VIEW RESTRICTION CONTROL FOR PANORAMA HEAD-UP DISPLAYS

Abstract

A computer-implemented method comprises: determining that a first image projected onto the windshield of a vehicle by a first head-up display (HUD) should be visible to the driver of the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver: configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver. The method further comprises: determining that a second image projected onto the windshield by a second HUD should not be visible to the driver, and, based on the determination that the second image should not be visible to the driver: configuring the second HUD so that the second image is not visible to the driver.

Description

INTRODUCTION The information in this section serves to present the general context of the disclosure. Works of the inventors mentioned herein, insofar as they are described in this section, as well as aspects of the description that may not have been prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor implicitly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. A head-up display (HUD) for a vehicle is an advanced technology that projects information directly onto the vehicle's windshield, allowing the driver to access it without taking their eyes off the road. This transparent display can include, for example, speed, navigation instructions, fuel level, and other vital data, enhancing situational awareness and safety. Seamlessly integrated with the vehicle's onboard systems, the HUD helps the driver stay focused on their surroundings while remaining informed about the vehicle's status and upcoming maneuvers. This innovative feature not only improves driving efficiency but also contributes to a more immersive and connected driving experience. A panoramic head-up display (HUD) comprises two, three, or more HUDs that project virtual images across the width of a vehicle's windshield.Typically, every HUD is equipped with a Lambertian illumination source, which allows the virtual images displayed by the HUD to be seen from a wide range of viewing angles. This means they are visible to both the driver and the vehicle's passengers. The present disclosure relates generally to the provision of restricted view modes for panoramic HUDs. SUMMARY One aspect of the revelation provides a vehicle comprising: a windshield, a first head-up display (HUD) configured to project a first image onto the windshield, a second HUD configured to project a second image onto the windshield, data processing hardware communicating with the first and second HUDs, and memory hardware communicating with the data processing hardware and storing instructions which, when executed by the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations. These operations include: determining that the first image should be visible to the driver of the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver, configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver.The operations also include: determining that the second image should not be visible to the driver, and, based on the determination that the second image should not be visible to the driver: configuring the second HUD so that the second image is not visible to the driver. Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the operations also include: determining that the first image should not be visible to a passenger in the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger: configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger. The operations may also include: determining that the second image should be visible to the passenger in the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the second image should not be visible to the driver but should be visible to the passenger: configuring the second HUD so that the second image is not visible to the driver but should be visible to the passenger. In some examples, the operations further include: determining that the first image should be visible to a passenger in the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver and the passenger: configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver and the passenger. In some implementations, determining that the second image should not be visible to the driver includes determining that media content is being displayed on the windshield by the second HUD. In some examples, determining that the first image should be visible to the driver includes determining that media content is being displayed on the windshield by the first HUD, and determining that the vehicle is operating autonomously. In some implementations, the first HUD includes a switchable diffuser that can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a transparent optical state, so that the first image is visible only to the driver, or into a diffusion state, so that the first image is visible to the driver and a passenger. In some examples, the second HUD includes a switchable diffuser that can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a diffusion state, so that the second image is visible to the driver and a passenger, or into a transparent optical state, so that the first image is visible only to the passenger. Another aspect of the revelation provides for a system comprising: data processing hardware and storage hardware that communicates with the data processing hardware and stores instructions which, when executed by the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations. These operations include: determining that an initial image projected onto the windshield of a vehicle by an initial head-up display (HUD) should be visible to the driver of the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the initial image should be visible to the driver: configuring the initial HUD so that the initial image is visible to the driver.The operations also include: determining that a second image, displayed by a second HUD on the windshield, should not be visible to the driver, and, based on the determination that the second image should not be visible to the driver: configuring the second HUD so that the second image is not visible to the driver. Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the operations also include: determining that the first image should not be visible to a passenger in the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger: configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger. In some examples, the operations further include: determining that the first image should be visible to a passenger in the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to both the driver and the passenger: configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to both the driver and the passenger. In some examples, the requirement that the second image should not be visible to the driver includes determining that media content is displayed on the windshield by the second HUD. In some implementations, the requirement that the first image should be visible to the driver includes determining that media content is displayed on the windshield by the first HUD and determining that the vehicle is operating autonomously. In some implementations, the first HUD includes a switchable diffuser that can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a transparent optical state, so that the first image is visible only to the driver, or into a diffusion state, so that the first image is visible to the driver and a passenger. In some examples, the second HUD includes a switchable diffuser that can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a diffusion state, so that the second image is visible to the driver and a passenger, or into a transparent optical state, so that the first image is visible only to the passenger. Another aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-implemented procedure, executed by data processing hardware, that causes the data processing hardware to perform operations. These operations include: determining that a first image, projected onto the windshield of a vehicle by a first head-up display (HUD), should be visible to the driver of the vehicle, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver, configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver. The operations also include: determining that a second image, projected onto the windshield by a second HUD, should not be visible to the driver, and, based on the determination that the second image should not be visible to the driver, configuring the second HUD so that the second image is not visible to the driver. Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the requirement that the second image should not be visible to the driver includes the requirement that media content is displayed on the windshield by the second HUD. In some examples, the requirement that the first image should be visible to the driver includes: requiring that media content is displayed on the windshield by the first HUD, and requiring that the vehicle is operating autonomously. In some examples, the first HUD includes a switchable diffuser that can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a transparent optical state, so that the first image is visible only to the driver, or into a diffusion state, so that the first image is visible to the driver and a passenger. In some implementations, the second HUD includes a switchable diffuser that can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a diffusion state, so that the second image is visible to the driver and a passenger, or into a transparent optical state, so that the first image is visible only to the passenger. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings described here serve only to illustrate selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Fig. 1 is a view of an exemplary vehicle with a panoramic head-up display (HUD) system according to the principles of this disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the panoramic HUD system of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic view of an instrument panel with a panoramic HUD system. Figs. 4A and 4B show exemplary restricted-view modes for a panoramic HUD system. Figs. 5A and 5B show an example of a HUD that provides restricted-view modes for a panoramic HUD. Figs. 6A and 6B show another example of a HUD that provides restricted-view modes for a panoramic HUD. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary arrangement of operations for providing restricted-view modes for a panoramic HUD.Figure 8 is a flowchart of another exemplary arrangement of operations for providing restricted view modes for a panoramic HUD. The corresponding reference numbers denote the corresponding parts in the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Exemplary configurations are now described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Exemplary configurations are provided so that this disclosure is thorough and conveys the full scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Specific details are listed, such as examples of specific components, devices, and processes, to provide a thorough understanding of the configurations of this disclosure. It is clear to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be used, that exemplary configurations can be implemented in many different forms, and that the specific details and exemplary configurations should not be interpreted in such a way as to limit the scope of the disclosure. The terminology used here serves only to describe certain exemplary configurations and is not intended to be restrictive. As used here, the singular articles "a," "an," and "the" can also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprehensive," "containing," and "exhibiting" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The procedural steps, processes, and operations described here are not to be interpreted as necessarily being carried out in the order discussed or presented, unless they are explicitly identified as such.Additional or