JP2023121458A - Display controller, headup display device, and method for controlling display - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it less easy to notice the change of the perceived size of a virtual image caused by change of a display distance.SOLUTION: A headup display device 20 displays a virtual image of a static content V20 in a virtual display region 100 inclined to a road surface to have a near-sighted position 101, which is near to an observer, and a far-sighted position 102, which is far from the observer. An image position adjusting unit 510 adjusts the position of the static content V20. An image size adjusting unit 520 adjusts the size of the static content V20 so that the observer sees the static content of a second size smaller than a first size when the static content V20 is arranged in the far-sighted position 102, the first size being the size of the static content V20 when the static content is displayed in the near-sighted position 101.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present disclosure relates to a display control device, a head-up display device, and a display control method that are used in a vehicle and superimpose an image on the foreground of the vehicle for visual recognition.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a head-up display device (HUD device) in which the upper end of a virtual image display area in which an image (virtual image) is displayed is arranged at a position farther from the observer than the lower end. Such a HUD device can change the distance (display distance) from the observer to the image (virtual image) by changing the display position of the image (virtual image) within the virtual image display area. That is, it is possible to add depth expression to an image (virtual image).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-51231

The perception (and/or judgment in the human brain) of a retinal image of a visual object in a far-sighted position appears larger than the perception of a retinal image of a visual object in a myopic position (sometimes called Corridor Illusion). Are known.

Even in a HUD device in which the virtual image display area is tilted from the direction perpendicular to the road surface, due to the effects of the illusion described above, the virtual image seen at the far-sighted position far from the observer tends to be felt larger than the virtual image seen at the near-sighted position.

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein follows. It should be understood that these aspects are presented only to provide the reader with an overview of these particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, the present disclosure may encompass various aspects not described below.

An overview of the present disclosure relates to suppressing a virtual image seen at a far-sighted position far from an observer from feeling larger than a virtual image seen at a near-sighted position. The summary of the present disclosure also relates to making changes in the perceived size of the virtual image less noticeable as the viewing distance changes.

Therefore, the display control device according to the first embodiment described in this specification displays static content in a display area tilted with respect to the road surface so as to have a near-sighted position close to the viewer and a far-sighted position far from the viewer. A display control device for controlling a head-up display device that displays a virtual image of a virtual image, comprising: an image position adjustment unit that adjusts the position of static content; When arranging the static content at a far-sighted position, a first size adjustment process is performed to adjust the size of the static content so that the viewer can see the size of the static content at a second size that is smaller than the first size. and an image size adjustment unit that performs the above.

A first embodiment makes the size of static content displayed at a far-sighted position, which tends to be perceived as large, smaller than when displayed at a near-sighted position. In other words, there is an advantage that the tendency of being perceived large as the display distance increases can be suppressed (or offset or reversed) by reducing the size. The size of static content can be represented by the angle (visual angle) formed by the visual object projected onto the eye. However, since the position of the observer's eyes is not constant, the size of the static content is assumed here to be the angle (visual angle) formed by the visual object with a predetermined point in the vehicle as the vertex. The first size can be defined as the angle (visual angle) formed by the static content when displayed at a myopic position with a predetermined point as the vertex. It can be said that the angle (visual angle) formed by the static content when it is displayed at the hyperopia position.

Further, in the display control device according to the second embodiment that can be subordinate to the first embodiment, in the first size adjustment processing, the image size adjustment unit adjusts the first size and the second size so as to satisfy the following equation. Adjust size. Ms<AS21/AS11<1. where Ms is the ratio of the size of the object at the far-sighted position to the size of the object at the near-sighted position viewed from a given position in nature, AS11 is the first size, and AS21 is the second size. is the size of

In the second embodiment, the magnification (reduction ratio) AS21/AS11 of the second size at the far-sighted position with respect to the first size at the near-sighted position is the far-sighted size for the size of the object at the near-sighted position viewed from a predetermined position. It is set larger than the ratio of the size of the object at the position as seen from the given position. That is, the first size adjustment process in the second embodiment is more gradual than representation of size change with respect to distance by perspective, and while suppressing the amount of change in the size of the virtual image, the display distance becomes longer and the perceived size increases. An advantage is also envisioned that the tendency to be deceived can be suppressed (or offset or reversed).

Also, in the display control device according to the third embodiment, which can be subordinate to the first or second embodiment, the static content is expressed as if it were raised above the road surface rather than the display area. In the third embodiment, the first size adjustment process is performed particularly on the content that is raised above the road surface relative to the display area.

Further, in the display control device according to the fourth embodiment, which can be subordinate to one or more of the first to third embodiments, the image position adjustment unit adjusts the static content to the myopia position or the further performing a first image movement process to move the far vision position from one to the other, the first image movement process reducing visibility or hiding the static content and surrounding the static content; visibility reduction processing for displaying one or more frame images; manual image movement processing for moving one or more frame images from one of the near-sighted position and the far-sighted position to the other based on an operation by the observer; a visibility increasing process of reducing or hiding the visibility of the image and increasing or redisplaying the visibility of the static content at the position where the one or more frame images are arranged.

In the fourth embodiment, when the static content is moved by the viewer's operation, the static content is hidden and one or more frame images surrounding the static content are displayed. The observer can adjust the position of the static content (frame image) by operating while viewing the frame image. When the position of the static content (frame image) is determined, the frame image is hidden and the static content is displayed again. In this way, when the static content moves between the near-sighted position and the far-sighted position (in other words, the display distance of the static content changes), the displayed (or highly visible) image changes from the static Since the content is switched to the frame image, an advantage is also assumed in that it is possible to make it difficult to notice a change in perceived size due to a change in the display distance.

