WO2023190338A1

WO2023190338A1 - Image irradiation device

Info

Publication number: WO2023190338A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/012196
Authority: WO
Inventors: 陽介大橋; 俊明津田; 大輔籾山; 里美寺島; 和弘菅原
Original assignee: 株式会社小糸製作所
Priority date: 2022-03-31
Filing date: 2023-03-27
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

An image irradiation device (42), which is provided in a vehicle (1) having a headlamp (41), comprises an image generation unit (424) that generates an image, and a control board (425) that acquires information related to a light distribution pattern of light irradiated by the headlamp (41) and that controls a display position of the image in accordance with the information.

Description

Image irradiation device

The present disclosure relates to an image irradiation device.

Head-up displays such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 are known. A head-up display can realize so-called AR (Augmented Reality) by projecting an image or video onto the windshield or combiner, superimposing that image on the real space through the windshield or combiner, and making it visible to the occupants. .

Patent Document 1 discloses an information display device that detects the passenger's viewpoint position and sets the display position of an image in response to the movement of the detected viewpoint position in order to reduce the passenger's viewpoint movement. Patent Document 2 discloses that in order to prevent the image light of the head-up display from becoming a protective color of the irradiation light of the headlamp, the correlated color temperature of the image light of the head-up display is changed according to the correlated color temperature of the irradiation light of the headlamp. Discloses a head-up display device that adjusts.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-166891 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-199886

Incidentally, the light distribution pattern emitted by the headlamp includes boundary areas with large differences in brightness, such as the cutoff line of the low beam light distribution pattern and the outer edge of the high beam light distribution pattern. The position of this boundary area changes depending on the light distribution pattern. When an image of a head-up display is displayed near the boundary area of a light distribution pattern, the image may feel bothersome to the occupants of the vehicle.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides an image irradiation device in which images are less likely to be perceived as bothersome.

The image irradiation device of the present disclosure includes:
An image irradiation device installed in a vehicle equipped with a lamp,
an image generation unit that generates an image;
an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a light distribution pattern of light emitted by the lamp;
A control unit that controls a display position of the image according to the information.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image irradiation device in which images are less likely to be perceived as bothersome.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle system in a vehicle equipped with a head-up display (HUD) according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the HUD of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at low speed and the headlights are off. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at low speed and the headlights are emitting a low beam light distribution pattern. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at low speed and the headlights are emitting a high beam light distribution pattern. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing display positions of images on a HUD according to a comparative example. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at high speed and the headlights are emitting a low beam light distribution pattern. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when the vehicle is traveling at high speed and the headlights are emitting a high beam light distribution pattern. Figure 9 shows the display position of the HUD image when the vehicle in front is traveling in front of the vehicle, the vehicle is traveling at low speed, and the headlights are emitting a low beam light distribution pattern. FIG. Figure 10 shows the display position of the HUD image when the vehicle in front is running in front of the vehicle, the vehicle is traveling at high speed, and the headlights are emitting a low beam light distribution pattern. FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The dimensions of each member shown in this drawing may differ from the actual dimensions of each member for convenience of explanation.

In the description of this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, "left-right direction", "up-down direction", and "front-back direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the HUD (head-up display) 42 shown in FIG. Here, the "left-right direction" is a direction including the "left direction" and the "right direction." The "vertical direction" is a direction including "upward direction" and "downward direction." "Anteroposterior direction" is a direction including "front direction" and "rear direction". Although not shown in FIG. 2, the left-right direction is a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-back direction.

With reference to FIG. 1, the vehicle system 2 in the vehicle 1 equipped with a head-up display (HUD) 42 according to the present embodiment will be described below. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the vehicle system 2. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 2 includes a vehicle control unit 3, a vehicle display system 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as "display system 4"), a sensor 5, a camera 6, and a radar 7. . Furthermore, the vehicle system 2 includes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 8, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 9, a wireless communication section 10, and a storage device 11.

The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the running of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control section 3 includes, for example, at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (eg, SoC (System on a Chip), etc.) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit including active elements and passive elements such as transistors. The processor includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). ssing Unit). The CPU may be composed of multiple CPU cores. A GPU may be configured by multiple GPU cores. The memory includes ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). A vehicle control program may be stored in the ROM. For example, the vehicle control program may include an artificial intelligence (AI) program for autonomous driving. An AI program is a program (trained model) constructed by supervised or unsupervised machine learning (particularly deep learning) using a multilayer neural network. The RAM may temporarily store a vehicle control program, vehicle control data, and/or surrounding environment information indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The processor may be configured to load programs specified from various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM, and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. Further, the computer system may be configured by a non-Neumann type computer such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Furthermore, the computer system may be configured by a combination of a Neumann type computer and a non-Neumann type computer.

