JP7613252B2 - Display Control Device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a display control device that controls a display device mounted on a vehicle.

Patent Document 1 describes a technique for guiding a vehicle to turn right or left when the vehicle approaches an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left during route guidance. A technique is known in the past for displaying an arrow guiding a vehicle to turn right or left (hereinafter, a right or left turn guide arrow) at an intersection when a pedestrian is present near the intersection, in which an image of a pedestrian resembling a pedestrian is displayed simultaneously with the right or left turn guide arrow.

JP 2012-32366 A

However, even if an image of a pedestrian is displayed on the right or left side of the right/left turn guide arrow, there is a problem in that it is difficult for the driver to grasp the sense of distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian.
The present disclosure aims to make it easier to grasp the sense of distance between a vehicle and a pedestrian.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a display control device (9) that controls a display device (8) mounted on a vehicle, and includes a right turn determination unit (S10-S30), a left turn determination unit (S70-S90), a caution object determination unit (S40, S100), a first right turn display unit (S50), a first left turn display unit (S110), a second right turn display unit (S60), and a second left turn display unit (S120).

The right turn determination unit is configured to determine whether the vehicle is planning to turn right.The left turn determination unit is configured to determine whether the vehicle is planning to turn left.
The attention object determination unit is configured to determine whether or not an attention object exists ahead of the vehicle by acquiring attention object position information indicating the position of the attention object, with pedestrians and bicycles as the attention objects.

The first right turn display unit is configured to display, on the display device, a driving lane image showing the shape and position of the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling as seen by the driver of the vehicle, and a right turn planned image showing that the vehicle is planning to turn right, when the right turn determination unit determines that the vehicle is planning to turn right and the attention object determination unit determines that there is no attention object ahead of the vehicle.

The first left turn display unit is configured to display, on the display device, a driving lane image and a planned left turn image indicating that the vehicle is planning to turn left when the left turn determination unit determines that the vehicle is planning to turn left and the attention object determination unit determines that there is no attention object ahead of the vehicle.

The second right turn display unit is configured to display on the display device a driving lane image, a planned right turn image, an attention object image showing the position of the attention object as seen by the driver, and an oncoming lane image showing the shape and position of the oncoming lane opposite the driving lane as seen by the driver when the right turn determination unit determines that the vehicle is planning to turn right and the attention object determination unit determines that an attention object exists ahead of the vehicle.

The second left turn display unit is configured to display on the display device a driving lane image, a planned left turn image, an attention object image, and an oncoming lane image when the left turn determination unit determines that the vehicle is planning to turn left and the attention object determination unit determines that an attention object exists ahead of the vehicle.

The display control device of the present disclosure configured in this manner displays not only an image of the driving lane but also an image of the oncoming lane when displaying an attention object image showing the position of the attention object as seen by the driver. This allows the display control device of the present disclosure to allow the driver to recognize the position of the attention object taking into account the position of the oncoming lane, making it easier for the driver to grasp the sense of distance between the vehicle and the attention object.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information display system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a CID and a MID. 13 is a flowchart showing a right/left turn display process. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a first right-turn display image and a second right-turn display image. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a first left turn display image and a second left turn display image.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
1, the information display system 1 of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and includes a radar device 2, a position detection device 3, a navigation device 4, a turn signal sensor 5, a HUD 6, a CID 7, an MID 8, and a control device 9. Hereinafter, the vehicle equipped with the information display system 1 will be referred to as the host vehicle.

HUD is an abbreviation for Head-Up Display. CID is an abbreviation for Center Information Display. MID is an abbreviation for Multi Information Display.
The radar device 2 transmits radar waves toward the periphery of the vehicle and receives the reflected radar waves to detect the distance R to the target that reflected the radar waves, the speed V of the target, and the direction θ of the target. The radar device 2 calculates estimated values of the lateral position x, vertical position y, lateral velocity Vx, and vertical velocity Vy from these detected values (R, V, θ) and outputs target detection signals indicating these estimated values (x, y, Vx, Vy) to the control device 9.

The position detection device 3 includes a GPS receiver and a gyro sensor. GPS is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System. The GPS receiver receives GPS positioning signals transmitted from GPS satellites and outputs the received GPS positioning signals. The gyro sensor detects the angular velocity of rotation around the mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

The navigation device 4 is configured to acquire road map data from a map storage medium that records road map data and various information, and to detect the current position of the vehicle based on the GPS positioning signal received by the GPS receiver. The navigation device 4 also executes route guidance control to provide guidance on the route from the current location to the destination.

