System and method for projecting information content on a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (1) for projecting information content of a motor vehicle (50), the system comprising: an environment sensor device (51); a controller (2); and at least one projection device (3) for projecting content (11), wherein the environment sensor device (51) is configured to detect the position (10) of a projection area (20) outside the motor vehicle (50), and wherein the controller (2) is configured to receive content (11) to be projected and adapt the content based on the detected position (10) so that the content can be detected in a perspectively correct form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area (20), and wherein the controller (2) is further configured to control the at least one projection device (3) based on the adapted content (12), wherein the at least one projection device (3) is a high-resolution vehicle light (52). The invention also relates to a corresponding method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a system and a method for projecting information content in a motor vehicle. Background Art

[0002] It is known to project information content onto a projection area outside the motor vehicle, for example in order to warn the driver or other persons or to convey information.

[0003] A projection system is known from EP 2689966 A1, in which information content can be projected onto a surface outside a motor vehicle by means of a projector. In this case, the projected content can be corrected based on the orientation of the surface according to the viewing angle of a specified observer.

[0004] Currently, the projection of information content onto surfaces outside the motor vehicle has only been addressed in an unsatisfactory manner. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for projecting information content of a motor vehicle, wherein the content can be projected in a simpler manner onto a projection area outside the motor vehicle.

[0006] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a system for projecting information content of a motor vehicle and a method for projecting information content of a motor vehicle. Advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the following description.

[0007] In particular, a system for projecting information content on a motor vehicle is provided, the system comprising an environment sensor device, a controller and at least one projection device for projecting the content. The environment sensor device is configured to detect the position of a projection area outside the motor vehicle. The controller is configured to receive the content to be projected and to adapt the content based on the detected position so that the content can be detected in a perspectively correct form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area, wherein the controller is further configured to control the at least one projection device based on the adapted content. According to the invention, the at least one projection device is a high-resolution vehicle light.

[0008] A method for projecting information content of a motor vehicle is also provided, the method comprising the following steps: detecting the orientation of a projection area by means of an environmental sensor device; receiving content to be projected by means of a controller and adapting the received content to be projected based on the detected orientation, so that the content to be projected can be detected in a perspectively correct form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area; and projecting the adapted content onto the projection area by means of at least one projection device, wherein the at least one projection device is a high-resolution vehicle light according to the present invention.

[0009] The basic idea of ​​the present invention is to use high-resolution headlights as projection devices in order to project information content onto a projection area. At least one high-resolution headlight is, in particular, a headlight of a motor vehicle. The environmental sensor device detects the position of the projection area. The projection area can be, for example, a driveway, the rear side of a motor vehicle driving in front, a sidewalk or other suitable surfaces, such as a wall in a parking garage. Based on the detected position, the controller adapts the content to be projected, such as an information graphic or a pictogram, so that the content can be detected in a perspectively correct form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area. For this purpose, for example, the perspective distortion is adapted and the content is pre-distorted by means of the controller so that the content appears in a perspectively correct representation from the perspective of a specified observer when projected. The controller then controls the high-resolution headlights according to the adapted content.

[0010] The advantage of the present invention is that by using high-resolution vehicle lights as projection devices, no additional projector is required, thereby saving material and manufacturing costs as well as structural space.

[0011] The designated observer may be, for example, the driver, co-driver or other passenger of the motor vehicle. However, the designated observer may also be outside the motor vehicle, for example, the observer may be a pedestrian or the driver or passenger of an oncoming motor vehicle. Then, the content to be projected is adapted by the controller according to the corresponding viewing angle of the designated observer. It may be provided that: the environment sensor device or another sensor device is constructed to detect and determine the position and orientation and / or sight direction of the designated observer, for example, by means of a camera, and the position and orientation and / or sight direction are transmitted to the controller, so that the controller can determine the designated observer and its position, orientation and / or sight direction based on the transmitted data. However, it may also be provided that: the designated observer is fixedly designated, for example, the designated observer may always be the driver of the motor vehicle. Since the position of the driver in the motor vehicle is fixed, the position of the driver relative to the high-resolution headlights is also constant. In this case, the sight direction can change only based on the selection of the position of the projection area.

