TRANSPARENT DISPLAY APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING INFORMATION OF DANGER ELEMENT, AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140019005A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Han-sung, Lee, Chang-soo, Lee, Geun-ho
• Granted Patent: US 9,767,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• 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 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A transparent display apparatus which is used in a transportation apparatus includes: a communication unit which receives surrounding situation information, a controller which recognizes surrounding objects using the surrounding situation information, and determines a danger element that is likely to collide with the transportation apparatus using characteristics of the surrounding objects and a movement characteristic of the transportation apparatus, and a transparent display which displays information for informing a user of the danger element. Accordingly, a surrounding situation can be effectively presented.

Claims

1. A transparent display apparatus which is used in a transportation apparatus, the transparent display apparatus comprising:

a communication unit which receives surrounding situation information;

a controller which determines a danger element that is likely to collide with the transportation apparatus using the surrounding situation information and location information of the transportation apparatus; and

a transparent display which displays information for informing a user of the danger element.

2. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller recognizes surrounding objects using the surrounding situation information, and determines the danger element from among the surrounding objects.

3. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a location detector which detects a location of user'"'"'s eyes,

wherein the controller determines a field of view of the user according to a result of the detecting by the location detector, determines a surrounding object that is hidden by an obstacle within the field of view as the danger element, and determines a display location of the information on the transparent display with reference to the locations of the user'"'"'s eyes.

4. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller compares, from all regions of the transparent display, a first penetration region which connects a first object existing within the field of view of the user and the locations of the user'"'"'s eyes, and a second penetration region which connects a second object existing behind the first object and the locations of the user'"'"'s eyes to determine whether the first penetration region and the second penetration region overlap each other, and, when it is determined that the first penetration region and the second penetration region overlap each other, the controller determines that the first object is regarded as the obstacle to the second object.

5. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller displays information on the danger element, which is hidden by the obstacle, on a penetration region through which the obstacle is seen from among all regions of the transparent display.

6. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a location detector which detects a location of the user,

wherein the controller displays the information on a region corresponding to the location of the user from among all regions of the transparent display.

7. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller adjusts at least one of a color, a size, a display time, a display location, a blink state, a font, and a text thickness of the information which is displayed on the transparent display according to a characteristic of the danger element.

8. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information is displayed in a direction in which the danger element is placed on the transparent display,

wherein the information is a graphic object which represents at least one of a location of the danger element, a kind of the danger element, a distance between the transportation apparatus and the danger element, an approach speed of the danger element, and an estimated collision time.

9. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surrounding situation information is information on surrounding objects which are located in a surrounding region comprising a current location of the transportation apparatus.

10. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the transportation apparatus enters a local region, the communication unit receives the surrounding situation information of the local region from a server which manages the local region,

wherein the transportation apparatus is a vehicle and the transparent display comprises a windshield of the vehicle.

11. The transparent display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller determines a movement characteristic comprising at least one of information indicating whether the transportation apparatus is moved or not based on a change in a location of the transportation apparatus, a moving direction and a moving speed, and a future moving location, and determines the danger element using the movement characteristic of the transportation apparatus and the surrounding situation information.

12. A method for displaying of a transparent display apparatus which is used in a transportation apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving surrounding situation information;

determining a danger element that is likely to collide with the transportation apparatus using the surrounding situation information and location information of the transportation apparatus; and

displaying information for informing a user of the danger element on a transparent display.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the determining the danger element comprises recognizing surrounding objects using the surrounding situation information, and determining the danger element from among the surrounding objects.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

detecting a location of user'"'"'s eyes; and

determining a display location of the information on the transparent display with reference to the locations of the user'"'"'s eyes,

wherein the determining the danger element comprises determining a field of view using the locations of the user'"'"'s eyes, and determining a surrounding object that is hidden by an obstacle within the field of view as the danger element.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the determining the danger element comprises:

comparing, from all regions of the transparent display, a first penetration region which connects a first object existing within the field of view of the user and the locations of the user'"'"'s eyes, and a second penetration region which connects a second object existing behind the first object and the locations of the user'"'"'s eyes to determine whether the first penetration region and the second penetration region overlap each other; and

when it is determined that the first penetration region and the second penetration region overlap each other, determining that the first object is regarded as the obstacle to the second object.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the displaying the information for informing the user of the danger element on the transparent display comprises displaying information on the danger element which is hidden by the obstacle on a penetration region through which the obstacle is seen from among all regions of the transparent display.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising detecting a location of the user,

wherein the displaying the information for informing the user of the danger element on the transparent display comprises displaying the information on a region corresponding to the location of the user from among all regions of the transparent display.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising adjusting at least one of a color, a size, a display time, a display location, a blink state, a font, and a text thickness of the information which is displayed on the transparent display according to a characteristic of the danger element.

19. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information is displayed in a direction in which the danger element is placed on the transparent display,

wherein the information is a graphic object which represents at least one of a location of the danger element, a kind of the danger element, a distance between the transportation apparatus and the danger element, an approach speed of the danger element, and an estimated collision time.

20. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the surrounding situation information is information on surrounding objects which are located in a surrounding region comprising a current location of the transportation apparatus.

21. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the surrounding situation information of a local region that the transportation apparatus enters is received from a server which manages the local region,

wherein the transportation apparatus is a vehicle and the transparent display comprises a windshield of the vehicle.

22. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the determining the danger element comprises determining a movement characteristic comprising at least one of information indicating whether the transportation apparatus is moved or not based on a change in a location of the transportation apparatus, a moving direction and a moving speed, and a future moving location, and determining the danger element using the movement characteristic of the transportation apparatus and the surrounding situation information.

23. A user terminal apparatus comprising:

an interface which is connectible with a transportation apparatus;

a communication unit which receives surrounding situation information from a server; and

a controller which determines a danger element that is likely to collide with the transportation apparatus using the surrounding situation information and a location of the transportation apparatus, and provides information for informing a user of the danger element to the transportation apparatus through the interface.

24. The user terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein, when the transportation apparatus is connected to the user terminal apparatus through the interface, the controller determines a location of the transportation apparatus using a GPS chip provided in the user terminal apparatus, analyzes the surrounding situation information and recognizes surrounding objects, and determines a surrounding object that is likely to collide with reference to the location of the transportation apparatus from among the surrounding objects as the danger element.

25. A method for displaying of a user terminal apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving surrounding situation information from a server;

determining a location of a transportation apparatus which is connected to the user terminal apparatus using a GPS chip provided in the user terminal apparatus;

determining a danger element that is likely to collide with the transportation apparatus using the surrounding situation information and a location of the transportation apparatus; and

providing information for informing a user of the danger element to the transportation apparatus and display the information.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program to implement the method of claim 25.

27. A method for displaying a danger element on a transparent display apparatus used in a transportation apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting a location of a user'"'"'s eyes;

determining a display location of information on the transparent display with reference to the location of the user'"'"'s eyes; and

displaying information of the danger element on the transparent display based on the determined location of the user'"'"'s eyes.