JP2015085879A - Vehicle display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle display device capable of preventing a situation in which an image of a blind spot area cannot be visually recognized. A vehicle display device (1) includes a pillar blind spot camera (11) for photographing a blind spot area (A1) outside a driver's vehicle generated by an A pillar (P) supporting a vehicle ceiling, and an image taken by the pillar blind spot camera (11). A projector 30 that emits projection light based on the image captured by the pillar blind spot camera 11 to the A pillar P to be projected onto the P, and a back side that is provided on the driver side of the A pillar P and is opposite to the driver side The projector 30 includes a screen 40 that transmits and displays the light from the driver side, and the projector 30 emits the projection light into the A pillar P and displays the projection light through the screen 40 so that the image of the blind spot area A1 is displayed. [Selection diagram] Fig. 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle display device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a vehicle display device that captures a blind spot area outside a vehicle in which a driver cannot visually recognize a pillar that supports the ceiling of the vehicle and displays the captured image on the pillar. According to this vehicle display device, the blind spot area that is blocked by the pillar is displayed on the pillar, so that the driver can visually recognize the blind spot area so that the driver can recognize the situation of the blind spot area. it can.

  The vehicle display device as described above includes a camera provided outside the vehicle and a projector provided at a position close to the driver's eyes (roof position), and images taken by the camera are transmitted from the projector to the pillar. There is one that attempts to make the pillars transparent by projecting on a recursive reflecting surface (see Patent Document 1).

  Also, a vehicle that includes a camera installed on a door mirror and a projector provided at an instrument panel position, and performs image correction based on the position of the driver's eyes when projecting an image captured by the camera from the projector to the pillar A display device has also been proposed (see Patent Document 2).

  In addition, a camera provided outside the vehicle and a projector provided at the upper left and right positions of the windshield are displayed on the pillar, and the pillar projects the image projected by the projector onto the driver's line of sight. A holographic optical element that diffracts in the direction has been proposed (see Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent No. 428048 JP 2005-184225 A JP 2011-213184 A

  However, in the vehicular display devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, when there is an obstacle between the projector and the pillar, the driver visually recognizes the image of the blind spot area because the projector is provided in the vehicle interior. Will not be able to.

  The present invention solves such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle display device capable of preventing a situation in which an image of a blind spot area cannot be viewed. There is.

  The vehicle display device according to the present invention includes a photographing unit that photographs a blind spot area outside a driver's vehicle generated by a pillar that supports the ceiling of the vehicle, and the photographing unit that displays the image photographed by the photographing unit on the pillar. Projection means for emitting projection light based on the image taken by the pillar to the pillar, and a screen provided on the driver side of the pillar and transmitting and displaying light from the back side opposite to the driver side to the driver side And the projection means provides the driver with an image of the blind spot area by emitting the projection light into the pillar and transmitting and displaying the projection light through the screen. .

  According to this vehicle display device, since the projection light is emitted inside the pillar, the installation position of the projection means is inside the vehicle structure such as the inside of the pillar or the instrument panel. In addition, the projected light is transmitted through the screen to provide the driver with an image of the blind spot area, so that the projected light emitted inside the pillar reaches the screen without passing through the passenger compartment and is displayed. The Rukoto. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where the projected light is not obstructed by an obstacle in the passenger compartment and the image of the blind spot area cannot be viewed.

  In the vehicle display device of the present invention, it is preferable that the display device further includes a reflection unit that is provided inside the pillar and reflects the projection light from the projection unit toward the screen.

  According to this vehicular display device, it is further provided with a reflection means provided inside the pillar and reflecting the projection light from the projection means toward the screen. For this reason, even if it is difficult to secure the optical path of the projection light, for example, when the pillar is thin, the projection light is reflected on the screen by reflecting the projection light by the reflecting means, as in the case where the pillar is thick. Transparent display is possible.

  The vehicle display device according to the present invention further includes a second photographing unit that photographs a visual recognition area when the driver visually recognizes the side mirror, and the projection unit includes an image captured by the second photographing unit. It is preferable to emit the projection light based on the inside of the pillar.

  According to this vehicle display device, the driver captures the viewing area when the driver visually recognizes the side mirror, and emits projection light based on the captured image to the pillar. The visual recognition area to be visually recognized can be visually recognized by looking at the pillar. Therefore, visibility can be improved.

  In the vehicular display device according to the aspect of the invention, the projection unit may emit a part of the projection light into the pillar by replacing a part of the projection light with projection light based on an image photographed by the second photographing unit. preferable.

