INFORMATION PROVIDING APPARATUS

• US 20170320430A1
• Filed: 10/27/2015
• Published: 11/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Subaru Corp.
• Inventors: KAWAMATA, Takaya, SHII, Akifumi, SUZUKI, Kensuke, FURUKAWA, Toshiya, MIKUNI, Tsukasa, NAGASAWA, Isamu
• Granted Patent: US 10,315,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/188 Displaying information using colour changes
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/338 Light strips
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/794 on or in doors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• 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: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/78 for generating luminous strips, e.g. for marking trim component edges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/02 Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners B60R13/01 takes precedence ; padded linings for the vehicle interior B60R21/04; arrangements or adaptations of floor mats or carpets in vehicles B60N3/04; internal lining for trains B61D17/18
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2013/0287 integrating other functions or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• 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: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

An information providing apparatus in a vehicle coordinates with a first light emitter including light-emitting elements arranged in a linear form including at least one line on a compartment side of a door of the vehicle, and a second light emitter projecting light onto a projection target member in a forward visual field of a driver of the vehicle. The information providing apparatus repeatedly acquires status information including surroundings status indicating status of surroundings of the vehicle, and executes control to the first light emitter and second light emitter based on the status information. The control makes the first light emitter and second light emitter provide light emission in a light emission mode associated with acquired surroundings status indicated by the status information.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus that is mounted in a vehicle, the information providing apparatus coordinating with a first light emitter and a second light emitter different from the first light emitter,

the first light emitter including a plurality of light-emitting elements that are arranged in a linear form including at least one line on a compartment side of a door of the vehicle,

the second light emitter emitting light that is projected onto a projection target member arranged in a forward visual field of a driver of the vehicle,

the information providing apparatus comprising:

an information acquisition section that repeatedly acquires status information including a surroundings status indicating a status of surroundings of the vehicle; and

a light emission control section that executes control to the first light emitter and the second light emitter based on the status information acquired by the information acquisition section,

the control making the first light emitter and the second light emitter provide light emission in a light emission mode associated with an acquired surroundings status that is the surroundings status indicated by the status information acquired by the information acquisition section.

2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the acquired surroundings status meet a predefined condition, the light emission control section executes the control that makes the first light emitter and the second light emitter provide light emission in a transitional light emission mode,

the transitional light emission mode changing a target, from which light is emitted, sequentially from the first light emitter to the second light emitter.

3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein:

the information acquisition section repeatedly acquires the status information including the surroundings status that is a specific object status including a presence or an absence of a specific object being an object present in surroundings of the vehicle; and

when the specific object status indicates the presence of the specific object, the light emission control section

concludes that the predefined condition is met by the acquired surroundings status, and

executes the control making the first light emitter and the second light emitter provide light emission in the transitional light emission mode.

4. The information providing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein:

the information acquisition section acquires, as one of the surroundings status, direction indication information indicating a course that the vehicle is scheduled to take; and

when the specific object status indicates the presence of the specific object and the direction indication information indicates that the course of the vehicle is directed toward the specific object, the light emission control section

concludes that the predefined condition is met by the acquired surroundings status, and

executes the control making the first light emitter and the second light emitter provide light emission in the transitional light emission mode.

5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein:

among the plurality of light-emitting elements that are included in the first light emitter and arranged in the linear form, a light-emitting element arranged at an end frontward of the vehicle is regarded as a front-end element and a light-emitting element arranged at an end rearward of the vehicle is regarded as a rear-end element; and

the light emission control section executes, as the transitional light emission mode, the control making the target, from which light is emitted, sequentially change over time

from the rear-end element to the front-end element in the first light emitter, and then,

from the front-end element in the first light emitter to a predefined light emission region in the second light emitter.

6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the light emission control section executes, in the transitional light emission mode, the control making the predefined light emission region in the second light emitter provide light emission projecting onto a region of the projection target member,

the region of the projection target member forming a line serially following the line of light-emitting elements in the first light emitter.

7. The information providing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the light emission control section executes, in the transitional light emission mode, the control making the predefined light emission region in the second light emitter provide light emission projecting onto a periphery of the projection target member.

8. The information providing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the light emission control section executes, in the transitional light emission mode, the control making the predefined light emission region in the section light emitter provide light emission projection onto at least one edge portion of the projection target member.

9. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein:

in the linear form in which the plurality of light-emitting elements included in the first light emitter are arranged, an end frontward of the vehicle is regarded as a front end; and

the front end of the first light emitter is positioned higher, in a vehicle height direction, than a door handle of the vehicle.

10. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein:

the vehicle is an automobile; and

the second light emitter is a display apparatus included in a head-up display mounted in the automobile.