Automatic adjuster, automatic adjusting system and automatic adjusting method

• US 9,873,355 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Shigeta, Asako, Morimoto, Takuji, Aoyagi, Takahisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US15/119,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20170050542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 701 49
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/149 Instrument input by detecting viewing direction not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• 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 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0256 Arrangements for facilitating the occupant to get in or out of the vehicle, e.g. stowing a seat forward
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/16 height-adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0159 with mechanical means other than scaning means for positioning the whole image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence

Abstract

An automatic adjuster, when carrying out an AR superimposed display using a head-up display in a vehicle like a car, is able to perform eye position adjustment for the AR superimposition automatically without increasing a burden to a driver by controlling, according to the eye position information acquired from an eye position detector, in such a manner as to shift the driver'"'"'s eye position in accordance with the reference position of the superimposed display, which serves as a position where the AR superimposition is performed appropriately, and by controlling a movable part of the driver'"'"'s power seat the driver of the vehicle takes.

Claims

1. An automatic adjuster capable of automatically shifting a driver'"'"'s seat a driver of a vehicle takes, the automatic adjuster comprising:

a deviation calculator to calculate a deviation between a measured value of a height of the driver'"'"'s eye position when the driver takes the seat and a height of a predetermined reference position in a superimposed display which is displayed on a head-up display equipped in the vehicle;

a shift amount calculator to calculate, when the deviation calculated by the deviation calculator is not less than a predetermined value, a shift amount by which the seat is to be shifted in a direction that reduces the deviation; and

a position controller to control a shift of the seat by giving a driving instruction to a seat actuator capable of driving and shifting the seat in accordance with the shift amount calculated by the shift amount calculator, thereby adjusting the height of the driver'"'"'s eye position and the height of the reference position in the superimposed display when the driver takes the seat.

2. The automatic adjuster according to claim 1, wherein

when the seat is capable of being shifted not only in a height direction but also in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle when shifted by the seat actuator;

the position controller adjusts a driving amount instructed to the seat actuator by considering the shift amount in the longitudinal direction.

3. The automatic adjuster according to claim 2, further comprising:

when the seat has a limiting value as to the shift in the height direction, and the shift amount calculated by the shift amount calculator exceeds the limiting value of the shift in the height direction;

an AR display controller to instruct, in accordance with the shift amount calculated by the shift amount calculator, an HUD light source, which emits an image to be superimposed on the head-up display, to correct a drawing form of the image in the height direction, or an optical instrument, which projects an image emitted from the HUD light source onto the head-up display, to correct the reference position on the superimposed display in the height direction.

4. The automatic adjuster according to claim 1, wherein

the position controller decides that the adjustment has been completed when the deviation calculated by the deviation calculator becomes less than the predetermined value, and informs the driver that driving support preparation has been completed.

5. The automatic adjuster according to claim 1, further comprising:

an AR display controller to output, in accordance with the shift amount calculated by the shift amount calculator, an instruction to correct a drawing form of an image emitted from an HUD light source that emits the image to be superimposedly displayed on the head-up display, or to instruct an optical instrument, which projects the image emitted from the HUD light source onto the head-up display, to correct the reference position in the superimposed display.

6. The automatic adjuster according to claim 5, wherein

the deviation calculator further calculates a deviation in the lateral direction between a measured value in the lateral direction of the driver'"'"'s eye position which is seen from the front of the vehicle when the driver takes the seat and the predetermined reference position in the superimposed display which is displayed on the head-up display;

and

the AR display controller, when the deviation in the lateral direction is not less than a predetermined value and a state in which the deviation is not less than the predetermined value continues for not less than a predetermined time, instructs the HUD light source that emits the image to be superimposedly displayed on the head-up display to correct the drawing form of the image in the lateral direction, or instructs the optical instrument for projecting the image emitted from the HUD light source onto the head-up display to correct the reference position in the superimposed display in the lateral direction.

7. The automatic adjuster according to claim 5, wherein

the deviation calculator further calculates a deviation in the longitudinal direction between a measured value in the longitudinal direction of the driver'"'"'s eye position when the driver takes the seat and the predetermined reference position in the superimposed display which is displayed on the head-up display;

and

the AR display controller, when the deviation in the longitudinal direction is not less than a predetermined value and a state in which the deviation is not less than the predetermined value continues for not less than a predetermined time, instructs the HUD light source that emits the image to be superimposedly displayed on the head-up display to correct scaling of the drawing form of the image, or instructs the optical instrument for projecting the image emitted from the HUD light source onto the head-up display to correct the reference position in a superimposed display in the longitudinal direction.

8. The automatic adjuster according to claim 1, further comprising:

a personal adjustment amount calculator to decide a dominant eye at least of the driver, wherein

the deviation calculator calculates the deviation between the reference position in the superimposed display and the position of the dominant eye of the driver decided by the personal adjustment amount calculator.

9. An automatic adjusting system capable of automatically shifting a driver'"'"'s seat a driver of a vehicle takes, the automatic system comprising:

an eye position detector to detect the driver'"'"'s eye position when the driver takes the seat;

a seat actuator capable of shifting the seat by driving the seat;

a deviation calculator to calculate a deviation between a measured value of a height of the driver'"'"'s eye position detected by the eye position detector and a height of a predetermined reference position in a superimposed display which is displayed on a head-up display equipped in the vehicle;

a shift amount calculator to calculate, when the deviation calculated by the deviation calculator is not less than a predetermined value, a shift amount by which the seat is to be shifted in a direction that reduces the deviation; and

a position controller to control a shift of the seat by giving a driving instruction to the seat actuator in accordance with the shift amount calculated by the shift amount calculator, thereby adjusting the height of the driver'"'"'s eye position and the height of the reference position in a superimposed display when the driver takes the seat.

10. An automatic adjusting method capable of automatically shifting a driver'"'"'s seat a driver of a vehicle takes, the automatic adjusting method comprising:

calculating, by a deviation calculator, a deviation between a measured value of a height of a driver'"'"'s eye position when the driver takes the seat and a height of a predetermined reference position in a superimposed display which is displayed on a head-up display equipped in the vehicle;

calculating, by a shift amount calculator, when the deviation calculated by the deviation calculator is not less than a predetermined value, a shift amount by which the scat is to be shifted in a direction that reduces the deviation; and

controlling, by a position controller, a shift of the seat by giving a driving instruction to a seat actuator capable of driving and shifting the seat in accordance with the shift amount calculated by the shift amount calculator, thereby adjusting the height of the driver'"'"'s eye position and the height of the reference position in a superimposed display when the driver takes the seat.