JP2022075859A - Vehicle control device and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correctly reproduce a surrounding situation of a vehicle by an image for display on an inner side surface of a cabin, thereby enabling a driver to safely drive the vehicle.

SOLUTION: In an on-vehicle image display device 5 provided for a vehicle, a detection unit 80 detects, as a surrounding situation of the vehicle, a surrounding landscape, a surrounding person or vehicle, or a mode of a target such as an obstacle. Then, detection data representing a detection result is transmitted to an on-vehicle unit 90. In the on-vehicle unit 90, a drawing processor 39 generates an image representing the surrounding situation of the vehicle based on the detection data. Then, the image representing the surrounding situation of the vehicle is displayed on a display glass panel 40, that is, an inner side surface such as a window or a pillar of the vehicle.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an in-vehicle image display device that displays an image in a vehicle interior including a window portion of a vehicle such as a bus, a taxi, or a private car.

Conventionally, as the cause of vehicle-related accidents such as accidents between vehicles and accidents between vehicles and passersby, for example, visibility deteriorates due to weather (rain, snow, etc.), or driving due to eye fatigue, etc. It is conceivable that the driver may overlook passersby, other vehicles, obstacles, etc. around the vehicle or make a mistake due to the temporary deterioration of the eyesight of the hand. Be done. That is, the driver cannot accurately grasp the situation around the vehicle, which delays the avoidance of danger and leads to an accident. Conversely, if the driver can accurately grasp the situation around the vehicle, the occurrence of an accident can be prevented.

By the way, conventionally, an image display device capable of projecting an outside situation or a landscape on a window glass of a vehicle has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The image display device described in Patent Document 1 includes an observation device for observing the state (position, speed, etc.) of the vehicle, and an observation device for accumulating image information of the outside landscape in advance. Based on the information indicating the position of the vehicle observed by, the image information of the scenery that will be visible outside the vehicle at the observed position is acquired from the storage device, and the image represented by the image information is displayed on the window glass. Let me. It is also possible to display map information such as place names, river names, and mountain names. Further, based on the speed information of the vehicle, the images to be displayed can be sequentially switched according to the speed. In this way, there is a device that can display a landscape image around the vehicle on the window glass of the vehicle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-20223

By the way, in the conventional image display device as described above, the landscape image stored in advance in the storage device is displayed on the window glass of the vehicle, and the landscape image outside the current vehicle while traveling can be displayed. Can not. And, as mentioned above, if the visibility deteriorates due to the weather or the driver's eyesight temporarily deteriorates, the driver cannot accurately grasp the surrounding situation, and the degree of danger of driving, in other words, The probability of an accident increases. Therefore, in order to prevent accidents, it is necessary to display an image of the surroundings of the vehicle while driving in real time.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and it is intended that the driver can safely drive the vehicle by accurately reproducing the situation around the vehicle with an image and displaying it on the window of the vehicle. The purpose.

The vehicle-mounted image display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is used in a vehicle and includes a display means, an image generation means, and a display control means. The display means is configured to be able to display an image on the inner surface, which is a surface of the vehicle interior including at least the window portion of the vehicle. The image generation means displays on the display means based on at least one of the detection result by the detection status means for detecting the situation around the vehicle or the image information read from the recording medium in which the image information is recorded in advance. It is configured to generate image data for this purpose. The display control means is configured to cause the display means to display an image represented by the image data generated by the image generation means.

The vehicle-mounted image display device of the present disclosure may be further configured as follows. That is, the display means is configured to be able to display an image on the inner surface, which is a range including at least a plurality of windows and pillars provided between the plurality of windows.

According to the in-vehicle image display device of the present disclosure, an image showing the situation around the vehicle is displayed on the display means, so that the driver can surely grasp the situation around the vehicle. That is, the driver can be configured to display an image that is easy for the driver to see, such as highlighting a moving object, based on the detection result of the situation detecting means, so that the driver can see the content of the image, that is, the surrounding situation. Can be easily recognized. Further, even if the situation is far away from the vehicle, an image showing the situation is displayed, which makes it easy for the driver to see and easily grasps the situation far away. In this way, the driver can surely grasp the situation around the vehicle, and can surely prevent the danger avoidance from being delayed and the accident from occurring. It should be noted that at least the surrounding objects can be configured to be detected by the situation detecting means.

Further, in this in-vehicle image display device, the display means transmits light from the inside and outside of the vehicle, so that the inside and outside scenery of the vehicle can be visually recognized across the display means. The display control means is configured to be switchable between a display state in which light from the inside and the outside of the vehicle is blocked and an image is displayed by the display control means, and the display control means is a state of the display means. After switching to the display state, the display means may display the image represented by the image data generated by the image generation means.

