JP5262515B2 - Vehicle display device and display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform video display by which inter-vehicular distance is determined in an appropriate manner, irrespective of the driving scene. <P>SOLUTION: A video image adjusting part 12 adjusts the viewpoint position, regarding a rear video image based on the driving scene for making the rear video image to be output from a photography part 1 into a processing object. In addition, a display form determining part 14 determines the display form of a vehicle symbol, showing a self-vehicle according to adjustment of surrounding video images by the video image adjustment part 12. A video image compositing part 15 creates a presentation video image, by superposing the vehicle symbol on the adjusted video image in the determined display form, and the presentation video image is displayed on a display part 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle display device and a display method.

Conventionally, a method of displaying a surrounding image (for example, a rear image) is known so that a driver can easily recognize the surrounding driving environment. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying an image representing the vehicle and the periphery of the vehicle. According to such a method, a simulated image representing the appearance of the own vehicle, and a contour image representing the contour line of the region in which the own vehicle is projected perpendicularly to the road surface and the wheels of the own vehicle are prepared as projection images. The vehicle display image is generated by combining the images. A display image is generated by arranging the generated vehicle display image on the overhead image. In this case, the composite characteristics of both images are controlled such that the smaller the distance of the object detected by the surrounding sensor to the vehicle, the higher the transparency of the simulated image and the clearer the projected image appears.
JP 2007-158426 A

  By the way, according to the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the display ratio of the projection image and the vehicle display image remains constant regardless of the traveling environment. The driver refers to the succeeding vehicle displayed in the display image and determines the inter-vehicle distance. However, since the average inter-vehicle distance differs depending on the traveling scene, there is a problem that the determination of the inter-vehicle distance is erroneous.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform video display that can appropriately determine the inter-vehicle distance regardless of the driving scene.

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention adjusts the viewpoint position related to the surrounding image based on the traveling scene, with the surrounding image captured around the vehicle as a processing target. Further, the display form of the symbol indicating the host vehicle is determined according to the adjusted viewpoint position of the surrounding image. A presentation video in which symbols are superimposed in the determined display mode is displayed on the adjusted surrounding video.

  According to the present invention, since the driver can relatively grasp the distance between the symbol indicating the host vehicle and the subsequent vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance from the subsequent vehicle can be appropriately determined regardless of the traveling scene.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically illustrating a vehicle display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle display device is a device that displays a surrounding image of the vehicle (in this embodiment, an image behind the vehicle). In the present embodiment, the vehicular display device is mainly configured by an imaging unit 1, an operation unit 2, a display unit 3, an information detection unit 4, and a control unit 10. The photographing unit 1, the operation unit 2, the display unit 3, and the information detection unit 4 are connected to the control unit 10.

  The imaging unit (imaging means) 1 is composed of a camera having an image sensor (for example, a CCD or CMOS sensor). As shown in FIG. 2, the photographing unit 1 is installed at the rear of the vehicle, for example, at the rear end of the roof, so that the camera center CC is slightly downward from the horizontal line. A wide-angle camera is used for the photographing unit 1 in order to photograph a wide range of images as a rear image. The photographing unit 1 photographs the surroundings of the vehicle, specifically, the area behind the vehicle, and outputs a rear image (ambient image) to the control unit 10.

  The operation unit 2 is installed on an instrument panel or a steering handle. As the operation unit 2, an operation panel including a switch, a remote controller, a touch panel, or the like can be used. The operation unit 2 is operated by the occupant to output a signal instructing switching of display start and display end of the rear video to the control unit 10.

  The display unit 3 is installed on an instrument panel in the passenger compartment, and displays a rear image by an output from the control unit 10. As the display unit 3, a known display device such as a liquid crystal panel or a CRT can be used. For example, a display device used for displaying navigation information can be used as the display unit 3.

  The information detection unit 4 has a function of detecting various types of information. In the present embodiment, the information detection unit 4 detects environmental information and vehicle information. The environmental information is information on the traveling environment around the vehicle that affects the traveling speed, and corresponds to the type of road on which the host vehicle is traveling, the speed of a vehicle (another vehicle) traveling around, and the like. The type of road on which the host vehicle is traveling can be obtained from a navigation device (not shown). In addition, the speed of the other vehicle may be calculated from image processing based on a rear image by attaching an infrared sensor or the like around the vehicle. On the other hand, the vehicle information is information related to the traveling state of the host vehicle, and the traveling speed corresponds to this. Information detected by the information detector 4 is read by the control unit 10.

  As the control unit 10, a microcomputer mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an I / O interface can be used. The control unit 10 receives the signal from the photographing unit 1, the signal from the operation unit 2, and the signal from the information detection unit 4, and performs various processes according to the control program stored in the ROM. A video (specifically, a presentation video to be described later) is output to the display unit 3. When the control unit 10 grasps this functionally, the control unit 11, the video adjustment unit 12, the vehicle symbol storage unit 13, the display form determination unit 14, the video composition unit 15, and the traveling scene determination unit 16. It consists of.