The turn signal sensor 5 detects whether the right turn signal of the vehicle is on or off, and whether the left turn signal is on or off. The turn signal sensor 5 then outputs a turn signal detection signal to the control device 9 indicating whether the right turn signal is on or off, and whether the left turn signal is on or off.

As shown in FIG. 2, the HUD 6 emits display light for displaying an image from below the vehicle's windshield WS toward the HUD display area HR of the windshield WS. This projects a virtual image onto the windshield WS, and the driver can view the virtual image in the HUD display area HR, superimposed on the actual scenery ahead of the vehicle.

The CID 7 is installed above the center cluster CC and displays various images on a display screen.
The MID 8 is provided on an instrument panel IP in front of the driver's seat, and displays various vehicle conditions on a display screen.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 9 is an electronic control device mainly composed of a microcomputer including a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, etc. Various functions of the microcomputer are realized by the CPU 21 executing a program stored in a non-transitive physical recording medium. In this example, the ROM 22 corresponds to the non-transitive physical recording medium storing the program. Furthermore, the execution of this program executes a method corresponding to the program. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the CPU 21 may be configured in hardware using one or more ICs, etc. Furthermore, the number of microcomputers constituting the control device 9 may be one or more.

The control device 9 executes various processes based on inputs from the radar device 2, the position detection device 3, the navigation device 4, and the turn signal sensor 5, and controls the HUD 6, the CID 7, and the MID 8.

Next, a description will be given of the procedure of the right/left turn display process executed by the CPU 21 of the control device 9. The right/left turn display process is a process that is repeatedly executed while the control device 9 is in operation.
When the right/left turn display process is executed, the CPU 21 first determines in S10 whether the vehicle is traveling near an intersection and the right turn signal is on, as shown in Fig. 3. Specifically, the CPU 21 first determines whether the vehicle is traveling near an intersection by acquiring road map data of the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle from the navigation device 4. The CPU 21 also determines whether the right turn signal is on by acquiring a turn signal detection signal from the turn signal sensor 5.

Here, if the vehicle is traveling near an intersection and the right turn signal is on, the CPU 21 proceeds to S40. On the other hand, if the vehicle is not traveling near an intersection or the right turn signal is off, the CPU 21 proceeds to S20 and determines whether the navigation device 4 is executing route guidance control.

Here, if the navigation device 4 is not executing route guidance control, the CPU 21 proceeds to S70. On the other hand, if the navigation device 4 is executing route guidance control, the CPU 21 determines in S30 whether the navigation device 4 is guiding the vehicle to make a right turn. Here, if the navigation device 4 is not guiding the vehicle to make a right turn, the CPU 21 proceeds to S70. On the other hand, if the navigation device 4 is guiding the vehicle to make a right turn, the CPU 21 proceeds to S40.

When the process proceeds to S40, the CPU 21 determines whether or not a pedestrian is present near the vehicle by acquiring a target detection signal from the radar device 2. If no pedestrian is present near the vehicle, the CPU 21 causes the MID 8 to execute a first right turn display that displays a first right turn display image D1 (described later) in S50, and ends the right/left turn display process. On the other hand, if a pedestrian is present near the vehicle, the CPU 21 causes the MID 8 to execute a second right turn display that displays a second right turn display image D2 (described later) in S60, and ends the right/left turn display process.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first right turn display image D1 includes a vehicle image P1, a driving lane image P2, a right turn instruction image P3, and a vehicle speed image P4.
The host vehicle image P1 is an image showing a simplified shape of the front of the host vehicle as seen by the driver. The driving lane image P2 is an image showing a simplified shape of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling as seen by the driver. The driving lane image P2 is positioned above the host vehicle image P1 so as to indicate the position of the driving lane as seen by the driver.

The right turn indication image P3 is an image that indicates the direction to turn right by a right turn arrow that extends forward of the vehicle and then curves to the right side of the vehicle. The right turn indication image P3 is superimposed on the driving lane image P2 above the vehicle image P1 to indicate that the vehicle is turning right.

