Peripheral salient feature enhancement on full-windshield head-up display

• US 9,162,622 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Szczerba, Joseph F., Angell, Linda S., Seder, Thomas A., Cui, Dehua
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US14/100,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20140091989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 340/901, 340/905, 345/7, 701/1, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/00 Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor B60J10/00 takes precedence; air curtains instead of windows B60J9/04 ; sealing strips for windshields B60J10/70; sealing sash guides for sliding window panes B60J10/74; glass partitions inside vehicles to protect occupants against personal attack B60R21/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/001 integrated in the windows, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• 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 2027/014 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 : Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 : to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3473 : based on light coupled out of a light guide, e.g. due to scattering, by contracting the light guide with external means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 : Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence

Abstract

A method to selectively project graphical images upon a transparent windscreen head up display of a vehicle based upon visual information present in a peripheral zone of vision includes monitoring a location of visual information corresponding to critical information with respect to the windscreen, and processing the location of the visual information to generate display requirements describing the visual information as present in the peripheral zone of vision. Processing the location includes monitoring an estimated operator gaze location with respect to the windscreen, comparing the estimated operator gaze location to the location of visual information, and generating the display requirements when the estimated operator gaze location is distant from the location of visual information by more than a threshold distance. The method further includes generating the graphical images to be projected based upon the display requirements, and projecting the graphical images upon the transparent windscreen head up display based upon the estimated operator gaze location.

Claims

1. Method to selectively project graphical images upon a transparent windscreen head up display of a vehicle based upon prompting to a visible feature not directly visible through the windscreen, the method comprising:

monitoring a location of a visible feature corresponding to critical information;

monitoring an estimated operator head location;

determining whether the visible feature is directly visible through the windscreen based upon the monitored location of the visible feature and the estimated operator head location; and

when the visible feature is not directly visible through the windscreen, projecting the graphical images upon the transparent windscreen head up display prompting to the visible feature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a location of a visible feature corresponding to critical information comprises:

monitoring informational inputs describing the visible feature;

determining the informational inputs to indicate critical information; and

determining spatial relationships of the critical information to the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a turn signal activation indicating a desired lane change; and

wherein monitoring the location of a visible feature corresponding to critical information comprises monitoring the location of a target vehicle blocking the desired lane change indicated by the turn signal activation; and

wherein projecting the graphical images comprises indicating a prompt to the location of the target vehicle blocking the desired lane change.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the location of a visible feature corresponding to critical information comprises monitoring a location of visual information available in a mirror;

and

wherein projecting the graphical images comprises generating a prompt to look in the mirror.

5. Method to selectively project graphical images upon a transparent windscreen head up display of a vehicle based upon prompting to a visible feature not directly visible through the windscreen, the method comprising:

monitoring a location of a visible feature corresponding to critical information;

monitoring an estimated operator head location;

determining a line of sight between the estimated operator head location and the location of the visible feature;

determining the visible feature is not directly visible through the windscreen when the line of sight does not pass through the windscreen;

processing the location of the visible feature to generate display requirements indicating the visible feature as present in a peripheral zone of vision, the processing comprising;

monitoring an estimated operator gaze location with respect to the windscreen,

comparing the estimated operator gaze location to the location of the visible feature, and

generating the display requirements when the estimated operator gaze location is distant from the location of the visible feature by more than a threshold distance;

generating the graphical images indicating a prompt to the location of the visible feature to be projected based upon the display requirements; and

projecting the graphical images upon the transparent windscreen head up display based upon the estimated operator gaze location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the estimated operator gaze location is determined based upon a zone centered on a view of a lane of travel.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the estimated operator gaze location is determined from an occupant eye location sensing system.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the threshold distance is the shortest of a series of increasing threshold distances;

wherein comparing the estimated operator gaze location to the location of the visible feature comprises comparing the estimated operator gaze location and the location of visual feature to the series of increasing threshold distances; and

wherein generating the display requirements increases an emphasis based upon the comparing.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the generated display requirements increases an emphasis based upon a monitored importance of the corresponding critical information.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the graphical images are projected upon the transparent windscreen head up display in a zone centered on a view of the lane of travel indicating the prompt to the visible feature not directly visible through the windscreen.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the graphical images comprise textual graphics projected at various points upon the transparent windscreen head up display indicating the prompt to the visible feature not directly visible through the windscreen.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

alerting the operator to the visible feature not directly visible through the windscreen utilizing at least one of an audio indication, a vibrating seat and a vibrating steering wheel.

13. Apparatus to selectively project graphical images upon a transparent windscreen head up display of a vehicle based upon prompting to a visible feature not directly visible through the windscreen, the method comprising:

the transparent windscreen head up display;

an enhanced vision system system manager

monitoring a location of a visible feature corresponding to critical information,

monitoring an estimated operator head location,

determining whether the visible feature is directly visible through the windscreen based upon the monitored location of the visible feature and the estimated operator head location, and

generating display requirements prompting a view to the visible feature when the visible feature is not directly visible through the windscreen;

a graphics system generating the graphical images to be displayed based upon the display requirements; and

a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the graphical images upon the transparent windscreen head up display.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein determining whether the visible feature is directly visible through the windscreen comprises:

determining a line of sight between the estimated operator head location and the location of the visible feature; and

determining the visible feature is not directly visible through the windscreen when the line of sight does not pass through the windscreen.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein monitoring a location of a visible feature corresponding to critical information comprises:

monitoring informational inputs describing the visible feature;

determining the informational inputs to indicate critical information; and

determining spatial relationships of the critical information to the vehicle.