alternative steps can be applied. When an element or layer is described as "on," "engaging," "connected," "attached to," or "coupled" with another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to that other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is described as "directly on," "directly engaged with," "directly connected to," "directly attached to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there must be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted similarly (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "next to" versus "directly beside," etc.).As used here, the term “and / or” includes all combinations of one or more of the related listed elements. The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used here to describe different elements, components, areas, layers, and / or sections. These elements, components, areas, layers, and / or sections should not be restricted by these terms. These terms may only be used to distinguish one element, component, area, layer, or section from another. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms do not imply any sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, area, layer, or section discussed below could be referred to as a second element, component, area, layer, or section without deviating from the lessons of the exemplary configurations. In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" may be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field-programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores the code executed by a processor; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, e.g., in a system-on-a-chip. The term "code," as used above, can include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and can refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and / or objects. The term "shared processor" refers to a single processor that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor" refers to a processor that, in combination with other processors, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "shared memory" refers to a single memory that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory" refers to a memory that, in combination with other memories, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "memory" can be a subset of the term "computer-readable medium."The term "computer-readable medium" excludes transitory electrical and electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium and can therefore be considered tangible and non-transient storage. Non-restrictive examples of non-transient storage include tangible, computer-readable media, including non-volatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage. The devices and methods described in this application can be implemented in whole or in part by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs contain processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable medium. The computer programs may also contain and / or access stored data. A software application (i.e., a software resource) can refer to computer software that causes a computing device to perform a task. In some examples, a software application may be called an "application," "app," or "program." Examples of applications include system diagnostics applications, system administration applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications. Non-transitory memory can be physical devices used to temporarily or permanently store programs (e.g., instruction sequences) or data (e.g., program status information) for use by a computer. Non-transitory memory can be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., typically used for firmware such as boot programs). Examples of volatile memory include random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM), and floppy disks or tapes. These computer programs (also referred to as programs, software, software applications, or code) contain machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a procedural and / or object-oriented high-level language and / or in assembly / machine language. The terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" used here refer to any computer program product, non-transient computer-readable medium, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) that serves to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal that serves to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be realized in digital electronic and / or optical circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system comprising at least one programmable processor, which can be used for special or general purposes and is coupled such that it receives data and instructions from and transmits data and instructions to a storage system, as well as at least one input device and at least one output device. The processes and logical sequences described in this description can be executed by one or more programmable processors, also known as data processing hardware, which run one or more computer programs to perform functions by responding to input data and producing outputs. The processes and logical sequences can also be executed by specialized logic circuits, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Processors suitable for executing a computer program include, for example, both general-purpose and specialized microprocessors, as well as one or more processors from any type of digital computer. Generally, a processor receives instructions and data from read-only memory, random-access memory, or both.The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more storage devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer also includes one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic, magneto-optical, or optical disks, or is operationally connected to them to receive data from or transmit data to them. However, a computer does not necessarily have to have such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and storage