Vehicle system for detecting polarized sunglasses

Abstract

A system for a vehicle includes a display configured to provide a plurality of vehicle operating parameters to a vehicle user; a camera configured to capture an image indicating a vehicle user with glasses positioned on a face of the vehicle user; and a controller programmed to adjust an operational characteristic of the display based at least on wearing the eyewear by a vehicle user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a vehicle system for detecting polarized sunglasses worn by a vehicle user. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle system for performing reactive operations in response to detecting that a vehicle user is wearing sunglasses to increase the visibility of an instrument display from the perspective of the vehicle user. Background Art

[0002] Many vehicle users wear sunglasses while driving to reduce unwanted glare perceived by the vehicle user's eyes. While traditional sunglass lenses were made of colored glass, polarized sunglasses have become increasingly popular. Polarized sunglasses apply a polarizer to filter out light waves oscillating in a given direction while allowing light waves oscillating in other directions to pass through. Generally, most sunglasses on the market use a vertical polarizer to filter out horizontally oriented light (e.g., S-waves), while allowing vertically oriented light (e.g., P-waves) to pass through the lens unaffected (or less affected).

[0003] While polarized sunglasses effectively filter out unwanted S-wave glare, such polarized sunglasses may also inadvertently filter out some instrument information displayed in the S-wave direction. More specifically, many vehicles are equipped with a head-up display (HUD) to project an optical image onto the vehicle's windshield. The HUD image can be projected as both vertically oriented P-waves and horizontally oriented S-waves. If the polarized sunglasses filter out the S-wave image and the P-wave image is displayed at a low brightness, the vehicle user may not be able to clearly see the image because, from the perspective of the vehicle user's eyes when wearing polarized sunglasses, the image may be very dim. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A system for a vehicle includes: a display configured to provide a plurality of vehicle operation parameters to a vehicle user; a camera configured to capture an image of the vehicle user indicating that glasses are positioned on the vehicle user's face; and a controller programmed to adjust an operating characteristic of the display at least based on the vehicle user wearing glasses.

[0005] A method for a vehicle system includes: outputting a plurality of vehicle operation parameters to a user via a display; capturing an image of the user indicating that polarized glasses are positioned on the user's face via a camera; and adjusting an operating characteristic of the display at least based on the user wearing polarized glasses via a controller.

[0006] An apparatus includes: a camera configured to capture an image indicating a user's face; and a controller programmed to communicate with a display and, in response to the image indicating that the user is wearing polarized glasses, adjust an operating characteristic of the display. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] To better understand the embodiments and to show how the embodiments may be carried out, embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] Figure 1 An example block topology of a vehicle system showing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0009] Figure 2 An example flow chart of a process for detecting polarized sunglasses worn by a vehicle user showing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0010] Figures 3A - 3C An example diagram of an image sensed by a camera in different polarization directions showing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0011] Figures 4A - 4C An example diagram of a polarizer movement mechanism showing various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Embodiments are described herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and that other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale. Some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art.

[0013] The various features shown and described in connection with any one of the figures may be combined with features shown in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly shown or described. Combinations of the features shown provide representative embodiments for typical applications. However, various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure may be desired for a particular application or implementation.

[0014] Among other things, the present disclosure presents a vehicle system for detecting polarized sunglasses worn by a driver and / or a vehicle user. More specifically, the present disclosure presents a vehicle system for performing an operation to increase the visibility of an instrument display in response to detecting that a vehicle driver and / or a vehicle user is wearing sunglasses.

[0015] Reference Figure 1, showing an example block topology of a vehicle system 100 of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The vehicle system 100 may include a vehicle 102 provided with various hardware and software and configured to perform various operations as disclosed herein. For example, the vehicle 102 may include various types of motor vehicles such as crossovers (CUVs), sport utility vehicles (SUVs), sedans, coupes, trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), boats, airplanes, or other mobile machines designed for transportation purposes. The vehicle 102 may be powered by an internal combustion engine (e.g., gasoline, diesel, natural gas, etc.). Alternatively, the vehicle 102 may be propelled by electric motor power, such as, in addition to or instead of the engine, also by a battery. As some non-limiting examples, the vehicle 102 may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), etc. It should be noted that the system 100 shown is merely an example, and more, fewer, and / or different elements in different locations may be used.

