Vehicle threat identification on full windshield head-up display

• US 8,514,099 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2010
• 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): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US12/903,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20120093357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/902, 340/903, 340/905, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 340/573.1, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A method to dynamically register a graphic identifying a potentially threatening vehicle onto a driving scene of a vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head up display includes monitoring a vehicular environment, identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment, determining the graphic identifying the potentially threatening vehicle, dynamically registering a location of the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle, and displaying the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display, wherein the 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 therethrough.

Claims

1. Method to dynamically register a graphic identifying a potentially threatening vehicle onto a driving scene of a vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head up display, comprising:

monitoring a vehicular environment;

identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment;

determining the graphic identifying the potentially threatening vehicle;

dynamically registering a location of the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle;

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 therethrough.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring an occupant eye location, monitoring a current orientation of the vehicle and monitoring a current location of the potentially threatening vehicle;

and

wherein dynamically registering the location of the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle is based on the occupant eye location, the current orientation of the vehicle and the current location of the identified potentially threatening vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising monitoring an operator gaze location;

wherein determining the graphic identifying the potentially threatening vehicle comprises increasing an emphasis to the graphic as a distance between the operator gaze location and the current location of the identified potentially threatening vehicle increases; and

wherein determining the graphic identifying the potentially threatening vehicle further comprises decreasing the emphasis to the graphic as the distance between the operator gaze location and the current location of the identified potentially threatening vehicle decreases.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the graphic identifying the potentially threatening vehicle comprises utilizing a highlighted box encompassing the potentially threatening vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring a vehicle-to-vehicle communication;

and

wherein monitoring the vehicle environment is based upon the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein monitoring the vehicle environment based upon the vehicle-to-vehicle communication comprises:

analyzing a driving pattern of a second vehicle transmitted within the vehicle-to-vehicle communication;

determining the driving pattern of the second vehicle to indicate adverse driving behavior; and

identifying the second vehicle as a potential threat based on the indicated adverse driving behavior.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein monitoring the vehicle environment based upon the vehicle-to-vehicle communication comprises:

conveying a request for potentially threatening vehicles forward along a roadway from the vehicle to a second vehicle forward along the roadway; and

transferring an identification of potentially threatening vehicles from the second vehicle to the vehicle based on the second vehicle identifying the potentially threatening vehicle utilizing vehicle sensors of the second vehicle.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein monitoring the vehicle environment based upon the vehicle-to-vehicle communication comprises:

conveying a request for a classification of an operator of a second vehicle from the vehicle to the second vehicle;

transferring the classification of the operator of the second vehicle from the second vehicle to the vehicle;

comparing the classification of the operator of the second vehicle to an operator classification threshold; and

wherein identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment comprises identifying the second vehicle as potentially threatening if the classification of the operator violates the operator classification threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the vehicular environment comprises

monitoring a lane of travel of a vehicular environment vehicle traveling along a roadway;

determining the number of times the vehicular environment vehicle deviates from the monitored lane of travel within a time span;

comparing the number of times the vehicular environment vehicle deviates from the monitored lane of travel within the time span to a threshold;

wherein identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment comprises identifying the vehicular environment vehicle as potentially threatening when the number of times the vehicular environment vehicle deviates from the monitored lane of travel within the time span exceeds the threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the vehicular environment comprises:

monitoring driving variance of a vehicular environment vehicle;

comparing the driving variance to a driving variance threshold; and

wherein identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment comprises identifying the vehicular environment vehicle as potentially threatening when the monitored driving variance violates the driving variance threshold.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the vehicular environment comprises:

monitoring a current operating state of a vehicular environment vehicle relative to the vehicle;

comparing the current operating state of the vehicular environment vehicle to an operating state threshold; and

wherein identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment comprises identifying the vehicular environment vehicle as potentially threatening when the monitored current operating state violates the operating state threshold.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the vehicular environment comprises:

monitoring a vehicle classification of a vehicular environment vehicle;

comparing the vehicle classification to a vehicle classification threat; and

wherein identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment comprises identifying the vehicular environment vehicle as potentially threatening when the vehicular environment vehicle matches the vehicle classification threat.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the vehicular environment comprises:

monitoring driving characteristics of a vehicular environment vehicle relative to the vehicle;

monitoring vehicular environment conditions;

comparing the driving characteristics of the vehicular environment vehicle and the vehicular environment conditions; and

wherein identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the monitored vehicular environment comprises identifying the vehicular environment vehicle as potentially threatening based on the comparing.

14. Method to dynamically register a highlighted outline graphic identifying a potentially threatening vehicle onto a driving scene of a vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head up display, comprising:

analyzing a driving pattern of a vehicular environment vehicle along a roadway;

determining the driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving based on the analyzing;

identifying the potentially threatening vehicle based on the determined driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving;

utilizing the highlighted outline graphic identifying the potentially threatening vehicle;

monitoring an occupant eye location including occupant gaze location, monitoring a current orientation of the vehicle and monitoring a current location of the identified potentially threatening vehicle;

dynamically registering a location of the highlighted outline graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle and based upon the occupant eye location including occupant gaze location, the current orientation of the vehicle and the current location of the identified potentially threatening vehicle;

displaying the highlighted outline 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 therethrough.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

providing a textual message graphic describing the potentially threatening vehicle;

dynamically registering a location of the textual message graphic describing the potentially threatening vehicle upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle and based upon the occupant eye location including occupant gaze location, the current orientation of the vehicle and the current location of the identified potentially threatening vehicle; and

displaying the textual message graphic describing the potentially threatening vehicle upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein providing the textual message graphic describing the potentially threatening vehicle comprises increasing an emphasis to the textual message graphic as a distance between the operator gaze location and the current orientation of the identified potentially threatening vehicle decreases, and decreasing the emphasis to the textual message graphic as the distance between the operator gaze location and the current orientation of the identified potentially threatening vehicle increases.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining a degree of threat for the identified potentially threatening vehicle;

monitoring a distance between the vehicle and the potentially threatening vehicle; and

wherein utilizing the highlighted outline graphic identifying the potentially threatening vehicle comprises dynamically augmenting the highlighted outline graphic based on the degree of threat and the distance between the vehicle and the identified potentially threatening vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein analyzing the driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle along the roadway comprises analyzing attentiveness of the vehicular environment vehicle to roadway hazards;

and

wherein determining the driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving based on the analyzing comprises determining the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving based on the vehicular environment vehicle being inattentive to the roadway hazards.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein analyzing the driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle along the roadway comprises analyzing a reaction time of the vehicular environment vehicle to vehicular traffic conditions;

and

wherein determining the driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving based on the analyzing comprises determining the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving based on a slow reaction time of the vehicular environment vehicle to the vehicular traffic conditions.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein analyzing the driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle along the roadway comprises analyzing a space cushion between the vehicular environment vehicle and vehicle traffic;

and

wherein determining the driving pattern of the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving based on the analyzing comprises determining the vehicular environment vehicle to indicate adverse driving when the space cushion is less than a space cushion threshold.