In this in-vehicle image display device, the display means is switched between a window state in which the scenery on the opposite side can be visually recognized like a normal window and a display state in which an image is displayed.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, the display means is switched to the display state only when displaying an image around the vehicle, and when the image is not displayed, the display means is switched to a window state like a normal window. can do. Therefore, it is easy for the driver or the passenger to use.

In an in-vehicle image display device, it is conceivable that display means are provided on the front, side, and rear windows of the vehicle. In particular, when the state of the display means can be switched, it is preferable that the state of the display means can be switched between the window state and the display state in each window portion.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, information can be displayed on all windows of the vehicle. Therefore, since an image showing the situation around the vehicle can be displayed on all the windows of the vehicle, the driver can drive the vehicle more safely for the reason described above. Moreover, the display means of each window portion can be switched between a window state like a normal window and a display state in which an image is displayed. Therefore, for example, the state of the display means can be switched to the normal window state for each window so that the passenger can enjoy the real scenery, and it is possible to meet the needs of the passenger who wants to enjoy the real scenery.

Further, in the vehicle-mounted image display device, it is preferable that the display control means switches the state of the display means between the window state and the display state based on the input of the passenger of the vehicle.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, the passenger can freely switch the state of the display means of the window portion of the vehicle between the display state and the window state, which is convenient for the passenger.

Further, the vehicle-mounted image display device includes a driving state detecting means for detecting at least one of the speed, the traveling direction, and the braking state of the vehicle.
The display control means may be configured to switch the state of the display means between the window state and the display state based on the detection result of the operation state detection means.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, the state of the display means can be switched according to the driving state of the vehicle even if the driver does not intend. Then, for example, when the speed of the vehicle becomes higher than a certain speed, the state of the display means of the window portion may be switched to the display state, and the display means may be configured to display the surrounding image. .. Further, it is conceivable to configure the display means of the window portion to be switched to the normal window state when the vehicle is stopped.

That is, for example, as described above, when the speed of the vehicle exceeds a certain speed, it may be difficult for the driver to grasp the surrounding situation, but at that time, an image of the surroundings is displayed on the window and the driver is in the surroundings. You can be able to grasp the situation. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle more safely. In addition, if the window state can be switched to the normal window state when the vehicle stops, the passenger can fully enjoy the real scenery.

Further, in the vehicle-mounted image display device, it is preferable that the display control means causes the display means to display an image of the surroundings behind the vehicle when the vehicle backs up.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, when the driver backs the vehicle to the rear, an image of the rear of the vehicle is displayed on the window, so that the driver can drive the vehicle more safely. Become. The window portion for displaying the image behind the vehicle may be the window portion in front of the vehicle or the window portion in the rear. Further, it may be a side window portion. Further, it may be displayed on all windows.

Further, it is preferable that the in-vehicle image display device is provided with a sound output means for outputting the sound around the vehicle based on the detection result of the situation detection means.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, sound is output by the sound output means in addition to the image of the surroundings of the vehicle, so that the situation around the vehicle can be reproduced more realistically and the driver can more accurately surround the vehicle. You will be able to grasp the situation of.

Further, it is preferable that the in-vehicle image display device is provided with a storage means for storing the image data generated by the image generation means.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, since the image data is stored in the storage means, the image data can be read out even after driving, and the image represented by the image data can be viewed. Therefore, it is easy for passengers to use.

Further, in an in-vehicle image display device, it is preferable that the image generation means generate image data so that a passerby or another vehicle around the vehicle is highlighted by the display means.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, images of passersby and other vehicles around the vehicle are generated so that the driver can easily recognize them, so that the driver can easily recognize the passersby and other vehicles. You will be alerted to other vehicles. That is, the driver's attention can be aroused.

Further, in the vehicle-mounted image display device, the display means can display information on both the inside and the outside of the vehicle.
It is preferable that the display control means display an image different from the image represented by the image data generated by the image generation means on the outer surface of the display means.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, images can be displayed on both sides of the display means. Therefore, for example, an image of the surroundings is displayed on the inner side surface as described above, and another vehicle is driven on the outer side surface. It is possible to display a message to a person or a passerby. By displaying a message in this way and communicating with the surroundings, it is possible to facilitate traffic. It is also conceivable to configure the advertisement to be displayed on the outer surface.

