Recommended following distance on full-windshield head-up display

• US 8,384,531 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• 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: Szczerba, Joseph F., Seder, Thomas A., Cui, Dehua
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US12/564,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 701/300, 701/301, 345/7
• US Class Current: 340/435
• 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 17/931 of land vehicles
• 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 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• 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 substantially transparent windscreen head up display includes one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the windscreen. A method to display a graphic upon a substantially transparent windscreen head up display of a host vehicle describing a preferred driving distance for the host vehicle includes monitoring a speed of the host vehicle, determining a preferred driving distance for the host vehicle based upon the speed of the host vehicle, determining a graphic describing the preferred driving distance for display upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display, and displaying the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display.

Claims

1. Method to display a graphic upon a substantially transparent windscreen head up display of a host vehicle describing a preferred driving distance for the host vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring a speed of the host vehicle;

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

determining a preferred driving distance for the host vehicle based upon the speed of the host vehicle;

determining a graphic describing the preferred driving distance for display upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display;

registering the graphic to the substantially transparent windscreen head up display based upon the location of the eyes of the operator; and

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

wherein the substantially 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the preferred driving distance comprises determining a preferred driving distance in front of the host vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the preferred driving distance comprises determining a preferred driving distance behind the host vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the preferred driving distance comprises determining a preferred driving distance to a side of the host vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring informational inputs describing the operational environment for the host vehicle;

determining whether a detected object is closer to the host vehicle than the preferred driving distance based upon the informational inputs; and

wherein determining the graphic describing the preferred driving distance is based upon the determining whether the detected object is closer to the host vehicle than the preferred driving distance.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a position of a target vehicle relative to the host vehicle; and

comparing the position of the target vehicle relative to the host vehicle and the preferred driving distance; and

wherein determining the graphic describing the preferred driving distance comprises utilizing a graphic describing the comparing.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein utilizing the graphic describing the comparing comprises:

utilizing a graphic with a first color corresponding to the position of the target vehicle relative to the host vehicle being more distant from the host vehicle than the preferred driving distance; and

utilizing a graphic with a second color corresponding to the position of the target vehicle relative to the host vehicle being closer to the host vehicle than the preferred driving distance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second color is red.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising utilizing automatic braking based upon the comparing.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring respective positions of a plurality of target vehicles relative to the host vehicle; and

comparing the respective positions of each of the target vehicles relative to the host vehicle and the preferred driving distance; and

wherein determining the graphic describing the preferred driving distance comprises utilizing a graphic describing the comparing.

11. System to display a graphic upon a substantially transparent windscreen head up display of a host vehicle describing a preferred driving distance for the host vehicle, the system comprising:

a sensor monitoring a speed of the host vehicle;

a sensor monitoring a range to a target vehicle;

a sensor describing a location of the eyes of an occupant of the host vehicle;

the substantially 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;

an enhanced vision system manager

monitoring the sensor monitoring the speed of the host vehicle,

monitoring the sensor monitoring the range to the target vehicle,

monitoring the sensor describing the location of the eyes of the occupant,

determining the preferred driving distance for the host vehicle based upon the speed of the host vehicle,

comparing the range to the target vehicle and the preferred driving distance, and

determining a registered display requirement describing the comparison of the range to the target vehicle and the preferred driving distance based upon the comparison and the location of the eyes of the occupant;

a graphics system generating the graphic describing the preferred driving distance to be displayed based upon the registered display requirement; and

a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the graphic describing the preferred driving distance upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display.