  The control unit 11 controls the video adjustment unit 12, the display form determination unit 14, the video composition unit 15, and the traveling scene determination unit 16. Specifically, the control unit 11 controls the operation states of the video adjustment unit 12, the display form determination unit 14, and the video composition unit 15 based on the determination result of the traveling scene determination unit 16.

  The video adjustment unit (adjustment unit) 12 performs the following processing on a rear image output from the image capturing unit 1, that is, a captured image corresponding to one frame constituting the rear image (moving image). Specifically, the video adjustment unit 12 determines the viewpoint position regarding the rear video based on the determination result of the traveling scene determination unit 16, specifically, based on the instruction of the traveling scene from the control unit 11 that has received the determination result. Make adjustments. The adjustment of the viewpoint position of the rear video performed by the video adjustment unit 12 is performed by adjusting the position of the video range to be cut out (hereinafter referred to as “cutout range”) in the rear video, and the rear video cut out as the cutout range. Including adjusting the expansion / contraction ratio. Details of processing performed by the video adjustment unit 12 will be described later. The rear video adjusted by the video adjustment unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as “adjusted video”) is output to the video synthesis unit 15.

  The vehicle symbol storage unit 13 stores a symbol corresponding to the host vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle symbol”). This vehicle symbol is a symbol for representing the position of the host vehicle by being superimposed on the rear image. As the vehicle symbol, an image obtained by photographing the host vehicle from vertically above can be used.

The display form determination unit (determination means) 14 determines the vehicle symbol display form based on the determination result of the traveling scene determination unit 16, specifically, the instruction of the traveling scene from the control unit 11 that has received the determination result. decide. Specifically, the display form determination unit 14 specifies a virtual viewpoint position related to the surrounding video (adjusted video) adjusted by the video adjustment unit 12, and the host vehicle is looked down on from the specified viewpoint position The size, position and shape of the vehicle symbol are determined in correspondence with the form. Details of processing performed by the display form determination unit 14 will be described later. The display form determined by the display form determination unit 14 is output to the video composition unit 15.

  The video synthesizing unit (synthesizing unit) 15 superimposes the display symbol in the display mode determined by the display mode determining unit 14 on the video adjusted by the video adjusting unit 12. Thereby, a presentation image is created. The created presentation video is output to the display unit 3, and the presentation video is displayed on the display unit 3.

  The travel scene determination unit (determination means) 16 specifies a travel scene based on the environmental information or the vehicle information detected by the information detection unit 4. The travel scene determined by the travel scene determination unit 16 is a high speed scene (first scene) in which the vehicle travel speed is faster than a preset reference speed, or the vehicle travel speed is the reference speed. This is a low speed scene (second scene) which is the following speed environment. The high speed scene is, for example, a scene that travels at a speed of 60 km / h or higher, and the low speed scene is, for example, a scene that travels at a speed lower than 60 km / h. For example, the traveling scene determination unit 16 determines a traveling scene based on the speed of the host vehicle that is vehicle information.

  Note that the traveling scene determination unit 16 may determine the traveling scene based on the road type or the speed of another vehicle, which is environment information. For example, when the road type is a highway, the driving scene is determined as a high-speed scene, and when the road type is a non-highway (city road), the driving scene is determined as a low-speed scene. . The determination result by the traveling scene determination unit 16 is output to the control unit 11. As a result, a signal corresponding to the current traveling scene is output from the control unit 11 to the video adjustment unit 12, the display form determination unit 14, and the video composition unit 15.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the display method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in this flowchart is executed by the control unit 10 using, for example, a signal instructing the start of display of a rear image output from the operation unit 2 in response to an operation by the passenger as a trigger. First, in step 1 (S1), the traveling scene determination unit 16 determines a traveling scene.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining a traveling scene. First, in step 10 (S10), the traveling scene determination unit 16 calculates an average traveling speed. Specifically, the traveling scene determination unit 16 reads the speed of the own vehicle detected by the information detection unit 4 and the speed of the read own vehicle and the predetermined number of times read in the previous processing cycle. An average traveling speed is calculated based on the speed of the vehicle.

  In step 11 (S11), the traveling scene determination unit 16 determines whether or not the average traveling speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The threshold value is a value for determining whether the scene is a high speed scene or a low speed scene, and an optimum value is determined in advance (for example, 60 km / h). If an affirmative determination is made in step 11, the process proceeds to step 12 (S12). On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 11, the process proceeds to step 13 (S13).

  In step 12, the traveling scene determination unit 16 sets the current traveling scene as a high speed scene. On the other hand, in step 13, the traveling scene determination unit 16 sets the current traveling scene as a low speed scene.

