Vehicle HUD Projection Controller Line of Sight Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle head-up displays (HUDs) struggle to maintain accurate recognition of the driving situation when a driver's line of sight deviates and then returns within the projection range, leading to delayed focus on the actual road situation due to the HUD's fixed projection settings, which do not account for complex changes in the driver's line of sight during driving.
Innovation Solution
A projection type display device and method that includes a light source, light modulation element, projection unit, and sight line detection unit, where the projection controller adjusts the projection conditions from a first to a second condition after 1-4 seconds when the driver's line of sight moves from outside to inside the projection surface, enhancing visibility by changing parameters like brightness, saturation, size, and position to ensure the driver can accurately recognize the travel direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the projection range is fixed to a predetermined region around the driver's eye position, then the HUD structure remains simple and stable, but the driver cannot accurately recognize the driving situation when the line of sight deviates from this region
Solution Approach 1:
The projection range is changed from a fixed predetermined region to a dynamic region that moves and expands based on the detected line of sight position. When the line of sight deviates from the initial projection range, the projection controller expands the projection range to include the new line of sight position, ensuring the projected image remains visible and accurate regardless of driver eye position changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a line of sight detector to continuously monitor the driver's eye position and provides feedback to the projection controller. Based on this feedback, the projection controller dynamically adjusts the projection range and position to maintain optimal viewing conditions, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to real-time driver behavior.
2Reliability
If the projection range is expanded to cover a wide area for monitoring, then the driver can recognize the driving situation, but the projected image becomes dim and difficult to see
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly distributing projection light over a wide area, the system concentrates the projection light into a focused projection range that dynamically follows the line of sight. This local concentration of optical energy maintains high brightness and image quality in the specific region where the driver is actually looking, rather than diluting the light across the entire windshield.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection range dynamically adjusts its size and position based on the line of sight detection results. When the line of sight moves, the projection range moves accordingly, maintaining an optimal balance between coverage area and light intensity. This dynamic adjustment ensures the projected image remains bright and clear in the active viewing region.
3Reliability
If the projection range is frequently adjusted to follow line of sight changes, then the driving situation can be accurately recognized, but the HUD system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a projection controller as an intermediary component that mediates between the line of sight detector and the projection display unit. This controller simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the adjustment logic and providing a straightforward control interface, making the frequency-adjustable projection range implementation more manageable despite the added functionality.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the projection range is set for a representative driver position, then most drivers can use the HUD, but drivers with different heights and postures cannot visually recognize the image satisfactorily
Solution Approach 1:
The projection range transitions from a static position optimized for a representative driver to a dynamic range that adapts to each driver's actual line of sight. By detecting the real-time eye position and adjusting the projection range accordingly, the system accommodates drivers of various heights and postures, ensuring satisfactory visual recognition for all users rather than just those matching the representative profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the projection parameters (position, size, and shape of the projection range) based on the detected line of sight characteristics. This parameter adjustment allows the HUD to adapt to different driver physical characteristics, maintaining optimal image quality and visibility regardless of the driver's height, posture, or seating position.
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 enables accurate recognition of the driving situation even with complex line of sight changes by gradually increasing the visibility of the projected image, reducing the time to focus on the actual road and enhancing driver comfort and HUD durability.
Implementation Method 1
a light modulation element that spatially modulates light emitted from the light source
Implementation Method 2
a projection unit that projects light spatially modulated by the light modulation element onto a projection surface mounted in a vehicle as projection light
Data Source
AI summary
The projection type display device includes a projection display unit that includes light sources, a light modulation element, and a projection unit that projects light onto a projection surface mounted in a vehicle as projection light; a sight line detection unit that detects a line of sight of a driver of the vehicle; and a system controller that performs a control so that a projection condition in a state where the line of sight detected by the sight line detection unit is out of the projection surface becomes a first condition and changes the projection condition when it is determined that the line of sight moves from the outside of the projection surface to the inside of the projection surface into a second condition that visibility of an image based on the projection light is higher than that in the first condition.