Image display apparatus

• US 10,300,846 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2018
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Dan, Kinoshita, Makoto, Yamazumi, Toru, Yamasaki, Kentarou
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adnan, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/888,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20180257548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body

Abstract

An image display device includes an illuminator and a detector. The illuminator is configured to send out light on a road surface frontward of a vehicle, to display an image on the road surface. The detector is configured to detect a pedestrian frontward of the vehicle. The illuminator is configured to cause a notification image to be on chronologically-changeable display on the road surface. The notification image notifies information to the pedestrian detected by the detector.

Claims

1. An image display device, comprising:

an illuminator configured to display an image on a road surface of a road frontward of a vehicle traveling on the road; and

a detector configured to detect a pedestrian position and a pedestrian moving direction of a pedestrian who crosses the road frontward of the vehicle;

a controller configured to;

receive, from the detector, the pedestrian position and the pedestrian moving direction; and

cause the illuminator to display a notification image on the road surface based on the pedestrian position and the pedestrian moving direction,

wherein a display position of the notification image on the road surface changes according to a change in the pedestrian position and a change in the pedestrian moving direction,

determine an arrival time for the vehicle to arrive at the pedestrian position based on the pedestrian position and the vehicle speed;

cause the illuminator to display a count-down image of the arrival time as the notification image based on a change in the arrival time;

wherein the notification image notifies information to the pedestrian.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

calculate a distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian based on the pedestrian position;

evaluate a safety level of the vehicle with respect to the pedestrian based on the calculated distance, the pedestrian moving direction, and a speed of the vehicle; and

cause the illuminator to display, on the road surface, the notification image a content of which changes in accordance with a change in the safety level evaluated.

3. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to cause the illuminator to display the notification image in a display mode corresponding to the safety level.

4. The image display device according to claim 3, wherein

the safety level evaluated based on the pedestrian direction being a receding direction from a driveway is higher than the safety level evaluated based on the pedestrian direction being an approaching direction with respect to the driveway,

the safety level evaluated based on the pedestrian direction detected by the detector being a receding direction from the vehicle is higher than the safety level evaluated based the pedestrian direction being an approaching direction with respect to the vehicle, and

the controller causes the illuminator to not display the notification image when 1) the pedestrian position falls outside the road and 2) the pedestrian direction is a receding direction from the road or the vehicle.

5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the illuminator includes headlights of the vehicle.

6. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the illuminator includes headlights of the vehicle.

7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the illuminator includes headlights of the vehicle.

8. The image display device according to claim 3, wherein the illuminator includes headlights of the vehicle.

9. The image display device according to claim 4, wherein the illuminator includes headlights of the vehicle.

10. An image display device, comprising:

an illuminator configured to display an image on a road surface of a road frontward of a vehicle traveling on the road, to display an image on the road surface;

a detector configured to detect a pedestrian position and a pedestrian moving direction of a pedestrian who is present frontward of the vehicle; and

circuitry configured to;

receive, from the detector, the pedestrian position and the pedestrian moving direction;

cause the illuminator to display a notification image on the road surface so that a display position of the notification image changes according to a change in the pedestrian position and a change in pedestrian moving direction;

determine an arrival time for the vehicle to arrive at the pedestrian position based on the pedestrian position and the vehicle speed;

cause the illuminator to display a count-down image of the arrival time as the notification image based on a change in the arrival time.

11. An image display device, comprising:

an illuminator configured to display an image on a road surface of a road frontward of a vehicle traveling on the road; and

a detector configured to detect a pedestrian position and a pedestrian moving direction of a pedestrian who crosses the road frontward of the vehicle;

a controller configured to;

receive, from the detector, the pedestrian position and the pedestrian moving direction;

cause the illuminator to display a notification image on the road surface based on the pedestrian position and the pedestrian moving direction;

calculate a distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian based on the pedestrian position;

evaluate a safety level of the vehicle with respect to the pedestrian based on the calculated distance, the pedestrian moving direction, and a speed of the vehicle;

cause the illuminator to display, on the road surface, the notification image a content of which changes in accordance with a change in the safety level evaluated;

determine an arrival time for the vehicle to arrive at the pedestrian position based on the pedestrian position and the vehicle speed; and

cause the illuminator to display a count-down image of the arrival time as the notification image based on a change in the arrival time,

wherein a display position of the notification image on the road surface changes according to a change in the pedestrian position and a change in the pedestrian moving direction, and

wherein the notification image notifies information to the pedestrian.