APPARATUS, METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR DISPLAYING VEHICLE INFORMATION

• US 20160059697A1
• Filed: 11/22/2014
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Ann, Yun Sup
• Granted Patent: US 9,694,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/166 Navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1529 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/166 Navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

A method for displaying vehicle information includes: setting a driving velocity and an inter-vehicle distance after activating a smart cruise control function; performing a smart cruise control according to the set driving velocity and the set inter-vehicle distance and displaying smart cruise control-related information in an augmented reality display region located in a front portion of a driver'"'"'s own vehicle; comparing an actual inter-vehicle distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a nearby vehicle to the set inter-vehicle distance during performance of the smart cruise control; determining an information displayable region in the augmented reality display region when the actual inter-vehicle distance is less than the set inter-vehicle distance; and displaying display information corresponding to the set inter-vehicle distance in the information displayable region.

Claims

1. A method for displaying vehicle information, the method comprising:

setting a driving velocity and an inter-vehicle distance after activating a smart cruise control function;

performing a smart cruise control according to the set driving velocity and the set inter-vehicle distance and displaying smart cruise control-related information in an augmented reality display region located in a front portion of a driver'"'"'s own vehicle;

comparing an actual inter-vehicle distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a nearby vehicle to the set inter-vehicle distance during performance of the smart cruise control;

determining an information displayable region in the augmented reality display region when the actual inter-vehicle distance is less than the set inter-vehicle distance; and

displaying display information corresponding to the set inter-vehicle distance in the information displayable region.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the checking of the information displayable region includes:

detecting a nearby vehicle region from a front image obtained by a front camera, and

extracting the information displayable region, which is capable of displaying the display information, except for a region corresponding to the nearby vehicle region, and a nearby vehicle indication information display region from the augmented reality display region.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the displaying of the display information, the display information is scaled depending on a size of the information displayable region.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

checking whether or not the nearby vehicle is outside of the augmented reality display region when the actual inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than the set inter-vehicle distance, and

processing and displaying perspective information for the display information corresponding to the set inter-vehicle distance when the preceding vehicle is outside of the augmented reality display region.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the processing and displaying of the perspective information includes:

measuring driving velocity of the nearby vehicle,

checking whether or not the driving velocity of the nearby vehicle is less than the set driving velocity, and

processing the perspective information for the display information when the driving velocity of the nearby vehicle is less than the set driving velocity.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising stopping the displaying of the display information when the driving velocity of the preceding vehicle is greater than the set driving velocity.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein in the processing of the perspective information, the perspective information for the display information is processed based on a vehicle width of the nearby vehicle in a front image obtained by a front camera.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the actual inter-vehicle distance is equal to the set inter-vehicle distance, color of the display information is changed.

9. An apparatus for displaying vehicle information, the apparatus comprising:

a front camera configured to photograph a front image of a vehicle;

an inter-vehicle distance detector configured to measure an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a nearby vehicle;

a vehicle information detector configured to detect vehicle information associated with the vehicle;

a smart cruise control system configured to control a smart cruise control of the vehicle using the inter-vehicle distance and the vehicle information;

a display configured to display information relating to the smart cruise control in an augmented reality display region located in a front portion of the vehicle; and

a controller configured to;

i) compare an actual inter-vehicle distance between the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a nearby vehicle, which is measured by the inter-vehicle distance detector, to a set inter-vehicle distance which is preset and ii) output display information corresponding to the set inter-vehicle distance to the display based on the comparison.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

i) extract an information displayable region in the augmented reality display region that is capable of displaying the display information when the actual inter-vehicle distance is less than the set inter-vehicle distance and ii) display the display information in the extracted information displayable region.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to extract the information displayable region by excepting a nearby vehicle region from the augmented reality display region using the front image and excepting a region displaying nearby vehicle indication information indicating the nearby vehicle.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to scale the display information based on a size of the information displayable region.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

i) check whether or not the nearby vehicle is outside of the augmented reality display region using the front image when the actual inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than the set inter-vehicle distance and ii) determine whether or not the display information is displayed based on a driving velocity of the nearby vehicle when the nearby vehicle is outside of the augmented reality display region.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to process perspective information for the display information based on a vehicle width of the nearby vehicle in the front image when the driving velocity of the nearby vehicle is slower than a set driving velocity.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to stop the outputting of the display information when the driving velocity of the nearby vehicle is greater than a set driving velocity.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for displaying vehicle information, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that set a driving velocity and an inter-vehicle distance after activating a smart cruise control function;

program instructions that perform a smart cruise control according to the set driving velocity and the set inter-vehicle distance and displaying smart cruise control-related information on in ana front augmented reality display region located in a front portion of a driver'"'"'s own vehicle;

program instructions that compare an actual inter-vehicle distance between an the driver'"'"'s own vehicle and a nearby a preceding vehicle with ato the set inter-vehicle distance during performance of the smart cruise control;

program instructions that check determining an information displayable region in the augmented reality display region if when the actual inter-vehicle distance is less than the set inter-vehicle distance; and

program instructions that display information corresponding to the set inter-vehicle distance on in the information displayable region.