17 can be moved between a storage position and a use position by a rail 32 and a motor 33. Here, the usable position is a position between the driver and the front window, and images output from the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 are reflected by the screen 17 and reach the driver's eyes. It is the position that becomes. Details will be described later.

  A right-eye projector 15 and a left-eye projector 16 are installed on the ceiling of the vehicle in a state that does not hinder the movement of the screen 17. The right-eye projector 15 is installed on the left side of the vehicle, and the left-eye projector 16 is installed on the right side of the vehicle.

  FIG. 2B is a transmission schematic diagram when the vehicle is viewed from the side. When the screen 17 is in the usable position, as shown in the figure, the screen 17 is disposed at a position where the front visual field 35 is transmitted through the screen 17 when the driver 34 is driving.

  Next, the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a view of the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 as viewed from above the vehicle and as viewed from the front of the vehicle. The right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 have an exit pupil 15a and an exit pupil 16a, respectively, and an image is output from these portions. The right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 may be dedicated products for the right eye and the left eye, respectively, but in the present embodiment, the same type is used as the center of the exit pupil 15a and the center of the exit pupil 16a. Are rotated so that the distance between them is horizontal and the distance between them coincides with the distance between the eyes of the driver. The exit pupil 15a and the exit pupil 16a are preferably as large as possible in diameter. In this embodiment, those having a diameter of 25 mm are used.

  Next, the screen 17 will be described with reference to FIG. 4A shows a coordinate axis with the center between the eyes of the driver as the origin (the right direction of the vehicle is the positive direction of the X axis, the upper direction of the vehicle is the positive direction of the Y axis, and the forward direction of the vehicle is the positive direction of the Z axis. (Direction) is a schematic diagram when the screen 17 is viewed from above the vehicle. FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram when the screen 17 is viewed from the right side of the vehicle on the same coordinate axis.

  The length of the screen 17 in the X-axis direction is 150 mm, the length of the screen 17 in the Y-axis direction is 100 mm, and the screen 17 is disposed at a position 500 mm ahead of the vehicle from the origin. Further, the screen 17 has an ellipsoidal surface whose surface on the driver side is represented by an elliptic equation expressed by Equation 1.

Therefore, the driver side surface of the screen 17 has two focal points. That is, light emitted from one focus is collected at the other focus. For this reason, if a light source is arranged at one focal point (focal point A) and an eye is placed at the other focal point (focal point B), the light emitted from the light source is collected in the eyes. In the present embodiment, the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 are arranged so that the intermediate position between the two projectors (the exit pupil 15a of the right-eye projector 15 and the exit pupil 16a of the left-eye projector 16) is the focal point A. did.

  Since the screen 17 has such a thickness that the strength can be maintained, reflection occurs on the surface of the screen 17 on the front window side, and this reflection needs to be considered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, with respect to the reflection on the front window side, when the light source is arranged at one focus (focus A), the other focus (focus C) is not within the range in which the driver moves the face. The front window side surface of the screen 17 was designed. Specifically, the focal point C was designed to be separated from the focal point B by 30 mm or more. In this way, it can be prevented that the image looks double.

  Next, the principle of stereoscopic vision in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A is a schematic view of the right-eye projector 15, the left-eye projector 16, the screen 17, and the driver 41 as viewed from the side of the vehicle. One of the focal points of the screen 17 is at the midpoint connecting the center of the exit pupil 15a of the right-eye projector 15 and the center of the exit pupil 16a of the left-eye projector 16, and the focal point of the screen 17 is at the midpoint of both eyes of the driver 41. There is another one.

  FIG. 5B is a schematic view of the right-eye projector 15, the left-eye projector 16, and the screen 17 as viewed from above the vehicle. The left-eye projector 16 is installed on the right side and the right-eye projector 15 is installed on the left side when facing the front of the vehicle (left side in FIG. 5B). The angle 43 formed by the left-eye projector 16 and the vertical line of the screen 17 in this embodiment is about 3.7 degrees (distance between the driver 41 and the screen 17 = 500 mm, distance between both eyes of the driver 41 = 64 mm). .

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A, the light beams output from the exit pupils 15a and 16a form an image (real image) in front of the screen 17, and then are reflected by the screen 17 and reach the driver 41 (right eye). The luminous flux output from the projector 15 for the driver reaches the right eye of the driver 41, and the luminous flux output from the projector 16 for the left eye reaches the left eye of the driver 41).

