JPH0472733B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a driving information display device for a vehicle, and in particular, a device that recognizes the position of a vehicle driver's eyes three-dimensionally and blocks the driver's field of view. The present invention relates to a driving information display device for a vehicle that outputs an image to a corresponding position on a windshield.

[Prior art] There is always a social demand for improving vehicle driving safety, but the driver usually bears the ultimate responsibility for driving a vehicle, and there is a need to improve vehicle driving safety. In order to improve this, it is necessary that the driving state of the vehicle be displayed as information that can be easily understood by the driver. Conventionally, driving information indicating the driving status of a vehicle has been displayed using, for example, a speedometer that shows the vehicle speed, a tachometer that shows the rotational speed of the vehicle drive engine, a meter that shows the temperature of the engine cooling water, or a meter that shows the temperature of the brake oil, engine oil, etc. There are warning devices that let you know when a vehicle is normal or abnormal, but all of them only provide information about one aspect of the driving condition. In this case, in addition to information about the vehicle's running that the driver visually recognized, such as road surface conditions, the driver reads information shown on the above-mentioned display device installed in the instrument panel, and measures, for example, the vehicle speed. The speed is 50km/hr, and the road is a little wet, so I have to apply the brakes earlier than usual, so I keep driving. It can be said that such judgments necessary for driving, that is, deriving high-level driving information from individual pieces of information representing driving conditions, were left solely to the driver's experience and intuition. This is because, for example, the coefficient of friction between the vehicle speed and the road surface, its slope, etc. are detected as the driving condition, and based on the driving condition, the vehicle stops at A if sudden braking is applied.
Even if information such as "A meter ahead" is displayed in the instrument panel, determining where within the driver's field of vision is A meter ahead is still a matter of experience and intuition; This is because there is almost no advantage in displaying sophisticated driving information that combines individual pieces of information such as friction coefficients.

However, advanced driving information derived by combining individual pieces of information indicating driving conditions, such as the predicted stopping position of the vehicle due to braking as described above,
Alternatively, if the driver can visually check the predicted passing positions of the front and rear wheels on the road surface, which change as the driver steers the vehicle, it will be possible to drive the vehicle. It must be said that the safety above is greatly improved.

Therefore, it has been strongly desired to realize a vehicle driving information display device that can directly display various driving information to the driver.

[Objective of the Invention] The present invention was made in view of improving vehicle driving safety, and an object of the present invention is to visualize advanced driving information based on the driving state of the vehicle so that the driver can directly understand it. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle driving information display device that can be visually recognized overlapping the field of view.

[Configuration of the Invention] The configuration of the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above object, as shown in FIG. A driving information display device for a vehicle, comprising driving state detection means M for detecting the driving state of the vehicle.
1, recognition means M3 that measures and recognizes the three-dimensional position of the eyes of the vehicle driver M2 in a non-contact manner, display means M4 that outputs a predetermined image onto the windshield, and the detected driving state. , determine the position to be instructed in the scenery outside the vehicle seen through the windshield, and select the position and the detected vehicle driver M2.
Based on the three-dimensional position of the eyes of the driver M2 and the preset windshield shape, the corresponding position on the windshield is visually recognized so that the vehicle driver M2 can visually recognize the position to be indicated through the windshield. traveling information display control means M for determining and outputting a predetermined image to the determined position by the display means M4;
5, and a driving information display device for a vehicle.

[Operation] In the vehicle driving information display device of the present invention, first, the driving state detection means recognizes the driving state, and the recognition means recognizes the three-dimensional position of the vehicle driver's eyes.

The driving information display control means first determines a position to be indicated in the scenery outside the vehicle seen through the windshield based on the driving state detected by the driving state detection means. In other words, the location to be indicated outside the vehicle is
For example, it is determined based on driving conditions such as wheel speed, wheel turning amount, and vehicle inclination angle. It is naturally expected that a vehicle will travel on a road surface that is flat enough to run on. Therefore, even from the information on the driving state, useful driving information for the vehicle driver, such as the predicted stop position of the vehicle, the predicted passing position of the wheels, the position indicating the inner wheel difference, the position indicating the appropriate inter-vehicle distance, etc. can be obtained from outside the vehicle. It can be determined as the desired position.

Based on the thus determined position to be indicated outside the vehicle, the three-dimensional position of the vehicle driver's eyes, and the preset windshield shape, the vehicle driver can visually confirm the position to be indicated as seen through the windshield. The corresponding position on the windshield is determined so that it can be used. Finally, using a display means, the image is output as a predetermined image to the determined corresponding position on the windshield.

As a result, advanced driving information based on the driving state of the vehicle is visualized, and the vehicle driver can directly view the information overlapping his/her field of view without fixing the three-dimensional position of his/her eyes.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle travel information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a three-dimensional position recognition device (not shown) as means for recognizing the position of the driver's eyes, which is composed of an infrared strobe 2 that emits infrared light and two two-dimensional imaging units 3a and 3b. It is equipped with a detector 3 and an electronic arithmetic circuit 5 that performs image processing and recognition of the three-dimensional position of the driver's eyes. 8 is a drive wheel speed sensor,
9 is a driven wheel speed sensor, 10 is a steering sensor that detects the amount of wheel turning by steering, and 12 is an inclination angle sensor that detects the longitudinal inclination of the vehicle, which is a detector group as vehicle running state detection means. It is. Reference numeral 16 denotes a liquid crystal board as a display means for outputting a predetermined image onto the windshield. Also, 2
0 is an information control circuit as a driving information display control means, which displays the driving state of the vehicle detected by the detector group and the position of the driver's eyes recognized by the three-dimensional position recognition device. Based on this, the corresponding position on the windshield is calculated and controlled to be output as an image to the liquid crystal board.

Next, the structure and operation of each device, sensor, etc. will be explained individually.

First, the structure and operation of a three-dimensional position recognition device that recognizes the position of the driver's eyes will be explained using FIGS. 3 to 12. FIG. 3 is a schematic layout diagram showing the arrangement of the main parts of the three-dimensional position recognition device in this embodiment, and FIG. The side layout diagram shown in FIG. 5 is also a schematic configuration diagram of the three-dimensional position recognition device.

