Driving assistance information display system and method

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and display system for prompting driving assistance information. The method includes: setting a set of corresponding controllable display icons on a display unit for multiple assistance functions in an automated driving system; matching a certain number of colors for the automated driving system, the certain number of colors being selected from a plurality of specific colors conforming to industry standards; and using the combination of the set of icons and the selected certain number of colors on the display unit to represent different states of the multiple assistance functions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to vehicle information display, and more particularly to the prompting of auxiliary information during vehicle driving. Background Technology

[0002] During vehicle driving, automatic control of acceleration, deceleration, and steering functions is necessary to achieve safe and efficient driving. However, due to road conditions and other limitations, these functions are not applicable throughout the entire driving process, or all assistance functions are activated at all times. The vehicle's computer needs to make corresponding settings based on specific road conditions. To enable the driver to fully interact with the vehicle and perceive the operability of driver assistance systems—for example, which functions are allowed during driving—a human-machine interface (HMI) is typically provided to present these prompts. Such an HMI can be located on the instrument panel, center console, etc.

[0003] However, with the enrichment of driver assistance functions and the gradual improvement of driving skills—for example, the refinement of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has facilitated the transition from Level 1 partial driver assistance (PDA) to Level 2 combined driver assistance (CDA). As the number of assistance functions defined in ADAS systems increases, it becomes necessary to assign an icon light to each assistance function in the human-machine interface (HMI) to indicate its different states. This not only increases the design and manufacturing costs of the HMI but also potentially negatively impacts the user experience due to the excessive number of different icon lights indicating different assistance functions. Increasing the number of status lights as the number of assistance functions increases is impractical. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides an improved information display technology that uses different combinations of icons and colors on a display unit to represent the status of different assistance functions in an automated driving system. The icons used here are not only dedicated icons for assistance functions, but also existing industry-standard icons on existing display interfaces. Dedicated icons refer to icons defined by the manufacturer specifically for a particular assistance function. Furthermore, in this invention, the automated driving system includes not only Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) (such as Level 1 Partial Driver Assistance (PDA) systems and Level 2 Combined Driver Assistance (CDA) systems), but also automated driving systems with higher levels of automation, such as Level 3 Conditional Automated Driving (CAD) systems, Level 4 Highly Automated Driving (HAD) systems, and Level 5 Fully Automated Driving (FAD) systems.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for prompting driving assistance information is provided, comprising: setting a set of corresponding controllable display icons on a display unit for multiple assistance functions in an automated driving system; matching a certain number of colors to the automated driving system, the certain number of colors being selected from a plurality of specific colors conforming to industry standards; and using a combination of the set of icons and the selected certain number of colors on the display unit to represent different states of the multiple assistance functions. The set of icons may include dedicated icons, industry standard icons, or a combination of both.

[0006] Preferably, the method of the present invention further includes providing an Operation Design Domain (ODD) icon on the display unit to indicate whether the vehicle meets the conditions for activating the automated driving system; wherein the ODD icon, together with the set of icons, indicates different states of various functions of the automated driving system. Specifically, when the automated driving system is in standby mode, the ODD icon and one or more icons are displayed in a first color; and when the automated driving system is in off mode, the ODD icon and the set of icons are not displayed on the display.

[0007] Preferably, the method of the present invention further includes monitoring the vehicle driving environment; when the driving environment meets the operating design domain, the ODD icon is presented in the second color among the certain number of colors, while the first color is maintained in the presentation of the group of icons.

[0008] Preferably, the method of the present invention further includes determining the state of each auxiliary function in the automated driving system of the vehicle; matching a third color from the number of colors based on the determined state of each auxiliary function so as to display the set of icons on the display unit in the matched color, wherein the third color may be the same as or different from the second color.

