Forklift Road Projection That Appears Fixed During Travel

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image projection techniques on vehicle road surfaces cause display information to move with the vehicle's travel, making it difficult for pedestrians to recognize.

Innovation Solution

An industrial vehicle equipped with a detection unit to determine its traveling direction and speed, a generation unit to create an animation image moving opposite to the vehicle's direction at the same speed, and a projection unit to project this image onto a predetermined area on the road surface, ensuring the information appears fixed to the viewer.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If display information is projected onto the road surface to notify pedestrians of vehicle presence and direction, then the visibility and recognition of vehicle information is improved, but the display information moves along with vehicle travel making it difficult to recognize

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverecognition of display informationVSAvoidmovement speed of display information
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies inversion by making the projection device move in the opposite direction to the vehicle's travel. While the vehicle moves forward, the projection device projects images that move backward at the same speed, creating a stationary visual effect relative to the road surface. This resolves the contradiction by canceling out the motion-induced displacement of display information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamics by making the projection system actively adjust its projection based on real-time vehicle motion data. The projection device continuously adapts the displayed information's position and movement based on the vehicle's current speed and direction, transforming a static projection system into a dynamic one that compensates for vehicle motion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Loss of information

If the animation image moves in the opposite direction to compensate for vehicle travel, then the display information becomes stationary relative to the road surface, but the complexity of the projection system increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestationarity of display informationVSAvoidcomplexity of projection system
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the projection device with the vehicle body, integrating the motion compensation function into the existing vehicle structure. By combining the projection system with the vehicle's motion control systems (sensors, processors), the patent reduces overall system complexity while achieving the stationary display effect.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The projection system uses the vehicle's own motion data from its existing sensors and control systems to automatically compensate for its movement. The system serves itself by utilizing the vehicle's intrinsic motion information, eliminating the need for separate complex measurement and compensation mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4578735A1Industrial vehicle and image projection method
Publication Date: 2025.07.02 TOYOTA INDUSTRIES CORP
  • EP4578735A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4578735A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4578735A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A forklift (industrial vehicle) 1 includes a travel control unit (detection unit) 12 that detects a traveling direction and a traveling speed of the own vehicle, a generation unit 13 that generates an animation image 21 in which display information moves at the traveling speed in a direction opposite to the traveling direction, and a projection unit 14 that projects the animation image 21 onto a predetermined projection area R on a road surface G around the own vehicle.