The display system 4 includes a headlamp 41, a HUD 42, and a display control section 43.

The headlamps 41 are arranged on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle 1, respectively. The headlamp 41 includes one or more light emitting elements such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or an LD (Laser Diode), and optical members such as a lens and a reflector. Further, the headlamp 41 has an ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) function that suppresses glare to the occupants of the vehicle in front and the occupants of the oncoming vehicle. The headlamp 41 is an example of a lamp.

The headlamp 41 includes a high beam lamp 411 configured to irradiate a high beam light distribution pattern H to the front of the vehicle 1, and a low beam lamp 412 configured to irradiate a low beam light distribution pattern L to the front of the vehicle 1. ing. The high beam lamp 411 and the low beam lamp 412 may be provided integrally in one housing, or may be provided in separate housings. The low beam light distribution pattern L is an example of a light distribution pattern with a cutoff line having a cutoff line CL extending in the left-right direction. The high beam light distribution pattern H is an example of a light distribution pattern without a cutoff line that does not have a cutoff line CL.

At least a portion of the HUD 42 is located inside the vehicle 1. Specifically, the HUD 42 is installed at a predetermined location inside the vehicle 1. For example, the HUD 42 may be placed within the dashboard 12 of the vehicle 1. HUD 42 is a visual interface between vehicle 1 and the occupant. The HUD 42 displays predetermined information (hereinafter referred to as HUD information) toward the occupant so that the information is superimposed on the real space outside the vehicle 1 (in particular, the surrounding environment in front of the vehicle). It is configured. In this way, the HUD 42 is an AR (Augmented Reality) display. The HUD information displayed by the HUD 42 includes, for example, vehicle travel information related to the travel of the vehicle 1 and/or surrounding environment information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (in particular, information related to objects existing outside the vehicle 1). information). Details of the HUD 42 will be described later. HUD42 is an example of an image irradiation device.

The display control unit 43 is configured to control the operations of the headlamp 41 and HUD 42. The display control section 43 is configured by an electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (eg, SoC, etc.) that includes one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit that includes active and passive elements such as transistors. The processor includes at least one of a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, and a TPU. The memory includes ROM and RAM. Further, the computer system may be configured by a non-Neumann type computer such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle control unit 3 and the display control unit 43 are provided as separate structures, but the vehicle control unit 3 and the display control unit 43 may be configured integrally. In this respect, the display control section 43 and the vehicle control section 3 may be constituted by a single electronic control unit. Further, the display control unit 43 includes two electronic control units: an electronic control unit configured to control the operation of the headlamp 41 and an electronic control unit configured to control the operation of the HUD 42. Good too. Further, a control board 425 of the HUD 42, which will be described later, may be configured as a part of the display control section 43.

The sensor 5 includes at least a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 1 and outputs speed information as a detection result to the vehicle control unit 3. In addition to the vehicle speed sensor, the sensor 5 includes an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a seating sensor that detects whether the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, a face orientation sensor that detects the direction of the driver's face, and an external weather condition. The vehicle may further include an external weather sensor and a human sensor that detects whether there is a person inside the vehicle. The sensor 5 is an example of a speed detection section.

The camera 6 is, for example, a camera that includes an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). Camera 6 includes one or more external cameras 61 and internal camera 62. The external camera 61 is configured to acquire image data showing the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and then output the image data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 acquires surrounding environment information based on the transmitted image data. Here, the surrounding environment information may include information regarding objects existing outside the vehicle 1 (pedestrians, other vehicles including the vehicle in front, signs, etc.). More specifically, the external camera 61 detects a vehicle running in front of the vehicle 1 and outputs image data indicating the vehicle in front to the vehicle control unit 3 . Based on the transmitted image data, the vehicle control unit 3 acquires surrounding environment information including information regarding the vehicle in front and information regarding the distance and position of the vehicle in front with respect to the vehicle 1. The external camera 61 may be configured as a monocular camera or as a stereo camera. External camera 61 is an example of a vehicle detection section. The surrounding environment information is an example of the information on the vehicle in front.

