JPH05147455A - Vehicle display device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To allow a driver of a vehicle to easily check the situation in the far rear of the vehicle without providing a member that largely protrudes from the outer surface of the vehicle. Q [Configuration] Vehicle 1 The vehicle body 1 so that the image of the far back can be taken
TV cameras TV1 to TV3 attached to the optical camera, an optical information display unit D having a display surface on which an image captured by the TV cameras TV1 to TV3 is displayed, and information display emitted from the optical information display unit D. And an optical member A for projecting the light L toward the visual recognition position of the driver 3 of the vehicle. The optical member A displays the virtual image of the optical information in front of and at a distance from the visual recognition position. It is arranged.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular display device used for a land vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a display device that can be used by a vehicle driver to confirm a condition around the vehicle other than the front. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the above-mentioned land-based vehicle, a driver uses an image reflected in a mirror such as a rearview mirror or a side mirror (door mirror) in order to confirm the surroundings of the vehicle other than the front while driving. ing.

[0003]

In the conventional method of checking the situation relying on the mirror, the mounting position of the mirrors is limited due to the positional relationship with the driver, and it may be difficult to confirm at the mounting position of the mirror. .. In particular, the situation reflected on the passenger side door mirror of the vehicle is far from the driver's line-of-sight during normal driving, which is difficult for the driver to confirm. Further, the door mirror that largely projects from the outer surface of the vehicle body also has a bad effect that the possibility of an accident due to contact with another object increases.

In addition, there are some cases in which a rearview mirror is completely useless in a large-sized freight vehicle, in which case the situation of the following vehicle cannot be confirmed, and the probability of an accident due to a blind spot is high. There is also a rear situation display device that displays a television image slightly behind the vehicle body on the driver's seat display, but it is used only when moving backward and is not used while the vehicle is running. Even if the rear situation display device used when the vehicle retreats is used when the vehicle is traveling, the display content is the situation of the near position of the rear part of the vehicle body and the situation of the following vehicle approaching from the far position behind the vehicle body. Not suitable to check. Further, the conventional rear situation display device used when the vehicle moves backward is designed to directly view the television screen arranged near the driver's seat. For this reason, a driver who constantly monitors the distance ahead while the vehicle is traveling must adjust the focal length of his eyes every time he confirms the situation displayed on a television screen arranged at a short distance. Since the driver cannot monitor the situation in front while adjusting the focal length of the eyes, the probability of accident occurrence increases. Further, if the focal length of the eyes is adjusted frequently, the eyes may be fatigued.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to allow a driver of a vehicle to easily confirm the situation in the rear and distant parts of the vehicle body without providing a member that largely projects from the outer surface of the vehicle body. And

[0006]

Next, the structure of the present invention devised to solve the above problems will be described. The constituent elements of the present invention correspond to those of the embodiments described later. For simplification, the reference numerals of the constituent elements of the embodiment are enclosed in parentheses. The reason why the present invention is described in association with the reference numerals of the embodiments described later is to facilitate understanding of the present invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention to the embodiments.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle display device of the present invention is a television camera (TV) mounted on a vehicle body (1) so as to be able to image a far distance behind the vehicle body (1).
1 to TV3), an optical information display means (D) having a display surface on which an image taken by the television camera (TV1 to TV3) is displayed, and the optical information display means (D).
And an optical member (A) for projecting the information display light (L) emitted from the vehicle toward the visual recognition position of the driver (3) of the vehicle, the optical member (A) forming a virtual image of the optical information. It is characterized in that it is arranged so as to be displayed in front of and away from the visual recognition position.

As the optical information display means (D),
It is possible to use a CRT display which is easy to adjust the brightness and has a high degree of freedom of display, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display or the like.

The optical member (A) for projecting the information display light (L) emitted from the optical information display means (D) is, for example,
A concave lens, a convex lens, a concave mirror, a prism, or the like can be used, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various optical members can be used in combination. As the optical member (A), it is possible to use various components having a power capable of displaying a virtual image of information displayed on the optical information display means (D) sufficiently far.

