Display device for a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle

• US 10,192,121 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Original Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Inventors: Enz, Andreas, Lang, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayanti K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Habib, Ifran
• Application Number:
  US14/857,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20160086042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• 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 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders

Abstract

A display system and method for displaying an image to the driver of a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle. The display system has a capturing device mountable to the vehicle and adapted to capture at least part of the vehicle'"'"'s immediate environment, and to generate signals corresponding to the captured part of the vehicle'"'"'s immediate environment, a calculation unit adapted to receive the signals generated by the capturing device, determine obstacles within the captured immediate environment of the vehicle, and generate a display image illustrating the vehicle in stylized or symbolic representation, and the obstacle identified in the vehicle'"'"'s immediate environment as well as its relative position with regard to the vehicle, and a rendering unit adapted to display the display image generated by the calculation unit within the vehicle and visible for the driver.

Claims

1. A display system for a vehicle, comprising:

a capturing device mountable to a vehicle and adapted to capture at least part of the immediate vehicle environment and to generate signals corresponding to the captured part of the immediate vehicle environment;

a calculation unit associated with said capturing device and adapted to (i) receive the signals generated by the capturing device, (ii) determine obstacles in the captured immediate vehicle environment, (iii) generate a display image displaying both the vehicle in a stylized or symbolic representation and the obstacle determined in the immediate vehicle environment in a stylized or symbolic representation and its relative position with regard to the vehicle, (iv) determine a motion speed and/or motion direction of the obstacle, and (v) modify the stylized or symbolic representation of the obstacle dependent on the motion speed and/or motion direction, wherein the stylized or symbolic representation is of a vehicle, (vi) determine a trajectory of the determined obstacle and illustrate the same on the display image in the form of an obstacle trace, and (vii) evaluate the prospective trajectory of the determined obstacle and illustrate the same on the display image as prospective obstacle trace; and

a rendering unit associated with the calculation unit and adapted to display the display image generated by the calculation unit in the vehicle and visible to a driver.

2. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the display image is a representation of the vehicle and the determined obstacle in top view or bird'"'"'s-eye view in the forward direction of the vehicle from back to front.

3. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is further adapted to determine the kind and/or a kind of the identified obstacle or a dimension of the identified obstacle and to modify the stylized or symbolic representation of the identified obstacle dependent on the determined kind and/or dimension of the obstacle.

4. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the capturing device is further adapted to capture at least part of a remote vehicle environment and to generate signals corresponding to the captured part of the remote vehicle environment, and

wherein the calculation unit is further adapted to determine obstacles in the remote vehicle environment and to modify the display image such, that the display image includes an information field which hints to the obstacle determined in the remote vehicle environment, and to the relative position of the determined obstacle with regard to the vehicle.

5. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the rendering unit is adapted to project the display image to the windshield of the vehicle, preferably at the lower portion of the windshield and centrically ahead of the driver of the vehicle.

6. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the rendering unit comprises a head-up display, an OLED display and/or a display unit in an instrument panel.

7. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the capturing device is adapted to capture the entire immediate vehicle environment around the vehicle.

8. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the capturing device comprises at least one radar sensor and/or at least one ultrasonic sensor and/or at least one camera.

9. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is further adapted to combine the obstacles determined in the immediate vehicle environment into a group of obstacles, and to modify the display image such that the display image comprises a hint pointing to the group of obstacles.

10. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is further adapted to divide the captured immediate vehicle environment into at least two zones, and to modify the stylized or symbolic representation of the obstacle dependent on the zone in which the determined obstacle is located.

11. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is further adapted to illustrate the motion of the determined obstacle relative to the vehicle on the display images in a continuous or clocked manner.

12. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is further adapted to illustrate the road lines on the display image, which lines illustrate a lane of the vehicle.

13. A method for displaying a display image to the driver of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

capturing at least part of the vehicle'"'"'s immediate environment;

determining obstacles within the captured immediate environment of the vehicle;

determining a motion speed and/or motion direction of the obstacle;

modifying the stylized or symbolic representation of the obstacle dependent on the motion speed and/or motion direction; and

displaying a display image within the vehicle and visible for the driver, the display image includes the vehicle in stylized or symbolic representation and the obstacle determined in the vehicle'"'"'s immediate environment in a stylized or symbolic representation and its relative position with regard to the vehicle;

determining a trajectory of the determined obstacle and illustrating the same on the display image in the form of an obstacle trace; and

evaluating the prospective trajectory of the determined obstacle and illustrating the same on the display image as prospective obstacle trace.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

determining a kind of the identified obstacle or a dimension of the identified obstacle, and

modifying the representation of the obstacle identified in the vehicle'"'"'s immediate environment dependent on the determined kind and/or dimension of the obstacle.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

capturing at least part of a remote vehicle environment,

determining obstacles within the remote vehicle environment, and

modifying the display image such that the display image includes an information field that hints to the obstacle determined in the remote vehicle environment, as well as to the relative position of the determined obstacle with regard to the vehicle.