  Since the information display device 11 according to the present embodiment has such a configuration, the driver 41 can display the parallax image by the right eye projector 15 and the left eye projector 16 so that the driver 41 An image (virtual image) can be seen ahead (to the left in FIG. 5A). Note that a region reaching the driver 41 (a region where an image can be visually recognized even if the eye position changes) is a viewing region 42, which is a region having the same shape as the exit pupils 15a and 16a.

  Next, the marker displayed on the screen 17 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view when the vehicle front is viewed through the screen 17 from the viewpoint of the driver. The screen 17 is virtually divided into four regions in the vertical direction, and two light emitters 51 are embedded in each region. The light emitter 51 is preferably composed of, for example, a light emitting diode or an organic EL. In the light emitter 51, the diameter of the light emitter 51 increases from the top to the bottom of the four areas of the screen 17 in accordance with the distance to the background that can be visually recognized through the screen 17.

  The light emitter 51 emits light in a region where the image object is displayed immediately before the stereoscopically visible image object is displayed. For this reason, the driver knows in advance the area in which the stereoscopically visible image object is displayed, and it is only necessary to perform focusing in proportion to the size of the light emitter 51 (if the light emitter 51 is large, the image object Is displayed, and if it is known that the image object is displayed in the distance if the light emitter 51 is small, it is possible to adjust the focus in a conditionally reflective manner). Can focus on.

  In the present embodiment, the light emitter 51 is embedded in the screen case 17, but the right eye projector 15 and the left eye projector 16 may project the same light emitter 51 onto the screen 17.

[Description of operation]
Next, processing executed by the display controller 13 will be described.
(1) Hazardous Location Layer Creation Processing First, the danger location layer creation processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The dangerous part layer creation process starts when power supply to the information display device 11 is started.

  When the display controller 13 starts executing the dangerous spot layer creation process, first, information for specifying the current position of the vehicle on which the information display device 11 is mounted is acquired from the navigation device 23 (S110).

  Then, the information (danger type and position information) related to the dangerous area around the vehicle is acquired from the navigation device 23 (S120). The “vehicle periphery” here means a road periphery that is, for example, about 500 m ahead of the current position of the vehicle in consideration of the traveling direction of the vehicle. Further, the “dangerous place” mentioned here means, for example, a place where accidents frequently occur (intersections, branch points, merge points, curves, long straight roads, etc.), construction points, and the like.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not information on the dangerous part has been acquired in S120 (S130). If it is determined that the information on the dangerous part has been acquired, the process proceeds to S140. If it is determined that the information on the dangerous part cannot be acquired, the process returns to S110, and the above steps are repeated.

  In S140, based on the information regarding the dangerous part acquired in S120, a planar display image layer and a stereoscopic display image layer are generated in the RAM of the display controller 13. A specific image layer will be described in the dangerous substance layer creation processing section. When the image layer is generated, the process returns to S110, and the above steps are repeated.

(2) Dangerous part layer display processing Next, dangerous part layer display processing is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. The dangerous part layer display processing is started when power supply to the information display device 11 is started. It is to be noted that the above-described dangerous spot layer creation process is executed in parallel.

  When the display controller 13 starts to execute the dangerous part layer display process, first, the display of the currently displayed image layer is canceled (S210). If there is no image layer being displayed, this step is skipped.

  Subsequently, information for specifying the current position of the vehicle on which the information display device 11 is mounted and the travel vector are acquired from the navigation device 23 (S215). The “travel vector” referred to here is the travel direction and speed of the vehicle.

  Then, the information (danger type and position information) related to the dangerous area around the vehicle is acquired from the navigation device 23 (S220). The “vehicle periphery” here means a road periphery that is, for example, about 500 m ahead of the current position of the vehicle in consideration of the traveling direction of the vehicle. Further, the “dangerous place” mentioned here means, for example, a place where accidents frequently occur (intersections, branch points, merge points, curves, long straight roads, etc.), construction points, and the like.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not information on the dangerous part has been acquired in S220 (S225). If it is determined that the information regarding the dangerous part has been acquired, the process proceeds to S230. If it is determined that the information regarding the dangerous part cannot be acquired, the process returns to S210, and the above steps are repeated.