  Referring to FIG. 3 again, in step 2 (S2), the traveling scene determination unit 16 compares the traveling scene determined at the time of execution of the previous processing cycle with the current traveling scene, and the traveling scene changes. Determine whether or not. If an affirmative determination is made in step 2, the process proceeds to step 3 (S3). On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 2, the process of step 3 is skipped and the process proceeds to step 4.

  In step 3, display parameters for defining the display form of the rear video are determined. The display parameters include a rear video parameter and a vehicle symbol parameter. The rear image parameter is a parameter for adjusting the rear image according to the traveling scene, and is determined by the image adjusting unit 12. On the other hand, the vehicle symbol parameter is a parameter for determining the display form of the vehicle symbol according to the traveling scene, and is determined by the display form determining unit 14.

  The video adjusting unit 12 adjusts the viewpoint position of the rear video by determining the rear video parameter based on the current traveling scene. The rear video parameter indicates the position of the video range (cutout range) to be cut out in the rear video and the expansion / contraction rate of the rear video cut out as the cutout range. That is, the video adjusting unit 12 sets the position of the cutout range in the rear video according to the rear video parameter, and creates the adjusted video by expanding / contracting the rear video cut out as the cutout range according to the expansion / contraction ratio. . The adjusted video is created as a bird's-eye video shot by a virtual camera (virtual camera) having a different viewpoint position from the rear video output from the imaging unit 1.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of video adjustment based on a rear video parameter. In the same figure, (a) shows the rear image output from the photographing unit 1. In FIG. 6A, the range indicated by a broken line is the cutout range TA, and FIG. 5B shows an adjustment image obtained by expanding and contracting the image of the cutout range TA according to the expansion / contraction rate. The video parameters that define the adjustment video shown in the figure are used when the traveling scene is a low-speed scene.

  In this case, the cutout range TA is set to a size that corresponds to the rear image output from the photographing unit 1 in the aspect ratio and is smaller than the rear image. This cutout range TA is a position set in advance in the rear image, specifically, a position where the area above the horizon (area corresponding to the sky) has a smaller ratio than that in the rear image. Be placed. The expansion / contraction rate is set so that the video of the cutout range TA has a video size corresponding to the rear video.

  In this case, since the rear video of the cutout range is adjusted in the direction in which it is enlarged, the video in the cutout range is enlarged and displayed in the adjusted video as compared with the rear video. Further, the cutout range TA is set at a position where an area above the horizon (area corresponding to the sky) becomes small. Thereby, in the adjusted image, the region above the horizon is displayed narrowly. As described above, in this case, the virtual camera is photographed from a viewpoint position that is higher in the height direction (vertical direction) than the actual photographing position and set in front of the vehicle (traveling direction side). A bird's-eye view video can be obtained.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of video adjustment based on the rear video parameter. In FIG. 6, (a) shows a rear image output from the photographing unit 1, and is the same image as the rear image of FIG. 5 (a). (B) shows the adjustment image | video which expanded / contracted the cutting range TA according to the expansion / contraction rate. This adjustment image corresponds to an image displayed on the display unit 3 together with the vehicle symbol. The video parameter that defines the adjusted video shown in the figure is used when the traveling scene is a high-speed scene.

  In this case, similarly to the case shown in FIG. 5, the cutout range TA is set to a size that corresponds to the rear image output from the photographing unit 1 and has an aspect ratio and is smaller than the rear image. This cut-out range TA is set at a position set in advance in the rear image, specifically, a position where the area above the horizon (area corresponding to the sky) has a larger ratio than that in the rear image. Be placed. The expansion / contraction rate is set so that the video of the cutout range TA has a video size corresponding to the rear video.

  In this case, since the video in the cutout range is adjusted in the direction of enlargement, the video in the cutout range is enlarged and displayed in the adjusted video compared to the rear video. Further, the cutout range TA is set at a position where an area above the horizon (area corresponding to the sky) becomes large. Thereby, in the adjustment image, the region above the horizon is greatly projected. Thus, in this case, the virtual camera obtains a bird's-eye view image taken from a viewpoint position that is higher in the height direction (vertical direction) than the actual shooting position and set ahead of the vehicle. be able to. Further, the virtual camera in this case can obtain a bird's-eye view image in which the viewpoint position is set at a farther forward position, although the viewpoint position in the height direction is lower than that in the case shown in FIG.

