JP7234650B2 - Display control device and display control program - Google Patents

Description

The disclosure of this specification relates to a display control device and a display control program that control display superimposed on the foreground.

Conventionally, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a display device for a vehicle that superimposes a guidance display for guiding a route to a destination on the driver's forward field of view through the windshield. As an example, in Patent Document 1, when a vehicle approaches an intersection that guides a right or left turn, an arrow indicating the direction of the right or left turn is superimposed on the road surface in the forward field of view as a guide display. In addition, when the number of lanes is greater than the predetermined number, the display timing of the guidance display is made earlier than usual.

WO2015/118859

In recent years, attempts have been made to generate road information for each lane on a road that includes multiple lanes and to distribute the information to each vehicle. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose in detail a specific method of presenting information on a road with a large number of lanes including multiple lanes. When displaying road information for a plurality of lanes, for example, in a scene in which the driver is driving near the center of a road with a plurality of lanes, the driver can select the road information for the lane in which the vehicle is traveling from the displayed plurality of road information. There was a possibility that it would be difficult to grasp which one of them is.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a display control device and a display control program capable of extracting useful information from road information for each lane and presenting the information to the driver in an easy-to-understand manner.

In order to achieve the above object, one disclosed aspect is a display control device used in a vehicle (A) for controlling display superimposed on the foreground, wherein for a road including a plurality of lanes, A road information acquisition unit (71) that acquires road information, a lane determination unit (76) that determines the own vehicle lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling among a plurality of lanes, and a plurality of lanes in the foreground. a display control unit (77) for superimposing and displaying a display image (Vi) showing the notification information on the notification lane (Lna) whose road information includes the notification information defined in advance in the road information acquisition unit obtains, as road information, congestion information for each lane indicating congestion in the direction of travel, and the display control unit displays a congestion display image ( Vj) is superimposed on the lane of the vehicle as a display image, and even if the road information of the lane of the vehicle does not contain traffic information, the road information of another lane other than the lane of the vehicle contains traffic information. , a congestion display image is superimposed on another lane with traffic congestion information, and a non-congestion display image (Vnj) indicating a non-congestion state is superimposed on the lane of the vehicle. Even if traffic information is not included in the information, when the traffic information is included in the road information of another lane, the traffic congestion display image superimposed on the other lane with the traffic information and the non-traffic congestion display image superimposed on the own vehicle lane are displayed. When a traffic jam display image is displayed as a display image and route guidance is performed, and when traffic information is not included in the road information of the own vehicle lane, the superimposed display of the non-congestion display image on the own vehicle lane is stopped. It is a display control device that

Another aspect disclosed is a display control program for use in a vehicle (A) for controlling display superimposed on the foreground, wherein at least one processing unit (11) includes: , road information for each lane is acquired (S11, S102), the own vehicle lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling is determined among a plurality of lanes (S12, S103), and among a plurality of lanes in the foreground, causing a display image (Vi) indicating the notification information to be displayed superimposed on the notification lane (Lna) whose road information includes predetermined notification information (S14, S107, S109); In the process of acquiring road information, as road information, congestion information for each lane indicating traffic congestion in the direction of travel is acquired. , a congestion display image (Vj) indicating traffic congestion information is superimposed on the vehicle lane as a display image, and road information of a lane other than the vehicle lane is displayed even if the traffic information is not included in the vehicle lane road information. contains traffic congestion information, a congestion display image is superimposed on another lane with traffic congestion information, and a non-congestion display image (Vnj) indicating a non-congestion state is superimposed on the own vehicle lane to provide route guidance. If not, even if the road information of the own vehicle lane does not include traffic information, when the traffic information is included in the road information of another lane, a traffic congestion display image superimposed on another lane with traffic information is displayed. , and a non-congestion display image superimposed on the vehicle lane are displayed as display images to provide route guidance. A display control program for stopping the superimposed display of the non-congestion display image .

In these aspects, when road information including predetermined notification information is acquired, a display image showing the notification information is superimposed on the notification lane associated with the notification information. Therefore, the driver can grasp the content of the notification information as well as the relative position of the notification lane from the displayed image. As described above, even by superimposing the notification information on the notification lane, it is possible to extract useful information for the driver from the road information for each lane and present it to the driver in an easy-to-understand manner.

It should be noted that the reference numbers in parentheses above merely indicate an example of correspondence with specific configurations in the embodiments described later, and do not limit the technical scope in any way.

1 is a diagram showing an overview of an in-vehicle network including HCUs according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the HUD apparatus mounted in a vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of a schematic structure of HCU. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of lane-by-lane road information display when a route has not been set; FIG. 10 is a diagram for sequentially explaining patterns 1 to 3 as an example of lane-by-lane road information display at the time of route setting; 6 is a diagram showing transition of a proposed display image after passing through a second branch point in FIG. 5; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing details of lane-specific information display processing that is selectively executed when a route is not yet set; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing details of lane-specific information display processing that is selectively executed at the time of route setting; FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of lane-by-lane road information display in the second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of lane-by-lane road information display in modification 1; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of lane-by-lane road information display in modification 2;

A plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below based on the drawings. Note that redundant description may be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals to corresponding components in each embodiment. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configurations of other embodiments previously described can be applied to other portions of the configuration. Moreover, not only the combinations of the configurations explicitly specified in the description of each embodiment, but also the configurations of a plurality of embodiments can be partially combined even if they are not specified unless there is a particular problem with the combination. Also, unspecified combinations of configurations described in a plurality of embodiments and modifications are also disclosed by the following description.

(First embodiment)
The functions of the display control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure are realized by an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The HCU 100 constitutes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) system 10 used in the vehicle A together with a head-up display (hereinafter referred to as "HUD") device 20, an operation device 26, and the like. The HMI system 10 has an input interface function for accepting operations by a passenger (eg, driver) of the vehicle A and an output interface function for presenting information to the driver.

The HMI system 10 is communicably connected to the communication bus 99 of the in-vehicle network 1 mounted on the vehicle A. HMI system 10 is one of a plurality of nodes provided in in-vehicle network 1 . The communication bus 99 of the in-vehicle network 1 is connected with, for example, a perimeter monitoring sensor 30, a locator 40, a navigation device 50, a V2X communication device 56, a driving support ECU 57, and the like as nodes. These nodes connected to the communication bus 99 can communicate with each other.

The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the surrounding environment of the vehicle A. As shown in FIG. The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 detects moving objects such as pedestrians, cyclists, animals other than humans, and other vehicles from the detection range around the vehicle, as well as road markings such as fallen objects on the road, guardrails, curbs, and lane markings. and stationary objects such as roadside structures. The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 provides the detection information of objects detected around the vehicle A (especially in the front range) to the driving support ECU 57 and the HCU 100 through the communication bus 99 .

The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 has a front camera 31, a millimeter wave radar 32, a lidar 33, etc. as a detection configuration for object detection. The front camera 31 outputs, as detection information, at least one of imaging data obtained by imaging a range in front of the vehicle A and an analysis result of the imaging data. The millimeter wave radar 32 emits millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves toward a forward range, and generates detection information to be output to the outside by processing for receiving reflected waves reflected by moving and stationary objects. The lidar 33 generates detection information to be output to the outside by performing a process of irradiating a laser beam toward a forward range and receiving reflected light reflected by a moving object, a stationary object, or the like.

