JP3755248B2 - In-vehicle display device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an in-vehicle display device, and more particularly, to a display device that displays a vehicle state following a vehicle distance control with respect to a preceding vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when a preceding vehicle exists, a system has been developed that adjusts the distance between the preceding vehicle and follows the preceding vehicle, and when there is no preceding vehicle, runs at a constant speed at the set vehicle speed. A technique for displaying the state of the inter-vehicle control for the preceding vehicle has also been proposed.
[0003]
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8-192663 discloses a technique for displaying an image of a preceding vehicle and a host vehicle and displaying information about the preceding vehicle (vehicle speed and distance between vehicles) numerically in order to display the state of inter-vehicle control. Is disclosed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, it is desirable to set a plurality of control target vehicles according to the driver's preference and driving environment, and it is desirable for the driver to know at a glance which of the plurality of control target vehicles is currently set. The above-described prior art cannot meet such demands, and is not sufficient for notifying various kinds of information with a limited display amount.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle display device that allows a driver to recognize the distance between control target vehicles at a glance and provides a driver with a more reliable control state.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  To achieve the above objective,BookThe inventionMeans the presence of a preceding vehiclePreceding car figure andThis means the target distance when controlling the distance to follow the preceding vehicle.In the in-vehicle display device that displays the inter-vehicle diagram,The target inter-vehicle distance is variably set by a driver's operation, and the inter-vehicle distance diagram is displayed between the own vehicle graphic and the preceding vehicle graphic displayed apart from each other on the left and right sides, and the display length and the preceding vehicle are displayed. The relative position of the vehicle graphic with respect to the vehicle graphic is set according to the size of the target vehicle, the display length is shortened as the target vehicle distance is small, and the preceding vehicle graphic is set to a position close to the vehicle graphic.It has a display means.
[0007]
  The target inter-vehicle distance is variably set in three stages, long, medium, and short, according to the driver's operation, and the display means displays the inter-vehicle distance diagram as a block group arranged on a straight line, and the target inter-vehicle distance is long. When set, three blocks are displayed and the display length is maximized, and when the target vehicle distance is set to medium, two blocks are displayed and the display length is medium, and the target vehicle distance is short. When set, one block can be displayed to minimize the display length.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, “cruise control” or “cruise function” means that if there is a preceding vehicle, the vehicle follows the vehicle while maintaining the distance from the preceding vehicle at the target interval (inter-vehicle control). If there is no vehicle, it means that the vehicle runs at a constant speed at the vehicle speed set by the driver.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the present embodiment. A scan type laser radar 10 is provided in a front bumper of the vehicle, and a laser beam is transmitted forward to detect a distance, direction, and relative speed from the reflected light to a front object. An inter-vehicle control ECU (electronic control unit) 12 is connected to the scan type laser radar 10, and a vehicle to be followed is determined based on data from the laser radar 10, so that the distance from the following vehicle becomes the target interval. Determine the acceleration (or deceleration). An engine ECU 14 is connected to the inter-vehicle control ECU 12, and a cruise control function is realized based on data from the inter-vehicle control ECU 12. Specifically, an electronic throttle actuator 24 and an ECT (electronic control transmission) solenoid 26 are connected to the engine ECU 14 to drive the electronic throttle actuator in accordance with the target acceleration supplied from the inter-vehicle control ECU 12, or In response to a downshift request (deceleration request) supplied from the control ECU 12, the shift is changed to the low speed side to cause engine braking.
