MOTOR VEHICLE WITH DIGITAL PROJECTORS

• US 20120044090A1
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: KAHLER, Peter, WITTORF, Marten, KATHMANN, Joerg
• Application Number:
  US13/212,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20120044090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/245 Searchlights, e.g. adjustable from within the vehicle adjustable headlights B60Q1/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body

Abstract

A motor vehicle includes, but is not limited to a digital projector for projecting a graphic or type facial information and a monitoring circuit, to which the projector is connected, in order to project as the graphic or type facial information an information determined by the monitoring circuit in real time.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a digital projector for configured to project information; and

a monitoring circuit connected to the digital projector configured to determine the information in real time for projection by the monitoring circuit.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information is graphic information.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information is type-facial information.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the digital projector is configured to project the information in a direction away from a passenger cell.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the digital projector is a headlamp.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the digital projector is a rear spotlight.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the digital projector is a headlamp and a rear spotlight and the motor vehicle further comprising:

a control unit configured to;

select the headlamp for projecting the information when the motor vehicle moves forward; and

configured to select the rear spotlight for projecting the information when the motor vehicle moves backwards.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the digital projector is a headlamp and a rear spotlight and the motor vehicle further comprising:

a control unit configured to;

select the headlamp for projecting the information when a forward gear is engaged; and

configured to select the rear spotlight for projecting the information when a reverse gear is engaged.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information determined in real time is a distance of the motor vehicle from an obstacle.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit comprises a navigation system and the information determined in real time is an output of the navigation system.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the output of the navigation system is a driving direction.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the digital projector is configured to project the information in a form of an image of a traffic sign.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the digital projector is configured to project the information in a form of a lane marking.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to monitor an attention of a driver.

15. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information determined by the monitoring circuit and projected by the digital projector specifies a restriction of navigability of a road travelled on by the motor vehicle.

16. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to evaluate if the motor vehicle is in a process of contravening a restriction and to project the information specifying the restriction only in event of a contravention.

17. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detector that is configured to detecting a vehicle-external projection surface; and

an alignment apparatus configured to align a projection direction with a detected projection surface.

18. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the digital projector comprises a matrix with a plurality of individually activatable and light-modulating elements, and the alignment apparatus configured to align the projection direction and set up to select a group of the plurality of individually activatable and light-modulating elements supplied with the information according to a desired projection direction.

19. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the alignment apparatus is configured to detect an obstacle as a projection surface.

20. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising a sensor configured to sense a brightness of a projection surface and the control unit is further configured to control a light intensity with which the information is projected based at least in part on the light intensity.