The locator 40 generates highly accurate position information and the like of the vehicle A by composite positioning that combines a plurality of acquired information. The locator 40 can specify, for example, the lane in which the vehicle A travels among multiple lanes. The locator 40 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 41, an inertial sensor 42, a high-precision map database (hereinafter referred to as "DB") 43, a locator ECU 44, and the like.

The GNSS receiver 41 receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of artificial satellites (positioning satellites). The GNSS receiver 41 can receive positioning signals from each positioning satellite of at least one satellite positioning system among satellite positioning systems such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, IRNSS, QZSS, and Beidou.

The inertial sensor 42 includes, for example, a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The high-precision map DB 43 is mainly composed of non-volatile memory, and stores map data with higher precision than that used in the navigation device 50 (hereinafter referred to as "high-precision map data"). The high-precision map data includes, for example, information on lane markings and road markings, three-dimensional shape information of structures in the roadside area, road lane number information and three-dimensional shape information, and the like.

The locator ECU 44 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a processor, a RAM, a storage unit, an input/output interface, and a bus connecting them. The locator ECU 44 combines the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver 41, the measurement result of the inertial sensor 42, the vehicle speed information output to the communication bus 99, etc., and sequentially locates the vehicle position, traveling direction, and the like of the vehicle A. The locator ECU 44 provides the navigation device 50, the HCU 100, and the like via the communication bus 99 with position information and direction information of the vehicle A (own vehicle) based on the positioning result. In addition, the locator ECU 44 determines whether or not the required high-definition map data exists in the high-definition map DB 43 in response to a request from the HCU 100 or the like. If the requested high-definition map data exists in the high-definition map DB 43, the locator ECU 44 reads out the corresponding high-definition map data from the high-definition map DB 43 and provides it to the HCU 100 that made the request.

The navigation device 50 is an in-vehicle device that cooperates with the HMI system 10 and provides route guidance to a destination set by a passenger. The navigation device 50 includes a map database for navigation (hereinafter referred to as "navigation map DB") 51, a navigation ECU 52, and the like. The navigation map DB 51 is mainly composed of a non-volatile memory, and comprehensively stores map data in a wider range than the high-precision map DB 43 . The navigation map data stored in the navigation map DB 51 describes link data, node data, shape data, and the like for roads.

The navigation ECU 52 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a processor, a RAM, a memory, an input/output interface, and a bus connecting them. The navigation ECU 52 acquires position information and direction information of the vehicle A (own vehicle) from the locator ECU 44 via the communication bus 99 .

The navigation ECU 52 acquires operation information input to the operation device 26 via the communication bus 99 and the HCU 100, and sets the destination based on the driver's operation. The navigation ECU 52 searches for multiple routes to the destination so as to satisfy conditions such as time priority and distance priority. When one of the searched multiple routes is selected, the navigation ECU 52 provides route information based on the set route along with related navigation map data to the HCU 100 via the communication bus 99 .

The navigation ECU 52 can acquire road information, which will be described later, received by the V2X communication device 56 . The navigation ECU 52 adjusts congestion (traffic jams) different from the set route and indicated by the road information according to the contents of the latest road information linked to the set route, such as construction regulations, the occurrence of vehicle accidents, traffic congestion, and the like. Search for traffic congestion avoidance routes to avoid. The navigation ECU 52 also adjusts the time required to arrive at the destination to be shortened when switching from the currently set route to the congestion avoidance route (hereinafter referred to as the "difference time") in accordance with the search for the congestion avoidance route. calculate. The navigation ECU 52 provides the HCU 100 with information about congestion avoidance routes and differential times. As a result, when the driver or the like approves the switching to the congestion avoidance route, the navigation ECU 52 sets the congestion avoidance route as a new set route.

The navigation ECU 52 outputs a guidance execution request to the HMI system 10 according to the currently set route when approaching a branch point such as an intersection, a destination, or a warning point such as a temporary stop. In the HMI system 10, the HUD device 20 or the like provides route guidance to the driver based on the guidance execution request. In the following description, a point on the set route before which such guidance to the driver is carried out will be referred to as a "guidance point".

A V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication device 56 is a communication module mounted on the vehicle A. FIG. The V2X communication device 56 has at least a V2N (Vehicle to cellular Network) communication function in accordance with communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 5G, and transmits radio waves to and from base stations around the vehicle A. send and receive The V2X communication device 56 may further have functions such as vehicle to roadside infrastructure (hereinafter “V2I”) communication and vehicle to vehicle (hereinafter “V2V”) communication. The V2X communication device 56 enables cooperation between the cloud and an in-vehicle system (Cloud to Car) through V2N communication. By installing the V2X communication device 56, the vehicle A becomes a connected car that can be connected to the Internet.

The V2X communication device 56 can receive road information such as traffic congestion, traffic restrictions, road closures, heavy rain and snowfall from a server on the cloud (hereinafter referred to as "cloud server"). The cloud server acquires road information for each lane, specifically traffic congestion information for each lane on a road that includes a plurality of lanes. Such road information for each lane is extracted based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) processing or the like that analyzes travel information (probe data) of many connected cars in real time. The V2X communication device 56 provides the navigation device 50 and the HCU 100 with the road information for each lane received from the cloud server.

The driving assistance ECU 57 has at least one of a driving assistance function that assists the driving operation of the driver and an automatic driving function that can substitute the driving operation of the driver. The driving support function or automatic driving function includes an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) function that controls the traveling speed or the inter-vehicle distance, an LTC (Lane Trace Control) function that controls the steering angle according to the lane, and the like. The driving support function may further include an AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) function for forcibly decelerating the vehicle A, or the like.

The driving support ECU 57 recognizes the driving environment around the vehicle A based on the detection information acquired from the surroundings monitoring sensor 30 . The driving assistance ECU 57 generates driving operation information for driving assistance or automatic driving based on the recognition result of the driving environment. By providing the generated driving operation information to the vehicle control ECU, the driving support ECU 57 causes the vehicle control ECU to perform acceleration/deceleration control and steering control.

The driving support ECU 57 can provide the HCU 100 with the analysis result of the detection information performed for recognizing the driving environment as the analyzed detection information. As an example, the driving support ECU 57 provides the HCU 100 with information extracted from the imaged data of the front camera 31, specifically relative positional information of the lane markings (white lines) and the edge of the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

Next, details of the HUD device 20 and the HCU 100 will be described.

The HUD device 20 is mounted on the vehicle A as one of a plurality of in-vehicle display devices together with a multi-information display, a center information display, and the like. The HUD device 20 presents various information related to the vehicle A to the driver by augmented reality (hereinafter “AR”) display using the virtual image Vi. The AR-displayed virtual image Vi is visible to the driver and moves following the superimposition target as if it is relatively fixed to the superimposition target in the foreground.

The HUD device 20 is electrically connected to the HCU 100 and sequentially acquires video data generated by the HCU 100 . The HUD device 20 is housed in a housing space within the instrument panel 9 below the windshield WS. The HUD device 20 projects the light imaged as the virtual image Vi toward the projection range PA of the windshield WS. The light projected onto the windshield WS is reflected to the driver's side in the projection area PA and is perceived by the driver. The driver visually recognizes a display in which the virtual image Vi is superimposed on the superimposition target in the foreground that can be seen through the projection range PA.