  In S230, the degree of risk is calculated from the information and travel vector for specifying the current position of the vehicle acquired in S215, and the information regarding the dangerous location acquired in S220. The “risk level” is a numerical value of the risk level. For example, the reciprocal of the arrival time to the dangerous point (that is, the urgency level) is used as the risk level, or the importance of the dangerous point is set as the risk level. The reciprocal of the distance to the dangerous part can be used as the degree of danger, or a method can be considered in which the degree of danger is obtained by weighting and adding these.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the degree of risk calculated in S230 exceeds a threshold value for flat display (S235). Specifically, for example, when the reciprocal of the arrival time [seconds] to the dangerous location is obtained as the risk, it is determined whether or not the risk is 1/10 or more. If it is determined in S235 that the risk calculated in S230 exceeds the threshold for flat display, the process proceeds to S240, and the risk calculated in S230 is determined not to exceed the threshold for flat display. Returns the process to S210.

  In S240, it is determined whether or not the degree of risk calculated in S230 exceeds the threshold for stereoscopic display. Specifically, for example, when the reciprocal of the arrival time [seconds] to the dangerous location is obtained as the risk, it is determined whether or not the risk is 1/5 or more. In S240, if it is determined that the risk calculated in S230 exceeds the threshold for stereoscopic display, the process proceeds to S250, and it is determined that the risk calculated in S230 does not exceed the predetermined threshold for stereoscopic display. If so, the process proceeds to S245.

  In S245, which proceeds when it is determined that the degree of danger does not exceed the threshold for stereoscopic display, the planar display image layer corresponding to the danger location stored in the RAM is displayed on the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16. Is output on the screen 17. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, after 1 second has elapsed), the process returns to S210.

  On the other hand, in S250, which proceeds when it is determined that the degree of danger exceeds the threshold for stereoscopic display, the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16 are used to display the stereoscopic display image layer corresponding to the dangerous location stored in the RAM. Is output as an image and projected onto the screen 17 (prior to this, the light emitter 51 embedded in the screen 17 emits light as described above). Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, after 1 second has elapsed), the process returns to S210.

(3) Dangerous Goods Layer Creation Processing Next, the dangerous goods layer display processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The dangerous substance layer display processing is started when power supply to the information display device 11 is started. It is to be noted that the above-described dangerous spot layer creation process and the like are executed in parallel.

  When the display controller 13 starts executing the dangerous substance layer creation process, first, information for specifying the current position of the vehicle on which the information display device 11 is mounted is acquired from the navigation device 23 (S310).

  Subsequently, information (existing position, moving speed) regarding an object existing around the vehicle is acquired from the millimeter wave radar device 24 (S320). The “vehicle periphery” here means a road periphery that is, for example, about 500 m ahead of the current position of the vehicle in consideration of the traveling direction of the vehicle. In addition, the “object” referred to here means a structure such as a vehicle, a person, a bicycle, a guardrail, or the like.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not information on the object has been acquired in S320 (S330). If it is determined that the information related to the object can be acquired, the process proceeds to S340. If it is determined that the information related to the object cannot be acquired, the process returns to S310, and the above steps are repeated.

In S340, based on the information regarding the object acquired in S320, a planar display image layer and a stereoscopic display image layer are generated in the RAM of the display controller 13.
Here, a specific image layer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10A is an image view visually recognized by the driver in the case of flat display. In a situation where the person 61 is walking in the right direction of the drawing and may come into contact with the vehicle, an image layer in which a two-dimensional arrow 63 in the right direction is drawn at a position corresponding to the person 61 (overlapping position) It is generated as an image layer for flat display. As a result of generating and displaying such an image layer as an image, the driver can surely recognize the presence of the person 61 who may be in contact with the vehicle.

  Moreover, FIG.10 (b) is an image figure which a driver | operator visually recognizes in the case of a three-dimensional display. In a situation where a person 65 is walking in the right direction of the drawing and may come into contact with the vehicle, a three-dimensional arrow 67 (formed by a cylinder and a cone) facing the driver at a position corresponding to the person 65 (overlapping position). The image layer on which the arrow is drawn is generated as an image layer for stereoscopic display. As a result of generating and displaying such an image layer as an image, the driver can more reliably recognize the presence of the person 65 who may be in contact with the vehicle. The image layer created by the dangerous spot layer creation process is the same except that the target is different.