In the figure, 31 is the driver, 32 is the driver's seat, 3
3 represents a steering wheel (steering wheel), and 34a represents an instrument panel within the dart board 34, respectively. The infrared strobe 2 is disposed inside the instrument panel 34a and irradiates the driver 31 from the front. The image detector 3 includes two sets of two-dimensional imaging sections 3a and 3b, each of which has two 2-dimensional imaging sections 3a and 3b.
b is a two-dimensional fixed image sensor for infrared detection 39a, 39
b, liquid crystal aperture elements 42a, 42b, two-dimensional solid-state image sensor (hereinafter simply referred to as two-dimensional CCD) 39a,
Image signal control circuits 44a and 44b are provided to control reading of images from 39b. Further, to explain the internal configuration of the electronic arithmetic circuit 5, in FIG. A random access memory (RAM) 57 that can temporarily store and read data is stored at predetermined intervals according to data written by the CPU 52.
A timer that generates a timer interrupt to the CPU 52; 58 is an analog input port that inputs image data from the image detector 3 as an analog signal; 59;
60 is a communication port for exchanging data with the information control circuit 20, 60 is an output port for outputting control signals to the infrared strobe 2 and image detector 3, and 61 is a communication port for exchanging data with the information control circuit 20.
CPU52, ROM54, RAM56, timer 57,
Input port 58, communication port 59, output port 6
0 and 62 each represent a power supply circuit that supplies power from the battery 64 as a stabilized voltage to the entire receiving electronic arithmetic circuit 5 via a key switch 66 serving as an ignition switch.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the infrared strobe 2
is provided at a position to illuminate the driver's seat 32 from below the front, and the infrared light from the infrared strobe 2 passes through the gap in the handle 33 and illuminates the driver 31 on the driver's seat 32.
is configured to illuminate the maximum possible area of the head of the patient. In addition, the image detector 3 has two two-dimensional sensors located symmetrically across the optical axis of the infrared strobe 2.
CCDs 39a and 39b are provided, and an optical system to be described later is used to generate an image of the above range using reflected light from the irradiation of the infrared strobe 2.
It is configured to form an image on b and detect it.

Next, of the light emitting means and image detecting means that constitute the optical system of the embodiment, the configuration of the infrared strobe 2 as the light emitting means is shown in FIG. The configuration of the image detector 3 will be explained with reference to FIG. 7, and the structure of the liquid crystal aperture used in the image detector 3 will be explained with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 6A is a side view of the infrared strobe 2,
70 is an infrared light emitter, and 71 is an infrared light emitter that widely emits infrared light to the driver 3.
1 is a lens for irradiating light, 73 is an infrared filter that transmits infrared light but does not transmit visible light, 75 is a case,
Reference numeral 77 represents an inner member for fixing the lens 71 and the filter 73 to the case 75. The infrared strobe 2 is fixed approximately at the center of the instrument panel 34a with a bolt 78a and a nut 78b. The emission spectrum of the infrared light emitter 70 is shown in FIG. The light is cut off and only the infrared light is irradiated onto the upper body of the driver 31. Therefore, the driver does not feel dazzled even when the infrared strobe 2 emits light.

Next, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the image detector 3. Since the image detector 3 consists of two sets of two-dimensional imaging units 3a and 3b having the completely same configuration, the following will explain the two-dimensional imaging units 3a and 3b. 2D CCD as a set of
39a, a liquid crystal aperture element 42a, and an image signal control circuit 44a as main parts. The other set of two-dimensional imaging unit 3b has the following descriptions as "two-dimensional CCD 39b" and "liquid crystal aperture element 42.
You can read it as "b".

As shown in FIG. 7, the two-dimensional CCD 39a is mounted on a printed circuit board 86a, and an image signal control circuit 44a is formed on the printed circuit boards 87a, 88a, and 89a. In the figure,
90a is a mount adapter, which is a two-dimensional
A lens 91a with a focal length f that focuses an image on the CCD 39a, a liquid crystal aperture element 42a and a lens 91 that adjusts the amount of light collected on the two-dimensional CCD 39a.
a, Two-dimensional CCD transmitted through the liquid crystal aperture element 42a
A phototransistor 93a is incorporated to detect the amount of light reaching the light source 39a. A case 95a houses a set of two-dimensional imaging units 3a, and is fixed to the instrument panel 34a via a flange 96 with bolts 98 and nuts 99. There are two sets of two-dimensional imaging sections having the above configuration, and the two sets of two-dimensional imaging sections 3a and 3b are arranged at symmetrical positions with the infrared strobe 2 as the center, and together constitute the image detector 3. .

Next, FIGS. 8A and 8B show liquid crystal aperture elements 42a and 42.
FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of FIG. In the figure, 120, 121
are two polarizing plates with mutually orthogonal polarization planes,
123 and 124 are transparent electrodes sandwiching the liquid crystal 125. In this embodiment, the liquid crystal 125 and the transparent electrodes 123 and 124 are arranged in the same concentric circle from the outside so that the light intensity can be adjusted in five stages.
25b, 125c, 125d, transparent electrode 12
3,124 is 123a, 124a, 123b, 1
24b, 123c, 124c, 123d, 124
They are divided into d. Further, wiring is provided so that a voltage can be applied from a power source 127 to each pair of divided electrodes via an analog switch section 128. As shown in the figure, the current flowing through a phototransistor 93a that detects the amount of light is converted into a voltage output by an amplifier 129, and four switches 128a, 128b, 128c, and 128d of an analog switch section 128 are connected according to the voltage.
When the current flowing through the phototransistor 93a increases, each pair of opposing electrodes (123a-12
4a, 123b-124b,...) from the outside. Since the liquid crystal 125 has the property of rotating the polarization plane of the transmitted light by 90 degrees when no voltage is applied, the external light that has passed through the polarizing plate 120 and has become single polarized light is polarized by the liquid crystal 125. The surface turns 90 degrees, passes through another polarizing plate 121, and reaches the two-dimensional CCD 39a where the light is focused by the lens 91a. However, when a voltage is applied to electrodes 123-124, the liquid crystal 1
25 changes the alignment direction of its crystals depending on the applied electric field, so the polarization plane of single polarized light after passing through the polarizing plate 120 is no longer 90° depending on the liquid crystal 125.
Another polarizing plate 12 without being rotated
1, the amount of light transmitted to the lens 91a side is significantly reduced. For this reason, analog switch 12
8 is closed sequentially as 128a, 128b, etc., the amount of transmitted light of the liquid crystal diaphragm 42a decreases compared to the outer ring portion, and the liquid crystal diaphragm 42a performs the same function as a normal mechanical diaphragm, condensing the light onto the entire two-dimensional CCD 39a. It works to keep the average amount of light constant.

The light whose amount has been adjusted in this way is transmitted to the liquid crystal aperture 42.
Together with the aperture effect of a, a sharp external image is formed on the two-dimensional CCD 39a by the lens 91a. Two-dimensional CCD39a has an image of 512 x 512
The image on the two-dimensional CCD 39a is quantized by each element, photoelectrically converted into an amount of charge according to the amount of light for each element, and then converted into a charge storage element. It keeps accumulating. The image signal control circuit 44a sequentially scans and reads out the accumulated charge, but the amount of charge is determined by the two-dimensional CCD 39 from one readout to the next readout.
Since the light is accumulated according to the amount of light received by each element of a, the readout interval is controlled to be the same for each element. The read charges correspond to the amount of light received by each element during the read interval, and are sent to the analog input port 5 of the electronic arithmetic circuit 5 as time-series analog signals in the read order.
8 is output.