The internal camera 62 is arranged inside the vehicle 1 and is configured to acquire image data showing the occupant. The internal camera 62 functions as a tracking camera that tracks the passenger's viewpoint E. Here, the passenger's viewpoint E may be either a left eye viewpoint or a right eye viewpoint of the passenger. Alternatively, the viewpoint E may be defined as the midpoint of a line segment connecting the left eye viewpoint and the right eye viewpoint. The display control unit 43 may specify the position of the passenger's viewpoint E based on the image data acquired by the internal camera 62. The position of the passenger's viewpoint E may be updated at a predetermined cycle based on image data, or may be determined only once when the vehicle is started.

The radar 7 includes at least one of a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, and a laser radar (for example, a LiDAR unit). For example, the LiDAR unit is configured to detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. In particular, the LiDAR unit is configured to acquire 3D mapping data (point cloud data) indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and then transmit the 3D mapping data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 identifies surrounding environment information based on the transmitted 3D mapping data.

The HMI 8 is comprised of an input section that accepts input operations from the driver, and an output section that outputs driving information and the like to the driver. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode changeover switch for changing the driving mode of the vehicle, and the like. The output unit is a display (excluding HUD 42) that displays various driving information. The GPS 9 is configured to acquire current position information of the vehicle 1 and output the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit 3.

The wireless communication unit 10 receives information about other cars around the vehicle 1 (for example, driving information, etc.) from other cars, and also transmits information about the vehicle 1 (for example, driving information, etc.) to other cars. (vehicle-to-vehicle communication). Furthermore, the wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure equipment such as traffic lights and marker lights, and to transmit driving information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure equipment (road-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 also receives information regarding the pedestrian from a portable electronic device (smartphone, tablet, wearable device, etc.) carried by the pedestrian, and transmits own vehicle running information of the vehicle 1 to the portable electronic device. (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication). The vehicle 1 may communicate directly with other vehicles, infrastructure equipment, or portable electronic devices in an ad-hoc mode, or may communicate via an access point. Furthermore, the vehicle 1 may communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure equipment, or portable electronic devices via a communication network (not shown). The communication network includes at least one of the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and a radio access network (RAN). The wireless communication standard is, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), LPWA, DSRC (registered trademark), or Li-Fi. Furthermore, the vehicle 1 may communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure equipment, or portable electronic devices using a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G).

The storage device 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage device 11 may store two-dimensional or three-dimensional map information and/or a vehicle control program. For example, three-dimensional map information may be composed of 3D mapping data (point cloud data). The storage device 11 is configured to output map information and a vehicle control program to the vehicle control section 3 in response to a request from the vehicle control section 3. The map information and vehicle control program may be updated via the wireless communication unit 10 and a communication network.

Next, details of the HUD 42 will be explained. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the HUD 42 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the HUD 42 includes a HUD main body section 420. The HUD main body section 420 has a housing 422 and an exit window 423. The exit window 423 is a transparent plate that transmits visible light. The HUD main body 420 includes a picture generation unit (PGU) 424 , a control board 425 , a plane mirror 426 , a drive mechanism 427 , and a concave mirror 428 inside the housing 422 .

The image generation unit 424 is configured to generate an image. The image generation unit 424 includes a light source, optical components, and a display device. The light source is, for example, a laser light source or an LED light source. The laser light source is, for example, an RGB laser light source configured to emit red laser light, green laser light, and blue laser light, respectively. Optical components include prisms, lenses, diffusers, magnifying glasses, and the like. The display device is a liquid crystal display, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device), or the like. The drawing method of the image generation unit 424 may be a raster scan method, a DLP method, or an LCOS method. When the DLP method or the LCOS method is adopted, the light source of the HUD 42 may be an LED light source. Note that when a liquid crystal display method is adopted, the light source of the HUD 42 may be a white LED light source.

The display device of the image generation unit 424 has an image forming surface made up of a large number of pixels. The image generation unit 424 is configured to form an image using a part of the image forming surface. Further, the image generation unit 424 is configured to change the display position of the image by changing the position of pixels forming the image.

The control board 425 is configured to control the operations of the image generation section 424 and the drive mechanism 427. The control board 425 is equipped with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, and the processor executes a computer program read from the memory to control the operation of the image generation unit 424. The control board 425 may be controlled to change the direction (angle) of the concave mirror 428 via the drive mechanism 427.