[0016] As Figure 1 shown, the vehicle 102 may include a computing system 104 configured to perform various operations. The computing system 104 may include one or more processors 106 (hereinafter referred to as "processor 106"), which are configured to execute instructions, commands, and other routines to support the operations described herein. For example, the processor 106 may be configured to execute instructions of a vehicle application 108 to provide features such as, for example, navigation, user interaction, and image processing. Various types of computer-readable storage media 110 may be used to maintain such instructions and other data in a non-volatile manner. The computer-readable medium 110 (also referred to as a processor-readable medium or a storage device) includes any non-transitory medium (e.g., a tangible medium) that participates in providing instructions or other data that can be read by the processor 106. The computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of programming languages and / or technologies, including but not limited to Java, C, C++, C#, JavaScript, Python, etc., either alone or in combination.

[0017] The computing system 104 may be provided with features that allow a vehicle driver / passenger to interact with the computing system 104. For example, the computing system 104 may receive input from a human-machine interface (HMI) control 112, which is configured to provide interaction between an occupant and the vehicle 102. As an example, the computing system 104 may interface with one or more buttons, switches, knobs, or other HMI controls configured to invoke functions on the computing system 104.

[0018] The computing system 104 can drive one or more speakers 114 or otherwise communicate with one or more speakers 114, which are configured to provide audio output and input to vehicle occupants via the audio controller 116. The computing system 104 can also drive one or more microphones 118 or otherwise communicate with one or more microphones 118, which are configured to receive voice input from vehicle occupants via the audio controller 116.

[0019] The computing system 104 can also provide navigation and route planning features via the navigation controller 120. The navigation controller 120 is configured to calculate a navigation route in response to user input (e.g., via the HMI control 112) and output the planned route and instructions via the speaker 114 and / or the display / projector (to be discussed in detail below). The location data required for navigation can be collected from the location controller 122, which is configured to communicate with multiple satellites and calculate the location of the vehicle 102. The location controller 122 can be configured to support various current and / or future global or regional positioning systems. The regional positioning systems can include the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, Beidou, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), etc. The navigation software and map data for the navigation function can be stored in the storage device 110 as part of the vehicle application 108 and the vehicle data 124.

[0020] The computing system 104 can also drive one or more HUD projectors 126 or otherwise communicate with one or more HUD projectors 126, which are configured to provide visual output to vehicle occupants via the video controller 128. As Figure 1 shown, the HUD projector 126 can project light onto the windshield 130 of the vehicle 102 to form a transparent / translucent image 132 on the windshield within the field of view of the driver and / or the vehicle user 134 (“vehicle user”). For simplicity, Figure 1 only the head portion of the vehicle user 134 is shown. The HUD projector 126 can be implemented in various ways. For example, the HUD projector 126 can be integrated with the dashboard of the vehicle 102 to project the image 132 onto the windshield 130 at a fixed angle and position. In this case, a transparent or translucent reflective film (not shown) can be attached to the windshield at a position corresponding to the projection position to increase the visibility of the image 132 from the perspective of the vehicle user. Alternatively, the HUD projector 126 can be a portable projector that can be moved to a customized position below the windshield 130 based on the preferences of the vehicle user 134.

[0021] The computing system 104 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more displays 135 (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs)) configured to provide visual output to vehicle occupants via the video controller 128. In some cases, the display 135 may be a touchscreen further configured to receive user touch inputs via the video controller 128, while in other cases, the display 135 may be just a display without input capabilities.

[0022] The image 132 projected by the HUD projector 126 may include information and guidance to assist the vehicle user in operating the vehicle 102. As some non-limiting examples, the image 132 may include information indicating vehicle operating states such as speed, driving direction, fuel level, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the image 132 may include information indicating driving instructions such as navigation instructions provided by the navigation controller 120. Although described as a single unit in this disclosure, the HUD projector 126 may include various components and parts to enable optical projection to form the image 132. For example, the HUD projector 126 may include one or more of a processor, a light source, an imager, a reflector, a lens to facilitate HUD display operation. The HUD projector 126 may also include one or more wave plates configured to modify the polarization direction of the light projected onto the windshield 130.

[0023] The HUD projector 126 may be provided with various adjustabilities to accommodate different usage scenarios. For example, the HUD projector 126 may be provided with adjustable light intensity / brightness based on user input. Additionally or alternatively, the ambient light intensity measured by one or more light sensors 136 may be used to automatically adjust the brightness of the image 132 projected by the HUD projector 126. The light sensor 136 may be mounted inside the vehicle cab (e.g., on the dashboard) and is configured to provide ambient light intensity information to the computing system 104. In response to the measured increase / decrease in ambient light intensity by the light sensor 136, the computing system 104 and / or the HUD projector 126 may automatically increase or decrease the brightness of the image 132 to provide a consistent user experience to the vehicle user 134.

