Optical Fiber Woven Fabric Vehicle Display for Surrounding Awareness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle cabin lighting technologies fail to effectively provide occupants with information about the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, especially when driving assistance systems take control, as mere lighting does not adequately convey dynamic changes in the vehicle's environment, potentially leading to reduced occupant awareness during reduced concentration states.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle display device utilizing an image processing electronic control unit to convert images of the surroundings into strip images, projected onto an optical fiber woven fabric, where light sources emit light based on pixel values to convey information about the vehicle's environment, including brightness and color changes, and incorporating a transceiver to acquire sense of speed and alert information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If light is provided inside the vehicle cabin to improve brightness and decorative properties, then illumination quality is improved, but information provision to the occupant about surrounding conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information display function from the general illumination function. The optical fiber woven fabric is divided into multiple independent optical fibers that can be individually controlled to display specific information about surrounding conditions, while other areas of the fabric provide ambient lighting. This allows simultaneous achievement of brightness improvement and information provision.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the optical fiber woven fabric are assigned different functions: some optical fibers are configured to emit light based on captured image data to provide information about surrounding conditions, while other regions provide general ambient illumination. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing both information display and brightness improvement in different locations.
2Extent of automation
If driving assistance technology is advanced to allow occupant to hand over driving control, then automation level is improved, but occupant awareness of surrounding conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by capturing images of the surrounding conditions through imaging devices and displaying them in real-time on the optical fiber woven fabric inside the vehicle cabin. This continuous feedback loop keeps the occupant informed about the environment even when driving control is automated, preventing loss of awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical fiber woven fabric acts as an intermediary between the external environment (captured by imaging devices) and the occupant. It translates complex visual information about surrounding conditions into a simplified light display pattern that the occupant can easily perceive, maintaining awareness without requiring direct visual attention to the outside environment.
3Loss of information
If complex image processing is performed to convert images into strip images for information display, then information provision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential visual information from captured images that is relevant for displaying surrounding conditions. The image processing electronic control unit identifies and extracts key features such as objects, colors, and positions from complex images, converting them into simplified strip image representations that drive the optical fiber display, reducing processing complexity while maintaining information provision.
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
The solution effectively presents the surrounding conditions of the vehicle to the occupant through dynamic light patterns, enhancing awareness and safety by conveying critical information about the environment and alerting the driver to changes, even during reduced concentration states.
Implementation Method 1
an optical fiber woven fabric having a plurality of optical fibers woven as warp or weft together with threads
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle display device includes an image processing electronic control unit that converts a portion of each image of plural images into respective strip images in which plural pixels are arrayed along a direction of vehicle travel; an optical fiber woven fabric in which plural optical fibers are woven, with end portions of the plural optical fibers arrayed along the direction of vehicle travel; and plural light sources arrayed such that light emitted from each of the plural light sources is incident at an end portion of at least one of the optical fibers; wherein the image processing electronic control unit controls the plural light sources for each of the strip images so as to emit light according to a pixel value of each pixel in the strip images.