Further, the in-vehicle image display device is provided with a reading means for reading the image data recorded on the recording medium.
It is preferable that the display control means is configured so that the display means displays an image represented by the image data read by the reading means from the recording medium.

According to this in-vehicle image display device, the image represented by the image data recorded on the recording medium can also be displayed on the window portion, which is easy for the passenger to use.

Further, in the vehicle-mounted image display device, a collision determination means for determining whether or not a vehicle collides with another vehicle is unavoidable based on the detection result of the situation detection means, and a collision determination means.
When the collision determination means determines that a collision with the other vehicle is unavoidable, the collision-capable stationary object among the stationary objects other than the other vehicle is based on the detection result of the situation detection means. Possibility judgment means to judge whether or not there is,
When it is determined by the possibility determination means that there is a stationary object that can collide, the vehicle control means that controls the vehicle so as to collide with the stationary object and the vehicle control means.
It is preferable to have.

In particular, the vehicle control means may control the brake of the vehicle, the output of a power source (for example, an internal combustion engine, a motor, etc.), and the steering angle.
In a vehicle equipped with such an in-vehicle image display device, if a collision with another vehicle in the vicinity is unavoidable, a target that may collide with the other vehicle. An object is searched, and if there is such an object, the vehicle is controlled to collide with the object. That is, even if it collides with an object other than another vehicle, the collision with another vehicle is avoided and the damage is suppressed. Therefore, according to this in-vehicle image display device, the damage of the collision can be minimized.

It is an external view which shows the appearance of the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle image display device. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an in-vehicle image display device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the CPU of an in-vehicle image display device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the drawing processor of an in-vehicle image display device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the collision mitigation processing executed by the CPU of an in-vehicle image display device. It is a figure which shows the state which the image is displayed in the window part of a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted image display device of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state which the image is displayed on the window part of a vehicle (second embodiment). It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted image display device of 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is an external view showing the appearance of a vehicle 1 provided with an in-vehicle image display device 5 (see FIG. 2) of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, detection units 80 for detecting a situation around the vehicle 1 among the vehicle-mounted image display devices 5 are provided at a plurality of locations outside the body of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 80 detects the surrounding scenery, surrounding people, other vehicles (hereinafter, also referred to as other vehicles), obstacles, and the like as the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1. Further, although not shown in FIG. 1, an in-vehicle unit 90 (see FIG. 2) constituting the in-vehicle image display device 5 is provided inside the vehicle 1 separately from the detection unit 80. Then, based on the detection result of the detection unit 80, the in-vehicle unit 90 generates an image showing the surrounding situation of the vehicle 1.

In particular, in the present embodiment, all the windows of the vehicle 1 are provided with a display glass panel 40 capable of displaying an image on the entire window. The display glass panel 40 has a display mode in which an image can be displayed by functioning as a liquid crystal display, and a transparent state like a normal window, in which the scenery on the opposite side across the window can be visually recognized. It is configured to be switchable to normal mode. Then, the image around the vehicle 1 generated by the vehicle-mounted unit 90 is displayed on the display glass panel 40. The image around the vehicle 1 is displayed on the surface corresponding to the inside of the vehicle 1 on the display glass panel 40 so that the image around the vehicle 1 can be visually recognized from the inside of the vehicle 1. Further, in the present embodiment, the image can be displayed on the surface corresponding to the outside of the vehicle 1.

Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle-mounted image display device 5.
As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle-mounted image display device 5 of the present embodiment includes the above-mentioned detection unit 80, the vehicle-mounted unit 90, and the input / output unit 95 including the display glass panel 40. Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail.

First, the vehicle-mounted unit 90 is mounted inside the vehicle 1, and includes a CPU 30 that executes various processes and a ROM 32 that stores a start processing program (BioS) and the like performed by the CPU 30 when the vehicle-mounted unit 90 is started. , RAM 34 used as a storage area when the CPU 30 performs various processes, a hard disk (hereinafter, HDD) 36 for storing information, and information recorded in recording media such as CD-ROM / RAM and DVD-ROM / RAM. A frame in which the drawing processor 39 that generates image data representing the surrounding situation of the vehicle 1 based on the data transmitted from the reading device 37 to be read and the detection unit 80, and the image data generated by the drawing processor 39 are stored. It includes a memory 38, an input / output interface (hereinafter, I / O) 20 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the detection unit 80, and an I / O 22 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the input / output unit 95. They are connected to each other via the bus 50.

Next, the detection unit 80 is composed of an infrared sensor 10, a millimeter wave radar 12, an ultrasonic sensor 14, and a microphone 18, in which various data described later are detected every minute time Δt. ..

