Navigation display method and system

• US 9,482,540 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Shen, Kelei
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stroud, James E
• Application Number:
  US14/645,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20150260534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 701/408
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1868 according to driving situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/347 Optical elements for superposition of display information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• 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: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A light pattern is projected onto the front glass in a position where the light pattern appears to be projected onto or in close proximity to a corresponding specific real-world object when viewed by an operator in the operating position and/or a graphic pattern is superposed on a graphic or video image of the real-world objects in front of the vehicle in a position where the graphical pattern appears to be on or in close proximity to the image of the corresponding specific real-world object on a screen, wherein the light pattern and/or graphic pattern has a light wavelength that changes in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and the specific real-world object.

Claims

1. A method for guiding a steerable vehicle through a road network, wherein the vehicle has a front glass and an operating position from which an operator looking through the front glass steers the vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, via a vehicle position data generator, navigation data representing a position and a travel direction of the vehicle;

receiving, from a storage object, data corresponding to one or more real-world objects based on the navigation data;

generating a light pattern that indicates a first real-world object on the road of current travel based on the data from the storage object; and

projecting the light pattern onto the front glass in a position where the light pattern appears to be projected onto or in close proximity to the first real-world object when viewed from the operating position,

wherein the light pattern has a light wavelength that changes in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and the first real-world object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the light pattern has a shape with a vertical extension and a horizontal extension, and wherein the vertical extension is at least twice the size of the horizontal extension.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first real-world object comprises at least one of an upcoming intersection, a U-turn, a road exit, and a merging lane.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating position is included in a plurality of different operating positions, and wherein the vertical extension is sufficiently large to allow the light pattern to superimpose the first real-world object in multiple different operating positions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the light wavelength of the light pattern changes gradually or in increments.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the increments comprise a close distance range that includes the first real-world object, a far distance range, and an intermediate distance range that lies between the close range and the far range.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the light wavelength of the light pattern allows the light pattern to appear green at distances within the close range, yellow at distances within the intermediate range, and red at distances within the far range.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the increments change in accordance with vehicle speed.

9. A method for guiding a steerable vehicle through a road network, wherein the vehicle has a screen and an operating position from which the screen is visible to an operator steering the vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, via a vehicle position data generator, navigation data representing a position and a travel direction of the vehicle;

receiving, from a storage object, data corresponding to one or more real-world objects based on the navigation data;

generating on the screen a graphic image or video image of one or more real-world objects in front of the vehicle;

generating on the screen a graphical pattern that indicates a first real-world object on the road of current travel based on the data from the object; and

superposing the graphical pattern on the graphic or video image in front of the vehicle at a position where the graphical pattern appears to be on or in close proximity to the image of the first real-world object,

wherein the graphic pattern has a light wavelength that changes in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and the first real-world object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphical pattern has a shape with a vertical extension and a horizontal extension, and wherein the vertical extension is at least twice the size of the horizontal extension.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first real-world object comprises at least one of an upcoming intersection, a U-turn, a road exit, and a merging lane.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the light wavelength of the graphical pattern changes gradually or in increments.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the increments comprise a close distance range that includes the first real-world object, a far distance range, and an intermediate distance range that lies between the close range and the far range.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the light wavelength of the graphical pattern allows the light pattern to appear green at distances within the close range, yellow at distances within the intermediate range, and red at distances within the far range.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the increments change in accordance with vehicle speed.

16. A system configured to guide a steerable vehicle through a road network, wherein the vehicle has a front glass and an operating position from which an operator looking through the front glass steers the vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle position data generator configured to determine navigation data representing a position and a travel direction of the vehicle;

a memory configured to provide object data corresponding to one or more real-world objects based on the navigation data; and

a heads-up display configured to generate a light pattern that indicates a first real-world object on the road of current travel based on the object data and to project the light pattern onto the front glass at a position where the light pattern appears to be projected onto or in close proximity to the first real-world object when viewed from the operating position,

wherein the light pattern has a light wavelength that changes in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and the first real-world object.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the light pattern has a shape with a vertical extension and a horizontal extension, and wherein the vertical extension is at least twice the size of the horizontal extension.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the light wavelength of the light pattern changes gradually or in increments.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the increments change in accordance with vehicle speed.

20. A system configured to guide a steerable vehicle through a road network, wherein the vehicle has a screen and an operating position from which the screen is visible to an operator steering the vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle position data generator configured to determine navigation data representing a position and a travel direction of the vehicle; and

a memory configured to provide object data corresponding to one or more real-world objects based on the navigation data,

wherein the screen is configured to generate a graphic pattern that indicates a first real-world object on the road of current travel based on the object data, and to superpose the graphic pattern on a graphic image or video image at a position where the graphic pattern appears to be on or in close proximity to the first real-world object, and

wherein the graphic pattern has a light wavelength that changes in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and the specific real-world object.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising an image pick-up unit that is configured to generate an image of the local environment in front of the vehicle.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the graphical pattern has a shape with a vertical extension and a horizontal extension, and wherein the vertical extension is at least twice the size of the horizontal extension.

23. The system of any of claim 20, wherein the light wavelength of the graphic pattern changes gradually or in increments.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the increments change in accordance with vehicle speed.