Vehicle Windowpane Projection Brightness for Non-Distracting HUDs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Head-Up Displays (HUDs) for vehicles project image data onto vehicle windowpanes, causing disruption due to contrast between light and dark pixels, leading to distracting and tiring observations for drivers as they focus between projected content and changing surroundings, especially in varying brightness conditions.
Innovation Solution
A device with an image data processing unit that adjusts the brightness of dark image regions based on surrounding brightness, using a gradation curve to brighten dark pixels in proportion to the surroundings' light intensity, and a brightness sensor to determine the optimal viewing angle and adjust light intensity accordingly, ensuring a consistent and non-disruptive viewing experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If image data is projected onto a transparent vehicle windowpane using conventional HUD technology, then navigation and vehicle operating data become visible to the driver, but the contrast between light and dark pixels causes the observer's eyes to alternately focus on the projection surface and the surroundings behind it, leading to eye strain and distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the brightness of dark image regions based on the surrounding brightness conditions. The image data processing unit modifies the brightness parameter of dark pixels in real-time, transforming them from completely black to having a brightness value that matches or blends with the surrounding areas, thereby eliminating the focusing alternation and eye strain while preserving information visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating a modified version of the image data where dark regions are replaced with brightness information copied from or matched to the surrounding areas. The brightness sensor captures the surrounding brightness, and this brightness information is applied to dark image regions, effectively copying the environmental brightness characteristics onto the projected image to reduce visual disruption
2Ease of operation
If the projection surface is made transparent to allow driver visibility, then the surroundings behind the projection surface are visible through dark image regions, but this causes the observer to perceive changing surroundings in dark areas, which is disturbing and distracting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by changing the brightness parameter of dark image regions dynamically. Instead of maintaining zero brightness (completely dark), the system adjusts the brightness parameter to match the surrounding brightness conditions, preventing the distracting effect of seeing changing surroundings through dark areas while preserving the transparency benefit for overall driver visibility
3Manufacturing precision
If dark image regions are maintained at zero brightness to preserve image contrast, then clear image content is visible, but large transparent regions emerge where surroundings are visible, causing eyes to alternately focus on projection and surroundings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the brightness parameter of dark image regions from zero to a value that matches or blends with surrounding brightness. This dynamic adjustment preserves sufficient image contrast for content visibility while eliminating the focus alternation problem, as the brightened dark regions no longer create sharp focal transitions
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 enhances the visibility of image data on vehicle windowpanes by maintaining focus on projected content, reducing eye strain and distraction, by dynamically adjusting the brightness of dark regions in response to changing surroundings, thereby providing a disruption-free and non-tiring observation of projected image data.
Implementation Method 1
a brightness sensor (103) connected to the image data processing unit (102) for recording a brightness of vehicle surroundings
Implementation Method 2
image content is projected by a projector onto the projection surface by means of beams of light. The beams of light are reflected on the projection surface in the direction of an observer
Data Source
AI summary
A device and a method for projecting image data onto a projection surface of a vehicle windowpane of a vehicle. An image data processing unit generates second image data from first image data based on recorded surroundings brightness of the vehicle. A gradation curve is used to generate the second image data in such a way that dark image regions of the first image data lying below a predetermined color brightness threshold compared to image regions lying above the color brightness threshold in the first image data are brightened in the second image data compared to the first image data with regard to color or greyscale spectra. A degree of brightening of the dark image regions in the first image data increases with an increase in the recorded surroundings brightness.