Next, the vehicle driver position recognition process performed in the electronic arithmetic circuit 5 using the above configuration will be explained using the flowchart in FIG. 9, the schematic diagram of the optical system in FIG. 10, and the image processing example in FIG. 11. do.

When the key switch 66 is switched to a position other than the OFF position, control starts from FIG. 9A, and first, at an initialization step 200, processes such as clearing registers and the like inside the CPU 52 and setting parameters are performed. In the next step 210, output port 6
0, a control signal for causing the infrared strobe 2 to emit light is outputted, and at the same time, an image readout synchronization signal is also outputted to the image signal control circuits 44a and 44b of the image detector 3. The infrared strobe 2 emits light immediately upon receiving the control signal, and irradiates the driver 31 with infrared light. As shown in the schematic diagram of the optical system of this embodiment shown in FIG. 10, this infrared light irradiated to the driver 31 from the infrared strobe 2 is reflected by the driver 31 and the seat 32, and
Two two-dimensional CCDs 39a, 3 in the image detector 3
The light is focused on 9b. At this time, the two-dimensional CCD 3 is
The amount of light collected on 9a and 39b is two-dimensional CCD3
It is adjusted according to the sensitivity characteristics of photodetection of 9a and 39b. The reflected light is transmitted onto two-dimensional CCDs 39a and 39b by lenses 91a and 91b, and is directed to the driver 3.
An image centered on the upper body of No. 1 is formed. These are shown as images R and L in FIG. The image R formed on the two-dimensional CCDs 39a and 39b,
Electric charges are generated in each element of the two-dimensional CCDs 39a and 39b by L, and readout is started from the upper left corner of the image by the image readout synchronization signal output in step 210, and as described above, the analog input is sequentially performed. It is output to port 58 as an image signal. In step 220, this image signal is A/D converted at high speed through the analog input port 58, and
The image signals are taken in alternately from the two image signal control circuits 44a and 44b and stored in two predetermined areas (hereinafter referred to as image memories) in the RAM 56. In step 230, the image is captured in step 220 using 512× of the two-dimensional CCDs 39a and 39b.
It is determined whether or not the processing has been completed for all 512 pixels. If the processing has not been completed, the process returns to step 220, and if it has been completed, the process proceeds to the next step 240. step
By repeating 220, two-dimensional CCD39a,3
When all the quantized image signals regarding the two images R and L formed on 9b are input, the RAM
This means that two sets of image information including the driver's upper body at the time when the infrared strobe 2 emitted light are left in the image memory in the image memory 56. Perform this operation on images R and L.
It is called "freeze" in the sense that it is fixed, but after freezing, image information Rf and Lf are stored in the image memory. After step 240, so-called pattern recognition processing is performed on the image information Rf, Lf.

In step 240, the image data on the image memory is
Binarization processing is performed on Rf and Lf. 2
Value conversion processing involves setting a predetermined level for the gradation information of the image, comparing it, and comparing the parts that are darker than the level (two-dimensional CCD).
39a and 39b, where the charge has not accumulated much (in other words, the dark area) is set to a black level,
Parts lighter than the level (2D CCD39a,
This is a process of clearly separating the portion where charge has been sufficiently accumulated in 39b (that is, the bright portion) to a white level. An example of this binarization is shown in FIG. FIG. 11A is the original image corresponding to the image information formed on the image memory after freezing, and the first
FIG. 1B is an example of an image corresponding to the binarized image information obtained when the image is subjected to binarization processing. The image after binarization changes depending on the judgment level of the binarization, but the liquid crystal aperture element 42a,
Since the amount of light is adjusted in step 42b, it is easy to set a determination level such that the driver's face is at a white level and the background is at a black level.

For the image information after being binarized in this way,
In the next step 250, processing is performed to detect the maximum closed portion of the white level. An example of this process will be described below. First, the image information corresponding to the binarized image is sequentially scanned, and when a pixel with a white level is found, it is assigned a number as a label. At this time, check the eight pixels surrounding that pixel (pixels a ₁ to a ₈ surrounding the judgment pixel a _p in FIG. 11C), and if there is a pixel with a white level that has already been scanned and the number has been increased, Assign the same label number as that pixel. If not, assign a new number. This operation 2
After performing this on all images after conversion, you can find the number of pixels in the closed part of the white level area (hereinafter referred to as the white area) by checking the number of images with the same label number. Therefore, the maximum closed portion can be determined and detected. For example, if this is done for Figure 11B, the white area on the face and the two white areas around the collar will be detected with different numbers, and the white area on the face, which is the largest area area, will be detected. Found as the largest closed part.

In step 260, which follows step 250, after the image information corresponding to the binarized image in step 250 has been scanned and each white area has been labeled, the largest closed portion of the white area corresponding to the face is scanned. It is determined whether or not the detection has been performed. When the image including the upper body of the driver 31 is frozen by irradiating infrared light from the infrared strobe 2, for some reason, for example, when the spokes of the steering wheel 33 cross the optical axis of the image detector 3 during steering or when the driver is driving. If the face cannot be detected because the driver 31 turned around due to driving needs, the judgment at step 260 will be "NO" and the process will return to step 210 and repeat the steps from step 210 onwards. Repeat the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that a face has been detected, the process proceeds to step 280.

In step 280, image processing is performed on the maximum closed part of the white area captured as the face of the driver 31, and parts that correspond to both eyes of the driver 31 and have different characteristics from the surroundings are identified. A process is performed to detect the singular point and to find the midpoint between the two singular points corresponding to both eyes. For this purpose, first, the maximum closed portion detected in step 250 is scanned from above in the X-axis direction, and two or more black dots are detected within one scanning line in the X-axis direction. Performs processing to detect the range in which . Here, a black point means an area where at least four or more pixels are adjacent to each other and have a black level in order to remove noise. When the maximum closed part of the white area corresponding to the face is scanned in the X-axis direction, a collection of black level areas that are not noise, that is, two or more black points detected, can be regarded as a singular point corresponding to the eye. In step 280, the range is detected and each black point is used as a singular point to find the mutual midpoint. This process will be explained in detail below. Figure 12 shows a part of an example in which part of the image information after the binarization process is expanded onto a two-dimensional plane.
This corresponds to approximately the upper half of the maximum closed part of the white area corresponding to the facial image taken by the CCD 39a.
Here, since there is a range where two black dots are found on one scanning line from scanning in the X-axis direction inside the maximum closed part, each of the black dots is considered to be the right and left eyes, and Rer, Rel and Rer and Rel
The position is calculated by setting the midpoint between the centers of each other's areas as Rc (the midpoint between the left and right eyes). Similar processing is performed on the image information captured by the other two-dimensional CCD 39b, and the position of the midpoint Lc between the left and right eyes is calculated.

