Display apparatus on a vehicle

• US 6,538,622 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kojima, Koichi, Uemura, Hiroki, Sasaki, Hidekazu, Doi, Ayumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIZIALI, JEFFREY J
• Application Number:
  US09/488,113
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 348/115, 359/630, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 340/441, 340/457.2, 340/461, 340/462, 340/466, 340/471, 340/961, 340/980, 340/901-905
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P

Abstract

When the vehicle is traveling on a motorway, a display control module of a display controller determines that an obstacle is unlikely to be present, and restricts the display pattern of a sensed image sensed of an image sensing device to be displayed on a display device. Even when the vehicle is traveling on the motorway, if no stalled vehicle is detected, the display control module displays the sensed image without restricting it, thereby supporting drive operation of the driver.

Claims

1. A display apparatus on a vehicle, which comprises image sensing means for sensing an image ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays, and display means for displaying an infrared image sensed by said image sensing means at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat in a passenger room of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

surrounding environment detection means for detecting a surrounding environment of the vehicle arranged to determine a presence of a heat source that may interfere with safe maneuvering; and

display control means for controlling said display means on the basis of a detection result of said surrounding environment detection means,

wherein, when it is determined that the presence of a heat source that will interfere with safe maneuvering is absent ahead of the vehicle and the vehicle trails, in response to operation of a trail controller operable for automatically controlling the vehicle without intervention by the vehicle driver, the path of another vehicle so as to maintain a distance from the other vehicle at a predetermined value, said display control means suppresses display of the entire infrared image on said display means, and

wherein, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling trailing the path of the other vehicle and the predetermined value is set to be smaller than a headlight irradiation range of the vehicle, said display control means suppresses display of the infrared image on said display means compared to a case wherein the predetermined value is set to be larger than the headlight irradiation range.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display control means inhibits display of the infrared image as suppression of display of the infrared image on said display means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display control means suppresses display of the infrared image on said display means by decreasing a display luminance of said display means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display control means suppresses display of the infrared image on said display means by decreasing size of a display area of said display means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the predetermined value is smaller than a threshold value set in accordance with a traveling velocity of the vehicle, said display control means suppresses display of the infrared image on said display means compared to a case wherein the predetermined distance is larger than the threshold value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the threshold value is set to increase in accordance with increasing traveling velocity of the vehicle.