Windshield Combiner Projection for Vehicle Blind-Spot Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional vehicle side-view mirrors have limitations such as blind spots and reduced visibility, especially in modern vehicles equipped with cameras for exterior imaging.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle exterior imaging system that includes a glass panel with a combiner, a first exterior side-view imager assembly, and a projector assembly. The imager captures images of the exterior environment, and the projector assembly projects these images onto the glass panel, providing enhanced visibility to the vehicle operator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional side-view mirrors are used, then the structure is simple and cost-effective, but blind spots exist and visibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical side-view mirrors with an optical imaging system consisting of cameras mounted on the vehicle exterior and a display system that projects images onto the windshield. This substitution eliminates blind spots and provides enhanced visibility while maintaining a relatively simple overall system architecture through the use of modern electronic components.
2Reliability
If cameras are added for exterior imaging, then visibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a unified system: cameras capture exterior images, the controller processes and enhances these images, and the projector assembly displays the processed images on the windshield. This multi-functional integration improves visibility while managing system complexity through coordinated operation of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves as an intermediary between the cameras and the projector assembly, processing images from the cameras and preparing them for display. This intermediary component manages the complexity by centralizing image processing functions and coordinating the operation of different system components.
3Loss of information
If images are projected onto the windshield, then real-time visualization is achieved, but the glass panel structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the combiner layer from the traditional laminated glass structure and positions it between the glass layers to serve as a dedicated projection surface. This extraction allows the glass panel to maintain its structural integrity while adding the projection functionality through a specialized intermediate layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite glass panel structure with a combiner layer sandwiched between two glass layers. This composite structure combines the structural properties of glass with the optical properties of the combiner material, enabling both structural strength and projection capability without significantly increasing overall complexity.
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 system provides improved visualization of the vehicle's exterior environment, reducing the need for operators to glance sideways and minimizing blind spots, while also offering real-time views projected onto the windshield.
Implementation Method 1
a projector assembly configured to project an output image onto the glass panel
Implementation Method 2
a glass panel including a combiner positioned between a first layer of glass and a second layer of glass
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to vehicle exterior imaging systems that capture and display views of the exterior environment to vehicle operators. An exemplary vehicle exterior imaging system may include a glass panel including a combiner positioned between a first layer of glass and a second layer of glass, a first exterior side-view imager assembly configured to capture images of a vehicle exterior environment, and a projector assembly configured to project an output image onto the glass panel. The output image is based on the images captured by the first exterior side-view imager assembly. The glass panel may be part of either a windshield or a door window, and the projector assembly may be mounted either outside or inside of a housing of the first exterior side-view imager assembly.