DISPLAY APPARATUS, DISPLAY METHOD, AND VEHICLE

• US 20120268351A1
• Filed: 06/07/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takashi, Okumura, Haruhiko, Yoneyama, Takahisa, Kuwabara, Yugo, Nagahara, Osamu, Morimoto, Shigeo, Kawawada, Yasuhiko, Odate, Noriko
• Granted Patent: US 8,970,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a display apparatus includes an image data generation unit configured to generate image data and an image projection unit configured to project a light flux including an image toward a human riding in a vehicle. The image is based on the image data. The image data generation unit is configured to generate the image data relating to the image including a first display object indicating a travel direction of the vehicle at a travel direction change point when a distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a first distance. The image data generation unit is configured to generate the image data relating to the image including a second display object displayed to correspond to a position of the travel direction change point when the distance is a second distance shorter than the first distance.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

an image data generation unit configured to generate image data; and

an image projection unit configured to project a light flux including an image toward a human riding in a vehicle by using a windshield unit of the vehicle to reflect the light flux, the image being based on the image data generated by the image data generation unit,

the image data generation unit being configured to;

generate the image data relating to the image including a first display object configured to indicate a travel direction of the vehicle at a travel direction change point when a distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a first distance, the travel direction change point being where the travel direction of the vehicle is predicted to be changed based on a travel route determined in relation to the vehicle; and

generate the image data relating to the image including a second display object displayed at a position corresponding to the travel direction change point when the distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a second distance shorter than the first distance, the second display object being configured to indicate the travel direction of the vehicle at the travel direction change point, the second display object having a configuration different from a configuration of the first display object.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image projection unit is configured to project the light flux including the image including the second display object toward only one eye of the human.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a size of the second display object on a first intra-image position side inside the image corresponding to the travel direction change point is smaller than a size of the second display object on a second intra-image position side inside the image corresponding to a point more proximal to the vehicle than is the travel direction change point.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second display object changes temporally in at least one of a shape, a position, a size and a color.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first distance is more than 40 meters.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second distance is not more than 40 meters.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display object has a pattern configuration used as a traffic sign.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second display object includes a plurality of triangular patterns and an axis of each of the plurality of triangular patterns aligns along the travel direction of the vehicle at the travel direction change point.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a size of a portion of the second display object positioned in a lower side in the image is larger than a size of a portion of the second display object positioned in an upper side in the image.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a size of a portion of the first display object positioned in the lower side in the image is same as a size of a portion of the first display object positioned in the upper side in the image.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second display object is configured to provide the human a sense of perspective and the first display object is configured not to provide the human the sense of perspective.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data generation unit is configured to generate the image data relating to the image further including a first pattern to indicate a traffic lane when the distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is the first distance.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first pattern has a band configuration extending in a vertical direction in the image.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data generation unit further generates the image data relating to the image including a third display object when the distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a third distance between the first distance and the second distance, the third display object having a configuration different from the configuration of the first display object and the configuration of the second display object to indicate the travel direction of the vehicle at the travel direction change point.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a size of the third display object on a first intra-image position side inside the image corresponding to the travel direction change point is smaller than a size of the third display object on a second intra-image position side inside the image corresponding to a point more proximal to the vehicle than is the travel direction change point.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the third display object changes temporally in at least one of a shape, a position, a size and a color.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the image data generation unit is configured to generate the image data relating to the image further including a second pattern to indicate a traffic lane when the distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is the third distance, the second pattern includes a plurality of band configurations, a distance between the band configurations in an upper side portion in the image is smaller than a distance between the band configurations in lower side portion in the image.

18. A display method including projecting a light flux including an image toward a human riding in a vehicle by using a windshield unit of the vehicle to reflect the light flux, the method comprising:

displaying a first display object configured to indicate a travel direction of the vehicle at a travel direction change point when a distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a first distance, the travel direction change point being where the travel direction of the vehicle is predicted to be changed based on a travel route determined in relation to the vehicle; and

displaying a second display object at a position corresponding to the travel direction change point when the distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a second distance shorter than the first distance, the second display object being configured to indicate the travel direction of the vehicle at the travel direction change point, the second display object having a configuration different from a configuration of the first display object.

19. The method according to claim 18, further displaying a third display object when the distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a third distance between the first distance and the second distance, the third display object having a configuration different from the configuration of the first display object and the configuration of the second display object, the third display object being configured to indicate the travel direction of the vehicle at the travel direction change point.

20. A vehicle, comprising:

a display apparatus including;

an image data generation unit configured to generate image data; and

an image projection unit configured to project a light flux including an image toward a human riding in a vehicle by using a windshield unit of the vehicle to reflect the light flux, the image being based on the image data generated by the image data generation unit,

the image data generation unit being configured to;

generate the image data relating to the image including a first display object configured to indicate a travel direction of the vehicle at a travel direction change point when a distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a first distance, the travel direction change point being where the travel direction of the vehicle is predicted to be changed based on a travel route determined in relation to the vehicle; and

generate the image data relating to the image including a second display object displayed at a position corresponding to the travel direction change point when the distance between the travel direction change point and the vehicle is a second distance shorter than the first distance, the second display object being configured to indicate the travel direction of the vehicle at the travel direction change point, the second display object having a configuration different from a configuration of the first display object; and

a windshield unit configured to reflect the light flux emitted from the display apparatus toward the human.