The control board 425 acquires the information and image data transmitted from the display control unit 43. The acquired information or image data includes information regarding the light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the headlamp, information regarding the vehicle in front, and speed information regarding the speed of the vehicle 1. The control board 425 is further configured to generate a control signal for controlling the operation of the image generation section 424 according to the information and image data, and to transmit the generated control signal to the image generation section 424. ing. More specifically, the control board 425 is configured to control the display position of the image generated by the image generation unit 424 according to the acquired information and image data. The control board 425 is an example of an acquisition unit and an example of a control unit.

The concave mirror 428 is placed on the optical path of the light emitted from the image generation unit 424 and reflected by the plane mirror 426. Specifically, the concave mirror 428 is arranged in front of the image generation section 424 and the plane mirror 426 within the HUD main body section 420. The concave mirror 428 is configured to reflect the light emitted by the image generation unit 424 toward the windshield 18 (for example, the front window of the vehicle 1) via the exit window 423. The concave mirror 428 has a concavely curved reflecting surface, and reflects the image of the light emitted from the image generation unit 424 and formed at a predetermined magnification.

The light emitted from the exit window 423 of the HUD main body 420 is irradiated onto the windshield 18. A portion of the light irradiated from the HUD main body 420 to the windshield 18 is reflected toward the passenger's viewpoint E. As a result, the occupant recognizes the light (predetermined image) emitted from the HUD main body section 420 as a virtual image formed at a predetermined distance in front of the windshield 18. As a result of the image displayed by the HUD 42 being superimposed on the real space in front of the vehicle 1 through the windshield 18, the occupant can see that the virtual image object I formed by the predetermined image is on the road located outside the vehicle. It can be visually recognized as floating. The windshield 18 is an example of a display section.

Note that when forming a 2D image (planar image) as the virtual image object I, a predetermined image is projected so as to become a virtual image at an arbitrarily determined single distance. When forming a 3D image (stereoscopic image) as the virtual image object I, a plurality of predetermined images that are the same or different from each other are projected to form virtual images at different distances. Further, the distance of the virtual image object I (distance from the passenger's viewpoint E to the virtual image) is determined by adjusting the distance from the image generating section 424 to the passenger's viewpoint E (for example, adjusting the distance between the image generating section 424 and the concave mirror 428). adjustment). Furthermore, the HUD main body section 420 does not need to include the plane mirror 426. In this case, the light emitted from the image generation unit 424 enters the concave mirror 428 without being reflected by the plane mirror 426.

Next, the image of the HUD 42 that the occupant of the vehicle 1 views on the windshield 18 and the control of its display position will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an image (hereinafter referred to as an image of the HUD 42) generated by light emitted from the HUD 42 in the HUD 42 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the vehicle 1 is traveling on the road R at a speed of less than 60 km/h, and the headlamp 41 is turned off. As shown in FIG. 3, the occupant of the vehicle 1 visually recognizes the image of the HUD 42 on the windshield 18 on the dashboard 12 of the vehicle 1. The image of the HUD 42 is displayed superimposed on the road R in front of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the image is displayed at display position A, display position B, or display position C. In this embodiment, the display position of the image means the position where the upper end of the image of the HUD 42 is displayed on the windshield 18.

In this embodiment, the height of the viewpoint E of the occupant of the vehicle 1 is set to 0° as the reference for the display position (FIG. 2). The angle θ (FIG. 2), which is located below the reference height and formed by the reference height and the upper end of the image on the HUD 42, is expressed as "- (minus)". That is, the display position A is located 2.8° below the reference height, and is indicated as "-2.8°" in FIG. 3. Display position B is located 3.8° below the reference height, and is indicated as "-3.8°" in FIG. The display position C is located 4.8° below the reference height, and is indicated as "-4.8°" in FIG. The same applies to the following drawings. Note that the display positions A, B, and C are merely examples, and the angle θ is not limited to 2.8°, 3.8°, or 4.8°. The image may be displayed on the left or right end of the windshield 18 instead of at the center in the horizontal direction. Further, the number of display positions may be plural and is not limited to three.

