Method for presenting safety information, driver assistance system and motor vehicle

• US 9,662,979 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Connaught Electronics Limited (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Connaught Electronics Limited (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Deegan, Brian Michael Thomas, Denny, Patrick Eoghan
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUD, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US14/938,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20160129788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1, 701 36, 3404255, 340435, 340436, 348806
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/52 Control of displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for presenting safety information on a display device (4) of a motor vehicle (1), wherein the motor vehicle (1) includes an environment imaging device (5, 6, 7), by which an object (14) in an environmental region (10) of the motor vehicle (1) is pictorially captured, wherein a distortion demonstration (27) is presented on the display device (4) as safety information, which describes a deviation of a distorted mapping (24) of the object (14) causally generated by the environment imaging device (5, 6, 7) to an undistorted mapping (23) of the object (14) compared thereto, wherein at least one distorted mapping (24) is displayed as an image (28) and at least one undistorted mapping (23) is displayed as a further image (29) on the display device (4).

Claims

1. A method for presenting safety information on a display device of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle having an environment imaging device, the method comprising:

pictorially capturing, by the environment imaging device, an object in an environmental region of the motor vehicle; and

presenting a distortion demonstration on the display device as safety information, wherein the distortion demonstration comprises a deviation of a distorted mapping of the object causally generated by the environment imaging device to an undistorted mapping of the object compared thereto,

wherein the distorted mapping is displayed as an image and the undistorted mapping is displayed as a further image on the display device, and

wherein the distortion demonstration is displayed in a demonstration mode of a driver assistance system of the motor vehicle and a distortion demonstration including the safety information is not displayed in a normal operating mode of the driver assistance system different from the demonstration mode, the demonstration mode being configured to present to a driver of the motor vehicle a difference between the distorted mapping of the object and the undistorted mapping of the object.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distorted mapping is characterized by one selected from the group consisting of:

a distorted size ratio of the object, a distorted distance of the object to the motor vehicle, and a distorted distance of the object to a further object in the environmental region compared to the undistorted mapping.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object comprises another traffic participant and is captured in an environmental region of the environmental region lateral with respect to the motor vehicle and/or in the environmental region rearward with respect to the motor vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the environment imaging device is formed with at least one rearview mirror on the motor vehicle side, which includes a non-electronic mirror and provides the distorted mapping as a mirror image.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the environment imaging device is formed with at least one electronic rearview mirror on the motor vehicle side, which includes a camera and provides the distorted mapping.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distortion demonstration is presented by an image sequence with a continuous succession of frames.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the distortion demonstration is performed stepwise from the undistorted mapping of the object towards the distorted mapping of the object based on the image sequence.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a distortion behavior of the environment imaging device in the normal operating mode of the driver assistance system including the environment imaging device is checked and upon change of the distortion behavior, the distortion demonstration is adapted to the current distortion behavior.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distortion demonstration is shown on the display device depending on a specific operating situation of the motor vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein one of an activation of an ignition of the motor vehicle, starting the motor vehicle, switching on the environment imaging device, and/or recognition of an occurring seat occupation of the motor vehicle by a person is preset as the specific operating situation.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the distortion demonstration is automatically started upon satisfaction of the specific operating situation.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a user-initiated premature termination of the presentation of the distortion demonstration is prevented.

13. A driver assistance system for a motor vehicle including an environment imaging device and a display device, which is adapted to perform a method according to claim 1.

14. A motor vehicle with a driver assistance system according to claim 13.