The vehicle display device of the present invention is provided with a combiner (C) in front of the driver (3), and the combiner (C) causes the information display light (L) emitted from the optical information display means (D). ) And the outside scene light (J) toward the driver (3) can also be configured as a head-up display device. In addition, the combiner (C) is a scene light (J) of the outside world,
The information display light (L) from the information projector (K) is for the user to visually recognize at the same time, and is composed of a half mirror, a holographic diffraction element, etc. You can also do it.

[0011]

The vehicle display device of the present invention having the above-described structure is a television camera (TV) mounted on the vehicle body (1).
1 to TV3) images the far rear of the vehicle body (1). The television cameras (TV1 to TV3) can be mounted in an appropriate position on the vehicle body (1) in an appropriate position regardless of the position of the driver (3) in the desired direction. At that time, it is possible to mount the vehicle body (1) without significantly protruding it from the lateral side surface. This TV camera (TV1 ~
The image picked up by the TV 3) is displayed on the display surface of the optical information display means (D). The optical member (A) projects the information display light (L) emitted from the optical information display means (D) toward the visual recognition position of the driver (3) of the vehicle, and at the same time displays the optical information. A virtual image is displayed in front of and away from the visual recognition position. Since the display position of the virtual image of the optical information can be set independently of the position of the television camera (TV1 to TV3), the display position of the virtual image of the optical information is in a direction that is easy for the driver to see and The distance can be set so that it is easy to see. Therefore, the present invention relates to the situation from the vehicle body (1) rear near position to the far position.
It can be displayed at a position where the driver (3) can easily see it.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the vehicle display device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a main portion of an automobile equipped with an embodiment of a vehicle display device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the automobile, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the automobile. FIG. 4 is a detailed explanatory view of a main part of the vehicular display device of the same embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the inside of a vehicle equipped with the same embodiment.

2 and 3, television cameras TV1 to TV4 are provided at appropriate positions on the outer surface of the vehicle body 1 of the automobile. The TV camera TV1 is arranged on the right side of the front part of the vehicle body 1 in order to capture an image of the rear right side of the vehicle body 1,
The TV camera TV3 is arranged on the left side portion of the front part of the vehicle body 1 to capture a scene behind the left side of the vehicle body 1. Also,
The TV camera TV2 is arranged in the central part of the rear part of the vehicle body 1 to capture a rear view from the center part of the vehicle body 1, and the TV camera TV4 is centered in the front part of the vehicle body 1 to capture a front scene from the center part of the vehicle body 1. It is located in the part.

In FIG. 1, a driver's seat of an automobile 1 is provided with a seat 2, and a driver's seat 3 is seated in front of a driver's dashboard 4. The field of view of the driver 3 is shown in FIG.
Combiner C is located under the windshield 5 in front of the driver.
Are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1, an information projecting device K is housed inside the dashboard 4 to project the information display light L upward. The information projecting device K is arranged below the combiner C, and the combiner C outputs the information display light L emitted from the information projecting device K to the driver 3
Is reflected in the direction of. This combiner C is composed of a half mirror and is used for the windshield 5 of the automobile.
It is arranged so that the external scene light J incident from the front is transmitted toward the driver 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, an information projecting device K is housed inside the dashboard 4 and projects information display light L upward. The information projecting device K is arranged below the combiner C, and the combiner C outputs the information display light L emitted from the information projecting device K to the driver 3
Is reflected in the direction of. This combiner C is composed of a half mirror and is used for the windshield 5 of the automobile.
It is arranged so that the external scene light J incident from the front is transmitted toward the driver 3. That is, the vehicle display device of this embodiment is configured as a head-up display having the information projecting device K and the combiner C.

As shown in FIG. 4, the display by the information projecting device K is limited to the portion where the bonnet 6 of the automobile 1 can be seen in the field of view of the driver 3 and is superimposed on the scene such as the road surface necessary for driving. It is arranged so as not to become.

As shown in FIG. 4, the information projecting device K includes a plurality of Cs arranged side by side.
It is composed of an optical information display means D comprising RT displays D1, D2, D3 and an optical member A for projecting the information display light L emitted from the optical information display means D onto the combiner C. The optical member A is the CR
It has optical systems A1, A2, A3 arranged corresponding to the T displays D1, D2, D3, respectively. The optical system A1
Is composed of a lens system A11 having a negative power and a concave mirror A12 having a positive power, and has a total negative power. The optical systems A2 and A3 are similarly constructed.