The HUD device 20 includes a projector 21, an enlarging optical system 22, and the like. The projector 21 has an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel and a backlight. The projector 21 is fixed to the housing of the HUD device 20 with the display surface of the LCD panel facing the magnifying optical system 22 . The projector 21 displays each frame image of the video data on the display surface of the LCD panel, illuminates the display surface with a backlight, and emits light formed as a virtual image Vi toward the magnifying optical system 22. do. The magnifying optical system 22 includes at least one concave mirror formed by vapor-depositing a metal such as aluminum on the surface of a substrate made of synthetic resin, glass, or the like. The enlarging optical system 22 spreads the light emitted from the projector 21 by reflection and projects it onto the upper projection range PA.

The HCU 100 is an electronic control unit that comprehensively controls display by a plurality of in-vehicle display devices including the HUD device 20 in the HMI system 10 . The HCU 100 is mainly composed of a computer including a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input/output interface 14, and a bus connecting them. The processing unit 11 is hardware for arithmetic processing coupled with the RAM 12 . The processing unit 11 includes at least one arithmetic core such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processing unit 11 may be configured to further include an IP core having an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) and other dedicated functions. The storage unit 13 is configured to include a nonvolatile storage medium. The storage unit 13 stores various programs (display control program, etc.) executed by the processing unit 11 .

The HCU 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 executes a program stored in the storage unit 13 by the processing unit 11, and includes a plurality of functional units. Specifically, the HCU 100 includes a road information acquisition unit 71, a route information acquisition unit 72, a position information acquisition unit 73, an external information acquisition unit 74, a road shape recognition unit 75, a lane determination unit 76, a display generation unit 77, and other functions. Department is built. The road information acquisition unit 71 , the route information acquisition unit 72 , the position information acquisition unit 73 , and the external world information acquisition unit 74 are functional units that acquire information from the communication bus 99 .

The road information acquisition unit 71 acquires the latest road information received by the V2X communication device 56 . When the vehicle A travels on a road with multiple lanes, or when there is a road with multiple lanes in the traveling direction or the set route, the road information acquisition unit 71 obtains road information for each lane of the road with multiple lanes. get.

When a destination is set in the navigation device 50 , the route information acquisition unit 72 acquires route information related to route guidance to the destination and navigation map data used for route guidance from the navigation ECU 52 . In addition, the route information acquisition unit 72 acquires a guidance implementation request output by the navigation ECU 52 together with route information, navigation map data, etc., based on the approach to the guidance point. Furthermore, when a congestion avoidance route is searched for by the navigation device 50, the route information acquisition unit 72 stores congestion avoidance information indicating an avoidance route capable of avoiding traffic congestion in the traveling direction, and a difference time that can be reduced by selecting the avoidance route. are acquired from the navigation device 50 .

The route information acquisition unit 72 can perform processing for acquiring high-definition map data from the locator 40 together with the navigation map data or in place of the navigation map data. Based on the route information acquired from the navigation ECU 52, the route information acquisition unit 72 requests the locator ECU 44 to provide related high-definition map data. When the requested high-precision map data is stored in the high-precision map DB 43 , the route information acquisition unit 72 acquires the high-precision map data returned from the locator ECU 44 .

The position information acquisition unit 73 acquires the position information and direction information of the vehicle A (self-vehicle) from the locator ECU 44 as self-vehicle position information.

The external world information acquisition unit 74 acquires detection information about the front range of the vehicle A from at least one of the surroundings monitoring sensor 30 and the driving support ECU 57 . The detection information may be imaging data of the front range captured by the front camera 31 or the like, or may be an analysis result obtained by the surrounding monitoring sensor 30 or the driving support ECU 57 recognizing the driving environment. When the detection information is an analysis result, the analysis result includes information indicating the relative position of the lane marking or road edge in the forward range as described above.

The road shape recognition unit 75 recognizes the vehicle A based on at least one of the navigation map data and the high-precision map data acquired by the route information acquisition unit 72 and the own vehicle position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 73. recognizes the shape of the road in the direction of travel. Specifically, the road shape recognition unit 75 recognizes the shape of the road in a range (overlapping range) that overlaps the projection range PA as seen from the driver. The road shape recognition unit 75 may use the travel direction detection information acquired by the external world information acquisition unit 74 to recognize the road shape in the travel direction.

The road shape recognition unit 75 determines that the road in the traveling direction has a curved shape, for example, when the curvature of the road in the overlapping range is larger than a predetermined value. When determining that the road in the direction of travel is curved, the road shape recognition unit 75 generates a determination result indicating the shape of the curve and notifies the display generation unit 77 of the determination result.

When the vehicle A is traveling on a road that includes multiple lanes, the lane determination unit 76 determines the driving lane in which the vehicle A is driving (hereinafter referred to as "own vehicle lane Lns") among the multiple lanes. . The lane determination unit 76 uses high-precision map data acquired by the route information acquisition unit 72, vehicle position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 73, lane markings acquired by the external world information acquisition unit 74, and the like. The vehicle lane Lns is identified by combining the relative position information of the vehicle. If the locator 40 has a function of identifying the vehicle lane Lns, the lane determination unit 76 can use the specific information provided from the locator 40 to the position information acquisition unit 73 to identify the vehicle lane Lns.

In addition, the lane determination unit 76 extracts lanes located in an overlapping range that overlaps with the projection range PA from the plurality of lanes, and sets them as superimposable lanes. The lane determination unit 76 notifies the display generation unit 77 of the number of lanes included in the road, the position information of the own vehicle lane Lns, the specific information of the lanes that can be superimposed, and the like.

The display generation unit 77 controls presentation of information to the driver by the HUD device 20 through processing for generating video data that is sequentially output to the HUD device 20 . The display generation unit 77 has a function of selecting content to be used for information presentation, a function of drawing content, a function of controlling the display period of content, and the like, based on various types of acquired information.

When the road information acquired by the road information acquisition unit 71 includes predetermined notification information (for example, traffic jam information), the display generation unit 77 converts the original image of the content presenting the notification information into a video image. Draw on each frame image that constitutes the data. In addition, when the road information for each lane is acquired by the road information acquisition unit 71, the display generation unit 77 generates the road information for each lane by the virtual image Vi as an AR display object superimposed on the road surface of each lane in the foreground. Presents information (for example, the state of traffic congestion, etc.). Details of the display of such lane-by-lane road information will be described below.

While the vehicle A is traveling on a road that includes multiple lanes (see FIGS. 4 and 5), the display generation unit 77 displays the number of all lanes, the own vehicle lane Lns, and the superimposition possible based on the information provided by the lane determination unit 76. Recognize lanes. The display generation unit 77 refers to the road information for each lane provided by the road information acquisition unit 71, and determines whether or not there is predetermined notification information. When a lane whose road information includes notification information (hereinafter referred to as "notification lane") is a superimposable lane, the display generation unit 77 presents the notification information in AR display using the virtual image Vi. If the notification lane is not a superimposable lane, the display generation unit 77 presents the notification information in a non-AR display.

When the notification lane is a superimposable lane, the display generation unit 77 selects content corresponding to road information linked to one or more specified superimposable lanes, and superimposes a virtual image Vi based on the selected content. It is superimposed and displayed on the road surface of the lane. When there are a plurality of lanes that can be superimposed, the display generation unit 77 superimposes a virtual image Vi representing road information on each of the lanes that can be superimposed in the foreground.