[0009] Preferably, the method of the present invention further includes, when a new accessibility function is added, indicating the new accessibility function and its activation by changing at least one of the one or more icons to another color, wherein the other color is different from the certain number of colors, or indicating the new accessibility function and its activation by selecting another existing icon from the display unit and assigning it one of the plurality of specific colors, wherein the other icon is different from the one or more icons.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a display system for prompting driving assistance information is provided, comprising: at least one display unit having a set of controllable icons corresponding to multiple assistance functions in an automated driving system; a display control unit configured to: match a certain number of colors to the automated driving system, the certain number of colors being selected from a plurality of specific colors conforming to industry standards; and combine the set of icons with the selected certain number of colors to represent different states of the multiple assistance functions on the display unit. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a portion of a vehicle's dashboard is shown as an example;

[0012] Figure 1B and 1C An illustrative diagram of some icons in an ADAS system is shown below;

[0013] Figure 2 An example diagram of a vehicle system including a display system according to an example of the present invention is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 A flowchart of a display method according to one embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Embodiments of the display system and display method of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these embodiments, the display system shows various assistance functions of the automated driving system permitted during driving, when the vehicle is assisted in driving. In the following embodiments, for ease of description, 'ADAS' system will be used to represent the automated driving system to describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a partial display interface of an ADAS system instrument panel according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown as an example. As shown, the current display interface displays industry-standard icons indicating the currently driving vehicle and driving environment, such as the current lane line icon, current speed icon, and speed limit icon. Furthermore, a set of icons representing the ADAS system is also exemplarily shown in the display interface. In the embodiments shown below, the display control scheme of the present invention is illustrated using the lateral control and straight-line control functions commonly found in ADAS systems.

[0017] Figure 1B It shows Figure 1A The image shows an enlarged view of the icons in the ADAS system. Lateral control aims to achieve lane changes, turns, and other steering operations by controlling the steering wheel. According to one aspect of the invention, lateral control can be indicated by a dedicated icon, such as a steering wheel icon. Figure 1B As indicated by arrow A. Straight-ahead control involves controlling the vehicle's current direction of travel, such as acceleration, deceleration, and braking. In the example of this invention, a dedicated icon is assigned to the straight-ahead control function, for example... Figure 1B The 'car' icon is indicated by the middle arrow B. It should be noted that the dedicated icons assigned to lateral control and straight-ahead control functions are not limited to those shown in the example above and can be defined by the manufacturer or other production entity.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle system including the display system according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted here that... Figure 2 The diagram shows only a portion of the vehicle system structure. For simplicity, other components of the vehicle system, including but not limited to onboard control systems such as ECUs, steering control systems, and cruise control systems such as ACC, are omitted. As shown, the vehicle system is equipped with sensor systems such as cameras, radar (e.g., lidar, acoustic radar), a navigation system, and a mapping system. Sensor systems are used to acquire information about the vehicle itself and its surroundings, such as capturing images of the direction of travel or detecting obstacles or other vehicles around the vehicle. The navigation system is used to obtain the vehicle's location information and plan routes, while the mapping system provides information on road shape or other facilities, such as road curvature, points of interest (POI) information, and may also include information related to lane-changing and overtaking zones. The combined use of information from the navigation and mapping systems provides important references for assisted driving.

[0019] The display system 100 according to this embodiment includes a display unit 101 and a display control unit 102. In this invention, the display unit 101 can be an instrument panel display area located directly in front of the driver, a projection area (HUD) on the windshield, or other displayable areas, such as the display area provided by an in-vehicle multimedia system. Various icons can be displayed on the display unit 101, such as traditional standard icons like tachometers / speedometers, fuel consumption indicators, and lane markings, as well as icons related to ADAS functions, such as… Figure 1B The steering and straight-line control icons shown are the 'steering wheel' and 'car' icons. According to the present invention, different color combinations of a selected set of icons on the display unit 101 can be used to represent different assistance functions in the vehicle's ADAS system, especially the ever-expanding assistance functions in the ADAS system. Here, the combinations include not only icon combinations but also different color combinations of the same set of icons.

[0020] Therefore, the display control unit 102 in the display system 100 is configured to display corresponding assistance function prompts based on the vehicle's ADAS system status. Specifically, based on the assistance functions included in the ADAS system, the display control unit 102 combines multiple icons on the display unit 101 with a certain number of colors to represent the different states of these assistance functions. The following uses the implementation of straight-line control and lateral control of the vehicle as examples to illustrate the display method of the present invention. Figure 1B As shown, an icon A, representing lateral control, and an icon B, representing straight-line control, are displayed. By default, ADAS functions in driver assistance are off, therefore the display control unit 102 controls the display unit 101 to turn off all icon lights.

