Vehicle display apparatus displaying an illusion image based on driver behavior

• US 10,242,608 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Kimiaki, Kamiya, Akira, Hayashi, Kazumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lam, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US15/129,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20170154554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 359 13- 15, 359630-632
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/308 by overlaying the real scene, e.g. through a head-up display on the windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• 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: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/14 : Traffic procedures, e.g. traffic regulations
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/10 : Display system comprising arrangements, such as a coprocessor, specific for motion video images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 : Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 : to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT

Abstract

A vehicle display control apparatus mounted on a vehicle includes a display control portion that controls a head-up display device displaying an image by superimposing the image on a view visible to a driver of the vehicle through a windshield of the vehicle, and a condition determination portion that determines whether a condition under which the vehicle should slow down is satisfied. The display control portion causes, based on a determination of the condition determination portion that the condition is satisfied, the head-up display device to display an object that does not actually exist on a road under circumstances where the condition is satisfied, as an illusion image that produces an optical illusion appearing that a road surface viewed from the driver flows faster than an actual speed in an opposite direction to a travel direction by superimposing the illusion image on the view.

Claims

1. A vehicle display control apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a controller that includes

a display control portion configured to control a head-up display device displaying an image by superimposing the image on a view visible to a driver of the vehicle through a windshield of the vehicle, and

a condition determination portion configured to determine whether a condition under which the vehicle should slow down is satisfied,

wherein;

the display control portion is configured to cause, based on a determination of the condition determination portion that the condition under which the vehicle should slow down is satisfied, the head-up display device to display an object that does not actually exist on a road under circumstances where the condition is satisfied, as an illusion image that produces an optical illusion appearing that a road surface viewed from the driver moves faster than an actual speed of the vehicle in an opposite direction to a travel direction of the vehicle by superimposing the illusion image on the view visible to the driver through the windshield.

2. The vehicle display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control portion successively displays the illusion image to produce the optical illusion continuously, based on the determination of the condition determination portion that the condition is satisfied.

3. The vehicle display control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a behavior determination portion configured to determine whether the driver performs a desirable behavior for road traffic under the circumstances where the condition is satisfied,

wherein;

the display control portion does not display the illusion image when the behavior determination portion determines that the driver performs the desirable behavior for road traffic under the circumstances where the condition is satisfied.

4. The vehicle display control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a slowdown degree specifying portion configured to specify a degree at which the vehicle should slow down,

wherein;

when the display control portion displays the illusion image that produces the optical illusion appearing that the road surface viewed from the driver moves faster than the actual speed of the vehicle in the opposite direction to the travel direction of the vehicle,

the display control portion displays the illusion image appearing that the road surface viewed from the driver moves in the opposite direction to the travel direction of the vehicle at a higher speed as the degree of slowdown specified by the slowdown degree specifying portion increases.

5. The vehicle display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control portion displays the illusion image appearing as marks, each of the marks becomes shorter in a vehicle width direction as the marks move in the travel direction of the vehicle and are aligned intermittently along the road surface in the travel direction of the vehicle, move in the opposite direction to the travel direction of the vehicle, and the display control portion produces the optical illusion appearing that the road surface viewed from the driver moves faster than the actual speed of the vehicle in the opposite direction to the travel direction of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle display control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the display control portion displays the marks intermittently aligned so that the marks appear to be aligned on a lane boundary of a lane the vehicle is travelling.