When such an image layer is generated, the process returns to S310, and the above steps are repeated.
(4) Dangerous goods layer display process Next, a dangerous goods layer display process is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. The dangerous substance layer display processing is started when power supply to the information display device 11 is started. Note that the above-described dangerous material layer creation processing and the like are executed in parallel.

  When the display controller 13 starts executing the dangerous substance layer display process, first, the display of the currently displayed image layer is canceled (S410). If there is no image layer being displayed, this step is skipped.

  Subsequently, information for specifying the current position of the vehicle on which the information display device 11 is mounted and the travel vector are acquired from the navigation device 23 (S415). The “travel vector” referred to here is the travel direction and speed of the vehicle.

  Subsequently, information on an object that can be touched among objects existing around the vehicle is acquired from the millimeter wave radar device 24 (S420). The “vehicle periphery” here means a road periphery that is, for example, about 500 m ahead of the current position of the vehicle in consideration of the traveling direction of the vehicle. In addition, the “object” referred to here means a structure such as a vehicle, a person, a bicycle, a guardrail, or the like.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not information about the object has been acquired in S420 (S425). If it is determined that the information related to the object can be acquired, the process proceeds to S430. If it is determined that the information related to the object cannot be acquired, the process returns to S410, and the above steps are repeated.

  In S430, the degree of risk is calculated from the information for identifying the current position of the vehicle acquired in S415, the travel vector, and the information related to the object that may be contacted acquired in S420. The “risk level” is a numerical value of the risk level. For example, the risk of collision is regarded as the risk level, the reciprocal of the time until the collision (that is, the urgency level) is set as the risk level, and these are weighted. A method of setting the risk level by adding them together can be considered.

  In addition, when it can be determined that a driving operation that avoids an object with a possibility of contact is obtained by acquiring information from the steering wheel angle sensor 21 or the brake pedal sensor 22, or when it is recognized that an object with a possibility of contact is recognized. It is good to make corrections to reduce the risk level.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the degree of risk calculated in S430 exceeds a threshold value for flat display (S435). Specifically, for example, when the collision probability is obtained as the risk level, it is determined whether or not the collision probability is 30% or more. If it is determined in S435 that the risk calculated in S430 exceeds the threshold for flat display, the process proceeds to S440, and the risk calculated in S430 is determined not to exceed the threshold for flat display. Returns the process to S410.

  In S440, it is determined whether or not the degree of risk calculated in S430 exceeds the threshold for stereoscopic display. Specifically, for example, when the collision probability is obtained as the risk level, it is determined whether or not the collision probability is 60% or more. In S440, if it is determined that the risk calculated in S430 exceeds the threshold for stereoscopic display, the process proceeds to S450, and it is determined that the risk calculated in S230 does not exceed the predetermined threshold for stereoscopic display. If so, the process proceeds to S445.

  In S445, which proceeds when it is determined that the degree of risk does not exceed the threshold value for stereoscopic display, the planar display image layer corresponding to the object stored in the RAM is displayed as an image on the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16. The output is projected on the screen 17. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, after 1 second has elapsed), the process returns to S410.

  On the other hand, in S450, which proceeds when it is determined that the degree of risk exceeds the threshold for stereoscopic display, the stereoscopic display image layer corresponding to the object stored in the RAM is displayed on the right-eye projector 15 and the left-eye projector 16. The image is output and projected on the screen 17 (prior to this, the light emitter 51 embedded in the screen 17 emits light as described above). Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, after 1 second has elapsed), the process returns to S410.

[Effect of the embodiment]
Next, effects of the above-described embodiment will be described. The information display device 11 according to the above-described embodiment is configured to display a three-dimensional display using a flat display when the degree of risk calculated in the dangerous part layer display process or the dangerous substance layer display process exceeds a threshold value associated with the flat display. When the threshold value is exceeded, the three-dimensional display informs the driver that the dangerous place is approaching or that there is an object that can be contacted.

Thus, since an appropriate display method is selected according to the degree of danger, information can be transmitted to the driver with an appropriate impact.
Further, even when the planar display is once performed, the stereoscopic display is performed when the degree of risk exceeds the threshold value associated with the stereoscopic display. As described above, since the display method is selected according to the transition according to the situation, information can be effectively transmitted to the driver.