In the detection unit 80, the infrared sensor 10 detects infrared rays radiated from an object. Infrared rays are emitted from all objects. Then, by specifying the range of the infrared radiation source using the infrared sensor 10, the approximate outer shape of the object can be known. It is also possible to infer the approximate shape and material of the object from the intensity of the emitted infrared rays (the intensity of the infrared rays varies depending on the temperature of the object or the physical property values such as thermal conductivity). Is. Then, in the present embodiment, a microcomputer (not shown) constituting the infrared sensor 10 executes a prediction process of predicting the material of the object (for example, whether it is metal or not) from the intensity of infrared rays. It should be noted that this prediction process is a process that has been conventionally performed in an infrared sensor, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Then, the data representing the prediction result, the range of the infrared radiation source detected by the infrared sensor 10, and the data representing the intensity of the infrared rays are transmitted to the in-vehicle unit 90.

The millimeter wave radar 12 uses millimeter waves (radio waves with a frequency of 30 to 300 GHz) to irradiate the millimeter waves with the irradiation source (here, vehicle 1) and the distance between the object and the vehicle 1 and the object. It detects the relative speed with. That is, while irradiating a millimeter wave, the distance to the object is detected from the time until the irradiated wave is reflected by the object and returned. Further, by detecting the distance to the object every predetermined time t (t <Δt), the relative speed to the object is also detected. Then, the data representing the distance to the object and the relative speed detected by the millimeter wave radar 12 is transmitted to the in-vehicle unit 90.

The ultrasonic sensor 14 irradiates the surroundings with ultrasonic waves, and measures the position, size, shape, and volume of the object from the reflected waves of the irradiated ultrasonic waves. In this embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor 14 capable of three-dimensional measurement is used. That is, the shape of the object can be represented in three dimensions. Then, the data representing the position, outer shape, shape, and volume of the object measured by the ultrasonic sensor 14 is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit 90.

The microphone 18 detects the sound around the vehicle 1. For example, the voice of a person, the sound of an animal, or the running noise of another vehicle. Then, the data representing the detected sound is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit 90.

Then, each detection data detected by the detection unit 80 and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit 90 is received by the vehicle-mounted unit 90 via the I / O 20 and stored in the RAM 34. At this time, the CPU 30 instructs the drawing processor 39 to generate image data based on the detected data. Then, the drawing processor 39 reads the detected data from the RAM 34 and generates image data based on the detected data. Then, the image represented by the image data is displayed on the display glass panel 40.

Next, the input / output unit 95 includes the display glass panel 40 described above, a speaker 42 that outputs sound, and an operation unit 44 for inputting information.
The speaker 42 is provided to output ambient sound through the speaker 42 based on the data representing the sound detected by the microphone 18 among the above-mentioned detection data. A speaker of an audio device (not shown) normally provided in the vehicle 1 may be used.

Further, the operation unit 44 is operated by the passenger of the vehicle 1, and the passenger operates the operation unit 44 to change the mode of the display glass panel 40 into the above-mentioned display mode and the normal mode. It can be switched. This switching can be performed for each window unit.

Next, the drawing command process repeatedly executed by the CPU 30 of the vehicle-mounted unit 90 will be described with reference to FIG. This process is a process executed to cause the drawing processor 39 to generate image data.

In this drawing command processing, first, in S310, it is determined whether or not the detection data is received from the detection unit 80. When it is determined that the data has been received, the process proceeds to S320, and the received detection data is stored in the RAM 34. Further, at this time, the sound around the vehicle 1 is output from the speaker 42 based on the sound data included in the detection data. It should be noted that the sound emitted from the object represented by the detection data may be predicted so that the predicted sound is emitted from the speaker 42. For example, when another vehicle is detected, the engine sound or the horn sound predicted to be emitted from the other vehicle may be output from the speaker 42. In this case, sound data representing sounds such as engine sound and horn sound is stored in ROM 32 or HDD 36 in advance, and when another vehicle is detected, sound data representing those sounds is stored from ROM 32 or HDD 36. It is good to read it.

Then, the process proceeds to S330, and a drawing command, which is a command for generating image data, is transmitted to the drawing processor 39. Then, it returns to S310 again.
Even if it is determined that the detection data has not been received in S310, the determination process of S310 is repeated again.