  According to this vehicular display device, a part of the projection light is replaced with projection light based on the image photographed by the second photographing means and emitted to the pillar. Therefore, both the blind spot area and the viewing area are displayed on the screen. It will be displayed, and the visibility can be further improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the display apparatus for vehicles which can prevent the situation where it becomes impossible to visually recognize the image | video of a blind spot area | region can be provided.

1 is a top view of a vehicle to which a vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the schematic which shows the mode in a vehicle, and has shown the state which visually recognized the left A pillar from the driver's seat. It is a schematic block diagram of the display apparatus for vehicles. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the display state of a visual recognition area. It is a conceptual diagram explaining a non-display area | region.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. FIG. 1 is a top view of a vehicle to which a vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle display device includes a pillar blind spot camera (imaging unit) 11 and a side mirror camera (second imaging unit) 12. Both of these cameras 11 and 12 are provided on the side mirror, and transmit a photographing signal obtained by photographing to the control unit 20 described later.

  Among such cameras 11 and 12, the pillar blind spot camera 11 captures a blind spot area A <b> 1 outside the driver's vehicle generated by a pillar (A pillar) that supports the ceiling of the vehicle V. The side mirror camera 12 captures a visual recognition area A2 when the driver visually recognizes the side mirror. Note that these cameras 11 and 12 may shoot including the blind spot area A1 and the visual recognition area A2, and may be configured to shoot outside these areas, or a part of these areas may not be captured.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the inside of the vehicle, and shows a state where the left A pillar is viewed from the driver's seat. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, a windshield W serving as a windshield is provided in front of the driver seat and the passenger seat, and an instrument panel I is provided below the windshield W. Further, along the windshield W, a pillar (A pillar) P that supports the ceiling of the vehicle V is provided on the side of the windshield W. When viewing the left A pillar P side from the driver's seat, the driver cannot visually recognize the outside of the vehicle blocked by the left A pillar P, and a blind spot area A1 is generated. In addition, when the right A pillar P is visually recognized, the blind spot area A1 is similarly generated.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle display device. In FIG. 3, the A pillar P shows a state seen in the direction of the arrow B shown in FIG. 2, and the internal configuration of the A pillar P is also shown for the sake of illustration. For convenience of illustration in FIG. 3, only the cameras 11 and 12 provided on the left door mirror are shown, but the vehicle display device 1 also includes the cameras 11 and 12 provided on the right door mirror as shown in FIG. Needless to say.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle display device 1 includes a control unit 20, a projector (projection means) 30, and a screen 40 in addition to the cameras 11 and 12.

  The control unit 20 generates a projection signal for the projector 30 to emit projection light based on the imaging signal transmitted from the pillar blind spot camera 11, and transmits the projection signal to the projector 30.

  The projector 30 emits projection light according to the projection signal from the control unit 20 toward the A pillar P. For this reason, the projector 30 projects the image of the blind spot area A1 photographed by the pillar blind spot camera 11 on the A pillar P.

  The screen 40 is provided on the driver's seat side of the A pillar P, and transmits light from the back side (pillar inner side) opposite to the driver's seat side to the driver side (pillar surface side).

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the projector 30 is configured to provide the driver with an image of the blind spot area A1 by emitting the projection light into the A pillar P and transmitting the projection light through the screen 40. . Specifically, in the present embodiment, the projector 30 is configured to emit the projection light to the inside of the A pillar P. Therefore, the projector 30 is disposed inside the vehicle structure such as the A pillar P or the instrument panel.

  Due to such a configuration, the projection light emitted inside the A pillar P reaches the screen 40 and is displayed without passing through the vehicle interior. Therefore, the situation in which the driver cannot visually recognize the image of the blind spot area A1 without being blocked by the obstacle in the vehicle compartment is prevented.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a folding mirror (reflecting unit) 50 and a hand switch 60.

  The folding mirror 50 is a flat surface reflection mirror provided inside the A pillar P, and reflects the projection light from the projector 30 toward the screen 40. The folding mirror 50 is provided outside the vehicle inside the A pillar P. The projector 30 emits projection light to the outside of the vehicle inside the A pillar P. For this reason, the projection light is reflected by the folding mirror 50 and projected onto the screen 40.

  Here, when the thickness of the A pillar P is small, it may be difficult to secure the optical path of the projection light from the projector 30 to the screen 40. However, by providing the folding mirror 50 as in the present embodiment, even if the A pillar P is thin and it is difficult to secure the optical path of the projection light, the projection light is reflected by the folding mirror 50, so that the A pillar is reflected. Similarly to the state where P is thick, the projection light can be transmitted and displayed on the screen 40.

