JP6384138B2 - Vehicle display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle display device that displays information on a windshield of a vehicle such as a head-up display.

  Conventionally, vehicle display devices such as a head-up display device that displays vehicle speed information and route guidance information in a driver's forward field of view have been used. If the vehicle is equipped with a head-up display device, the driver can check the displayed information immediately without taking time to move the line of sight and focus. Furthermore, the time for returning the attention to the road condition ahead after the driver confirms the information can be omitted.

  Further, as a head-up display device that performs highlighting so as to surround the preceding vehicle above or below the preceding vehicle when a preceding vehicle is detected, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. According to this technology, the position of the preceding vehicle is detected by a front radar or a front monitoring camera, and a mark indicating the preceding vehicle or a frame type surrounding the preceding vehicle is displayed near the position of the preceding vehicle on the windshield as viewed from the driver. The presence of the preceding vehicle is emphasized by displaying the graphic.

JP 2005-067514 A

  However, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle are relatively inclined to the left and right due to road swells, curved roads, etc., the preceding vehicle and a mark or frame that emphasizes the preceding vehicle There was a problem that the figure of the mold shifted and the driver felt uncomfortable.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention detects a preceding vehicle, detects a tilt angle in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, and displays a graphic display form that displays the presence of the preceding vehicle according to the tilt angle. It changes and it displays on a head-up display display means.

  According to the present invention, even when the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle are inclined relatively to the left and right, the discomfort felt by the occupant with respect to the graphic indicating the presence of the preceding vehicle displayed on the head-up display display means is reduced. There is an effect that can be done.

It is a control block diagram explaining 1st Embodiment of the display apparatus for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the processing content in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in 5th Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a control block diagram for explaining a first embodiment of a vehicle display device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a vehicular display device 1 includes a front camera 3 that captures the front of a vehicle, an inter-vehicle distance sensor 5 that measures a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle that is in front of the host vehicle, and a display controller 7. The head-up display device 9 is provided.

  The front camera 3 includes a CCD image pickup device or a CMOS image pickup device as an image pickup device, is disposed inside the windshield, and picks up an image of the front of the host vehicle with the optical axis directed forward. The image signal captured by the front camera 3 is sent to the display controller 7. The inter-vehicle distance sensor 5 includes a distance sensor such as a millimeter wave radar or an infrared radar, and transmits and receives energy wave pulses such as millimeter waves and infrared rays, and measures the time from transmission to reception, thereby leading the vehicle ahead. It is a sensor that measures the distance to the car. The inter-vehicle distance measured by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 5 is output to the display controller 7.

  The display controller 7 includes a front image memory 71, an optical flow calculation unit 72, a preceding vehicle detection unit 73, an inclination angle detection unit 74, a reference image creation unit 75, a reference image modification unit 76, and a display output unit 77.

  The display controller 7 detects a tilt angle in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle based on the image captured by the front camera 3. The display form of the graphic indicating the presence of the preceding vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the preceding vehicle marking graphic) is changed according to the inclination angle and displayed on the head-up display device 9. That is, the display controller 7 serves as a preceding vehicle detection unit, an inclination angle detection unit, and a display control unit. The display controller 7 is constituted by a microprocessor having a CPU, a program ROM, a working RAM, and an input / output interface, and the function is realized by the CPU executing a control program stored in the program ROM. Has been. The program ROM stores various control parameters and graphic patterns described later in addition to the program.

  The front image memory 71 is a memory for storing a plurality of frames of images ahead of the host vehicle taken by the front camera 3, and an area for a plurality of frames is secured in the working RAM. The images of a plurality of frames stored in the front image memory 71 are referred to by the optical flow calculation unit 72, the preceding vehicle detection unit 73, and the tilt angle detection unit 74. The optical flow calculation unit 72 calculates an optical flow between images of a plurality of frames having different shooting times. The optical flow (also referred to as a movement vector) indicates the movement amount and movement direction of each pixel between two images, and each pixel has a two-dimensional direction and size. Since this optical flow calculation method is known from Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-11797, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-97126, and the like, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The preceding vehicle detection unit 73 detects the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle based on the optical flow calculated by the optical flow calculation unit 72. Specifically, based on the direction and size of the optical flow, the front image is divided into regions, and if there is a region that is symmetrical in each of the divided regions, it is recognized as a preceding vehicle. At this time, the left and right symmetry axes are allowed to tilt up to, for example, 20 ° from the vertical axis (vertical axis) in the image to the left and right.

