Windshield Sightline Guidance for Vehicle Path Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Novice drivers and fatigued bus drivers face challenges in maintaining safe driving practices due to difficulty in effectively using their line of vision, especially in adverse weather conditions, which can lead to reduced running stability and safety.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus that displays driving reference marks on the windshield or screen, aligned with the predicted path of the vehicle, to guide the driver's sightline and enhance visibility, using a combination of cameras, a projector, and a display controller to provide stable and safe driving cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vehicle occupant relies on natural vision to check surroundings during driving, then the driving system remains simple, but the safety and running stability deteriorate when the occupant is novice or fatigued
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a display member (transparent display device) as an intermediary between the driver and the external environment. This display member overlays virtual images (such as lane markings, safety zones, or attention-guiding markers) on the windshield or transparent screen, providing additional visual information without blocking the driver's natural vision. The display controller processes camera images and generates appropriate visual cues to guide the driver's sightline and enhance situational awareness, thereby improving safety without completely replacing the driver's visual checking ability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical/manual process of visual checking with an automated optical-informatic system. The image acquiring unit (cameras) captures the external environment, the display controller processes this information and determines optimal display positions, and the display member presents processed visual information to the driver. This substitution automates the complex task of environmental assessment and guides the driver's attention, reducing the cognitive and visual burden on novice or fatigued drivers.
2Loss of information
If the display member shows detailed guidance information, then the information completeness improves, but the visibility of external scenery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by displaying information selectively at specific locations rather than uniformly across the entire display area. The display controller determines optimal display positions based on the captured images and driving context, placing virtual markers or highlighted regions at locations that correspond to important external features (such as lane edges, intersections, or potential hazards). This localized information presentation provides comprehensive guidance while minimizing interference with the overall external scenery visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional flat display to three-dimensional spatial integration by using a transparent display member that overlays virtual images at different apparent depths. The virtual images are positioned to appear at distances corresponding to their real-world counterparts, creating a layered visual experience where guidance information coexists with external scenery without completely blocking either. This dimensional integration allows simultaneous access to both detailed guidance information and external environment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the display member uses a see-through screen instead of direct windshield display, then the installation flexibility improves, but the overall transparency and visibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the display member with multi-functionality to compensate for the reduced transparency of the see-through screen. The display member not only displays guidance information but also serves as a reference for the display controller to determine optimal display positions. The system can adapt its display strategy based on environmental conditions, adjusting the brightness, size, and position of virtual images to maintain visibility. This universal approach allows the see-through screen configuration to achieve both installation flexibility and acceptable visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle sightline guidance apparatus includes a display member displaying an image on either one one a see-through windshield and screen that allow a vehicle occupant to visually recognize outside of a vehicle; a scenery-information acquiring unit acquiring scenery information visually recognized by the occupant from inside the vehicle; and a perspective-position specifying unit specifying a perspective position, which is a position on the windshield or screen that a sightline passes when the occupant visually recognizes a predicted path of the vehicle or a position where left and right edges of the predicted path are projected, based on the scenery information. Based on the perspective position, the display member displays two reference marks on the windshield or screen such that the marks are separated from each other by a distance equivalent to a vehicle width or larger and appear to be aligned with the left and right edges.