Display control apparatus, a method of controlling a display control apparatus and display apparatus

• US 9,530,211 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Makoto, Emura, Koichi, Ito, Hayashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly A
• Application Number:
  US14/594,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20150213592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/66 Projection screens or combiners
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1529 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/66 Projection screens or combiners
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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 21/365 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: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0179 Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads

Abstract

A method of controlling a display control apparatus in a display system includes causing a display unit to generate a first certain image indicating a first presentation image to be overlapped on a certain object in display on a display medium on the basis of the recognized certain object; determining a wiping area wiped by a wiper on the display medium on the basis of detected position after the first presentation image is displayed on the display medium; and causing the display unit to generate a second certain image indicating a second presentation image resulting from deletion of a portion corresponding to the wiping area in the first presentation image in the display on the display medium.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a display control apparatus in a display system including a recognizer that recognizes a certain object existing in a front direction or a side direction of a movable body, a detector that detects a position of a wiper, which wipes a display medium at least including a windshield of the movable body, and a display that generates a certain image to display the certain image on the display medium, the method comprising:

causing the display to generate a first certain image indicating a first presentation image to be overlapped on the certain object on the display medium on the basis of the recognized certain object;

determining a wiping area wiped by the wiper on the display medium on the basis of detected position of the wiper after the first presentation image is displayed on the display medium; and

causing the display to generate a second certain image indicating a second presentation image resulting from deletion of a portion corresponding to the wiping area in the first presentation image on the display medium,

wherein, if a certain time elapsed since the display is caused to generate the second certain image, the display is caused to generate a third certain image indicating a third presentation image including the portion corresponding to the wiping area in the first presentation image on the display medium.

2. A method of controlling a display control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, if a first certain time elapsed since the display is caused to generate the second certain image, the display is caused to generate a fourth certain image indicating a fourth presentation image in which a portion to be overlapped on the wiping area in the first presentation image is displayed in a first aspect on the display medium, and

wherein, if a second certain time longer than the first certain time elapsed since the display is caused to generate the second certain image, the display is caused to generate a fifth certain image indicating a fifth presentation image in which the portion to be overlapped on the wiping area in the first presentation image is displayed in a second aspect.

3. A method of controlling a display control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein each of the first aspect and the second aspect is at least one of a luminance, a color, a shape, and a size of the corresponding presentation image.

4. A method of controlling a display control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a distance from the movable body to the recognized certain object is lower than or equal to a predetermined threshold value,

wherein the display is caused to generate the first certain image indicating the first presentation image to be overlapped on the certain object on the display medium only for the object the distance of which from the movable body is lower than or equal to the predetermined threshold value.

5. A display control apparatus in a display system including a recognizer that recognizes a certain object existing in a front direction or a side direction of a movable body, a detector that detects a position of a wiper, which wipes a display medium at least including a windshield of the movable body, and a display that displays a certain image generated on the basis of a result of the recognition by the recognition unit on the display medium, the display control apparatus comprising:

a determiner that determines a wiping area wiped by the wiper on the display medium on the basis of detected position;

a controller that controls the display so as to generate the certain image indicating a presentation image to be overlapped on the certain object in an area other than the determined wiping area on the display medium on the basis of the recognized certain object; and

a measurer that measures an elapsed time, which indicates a time elapsed since the wiping by the wiper,

wherein, if the elapsed time after wiping exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the controller controls the display so as to generate the presentation image in the wiping area, and

wherein the controller acquires information about a working interval of the wiper and sets the predetermined threshold value so as to be increased with the increasing working interval of the wiper.

6. The display control apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the determiner determines whether the wiper has worked on the basis of the detected position and, if the determiner determines that the wiper has worked, the determiner determines the wiping area.

7. The display control apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the controller acquires information about a velocity of the movable body and sets the predetermined threshold value so as to be decreased with the increasing velocity of the movable body.

8. The display control apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the controller acquires information about a degree of viewability of the display medium and sets the predetermined threshold value so as to be decreased with the reducing viewability.

9. The display control apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the controller controls the display so as to generate the presentation image in a first aspect in the wiping area after a first elapsed time elapsed and generate the presentation image in a second aspect in the wiping area after a second elapsed time later than the first elapsed time after wiping elapsed.

10. The display control apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein each of the first aspect and the second aspect is at least one of a luminance, a color, a shape, and a size of the corresponding presentation image.

11. A display apparatus in a display system including a recognizer that recognizes a certain object existing in a front direction or a side direction of a movable body and a detector that detects a position of a wiper, which wipes a display medium at least including a windshield of the movable body, the display apparatus comprising:

a display that generates a certain image to display the certain image on the display medium;

a determiner that determines a wiping area wiped by the wiper on the basis of detected position;

a controller that, if the certain object is recognized by the recognizer, controls the display so as to generate the certain image indicating a presentation image to be overlapped on the certain object in an area other than the wiping area; and

a measurer that measures an elapsed time, which indicates a time elapsed since the wiping by the wiper,

wherein, if the elapsed time after wiping exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the controller controls the display so as to generate the presentation image in the wiping area, and

wherein the controller acquires information about a working interval of the wiper and sets the predetermined threshold value so as to be increased with the increasing working interval of the wiper.