The display generation unit 77 acquires the recognition result of the road shape in the traveling direction of the vehicle A from the road shape recognition unit 75 . When the road shape recognition unit 75 recognizes the curve shape in the direction of travel, the display generation unit 77 presumes that it will be difficult for the HUD device 20 to superimpose the virtual image Vi, and cancels the above-described superimposed display for each lane. do. At this time, the display generator 77 presents the traffic jam information in a non-AR display.

On the other hand, when the road in the direction of travel is slightly curved and there is no notification of curve determination by the road shape recognition unit 75, the display generation unit 77 superimposes display along the shape of the curve, branch points, and the like. implement. In addition, when the importance of the presentation information is high, the display generation unit 77 may advance the display start timing to just before the curve, and perform adjustment to perform superimposed display for each lane.

Next, specific examples of driving scenes in which lane-specific road information is displayed will be described based on FIGS. 4 and 5 and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. Note that the lane-by-lane road information display shown in FIG. 4 is an example when no destination is set in the navigation device 50 . In this case, information presentation is started based on the approach of the vehicle A to the congestion point. On the other hand, the lane-by-lane road information display shown in FIG. 5 is an example when a destination is set in the navigation device 50 . In this case, information presentation is started based on acquisition of the guidance execution request from the navigation device 50 .

The implementation start request is notified to the HCU 100 at the timing when the navigation device 50 needs to notify the congestion, and at the timing when the remaining distance to the tail end of the traffic congestion becomes less than a predetermined distance. The implementation start request is also sent to the HCU 100 at the timing when the remaining distance to a branch point such as an interchange, junction, entrance, or the like on the set route becomes less than a predetermined distance.

<Display of road information by lane when there is no route guidance>
In the driving scene shown in FIG. 4, vehicle A is driving on a road that includes a plurality of (four) lanes, and is approaching an intersection where some of the lanes are congested. Before the intersection, the right turn lane on the far right is a congested traffic lane Lnj, and the remaining three lanes are non-congested normal lanes Lnn. Vehicle A is traveling on the second normal lane Lnn from the right.

Based on the provided information from the lane determination unit 76, the display generation unit 77 recognizes the second lane from the right as the host vehicle lane Lns. In addition, the display generation unit 77 recognizes the vehicle lane Lns and the lanes Ln1 and Ln2 on the left and right sides of the vehicle lane Lns as superimposable lanes.

The display generation unit 77 determines to report the traffic congestion information based on the fact that the road information for each lane acquired by the road information acquisition unit 71 includes congestion information for the right-turn lane. Since the right lane Ln2 connected to the congested lane Lnj is a lane that can be superimposed, the display generator 77 notifies the congested information by AR display. The display generation unit 77 starts presenting traffic congestion information on the right turn lane at a notification point GP, which is a predetermined distance RD1 (for example, 700 m) before the traffic jam intersection. The presentation of the traffic jam information ends at the timing.

The display generation unit 77 associates the congestion information of the right turn lane with the right lane Ln2, and associates the non-congestion information with the left lane Ln1 and the own vehicle lane Lns. In cooperation with the HUD device 20, the display generation unit 77 reports non-congestion information and traffic congestion information on each road surface of the own vehicle lane Lns, the left lane Ln1, and the right lane Ln2, which can be seen over the projection range PA of the windshield WS. A virtual image Vi is superimposed and displayed. Specifically, a non-congestion display image Vnj indicating a non-congestion state is displayed superimposed on the own vehicle lane Lns and the left lane Ln1 in which the normal lane Lnn is before the intersection. On the other hand, a traffic jam display image Vj indicating traffic jam information is superimposed on the right lane Ln2, which is the traffic jam lane Lnj before the intersection.

The non-congestion display image Vnj is a solid display image that uniformly illuminates the road surfaces of the own vehicle lane Lns and the left lane Ln1 that overlap the projection range PA when viewed from the driver. The non-congestion display image Vnj is displayed in luminescent colors such as blue and green, which promote the maintenance of the status quo (see the dot range in FIG. 4). The non-congestion display image Vnj superimposed on the host vehicle lane Lns and the non-congestion display image Vnj superimposed on the left lane Ln1 may be slightly separated from each other with a lane marking on the road surface as a boundary, or may be separated from the lane marking. You may continue so that it may straddle.

The traffic congestion display image Vj is a solid display image that uniformly illuminates the road surface of the right lane Ln2 that overlaps the projection range PA as seen from the driver. Since the area of the projection range PA is limited, the traffic jam display image Vj is displayed in the upper right corner of the projection range PA in the shape of an inverted triangle whose width increases in the traveling direction (upward). The traffic congestion display image Vj is displayed in luminescent colors such as amber and red that call attention (see the shaded area in FIG. 4). The emission color of the congestion display image Vj can be adjusted according to the degree of congestion, and may be switched from amber to red when the degree of congestion is severe. The light emission mode of the traffic congestion display image Vj may be changed continuously or may be switched stepwise according to the degree of traffic congestion. The traffic congestion display image Vj is displayed with a higher brightness than the non-congestion display image Vnj so as to have a higher eye-catching property than the non-congestion display image Vnj. The congestion display image Vj may be slightly separated from the non-congestion display image Vnj with the boundary between the vehicle lane Lns and the right lane Ln2, or may be continuous with the non-congestion display image Vnj across the boundary. may be

<Display of road information by lane when route guidance is available>
In the driving scene shown in FIG. 5, vehicle A is driving on a highway with multiple (three) lanes, and there are two branch points (highway exits, etc.) where some of the lanes are congested. sequentially approach. In the set route of the navigation device 50, the first branch point (first branch point P1) is a point to pass straight through, and the second branch point (second branch point P2) is a point to branch to the right. It is Below, each pattern 1 of lane-by-lane road information display performed before the first branch point P1 where the vehicle lane Lns becomes the congested lane Lnj, after passing the first branch point P1, and before the second branch point P2. 1 to 3 will be explained in order.

<Pattern 1: Guidance to a normal lane Lnn that is not congested>
Before the first branch point P1, the rightmost right branch lane is the congested lane Lnj, and the remaining two lanes are the non-congested normal lanes Lnn. Vehicle A is traveling on the rightmost congested lane Lnj. In this driving scene, the own vehicle lane Lns and the left lane Ln1 are superimposable lanes.

The display generation unit 77 starts presenting the congestion information at a notification point located a predetermined distance before the first branch point P1 where the traffic jam occurs, and at the timing when the vehicle A passes through the first branch point P1. , terminates the presentation of traffic congestion information.

The display generator 77 selects selectable lanes in which the vehicle A can travel according to the route indicated by the route information, among the plurality of lanes. All the lanes before the first branch point P1 where the straight line is to be passed correspond to the selectable lanes. Therefore, the display generation unit 77 recognizes that there is a selectable lane that does not contain congestion information indicating congestion in the traveling direction.

As described above, when there is congestion information in the host vehicle lane Lns and there is a selectable lane without congestion information, the vehicle is guided to a selectable lane that is not congested. Specifically, the display generator 77 superimposes the traffic congestion display image Vj, the non-congestion display image Vnj, the guidance display image Vg, and the remaining distance display image Vr on the road surface in the foreground.

