Travel safety apparatus for vehicle

• US 7,400,233 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kondo, Shugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/442,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20060267747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 340435-437, 340/980, 701300-302, 348 7- 9, 359/609, 359/843, 359/13, 359/14
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes

Abstract

A travel safety apparatus for a vehicle which includes an object detecting unit which detects an object in a traveling direction of the vehicle; an object information obtaining unit adapted to obtain object information; a vehicle information obtaining unit adapted to obtain vehicle information; a determination unit which determines whether or not there is a possibility of a contact or a collision; a position detecting unit which detects positions of eyeballs of an occupant of the vehicle; a projecting unit adapted to project an image on the occupant'"'"'s retina when there is a possibility of a contact or a collision; and a controller which controls the projecting unit, wherein the controller is adapted to control the projecting unit to project the predetermined image so that the image overlaps in the occupant'"'"'s view with a position of the object or an area within a predetermined radius from the position of the object.

Claims

1. A travel safety apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

an object detecting unit which detects an object in a traveling direction of the vehicle;

an object information obtaining unit adapted to obtain object information regarding the object;

a vehicle information obtaining unit adapted to obtain vehicle information regarding the vehicle;

a determination unit which determines whether or not there is a possibility that one of contact and collision between the vehicle and the object occurs based on the object information and the vehicle information;

a position detecting unit which detects positions of eyeballs of an occupant of the vehicle;

a projecting unit adapted to project a predetermined image on a retina of the occupant based on eyeball position information when the determination unit determines that there is a possibility that one of contact and collision between the vehicle and the object occurs; and

a controller which controls operation of the projecting unit,

wherein the controller is adapted to control the projecting unit to project the predetermined image so that the predetermined image overlaps in a view of the occupant with one of a position of the object and an area within a predetermined radius from the position of the object.

2. The travel safety apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is adapted to control the projecting unit so that the predetermined image blinks.

3. The travel safety apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine a movement direction of the object, and

wherein the predetermined image is an image which shows the movement direction.

4. The travel safety apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine a velocity of the object, and

wherein the controller is adapted to control the projecting unit to change a size of the predetermined image in accordance with the velocity of the object.

5. The travel safety apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine a movement direction of the object, and

wherein the predetermined image is an image which shows the movement direction.

6. The travel safety apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine a velocity of the object, and

wherein the controller is adapted to control the projecting unit to change a size of the predetermined image in accordance with the velocity of the object.

7. The travel safety apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine a velocity of the object, and

wherein the controller is adapted to control the projecting unit to change a size of the predetermined image in accordance with the velocity of the object.

8. The travel safety apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine a velocity of the object, and

wherein the controller is adapted to control the projecting unit to change a size of the predetermined image in accordance with the velocity of the object.