Automotive display system and display method

• US 8,212,662 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takashi, Hotta, Aira, Okumura, Haruhiko, Nagahara, Osamu, Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi, Horiuchi, Kazuo, Okada, Naotada, Ogawa, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/568,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20100164702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/901, 340/937, 340/425.5, 340/933, 348/118, 348/135, 345/7
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/22 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/64 Imaging systems using optical elements for stabilisation of the lateral and angular position of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• 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

Abstract

An automotive display system includes an image projection unit and an angle information acquisition unit. The image projection unit projects a light flux including an image including a display object toward one eye of an image viewer. The angle information acquisition unit acquires at least one of vehicle angle information and external environment angle information. The vehicle angle information relates to an angle of at least one of an attitude and a heading of a vehicle carrying the image viewer. The external environment angle information relates to an angle of a background object at a target position of the display object in a background of an external environment of the vehicle. The image projection unit changes an angle of the display object in the image based on at least one of the vehicle angle information and the external environment angle information acquired by the angle information acquisition unit.

Claims

1. An automotive display system, comprising:

an image projection unit configured to project a light flux including an image including a display object toward one eye of an image viewer; and

an angle information acquisition unit configured to acquire at least one of vehicle angle information and external environment angle information, the vehicle angle information relating to an angle of at least one of an attitude and a heading of a vehicle carrying the image viewer, the external environment angle information relating to an angle of a background object at a target position of the display object in a background of an external environment of the vehicle,

the image projection unit changing an angle of the display object in the image based on at least one of the vehicle angle information and the external environment angle information acquired by the angle information acquisition unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image projection unit changes the angle of the display object in the image based on a relative difference between the angle of the background object and the angle of at least one of the attitude and the heading of the vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the background object includes at least one of an angle of a grade in a direction along an extension direction of a road in a frontward path of the vehicle, an angle of a slant in a direction along a left and right direction orthogonal to an extension direction of the road, and an angle of a heading of an extension direction of the road at a target position of the display object.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the display object in the image is a three dimensional angle of the display object in a virtual space corresponding to the image.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the angle of the display object in the image is an angle when a position of the one eye of the image viewer is taken as a virtual visual point in the virtual space.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the image projection unit further includes an image data storage unit configured to store image data of the display object corresponding to at least one of the angle of the attitude of the vehicle, the angle of the heading of the vehicle, and the angle of the background object, and

the image projection unit changes the angle of the display object in the image based on the image data stored in the image data storage unit.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the image projection unit generates interpolation image data interpolated from a plurality of the image data stored in the image data storage unit and changes the angle of the display object in the image based on the interpolation image data.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image viewer position detection unit configured to detect a position of the image viewer; and

a control unit configured to adjust the angle of the display object in the image and at least one of a projection area and a projection position of the light flux based on the position of the image viewer detected by the image viewer position detection unit.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the image viewer position detection unit detects a position of the one eye of the image viewer as the position of the image viewer.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the angle acquisition unit includes an external environment angle information acquisition unit configured to acquire the external environment angle information, and

the external environment angle information acquisition unit includes an external environment information storage unit that stores information of the external environment.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image projection unit makes the image viewable by the image viewer via a reflector that reflects the light flux and projects the light flux toward the one eye of the image viewer.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the display object in the image includes at least one of a first rotation angle around an axis in a first direction corresponding to a direction from a rear of the vehicle toward a front of the vehicle, a second rotation angle around an axis in a second direction corresponding to a left and right direction of the vehicle, and a third rotation angle around an axis in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction in the image.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the angle of at least one of the attitude and the heading of the vehicle includes at least one of a roll angle, a pitch angle, and a yaw angle of the vehicle.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the display object in the image is an angle corresponding to a configuration, a size, and a position of the display object in the image.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the angle acquisition unit includes a vehicle axis angle detection unit that detects at least one of a roll angle, a pitch angle, and a yaw angle of the vehicle.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the angle acquisition unit includes an external environment angle information acquisition unit that acquires the external environment angle information, and

the external environment angle information acquisition unit includes a communication unit capable of communicating with a host provided outside the vehicle.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the angle acquisition unit includes an external environment angle information acquisition unit that acquires the external environment angle information, and

the external environment angle information acquisition unit includes an inter-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with a vehicle different from the vehicle.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the angle acquisition unit includes an external environment angle information acquisition unit that acquires the external environment angle information, and

the external environment angle information acquisition unit includes an external environment information detection unit including an external environment imaging unit that captures an image of the external environment of the vehicle.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the angle acquisition unit includes an external environment angle information acquisition unit that acquires the external environment angle information, and

the external environment angle information acquisition unit includes a receiver that detects topography of the external environment of the vehicle.

20. A display method, comprising:

acquiring at least one of vehicle angle information and external environment angle information, the vehicle angle information relating to an angle of at least one of an attitude and a heading of a vehicle carrying an image viewer, the external environment angle information relating to an angle of a background object at a target position of the display object in a background of an external environment of the vehicle;

changing an angle of a display object in an image based on at least one of the acquired vehicle angle information and the acquired external environment angle information; and

projecting a light flux including the image including the display object toward one eye of the image viewer.