Vehicle sightline guidance apparatus

• US 10,131,276 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Inventors: Nagasawa, Isamu, Asai, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Mark
• Application Number:
  US14/856,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20160090041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/00 Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus includes a display member displaying an image on either one one a see-through windshield and screen that allow a vehicle occupant to visually recognize outside of a vehicle; a scenery-information acquiring unit acquiring scenery information visually recognized by the occupant from inside the vehicle; and a perspective-position specifying unit specifying a perspective position, which is a position on the windshield or screen that a sightline passes when the occupant visually recognizes a predicted path of the vehicle or a position where left and right edges of the predicted path are projected, based on the scenery information. Based on the perspective position, the display member displays two reference marks on the windshield or screen such that the marks are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to a vehicle width or larger and appear to be aligned with the left and right edges.

Claims

1. A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus comprising:

a display member that displays an image on either one of a see-through front windshield and a see-through screen that allow a vehicle occupant who has boarded a vehicle to visually recognize outside of the vehicle;

a scenery-information acquiring unit that acquires scenery information about scenery visually recognized by the vehicle occupant from inside the vehicle; and

a perspective-position specifying unit that specifies perspective positions based on the scenery information of the front windshield and the screen that sightlines pass when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a predicted path on which the vehicle is predicted to travel,

wherein the display member displays a pair of driving reference marks side-by-side on either one of the front windshield and the screen such that;

the pair of driving reference marks are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to a vehicle width of the vehicle or larger,

the pair of driving reference marks appear to be overlapped with a part of the left edge and a part of the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle of a whole of the left edge and a whole of the right edge, at the perspective positions,

wherein the display member changes display of either one of the front windshield and the screen including a pair of lane arks in accordance with elapsed time after the display, and

wherein the display member causes each of the pair of lane marks to move toward each of the perspectives positions in accordance with the elapsed time.

2. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the perspective-position specifying unit specifies a perspective position of an edge of either one of a road and a lane on which the vehicle travels in the scenery information, and

wherein the display member displays the driving reference marks at the perspective position of the edge of either one of the road and the lane.

3. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display member displays a caution line indicating a caution point for driving the vehicle on either one of the front windshield and the screen at a different timing from the pair of driving reference marks and at a position where the caution line does not overlap the pair of driving reference marks.

4. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the display member displays a caution line indicating a caution point for driving the vehicle on either one of the front windshield and the screen at a different timing from the pair of driving reference marks and at a position where the caution line does not overlap the pair of driving reference marks.

5. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a relevant-information acquiring unit that acquires relevant information about either one of a risk in a surrounding of the vehicle and traveling of the vehicle,

wherein the display member changes display of the pair of driving reference marks in accordance with the relevant information.

6. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a relevant-information acquiring unit that acquires relevant information about either one of a risk in a surrounding of the vehicle and traveling of the vehicle,

wherein the display member changes display of the pair of driving reference marks in accordance with the relevant information.

7. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a relevant-information acquiring unit that acquires relevant information about either one of a risk in a surrounding of the vehicle and traveling of the vehicle,

wherein the display member changes display of the pair of driving reference marks in accordance with the relevant information.

8. The vehicle sightline:

guidance apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising;

a relevant-information acquiring unit that acquires relevant information about either one of a risk in a surrounding of the vehicle and traveling of the vehicle,

wherein the display member changes display of the pair of driving reference marks in accordance with the relevant information.

9. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the pair of driving reference marks displayed by the display member include a pair of driving reference lines displayed side-by-side along the left edge and the right edge and a pair of sightline reference lines extending outward from the pair of driving reference lines, the pair of driving reference lines being separated from each other by a distance equivalent to the vehicle width of the vehicle or larger.

10. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the sightline reference lines extending outward from the pair of driving reference lines are longer than the driving reference lines.

12. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the display member displays the pair of driving reference lines at a height to which the sightline of the vehicle occupant is desirably guided.

13. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the pair of lane lines are displayed at positions according to vehicle traveling information.

14. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein when a vehicle-traveling-information acquiring unit acquires a speed of the vehicle as the vehicle traveling information, the display member displays the pair of lane lines above a perspective position of a stop position corresponding to a predicted braking distance at the speed.

15. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein when a vehicle-traveling-information acquiring unit acquires a speed of the vehicle as the vehicle traveling information, the display member displays the pair of lane lines below a perspective position of a stop position corresponding to a predicted braking distance at the speed.

16. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display member causes each of the pair of lane marks to vanish or to develop toward each of the perspective positions in accordance with the elapsed time.

19. The vehicle sightline guidance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display member causes each of the pair of lane marks to

appear to be overlapped with the part of the left edge and the part of the right edge at the perspective positions, after the elapsed time.

