Alert display device and alert display method

• US 9,435,879 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayasaka, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US14/475,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is an alert display device which highlights a display image for highlighting an object to be alerted in an actual scene in front of a driver of a vehicle or around the vehicle in a superimposing manner. The object to be alerted in front of the vehicle or around the vehicle is detected by a detection unit, and the display image for highlighting the object to be alerted in the actual scene in front of the driver of the vehicle or around the vehicle is displayed in a superimposing manner. At this time, the size of the display image is adjusted based on the position of the object to be alerted detected by the detection unit or/and a range in which the eyes of the driver are likely to be present.

Claims

1. An alert display device which displays a display image for highlighting an object to be alerted in an actual scene in front of a driver of a vehicle or around the vehicle in a superimposing manner, the device comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect the object to be alerted in front of the vehicle or around the vehicle and to detect a position of the object to be alerted;

a control unit configured to perform display control for positioning the display image conforming to the position of the object to be alerted detected by the detection unit; and

a display unit configured to display the display image for highlighting the object to be alerted detected by the detection unit in the actual scene in front of the driver of the vehicle or around the vehicle in the superimposing manner based on the display control of the control unit,

wherein the control unit adjusts a size of the display image based on an error range of the detection unit according to the position of the object to be alerted detected by the detection unit and/or a range in which the eyes of the driver are likely to be present.

2. The alert display device according to claim 1,

wherein, the error range and the size of the display image are larger when the position of the object to be alerted is at a first location than when the position of the object to be alerted is at a second location, wherein the first location is farther from the vehicle than the second location.

3. The alert display device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit adjusts the size of the display image based on an object size of the object to be alerted detected by the detection unit.

4. The alert display device according to claim 1,

wherein the display unit is a head-up display which is mounted in the vehicle.

5. An alert display method which displays a display image for highlighting an object to be alerted in an actual scene in front of a driver of a vehicle or around the vehicle in a superimposing manner, the method comprising:

a detection step of detecting the object to be alerted in front of the vehicle or around the vehicle and detecting a position of the object to be alerted;

a control step of performing display control for positioning the display image conforming to the position of the object to be alerted detected in the detection step; and

a display step of displaying the display image for highlighting the object to be alerted detected in the detection step in the actual scene in front of the driver of the vehicle or around the vehicle in the superimposing manner based on the display control in the control step,

wherein, in the control step, a size of the display image is adjusted based on an error range of a detection unit according to the position of the object to be alerted detected in the detection step and/or a range in which the eyes of the driver are likely to be present.

6. The alert display method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining an object size of the object to be alerted; and

determining the error range of the detection unit based on the object size.

7. An alert display device for displaying a display image on a display such that the display image highlights an object to be alerted, the alert display device comprising:

an external sensor outputting an external information signal;

the display; and

a processor and a non-transitory memory module, wherein the non-transitory memory module comprises a set of machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor;

detect the object to be alerted based on the external information signal;

determine a position of the object to be alerted;

determine an error range of the external sensor based on the position of the object to be alerted;

determine a size of the display image based on the error range of the external sensor; and

display the display image on the display such that the display image highlights the object to be alerted.

8. The alert display device according to claim 7, wherein, the error range and the size of the display image are larger when a position of the object to be alerted is at a first location than when the position of the object to be alerted is at a second location, wherein the first location is farther from the vehicle than the second location.

9. The alert display device according to claim 7, wherein, when executed by the processor, the machine readable instructions:

determine an object size of the object to be alerted; and

determine the size of the display image based on the object size.

10. The alert display device according to claim 7,

wherein the display is a head-up display which is mounted in a vehicle.