METHOD FOR PRESENTING AN IMAGE IN A VEHICLE

• US 20120044337A1
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mauderer, Hans-Peter, Huebner, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 9,376,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/29 for viewing an area inside the vehicle, e.g. for viewing passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8046 for replacing a rear-view mirror system

Abstract

A motor vehicle virtual vanity mirror display system includes an a input device that provides a virtual vanity mirror control signal, and a camera that is adapted to capture an image of an occupant sitting on a seat of the vehicle in response to the virtual vanity mirror control signal. An image processing unit receives the image and processes the image to provide a processed image, and a display receives and displays the processed image to the occupant, in the absence of a vehicle mounted vanity mirror.

Claims

1. A method for presenting an image in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

capturing an image of an occupant sitting on a seat of the vehicle; and

displaying the image on a display of the vehicle to the occupant.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising processing the captured image to provide a processed image that crops the facial region of occupant in the image before displaying the processed image.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein processing the captured image such that the processed image is a mirror image of the occupant'"'"'s facial region.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein processing the captured image comprises:

receiving control information from the occupant defining a scaling factor; and

scaling the image in response to the scaling factor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is captured with a camera.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the camera is adapted to be additionally used by a driver assist system of the vehicle for monitoring a driver'"'"'s attentiveness.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the camera is arranged in or adjacent to the display, the camera being arrange such that its optical axis is in general perpendicular to a display surface of the display.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is displayed on a display of the vehicle selected from the group comprising a navigation system, a vehicle entertainment system and a vehicle control system.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is displayed on a dual view display adapted to display a first image in the direction of a driver seat of the vehicle and a second image in the direction of another front passenger seat of the vehicle, wherein the captured image is displayed as the first image or as the second image.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image comprises video and is displayed in real-time on the display.

11. A vehicle display system, comprising:

a dashboard mounted camera operably positioned to capture an image of an occupant sitting on a seat of the vehicle and provide a captured image onto a bus; and

a dashboard display that receives the captured image via the bus and displays the captured image to the occupant.

12. The vehicle display system according to claim 11, further comprising a processing unit that processes the captured image before displaying the image.

13. The vehicle display system according to claim 12, wherein the processing unit generates a mirror image of the image.

14. The vehicle display system according to claim 12, comprising an input device coupled to the processing unit, wherein the input device detects a control information of the occupant defining a scaling factor, and the processing unit scales the image in response to the scaling factor.

15. The vehicle display system according to claim 11, wherein the camera is adapted to be additionally used by a driver assist system of the vehicle for monitoring a driver'"'"'s attentiveness.

16. The vehicle display system according to claim 11, wherein the camera is arranged in or adjacent to the display, the camera being arrange such that its optical axis is in general perpendicular to a display surface of the display.

17. The vehicle display system according to claim 11, wherein the display comprises a display of a system of the vehicle selected from the group comprising a navigation system, a vehicle entertainment system and a vehicle control system.

18. The vehicle display system according to claim 11, wherein the display comprises a dual view display adapted to display a first image in the direction of a driver seat of the vehicle and a second image in the direction of another front passenger seat of the vehicle, wherein the captured image is displayed as the first image or as the second image.

19. The vehicle display system according to claim 11, wherein the image is displayed in real-time on the display.

20. A motor vehicle virtual vanity mirror display system, comprising:

a input device that provides a virtual vanity mirror control signal;

a camera adapted to capture an image of an occupant sitting on a seat of the vehicle in response to the virtual vanity minor control signal;

an image processing unit that receives the image and processes the image to provide a processed image; and

a display that receives and displays the processed image to the occupant, in the absence of a vehicle mounted vanity mirror.