11. A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus comprising:

a display member that displays an image on either one of a see-through front windshield and a see-through screen that allow a vehicle occupant who has boarded a vehicle to visually recognize outside of the vehicle;

a scenery-information acquiring unit that acquires scenery information about scenery visually recognized by the vehicle occupant from inside the vehicle; and

a perspective-position specie mg unit that specifies a perspective position based on the scenery information, the perspective position being either one of a first perspective position on either one of the front windshield and the screen that a sightline passes when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a predicted path on which the vehicle is predicted to travel and a second perspective position where a left edge and a right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle are projected,

wherein based on the perspective position, the display member displays a pair of driving reference marks side-by-side on either one of the front windshield and the screen such that the pair of driving reference marks are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to a vehicle width of the vehicle or larger and appear to be aligned with the left edge and the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle,

wherein the pair of driving reference marks displayed by the display member include a pair of driving reference lines displayed side-by-side along the left edge and the right edge and a pair of sightline reference lines extending outward from the pair of driving reference lines, the pair of driving reference lines being separated from each other by a distance equivalent to the vehicle width of the vehicle or larger,

wherein the sightline reference lines extending outward from the pair of driving reference lines are longer than the driving reference lines, and

wherein the display member displays the pair of driving reference lines at a height to which the sightline of the vehicle occupant is desirably guided.

17. A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus comprising:

a display member that displays an image on either one of a see-through front windshield and a see-through screen that allow a vehicle occupant who has boarded a vehicle to visually recognize outside of the vehicle;

a scenery-information acquiring unit that acquires scenery information about scenery visually recognized by the vehicle occupant from inside the vehicle; and

a perspective-position specifying unit that specifies a perspective position based on the scenery information, the perspective position being either one of a first perspective position on either one of the front windshield and the screen that a sightline passes when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a predicted path on which the vehicle is predicted to travel and a second perspective position where a left edge and a right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle are projected,

wherein based on the perspective position, the display member displays a pair of driving reference marks side-by-side on either one of the front windshield and the screen such that the pair of driving reference marks are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to a vehicle width of the vehicle or larger and appear to be aligned with the left edge and the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle,

wherein the pair of driving reference marks displayed by the display member include a pair of lane lines displayed side-by-side on either one of the front windshield and the screen along the left edge and the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle such that the pair of lane lines are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to the vehicle width of the vehicle or larger and appear to extend along the left edge and the right edge,

wherein the display member changes display of either one of the front windshield and the screen including the pair of lane lines in accordance with elapsed time after the display, and

wherein the display member causes the pair of lane lines to vanish or develop toward a center of a visual field in accordance with the elapsed time.

18. A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus comprising:

a display member that displays an image on either one of a see-through front windshield and a see-through screen that allow a vehicle occupant who has boarded a vehicle to visually recognize outside of the vehicle;

a scenery-information acquiring unit that acquires scenery information about scenery visually recognized by the vehicle occupant from inside the vehicle; and

a perspective-position specifying unit that specifies a perspective position based on the scenery information, the perspective position being either one of a first perspective position on either one of the front windshield and the screen that a sightline passes when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a predicted path on which the vehicle is predicted to travel and a second perspective position where a left edge and a right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle are projected,

wherein based on the perspective position, the display member displays a pair of driving reference marks side-by-side on either one of the front windshield and the screen such that the pair of driving reference marks are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to a vehicle width of the vehicle or larger and appear to be aligned with the left edge and the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle

wherein the pair of driving reference marks displayed by the display member include a pair of lane lines displayed side-by-side on either one of the front windshield and the screen along the left edge and the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle such that the pair of lane lines are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to the vehicle width of the vehicle or larger and appear to extend along the left edge and the right edge,

wherein the display member changes display of either one of the front windshield and the screen including the pair of lane lines in accordance with elapsed time after the display, and

wherein the display member displays a moving mark, which moves along the lane lines or moves toward and away from the lane lines in accordance with the elapsed time, together with the lane lines that respectively extend along the left edge and the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle and are visually recognized.

20. A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus comprising:

a display member that displays an image on either one of a see-through front windshield and a see-through screen that allow a vehicle occupant who has boarded a vehicle to visually recognize outside of the vehicle;

a scenery-information acquiring unit that acquires scenery information about scenery visually recognized by the vehicle occupant from inside the vehicle; and

a perspective-position specifying unit that specifies perspective positions based on the scenery information of the front windshield and the screen that sightlines pass when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a predicted path on which the vehicle is predicted to travel,

wherein the display member displays a pair of driving reference marks side-by-side on either one of the front windshield and the screen such that;

the pair of driving reference marks are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to a vehicle width of the vehicle or larger,

the pair of driving reference marks appear to be overlapped with a part of the left edge and a part of the right edge of the predicted path of the vehicle of a whole of the left edge and a whole of the right edge, at the perspective positions,

wherein the display member changes display of either one of the front windshield and the screen including the pair of lane marks in accordance with elapsed time after the display, and

wherein the display member causes each of the pair of lane marks to vanish or to develop toward each of the perspective positions in accordance with the elapsed time.