ES2400496B1 - DEVICE FOR ELIMINATING BLIND SPOTS OF A VEHICLE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (20) for removing blind spots or hidden areas that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates a driver (29), which is characterized by the fact that it comprises at least one capture element (21, 22; 23, 24) to obtain at least one image of the area that is hidden from the conductor because of the A-pillar; a control unit (25) to process this obtained image and generate a representation of the hidden area from the processed image; and a display element (26; 27) to show the driver (29) the representation of the hidden area.

Description

Device to eliminate blind spots in a vehicle.

The present invention relates to a device for removing blind spots of a vehicle, preferably a motor vehicle, and more specifically, for removing blind spots or hidden areas that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates a driver.

The invention is applicable to vehicle safety, mainly in motor vehicles.

Background of the invention

It is known in the state of the art that the elements that join the roof with the rest of the habitable structure of a vehicle are called pillars and, depending on their position, they are defined as (from the front to the rear of the vehicle ):

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Pillar A: is the first pillar and supports the front windshield of the vehicle;

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Pillar B: it is the second pillar (usually that of the central part) and from it hangs the seat belt;

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Pillar C: is the third pillar and supports the rear window of the vehicle.

Some vehicles (for example, a conventional family vehicle) also have a fourth pillar, known as D-pillar, which is the one that is arranged in the rearmost part of the vehicle.

In the event that a vehicle lacks any of the described pillars, the following pillars do not change their denomination.

By way of example, Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a motor vehicle, in which the different types of pillars are indicated, according to the state of the art.

Of all the defined pillars, the A pillars are the most significant at the safety level, since they are the ones that generate the most important blind spots to the driver of the vehicle and, therefore, are the ones that cause the greatest number of accidents with fatalities .

In addition, in recent years there has been a progressive increase in the thickness of the A-pillars of motor vehicles, mainly due to causes such as aesthetic issues, the growing need to improve the structural resistance of the vehicle to a collision, and the inclusion of curtain airbag systems for passengers. Obviously, increasing the thickness of this type of pillars implies an increase in the difficulty for the driver of the vehicle to warn of the presence of other vehicles (usually two-wheelers) in certain situations, so it also increases the possibility of suffering a accident.

Thus, the greater the width of the A-pillars, the more the direct vision of the driver worsens and, at the same time, being relatively close to the driver's eyes, it causes greater vision difficulties when only one of the eyes can see the object while the other is obstructed by the pillar A. This effect is further aggravated when the object is close to the conductor, since the distance between the eyes is greater than the width of the pillar A.

A large number of studies are known that certify the danger of these structures and the ease with which small vehicles, such as mopeds and motorcycles (in vehicles with lower visibility, these structures are capable of hiding even a large car from a distance equivalent to that of braking), may be outside the driver's field of vision.

According to the study [Forward Looking Blindspots (FLBs). A report of A-Pillar induced field-of-view obstruction and driver performance in a simulated rural environment. http: //www.safespeed.org.uklminnesota001.pdf], conducted with a simulator at the University of Minnesota, it was shown that a large number of drivers did not see the approaching vehicle, colliding with it without realizing its presence.

According to research [Field of vision (A-pillar Geometry) - a review of the needs of drivers. https://dspace.lboro.ac. uk / dspace-jspui / bitstream / 2134/519/1 / TT1130% 20AR2180.pdf], up to one third of the obstacles approaching the interference side of the windshield stud were not perceived by the driver and, although it was achieved noticeably improve the perception of objects by making a proper search movement with the

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head, this procedure cannot be recommended because it is incompatible with the necessary attention to be given to the road in the area in front of the vehicle.

On the other hand, there are also studies that state that less experienced drivers do not usually move their heads around the A-pillar, so they lose sight of certain areas when performing maneuvers (for example, when making additions or entering crossings). Thus, the study on the ability to "scan" the field of vision from the driving position [Forward Looking Blindspots (FLBs). A report of A-Pillar induced field-of-view obstruction and driver performance in a simulated rural environment. http://www.safespeed.org.uk/ minnesota001.pdf] cited above, highlights less experienced drivers as one of the groups that do not perform head movements around the pillars to minimize visibility zones, when performing maneuvers

Therefore, it is clear from what has been described that the blind spots or hidden areas generated by the A-pillars must be taken into account when trying to improve traffic safety.