As described above, the display position of the image may be changed by changing the position of the pixels that form the image on the image forming surface of the image generation unit 424. The display position of the image may be changed by the control board 425 controlling the direction (angle) of the concave mirror 428 via the drive mechanism 427. Alternatively, the display position of the image may be changed by moving the plane mirror 426 or the concave mirror 428 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

Furthermore, the HUD 42 of this embodiment is configured to control the display position of the image on the HUD 42 in accordance with information regarding the light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the headlamp 41. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an image on the HUD 42 according to the present embodiment when the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 emits the low beam light distribution pattern L. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of an image on the HUD 42 according to the present embodiment when the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 emits the high beam light distribution pattern H. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the vehicle 1 is traveling on the road R at a speed of less than 60 km/h. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the HUD 42 of this embodiment changes the display position of the image on the HUD 42 depending on whether the light emitted from the headlamp 41 is in the low beam light distribution pattern L or the high beam light distribution pattern H. It's in control.

As shown in FIG. 4, when a low beam light distribution pattern L having a cut-off line CL is irradiated, the image on the HUD 42 is displayed at display position B or display position C, which is located below the cut-off line CL. . More specifically, the low beam lamp 412 of the headlamp 41 emits a low beam light distribution pattern L. The control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires information indicating this from the headlamp 41 via the display control unit 43 (FIG. 1). When the control board 425 acquires the information, the control board 425 displays the image on the HUD 42 at the display position B or the display position C, which is located below the cutoff line CL of the low beam light distribution pattern L. It is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at the display position A while the low beam light distribution pattern L is being irradiated.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when a high beam light distribution pattern H without a cutoff line CL is irradiated, the image on the HUD 42 is displayed at one of display positions A, B, and C. Is displayed. More specifically, the high beam lamp 411 of the headlamp 41 emits a high beam light distribution pattern H. The control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires information indicating this from the headlamp 41 via the display control unit 43 (FIG. 1). When the control board 425 acquires the information, the control board 425 causes the image of the HUD 42 to be displayed at any of display position A, display position B, and display position C.

Below, in order to clearly explain the difference between the low beam light distribution pattern L and the high beam light distribution pattern H, when the low beam light distribution pattern L is illuminated, the image is displayed at the display position C, and the image is displayed in the high beam light distribution pattern H. A case will be described in which the image is displayed at display position A when the image is irradiated.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the display position C of the image on the windshield 18 when the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated, and the image on the windshield 18 when the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated. The display positions A of are different from each other. Further, the display position C of the image when the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated is lower than the display position A of the image when the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated. More specifically, when the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamp 41 is emitting the low beam light distribution pattern L, the control board 425 displays the image at the display position C. This display position C is lower than the display position A of the image when the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamp 41 is emitting the high beam light distribution pattern H.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the display position of the HUD image when the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 emits the low beam light distribution pattern L in the HUD according to the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 6, the low beam light distribution pattern L has a cut-off line CL extending in the left-right direction in order to illuminate the road surface such as the road R while not causing glare to the occupants of the oncoming vehicle or the vehicle in front. ing. While the area below the cut-off line CL is strongly irradiated with light, the area above the cut-off line CL is not irradiated with light. In other words, the vicinity of the cut-off line CL is one of the boundary areas where there is a large difference in brightness and darkness. Display position A is located near this cut-off line CL.

If the HUD image is displayed at display position A across this cut-off line CL, the image may become difficult to see. Further, the cut-off line CL is a region that is often watched by passengers, and when a HUD image is displayed in this region, the presence of the image is so large that some passengers may find it bothersome.

Furthermore, even when the headlamps 41 of the vehicle 1 are emitting the high beam light distribution pattern H, the HUD image may be difficult to see. In recent years, it has become known to control the light distribution pattern so as to block the area corresponding to the oncoming vehicle in order to suppress glare from being imparted to the occupants of the oncoming vehicle during the irradiation of the high beam light distribution pattern H. (So-called high beam light distribution pattern with ADB function). The outer edge H1 of the light-shielding region in such a high beam light distribution pattern with an ADB function is one of the regions with a large difference in brightness (double-dashed line in FIG. 6). For example, when the HUD image is displayed in the upper right corner (display position D) for the occupant, if the HUD image is displayed across this outer edge H1, the image may become difficult to see.

However, according to the HUD 42 of this embodiment, the control board 425 controls the display position of the image on the HUD 42 in accordance with information regarding the light distribution pattern emitted from the headlamp 41. Thereby, it is possible to avoid displaying an image in the vicinity of a boundary area with a large difference in brightness and darkness in the light distribution pattern. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the annoyance of the occupant of the vehicle 1 with the image on the HUD 42.