[0012] High-resolution vehicle lights are in particular vehicle lights that include an array of individual light sources or individual image points that can be individually controlled, thereby allowing any pattern and information to be projected.

[0013] The at least one high-resolution vehicle light may in particular be a high-resolution headlight of a motor vehicle. It may also be provided that at least two of the headlights of the motor vehicle, in particular a right headlight and a left headlight, are operated in coordination with one another in the system.

[0014] The at least one high-resolution vehicle light may include at least one modulator in the form of a digital mirror device, a liquid crystal display, or liquid crystal on silicon. Each image element of the modulator can be controlled individually so that any content can be generated. Then, the at least one vehicle light, for example, includes: a light source; an imaging optical system between the light source and the modulator; and a projection optical system for projecting the light modulated by the modulator onto a projection area.

[0015] Alternatively, the at least one vehicle light may include a micro-pixel LED. Such a micro-pixel LED includes several hundred to several thousand pixels, each of which can be individually controlled. In particular, a 4x4 mm 2 The LEDs are micro-pixel LEDs with an area of ​​1024 pixels and 1024 picture elements (pixels). In the future, there will be micro-pixel LEDs with 10,000 to 20,000 picture elements. This allows any content to be output with high resolution. It can be provided that the at least one high-resolution headlight additionally has a projection optical system behind the micro-pixel LED.

[0016] The content to be projected can be designed in particular in the form of graphics, for example in the form of graphic information. This can be, for example, a traffic sign or a pictogram. In addition, it can also be provided that the content to be projected includes information in the form of text. In this case, the content to be projected does not have to be designed to be static, but can also change over time. Thus, the content to be projected can also include a movie composed of a plurality of individual images.

[0017] It may be provided that the at least one vehicle light comprises a Gaussian filter. The Gaussian filter is used for edge smoothing so that, for example, an information graphic projected onto the projection area does not appear pixelated due to the resolution limitations of the high-resolution vehicle light, but rather the edges and corners can be rounded and thus projected in a more attractive form for a given observer.

[0018] In one embodiment, it is provided that the environment sensor device comprises a camera and / or a laser radar (Light Detection and Ranging, LIDAR) device and / or a laser scanner, by which the position of the projection area can be determined with high resolution.

[0019] In another embodiment, it is provided that: the environment sensor device is also configured to additionally detect the surface properties of the projection area, wherein the controller is also configured to additionally adapt the received content based on the detected surface properties, so that the content can be detected in an undistorted form across the entire projection from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area. The surface properties particularly include the orientation of parts or sections of the projection area. In addition, the surface properties may also include the following surface characteristics, which include reflectivity and / or reflectivity, etc. The surface properties can be detected, for example, by means of a camera and / or by means of a laser radar (LIDAR). In this case, in an undistorted form should particularly mean that the projection of the adapted content detected from the perspective of the observer should correspond to the content to be projected in all positions, especially in terms of the size relationship between the various parts of the projection. Then, the content that can be detected by the observer corresponds to the content to be projected.

[0020] In this case, it can be provided in particular that the projection area is divided into individual segments, wherein the orientation, that is to say in particular the orientation of the surface normal, is determined for each of these segments. In this way, the projection area can be divided into a regular, for example square grid. Then, for each grid element, the surface normal is determined, for example, by means of the environmental sensor device. Then, based on the determined surface normals of the individual grid elements, the content to be projected is adapted so that it can be detected in a perspectively correct and undistorted form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area. In this way, in particular, unevenness of the projection area can be taken into account during the adaptation. Then, for the specified observer, the projected content appears in an undistorted and undistorted form.