  In addition, the image object displayed on the screen 17 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the visual recognition position of the target object (a dangerous place or an object that may be contacted), so that the driver can understand what the image object is for. You can know intuitively.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) In the above embodiment, the danger level is corrected based on information from the steering wheel angle sensor 21 and the brake pedal sensor 22 only when calculating the danger level in the dangerous substance layer display process. The risk level may be corrected based on information from the steering wheel angle sensor 21 and the brake pedal sensor 22 when calculating the risk level in the layer display process.

  If this is the case, for example, when the driver recognizes that he or she has approached a dangerous spot and performs a sufficient avoidance operation, the display of the image object is suppressed and unnecessary warning display is not performed.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the image layer is created so that the image object for flat display and the image object for stereoscopic display appear to overlap the dangerous part to be transmitted or the object that may be contacted. However, when the image layer is displayed, no information is transmitted unless the driver sees the image object included in the image layer. Therefore, it is preferable to detect the driver's viewpoint and line-of-sight position using the face photographing camera 14 and detect whether or not the driver's line-of-sight direction matches the image object display direction. If they do not match, an image layer in which the image object is positioned in the driver's line-of-sight direction is created and displayed. If it is in this way, a driver can be made to see an image object certainly.

  Here, a method of detecting the driver's viewpoint and line-of-sight direction using the facial camera 14 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the method described here is a method for detecting only the line-of-sight direction.

  FIG. 12A is a front view and a side view of the driver when the driver is looking in the horizontal direction while sitting in the driver's seat. First, the height of the driver's viewpoint (reference height 71 of the viewpoint) and the height of the chin (reference height 72 of the chin) in this state are analyzed for the characteristics of the facial image captured by the facial imaging camera 14. To identify and remember.

  FIG. 12B is a front view and a side view of the driver when the driver is looking downward. When the driver is looking downward, the viewpoint height 73 is the reference height of the viewpoint. The chin height 74 is also lower than the chin reference height 72. Therefore, if both the height of the viewpoint and the height of the chin are lower than when looking at the horizontal direction, it can be estimated that the driver is looking below the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 12 (c) is a front view and a side view of the driver when the driver is looking upward. When the driver is looking upward, the viewpoint height 75 is the reference height of the viewpoint. The chin height 76 is higher than the chin reference height 72. Therefore, if both the height of the viewpoint and the height of the chin are lower than when looking at the horizontal direction, it can be estimated that the driver is looking above the horizontal direction.

If the driver's line-of-sight direction is detected in this manner, the driver's line-of-sight direction can be detected with a simple configuration.
[Correspondence with Claims]
The correspondence between the terms in the above embodiment and the terms in the claims is shown.

The display data storage unit 12 corresponds to display data storage means, and the display controller 13 corresponds to control means, display position determination means, and movement position determination means.
In the display controller 13, a part for acquiring information provided by the navigation device 23 and the millimeter wave radar device 24 corresponds to vehicle operation information acquisition means.

  Also, the function of S230 in the dangerous part layer display process in the display controller 13 corresponds to the function of the dangerous part approach degree determination means, and the function of S430 in the dangerous substance layer display process in the display controller 13 is a dangerous driving. This corresponds to the function of the degree determination means.

  Further, the face photographing camera 14 corresponds to the viewpoint detection means and the line-of-sight detection means, the light emitter 51 corresponds to the marker display means, the left eye projector 16 corresponds to the first projection means, and the right eye projector 15 corresponds to the second projection means. The screen 17 corresponds to the projection image reflecting means.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the information display apparatus of embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the installation state of a projector and a screen. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating a projector. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating a screen. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the principle of a stereoscopic vision. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating a marker. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a danger location layer creation process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a danger location layer display process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a dangerous material layer creation process. It is a recognition image of the driver. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a dangerous substance layer display process. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the detection method of a driver | operator's gaze direction.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Information display apparatus, 12 ... Display data storage part, 13 ... Display controller, 14 ... Face camera, 15 ... Projector for right eye, 16 ... Projector for left eye, 17 ... Screen, 21 ... Steering angle sensor, 22 ... Brake pedal sensor, 23 ... navigation device, 24 ... millimeter wave radar device.