The vehicle speed image P4 is an image showing the traveling speed of the host vehicle in numbers and units.
The second right turn display image D2 includes a vehicle image P1, a driving lane image P2, a right turn instruction image P3, a vehicle speed image P4, an oncoming lane image P5, a sidewalk image P6, and a pedestrian image P7.

The oncoming lane image P5 is an image that shows, in a simplified form, the shape and position of the oncoming lane that faces the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (i.e., the driving lane) as seen by the driver. The oncoming lane image P5 is positioned to the right of the driving lane image P2 so as to show the position of the oncoming lane as seen by the driver.

The sidewalk image P6 is an image that shows, in a simplified form, the shape and position of the sidewalk on which the pedestrian detected by the radar device 2 is walking, as viewed from the driver.
The pedestrian image P7 is an image showing a simplified shape of a pedestrian. The CPU 21 places the pedestrian image P7 in the sidewalk image P6 so as to reproduce the actual position of the pedestrian based on the position of the pedestrian detected by the radar device 2. Therefore, when the pedestrian is moving, the position of the pedestrian image P7 in the sidewalk image P6 changes with the passage of time.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the process proceeds to S70, the CPU 21 determines whether the vehicle is traveling near an intersection and the left turn signal is on. Specifically, the CPU 21 first determines whether the vehicle is traveling near an intersection by acquiring road map data for the area around the current position of the vehicle from the navigation device 4. The CPU 21 also determines whether the left turn signal is on by acquiring a turn signal detection signal from the turn signal sensor 5.

Here, if the vehicle is traveling near an intersection and the left turn signal is on, the CPU 21 proceeds to S100. On the other hand, if the vehicle is not traveling near an intersection or the left turn signal is off, the CPU 21 proceeds to S80 to determine whether the navigation device 4 is executing route guidance control.

Here, if the navigation device 4 is not executing route guidance control, the CPU 21 ends the right/left turn display process. On the other hand, if the navigation device 4 is executing route guidance control, the CPU 21 determines in S90 whether the navigation device 4 is guiding the vehicle to make a left turn. Here, if the navigation device 4 is not guiding the vehicle to make a left turn, the CPU 21 ends the right/left turn display process. On the other hand, if the navigation device 4 is guiding the vehicle to make a left turn, the CPU 21 proceeds to S100.

When the process proceeds to S100, the CPU 21 determines whether or not a pedestrian is present near the vehicle by acquiring a target detection signal from the radar device 2. If no pedestrian is present near the vehicle, the CPU 21 causes the MID 8 to execute a first left turn display that displays a first left turn display image D3 (described later) in S110, and ends the right/left turn display process. On the other hand, if a pedestrian is present near the vehicle, the CPU 21 causes the MID 8 to execute a second left turn display that displays a second left turn display image D4 (described later) in S60, and ends the right/left turn display process.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first left turn display image D3 includes a host vehicle image P11, a driving lane image P12, a left turn instruction image P13, and a vehicle speed image P14.
The host vehicle image P11 is an image showing a simplified shape of the front of the host vehicle as seen by the driver. The driving lane image P12 is an image showing a simplified shape of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling as seen by the driver. The driving lane image P12 is positioned above the host vehicle image P11 so as to indicate the position of the driving lane as seen by the driver.

The left turn indication image P13 is an image that indicates the direction to turn left by a left turn arrow that extends forward of the vehicle and then curves to the left side of the vehicle. The left turn indication image P13 is superimposed on the driving lane image P2 above the vehicle image P1 to indicate that the vehicle is turning left.

The vehicle speed image P14 is an image showing the traveling speed of the host vehicle in numbers and units.
The second left turn display image D4 includes a host vehicle image P11, a driving lane image P12, a left turn instruction image P13, a vehicle speed image P14, an oncoming lane image P15, a sidewalk image P16, and a pedestrian image P17.

The oncoming lane image P15 is an image that shows, in a simplified form, the shape and position of the oncoming lane that faces the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (i.e., the driving lane) as seen by the driver. The oncoming lane image P15 is positioned to the right of the driving lane image P12 so as to show the position of the oncoming lane as seen by the driver.

