Infotainment display on full-windshield head-up display

• US 8,317,329 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Seder, Thomas A., Szczerba, Joseph F., Cui, Dehua
• Primary Examiner(s): Legasse, Jr., Francis M
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, BAO-LUAN Q
• Application Number:
  US12/564,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 353/13, 353/14, 353/11, 353/12, 359/452
• US Class Current: 353/13
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/20 : Filters polarising elements G02B5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 : Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A method to display an infotainment graphic upon a surface within a vehicle includes monitoring a source of infotainment content; determining the infotainment graphic based upon monitoring the source of infotainment content, and displaying the infotainment graphic upon the surface including a material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector, wherein the excitation projector includes an ultraviolet projector.

Claims

1. Method to display an infotainment graphic upon at least one surface within a vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring a source of infotainment content;

determining the infotainment graphic based upon monitoring the source of infotainment content; and

displaying the infotainment graphic upon the at least one surface comprising a material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector, the at least one surface comprising a transparent windscreen head up display utilizing a field of view limiter when the vehicle is not in a parked mode to enable view of the infotainment graphic from a limited direction in a limited area of the transparent windscreen using free standing parabolas that are filled with one of light emitting particles or microstructures and nested into divots in the limited area of the transparent windscreen accepting excitation light from the excitation projector and emitting light in the limited direction; and

wherein the excitation projector comprises an ultraviolet projector.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface further comprises a transparent phosphor film.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface further comprises a back of a seat.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface further comprises a section of an instrument panel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface comprising the transparent windscreen head up display comprises one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the windscreen.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the field of view limiter enables view of the infotainment graphic from a limited direction corresponding to a non-driving occupant and restricts view of the infotainment graphic to a driver of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring a source of infotainment content comprises accessing a media storage device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a source of infotainment content comprises accessing content over a wireless communication network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a source of infotainment content comprises accessing a satellite broadcast signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a source of infotainment content comprises monitoring an output signal of a computerized device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising targeting corresponding audio based upon the at least one surface upon which the infotainment graphic is displayed.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a plurality of sources of infotainment content;

determining a plurality of infotainment graphics based upon monitoring the plurality of sources of infotainment content; and

displaying the plurality of infotainment graphics within the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined region is the entire windscreen.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the infotainment graphic is limited to a portion of the windscreen in front of a non-driving occupant.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising monitoring the vehicle in a semi-autonomous mode;

and

wherein displaying the infotainment graphic upon the transparent windscreen head up display comprises limiting an infotainment content based upon monitoring the vehicle in the semi-autonomous mode.

16. The method of claim 5, further comprising monitoring the vehicle in an autonomous mode;

and

wherein displaying the infotainment graphic upon the transparent windscreen head up display comprises limiting an infotainment content based upon monitoring the vehicle in the autonomous mode.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising monitoring the vehicle in a parked mode;

and

wherein the infotainment graphic is displayed upon the transparent windscreen head up display without utilizing the field of view limiter when the vehicle is in the parked mode.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

targeting corresponding audio based upon displaying the plurality of infotainment graphics within the vehicle.

19. Method to display an infotainment graphic upon a transparent windscreen head up display of a vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring a source of infotainment content;

determining the infotainment graphic based upon monitoring a source of infotainment content;

displaying the infotainment graphic upon the transparent windscreen head up display; and

wherein the transparent windscreen head up display comprises one of light emitting particles or microstructures permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the windscreen, the transparent windscreen head up display utilizing a field of view limiter when the vehicle is not in a parked mode to enable view of the infotainment graphic from a limited direction in a limited area of the transparent windscreen using free standing parabolas that are filled with one of light emitting particles or microstructures and nested into divots in the limited area of the transparent windscreen accepting excitation light from an excitation projector and emitting light in the limited direction.

20. System to display an infotainment graphic upon a transparent windscreen head up display of a vehicle, the system comprising:

the transparent windscreen head up display comprising one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the windscreen, the transparent windscreen head up display utilizing a field of view limiter when the vehicle is not in a parked mode to enable view of the infotainment graphic from a limited direction in a limited area of the transparent windscreen using free standing parabolas that are filled with one of light emitting particles or microstructures and nested into divots in the limited area of the transparent windscreen accepting excitation light from an excitation projector and emitting light in the limited direction;

an enhanced vision system manager monitoring an infotainment signal;

a graphics system communicating with the enhanced vision system manager and generating for display upon the transparent head up display the infotainment graphic based upon the infotainment signal; and

a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the infotainment graphic upon the transparent windscreen head up display.