The traffic congestion display image Vj is uniformly superimposed on the entire range of the road surface of the vehicle lane Lns where the virtual image Vi can be superimposed, and indicates traffic congestion in the traveling direction of the vehicle lane Lns (the hatched area in FIG. 5 is reference). The non-congestion display image Vnj is uniformly superimposed and displayed on the entire range of the road surface of the left lane Ln1 where the virtual image Vi can be superimposed, and indicates that there is no traffic congestion in the traveling direction of the left lane Ln1 (see FIG. 5). Dot range). The emission colors of the congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj are the same as the emission colors of the display images used to display the lane-by-lane road information when there is no route guidance.

The guidance display image Vg is superimposed on the road surface of the host vehicle lane Lns and guides the vehicle to the left lane Ln1 that can avoid congestion. Guidance by the guidance display image Vg follows the set route. The guidance display image Vg is superimposed on the traffic congestion display image Vj so that it appears to the driver. The guidance display image Vg is in the shape of an arrow extending from the host vehicle lane Lns toward the left lane Ln1, and the tip of the arrow shape is positioned within the non-congestion display image Vnj. The guidance display image Vg is displayed in substantially the same or similar luminescent color (for example, blue) as the non-congestion display image Vnj, and suggests to the driver that the left lane Ln1 to which the vehicle is to be guided is in a non-congestion state.

The remaining distance display image Vr digitally displays the distance from the vehicle A to the tail end of the traffic jam. The remaining distance display image Vr is superimposed and displayed on the road surface of the host vehicle lane Lns. The remaining distance display image Vr is displayed, for example, in the vicinity of the lower edge of the projection range PA, and superimposed on the base end portion of the guidance display image Vg for the driver's appearance. The remaining distance display image Vr is displayed, for example, in a luminescent color (for example, white) different from that of the guidance display image Vg. The display position of the remaining distance display image Vr may be changed as appropriate.

<Pattern 2: Route guidance superimposed on congestion information>
After passing the first branch point P1, assuming a right branch at the second branch point P2 based on the set route, the vehicle is guided to the rightmost lane. In the vicinity of the second branch point P2, the center lane and the right branch lane are congested lanes Lnj, and only the leftmost straight lane is a non-congested normal lane Lnn. Due to the lane change before the first branch point P1, the vehicle A is traveling in the center lane. In this driving scene, all lanes are superimposable lanes.

The display generator 77 performs lane change guidance to the right branch lane based on the guidance execution request from the navigation device 50 at a notification point located a predetermined distance before the end of the traffic jam. For example, even if the right branch point is 2 km ahead, if the point 1 km ahead is the tail end of the traffic jam, the lane change guidance that normally starts 2 km before will start 3 km before. (See FIG. 5 RD2). When the timing of providing guidance is advanced due to the occurrence of traffic congestion, an icon such as a congestion mark may be displayed to make the driver aware of the difference from the normal guidance start timing. The display generation unit 77 ends the presentation of the movement guidance at the timing when the lane change to the right branch lane is completed.

For the movement guidance described above, the display generation unit 77 superimposes the traffic congestion display image Vj and the lane change display image (hereinafter, “LC display image”) Vlc on the road surface in the foreground. The traffic congestion display image Vj is superimposed and displayed across the road surfaces of the own vehicle lane Lns and the right lane Ln2 for which the traffic congestion information has been notified. When performing lane change guidance to the right lane, superimposed display of the non-congestion display image Vnj on the left lane Ln1 is not carried out because there is a risk of being misidentified as an instruction to change to the left lane.

The LC display image Vlc is displayed in a luminescent color (for example, white) different from that of the congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj. The LC display image Vlc instructs the driver to change lanes to the right branch lane based on the set route. The LC display image Vlc is superimposed on the traffic congestion display image Vj so as to appear to the driver. The LC display image Vlc is in the shape of an arrow extending from the host vehicle lane Lns toward the right lane Ln2. The tip of the arrow of the LC display image Vlc faces the traveling direction in the right lane Ln2 (right branch lane).

<Pattern 3: Congestion avoidance route proposal>
Before the second branch point P2, the vehicle A is traveling in the congested lane Lnj, and there is no selectable lane that is not congested on the set route. Therefore, before the second branch point P2, the navigation device 50 that recognizes the congestion on the set route searches for an avoidance route that can avoid the congestion in the traveling direction. When congestion avoidance information indicating such an avoidance route is acquired by the route information acquisition unit 72, the HCU 100 proposes a congestion avoidance route. Specifically, the display generation unit 77 superimposes the traffic congestion display image Vj, the remaining distance display image Vr, the proposal display image Va, the difference display image Vdt, and the like on the road surface in the foreground.

The congestion display image Vj is superimposed and displayed on the road surface of the host vehicle lane Lns. The congestion display image Vj is a display image showing the currently set route in addition to the congestion information of the own vehicle lane Lns. Therefore, the traffic jam display image Vj is in the shape of an arrow extending in the traveling direction (forward) along the own vehicle lane Lns. The remaining distance display image Vr is displayed above (in front of) the traffic jam display image Vj.

The proposed display image Va is a display image that proposes switching from the currently set route to the newly searched congestion avoidance route. The proposed display image Va is superimposed and displayed across the road surfaces of the host vehicle lane Lns and the left lane Ln1. The suggested display image Va is superimposed on the traffic jam display image Vj so that it appears to the driver. The guidance display image Vg is displayed substantially the same as the non-congestion display image Vnj or in a similar luminescent color (eg, blue), and suggests to the driver that the avoidance destination is in a non-congestion state. The guidance display image Vg is in the shape of an arrow extending from the host vehicle lane Lns toward the left lane Ln1, and the tip of the arrow is superimposed on the road surface of the left lane Ln1.

The differential display image Vdt digitally displays the time that can be shortened by selecting the avoidance route based on the differential time acquired by the route information acquisition unit 72 . The difference display image Vdt is displayed in the vicinity of the leading end of the proposed display image Va having an arrow shape in substantially the same display color as the proposed display image Va. As an example, the difference display image Vdt is superimposed on the road surface of the left lane Ln1 above (in front of) the tip of the proposed display image Va.

When the driver activates the left direction indicator in accordance with the traffic congestion avoidance route proposals described above, as shown in FIG. Be erased. On the other hand, the display of the proposed display image Va is continued. The suggested display image Va continuously changes in shape in accordance with the behavior of the vehicle A so as to be suitable for guiding the traffic jam avoidance route. In this driving scene, the proposed display image Va becomes a vertical arrow shape at the timing when the vehicle A moves to the leftmost lane due to the lane change following the congestion avoidance route (see the uppermost vehicle A in FIG. 5). display is terminated.

Next, in order to realize the road information display for each lane described so far, the details of the lane-by-lane information display processing performed by the HCU 100 will be described based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. The following description will be made with reference to FIGS.

The lane-by-lane information display process shown in FIG. 7 is selectively performed when the destination is not set in the navigation device 50 . This lane-by-lane information display process is started when road information for each lane including notification information (traffic jam information, etc.) is acquired and the notification point GP associated with the notification information is reached.