Next, the drawing process repeatedly executed by the drawing processor 39 will be described with reference to FIG.
In this drawing process, first, S410 determines whether or not a drawing command has been received from the CPU 30. As described above, the drawing command is a command for causing the drawing processor 39 to generate image data, and is transmitted from the CPU 30 in the process of S330 in FIG. If it is determined in S410 that the drawing command has not been received, the processing of S410 is executed again.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the drawing command has been received in S410, the process proceeds to S420 and the detection data is read from the RAM 34. This detection data is transmitted from the detection unit 80 and stored in the RAM 34 in the process of S320.

Then, in the subsequent S430, image data around the vehicle 1 is generated based on the detection data read from the RAM 34 in S420. Here, a method for generating image data will be specifically described.

First, as described above, the millimeter-wave radar 12 transmits detection data indicating the distance between the vehicle 1 and the object (or the position of the object) and the relative speed to the in-vehicle unit 90, and the infrared sensor 10 transmits the detection data. Is transmitted with detection data representing the outer shape, shape, and material of the object, and is transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14 with detection data representing the outer shape, shape, volume, and position of the object. Then, those detected data are stored in the RAM 34.

Then, the drawing processor 39 generates image data around the vehicle from the above-mentioned detection data stored in the RAM 34, and among the data constituting the image data, the outer shape and shape of the object are determined. The data to be represented is generated based on the detection data transmitted from both the infrared sensor 10 and the ultrasonic sensor 14. That is, the data representing the outer shape or shape transmitted from the infrared sensor 10 is averaged with the data representing the outer shape or shape transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, and the data obtained as a result is used as the object. The data represents the outer shape or shape. Similarly, for the data on the position of the object, the average of the data representing the position transmitted from both the millimeter wave radar 12 and the ultrasonic sensor 14 is taken, and the data obtained as a result is used as the position of the object. Let it be data.

By the way, when the detection accuracy of one sensor (here, the infrared sensor 10, the ultrasonic sensor 14, or the millimeter wave radar) is lowered due to disturbance such as the influence of the weather, the detection of the other sensor is performed. Adopt data. The probability that the detection accuracy of both sensors will decrease at the same time is small. In other words, it is unlikely that the detection accuracy of both sensors will decline at the same time.

Then, at least, if there is data on the outer shape, shape, and position of the object generated in this way, the situation around the vehicle is represented based on the data.
In particular, in the present embodiment, the drawing processor 39 predicts what the object is based on the data of the material and volume of the object in addition to the data of the outer shape and the shape of the object. For example, it predicts that the object is a person, a tree, or a vehicle. In the present embodiment, the ROM 32 contains a plurality of types (or multiple types) of data representing the outer shape, shape, material, volume, color, etc. of a tree, a person, or a vehicle as an object, such as a tree, a person, or a vehicle. The drawing processor 39 is adapted to compare the data of the object generated by itself with the data of the object stored in the ROM 32 in correspondence with each other. That is, the data generated by the user and the data stored in the ROM 32 are compared with each other for the outer shape, shape, material, and volume data. Then, as a result of comparison, which of the corresponding data stored in the ROM 32 is close to each generated data, that is, what kind of data of the generated object is (people, trees, vehicles, or them). To conclude that it represents the type of). Data representing an object such as a tree, a person, or a vehicle may be stored in the HDD 36 as a database.

By predicting the object in this way, it is possible to generate a colored image. For example, when it is concluded that the object represented by the generated data is a tree, the color data is extracted from the data about the tree stored in the ROM 32, and the extracted color data is generated. By adding it to the data of the object, it is possible to display a colored image of the object.

In the present embodiment, when the object is a moving object such as a person or a vehicle, the image of the object is highlighted on the display glass panel 40 to make it easier for the driver to recognize. Is to be given. Fluorescent colors and primary colors can be considered as the colors that are highlighted and easily recognized by the driver.

Further, in the present embodiment, regarding the detected object, the outer shape (in other words, the size) and the position of the detected object after a predetermined time are obtained based on the data representing the relative velocity detected by the millimeter wave radar 12. It is also possible to generate forecast data for. Then, when displaying the image of the object on the display glass panel 40, the image of the object based on the prediction data can be displayed.

In this way, based on the detection data of the detection unit 80, a so-called computer graphic (CG) image is generated about the situation around the vehicle 1.
Further, in S430, the image data is generated as described above, and the image data is temporarily stored in the frame memory 38. Further, by setting the in-vehicle unit 90 to a predetermined setting state via the operation unit 44, the image data is also stored in the HDD 36.

