Full-windshield head-up display interface for social networking

• US 8,098,170 B1
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Szczerba, Joseph F., Seder, Thomas A., Cui, Dehua
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US12/900,566
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/905, 340988-996, 345 7- 9, 353/13, 353/14
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A method to dynamically register a graphic identifying social networking subscribers of a social networking service having socialization attributes common to the vehicle onto a driving scene of a vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head-up display includes monitoring the social networking service, including: monitoring informational inputs of the vehicle; monitoring broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers; and identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle based on the monitored informational inputs of the vehicle and the monitored broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers. The graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle is determined, and a location of the graphic is dynamically registered upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle. The graphic is displayed onto the driving scene of the vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head-up display including one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting transmission therethrough.

Claims

1. Method to dynamically register a graphic onto a driving scene of a vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head-up display, the graphic identifying social networking subscribers of a social networking service having socialization attributes common to the vehicle, comprising:

monitoring the social networking service, comprising;

monitoring informational inputs of the vehicle;

monitoring broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers; and

identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle based on the monitored informational inputs of the vehicle and the monitored broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers;

determining the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle;

dynamically registering a location of the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle; and

displaying the graphic onto the driving scene of the vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head-up display comprising one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting transmission therethrough.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring an occupant eye location, wherein dynamically registering a location of the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle is based upon the occupant eye location.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising monitoring a current orientation of the vehicle and monitoring a current location of the identified social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle, wherein dynamically updating the registered location of the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle is further based on the current orientation of the vehicle and the current location of the identified social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising monitoring an occupant gaze location, wherein determining the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle comprises adding emphasis to the graphic based on a distance between the occupant gaze location and the current location of the identified social networking subscribers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring informational inputs of the vehicle comprises monitoring a search request input by an occupant of the vehicle into the social networking service for identifying the social networking subscribers within a driving environment having the broadcasted socialization attributes common to the search request.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the social networking subscribers within the driving environment comprises social networking subscribers located within a predetermined radius of the vehicle selected by the occupant.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle based on the monitored informational inputs of the vehicle and the monitored broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers comprises monitoring a vehicle to vehicle communication;

wherein the vehicle to vehicle communication comprises;

conveying the search request input by the occupant of the vehicle into the social networking service to a second vehicle of the social networking service;

transferring the socialization attributes common to the search request from the second vehicle to the vehicle and transferring the current location of the second vehicle from the second vehicle to the vehicle;

wherein determining the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle comprises utilizing a highlighted box encompassing the second vehicle; and

wherein displaying the graphic onto the driving scene of the vehicle utilizing the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display comprises displaying the highlighted box encompassing the second vehicle onto the driving scene of the vehicle utilizing the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the social networking subscribers comprises pedestrians utilizing PDA devices.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle comprises a registered graphic on the driving scene comprises a highlighted box to encompass the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle comprises a textual message describing the socialization attributes common to the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising monitoring an occupant gaze location, monitoring a current orientation of the vehicle and monitoring a current location of the identified social networking subscribers;

and

wherein determining the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle comprises adding emphasis to the graphic based on a distance between the occupant gaze location and the current location of the identified social networking subscribers when the graphic comprises the textual message.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle based on the monitored informational inputs of the vehicle and the monitored broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers comprises:

identifying broadcasted socialization attributes of social networking subscribers that match the informational inputs of the vehicle; and

determining the socialization attributes common to the vehicle based on the identified broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers that match the informational inputs of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the informational inputs of the vehicle comprise a friend network.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the informational inputs of the vehicle comprise an interest.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the common socialization attributes comprise a social status.

16. Method to dynamically register a graphic onto a driving scene of a vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head-up display of the vehicle, the graphic locating other vehicles that possess desired socialization attributes of the vehicle based upon vehicle to vehicle communication, comprising:

monitoring an occupant eye location;

monitoring a current orientation of the vehicle;

monitoring the vehicle to vehicle communication comprising;

conveying a search request for the desired socialization attributes from the vehicle to a plurality of other vehicles;

monitoring the location of the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes;

determining the graphic locating each of the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes;

dynamically registering a location of the graphic for each of the other vehicles upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle; and

displaying the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display comprising one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting transmission therethrough;

wherein the registered location of the graphic is dynamically updated on the driving scene based on the occupant eye location, the current orientation of the vehicle and the current location of each of the plurality of other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the vehicle to vehicle communication utilizes a social networking service wherein the vehicle and the plurality of other vehicles are subscribers of the social networking service.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein monitoring the location of the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes comprises:

receiving GPS and 3D map data conveying the location of the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing pertinent social information corresponding to the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes;

determining a second graphic describing the pertinent social information corresponding to the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes; and

wherein determining the graphic locating the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes comprises a first graphic utilizing a highlighted box encompassing the other vehicles to locate the other vehicles;

wherein determining the second graphic describing the pertinent social information corresponding to the other vehicles that possess the desired socialization attributes comprises utilizing a textual graphic describing the pertinent social information.

20. System to dynamically register a graphic onto a driving scene of a vehicle utilizing a substantially transparent windscreen head-up display, the graphic identifying social networking subscribers of a social networking service having socialization attributes common to the vehicle, comprising:

a substantially transparent windscreen comprising one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting vision therethrough;

an enhanced vision system system manager;

monitoring informational inputs of the vehicle;

monitoring broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers;

identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle based on the monitored informational inputs of the vehicle and the broadcasted socialization attributes of the social networking subscribers;

determining the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle;

dynamically registering a location of the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display corresponding to the driving scene of the vehicle;

a graphics system generating the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle based upon the registered location of the graphic; and

a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the graphic identifying the social networking subscribers having the socialization attributes common to the vehicle upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display.