  In the present embodiment, since the preceding vehicle is detected based on the image captured by the front camera 3, the presence of the preceding vehicle can be detected with high accuracy. Although it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle and the position of the preceding vehicle using a scanning radar as the inter-vehicle distance sensor 5, in the current scanning radar, the optical image captured by the front camera 3 has a resolution. Inferior in terms.

  Here, only when the inter-vehicle distance detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 5 is within a predetermined range, it may be determined that there is a preceding vehicle. The preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle detection unit 73 is detection for displaying a preceding vehicle marking figure on the head-up display device 9. The detection of the preceding vehicle can also be used for automatic control of the inter-vehicle distance when the host vehicle follows the preceding vehicle and travels. For this reason, for example, the distance between the vehicles exceeding 100 m is not effective because the size of the preceding vehicle in view is too small, and conversely, the distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is less than one vehicle length when the vehicle is stopped. The figure showing the position of the preceding vehicle is not very meaningful even at a distance. Accordingly, the predetermined range is, for example, not less than one vehicle length and not more than about several tens of meters. Since this distance depends on the nature of the vehicle on which the vehicle display device 1 is mounted, it is preferable to experimentally determine an appropriate distance for displaying the presence of the preceding vehicle on the head-up display device.

  When the preceding vehicle detecting unit 73 detects the preceding vehicle, the inclination angle detecting unit 74 detects the inclination angle of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle from the front image. For this reason, the inclination angle detection unit 74 detects the edge of the image from the area recognized as the preceding vehicle based on the optical flow in the front image stored in the front image memory 71, and the inclination angle is determined from the horizontal in the image. For example, a line segment with an inclination of ± 20 ° or less is detected. This line segment indicates, for example, a line indicating the lower end of the rear window of the preceding vehicle, a line indicating the upper end of the loading platform or cargo compartment of the preceding vehicle, a line indicating the upper end of the number plate of the preceding vehicle, and the lower end of the number plate of the preceding vehicle. Is a line. Further, the left and right rear combination lamps of the preceding vehicle may be recognized from the image, and a line connecting the center of the right rear combination lamp and the center of the left rear combination lamp may be detected. And the inclination of these detected line segments is made into the inclination angle (theta) of the left-right direction with respect to the own vehicle of a preceding vehicle. When a plurality of line segments are detected, a method of setting the inclination angle θ as the longest line segment, or a result obtained by weighting and averaging according to the length of each line segment is set as the inclination angle θ. There is a way. In addition, the inclination angle θ is a signed value, and a positive value of θ is a leftward inclination, and a negative value of θ is a rightward inclination.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the inclination angle in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is detected based on the front image taken by the front camera 3, the inclination angle can be detected with high accuracy. In addition, the angle of inclination of the preceding vehicle is detected from the line indicating the lower end of the rear window, the line indicating the upper end of the loading platform or cargo compartment, the line indicating the upper or lower end of the license plate, and the line connecting the centers of the left and right rear combination lamps. Therefore, various vehicle tilt angles can be detected.

  The reference image creation unit 75 creates a reference image including a preceding vehicle marking figure. In the present embodiment, a rectangular frame-shaped figure surrounding the preceding vehicle is displayed on the head-up display device 9 as the preceding vehicle marking figure. However, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is not limited to a rectangular frame shape surrounding the preceding vehicle, and may be an arbitrary graphic. For example, a triangular frame shape that surrounds the preceding vehicle, a horizontal bar shape such as an underline that modifies the characters under the preceding vehicle, a horizontal bar shape above the preceding vehicle, the left and right, and the lower three sides of the preceding vehicle It may be a surrounding figure.