  Next, the display form determination unit 14 determines the vehicle symbol display form by determining the vehicle symbol parameters based on the rear video (adjusted video) adjusted by the video adjustment unit 12. The vehicle symbol parameter is a parameter that defines a display form of the vehicle symbol, that is, a size, a position, and a shape when the vehicle symbol is superimposed on the adjustment video described above. When determining the display mode of the vehicle symbol, the video adjustment unit 12 reads the adjustment video, specifically, the position of the cutout range and the expansion / contraction rate from the video adjustment unit 12 through the control unit 11.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the virtual camera. The display form determination unit 14 specifies a virtual viewpoint position related to the adjusted video, that is, the position of the virtual camera that can capture the adjusted video. The virtual camera Cv associates the position in the horizontal direction (corresponding to the width direction of the vehicle) with the center of the vehicle, and sets the vertical direction (front-rear direction of the vehicle) and the height direction at arbitrary positions where the host vehicle is reflected. It is assumed that the camera center CCv of the virtual camera Cv is oriented toward the center of the adjusted video, and the virtual camera Cv has an angle of view that can capture the range of the adjusted video. Further, it is assumed that the lens model of the virtual camera is, for example, an Fθ lens. Based on these pieces of information, the display form determination unit 14 determines the position of the virtual camera Cv.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram relating to a display form of the vehicle symbol. Next, the display form determination unit 14 determines the display form of the vehicle symbol so as to correspond to the form of the host vehicle taken from the identified viewpoint position, that is, taken by the virtual camera. Specifically, the display form determination unit 14 reads an image (vehicle symbol) Pc obtained by photographing the host vehicle from vertically above with an actual camera Ca, as shown in FIG. The display form determination unit 14 rearranges the pixels Pt with respect to the vehicle symbol Pc, thereby performing viewpoint conversion so that an image captured from the virtual camera Cv is obtained. The display form of the host vehicle is determined based on the result of this viewpoint conversion. That is, the geometric conversion parameter for performing viewpoint conversion of the vehicle symbol Pc corresponds to the vehicle symbol parameter.

  In addition, the display form determination part 14 respond | corresponds with the position of the virtual camera Cv by preserve | saving several images which image | photographed the own vehicle from the various viewpoints in the vehicle symbol preservation | save part 13, without performing viewpoint conversion. You may employ | adopt the method of selecting an image (vehicle symbol).

  Referring to FIG. 2 again, in step 4 (S4), the video composition unit 15 superimposes the vehicle symbol output from the display form determination unit 14 on the adjustment video output from the video adjustment unit 12, Create a presentation video. When the vehicle symbol is superimposed on the adjustment image, the two are superimposed so that the camera centers of the virtual cameras coincide with each other. Then, the video composition unit 15 outputs the created presentation video to the display unit 3 to display the presentation video on the monitor. Here, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the presentation video, (a) shows the presentation video in the low-speed scene based on the rear video shown in FIG. 5 (a), (b) The presentation image | video in the high-speed scene based on the back image | video shown to Fig.6 (a) is shown.

  In step 5 (S5), the control unit 11 determines whether or not to end the display of the rear video. Specifically, when a signal for instructing the end of display of the rear image output from the operation unit 2 according to the operation of the occupant or a signal for instructing the ignition off output from an ignition switch (not shown) is acquired. It is determined that the end instruction has been acquired. If an affirmative determination is made in step 5, this process is terminated. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 5, the process returns to step 1 again.

  As described above, in the vehicle display device of the present embodiment, the video adjustment unit 12 adjusts the viewpoint position related to the rear video based on the traveling scene, with the rear video output from the photographing unit 1 as a processing target. Further, the display form determination unit 14 determines the display form of the vehicle symbol indicating the host vehicle in accordance with the adjustment of the surrounding video by the video adjustment unit 12. The video composition unit 15 creates a presentation video by superimposing the vehicle symbol in the determined display form on the adjustment video, and this presentation video is displayed on the display unit 3.

  Here, the driver refers to the presentation video displayed on the display unit 3 and determines the distance to the following vehicle from the following viewpoints. The first viewpoint is the length of the ground from the rear end position of the vehicle symbol to the position where the front end of the following vehicle is reflected. When the vehicle symbol is not shown in the presented video, it is considered that the rear end of the host vehicle is near the lower end of the presented video. The second viewpoint is the size of the succeeding vehicle displayed on the display unit 3. When the following vehicle is shown as being small, it is determined that the following vehicle is far away. When the following vehicle is shown as being large, it is determined that the following vehicle is nearby. A third aspect is the ratio of the size of the following vehicle to the size of the host vehicle displayed on the display unit 3. The smaller the ratio of the size of the subsequent vehicle to the size of the host vehicle is, the more the subsequent vehicle is determined to be farther away. On the other hand, the larger the ratio of the size of the succeeding vehicle to the size of the host vehicle is, the closer the following vehicle is determined to be.