[0024] In some cases, vehicle user 134 may wear a pair of sunglasses 138 while driving to reduce glare perceived by the vehicle user's eyes. There are various types of sunglasses 138 on the market. One type of sunglasses that is particularly relevant to the present disclosure is polarized sunglasses, which apply a polarizer on the lens to filter out light waves oscillating in a predefined direction. For example, in the case where the sunglasses 138 are vertically polarized (the most common), the sunglasses 138 can block light oriented in the horizontal direction (e.g., S waves, typically glare), while allowing light vibrating in the vertical direction (e.g., P waves) to pass through the lens. In other words, the P-wave light oriented in the vertical direction can be perceived by the vehicle user's eyes without being affected by the vertically polarized lens, while the S-wave light oriented in the horizontal direction can be completely or partially blocked by the vertically polarized lens.

[0025] In some cases, the polarized lens of the sunglasses 138 can affect the user's perception of the HUD image 132. The user 134 observes the image 132 by perceiving the image light 140 reflected from the windshield 130. The image light 140 can vibrate in various directions and has both P-wave and S-wave components. Since the S-wave component of the image light 140 is blocked by the polarized lens of the sunglasses 138 and only the P-wave component passes through the lens, the image 132 may appear darker, which may make the image 132 difficult to observe from the perspective of the vehicle user.

[0026] Similarly, the display 135 may also encounter the same or similar problems. The light waves emitted from the display 135 (e.g., LCD) can also be polarized and have both P-wave and S-wave components. The polarized lens of the sunglasses 138 can block the S-wave component and only allow the P-wave component emitted from the display 135 to pass through. In the present disclosure, the term "display" is used as a general term and can refer to any hardware device configured to output visual information. The term display can refer to the display 135, the HUD projector 126, and / or other devices not described herein.

[0027] To solve these problems, the present disclosure proposes systems and methods for automatically adjusting (e.g., increasing) the brightness of the HUD projection and / or the display when it is detected that the vehicle user is wearing polarized sunglasses 138.

[0028] The computing system 104 can also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more cab cameras 142, which are configured to capture images of vehicle occupants via the video controller 128. The camera 142 can be located at the front of the vehicle cab and face inward to capture a facial image of the vehicle user 134. For example, the camera 142 can be attached to or integrated into the center rearview mirror or the steering wheel and oriented towards the vehicle user's head to better capture the facial image of the vehicle user 134.

[0029] In addition, the polarizer 144 can be coupled to the camera 142 in front of the camera lens. The polarizer 144 can be movably attached to the camera 142 via a motion mechanism 145 such that the relative orientation and / or position of the polarizer 144 can be modified with reference to the lens of the camera 142. For example, the polarizer 144 can be configured to rotate in front of the camera lens via an electric motor. Details of the motion mechanism 145 will be discussed later. In this example, rotating the polarizer 144 can interact with the polarizing lens of the sunglasses 138 worn by the user 134 to create a visual effect of the facial image of the vehicle user 134 from the perspective of the camera. For example, when the polarization direction of the polarizer 144 is parallel to the polarization direction of the lens of the sunglasses 138 (e.g., both are vertically polarized), the camera 142 can successfully capture an image of the area of the vehicle user's eyes behind the sunglasses 138. This is because the polarizer 144 cannot block the light passing through the polarizing lens of the sunglasses 138 since the polarization directions are the same. When the polarizer 144 is rotated by 90°, and the polarization direction is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the sunglasses lens, substantially all of the light passing through the sunglasses lens is blocked by the polarizer 144. In this regard, the camera 142 cannot capture an image of the area of the vehicle user's eyes behind the sunglasses 138. By repeating the rotation of the polarizer, the computing system can detect the presence of the polarizing lens in front of the vehicle user's eyes, thereby determining that the vehicle user is wearing polarized sunglasses 138.

