Patent Application
20240001843
The present disclosure relates to a display device for a vehicle.
A conventionally known technology uses a display device such as a head-up display (HUD) to encourage a viewer such as a vehicle driver to look ahead when an object to be notified to the viewer is detected in front of the vehicle.
Nowadays, display devices have become capable of displaying information in various ways, which has led to the use of various areas in vehicles as display areas. For example, a narrow area can be used as a display area of a display device, such as a light-shielding section (so-called black ceramic band) formed along a lower edge of a windshield extending in a left-right direction.
Note here that in the case of a display device that displays various information at different locations or in the case of a display device that has a single but relatively small display area, for example, a viewer can fail to notice the information, and thus the display device can fail to convey the information appropriately.
The present disclosure was achieved in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an objective thereof is to provide a display device enabled to convey information appropriately.
In order to solve the above-described problems, a display device according to the present disclosure includes: a display that displays, in a display area, a warning indicator for notifying a viewer of a warning object located outside a vehicle and an attention-grabbing indicator for drawing attention of the viewer to the warning indicator; and a display controller that controls and directs, upon detection of the warning object, the display to display the warning indicator in the display area at a warning position corresponding to the warning object and to display the attention-grabbing indicator in such a manner that the attention-grabbing indicator advances from a position other than the warning position toward the warning position.
The display device according to the present disclosure is enabled to convey information appropriately.
The following describes a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure on the basis of the accompanying drawings. The display device according to the present disclosure is, for example, applicable to display devices for conveying information to viewers such as drivers of automobiles, motorcycles, ships, agricultural machinery, and construction machinery (vehicles). The present embodiment is described using, as an example, a display device that is mounted in an automobile, which is an example of a vehicle, and displays desired information based on, for example, various information obtained from the automobile.
In the following description, “Front”, “Back”, “Top”, “Bottom”, “Right” and “Left” follow the definitions “Fr.”, “Re.”, “To.”, “Bo.”, “R” and “L” in
The display device 10 is mounted in the vehicle 1 and housed in an instrument panel 5 of the vehicle 1. The instrument panel 5 has an opening 6 formed to extend in the left-right direction as shown in
The display device 10 has an LED unit 11 (display) and a display controller 30.
The LED unit 11 has a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources and an LED driver. The LEDs have three colors, i.e., red, green, and blue (RGB), and produce and emit display light L. The plurality of LEDs are arranged in the left-right direction, and it is possible to form desired shapes (designs) by turning on and off different combinations of LEDs. The LED driver controls luminance and turning on or off of each LED based on instructions from the display controller 30. It should be noted that the display controller 30 may double as the LED driver.
The LED unit 11 displays and conveys various information within the display area 8 shown in
A housing 12 houses the LED unit 11. The housing 12 has an opening for emitting the display light L emitted from the LEDs out of the housing 12. This opening is covered by the protective cover 7 as well as the opening 6 of the instrument panel 5 described above. The display light L emitted through the protective cover 7 illuminates the light-shielding section 4 (projection member) of the windshield 3 of the vehicle 1. The light-shielding section 4 is made from, for example, black ceramics and has a light-shielding color such as black. The light-shielding section 4 is formed, for example, to prevent sunlight-induced deterioration of an adhesive fixing the windshield 3 to the vehicle 1, to hide the adhesive, and to improve the design. The driver 2 (viewer) of the vehicle 1 sees, as a virtual image V, the display light L that has been reflected. In other words, the driver 2 sees the display light L as the virtual image V in front of the light-shielding section 4 (in front of the vehicle 1 or the windshield 3).
The display controller 30 has, for example, a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and executes predetermined arithmetic processing in accordance with a program written in the ROM. Specifically, the display controller 30 controls the LED unit 11 based on, for example, information obtained from a vehicle ECU 43 of the vehicle 1 described below to display desired information. Details of the control by the display controller 30 are described below.
In addition to the display device 10, the vehicle 1 has a gaze sensor 41, an external sensor 42, and the vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) 43. The display controller 30, the gaze sensor 41, the external sensor 42, and the vehicle ECU 43 are connected, for example, via a controller area network (CAN) bus 45.
The gaze sensor 41 includes, for example, a camera that captures an image of the driver 2 and an image processor, and detects the gaze (viewing position and gazing direction) of the driver 2. It should be noted that the gaze sensor 41 may be disposed on the display device 10 side rather than on the vehicle 1 side. For example, the gaze sensor 41 may be disposed in the housing 12 of the display device 10.