Further, in the display control device according to the fifth embodiment, which can be subordinate to the fourth embodiment, the image position adjustment unit performs the following steps in manual image movement processing: 1) moving one or more frame images from the near-sighted position to the far-sighted position; When moving, one frame image is made smaller or the space between the plurality of frame images is narrowed according to the position of the one or more frame images, and 2) the one or more frame images are moved from the far-sighted position to the near-sighted position. When moving to , one frame image is made larger or the interval between a plurality of frame images is increased according to the position of one or more frame images.

In the fifth embodiment, when the frame image moves, it is possible to suppress (or offset or reverse) the change in the perceived size of the frame image due to the change in the display distance. As the display distance of one or more frame images increases, the change in perceived size of the frame images (which tends to be perceived as large) is reduced by making the frame images smaller (narrowing the space between the plurality of frame images). It can be suppressed or canceled or reversed (reversely perceived as small). On the other hand, as the display distance of one or more frame images becomes shorter, the size of the frame images is increased (the interval between the frame images is increased), thereby changing the perceived size of the frame images (they tend to be perceived smaller). ) can be suppressed, offset, or reversed (conversely, perceived to be large).

Further, in the display control device according to the sixth embodiment, which can be subordinate to the fourth embodiment, the image position adjustment unit hides the static content in the visibility lowering process, Alternatively, when moving a plurality of frame images from one of the nearsighted position and the farsighted position to the other, the size of one or more frame images is maintained, or the interval between the plurality of frame images is maintained, and visibility is increased. When redisplaying static content, adjust the size of the static content according to the position where the static content is displayed.

In the sixth embodiment, since the size of the frame image does not change regardless of the position when the frame image is moved, it is possible to reduce the sense of incongruity caused by the change in size due to the movement. In addition, an advantage is assumed in that the processing load for resizing associated with movement can be reduced.

Further, the display control device according to the seventh embodiment, which can be subordinate to one or more of the fourth to sixth embodiments, is such that the image position adjustment unit includes vehicle information about a vehicle in which the head-up display is mounted, further executing a second image moving process for moving the static content from one of the near-sighted position and the far-sighted position to the other based on at least one of the environment information about the environment to be viewed and the user information about the observer; In the image moving process, a second size adjustment process different from the first size adjustment process is executed.

Further, in the display control apparatus according to the eighth embodiment, which can be subordinate to the seventh embodiment, the second size adjustment processing is performed when the size of the static content displayed at the myopic position is set to the third size. , when arranging the static content at the far-sighted position, the size of the static content is adjusted so that the viewer can see the static content at a fourth size smaller than the third size, and the image size adjustment unit adjusts the size of the static content to the second size In the adjustment process, the third size and the fourth size are adjusted so as to satisfy the following formula. AS22/AS12<AS21/AS11<1. However, AS11 is the first size, AS21 is the second size, AS12 is the third size, and AS22 is the fourth size.

A head-up display device according to the ninth embodiment includes the display control device according to any one of the first to eighth embodiments, a display for displaying an image on a display surface, and an image displayed by the display. and one or more relay optical systems for displaying a virtual image of an image in a display area that overlaps the foreground when viewed from the eyebox by projecting the display light onto an external projection target, the display surface The display area conjugated to is inclined with respect to the road surface.

Further, the display control method according to the tenth embodiment is a head-up display that displays a virtual image of static content in a display area tilted with respect to the road surface so as to have a near-sighted position close to the observer and a far-sighted position far from the observer. A display control method for controlling a display device, comprising: adjusting the position of static content; and performing a first resizing operation that resizes the static content such that it is viewed by a viewer at a second size that is smaller than the first size when placed in position.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an application example of a vehicle display system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image display unit. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual image displayed by the head-up display device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a vehicle display system. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the visual angle of static content displayed at the near-sighted position and the visual angle of the static content displayed at the far-sighted position in the virtual image display area. FIG. 6A is a graph illustrating the variability in some embodiments of the size of static content with viewing distance. FIG. 6B is a graph illustrating the variability in some embodiments of the size of static content with viewing distance. FIG. 6C is a graph illustrating the variability in some embodiments of the size of static content with viewing distance. FIG. 6D is a graph illustrating variation characteristics in some embodiments showing the size of static content with viewing distance. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating size adjustment processing in some embodiments. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating size adjustment processing in some embodiments.

1-8, below, provide a description of this embodiment. In addition, the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments (including the contents of the drawings). Of course, modifications (including deletion of constituent elements) can be added to the following embodiments. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of known technical matters are omitted as appropriate in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. The vehicle display system 10 of the present embodiment includes an image display unit 20 , a display control device 30 that controls the image display unit 20 , and electronic devices that are connected to the display control device 30 and will be described later.

The image display unit 20 in the vehicle display system 10 is a head-up display (HUD: Head-Up Display) device provided in the dashboard 5 of the vehicle 1 . The image display unit 20 emits the display light 40 toward the front windshield 2 (which is an example of the projected portion), and the front windshield 2 receives the display light 40 of the image M displayed by the image display unit 20 as an eye. Reflect back to box 200 . By arranging the eye 4 in the eye box 200, the observer can see the virtual image V of the image M displayed by the image display unit 20 at a position overlapping the foreground which is the real space viewed through the front windshield 2. can be visually recognized. In the drawings used in this embodiment, the left-right direction of the vehicle 1 is the X-axis direction (the left side of the vehicle 1 facing forward is the positive X-axis direction), and the vertical direction is the Y-axis direction (a vehicle running on a road surface). 1 is the positive direction of the Y-axis), and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 is the direction of the Z-axis (the front of the vehicle 1 is the positive direction of the Z-axis).