If the HDD 36 is set to store the image data, the passenger of the vehicle 1 can read the image data stored in the HDD 36 and view it later. That is, for example, by storing the image data at the time of driving, the image at the time of driving can be viewed and enjoyed later. In addition, if the surrounding image is stored when going to a destination where the traveling route is complicated and it is easy to get lost, the image can be reviewed later and the traveling route can be confirmed. And if you do so, you will be able to reach the destination smoothly from the next time.

Further, in the present embodiment, a reading device 37 capable of reading data recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM / RAM or a DVD-ROM / RAM is provided. Then, the image data recorded on the recording medium can be read by the reading device 37, and the image represented by the image data can be displayed on the display glass panel 40. Therefore, the map information can be displayed on the display glass panel 40 together with the surrounding image by using the recording medium in which the map data is stored. Therefore, it is easy for the driver to use. Further, a recording medium in which a movie or a live image is recorded can be used to display the movie or the live image on the display glass panel 40. Therefore, the passenger can enjoy a movie or a live image in the vehicle 1.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the state of the display glass panel 40 of the vehicle 1 can be switched between the display mode and the normal mode, and the switching mode is an automatic mode in which the display mode is automatically switched. And there is a manual mode in which switching is performed based on the input from the operation unit 44. Whether to use the automatic mode or the manual mode can be set in advance via the operation unit 44.

Then, in S510 following from S430, it is determined whether or not the switching mode is the automatic mode. When it is determined that the mode is the automatic mode, the process proceeds to S520, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the speed of the vehicle 1 is not 0 based on the detection result detected by the speed sensor (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1.

When it is determined in S520 that the vehicle 1 is running, the process proceeds to S530 and the display glass panel 40 is set to the display mode. In this embodiment, the display glass panels 40 of all the windows of the vehicle 1 are set to the display mode.

Then, in the subsequent S540, the display glass panel 40 displays the image represented by the image data generated in S430 (see FIG. 6). Although not shown, when the vehicle 1 is backed backward, an image of the rear of the vehicle 1 is displayed on the front display glass panel 40. At this time, the image behind the vehicle 1 may be displayed on the window portion (display glass panel 40) behind the vehicle 1 or may be displayed on the window portion on the side surface. Alternatively, it may be displayed on all windows.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S520 that the vehicle is not running, the process proceeds to S550 and the display glass panel 40 is set to the normal mode. Then, it returns to S410 again.
Further, if it is determined in S510 that the switching mode is not the automatic mode, that is, the manual mode, the mode is then shifted to S560, and whether or not there is switching to the display mode based on the input of the operation unit 44 is determined. judge. When it is determined that there is a switch to the display mode, the process proceeds to S530 and the display glass panel 40 is set to the display mode.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S560 that there is no switch to the display mode, the process proceeds to S570 and it is determined whether or not there is a switch to the normal mode.
When it is determined in S570 that there is a switch to the normal mode, the process proceeds to S550 and the display glass panel 40 is set to the normal mode.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S570 that there is no switching to the normal mode, the process proceeds to S580 and it is determined whether or not the current mode is the display mode. When it is determined that the display mode is set, the process proceeds to S540, and the image is displayed on the display glass panel 40.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S580 that the current mode is not the display mode, that is, the normal mode, the process returns to S410.
In this drawing process, the mode of the display glass panel 40 is set based on whether or not the vehicle is running (S520), that is, the speed of the vehicle, but the traveling direction of the vehicle, the braking state, and the like are set. May be added. For example, regarding the display glass panel 40 on the side surface of the vehicle 1, when the vehicle 1 is turning to the right, the display glass panel 40 on the right side is set to the display mode, and when the vehicle 1 is turning to the left. , The display glass panel 40 on the left side may be set to the display mode.

Further, as described above, the display glass panel 40 can display images on both sides thereof. Then, in the present embodiment, on the outer surface of the display glass panel 40, for example, a message for notifying the surroundings that the baby is on the vehicle 1, a message of thanks when the baby is given a course, etc. Is displayed. The data representing this message or the like is stored in advance in the ROM 32, and when the passenger inputs the message information indicating the type of the message and the command for displaying the message via the operation unit 44, the data is based on the message information. The message is displayed on the outer surface of the display glass panel 40. The text of the message may be input via the operation unit 44.

By displaying a message to the driver or the like of another vehicle in this way, mutual communication can be achieved, and eventually traffic can be facilitated, so that the occurrence of an accident can be prevented. It is also conceivable to configure it to display advertisements and the like.