devices, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable media; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.The processor and memory can be supplemented by special logic circuits or integrated into them. To enable interaction with a user, one or more aspects of the revelation can be implemented on a computer that has a display device, such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display), or touchscreen monitor to show information to the user, and optionally a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, with which the user can input information into the computer. Other types of devices can also be used for user interaction; feedback to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual, auditory, or tactile feedback; and user input can be received in any form, including auditory, verbal, or tactile input.Furthermore, a computer can interact with a user by sending and receiving documents to and from a device used by the user; for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the phrase "at least one of A, B, or C" refers to any combination or subset of A, B, or C, such as: (1) at least one A alone; (2) at least one B alone; (3) at least one C alone; (4) at least one A with at least one B; (5) at least one A with at least one C; (6) at least one B with at least C; and (7) at least one A with at least one B and at least one C. Furthermore, unless expressly stated otherwise, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" refers to any combination or subset of A, B, and C, such as: (1) at least one A alone; (2) at least one B alone; (3) at least one C alone; (4) at least one A with at least one B; (5) at least one A with at least one C; (6) at least one B with at least one C; and (7) at least one A with at least one B and at least one C.Furthermore, unless expressly stated otherwise, “A or B” refers to any combination of A and B, such as: (1) A alone; (2) B alone; and (3) A and B. A panoramic head-up display (HUD), also known as a panoramic head-up display, comprises two, three, or more HUDs that project virtual images across the width of a vehicle's windshield. Typically, each HUD is equipped with a Lambertian light source, allowing the virtual images to be visible from a wide range of viewing angles. This means they are visible to both the driver and other vehicle occupants. In some cooperative driving situations, a passenger and driver might want to view information displayed by all HUDs. However, in other situations, a passenger might want to view media content (such as a video) using one of the HUDs. For safety reasons, however, it is often not permissible for such media content to be shown to or visible to the driver.Therefore, there is a need for privacy modes for a panoramic HUD display. That is, there is a need to provide restricted view modes for a panoramic HUD. While the configurations shown and described here are related to a vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, airplane, train, motorcycle, etc.), it should be clear that the disclosed configurations can also be used, additionally or alternatively, to provide restricted view modes for a panoramic HUD on any other type of device (e.g., a video conferencing system, computer, bicycle, industrial plant, etc.). The vehicle or device can be operated by a person or operate autonomously. With particular reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, a vehicle 10 (e.g., an automobile, a truck, an aircraft, a train, a motorcycle, etc.) is shown in conjunction with a panoramic head-up display (HUD) system 12 for providing a panoramic HUD. The vehicle 10 comprises two, three, or more HUDs 14, 14a-n, which are mounted, positioned, or otherwise provided in a dashboard 16 of the vehicle 10 facing a windshield 18 of the vehicle 10. Each of the HUDs 14 is configured to display corresponding images toward and onto the windshield 18 of the vehicle 10. The displayed images are reflected from the windshield 18 back to the occupants 100, 100a-n of the vehicle 10. Here, the occupants 100 see the images as virtual images, which are perceived as lying in front of the vehicle 10.The HUDs 14 are configured to display the virtual images across the width of the windshield 18 to create a panoramic HUD. In some examples, the HUDs 14 display the images in a darkened portion of the windshield 18. In some implementations, the panoramic HUD system 12 includes a left HUD 14a for displaying images on the windshield 18 in front of a driver 100a of the vehicle 10, a center HUD 14b for displaying images on the windshield 18 between the driver 100a and a passenger 100b in the vehicle 10, and a right HUD 14c for displaying images on the windshield 18 in front of the passenger 100b. The panoramic HUD system 12 includes a display control module 20 for controlling the restricted view modes of the panoramic HUD. The display control module 20 can be executed on a body control module (BCM) 22 or another controller of the vehicle 10. In particular, the BCM 22 stores machine-readable instructions for executing the display control module 20, e.g., in memory hardware 24. The instructions can be executed by data processing hardware 26 (e.g., a processor) of the BCM 22 to execute the display control module 20. Here, the display control module 20 performs the operations shown in Figures 7 and 8 or described elsewhere in this disclosure. As shown in Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B, the display control module 20 can configure the HUDs 14 to provide different display modes, including restricted display modes. In the example of Fig. 4A, the display control module 20 configures the HUDs 14 so that a driver 100a and a passenger 100b can see the images displayed by all HUDs 14. In contrast, in the example shown in Fig. 4B, the display control module 20 configures a left HUD 14a and a center HUD 14b so that only the driver 100a is able to see images displayed by the left HUD 14a and the center HUD 14b, and configures a right HUD 14c so