[0022]
The engine ECU 14 is connected to an ECT mode switch 16, a cruise control switch 18, a stop lamp switch 20, and a vehicle speed sensor 22. The cruise control switch 18 is for performing operations such as ON / OFF of the cruise function of the engine ECU 14, setting of the vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, and cancellation of control, and details thereof will be described later. The ECT mode switch 16 is a switch for the driver to set an ECT mode (for example, a power mode and a snow mode), and when the driver sets to a snow mode (a mode that allows starting in the second gear). The engine ECU 14 cancels the cruise function. This is to prevent cruise control from being performed on slippery road surfaces such as snowy roads and frozen roads. To cancel the cruise function, in addition to canceling the active cruise function, the cruise control switch 18 is operated by the cruise control switch 18. It also includes prohibiting transition to the cruise function even at times. The driver does not operate the ECT mode switch 16 but detects that the wheel is slipping in the engine ECU 14 based on the wheel speed or the output from the G sensor. It is also desirable to cancel the cruise function at the same time as the determination when automatically determining and automatically controlling the engine and transmission in the same manner as in the ECT snow mode. The stop lamp switch 20 is for detecting a brake operation by the driver. When the driver performs a brake operation, the engine ECU 14 cancels the cruise function.
[0023]
The engine ECU 14 is connected to a VSC (vehicle attitude stability control) -ECU 28, and the VSC-ECU 28 is connected to a steering sensor 30 and an alarm buzzer 32. When the VSC-ECU 28 detects that the vehicle is oversteered or understeered based on the detection from the steering sensor 30, the VSC-ECU 28 reduces the output of the engine and applies a braking force to the front or rear wheels to stabilize the turning motion of the vehicle. When the system is activated, the alarm buzzer 32 is driven to alert the driver, but if the inter-vehicle distance from the following vehicle is too close during the cruise function, the engine ECU 14 The alarm buzzer 32 is driven via the ECU 28 to call attention to the driver (for example, an alarm sound such as “beep” sounds). That is, the alarm buzzer 32 has both functions of the VSC operation alarm and the inter-vehicle alarm at the cruise function. However, the approach alert and the VSC operation alert have different sound quality, and the approach alert is set so that the driver can hear a stronger alert. The steering angle detected by the steering sensor 30 is used not only for VSC but also supplied to the engine ECU 14 and is used for a cruise function particularly on a curved road. Various devices are connected to the engine ECU 14 via a body multiplex communication system 34. Specifically, a tail lamp switch 36, a wiper switch 38, and a meter 40 are connected. The tail lamp switch 36 is for detecting the lighting of the tail lamp, that is, driving at night. When the tail lamp switch is in the ON state, the engine ECU 14 sets the target inter-vehicle distance longer than the daytime. A specific setting method will be described later. Further, the wiper switch 38 is for detecting the operating state of the wiper, that is, rainy running. When the wiper switch 38 is in the ON state, the engine ECU 14 cancels the cruise function. The meter display 40 is one of the features of the present embodiment, and displays information specific to the cruise function in addition to the normal speed and engine speed. Information unique to the cruise function includes detection of a preceding vehicle, an inter-vehicle time expressing the inter-vehicle distance, a set vehicle speed, a state of the cruise function, a fail mode, and the like. The inter-vehicle time is a physical quantity expressing the inter-vehicle distance in terms of time, and there is a relationship of inter-vehicle time = inter-vehicle distance / vehicle speed. Therefore, there is a target inter-vehicle time corresponding 1: 1 to the target inter-vehicle distance that is the target of the follow-up control. In this embodiment, the inter-vehicle time changeover switch 44 is provided so that the driver can adjust the target inter-vehicle time as appropriate. . The inter-vehicle time changeover switch 44 is connected to the meter display 40, and the inter-vehicle time set by the driver is displayed on the display as it is, and is supplied to the engine ECU 14 via the body multiplex communication system 34 and used for cruise control. As the inter-vehicle time that can be set by the driver, three stages of long, medium, and short are prepared as follows.