Although the HUD 42 of the above embodiment has mainly been described to change the display position of the image on the HUD 42, the control of the HUD 42 is not limited to this. The HUD 42 may be controlled not to change the display position of the image on the HUD 42 according to information regarding the light distribution pattern irradiated from the headlamp 41. For example, if the image on the HUD 42 is not displayed near a boundary area with a large difference in brightness in the light distribution pattern, there may be no need to change the image on the HUD 42 even if the light distribution pattern is changed. In such a case, the HUD 42 may be controlled to maintain the display position of the image on the HUD 42, taking into consideration information regarding the light distribution pattern. By doing so, the display position of the image on the HUD 42 is not changed unnecessarily, and the trouble associated with changing the display position can be reduced.

It should be noted that although the HUD 42 of the above embodiment has mainly been described as changing the display position of the image on the HUD 42 in the height relative to the passenger's viewpoint E, that is, in the vertical direction, the display position can only be changed in the vertical direction. do not have. The display position of the image on the HUD 42 may be changed in the horizontal direction. For example, even if the image on the HUD 42 is displayed at the display position D across the outer edge H1, by changing the display position of the image to the left or right, the image on the HUD 42 can be displayed at the outer edge where there is a large difference in brightness and darkness. Displaying near H1 can be avoided.

In the HUD 42 of this embodiment, the display position C of the image of the HUD 42 on the windshield 18 when the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated, and the display position C of the image of the HUD 42 on the windshield 18 when the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated. The display positions A of the images on the HUD 42 are different from each other. When the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated, the image on the HUD 42 can be displayed in any of the display positions A, B, and C as long as the image is easily visible to the occupants without straddling the outer edge H1. May be displayed. On the other hand, when the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at the display position B or the display position C, which is a position avoiding the cut-off line CL. In this way, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed in a position where it can be easily recognized by the occupant, but the image is not displayed in the vicinity of the cut-off line CL, so it is possible to reduce the annoyance of the image of the HUD 42.

The image display position C when the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated is lower than the image display position A when the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated. When the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated, the image of the HUD 42 may be displayed near the center of the forward field of vision, where it is easy for the occupant to see. On the other hand, when the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated, the image is displayed at a low position, avoiding the cutoff line CL located near the center of the front field of view. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the troublesomeness of the image on the HUD 42.

When the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated, the image on the HUD 42 is displayed at display position B or display position C, which is located below the cut-off line CL. More specifically, when the control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires information indicating that the low beam lamp 412 of the headlamp 41 is emitting the low beam light distribution pattern L, the control board 425 changes the image of the HUD 42 to the low beam distribution pattern L. The light pattern L is displayed at a display position B or a display position C located below the cut-off line CL of the light pattern L. In this way, since the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at a position avoiding the cut-off line CL, it is possible to reduce the annoyance of the image of the HUD 42.

When the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamp 41 is emitting the low beam light distribution pattern L, the control board 425 displays the image of the HUD 42 at the display position C. This display position C is lower than the display position A of the image on the HUD 42 when the control board 425 acquires information indicating that the headlamp 41 is emitting the high beam light distribution pattern H. In this way, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed in a position where it can be easily recognized by the occupant, but the image is not displayed in the vicinity of the cut-off line CL, so it is possible to reduce the annoyance of the image of the HUD 42.

Note that the HUD 42 of this embodiment may control the display position of the image on the HUD 42 according to the speed information of the vehicle 1. FIG. 7 shows the display position of the image on the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the road R at a speed of 60 km/h or more and the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 is emitting the low beam light distribution pattern L. FIG. FIG. 8 shows the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the road R at a cruising speed, for example, 60 km/h or more, and the headlamp 41 of the vehicle 1 is emitting the high beam light distribution pattern H. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing display positions of images. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted. The speed of 60 km/h is an example of the first threshold speed.

When the speed of the vehicle 1 is less than 60 km/h, the control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires speed information indicating this from the sensor 5 via the vehicle control unit 3 and display control unit 43 (FIG. 1). When the control board 425 acquires the speed information, the control board 425 controls the display position of the image on the HUD 42 based on the acquired speed information. Even when the speed of the vehicle 1 is 60 km/h or more, the control board 425 of the HUD 42 acquires speed information indicating this, and controls the display position of the image on the HUD 42 based on the acquired speed information.

In FIG. 7, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at a plurality of display positions located below the cut-off line CL when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed and the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated. (Display position B and display position C), the display position B is displayed at a higher position. When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at the display position C.

