Head-Up Display Facility Mark Positioning for Driver Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for displaying facility positions using head-up displays in vehicles require significant driver gaze shifts, leading to reduced visibility and shorter mark visibility periods, especially at higher speeds and in narrow display areas, making it difficult to maintain good visibility of facility marks before they are within the field of view.
Innovation Solution
An in-vehicle system that uses a display control mechanism to position and size facility figures on a head-up display, ensuring they are visible on the windshield in a progressing direction, adjusting height and size based on distance to the facility, allowing the figure to move along the road surface and extend towards the facility, maintaining visibility even before the facility is in the field of view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the mark is displayed at a position overlapping with the facility as viewed from the driver, then the mark can be properly confirmed, but the driver must greatly move the line of sight from the road to the mark position, reducing visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent projects the facility mark onto a three-dimensional road surface model instead of displaying it on a two-dimensional screen or overlapping the facility directly. This creates a virtual reality space where the mark appears to be on the road surface, allowing the driver to perceive the mark's position and distance more naturally without extreme gaze shifts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a road surface model as an intermediary between the driver and the facility mark. This virtual road surface serves as a mediator that presents the mark in a contextually appropriate location, bridging the gap between the actual facility position and the driver's field of view on the road.
2Ease of operation
If the mark is displayed at a position overlapping with a point on the road that the facility faces, then the amount of line of sight movement is reduced, but the mark can be displayed only after the facility is included in the field of view and must be displayed in smaller size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent calculates and prepares the road surface model and mark position in advance based on the vehicle's current position and orientation. By pre-computing where the mark should appear on the virtual road surface, the system can display the mark earlier and in an appropriate size before the facility enters the driver's field of view, rather than waiting until the last moment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the mark's position, size, and appearance on the virtual road surface based on the vehicle's speed, position, and orientation. As the vehicle moves, the mark is continuously repositioned and rescaled to maintain optimal visibility, allowing the mark to be displayed in a well-viewable size for a longer period before the facility is reached.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the mark is displayed in a smaller size to prevent unnatural display, then the display appears more natural, but the period during which the mark can be displayed with a well-viewable size is shortened at high speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the mark's size and position on the virtual road surface based on the vehicle's speed and distance to the facility. At higher speeds or greater distances, the mark is displayed larger and positioned to allow more reaction time, while maintaining natural appearance through proper perspective and scaling relative to the virtual road surface geometry.
4Area of stationary object
If the display area is narrow, then the head-up display can be compact, but a mark of a facility is hardly displayed before the automobile passes the facility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the depth dimension of the virtual reality space created by the road surface model to extend the effective display area. By positioning marks at different apparent distances on the virtual road surface, the system can display multiple facility marks within a compact physical display area while maintaining their visibility and distinguishability.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is an "in-vehicle system" that displays a mark (404) representing a facility (500) using a head-up display (1) to be well viewable. A position in a left-right direction of a display position (DP) of a facility figure (400) representing a facility (500) is set to a position overlapping with a virtual line (VL) parallel to a traveling lane as viewed from a driver (c). A position in an up-down direction of the display position (DP) is determined to be a position overlapping with a road surface on the front side, the position separated upward by H1 from a lower end of a display area (201) of a head-up display (1) when a distance (L) from a current position (CP) to a position (TP) of a facility (500) is a distance (ThL) (b1), to be a position separated by H4 (H4 < h1) when the distance (L) is zero, and such that distances (H2) and (H3) separated upward from the lower end of the display area (201) gradually change from the distance (H1) to the distance (H4) as the distance L decreases from the distance ThL to zero (b2 and b3). The distance (H1) is set such that the facility figure (400) is displayed below a point facing the facility (500) on the road surface on the front side when the distance (L) is the distance (ThL).