The “eyebox” used in the description of the present embodiment means (1) an area in which at least a portion of the virtual image V of the image M is visible, and a portion of the virtual image V of the image M is not visible outside the area; ) a region where at least part of the virtual image V of the image M can be visually recognized with a predetermined luminance or more within the region, and the entire virtual image V of the image M is less than the predetermined luminance outside the region, or (3) the image display unit 20 is an area where at least part of the virtual image V can be stereoscopically viewed, and part of the virtual image V is not stereoscopically viewed outside the area. That is, when the observer places the eyes (both eyes) 4 outside the eyebox 200, the observer cannot see the entire virtual image V of the image M, and perceives that the visibility of the entire virtual image V of the image M is very low. or the virtual image V of the image M cannot be viewed stereoscopically. The predetermined brightness is, for example, about 1/50 of the brightness of the virtual image of the image M viewed at the center of the eyebox.

The virtual image display area 100 is a planar, curved, or partially curved area on which the image M generated inside the image display unit 20 is formed as the virtual image V, and is also called an imaging plane. The virtual image display area 100 is a position where a display surface (e.g., an exit surface of a liquid crystal display panel) 21a of a display device 21, which will be described later, of the image display unit 20 is formed as a virtual image. It corresponds to the display surface 21a of the display unit 20, which will be described later (in other words, the virtual image display area 100 has a conjugate relationship with the display surface 21a of the display device 21, which will be described later), and is visually recognized in the virtual image display area 100. It can be said that the virtual image corresponds to an image displayed on a display surface 21a of the image display unit 20, which will be described later. The virtual image display area 100 itself preferably has such low visibility that it is not actually visible to the observer's eyes 4 or is difficult to be visually recognized.

A downward angle with respect to the longitudinal and lateral directions (XZ plane) of the own vehicle 1 is defined as a depression angle θv. A position where the depression angle θv is smaller is viewed higher (positive Y-axis direction) from the observer, and a position where the depression angle θv is greater is viewed lower (negative Y-axis direction). In the virtual image display area 100 of the present embodiment, the depression angle θv at the nearsighted position 101 closer to the observer 4 is greater than the depression angle θv at the farsighted position 102 farther from the observer 4 . That is, the virtual image display area 100 is arranged such that the upper area is farther from the lower area as viewed from the observer.

In the description of the present embodiment, the virtual image display area 100 is arranged entirely on the lower side when viewed from the eyebox 200 (more specifically, for example, when viewed from the center 205 of the eyebox 200) looking down), but when viewed from the eyebox 200 (more specifically, for example, when viewed from the center 205 of the eyebox 200), part of the good too.

In the virtual image display area 100, an angle (tilt angle θt in FIG. 1) formed by the horizontal direction (XZ plane) around the lateral direction (X-axis direction) of the vehicle 1 is set. The virtual image display area 110 in FIG. 1 is arranged to be tilted from the road surface 310 about the left and right (X-axis direction) of the vehicle 1, and has a tilt angle θt of 30 [degrees], for example. However, the tilt angle θt is not limited to this, and can be changed within the range of 0≦θt<45 [degree].

The virtual image display area 120 (100) may be provided substantially parallel to the road surface 310. FIG. Also, the virtual image display area 120 (100) may be curved concavely on the viewer side. Also, the virtual image display area 130 (100) may be convexly curved toward the observer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the HUD device 20 of this embodiment. The HUD device 20 includes a display 21 having a display surface 21a that displays an image M, and a relay optical system 25 .

The display 21 in FIG. 2 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel 22 and a light source unit 24 . The display surface 21a is the surface of the liquid crystal display panel 22 on the viewing side, and emits the display light 40 of the image M. As shown in FIG. A virtual image is displayed by setting the angle of the display surface 21a with respect to the optical axis 40p of the display light 40 directed from the center of the display surface 21a to the eyebox 200 (the center of the eyebox 200) via the relay optical system 25 and the projection target portion. The angle of region 100 (including tilt angle θt) can be set.

The relay optical system 25 is arranged on the optical path of the display light 40 emitted from the display device 21 (the light from the display device 21 toward the eyebox 200 ). consists of one or more optical elements that project onto the front windshield 2 of the The relay optical system 25 of FIG. 2 includes one concave first mirror 26 and one planar second mirror 27 .

The first mirror 26 has, for example, a free-form surface shape with positive optical power. In other words, the first mirror 26 may have a curved shape with different optical power for each region. can be different. Specifically, the first image light 41, the second image light 42, and the third image light 43 (see FIG. 2) traveling from each region of the display surface 21a toward the eyebox 200 are added by the relay optical system 25. The optical power may be different.

The second mirror 27 is, for example, a flat mirror, but is not limited to this, and may be a curved surface having optical power. That is, the relay optical system 25 is added according to the area (optical path) through which the display light 40 passes by synthesizing a plurality of mirrors (for example, the first mirror 26 and the second mirror 27 of this embodiment). Different optical powers may be used. Note that the second mirror 27 may be omitted. That is, the display light 40 emitted from the display device 21 may be reflected by the first mirror 26 to the projection target (front windshield) 2 .

Also, in this embodiment, the relay optics 25 includes two mirrors, but is not limited to this, and additionally or alternatively, one or more refractive optics such as lenses. It may comprise a member, a diffractive optical member such as a hologram, a reflective optical member, or a combination thereof.

In addition, the relay optical system 25 of the present embodiment has a function of setting the distance to the virtual image display area 100 and a virtual image obtained by enlarging the image displayed on the display surface 21a. In addition to this, it may have a function of suppressing (correcting) the distortion of the virtual image that may occur due to the curved shape of the front windshield 2 .

Also, the relay optical system 25 may be attached with actuators 28 and 29 controlled by the display control device 30 and may be rotatable.