In S11, the vehicle position information, map data, and road information for each lane necessary for displaying the road information for each lane are acquired, and the process proceeds to S12. The map data acquired in S11 includes road type information indicating whether the road is an expressway or general road, type information of each lane, lane marking type information indicating whether the line is a solid line or a broken line, color information of the lane marking, and the like. is

In S12, based on the information obtained in S11, the vehicle lane Lns in which the vehicle A is currently traveling is determined, and the process proceeds to S13. In S13, the shape of the road in the traveling direction is grasped based on the map data and the like acquired in S11. In S13, if a relatively large curve shape is recognized for the road in the traveling direction, display of road information for each lane is stopped. On the other hand, if the road in the traveling direction is generally straight, the process proceeds to S14.

In S14, based on the road information for each lane acquired in S11, the virtual image Vi for notifying the road information of the lanes that can be superimposed, that is, the congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj are superimposed and displayed, and the process proceeds to S15. In S15, it is determined whether the display started in S14 is finished, for example, based on passage through an intersection or branch point, elimination of congestion, and the like. Based on the establishment of the end determination in S15, the congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj are erased, and the lane-by-lane information display processing is terminated.

The lane-by-lane information display process shown in FIG. 9 is selectively performed when a destination is set in the navigation device 50 . This lane-by-lane information display process is started based on acquisition of a guidance implementation request from the navigation device 50 .

In S101, navigation-related information necessary for route guidance, specifically, vehicle position information, route information, avoidance route information including differential time, and the like are acquired, and the process proceeds to S102. In S102, the map data and the road information for each lane necessary for displaying the road information for each lane are further acquired, and the process proceeds to S103. The road information for each lane includes information such as distance information to the tail end of the traffic jam.

In S103, based on the information acquired in S101 and S102, the vehicle lane Lns in which the vehicle A is currently traveling is determined, and the process proceeds to S104. Based on the map data etc. acquired in S102, the shape of the road in the traveling direction is grasped. In S104, if a relatively large curve shape is recognized for the road in the traveling direction, display of road information for each lane is stopped. On the other hand, if the road in the traveling direction is generally straight, the process proceeds to S105.

In S105, the host vehicle lane Lns determined in S103 is compared with the road information for each lane acquired in S102, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle A (own vehicle) is traveling in the congested lane Lnj. When it is determined in S105 that the vehicle A is traveling in the congested lane Lnj, the process proceeds to S106.

In S106, based on the information obtained in S101 and S102, the pattern of information presentation to be performed (see FIG. 5) is determined, and the process proceeds to S107. In S107, lane-specific road information corresponding to the pattern determined in S106 is displayed, and the process proceeds to S110. In S110, it is determined whether the superimposed display started in S107 is finished based on the passage of the branch point, the elimination of traffic congestion, and the like. Based on the establishment of the termination determination in S110, the virtual image Vi is appropriately erased, and the lane-by-lane information display processing is terminated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S105 that the vehicle A is not traveling in the congested lane Lnj, the process proceeds to S108. In S108, the user setting values preset by the user (driver or the like) are referred to, and the process proceeds to S109. In S109, based on the content of the user setting referred to in S108, the congestion information is presented to the driver, and the process proceeds to S110. Also in S110 in this case, the virtual image Vi is appropriately erased based on establishment of the superimposed display termination determination started in S109, and the lane-by-lane information display processing is terminated.

In S109 above, for example, if the user permits superimposed display on lanes other than the vehicle lane Lns, the congestion display image Vj is superimposed on the superimposable lanes other than the vehicle lane Lns. On the other hand, if the user does not allow superimposed display on other than the own vehicle lane Lns, or if the lane associated with the traffic congestion information is not a superimposable lane, the traffic congestion information is displayed by non-AR display using an icon or the like. be notified. Furthermore, if the user does not wish to be notified of congestion information for other lanes, the display of congestion information is not implemented so as not to annoy the driver.

In the first embodiment described so far, when the road information for each lane is acquired, the road information about the host vehicle lane Lns is superimposed and displayed on the host vehicle lane Lns in the foreground. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle A can easily grasp the road information about the vehicle lane Lns from the virtual image Vi superimposed on the vehicle lane Lns. Therefore, it is possible to extract useful information for the driver from the road information for each lane and present it to the driver in an easy-to-understand manner.

In addition, in the first embodiment, corresponding road information is superimposed on each of the plurality of lanes. Therefore, even if road information exists for each of a plurality of lanes, the driver can easily grasp different road information for each lane, such as which lane is congested ahead.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the road information for lanes for which AR display is difficult among multiple lanes is presented by non-AR display. Therefore, even if the projection range PA in which the virtual image Vi can be displayed is limited, the driver can be presented with the road information of other lanes far from the host vehicle lane Lns.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the road shape recognition unit 75 recognizes the curve shape in the traveling direction, the display generation unit 77 stops the superimposed display on the road surface for each lane. When the road in the foreground is curved, the congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj are likely to shift from the road surface to be superimposed. Therefore, canceling the superimposed display on the road surface based on the recognition of the shape of the curve is effective in preventing the driver's erroneous recognition.

In addition, in the first embodiment, when route information for route guidance is acquired, presentation of road information for each lane has content related to presentation of route information. As described above, by presenting information in which congestion information for each lane is combined with route guidance, the driver can effectively use the road information for each route to select a smooth route to the destination.

In the first embodiment, the traffic information is included in the road information of the vehicle lane Lns, and the traffic information is not included in the road information of the selectable lanes (other lanes) other than the vehicle lane Lns. , a guidance display image Vg for guidance to the other lane is superimposed and displayed. According to the above, the driver can appropriately move to a lane that is not congested among the selectable lanes for which there is no problem in changing lanes, thereby smoothing out the local congestion that occurs only in some lanes. be able to avoid.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the congestion display image Vj and the guidance display image Vg are displayed in an overlapping manner. According to such a display, the driver can easily guess from the comparison between the traffic congestion display image Vj and the guidance display image Vg that the vehicle is being guided to another lane due to traffic congestion in the own vehicle lane Lns. Become.

In addition, in the first embodiment, a congestion avoidance route is searched when there is no other lane to which the vehicle can be guided. Then, the proposed display image Va indicating the congestion avoidance route is displayed together with the congestion display image Vj. According to the above, according to the contents of the suggested display image Va, the driver can smoothly change the route to another route that avoids the immediate congestion.

Further, in the first embodiment, the congestion display image Vj and the proposal display image Va are displayed in an overlapping manner. According to such a display, the driver can easily guess from the comparison between the traffic congestion display image Vj and the proposed display image Va that the driver is being guided to another route due to traffic congestion in the vehicle lane Lns. Become.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the time that can be shortened by selecting the congestion avoidance route is presented by the difference display image Vdt. Therefore, the driver can easily obtain information on whether or not to implement the change to the proposed route. According to the above, the presentation of the alternative route by the suggested display image Va is likely to be perceived as more useful information for the driver.

In the first embodiment, the virtual image Vi corresponds to the "display image", the display generation unit 77 corresponds to the "display control unit", the selectable lane corresponds to the "specific lane", and the HCU 100 corresponds to the "display control unit". corresponds to "equipment".

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present disclosure is a modification of the first embodiment. The HUD device 20 employed in the HMI system 10 in the second embodiment sets a wider projection range PA on the windshield WS than in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. The angle of view of the HUD device 20 is expanded in each of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction as compared with the first embodiment. As a result, the upper edge of the projection range PA seen from the driver is, for example, above the front horizontal line. In addition, in the second embodiment, the number of lanes that can be superimposed and the road surface area of each lane on which the virtual image Vi can be superimposed are increased compared to the first embodiment.