The respective optical systems A1, A2 and A3 are reflected by the combiner C, and the respective CRT displays D are visible.
The display position and the enlargement ratio of the virtual image of the display images of 1, D2 and D3 are adjusted. The display position of the virtual image of the display image is set to an appropriate position 30 m in front of the driver 3 to infinity. It is also possible to arrange a thin lens such as a Fresnel lens between the lens systems A1, A2, A3 and the combiner C to adjust the display position of the virtual image.
The combiner C is attached to the information projecting device K by a shaft 7 so as to be vertically rotatable.

Each of the CRT displays D1, D2, D3
Is connected to display control circuits P1, P2, P3 to which the image pickup signals of the television cameras TV1 to TV3 are input. Each of the display control circuits P1, P2, P3 is a TV camera TV1.
~ Outputs a signal for displaying a left-right inverted image of the image input from TV3. Images corresponding to the left-right inverted image display signals output from the display control circuits P1, P2, P3 are displayed on the CRT displays D1, D2, D3.

The image data output from each of the display control circuits P1, P2 and P3 are stored in the image recording devices M1 to M3, respectively. The image pickup signal of the television camera TV4 for picking up an image of the front of the vehicle is shaped by the display control circuit P4 and stored in the image recording device M4. Each of the image recording devices M1 to M
Reference numeral 4 has a storage capacity for recording a display image for about one minute, and stores the latest image data for one minute while constantly rewriting input image data. This is because when an automobile causes an accident, the image data for one minute immediately before the accident is stored so as to be useful for investigating the cause of the automobile accident. Each of the image recording devices M1 to M4 can be configured by an endless video tape, an IC memory, a magnetic disk, or the like. Each of the image recording devices M1 to M4 may be configured to continuously store all the display images for about one minute, and intermittently record some still images. It is also possible to configure.

It should be noted that another television camera is provided in the passenger compartment, the state of the driver is imaged by the television camera, and the image data thereof is recorded in the same image recording device as the image recording devices M1 to M4. It is also possible to configure. In that case, the cause investigation in the case of a car accident can be further facilitated.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described. The external scene light J traveling from the outside world on the right side in FIG. 1 toward the windshield C is partially reflected by the windshield 5 and the combiner C, and the rest is transmitted through the windshield 5 and the combiner C as it is. And goes straight to the eyes of the driver 3. As a result, the driver 3 can visually recognize the external scene as it is. On the other hand, the images picked up by the respective television cameras TV1 to TV3 are horizontally reversed and displayed on the CRT displays D1, D2, D3 of the information projector K. The information display light L emitted from each of the CRT displays D1, D2, D3 passes through the optical member A and enters the combiner C. Then, the information display light L that has entered the combiner C partially passes through the combiner C, but the rest reflects and reaches the eyes of the driver 3.
Thereby, the driver 3 can visually recognize the information display light L. In this case, since the virtual image of the display information is displayed at the front and distant position by the optical member A, the driver 3 visually recognizes the virtual image of the display information in the front and distant position. That is, since the driver 3 visually recognizes both the external scene and the virtual image of the display information in the distance, the both images can be visually recognized without adjusting the focal length of the eyes.

On the CRT display D1, an image taken by the television camera TV1, that is, a scene on the right rear side of the vehicle body 1 is displayed. This CRT display D1
The scene displayed at is reflected by the right side portion C1 of the combiner C shown in FIG. Therefore, the driver 3 visually recognizes the scene on the right rear side of the vehicle body 1 on the extension line of the right side portion C3 of the combiner C. Further, the driver 3 visually recognizes a scene when looking rearward from the center of the vehicle body 1 on an extension line of the central portion C2 of the combiner C. That is, the image displayed on the right side portion C1 of the combiner C corresponds to the scene seen from the right side mirror of the conventional automobile, and the image displayed on the left side portion C3 of the combiner C is seen from the left side mirror of the conventional automobile. The image displayed in the central portion C2 of the combiner C corresponds to the scene seen from the interior mirror (rear view mirror) of the conventional automobile.