The liquid crystal display panel 22 receives light from the light source unit 24 and emits spatially modulated display light 40 toward the relay optical system 25 (second mirror 27). The liquid crystal display panel 22 has, for example, a rectangular shape whose short side is the direction in which the pixels are arranged corresponding to the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the virtual image V viewed by the observer. An observer visually recognizes the light transmitted through the liquid crystal display panel 22 through the virtual image optical system 90 . The virtual image optical system 90 is a combination of the relay optical system 25 and the front windshield 2 shown in FIG.

The light source unit 24 is composed of a light source (not shown) and an illumination optical system (not shown).

A light source (not shown) is, for example, a plurality of chip-type LEDs, and emits illumination light to a liquid crystal display panel (an example of a spatial light modulation element) 22 . The light source unit 24 is composed of four light sources, for example, and is arranged in a line along the long side of the liquid crystal display panel 22 . The light source unit 24 emits illumination light toward the liquid crystal display panel 22 under the control of the display control device 30 . The configuration of the light source unit 24 and the arrangement of the light sources are not limited to this.

The illumination optical system (not shown) includes, for example, one or more lenses (not shown) arranged in the emission direction of the illumination light from the light source unit 24, and a diffuser lens (not shown) arranged in the emission direction of the one or more lenses. a plate (not shown);

The display device 21 may be a self-luminous display or a projection display that projects an image onto a screen. In this case, the display surface 21a is the screen of a projection display.

Further, the display 21 may be attached with an actuator (not shown) including a motor controlled by the display control device 30 so that the display surface 21a can be moved and/or rotated.

The relay optical system 25 has two rotation axes (first rotation axis AX1 and second rotation axis AX2) for moving the eyebox 200 in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction). When the HUD device 20 is attached to the vehicle 1, the first rotation axis AX1 and the second rotation axis AX2 are not perpendicular to the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the vehicle 1 (in other words, the YZ plane and the second rotation axis AX2). parallel). Specifically, the angle between the first rotation axis AX1 and the second rotation axis AX2 and the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the vehicle 1 is set to be less than 45 degrees. It is set to less than 20 [degree].

The HUD device 20 includes a first actuator 28 that rotates the first mirror 26 about a first rotation axis AX1, and a second actuator 29 that rotates the first mirror 26 about a second rotation axis AX2. In other words, the HUD device 20 rotates one relay optical system 25 about two axes (first rotation axis AX1 and second rotation axis AX2). Note that the first actuator 28 and the second actuator 29 may be configured as a single integrated biaxial actuator.

Also, the HUD device 20 in another embodiment rotates the two relay optical systems 25 on two axes (first rotation axis AX1 and second rotation axis AX2). For example, the HUD device 20 includes a first actuator 28 that rotates a first mirror 26 about a first rotation axis AX1 and a second actuator 29 that rotates a second mirror 27 about a second rotation axis AX2. You can

The amount of vertical movement of the eyebox 200 is relatively large due to the rotation of the first rotation axis AX1, and the amount of vertical movement of the virtual image display area 100 is relatively large due to the rotation of the second rotation axis AX2. The arrangement of the first rotation axis AX1 and the second rotation axis AX2 is not limited to these as long as they are large. Actuator actuation may also include movement in addition to or instead of rotation.

Also, the HUD device 20 in other embodiments may not drive the relay optical system 25 . In other words, the HUD device 20 may not have an actuator that rotates and/or rotates the relay optics 25 . The HUD device 20 of this embodiment may include a wide eyebox 200 to cover the range of eye heights of the drivers expected to use the vehicle 1 .

Under the control of the display control device 30, which will be described later, the image display unit 20 displays the road surface 310 of the driving lane, the branching road surface, and the road surface 310 of the driving lane present in the foreground, which is the real space (real scene) visually recognized through the front windshield 2 of the vehicle 1. Near real objects 300 such as roads, road signs, obstacles (pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, other vehicles, etc.), and features (buildings, bridges, etc.), positions overlapping real objects 300, or real objects 300 By displaying an image at a position set as a reference, a visual augmented reality (AR) can be perceived by an observer (typically, an observer seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle 1). can. In the description of the present embodiment, an image whose displayed position can be changed according to the position of the real object 300 present in the real scene is defined as an AR image (dynamic content). An image whose display position is set is defined as a non-AR image (static content).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a real object 300 existing in the foreground and a virtual image V displayed by the HUD device 20 of the present embodiment, which is visually recognized when an observer faces forward from the driver's seat of the vehicle 1. FIG. . The virtual image V shown in FIG. A non-AR virtual image V20 includes a virtual image whose displayed position, direction, and shape are set regardless of the shape. The AR virtual image V10 is displayed at a position (target position PT) corresponding to the position of the real object 300 existing in the real scene. The AR virtual image V10 is displayed, for example, at a position superimposed on the real object 300 or in the vicinity of the real object 300, and notifies the existence of the real object 300 by emphasizing it. In other words, the “position corresponding to the position of the real object 300 (target position PT)” is not limited to the position superimposed on the real object 300 and viewed by the observer. There may be. It is preferable that the AR virtual image V10 does not interfere with viewing of the real object 300, but any aspect is possible.

The AR virtual image V10 shown in FIG. 3 includes navigation virtual images V11 and V12 that indicate guidance routes, enhanced virtual images V14 and V15 that emphasize and notify attention targets, and POI virtual images V15 that indicate targets, predetermined buildings, and the like. . The position (target position PT) corresponding to the position of the real object 300 is the position of the road surface 311 (an example of the real object 300) on which these are superimposed in the navigation virtual images V11 and V12, and the person 313 (real target position PT) in the enhanced virtual image V13. (an example of the real object 300), in the enhanced virtual image V14 the position near the other vehicle 314 (an example of the real object 300), and in the POI virtual image V15, a building 315 (an example of the real object 300). ).