[0024]
Length: 2.4 (sec)
Medium: 2.0 (sec)
Short: 1.8 (sec)
When the vehicle is traveling at a speed of 80 km / h, when the distance between the vehicles is expressed by distance, the length is about 55 m, the middle is about 45 m, and the short is about 40 m. These inter-vehicle times are displayed on the meter display 40 so that it can be seen at a glance which inter-vehicle time is currently set. In the above description, when the tail lamp switch 36 is in the ON state, the inter-vehicle distance is set to be longer than the daytime. Specifically, the inter-vehicle time is set to be longer, and α1, α2, and α3 are set as constants during the daytime. The length of 2.4 (sec) is changed to 2.4 + α1 (sec), the length of 2.0 (sec) is changed to 2.0 + α2 (sec), and the length is 1.8 (sec). Is changed to 1.8 + α3 (sec). It is preferable to change α1> α2> α3 according to the length, medium, and short. These α1, α2, and α3 may be selected by the driver in advance.
[0025]
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the laser radar 10. Based on the command from the CPU 10a, the light emitting circuit 10b drives the laser diode LD10c in pulses. The pulse laser beam from the laser diode LD10c is shaped by the lens 10d, reflected by the mirror 10e, and enters the polygon mirror 16f. The polygon mirror has six surfaces and rotates around the rotation axis, and the pulse laser beam is scanned in the horizontal plane (left and right with respect to the traveling direction) by the rotation of the polygon mirror 10f. Further, each surface of the polygon mirror 10f has a different inclination angle sequentially, and the pulse laser beam is scanned in the vertical direction with respect to the traveling direction every time the incident surface of the pulse laser beam changes.
[0026]
On the other hand, when there is a preceding vehicle, the pulse laser beam reflected by the preceding vehicle enters the photodiode 10h via the light receiving lens 10g, is converted into an electric signal, and is supplied to the light receiving circuit 10i. Then, the light reception pulse signal is further supplied to the time measurement IC 10j, the time from when the pulse laser beam is transmitted until it is reflected and received by the preceding vehicle is measured, and is supplied to the CPU 10a to detect the distance to the preceding vehicle. And the relative velocity as the time change is detected. The detected inter-vehicle distance and relative speed are supplied to the CPU 10k, and the CPU 10k supplies these detection data to the inter-vehicle control ECU 12.
[0027]
FIG. 3 schematically shows the scan range 100 of the laser radar 10. By reflecting within one of the six reflecting surfaces of the polygon mirror 10f, the pulse laser beam scans in a horizontal direction with respect to the traveling direction within a certain horizontal plane. Further, by reflecting on the other reflecting surface of the polygon mirror 10f, scanning is performed in the left-right direction in different horizontal planes. There are a total of six pulse laser beams in the vertical direction corresponding to each of the reflection surfaces of the polygon mirror, and a total of 105 in the left-right direction corresponding to the rotation angle in one reflection surface. The reach of the laser beam is about 100 m when the weather is fine. Therefore, when there is a preceding vehicle within 100 m, there is a preceding vehicle, and when there is more than 100 m, there is no preceding vehicle.
[0028]
FIG. 4 is a layout view of the vicinity of the steering wheel 50 in the vehicle interior. A lever-like cruise control switch 18 is provided on the right side of the steering shaft, and an inter-vehicle time changeover switch 44 is provided on the steering wheel 50. As described above, the cruise control switch 18 is a function for setting ON / OFF of the cruise function, a vehicle speed during constant speed driving (when there is no preceding vehicle) and an upper limit vehicle speed during following driving, and acceleration / deceleration without using an accelerator pedal. The inter-vehicle time changeover switch has a function of switching the target inter-vehicle time during follow-up travel (in this embodiment, three stages of long, medium, and short).
[0029]
FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the cruise control switch 18. The cruise control switch 18 has a lever shape and can be operated in the vertical direction, and a main switch 18a that can be pushed in (in the direction of arrow a in the figure) is provided on the side. By depressing the main switch 18a, the cruise power supply of the engine ECU 14 is turned on. The power ON state is a standby state of the cruise function, and the driver shifts to the actual cruise function by setting the cruise function after the set vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle time are set. The cruise function set (SET) is executed by lowering the cruise control switch 18. As described above, even when the main switch 18a is depressed, the cruise power supply is not turned on and remains off during the ECT snow mode or the wiper operation. Further, when it is desired to increase the set vehicle speed, the cruise control switch is continuously raised, and when it is desired to decrease the set vehicle speed, these data are supplied to the engine ECU 14 by continuing to lower the cruise control switch.