that only the passenger 100b is able to see images displayed by the right HUD 14c. In this example, the driver 100a cannot see the images displayed by the right HUD 14c, and the passenger 100b cannot see the images displayed by the left HUD 14a and the center HUD 14b. Such a restricted view mode allows, for example, the right HUD 14c to display entertainment media for the passenger 100b without distracting the driver 100a, who needs to concentrate on operating the vehicle 10, and the left HUD 14a and the center HUD 14b to display information for the driver 100a without distracting the passenger 100b.Figures 5A and 5B show a schematic view of an exemplary central HUD 14b, which can be controlled to display images only for the driver 100a or for both the driver 100a and the passenger 100b. The central HUD 14b comprises a lens-shaped arrangement 502, a switchable diffuser 504 (e.g., a liquid crystal (LC) diffuser), and a liquid crystal display (LCD) 506. In the example shown, the lens-shaped arrangement 502 is configured to direct collimated light 508 from a collimated light source (not shown for clarity) onto the driver 100a. The switchable diffuser 504 can be configured by the display control module 20 either as transparent optics (Figure 5A) or as a diffuser (Figure 5B). As shown in Fig. 5A, the images displayed by the central HUD 14b are only visible to the driver 100a when the switchable diffuser 504 is configured as transparent optics.When the switchable diffuser 504 is configured as a diffuser, the images displayed by the center HUD 14b, as shown in Fig. 5B, are visible to both the driver 100a and the passenger 100b. Figures 6A and 6B show a schematic view of an exemplary right-hand HUD 14c, which can be controlled to display images only for the passenger 100b or for both the driver 100a and the passenger 100b. The right-hand HUD 14c comprises a switchable diffuser 604 (e.g., an LC diffuser) and an LCD 606. In the example shown, the switchable diffuser 604 can be configured by the display control module 20 either as a transparent optic (Figure 6A) or as a diffuser (Figure 6B). As shown in Figure 6A, the images displayed by the right-hand HUD 14c are visible only to the passenger 100b when the LC diffuser 604 is configured as a transparent optic. When the switchable diffuser 604 is configured as a diffuser, the images displayed by the right HUD 14c, as shown in Fig. 6B, are visible to both the driver 100a and the passenger 100b. Figure 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary arrangement of operations for providing restricted view modes for a panoramic HUD. The operations can be performed by the data processing hardware (e.g., the processor 26) based on the execution of instructions stored in memory (e.g., the memory hardware 24). There are many other ways to implement Method 700. For example, the order of execution of the operations can be changed, and / or one or more of the operations and / or interactions can be modified, eliminated, subdivided, or combined. Furthermore, the operations shown in Figure 7 can be performed sequentially and / or in parallel, e.g., by separate processing units, processors, devices, discrete logic, circuits, etc. In Operation 702, Procedure 700 includes determining whether the right HUD 14c is being used to display media (e.g., a video). In Operation 704, if the right HUD 14c is not displaying any media, Procedure 700 includes configuring all HUDs 14 into Lambert mode so that the images displayed by the HUDs 14 can be viewed by the driver 100a and the passenger 100b. In Operation 706, if the right HUD 14c displays media, Procedure 700 includes determining whether the vehicle 10 is operating autonomously (e.g., in an L3, L4, or L5 state). In Operation 708, if the vehicle 10 is not operating autonomously, Procedure 700 includes configuring the right HUD 14c so that only the passenger 100b can see the media. In Operation 710, Procedure 700 includes configuring the center HUD 14b so that only the driver 100a can see the images displayed by the center HUD 14b. In Operation 712, Procedure 700 includes configuring the left HUD 14a so that only the driver 100a can see the images displayed by the left HUD 14a. In Operation 714, when the vehicle 10 is driving autonomously, Procedure 700 includes configuring all HUDs 14 into Lambert mode so that the images displayed by the HUDs 14 are visible to the driver 100a and the passenger 100b. Figure 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary arrangement of operations for providing restricted view modes for a panoramic HUD. The operations can be performed by the data processing hardware (e.g., the processor 26) based on the execution of instructions stored in memory (e.g., the memory hardware 24). There are many other ways to implement Method 800. For example, the order in which the operations are performed can be changed, and / or one or more of the operations and / or interactions can be modified, eliminated, subdivided, or combined. Furthermore, the operations shown in Figure 8 can be performed sequentially and / or in parallel, e.g., by separate processing units, processors, devices, discrete logic, circuits, etc. In Operation 802, Procedure 800 comprises specifying that a first image displayed on the windshield 18 of a vehicle 10 by a first HUD 14 should be visible to the driver 100a of the vehicle 10. In Operation 804, based on the specification that the first image should be visible to the driver 100a, Procedure 800 comprises configuring the first HUD 14 so that the first image is visible to the driver. In Operation 806, Procedure 800 comprises specifying that a second image displayed on the windshield 18 by a second HUD 14 should not be visible to the driver 100a. In Operation 808, based on the specification that the second image should not be visible to the driver 100a, Procedure 800 comprises configuring the second HUD 14 so that the second image is not visible to the driver 100a. In some examples, the method 800 also includes