[0030] Reference Figure 2 , an example flowchart of a process 200 for detecting polarized sunglasses worn by a vehicle user is shown. Continuing to refer to Figure 1, process 200 can be implemented via a combination of computing system 104 and various components of vehicle 102. It is noted that although for simplicity, process 200 will be mainly described with reference to computing system 104 below, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and process 200 can be implemented by various other components described or not described in the present disclosure under substantially the same principle. At operation 202, computing system 104 detects the presence of vehicle user 134 in the driver's seat. There are various ways to perform such detection. For example, the driver's seat can be provided with a pressure sensor (not shown) configured to generate a signal indicating that the seat is occupied when depressed. Additionally or alternatively, computing system 104 can be configured to detect the presence of vehicle user 134 using camera 142. Camera 142 can be configured to be activated in response to the vehicle starting. Alternatively, camera 142 can be configured to be intermittently activated during vehicle parking (e.g., activated for 1 second every 10 seconds). Additionally or alternatively, computing system 104 can detect the presence of vehicle user 134 based on the seat belt signal of the driver's seat. When it is detected that the driver's seat belt is fastened, computing system 104 can assume that the vehicle user has entered vehicle 102. Due to the nature of the information output via HUD projector 126, process 200 is more concerned with the perspective of the vehicle user on image 132 rather than the perspective of a passenger. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and computing system 104 can be configured to apply process 200 to one or more passengers under substantially the same principle.

[0031] In response to detecting the presence of vehicle user 134, at operation 204, computing system 104 captures a facial image / video of vehicle user 134 while polarizer 144 is operated by motion mechanism 145 to adjust the polarization direction of the light perceived by camera 142. There are various ways to implement motion mechanism 145 associated with polarizer 144. As described above, polarizer 144 can perform in-plane rotation. Additionally or alternatively, a sliding motion can be applied to polarizer 144 to change its position relative to the camera lens. A detailed example of polarizer motion mechanism 145 will be discussed later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0032] At operation 206, computing system 104 uses a facial recognition (e.g., eye tracking) algorithm and software as part of vehicle application 108 to analyze a facial image / video of vehicle user 134 to determine whether regions of the facial image / video of the vehicle user exhibit a recurring / appearing and disappearing pattern based on the orientation of polarizer 144. As described above, if vehicle user 134 wears polarized sunglasses 138 (e.g., may be vertically polarized) while operating the vehicle, then from the perspective of the camera, the movement of polarizer 144 may repeatedly allow and block the light of the scene behind polarized sunglasses 138. When the polarization direction of polarizer 144 is parallel to the polarization direction of sunglasses 138, the light from sunglasses 138 is not blocked by polarizer 144, and camera 142 can recognize and track the eyes of user 134. When the polarization direction of polarizer 144 is adjusted and is no longer parallel to the polarization direction of sunglasses 138, the area image / video of the eyes of user 134 behind sunglasses 138 may be partially or completely blocked by polarizer 144.

[0033] Figures 3A - 3C An example diagram of facial images sensed by camera 142 at different polarization angles showing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In the currently shown example, for illustrative purposes, polarizer 144 operates in a clockwise rotational motion. Additionally, sunglasses 138 worn by user 134 are vertically polarized. Figure 3A A first state is shown, in which the polarization direction of polarizer 144 is parallel to the polarization direction of sunglasses 138 (i.e., both are vertically polarized). In this state, polarizer 144 and sunglasses 138 allow light from each other to pass through. Thus, camera 142 can capture a complete facial image 302 of vehicle user 134, including a clear image of the eye region 304a of the vehicle user. Computing system 104 can perform an image processing and recognition process to recognize the eyes of user 134 within facial image 302a.

[0034] Reference Figure 3B , when polarizer 144 rotates clockwise and the polarization direction is no longer parallel to sunglasses 138, the eye region 304b of the facial image 302b of the vehicle user becomes less visible, while the rest of the facial image remains unchanged. In the current state, polarizer 144 is diagonal (e.g., 45°) to the polarization direction of the lenses of sunglasses 138. Thus, the image of the eye region 304b of the vehicle user may still be visible, but is less clear compared to the eye portion 304a in the first facial image 302a.

[0035] See Figure 3C, as the polarizer 144 continues to rotate clockwise and the polarization direction is perpendicular to (i.e., horizontally polarized) the lens of the sunglasses 138, the image of the vehicle user's eye region 304c in the facial image 302c becomes completely invisible, while the rest of the facial image 302c remains visible.

[0036] As the polarizer 144 continues to rotate, the camera 142 continues to capture the facial image 302 of the vehicle user 134, where the eye region 304 toggles between visible and invisible while the rest of the vehicle user's facial image remains visible. This visible and invisible pattern can be used by the computing system 104 to determine the presence of the polarized sunglasses 138 worn by the vehicle user 134.