The non-AR virtual image (static content) V20 is placed below the virtual image display area 100, and the area of the road surface 311, which is the real object 300 overlapping them, is the road surface 311 on which the navigation virtual image V11 (V11, V12) in FIG. is closer to vehicle 1 than the area of . The non-AR virtual image (static content) V20 shown in FIG. It is an image for which the position to be set is set. The upper end 100u of the virtual image display area 110 in FIG. 3 is arranged farther from the observer than the lower end 100b. That is, the virtual image V has a longer imaging distance (display distance) and is perceived farther as the display position goes upward (in the positive Y-axis direction). Static content V<b>20 is expressed as if it stands up against road surface 310 rather than virtual image display area 100 . For example, even if the angle between the virtual image display area 100 where the static content V20 is displayed and the road surface 310 is 20 degrees, the angle between the static content V20 and the road surface 310 perceived by optical illusion is 90 degrees. ], the static content V20 is expressed as follows.

The display control device 30 of FIG. 4 includes one or more I/O interfaces 31 , one or more storage units 33 , and one or more processing circuits 35 , and includes functions of the display control unit 500 . FIG. 4 is only one embodiment and the illustrated components may be combined into fewer components or there may be additional components. For example, part or all of the functions of the display control section 500 may be provided separately from the display control section 500 .

As shown, processing circuitry 35 is operatively coupled to I/O interface 31 . The I/O interface 31 includes many electronic control units (vehicle ECU 421), many in-vehicle sensors (posture sensor 410, vehicle speed sensor 422, operation unit 430, eye position detection unit 440), CAN (Controller Area Network) standard communication (also referred to as CAN communication) is performed according to the The communication standard adopted by the I/O interface 31 is not limited to CAN. : MOST is a registered trademark), a wired communication interface such as UART or USB, or a personal area network (PAN) such as a Bluetooth network, a local network such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi network. It includes an in-vehicle communication (internal communication) interface, which is a short-range wireless communication interface within several tens of meters such as an area network (LAN). In addition, the I / O interface 31 is a wireless wide area network (WWAN0, IEEE802.16-2004 (WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)), IEEE802.16e base (Mobile WiMAX), 4G, 4G-LTE, LTE Advanced, An external communication (external communication) interface such as a wide area communication network (for example, Internet communication network) may be included according to a cellular communication standard such as 5G. Note that the I/O interface 31 may include a function of processing (converting, calculating, and analyzing) information received from other connected electronic devices.

As shown, processing circuitry 35 is operatively coupled to storage unit 33 . More specifically, the processing circuit 35 executes a program stored in the storage unit 33 to control the display system 10 (HUD device 20), for example, generate and/or transmit image data. It can be carried out. Processing circuitry 35 may include at least one general purpose microprocessor (e.g., central processing unit (CPU)), at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any of these. Can include combinations. The storage unit 33 includes any type of magnetic media such as hard disk, any type of optical media such as CD and DVD, any type of semiconductor memory such as volatile memory, and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include DRAM and SRAM, and non-volatile memory may include ROM and NVRAM.

HUD device 20 is operatively coupled to processing circuitry 35 . Accordingly, the image displayed by light modulating element 51 may be based on the image data received from processing circuitry 35 . The processing circuit 35 controls the image displayed by the light modulation element 51 based on information obtained from the I/O interface 31 .

The processing circuit 35 constructs a plurality of functional blocks by executing various programs stored in the storage unit 33 . Specifically, the processing circuit 35 has an image position adjustment section 510 , an image size adjustment section 520 , and a determination section 530 as functional blocks of the display control section 500 .

Based on information acquired from the I/O interface 31, the image position adjustment unit 510 (1) moves the static content V20 upward in the positive Y-axis direction (moves from the nearsighted position 101 to the farsighted position 102). ) or (2) downward in the Y-axis negative direction (moved from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101).

The image position adjustment unit 510 (1) changes the image data to be displayed on the display device 21, (2) offsets the position where the image is displayed on the display surface 21a of the display device 21, and (3) adjusts the actuator 23. The position of the virtual image V is changed by offsetting the position projected onto the projection target 2 by driving, or by a combination thereof.

The image position adjustment unit 510 (1) moves the static content V20 upward in the positive Y-axis direction (myopia position 101) based on operation information acquired from the operation unit 430 via the I/O interface 31 to the far-sighted position 102), or (2) to move downward in the Y-axis negative direction (moved from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101).

Further, the image position adjustment unit 510 acquires from the I / O interface 31, based on at least one of vehicle information related to the own vehicle 1, environment information related to the environment in which the own vehicle 1 travels, and user information related to the observer, The static content V20 is (1) moved upward in the positive Y-axis direction (moved from the near-sighted position 101 to the far-sighted position 102), or (2) moved downward in the negative Y-axis direction (far-sighted position 102 to the myopia position 101) may be executed.

The vehicle information indicates the speed acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 422 . The image position adjustment unit 510 (1) moves the image upward in the positive Y-axis direction (moves from the near-sighted position 101 to the far-sighted position 102) when the speed is higher than a predetermined speed threshold, and (2) If the speed is lower than the speed threshold, the second image moving process may be executed to move downward in the negative Y-axis direction (move from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101). Note that the image position adjustment unit 510 may change the position of the image stepwise/or continuously according to the speed.

Also, the vehicle information may be attitude information indicating the attitude of the vehicle 1 acquired from the attitude sensor 410 . (1) When the pitch angle (an example of posture information) of the vehicle 1 indicates that the vehicle 1 is tilted more forward than a predetermined posture threshold value, the image position adjustment unit 510 moves the vehicle upward in the positive Y-axis direction. (Moving from the near-sighted position 101 to the far-sighted position 102), (2)) When the pitch angle (an example of posture information) of the host vehicle 1 indicates that the vehicle 1 is tilted in a backward tilting direction from a predetermined posture threshold value, the Y-axis negative A second image moving process may be performed to move downward in the direction (moving from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101). Note that the image position adjustment unit 510 may change the position of the image stepwise/or continuously according to the posture information (an example of the vehicle information). The vehicle information is information about the own vehicle 1, and is not limited to the speed information or attitude information described above. Further, the vehicle information may be information indicating the driving mode of the own vehicle 1 .