[0021] As mentioned earlier, the activation of a vehicle's ADAS functions depends on the driving environment, and the preconditions and applicable scope of each driver assistance system may differ. Driver assistance systems can only operate normally when all conditions are met. Since current driver assistance technologies cannot guarantee safe driving in all weather conditions and road environments, it is usually necessary to pre-set Operating Design Domain (ODD) conditions to limit the driving environment and driving methods, thus preventing potential accidents. For example, sample ODD conditions might include:

[0022] ① Driving on highways or dedicated motor vehicle roads with two or more lanes and a central median and guardrails;

[0023] ② The distance between the lane in question and the surrounding lanes is relatively short, meaning it is in a traffic jam situation;

[0024] ③ The vehicle's speed shall not exceed 60 km / h;

[0025] ③ There are no traffic lights or pedestrians within the range that the sensors can detect.

[0026] Since ODD is an important condition for assisted driving, according to the present invention, as Figure 1A and 1BAs shown, a dedicated ODD icon is provided on the display unit 101. The presence or absence of the ODD light indicates whether the ADAS system can be activated. In this example, the ODD icon, the "steering wheel" icon A, and the "car" icon B can be used together to represent the status of various assistance functions of the ADAS system. In the default state, the ADAS functions in driver assistance are turned off, so the display control unit 102 controls the display unit 101 to turn off all icon lights, and therefore no ADAS system icons, including the ODD icon, are displayed on the instrument panel display unit. When the ADAS function is in standby mode, the display control unit 102 controls the display unit 101 to illuminate each icon, for example, with a first luminous color, such as making the ODD icon, the "steering wheel" icon A, and the "car" icon B all white.

[0027] According to one example, the display system 100 includes a condition monitoring unit 103 for determining whether the vehicle meets the ODD (Operational Disclosure) conditions based on information received from a sensor system, a navigation system, and / or a map system. When the condition monitoring unit 103 determines that the ODD conditions are not met, the display control unit 102 instructs the display unit 101 to continue displaying the icons in white, thereby indicating that the ADAS system remains in standby mode. When, for example, the sensor system detects that the distance between the vehicle's current lane and surrounding lanes is close, or the map and navigation system determines that the vehicle is currently traveling on a highway, the condition monitoring unit 103 determines that the current driving environment meets the ODD conditions and therefore sends an indication signal indicating that the ADAS system is enabled to the display control unit 102. Upon receiving this indication signal, the control unit 102 instructs the display unit 101 to illuminate the ODD icons in a second color, such as green, while simultaneously keeping the "steering wheel" icon A and the "car" icon B in white, thereby indicating that the entire ADAS system is enabled.

[0028] When the driver activates all functions of the ADAS system, such as steering control and straight-line control functions (e.g., accelerator and brake functions are activated) in this example, the display control unit 102 instructs the display unit 101 to illuminate the "steering wheel" icon A and the "car" icon B in the same green as the ODD icon, so that the user can fully see that all lateral control and straight-line control assistance functions in the ADAS system are activated and the vehicle is being operated. When the driver takes over any assistance function in the ADAS system, such as the steering control function, the display control unit 102 instructs the display unit 101 to restore the "steering wheel" icon A to white to indicate that the current steering function is off, while continuing to display the ODD icon and the "car" icon B in green, thus indicating that the vehicle's straight-line control function is still active.

[0029] Furthermore, when the ADAS system malfunctions, the display control unit 102 instructs the display unit 101 to display the ODD icon, the "steering wheel" icon A, and the "car" icon B in a third color, such as red, thereby prominently alerting the user to the ADAS malfunction and allowing timely takeover of vehicle control. According to the invention, other colors can also be assigned to other states of the ADAS system. For example, when the ADAS system is in an upgrade state, the display control unit 102 instructs the display unit 101 to display the ODD icon, the "steering wheel" icon A, and the "car" icon B in a fourth color, such as yellow, thereby reminding the user that the ADAS system is currently in an upgrade state. In the above example, white, red, green, and other colors are used to describe the various auxiliary functions in the ADAS system. However, the invention is not limited to this; other different colors can be assigned to various functional states to indicate the same state, as long as these colors conform to industry standards, such as the national standard GB4094.

