Vehicular Heads-Up Display System with Adjustable Viewing

• US 20060282204A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0229 for displays, e.g. cathodic tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01526 using piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence

Abstract

Heads-up display arrangements for vehicles including a seat in which an occupant sits, a system for forming an image of text and/or graphics in a field of view of the occupant, a determination arrangement for determining a position of the occupant (or a part thereof) and an adjustment system for adjusting the seat based on the occupant'"'"'s determined position to thereby change the orientation of the occupant relative to the image. Change of the orientation of the occupant relative to the image may entail adjusting the seat and/or adjusting the image forming system, which is often a heads-up display system. Adjustment of the seat may involve moving the seat forward or backward and/or up or down, or any other direction or way possible given the construction of the seat.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a seat in which an occupant sits;

forming means for forming an image of text and/or graphics in a field of view of the occupant;

determining means for determining a position of the occupant; and

adjustment means for adjusting said seat based on the occupant'"'"'s determined position to thereby change the orientation of the occupant relative to the image.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising interacting means coupled to said forming means for enabling the occupant to interact with said forming means to change the image formed by said forming means or direct another vehicular system to perform an operation.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said interacting means comprise a touch pad arranged to enable the occupant to interact with said forming means to direct the another vehicular system to perform an operation, said forming means being arranged to form the image apart from said touch pad.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a steering wheel, said touch pad being arranged on said steering wheel.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a steering wheel having an airbag module having a cover, said touch pad being arranged over said cover of said airbag module and being constructed to break upon deployment of an airbag from said airbag module.

6. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising correlation means for correlating a location on said touch pad which has been touched by the occupant to the image to enable the occupant to change the image formed by said forming means or direct the another vehicular system to perform an operation by touching said touch pad, said correlation means being coupled to said forming means and arranged to cause said forming means to display an indicator in the image which correlates to the location on said touch pad touched by the occupant.

7. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising correlation means for correlating a location on said touch pad which has been touched by the occupant to the image and causing the vehicular system to perform the operation based on the location on said touch pad which has been touched by the occupant.

8. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein said touch pad is separable from the vehicle.

9. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein said touch pad and said forming means include means for enabling wireless communication between said touch pad and said forming means.

10. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising an armrest, said interacting means being arranged in said armrest.

11. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising an instrument panel, said interacting means being arranged in connection with said instrument panel and being movable between a storage position in which said interacting means are inaccessible to the occupant and a use position in which said interacting means are accessible to the occupant.

12. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said interacting means are arranged to enable the occupant to interact with said forming means to change the image formed by said forming means.

13. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said interacting means are arranged to enable the occupant to interact with said forming means to direct another vehicular system to perform an operation.

14. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said interacting means comprise a microphone and said determining means are arranged to locate a position of the occupant'"'"'s mouth.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein determining means comprise at least one receiver for receiving waves from a space above said seat.

16. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said determining means comprise at least one transmitter for transmitting waves into the space above a seat in the vehicle and at least one receiver for receiving the transmitted waves after the waves have passed at least partially through the space above said seat.

17. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said determining means are arranged to determine a location of the eyes of the occupant for optimum viewing of the image, and said adjustment means are arranged to adjust said seat based on the determined location of the eyes of the occupant to thereby move the occupant and thus the occupant'"'"'s eyes and enable the occupant'"'"'s view of the image to be improved.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said determining means comprise at least one receiver for receiving waves from a space above said seat and pattern recognition means for determining the position of the occupant based on the waves received by said at least one receiver and enable a location of the eyes of the occupant to be determined from the position of the occupant.

19. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said forming means comprise a heads-up display.

20. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said forming means are arranged to form an image of an exterior of the vehicle and add an overlay image to the image.

21. The vehicle of claim 20, wherein said forming means are arranged to determine the type of overlay image to be added, types of overlay images including warning messages, projected vehicle trajectories, and images of objects in the exterior environment such as images of animals in a path of the vehicle.

