Vehicular display control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018354365-A1
Application number	US-201816045783-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 26, 2018
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Dec 13, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicular display control device includes: a display control unit for controlling a display device to superimpose an image on a surrounding view of the vehicle; and a sensor operation detecting unit for detecting whether an obstacle sensor detecting an obstacle around the vehicle is in operation. When the obstacle sensor is in operation, the display control unit: transforms a detection target area, which falls in a detection range of the obstacle sensor and expands from the vehicle to a periphery along a road surface, into a detection target image represented from a viewpoint of a driver of the vehicle; and displays a transformed image to be superimposed on the surrounding view of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicular display control device comprising:
a display control unit for controlling a display device that displays an image so as to be superimposed on a surrounding view of the vehicle; a relative position specifying unit for specifying a relative position of an obstacle with respect to the vehicle when an obstacle sensor for detecting the obstacle around the vehicle detects the obstacle; and a relative speed specifying unit for specifying a relative speed of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle when the obstacle sensor detects the obstacle, wherein: the display device displays an obstacle notification image to be superimposed on an area of the surrounding view of the vehicle; the area of the surrounding view is disposed in a direction corresponding to the relative position of the obstacle specified by the relative position specifying unit; the display control unit changes a display mode of the obstacle notification image according to the relative speed of the obstacle specified by the relative speed specifying unit when the display device displays the obstacle notification image.

2 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
when the obstacle sensor is in operation, the display control unit displays a detection target image to be superimposed on the surrounding view of the vehicle; the detection target image is defined by representing a detection target area, which falls in a detection range of the obstacle sensor, and expands from the vehicle to a periphery along a road surface, from a viewpoint of a driver of the vehicle; when the relative position of the obstacle specified by the relative position specifying unit is within the detection target area, the display control unit displays the obstacle notification image in a boundary area with changing the display mode of the obstacle notification image according to the relative speed of the obstacle; and the boundary area is disposed in the detection target image, and located in the direction corresponding to the relative position of the obstacle.

3 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 2 , wherein:
as the relative position of the obstacle specified by the relative position specifying unit is closer to the vehicle, the display control unit increases a ratio between the boundary area and the detection target image, and displays the boundary area.

4 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the display control unit changes a color of the boundary area in the detection target image to be different from a color of the detection target image other than the boundary area, and displays the boundary area.

5 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the display control unit displays the obstacle notification image including an arc-like ripple, which expands from the direction in accordance with the relative position of the obstacle, in the boundary area of the detection target image.

6 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 5 , wherein:
when the display control unit displays the arc-like ripple in the boundary area, the display control unit displays the arc-like ripple so as to be seen as if the arc-like ripple moves in an expanding direction of the arc-like ripple; when the display control unit displays the arc-like ripple in the boundary area, the display control unit displays the arc-like ripple so as to be narrower an interval between adjacent wave patterns of the arc-like ripple as the relative speed of the obstacle specified by the relative speed specifying unit increases; and when the obstacle specified by the relative position specifying unit is located on an opposite traffic lane to the vehicle, the display control unit does not display the arc-like ripple with respect to the obstacle located on the opposite traffic lane.

7 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle switches between an autonomous driving mode for automatically performing at least one of a steering operation and an acceleration-deceleration operation and a non-autonomous driving mode for performing both the steering operation and the acceleration-deceleration operation in accordance with a driving operation of the driver; the display control unit displays the detection target image when the vehicle is in the autonomous driving mode; and the display control unit does not display the detection target image when the vehicle is in the non-autonomous driving mode.

8 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the vehicle switches between an autonomous driving mode for automatically performing at least one of a steering operation and an acceleration-deceleration operation and a non-autonomous driving mode for performing both the steering operation and the acceleration-deceleration operation in accordance with a driving operation of the driver; when the vehicle is in the autonomous driving mode, and the relative position of the obstacle specified by the relative position specifying unit is within the detection target area, the display control unit displays the detection target image, and displays the bopundary area with changing the display mode of the boundary area in the detection target image; and when the vehicle is in the non-autonomous driving mode, and the relative position of the obstacle specified by the relative position specifying unit is within the detection target area, the display control unit does not display the detection target image but displays an image indicative of a presence of the obstacle in the direction in accordance with the relative position of the obstacle.

9 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a selection unit for selecting a range, in which the detection target image expands, from a plurality of range stages based on an input operation of the driver, wherein: the display control unit displays the detection target image, on the display device, in the range selected by the selection unit so as to be superimposed on the surrounding view of the vehicle.

10 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a vehicle speed specifying unit for specifying a speed of the vehicle, wherein: the display control unit expands a range of the detection target image not beyond the detection range of the obstacle sensor as the vehicle speed specified by the vehicle speed specifying unit increases, and displays the detection target image; and the display control unit narrows the range of the detection target image as the vehicle speed specified by the vehicle speed specifying unit decreases, and displays the detection target image.

11 . The vehicular display control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the display device is a head-up display device; and the display control unit displays the image using the head-up display device, so as to be superimposed on a view seen from the driver of the vehicle, through a windshield of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Tauchi Makiko
• Tanaka Kimiaki
• Kamiya Akira

Classifications

• G08G1/165 Primary

  for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees · CPC title

• G02B27/01

  Head-up displays · CPC title

• G06F3/147

  using display panels · CPC title

• B60K2350/1084

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60R2300/60

  characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective · CPC title