[0030] In the example above, dedicated icons "steering wheel" A and "car" B are used to represent lateral and straight-line control assistance functions. However, according to the present invention, for one or more assistance functions in an ADAS system, such as straight-line control, other industry-standard icons such as "speed gauge" and "lane lines" displayed on the display unit 101 can be used in combination with other icons and color changes to indicate different functional states, thereby effectively saving display space and cost. For example... Figure 1C This illustration shows the use of a standard 'lane line' (B) and a dedicated 'steering wheel' icon (A) to represent straight-ahead and lateral control assist functions. Here, the combination of standard icons, such as lane line B, with icon A and the ODD icon, to represent different assist function states is combined with the aforementioned example. Figure 1B The implementation methods described are similar, so they will not be repeated here.

[0031] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, only steering control and straight-line control in the ADAS system are shown as examples to illustrate the status indication of the ADAS system of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to these two auxiliary functions, and may also include the display of other auxiliary functions, and these functions can be presented by adding a combination of icons or colors.

[0032] As an example, when a new assistance function is added to an ADAS system, the display control unit 102 can indicate the activation of the new assistance function by changing at least one of the existing icons, such as the "steering wheel," to another color, or by selecting another existing icon, such as the tachometer, from the display unit and assigning it a corresponding color. According to the present invention, the colors assigned to each icon are derived from, for example, the colors specified in the national standard GB4094.

[0033] Therefore, according to the display method of the present invention, for multiple auxiliary functions in an automated driving system, a set of corresponding controllable display icons is set on the display unit. This set of icons can consist entirely of icons specifically designed for each auxiliary function, or it can include at least one dedicated icon corresponding to at least one of the multiple auxiliary functions, and industry-standard icons corresponding to the other auxiliary functions. These standard icons can be fixed icons on the display unit, such as speedometers, or dynamically appearing icons during driving, such as lane markings. Simultaneously, a certain number of colors are matched to the automated driving system, thereby representing the different states of multiple auxiliary functions on the display unit using a combination of a set of icons and a selected number of colors. Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an example of an auxiliary information display method according to the present invention is shown herein. Figure 1C The following example illustrates the steering control, straight-line control, and corresponding ODD icons, "steering wheel" icon A, and lane line B'.

[0034] As shown in the figure, in step 301, the onboard sensing system, such as sensors, navigation, or map system, monitors the ODD conditions for activating the ADAS system (i.e., the driving conditions or vehicle speed). In step 302, based on the monitored information, it is determined whether the ODD conditions are met, such as whether the vehicle is on a highway or whether its speed does not exceed 60 km / h. If the ODD conditions are not met, in step 303, the control display unit still displays the ODD icon, the "steering wheel" icon A, and the lane line B' in a first color, such as white, to indicate that the current ADAS system is in standby mode. If the ODD conditions are met in step 302, the process proceeds to step 304.

[0035] In step 304, the control display unit 101 illuminates the ODD icon in a second color, such as green, while the "steering wheel" icon A and lane line B' continue to be displayed in white, thereby indicating that the entire ADAS system is in an enabled state.

[0036] In step 305, the status of each assistance function in the ADAS system is determined, i.e., whether the entire ADAS system or some of its assistance functions are activated. For example, in this case, it is determined whether the driver has activated either lateral control or straight-line control. In step 306, based on the determined function activation status of the ADAS system, the corresponding icon is matched with the corresponding color. As an example, when the driver activates all functions of the entire ADAS system, such as steering control and straight-line control functions (e.g., accelerator and brake functions are enabled) in this case, the control display unit illuminates the "steering wheel" icon A and lane line B' in the same green as the ODD icon, so that the user can fully see that all ADAS functions are activated and the vehicle is being operated. When the driver takes over any assistance function in the ADAS system, such as the steering control function, the control display unit restores the "steering wheel" icon A to white to indicate that the current steering function is off, while continuing to display the ODD icon and lane line B' in green, thus indicating that the vehicle's straight-line control function is still active. In addition, when a malfunction is detected in the ADAS system, the control display unit will display the ODD icon, the "steering wheel" icon A, and the lane line B' in a third color, such as red, to prominently remind the user of the ADAS malfunction.

[0037] The general scheme of the present invention has been described above in conjunction with various embodiments. It should be noted that each module or step in the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. For example, the method and display system disclosed herein can be implemented by a processor executing a machine-readable program or instructions stored in a memory.