Description of the invention

From what has been described above, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a device for efficiently eliminating blind spots or hidden areas that a pillar A generates to a driver of a vehicle.

This objective is achieved in accordance with claim 1, by providing a device for removing blind spots or hidden areas that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates to a driver, comprising at least one capture element to obtain at least one image. of the area that is hidden from the driver because of the A-pillar; a control unit to process this captured image and generate a representation of the processed image; and a display element to show the driver the representation of the hidden area, from the processed image.

In this way, the driver can see at all times the area that is hidden by the A-pillar, increasing its safety and that of other people (for example, drivers of other vehicles or pedestrians). Basically, the capture element (which can be one or more) is focused so that it obtains information (they can be static images (for example, photos) or dynamic images (for example, video)) referring to the area hidden by the driver by the pillar A; The control unit processes the information obtained from the capture element, so that it adapts it so that it is suitable for the driver (that is, that it provides sufficient information), generating a representation of the hidden area that pillar A generates at driver; and, through the display element, the control unit shows this representation of the hidden area, so that the driver receives the necessary and sufficient information to make appropriate decisions regarding any maneuver he has to perform with the vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the control unit may have different forms, depending on the needs and requirements of the different parts involved (for example, the vehicle

or the device). Thus, the control unit may, for example, be in the form of a single device that contains all the hardware (for example, contained in a box); the way in which part of the elements of the control unit may be contained in the image capture elements themselves and / or in the display elements themselves and the other part of said elements may be contained in a box, which they are interconnected with the visualization and image capture elements through the appropriate interfaces; or all the control unit hardware is distributed among the display and / or image capture elements.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device makes it possible to eliminate the blind spots or hidden areas that two pillars A of a vehicle generate to a driver, the device comprising image capture elements of the areas that are hidden from the driver because of the two pillars A of the vehicle.

Normally, a vehicle comprises two pillars A, whereby the device object of the invention is also adapted to eliminate the blind spots or hidden areas generated to the driver by the two pillars A of the vehicle, so that each pillar A can comprise its own capture element (each pillar A can comprise one

or more capture elements and may even be the same capture elements for both pillars A of the vehicle), it can comprise a control unit for each pillar A (although preferably the same control unit of the device object of the invention could process the information generated by the capture element (s) of each pillar A); and may comprise a single display element for both pillars A (although preferably the device object of the invention may comprise a display element for each pillar,

or the display element may be able to divide its display area into two sub-areas, one for each pillar A).

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Thus, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the case that the vehicle comprises two pillars A, the device comprises a display element for each of the two pillars A of the vehicle.

On the other hand, the arrangement in the vehicle of the image capture element (or of the capture elements if there is more than one) for each pillar A may be different in each vehicle, depending, for example, on the design of the vehicle or its structure. Thus, the image capture element may be arranged on the A-pillar itself of which it is intended to capture the hidden area, or it may be arranged in the rear-view mirror (more specifically, in the rear-view mirror housing) corresponding to the side of the A-pillar of which It is intended to capture the hidden area. This last arrangement of the image capture element makes it possible to avoid the redesign of the pillars A to fit the image capture element (s) therein, since the rear-view mirror is not part of the vehicle structure and is easily modifiable. Currently, the mirrors already have electrical connections, so that the connection of the image capture elements to the control unit could be carried out easily and cheaply. As previously mentioned, normally the capture elements should be arranged in the rearview mirror on the same side of the vehicle where the A-pillar is located, which is intended to eliminate blind spots or hidden areas, although it could also be arranged in the rearview mirror on the side contrary. Obviously, it is also possible to have at least one image capture element in the A-pillar itself and at least one image capture element in a rear-view mirror of the vehicle, mainly in the rear-view mirror arranged on the same side of the vehicle in which it is located. Pillar A from which it is intended to eliminate blind spots or hidden areas.

