Vehicle surface tinting for visual indication of environmental conditions

• US 9,368,031 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lovitt, Andrew W., Hall, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US14/741,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20150287320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340435-438
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Environmental hazards and safe conditions can be indicated to an operator of a vehicle. An audio signal of varying intensities can be played to indicate the severity of a potential hazard. An audio signal can be played at different locations in the vehicle cabin to indicate the location of a potential hazard. Surfaces such as but not limited to windows can be tinted to indicate a hazardous or safe condition. Tinting can be of various intensities commensurate with a potential hazard. Location of tinting can indicate the location of a potential hazard.

Claims

1. A vehicular system within a vehicle, the vehicular system comprising:

a computing device having at least one processor and also having a memory; and

at least one module having a portion loaded into the memory causing the at least one processor to;

receive data from at least one sensor of the vehicle;

analyze the data from the at least one sensor; and

provide at least one tinted surface of the vehicle as a visual indication warning a driver of an environmental condition by tinting the at least one surface of the vehicle in response to detecting the environmental condition from analyzing the data,

wherein the tinted surface comprises a windshield, a window, or a mirror,

and wherein the environmental condition that is visually indicated by tinting the surface includes at least one of the following;

an unsafe lane change condition, a safe lane change condition, an unsafe merge condition, a safe merge condition, an approaching turn, an approaching exit.

2. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein the at least one tinted surface of the vehicle comprises an operator'"'"'s side window.

3. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein the at least one tinted surface of the vehicle comprises a mirror.

4. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein the at least one tinted surface of the vehicle comprises at least one of the following:

a surface that is backlit, a surface that is reflective.

5. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein the at least one tinted surface of the vehicle comprises at least one of the following:

a surface tinted with a color indicating that the environmental condition is a safe condition, a surface tinted with a color indicating that the environmental condition is a hazard condition.

6. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein the at least one tinted surface of the vehicle comprises at least one of the following:

a green tinting to indicate a safe environmental condition, or a red tinting to indicate a potentially hazardous environmental condition.

7. The vehicular system of claim 1, further comprising at least one LED which is positioned in the vehicle to tint a window by shining through the window, thereby providing the visual indication of the environmental condition.

8. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein the module is modifiable by downloading from a wireless network.

9. A method for indicating an environmental condition to an operator of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a computer of the vehicle, data from a plurality of sensors comprising at least one environmental sensor of the vehicle;

analyzing the data from the plurality of sensors; and

providing at least one tinted surface of the vehicle as a visual indication to warn the vehicle operator of the environmental condition, said providing step comprising tinting the at least one surface of the vehicle in response to detecting the environmental condition from analyzing the data,

wherein the tinted surface comprises a windshield, a window, or a mirror,

and wherein the environmental condition that is visually indicated by tinting the surface includes at least one of the following;

an unsafe lane change condition, a safe lane change condition, an unsafe merge condition, a safe merge condition, an approaching turn, an approaching exit.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method comprises providing a green window tinting to indicate a safe environmental condition, and providing a red window tinting to indicate a potentially hazardous environmental condition.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the method comprises altering a tinting intensity in response to at least one of the following:

changes in a degree of hazard of the environmental condition, changes in an imminence of hazard of the environmental condition.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the method comprises progressing a tinting visual indication to a different surface of the vehicle in response to movement of the environmental condition.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method comprises detecting a change in where the operator of the vehicle is gazing, and moving a tinting visual indication to a different surface of the vehicle in response to detecting the change.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises customizing the providing step for a particular operator of the vehicle.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, which is not a communications medium, comprising computer-executable instructions which when executed cause at least one processor of a computing device of a vehicle to:

receive data from a plurality of sensors comprising at least one environmental sensor and at least one operator sensor;

analyze the data from the plurality of sensors;

provide at least one tinted surface of the vehicle as a visual indication of an environmental condition which is identified in a policy, at least in part by tinting the at least one surface of the vehicle in response to detecting the environmental condition from analyzing the data,

wherein the tinted surface comprises a windshield, a window, or a mirror,

and wherein the environmental condition that is visually indicated by tinting the surface includes at least one of the following;

an unsafe lane change condition, a safe lane change condition, an unsafe merge condition, a safe merge condition, an approaching turn, an approaching exit.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the at least one processor to increase intensity of tinting of at the least one surface of the vehicle to indicate an increasingly hazardous condition, and computer-executable instructions which when executed control an audio signal.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the at least one processor to display the visual indication in a peripheral area of a field of view of an operator of the vehicle.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the at least one processor to remove the visual indication from a surface at which an operator of the vehicle is looking.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the at least one processor to provide the visual indication on an operator'"'"'s side window of the vehicle.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the at least one processor to provide visual indications in different colors on the at least one surface of the vehicle in response to detecting different environmental conditions.