  In the present embodiment, the viewpoint position of the rear image is adjusted, and the display form of the vehicle symbol is determined according to the adjusted viewpoint position of the rear image. You can catch the following vehicle. This makes it easier to determine the distance to the following vehicle. In addition, since the viewpoint position can be changed according to the driving scene, the distance to the following vehicle visually determined from the presented video is projected differently from the actual inter-vehicle distance regardless of the driving scene. The problem can be suppressed. Accordingly, the driver can appropriately determine the inter-vehicle distance regardless of the driving scene.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, the video adjustment unit 12 is configured such that when the traveling scene is a high speed scene, the viewpoint image is positioned farther away than when the traveling scene is a low speed scene. Make adjustments. On the other hand, the display form determination unit 14 specifies a virtual viewpoint position related to the rear video (adjusted video) adjusted by the video adjustment unit 12, and is a form of the host vehicle overlooked from this characteristic viewpoint position. Correspondingly, the size position and shape of the vehicle symbol are determined. In the presentation video of the high speed scene shown in FIG. 9B, the viewpoint of the virtual camera is set at a far position compared to the presentation video of the low speed scene shown in FIG. Therefore, the display size of the vehicle symbol is smaller in the high speed scene than in the low speed scene. In the high-speed scene, since the area where the sky is projected is set large, the camera center of the virtual camera becomes closer to the horizontal. Therefore, in the high speed scene, the depression angle of the virtual camera becomes weak, and the length from the host vehicle to the succeeding vehicle on the display is displayed shorter than in the low speed scene. Due to such a visual effect, in the high-speed scene, a display in which the inter-vehicle distance to the following vehicle is felt closer than in the low-speed scene is performed.

  For example, a high-speed scene traveling on a highway tends to have a longer average inter-vehicle distance to the following vehicle than a low-speed scene traveling on a general road. One reason for this is that even when the preceding vehicle suddenly brakes, a sufficient inter-vehicle distance that can be safely avoided is secured. In this case, in the state where the viewpoint position is fixed regardless of the driving scene, the distance to the following vehicle visually determined from the presented image is projected so as to feel farther than the actual inter-vehicle distance in the high-speed scene. It will be. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the above-described visual effect suppresses a situation in which the distance to the subsequent vehicle visually determined from the presented video is projected so as to feel farther than the actual inter-vehicle distance. can do. Accordingly, the driver can appropriately determine the inter-vehicle distance regardless of the driving scene. In addition, the driver can accurately recognize the information on the following vehicle.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the video adjustment unit 12 adjusts the position of the cutout range based on the traveling scene. Specifically, the image adjustment unit 12 determines the cutout range so that the region above the horizon is larger when the traveling scene is a high-speed scene than when the traveling scene is a low-speed scene. Adjust the position. Thereby, in the high-speed scene, the viewpoint position of the adjusted video can be set farther than in the case of the low-speed scene, so that the above effect can be achieved.

  In this embodiment, the display form determination unit 14 determines the display form by converting the viewpoint of a vehicle symbol that is an image of the host vehicle according to the viewpoint position of the virtual camera. Is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle symbol storage unit 13 stores three-dimensional vector data representing a symbol indicating a vehicle. In this case, the display form determination unit 14 may create a vehicle video based on the vector data so as to correspond to the form of the host vehicle seen from the virtual camera.

  In addition, when the traveling scene changes, the display form of the presented image (that is, the viewpoint position of the adjustment video) changes greatly, and the driver may feel uncomfortable. Therefore, when the driving scene is switched, the rear image is adjusted from the adjustment of the rear image corresponding to one driving scene (for example, the high speed scene) to the adjustment of the rear image corresponding to the other driving scene (for example, the low speed scene). The adjustment may be changed in stages. Thereby, since the change of the display form of a presentation image becomes small, a display with little discomfort for a driver can be performed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the display form of the presented image is switched according to the traveling scene, but the driver may arbitrarily switch the display form using the operation unit 2. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the traveling scene is divided into two stages of a low speed scene and a high speed scene, but it may be classified into more scenes. In this case, the image adjusting unit 12 may adjust the rear image so that the viewpoint position of the virtual camera is located farther as the traveling speed of the traveling scene increases.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the display apparatus for vehicles concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention and its display method are demonstrated. One of the features of the present embodiment is the adjustment image creation processing by the image adjustment unit 12. Since the system configuration and display method of the vehicle display device are basically the same as those of the first embodiment, the differences will be mainly described below.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of video adjustment performed by the video adjustment unit 12. In the figure, (a) shows a rear image output from the photographing unit 1, and (b) shows an adjusted image obtained by enlarging the cutout range TA in accordance with the expansion / contraction ratio.

  In this case, the cutout range TA is set in the same manner as the cutout range TA shown in FIG. 5A described above, but the vertical width of the cutout range TA is expanded downward. Yes. The expansion / contraction rate is set so that the video in the cutout range TA has a video size corresponding to the rear video. In this case, since the aspect ratio of the cutout area TA is set so that the ratio in the vertical direction is larger than that in the rear image, the expansion ratio is higher than that in the horizontal direction. It is set to be weak.

