Patent Application
20190168610
The present disclosure relates to a vehicular display control apparatus and a vehicle driving assistance system including the same.
There is a head-up display (referred to as an HUD) that projects a display image on a projection member that transmits a front scenery in a subject vehicle to virtually display the display image visually recognizably by a user. An HUD is widely used, for example, in a vehicle driving assistance system that assists driving of a subject vehicle by a user.
The present disclosure provides a vehicular display control apparatus that, in a subject vehicle equipped with a head-up display that projects a display image on a projection member that transmits a front scenery to virtually display the display image visually recognizably by a user, controls the virtual image display.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
Hereinbelow, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
A vehicle driving assistance system 1 of an embodiment to which the present disclosure is applied is mounted on a subject vehicle 2 as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The surroundings monitoring system 3 includes an external sensor 30 and a surroundings monitoring electronic control unit (ECU) 31. The external sensor 30 detects an obstacle which is present outside the subject vehicle 2 and may collide with the subject vehicle 2, such as a different vehicle, an artificial structure, a human, or an animal, and a traffic-related object which is present outside. The external sensor 30 is, for example, one or more of the followings: a sonar; a radar; a light detection and ranging/laser imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR); and a camera.
Specifically, the sonar is an ultrasonic sensor which is installed, for example, in a front part or a rear part of the subject vehicle 2. The sonar receives a reflected wave of an ultrasonic wave transmitted to a detection area outside the subject vehicle 2 to detect an obstacle inside the detection area and outputs a detection signal. The radar is a millimeter wave sensor or a laser sensor which is installed, for example, in the front part or the rear part of the subject vehicle 2. The radar receives a reflected wave of a millimeter wave or a sub-millimeter wave transmitted to the detection area outside the subject vehicle 2 to detect an obstacle inside the detection area and outputs a detection signal. The LIDAR is a laser scanner which is installed, for example, in a roof part of the subject vehicle 2. The LIDAR receives a reflected wave of laser light transmitted to the detection area outside the subject vehicle 2 to detect an obstacle inside the detection area and outputs a detection signal. The camera is a monocular or compound-eye camera which is installed, for example, in a room mirror or a door mirror of the subject vehicle 2. The camera captures an image of the detection area outside the subject vehicle 2 to detect an obstacle and a traffic-related object inside the detection area and outputs an image signal.
The surroundings monitoring ECU 31 is mainly composed of a microcomputer which includes a processor and a memory. The surroundings monitoring ECU 31 is connected to the external sensor 30 and the in-vehicle network 6. The surroundings monitoring ECU 31 acquires obstacle information such as a type of an obstacle (including a vehicle type when the obstacle is a different vehicle) and a relative position of the obstacle with respect to the subject vehicle 2 on the basis of an output signal of the external sensor 30. In addition, the surroundings monitoring ECU 31 acquires sign information such as a speed limit sign and a lane sign, traveling road information such as a white line and a road surface condition, and tunnel information relating to the tunnel 7 on the basis of an output signal of the external sensor 30.
The vehicle control system 4 includes a vehicle state sensor 40, an occupant sensor 41, and a vehicle control ECU 42. The vehicle state sensor 40 is connected to the in-vehicle network 6. The vehicle state sensor 40 detects a traveling state of the subject vehicle 2. The vehicle state sensor 40 is, for example, one or more of the followings: a wireless communication device 40a; a vehicle speed sensor; an engine speed sensor, a steering angle sensor; a fuel sensor; a water temperature sensor; and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. In the present embodiment, the vehicle state sensor 40 includes at least the wireless communication device 40a.
