Rear parking assist on full rear-window head-up display

• US 8,350,724 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Szczerba, Joseph F., Seder, Thomas A., Cui, Dehua
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US12/564,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/932.2, 345/7
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/005 using a video camera
• 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 2013/9314 Parking operations
• 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: G06F 18/253 of extracted features
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/806 of extracted features
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 : Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 : Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 : Automotive applications

Abstract

A substantially transparent head up display includes one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the substantially transparent head up display permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the substantially transparent head up display. A method to display a graphic upon the substantially transparent head up display of a vehicle illustrating a parking aid includes monitoring a parking mode, determining the graphic illustrating the parking aid for projection upon a view of a parking surface proximate to the vehicle for display upon the substantially transparent head up display based upon the parking mode and displaying the graphic illustrating the parking aid upon the substantially transparent head up display.

Claims

1. Method to display a graphic upon a substantially transparent head up display of a vehicle illustrating a parking aid, the method comprising:

monitoring a parking mode;

monitoring a location of the eyes of an operator of the vehicle;

monitoring an operating environment of the vehicle comprising a parking surface proximate to the vehicle;

determining the graphic illustrating the parking aid for projection upon a view of the parking surface for display upon the substantially transparent head up display based upon the parking mode, wherein determining the graphic comprises determining a registered graphic illustrating the parking aid based upon the location of the eyes of the operator of the vehicle and the parking surface; and

displaying the graphic illustrating the parking aid upon the substantially transparent head up display; and

wherein the substantially transparent head up display comprises one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the substantially transparent head up display permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the substantially transparent head up display,

wherein displaying the graphic upon the head up display permits the operator to view the parking surface through the display while viewing the graphic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic illustrating the parking aid comprises a pair of lines projecting along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle approximating a current-heading advancing footprint of the vehicle upon the view of the parking surface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphic illustrating the parking aid further comprises a distance metric graphic.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a steering angle of the vehicle;

and

wherein the graphic illustrating the parking aid comprises a pair of lines approximating an advancing footprint of the vehicle upon the view of the parking surface based upon the steering angle of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the graphic illustrating the parking aid further comprises a distance metric graphic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the graphic illustrating the parking aid comprises determining a graphic illustrating a parking aid for projection upon a view of a parking surface behind the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the substantially transparent head up display further comprises a rear window of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the substantially transparent head up display comprises a substantially transparent windscreen.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a camera system viewing a parking surface proximate to the vehicle; and

determining a target parking spot based upon data from the camera system viewing the parking surface proximate to the vehicle;

wherein the graphic illustrating the parking aid comprises

a pair of lines approximating an advancing footprint of the vehicle, and

a comparison of the pair of lines to the target parking spot.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the target parking spot based upon the data from the camera system comprises:

determining a plurality of distinct parking spots based upon the data from the camera system; and

determining a probable target parking spot based upon the plurality of distinct parking spots.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the target parking spot based upon the data from the camera system comprises:

determining a plurality of distinct parking spots based upon the data from the camera system;

displaying the plurality of distinct parking spots upon the upon the substantially transparent head up display; and

monitoring a human machine interface to select the target parking spot from among the plurality of distinct parking spots.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring informational inputs describing an operational environment for the vehicle;

determining a location of an object proximate to the vehicle based upon the informational inputs; and

wherein the graphic illustrating the parking aid comprises

a pair of lines approximating an advancing footprint of the vehicle, and

a comparison of the pair of lines to the location of the object.

13. Method to display a graphic upon a substantially transparent rear window head up display of a vehicle illustrating a parking aid, the method comprising:

monitoring a location of the eyes of an operator of the vehicle;

monitoring an operating environment of the vehicle comprising a parking surface proximate to the vehicle;

determining a registered graphic illustrating a parking aid for display upon the substantially transparent rear window head up display based upon the location of the eyes of the operator of the vehicle and the parking surface, the registered graphic comprising

a pair of lines projecting along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle approximating a current-heading advancing footprint of the vehicle upon the view of the parking surface, and

a distance metric graphic; and

displaying the registered graphic illustrating the parking aid upon the substantially transparent rear window head up display; and

wherein the substantially transparent rear window head up display comprises one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the rear window permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the rear window,

wherein displaying the graphic upon the head up display permits the operator to view the parking surface through the display while viewing the graphic.

14. System to display a graphic upon a substantially transparent head up display of a vehicle illustrating a parking aid during a parking maneuver, comprising:

a camera system monitoring a view behind the vehicle;

an eye location sensing system monitoring a location of eyes of an operator of the vehicle;

a substantially transparent head up display comprising one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the substantially transparent head up display permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the substantially transparent head up display, wherein the display comprises a rear window of the vehicle;

an enhanced vision system manager

monitoring data from the camera system;

monitoring data from the eye location sensing system;

determining a display requirement comprising

a registered graphic illustrating the parking aid projected upon the rear window, the registered graphic based upon the data from the camera and the data from the eye location sensing system;

a graphics system communicating with the enhanced vision system manager and generating for display upon the substantially transparent head up display the registered graphic; and

a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the registered graphic,

wherein displaying the registered graphic upon the head up display permits the operator to view a parking surface proximate to the vehicle through the display while viewing the graphic.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the registered graphic dynamically updates through a parking maneuver based upon the data from the camera system.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the graphics projection system further displays a projection of a footprint that the vehicle will occupy if the vehicle travels backward along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the graphics projection system further displays a metric describing a desired remaining distance of travel for the parking maneuver based upon data from the camera system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the graphics projection system further displays an indication directing steering wheel control based upon a comparison of the projection of the footprint to a target parking spot.