Apparatus and method for blocking incident rays from entering an interior cabin of vehicle

• US 9,108,492 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Oh, Kwang Myung, Kim, Sung Un, Hong, Gi Beom
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNEIDER, PAULA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US13/554,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20130146234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 160/127, 382/103
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0243 sliding out from ceiling

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for blocking incident rays from entering an interior cabin of a vehicle. More specifically, an imaging device provided at a predetermined position in the vehicle and photographing an area around a driver'"'"'s hands and eyes when a driver raises his or her hand to block rays in the direction of a driver'"'"'s seat. A control unit which receives photographs from the imaging device, acquires an extension line which extends from the eye area to the hand area. A ray blocking mechanism installed in the vehicle accordingly is then controlled and accordingly operated to block the point where the extension line and the windshield glass or the side glass of the driver'"'"'s seat meet each other.

Claims

1. An apparatus for blocking incident rays to the inside of a vehicle, comprising:

a imaging device provided at a predetermined position in the vehicle and configured to photograph an area around a driver'"'"'s hand and an area around the driver'"'"'s eyes when a driver raises the hand to block light rays incident to a driver'"'"'s seat;

a control unit configured to;

receive the photographs of the area around the driver'"'"'s eyes and hand in response to the driver raising the hand to block rays incident to the driver'"'"'s seat,

acquire an extension line which extends from the eye area to the hand area is acquired by deducing 3D positional coordinate values of the photographed hand area and eye area,

store in advance 3D positional coordinate values of the windshield glass and a side glass of a driver'"'"'s seat, and acquire a point where an end portion of the extension line meets the windshield glass or the side glass of the driver'"'"'s seat based on the 3D positional coordinate values stored in advance and the acquired extension line; and

a ray blocking mechanism installed in the vehicle and configured to receive an operating signal from the control unit, and block, in response to the driver raising the hand to block light rays incident to the driver'"'"'s seat, the point where the extension line and the windshield glass or the side glass of the driver'"'"'s seat meet each other when the operating signal is inputted.

2. The apparatus for blocking incident rays to the inside of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the control unit measures illuminance or luminance of the rays incident in the hand area and a face area and when a difference in the illuminance or luminance of the rays is equal to or greater than a reference value, an operating signal is applied to the ray blocking mechanism.

3. The apparatus for blocking incident rays to the inside of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the ray blocking mechanism is a sun visor driven by an electric device.

4. The apparatus for blocking incident rays to the inside of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the ray blocking mechanism is liquid crystal glass which is electrically controlled.

5. A method for blocking incident rays to the inside of a vehicle, comprising:

storing, on a memory within a control unit, 3D positional coordinate values of windshield glass and a driver'"'"'s seat side glass in a control unit;

photographing, by an imaging device, a hand area and an eye area of a driver when the driver raises a hand to block light rays incident in a driver'"'"'s seat;

acquiring, by the control unit, an extension line which connects an eye to a hand in the photograph by deducing 3D positional coordinate values of the hand area and the eye area photographed by the imaging device and acquire a point where an end portion of the extension line meets the windshield glass or the driver'"'"'s seat side glass; and

in response to the driver raided the hand to block light rays incident to the driver'"'"'s seat, blocking or weakening the rays incident in the driver'"'"'s seat by blocking the point where the extension line meets the windshield glass or the driver'"'"'s seat side glass via a ray blocking mechanism.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising measuring illuminance or luminance of the light rays incident in the hand area and a face area and when a difference in the illuminance or luminance of the rays is equal to or greater than a reference value, applying an operating signal to the ray blocking mechanism.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the ray blocking mechanism is a sun visor driven by an electric device.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the ray blocking mechanism is liquid crystal glass which is electrically controlled.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a control unit, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that store 3D positional coordinate values of windshield glass and a driver'"'"'s seat side glass in a control unit;

program instructions that control an imaging device to photograph a hand area and an eye area of a driver when the driver raises a hand to block light rays incident in a driver'"'"'s seat;

program instructions that acquire an extension line which connects an eye to a hand in the photograph by deducing 3D positional coordinate values of the hand area and the eye area photographed by the imaging device;

program instructions that acquire a point where an end portion of the extension line meets the windshield glass or the driver'"'"'s seat side glass; and

program instructions that in response to determining that the driver raised the hand to block light rays incident to the driver'"'"'s seat, apply an operating signal to a ray blocking mechanism to block light rays incident in the driver'"'"'s seat at a point where the extension line meets the windshield glass or the driver'"'"'s seat side glass.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising program instructions that measure illuminance or luminance of the light rays incident in the hand area and a face area and when a difference in the illuminance or luminance of the rays is equal to or greater than a reference value, applying an operating signal to the ray blocking mechanism.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the ray blocking mechanism is a sun visor driven by an electric device.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the ray blocking mechanism is liquid crystal glass which is electrically controlled.