The environment information may be road information indicating the type of road on which the vehicle 1 travels, which is obtained from a navigation device (not shown). (1) When the vehicle 1 is estimated to be traveling on a road on which the vehicle 1 can travel at high speed (for example, a highway), the image position adjusting unit 510 moves the image upward in the positive direction of the Y axis (myopia). (2) When it is estimated that the own vehicle 1 is traveling on a road (for example, a general road or an urban area) on which the vehicle 1 can travel at low speed, the downward direction, which is the negative Y-axis direction. A second image moving process may be performed to move the image to the side (move from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101).

Further, the environment information may be illuminance information indicating the illuminance around the vehicle 1 acquired from an illuminance sensor (not shown). (1) When the illuminance around the own vehicle 1 is higher than a predetermined illuminance threshold, the image position adjustment unit 510 moves upward in the positive direction of the Y axis (moves from the near-sighted position 101 to the far-sighted position 102). ), and (2) when the illuminance around the host vehicle 1 is lower than a predetermined illuminance threshold, it is moved downward in the Y-axis negative direction (moved from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101). Image movement processing may be performed. Note that the image position adjustment unit 510 may change the position of the image stepwise/or continuously according to the illuminance information (an example of the environment information). The environment information is information about the environment around the vehicle 1, and is not limited to the road information or illuminance information described above.

The user information may be eye height information indicating the eye height of the observer acquired from the eye position detection section 440 . (1) When the observer's eye height is higher than a predetermined height threshold, the image position adjustment unit 510 moves upward in the positive Y-axis direction (moves from the near-sighted position 101 to the far-sighted position 102), ( 2) When the observer's eye height is lower than the predetermined height threshold, the second image moving process is executed to move the image downward in the negative direction of the Y axis (moving from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101). may Note that the image position adjusting section 510 may change the position of the image stepwise/or continuously according to the eye height information (an example of user information).

Further, the user information may be biometric information including the heartbeat of the observer acquired from a biosensor (not shown). (1) When the observer is estimated to be in a slightly tense state from the biometric information, the image position adjustment unit 510 moves the image upward in the positive direction of the Y axis (moves from the nearsighted position 101 to the farsighted position 102). ), (2) When the observer is estimated to be in a severely tense state from the biological information, the second position is moved downward in the negative direction of the Y axis (moved from the far-sighted position 102 to the short-sighted position 101). Image movement processing may be performed. Note that the image position adjustment unit 510 may change the position of the image stepwise/or continuously according to biometric information (an example of user information). User information is information about an observer, and is not limited to the eye height information or biometric information described above.

The image size adjustment unit 520 (1) reduces the size when the image position adjustment unit 510 moves the static content V20 upward in the positive Y-axis direction (moves it from the near-sighted position 101 to the far-sighted position 102). , (2) When the image position adjustment unit 510 moves the static content V20 downward in the Y-axis negative direction (moves it from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101), it executes size adjustment processing to increase the size. do. Here, the size of the static content V20 is the angle formed by the visual target (static content V20) viewed from the viewpoint, and is also called visual angular or angular size. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, image size adjustment unit 520 adjusts visual angle AS1 of static content V20 displayed at near-sighted position 101 in virtual image display area 100 to visual angle AS1 of static content V20 displayed at far-sighted position 102. Make it larger than AS2. The image size adjustment unit 520 controls the display distance of the static content V20 (or the vertical position (display height) at which the static content V20 is displayed, or operation information that is the basis for setting the display distance or the display height, (vehicle information, environment information, user information) may include table data, an arithmetic expression, and the like for setting the viewing angle AS of the static content V20.

6A-6D are graphs showing variation characteristics Q in some embodiments showing the size of static content V20 with viewing distance and variation characteristics P of the size of objects in nature with viewing distance in some embodiments. where the horizontal axis is the distance VD, and the vertical axis is the visual angle of the static content V20 or an object in the natural world viewed from a position separated by the distance VD. Assuming that the actual size of an object in the natural world is BS, and the visual angle change characteristic P of an object viewed from a position separated by a distance VD is expressed by the relational expression P=2·arctan(BS/VD). That is, at a position where the distance VD is deep, the rate of change in visual angle is small with respect to the change in the distance VD, and at a position where the distance VD is shallow, the rate of change in the visual angle is large with respect to the change in the distance VD. The image size adjustment unit 520 makes the change characteristic Q of the visual angle with the distance at which the static content V20 is visually recognized more gradual with respect to the distance VD than the change characteristic P of the visual angle with the distance at which the object in the natural world is visually recognized. , the viewing angle AS of the static content V20 is adjusted.

In the change characteristic Q1 in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6A, the rate of change in the visual angle AS with respect to the change in the distance VD at the position where the distance VD is long is small, and the visual angle AS with respect to the change in the distance VD at the position where the distance VD is shallow. rate of change is large. Let M1 be the visual angle of an object in the natural world at a predetermined distance VD1 at the near-sighted position 101, AS1 be the visual angle of the static content V20, M2 be the visual angle of the natural-world object at a predetermined distance VD2 at the far-sighted position 102, and static content V20. , the ratio of the visual angle at the far-sighted position 102 to the visual angle at the near-sighted position 101 is expressed by the relational expression M2/M1<AS2/AS1<1 (in the claims, M2/M1 is defined as Ms is stated). For example, the size M2 when the distance VD of the object in the natural world exists at 10 [meter] (assumed to be the far-sighted position 102) with respect to the size M1 when the object exists at 4 [meters] (assumed to be the near-sighted position 101). The ratio Ms is approximately 40%. On the other hand, the image size adjustment unit 520, for example, adjusts the distance VD to 10 [meters] for the visual angle AS1 when the static content V20 is displayed at a distance of 4 [meters] (assumed to be a near-sighted position 101) (a far-sighted position 102). ) is assumed to be about 90%.