[0030]
FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the inter-vehicle time changeover switch 44. The inter-vehicle time changeover switch 44 includes three switches, which are a mode (MODE) switch 44a that switches the inter-vehicle time in three stages, a function (FUNCTION) switch 44b that switches the display 40, and a reset (RESET) switch. The inter-vehicle time is always set to be long in the initial state of the engine ON, and is switched from long to medium and further short by operating the mode switch 44a. If the operation is further shortened, the inter-vehicle time returns to the long time again. The reason for uniformly initializing the inter-vehicle time in the initial state of the engine ON is to ensure the safety when the vehicle shifts to the follow-up traveling. The function switch 44b is for switching between a cruise state display on the display 40 and another display (for example, an alarm display). During cruise control, the engine ECU 14 displays the control state (presence / absence of a preceding vehicle and set vehicle speed). When the driver operates the switch 44b, the screen changes to a warning display screen or a drive monitor screen. However, for example, if a change in the cruise state occurs (for example, whether a preceding vehicle is detected or a change in the set vehicle speed) while the warning display screen is displayed, the display display is automatically changed from the warning screen to the cruise state screen. Switch to. When the cruise system is canceled, the inter-vehicle time (long, medium, short) set at that time is temporarily stored, and when the cruise system control is resumed, The inter-vehicle distance control may be performed based on the stored value.
[0031]
FIG. 7 shows a display example of the meter display 40. The speed is displayed on the left side of the center, the engine speed is displayed on the right side of the center, and the cruise state screen 41 is displayed on the bottom. This screen 41 can be composed of, for example, a liquid crystal. An alarm lamp 42 is provided on the left side of the cruise state screen 41, and a cruise power lamp 43 is provided on the right side. The cruise state screen 41 displays the detected preceding vehicle, the target inter-vehicle time, the host vehicle, and the set vehicle speed. As described above, when the driver operates the function switch 44b of the inter-vehicle time changeover switch 44, this screen is switched to another screen (warning screen or drive monitor screen). Since the adjustment is made to increase the inter-vehicle time when the tail lamp is lit, it is also preferable to inform the driver that the inter-vehicle time is adjusted to increase by setting the screen color to be different from the daytime when the tail lamp is lit. is there. If the vehicle approaches the preceding vehicle abnormally while following the preceding vehicle, an alarm is given to the driver using the VSC alarm buzzer 32. At this time, the engine ECU 4 displays the screen 41 so as to repeat the reversal of light and dark. It is also preferred to control and visually alert the driver.
[0032]
The alarm lamp 42 is turned on when an abnormality occurs in the cruise function. In this case, the engine ECU 14 cancels the cruise function and displays the abnormality content on the screen 41. Of course, the alarm buzzer 32 can be used to notify the driver with a warning sound. As the warning sound, for example, “Pawn” can be considered to distinguish it from the warning sound “beep” when following the preceding vehicle.
[0033]
The configuration of the present embodiment is as described above, and the operation will be described in detail below.
