# US 12,114,241 B2 · Display control device, display control method, and display control program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,114,241 B2 - Document ID: US12114241B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/406,420 - Filed: 2021-08-19 - Published: 2022-03-03 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-08-31 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Satoaki Takabatake; Koji Kimura; Junji Miyazaki; Yuki Yoshida; Ryo Ogata; Tadashi Morishita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12114241B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/46: for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V] - H04W 4/48: for in-vehicle communication - B60K 35/10: Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor - B60K 35/22: Display screens - B60K 35/231: characterised by their arrangement or structure for integration into vehicles - B60K 35/28: characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver - B60K 35/285: {for improving awareness by directing driver's gaze direction or eye points} - B60K 35/29: Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions - B60K 35/60: Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles (arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10) - B60K 35/81: for controlling displays - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres} - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - G05D 1/0257: {using a radar (radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931)} - G05D 1/247: using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons - B60K 2360/177: Augmented reality - B60K 2360/191: Highlight information - B60R 2300/304: using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2556/65: Data transmitted between vehicles - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A display control ECU includes an information acquisition section and a display control section. The information acquisition section acquires information relating to a peripheral target object that is present ahead of the vehicle and in a subject vehicle lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling, and information relating to an object requiring caution that is present outside of the subject vehicle lane and having implications for control during the autonomous driving. The display control section displays an image of the peripheral target object, regarding which information has been acquired by the information acquisition section on a heads-up display provided inside a cabin of the vehicle, and additionally displays on the heads-up display an image of the object requiring caution in a case in which information relating to the object requiring caution has been acquired by the information acquisition section. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A display control device installed in a vehicle configured to enable autonomous driving, the display control device comprising: a processor programmed to: acquire information relating to a periphery of the vehicle, the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle including information relating to a peripheral target object that is present ahead of the vehicle and in a subject vehicle lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling; determine whether the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle includes information relating to an object requiring caution that is present outside of the subject vehicle lane and has implications for control during the autonomous driving; in a case in which the processor determines that the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle includes the information relating to the object requiring caution, display an image of the peripheral target object, regarding which the information has been acquired, on a display provided inside a cabin of the vehicle, and display, on the display, an image of the object requiring caution (i) simultaneously with the image of the peripheral target object and (ii) with greater emphasis than the image of the peripheral target object; and in a case in which the processor determines that the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle does not include the information relating to the object requiring caution, display the image of the peripheral target object, regarding which the information has been acquired, on the display, and not display, an image of the peripheral target object present outside the subject vehicle lane on the display even when the peripheral target object present outside the subject vehicle lane is detected. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein the display is a heads-up display configured to display the respective images overlaid on a scene ahead as viewed through a windshield of the vehicle by an occupant in a driver's seat of the vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to display the image of the object requiring caution in a different color from the image of the peripheral target object. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein, in a case in which the processor has acquired the information relating to the object requiring caution that is present ahead of the vehicle, the processor is programmed to display a simulated image of the object requiring caution on the display, the simulated image being generated as though it was viewed through a windshield of the vehicle by an occupant in a driver's seat of the vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein, in a case in which the processor has acquired the information relating to the object requiring caution, which is present to the rear or to a side of the vehicle, the processor is programmed to display a simulated image of the object requiring caution and the vehicle on the display, the simulated image being generated as though it was viewed from obliquely above and to the rear of the vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein: the display is a heads-up display configured to display the respective images overlaid on a scene ahead as viewed through a windshield of the vehicle by an occupant in a driver's seat of the vehicle; a meter display having a larger display region than the heads-up display is provided at an instrument panel of the vehicle; and the processor is programmed to display a simulated image of the vehicle and the periphery of the vehicle on the meter display, the simulated image being generated as though it was viewed from obliquely above and to the rear of the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein: the object requiring caution is an another vehicle attempting to cut in front of the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein: the processor is programmed to acquire information requiring caution relating to a road profile that is information having implications for control during autonomous driving; and the processor is programmed to additionally display, on the display, an image of the information requiring caution in a case in which the information requiring caution has been acquired by the processor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to display the image of the object requiring caution in a different brightness or tone from the image of the peripheral target object. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to display the image of the object requiring caution to flash. ### Claim 11 A display control method for implementation by a processor installed in a vehicle configured to enable autonomous driving, the display control method comprising: acquiring information relating to the periphery of the vehicle, the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle including information relating to a peripheral target object that is present ahead of the vehicle and in a subject vehicle lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling; determining whether the information relating to a periphery of the vehicle includes information relating to an object requiring caution that is present outside of the subject vehicle lane and has implications for control during the autonomous driving; in a case in which the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle is determined to include the information relating to the object requiring caution, displaying an image of the peripheral target object, regarding which information has been acquired, on a display provided inside a cabin of the vehicle, and displaying, on the display, an image of the object requiring caution (i) simultaneously with the image of the peripheral target object and (ii) with greater emphasis than the image of the peripheral target object; and in a case in which the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle is determined to not include the information relating to the object requiring caution, displaying the image of the peripheral target object, regarding which the information has been acquired, on the display, and not displaying, an image of the peripheral target object present outside the subject vehicle lane on the display even when the peripheral target object present outside the subject vehicle lane is detected. ### Claim 12 A display control device installed in a vehicle configured to enable autonomous driving, the display control device comprising: a processor programmed to: acquire information relating to the periphery of the vehicle, the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle including information relating to a peripheral target object that is present ahead of the vehicle and in a subject vehicle lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling; determine whether the information relating to a periphery of the vehicle includes information relating to an object requiring caution that is present outside of the subject vehicle lane and has implications for control during the autonomous driving; in a case in which the processor determines that the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle includes the information relating to the object requiring caution, display an image of the peripheral target object, regarding which information has been acquired, on a display provided inside a cabin of the vehicle, and to display, on the display, an image of the object requiring caution in a case in which the information relating to the object requiring caution has been acquired by the processor; and in a case in which the processor determines that the information relating to the periphery of the vehicle does not include the information relating to the object requiring caution, display the image of the peripheral target object, regarding which the information has been acquired, on the display, and not display, an image of the peripheral target object present outside the subject vehicle lane on the display even when the peripheral target object present outside the subject vehicle lane is detected, wherein the image of the object requiring caution is a simulated image of the object requiring caution on the display, the simulated image being generated as though it was viewed through a windshield of the vehicle by an occupant in a driver's seat of the vehicle.