In the variation characteristic Q2 in some embodiments, the viewing angle AS may decrease linearly as the distance VD increases, as shown in FIG. 6B.

Further, in the change characteristic Q3 in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6C, the change rate of the viewing angle AS with respect to the change in the distance VD at the position where the distance VD is long is large, and the change in the distance VD at the position where the distance VD is shallow is The change rate of the viewing angle AS is small. In particular, in the change characteristic Q3 shown in FIG. 6C, the change rate of the viewing angle AS with respect to the change in the distance VD at the position where the distance VD is shallow is zero.

Also, in the change characteristic Q4 in some embodiments, the viewing angle AS may change stepwise with respect to the change in the distance VD, as shown in FIG. 6D. Specifically, the change characteristic Q4 in FIG. 6D is constant at the visual angle AS2 regardless of the distance VD at the position where the distance VD is long, and is constant at the visual angle AS1 regardless of the distance VD at the position where the distance VD is shallow. .

The image position adjustment unit 510 executes first image movement processing for moving the static content V20 from one of the near vision position 101 and the far vision position 102 to the other based on the operation of the operation unit 430 by the observer. The first image movement processing includes visibility reduction processing of reducing the visibility of the static content V20 or hiding it, and displaying one or more frame images V30 surrounding the static content V20; Manual first image movement processing for moving one or more frame images from one of the near-sighted position 101 and the far-sighted position 102 to the other based on the operation by and reducing the visibility of the frame image V30 or hiding it from display. and a visibility increasing process for increasing or redisplaying the visibility of the static content V20 at the position where one or more frame images V30 are arranged.

In the manual first image movement process, the image position adjustment unit 510 performs 1) when moving one or more frame images from the near-sighted position 101 to the far-sighted position 102, the position of the one or more frame images V30. 2) one or more frame images are moved from the far-sighted position 102 to the near-sighted position 101; One frame image is enlarged or the interval between a plurality of frame images is increased according to the position of .

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating size adjustment processing in some embodiments, and changes in order from (a) to (d). When an operation to move the static content V20 is detected, the image position adjustment unit 510 shifts the static content V20 from the relatively high visibility state in FIG. 7A to the state shown in FIG. Visibility lowering processing is executed to lower the visibility (or hide it) and display a plurality of (for example, four) frame images V30 surrounding the static content V20. The image position adjustment unit 510 narrows the interval between the plurality of frame images V30 as shown in FIG. 7C according to the position of the static content V20 that moves based on the operation by the observer. When the movement by the operation is completed, the image position adjustment unit 510 hides the frame image V30 (may reduce the visibility) as shown in FIG. Visibility increasing processing is executed to increase the visibility (brightness) of the static content V20 at the position. When the observer moves the static content by operation, the static content is hidden and one or more frame images surrounding the static content are displayed. The observer can adjust the position of the static content (frame image) by operating while viewing the frame image. When the position of the static content (frame image) is determined, the frame image is hidden and the static content is displayed again. In this way, when the static content moves between the near-sighted position and the far-sighted position (in other words, the display distance of the static content changes), the displayed (or highly visible) image changes from the static Since the content is switched to the frame image, an advantage is also assumed in that it is possible to make it difficult to notice a change in perceived size due to a change in the display distance.

In addition, the image position adjustment unit 510 in some embodiments hides the static content V20 as shown in FIG. When one or more frame images are moved from one of the near-sighted position 101 and the far-sighted position 102 to the other, as shown in FIG. When the static content V20 is redisplayed by the visibility increasing process while maintaining the interval between the frame images of the static content V20, the static content Adjust the size of V20. In this embodiment, when the frame image is moved, it is possible to suppress (or offset or reverse) changes in the perceived size of the frame image due to changes in display distance. As the display distance of one or more frame images increases, the change in perceived size of the frame images (which tends to be perceived as large) is reduced by making the frame images smaller (narrowing the space between the plurality of frame images). It can be suppressed or canceled or reversed (reversely perceived as small). On the other hand, as the display distance of one or more frame images becomes shorter, the size of the frame images is increased (the interval between the frame images is increased), thereby changing the perceived size of the frame images (they tend to be perceived smaller). ) can be suppressed, offset, or reversed (conversely, perceived to be large).

In addition, the image position adjustment unit 510 in some embodiments performs static adjustment based on at least one of vehicle information about the vehicle in which the HUD device 20 is mounted, environment information about the environment in which the vehicle runs, and user information about the observer. Second image movement processing is further executed to move the target content V20 from one of the near-sighted position 101 and the far-sighted position 102 to the other. The determination unit 530 determines whether it is manual first image movement processing based on operation information or automatic second image movement processing based on vehicle information, environment information, and user information. In the second image moving process, the image size adjustment section 520 executes a second size adjustment process different from the first size adjustment process.

In the second size adjustment process, when the size of the static content V20 displayed at the nearsighted position 101 is set to the third size, the static content V20 is arranged at the farsighted position 102, and the size is set to be smaller than the third size. The size of the static content V20 is adjusted so that it can be visually recognized by the observer in the fourth small size, and the image size adjustment unit 520 adjusts the size of the static content V20 to the third size so as to satisfy the following formula in the second size adjustment process. and adjust the fourth size. AS22/AS12<AS21/AS11<1. However, AS11 is the first size, AS21 is the second size, AS12 is the third size, and AS22 is the fourth size.