In this way, the left and right two-dimensional CCDs 39a, 3
The two images including the upper body of the driver 31 captured by the driver 9b are each processed in steps 240 to 280, and the midpoint between the left and right eyes is found as image information for each, and the images are displayed on the two-dimensional CCDs 39a and 39b. This means that the coordinates at . As shown in Fig. 10, the X of the detected midpoints Rc and Lc of the left and right eyes
Let the values on the coordinates be Xr and Xl, and the value on the Y coordinate be Yt. Each coordinate is taken with the center line of the two-dimensional CCD 39a, 39b and the lens 91a, 91b as the origin.

In step 290, the distance from the image detector 3 to the driver 31 is calculated using the X coordinates Xr and Xl of the midpoint between the left and right eyes derived from the two images. FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of the optical system. The distance from the driver 31 to the lenses 91a and 91b is d, the distance from the lenses 91a and 91b to each two-dimensional CCD 39a and 39b is a, and the distance between the lenses 91a and 91b is If the focal length is f, the distance d can be obtained from the following formula.

d=a×l/(Xr−Xl)...(1) Here, 1/f=1/a+1/d, so a
If it can be considered that <<d, then d may be found using d=f×l/(Xr−Xl) (2). wanted driver 3
After the distance d to 1 is stored in a predetermined address in the RAM 56, the process proceeds from step 290 to step 300, where the position of the driver 31 in the left and right direction is calculated.

As shown in FIG. 10, the driver 31
2 central axes, that is, two two-dimensional CCDs 39a,
Suppose that 39b is sitting shifted by Xs in the left-right direction with respect to the axis of symmetry, which is placed at a symmetrical position with 39b in between. At this time, from the X coordinate Xr of the center point of the left and right eyes of the driver 31 taken by the two-dimensional CCD 39a,
Xs is calculated using the following formula.

Xs=Xr×d/a-l/2...(3) Using the same approximation as when finding equation (2), Xs=Xr×d/fl/2...(4) You may use it to find Xs. After storing the thus obtained horizontal position Xs of the driver 31 in a predetermined area of the RAM 56, the process proceeds to step 310.
Then, in the same way as in step 300 where the horizontal position Xs of the driver 3 position was obtained from the X coordinate Xr of the area center point on the two-dimensional CCD 39a,
The actual position Yh of the driver 31 in the height direction is determined from the YX coordinate Yt. The height Yh is given by Yh=d/a×Yt+Yk (5), considering the vehicle height and using the road surface as the origin in the Y direction. Here, Yk is the height from the road surface to the center point of the two-dimensional CCD 39a, taking into account the vehicle height. Using the same approximations as those used to obtain the previous equations (2) and (4), Yh may be obtained as Yh=d/f×Yt+Yk (6). The height direction position Yh of the driver 31 is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 56. After step 310, the process proceeds to step 320, where the three-dimensional position of the driver's 31 eyes is calculated and recognized.

Driver 1 already found in steps 290, 300, and 310
distance d and the left-right position of the driver 31
From Xs and the actual position Yh of the driver 31 in the height direction, the three-dimensional position of the driver's 31 eyes can be expressed by the coordinates d, Xs, Yh of the midpoint between the left and right eyes. In step 320, in steps 290, 300, 310
d, Xs, stored at a predetermined address in RAM26,
The value of Xh is read out and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 56 in correspondence with a set of data of d, Xs, and Yh as the three-dimensional position of the driver's 31 eyes.

This completes the process of recognizing the three-dimensional position of the driver's 31 eyes, and the process returns to step 210.
The above process will be repeated.

Data sets d, Xs, and Xh representing the three-dimensional positions of the eyes of the driver 31 stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 56 through the above processing are sent to the information control circuit 20 through the communication port 59 by a communication control routine (not shown). The information is sent out through the information control circuit 20 and used for processing and control within the information control circuit 20, which will be described later.

Next, a driving wheel speed sensor 8, a driven wheel speed sensor 9, a steering sensor 10, and a tilt angle sensor 12.
The sensor group will be explained.

In addition to the purpose of detecting the running speed of the vehicle, the driving wheel speed sensor 8 and the driven wheel speed sensor 9 are used to detect the friction coefficient of the road surface from the driven wheel acceleration when it is determined that the driving wheel is slipping. Both sensors 8 and 9 are equipped with, for example,
This is an electromagnetic rotation sensor using a pickup coil, and is configured to output a frequency signal according to the rotation speed of the wheel.

Further, as the steering sensor 10, a conventionally known potentiometer type or the like is used, and is configured to output a voltage signal according to the amount of steering (wheel turning angle) by the steering wheel 33. There is. When the steering amount is zero, the voltage signal is also zero volts, and a positive voltage signal is generated when the steering wheel is turned to the right, and a negative voltage signal is generated when the steering wheel is turned to the left, the absolute value of which corresponds to the steering amount.

The inclination angle sensor 12 is for detecting the inclination of the vehicle body in the longitudinal direction, and for this purpose, a pendulum type sensor may be used to check how much the vehicle body is incline with respect to the vertical direction. That is, as an inclination angle sensor, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, a resistor 400 and a conductor 401 are curved with a predetermined curvature, and are arranged in parallel on a flat plate 402 by a holding member (not shown). The voltage V of the conductor 401 when a conductor ball 403 that moves while making point contact with the resistor 400 and the conductor 401 is used, and a voltage V ₀ is applied to the resistor 400.
By measuring the angle of the vehicle, the tilt of the vehicle body can be detected.