Here, FIG. 4 shows a case where the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated and the vehicle 1 is running at a relatively slow speed, and a case where the vehicle 1 is running at a relatively fast speed. Compare with FIG. When the speed of the vehicle 1 is less than 60 km/h (FIG. 4), the image of the HUD 42 is also displayed at the display position C.
On the other hand, when the speed of the vehicle 1 is 60 km/h or more (FIG. 7), the image of the HUD 42 is displayed only at the display position B. Comparing FIG. 7 and FIG. 4, the display position B when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed is higher than the display position C when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively low speed. Display position C is an example of a first display position. Display position B is an example of a second display position.

Similarly, in FIG. 8, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed and the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated, the image of the HUD 42 in FIG. is displayed at display position A or display position B. When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at the display position C.

Here, FIG. 5 shows a case where the high beam light distribution pattern H is irradiated and the vehicle 1 is running at a relatively slow speed, and a case where the vehicle 1 is running at a relatively fast speed. Compare with FIG. When the speed of the vehicle 1 is less than 60 km/h (FIG. 5), the image of the HUD 42 is also displayed at the display position C. On the other hand, when the speed of the vehicle 1 is 60 km/h or more (FIG. 8), the image of the HUD 42 is displayed at display position A or display position B, but not at display position C. Comparing FIG. 8 and FIG. 5, display position A or display position B is higher than display position C. Display position C is an example of a first display position. Display position A or display position B is an example of a second display position.

Note that the display position of the image may be changed by continuously changing the angle θ from the display position B to the display position C little by little according to the speed of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the display position of the image may be changed from display position B to display position C based on a speed of 60 km/h. The same applies to changing from display position C to display position B. The same applies from display position A to display position B, from display position A to display position B, and vice versa.

When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, the passenger's viewpoint E tends to be higher than when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a slow speed. This is because the faster the traveling speed, the more the occupant tries to see into the distance. According to the HUD 42 of this embodiment, the display position of the image on the HUD 42 is controlled according to not only the information regarding the light distribution pattern but also the speed information of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the display position A or display position B of the image on the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively fast speed is the display position A or the display position B of the image on the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively slow speed. Higher than position C. Therefore, even if the passenger's viewpoint E becomes higher due to the vehicle 1 traveling faster, the image can be displayed at a position that is easier for the passenger to see, while reducing the annoyance of the image on the HUD 42.

Note that the speed of 60 km/h is an example, and the reference threshold speed is not limited to this. The threshold value is not limited to one, and a plurality of threshold values may be provided.

The HUD 42 of this embodiment may control the display position of the image on the HUD 42 depending on the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 in front of the vehicle 1. In FIG. 9, a vehicle 100 in front is traveling in front of vehicle 1, vehicle 1 is traveling on road R at a speed of less than 60 km/h, and headlamps 41 of vehicle 1 have a low beam light distribution pattern. It is a schematic diagram which shows the display position of the image of HUD42 in the case of irradiating L. In FIG. 10, a vehicle 100 in front is running in front of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 is traveling on a road R at a speed of 60 km/h or more, and the headlamps 41 of the vehicle 1 have a low beam light distribution pattern. It is a schematic diagram which shows the display position of the image of HUD42 in the case of irradiating L. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in front of the vehicle 1, a vehicle 100 in front is traveling on the road R. At this time, the headlamp 41 emits the low beam light distribution pattern L so as not to give glare to the occupants of the vehicle 100 in front. Furthermore, the headlamp 41 has an ADB function that controls the light distribution pattern of the headlamp 41 so as not to irradiate the area corresponding to the vehicle in front 100 even when emitting the high beam light distribution pattern H. It may have. Control of the display position of the image on the HUD 42 is the same whether the headlamp 41 emits the low beam light distribution pattern L or when the headlamp 41 emits the high beam light distribution pattern H together with the ADB function. Hereinafter, a case where the headlamp 41 emits the low beam light distribution pattern L will be described.

The external camera 61 detects the vehicle in front 100 and outputs image data showing the vehicle in front 100 to the vehicle control unit 3 (FIG. 1). The vehicle control unit 3 generates preceding vehicle information based on the image data, and outputs it to the control board 425 via the display control unit 43. The preceding vehicle information includes information regarding the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle 100, and the distance and position of the preceding vehicle 100 with respect to the vehicle 1. The control board 425 that has acquired the vehicle-in-front information is configured to display the image on the HUD 42 so that it does not overlap with the vehicle in front 100.