specifying that the first image should not be visible to the passenger 100b of the vehicle 10, and, based on the specification that the first image should be visible to the driver 100a and not to the passenger 100b, configuring the first HUD 14s so that the first image is visible to the driver 100a and not to the passenger 100b. In this case, the method 800 may further include specifying that the second image should be visible to the passenger 100b of the vehicle 10, and, based on the specification that the second image should not be visible to the driver 100a and should be visible to the passenger 100b, configuring the second HUD 14s so that the second image is not visible to the driver 100a and is visible to the passenger 100b. In some examples, the procedure 800 also includes determining that the first image should be visible to the passenger 100b of the vehicle 10, and, based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver 100a and to the passenger 100b, configuring the first HUD 14 so that the first image is visible to the driver 100a and to the passenger 100b. Several implementations have been described. However, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments also fall within the scope of protection of the following claims. The foregoing description serves for illustration and description purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not restricted to that particular configuration but are optionally interchangeable and may be used in a selected configuration even if they are not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be considered outside the scope of disclosure, and all such modifications are to be included within the scope of protection of the disclosure.

Claims

Vehicle, comprising: a windshield; a first head-up display (HUD) configured to project a first image onto the windshield; a second HUD configured to project a second image onto the windshield; data processing hardware communicating with the first HUD and the second HUD; and storage hardware communicating with the data processing hardware and storing instructions which, when executed by the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations, comprising: determining that the first image should be visible to the driver of the vehicle; based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver: configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver; determining that the second image should not be visible to the driver;Based on the requirement that the second image should not be visible to the driver: Configure the second HUD so that the second image is not visible to the driver. Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that the first image should not be visible to a passenger of the vehicle; and based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger: configuring the first HUD such that the first image is visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger. Vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that the second image should be visible to the passenger of the vehicle; and based on the determination that the second image should not be visible to the driver but should be visible to the passenger: configuring the second HUD such that the second image is not visible to the driver but should be visible to the passenger. Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that the first image should be visible to a passenger of the vehicle; and based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver and visible to the passenger: configuring the first HUD such that the first image is visible to the driver and visible to the passenger. Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein determining that the second image should not be visible to the driver includes determining that media content is displayed on the windscreen by the second HUD. Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the requirement that the first image should be visible to the driver comprises: determining that media content is displayed on the windscreen by the first HUD; and determining that the vehicle is operating autonomously. Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first HUD comprises a switchable diffuser which can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a transparent optical state, so that the first image is visible only to the driver, or into a diffusion state, so that the first image is visible to the driver and the passenger. Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second HUD comprises a switchable diffuser which can be selectively configured by the data processing hardware into a diffusion state so that the second image is visible to the driver and the passenger, or into a transparent optical state so that the first image is visible only to the passenger. System, comprising: data processing hardware; and storage hardware that communicates with the data processing hardware and stores instructions which, when executed by the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations, comprising: determining that a first image projected onto the windshield of a vehicle by a first head-up display (HUD) should be visible to the driver of the vehicle; based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver: configuring the first HUD so that the first image is visible to the driver; determining that a second image projected onto the windshield by a second HUD should not be visible to the driver; and based on the determination that the second image should not be visible to the driver: configuring the second HUD so that the second image is not visible to the driver. System according to claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that the first image should not be visible to a passenger of the vehicle; and based on the determination that the first image should be visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger: configuring the first HUD such that the first image is visible to the driver and not visible to the passenger.

Images