Specifically, the wireless communication device 40a receives an electric wave transmitted by wireless communication from one or more of communication devices outside the subject vehicle 2 such as a different-vehicle transmitter or a portable terminal for vehicle-to-vehicle communication and a road side device for road-to-vehicle communication to generate various types of information indicated by the electric wave. In particular, the wireless communication device 40a of the present embodiment generates tunnel internal information Ii which indicates an internal condition of the tunnel 7 and tunnel external information Io which indicates external condition of the tunnel 7 as tunnel internal and external information I which indicates internal and external conditions of the tunnel 7 through which the subject vehicle 2 passes (e.g., refer to
The illuminance information is physical information which indicates an external illuminance of the subject vehicle 2. The traffic information is, for example, one or more of the followings: obstacle information such as following distance information between a different vehicle as an obstacle and the subject vehicle 2; and congestion information, disabled vehicle information, accident vehicle information, and fallen object information ahead of the subject vehicle 2. In the present embodiment, the traffic information includes at least the obstacle information. The tunnel information is, for example, one or more of the followings: arrival distance information to an entrance 7a and an exit 7b of the tunnel 7 (e.g., refer to
The vehicle speed sensor detects a vehicle speed of the subject vehicle 2 and outputs a vehicle speed signal corresponding to the detection. The engine speed sensor detects an engine speed of an internal combustion engine in the subject vehicle 2 and outputs an engine speed signal corresponding to the detection. The steering angle sensor detects a steering angle of the subject vehicle 2 and outputs a steering angle signal corresponding to the detection. The fuel sensor detects a remaining amount of fuel in a fuel tank of the subject vehicle 2 and outputs a fuel signal corresponding to the detection. The water temperature sensor detects a cooling water temperature in the internal combustion engine of the subject vehicle 2 and outputs a water temperature signal corresponding to the detection. The GPS receiver receives an electric wave transmitted from a GPS satellite to acquire positional information relating to a traveling position of the subject vehicle 2.
The occupant sensor 41 is connected to the in-vehicle network 6. The occupant sensor 41 detects a state or an operation of a user inside a cabin 2a of the subject vehicle 2 illustrated in
Specifically, the power switch is operated by the user inside the cabin 2a for starting the internal combustion engine or a motor generator of the subject vehicle 2 to output a power signal corresponding to the operation. The user state monitor captures an image of a user state on a driver's seat 20 inside the cabin 2a using an image sensor to detect the user state and outputs an image signal. The display setting switch is operated by the user for setting a display state inside the cabin 2a to output a display setting signal corresponding to the operation. The turn switch is operated by the user inside the cabin 2a for operating a blinker of the subject vehicle 2 to output a turn signal corresponding to the operation. The automatic control switch is operated by the user inside the cabin 2a for instructing automatic control with respect to a traveling state of the subject vehicle 2 to output an automatic control signal corresponding to the operation.
The vehicle control ECU 42 illustrated in
Specifically, the engine control ECU controls the operations of a throttle actuator and a fuel injection valve of the internal combustion engine in accordance with an operation of an accelerator pedal 26 inside the cabin 2a illustrated in
As illustrated in
The HUD 50 is installed in an instrument panel 22 inside the cabin 2a illustrated in
In the present embodiment, two kinds of areas A1 and A2 are set in a display area as a range in which the display image 56 is virtually displayed. The first display area A1 is set for superimposing the display image 56, which is virtually displayed, in association with a specific object in the front scenery 8. The first display area A1 for the association is adjusted by the HUD 50 so that the display image 56 is formed at a far position which is, for example, approximately 15 m away forward from the subject vehicle 2 in the front scenery 8. The second display area A2 is set for virtually displaying the display image 56 whose association with a specific object in the front scenery 8 is eliminated. The second display area A2 for the elimination of association is adjusted to a smaller size than the first display area A1 below the first display area A1 by the HUD 50 so that the display image 56 is formed at a close distance position which is, for example, approximately 2 m away forward from the subject vehicle 2 in the front scenery 8. That is, the display image 56 virtually displayed in the second display area A2 is formed at the position that is closer to the subject vehicle 2 than the position of the display image 56 in the first display area A1 is.
The projector 50a and the optical system 50b which constitute the HUD 50 may be disposed for each of the display areas A1 and A2 as illustrated in
As the display image 56 which is virtually displayed in either the display area A1 or the display area A2 by the HUD 50 in this manner, multiple types of images as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As the display image 56, for example, an image related to music information or video information provided inside the cabin 2a of the subject vehicle 2 may be employed in addition to the above images 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, and 567. Further, virtual image display can be achieved also by projecting the display image 56 on a light-transmissive combiner which is disposed on the instrument panel 22 to transmit the front scenery 8 in cooperation with the front windshield 21.
The MFD 51 is installed in a center console 23 inside the cabin 2a illustrated in
The combination meter 52 is installed in the instrument panel 22 inside the cabin 2a. The combination meter 52 displays vehicle information relating to the subject vehicle 2 visually recognizably by the user on the driver's seat 20. The combination meter 52 is a digital meter which displays vehicle information by an image formed on a liquid crystal panel or an analog meter which displays vehicle information by indicating a scale number by an indicator. As the display by the combination meter 52, for example, display representing one or more of the following pieces of information: the vehicle speed; the engine speed; the fuel remaining amount; the cooling water temperature; and information of the turn switch and the automatic control switch is employed.
