Enroute vehicle guidance system with heads up display

• US 5,422,812 A
• Filed: 12/20/1991
• Issued: 06/06/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Koenig, Winfried, Zaeuner, Edmund, Leinberger, Juergen, Mock-Hecker, Ruediger, Urbanski, Wilfried, Knoll, Peter, Kanzler, Ulrich, Helldoerfer, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/810,866
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 340/438, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 345/8, 345/9
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/12 lighting onto the surface to be illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/14 lighting through the surface to be illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/16 Circuits; Control arrangements
• 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 2027/012 comprising devices for attenuating parasitic image effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0194 with combiner of laminated type, for optical or mechanical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0018 with means for preventing ghost images anti-reflection coatings G02B1/11
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A positioning and navigation system for land vehicles features a simple and memory-conserving route entry method. Routes on maps can be specified by the junctions traversed by the route, so that entering only the junctions in memory uses much less space than prior art digital route storage systems which stored the coordinates of each point along the route. A trip progress information display shows the route vividly by using color or brightness contrast with the rest of the map. Additional direction of travel indications can be given, for example on a Head Up Display reflected off the inside of the windshield within the operator'"'"'s field of view or by acoustic signals or speech-synthesized announcements. This results in particularly easy-to-follow guide to the driver or operator. Head-up displays on motor vehicles often have double images and interfering reflections on the windshield. To avoid these, arrangements of linear polarization filters or shutter foils are suggested, which have particularly high light transmission. Arrangements of filter plates on a combiner inside of the windshield are also advantageous.

Claims

1. Map-support positioning and navigation system, for a land vehicle, having

input means (42) for selecting and specifying a trip route (107) by its starting, destination, and certain intermediate points, including any road junctions forming a part thereof;

database means (44) for storing coordinates of said road junctions forming part of a stored map;

means (45) for sensing distance travelled by said vehicle and sensing directional orientation of said vehicle;

control means (41) connected to outputs of said input means (42), said data means (44) and said sensing means (45); and

means (43), coupled to an output of said control means (41), for communicating trip progress information to a vehicle operator;

wherein

said control means (11) is responsive to said input means (12) for selection of said trip route, including any of said road junctions forming a part thereof;

said communicating means includes

means for displaying a map (8),

means for indicating, on said map, a continuous selected route (7) by contrast with other portions of said map; and

means, coupled to an output of said control means (11), for generating, upon approach to each said road junction located along said selected route, a visual direction-of-travel indication (30-32) on a Head Up Display within said vehicle operator'"'"'s field of view, which advises said vehicle operator which direction to steer at said junction in order to remain on said selected route;

said Head Up Display is an optical device for reflecting data in the form of a display generated by

display elements (1) which emit a luminous flux (6) in a well adjacent a dashboard instrument cover, said display being projected into the field of vision of the driver via an optical device through an outlet opening (3) of the well toward a windshield (24) and then being reflected toward the driver;

a first polarization filter (11) extends across the outlet opening (3) in the path of the rays of the luminous flux (6); and

a second polarization filter (9) is provided, which is located adjacent the inside of the windshield (24) and extends with its direction of polarization approximately perpendicular to the first polarization filter (11).

2. System according to claim 1, wherein

said input means (42) includes means (46) for matching selected starting, destination, and intermediate point coordinates to a scale of said stored map, thereby facilitating identification of said selected trip route.

3. System according to claim 1, wherein

said input means includes means for specifying said selected road junctions (101-104) by alphanumeric characters.

4. System according to claim 1, further comprising

output means (43) for continuously indicating said selected road junctions to a user, as said junctions are being selected.

5. System according to claim 1, further comprising

means for indicating a current vehicle position by indicating which junction on said selected route is to be reached next by the vehicle.

6. System according to claim 1, wherein

said input means (42) includes means for reading junction selection data from a portable data storage means (44).

7. System according to claim 6, wherein said portable data storage means (44) is a magnetic card.

8. System according to claim 6, wherein said portable data storage means is an optical storage medium.