10622 results about "Windshield" patented technology

A control system for automatically detecting moisture on the windshield of a vehicle. The automatic moisture detecting system includes an optical system for imaging a portion of the windshield on to an image array sensor, such as a CMOS active pixel sensor. The voltages of each of the pixels which represents the illumination level is converted to a corresponding gray scale value by an analog digital converter. The gray scale values corresponding to the image are stored in memory. The spatial frequency composition of the gray scale values are analyzed to determine the amount of rain present. In order to provide a control signal to control the operation of the windshield wipers of the vehicle as a function of the amount of moisture present. The system is also adapted to detect the level of fog both on the interior of the windshield as well as the exterior of the windshield. By providing a system for automatically detecting the presence of fog on the interior and exterior of the windshield, serious performance limitations of known automatic rain sensors are eliminated.

A vehicle information display system includes a head-up display for reflecting an image on a windshield of a vehicle and displaying the image so that a driver recognizes the image as a virtual image. Information is collected for being displayed by the head-up display. A circumstance of the vehicle, a circumstance of surrounding of the vehicle, or a circumstance of the driver is detected. The collected information is classified in accordance with a detection result. Then, display contents of the head-up display are controlled in accordance with a classification result.

Driver distraction is reduced by providing information only when necessary to assist the driver, and in a visually pleasing manner. Obstacles such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and road defects are detected based on analysis of image data from a forward-facing camera system. An internal camera images the driver to determine a line of sight. Navigational information, such as a line with an arrow, is displayed on a windshield so that it appears to overlay and follow the road along the line of sight. Brightness of the information may be adjusted to correct for lighting conditions, so that the overlay will appear brighter during daylight hours and dimmer during the night. A full augmented reality is modeled and navigational hints are provided accordingly, so that the navigational information indicates how to avoid obstacles by directing the driver around them. Obstacles also may be visually highlighted.

The present invention includes a number of embodiments for improving vehicle situational awareness at intersections. A first embodiment may comprise a lens fitted at the top of the windshield or outside the vehicle, for refracting the light to the driver, so the driver may more easily see signals, signage and other features of an intersection, as well as other traffic. A second embodiment of the invention is used as an aid to prompt the driver that a light has changed. In a third embodiment, the light change sensor may be combined with other vehicle status information. As the car comes to a stop, the route guidance system may determine if the vehicle is at or in the vicinity of an intersection. Depending on the route guidance database, the system may also know whether or not there are traffic lights at the intersection. Using the vehicle's on board forward-looking radar sensor, the system may then determine if it is first in line at the intersection. In a fourth embodiment the system may be part of a portable after-market routing device. In a fifth embodiment the system, either portable or fixed, may be used to detect changes in the intensity of the brake lights of the vehicle ahead.

A substantially transparent windscreen head up display includes one of light emitting particles or microstructures over a predefined region of the windscreen permitting luminescent display while permitting vision through the windscreen. A method to display a graphic identifying a point-of-interest upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display of a vehicle includes monitoring the point-of-interest, monitoring a GPS digital map device, determining a graphic describing the location of the point-of-interest based upon data from the GPS digital map device for display upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display, and displaying the graphic upon the substantially transparent windscreen head up display.

An interior rearview mirror assembly for vehicles incorporates a reflective mirror element for viewing by a user of the mirror assembly, a lip formed from moldable polymeric resin selected to expand sufficiently when heated to allow snap in insertion of the reflective mirror element while the lip is warm and flexable, a carrier located to the rear of the reflective element such that the carrier is closer to a windshield of the vehicle than the mirror element when the mirror element is mounted in the vehicle, at least one electrical accessory, and an electrical connector adapted to receive a connector from the vehicle electrical system with the electrical accessory connected to the electrical connector. Preferably, the electrical accessory is supported by the carrier and is selected from a variety of electrical devices, lamps, lights, sensors and the like.

An active device provides protection from the sun or other bright light source for improved vision, using a variable opacity medium that is electronically controlled to cast a shadow on an eye of a user and/or to otherwise reduce the amount of the light incident on the eye, thereby reducing glare. Miniature cameras monitor the user's eye movements and the scene in front of the user. If a bright light is detected, one or more dark spots is created in the variable opacity medium that acts as a shade or light filter for a pupil of the eye. The variable opacity medium, cameras, and associated electronics can be used in connection with eyeglasses (including sunglasses), as part of a device worn by the user (such as a helmet), a windshield, mirror, or other optical element having a view port through which light can be seen by the user.

