Display apparatus for a vehicle

• US 20030128436A1
• Filed: 12/26/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Ogawa, Masayuki, Ishii, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 6,731,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• 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: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

For displaying a virtual image without hindering from seeing a front view, a display apparatus for a vehicle includes a storage device 21b for storing a distance information of superimposed viewing, the distance information indicating a distance between an obstacle in the view ahead a vehicle and the vehicle when the obstacle and, a virtual image of a picture projected on a windshield are viewed as a superimposed front view; distance measuring means 40 for measuring a distance between the vehicle and the obstacle; judging means 21a1 for judging whether or not the virtual image is superimposed on the obstacle; and control means 21a2 for stopping the projection of the virtual image when it is judged that the virtual image is superimposed on the obstacle.

Claims

1. A display apparatus for a vehicle, wherein projecting a picture displayed on an image source onto a member of projection in front of a vehicle driver for superimposing a virtual image of said picture on a front view looked through a windshield from an eye point within the vehicle, comprising:

a storage device for storing a distance information of superimposed viewing, the distance information of superimposed viewing indicating a distance between an obstacle existing in the view ahead the vehicle and the vehicle whereby the virtual image and the obstacle are viewed as a superimposed front view from the eye point;

distance measuring means for measuring a distance between the vehicle and the obstacle;

judging means for judging whether or not the virtual image is superimposed on the obstacle based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means and the distance information of superimposed viewing stored in the storage device; and

control means for controlling to stop the projection of the picture when the judging means judges that the virtual image is superimposed on the obstacle.

2. The display apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising detecting means for detecting a display position information indicating a display position of a virtual image from the eye point, wherein the storage device for storing a distance information of superimposed viewing stores the distance information of superimposed viewing correspondingly to the display position information, wherein the judging means judges based on the distance information of superimposed viewing read from the storage device correspondingly to the display position information detected by the detecting means for detecting a display position information.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising detecting means for detecting an information of external condition to judge whether or not it is bright at the outside of the vehicle, wherein the image source displays an image of an infrared camera which can take the image ahead the vehicle at night, wherein the judging means judges whether or not it is bright at the outside of the vehicle based on the information of the external condition detected by the detecting means, wherein the control means controls to stop the projection of the picture when it is judged by the judging means that it is bright at the outside of the vehicle.