Vehicle Windshield Display Control for Overlapping Occupant Gaze

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems for recognizing gaze information in vehicles struggle to effectively manage and prioritize external interest information for multiple occupants, leading to difficulties in optimizing the vehicle display to meet individual needs and interests.

Innovation Solution

A system that includes gaze recognition units for multiple occupants, an interest information display area crossover confirmation and priority determination unit, and a display control unit to manage and prioritize the display of external interest information based on individual occupant preferences and importance, ensuring that each occupant's interest information is displayed appropriately without overlap or interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If gaze information of multiple occupants is recognized and external interest information is displayed for each occupant, then the adaptability to individual needs is improved, but the device complexity increases due to multiple gaze recognition units and priority determination mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to individual needsVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs a single windshield display that serves multiple occupants simultaneously by displaying different external interest information for different occupants based on their respective gazes. The display acts as a universal interface that adapts to multiple users without requiring separate display devices for each occupant, thereby improving adaptability while controlling device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a priority determination unit as an intermediary component that manages conflicts when display areas overlap. This mediator resolves the complexity by establishing clear rules for priority assignment based on gaze duration, occupant position, or information importance, allowing the system to handle multiple occupants systematically without exponential complexity growth.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If external interest information is displayed on the windshield for multiple occupants, then information access is improved, but harmful factors increase due to potential visual distractions and safety risks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accessVSAvoidvisual distractions
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by displaying external interest information at specific locations on the windshield corresponding to the direction of each occupant's gaze. Rather than uniformly displaying information across the entire windshield, the display is localized to relevant areas, providing information access while minimizing distractions in other regions of the driver's field of view.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The display dynamically adjusts its content and position based on real-time gaze detection. When an occupant's gaze shifts or when safety conditions change, the system updates the displayed information accordingly. This dynamic behavior ensures information remains accessible while automatically reducing distractions when occupants look away from the road or when potential hazards are detected.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Area of stationary object

If display areas for external interest information of multiple occupants are expanded to meet individual needs, then the area for information display is improved, but the overlap and interference between displays increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvearea for information displayVSAvoiddisplay clarity
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces physical spatial separation with a virtual priority-based allocation system. Instead of physically dividing the windshield into separate display zones for each occupant, the system uses software-based priority determination to manage overlapping display areas. This substitution allows for more flexible and efficient use of display space while maintaining clarity through logical rather than physical separation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4166369B1System for controlling vehicle display based on occupant's gaze
Publication Date: 2024.08.28 HYUNDAI MOBIS CO LTD
  • EP4166369B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4166369B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4166369B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system for controlling a vehicle display based on an occupant's gaze includes: a first occupant gaze recognition unit to recognize a gaze of a first occupant in a vehicle; a second occupant gaze recognition unit to recognize a gaze of a second occupant in the vehicle; an interest information display area crossover confirmation and priority determination unit to determine interest information from the gaze of the first occupant and the gaze of the second occupant, to confirm whether areas for displaying interest information on a windshield are mutually crossover with each other, and to determine a priority for display; and a display control unit to control a display in accordance with the priority for display.