Information presenting apparatus and method

• US 7,394,356 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takao, Kumabe, Hajime, Tsuru, Naohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount; Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US11/287,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20060097858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body

Abstract

An information presenting method and apparatus for a vehicle which may process display information based on a predicted direction of movement of the vehicle, detect an object near the vehicle, determine whether the object is a dangerous object, and control a presentation direction so that the display information is a direction of movement of the vehicle during operation, and if the object is a dangerous object, the information presenting method or apparatus moves the presentation direction from the direction of movement of the vehicle to a direction of the object and presents the display information of areas outside the vehicle.

Claims

1. An information presenting apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a presentation device to present display information toward areas outside the vehicle, the display information being generated by at least one laser beam;

a control device to control a presentation direction of said presentation device so that the display information relates to a travel direction of the vehicle during operation;

an object sensing device to detect an object near the vehicle; and

a determining device to determine whether the object is a dangerous object;

said control device moving the presentation direction from the travel direction of the vehicle to a direction of the object, to allow the presentation device to present display information about the object, if the determining device determines that the object is a dangerous object.

2. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a run condition sensing device to detect a run condition of the vehicle; and

a run anticipation track estimating device to estimate a run anticipation track of the vehicle based on the run condition detected by the run condition sensing device;

said control device controlling the presentation device to present display information related to the run anticipation track.

3. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 2, said control device changing at least one shape of presentation about the presentation direction of said run anticipation track, length, and mode, according to a run condition which said run condition sensing device detected.

4. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an operation condition sensing device to detect an operating condition of a driver of the vehicle;

a driver intention estimating device to predict a driver'"'"'s intention based on the operating condition detected by the operation condition sensing device;

said determining device judging based on either said run anticipation track or said driver'"'"'s intention, whether the object is a dangerous object based on the object detected by the object sensing device.

5. The information presenting apparatus for a car according to claim 1, wherein

the object is at least one of another vehicle, a pedestrian, a traffic control machine, a road sign, and a lane boundary,

said presentation device presenting different display information depending on the type of object.

9. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

if the display information generated by the laser beam is directly radiated in the direction of the object outside of the vehicle the determining device determines that the object is a dangerous object.

10. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a laser sensor that irradiates a laser beam in a desired range in at least one of a front, side and back of the vehicle.

11. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam is irradiated from a laser irradiation apparatus in a direction of movement of the vehicle.

12. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the laser beam defines an anticipation track as visible information.

6. An information presenting method for a vehicle, comprising:

presenting display information toward areas outside the vehicle, the display information being generated by at least one laser beam;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the object is a dangerous object;

moving the presentation direction from a travel direction of the vehicle to a direction of the object, to allow the presentation device to present display information about the object, if the determining device determines that the object is a dangerous object; and

controlling the presentation direction so that the display information illustrates a direction of movement of the vehicle during operation, and if the object is a dangerous object, moving the presentation direction from the direction of movement of the vehicle to a direction of the object.

7. An information presenting method for a vehicle, comprising:

processing display information based on a predicted direction of movement of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the object is a dangerous object;

controlling a presentation direction so that the display information is a direction of movement of the vehicle during operation, and if the object is a dangerous object, moving the presentation direction from the direction of movement of the vehicle to a direction of the object; and

presenting the display information toward areas outside the vehicle, the display information being generated by at least one laser beam.

8. A control device for an information presenting apparatus of a vehicle comprising:

an input device to receive a plurality of inputs, including at least one surrounding vehicle input, at least one operating condition input, and at least one run condition input; and

a processor to detect an object near the vehicle, determine driver intention and determine a run anticipation track of the vehicle based on the at least one surrounding vehicle input, the at least one operating condition input, and the at least one run condition input;

said processor also to determine if the object is a dangerous object based on the object detected near the vehicle and the driver intention, and to output the run anticipation track of the vehicle, if the object near the vehicle is not a dangerous object, and to output information which identifies the direction of the object, if the object near the vehicle is a dangerous object, said processor also to output display information for presentation toward areas outside of the vehicle, the display information being generated by at least one laser beam.