Head-Mounted Display Night Vision Overlay for Driver Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data glasses technologies, such as augmented reality glasses, do not effectively enhance driver safety at night by providing clear and timely information about the environment, especially in low visibility conditions, which can lead to increased risk of accidents.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using night vision image capturing devices integrated into data glasses to record and display a 3D night vision image that overlaps with the real environment, allowing drivers to view their surroundings enriched with essential information, including pedestrians, vehicles, and traffic signs, even in low light conditions, through a system that automatically switches to night vision mode when ambient brightness falls below a certain level.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If data glasses display digital content superimposed on the real environment, then additional information is provided to the driver, but the clarity and timeliness of environmental perception in low visibility conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the real environment view captured by the camera with night vision image data and digital content into a single composite image displayed on the data glasses. This merging allows the driver to perceive environmental information clearly even in low visibility conditions, while maintaining reliability through the integration of multiple information sources including depth maps for accurate spatial positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces depth information through depth maps and stereoscopic imaging capabilities, adding a third dimension to the displayed image. This dimensional enhancement allows the driver to perceive distance and spatial relationships more accurately, improving environmental perception clarity without compromising safety through better hazard detection.
2Illumination intensity
If night vision mode is activated continuously, then environmental visibility is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the display mode based on ambient light conditions detected by sensors. The control unit automatically switches between normal mode and night vision mode, activating night vision only when required. This dynamic adaptation maintains environmental visibility when needed while minimizing power consumption during daytime or well-lit conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the display parameters (brightness, contrast, and image source) based on ambient light levels. The control unit monitors lighting conditions and adjusts the composite image generation accordingly, using night vision data only when ambient brightness falls below a threshold, thereby optimizing the balance between visibility and power consumption.
3Loss of information
If digital content is superimposed on the real environment, then information density increases, but the complexity of the display system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The data glasses serve multiple functions: capturing real environment images, processing night vision data, generating depth maps, and displaying composite images with superimposed digital content. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single universal device, managing complexity through integration while maximizing information provision.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that coordinates between the camera, night vision sensor, depth map generator, and display elements. It manages the complex processing by centralizing control logic, synthesizing multiple data streams into a unified composite image, and handling the superimposition of digital content, thereby managing system complexity through a dedicated coordination component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution significantly enhances traffic safety by providing drivers with better perception of potential dangers and increased depth perception, allowing for quicker recognition and response to hazards, while also optimizing power usage and user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
an image of a real environment around the data glasses is recorded with a night vision image capturing device
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating a head-mounted display (12) in a motor vehicle (14). The head-mounted display (12) is used to display an image (22) which is at least partly superimposed over a real surrounding area (20) of the head-mounted display (12) when the real surrounding area (20) is viewed through the head-mounted display (12). The image (22) is an image (22) of the real surrounding area (20) captured by means of a night-vision image capturing device (16a, 16b). The image (22) is displayed such that an image object (22a, 22b, 22c) captured from an object (20a, 20b, 20c) arranged in the real surrounding area (20) is displayed in the image (22) so as to overlap with the object (20a, 20b, 20c) in the real surrounding area (20). Potential risks can be substantially better perceived in the dark or in the event of poor visibility by means of the night-vision images so that additional driver-supporting information is provided and traffic safety is increased.