Turn by turn graphical navigation on full windshield head-up display

• US 8,977,489 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• 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): PALAVECINO, KATHLEEN GAGE
• Application Number:
  US12/467,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,122 Days
• Field of Search: 701/211, 701/428, 345/7
• US Class Current: 701/428
• 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: G01S 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles

Abstract

A system to display graphical images upon a windscreen of a vehicle including navigational aids includes the windscreen having a transparent windscreen head up display, an enhanced vision system manager monitoring a planned travel route, and generating display requirements based upon the planned travel route. The system further includes a graphics system generating the graphical images to be displayed based upon the display requirements, and a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the graphical images.

Claims

1. System to display graphical images upon a windscreen of a vehicle including navigational aids, the system comprising:

the windscreen comprising a transparent windscreen head up display;

an information system comprising;

a global positioning device, and

a map database;

a navigation system configured to determine a position of the vehicle within a lane currently being traveled by the vehicle based upon data from the information system;

a device monitoring informational inputs representing an operational environment for the vehicle comprising one of road geometry in front of the vehicle and objects proximate to the vehicle, the device comprising one of a camera device and a radar device;

an enhanced vision system system manager

monitoring a planned travel route and the informational inputs, and

generating display requirements based upon the planned travel route and the informational inputs, said display requirements including navigational graphics providing turn by turn navigational instructions based upon GPS data improved by the informational inputs, wherein each navigational graphic is registered to overlay a portion of a road surface visible through the windscreen whereat a corresponding maneuver is required to follow the planned route, and wherein a size of each registered navigational graphic is cyclically increased as a distance between the vehicle and a location whereat the corresponding maneuver is required decreases based upon the position of the vehicle determined by the navigational system;

a graphics system generating the graphical images to be displayed based upon the display requirements; and

a graphics projection system communicating with the graphics system and displaying the graphical images;

wherein the display comprises one of a plurality of light emitting particles, with each light emitting particle having a diameter less than 500 nanometers, and a plurality of micro-structures configured to scatter light from the display;

wherein generating display requirements based upon the informational inputs further comprises including within the display requirements one of lane change instructions based upon the informational inputs and a navigational graphic based upon avoiding the objects proximate to the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an occupant eye location sensing system determining a location of one of a head of an occupant of the vehicle and eyes of the occupant of the vehicle; and

wherein the graphics system monitors the informational inputs and the occupant eye location sensing system and generates the graphical images registered to the windscreen based upon the informational inputs and information from the occupant eye location sensing system.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a vehicle operation sensor system monitoring operational characteristics of the vehicle; and

wherein the graphics system monitors the vehicle operation sensor system and generates the graphical images registered to the windscreen further based upon information from the vehicle operation sensor system.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphics system generating the graphical images registered to the windscreen determines spatial relationships of features external to the vehicle to the vehicle based upon the informational inputs, and registers the graphical images to the windscreen based upon the determined spatial relationships of the features and the information from the occupant eye location sensing system.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphical images comprise the navigational graphics providing the turn by turn navigation instructions, each navigational graphic registered to overlay the corresponding portion of the road surface visible through the windscreen.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an input device configured to input a navigational destination; and

the navigation system configured to compute the planned travel route based upon data from the information system and the navigational destination.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the input device presents a plurality of selectable navigational destinations for input.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the graphical images comprise graphics aiding in the input of the plurality of selectable navigational destinations.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the information system further comprises a wireless communication device accessing a remote system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the graphical images comprise the navigational graphics providing the turn by turn navigation instructions and information from the wireless communication device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein information from the remote system is utilized to evaluate factors affecting travel on the planned travel route, and when the factors warrant changing the planned travel route, permitting modification of the planned travel route.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the factors affecting travel are selected from the group consisting of construction, traffic, and weather conditions.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical images comprise the navigational graphics providing the turn by turn navigation instructions and maneuvers required to follow modifications of the planned travel route.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphical images comprise the navigational graphics providing the turn by turn navigation instructions each registered to overlay the portion of the road surface visible through the windscreen whereat the corresponding maneuver is required to follow the planned travel route.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical images comprise:

a map display projected upon the windscreen; and

the navigational graphics providing the turn by turn navigation instructions each registered to overlay the portion of the road surface visible through the windscreen whereat the corresponding maneuver is required to follow the planned travel route.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the transparent windscreen head up display comprises a substrate combined with the plurality of light emitting particles, wherein the particles are sized between 50 nanometers and 500 nanometers.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the transparent windscreen head up display comprises a pixilated field of view limited architecture enabling graphical image view from a limited direction corresponding an occupant of the vehicle, the pixilated field of view limited architecture comprises:

a plurality of free standing parabolas filled with emitting material; and

the transparent windscreen comprising a substrate that includes a plurality of divots whereat each free standing parabola is nested and aligned into a corresponding divot to enable view of the graphical images from the limited direction corresponding to the occupant of the vehicle.