Vehicle display device and display method

• US 8,653,961 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kumon, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US13/131,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20110227717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 340/441, 340/425.5, 340/931, 345/7, 345/168
• US Class Current: 340/441
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0183 Adaptation to parameters characterising the motion of the vehicle
• 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 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

In a vehicle display device in the invention, because the display position of a displayed image is adjusted by a display position calculation portion (14) and a drive control portion (15) when a predetermined vehicle travel condition is detected by a travel condition detection portion (12), the display position is adjusted while the driver is looking at the displayed image. In addition, adjustment of the display position may be avoided when the driver is not looking at the displayed image. Therefore, the display device avoids annoying the driver, and avoids needless adjustment of the display position. The display position of the image is adjusted based on the detected eyeball position.

Claims

1. A vehicle display device comprising:

a display unit that displays an image in a field of view of a driver of a vehicle;

an eyeball position detection unit that detects an eyeball position of the driver relative to the vehicle;

a display position adjustment unit that adjusts a display position of the image relative to the vehicle based on the detected eyeball position; and

a travel condition detection unit that detects a vehicle travel condition,

wherein the display position adjustment unit adjusts the display position of the image when the travel condition detection unit detects a linearly traveling state of the vehicle, wherein

the eyeball position detection unit detects the eyeball position when the travel condition detection unit detects the linearly traveling state of the vehicle, and wherein

the display position of the image is adjusted based on the detected eyeball position when the linearly traveling state of the vehicle is detected.

2. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein

the display position adjustment unit adjusts the display position of the image when the travel condition detection unit detects a predetermined-speed traveling state of the vehicle, wherein

the eyeball position detection unit detects the eyeball position when the travel condition detection unit detects the predetermined-speed traveling state of the vehicle, and wherein

the display position of the image is adjusted based on the detected eyeball position when the predetermined-speed traveling state of the vehicle is detected.

3. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein

the display position adjustment unit adjusts the display position of the image based on a moving average of the eyeball position over a predetermined time.

4. The vehicle display device according to claim 3, further comprising

a seat position detection unit that detects a position of a driver'"'"'s seat, wherein

the display position adjustment unit adjusts the display position of the image when the seat position detection unit detects that the seat position has not changed for a certain time.

6. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the eyeball position detection unit generates an image signal and a position signal, the image signal containing an image of a range that contains a face of the driver, and the position signal correlates to the image signal.

7. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the eyeball position detection unit is a camera.

8. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein when the linearly traveling state of the vehicle is not detected by the vehicle travel condition detection unit, the displayed position of the displayed image is not adjusted.

5. A display method comprising:

detecting an eyeball position of a driver of a vehicle;

determining whether the driver is driving the vehicle;

displaying an image in a field of view of the driver based on the detected eyeball position, when it is determined that the driver is driving the vehicle;

detecting a vehicle travel condition; and

adjusting a display position of the image when a linearly traveling state of the vehicle is detected, and wherein

the eyeball position is detected when the linearly traveling state of the vehicle is detected, wherein

the display position of the image is adjusted based on the detected eyeball position when the linearly traveling state of the vehicle is detected.