Continuation of exterior view on interior pillars and surfaces

• US 8,547,298 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• 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): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US12/563,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/7
• 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 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• 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 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A method to display a graphic illustrating an operational environment of a vehicle includes monitoring informational inputs describing the operational environment of the vehicle, processing the informational inputs to determine critical information, monitoring location of the eyes of an operator of the vehicle, determining a registered graphic describing the critical information hidden from a view of the operator by a non-transparent component of the vehicle based upon the location of the eyes of the operator, and displaying the registered graphic describing the critical information hidden from the view of the operator upon the non-transparent component of the vehicle, the non-transparent component including a material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector.

Claims

1. Method to display a graphic illustrating an operational environment of a vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring informational inputs describing the operational environment of the vehicle, the informational inputs obtained only from one or more vehicle sensors of the vehicle;

processing the informational inputs, comprising

identifying a plurality of features present in the operational environment based on the monitored informational inputs,

comparing each feature to a likelihood for collision threshold, and

discerning each feature as corresponding to one of critical information related to a collision threat and non-critical information not related to the collision threat, each feature discerned as corresponding to the non-critical information not warranting graphical display upon a non-transparent component of the vehicle;

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

determining one or more registered graphics, each registered graphic indicating required attention only to respective ones of the features discerned as corresponding to the critical information hidden from a view of the operator by the non-transparent component of the vehicle based upon the location of the eyes of the operator and describing the critical information, wherein each graphic comprises a rectangle graphic located to each respective feature discerned as corresponding to the critical information hidden from the view of the operator by the non-transparent component; and

displaying the one or more registered graphics describing the critical information hidden from the view of the operator upon the non-transparent component of the vehicle, the non-transparent component comprising a material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transparent component of the vehicle comprises a seat of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transparent component of the vehicle comprises a headrest of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transparent component of the vehicle comprises a structural pillar of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transparent component of the vehicle comprises a structural pillar located along a side edge of a windscreen of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transparent component of the vehicle comprises a roof of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transparent component of the vehicle comprises a sun visor of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the material reactive to display graphics in response to the excitation projector comprises a transparent phosphor film.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the excitation projector comprises an ultraviolet projector.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more features present in the operational environment comprises a sensed object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more features present in the operational environment comprises a feature of road geometry.

12. Method to display a graphic illustrating an operational environment of a vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring informational inputs describing the operational environment of the vehicle, the informational inputs obtained only from one or more vehicle sensors of the vehicle;

processing the informational inputs, comprising

identifying a plurality of features present in the operational environment based on the monitored informational inputs,

comparing each feature to a likelihood for collision threshold, and

discerning each feature as corresponding to one of critical information related to a collision threat and non-critical information not related to the collision threat, each feature discerned as corresponding to the non-critical information not warranting graphical display upon a structural pillar located along a side edge of the substantially transparent windscreen head up display;

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

determining one or more registered graphics, each registered graphic indicating required attention only to respective ones of the features discerned as corresponding to the critical information for display upon a 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 based upon the location of the eyes of the operator, wherein each graphic comprises a rectangle graphic located to each respective feature discerned as corresponding to the critical information;

displaying the one or more registered graphics describing the critical information for display upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display;

determining one or more registered graphics, each registered graphic indicating required attention only to respective ones of the features discerned as corresponding to the critical information hidden from a view of the operator of the vehicle by the structural pillar based upon the location of the eyes of the operator; and

displaying the one or more registered graphics describing the critical information hidden from the view of the operator upon the structural pillar comprising a material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the material reactive to display graphics in response to the excitation projector comprises a transparent phosphor film.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the excitation projector comprises an ultraviolet projector.

15. System to display registered graphical images within a vehicle describing an operational environment for the vehicle, the method comprising:

a device monitoring the operational environment of the 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;

a structural pillar located adjacent to the substantially transparent windscreen head up display comprising a material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector;

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

an enhanced vision system system manager

monitoring information from the device configured to monitor the operational environment of the vehicle, the information obtained directly from one or more vehicle sensors of the vehicle,

processing the monitored information, comprising,

identifying a plurality of features present in the operational environment based on the monitored information,

comparing each feature to a likelihood for collision threshold, and

discerning each feature as corresponding to one of critical information related to a collision threat and non-critical information not related to the collision threat, each feature discerned as corresponding to the non-critical information not warranting graphical display upon the structural pillar, and

generating registered display requirements indicating required attention to each feature discerned as corresponding to the critical information and describing the critical information hidden from a view of the operator by a non-transparent component of the vehicle based upon the sensor describing the location of the eyes of the occupant;

a graphics system generating the registered graphical images to be displayed based upon the registered display requirements, wherein the images comprise a rectangular graphic located to each respective feature discerned as corresponding to the critical information hidden from the view of the operatory by the structural pillar based upon the feature and the sensor describing the location of the eyes of the occupant; and

a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the registered graphical images upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display and the structural pillar, the graphics projection system comprising the excitation projector.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the material reactive to display graphics in response to an excitation projector comprises a transparent phosphor film.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the excitation projector comprises an ultraviolet projector.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising a second structural pillar located adjacent to the substantially transparent windscreen head up display and disparate from the structural pillar, the second structural pillar comprising the material reactive to display graphics in response to the excitation projector;

and

wherein the graphics projection system further displays the registered graphical images upon the second structural pillar.