  Here, since the video in the cutout range is adjusted by the expansion / contraction ratio, the video in the cutout range is enlarged and displayed in the adjusted video compared to the rear video. Further, the image of the cutout range TA is greatly enlarged in the horizontal direction due to the expansion / contraction rate. Thereby, compared with a back image | video, an adjustment image | video becomes an image | video which the white line which shows a lane extended in the horizontal direction. As described above, in this case, the position in the height direction (vertical direction) is lower than the actual shooting position by the virtual camera, and is set behind the own vehicle (the following vehicle side from the own vehicle). A bird's-eye view image taken from the viewpoint can be obtained. In this case, since the host vehicle does not appear in the overhead view image from the virtual camera, the display form determination unit 14 does not create a vehicle symbol. Therefore, the adjusted video itself shown in FIG. 4B is a presentation video created by the video synthesis unit 15.

  Comparing the presentation video of FIG. 9A shown in the first embodiment with the presentation video of FIG. 10B, the presentation video of FIG. 9A is the presentation video of FIG. 10B. Compared with, the viewpoint of the virtual camera is set at a far position. For this reason, when comparing the two images, the distance to the following vehicle on the display is based on the relative comparison with the vehicle symbol, and the presented image of FIG. 9A is more than the presented image of FIG. 10B. It feels short. In other words, when the adjustment image enlarged with the reference expansion / contraction ratio is compared with the adjustment image expanded with the expansion / contraction ratio set to the vertical expansion ratio smaller than that of the horizontal direction with respect to the reference expansion / contraction ratio. In the presented video, the former is displayed so that the distance between the former and the following vehicle can be felt closer. Therefore, in the high-speed scene, even if the actual distance to the following vehicle is the same by adjusting the vertical enlargement ratio larger than the horizontal enlargement ratio compared to the case of the low-speed scene, In the high-speed scene, it is possible to perform display in which the inter-vehicle distance to the subsequent vehicle can be felt closer than in the case of the low-speed scene.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of video adjustment performed by the video adjustment unit 12. In the figure, (a) shows a rear image output from the photographing unit 1, and (b) shows an adjusted image obtained by enlarging the cutout range TA in accordance with the expansion / contraction ratio.

  In this case, the cutout range TA is set in the same manner as the cutout range TA shown in FIG. 5A described above, but the vertical width is reduced upward. The expansion / contraction rate is set so that the video in the cutout range TA has a video size corresponding to the rear video. In this case, the aspect ratio of the cutout area TA is set so that the ratio in the vertical direction is smaller than that in the rear image, so the expansion ratio is higher than that in the horizontal direction. It is set to be strong.

  Here, since the video in the cutout range is adjusted by the expansion / contraction ratio, the video in the cutout range is enlarged and displayed in the adjusted video compared to the rear video. Further, the video of the cutout range TA is greatly enlarged in the vertical direction due to the expansion / contraction rate. Thereby, compared with a back image | video, an adjustment image | video becomes an image | video which the white line which shows a lane extended in the vertical direction. As described above, in this case, the virtual camera obtains a bird's-eye view image that is taken from a viewpoint that is higher in the height direction (vertical direction) than the actual shooting position and that is set ahead of the host vehicle. be able to.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a presentation video in which a vehicle symbol is superimposed on the adjustment video shown in FIG. When comparing the presentation video of FIG. 9A described above with the presentation video of FIG. 12, the viewpoint of the virtual camera is farther in the presentation video of FIG. 12 than in the presentation video of FIG. 9A. Set to position. For this reason, when comparing the two images, the distance to the following vehicle on the display is felt to be shorter in the presented image of FIG. 12 than in the presented image of FIG. 9A due to a relative comparison with the vehicle symbol. . In other words, when the adjustment image enlarged at the reference expansion / contraction ratio is compared with the adjustment image expanded at the expansion / contraction ratio in which the vertical expansion ratio is set larger than that in the horizontal direction with respect to the reference expansion / contraction ratio. In the presented video, the latter is displayed so that the distance between the latter and the following vehicle is felt closer. Therefore, in the high-speed scene, even if the actual distance to the following vehicle is the same by adjusting the vertical enlargement ratio larger than the horizontal enlargement ratio compared to the case of the low-speed scene, In the high-speed scene, it is possible to perform display in which the inter-vehicle distance to the subsequent vehicle can be felt closer than in the case of the low-speed scene.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the video adjustment unit 12 adjusts the expansion / contraction rate of the rear video clipped as the video range based on the traveling scene. Specifically, when the traveling scene is a high-speed scene, the video adjustment unit 12 sets the vertical enlargement ratio of the rear video clipped as the video range in the horizontal direction compared to the case where the driving scene is a low-speed scene. Adjust larger than the enlargement ratio.

  According to such a configuration, the expansion / contraction ratio of the rear image can be adjusted. Therefore, when the traveling scene is a high-speed scene, the viewpoint position is located farther than when the traveling scene is a low-speed scene. The surrounding image can be adjusted as described above. Therefore, in the high-speed scene, it is possible to perform a display in which the inter-vehicle distance to the subsequent vehicle can be felt closer than in the low-speed scene. With such a visual effect, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the distance to the following vehicle visually determined from the presented video is projected so as to feel farther than the actual inter-vehicle distance. Accordingly, the driver can appropriately determine the inter-vehicle distance regardless of the driving scene. In addition, the driver can accurately recognize the information on the following vehicle.

