Steering Wheel Integrated Display for Intuitive Warning Recognition
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicular display devices may not effectively inform drivers of the presence and direction of warning objects in their surroundings, potentially leading to missed recognition of critical alerts.
Innovation Solution
A vehicular display device with a display screen positioned between the grips of a steering wheel, displaying a host vehicle mark centrally and a warning object mark relative to the host vehicle, along with area marks indicating the warning object's location, allowing intuitive recognition of the warning object's presence and direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a head-up display is used to project warning information on the windshield, then the driver can see the warning without taking eyes off the road, but the driver may not easily recognize the presence and direction of the warning object
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a 2D head-up display projection on the windshield to a 3D spatial arrangement where the display screen is positioned within the steering wheel structure. This dimensional change allows the display to leverage the natural spatial relationship between the steering wheel and the driver's field of view, improving both visibility and directional awareness of warning objects
Solution Approach 2:
The steering wheel serves as an intermediary structure that houses the display screen. By integrating the display into the steering wheel, the system uses the familiar steering wheel as a mediator to present warning information in a context that naturally conveys directional information to the driver
2Area of stationary object
If the display screen is positioned outside the steering wheel area, then there is more space for the display, but the driver cannot easily associate the displayed warning object position with its actual direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the display screen with the steering wheel structure, combining the navigation function of the steering wheel with the information display function. This integration ensures that the display area is充分利用 within the steering wheel's spatial envelope while maintaining the directional relationship between the display and the driver
Solution Approach 2:
The display screen is positioned in a specific local region within the steering wheel structure that optimizes both visibility and directional accuracy. The local positioning within the steering wheel's grip area creates a natural reference frame that helps the driver understand the direction of warning objects
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicular display device includes a surrounding information obtaining unit configured to obtain surrounding information indicating a surrounding situation of a host vehicle, and a display ECU configured to inform a driver of the presence of a warning object that needs to be recognized by the driver through displaying of an in-vehicle display unit when the warning object is detected based on the surrounding information. The in-vehicle display unit has a display screen in a region surrounded by a grip of a steering wheel in a planar positional relationship when the driver views the steering wheel. The display ECU is configured to display a host vehicle mark in a central position of the steering wheel in a right-left width direction and display a warning object mark indicating the warning object in a position corresponding to a direction of the warning object relative to the host vehicle on the display screen.