  The hand switch 60 is a switch for adjusting the emission angle of the projection light of the projector 30. That is, when the driver or the like operates the hand switch 60, the control unit 20 controls the rotation mechanism M of the projector 30 according to the operation, and changes the optical axis direction of the projector 30. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the positional deviation between the projected image and the real object, which is caused by the position (height) of the eyes that varies depending on the driver.

  In this embodiment, the hand switch 60 adjusts the emission angle of the projection light of the projector 30, but is not limited to this, and may adjust the angle of the folding mirror 50. That is, it is only necessary to adjust the vertical position of the projection light.

  Further, not only the method of adjusting the projection position of the projection light on the screen 40 up and down, but the shooting direction (that is, the optical axis) of the pillar blind spot camera 11 may be adjusted. In this case, a mechanism for rotating the camera 11 is installed on the camera mount for adjustment.

  In addition, the adjustment described above is not limited to manual operation, and may be automated. For example, a camera that images the driver's face may be provided, and the position of the eyes may be detected by an image processing unit to adjust the vertical position of the projection light. In this case, it is preferable that the adjustment threshold value has a hysteresis so that the vertical position of the projection light is not adjusted in accordance with the minute eye position movement.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 20 inputs not only the imaging signal transmitted from the pillar blind spot camera 11 but also the imaging signal transmitted from the side mirror camera 12, and generates a projection signal based on the imaging signal. And transmitted to the projector 30. For this reason, the projector 30 projects projection light based on the image of the viewing area A2 photographed by the side mirror camera 12 in order to project the image of the viewing area A2 photographed by the side mirror camera 12 on the A pillar P. Will be emitted.

  Therefore, the driver can visually recognize not only the blind spot area A1 but also the visual recognition area A2 to be visually recognized by the side mirror by looking at the A pillar P, thereby improving the visibility.

  FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a display state of the visual recognition area A2. When displaying the visual recognition area A2 on the screen 40, the projector 30 replaces a part of the projection light of the blind spot area A1 with the projection light of the visual recognition area A2 photographed by the side mirror camera 12, and emits it inside the A pillar P. To do. Here, a part of the projection light to be replaced is a portion corresponding to the lower part of the A pillar P. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the visual recognition area A2 is displayed below the screen 40 in a superimposing manner (see reference S). As a result, both the blind spot area A1 (see symbol D) and the visual recognition area A2 are displayed on the screen 40, and the visibility can be further improved.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the longest projection light reaching the screen 40 from the projector 30 has an optical path length of α, and the shortest one has an optical path length of β. Thus, since there is a difference in the optical path length of the projection light, the projector 30 is preferably a focus-free laser projector. The projector 30 is not limited to a laser projector, and a projector such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a micromirror array method may be used. Further, when out-of-focus is a problem when these are used, the folding mirror 50 may be corrected as a curved surface structure.

  Furthermore, depending on the installation position and angle relationship of the projector 30 and the screen 40, the projection light may be displayed in a trapezoidal shape. Further, the screen 40 may be formed in accordance with the design shape of the A pillar P. When the screen 40 is not flat but curved or has a free design shape, the display is also distorted. Therefore, it is preferable that the projection light from the projector 30 is emitted as a reverse distortion correction shape in consideration of distortion. This is because a normal shape can be obtained when displayed on the screen 40. Note that the calculation of the reverse distortion correction is performed by the control unit 20.

  Next, operations and the like of the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the pillar blind spot camera 11 captures an area including the blind spot area A1, and the side mirror camera 12 captures an area including the visual recognition area A2. Then, both cameras 11 and 12 transmit a photographing signal obtained by photographing to the control unit 20.

  The control unit 20 receives shooting signals from both cameras 11 and 12 and generates a projection signal of the projector 30 based on the shooting signals. At this time, the control unit 20 generates a projection signal that superimposes the display of the visual recognition area A2 on the display of the blind spot area A1. Further, the generated projection signal may be in accordance with the position of the driver's eyes or may be corrected for distortion. Then, the control unit 20 transmits the generated projection signal to the projector 30.

  The projector 30 emits projection light based on the projection signal into the A pillar P. The projection light is reflected by the folding mirror 50, reaches the screen 40, and is transmitted and displayed on the screen 40.

  When the vehicle display device 1 does not have an automatic display adjustment function according to the position of the driver's eyes, a hand switch 60 is provided as shown in FIG. When the driver operates the hand switch 60, the control unit 20 controls the rotation mechanism M of the projector 30 according to the operation, and changes the optical axis of the projector 30 to adjust the vertical position. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the projector 30 is provided inside the instrument panel below the A pillar P, the projection light reaches the screen 40 and is displayed without passing through the passenger compartment. Therefore, the projection light is not blocked by an obstacle in the vehicle interior. Further, the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment has an advantage that it is difficult to form a non-display area on the screen 40 as follows.

  FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a non-display area. For example, in the case of a conventional display device in which projection light passes through the vehicle interior, a non-display area may exist depending on the position of the projector 130 and the shape of the A pillar P. First, as shown in FIG. 5, an area where the A pillar P can be viewed from the viewpoint of the driver is indicated by a1. In addition, the A pillar P usually has a curved surface to some extent instead of a flat surface. Further, the projector 130 emits projection light from a position different from the viewpoint position of the driver.

  Under such circumstances, the projection light emitted from the projector 130 reaches only the area a2 of the A pillar P, and does not reach the entire area a1, so that a part thereof becomes the non-display area a3. As a result, it is impossible to give the driver the feeling that the A-pillar P is transparent, and the display becomes very uncomfortable.

  However, in this embodiment, since the projection light is emitted from the inside of the A pillar P, the non-display area a3 is hardly generated due to the structure. Therefore, it becomes easy to give the driver the feeling that the A pillar P is transparent, and the uncomfortable feeling is reduced.

  Thus, according to the vehicle display device 1 according to the present embodiment, since the projection light is emitted to the inside of the A pillar P, the installation position of the projector 30 is within the A pillar P, the instrument panel I, or the like. It becomes the inside of the vehicle structure. Further, since the projection light is transmitted and displayed on the screen 40, the image of the blind spot area A1 is provided to the driver, so that the projection light emitted inside the A pillar P does not pass through the passenger compartment and passes through the screen 40. Will arrive and be displayed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the projected light is not obstructed by an obstacle in the passenger compartment and the image of the blind spot area A1 cannot be viewed.

  Further, it further includes a folding mirror 50 that is provided inside the A pillar P and reflects the projection light from the projector 30 toward the screen 40. For this reason, even when it is difficult to secure the optical path of the projection light, for example, when the A pillar P is thin, by reflecting the projection light by the folding mirror 50, the A pillar P has a thickness, The projection light can be transmitted and displayed on the screen 40.

  In addition, since the driver views the viewing area A2 when the driver visually recognizes the side mirror and emits projection light based on the captured image to the A pillar P, the driver visually recognizes not only the blind spot area A1 but also the side mirror. The visual recognition area A1 can also be visually recognized by looking at the A pillar P. Therefore, visibility can be improved.

  In addition, since part of the projection light is replaced with projection light based on the image captured by the side mirror camera 12 and emitted to the A pillar P, both the blind spot area A1 and the viewing area A2 are displayed on the screen 40. Therefore, the visibility can be further improved.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the vehicular display device 1 is intended to make the A pillar P transparent. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pillars provided at other positions may be made transparent.

  Moreover, although the display apparatus 1 for vehicles which concerns on this embodiment superimposes the display of visual recognition area A2 with respect to the display of blind spot area A1, it is not restricted to this, Only the display of blind spot area A1 and visual recognition area You may have the function to switch and display only the display of A2.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the projector 30 is provided below the A pillar P. However, the projector 30 is not limited to this, and a mirror provided outside the A pillar P is provided inside the vehicle structure such as the inside of the instrument panel I, for example. Accordingly, the projection light may be guided to the inside of the A pillar P.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Display apparatus 11 for vehicles ... Pillar blind spot camera (imaging means)
12 ... Side mirror camera (second photographing means)
20 ... Control unit 30 ... Projector (projection means)
40 ... Screen 50 ... Folding mirror (reflection means)
60 ... Hand switch I ... Instrument panel P ... A pillar M ... Turning mechanism V ... Vehicle W ... Windshield

Claims (4)

Photographing means for photographing a blind spot area outside the driver's vehicle generated by a pillar supporting the ceiling of the vehicle;
Projection means for emitting projection light based on the image photographed by the photographing means to the pillar in order to project the image photographed by the photographing means to the pillar;
A screen that is provided on the driver side of the pillar and that displays light from the back side opposite to the driver side on the driver side;
The vehicle display device characterized in that the projection means emits the projection light to the inside of the pillar and displays the projection light through the screen so as to provide a driver with an image of the blind spot area. . The vehicle display device according to claim 1, further comprising a reflection unit that is provided inside the pillar and reflects the projection light from the projection unit toward the screen. A second photographing means for photographing a viewing area when the driver visually recognizes the side mirror;
The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the projection unit emits projection light based on an image photographed by the second photographing unit to the inside of the pillar. 4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the projection unit replaces a part of the projection light with projection light based on an image photographed by the second photographing unit and emits the projection light into the pillar. 5. Display device.

Images