Claims (11)

Display means capable of superimposing a three-dimensional display using a flat display and parallax with a scenery outside the vehicle;
Vehicle operation information acquisition means for acquiring information associated with vehicle operation;
Display data storage means for storing display data for stereoscopic display and display data for plane display;
According to the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition means, either the display data for stereoscopic display or the display data for flat display is read from the display data storage means, and the read display data is used as an image object. A risk point approach degree determining unit that displays a planar display or a three-dimensional display on the display unit and determines a degree of approach to the dangerous point from the dangerous point information around the vehicle acquired by the vehicle operation information acquiring unit and the current position information of the vehicle. And a control means having a dangerous driving degree determining means for determining a dangerous driving degree of the vehicle from presence information and movement information of objects around the vehicle acquired by the vehicle operation information acquiring means ,
Viewpoint detection means for detecting the viewpoint of the driver;
Display position determination means for determining the display position of the image object based on the viewpoint of the driver detected by the viewpoint detection means, so that the viewing position of the image object by the driver overlaps the dangerous place or the object;
Gaze detection means for detecting the driver's gaze direction;
If the line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight detection means at the viewpoint detected by the viewpoint detection means does not match the direction of the image object displayed on the display means at the viewpoint, so as to match A moving position determining means for determining a moving position of the image object ;
The control unit is configured to display the display data for the stereoscopic display or the plane from the display data storage unit based on the determination result determined by the dangerous point approach degree determination unit and the determination result determined by the dangerous driving degree determination unit. Read any display data for display,
In addition, the control unit causes the display unit to display the image object at the display position determined by the display position determination unit when the display unit performs the planar display or the stereoscopic display.
Furthermore, the control means moves the image object to the movement position and displays it on the display means when the movement position is determined by the movement position determination means. The information display device according to claim 1,
When the urgency of the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition unit is higher than a predetermined threshold, the control unit reads the display data for stereoscopic display from the display data storage unit, and the vehicle operation information The information display device, wherein the display data for flat display is read when the urgency of the information acquired by the acquisition means is lower than the predetermined threshold. The information display device according to claim 1,
When the importance of the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition unit is higher than a predetermined threshold, the control unit reads the display data for stereoscopic display from the display data storage unit, and the vehicle operation information An information display device, wherein the display data for flat display is read when the importance of the information acquired by the acquisition means is lower than the predetermined threshold. The information display device according to claim 1,
The information display device characterized in that the dangerous driving degree determination means determines the dangerous driving degree in consideration of a start timing and an operation amount of a driving operation of a driver . In the information display device according to claim 1 or 4,
The information display device , wherein the line-of-sight detection unit estimates the line-of-sight direction from a relationship between a position of a feature point on the driver's face and a position of the driver's eyes . The information display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The display means includes
First projection means for projecting an image for the left eye;
A second projection means for projecting an image for the right eye;
A projection image reflecting means having a reflecting surface having a shape represented by a three-dimensional elliptic equation;
Information display apparatus comprising: a. The information display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The control means displays the display data for stereoscopic display corresponding to the display data for flat display when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the display data for flat display is displayed as an image object on the display means. the display data storage read from the means, read information display device characterized and this for three-dimensional display data for the stereoscopic display as an image object on the display means. Display means capable of superimposing a three-dimensional display using a flat display and parallax with a scenery outside the vehicle;
Vehicle operation information acquisition means for acquiring information associated with vehicle operation;
Display data storage means for storing display data for stereoscopic display and display data for plane display;
According to the information acquired by the vehicle operation information acquisition means, either the display data for stereoscopic display or the display data for flat display is read from the display data storage means, and the read display data is used as an image object. Control means for causing the display means to display a flat display or a stereoscopic display;
Marker display means for displaying a marker for supporting stereoscopic viewing of the image object to be stereoscopically displayed at a position corresponding to the display position of the image object;
Prior to displaying the image object, the marker display means displays the marker according to a background distance of a place where the image object is displayed . In the information display device according to 請 Motomeko 8,
The marker display means sets the size of the marker in accordance with the distance of the background . The information display device according to claim 8 or 9,
The marker is at least two point shapes;
The marker display means displays the two point shapes with the interval between the two point shapes as an interval corresponding to the distance of the background . The information display device according to claim 10 ,
The point shape is a light emitter,
The marker display means causes the two light emitters to emit light with an interval between the two point shapes as an interval according to the distance of the background .