  These figures are formed in the image memory for head-up display output set in the working RAM of the microprocessor constituting the display controller 7. Further, the reference image creation unit 75 enlarges / reduces the figure so that the head-up display device 9 can display the preceding vehicle marking figure at the position of the windshield surrounding the preceding vehicle viewed through the windshield from the viewpoint of the driver. Adjust the position.

  The reference image modification unit 76 modifies the preceding vehicle marking graphic formed by the reference image creation unit 75. For this modification, the figure is inclined from the reference angle according to the inclination angle θ, the figure is blinked according to the inclination angle θ, the outline of the figure is blurred according to the inclination angle θ, or a combination of these Make a modification.

  In the range where the tilt angle θ is small, the effect of tilting the figure is small, and the driver does not feel uncomfortable. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the length of the base of the rectangular frame-shaped figure is L and the thickness of the line is T, the predetermined angle α that satisfies [T / L] = tan α is the inclination angle θ. The modification is performed when the angle exceeds, and the modification is not performed when the inclination angle θ is equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle α.

  The display output unit 77 outputs the graphic modified by the reference video modification unit 76 as necessary from the head-up display output image memory to the head-up display device 9.

  The head-up display device 9 forms a virtual image of characters and figures on the windshield of the host vehicle and superimposes it on the scenery in front of the vehicle, the road surface situation, the situation of the preceding vehicle, etc. that the driver sees through the windshield. Thus, it is a device that can visually recognize information by a virtual image.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle display device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the control flowchart of FIG. This control flowchart shows the contents of a control program executed by the CPU of the display controller 7.

First, in step S10, the position of the driver's eyes is detected. Although not described in the block diagram of FIG. 1, a camera for photographing the driver, a sensor for detecting the set height of the driver's headrest, a pressure sensor for detecting the position of the driver's head in contact with the driver's headrest, etc. The position of the driver's eyes is detected and this position information is stored. The driver ’s eye position is
In other words, it is the position of the driver's viewpoint looking at the windshield.

  Next, in step S <b> 12, the front image captured by the front camera 3 is taken into the front image memory 71. Next, in step S <b> 14, the inter-vehicle distance sensor signal detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 5 is taken into the display controller 7.

Next, in step S <b> 16, an optical flow is calculated between images of different frames of the front image captured in the front image memory 71. The calculation of the optical flow itself is known as described in the optical flow calculation unit 72 in FIG. Next, in step S18, it is determined whether or not there is a preceding vehicle based on the calculated optical flow.
If it is not determined that there is a preceding vehicle, nothing is displayed and the process returns to step S10. If it is determined in step S18 that there is a preceding vehicle, the control proceeds to step S20.

  In step S20, a reference image of the preceding vehicle marking figure is formed. Specifically, a rectangular frame-shaped reference graphic stored as a control parameter in the program ROM is read and stored in an image memory area for head-up display output. It is assumed that this reference graphic is stored in the program ROM in a size that matches the apparent size of the preceding vehicle at an inter-vehicle distance of 20 m, for example. Next, the reference graphic is enlarged or reduced according to the inter-vehicle distance detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 5. Furthermore, the position of the figure in the image memory for head-up display output is adjusted so that the head-up display device 9 can display the position of the windshield surrounding the preceding vehicle viewed from the driver's viewpoint. At this time, the information on the position of the driver's eyes detected in step S10 is referred to, and the preceding vehicle marking graphic is displayed at the position of the windshield that overlaps the preceding vehicle viewed through the windshield from the driver's viewpoint. The position of the preceding vehicle marking figure is adjusted. In this position adjustment, the position may be adjusted in consideration of the delay time of the process from the photographing of the front image to the display of the preceding vehicle marking figure by the head-up display device 9. At this time, the moving direction and the moving amount can be obtained by using the moving vector of the preceding vehicle in the front image based on the optical flow calculation result.