As illustrated in
The HCU 54 of the present embodiment functions as a “vehicular display control apparatus” so as to read the display image 56 which is stored in the memory 54b as data and virtually display the read display image 56 on the HUD 50. Specifically, the HCU 54 executes a display control program by the processor 54a to functionally implement each step of a display control flow illustrated in
In S101 of the display control flow, it is determined whether the timing of starting the execution of S101 is a first timing T1 when the traveling position of the subject vehicle 2 is before the entrance 7a of the tunnel 7. At this time, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
On the other hand, as illustrated in
In the following S104, provision information which is provided to the user inside the tunnel 7 is limited to the tunnel internal information Ii among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information I acquired in S103. In other words, a display range and a display color are limited. Specifically, the provision information to the user is limited to following distance information and arrival distance information which are represented by the following distance image 560 and the exit distance image 561, respectively, in the first display area A1 as the tunnel internal information Ii necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2. Thus, information represented by the road surface image 562, the weather image 563, the temperature image 564, and the navigation image 565 in the first display area A1 and information represented by the vehicle speed image 566 and the engine speed image 567 in the second display area A2 are not provided to the user.
The timing of starting the execution of S104 can be regarded as the first timing T1 before the entrance 7a of the tunnel 7. Thus, the provision information in the first display area A1 is limited to the following distance information and the arrival distance information substantially from the first timing T1 to a second timing T2 (described below), that is, from the position before the entrance 7a outside the tunnel 7 to a position before the exit 7b inside the tunnel 7. The limiting process described above also limits the display range of the display image 56 only to the first display area A1 and limits the display color of the display image 56 to the display color of the following distance image 560 and the exit distance image 561 (e.g., red similar to the color during normal control).
In the following S105, the brightness of the display image 56 which represents the tunnel internal information Ii limited in S104 is adjusted according to the tunnel internal information Ii acquired in S103. Specifically, the brightness of the following distance image 560 and the exit distance image 561 which represent the following distance information and the arrival distance information, respectively, as the limited tunnel internal information Ii is adjusted to a brightness according to illuminance information inside the tunnel 7 ahead among pieces of the tunnel internal information Ii. At this time, in particular, the brightness of the following distance image 560 and the exit distance image 561 is adjusted to a brightness darker than the brightness in the normal control in S102 according to the illuminance information inside the tunnel 7 ahead. As a result, in the present embodiment, for example, the display color of the following distance image 560 and the exit distance image 561 is set to dark red.
The timing of starting the execution of S105 can be also regarded as the first timing T1 before the entrance 7a of the tunnel 7. Thus, the brightness of the images 560 and 561 displayed in the first display area A1 is adjusted according to the illuminance information substantially from the first timing T1 to the second timing T2 (described below), that is, from the position before the entrance 7a outside the tunnel 7 to the position before the exit 7b inside the tunnel 7. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the first timing T1 corresponds to an “entrance adjustment timing”. The brightness of each of the images 560 and 561 can be adjusted by RGB gradation values in the projector 50a or light emission luminance values of the light source in the projector 50a.
In the following S106, the HUD 50 virtually displays the display image 56 having the information Ii limited in S104 and the brightness adjusted in S105. Specifically, both of the following distance image 560 and the exit distance image 561 having a reduced brightness compared to the brightness in the normal control in S102 are virtually displayed in a simple display state in the first display area A1 as illustrated in
The timing of starting the execution of S106 can be also regarded as the first timing T1 before the entrance 7a of the tunnel 7. Thus, the display amount by the display image 56 in the first display area A1 is limited to a display amount by the images 560 and 561 in the simple display state substantially from the first timing T1 to the second timing T2 (described below), that is, from the position before the entrance 7a outside the tunnel 7 to the position before the exit 7b inside the tunnel 7.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the following S109, provision information which is provided to the user before the exit 7b of the tunnel 7 is limited to the tunnel external information Io among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information I acquired in S108. In other words, the display range and the display color are limited. Specifically, the provision information to the user is limited to road surface information, weather information, and temperature information which are represented by the road surface image 562, the weather image 563, and the temperature image 564, respectively, in the first display area A1 as the tunnel external information Io necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2. Thus, information represented by the following distance image 560, the exit distance image 561, and the navigation image 565 in the first display area A1 and information represented by the vehicle speed image 566 and the engine speed image 567 in the second display area A2 are not provided to the user.