[0021] In particular, it can be provided that for this purpose, a three-dimensional model of the projection area is created based on the detected surface properties. Based on the three-dimensional model, the controller creates a virtual back-projection of the unadapted content to be projected from the perspective of a specified observer. Subsequently, the content to be projected is back-calculated from the perspective of the observer to the adapted content to be projected by the high-resolution headlights based on the three-dimensional model of the projection area, that is, the path of the light is traced back from the target content at the position of the specified observer (the target content that the specified observer should perceive) to the adapted content to be projected by the high-resolution headlights (the content that the headlights should project). As a result, the back-calculation provides, for example, a mapping function between the content to be projected and the adapted content, with which the three-dimensional model is reflected.

[0022] By taking the surface properties into account, in particular any structured projection field can be used. For example, the projection field can be positioned at least partially on an object that is not flat, such as a bridge pier or a bollard. By taking the surface properties into account during the adaptation, the content to be projected can also be perceived in an undistorted form on the bridge pier or bollard from the perspective of a specific observer.

[0023] In another embodiment, it is provided that the controller is also designed to take into account the current and / or predicted rolling and / or pitching and / or yaw movements of the motor vehicle during the adaptation. In this way, the content can be projected onto the projection area with precise positioning. Since the movement of the motor vehicle can be compensated, the projection during the driving of the motor vehicle is also improved. The rolling and / or pitching and / or yaw movements of the motor vehicle can be detected, for example, by means of a gap measuring system and queried by the controller at the onboard electronics of the motor vehicle.

[0024] In one embodiment, it is provided that the environment sensor device comprises at least one laser and at least one camera, wherein the controller is configured to operate the at least one laser and the at least one camera so that the at least one laser images a specified light grid onto the projection area and the at least one camera detects the imaged light grid, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the orientation and / or surface properties of the projection area based on the camera data detected by the light grid projected onto the projection area. This can in particular enable high-resolution determination of surface properties. The light grid can be, for example, a regular grid, for example, composed of regular straight lines arranged at right angles to each other. However, the light grid can also have a more complex shape. When the light grid is imaged onto the projection area, the light grid is perspectively distorted according to the orientation of the projection area and is distorted in the individual sections of the projection area according to the surface properties of the sections, that is, in particular, compressed and / or stretched from the perspective of a specified observer or the at least one camera, etc. Since the shape of the light grid is known, the orientation and surface properties of the projection area can be determined and provided according to the detected camera data.

[0025] In an extended embodiment, it is provided that: the duration of imaging and detecting the light grid is selected so that a human observer cannot perceive the imaged light grid; and / or the wavelength of the at least one laser is selected so that a human observer cannot perceive the wavelength. In other words, the light grid is imaged so that a designated observer does not perceive the light grid and can only understand and perceive the projection of the content. Based on the reaction time of the human eye, the duration can be, for example, a few milliseconds or less. The wavelength can, for example, be in the infrared wavelength range that is invisible to the human eye.

[0026] In one embodiment, it is provided that the controller is further configured to adapt the intensity distribution within the content to be projected based on the detected orientation and / or the detected surface properties. The intensity distribution can be adapted in particular based on the reflectivity and / or reflectivity of individual sections of the projection area, so that during projection, a uniform illumination with respect to intensity can be achieved from the perspective of a given observer.

[0027] In another embodiment, it is provided that the controller is also configured to additionally receive lighting distribution information and to control the high-resolution vehicle lights so that a specified area outside the motor vehicle is illuminated in a specified manner. In this case, the lighting distribution information includes information about the area that is to be illuminated around the motor vehicle. In this case, in particular, environmental data detected by the environmental sensor device can also be taken into account. The controller is then configured to adapt the lighting distribution based on the detected environmental data so that the specified area outside the motor vehicle is illuminated or illuminated in a specified manner. In this case, in particular, the orientation and / or surface properties of the surface to be illuminated around the motor vehicle can also be taken into account, for example, in order to change or adapt the lighting intensity in sections.

[0028] In an extended embodiment, it is provided that the controller is further configured to operate the high-resolution vehicle light in at least two operating states, wherein in a first operating state, the content to be projected is projected and in a second operating state, illumination is performed according to the received illumination distribution information. In addition, a third operating state may also be provided, in which the content to be projected is not only illuminated but also projected.

