On-vehicle device, method of controlling on-vehicle device, and computer-readable storage medium

• US 10,254,539 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishiguro, Yoko, Uno, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US15/423,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/347 Optical elements for superposition of display information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2700/00 Control mechanisms and elements applying a mechanical movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0159 with mechanical means other than scaning means for positioning the whole image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0163 Electric or electronic control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

On the basis of information detected from a peripheral situation detecting section and information from an automatic driving support section, a display control section generates image data in which marks for driving support of an own vehicle are drawn so as to be superposed on a forward situation diagram that shows a situation at a front side. Further, from information detected by an eye detecting section and from the image data, the display control section sets a vanishing point in accordance with a height position of eyes and computes a display image. Moreover, on the basis of the information detected by the eye detecting section, the display control section causes a display image to be displayed on the front windshield glass by a HUD such that the vanishing point is set in accordance with the height position of the eyes.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle device comprising:

a peripheral situation detector that detects a situation of a periphery of an own vehicle;

a display that is able to display an image, on a front windshield glass of the own vehicle, in a manner of being superposed on a scene of a real space at a vehicle front side of the own vehicle;

an eye detector that detects a height position of eyes of a driver of the own vehicle; and

at least one processor programmed to;

support driving of the own vehicle by the driver by controlling the own vehicle based on the situation of the periphery of the own vehicle that was detected by the peripheral situation detector;

generate image data, in which marks for driving support of the own vehicle are drawn so as to be superposed on a forward situation diagram that shows a situation at a front side of the own vehicle, based on the detected situation of the periphery of the own vehicle and information obtained from supporting the driving of the own vehicle;

set a vanishing point in accordance with the height position of the eyes of the driver and compute a display image depicted by a one-point perspective drawing method from the detected height position of eyes of the driver and the generated image data;

cause the display image to be displayed on the front windshield glass by the display such that the vanishing point is set in accordance with the height position of the eyes of the driver based on the detected height position of the eyes of the driver, wherein;

the marks include a first mark, that is shaped as an arrow and shows a traveling direction of an other vehicle in the detected situation of the periphery of the own vehicle, and a second mark, that is shaped as an arrow and shows a planned traveling direction of the own vehicle; and

the first mark includes, in order from a tip end of the arrow toward another end of the arrow, a distal end portion, a first intermediate portion, a second intermediate portion and a near portion;

in response to determining that an inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle and the own vehicle is smaller than a threshold value that is set in advance;

display the first intermediate portion, the second intermediate portion and the near portion of the first mark; and

not display the distal end portion of the first mark; and

in response to determining that the inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle and the own vehicle is greater than or equal to the threshold value;

display the distal end portion, the first intermediate portion and the second intermediate portion of the first mark; and

not display the near portion of the first mark.

2. The on-vehicle device of claim 1, wherein

the display is built-in in an inner side of an instrument panel of the own vehicle, and has a concave mirror that reflects the display image toward the front windshield glass, and a mirror surface angle adjustor that adjusts an angle of a reflecting surface of the concave mirror by operation of a motor, and

the motor is controlled by the at least one processor.

3. The on-vehicle device of claim 1, wherein

the first mark and the second mark appear to the driver to be drawn on a road of the scene of the real space at the vehicle front side of the own vehicle in the display image.

4. The on-vehicle device of claim 1, wherein

the second mark is drawn while being updated continuously in accordance with passage of time.

5. The on-vehicle device of claim 1, wherein

the display image include lines that partition vehicle lanes in the display image, and the lines appear to the driver to be superposed on lines that partition vehicle lanes in the scene of the real space at the vehicle front side of the own vehicle in the display image.

6. The on-vehicle device of claim 1, wherein

an upper limit position of the display image is made to correspond to the height position of the eyes of the driver, and a lower limit position of the display image is set along a lower end position of the front windshield glass.