1: Own vehicle 2: Front windshield (projected part)
4: Observer (eyes)
5: Dashboard 10: Display system 20: Image display unit (HUD device)
21: Display 21a: Display surface 22: Liquid crystal display panel 23: Actuator 24: Light source unit 25: Relay optical system 26: First mirror 27: Second mirror 28: First actuator 29: Second actuator 30: Display control device 31: I/O interface 33: Storage unit 35: Processing circuit 40: Display light 40p: Optical axis 41: First image light 42: Second image light 43: Third image light 51: Light modulation element 90: Virtual image optical system 100: virtual image display area 100b: lower end 100u: upper end 101: near vision position 102: far vision position 110: virtual image display area 120: virtual image display area 130: virtual image display area 200: eye box 205: center 300: real object 410: orientation sensor 421 : Vehicle ECU
422: Vehicle speed sensor 430: Operation unit 440: Eye position detection unit 500: Display control unit 510: Image position adjustment unit 520: Image size adjustment unit 530: Judgment unit AS: Visual angle AS1: Visual angle AS2: Visual angle M: Image M1: Size M2: size Ms: ratio P: change characteristic Q: change characteristic Q1: change characteristic Q2: change characteristic Q3: change characteristic Q4: change characteristic V: virtual image V10: AR virtual image V20: non-AR virtual image (static content)
V30: Frame image VD: Distance

Claims (10)

A head that displays a virtual image of static content (V20) in a display area (100) inclined with respect to a road surface so as to have a near-sighted position (101) close to an observer and a far-sighted position (102) far from said observer. A display control device (30) for controlling an up-display device (20),
an image position adjustment unit (510) that adjusts the position of the static content (V20);
When the size of the static content (V20) displayed at the near-sighted position (101) is set as a first size, when the static content (V20) is arranged at the far-sighted position (102), the an image size adjustment unit (520) that performs a first size adjustment process for adjusting the size of the static content (V20) so that it can be visually recognized by an observer in a second size smaller than the first size; prepare
A display control device (30) characterized by: The image size adjustment unit (520) adjusts the first size and the second size so as to satisfy the following formula in the first size adjustment process.
A display control device (30) according to claim 1, characterized in that:
Ms<AS21/AS11<1
where Ms is the ratio of the size of the object at the far-sighted position (102) to the size of the object at the near-sighted position (101) viewed from a given position in nature, and AS11 is the first and AS21 is the second size. The static content (V20) is expressed as if it is raised against the road surface rather than the display area.
A display control device (30) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The image position adjustment unit (510)
further executing a first image moving process for moving the static content (V20) from one of the near-sighted position (101) and the far-sighted position (102) to the other based on an operation by the observer;
The first image movement processing includes:
Visibility reduction processing for reducing the visibility of the static content (V20) or hiding the static content (V20) and displaying one or more frame images surrounding the static content (V20);
Manual image movement processing for moving the one or more frame images from one of the near-sighted position (101) and the far-sighted position (102) to the other based on the operation by the observer;
Visibility enhancement by decreasing or hiding the visibility of the frame image and increasing or redisplaying the visibility of the static content (V20) at the position where the one or more frame images are arranged processing, including
A display control device (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The image position adjustment unit (510), in the manual image movement process,
1) When moving the one or more frame images from the nearsighted position (101) to the farsighted position (102), the one frame image is made smaller according to the positions of the one or more frame images. or narrowing the interval between the plurality of frame images,
2) When moving the one or more frame images from the far-sighted position (102) to the near-sighted position (101), the one or more frame images are enlarged according to the positions of the one or more frame images. or widening the interval between the plurality of frame images,
A display control device (30) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The image position adjustment unit (510)
In the visibility reduction process, the static content (V20) is hidden,
In the manual image movement processing, when moving the one or more frame images from one of the near vision position (101) and the far vision position (102) to the other, the size of the one or more frame images or maintaining the interval between the plurality of frame images,
adjusting the size of the static content (V20) according to the position where the static content (V20) is displayed when the static content (V20) is redisplayed by the visibility increasing process;
A display control device (30) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The image position adjustment unit (510)
Based on at least one of vehicle information about the vehicle in which the head-up display is mounted, environment information about the environment in which the vehicle runs, and user information about the observer, the static content (V20) is set to the myopia position ( 101) or further executing a second image movement process for moving from one of the hyperopia positions (102) to the other;
In the second image movement process, a second size adjustment process different from the first size adjustment process is executed.
7. A display control device (30) according to any one of the preceding claims. In the second size adjustment processing, when the size of the static content (V20) displayed at the nearsighted position (101) is set to a third size, the static content (V20) is displayed at the farsighted position. (102), adjust the size of the static content (V20) so that it is visually recognized by the observer in a fourth size smaller than the third size;
The image size adjustment unit (520) adjusts the third size and the fourth size so as to satisfy the following formula in the second size adjustment process.
A display control device (30) according to claim 7, characterized in that:
AS22/AS12<AS21/AS11<1
However, AS11 is the first size, AS21 is the second size, AS12 is the third size, and AS22 is the fourth size. A display control device (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
a display (21) for displaying an image on the display surface;
By projecting the display light of the image displayed by the display device (21) onto an external projection target part, a virtual image of the image ( and one or more relay optics (25) for displaying V). In a display control method for controlling an image display unit (20) that displays a virtual image (V) of an image in a display area (100) that overlaps the foreground when viewed from an eye box (200) in a vehicle,
While moving the virtual object (VO), gradually changing the size (As) at a predetermined rate of change as the virtual object (VO) moves;
Based on at least one of the height direction position of the display area (100), the height direction eye position of the observer in the eye box (200), the pitching posture of the vehicle, and information capable of estimating these changing the rate of change by
A display control method characterized by:

Images