22. A vehicle, comprising:

a seat in which an occupant sits;

a heads-up display system arranged to form an image of text and/or graphics in a field of view of the occupant;

an occupant position sensor system arranged to determine a position of the occupant; and

a system coupled to said occupant position sensor system for changing the orientation of the occupant relative to the image based on the determined position of the occupant to enable the occupant'"'"'s eyes to be positioned in an optimum position relative to the image.

23. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein said system comprises an adjustment system arranged to adjust said seat based on the occupant'"'"'s position as determined by said occupant position sensor system.

24. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein said occupant position sensor system is arranged to determine a location of the eyes of the occupant for optimum viewing of the image, and said adjustment system is arranged to adjust said seat based on the determined location of the eyes of the occupant to thereby move the occupant and thus the occupant'"'"'s eyes and enable the occupant'"'"'s view of the image to be improved.

25. The vehicle of claim 22, further comprising an interacting mechanism coupled to said heads-up display system and arranged to enable the occupant to interact with said heads-up display system to change the image formed by said heads-up display system or direct another vehicular system to perform an operation.

26. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein said interacting mechanism comprises a touch pad, said heads-up display system being arranged to form the image apart from said touch pad, a location on said touch pad which has been touched by the occupant being correlated to the image to enable the occupant to change the image formed by said heads-up display system or direct the another vehicular system to perform an operation by touching said touch pad and such that an indicator is displayed in the image which correlates to the location on said touch pad touched by the occupant.

27. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein said interacting mechanism comprises a microphone and said determining mechanism is arranged to determine a location of the occupant'"'"'s mouth.

28. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein occupant position sensor system comprises at least one receiver for receiving waves from a space above said seat.

29. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein said occupant position sensor system comprises at least one transmitter arranged to transmit waves into the space above a seat in the vehicle and at least one receiver arranged to receive the transmitted waves after the waves have passed at least partially through the space above said seat.

30. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein said occupant position sensor system comprises at least one receiver arranged to receive waves from a space above said seat and a pattern recognition system arranged to determine the position of the occupant based on the waves received by said at least one receiver and enable a location of the eyes of the occupant to be determined from the position of the occupant.

31. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein said heads-up display system is arranged to form an image of an exterior of the vehicle and add an overlay image to the image.

32. The vehicle of claim 31, wherein said heads-up display system is arranged to determine the type of overlay image to be added, types of overlay images including warning messages, projected vehicle trajectories, and images of objects in the exterior environment such as images of animals in a path of the vehicle.

33. A method for vehicular display, comprising:

forming images of text and/or graphics in a field of view of an occupant of the vehicle; and

optimizing the visualization of the images of text and/or graphics by the occupant by determining a position of the occupant, and when the determined occupant'"'"'s position is indicative that the occupant'"'"'s eyes are not in an optimum position for viewing the images, changing the orientation of the occupant relative to the images.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of changing the orientation of the occupant relative to the formed images comprises adjusting a seat on which the occupant is seated based on the occupant'"'"'s position.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising determining a position of the seat or a part thereof prior to adjustment based on the determined position of the occupant and adjusting the seat based on the occupant'"'"'s position and the position of the seat or part thereof.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising enabling the occupant to interact with the heads-up display system to change the images or direct another vehicular system to perform an operation.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the occupant is enabled to interact with the heads-up display system by arranging a touch pad or microphone in the vehicle.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the occupant is enabled to interact with the heads-up display system by arranging a touch pad in the vehicle, further comprising correlating a location on the touch pad which has been touched by the occupant to the image and causing the vehicular system to perform the operation based on the location on the touch pad which has been touched by the occupant.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the position of the occupant is determined by receiving waves from a space above the seat and analyzing the received waves.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein the position of the occupant is determined by transmitting waves into the space above a seat in the vehicle, receiving the transmitted waves after the waves have passed at least partially through the space above the seat and analyzing the waves.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining the position of the occupant comprises determining a location of the eyes of the occupant for optimum viewing of the image, and the step of adjusting the seat comprising adjusting the seat based on the determined location of the eyes of the occupant to thereby move the occupant and thus the occupant'"'"'s eyes and enable the occupant'"'"'s view of the image to be improved.