Surround View Vehicle Icon Transparency for Hidden Object Visibility

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle surrounding environment display systems face issues where making the host vehicle icon completely transparent makes it unrecognizable, while lowering transparency complicates the visibility of object icons.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle surrounding environment display apparatus that generates a virtual space with a host vehicle icon having transparent and feature portions, adjusting visibility based on the relative positions of objects, ensuring the host vehicle's shape is recognizable and object icons are visible.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the host vehicle icon is made completely transparent, then the visibility of object icons behind the host vehicle is improved, but the recognizability of the host vehicle icon becomes poor

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisibility of object iconsVSAvoidrecognizability of host vehicle icon

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The host vehicle icon is divided into multiple regions: a first region (body portion) displayed with transparency to reveal objects behind, and a second region (feature portion such as wheels or headlights) displayed with higher visibility. This segmentation allows different parts of the icon to serve different functions - the transparent body region enables object visibility while the opaque feature region maintains host vehicle recognizability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different transparency levels are applied to different regions of the host vehicle icon. The first region has a first transparency level that allows objects behind to be seen, while the second region has a second transparency level (lower than the first) that ensures the host vehicle icon remains recognizable. This local differentiation of optical properties resolves the contradiction between transparency and recognizability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Shape

If the transparency of the host vehicle icon is reduced, then the host vehicle icon remains recognizable, but the visibility of object icons behind it becomes poor

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverecognizability of host vehicle iconVSAvoidvisibility of object icons

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The host vehicle icon is divided into multiple regions: a first region (body portion) displayed with transparency to reveal objects behind, and a second region (feature portion such as wheels or headlights) displayed with higher visibility. This segmentation allows different parts of the icon to serve different functions - the transparent body region enables object visibility while the opaque feature region maintains host vehicle recognizability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different transparency levels are applied to different regions of the host vehicle icon. The first region has a first transparency level that allows objects behind to be seen, while the second region has a second transparency level (lower than the first) that ensures the host vehicle icon remains recognizable. This local differentiation of optical properties resolves the contradiction between transparency and recognizability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of information

If the host vehicle icon is made transparent to see objects behind, then object visibility is improved, but the overall display clarity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisibility of object iconsVSAvoiddisplay clarity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The host vehicle icon is divided into multiple regions: a first region (body portion) displayed with transparency to reveal objects behind, and a second region (feature portion such as wheels or headlights) displayed with higher visibility. This segmentation allows different parts of the icon to serve different functions - the transparent body region enables object visibility while the opaque feature region maintains host vehicle recognizability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different transparency levels are applied to different regions of the host vehicle icon. The first region has a first transparency level that allows objects behind to be seen, while the second region has a second transparency level (lower than the first) that ensures the host vehicle icon remains recognizable. This local differentiation of optical properties resolves the contradiction between transparency and recognizability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20250319769A1Vehicle surrounding environment display apparatus and method for controlling vehicle surrounding environment display apparatus

Publication Date: 2025.10.16 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A vehicle surrounding environment display apparatus is configured to generate a virtual space corresponding to an environment surrounding a host vehicle based on detection information of an external sensor of the host vehicle, and to display on a display an image within the virtual space as viewed from a virtual viewpoint operated by a user of the host vehicle. The host vehicle icon includes a transparent portion and a feature portion. The transparent portion is a portion that is displayed in a transparent manner when, from the virtual viewpoint, an object icon exists on the far side of the host vehicle icon. The feature portion is displayed without transparency when, from the virtual viewpoint, an object icon exists on the far side of the host vehicle icon and the feature portion is positioned on the near side of the host vehicle icon.