  Next, in step S22, the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle in the front image taken by the front camera 3 is detected. Next, in step S24, it is determined whether or not the inclination angle θ exceeds a predetermined angle α. If the inclination angle θ exceeds the predetermined angle α, the process proceeds to step S26. If the inclination angle θ does not exceed the predetermined angle α, step S26 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S26, the preceding vehicle marking figure of the reference image is modified. In the present embodiment, the preceding vehicle marking figure of the reference image is inclined by the inclination angle θ from the horizontal which is the reference angle.

  In step S <b> 28, the reference image of the preceding vehicle marking graphic or the image obtained by modifying the reference image of the preceding vehicle marking graphic is output to the head-up display device 9.

  Next, in step S30, it is determined whether or not the graphic display function (marking display function in FIG. 2) indicating the presence of the preceding vehicle in the present invention is ON. For example, the marking display function can be set to ON / OFF from a general-purpose control screen having a touch screen function shared with a screen of a navigation device provided in the host vehicle. If the marking display function is not ON, the process is terminated. If the marking display function is ON, then in step S32, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch is ON. If it is ON, the process returns to step S10 to continue the process. If not ON, the process is terminated.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment, in which the preceding vehicle marking figure is tilted from the horizontal which is the reference angle in accordance with the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle. . As shown in FIG. 3A, if the inclination angle θ is equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed without being inclined. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the inclination angle θ exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed with an inclination of the inclination angle θ.

  According to this embodiment, if the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is displayed with an inclination, so there is no deviation between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle marking graphic. There is an effect that the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the vehicular display device of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the control block diagram of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but the modification content by the reference image modification unit 76 is different. The reference image modification unit 76 of the second embodiment displays the preceding vehicle marking figure by inclining the preceding vehicle marking figure by the inclination angle θ when the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle exceeds a predetermined angle α. The feature is that the figure is displayed blinking. In the present embodiment, a process of blinking and displaying the preceding vehicle marking figure is added to step S26 of the control flowchart of FIG. Other steps are the same as those in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of the second embodiment, in which the preceding vehicle marking figure is tilted and displayed from the horizontal which is the reference angle in accordance with the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, The preceding vehicle marking figure blinks and is displayed. As shown in FIG. 4A, if the inclination angle θ is equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed without being inclined and blinking. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the inclination angle θ exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed while being inclined by the inclination angle θ, and the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed blinking.

  According to this embodiment, if the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is displayed with an inclination, so there is no deviation between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle marking graphic. There is an effect that the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, when the preceding vehicle marking graphic is tilted and displayed, the preceding vehicle marking graphic blinks and is displayed, so how the inclination of the road surface changes as the host vehicle progresses. The effect of being able to call attention.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the vehicular display device of the third embodiment is substantially the same as the control block diagram of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but the modification contents by the reference image modification unit 76 are different. The reference image modification unit 76 of the third embodiment displays the preceding vehicle marking figure by inclining the preceding vehicle marking figure by the inclination angle θ if the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle exceeds a predetermined angle α. The feature is that the figure is blurred. In the present embodiment, a process of blurring and displaying the preceding vehicle marking figure is added to step S26 of the control flowchart of FIG. Other steps are the same as those in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of the third embodiment, in which the preceding vehicle marking figure is tilted from the horizontal which is the reference angle according to the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction with respect to the host vehicle of the preceding vehicle, and displayed. The preceding vehicle marking figure blinks and is displayed. As shown in FIG. 5A, if the inclination angle θ is equal to or less than the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed without being inclined and not blurred. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the inclination angle θ exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed while being inclined by the inclination angle θ, and the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed in a blurred manner.

