Display control apparatus, method, recording medium, and vehicle

• US 10,279,741 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2014
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Emura, Koichi, Arai, Yuko, Mochizuki, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Hallenbeck-Huber, Jeremiah C
• Application Number:
  US14/507,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20150103174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 348148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/308 by overlaying the real scene, e.g. through a head-up display on the windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8033 for pedestrian protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method capable of causing a driver to recognize multiple objects to which attention should be paid without requiring sight line shift of the driver is for a video system including a recognition unit that recognizes a moving body existing in a foreground of a user and a display source that displays a certain image generated on the basis of a result of the recognition by the recognition unit on a display medium. The method includes determining whether two or more moving bodies exist in the foreground of the user on the basis of an input data from the recognition unit; and controlling the display source, if two or more moving bodies exist, so as to generate the certain image representing a virtual line directed to each of the moving bodies from a certain position or a certain axis and display the certain image on the display medium.

Claims

1. A method for a video system including recognition circuitry that recognizes one or more moving bodies existing on a front side of a vehicle that a user drives, and a display source that displays a certain image generated on the basis of a result of the recognition by the recognition circuitry on a display, the method comprising:

determining whether the one or more moving bodies includes two or more moving bodies that exist on the front side of the vehicle on the basis of input data from the recognition circuitry;

controlling the display source, when it is determined that two or more moving bodies exist on the front side of the vehicle, so as to generate the certain image representing one or more virtual lines connecting the corresponding two or more moving bodies from a certain point; and

displaying the generated certain image on the display,

wherein a position of the certain point is changed on the basis of a status of the front side of the vehicle included in the result of the recognition,

wherein the status of the front side of the vehicle is that a preceding vehicle exists or not on the front side of the vehicle, and

wherein, when the preceding vehicle is on the front side of the vehicle, the position of the certain point is changed not to overlap with the preceding vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that a new moving body exists on the front side of the vehicle on the basis of an input data from the recognition circuitry, the display source is controlled so as to generate the certain image representing a virtual line connecting the new moving body from the certain point and display the generated certain image on the display.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that at least one moving body, among the two or more moving bodies, disappears from the front side of the vehicle on the basis of an input data from the recognition circuitry, the display source is controlled so as to generate the certain image in which at least one virtual line included in the one or more virtual lines connected with the corresponding at least one moving body that is determined to disappear from the front side of the vehicle is deleted and display the generated certain image on the display.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein a thickness of each of the one or more virtual lines is determined on the basis of at least one of a distance from the vehicle to the corresponding moving body, a speed of the vehicle, and a relative speed between the corresponding vehicle and any one of the one or more moving bodies.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the video system includes a camera that detects at least one of an orientation and a line of sight of the user, and

wherein the method further includes determining the position of the certain point on the basis of the orientation and the line of sight detected by the camera.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, when it is determined that two or more moving bodies exist, the display source is controlled so as to generate the certain image that represents the one or more virtual lines connecting each of the corresponding two or more moving bodies from the certain point and the certain image that represents a virtual graphic of a certain shape at a position corresponding to each of the two or more moving bodies and display the generated certain images on the display.

7. A display control apparatus in a video system including recognition circuitry that recognizes one or more moving bodies existing on a front side of a vehicle that a user drives, and a display source that displays a certain image generated on the basis of a result of the recognition by the recognition circuitry on a display, the display control apparatus comprising:

determination circuitry that determines whether the one or more moving bodies includes two or more moving bodies that exist on the front side of the vehicle on the basis of input data from the recognition circuitry; and

a controller that, when the determination circuitry determines that the two or more moving bodies exist on the front side of the vehicle, controls the display source so as to generate the certain image representing one or more virtual lines connecting each of the corresponding two or more moving bodies from a certain point, and so as to display the generated certain image on the display,

wherein the controller changes a position of the certain point on the basis of a status of the front side of the vehicle included in the result of the recognition,

wherein the status of the front side of the vehicle is that a preceding vehicle exists or not on the front side of the vehicle, and

wherein, when the preceding vehicle is on the front side of the vehicle, the controller changes the position of the certain point not to overlap with the preceding vehicle.

8. The display control apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, when the determination circuitry determines that a new moving body exists on the front side of the vehicle on the basis of an input data from the recognition circuitry, the controller controls the display source so as to generate the certain image representing a new virtual line connecting the new moving body from the certain point and display the generated certain image on the display.

9. The display control apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, when the determination circuitry determines that at least one moving body, among the two or more moving bodies, disappears from the front side of the vehicle on the basis of input data from the recognition circuitry, the controller controls the display source so as to generate the certain image in which at least one virtual line included in the one or more virtual lines connected with the corresponding at least one moving body that is determined to disappear from the front side of the vehicle is deleted and display the generated certain image on the display.

10. The display control apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein a thickness of each of the one or more virtual lines is determined on the basis of at least one of a distance from the vehicle to the corresponding moving body, a speed of the vehicle, and a relative speed between the corresponding vehicle and any one of the moving bodies.

11. The display control apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the video system includes a camera that detects at least one of an orientation and a line of sight of the user, and

wherein the controller determines the position of the certain point on the basis of the orientation and the line of sight detected by the camera.

12. The display control apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, when the determination circuitry determines that two or more moving bodies exist, the controller controls the display source so as to generate the certain image that represents the one or more virtual lines connecting the corresponding two or more moving bodies from the certain point and the certain image that represents a virtual graphic of a certain shape at a position corresponding to each of the two or more moving bodies and display the generated certain images on the display.

13. A vehicle, comprising:

the display control apparatus according to claim 7.

14. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable recording medium recording a display control program causing a computer in a video system including recognition circuitry that recognizes one or more moving bodies existing on a front side of a vehicle that a user drives, and a display source that displays a certain image generated on the basis of a result of the recognition by the recognition circuitry on a display to execute:

determining whether the one or more moving bodies includes two or more moving bodies that exist on the front side of the vehicle on the basis of input data from the recognition circuitry;

controlling the display source, when it is determined that two or more moving bodies exist on the front side of the vehicle, so as to generate the certain image representing one or more virtual lines connecting each of the corresponding two or more moving bodies from a certain point, and so as to display the generated certain image on the display,

wherein changing a position of the certain point is performed on the basis of a status of the front side of the vehicle included the result of the recognition,

wherein the status of the front side of the vehicle is that a preceding vehicle exists or not on the front side of the vehicle, and

wherein, when the preceding vehicle is on the front side of the vehicle, changing the position of the certain point not to overlap with the preceding vehicle.

15. A display control apparatus, comprising:

first connecting circuitry connected to recognition circuitry that recognizes one or more moving bodies existing on the front side of a vehicle that a user drives;

second connecting circuitry connected to a display source that displays a certain image generated on the basis of a result of the recognition by the recognition circuitry on a display;

determination circuitry that determines whether the one or more moving bodies includes two or more moving bodies that exist on the front side of the vehicle on the basis of input data from the recognition circuitry; and

a controller that, when the determination circuitry determines that the two or more moving bodies exist on the front side of the vehicle, controls the display source so as to generate the certain image representing one or more virtual lines connecting each of the corresponding two or more moving bodies from a certain point, and displays the generated certain image including the one or more virtual lines connecting each of the corresponding two or more moving bodies on the display,

wherein the controller changes a position of the certain point on the basis of a status of the front side of the vehicle included the result of the recognition,

wherein the status of the front side of the vehicle is that a preceding vehicle exists or not on the front side of the vehicle, and

wherein, when the preceding vehicle is on the front side of the vehicle, the controller changes the position of the certain point not to overlap with the preceding vehicle.