A method of manufacturing a vehicle-mounted camera housing including a cover housing, a camera main body and a circuit board includes providing a set of partial molds which are combined to form an internal cavity. When the combined partial molds are separated, an intermediate member is taken out and machined to obtain the cover housing. A top plate portion of the cover housing includes a pedestal extending downward. The machining includes cutting a distal end of the pedestal such that a flat face of the pedestal faces a predetermined direction with reference to an inclination angle of a windshield of a target vehicle, a relative direction of an optical axis of the camera, relative directions of the pedestal flat face and an upper surface of the top plate portion, and relative directions of the top plate and the windshield surface.

In a preferred embodiment, an apparatus for eye tracking, including: an illuminator; reflection apparatus to reflect illumination from the illuminator onto a surface of a windshield of a vehicle in which the windshield is installed, such that the illumination is reflected onto at least an eye of a person in the vehicle, and to reflect an image of the at least an eye, and a sensor to receive a reflection of the image of the at least an eye reflected by the reflection apparatus and to produce an output signal representative thereof.

An accessory module is mountable to an interior surface of a vehicle windshield and includes a mounting element securable to an interior surface of a windshield of a vehicle, and an accessory support having a base portion attachable to the mounting element. The accessory support includes an accessory holding element configured to hold an accessory, at least one circuitry holding element configured to hold a printed circuit board at the accessory support, and an electrical connector for electrically connecting the printed circuit board and the accessory to an electrical source of the vehicle. The base portion, the accessory holding element and the circuitry holding element are integrally molded together so that the accessory support comprises a unitarily molded accessory support. The accessory module includes a cover portion attachable to the accessory support to substantially encompass the accessory and the printed circuit board within the accessory module.

A beam blade wiper assembly including a rubber wiping element and an elongated beam having first and second longitudinal ends. The wiper assembly also includes an airfoil having an attachment portion and an upper portion extending between first and second distal ends. The attachment portion includes a flat rib and a pair of legs adapted to operatively engage the rubber wiping element. The upper portion includes a solid base having a leading edge that extends from the base toward the wiping element. The base and the rib define a space that receives the elongated beam. The base and the elongated beam define a cavity that provides flexibility between the upper portion and the attachment portion during wiper operation. The upper portion further includes a spoiler that extends from the base in a manner opposite to the leading edge.

An integrated radar-camera sensor is provided which includes a camera sensor component and a radar sensor component both housed within a common single module housing. The sensor module also includes processing circuitry for processing the radar sensor and camera outputs. The sensor module is located behind the windshield of a vehicle and may include glare and/or EMI shields.

A display device including a camera is used by inserting it in the direction of a user's gaze. Alternatively, an image of the same area as that of a scene from a windshield of an automobile may be obtained and the image may be displayed by using an information providing apparatus installed in the automobile. A system provides information to the user by adding a two-dimensional or three-dimensional computer graphics object to an image taken by the camera. The information is directly added to a scene in the direction of the user's gaze and is displayed to the user. Thus the user can easily understand the relationship between the information and the position to which the information is added.

A wiper blade is proposed with which to clean windshields, in particular of automobiles. The wiper blade (10) has an elongated belt-shaped, flexible spring support element (12), with a separate first component designed as an elastic rubber wiper strip (14) that can be pressed against the windshield (20) located at the bottom belt surface (13) of the support element and with a separate second component located at the other upper belt surface (11) of the support element (12) that is designed as a wind deflection strip (24) that extends at least along a longitudinal section of the wiper blade (10). A particularly low-disruption wiper blade results if the two components (14, 24) are connected together at their sides facing one another.

An apparatus for displaying information within a vehicle interior includes a surface having a coating for emitting visible light when excited by an ultraviolet (UV) light beam, and a laser projection device (LPD) for generating and directing the UV light beam onto the coating to display information on the surface. The LPD generates one or more UV laser beams, and the coating has one or more light-emitting layers each excitable by a different UV wavelength. Each layer emits a different color of light when excited. The surface is a transparent windshield or lens, or an opaque surface. A method for displaying information within a vehicle interior includes applying a light-emitting coating to a surface in at least one layer, and generating and projecting a UV light beam onto the coating to present information in at least as many colors as there are layers.