(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, the display apparatus for vehicles concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention and its display method are demonstrated. One of the features of the present embodiment is a process for determining the display form of the vehicle symbol by the display form determining unit 14. Since the system configuration and display method of the vehicle display device are basically the same as those of the first embodiment, the differences will be mainly described below.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a presentation video created by the video synthesis unit 15. As shown in the first embodiment, the video composition unit 15 creates a presentation video by superimposing the vehicle symbol created by the display mode determination unit 14 on the adjusted video created by the video adjustment unit 12. . In this case, the display form determination unit 14 creates a vehicle symbol based on the form of the host vehicle that appears in the captured video when the virtual camera is used to capture the image.

  When determining the distance from the own vehicle to the following vehicle, the driver considers the ratio of the size of the following vehicle to the size of the own vehicle displayed on the display unit 3. (A) to (c) in the figure display vehicle symbols of different sizes for the same adjustment image. Specifically, the size of the vehicle symbol is reduced from (a) to (c). It is displayed. As can be seen from the figure, a visual effect can be obtained such that the larger the size of the vehicle symbol is, the closer the distance from the host vehicle to the following vehicle is.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the display form determination unit 14 creates a vehicle symbol obtained from the viewpoint of the virtual camera when the scene is a high-speed scene, and further enlarges and corrects the vehicle symbol. Thereby, in the high-speed scene, it is possible to perform a display in which the inter-vehicle distance to the following vehicle can be felt closer compared to the case of the low-speed scene. With such a visual effect, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the distance to the following vehicle visually determined from the presented video is projected so as to feel farther than the actual inter-vehicle distance. For this reason, the driver can appropriately determine the inter-vehicle distance regardless of the driving scene. In addition, the driver can accurately recognize the information on the following vehicle.

  Since the visual effect is a relative relationship, the display form determination unit 14 may create a vehicle symbol obtained from the viewpoint of the virtual camera when the scene is a low-speed scene, and further reduce and correct it. .

  FIG. 14 shows a presentation video created by the video synthesis unit 15. When determining the distance from the own vehicle to the following vehicle, the driver considers the length of the ground from the position determined as the rear end of the own vehicle on the display unit 3 to the position where the front end of the following vehicle is reflected. (A) to (c) in the figure show vehicle symbols with different display positions for the same adjustment image. Specifically, the positions of the vehicle symbols are from (a) to (c). It is displayed in the forward direction. As can be seen from the figure, the visual effect that the distance from the own vehicle to the following vehicle is closer can be obtained as the vehicle symbol is located rearward.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the display form determination unit 14 creates a vehicle symbol obtained from the viewpoint of the virtual camera in the case of a high-speed scene, and displays the position shifted further backward. Thereby, in the high-speed scene, it is possible to perform a display in which the inter-vehicle distance to the following vehicle can be felt closer than in the case of the low-speed scene. With such a visual effect, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the distance to the following vehicle visually determined from the presented video is projected so as to feel farther than the actual inter-vehicle distance. For this reason, the driver can appropriately determine the inter-vehicle distance regardless of the driving scene. In addition, the driver can accurately recognize the information on the following vehicle.

  Since the visual effect is a relative relationship, the display mode determination unit 14 creates a vehicle symbol obtained from the viewpoint of the virtual camera and displays it shifted further forward in the case of a low-speed scene. May be.

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a vehicle display device according to a first embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the imaging | photography range of the imaging | photography part 1. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the display method concerning 1st Embodiment. Flow chart showing the procedure for determining the driving scene Explanatory drawing showing an example of video adjustment by rear video parameters Explanatory drawing showing an example of video adjustment by rear video parameters Explanatory diagram showing the position of the virtual camera Explanatory drawing about the display form of the vehicle symbol Explanatory drawing which shows an example of a presentation image Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image adjustment by the image adjustment part 12 Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image adjustment by the image adjustment part 12 Explanatory drawing which shows the presentation image which superimposed the vehicle symbol on the adjustment image shown in FIG.11 (b). Explanatory drawing which shows the presentation image | video produced by the image | video synthetic | combination part 15. Explanatory drawing which shows the presentation image | video produced by the image | video synthetic | combination part 15.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Imaging | photography part 2 ... Operation part 3 ... Display part 4 ... Information detection part 10 ... Control unit 11 ... Control part 12 ... Image | video adjustment part 13 ... Vehicle symbol preservation | save part 14 ... Display form determination part 15 ... Image | video composition part 16 ... Travel Scene judgment section

Claims (14)