Next, the liquid crystal board 16 as a display means will be explained. The liquid crystal board 16 is bonded to the inner surface of the windshield, which is present in the front field of vision for the driver 31, with the same curvature.
Its basic structure is that a matrix of liquid crystals separated from each other by an insulator is placed between two polarizing plates. Fig. 14A shows the overall configuration, and Fig. 14B shows C- in Fig. 14A.
Although a C' cross-sectional view is shown, the structure and operating principle of the liquid crystal board 16 will be explained below with reference to both figures.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the liquid crystal board 16 constitutes a matrix of n columns in the horizontal direction and m rows in the height direction, and has n transparent electrodes a ₁ , a ₂ , ...an (hereinafter ai
) and m transparent electrodes b ₁ , b ₂ ,...bm
(hereinafter represented by bj), n×m liquid crystals c ₁₁ , c ₁₂ , ... c ₁ m, c ₂₁ , c ₂₂ , C ₂ m, ...
..., cn ₁ , cn ₁ , ...cnm (hereinafter represented by cij) are formed. This liquid crystal cij is a cholesteric liquid crystal with a nematic crystal structure and a twisted crystal axis. Each electrode is connected to a liquid crystal display as shown in the figure.
A rectangular frame is formed in the area where cij exists.
The electrodes are made of indium oxide or tin oxide. Cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal board, Figure 14B
As you can see, LCD CJ (C ₁₁ and C ₁₂ are shown here)
are individually divided by an insulator d, and two thin polarizing plates
It is sandwiched between g ₁ and g ₂ and attached to the windshield F. The aforementioned transparent electrodes ai and bj are deposited on the surface of each of the polarizing plates g ₁ and g ₁ on the side opposite to the side where the liquid crystal is present. Electrode ai and electrode bj are arranged almost orthogonally, and when voltage Ve is applied between electrode ai and electrode bj, the liquid crystal cij existing at the intersection point
will be affected by the electric field generated by the voltage Ve. When no electric field is present, liquid crystal cij has the property of rotating the vibration direction of incident light by 90° along the direction of crystal alignment, while when an electric field is applied, the crystal alignment changes and the incident light The direction of vibration deviates from 90° and rotates depending on the strength of the electric field. The polarizing plates g ₁ and g ₂ have a property of reducing the amount of transmitted light by about half only for light having a specific vibration direction, and are combined so that such vibration directions are perpendicular to each other. In addition, the insulator d that divides the liquid crystal cij serves as a holding material to keep the two polarizing plates g ₁ and g ₂ at equal intervals, and, like the liquid crystal, the polarization plane of the incident light is 90 °It has the property of rotating. As a result, LCD board 1
6, although the amount of transmitted light decreases slightly when no voltage is applied, it is highly transparent as a whole and transmits light. Note that the periphery of the liquid crystal board 16 is sealed with a sealant e.

Electrode ai is connected to the output of each of the analog switches 401, and electrode bj is connected to the output of each of the other analog switches 402. Analog switch 401, 40
One side of each switch is connected in common, and the positive side of the power supply 405 is connected to the analog switch 401, and the negative side is connected to the common terminals 401a and 402a of the analog switch 402.
It is connected to the. Analog switch 401,4
Each switch in 02 is an information control circuit 2 which will be described later.
0, and is configured such that the information control circuit 20 applies the voltage Ve of the power source 405 between the pair of electrodes ai and bj. 1
When a voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes ai and bj, the electrodes ai,
Since the liquid crystal cij existing at the intersection of bj changes the alignment direction of the liquid crystal, the light that has passed through polarizing plate g ₁ is no longer rotated by 90° in its polarization plane, and the polarizing plate g ₁
The amount of light transmitted in a specific vibration direction is reduced by about half due to the polarization characteristics of the polarizing plate _G2 , and a portion of it is further blocked by the polarization characteristics of the polarizing plate G2, and the amount of transmitted light in the area where the liquid crystal cij is present is descend. As a result, the transparency of the intersection of electrodes ai and bj to which a voltage is applied decreases, so while the field of view through the liquid crystal board 16 is maintained, the liquid crystal board 16 is
You can output points on the top.

The structure and operation of the three-dimensional position recognition device 1 that recognizes the driver's position, the sensor group including the tilt angle sensor 12, and the liquid crystal board 16 have been explained above. The configuration and operation of the vehicle travel information display device will be explained. Although the block diagram of the entire vehicle travel information display device has already been shown in FIG. 2, a schematic configuration diagram centered on the internal configuration of the information control circuit 20 is shown again in FIG. 15. An information control circuit 20 that controls the driving information display device is configured with a microcomputer as its main part. In the figure, 500 is a central processing unit (CPU) that inputs and calculates data output from each sensor according to a control program and also controls the liquid crystal board 16, etc., and 510 is a central processing unit (CPU) in which the control program and initial data are stored. 520 is a temporary storage memory (RAM) in which data etc. can be freely read and written; 530 is a 3D recognition device 1 that operates with a built-in microcomputer; A communication port 540 inputs necessary data regarding the dimensional position, an input port 540 inputs pulse signals from the driving wheel speed sensor 8 and driven wheel speed sensor 9, and analog signals from the steering sensor 10 and tilt angle sensor 12;
550 and 555 are two output ports that output control signals to analog switches 401 and 402 for controlling the liquid crystal board 16, 560 is the CPU 500,
ROM510, RAM520, communication port 530,
A data bus interconnecting input port 540 and output ports 550 and 555 is shown, respectively. The input port 540 includes a pulse input section 540a that inputs a pulse signal and an analog input section 540b that inputs an analog signal while A/D converting it.

Next, the control of the vehicle travel information display device in this embodiment will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 16.

When the key switch is placed in a position other than OFF, the vehicle travel information display device is immediately activated and its processing begins from FIG. 16B. First, an initialization step 600 is executed, in which the internal register of the CPU 500 is cleared, and a value corresponding to an average road surface friction coefficient is set as the initial value of the road surface friction coefficient μ, which will be described later. Following steps 610, 620
Then, the driving wheel speed va is input from the driving wheel speed sensor 8 through the input port 540 to the driven wheel speed sensor 9.
The driven wheel speeds vf are each read. In step 630, the judgment level vt for requiring friction coefficient calculation is calculated from the driven wheel speed read in step 620 using vt = k ₁ × vf, where k ₁ is a constant.
640 determines whether the driving wheel speed va is greater than the determination level vt created in step 630 (va>vt?)
A determination is made.

With the drive wheels holding (grip) the road surface,
As the torque increases, the vehicle accelerates, but if the rate of increase in the driving wheel torque becomes excessive, that is, if the acceleration exceeds a predetermined value, the driving wheels will no longer be able to grip the road surface. and starts idling a little. The predetermined value of the acceleration at which the driving wheels start spinning varies depending on the friction coefficient μ between the road surface and the driving wheels, so the driving wheel speed va and the driven wheel speed
When the speed difference with VF exceeds a predetermined value, it is assumed that the drive wheels are spinning, and by knowing the rate of change in vehicle speed at that point (i.e., its differential value) and calculating the acceleration, the road surface It is possible to detect the friction coefficient μ between the drive wheel and the drive wheel.

