Vehicle HUD Thermal Zoning for Priority Content Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional AR systems employing heads-up displays (HUDs) in vehicles face operational issues due to temperature extremes, leading to inoperability or poor quality visual content presentation, especially in extreme hot or cold environments, affecting critical information display.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for prioritized thermal control of HUD regions based on temperature sensors and a temperature controlling unit, determining a priority order for temperature adjustment to ensure accurate and timely presentation of virtual content, particularly critical information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the HUD is placed on the dashboard or windshield for optimal viewing, then the user can see visual information without diverting attention, but the temperature inside the vehicle increases beyond the working temperature range of the HUD in extreme hot environments
Solution Approach 1:
The HUD display is divided into multiple temperature zones, each independently controlled by separate heating or cooling elements. This allows different regions of the display to be maintained at different temperatures, enabling critical information areas to remain within operating range even when overall display temperature exceeds limits
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature control is applied locally to specific zones of the HUD rather than uniformly across the entire display. Heating or cooling elements are positioned to target specific regions, ensuring that areas displaying critical information maintain optimal temperature while other regions can tolerate higher temperatures
2Adaptability or versatility
If the HUD is operated in extremely cold environments, then the system can function in various weather conditions, but the components of the HUD freeze or become sluggish below the working temperature range
Solution Approach 1:
Heating elements are activated before the HUD is needed to pre-warm the display components to within the working temperature range. Temperature sensors detect cold conditions and trigger heating in advance, ensuring components are ready and functional when the vehicle is started or the HUD is activated
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature control system dynamically adjusts heating or cooling based on real-time temperature sensor feedback. The system continuously monitors temperature zones and modifies heating element activation to maintain reliability across varying environmental conditions, activating heating only when and where needed
3Device complexity
If the temperature of the HUD is controlled uniformly across the entire display, then the system is simple to implement, but critical visual information cannot be prioritized for immediate and accurate presentation
Solution Approach 1:
The display is segmented into multiple temperature zones with independent control, allowing critical information areas to be prioritized for temperature maintenance while non-critical areas have relaxed temperature requirements. This segmentation enables differentiated quality of service across the display surface
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the HUD are assigned different temperature priorities based on the importance of visual content displayed in each zone. Critical information areas receive priority temperature control to ensure accurate presentation, while less important areas tolerate broader temperature variations
4Stability of the object's composition
If the HUD waits for the vehicle interior to cool down or warm up before functioning, then the entire vehicle environment stabilizes, but the visual content is presented with very high latency or not at all
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of waiting for the entire vehicle interior to stabilize, the HUD creates localized stable temperature zones within the display itself. Multiple temperature zones allow critical information areas to reach operational temperature independently and immediately, rather than waiting for overall vehicle climate stabilization
Solution Approach 2:
Heating or cooling elements are activated immediately upon detecting temperature extremes, rather than waiting for vehicle climate control to stabilize the interior. This preliminary action brings the HUD components to operational temperature faster, reducing latency for critical visual information presentation
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~3
AI summary
Disclosed is a system (100) implemented in a vehicle (102). The system comprises: a heads-up display (HUD) (104, 200); temperature sensors (106a-b, 206a-h) corresponding to regions (208a-b) of the HUD; a temperature controlling unit (108, 210); and processor(s) (110) configured to: determine, using the temperature sensors, temperatures of the regions; detect when the temperatures lie outside a predefined operating temperature range of the HUD; and when it is detected that the temperatures lie outside the predefined operating temperature range, determine a priority order, based on at least one of: the temperatures of the regions, an importance level that is pre-assigned to given virtual content (214a-b) that is to be presented via a given region of the HUD; and control the temperatures according to the priority order, by using the temperature controlling unit, to bring the temperatures within the predefined operating temperature range.