In a vehicle display device that displays a surrounding image of a vehicle,
Photographing means for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle and outputting surrounding images;
A determination means for determining a traveling scene of the vehicle;
An adjustment unit that adjusts a viewpoint position with respect to the surrounding image based on the driving scene determined by the determination unit, with the surrounding image output from the photographing unit as a processing target;
Determining means for determining a display form of a symbol indicating the host vehicle according to the viewpoint position of the surrounding image adjusted by the adjusting means;
Synthesis means for creating a presentation video by superimposing the symbol in the display form determined by the determination means on the surrounding video adjusted by the adjustment means;
Display means for displaying the presentation video created by the synthesizing means,
The vehicle display device, wherein the adjusting means adjusts a position of a video range to be cut out in the surrounding video based on the traveling scene.   The adjustment means has a viewpoint position farther when the traveling scene is the first scene than when the traveling scene is the second scene having a slower speed environment than the first scene. The vehicular display device according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding image is adjusted so as to be positioned at the position.   The adjusting means is configured such that when the traveling scene is the first scene, the traveling scene is higher than the horizon compared to the case where the traveling scene is the second scene having a slower speed environment than the first scene. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the video range to be cut out in the surrounding video is adjusted so that the area of the vehicle is larger.   4. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts an expansion / contraction ratio of a surrounding image cut out as the image range based on the traveling scene. 5. .   The adjusting means is configured such that when the traveling scene is the first scene, the image range is compared with a case where the traveling scene is a second scene having a slower speed environment than the first scene. The vehicle display device according to claim 4, wherein an enlargement ratio in the vertical direction of the cut-out surrounding image is adjusted to be larger than an enlargement ratio in the horizontal direction.   The determining means specifies a virtual viewpoint position related to the surrounding image adjusted by the adjusting means, and corresponds to the form of the host vehicle seen from the characteristic viewpoint position, and the size of the symbol The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a position and a shape are determined.   The vehicle display device according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit further corrects the position of the determined symbol or the size of the determined symbol based on the traveling scene. .   The determining means determines the determined scene when the traveling scene is the first scene as compared to a case where the traveling scene is a second scene having a slower speed environment than the first scene. 8. The vehicular display device according to claim 7, wherein a position of the symbol is shifted backward or the size of the determined symbol is enlarged.   When the driving scene is switched, the adjustment means causes the adjustment of the surrounding video to be gradually changed from the adjustment of the surrounding video corresponding to one driving scene to the adjustment of the surrounding video corresponding to the other driving scene. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a vehicle display device.   The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the determination unit determines a travel scene based on a travel speed of the vehicle or a travel environment that affects the travel speed. . In a vehicle display device that displays a surrounding image of a vehicle,
Photographing means for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle and outputting surrounding images;
A determination means for determining a traveling scene of the vehicle;
An adjustment unit that adjusts the surrounding image based on the driving scene determined by the determination unit, with the surrounding image output from the photographing unit as a processing target;
Determining means for determining a display form of a symbol indicating the host vehicle according to a surrounding image adjusted by the adjusting means;
Synthesis means for creating a presentation video by superimposing the symbol in the display form determined by the determination means on the surrounding video adjusted by the adjustment means;
Display means for displaying the presentation video created by the synthesizing means,
The adjusting means is configured such that when the traveling scene is the first scene, the preset position is set in comparison with the case where the traveling scene is the second scene having a slower speed environment than the first scene. A display device for a vehicle, wherein the position of the surrounding image is adjusted so that a region above is larger. In a vehicle display device that displays a surrounding image of a vehicle,
Photographing means for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle and outputting surrounding images;
A determination means for determining a traveling scene of the vehicle;
An adjustment unit that adjusts the surrounding image based on the driving scene determined by the determination unit, with the surrounding image output from the photographing unit as a processing target;
Determining means for determining a display form of a symbol indicating the host vehicle according to a surrounding image adjusted by the adjusting means;
Synthesis means for creating a presentation video by superimposing the symbol in the display form determined by the determination means on the surrounding video adjusted by the adjustment means;
Display means for displaying the presentation video created by the synthesizing means,
The adjusting means is configured such that when the traveling scene is the first scene, the traveling scene of the host vehicle is compared with a case where the traveling scene is a second scene having a slower speed environment than the first scene. A display device for a vehicle, wherein the surrounding image is adjusted so that the symbol is enlarged or the symbol of the host vehicle is shifted backward. The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the imaging unit captures a rear image of the host vehicle. In a display method for displaying a surrounding image of a vehicle,
While adjusting the video range position of the surrounding video to be cut out in the surrounding video based on the running scene of the vehicle, the surrounding video obtained by photographing the surroundings of the vehicle is processed,
By determining a display form of a symbol indicating the host vehicle in accordance with the adjustment of the surrounding image, the symbol is superimposed and displayed in the determined display form on the adjusted surrounding image. How to display.

Images