[0037] Review Figure 2 , at operation 208, the computing system 104 determines whether a repeated visible / invisible pattern exists in the eye region 304 within a predefined time period in the facial image / video 302. The predefined time period can depend on the movement speed of the polarizer 144. Taking the continuously rotating polarizer 144 as an example, each visible / invisible cycle (from visible to invisible, and from invisible to visible) occurs every 90° of rotation. Thus, a 360° rotation of the polarizer can produce two visible / invisible cycles. As an example, if the polarizer 144 rotates at one revolution per second and the visible / invisible pattern requires at least four visible / invisible cycles to determine the presence of the polarized sunglasses 138, the predefined time period can be two seconds.

[0038] If the computing system 104 does not detect a visible / invisible pattern in the eye region 304 within the predefined time period, indicating that the vehicle user 134 is temporarily not wearing the polarized sunglasses 138, the process returns to operation 204 and the computing system 104 continues to capture and monitor the facial image / video of the vehicle user 134.

[0039] Otherwise, if the computing system 104 detects a visible / invisible pattern within a predefined time period, the process proceeds to operation 210. At operation 210, the computing system 104 determines that the vehicle user 134 is wearing polarized sunglasses and performs a vehicle operation in response to such determination. The vehicle operation can include various actions. As some non-limiting examples, the computing system 104 can increase the light intensity of the display 135 and / or the HUD projector 126 to make the image 132 brighter. Additionally or alternatively, the computing system 104 can rotate the orientation of the light projected from the HUD projector (e.g., via a waveplate) to increase the P-waves oriented in the vertical direction that can be perceived through the sunglasses 138. Additionally or alternatively, the computing system 104 can increase the utilization of audio signals to supplement or replace the video image 132 displayed by the HUD projector 126, thereby communicating with the vehicle user. For example, in response to detecting that the vehicle user 134 is wearing polarized sunglasses 138, the computing system 104 can automatically turn on the speaker 114 to output an audio message (e.g., navigation instructions) that would otherwise not be used in addition to the visual display.

[0040] Reference Figures 4A - 4C , an example diagram of the polarizer motion mechanism 145 of various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As described above, the movement operation of the polarizer 144 relative to the camera 142 can be implemented in various ways. Figure 4AOne or more embodiments of a motion mechanism 145 implemented by a motor 402 and a belt 404 are shown. The motor 402 can be an electric motor powered by a vehicle battery (not shown) and is controlled individually or jointly via the computing system 104 and / or the camera 142. In this embodiment, the polarizer 144 can be formed in a circular shape and placed in front of the lens of the camera 142. The belt 404 can have a first end attached to the outer circumference of the polarizer 144 and a second end attached to the pulley of the motor 402 and is configured to transmit the rotational force from the motor 402 to the polarizer 144. During operation, the motor 402 outputs a rotational force based on commands from the computing system 104 and / or the camera 142. When the rotational force reaches the polarizer 144 via the belt 404, the polarizer 144 rotates in the plane, thereby adjusting the polarization direction. The motor 402 can be configured to rotate continuously in one direction. Alternatively, the motor 402 can output a reciprocating rotational force. As an example, the motor 402 can rotate in one direction and stop at a predefined degree (e.g., 90° or greater). Then, the motor 402 can rotate in the opposite direction by a predefined degree and repeat the reciprocating rotation. Due to the nature of polarization, a 90° rotation should be sufficient for the camera 142 to detect the visible and invisible patterns of the eye region 304 of the vehicle user's face image 302. Additionally or alternatively, the polarizer 144 can be connected to the motor 402 via other means other than or instead of the belt 404. For example, one or more gears (not shown) can be used to transmit the rotational force from the motor 402 to the polarizer 144.

