Method and device for displaying driving instructions, especially in car navigation systems

• US 7,039,521 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2002
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Pomberger, Gustav, Kolb, Dieter, Hörtner, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/485,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/211, 701/207, 701/208, 701/301, 382/104, 386/46, 386/125, 342/357.13, 340/995, 340/988, 340/990, 340/903, 340/461, 340/705, 345/582, 345/581, 345/417, 345/420
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams

Abstract

A method and device is for displaying driving instructions. The aim is to achieve a better consistency between the image recorded of the surrounding terrain by the vehicle camera and presented in the driver'"'"'s field of vision, and the keyed-in calculated driving instruction. For this purpose, the inclination of the vehicle about its longitudinal axis and lateral axis relative to the road surface as well as the incline of the road or the three-dimensionality of the terrain are taken into consideration when a keyed-in driving instruction from the angle of view of the driver is produced.

Claims

1. A method for displaying driving instructions, wherein the surroundings of a vehicle are recorded in a field of vision of a driver by a vehicle camera and augmented by driving instructions on a navigation display unit as a function of a destination and current position of the vehicle, comprising:

determining a current geographical position of the vehicle camera in three dimensions, a current orientation of the vehicle camera being determined in a horizontal plane and a current angle of inclination of the camera viewing direction relative to the horizontal being determined;

deriving a particular position of a navigation point from a three-dimensional map to generate driving instructions;

calculating at least one viewing angle in a vertical dimension, at which the navigation point is viewed from the vehicle camera as a function of the current angle of inclination; and

adjusting display of the driving instructions as a function of the at least one viewing angle at least in the vertical dimension on the navigation display unit.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one viewing angle α

is calculated using the formula $\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}=\arcsin \left(\frac{I·<br><br>\sin <br><br>\left({\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}+\mathrm{\vartheta <br><br>}\right)-h}{\sqrt{{\left(I-h·<br><br>\sin <br><br>\left({\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}+\mathrm{\vartheta <br><br>}\right)\right)}^2+{\left(h·<br><br>\cos <br><br>\left({\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}+\mathrm{\vartheta <br><br>}\right)\right)}^2}}\right)$

whereby

l is the distance of the navigation point P from the point resulting as the point of intersection between the normals of road surface to vehicle camera and the road surface itself, h is the height of the camera axis above the road,

θ

is the angle of inclination of the camera viewing direction relative to the horizontal, and

δ

′

is the angle between a line A′

P and the horizontal, whereby the line A′

A represents a perpendicular to the horizontal of length h starting from point A.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the vertical position y_p of the navigation point calculated from the lower edge is calculated for display on the navigation display unit by the formula $y_P=\frac{(\Omega }{}$

+α

)·

ymax2⁢

⁢

Ω

whereby Ω

is half the aperture angle of the vehicle camera and y_max is the overall height of the display area of the navigation display unit.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the display of at least one additional instruction on the navigation display unit is modified as a function of at least one viewing angle.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the navigation display unit includes a screen and the image recorded by the camera is at least partially overlaid by the driving instructions in the area where the driving instructions occur.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is for displaying driving instructions in a car navigation system.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein the display of at least one additional instruction on the navigation display unit is modified as a function of at least one viewing angle.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the navigation display unit includes a screen and the image recorded by the camera is at least partially overlaid by the driving instructions in the area where the driving instructions occur.

9. A method according to claim 3, wherein the display of at least one additional instruction on the navigation display unit is modified as a function of at least one viewing angle.

10. A method according to claim 3, wherein the navigation display unit includes a screen and the image recorded by the camera is at least partially overlaid by the driving instructions in the area where the driving instructions occur.

11. A method according to claim 4, wherein the navigation display unit includes a screen and the image recorded by the camera is at least partially overlaid by the driving instructions in the area where the driving instructions occur.

12. A method for displaying driving instructions, comprising:

determining a current geographical position of at least one eye of a driver, in three dimensions, using a tracking system, wherein a current position of the vehicle and a current angle of inclination of a longitudinal axis of the vehicle relative to a horizontal are determined in order to establish the current field of vision of the driver;

deriving a particular position of a navigation point as a function of a destination from a three-dimensional map to generate driving instructions;

calculating at least one viewing angle in a vertical dimension, at which the navigation point is viewed from at least one eye of the driver, based on the current angle of inclination; and

adjusting display of the driving instructions to the relative field of vision of the driver as a function of the viewing angle at least in the vertical dimension.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method is for displaying driving instructions in a car navigation system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusted display is on the windshield of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusted display is in the windshield of the vehicle.

16. A device for displaying driving instructions, comprising:

a vehicle camera, configured to record surroundings in a field of vision of a vehicle driver;

a device, configured to enable three-dimensional recording of the position of at least one of the vehicle and the vehicle camera and orientation of the vehicle camera in a horizontal plane;

at least one sensor, configured to detect at least one angle of inclination of the camera viewing direction relative to the horizontal;

a device, configured to scan a three-dimensional map for use in determining a three-dimensional position of a particular navigation point;

a device, adapted to calculate at least one viewing angle in a vertical dimension at which the navigation point is viewed from the vehicle camera in such a way that the viewing angle is adapted to be calculated as a function of the angle of inclination of the camera viewing direction; and

a navigation display unit, configured to adjust the display of driving instructions as a function of the at least one viewing angle at least in the vertical dimension.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is for displaying driving instructions in a car navigation system.

18. A device for displaying driving instructions, comprising:

a device for three-dimensional detection of a position of the vehicle and orientation of the vehicle in a horizontal plane;

a tracking system for three-dimensional detection of a position of at least one eye of a driver of the vehicle, relative to the vehicle;

at least one sensor for detecting at least one angle of inclination of a longitudinal axis of the vehicle relative to the horizontal;

a device for scanning a three-dimensional map, used to determine the three-dimensional position of a particular navigation point as a function of the destination;

a device for calculating at least one viewing angle in a vertical dimension at which the navigation point is viewed by the driver in such a way that the viewing angle is calculateable as a function of the angle of inclination of the camera viewing direction; and

a navigation display unit for displaying the driving instructions at least one of in and on the windshield, having been adjusted as a function of the at least one viewing angle at least in the vertical dimension to the field of vision of the driver.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the device is for displaying driving instructions in a car navigation system.