[0034]
FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of cruise control executed by the inter-vehicle control ECU 12 and the engine ECU 14. When the driver sets the cruise function using the cruise control switch 18 (turns on the main switch and sets the switch 18 down), the engine ECU 14 determines whether or not the cruise function has been canceled (S101). If not canceled, the inter-vehicle control ECU 12 next determines whether or not a preceding vehicle has been detected. If there is a preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle control ECU 12 and the engine ECU 14 execute inter-vehicle cruise control (S103). ). If there is no preceding vehicle, the engine ECU 14 compares the current vehicle speed Vn with the set vehicle speed Vm (S104). If Vn <Vm, the engine ECU 14 performs acceleration control to achieve the set vehicle speed (S105). If the vehicle speed Vn is substantially equal to the set vehicle speed Vm, constant speed cruise control for maintaining the current vehicle speed is executed (S106). The vehicle speed is a predetermined value (for example, 40 km / h) when the wiper is activated in the rain or when the mode is shifted to the ECT snow mode, when the driver cancels the cruise control switch 18 or when the driver operates the brake. In the case of the following, if an abnormality occurs in the cruise function, it is determined YES in S101, and the engine ECU 14 cancels the cruise function (S107).
[0035]
FIG. 9 shows a detailed flowchart of the inter-vehicle cruise executed in S103. First, the laser radar 10 detects the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed from the preceding vehicle (S201), and the inter-vehicle control ECU 12 calculates the inter-vehicle deviation between the target inter-vehicle time and the current inter-vehicle time (S202). Then, a control acceleration (target acceleration) necessary to make this inter-vehicle deviation zero is calculated (S203) and supplied to the engine ECU 14. In order to obtain this control acceleration, the engine ECU 14 drives the electronic throttle actuator 24 to control the engine output (S204). When the calculated control acceleration is a large negative value, that is, on the large deceleration side, the engine ECU 14 cuts overdrive, shifts down, and decelerates with engine brake.
[0036]
FIG. 10 schematically shows the above processing contents. (A) is a case where a preceding vehicle does not exist (including a case where the preceding vehicle exists more than 100 m). In this case, the vehicle travels at a constant speed at the vehicle speed set by the driver (constant speed cruise in S106 in FIG. 8). (B) is a case where a preceding vehicle slower than the set vehicle speed is detected during constant speed travel, and deceleration control is performed so as not to abnormally approach the preceding vehicle (inter-vehicle cruise in S103 in FIG. 8). (C) is a case of following the preceding vehicle, and acceleration / deceleration control is performed so that the inter-vehicle time with the preceding vehicle becomes the target inter-vehicle time with the set vehicle speed as the upper limit (inter-vehicle cruise in S103 of FIG. 8). (D) is a case where the preceding vehicle has entered the interchange or service area and no longer exists. In this case, the vehicle gradually accelerates to the set vehicle speed (constant speed cruise in S106 in FIG. 8).
[0037]
Thus, in this embodiment, while changing the control content according to the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle, the driver can freely adjust the inter-vehicle time and the set vehicle speed during inter-vehicle control. Accordingly, it is extremely important to accurately inform the driver of the current control content, and in this embodiment, this is realized by the engine ECU 14 changing the cruise state screen 41 of the meter display 40 in various ways.
[0038]
Hereinafter, the display content of the cruise state screen 41 will be described.
[0039]
FIG. 11 is a screen display when the driver operates the main switch 18a of the cruise control switch 18, and displays “CRUISE READY” indicating that the driver is in a standby state. From this display, the driver can clearly see that the main power supply is turned on but not under control. When the driver lowers the cruise control switch 18 in this state, the driver enters the set state, and the cruise function is executed. When the driver operates the inter-vehicle time switch 44 in the “CRUISE READY” state, the target inter-vehicle time can be set to a desired value (long, medium, or short).
[0040]
FIG. 12 is a screen display when a cruise is set, and is a case where there is no preceding vehicle. In (A), the host vehicle display 41a, the set target inter-vehicle time display 41b, and the set vehicle speed display 41c are shown, and the target inter-vehicle time (control target inter-vehicle) is set to be long. (B) is a case where the target inter-vehicle time is medium, and the length is shorter than the case where the target inter-vehicle time is long. (C) is a case where the target inter-vehicle time is set to be short, and the length is further shortened compared to the case where the target inter-vehicle time is set. Thus, by displaying the target inter-vehicle time as a length, the driver can easily grasp the current setting of the target inter-vehicle time. The target inter-vehicle time can be set at an arbitrary stage, but preferably has three stages of long, medium, and short as described above. Specifically, the average value determined from the actual flow of vehicles in the market is used as a driver's option, with the inter-vehicle time before and after the average value. Thus, individual differences among drivers can be absorbed to some extent, and even the same driver can absorb differences due to differences in traffic flow, road environment, fatigue, and the like.
