Interactive vehicle window display system with user identification and image recording

• US 9,387,824 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Pisz, James T., Schulz, Jason A., Jiang, Yifan
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US14/463,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20150077235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/425.5, 3404261-42627, 340/435, 348/148
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8073 for vehicle security, e.g. parked vehicle surveillance, burglar detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/104 characterised by the type of theft warning signal, e.g. visual or audible signals with special characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A system and method for a vehicle includes a user identification subsystem operable to detect an individual proximate to the vehicle and a display subsystem operable to generate output for display on a vehicle window in response to detection the. The system and method distinguish between authenticated and non-authenticated vehicle users and, in the event of a non-authenticated user, display the image on the display along with an optional printed and/or audible warning. If both an authenticated and non-authenticated user are identified, the system displays both images along with an optional warning. The images along with the vehicle coordinates and date and time information can be transmitted remotely from the vehicle to a pre-defined contact list. The system and method allow for a camera mode to enable an authenticated user to use the image sensor on the vehicle to take a photograph or video.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle, comprising:

a user identification subsystem operable to detect individuals proximate to the vehicle;

an image display subsystem operable to generate output for display on an image surface on a vehicle, viewable from outside the vehicle, based on detection of an individual proximate to the vehicle;

the user identification subsystem operable to identify the individual as an authenticated vehicle user or a non-authenticated individual; and

the image display subsystem operable to display an image of an individual proximate to the vehicle on the image surface.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

the display subsystem operable, in the event that the individual is determined to be a non-authenticated vehicle user, generating an output to, the image surface to display the image of the non-authenticated individual on the image surface.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

the display subsystem also generating a warning message informing the non-authenticated individual that their image is being recorded.

4. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

the display subsystem transmitting the image on the image surface remotely from the vehicle along with at least one of time and date and vehicle location coordinate information.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

the display subsystem transmitting the image remotely from the vehicle to a predefined list of user contacts.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

in the event that the user identification subsystem detects an individual in proximity of the vehicle as an authenticated vehicle user and detects a second individual within the field of view of an image sensor of the vehicle and determines that the second individual is a non-authenticated individual, the display subsystem generating an output to simultaneously display the image of the authenticated vehicle user and the non-authenticated individual on the image surface.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

displaying a message on the image surface warning the authenticated vehicle user of the presence of the second individual.

8. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

the display subsystem transmitting the image on the image surface remotely from the vehicle along with at least one of time and date and vehicle location coordinate information.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

the system transmitting the image remotely from the vehicle to a predefined list of user contacts.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

after identifying the individual as an authenticated vehicle user, accepting input from the authenticated vehicle user to enter a camera mode, the camera mode allowing the authenticated vehicle user to take one of a still image and video images of the field of view of an image sensor on the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

at the completion of an image recording operation, the display subsystem transmitting the recorded one of the still image and video images remotely from the vehicle to an image storage medium.

12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the display subsystem includes a projector operable to project the output toward the image surface.

13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the image surface in the display subsystem comprises a vehicle window.

14. A method of operating a system for a vehicle, comprising:

detecting an individual proximate to a vehicle;

generating output for display on a vehicle window image surface, in response to detection of the individual, the output visible from outside of the vehicle;

identifying by a user identification subsystem whether the individual is an authenticated user of the vehicle or a non-authenticated individual; and

displaying an image of the non-authenticated individual on the image surface.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

generating a warning message informing the non-authenticated individual that their image is being recorded.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

transmitting the image displayed on the image surface remotely from the vehicle along with at least one of time and date and vehicle location coordinate information.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising:

transmitting the image remotely from the vehicle to a predefined list of contacts.

18. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising:

in the event that the individual in proximity of the vehicle is an authenticated user and a second individual within the field of view of the image sensor is determined to be a non-authenticated individual, generating an output to display the image of the authenticated user and the non-authenticated second individual on the image surface.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 further comprising:

displaying a message on the display warning the authenticated user of the presence of the second individual.

20. The method as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

after identifying the individual as an authenticated user, accepting input from the authenticated user to enter a camera mode, the camera mode allowing the authenticated user to record one of a still image and video images of objects and/or persons in the field of view of the image sensor; and

at the completion of the image recording, transmitting the recorded image remotely from the vehicle to an image storage medium.