[0041] Figure 4B One or more embodiments of a motion mechanism 145 of the polarizer 144 implemented via an electromagnet 412 are shown. As compared with Figure 4AOne or more embodiments shown are similar, where the polarizer 144 is formed as circular and performs a back-and-forth rotational movement during operation. However, in this embodiment, the back-and-forth rotational movement of the polarizer is achieved via an electromagnet 412 and a spring 414. The polarizer 144 may be provided with a metal block 416 attached to the outer periphery and aligned with the vertical polarization direction. The spring 414 may have a first end connected to a fixing device (e.g., the body of the camera 142 or the vehicle 102) and a second end connected to the metal block 416. The metal block 416 is attracted by the electromagnet 412 when activated. In the inactive state, when the electromagnet 412 is inactive (does not generate a magnetic field), the tension of the spring 414 causes the metal block 416 (and the polarizer) to remain in the first position 418, where the polarizer 144 is vertically - parallel to the vertical polarized sunglasses 138. When the electromagnet 412 is activated, an electric current flows through the coil of the electromagnet 412 and generates an electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field can attract the metal block 416 to generate a calibrated force to overcome the tension from the spring 414, such that the metal block 416 rotates the polarizer 144 to a second position 420 that is approximately 90° from the first position 418. At the second position 420, the polarizer 144 is horizontally polarized, which blocks the vertically vibrating light (e.g., P waves) from the sunglasses 138. When the electromagnet 412 is deactivated, the tension from the spring 414 can cause the metal block 416 (and the polarizer 144) to return to the first position. The back-and-forth rotation of the polarizer 144 can be achieved by turning the electromagnet 412 on and off at predefined intervals (e.g., every few seconds).

[0042] Figure 4C One or more embodiments of the movement mechanism 145 of the polarizer 144 implemented via the electromagnet 432 are shown. Similar to Figure 4BOne or more embodiments shown are similar, and the movement is achieved by an electromagnet 432 and a spring 434. However, in this embodiment, the polarizer 144 is slidable rather than rotatable. The spring 434 may have a first end connected to a fixing device (e.g., the camera 142 or the body of the vehicle 102) and a second end connected to the first end (e.g., the upper end) of the polarizer 144. The polarizer 144 may be provided with a metal block 436 attached to the second end (e.g., the lower end) opposite to the first end. The polarizer 144 may also be attached to a sliding guide 438 and be slidable between a first position 440 away from the lens of the camera 142 and a second position 442 in front of the lens of the camera 142. In this embodiment, the polarizer 144 may have a fixed horizontal polarization direction, which is perpendicular to the most commonly used polarized sunglasses (i.e., vertical polarization). When the electromagnet 432 is inactive, the tension applied by the spring 434 may urge the polarizer 144 to slide and stay at the first position 440 away from the camera 142. Since the eye region 304 of the facial image 302 is not filtered by the polarizer 144, the eye region 304 of the facial image 302 may be visible to the camera 142. When the electromagnet is activated, the generated electromagnetic field may attract the metal block 436 to overcome the tension applied by the spring 434, such that the polarizer 144 slides to the second position in front of the camera 142 to block any vertically vibrating light (e.g., P-waves). Thus, the eye part of the facial image may become invisible to the camera 142. The back-and-forth rotation of the polarizer 144 may be achieved by turning the electromagnet 432 on and off at a predefined interval (e.g., every few seconds). Although in this embodiment, the sliding guide 438 is vertically oriented, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and under substantially the same concept, the sliding guide 438 may also be horizontally oriented.

[0043] Although the above embodiments are described with reference to polarized sunglasses, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The present disclosure may be applicable to any glasses having one or more polarizing lenses under substantially the same principle, such as prescription glasses, non-prescription glasses, digital protection glasses, contact lenses, etc.

[0044] It should be recognized that the controller as disclosed herein may include various microprocessors, integrated circuits, memory devices (e.g., flash memory, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), or other suitable variations thereof), and software, which cooperate with each other to perform one or more operations disclosed herein. Additionally, such a controller as disclosed utilizes one or more microprocessors to execute a computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which is programmed to perform any number of the functions disclosed. Further, the controller as provided herein includes a housing and a variety of microprocessors, integrated circuits, and memory devices (e.g., flash memory, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM)) positioned within the housing. One or more of the controllers as disclosed also include hardware-based inputs and outputs to receive data from and transmit data to other hardware-based devices as discussed herein.

[0045] The algorithms, methods, or processes disclosed herein may be delivered to or implemented by a computer, controller, or processing device, which may include any dedicated electronic control unit or programmable electronic control unit. Similarly, the algorithms, methods, or processes may be stored in various forms as computer- or controller-executable data and instructions, including but not limited to information persistently stored on a non-writable storage medium such as a read only memory device and information variably stored on a writable storage medium such as an optical disc, random access memory device, or other magnetic and optical media. The algorithms, methods, or processes may also be implemented in software-executable objects. Alternatively, the algorithms, methods, or processes may be embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components such as application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, state machines, or other hardware components or devices, or a combination of firmware, hardware, and software components.