Therefore, when the result of the determination in step 640 is "YES", that is, the driven wheel speed va exceeds the driven wheel speed by a predetermined amount, it is assumed that the limit of road surface holding (grip) of the driving wheels has been exceeded, and the process proceeds to step 640. Proceed to step 650 and calculate the friction coefficient μ as μ=k ₂ ×dvf/dvt (1). Here k ₂ is a constant. Since the driven wheels generally do not spin during acceleration, their rotational speed can be considered to reflect the vehicle speed.
The time differential value thereof is determined, that is, the friction coefficient μ is determined from the acceleration, and is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 520. On the other hand, if the determination in step 640 is "NO", that is, if the acceleration is slow and the drive wheels cannot be considered to be idling, the process bypasses step 650 and proceeds to step 660. As a result, until the friction coefficient μ is calculated at least once, the average road surface friction coefficient set in initialization step 600 is
After the friction coefficient μ has been measured and calculated even once, the value is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 520. Furthermore, each time the road surface condition changes, the friction coefficient μ is rewritten to a new value. After the processing in step 640 or 650, the process proceeds to step 660, where the vehicle speed V is calculated from the driven wheel speed vf read in step 620 as V=k ₃ ×vf, with k ₃ as a constant. Vehicle speed V is
It is stored in a predetermined area of RAM 520. In the following step 670, the steering amount S of the vehicle is determined from the steering sensor 10 via the input port 540.
Load. The steering amount S represents the angle that the steered wheels make with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (straight ahead direction), and is zero when the vehicle is traveling straight, and has a magnitude corresponding to the amount of steering, and increases when the vehicle is steered to the right. When the steering wheel is turned to the left, the minus sign is read as a value and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 520. In step 680, the tilt angle θ of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction is read from the tilt angle sensor 12 via the input port 540. The inclination angle θ is zero when the vehicle is running horizontally, and has a size according to the inclination angle, with a positive sign when the vehicle is running on an uphill slope, a negative sign when it is running on a downhill slope, Each value is read as the attached value, and RAM5
The information is stored in 20 predetermined areas. Through the above steps 650, 660, 670, and 680, the friction coefficient μ between the road surface and the driving wheels is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 520.
Each value of vehicle speed V, steering amount S, and inclination angle θ was memorized and held. In the following step 690, a process is performed to calculate the predicted stop position L of the vehicle as the position to be instructed from these values.

The calculation of the predicted vehicle stop position L in step 690 will be explained. Assuming that a vehicle with mass M is running at vehicle speed V, the time from the start of sudden braking to stopping is t, the distance until stopping is L, the acceleration when decelerating due to braking is α, and the gravitational acceleration is g Then, by mechanical analysis, V = α × t ... (2) L = 1/2 α × t ² ... (3) and from the force balance relationship, M × α = μ × M × g×cosθ−M×g×sinθ
...We obtain the three equations (2), (3), and (4) of (4).

By treating these as simultaneous equations and solving them, the stopping distance L of the vehicle can be determined as L=V ² /2×g×(μ×cosθ−sinθ) (5).
After reading out the vehicle speed V, friction coefficient μ, and slope angle θ from a predetermined area of the RAM 520 and calculating the stopping distance L using equation (5), the values are stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 520, and the next step 700 Proceed to.
In step 700, the three-dimensional position recognition device 1, the operation of which has been described in detail, transmits the three-dimensional positions d, Xs, and Yh of the driver 31 inside the vehicle to the communication port 530.
The reading process is performed via the . Upon receiving the three-dimensional data request signal output from the communication port 530, the three-dimensional position recognition device 1
Since the data d, Xa, Yh representing the three-dimensional position of the driver 31 are sequentially sent from the CPU 500 through the communication port 530. In the following step 710, the stopping distance L of the vehicle obtained in step 690 and the driver 3 read in step 700 are calculated.
The position of the point to be output on the liquid crystal board 16 is calculated from the three-dimensional position. The position on the liquid crystal board 16 is calculated in order to display this point at a position on the road surface that the driver 31 sees through the point, which is the predicted stopping position of the vehicle.

FIG. 17 schematically shows the relationship between the vehicle stopping distance L, the three-dimensional positions d, Xs, Yh of the driver 31, and the display position on the liquid crystal board 16.
Therefore, the height H from the road surface of the point to be output on the liquid crystal board can be determined as H=Yh×L/(L+d) (6). Already step 690
Processing is performed to calculate H using the stopping distance L determined by and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 520. In addition, the height h of the liquid crystal board 16 itself from the road surface
is determined in advance, so using this height h, the position Ly of the point to be output on the liquid crystal board 16 in the height direction on the board is calculated as Ly=H-h. On the other hand, the lateral position W of the point to be output is calculated from the steering amount S, that is, the angle that the wheels make with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 17B, as W=d×tanS...(7) Calculated. Since the plane that symmetrically divides the seat 32 is used as the horizontal origin, the LCD board 16
The upper horizontal position Lx is obtained as Lx=W+Xs. The horizontal position of the point to be output at this time
Lx represents the direction in which the vehicle is traveling due to steering.
Through the above processing, the positions Lx and Ly of the point at which the predicted stop position of the vehicle is superimposed on the driver's 31's visual field and output on the liquid crystal board 16 of the windshield are determined. Therefore, in the next step 720, the liquid crystal cij located at the location corresponding to the positions Lx and Ly of this point is
Knowing that, the electrodes are connected via the output boats 550 and 555.
Analog switch 401, 40 compatible with ai, bj
2. Drive the internal switch. As a result, electrode ai,
The liquid crystal cij present at the intersection of bj acts to reduce the amount of transmitted light and form a dark spot with a small amount of transmitted light overlapping the field of view outside the vehicle that the driver 31 is gazing at.

After step 720 is completed, the process returns to step 610 to repeat the series of processes described above.

In this embodiment configured as above,
As the driving condition, the vehicle speed V, the friction coefficient μ between the road surface and the driving wheels, the inclination angle θ, and the steering amount S are detected.
The driving information is configured to display the predicted stop position of the vehicle when sudden braking is applied, as well as the direction in which the vehicle will travel due to steering, and output it as an image on the liquid crystal board 16 superimposed on the field of view of the driver 31. There is.
Therefore, the driver can now know the predicted stopping position of the vehicle, which conventionally relied on the driver's experience and intuition, by superimposing it on the driver's field of vision in front of him while driving, making it easier to maintain an appropriate distance between vehicles. LCD displays have immeasurably great benefits in terms of safety, such as being able to accurately brake the vehicle or avoid objects in accordance with the driving situation, and being able to read the direction of travel and steer the vehicle. The driving information can be enjoyed from the driving information output as an image on the board 16.

In this embodiment, the horizontal position of the point output on the liquid crystal board 16 is tanS, which means the approximate traveling direction from the steering amount S of the vehicle.
However, the position to be indicated may be determined by calculating the predicted passing position of either the left or right wheel and determining the position in the left-right direction of the point to be displayed, as will be described later as a second embodiment. However, if the vehicle skids due to sudden braking, it will skid in the direction of travel at that time, almost unrelated to the amount of steering.
The term related to the steering amount S may be set as zero. In the former case, the output image accurately shows the position where the wheels will pass, making it easier to drive on a bottleneck, while in the latter case, collisions can be avoided simply by applying sudden braking. In addition to being able to clearly know whether or not the steering amount S can be avoided, there is also the advantage that the device can be simplified somewhat since there is no need to detect the steering amount S.

In addition, in this embodiment, the position of the point to be displayed is calculated assuming that the windshield is almost perpendicular to the road surface, but this is simplified for the sake of explanation, and it is difficult to actually can be calculated by knowing the mounting shape of the windshield.