Here, in the above-described first embodiment, when a lane whose road information includes predetermined report information such as congestion information is set as the report lane Lna, even if the own vehicle lane Lns is not the report lane Lna, the display generation unit 77 superimposed the virtual image Vi on the own vehicle lane Lns. That is, in the first embodiment, the superimposed display of the road information on the own vehicle lane Lns was preferentially performed, and the superimposed display of the road information on the other notification lane Lna was arbitrarily positioned (Fig. 4 reference).

On the other hand, the display generation unit 77 of the second embodiment arbitrarily superimposes the road information on the own vehicle lane Lns, and preferentially superimposes the notification information (traffic information, etc.) on the notification lane Lna. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the display generation unit 77, among the left lane Ln1, the host vehicle lane Lns, and the right lane Ln2, displays only the right lane Ln2 leading to the congested lane Lnj (see FIG. 4). A traffic congestion display image Vj is superimposed and displayed. By restricting the virtual image display as described above, the possibility that the virtual image Vi that partially paints out the foreground deteriorates the visibility of the foreground is reduced. The lane-by-lane road information display shown in FIG. 9 is the content displayed in the driving scene shown in FIG.

In the second embodiment described so far, when road information including predetermined notification information is acquired, a virtual image Vi representing the notification information is superimposed and displayed on the notification lane Lna associated with the notification information. Therefore, the driver can grasp the content of the notification information as well as the relative position of the notification lane from the virtual image Vi. As described above, it is possible to extract useful information for the driver from the road information for each lane and present it to the driver in an easy-to-understand manner by superimposing the notification information such as traffic jam information on the notification lane Lna.

(Other embodiments)
A plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limited to the above embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope of the present disclosure. can do.

In the modified example 1 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the traffic congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj are not displayed solidly on the road surface, but in a belt shape along the lane markings. It is in the form of stretching. Specifically, the non-congestion information of the vehicle lane Lns is notified by a pair of non-congestion display images Vnj extending along the lane markings on both edges of the vehicle lane Lns. On the other hand, the congestion information of the right lane Ln2 is notified by the congestion display image Vj extending along the division line between the right lane Ln2 and the host vehicle lane Lns. With the display mode of Modification 1 described above, it is possible to avoid filling out most of the foreground region overlapping the projection range PA with the virtual image Vi. As a result, it is possible to avoid the deterioration of visibility of the foreground due to the lane-by-lane road information display.

In Modified Example 2 of the second embodiment, the display generation unit 77 generates solid congestion display images Vj and non-congestion display images Vnj as shown in FIG. It can be superimposed on the road surface. In addition, the display generation unit 77 of Modification 2 acquires from the external world information acquisition unit 74 the relative position information of the preceding vehicle Af located in the superimposed range. When there is a preceding vehicle Af traveling in the host vehicle lane Lns, the display generation unit 77 controls the preceding vehicle Af so that the virtual images Vi such as the congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj are not superimposed on the preceding vehicle Af. The position of the upper edge of the virtual image Vi is shifted downward according to Af and the inter-vehicle distance. Such display control avoids a situation in which the lane-by-lane road information display makes it difficult to visually recognize the preceding vehicle Af.

In Modified Example 3 of the above-described embodiment, when the guidance display image Vg, the LC display image Vlc, and the proposed display image Va (see FIG. 5) are superimposed on the congestion display image Vj or the non-congestion display image Vnj, each display image Vg, Vlc and Va are changed with time. Specifically, the traffic congestion display image Vj or the non-congestion display image Vnj is superimposed on the superimposable lane including the own vehicle lane Lns, and then any one of the display images Vg, Vlc, Va is displayed as the traffic congestion display image Vj. Alternatively, it is superimposed on the non-congestion display image Vnj. The use of such animations presents lane-specific road information and route guidance to the driver in a more comprehensible manner.

Further, in Modification 4 of the above embodiment, at least one of the display images Vg, Vlc, and Va is displayed so as not to overlap the congestion display image Vj or the non-congestion display image Vnj from the driver's point of view.

As in the above-described embodiment and modifications, the virtual image Vi used to display lane-by-lane road information may be changed as appropriate. For example, a virtual image Vi indicating notification information may be superimposed on all of the superimposable lanes. Further, the road information may be displayed only on the host vehicle lane Lns, or the road information (notification information) may be displayed only on the notification lane Lna. Additionally, road information may be displayed only for lanes that are relevant for route guidance.

Furthermore, the shape, emission color, display position, etc. of each display image may be changed as appropriate. For example, the traffic jam display image Vj in pattern 1 may be an arrow-shaped display image like the traffic jam display image Vj in pattern 3 (see FIG. 5).

The HMI system of the above-described embodiment is designed to display each display image so that the traffic congestion display image Vj and the non-congestion display image Vnj are superimposed on the road surface of each lane without deviation when viewed from the center of a preset reference eye point. It controlled the shape and projection position. On the other hand, the HMI system of Modification 5 cooperates with, for example, a driver status monitor capable of detecting the position of the driver's eye point, so that each display image is superimposed on the road surface without deviation when viewed from the detected current eye point. First, the shape and projection position of each display image are controlled sequentially.

In Modification 6 of the above embodiment, a user terminal such as a smart phone is connected to an in-vehicle network. A route to a destination is set in an application executed on a user terminal by a user's operation of a driver or the like. The user terminal provides route information to the destination, related navigation map data, and the like to the route information acquisition unit 72 through an in-vehicle network or the like. In addition, the user terminal can search for a route that avoids the congestion by using congestion that occurs on the set route as a trigger to start, and can provide reroute information or the like indicating the congestion avoidance route to the route information acquisition unit.

Further, the route information acquisition unit 72 of Modification 7 of the above-described embodiment can acquire route information, map data, reroute information for traffic jam avoidance, etc. from a server on the cloud through the network outside the vehicle. As in Modifications 6 and 7 above, if information necessary for route guidance can be obtained from a smartphone or a cloud server, the navigation device does not have to be installed in the vehicle.

In Modified Example 8 of the above-described embodiment, cooperation between route guidance and lane-specific road display is not implemented. Further, the patterns of route guidance linked with the lane-by-lane road display are not limited to the above patterns 1 to 3 (see FIG. 5). Furthermore, in Modification 9 of the above embodiment, the road information for each lane is presented by AR display regardless of the shape of the road in the traveling direction.

In the modification 10 of the above embodiment, the HCU 100 and the HUD device 20 are configured integrally. That is, the processing functions of the HCU 100 are implemented in the control circuit of the HUD device 20 of the tenth modification.

The specific configuration of the projector of the HUD device used for superimposed display may be changed as appropriate. For example, the HUD device of Modification 11 is provided with an EL (Electro Luminescence) panel instead of the LCD and the backlight. Furthermore, instead of the EL panel, a projector using a display device such as a plasma display panel, a cathode ray tube, and an LED can be adopted as the HUD device.

Further, the HUD device of Modification 12 is provided with a laser module (hereinafter "LSM") and a screen instead of the LCD and backlight. The LSM has a configuration including, for example, a laser light source and a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) scanner. The screen is for example a micromirror array or a microlens array. In the HUD device of Modification 12, a display image is drawn on the screen by scanning laser light emitted from the LSM. A HUD device projects a display image drawn on a screen onto a windshield using a magnifying optical element to display a virtual image in mid-air.