The timing of starting the execution of S109 can be regarded as the second timing T2 before the exit 7b of the tunnel 7. Thus, the provision information in the first display area A1 is limited to the road surface information, the weather information, and the temperature information substantially from the second timing T2 to a third timing T3 (described below), that is, from the position before the exit 7b inside the tunnel 7 to an exit from the exit 7b. The limiting process described above also limits the display range of the display image 56 only to the first display area A1 and limits the display color of the display image 56 to the display color of the road surface information, the weather information, and the temperature information (e.g., yellow similar to the color during normal control).
In the following S110, the brightness of the display image 56 which represents the tunnel external information Io limited in S109 is adjusted according to the tunnel external information Io acquired in S108. Specifically, the brightness of the road surface image 562, the weather image 563, and the temperature image 564 which represent the road surface information, the weather information, and the temperature information, respectively, as the limited tunnel external information Io is adjusted to a brightness according to illuminance information and meteorological information outside the exit 7b ahead among pieces of the tunnel external information Io. At this time, in particular, the brightness of the road surface image 562, the weather image 563, and the temperature image 564 is adjusted to a brightness higher than the brightness in the adjustment in S105 according to the illuminance information and the meteorological information outside the exit 7b ahead. As a result, in the present embodiment, for example, the display color of the road surface image 562, the weather image 563, and the temperature image 564 is set to bright yellow.
The timing of starting the execution of S110 can be also regarded as the second timing T2 before the exit 7b of the tunnel 7. Thus, the brightness of the images 562, 563, and 564 displayed in the first display area A1 is adjusted according to the illuminance information and the meteorological information substantially from the second timing T2 to the third timing T3 (described below), that is, from the position before the exit 7b inside the tunnel 7 to an exit from the exit 7b. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the second timing T2 corresponds to an “exit adjustment timing”. The brightness of each of the images 562, 563, and 564 can be adjusted by RGB gradation values in the projector 50a or light emission luminance values of the light source in the projector 50a.
In the following S111, the HUD 50 virtually displays the display image 56 having the information Io limited in S109 and the brightness adjusted in S110. Specifically, all of the road surface image 562, the weather image 563, and the temperature image 564 having an increased brightness compared to the brightness in the adjustment in S105 are virtually displayed in a simple display state in the first display area A1 as illustrated in
The timing of starting the execution of S111 can be also regarded as the second timing T2 before the exit 7b of the tunnel 7. Thus, the display amount by the display image 56 in the first display area A1 is limited to a display amount by the images 562, 563, and 564 in the simple display state substantially from the second timing T2 to the third timing T3 (described below), that is, from the position before the exit 7b inside the tunnel 7 to an exit from the exit 7b. According to the above description, in the present embodiment, the second timing T2 corresponds also to an “exit limitation timing”.
As illustrated in
In the HCU 54 which implements the display control flow in this manner, a function part that executes S103 and S108 corresponds to an “information acquisition section”, a function part that executes S105 and S110 corresponds to an “adjustment section”, and a function part that executes S104, S106, S109, and S111 corresponds to a “limitation section”.
As the present embodiment described above, examples of actions and effects achieved by the HCU 54 and the vehicle driving assistance system 1 which includes the HCU 54 will be described below.
First, according to the present embodiment, the brightness of the display image 56 is adjusted according to the tunnel internal information Ii acquired by the HCU 54 at the first timing T1 before the entrance 7a of the tunnel 7. The tunnel internal information Ii which indicates an internal condition of the tunnel 7 is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle 2 and acquired by wireless communication. Thus, the internal condition immediately before an entry of the subject vehicle 2 into the entrance 7a can be timely and accurately reflected in the tunnel internal information Ii. Thus, the adjustment according to the timely and accurate tunnel internal information Ii makes it possible to virtually display the display image 56 having a brightness that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the front scenery 8 serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle 2 with the entry into the entrance 7a.
At the first timing T1 of the present embodiment, the brightness of the display image 56 is adjusted according to the illuminance information inside the tunnel 7 among pieces of the tunnel internal information Ii acquired by the HCU 54. The illuminance information is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle 2 and acquired by wireless communication as the tunnel internal information Ii which indicates an internal condition of the tunnel 7. Thus, the external illuminance inside the tunnel 7 immediately before an entry into the entrance 7a can be timely and accurately reflected in the illuminance information. Thus, the adjustment according to the timely and accurate illuminance information makes it possible to virtually display the display image 56 having a brightness that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the external illuminance inside the tunnel 7 with the entry into the entrance 7a.
Further, at the first timing T1 of the present embodiment, in the first display area A1 in which the display image 56 is associated with a specific object in the front scenery 8 and the second display area A2 in which the association is eliminated, the brightness of the display image 56 in the first display area A1 is adjusted. Accordingly, it is possible to preferentially adjust the brightness of the display image 56 which can be easily closely observed by the user due to the association with the specific object. Thus, the visual recognition readability against the front scenery 8 can be ensured with the entry into the entrance 7a.