Next, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of collision mitigation processing that is repeatedly executed in the CPU 30.
In this collision mitigation process, first, in S610, it is determined whether or not the state of the vehicle 1 is a state in which a collision with another vehicle cannot be avoided. Specifically, the speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1 detected by an in-vehicle sensor (for example, a speed sensor) provided in the vehicle 1 and the position and speed of another vehicle detected by the detection unit 80, or the vehicle 1 Judgment is made based on the relative speed with the vehicle 1 and various performances such as braking performance and turning performance of the vehicle 1. The performance data representing the performance of the vehicle 1 is stored in the ROM 32 in advance.

Then, when it is determined in S610 that the collision is inevitable, the process proceeds to S620. On the other hand, if it is determined that the collision can be avoided, the process is terminated as it is.
In S620, it is determined whether or not there is an object that can collide in the vicinity in addition to the other vehicle in which the collision is unavoidable. Then, in this process of S620, a stationary object such as a guardrail is targeted as an object that can collide.

Then, when it is determined that there is a stationary object capable of colliding, the process proceeds to S630. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no stationary object that can collide, the process is terminated as it is.
In S630, the vehicle 1 is controlled so as to collide with a stationary object that can collide. Specifically, the brake and throttle opening degree (and thus the output of the engine) of the vehicle 1 are controlled to adjust the speed of the vehicle 1, and the steering angle is controlled to adjust the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Then, the vehicle 1 is made to collide with the stationary object. That is, this collision mitigation process is a process executed so as to avoid a collision between the vehicle 1 and other surrounding vehicles even if the vehicle 1 collides with another stationary object. If the collision between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle is avoided by such processing, even if the vehicle 1 collides with a stationary object, the damage can be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the detection unit 80 corresponds to the situation detection means, the drawing processor 39 corresponds to the image generation means and the display control means, the display glass panel 40 corresponds to the display means, and the CPU 30 detects the operating state. Corresponding to the means, the speaker 42 corresponds to the sound output means,
The HDD 36 corresponds to the storage means, the reading device 37 corresponds to the reading means, the processing of S610 corresponds to the collision determination means, the processing of S620 corresponds to the possibility determination means, and the processing of S630 corresponds to the vehicle control means. are doing.

As described above, in the vehicle-mounted image display device 5 of the present embodiment, the situation around the vehicle 1 is detected by the detection unit 80, and the vehicle 1 is detected by the drawing processor 39 of the vehicle-mounted unit 90 based on the detection result. Image data around the is generated (S430 in FIG. 4). Then, the image (computer graphic image) represented by the generated image data is displayed on the display glass panel 40 provided in the window portion of the vehicle 1 (see S540 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6). Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 1 can easily and surely grasp the situation around the vehicle 1 by looking at the image displayed on the display glass panel 40 of the window portion, so that the driver can easily and surely grasp the weather. It is possible to prevent the situation around the vehicle 1 from being unable to be accurately grasped due to deterioration or deterioration of one's own eyesight, delaying danger avoidance, and causing an accident.

Further, in the present embodiment, all the windows of the vehicle 1 are configured as the display glass panel 40. That is, the surrounding image can be displayed on all the windows of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the driver can grasp the surrounding situation more accurately, and can more reliably prevent an accident from occurring for the reason described above.

Further, in the present embodiment, the state of the display glass panel 40 can be switched between a display mode in which an image can be displayed and a normal mode in which a state is like a normal window. Then, this switching may be automatically performed according to the driving state of the vehicle 1 (automatic mode), or may be performed based on the operation of the passenger of the vehicle 1 (manual mode). .. When the automatic mode is set, the surrounding image is displayed on the window portion of the vehicle 1 even if the driver does not intend, and the driver can surely grasp the surrounding situation. In addition, the manual mode allows passengers to freely enjoy the real scenery.

Further, in the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is provided with a speaker, and the sound around the vehicle 1 detected by the microphone 18 of the detection unit 80 is output from the speaker 42. Therefore, the surrounding situation of the vehicle 1 can be reproduced more realistically, and the driver can grasp the surrounding situation more accurately.
[Embodiment 2]
Next, the vehicle-mounted image display device 5 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

In the vehicle-mounted image display device 5 of the second embodiment, as compared with the first embodiment, the display glass panel 40 of the window portion of the vehicle 1 has a screen display mode that functions as a screen and a normal window-like display mode. It is configured to be switchable to normal mode. In this screen display mode, the light from the inside and the outside of the vehicle 1 is blocked. That is, the display glass panel 40 becomes cloudy and functions as a screen. An image is projected onto the display glass panel 40 in the screen display mode by the projector 45 (see FIG. 7).