In FIG. 9, the image of the HUD 42 is located below the cutoff line CL and the vehicle in front 100 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively slow speed and the low beam light distribution pattern L is irradiated. If so, it is displayed at either display position B or display position C. Since the display position A is located at a position overlapping the vehicle in front 100, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at the display position A.

On the other hand, in FIG. 10, the image of the HUD 42 is displayed below the cut-off line CL and the vehicle in front 100 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed and the low beam light distribution pattern L is illuminated. Among the plurality of display positions (display position B and display position C) located at , the display position B is displayed at a higher position. When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed, it is preferable that the image of the HUD 42 is not displayed at the display position C.

As described above, according to the HUD 42 of this embodiment, the control board 425 displays the HUD image so that it does not overlap with the vehicle in front 100. Thereby, it is easy to prevent the occupant's attention from being diverted from driving due to the image on the HUD 42 overlapping with the vehicle in front 100.

Further, even if the vehicle 100 in front is traveling in front of the vehicle 1, the display position B of the image on the HUD 42 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively high speed is It is higher than the display position C of the image on the HUD 42 when the vehicle is traveling at a slow speed. Therefore, even if the front vehicle 100 is running in front of the vehicle 1 and the passenger's viewpoint E becomes higher due to the vehicle 1 traveling faster, it is not possible to display the image at a position that is easily visible to the passenger. can.

Note that in the above description, the angle formed by the reference height and the upper end of the image on the HUD 42 is θ, but the angle θ is not limited to this. The angle formed by the height of the reference and the upper end of the display area where the image forming surface can display an image may be set to θ.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted to be limited by the description of the present embodiments. This embodiment is merely an example, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2022-059110 filed on March 31, 2022, and incorporates all the contents described in the said Japanese application.

Claims

An image irradiation device installed in a vehicle equipped with a lamp,
an image generation unit that generates an image;
an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a light distribution pattern of light emitted by the lamp;
An image irradiation device, comprising: a control section that controls a display position of the image according to the information.
The lamp is configured to emit a light distribution pattern with a cutoff line that has a cutoff line extending in the left-right direction, and a light distribution pattern without a cutoff line that does not have the cutoff line,
The image irradiation device is configured to display the image on a display unit toward an occupant of the vehicle,
The display position of the image on the display unit when the light distribution pattern with cut-off line is irradiated and the display position of the image on the display unit when the light distribution pattern without cut-off line is irradiated are mutually different. The image irradiation device according to claim 1, which is different.
3. The display position of the image when the light distribution pattern with cut-off line is irradiated is lower than the display position of the image when the light distribution pattern without cut-off line is irradiated. image irradiation device.
The image irradiation device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the display position of the image when the cut-off line light distribution pattern is irradiated is below the cut-off line.
The lamp is configured to emit a low beam light distribution pattern as the cut-off line light distribution pattern,
When the acquisition unit acquires information indicating that the lamp emits the low beam light distribution pattern, the control unit displays the image below a cut-off line of the low beam light distribution pattern. The image irradiation device according to any one of Items 2 to 4.
The lamp is configured to emit a high beam light distribution pattern as the cut-off line non-light distribution pattern,
When the acquisition unit acquires the information indicating that the lamp is emitting the low beam light distribution pattern, the control unit transmits the image to indicate that the lamp is emitting the high beam light distribution pattern. The image irradiation device according to claim 5, wherein the information displayed is displayed lower than when the acquisition unit acquires the information.
The acquisition unit acquires information about a vehicle in front of the vehicle from a vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle in front of the vehicle;
The image according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the acquisition unit acquires the information on the vehicle in front, the control unit displays the image so as not to overlap the detected vehicle in front. Irradiation device.
The acquisition unit acquires speed information from a speed detection unit that detects the speed of the vehicle,
The image irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit controls the display position of the image according to the speed information.
The acquisition unit acquires speed information from a speed detection unit that detects the speed of the vehicle,
When the acquisition unit acquires speed information indicating that the speed of the vehicle is less than a first threshold speed, the control unit displays the image at a first display position;
When the acquisition unit acquires speed information indicating that the speed of the vehicle is equal to or higher than the first threshold speed, the control unit displays the image at a second display position;
The image irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second display position is higher than the first display position.