Vehicle display enhancements

• US 8,896,684 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition, LLC
• Original Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Muresan, Adrian Valentin, Watson, William Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay Au
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aghevli, Reza
• Application Number:
  US13/067,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20110317002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/115
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A system and method for enhancing display content includes receiving a video signal made up of video frames from at least one image sensor and identifying a driving path based at least in part on steering wheel data. The system and method also includes performing a first segmentation on the at least one video frame to divide the at least one video frame into a plurality of segments containing input pixel data, altering input pixel data based on a segment associated with the input pixel data to create output pixel data and providing the at least one video frame comprising the output pixel data to a display.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing display content in a vehicle comprising:

receiving a video signal comprising at least one video frame from at least one image sensor;

identifying a driving path based at least in part on vehicle data;

performing a first segmentation on the at least one video frame to divide the at least one video frame into a plurality of segments containing input pixel data;

altering input pixel data based on a segment associated with the input pixel data to create output pixel data; and

providing the at least one video frame comprising the output pixel data to a display,

wherein the input pixel data comprises pixel luminance, and

wherein altering input pixel data comprises

altering the input pixel luminance to create a distribution of output pixel luminance for all pixels contained in at least one driving path segment according to a predetermined function, and

altering the input pixel luminance to create a distribution of output pixel luminance for all pixels contained in a non-driving path segment according to a predetermined function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the first segmentation comprises dividing the at least one video frame into the non-driving path segment and the at least one driving path segment.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing a second segmentation that divides the at least one video frame into luminance segments based on luminance thresholds.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein altering input pixel luminance results in all output pixel luminance contained in non-driving path luminance segments being adjusted between an upper and lower luminance value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined function is a Gaussian function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein an average output pixel luminance in the at least one driving path segment is higher than an average output pixel luminance in the non-driving path segment.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein an average output pixel luminance in the at least one driving path segment is altered with respect to time in a predetermined manner such that the average output pixel luminance in the at least one driving path segment in a first video frame provided to the display differs from an average output pixel luminance in the at least one driving path segment in a temporally subsequent video frame provided to the display by a predetermined amount.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one driving path segment is a single continuous segment of pixels with a perimeter.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one driving path segment comprises a plurality of distinct continuous segments of pixels formed in a predetermined pattern.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is a video camera mounted on an exterior of the vehicle to capture a rear view and the display is heads up display mounted in an interior of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data comprises steering data.

12. An apparatus for enhancing display content in a vehicle comprising:

at least one image sensor configured to output a video signal comprising at least one video frame;

a steering wheel positioning module configured to detect vehicle data;

a driving path module configured to identify a driving path based at least in part on the vehicle data;

at least one processing device configured to;

perform a first segmentation on the at least one video frame to divide the at least one video frame into a plurality of segments containing input pixel data, the input pixel data comprising pixel luminance;

alter input pixel data based on a segment associated with the input pixel data wherein the altered pixel data are output pixel data, wherein altering input pixel data comprises

altering the input pixel luminance to create a distribution of output pixel luminance for all pixels contained in at least one driving path segment according to a predetermined function, and

altering the input pixel luminance to create a distribution of output pixel luminance for all pixels contained in a non-driving path segment according to a predetermined function; and

provide the at least one video frame comprising the output pixel data to a display.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein performing the first segmentation comprises dividing the at least one video frame into the non-driving path segment and the at least one driving path segment.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein an average output pixel luminance in the at least one driving path segment is higher than an average output pixel luminance in the non-driving path segment.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one driving path segment comprises a plurality of distinct continuous segments of pixels formed in a predetermined pattern.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the image sensor is a video camera mounted on an exterior of the vehicle to capture a rear view and the display is heads up display mounted in an interior of the vehicle.