The external sensor 42 detects and identifies objects such as people, structures, and other vehicles present in external surroundings to the top, bottom, front, back, left, and right of the vehicle 1 (locations around the vehicle 1) and positions of the objects. Examples of the external sensor 42 include: a stereo camera that captures images of the scenery around the vehicle 1; a range-finding sensor such as a laser imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor that measures the distance from the vehicle 1 to an object; a sonar, an ultrasonic sensor, and a millimeter-wave radar that detect objects located around the vehicle 1.
The vehicle ECU 43 obtains vehicle information necessary for driving the vehicle 1, such as vehicle speed and engine rotation speed, from various sensors provided on the vehicle 1, and controls operation of the vehicle 1.
The following describes warning display processing to be performed by the display device 10. As described above, the display device 10 according to the present embodiment uses an area within the light-shielding section 4 as the display area 8, and provides notification in the line-shaped display area 8 that is elongate in the left-right direction and considerably short in the top-bottom direction compared to the length in the left-right direction. Specifically, when the external sensor 42 detects a warning object located outside the vehicle 1, the display device 10 displays a warning indicator for notifying the driver 2 of the presence of the warning object. Examples of warning objects include pedestrians, bicycles, fallen objects on the road, and any other objects located in front of the vehicle 1 and posing a safety hazard to driving. The warning indicator is, for example, displayed with a predetermined width in a warning color such as red in the display area 8 at a position (hereinafter referred to as “warning position”) in the left-right direction corresponding to the position of the warning object in the left-right direction. The warning position refers to, for example, a location on the display area 8 that is on a line connecting the viewpoint of the driver 2 and the warning object.
Note here that the display device 10, which displays the warning indicator at the warning position corresponding to the position of the warning object, is only capable of conveying information to the driver 2 by emitting predetermined colors of light (by lighting LEDs) at the position of the warning object. In other words, the warning indicator is not letters, symbols, or other information that carry meanings, and the driver 2 can fail to notice the warning indicator. The display device 10 according to the present embodiment therefore displays an attention-grabbing indicator when displaying the warning indicator to appropriately notify the driver 2 of the warning. The following describes the warning display processing to be performed by the display device 10 in detail.
In Step S1, the display controller 30 determines whether or not a warning object has been detected. The display controller 30 determines the detection of a warning object by obtaining a detection result from the external sensor 42. Upon determining that no warning object has been detected (NO in Step S1), the display controller 30 waits until determining that a warning object has been detected.
On the other hand, upon determining that a warning object has been detected (YES in Step S1), the display controller 30 displays a warning indicator and an attention-grabbing indicator in Step S2. The attention-grabbing indicator is displayed, for example, in a different color from the warning indicator (for example, in yellow in a case where the warning indicator is displayed in red) to draw the attention of the driver 2 to the warning indicator. Note here that,
The display controller 30 displays the warning indicator 51 as shown in
Specifically, as shown in
Specifically, immediately after starting the display of the attention-grabbing indicator 52, the display controller 30 is displaying the attention-grabbing indicator 52 that has a first width spanning from a left end thereof coinciding with a left end of the display area 8 as shown in
It should be noted that the display controller 30 may cause the attention-grabbing indicator 52 to advance by, instead of increasing the width along the line, gradually moving the attention-grabbing indicator 52 toward the warning indicator while maintaining the width of the attention-grabbing indicator 52 unchanged over time. That is, “causing the attention-grabbing indicator 52 to advance” includes extending the width of the attention-grabbing indicator 52 toward the warning indicator 51 (moving the right end of the attention-grabbing indicator 52 toward the warning indicator 51) and moving the attention-grabbing indicator 52 having a fixed width itself toward the warning indicator 51. The advancing direction of the attention-grabbing indicator 52 is determined according to the position of the warning indicator 51. That is, in a case where the warning indicator 51 is located to the right of the center of the display area 8, the attention-grabbing indicator 52 advances from left to right. In a case where the warning indicator 51 is located to the left of the center of the display area 8, the attention-grabbing indicator 52 advances from right to left. The starting point of the advancing attention-grabbing indicator 52 is not limited to the right end or the left end of the display area 8.
By causing the attention-grabbing indicator 52 to advance toward the warning indicator 51 as described above, the display controller 30 can draw the attention of the driver 2 to the warning indicator 51 displayed in the display area 8 at the position corresponding to the warning object 50. As a result, the display controller 30 can make the driver 2 recognize the warning object 50.
