Display apparatus

• US 20090073081A1
• Filed: 08/07/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kakizaki, Masaru
• Granted Patent: US 8,144,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0183 Adaptation to parameters characterising the motion of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A display apparatus has an image display unit that displays a virtual image by projecting an image light to a windshield, and an obstacle detector that detects an obstacle existing around the vehicle as well as a safety determination unit that determines safety of the vehicle relative to the detected obstacle based at least on one of a distance from the obstacle and a relative speed of the vehicle relative to the obstacle. The display apparatus also has an image control unit that controls a position of the virtual image to circle around the obstacle in a view of a driver when the obstacle is determined to be unsafe by the safety determination unit.

Claims

1. A display apparatus for displaying an image in a view of a driver, the apparatus comprising:

an image display unit for displaying a virtual image by projecting an image light in a front of a vehicle through a reflective device;

an obstacle detector for detecting an obstacle existing around the vehicle;

a safety determination unit for determining safety of the vehicle relative to the detected obstacle based at least on one of a distance from the obstacle and a relative speed of the vehicle relative to the obstacle; and

an image control unit for controlling a position of the virtual image, wherein the position of the virtual image is configured to move along a path that surrounds the obstacle in a view of the driver when the obstacle is determined to be unsafe by the safety determination unit.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a distance calculation unit for calculating a distance to the obstacle from the vehicle is provided in the display apparatus, and

the path is one of a circle and an ellipse with a radius configured to increase inversely proportional to the distance to the obstacle.

3. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a size calculation unit for calculating a size of the obstacle is provided in the display apparatus, and

the path is one of a circle and an ellipse having a radius that configured to increase proportionally to the size of the obstacle.

4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

an obstacle recognition unit for determining whether the obstacle is a human as well as determining whether the obstacle is another vehicle is provided in the display apparatus, and

the path takes a different shape depending on a recognition result by the obstacle recognition unit that the obstacle is the human or another vehicle.

5. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein

the path takes a vertically elongated ellipse shape in a view of the driver when the obstacle is the human, and

the path takes a horizontally elongated ellipse shape in a view of the driver when the obstacle is another vehicle.

6. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the reflective device that reflects the image light is one of a windshield and a combiner.

7. A method for displaying an image in a view of a driver, the method comprising:

providing an image display unit for displaying a virtual image by projecting an image light in a front of a vehicle through a reflective device;

providing an obstacle detector for detecting an obstacle existing around the vehicle;

providing a safety determination unit for determining safety of the vehicle relative to the detected obstacle based at least on one of a distance from the obstacle and a relative speed of the vehicle relative to the obstacle; and

providing an image control unit for controlling a position of the virtual image, wherein the virtual image is configured to move around the obstacle in a view of the driver when the obstacle is determined to be unsafe by the safety determination unit.