Next, according to the present embodiment, the brightness of the display image 56 is adjusted according to the tunnel external information Io acquired by the HCU 54 at the second timing T2 before the exit 7b of the tunnel 7. The tunnel external information Io which indicates an external condition of the tunnel 7 is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle 2 and acquired by wireless communication. Thus, the external condition immediately before an exit of the subject vehicle 2 from the exit 7b can be timely and accurately reflected in the tunnel external information Io. Thus, the adjustment according to the timely and accurate tunnel external information Io makes it possible to virtually display the display image 56 having a brightness that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the front scenery 8 serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle 2 with the exit from the exit 7b.
At the second timing T2 of the present embodiment, the brightness of the display image 56 is adjusted according to the illuminance information outside the tunnel 7 among pieces of the tunnel external information Io acquired by the HCU 54. The illuminance information is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle 2 and acquired by wireless communication as the tunnel external information Io which indicates an external condition of the tunnel 7. Thus, the external illuminance outside the tunnel 7 immediately before an exit from the exit 7b can be timely and accurately reflected in the illuminance information. Thus, the adjustment according to the timely and accurate illuminance information makes it possible to virtually display the display image 56 having a brightness that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the external illuminance outside the tunnel 7 with the exit from the exit 7b.
Further, at the second timing T2 of the present embodiment, the brightness of the display image 56 is adjusted according to the meteorological information outside the tunnel 7 among pieces of the tunnel external information Io acquired by the HCU 54. The meteorological information is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle 2 and acquired by wireless communication as the tunnel external information Io which indicates an external condition of the tunnel 7. Thus, a meteorological condition outside the tunnel 7 immediately before an exit from the exit 7b can be timely and accurately reflected in the meteorological information. Thus, the adjustment according to the timely and accurate meteorological information makes it possible to virtually display the display image 56 having a brightness that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the meteorological condition outside the tunnel 7 with the exit from the exit 7b.
Further, also at the second timing T2 of the present embodiment, in the first display area A1 in which the display image 56 is associated with a specific object in the front scenery 8 and the second display area A2 in which the association is eliminated, the brightness of the display image 56 in the first display area A1 is adjusted. Accordingly, it is possible to preferentially adjust the brightness of the display image 56 which can be easily closely observed by the user due to the association with the specific object. Thus, the visual recognition readability against the front scenery 8 can be ensured with the exit from the exit 7b.
Inside the tunnel 7 of the present embodiment, the provision information by the display image 56 is limited to the tunnel internal information Ii among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information I acquired by the HCU 54. The tunnel internal information Ii which indicates an internal condition of the tunnel 7 is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle 2 and acquired by wireless communication as the tunnel internal and external information I which indicates internal and external conditions of the tunnel 7. Thus, the internal condition during traveling of the subject vehicle 2 can be timely and accurately reflected in the tunnel internal information Ii. Thus, the timely and accurate limitation of information type makes it possible to limit the amount of provision information to an information amount that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the front scenery 8 serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle 2 and virtually display the display image 56 which represents the provision information during traveling inside the tunnel 7.
Inside the tunnel 7 of the present embodiment, the provision information by the display image 56 is limited to the tunnel internal information Ii necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2 among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information acquired by the HCU 54. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the tunnel internal information Ii limited to an information amount necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2 inside the tunnel 7 where it is hardly acceptable for the user to look aside. Thus, it is possible to ensure the visual recognition readability of the display image 56 against the front scenery 8 while giving the user a sense of security during traveling inside the tunnel 7.
According to the present embodiment, the limitation to the tunnel internal information Ii is started from the first timing T1 before the entrance 7a of the tunnel 7. Accordingly, the provision information by the display image 56 can be reliably limited to the tunnel internal information Ii from an entry of the subject vehicle 2 into the entrance 7a inside the tunnel 7. Thus, it is possible to ensure the visual recognition readability against the front scenery 8.
Further, not only the provision information by the display image 56 is limited to the tunnel internal information Ii, but also the display color of the display image 56 which represents the tunnel internal information Ii is limited inside the tunnel 7 of the present embodiment. According to the information limitation and the display color limitation, the visual recognition readability which is necessary during traveling inside the tunnel 7 where it is hardly acceptable for the user to look aside can be reliably ensured against the front scenery 8.
