System and method to exhibit information after a pedestrian crash incident

• US 10,589,677 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: P, Rathan H., Murthy, Arun K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US16/157,166
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• 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 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/36 using airbags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/38 using means for lifting bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8033 for pedestrian protection
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

One general aspect includes a method to display information after a pedestrian crash incident, the method including: receiving, at a controller, an indication of a pedestrian crash incident; in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, via the controller, deploying a pedestrian protection apparatus to raise a portion of a hood of a vehicle; in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, via the controller, activating one or more sensors to capture one or more images of at least a portion of a vehicle environment; adapting the captured image, via the controller, to be exhibited on a display; and exhibiting the captured images, via the controller, on the display.

Claims

1. A method to display information after a pedestrian crash incident, the method comprising:

receiving, at a controller, an indication of a pedestrian crash incident;

in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, via the controller, deploying a pedestrian protection apparatus to raise a portion of a hood of a vehicle;

in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, via the controller, activating a plurality of cameras to capture one or more images of at least a portion of a vehicle environment, wherein at least one of the plurality of cameras is mounted to an exterior of a bumper of the vehicle to capture a first image of an area around the front of the bumper and at least one of the plurality of cameras is mounted to an exterior of a roof of the vehicle at a location adjacent to a top of a windshield to capture a second image of a hood of the vehicle;

formatting, via the controller, the first and second images such that they can be exhibited by a display;

combining, via the controller, the first and second images into a combined image, wherein the combined image is a reconstruction of at least part of the environment out front of the vehicle;

outputting the combined image, via the controller, to the display to be exhibited; and

exhibiting the combined image, via the controller, on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the pedestrian protection apparatus has been deployed, via the controller, deploying an airbag cushion to substantially cover a vehicle-exterior-facing side of a windshield.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is located in the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pedestrian crash incident indication is received from a pedestrian collision detection sensor located within a bumper of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is a heads-up display located in an interior of the vehicle, the heads-up display configured to present data on a vehicle-interior-facing side of a windshield.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is a heads-up display located in an interior of the vehicle, the heads-up display configured to present data on a transparent plane located in the interior of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined image is a wire-frame view of the environment out front of the vehicle.

8. A system to display information after a pedestrian crash incident, the system comprising:

a memory configured to comprise a program and a controller configured to execute the program, wherein the program enables the controller to;

receive an indication of a pedestrian crash incident;

in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, deploy a pedestrian protection apparatus to raise a rear portion of a hood of a vehicle;

in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, activate a plurality of cameras to capture one or more images of at least a portion of a vehicle environment, wherein at least one of the plurality of cameras is mounted to an exterior of a bumper of the vehicle to capture a first image of an area around the front of the bumper and at least one of the plurality of cameras is mounted to an exterior of a roof of the vehicle at a location adjacent to a top of a windshield to capture a second image of a hood of the vehicle;

format the first and second images such that they can be exhibited by a display;

combine the first and second images into a combined image, wherein the combined image is a reconstruction of at least part of the environment out front of the vehicle;

output the combined image to the display to be exhibited; and

exhibit the combined image on the display.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising, after the pedestrian protection apparatus has been deployed, deploy an airbag cushion to substantially cover a vehicle-exterior-facing side of a windshield.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is located in the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the pedestrian crash incident indication is received from a pedestrian collision detection sensor located within a bumper of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the display is a heads-up display located in an interior of the vehicle, the heads-up display configured to present data on a vehicle-interior-facing side of a windshield.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the display is a heads-up display located in an interior of the vehicle, the heads-up display configured to present data on a transparent plane located in the interior of the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the combined image is a wire-frame view of the environment out front of the vehicle.

15. A non-transitory and machine-readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions adapted to display information after a pedestrian crash incident, which when provided to a controller and executed thereby, causes the controller to:

receive an indication of a pedestrian crash incident;

in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, deploy a pedestrian protection apparatus to raise a rear portion of a hood of a vehicle;

in response to the pedestrian crash incident indication, activate a plurality of cameras to capture one or more images of at least a portion of a vehicle environment, wherein the at least one of the plurality of cameras is mounted to an exterior of a bumper of the vehicle to capture a first image of an area around the front of the bumper and at least one of the plurality of cameras is mounted to an exterior of a roof of the vehicle at a location adjacent to a top of a windshield to capture a second image of a hood of the vehicle;

format the first and second images such that they can be exhibited by a display;

combine the first and second images into a combined image, wherein the combined image is a reconstruction of at least part of the environment out front of the vehicle;

output the combined image to the display to be exhibited; and

exhibit the combined image on the display.

16. The non-transitory and machine-readable memory of claim 15, further comprising, after the pedestrian protection apparatus has been deployed, via the controller, deploy an airbag cushion to substantially cover an exterior-facing-side of a windshield.

17. The non-transitory and machine-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the controller is located in the vehicle.

18. The non-transitory and machine-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the pedestrian crash incident indication is received from a pedestrian collision detection sensor located within a bumper of the vehicle.

19. The non-transitory and machine-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the display is a heads-up display located in an interior of the vehicle, the heads-up display configured to present data on a vehicle-interior-facing side of a windshield.

20. The non-transitory and machine-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the combined image is a wire-frame view of the environment out front of the vehicle.