[0041]
In FIG. 12, if the driver continues to raise the cruise control switch 18, the number on the set vehicle speed display 41c increases and the vehicle speed also increases. If the driver continues to lower the cruise control switch, the number on the set vehicle speed display 41c changes. Although the vehicle speed decreases and the vehicle speed also decreases, it is preferable to display the vehicle speed setting 41c only while the vehicle is accelerating because the set vehicle speed has a strong meaning of notifying the driver of the acceleration limit. Specifically, the set vehicle speed display 41c is performed only when the engine ECU 14 detects the acceleration state of the host vehicle. As a result, the display amount can be reduced to avoid confusion with the meter speed display.
[0042]
FIG. 13 is a display example when a preceding vehicle is detected from the state of FIG. 12 and an inter-vehicle cruise (following traveling) is performed. (A) is a case where the target inter-vehicle time is “long”, and the detected preceding vehicle display 41d is newly shown. By displaying the target inter-vehicle time display 41b between the preceding vehicle display 41d and the own vehicle display 41a, the driver can easily recognize that the vehicle is following the preceding vehicle while performing inter-vehicle distance control. (B) is the case where the inter-vehicle time is “medium”, corresponding to the fact that the length of the target inter-vehicle time is shorter than the case of “long”, and the display position of the detected preceding vehicle is also closer to the own vehicle display 41a. The position is changed. (C) is a case where the target inter-vehicle time is “short”, and the position of the preceding vehicle display 41d is further set closer to the own vehicle display 41a in response to the length of the target inter-vehicle time being further shortened. is doing. In (A) to (C), it should be noted that the position of the preceding vehicle display 41d has changed. Needless to say, even during inter-vehicle cruise (follow-up running), the driver can switch the inter-vehicle time by operating the inter-vehicle time switch 44 (from long to medium, from medium to short, or from short to long). Each time the driver switches the inter-vehicle time, the target inter-vehicle time display 41b also changes.
[0043]
In FIG. 13, the preceding vehicle display 41b can be changed according to the vehicle type of the detected preceding vehicle. The vehicle type of the preceding vehicle may be determined by calculating the left and right width and vertical width of the object from the scan data obtained by the laser radar 10, and comparing the shape stored in advance with the obtained data. . FIG. 14 shows an example in which the preceding vehicle display 41d is changed according to the type of the preceding vehicle. (A) is for a large truck, (B) is for a motorcycle, and (C) is light. This is the case with automobiles. Since the inter-vehicle time at which the driver feels comfortable may differ depending on the vehicle type of the preceding vehicle, it is also preferable to change the target inter-vehicle time according to the vehicle type of the preceding vehicle.
[0044]
Further, in FIG. 13, when the detected preceding vehicle is continuously stopped (for example, a parked vehicle), the preceding vehicle display 41d is not performed because it is not regarded as a preceding vehicle to be followed in the first place. When a vehicle that continues to be detected as a vehicle stops, it is preferable that this vehicle is also displayed as a preceding vehicle. In order to newly determine a vehicle that has been detected as a preceding vehicle as a stopped vehicle, for example, Vn is the own vehicle speed, β is a constant (0 ≦ β <1),
[Expression 1]
Vth = Vn · β
Therefore, it is preferable to define a threshold vehicle speed Vth and to determine that the vehicle is a stopped vehicle and to give an approach warning or the like when the vehicle speed is lower than the threshold vehicle speed.
