Sign display apparatus and method for vehicle

• US 10,300,853 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yokochi, Yuji, Takatsudo, Izumi, Saito, Shinnosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Findley, Christopher G
• Application Number:
  US15/388,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20170174132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/166 Navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/168 Target or limit values
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/176 Camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/184 Displaying the same information on different displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/27 using semi-transparent optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/5915 Inter vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/592 Data transfer involving external databases
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/215 characterised by the combination of multiple visual outputs, e.g. combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• 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 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• 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 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 : Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/103 : using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/107 : using stereoscopic cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 : using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 : combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 : virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• 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 2300/80 : characterised by the intended use of the viewing arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/92 : Driver displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 : of traffic signs
• 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 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Sign information of a traffic sign or a road marking ahead of a vehicle is detected. When two or more kinds of sign information having overlapping effective sections are detected or when the sign information contains textural information including a predetermined or more number of characters, simplified information obtained by simplifying the sign information is displayed on an MID in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A sign display apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a sign information detector that detects sign information of a traffic sign existing on a road or on a road marking ahead of the vehicle;

a display device that displays the sign information detected by the sign information detector;

a control circuit configured to;

(i) control the display device;

(ii) detect an effective section of the detected traffic sign in which the traffic sign is considered to be effective; and

(iii) determine whether or not the detected sign information contains textural information including a predetermined or more number of characters; and

a memory which stores therein simplified textural information in association with the textural information of a corresponding traffic sign, the simplified textural information being composed of a reduced number of the characters representing the corresponding traffic sign, wherein

when it is determined that the detected sign information contains the textural information including the predetermined or more number of characters, the display device is controlled to display the simplified textural information composed of the reduced number of the characters representing the corresponding traffic sign.

2. The sign display apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, when the sign information detected by the sign information detector contains maximum speed limit information and the textural information or symbolic information other than the maximum speed limit information, the display device is controlled to display the maximum speed limit information and additionally display the simplified information of the simplified textural information or symbolic information.

3. The sign display apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the control circuit is further configured to determine whether or not the sign information detector detects a plurality of traffic signs having effective sections which overlap each other, and

when it is determined that the detected sign information contains the plurality of traffic signs having the overlapping effective sections, the display device is controlled to alternately display first simplified information of at least one traffic sign and second simplified information of a traffic sign other than said at least one traffic sign while switching the first and second simplified information in predetermined time intervals.

4. The sign display apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the sign display apparatus comprises a plurality of different sign information detectors, and

the display device displays the simplified information in a form that varies depending on the sign information detector that detects the sign information.

5. The sign display apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the display device displays a passage information indicator beside the simplified information, the passage information indicator being configured to change in its amount to be displayed according to a traveling distance of the vehicle or an elapsed time after the simplified information is displayed, and

when the amount of the passage information indicator exceeds a predetermined amount, the display device hides the simplified information.

6. A sign display apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a sign information detector that detects sign information of a traffic sign existing on a road or on a road marking ahead of the vehicle;

a display device that displays the sign information detected by the sign information detector;

a control circuit configured to;

(i) control the display device;

(ii) detect an effective section of the detected traffic sign in which the traffic sign is considered to be effective;

(iii) determine whether or not the sign information detector detects a plurality of traffic signs having effective sections which overlap each other; and

(iv) determine whether or not the detected sign information contains textural information including a predetermined or more number of characters; and

a memory which stores therein simplified information a corresponding traffic sign, wherein

when it is determined that the sign information detector detects the plurality of traffic signs having the overlapping effective sections or when it is determined that the detected sign information contains the textural information including the predetermined or more number of characters, the display device is controlled to display the simplified information of at least one of the traffic signs or of the traffic sign containing the textural information,

the display device has a sign display region in which the simplified information is displayed and a selective display region which has a display area larger than a display area of the sign display region and in which either of the sign information or information other than the sign information is selectively displayed,

the display device displays the simplified information in the sign display region, and

when the sign information is selected to be displayed in the selective display region, the display device displays in the selective display region the sign information which contains an information amount larger than an information amount of the simplified information.

7. The sign display apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

the display device hides the simplified information in the sign display region while displaying the sign information in the selective display region, and

when a traveling distance of the vehicle or an elapsed time becomes equal to or larger than a threshold after the sign information is displayed in the selective indication region, the display device hides the sign information in the selective display region and displays the simplified information in the sign display region.

8. A sign display method for a vehicle comprising:

detecting sign information of a traffic sign existing on a road or a road marking ahead of the vehicle;

detecting an effective section of the detected traffic sign in which the traffic sign is considered to be effective;

determining whether or not the detected sign information contains textural information including a predetermined number or more of characters;

providing simplified textural information of a corresponding traffic sign, the simplified textural information being composed of a reduced number of the characters representing the corresponding traffic sign; and

when the detected sign information contains the textural information including the predetermined or more number of characters, displaying the simplified textural information composed of the reduced number of the characters representing the corresponding traffic sign on a display device of the vehicle.