Since the TV cameras TV1 to TV4 do not need to be positioned so that they can be seen by the driver,
It can be arranged at an appropriate position on the vehicle body 1. Therefore, the TV cameras TV1 to TV4 can be easily arranged without largely protruding from the outer surface of the vehicle body 1. Therefore, the possibility that the TV cameras TV1 to TV4 collide with an external object can be made smaller than the possibility that the conventional door mirror collides with an external object.

When an automobile has an accident, the images taken by the television cameras TV1 to TV4 are stored for one minute immediately before the accident, which can be useful for clarifying the cause of the accident.

[Modifications] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and is within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Thus, it is possible to make various small design changes.

For example, the image data recording devices M1 to M4 for investigating the cause of an automobile accident can be omitted.
The positions of the TV cameras TV1 to TV4 are the same as those of conventional door mirrors and room mirrors in the illustrated embodiment.
It can be attached at any position as long as it is effective for visual recognition. Further, it can be used together with conventional mirrors or mixed. For example, it is conceivable to leave the mirror on the driver's seat side and replace the mirror on the passenger's seat side, which was difficult to see, with this device. In this case, there is also an advantage that there is no large protrusion by the mirror on the passenger seat side, which has many blind spots. It is possible to replace only the rearview mirror with this device for large vehicles, etc. where the rearview mirror is practically useless.

Furthermore, the combiner C can be omitted. In that case, for example, a display unit for displaying the visual field on the passenger side can be arranged next to the position of the conventional rearview mirror. Then, it is not necessary to match the number of TV cameras and the number of display units, and it is possible to collectively display the images of a plurality of TV cameras on one display unit. Furthermore, it is also possible to use an infrared camera as the television camera.

Furthermore, the optical information display means D is also provided.
In this case, it is possible to display a warning when a failure occurs in the vehicle, display various traveling data, and display arbitrary information such as output from the vehicle navigation system.
It is also possible to overlap these arbitrary information and the image from the TV camera or to display them alternately.

Further, the television camera can be fixedly arranged or can be movably arranged by providing a moving mechanism. That is, the installation structure of the TV cameras TV1 to TV3 should include a fine adjustment mechanism that changes the viewing angle according to the taste of the driver 3 and a coarse adjustment mechanism that significantly changes the viewing angle according to the traveling state (for example, backward movement). Is possible. further,
The position of the virtual image of the display information displayed by the information projecting device K at a distance can be fixed or variable. In the case of fixation, it is appropriate to set the position at a distance of about 30 m or more. Further, when the display position of the virtual image is variable, the variable mechanism can be operated manually or automatically. However, in the case of automatic, the gazing point of the driver 3 becomes distant as the traveling speed increases. It is possible to adjust the display position in conjunction with. Of course, it is also possible to interlock with one or more appropriate data other than the traveling speed.

Further, it is possible to simultaneously record the data such as the traveling speed and the engine speed in the image recording device. Furthermore, instead of horizontally inverting the television camera image displayed on the optical information display means D by electrical signal processing, it is also possible to horizontally flip the virtual image of the display image by using the optical means. The present invention can be applied not only to automobiles but also to various transportation means.

[0033]

In the above-described vehicle display device of the present invention, the virtual image of the image taken by the television camera mounted on the vehicle body is displayed in front of and at a distance from the driver's visual recognition position. Since the television camera can be arranged at an appropriate position of the vehicle body regardless of the position of the eyes of the driver, the driver of the vehicle can move far behind the vehicle body without providing a member that largely projects from the outer surface of the vehicle body. You can easily check the situation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of an automobile equipped with an embodiment of a vehicle display device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the inside of an automobile equipped with the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a detailed explanatory diagram of a main part of the vehicle display device of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

A ... Optical member, C ... Combiner, D ... Optical information display means, J ... External scene light, K ... Information projecting device, L ... Information display light, TV1-TV3 ... TV camera, 1 ... Car body, 3 ... Driving Person, 〓 \\ wowo〓AAssuu1 ■ ssuu3ccee
Blood rrJJ = Performance AA

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A television camera mounted on a vehicle body so as to be able to image a rear distance of the vehicle body, an optical information display means having a display surface on which an image captured by the television camera is displayed, and the optical information. An optical member for projecting the information display light emitted from the display means toward a visual recognition position of a vehicle driver, wherein the optical member displays a virtual image of the optical information in front of and at a distance from the visual recognition position. Vehicle display device disposed in.