[0045]
FIG. 15 is a display example in the case where there is no preceding vehicle from the state of FIG. 13 and the vehicle shifts to the constant speed running. The preceding vehicle display 41d disappears, the own vehicle display 41a, the target inter-vehicle time display 41b, and the set vehicle speed display 41. Is shown. As described above, the engine ECU 18 gradually accelerates the host vehicle until the set vehicle speed is reached. However, if a preceding vehicle is detected during this time, the engine ECU 18 shifts again to inter-vehicle cruise (follow-up traveling).
[0046]
FIG. 16 shows a display when it is difficult to detect the preceding vehicle because the front surface of the laser radar 10 is dirty, and a message “Laser stained: Seisohitsuyo” is displayed. The front surface of the laser radar 10 can be detected by detecting whether or not the reflected light from the front surface is provided with a photo detector that detects the reflected laser light from the front surface. In this case, the laser radar 10 outputs a laser contamination signal to the engine ECU 14. Upon receiving this signal, the engine ECU 14 outputs an alarm sound “ping” from the alarm buzzer 32, turns on the alarm lamp 42 to cancel the cruise function, and displays the message on the display 41. When this message is displayed, the driver may set the cruise control switch 18 again after turning off the main switch 18 and cleaning the front surface of the laser laser.
[0047]
FIG. 17 shows a display when the wiper is operated in the rain or when the ECT is set to the snow mode, or when it is difficult to detect the preceding vehicle by receiving strong light such as sunlight from the front. The message “Dekimasen” is displayed. Also in this case, the engine ECU 14 outputs an alarm sound and lights the alarm short 42 to cancel the cruise function. Even when this message is displayed, the driver may turn off the main switch 18a and set it again after the weather recovers.
[0048]
FIG. 18 is a display in the case of a cruise system abnormality other than that in FIGS. 16 and 17 (for example, failure of the inter-vehicle control ECU 12), or when the laser sensor optical axis deviation is automatically detected. Is displayed. Also in this case, the engine ECU 14 outputs an alarm sound and lights the alarm lamp 42 to cancel the cruise function.
[0049]
FIG. 19 shows a display immediately after the main switch 18a is turned off, and a message “CRUISE OFF” is displayed to surely notify the driver that the cruise function has been cancelled. Note that this message display disappears after a predetermined time (for example, 6 seconds), and switches to a screen display other than the cruise state.
[0050]
FIG. 20 shows a processing flowchart of the fail display described above. First, the engine ECU 14 determines whether or not the main switch (cruise control switch) is turned on (S301), and if it is turned on, it determines whether or not the above-described various failures exist (S302). If there is no failure, control is executed (S303), and it is determined again whether a failure has occurred (S304). If a failure occurs, the system is canceled (S305) and a fail display is performed (S306). If it is determined that there is a failure in S302, a fail display is performed in the same manner. The fail display is continued until the main switch is turned off (S307, S308).
[0051]
FIG. 21 is a display when the driver operates the function switch 44b of the inter-vehicle time changeover switch 44 while the cruise state is displayed. When the function switch 44b is operated, the cruise state display is switched to another screen (a warning screen or a drive monitor such as fuel efficiency). In the figure, a screen “HAIKIN 10 km / l” representing the fuel consumption state is displayed. If the cruise state changes in this screen state, the screen automatically switches to the cruise state screen again as described above.
[0052]
FIG. 22 shows a state of screen switching. (A) is a control start state, and the target inter-vehicle time, the own vehicle display, and the set vehicle speed display are shown as in FIG. 12 (A). When the driver operates the function switch 44b in this state, the screen is switched to a drive monitor screen displaying fuel consumption as shown in (B). Note that the fuel consumption here is calculated by the engine ECU 14. When a change occurs in the cruise state, that is, the inter-vehicle control state in this screen state (here, it is assumed that the preceding vehicle is newly detected), the engine ECU 14 switches to the screen (C). The screen of (C) is the same display as FIG. Thereby, it can be surely notified to the driver that the preceding vehicle has changed from being absent to being present.