In addition, inside the tunnel 7 of the present embodiment, not only the provision information by the display image 56 is limited to the tunnel internal information Ii, but also the display range of the display image 56 which represents the tunnel internal information Ii is limited. According to the information limitation and the display range limitation, the visual recognition readability which is necessary during traveling inside the tunnel 7 where it is hardly acceptable for the user to look aside can be reliably ensured against the front scenery 8.
In addition, inside the tunnel 7 of the present embodiment, not only the provision information by the display image 56 is limited to the tunnel internal information Ii, but also the display amount of the display image 56 which represents the tunnel internal information Ii is limited. According to the information limitation and the display amount limitation, the visual recognition readability which is necessary during traveling inside the tunnel 7 where it is hardly acceptable for the user to look aside can be reliably ensured against the front scenery 8.
In addition, inside the tunnel 7 of the present embodiment, in the first display area A1 in which the display image 56 is associated with a specific object in the front scenery 8 and the second display area A2 in which the association is eliminated, the provision information in the first display area A1 is limited to the tunnel internal information Ii. Accordingly, it is possible to preferentially reduce the amount of provision information by the display image 56 which can be easily closely observed by the user due to the association with the specific object. Thus, the visual recognition readability against the front scenery 8 can be ensured during traveling inside the tunnel 7.
In particular, according to the present embodiment, the provision information by the display image 56 is limited to the tunnel external information Io instead of the tunnel internal information Ii among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information I acquired by the HCU 54 at the second timing T2 before the exit 7b of the tunnel 7. The tunnel external information Io which indicates an external condition of the tunnel 7 is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle 2 and acquired by wireless communication as the tunnel internal and external information I which indicates internal and external conditions of the tunnel 7. Thus, the external condition immediately before an exit from the exit 7b can be timely and accurately reflected in the tunnel external information Io. Thus, the timely and accurate limitation of information type makes it possible to limit the amount of provision information to an information amount that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the front scenery 8 serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle 2 and virtually display the display image 56 which represents the provision information with the exit from the exit 7b.
At the second timing T2 of the present embodiment, the provision information by the display image 56 is limited to the tunnel external information Io necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2 among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information I acquired by the HCU 54. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the tunnel external information Io limited to an information amount necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2 immediately before an exit from the exit 7b where it is hardly acceptable for the user to look aside. Thus, it is possible to ensure the visual recognition readability of the display image 56 against the front scenery 8 while giving the user a sense of security with the exit from the exit 7b.
Further, at the second timing T2 of the present embodiment, the display color, the display range, and the display amount of the display image 56 which represents the tunnel external information Io are limited in a manner similar to the processes inside the tunnel 7 described above. Thus, the visual recognition readability which is necessary in an exit from the exit 7b where it is hardly acceptable for the user to look aside can be reliably ensured against the front scenery 8.
Further, at the second timing T2 of the present embodiment, in the first display area A1 in which the display image 56 is associated with a specific object in the front scenery 8 and the second display area A2 in which the association is eliminated, the provision information in the first display area A1 is limited to tunnel external information Io. Accordingly, it is possible to preferentially reduce the amount of provision information by the display image 56 which can be easily closely observed by the user due to the association with the specific object. Thus, the visual recognition readability against the front scenery 8 can be ensured with an exit from the exit 7b.
As described above, according to the vehicle driving assistance system 1 which includes the HCU 54 of the present embodiment, it is possible to ensure the visual recognition readability of the display image 56, which is virtually displayed, against the front scenery 8 inside and outside the tunnel 7, the front scenery 8 serving as a background of the display.
While the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the described embodiment. The present disclosure may be applied to various embodiments within the gist of the present disclosure.
Specifically, as a first modification, as illustrated in
As a second modification, as illustrated in
As a third modification, as illustrated in
As a fourth modification, as illustrated in
As a fifth modification, as illustrated in
As a sixth modification, as illustrated in
As a seventh modification, any one of the first to third modifications may be combined with any one of the fourth to sixth modifications.
As a ninth modification, the brightness adjustment in S105 may be executed according to, for example, traveling road information (specifically, a road surface condition) or external light information (specifically, a solar radiation direction) in addition to or instead of illuminance information. As a tenth modification, the brightness adjustment in S110 may be executed according to, for example, traveling road information (specifically, a road surface condition) or external light information (specifically, a solar radiation direction) in addition to or instead of at least either illuminance information or meteorological information.