The sidewalk image P16 is an image that shows, in a simplified form, the shape and position of the sidewalk on which the pedestrian detected by the radar device 2 is walking, as viewed from the driver.
The pedestrian image P17 is an image showing a simplified shape of a pedestrian. The CPU 21 arranges the pedestrian image P17 in the sidewalk image P16 so as to reproduce the actual position of the pedestrian based on the position of the pedestrian detected by the radar device 2. Therefore, when a pedestrian is moving, the position of the pedestrian image P17 in the sidewalk image P16 changes with the passage of time.

The control device 9 configured in this manner controls the MID 8 mounted on the vehicle. The control device 9 determines whether the vehicle is planning to turn right. The control device 9 determines whether the vehicle is planning to turn left.

The control device 9 acquires a target detection signal indicating the position of a pedestrian and determines whether or not a pedestrian is present in front of the host vehicle.
When the control device 9 determines that the vehicle is planning to turn right and that there are no pedestrians in front of the vehicle, it causes the MID 8 to display a driving lane image P2 showing the shape and position of the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling as seen by the driver of the vehicle, and a right turn indication image P3 indicating that the vehicle is planning to turn right.

When the control device 9 determines that the vehicle is planning to turn left and that there are no pedestrians ahead of the vehicle, it causes the MID 8 to display the driving lane image P12 and the left turn instruction image P13 indicating that the vehicle is planning to turn left.

When the control device 9 determines that the vehicle is planning to turn right and that a pedestrian is present ahead of the vehicle, it causes the MID 8 to display a driving lane image P2, a right turn indication image P3, a pedestrian image P7 showing the position of the pedestrian as seen by the driver, and an oncoming lane image P5 showing the shape and position of the oncoming lane opposite the driving lane as seen by the driver.

When the control device 9 determines that the vehicle is planning to turn left and that a pedestrian is present in front of the vehicle, it causes the MID 8 to display the driving lane image P12, the left turn instruction image P13, the pedestrian image P17, and the oncoming lane image P15.

When displaying pedestrian images P7, P17 that indicate the position of a pedestrian as seen by the driver, such a control device 9 displays not only driving lane images P2, P12 but also oncoming lane images P5, P15. This allows the control device 9 to allow the driver to recognize the position of the pedestrian taking into account the position of the oncoming lane, making it easier for the driver to grasp the sense of distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian. Furthermore, because the control device 9 displays oncoming lane images P5, P15 when a pedestrian is present ahead of the vehicle, it makes it easier for the driver to recognize that a pedestrian is present ahead of the vehicle.

The control device 9 also causes the MID 8 to display sidewalk images P6 and P16 that show the shape and position of the sidewalk on which the pedestrian is moving (hereinafter, the target sidewalk) as seen by the driver. This allows the control device 9 to allow the driver to recognize the position of the pedestrian taking into account the oncoming traffic lane and the position of the target sidewalk, making it even easier for the driver to grasp the sense of distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian.

The control device 9 also displays pedestrian images P7 and P17 on the MID 8, superimposed on the sidewalk images P6 and P16, so as to correspond to the position of the pedestrian on the target sidewalk. This allows the control device 9 to allow the driver to more accurately grasp the sense of distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian.

In addition, when a pedestrian is moving, the control device 9 changes the positions of the pedestrian images P7 and P17 relative to the sidewalk images P6 and P16 so as to correspond to the position of the pedestrian on the target sidewalk. This allows the control device 9 to allow the driver to more accurately grasp the sense of distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian at the current time.

In the embodiment described above, the control device 9 corresponds to a display control device, and the MID 8 corresponds to a display device.
Moreover, S10 to S30 correspond to the processing performed by the right turn determination section, S70 to S90 correspond to the processing performed by the left turn determination section, and S40 and S100 correspond to the processing performed by the attention object determination section.

Furthermore, S50 corresponds to processing as the first right turn display unit, S110 corresponds to processing as the first left turn display unit, S60 corresponds to processing as the second right turn display unit, and S120 corresponds to processing as the second left turn display unit.

Furthermore, pedestrians correspond to objects to be watched, the target detection signal corresponds to object to be watched position information, the right turn instruction image P3 corresponds to a planned right turn image, the left turn instruction image P13 corresponds to a planned left turn image, the pedestrian images P7 and P17 correspond to objects to be watched images, and the sidewalk images P6 and P16 correspond to target sidewalk images.

Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented in various modified forms.
[Modification 1]
For example, in the above embodiment, the attention target is a pedestrian, but the attention target is not limited to a pedestrian, and bicycles may also be included in the attention target.

[Modification 2]
In the above embodiment, when a pedestrian is moving, the position of the pedestrian image P7, P17 in the sidewalk image P6, P16 changes with time. However, even when a pedestrian is moving, the position of the pedestrian image P7, P17 relative to the sidewalk image P6, P16 may not change from the start of displaying the pedestrian image P7, P17. This allows the control device 9 to reduce the processing load of the control device 9.

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, the presence of a pedestrian is determined based on the detection result by the radar device 2. However, it may be determined whether or not a pedestrian is present near the vehicle using a camera mounted on the vehicle and capturing an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, or it may be determined whether or not a pedestrian is present near the vehicle by well-known V2X communication. V2X is an abbreviation for Vehicle to Everything.

The control device 9 and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control device 9 and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control device 9 and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by combining a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transient tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer. The method for realizing the functions of each unit included in the control device 9 does not necessarily need to include software, and all of the functions may be realized using one or more hardware.

Multiple functions possessed by one component in the above embodiments may be realized by multiple components, or one function possessed by one component may be realized by multiple components. Furthermore, multiple functions possessed by multiple components may be realized by one component, or one function realized by multiple components may be realized by one component. Furthermore, part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. Furthermore, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments.

In addition to the control device 9 described above, the present disclosure can be realized in various forms, such as a system including the control device 9 as a component, a program for causing a computer to function as the control device 9, a non-transitive physical recording medium such as a semiconductor memory on which the program is recorded, and a display control method.

8...MID, 9...Control device

Claims (5)

A display control device (9) for controlling a display device (8) mounted on a vehicle,
a right turn determination unit (S10 to S30) configured to determine whether the vehicle is planning to turn right;
a left turn determination unit (S70 to S90) configured to determine whether the vehicle is planning to make a left turn;
An attention object determination unit (S40, S100) configured to obtain attention object position information indicating the positions of pedestrians and bicycles as attention objects and determine whether the attention object is present ahead of the vehicle;
a first right turn display unit (S50) configured to, when the right turn determination unit determines that the vehicle is planning to make a right turn and the attention object determination unit determines that there is no attention object ahead of the vehicle, cause the display device to display, without causing the display device to display an oncoming lane image showing the shape and position of the oncoming lane opposing the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling as seen from the driver of the vehicle, a driving lane image showing the shape and position of the driving lane as seen from the driver of the vehicle and a right turn planned image showing that the vehicle is planning to make a right turn;
a first left turn display unit (S110) configured to, when the left turn determination unit determines that the vehicle is planning to make a left turn and the attention object determination unit determines that the attention object does not exist ahead of the vehicle, cause the display device to display the driving lane image and a left turn planned image indicating that the vehicle is planning to make a left turn, without causing the display device to display the oncoming lane image;
a second right turn display unit (S60) configured to display, on the display device, the driving lane image, the right turn planned image, an attention object image showing the position of the attention object as seen by the driver, and the oncoming lane image when the right turn determination unit determines that the vehicle is planning to make a right turn and the attention object determination unit determines that the attention object exists ahead of the vehicle;
a second left turn display unit (S120) configured to cause the display device to display the driving lane image, the planned left turn image, the attention object image, and the oncoming lane image when the left turn judgment unit judges that the vehicle plans to turn left and the attention object judgment unit judges that the attention object exists in front of the vehicle. The display control device according to claim 1 ,
The second right turn display unit and the second left turn display unit are a display control device configured to display on the display device a target sidewalk image indicating the shape and position of the target sidewalk, which is the sidewalk on which the attention object is moving, as seen from the driver. The display control device according to claim 2,
The second right turn display unit and the second left turn display unit are configured to superimpose the attention object image on the target walkway image so as to correspond to the position of the attention object on the target walkway. The display control device according to claim 3,
The second right turn display unit and the second left turn display unit are configured to change the position of the attention object image relative to the target sidewalk image so as to correspond to the position of the attention object on the target sidewalk when the attention object is moving. The display control device according to claim 3,
The second right turn display unit and the second left turn display unit are configured to prevent the position of the attention object image relative to the target sidewalk image from changing from the start of display of the attention object image, even if the attention object is moving.

Images