In particular, in the second embodiment, in addition to the display glass panel 40 in the screen display mode, the inside of the A pillar 2 of the vehicle 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is also displayed as if it were a screen. By displaying the surrounding image on the window portion of the vehicle 1 and the A pillar 2 in this way, it is possible to make it as if the blind spot from the inside of the vehicle 1 has disappeared (see FIG. 8). Therefore, the driver can more accurately grasp the situation around the vehicle 1, and can more reliably prevent the occurrence of an accident.

In the second embodiment, the projector 45 and the display glass panel 40 correspond to the display means.
By the way, the image may be projected not only on the A pillar but also on the B pillar and the C pillar, that is, all the pillars inside the vehicle 1. Further, in the first embodiment, if a display panel such as a liquid crystal display is provided in each pillar portion, the same effect can be obtained.
[Embodiment 3]
Next, the vehicle-mounted image display device 5 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The in-vehicle image display device 5 of the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the CCD camera 16 is used instead of the detection unit 80. Further, in the in-vehicle unit 90, a CCD interface (hereinafter referred to as CCDI / F) 24 for exchanging data with the CCD camera 16 is provided instead of the I / O 20.

Then, the imaging data (in other words, the detection data) representing the image captured by the CCD camera 16 is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit 90 and stored in the RAM 34 of the vehicle-mounted unit 90. Further, in the process of S430 in FIG. 4, the drawing processor 39 adds color data to the image pickup data (detection data) stored in the RAM 34 to generate a computer graphic image. The image captured by the CCD camera 16 may be directly displayed on the display glass panel 40.

According to the in-vehicle image display device 5 of the third embodiment, since the actual surrounding situation is captured by the CCD camera 16, it becomes easy to generate a computer graphic image showing the surrounding situation. In addition, since a computer graphic image of the surrounding situation can be generated more accurately, the driver can grasp the surrounding situation more accurately based on the image. Therefore, the occurrence of an accident can be prevented more reliably.

In the third embodiment, the CCD camera 16 corresponds to the situation detecting means.
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various forms can be adopted within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, the in-vehicle image display device of the present invention can be used not only for a vehicle (private vehicle or the like) as shown in FIG. 1, but also for a bus, a taxi, or a railroad vehicle.
Further, the surrounding situation may be conveyed to the driver by voice. In this case, for example, when an object exists, information about what the object is, information such as the size and distance of the object, or information about the risk of collision with the object is voiced. It is conceivable to configure it to inform the driver at.

Further, in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, the CCD camera may be incorporated in the detection unit 80. In this case, for example, a computer graphic image is generated by using the image pickup data of the CCD camera in the bright time zone of the day, and the CCD camera is used in the dark time zone of the night or when the weather is bad. It is advisable to use the detection data of sensors other than the above.

1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Frame, 5 ... In-vehicle image display device, 10 ... Infrared sensor, 12 ... Millimeter wave radar, 14 ... Ultrasonic sensor, 16 ... CCD camera, 18 ... Microphone, 20, 22 ... I / O , 24 ... CCDI / F, 30 ... CPU, 32 ... ROM, 34 ... RAM, 36 ... HDD, 37 ... reader, 38 ... frame memory, 39 ... drawing processor, 40 ... display glass panel, 42 ... speaker, 44 ... Operation unit, 45 ... projector, 50 ... bus, 80 ...
Detection unit, 90 ... In-vehicle unit, 95 ... Input / output unit.

Claims (3)

An in-vehicle image display device used in vehicles.
A display means configured to be able to display an image on the inner side surface, which is a surface of the vehicle interior including at least the window portion of the vehicle.
To display the image information on the display means based on at least one of the detection result by the detection status means for detecting the situation around the vehicle or the image information read from the recording medium in which the image information is recorded in advance. Image generation means configured to generate image data, and
A display control means configured to display the image represented by the image data generated by the image generation means on the display means, and a display control means.
An in-vehicle image display device. The display means is configured to be able to display an image on an inner surface which is a range including at least a plurality of windows and a pillar provided between the plurality of windows.
The vehicle-mounted image display device according to claim 1. Further comprising a driving state detecting means configured to detect at least one of the vehicle's speed, direction of travel, or braking state.
The display means of the window portion blocks the window state in which the inside and outside scenery of the vehicle can be visually recognized across the window and the light from the inside and outside of the vehicle, and displays an image by the display control means. It is configured to be switchable to the display state that is displayed.
The display control means is configured to switch the state of the display means between the window state and the display state according to the detection result by the operation state detection means.
The vehicle-mounted image display device according to claim 1 or 2.

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