The display controller 30 may also vary the mode of the warning indicator 51 according to the type of the warning object 50.
The above-described configuration allows the driver 2 to intuitively recognize the type of the warning object 50 based on the difference in the display mode including the width of the warning indicator 51.
The display controller 30 may also vary the mode of the warning indicator 51 according to the traveling direction of the warning object 50.
When detecting the warning object 50 crossing in front of the vehicle 1 as shown in
The above-described configuration allows the driver 2 to intuitively recognize the level of danger associated with the traveling direction of the warning object 50 based on the difference in the display mode including the color of the warning indicator 51.
The display controller 30 may also vary the mode of the warning indicator 51 according to the speed of the warning object 50.
The above-described configuration allows the driver 2 to intuitively recognize the speed of the warning object 50 based on the difference in the display mode including the difference in the rate of change in the gradient of the warning indicator 51.
In Step S3, the display controller 30 determines whether or not the driver 2 has recognized the warning object 50. For example, the display controller 30 determines whether or not the driver 2 has recognized the warning object 50 based on whether or not the gaze of the driver 2 is toward the warning object 50 by obtaining the result of the detection by the gaze sensor 41. The display controller 30 may determine whether or not the driver 2 has recognized the warning object 50 by obtaining, from the vehicle ECU 43, information as to whether or not the brakes have been applied. Upon determining that the driver 2 has not recognized the warning object 50 (NO in Step S3), the display controller returns the processing to Step S1 and repeats the processes in Step S1 and the following steps.
On the other hand, upon determining that the driver 2 has recognized the warning object 50 (YES in Step S3), the display controller 30 decreases the luminance of the warning indicator 51 and the attention-grabbing indicator 52 in Step S4. It should be noted that in Step S4, the display controller 30 may use other methods, such as changing the color to a less saturated color or decreasing the width of each indicator, since Step S4 is to just make the warning indicator 51 and the attention-grabbing indicator 52 less visible. Furthermore, it is sufficient that the display controller 30 makes at least one of the warning indicator 51 and the attention-grabbing indicator 52 less visible.
The above-described configuration allows the display controller to reduce the annoyance of the warning indicator 51 and the attention-grabbing indicator 52 staying visible even though the driver 2 has recognized the warning object 50. The above-described configuration also allows the display controller 30 to make the driver 2 intuitively recognize that the warning level has decreased.
Thereafter, the display controller 30 returns the processing to Step S1 and repeats the processes in Step S1 and the following steps.
The display device 10 described above notifies the driver 2 of the location of the warning object 50 by using the warning indicator 51 and draws the attention of the driver 2 to the warning indicator 51 by displaying the attention-grabbing indicator 52. This enables the display device 10 to appropriately convey information to the driver 2.
Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.
For example, the mode of the display device 10 according to the present embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example,
The display device 10a differs from the display device 10 in that the display area 8 includes a first display area 8a and a second display area 8b. The first display area 8a and the second display area 8b are line-shaped (band-shaped) areas formed along an extending direction of the lower edge of the windshield 3 (predetermined direction) and arranged parallel to each other.
In order to form such display areas 8a and 8b, the display device 10a has LED units 11a including two LED rows that are arranged in a substantially front-rear direction and that each include LEDs arranged in the left-right direction. A housing 12a is divided into two spaces to accommodate the LED units 11a individually. The housing 12a also has two openings for emitting display light L1 and L2 independently. A display controller 30 (not shown in
The display device 10a having such a configuration can display the warning indicator 51 and the attention-grabbing indicator 52 in the respective display areas 8a and 8b, achieving an increase in the degree of freedom in the display mode.
The display device according to the present disclosure may use, as a display area, not only the light-shielding section 4 but also another portion of the windshield 3 that is located above the light-shielding section 4. The display device may display, for a viewer to see, not only the virtual image V but also a real image projected on, for example, a screen disposed in a desired position in the vehicle 1. In this case, the display device may be, for example, a liquid crystal display facing the viewer or another device formed inside the instrument panel and having a configuration that allows the viewer to directly see LED light emitted toward the viewer.
The display devices 10 and 10a have been described using examples in which the display areas 8, 8a, and 8b are straight in shape. However, the display areas are not limited to being straight and may be curved or zigzag.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-107422 | Jul 2022 | JP | national |