[0029] Parts of the system, in particular the control unit, can be designed individually or together as a combination of hardware and software, for example as a program code that is executed on a microcontroller or microprocessor.

[0030] The advantages of the various embodiments of the method are the same as the advantages of the various embodiments of the system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings based on preferred embodiments.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a system for projecting information content of a motor vehicle;

[0033] Figure 2a A schematic diagram showing the projection of a zebra crossing from the perspective of a motor vehicle;

[0034] Figure 2b From a perspective outside the vehicle, the Figure 2aSchematic diagram of the projection of the zebra crossing shown in;

[0035] Figure 3a A schematic diagram showing the projection of an arrow onto a flat lane surface is shown;

[0036] Figure 3b A schematic diagram showing the projection of arrows onto an uneven lane surface;

[0037] Figure 4a A schematic diagram showing projection of "STOP" text onto a flat lane surface;

[0038] Figure 4b A schematic diagram showing the projection of "STOP" text onto an uneven lane surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] exist Figure 1 2 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system 1 for projecting information content n of a motor vehicle 50 . The system 1 comprises an environment sensor device 51 , a control device 2 and a high-resolution vehicle light 52 as a projection device 3 . The system 1 is arranged in a motor vehicle 50 .

[0040] An environmental sensing device 51, such as a camera and / or a LIDAR sensor, detects the position 10 of the projection zone 20 outside the motor vehicle 50. The controller 2 receives the content 11 to be projected and adapts the content based on the detected position 10 so that the content 11 to be projected can be perceived by a specified observer in a perspectively correct form when projected onto the projection zone from the observer's perspective.

[0041] After the adaptation, the controller 2 controls the high-resolution vehicle lights 52 based on the adapted content 12 , so that the high-resolution vehicle lights project the adapted content 12 onto the projection area.

[0042] In one embodiment, it can be provided that the environmental sensing device 51 is constructed to additionally detect surface properties 13 of the projection area, wherein the controller 2 is also constructed to additionally adapt the received content 11 based on the detected surface properties 13, so that the content can be detected by a specified observer across the entire projection in an undistorted form when projected onto the projection area from the perspective of the observer.

[0043] In one specific embodiment, it can be provided that the controller 2 takes into account the current and / or predicted rolling and / or pitching and / or yaw movements of the motor vehicle 50 during the adaptation. For this purpose, the controller 2 can, for example, query the associated values ​​from the onboard electronics of the motor vehicle 50, for example, by ascertaining the associated values ​​via the controller area network (CAN) bus 4.

[0044] In one embodiment, it can be provided that the environment sensor device 51 includes a laser 5 and a camera 6, wherein the controller 2 is configured to control the laser 5 and the camera 6 so that the laser 5 images a specified light grid, for example, a regular grid composed of lines, onto the projection area and the camera 6 detects the imaged light grid. Then, the controller 2 or the environment sensor device 2 determines the position 10 and / or the surface property 13 of the projection area based on the camera data detected by the light grid projected onto the projection area.

[0045] In an extended embodiment, it can be provided that the duration of imaging and detecting the light grid is selected such that a human observer cannot perceive the imaged light grid, and / or the wavelength of the laser 6 is selected such that a human observer cannot perceive the wavelength. In this way, the position 10 and / or the surface property 13 can be determined without attracting the attention of the observer.

[0046] In some embodiments it can be provided that the controller 2 adapts the intensity distribution within the content to be projected based on the detected position 10 and / or the detected surface property 13 .

[0047] In some specific embodiments, it may be provided that control unit 2 additionally receives lighting distribution information 14 and controls high-resolution vehicle lights 52 in such a way that a specified area outside motor vehicle 50 is illuminated or illuminated in a specified manner.

[0048] In an extended embodiment, it can be provided that the controller 2 can control the high-resolution vehicle light 52 in at least two operating states, wherein in the first operating state, the content 11 to be projected is projected and in the second operating state, illumination is performed according to the received illumination distribution information 14. A third operating state can also be provided, in which both the information content is illuminated and the information content is projected.