Further, the HUD device of Modification 13 is provided with a DLP (Digital Light Processing, registered trademark) projector. A DLP projector has a digital mirror device (hereinafter “DMD”) provided with a large number of micromirrors and a projection light source that projects light toward the DMD. A DLP projector renders a display image on a screen through coordinated control of the DMD and the projection light source. Furthermore, the HUD device of Modification 14 employs a projector using LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon). Furthermore, in the HUD device of Modification 15, a holographic optical element is adopted as one of the optical systems for displaying a virtual image in mid-air.

Each function provided by the HCU in the above embodiments can be provided by software and hardware for executing it, only software, only hardware, or a complex combination thereof. Furthermore, if such functions are provided by electronic circuits as hardware, each function can also be provided by digital circuits, including numerous logic circuits, or analog circuits.

Also, the form of the storage medium storing the program and the like capable of implementing the display control method described above may be changed as appropriate. For example, the storage medium is not limited to being provided on a circuit board, but may be provided in the form of a memory card or the like, inserted into a slot, and electrically connected to the control circuit of the HCU. . Furthermore, the storage medium may be an optical disc, hard disk drive, or the like, which is the basis for copying the program to the HCU.

The vehicle equipped with the HMI system is not limited to a general private passenger car, and may be a rental car vehicle, a manned taxi vehicle, a ride-sharing vehicle, a freight vehicle, a bus, or the like. Furthermore, the HMI system and the HCU may be installed in vehicles dedicated to unmanned operation used for mobility services. Also, the vehicle equipped with the HMI system may be a right-hand drive vehicle or a left-hand drive vehicle. The display form of each content is optimized according to the steering wheel position of the vehicle.

The controller and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer comprising a processor programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by dedicated hardware logic circuitry. Alternatively, the apparatus and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers configured in combination with a processor executing a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.

A vehicle, Lns vehicle lane, Lna notification lane, Vi virtual image (display image), Vj congestion display image, Vg guidance display image, Va proposal display image, Vdt difference display image, 11 processing unit, 71 road information acquisition unit, 72 Route information acquisition unit 75 Road shape recognition unit 76 Lane determination unit 77 Display generation unit (display control unit) 100 HCU (display control unit)

Claims (12)

A display control device that is used in a vehicle (A) and controls display superimposed on the foreground,
a road information acquisition unit (71) for acquiring road information for each lane for a road including a plurality of lanes;
a lane determination unit (76) that determines a vehicle lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling among the plurality of lanes;
A display control unit (a display control unit ( 77) and
The road information acquisition unit acquires, as the road information, traffic congestion information for each lane indicating traffic congestion in the direction of travel,
The display control unit
displaying a congestion display image (Vj) indicating the traffic congestion information as the display image superimposed on the lane of the vehicle when the traffic information is included in the road information of the lane of the vehicle;
Even if the traffic information is not included in the road information of the vehicle lane, if the traffic information is included in the road information of another lane other than the vehicle lane, the traffic information of the other vehicle with the traffic congestion information is detected. superimposing the traffic congestion display image on the lane, and superimposing the non-congestion display image (Vnj) indicating a non-congestion state on the vehicle lane ;
When route guidance is not performed, even if the traffic information is not included in the road information of the own vehicle lane, the traffic information is included in the road information of the other lane. displaying the traffic congestion display image superimposed on the other lane and the non-congestion display image superimposed on the vehicle lane as the display images;
A display control device for stopping superimposed display of the non-congestion display image on the lane of the vehicle when the road information of the lane of the vehicle does not include the traffic information when the route guidance is performed. When the route guidance is being performed, the display control unit determines whether the traffic information is included in the road information of the other lane even if the traffic information is not included in the road information of the host vehicle lane. 2. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the traffic congestion display image is superimposed and displayed on the other lane on which the traffic congestion information is present when the traffic congestion information is present. When the route guidance is performed, the display control unit does not include the traffic information in the road information in the own vehicle lane even if the traffic information in the other lane includes the traffic information. 2. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein superimposed display of said traffic congestion display image on said another lane is also stopped at times. further comprising a route information acquisition unit (72) for acquiring route information for the route guidance,
4. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the display control unit associates presentation of the road information with presentation of the route information. The display control unit
selecting a specific lane on which the vehicle can travel according to the route indicated by the route information;
When the road information of the own vehicle lane includes information indicating congestion in the direction of travel, and the road information of the other lane, which is the specific lane, does not include information indicating congestion in the direction of travel. 5. The display control device according to claim 4 , wherein, in addition to the congestion display image, a guidance display image (Vg) for guiding the vehicle to the other lane is superimposed on the own vehicle lane. 6. The display control device according to claim 5 , wherein the display control unit causes the traffic jam display image and the guidance display image to be displayed in an overlapping manner. The route information acquisition unit acquires congestion avoidance information indicating an avoidance route capable of avoiding congestion in the traveling direction,
When the traffic congestion avoidance information is acquired by the route information acquisition unit, the display control unit superimposes the proposed display image (Va) indicating the avoidance route on the vehicle lane in addition to the traffic congestion display image. 7. The display control device according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , for displaying. 8. The display control device according to claim 7 , wherein the display control unit causes the traffic jam display image and the proposed display image to be displayed in an overlapping manner. 9. The display control device according to claim 7 , wherein the display control unit further displays a difference display image (Vdt) indicating a time that can be shortened by selecting the avoidance route. 10. When there are a plurality of superimposable lanes on which the display image can be superimposed, the display control unit superimposes and displays the display image showing the road information on each of the superimposable lanes in the foreground. The display control device according to any one of 1. further comprising a road shape recognition unit (75) that recognizes the shape of the road in the traveling direction of the vehicle;
The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the display control unit stops the superimposed display for each lane when the curve shape in the traveling direction is recognized by the road shape recognition unit. . A display control program used in a vehicle (A) for controlling display superimposed on the foreground,
in at least one processing unit (11),
acquiring road information for each lane for a road including a plurality of lanes (S11, S102);
determining the vehicle lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling among the plurality of lanes (S12, S103);
A display image (Vi) indicating the notification information is displayed superimposed on the notification lane (Lna), of the plurality of lanes in the foreground, for which the predetermined notification information is included in the road information (S14, S107). , S109), and
In the process of acquiring the road information, as the road information, traffic congestion information for each lane indicating traffic congestion in the direction of travel is acquired;
In the process of displaying the display image,
displaying a congestion display image (Vj) indicating the traffic congestion information as the display image superimposed on the lane of the vehicle when the traffic information is included in the road information of the lane of the vehicle;
Even if the traffic information is not included in the road information of the vehicle lane, if the traffic information is included in the road information of another lane other than the vehicle lane, the traffic information of the other vehicle with the traffic congestion information is detected. superimposing the traffic congestion display image on the lane, and superimposing the non-congestion display image (Vnj) indicating a non-congestion state on the vehicle lane ;
When route guidance is not performed, even if the traffic information is not included in the road information of the own vehicle lane, the traffic information is included in the road information of the other lane. displaying the traffic congestion display image superimposed on the other lane and the non-congestion display image superimposed on the vehicle lane as the display images;
A display control program for stopping the superimposed display of the non-congestion display image on the lane of the vehicle when the road information of the lane of the vehicle does not include the traffic information when the route guidance is performed.

Images