Information other than following distance information and arrival distance information, for example, congestion information may be employed as provision information limited in S104 of an eleventh modification as long as the congestion information is tunnel internal information Ii necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2. Information other than the road surface information, weather information, and temperature information, for example, following distance information or congestion information may be employed as provision information limited in S109 of a twelfth modification as long as the following distance information or the congestion information is tunnel external information Io necessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2.
Information (e.g., a vehicle type as obstacle information) unnecessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2 may be employed as provision information of a thirteenth modification in addition to or instead of information necessary for the driving as long as the provision information is limited to tunnel internal information Ii in S104. Information (e.g., a vehicle type as obstacle information) unnecessary for driving of the subject vehicle 2 may be employed as provision information of a fourteenth modification in addition to or instead of information necessary for the driving as long as the provision information is limited to tunnel external information Io in S109. In these thirteenth and fourteenth modifications, the display image 56 which represents the employed provision information is virtually displayed in S106 or S111.
As a fifteenth modification, provision information in each of the display areas A1 and A2 during normal control may not be limited in S104, but may all be employed so that, of the display color and the display range of the display image 56, at least the latter is not limited. As a sixteenth modification, provision information in each of the display areas A1 and A2 during normal control may not be limited in S109, but may all be employed so that, of the display color and the display range of the display image 56, at least the latter is not limited. In these fifteenth and sixteenth modifications, the display image 56 which represents the employed provision information is virtually displayed in S106 or S111.
As a seventeenth modification, not a simple display state, but a standard display state may be employed in S106 so as not to limit the display amount of the display image 56. As an eighteenth modification, not a simple display state, but a standard display state may be employed in S111 so as not to limit the display amount of the display image 56.
As a nineteenth modification, at least one type of provision information in the second display area A2 during normal control may not be limited, but may be employed in S104, and the brightness of the provision information in the second display area A2 may be adjusted in S105 in a manner similar to provision information in the first display area A1. As a twentieth modification, at least one type of provision information in the second display area A2 during normal control may not be limited, but may be employed in S109, and the brightness of the provision information in the second display area A2 may be adjusted in S110 in a manner similar to provision information in the first display area A1. In these nineteenth and twentieth modifications, the display image 56 which represents the employed provision information is virtually displayed in S106 or S111.
As a twenty-first modification, virtual image display of the display image 56 in the second display area A2 may not be employed. As a twenty-second modification, the display image 56 having information and brightness limited and adjusted by the display control flow may be virtually displayed in the second display area A2 instead of the first display area A1. As a twenty-third modification, virtual image display of the display image 56 in the first display area A1 may not be employed further in the twenty-second modification.
As a twenty-fourth modification, at least some of the steps of the display control flow may be implemented as hardware by one or more ICs instead of being functionally implemented by the HCU 54. As a twenty-fifth modification, in addition to or instead of the HCU 54, one or more of the followings: the surroundings monitoring ECU 31; and the display control ECUs of the display elements 50, 51, and 52 may function as the “vehicular display control apparatus”.
Furthermore, for reference, a related technique may be described as follows.
A related art discloses a vehicular display control technique that changes the brightness of a display image on the basis of tunnel information before passage through an entrance or an exit of a tunnel to control virtual image display by an HUD. Positional information and shape information relating to the entrance or the exit of the tunnel are employed as the tunnel information.
However, in the technique disclosed in a related art, the tunnel information is mere map data which is stored in a navigation apparatus or a server apparatus which is communicable with the subject vehicle. Thus, it is assumed that the tunnel information does not timely and accurately reflect internal and external conditions of the tunnel. A display image which is virtually displayed on the basis of such tunnel information which is neither timely nor accurate may cause reduction in readability by visual recognition (referred to as visual recognition readability) against a front scenery serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle.
Aspects of the disclosure described herein are set forth in the following clauses.
One example of the present disclosure may provide a vehicular display control apparatus and a vehicle driving assistance system that ensure the visual recognition readability of a virtually displayed display image against a front scenery inside and outside a tunnel, the front scenery serving as a background of the display in a subject vehicle.
One aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicular display control apparatus that, in a subject vehicle equipped with a head-up display that projects a display image on a projection member that transmits a front scenery to virtually display the display image visually recognizably by a user, controls the virtual image display. The vehicular display control apparatus includes an information acquisition section that acquires tunnel internal information that is transmitted from outside of the subject vehicle by wireless communication and indicates an internal condition of a tunnel, and an adjustment section that adjusts a brightness of the display image according to the tunnel internal information acquired by the information acquisition section at an entrance adjustment timing before an entrance of the tunnel.