[0049] In order to illustrate the present invention, Figure 2a and 2b FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of projecting a zebra crossing 30 onto a projection area 20 from two different viewing angles, wherein Figure 2a The projection 30 is shown from a perspective within the motor vehicle 50. Figure 2b The same projection 30 is shown from a perspective outside the vehicle 50. It can be clearly seen that the observer can Figure 2a The projection of the zebra crossing 30 is correctly perceived from the perspective of the viewing angle shown in Figure 2b This is not possible with the perspective shown in FIG. 1 , because the projection 30 is not presented correctly in perspective there. With the aid of this system, the projection 30 can be adapted so that the projection 30 of the zebra crossing is also alternatively shown from the perspective of the observer. Figure 2bThe viewing angles shown in are presented correctly in terms of perspective by, for example, a corresponding predistortion of the content to be projected, ie the image of a zebra crossing.

[0050] In order to illustrate the present invention, Figure 3a and 3b Schematic diagrams showing the arrow 30 projected onto the projection area 20 from the same viewing angle are shown in FIG. Figure 3a In FIG. 3 , the arrow 30 is projected onto a flat road surface 60 , so that the projection area 20 has a flat surface structure. Figure 3b In the example shown in FIG. 5 , arrow 30 is projected onto uneven road surface 61 under otherwise equal conditions, so that projection region 20 has an uneven surface structure. Due to local irregularities of uneven road surface 61, the sections of projection 30 change in terms of their orientation and area size, so that projection 30 of the arrow is locally deformed and can only be perceived incorrectly from the perspective of a given observer in motor vehicle 50.

[0051] By determining the uneven road surface 61 with the aid of the surrounding sensor system of the motor vehicle 50, the unevenness can be taken into account when adapting the content to be projected. For example, during a virtual back-projection from an observer, the content to be projected is adapted taking into account the detected surface properties, so that the content to be projected can be detected not only perspectively correctly but also in an undistorted form across the entire projection 30 from the perspective of a specified observer (here, an observer in the motor vehicle 50) during the projection.

[0052] In particular, it may be provided that for this purpose a three-dimensional model of projection region 20 , ie of uneven road surface 61 , is created by the control unit.

[0053] By means of the described system and the described method, the arrow can also be perceived from the perspective of a given observer on an uneven road surface 61 in a perspectively correct manner and in an undistorted form across the entire projection 30 , as in Figure 3a This is the case.

[0054] In order to illustrate the present invention, Figure 4a and 4b 2 and 3 show other schematic diagrams of projecting the "STOP" text 30 onto the projection area 20 from the same viewing angle. Figure 4a In , the "STOP" text is projected 30 onto the flat road surface 60, so that the projection area 20 has a flat surface structure. Figure 4bIn the example, the "STOP" text is projected 30 onto the uneven road surface 61 under the same other conditions, so that the projection area 20 has an uneven surface structure. Due to the local unevenness of the uneven road surface 61, the sections of the projection 30 change with respect to their orientation and area size, so that the projection 30 of the "STOP" text is locally deformed and the "STOP" text can only be perceived incorrectly from the perspective of a specified observer in the motor vehicle 50. Thus, the two middle letters appear much larger than the two outer letters.

[0055] By means of the described system and the described method, the “STOP” text can also be perceived on uneven road surface 61 from the perspective of a given observer in a perspectively correct manner and in an undistorted form across the entire projection 30 , as in Figure 4a This is the case.

[0056] Reference numerals list

[0057] 1 System

[0058] 2 Controller

[0059] 3 Projection device

[0060] 4 CAN bus

[0061] 5 Laser

[0062] 6 Camera

[0063] 10 Direction

[0064] 11 Content

[0065] 12 Adapted Content

[0066] 13 Surface properties

[0067] 14 Lighting distribution information

[0068] 20 Projection Area

[0069] 30 Projection

[0070] 50 Motor Vehicles

[0071] 51 Environmental sensor device

[0072] 52 high resolution car lights

[0073] 60 Flat driveway surface

[0074] 61 Uneven driveway surface.

