INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE AND INFORMATION PRESENTATION METHOD FOR VEHICLE

• US 20100082234A1
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakai, Hiroyuki, Yamane, Masao, Oono, Takeshi, Hozumi, Hideaki, Ohta, Katsumi, Mitamura, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

An information presentation apparatus for a vehicle includes an indicator mounted on the vehicle for indicating a target direction and a control unit for controlling the indicator. The control unit includes a function for acquiring a current position of the vehicle and a reference direction of the vehicle, a function for specifying a target and acquiring a target position, a function for calculating a target angle that indicates a target direction against the reference direction based on the target position, the current position and the reference direction, and a function for generating a presentation command based on the calculated target angle so as to indicate the target direction by the indicator. According to the apparatus, information for specifying the target position can be provided.

Claims

1. An information presentation apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an indicator mounted on the vehicle for presenting information indicating a direction; and

a control unit for controlling presentation of the information by the indicator, wherein

the control unit includes

a vehicle information acquiring unit for acquiring a current position of the vehicle and a reference direction of the vehicle;

a target specifying unit for specifying a target to be presented to an occupant of the vehicle;

a target information acquiring unit for acquiring a target position, the target position being a position where the target exists;

a target angle calculating unit for calculating a target angle indicating a target direction against the reference direction based on the target position, the current position and the reference direction, the target direction being a direction in which the target exists; and

a presentation command generating unit for generating a presentation command based on the calculated target angle, the indicator being to present information indicating the target direction according to the presentation command.

2. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the target angle calculating unit calculates the target angle at predefined time intervals, and

the presentation command generating unit generates the presentation command based on each calculated target angle so that the indicator executes the generated presentation command successively.

3. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the target information acquiring unit acquires information relating to the target specified by the target specifying unit, and

the presentation command generating unit generates the presentation command so as to present the information relating to the target by an output unit of the indicator.

4. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the presentation command generating unit generates the presentation command so as to present the information indicating the target direction by the indicator when presenting the information relating to the target.

5. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the reference direction is a travel direction of the vehicle.

6. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the target specifying unit specifies the target based on the current position of the vehicle, the travel direction of the vehicle and the target position.

7. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the vehicle information acquiring unit acquires a velocity of the vehicle in addition to the current position and the reference direction, and

the target angle calculating unit estimates a position of the vehicle after a predefined time and a travel direction of the vehicle after the predefined time based on the current position, the travel direction and the velocity and calculates a target angle after the predefined time based on the estimated position, the estimated travel direction and the target position.

8. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the presentation command generating unit calculates an angular velocity based on the calculated target angle and the predefined time and generates a presentation command so as to present information indicating the target direction that shifts at the calculated angular velocity by the indicator.

9. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the predefined time is a time required for controlling the indicator to present the information.

10. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the predefined time is a time required for completion of the presentation of the information relating to the target by an output unit of the indicator.

11. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the target angle calculating unit recalculates the target angle after the predefined time when a shift of the travel direction exceeds a predefined value and/or a shift of the velocity exceeds a predefined value, and

the presentation command generating unit generates a presentation command based on the recalculated target angle so as to present the information indicating the target direction by the indicator.

12. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the target angle calculating unit recalculates the target angle after the predefined time when a shift of the travel direction exceeds a predefined value and/or a shift of the velocity exceeds a predefined value, and

the presentation command generating unit recalculates the angular velocity based on the recalculated target angle and the predefined time and generates a presentation command so as to present the information indicating the target direction that shifts at the recalculated angular velocity by the indicator.

13. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the reference direction includes an azimuth.

14. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the vehicle information acquiring unit acquires a velocity of the vehicle in addition to the current position and the reference direction, and

the target angle calculating unit calculates the travel direction against the reference direction to estimate a position of the vehicle after a predefined time and a travel direction of the vehicle after the predefined time based on the current position, the calculated travel direction and the velocity and calculates a target angle after the predefined time based on the estimated position, the estimated travel direction and the target position.

15. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the presentation command generating unit calculates an angular velocity based on the calculated target angle and the predefined time and generates a presentation command so as to present information indicating the target direction that shifts at the calculated angular velocity by the indicator.

16. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the predefined time is a time required for controlling the indicator to present the information.

17. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the predefined time is a time required for completion of the presentation of the information relating to the target by an output unit of the indicator.

18. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the target angle calculating unit recalculates the target angle after the predefined time when a shift of the travel direction exceeds a predefined value and/or a shift of the velocity exceeds a predefined value, and

the presentation command generating unit generates a presentation command based on the recalculated target angle so as to present the information indicating the target direction by the indicator.

19. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the target angle calculating unit recalculates the target angle after the predefined time when a shift of the travel direction exceeds a predefined value and/or a shift of the velocity exceeds a predefined value, and

the presentation command generating unit recalculates the angular velocity based on the recalculated target angle and the predefined time and generates a presentation command so as to present the information indicating the target direction that shifts at the recalculated angular velocity by the indicator.

20. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises a vehicle-mounted camera, wherein

the presentation command generating unit generates a start command for starting an execution of the presentation command by the indicator when an image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera includes a feature of the target.

21. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises a navigation device, wherein

the presentation command generating unit generates a start command for starting an execution of the presentation command by the indicator when an image provided from the navigation device for course guiding includes a feature of the target.

22. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the indicator is a rotatable three-dimensional object that presents information indicating a direction by its orientation,

the three-dimensional object includes a drive unit for rotating the three-dimensional object about a rotational axis, and

the presentation command generating unit generates a presentation command based on the calculated target angle for rotating the three-dimensional object by the drive unit so as to indicate the target direction.

23. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the indicator is a three-dimensional display that presents information indicating a direction by an orientation of a displayed indicator on the three-dimensional display, and

the presentation command generating unit generates a presentation command based on the calculated target angle for displaying a movie of the displayed indicator on the three-dimensional display so as to indicate the target direction by the movie of the displayed indicator.

24. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the indicator is a virtual image display device that presents information indicating a direction by an orientation of a displayed indicator as a three-dimensional virtual image,

the virtual image display device includes one or more master holograms that records moving process of the displayed indicator, and

the presentation command generating unit generates a presentation command based on the calculated target angle for reconstructing the master hologram of the displayed indicator for displaying the three-dimensional virtual image of the displayed indicator by the virtual image display device so as to indicate the target direction by the three-dimensional virtual image.

25. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the indicator is a flat display device that presents information indicating a direction by an orientation of a displayed indicator on the flat display device, and

the presentation command generating unit generates a presentation command based on the calculated target angle for displaying a movie of the displayed indicator on the flat display device so as to indicate the target direction by the movie of the displayed indicator.

26. The information presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the target to be presented to the occupant is a target specified based on a destination or a category set by the occupant, estimated user'"'"'s preferences and/or the current position and the reference direction of the vehicle.

27. An information presentation method for a vehicle comprising:

specifying a target to be presented to an occupant of the vehicle;

calculating a target angle indicating a target direction based on a position of the specified target, a current position of the vehicle and a reference direction of the vehicle, the target angle indicating the target direction against the reference direction; and

presenting information indicating the target direction based on the calculated target angle.