Windshield Projection System for Truck Blind Spot Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) struggle to effectively alert truck drivers to objects in their blind spots without distracting them from the road, as conventional methods often require constant attention to the instrument panel, diverting focus from potential hazards outside the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a plurality of independently activatable LED light sources arranged along the windshield and side windows, projecting signal lights indicative of tracked objects along a virtual line of sight, allowing drivers to perceive both visible and invisible objects, with different signaling for each via color, size, and highlighting, thereby directing attention to potential dangers without diverting focus from the road.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional instrument panel display is used to alert drivers, then warning signals can be provided, but driver focus is diverted from the road to the inside of the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the windshield as an intermediary surface to project warning signals. Instead of displaying alerts on the instrument panel inside the vehicle, the system projects light patterns directly onto the windshield, allowing drivers to see warnings in their natural field of view without diverting attention from the road.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the display dimension from the horizontal instrument panel to the vertical windshield surface. By projecting warnings upward onto the windshield, the system places alerts in the driver's peripheral vision area, eliminating the need to shift focus inward while maintaining warning reliability.
2Loss of information
If truck drivers monitor blind spot areas, then objects in blind spots can be detected, but driver attention is pulled away from the road
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the blind spot environment by projecting light patterns on the windshield that represent detected objects. Instead of requiring drivers to physically turn or look into blind spots, the system creates visual representations of those objects in the driver's direct field of view, maintaining both detection capability and road focus.
Solution Approach 2:
The windshield serves as an intermediary display surface that translates blind spot sensor data into visual representations. The system processes information from blind spot monitoring sensors and presents it as projected light patterns on the windshield, allowing drivers to perceive blind spot objects without redirecting attention from the road.
3Illumination intensity
If light sources are placed inside the driver's line of sight, then signal visibility is improved, but driver distraction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension of the windshield as the display surface. By projecting light patterns upward onto the windshield rather than placing light sources in the horizontal line of sight path, the system achieves high signal visibility in the driver's peripheral vision while avoiding direct interference with forward road attention.
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 a reliable method for alerting truck drivers to objects in their blind spots, enhancing road safety by merging direct and virtual views, allowing drivers to respond to both visible and invisible threats without losing focus on the road, thereby reducing the risk of collisions.
Implementation Method 1
The light sources are arranged to show a mirror image of the light source in the windshield or side window, visible to the driver
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
It is aimed to provide a system for alerting a driver of a driver cabin of a motor vehicle, said system comprising: a plurality of light sources arranged in array to project a signal light against the windshield and/or side window, provided in the driver cabin along a horizontal contour of windshield and side windows, outside a line of sight of the driver, and arranged to show a mirror image of the light source in the windshield or side window, visible to the driver; a tracking controller, arranged to identify one or more objects to be tracked in the perimeter of the motor vehicle; a control system, coupled to the tracking controller for activating a number of hght sources of the plurality of light sources, arranged to project a signal light indicative of said tracked object substantially centered along a virtual line of sight from the driver towards the identified object.