[0038] The various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Based on the above multiple embodiments, those skilled in the art will know that different technical means in the above different embodiments can be combined to obtain more embodiments of the present invention, and these embodiments are also within the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for providing driving assistance information, comprising: For multiple auxiliary functions in the automated driving system, an Operation Design Domain (ODD) icon and a set of corresponding controllable display icons are set on the display unit, wherein the Operation Design Domain (ODD) icon is used to indicate whether the vehicle meets the conditions for enabling the Operation Design Domain of the automated driving system. The automated driving system is matched with a certain number of colors, which are selected from a plurality of specific colors that conform to industry standards; The different states of the automated driving system and its various auxiliary functions are represented on the display unit by using the set of icons, the Run Design Domain (ODD) icons, and a certain number of selected colors. When the automated driving system is in standby mode, the ODD icon and the set of icons are displayed in the first color among the certain number of colors; When the monitored vehicle driving environment meets the operating design domain conditions, the ODD icon is presented in the second color among the certain number of colors, while the first color is used to present the group of icons. A third color is matched from a certain number of colors based on the state of each auxiliary function in the vehicle's automated driving system so that the set of icons is displayed on the display unit in the matched third color, wherein the third color may be the same as or different from the second color.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising: At least one dedicated icon is used to indicate at least one of the multiple accessibility features, while one or more industry-standard icons are used to indicate the other multiple accessibility features.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when the automated driving system is in a closed state, the ODD icon and the set of icons are not displayed on the display unit.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein when a new assistance function is added to the automated driving system, The new accessibility feature and its activation are indicated by changing at least one icon in the set of icons to a different color, wherein the other color is different from the set of colors, or The new accessibility function and its activation are indicated by selecting another existing industry-standard icon from the display unit and assigning it one of the plurality of specific colors, wherein the other industry-standard icon is different from the set of icons.

5. A display system for driver assistance information, comprising: At least one display unit is provided with a set of controllable display icons corresponding to multiple auxiliary functions in the automated driving system and an Operation Design Domain (ODD) icon, wherein the Operation Design Domain (ODD) icon is used to indicate whether the vehicle meets the conditions for enabling the Operation Design Domain of the automated driving system. The area monitoring unit is used to monitor the vehicle's driving environment based on information received from the outside. The display control unit is configured as follows: The automated driving system is matched with a certain number of colors, which are selected from a plurality of specific colors that conform to industry standards; The set of icons, the Operation Design Domain (ODD) icons, and a selected number of colors are combined to represent the different states of the automated driving system and its various auxiliary functions on the display unit; When the automated driving system is in standby mode, the display control unit controls the display unit to display the ODD icon and the set of icons in the first color from the certain number of colors; When the monitored driving environment meets the operating design domain conditions, the display control unit controls the display unit to display the ODD icon in the second color among the certain number of colors, while maintaining the display of the group of icons in the first color; Based on the status of each auxiliary function in the vehicle's automated driving system, a third color is matched from a certain number of colors in order to control the display unit to display the set of icons with the matched third color, wherein the third color may be the same as or different from the second color.

6. The display system of claim 5, wherein at least one dedicated icon is used to indicate at least one of the plurality of assistive functions, and one or more industry-standard icons are used to indicate other assistive functions among the plurality of assistive functions.

7. The display system of claim 5, wherein when the automated driving system is in a closed state, the display control unit controls the display unit not to display the ODD icon and the set of images.

8. The display system of any one of claims 5-7, wherein when a new assistance function is added to the automated driving system, the display control unit is further configured to: Changing at least one icon in the set of icons to a different color to indicate the new accessibility feature and its activation, wherein the other color is different from the set of colors, or The new accessibility function and its activation are indicated by selecting another existing industry-standard icon from the display unit and assigning it one of the plurality of specific colors, wherein the other industry-standard icon is different from the set of icons.

9. The display system according to any one of claims 5-7, wherein the at least one display unit comprises at least one of the following: Vehicle instrument panel; head-up display (HUD); central control display platform; or in-vehicle multimedia platform.

10. The display system of claim 9, wherein the automated driving system comprises at least one of the following: Some driver assistance systems (PDA); Combined Driver Assistance (CDA) system; Conditional automated driving (CAD) system; Highly automated driving (HAD) systems; and Fully automated driving (FAD) system.

11. A display system comprising a memory storing a machine-readable program and a processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the method of any one of claims 1-4.

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