[0046] Although the exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms covered by the claims. The words used in this specification are descriptive words, not limiting words, and it should be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The words "processor" and "processors" may be interchanged herein, and likewise the words "controller" and "controllers" may be interchanged.

[0047] As described above, the features of the various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the present invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. Although the various embodiments may be described as providing advantages in one or more desired characteristics over other embodiments or over existing technology implementations, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics may be compromised to achieve the desired overall system attributes, depending on the particular application and implementation. These attributes may include, but are not limited to, strength, durability, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, suitability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. Thus, embodiments that are described as less desirable than other embodiments or existing technology implementations in one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the present disclosure and may be desirable for a particular application.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle, comprising: A display configured to provide a plurality of vehicle operation parameters to a vehicle user; A camera configured to capture an image of the vehicle user indicating that glasses are positioned on the face of the vehicle user; And A controller programmed to, Adjust an operation characteristic of the display based at least on the vehicle user wearing the glasses.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the glasses include at least one polarizing lens.

3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising a polarizer adjustably positioned relative to a camera lens of the camera, and the camera is further configured to: Capture the image through the polarizer.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the controller is further programmed to: Continuously perform an adjustment of the polarizer relative to the camera lens; Identify an eye region of the face of the user in the image; and Determine that the user is wearing the glasses in response to detecting a change in visibility of the eye region corresponding to the adjustment of the polarizer relative to the camera lens.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further programmed to perform the adjustment of the polarizer by rotating the polarizer.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the rotation of the polarizer is continuous in a single direction.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the rotation of the polarizer repeats a magnitude of at least 90° in an opposite direction.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further programmed to perform the adjustment of the polarizer by sliding the polarizer to periodically cover the camera lens, such that the visibility of the eye region is greater when the polarizer does not cover the camera lens and the visibility of the eye region is smaller when the polarizer covers the camera lens.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display includes at least one of the following: a head-up display projector, or a liquid crystal display.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to: Adjust an operation characteristic of the display by increasing the brightness of the display.

11. A method for a vehicle system, comprising: Outputting a plurality of vehicle operation parameters to a user via a display; Capturing an image of the user indicating that polarizing glasses are positioned on the face of the user via a camera; And Adjusting an operation characteristic of the display based at least on the user wearing the polarizing glasses via a controller.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: Adjusting at least one of an orientation or a position of a polarizer relative to a lens of the camera via a motor; And Capturing the image through the polarizer via the camera.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Adjusting the orientation of the polarizer via the motor by continuously rotating the polarizer in one direction or by repeatedly rotating the polarizer at least 90° in an opposite direction.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Adjusting the position of the polarizer by periodically covering the camera lens with the polarizer via the motor.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Identifying, via the controller, an eye region of the face of the user in the image; And Determining, via the controller, that the user is wearing the polarizing glasses in response to detecting a change in visibility of the eye region corresponding to the adjustment of the orientation or the position of the polarizer relative to the camera lens.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the display includes at least one of the following: a head-up display projector, or a liquid crystal display, and the method further comprises: Adjusting the operating characteristics of the display via the controller by increasing the brightness of the display.

17. An apparatus, comprising: A camera configured to capture an image indicative of a face of a user; And A controller programmed to, Communicate with a display, and Adjust the operating characteristics of the display in response to the image indicating that the user is wearing polarizing glasses.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: A polarizer adjustably positioned relative to the camera lens of the camera; And A motor configured to adjust at least one of the orientation or the position of the polarizer relative to the lens of the camera, Wherein the camera is further configured to, Capture the image through the polarizer, and The controller is further programmed to, Identify an eye region of the face of the user in the image; And Determine that the user is wearing the polarizing glasses in response to detecting a change in visibility of the eye region corresponding to the adjustment of the orientation or the position of the polarizer relative to the camera lens.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the motor is further configured to: Adjust the orientation of the polarizer by continuously rotating the polarizer in one direction or by repeatedly rotating the polarizer in the opposite direction by an amount of at least 90°.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the motor is further configured to: Adjust the position of the polarizer by sliding the polarizer to periodically cover the camera lens such that the visibility of the eye region is greater when the polarizer does not cover the camera lens and the visibility of the eye region is smaller when the polarizer covers the camera lens.

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