7. A method of controlling an on-vehicle device that has;

a peripheral situation detector that detects a situation of a periphery of an own vehicle;

at least one processor programmed to support driving of the own vehicle by a driver by controlling the own vehicle based on the situation of the periphery of the own vehicle that was detected by the peripheral situation detector;

a display that is able to display an image, on a front windshield glass of the own vehicle, in a manner of being superposed on a scene of a real space at a vehicle front side of the own vehicle; and

an eye detector that detects a height position of eyes of the driver of the own vehicle,

the method comprising;

generating image data, in which marks for driving support of the own vehicle are drawn so as to be superposed on a forward situation diagram that shows a situation at a front side of the own vehicle, based on the detected situation of the periphery of the own vehicle and information obtained from supporting the driving of the own vehicle;

setting a vanishing point in accordance with the height position of the eyes of the driver and computing a display image depicted by a one-point perspective drawing method from the detected height position of eyes of the driver and the generated image data;

causing the display image to be displayed on the front windshield glass by the display such that the vanishing point is set in accordance with the height position of the eyes of the driver based on the detected height position of the eyes of the driver, wherein;

the marks include a first mark, that is shaped as an arrow and shows a traveling direction of an other vehicle in the detected situation of the periphery of the own vehicle, and a second mark, that is shaped as an arrow and shows a planned traveling direction of the own vehicle; and

the first mark includes, in order from a tip end of the arrow toward another end of the arrow, a distal end portion, a first intermediate portion, a second intermediate portion and a near portion;

in response to determining that an inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle and the own vehicle is smaller than a threshold value that is set in advance;

displaying the first intermediate portion, the second intermediate portion and the near portion of the first mark; and

not displaying the distal end portion of the first mark; and

in response to determining that the inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle and the own vehicle is greater than or equal to the threshold value;

displaying the distal end portion, the first intermediate portion and the second intermediate portion of the first mark; and

not displaying the near portion of the first mark.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a control program of an on-vehicle device that has:

a peripheral situation detector that detects a situation of a periphery of an own vehicle;

at least one processor programmed to support driving of the own vehicle by a driver by controlling the own vehicle based on the situation of the periphery of the own vehicle that was detected by the peripheral situation detector;

a display that is able to display an image, on a front windshield glass of the own vehicle, in a manner of being superposed on a scene of a real space at a vehicle front side of the own vehicle; and

an eye detector that detects a height position of eyes of the driver of the own vehicle,

the control program causing a computer with the at least one processor that is included in the on-vehicle device to execute processing comprising;

generating image data, in which marks for driving support of the own vehicle are drawn so as to be superposed on a forward situation diagram that shows a situation at a front side of the own vehicle, based on the detected situation of the periphery of the own vehicle and information obtained from supporting the driving of the own vehicle;

setting a vanishing point in accordance with the height position of the eyes of the driver and computing a display image depicted by a one-point perspective drawing method from the detected height position of eyes of the driver and the generated image data;

causing the display image to be displayed on the front windshield glass by the display such that the vanishing point is set in accordance with the height position of the eyes of the driver based on the detected height position of the eyes of the driver, wherein;

the marks include a first mark, that is shaped as an arrow and shows a traveling direction of an other vehicle in the detected situation of the periphery of the own vehicle, and a second mark, that is shaped as an arrow and shows a planned traveling direction of the own vehicle; and

the first mark includes, in order from a tip end of the arrow toward another end of the arrow, a distal end portion, a first intermediate portion, a second intermediate portion and a near portion;

in response to determining that an inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle and the own vehicle is smaller than a threshold value that is set in advance;

displaying the first intermediate portion, the second intermediate portion and the near portion of the first mark; and

not displaying the distal end portion of the first mark; and

in response to determining that the inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle and the own vehicle is greater than or equal to the threshold value;

displaying the distal end portion, the first intermediate portion and the second intermediate portion of the first mark; and

not displaying the near portion of the first mark.