# US 12,594,947 B2 · Display control device, display control method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

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- Number: US 12,594,947 B2
- Document ID: US12594947B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/229,712
- Filed: 2023-08-03
- Published: 2024-03-14
- Granted: 2026-04-07
- Earliest claimed: 2022-09-14
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hideki Tsuda; Toshinori Aoki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12594947B2

## CPC

- B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
- B60K 35/23: Head-up displays [HUD] (optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01)
- B60K 2360/177: Augmented reality
- B60K 2360/179: Distances to obstacles or vehicles
- B60K 2360/48: Sensors
- B60W 2050/0006: {Digital architecture hierarchy}
- B60W 2050/146: {Display means}
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
- B60W 2554/4041: Position
- B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance
- B60W 2556/20: Data confidence level
- 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
- 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

## Abstract

A display control device configured to include a processor coupled to a memory, the processor calculating, based on sets of sensing information acquired from plural sensors that sense objects in front of a vehicle, a position of a detection object in front of the vehicle and, when displaying a position image representing the position of the detection object so as to overlay the position image on a foreground in a display area in front of a driver's seat, deciding whether or not to display the position image based on reliabilities of the sets of sensing information acquired from the plural sensors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A display control device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the processor executing instructions stored in the memory to perform processes of:
acquiring a plurality of sets of sensing information from a plurality of sensors on a vehicle that sense objects in front of the vehicle,
determining a reliability of each of the sets of sensing information acquired from each of the plurality of sensors,
for the set of sensing information acquired from each of the plurality of sensors, comparing the reliability that has been determined for the set of sensing information with a predetermined value and either (i) including the set of sensing information in a sensing information group when the reliability is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, or (ii) excluding the set of sensing information from being included in the sensing information group when the reliability is less than the predetermined value,
calculating a position of a detection object in front of the vehicle based on the sets of sensing information included in the sensing information group and without using any of the sets of sensing information that has been excluded from the sensing information group, and
when displaying a position image representing the position of the detection object so as to overlay the position image on a foreground in a display area in front of a driver's seat, deciding whether or not to display the position image based on the reliabilities of the plurality of sets of the sensing information that have been determined.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processor acquires environment information relating to a driving environment of the vehicle and, based on the acquired environment information, calculates the reliabilities of the sets of sensing information acquired from the plurality of sensors.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processor, in a case of not displaying the position image, displays, in a predetermined area, an object image schematically representing the detection object.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The display control device of claim 1, wherein:
the processor includes a first ECU and a second ECU,
the first ECU acquires the sets of sensing information from the plurality of sensors, determines the reliabilities of the received sets of sensing information, includes or excludes the sets of sensing information in the sensing information group based on the reliability that has been determined for each of the sets of sensing information, and calculates the position of the detection object from the sets of sensing information included in the sensing information group, and
the second ECU receives the position of the detection object and a number of the sets of sensing information included in the sensing information group from the first ECU and, based on the number of the sets of sensing information included in the sensing information group, decides whether or not to display the position image.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processor decides whether or not to display the position image based on the number of the sets of sensing information included in the sensing information group.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The display control device of claim 5, wherein the processor decides to display the position image when two or more of the sets of sensing information is included in the sensing information group, and decides to not display the position image when less than two of the sets of sensing information is included in the sensing information group.

### Claim 7

A display control method performed by a processor, the method comprising:
acquiring a plurality of sets of sensing information from a plurality of sensors on a vehicle that sense objects in front of the vehicle;
determining a reliability of each of the sets of sensing information acquired from each of the plurality of sensors;
for the set of sensing information acquired from each of the plurality of sensors, comparing the reliability that has been determined for the set of sensing information with a predetermined value and either (i) including the set of sensing information in a sensing information group when the reliability is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, or (ii) excluding the set of sensing information from being included in the sensing information group when the reliability is less than the predetermined value;
calculating a position of a detection object in front of the vehicle based on the sets of sensing information included in the sensing information group and without using any of the sets of sensing information that has been excluded from the sensing information group; and
when displaying a position image representing the position of the detection object so as to overlay the position image on a foreground in a display area in front of a driver's seat, deciding whether or not to display the position image based on the reliabilities of the plurality of sets of the sensing information that have been determined.

### Claim 8

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in which is stored a display control program executable by a processor to perform a process including:
acquiring a plurality of sets of sensing information from a plurality of sensors on a vehicle that sense objects in front of the vehicle;
determining a reliability of each of the sets of sensing information acquired from each of the plurality of sensors;
for the set of sensing information acquired from each of the plurality of sensors, comparing the reliability that has been determined for the set of sensing information with a predetermined value and either (i) including the set of sensing information in a sensing information group when the reliability is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, or (ii) excluding the set of sensing information from being included in the sensing information group when the reliability is less than the predetermined value;
calculating a position of a detection object in front of the vehicle based on the sets of sensing information included in the sensing information group and without using any of the sets of sensing information that has been excluded from the sensing information group; and,
when displaying a position image representing the position of the detection object so as to overlay the position image on a foreground in a display area in front of a driver's seat, deciding whether or not to display the position image based on the reliabilities of the plurality of sets of the sensing information that have been determined.