[0053]
FIG. 23 shows a display when the optical axis of the laser radar is adjusted at the time of factory shipment. The deviation from the center of the optical axis is displayed as “L2.0 ° D1.0 °” or the like, and the operator can surely recognize that the optical axis is being adjusted.
[0054]
Thus, the preceding vehicle figure and the control inter-vehicle distance diagram are displayed on the display 40 so that the driver can understand the inter-vehicle control state of the own vehicle at a glance, and the inter-vehicle control state even when other states are being displayed. When a change occurs, the original screen is automatically switched, so that the driver can recognize the current control state and travel smoothly. In this embodiment, the target inter-vehicle time is increased (lengthened) at night and the color of the screen is changed. However, the form of the inter-vehicle time display can be changed as shown in FIG. (It is outlined in the figure).
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the driver can recognize the distance between the control target vehicles at a glance, and the control state can be more reliably provided to the driver.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of a laser radar according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a scan range of the laser radar of the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a layout view in the vicinity of a steering wheel according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a cruise control switch.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an inter-vehicle time changeover switch.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a display.
FIG. 8 is an overall process flowchart of the present embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a process flowchart of inter-vehicle cruise according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a control state of the present embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of display in a standby state.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an inter-vehicle time display when there is no preceding vehicle.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an inter-vehicle time display when there is a preceding vehicle.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an inter-vehicle time display according to the vehicle type of a preceding vehicle.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of display when the vehicle changes from the presence of a preceding vehicle to the absence of a preceding vehicle.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of display when the laser radar is dirty.
FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of display in case of bad weather.
FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of display in the case of a system abnormality.
FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of display when the main switch is off.
FIG. 20 is a processing flowchart of fail display.
FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of a warning screen display at the time of screen switching.
FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of screen switching when a change in the inter-vehicle control state occurs while another vehicle state is displayed.
FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of display when adjusting the optical axis of the laser radar.
FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of display at night.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 laser radar, 12 inter-vehicle control ECU, 14 engine ECU, 16 ECT mode switch, 18 cruise control switch, 20 stop lamp switch, 22 vehicle speed sensor, 24 electronic throttle actuator, 26 ECT solenoid, 28 VSC-ECU, 30 steering sensor, 32 alarm buzzer, 34 body multiplex communication, 36 tail lamp switch, 38 wiper switch, 40 display, 44 inter-vehicle time switch.

Claims (5)

In a vehicle-mounted display device that displays a preceding vehicle figure that means the presence of a preceding vehicle and a vehicle distance diagram that indicates a target vehicle distance when controlling the vehicle distance to follow the preceding vehicle,
The target vehicle distance is variably set by a driver's operation,
The inter-vehicle diagram is displayed between the own vehicle graphic and the preceding vehicle graphic displayed apart from each other in the left-right direction, and the display length and the relative position of the preceding vehicle graphic with respect to the own vehicle graphic are set to be large or small between the target vehicles. Accordingly, the vehicle-mounted display device further comprises display means for setting the preceding vehicle figure to a position close to the own vehicle figure as the target vehicle distance is smaller. The distance between the target vehicles is variably set in three stages, long, medium, and short, by the operation of the driver.
The display means displays the inter-vehicle distance diagram as a group of blocks arranged on a straight line. When the target inter-vehicle distance is set to a long length, three blocks are displayed to maximize the display length. When set to medium, display two blocks and display length is medium, and when the target vehicle distance is set to short, display one block and minimize display length. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1.   The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit sets a display length of the inter-vehicle diagram to a maximum when control is started. The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the display means sets the display length of the inter-vehicle diagram to be larger than that during the daytime at night . The target inter-vehicle distance is set to a different value between daytime and nighttime,
The in-vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein the display means changes the display color while maintaining the same display length during the day and at night.

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