Claims

1. A system (1) for projecting information content of a motor vehicle (50), the system comprising: Environmental sensing device (51); Controller (2); and at least one projection device (3) for projecting the content (11), The environmental sensor device (51) is configured to detect a position (10) of a projection area (20) outside the motor vehicle (50), and wherein the controller (2) is configured to receive content (11) to be projected and to adapt the content based on the detected orientation (10) so that the content can be detected in a perspectively correct form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area (20), and The controller (2) is further configured to control the at least one projection device (3) based on the adapted content (12). wherein the at least one projection device (3) is a high-resolution vehicle light (52), wherein the environment sensing device (51) is further configured to additionally detect a surface property (13) of the projection area (20), wherein the environment sensing device (51) comprises at least one laser (5) and at least one camera (6), wherein the controller (2) is configured to control the at least one laser (5) and the at least one camera (6) so that the at least one laser (5) images a designated light grid onto the projection area (20) and the at least one camera (6) detects the imaged light grid, wherein the controller (2) or the environment sensing device (51) is further configured to determine the position (10) and / or the surface property (13) of the projection area (20) based on camera data detected by the light grid projected onto the projection area (20), wherein the wavelength of the at least one laser (5) is selected such that it is not perceptible to a human observer, The projection area (20) is divided into a regular grid, wherein a surface normal is determined for each grid element by means of the environmental sensor device (51), wherein the content to be projected is adapted based on the determined surface normal so that the content is detected in a perspectively correct and undistorted form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area (20).

2. The system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The controller (2) is further configured to adapt the received content (11) additionally based on the detected surface properties (13) so that the content can be detected in an undistorted form across the entire projection (30) from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area (20).

3. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The control unit (2) is also designed to take into account current and / or predicted rolling movements and / or pitching movements and / or yaw movements of the motor vehicle (50) during the adaptation.

4. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The duration for which the light grid is imaged and detected is selected such that the imaged light grid is not perceptible to a human observer.

5. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The controller (2) is further configured to adapt the intensity distribution within the content to be projected based on the detected position (10) and / or the detected surface property (13).

6. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The controller (2) is also designed to additionally receive lighting distribution information (14) and to control the high-resolution vehicle lights (52) so that a specified area outside the motor vehicle (50) is illuminated in a specified manner.

7. The system (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that The controller (2) is also configured to control the high-resolution vehicle light (52) in at least two operating states, wherein in a first operating state, content (11) to be projected is projected and in a second operating state, lighting is performed according to received lighting distribution information (14).

8. A method for projecting information content of a motor vehicle (50), the method comprising the following steps: The method comprises: detecting the position (10) of the projection area (20) by means of an environment sensing device (51), receiving content (11) to be projected by means of a controller (2), and adapting the received content (11) to be projected based on the detected position (10) so that the content (11) to be projected can be detected in a perspectively correct form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area (20); and projecting the adapted content (12) onto the projection area (20) by means of at least one projection device (3), wherein the at least one projection device (3) is a high-resolution vehicle light (52), wherein a surface property (13) of the projection region (20) is additionally detected by means of the surroundings sensor device (51), wherein at least one laser (5) and at least one camera (6) of the environment sensing device (51) are controlled by means of the controller (2) so that the at least one laser (5) images a designated light grid onto the projection area (20) and the at least one camera (6) detects the imaged light grid, wherein the position (10) and / or surface properties (13) of the projection area (20) are determined based on camera data detected by the light grid projected onto the projection area (20) by means of the controller (2) or the environment sensing device (51), wherein the wavelength of the at least one laser (5) is selected such that it is not perceptible to a human observer, in, The projection area (20) is divided into a regular grid, wherein for each grid element a surface normal is determined by means of the environmental sensor device (51), wherein the content to be projected is adapted based on the determined surface normal so that the content is detected in a perspectively correct and undistorted form from the perspective of a specified observer when projected onto the projection area (20).

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The received content (11) is additionally adapted based on the detected surface properties (13) so that when projected onto the projection area (20) it can be detected in an undistorted form across the entire projection (30) from the perspective of a specified observer.

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