According to the one aspect, the brightness of the display image is adjusted according to the tunnel internal information acquired by the information acquisition section at the entrance adjustment timing before the entrance of the tunnel. The tunnel internal information which indicates an internal condition of the tunnel is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle and acquired by wireless communication. Thus, the internal condition immediately before an entry of the subject vehicle into the entrance of the tunnel can be timely and accurately reflected in the tunnel internal information. Thus, the adjustment according to the timely and accurate tunnel internal information makes it possible to virtually display the display image having a brightness that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the front scenery serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle with the entry into the entrance of the tunnel.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicular display control apparatus that, in a subject vehicle equipped with a head-up display that projects a display image on a projection member that transmits a front scenery to virtually display the display image visually recognizably by a user, controls the virtual image display. The vehicular display control apparatus includes an information acquisition section that acquires tunnel external information that is transmitted from outside of the subject vehicle by wireless communication and indicates an external condition of a tunnel, and an adjustment section that adjusts a brightness of the display image according to the tunnel external information acquired by the information acquisition section at an exit adjustment timing before an exit of the tunnel.
According to this aspect, the brightness of the display image is adjusted according to the tunnel external information acquired by the information acquisition section at the exit adjustment timing before the exit of the tunnel. The tunnel external information which indicates an external condition of the tunnel is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle and acquired by wireless communication. Thus, the external condition immediately before an exit of the subject vehicle from the exit of the tunnel can be timely and accurately reflected in the tunnel external information. Thus, the adjustment according to the timely and accurate tunnel external information makes it possible to virtually display the display image having a brightness that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the front scenery serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle with the exit of the subject vehicle from the exit of the tunnel.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicular display control apparatus that, in a subject vehicle equipped with a head-up display that projects a display image on a projection member that transmits a front scenery to virtually display the display image visually recognizably by a user, controls the virtual image display. The vehicular display control apparatus includes an information acquisition section that acquires tunnel internal and external information that is transmitted from outside of the subject vehicle by wireless communication and indicates internal and external conditions of a tunnel, and a limitation section that limits provision information provided to the user by the display image to tunnel internal information that indicates an internal condition of the tunnel among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information acquired by the information acquisition section inside the tunnel.
According to this aspect, inside the tunnel, the provision information by the display image is limited to the tunnel internal information among pieces of the tunnel internal and external information acquired by the information acquisition section. The tunnel internal information which indicates an internal condition of the tunnel is transmitted from the outside of the subject vehicle and acquired by wireless communication as the tunnel internal and external information which indicates internal and external conditions of the tunnel. Thus, the internal condition during traveling of the subject vehicle can be timely and accurately reflected in the tunnel internal information. Thus, the timely and accurate limitation of information type makes it possible to limit the amount of provision information to an information amount that enables visual recognition readability to be ensured against the front scenery serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle and virtually display the display image which represents the provision information during traveling inside the tunnel.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle driving assistance system that assists driving of a subject vehicle. The vehicle driving assistance system includes the vehicular display control apparatus according to any one of the first to third disclosures, and the HUD.
The visual recognition readability of the display image, which is virtually displayed, can be ensured against the front scenery inside and outside the tunnel, the front scenery serving as a background of the display in the subject vehicle, by the vehicular display control apparatus according to any of the first to third disclosures.
It is noted that a flowchart or the processing of the flowchart in the present application includes multiple steps (also referred to as sections), each of which is represented, for instance, as S101. Further, each step can be divided into several sub-steps while several steps can be combined into a single step.
Control units, controllers and methods described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer created by configuring a memory and a processor programmed to execute one or more particular functions embodied in computer programs. Alternatively, the control units, the controllers and the methods described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer created by configuring a processor provided by one or more special purpose hardware logic circuits. Further alternatively, the control units, the controllers and the methods described in the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers created by configuring a combination of a memory and a processor programmed to execute one or more particular functions and a processor provided by one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer programs may be stored, as instructions being executed by a computer, in a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium.
While various embodiments, configurations, and aspects of a vehicular display control apparatus and a vehicle driving assistance system including the same according to the present disclosure have been exemplified, the embodiments, configurations, and aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above. For example, embodiments, configurations, and aspects obtained from an appropriate combination of technical elements disclosed in different embodiments, configurations, and aspects are also included within the scope of the embodiments, configurations, and aspects of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-158319 | Aug 2016 | JP | national |
The present application is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2017/022095 filed on Jun. 15, 2017, which designated the United States and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-158319 filed on Aug. 11, 2016. The entire disclosures of all of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2017/022095 | Jun 2017 | US |
| Child | 16269645 | US |