  According to this embodiment, if the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is displayed with an inclination, so there is no deviation between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle marking graphic. There is an effect that the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, when the preceding vehicle marking graphic is tilted and displayed, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is displayed in a blurred manner, so how the inclination of the road surface changes as the host vehicle progresses. There is an effect of being able to call attention.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the vehicle display device of the fourth embodiment is substantially the same as the control block diagram of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but the modification contents by the reference image modification unit 76 are different. The reference image modification unit 76 of the fourth embodiment displays the preceding vehicle marking figure inclined by the inclination angle θ when the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction with respect to the host vehicle of the preceding vehicle exceeds the predetermined angle α, and also marks the preceding vehicle. The feature is that the figure is blurred. In the present embodiment, in the control flowchart of FIG. 2, a step of blinking and displaying the preceding vehicle marking figure is used instead of step S26. Other steps are the same as those in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of the fourth embodiment. In this example, when the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle exceeds a predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is blinked and displayed. is there. As shown in FIG. 6A, if the inclination angle θ is equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed without blinking. As shown in FIG. 6B, when the inclination angle θ exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is blinked and displayed.

  According to the present embodiment, if the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is blinked and displayed. Even if there is a deviation, there is an effect that the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the vehicle display device of the fifth embodiment is substantially the same as the control block diagram of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The reference image modification unit 76 of the fifth embodiment is characterized in that the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed in a blurred manner if the left-right inclination angle θ of the preceding vehicle exceeds the predetermined angle α. In the present embodiment, in the control flowchart of FIG. 2, a step of blurring and displaying the preceding vehicle marking figure is used instead of step S26. Other steps are the same as those in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of the fifth embodiment, and is an example in which the preceding vehicle marking graphic is displayed in a blurred manner when the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction with respect to the host vehicle of the preceding vehicle exceeds a predetermined angle α. . As shown in FIG. 7A, if the inclination angle θ is equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed without blurring. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the inclination angle θ exceeds the predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking figure is displayed in a blurred manner.

  According to this embodiment, if the inclination angle θ in the left-right direction of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle exceeds a predetermined angle α, the preceding vehicle marking graphic is displayed in a blurred manner. Even if there is an effect, the driver is less likely to feel uncomfortable.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display apparatus for vehicles 3 Front camera 5 Distance sensor 7 Display controller 9 Head-up display apparatus 71 Front image memory 72 Optical flow calculation part 73 Leading vehicle detection part 74 Inclination angle detection part 75 Reference | standard video creation part 76 Reference | standard video modification part 77 Display output section

Claims (5)

A head-up display display means;
A preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting a preceding vehicle existing ahead of the host vehicle;
An inclination angle detection means for detecting an inclination angle of the preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle detection means in a left-right direction with respect to the host vehicle;
Display control means for changing the display form of the graphic indicating the presence of the preceding vehicle and displaying it on the head-up display display means according to the inclination angle detected by the inclination angle detection means;
Equipped with a,
The display device for a vehicle, wherein when the tilt angle exceeds a predetermined angle, the graphic is tilted from a reference angle and displayed according to the tilt angle . The preceding vehicle detection means is means for detecting the preceding vehicle based on an image photographed by a camera device that photographs the front of the vehicle,
The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle detection unit detects an inclination angle of the preceding vehicle based on the image. The tilt angle detecting means includes
From the image, a line indicating the lower end of the rear window of the preceding vehicle, a line indicating the upper end of the loading platform or the luggage compartment of the preceding vehicle, a line indicating the upper end of the number plate of the preceding vehicle, a line indicating the lower end of the number plate of the preceding vehicle Detecting at least one of the lines connecting the center of the right rear combination lamp and the center of the left rear combination lamp of the preceding vehicle, and detecting the inclination angle from the inclination of the detected line in the image. The vehicle display device according to claim 2. The vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the display control means blinks and displays the graphic when the tilt angle exceeds a predetermined angle. Wherein the display control unit, wherein the inclination angle of the case of exceeding a predetermined angle, vehicle display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that displaying blurred shape of the graphic.