In this embodiment, as a display means, a cholesteric liquid crystal having a nematic crystal structure and a twisted liquid crystal axis direction is used as an element, and a liquid crystal board 16 utilizing its polarization properties is used. It is also possible to use an electrochromic device (ECD) as an individual element, and to use an ECD display board that takes advantage of its coloring and fading properties. Figure 18 shows tungsten oxide (WO ₃ )
A cross-sectional view of an ECD combining a dielectric and a dielectric,
Here, an ECD has a structure in which a thin film laminate of tungsten oxide (WO ₃ ) 750, tantalum oxide (Ta ₂ O ₅ ) 760, and iridium oxide (IrOx) 770 is sandwiched between two transparent electrodes 780 facing each other.
showed that. ECDs can be reversibly colored and decolored by current drive, and have the advantage that the amount of transmitted light does not decrease significantly when compared to liquid crystals that use polarized light. Here, we have explained a thin film laminated ECD using tungsten oxide (WO ₃ ), but if it is a transmission type ECD, an ECD with an electrolyte material sandwiched between the electrodes may be used, or a variety of organic compounds that have been developed as materials can be used. There is no problem with the ECD used.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The vehicle driving information display device of the second embodiment has the following features: a light emitting diode matrix board 800 is installed on the top surface of the dash board instead of the liquid crystal board 16 attached to the windshield, and a driving wheel speed sensor 8 and a driven wheel Speed sensor 9, tilt angle sensor 1
The first point is that 2 is not necessary for the configuration.
It has the same configuration as the embodiment. The vehicle driving information display device of this embodiment is configured to input a steering amount as the driving state of the vehicle, and to indicate a predicted passing position of a wheel as an image as a position to be indicated. The structure of the light emitting diode matrix board 800, its display method, and the control of the vehicle travel information display device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22.

FIG. 19 is a layout diagram explaining the mounting position of the light emitting diode matrix board 800 and its display method, and FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the light emitting part 802 of the light emitting diode matrix board 800. . The light emitting diode matrix board 800 includes a light emitting section 802 in which light emitting diodes are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix, and a concave lens 804, and is installed on the upper surface of the dash board 34. As shown in FIG. 20, the light emitting section 802 is connected to the information control circuit 20 via analog switches 401 and 402, similar to the liquid crystal board 16 of the first embodiment.
Electrodes in n columns (a ₁ , a ₂ , ...an) in the horizontal direction and m rows (b ₁ , b ₂ , ...bm) in the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as ai,
bj), and light emitting diodes (l ₁₁ , l ₁₂ , ..., l ₁ m, l ₂₁ , l ₂₂ ... l ₂ m,
..., ln ₁ , ln ₂ , ...lnm) from electrode bj to electrode ai
It is formed so that current flows in this direction. Since a power supply 405 is connected to each electrode using analog switches 401 and 402, the switches corresponding to electrodes ai and bj are closed by output signals from output ports 550 and 555 of the information control circuit 20. When this happens, a current flows through the current limiting resistor 806 and the light emitting diode lij emits light. As is well known, light emitting diodes have sharper light emission directionality than ordinary lamps, etc., so after the light emitted from the light emitting section 802 passes through the concave lens 804, a portion of it is reflected at a point on the windshield F. It is scattered and visually recognized by the driver 31. At this time, the concave lens 804
takes into consideration the focal length of the eyes of the driver 31 who is gazing ahead, and works to make the light from the light emitting section 802 appear to be located farther away than it actually is. As a result, the driver 31 can comfortably see the light spot on the windshield F overlapping the front field of view. In addition, the light emitting diode matrix board 80
Since the light from 0 enters the windshield F at a predetermined input angle, some of it is reflected and caught by the eyes of the driver 31, but some light is reflected on the inside of the windshield F. A half mirror with a small amount of reflected light may be attached to increase the amount of reflected light.

Next, the control of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the key switch is placed in a position other than OFF, the vehicle driving information display device is activated immediately, as shown in Figure 21C.
Start the process. First, the initialization step
1000 is executed, and the internal registers of the CPU 500 are cleared. In the following step 1010,
A distance L is set for predicting the passing position of the wheel. This defines how many meters the vehicle's position will be predicted and indicated using an image, and is set to a predetermined distance, for example, 10 meters here. In step 1020, the steering amount of the vehicle is read from the steering sensor 12, and the angle S formed by the wheels with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is read as the amount of turning of the steered wheels. In the following step 1030, the position of the point where the wheels are predicted to pass 10 meters ahead is calculated from the distance L and the steering amount S set in step 1010. This calculation performed in step 1030 will be explained with reference to the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 22 showing how the vehicle is traveling.

The relationship between the steering amount S and the turning radius R of the vehicle is as follows, where the distance between the front and rear wheels is l, S=l/R (S is in radian)...(8) In a neutral steering vehicle, It has been established. Approximately, even for understeering vehicles, the formula
(8) may be used. If the travel distance is L and the turning angle seen from the turning center is θ, then θ=L/R (the unit of θ is radian)...(9). The distance W between the left and right wheels and the distance l between the front and rear wheels are uniquely determined depending on the vehicle, so from equations (8) and (9), from the current center point of the vehicle, L meters (here The positions Fl and Fr of the left and right wheels after traveling 10 meters) can be calculated.

After calculating the positions Fl and Fr of the left and right wheels in step 1030, the process proceeds to step 1040, where communication is made with the three-dimensional position recognition device 1 via the communication port 530, and the three-dimensional position of the driver 31 in the vehicle interior is determined. d,
Processing to read Xs and Yh is performed. In the next step 1050, based on the predicted passing positions Fl and Fr of the left and right wheels calculated in step 1030 and the position of the driver 31 in the vehicle cabin read in step 1040,
The display positions on the windshield F of the predicted passing positions of the left and right wheels are calculated. In this step, the display positions Xl, Yl on the windshield F corresponding to Fl, Fr are
Calculate Xr and Yr. In the following step 1060, in order to reflect the light emitting diodes at the positions Xl, Yl, Xr, and Yr on the windshield F corresponding to Fl and Fr calculated in step 1050, the light emitting diode matrix board 800 is adjusted accordingly. Knowing the light emitting diode lij, apply voltage Ve to electrodes ai and bj,
This light is turned on to indicate the predicted wheel passing position using an image as the position of either the left or right front wheel.

After the above processing is completed, the processing returns to step 1020 and repeats the above-described series of processing, steps 1020 to 1060.

In this embodiment configured as above,
Based on the steering amount S of the vehicle and the three-dimensional position of the driver 31, the position where the left and right front wheels will pass 10 meters ahead is calculated, and the light is emitted over the calculated predicted passing position within the driver's forward field of vision. An image created by the light from the diode is output onto the windshield. Therefore, the vehicle driver can easily know where the left and right front wheels are expected to pass 10 meters ahead, and can easily and accurately avoid obstacles, park in the garage, etc. From the predicted position of the wheels as driving information displayed on the windshield, you can enjoy immeasurable benefits in terms of driving safety, such as being able to prevent accidents caused by missteps.

