Information display system and information display device

• US 10,272,780 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshida, Susumu, Kaizaki, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Kelly D
• Application Number:
  US14/891,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20160082840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,055 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/176 Camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1868 according to driving situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/191 Highlight information
• 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 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• 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 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• 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

Abstract

There is provided an information display system for supporting a high safety driving, so that a driver can clearly recognize an obstacle. A shape of a virtual image indicating an outline or a frame line of the obstacle is changed according to a risk level of the obstacle against a vehicle, and a display position of the virtual image is adjusted according to a viewpoint position of the driver, so that a deviation in displaying between an actual obstacle and the virtual image is suppressed. In addition, there is provided an information display system which can make the driver intuitively recognize the obstacle without hindering the driving by displaying an estimated traffic line of the obstacle as the virtual image.

Claims

1. An information display system that notifies driving support information to a driver, the information display system comprising:

an ECU including an image processor;

a display including a screen, and communicatively coupled to the image processor; and

a sensor that acquires information in front of the vehicle,

the ECU is communicatively coupled to the sensor and determines an obstacle utilizing the acquired information, and

the image processor generates an estimated traffic line indicating a future-estimated advancing direction of the obstacle as a virtual image based on determination information of the obstacle, and the display displays the generated virtual image on the screen so as to be overlapped with the obstacle at a position of the estimated traffic line.

2. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein the determination information of the obstacle includes advancing direction information of the obstacle, and

a traffic line length of the virtual image of the estimated traffic line of the obstacle is changed according to the advancing direction information.

3. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein the virtual image of the estimated traffic line of the obstacle is one or more marks.

4. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein the ECU is further configured to determine a risk level of the obstacle by the determination information of the obstacle and a vehicle status, and

the image processor generates the virtual image of the estimated traffic line of the obstacle and the virtual image related to the obstacle according to the risk level by switching between a state in which an entire outline of the obstacle is displayed and a state in which a partial outline of the obstacle is displayed, and the display displays the virtual image of the estimated traffic line of the obstacle, and displays the virtual image related to the obstacle on the screen so as to be overlapped with the obstacle.

5. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein the image processor further generates the estimated traffic line as the virtual image according to the vehicle status, and the display displays the virtual image of the estimated traffic line on the screen.

6. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein in a case where a factor causing a low visibility is detected in front of the vehicle based on information acquired by the sensor, a luminance of the virtual image generated in the image processor is changed, or a portion other than the virtual image is generated as a modified virtual image for reducing the factor causing the low visibility, and the generated modified virtual image is displayed on the screen by the display.

7. An information display system that notifies driving support information to a driver, the information display system comprising:

an ECU including an image processor;

a display including a screen, and communicatively coupled to the image processor;

a sensor that acquires information in front of the vehicle,

wherein the ECU is communicatively coupled to the sensor, determines an obstacle utilizing the acquired information and

determines a risk level of the obstacle based on determination information of the obstacle and a vehicle status, and

in a case where the obstacle is outside a front field of view of the vehicle, the image processor generates a virtual image as a mark indicating a presence of the obstacle according to the risk level, and the display displays the generated virtual image on the screen so as to be positioned in a direction near the obstacle.

8. The information display system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a sound processor that generates sound information;

a first speaker that is provided on a left side of the vehicle to output the sound based on the generated sound information; and

a second speaker that is provided on a right side of the vehicle to output the sound based on the generated sound information,

wherein when the display displays the virtual image as the mark, the sound processor generates warning sound information as the sound information,

in a case where the obstacle is outside the front field of view of the vehicle in a left direction, the sound based on the warning sound information is output from the first speaker, and

in a case where the obstacle is outside the front field of view of the vehicle in a right direction, the sound based on the warning sound information is output from the second speaker.

9. An information display system that notifies driving support information to a driver, the information display system comprising:

an ECU including an image processor;

a display including a front screen, and communicatively coupled to the image processor; and

a sensor that acquires information in front of the vehicle,

wherein the ECU is communicatively coupled to the sensor, determines an obstacle by the acquired information and

determines a risk level of the obstacle based on determination information of the obstacle and a vehicle status,

the image processor generates a first virtual image indicating an outline related to the obstacle by switching between a state of displaying the entire outline of the obstacle and a state of displaying the partial outline of the obstacle according to the risk level, and further generates a second virtual image indicating an estimated traffic line of the obstacle based on the determination information of the obstacle,

the estimated traffic line indicated by the second virtual image is generated based on an advancing direction and an estimated speed of the obstacle,

the display displays the first virtual image on the front screen so as to be superimposed with the obstacle, and further displays the second virtual image on the front screen so as not to be superimposed with the obstacle but to be superimposed with a position of the estimated traffic line of the obstacle, and

in a state where the first virtual image indicates the partial outline of the obstacle, the display further displays the first virtual image and the second virtual image on the front screen, the first virtual image being enlarged in comparison with a direction away from the estimated traffic line when the advancing direction of the obstacle is a direction of coming near the estimated traffic line of the vehicle.

10. The information display system according to claim 9,

wherein the determination information of the obstacle includes the advancing direction of the obstacle, and

a traffic line length of the second virtual image is changed depending on whether the advancing direction is a direction of coming near or away from the estimated traffic line of the vehicle estimated based on a vehicle status.

11. The information display system according to claim 10,

wherein the traffic line length of the second obstacle is indicated by an increase or decrease in a number of predetermined marks.

12. The information display system according to claim 9,

wherein the image processor generates the first and second virtual images related to the obstacle so as to indicate the entire outline of the obstacle at the high risk level or the partial outline of the obstacle at the low risk level.