DISPLAY CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20090187307A1
• Filed: 01/08/2009
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: HORII, Yasutoshi, IMAEDA, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/50 Control arrangements; Data network features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data

Abstract

A light ECU in a light control device performs a display process of obtaining speed limit information at a current position of the driver'"'"'s vehicle on a road and of instructing a pixel light system to display the speed limit information on the surface of the road. The light control device can project the speed limit information for the drivers vehicle onto the road. Further, the light control device judges whether or not the vehicle speed information is not less than a predetermined reference speed, and performs the process of displaying the vehicle speed information on the road only when the vehicle speed information is not less than a predetermined reference speed. The above control process displays the vehicle speed information on the road only when necessary, allows the driver of the vehicle only to recognize important information, and provides the driver of the vehicle with safer driving conditions.

Claims

1. A display control device mounted on a vehicle comprising:

a speed information obtaining means that obtains vehicle speed information relating to a driver'"'"'s vehicle;

an irradiating means that irradiates an image to display the vehicle speed information on a road on which the driver'"'"'s vehicle drives; and

a display control means which controls the irradiating means to display the vehicle speed information obtained by the speed information obtaining means.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the speed information obtaining means repeatedly obtains the vehicle speed information, and the display control means instructs the irradiating means to display the vehicle speed information every time the vehicle speed information is obtained.

3. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a speed judgment means that judges whether or not the vehicle speed information obtained by the speed information obtaining means is not less than a predetermined reference speed, and

the display control means instructs the irradiating means to display the vehicle speed information only when the speed judgment means judges that the vehicle speed information is not less than the predetermined reference speed.

4. The display control device according to claim 3, wherein the speed information obtaining means obtains the vehicle speed information of the driver'"'"'s vehicle and speed limit information at a current position of the driver'"'"'s vehicle on the road,

the speed judgment means judges whether or not the vehicle speed information of the driver'"'"'s vehicle is not less than the predetermined reference speed, and

the display control means instructs the irradiating means to display the speed limit information only when the speed Judgment means judges that the vehicle speed information is not less than the predetermined reference speed.

5. The display control device according to claim 3, wherein the speed information obtaining means obtains the vehicle speed information of the driver'"'"'s vehicle and speed limit information at a current position of the driver'"'"'s vehicle on the road,

the speed judgment means judges whether or not the vehicle speed information of the driver'"'"'s vehicle is not less than the speed limit information, and

the display control means instructs the irradiating means to display the speed limit information only when the speed judgment means judges that the vehicle speed information is not less than the speed limit information.

6. The display control device according to claim 3, wherein the display control means instructs the irradiating means to initiate displaying the vehicle speed information only when the speed judgment means judges that the vehicle speed information is not less than the predetermined reference speed, and to continue displaying the vehicle speed information of the driver'"'"'s vehicle until the speed judgment means judges that the vehicle speed information becomes less than a predetermined another reference speed which is set to be smaller than the predetermined reference speed.

7. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a passing detection means that detects the completion of the passage of the driver'"'"'s vehicle through an intersection which includes a branch point of roads or a joint point of roads,

wherein when receiving a control signal indicating the completion of the passage of the driver'"'"'s vehicle through the intersection transferred from the passing detection means, the display control means instructs the irradiating means to display the vehicle speed information.

8. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising an obstacle detection means that detects an obstacle to display the vehicle speed information by the irradiating means that is controlled by the display control means;

and

a display position changing means that changes the display position for displaying the vehicle speed information to another display position when the obstacle detection means detects the obstacle to display the vehicle speed information, where the another display position does not obstacle to display the vehicle speed information.

9. The display control device according to claim 8, further comprising a vehicle distance detection means that detects a vehicle distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and a front running vehicle,

wherein the obstacle detection means receives the detection result transferred from the vehicle distance detection means, and

the display position changing means changes the display position to a near display position which is near the driver'"'"'s vehicle according to the detection result indicates that the vehicle distance is decreased.

10. The display control device according to claim 8, further comprising a weather detection means that detects a weather condition, and

wherein the obstacle detection means receives the detection result of the weather condition transferred from the weather detection means, and

the display position changing means changes the display position to a near display position which is near the driver'"'"'s vehicle when the driver'"'"'s field of vision is decreased according to the detection result of the weather condition becoming worse.

11. The display control device according to claim 8, further comprising a urban area detection means that detects the driver'"'"'s vehicle driving in a urban area,

wherein the obstacle detection means receives the detection result transferred from the urban area detection means, and

the display position changing means changes the display position to a near display position which is near the driver'"'"'s vehicle when the driver'"'"'s vehicle drives in the urban area, when compared with the display position when the driver'"'"'s vehicle drives in another area other than the urban area.

12. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means instructs the irradiating means to display the information relating a driving condition of the driver'"'"'s vehicle and environment information around the driver'"'"'s vehicle for a predetermined period of time.