In addition, in this example, the predicted passing position of the wheel is 10.
Although the prediction is made in meters, it may be changed depending on the vehicle speed, for example, or a manual switch or the like may be used to specify how many meters ahead the prediction is to be made. For example, if the image indicates the predicted passing position of a distant wheel as the vehicle speed increases, the driver usually looks at a distant point according to the vehicle speed. It is possible to know the position where the wheels are passing nearby, making it easier to visually check the information. or,
If the display position is changed using a manual switch, there is an advantage that it is possible to know the predicted passing position of the wheels after each designated distance has been traveled as necessary. Furthermore, by using a so-called dynamic lighting method in which the lighting time of the light emitting diodes on the light emitting diode matrix board 800 is time-divided and outputting a plurality of points, the tracks passed by the wheels can be indicated by images such as ruts. Indicating the positions of the left and right wheels at the same time using images also increases the amount of driving information and is beneficial for safety.

In the first and second embodiments, the three-dimensional position recognition device 1 was equipped with two two-dimensional imaging units, but the three-dimensional position recognition device 1 was equipped with one two-dimensional imaging unit and distance detection means using ultrasonic waves. 3 by means of objects or ultrasound
There is no problem in using other three-dimensional position recognition devices such as a dimensional position recognition device.

Furthermore, although the three-dimensional position recognition device 1 of these embodiments is equipped with an image processing computer, if the computer in the information control circuit 20 of the main device has sufficient capacity, image processing can also be performed by the computer. It may be configured to do so. In this case, only one computer is required, and the configuration of the vehicle travel information display device can be simplified.

As the display means, either the transmissive liquid crystal board or ECD display board of the first embodiment, or the reflective light emitting diode matrix board of the second embodiment may be used, and a transparent fluorescent material is placed on the windshield. The shape of the windshield, including other display means such as vapor-depositing or coating and irradiating light with a wavelength of around 400 nanometers from a light emitting diode etc., causes the fluorescent material on the windshield to emit light. The most suitable one can be used. In addition, in these embodiments, the position of the driver's eyes is represented by the midpoint between both eyes, but it is possible to know the driver's dominant eye and output the position of either the left or right eye. Good too.

Furthermore, when a light emitting diode matrix board is used, the light emitting diodes have good light emission directionality, and the positions of the left and right eyes are recognized, and the light from separate light emitting diodes is directed to the left and right eyes. The position to be indicated may be outputted as an image with depth within the field of view by making them incident on each of them, creating a stereoscopic view using the so-called anaglyph principle.

The position indicated by the image is not limited to the predicted stopping position of the vehicle or the predicted passing position of the wheels, but also various driving information that improves driving safety, such as the inner wheel difference and the appropriate following distance. can be displayed in the same way.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, the vehicle driving information display device of the present invention detects the driving condition of the vehicle and allows the driver to directly superimpose the position to be indicated based on the driving condition in the driver's field of view. The system is configured to recognize the position of the driver's eyes and then output an image onto the windshield so that the driver can see the driver's eyes.

Therefore, the driver can now superimpose judgments that the driver has made based on experience and intuition, that is, advanced driving information drawn from individual driving information indicating the driving condition, overlaid in his or her field of vision. Therefore, an excellent effect can be obtained in that driving safety can be significantly improved without the driver having to take any troublesome effort. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem that driving safety cannot be sufficiently ensured due to the driver's lack of experience or erroneous judgment, resulting in incorrect judgment of the driving state of the vehicle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 3 is a schematic layout diagram of the main parts of the three-dimensional position recognition device used in the embodiment. , Figure 4 is a side layout diagram, and Figure 5 is 3.
A schematic configuration diagram of the dimensional position recognition device, FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram of the infrared strobe 2, and FIG. 6B is the infrared strobe 2.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the emission spectrum of the image detector 3 as an image detection means.
Figure A is a top view showing the structure of the liquid crystal aperture elements 42a and 42b, Figure 8B is a cross-sectional view thereof, and Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the process of recognizing the three-dimensional position of the driver in the three-dimensional position recognition device. , Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the optical system, Fig. 11 is A,
B and C show an example of image processing, FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an original image, FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image after the binarization process, and FIG. 11C is a pattern. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating one method of recognizing the position of the eye. FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of the tilt angle sensor 12.
Figure A is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the liquid crystal board 16.
FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along the line C-C′, and FIG. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram centered on the information control circuit 20 of the first embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of control and processing of the information control circuit 20, FIG. 17A is a schematic side view of the vehicle for explaining a method of calculating the position on the liquid crystal board where driving information is displayed, FIG. 17B is a schematic plan view thereof, FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing the structure of the ECD, FIG.
FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the light emitting diode matrix board 800, FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of control and processing of the information control circuit 20 in the second embodiment, and FIG. 22 shows the predicted passing positions of the left and right front wheels. It is an explanatory diagram showing a method of finding. 1...Three-dimensional position recognition device, 2...Infrared strobe, 3...Image detector, 5...Electronic calculation circuit, 8
... Drive wheel speed sensor, 9 ... Driven wheel speed sensor, 10 ... Steering sensor, 12 ... Tilt angle sensor, 16 ... Liquid crystal board, 20 ... Information control circuit, 31 ... Driver, 34 ... Datsushi board, 52,500...CPU, 401,402...
...Analog switch, 800...Light emitting diode matrix board.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A driving information display device for a vehicle that instructs a vehicle driver to a predetermined position in the scenery outside the vehicle seen through the windshield, comprising a driving state detection means for detecting the driving state of the vehicle; recognition means for measuring and recognizing the three-dimensional position of the vehicle driver's eyes in a non-contact manner; display means for outputting a predetermined image onto the windshield; and viewing through the windshield from the detected driving state. The vehicle driver determines a position to be indicated in the scenery outside the vehicle, and based on the position, the detected three-dimensional position of the vehicle driver's eyes, and the preset windshield shape, the vehicle driver moves the windshield. A driving information display control means for determining a corresponding position on the windshield so as to be visible overlapping with the position to be indicated when viewed from behind, and outputting a predetermined image to the position by the display means. Features of a vehicle driving information display device. 2. The vehicle driving information display device according to claim 1, wherein the driving state detecting means includes a vehicle steering amount detecting means, and the position to be indicated outside the vehicle is a predicted vehicle passing position. 3. The driving state detection means includes a vehicle speed detection means, a road surface steering amount detection means, a slope amount detection means in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a road surface friction coefficient detection means, and the position to be indicated outside the vehicle is a predicted stop position of the vehicle. A vehicle travel information display device according to claim 1. 4. The driving information display device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the coefficient of friction of the road surface is a preset value. 5. The vehicle travel information display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display means does not obstruct the driver's field of view.