Light emitting device, driving support system, and helmet

• US 8,791,878 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2013
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Koyama, Jun, Kuwabara, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hegarty, Kelly B
• Application Number:
  US13/904,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20130257688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 345 4- 9, 345/1.1, 345/3, 345/1, 345 30-100, 701/1, 701/9, 701/28, 701/29, 701/36, 701/200, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3031 Two-side emission, e.g. transparent OLEDs [TOLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light

Abstract

It is an object to provide a driving support system and a display device suitable for the driving support system. According to the driving support system, change in driver'"'"'s mental and physical conditions can be caught instantaneously and a warning light emission display is given within the forward sight of the driver in order to call the driver'"'"'s attention. A light emitting device of the driving support system can display a far side of the display. A display may be switched between a transmission mode and a non-transmission mode by adjusting a movable polarizer.

Claims

1. A light emitting device mounted on a vehicle and provided within a forward sight of a driver, the light emitting device comprising:

a front polarizer which covers a front surface of the light emitting device, and

a back polarizer which is provided on the other side of the light emitting device and covers a back surface of the light emitting device,

wherein the back polarizer is disposed between the driver and the light emitting device, and

wherein the light emitting device can switch between a transmission mode wherein background, as can be viewed through the light emitting device and only the front polarizer, is displayed in an area other than its lighted portions, and a non-transmission mode wherein part of the background is shielded by the front and the back polarizer by adjusting the back polarizer, based on a movable axis, within the forward sight.

2. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of light emitting elements is disposed in matrix, and each of the light emitting elements comprises a first electrode which transmits light, an organic compound layer, and a second electrode which transmits light.

3. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the front polarizer and the back polarizer are disposed so that their polarizing axes are crossed at right angles with each other.

4. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein to display warning data, the light emitting device is configured to perform intense whole area light emission instantaneously.

5. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is one selected from the group consisting of a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a special purpose car, a special kind car, a specially equipped car, in particular, an ambulance car, a tractor or a tanker, an electric train, and a motorcycle.

6. A driving support system comprising:

a surrounding circumstance detecting means configured to detect a surrounding circumstance of a vehicle,

a judging means configured to judge if there is any vehicle ahead, an obstruction, or a living body information of a driver; and

a display device configured to display data based on the judging means,

wherein to display warning data, the display device is configured to emit a strong light from the whole surface instantaneously to the driver and to the forward sight of the driver,

wherein the display device is a light emitting device comprising;

a front polarizer which covers a front surface of the light emitting device, and

a back polarizer which is provided on the other side of the light emitting device and covers a back surface of the light emitting device,

wherein the back polarizer is disposed between the driver and the light emitting device, and

wherein the light emitting device can switch between a transmission mode wherein background, as can be viewed through the light emitting device and only the front polarizer, is displayed in an area other than its lighted portions, and a non-transmission mode wherein part of the background is shielded by the front and the back polarizer by adjusting the back polarizer, based on a movable axis, within a forward sight of the driver.

7. The driving support system according to claim 6, wherein the display device is switched automatically depending on a surrounding circumstance obtained by the surrounding circumstance detecting means.

8. The driving support system according to claim 6, wherein the surrounding circumstance detecting means comprises a sensor configured to detect a light intensity.

9. The driving support system according to claim 6, further comprising an audio output means for outputting the warning data based on the judging means.

10. The driving support system according to claim 6, further comprising an audio output means for outputting the warning data based on the judging means.

11. The driving support system according to claim 6, further comprising a location data calculating means for calculating a self-location based on a signal from a GPS receiver and a memory means for storing map data, and the map data is read out from the memory means based on the location data calculating means and outputted by the display device.

12. The driving support system according to claim 6, wherein the judging means for judging living body information of the driver is a means for judging driver'"'"'s mental and physical conditions comprising a sensor for catching living body information of the driver, a chaos attractor generating portion for calculating a chaos attractor by numerically processed data caught by the sensor, and a lyapunov index generating portion for calculating an index indicating to what degree the chaos attractor matches a definition of the chaos.

13. A helmet comprising:

a transparent shield; and

a light emitting device adjacent to the transparent shield, wherein the light emitting device realizing a display within a forward sight of a person who wears the helmet is mounted on the helmet so that a far side of the display can be seen,

wherein the light emitting device comprises;

a front polarizer which covers a front surface of the light emitting device, and

a back polarizer which is provided on the other side of the light emitting device and covers a back surface of the light emitting device,

wherein the back polarizer is disposed between the person who wears the helmet and the light emitting device, and

wherein the light emitting device can switch between a transmission mode wherein background, as can be viewed through the light emitting device and only the front polarizer, is displayed in an area other than its lighted portions, and a non-transmission mode wherein part of the background is shielded by the front and the back polarizer by adjusting the back polarizer, based on a movable axis, within the forward sight.

14. A helmet according to claim 13, wherein the helmet is equipped with a GPS receiver, and a vehicle is provided with a location data calculating means for calculating a self-location based on a signal from the GPS receiver and a memory means for storing map data, whereby map data is read out from the memory means based on the location data calculating means and outputted by the light emitting device.

15. A helmet according to claim 13, wherein the light emitting device is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements in matrix and by which a far side of the display of a person who wears the helmet can be viewed through a non-emitting part when non-emitting.