Although the arrangement of the image capture element in both the A-pillar itself and in the rear-view mirror may be the preferred arrangements, it is possible to arrange the capture element in any other part of the vehicle provided that the information obtained by said capture element It is appropriate for the control unit to generate a representation of the hidden area that offers enough information for the driver to perform the desired maneuvers without any danger to him or to third parties.

According to an embodiment of the invention, at least one of the elements (if there is more than one) of image capture comprises a video camera (for example, a high definition video camera (HD)), so that it allows to obtain dynamic images in real time of the hidden areas by the A-pillar, and allows the driver to perceive in a more natural way the situation in which he is. Obviously, a camera or the like could also be used, but the fact that the driver receives static images may result in a loss of control over the situation, depending, among other things, on the refresh rate of these static images.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the control unit comprises computer means for processing the captured images, and computer means for generating a representation of the processed images. The aforementioned computer processing means can treat the captured images so that they match in scale, depth and / or perspective with those corresponding to the driver's line of sight.

To determine the driver's line of sight and that the computer processing means can properly process the captured images or information, to obtain the representation of the area hidden by the pillar A to the driver, the device may comprise an element that captures the driver's position in the vehicle, said element being connectable to the control unit. As depending on the height of the driver and the adjustments of the position of the driver's seat the scale, depth and / or perspective varies, it is necessary to adjust the representation of the images of the hidden area to suit each situation. In this way, the sensor element provides information to the control unit, to adjust the representation of the images to the scale, depth and / or perspective appropriate to the position of the driver.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sensor element comprises at least one sensor element for determining the position of the driver's eyes in the vehicle, from which the control unit could determine the position of the driver inside the vehicle and, at From this position, determine the line of sight of the driver, with the intention of properly adjusting the depth, scale and / or perspective of the representation of the hidden area. Alternatively, the pickup element could also be a manual control keypad similar to that used to adjust the angle of the rearview mirrors, through which the driver could manually adjust the line of sight most appropriate to the situation.

For all this, the control unit of the device object of the invention may comprise computer means for determining the position of the driver in the vehicle, from the information provided by the pickup element; and computer means for determining the driver's line of sight, based on the determined position of the driver in the vehicle. Thus, the control unit has a plurality of inputs, such as the information provided by the capture element, or the information provided by the image capture element, from the processing from which a series of values can be obtained. intermediate (for example, the driver's line of sight), to finally generate the representation of the hidden area most appropriate to the real situation (for example, same scale, depth and / or perspective).

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On the other hand, it is possible to achieve that the representation generated of the processed images (that is, the representation of the area hidden by the pillar A to the driver) in the display element assumes the continuity of the space in the driver's line of sight, mainly if the display element is properly arranged for it. Thus, for example, the display element can be arranged just in front of the A-pillar, the driver obtaining said continuity of the space in the line of sight. In addition, if the display element comprises a screen, or more specifically comprises a flexible type screen, it is possible to substantially cover the entire surface of the pillar A inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle, obtaining a transparency effect of the pillar A (the driver perceives reality as if the A-pillar did not exist, since the screen shows the representation of the hidden area with the depth, scale and / or the appropriate perspective for it, just on the A-pillar). Obviously, the degree of coating of the abutment A may be as desired. Thus, for example, the screen can cover the entire width of the pillar, but not its entire height.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flexible screen is a flexible screen of the OLED type (organic light-emitting diode - in English, Organic Light-Emitting Diode) based on OTFT (thin-film organic transistors - in English, Organic Thin-Film Transistors).

According to another aspect, the invention provides a method for showing a representation of the hidden area that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates to a driver, said procedure being executable in a control unit of a device such as the one described above, said procedure comprising:

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receive at least one image referring to the hidden area that the pillar A generates to the driver, obtained by the at least one image capture element of the device;

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Process said received image;

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Generate a representation of the hidden area, from the processed image;

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Show the driver this representation of the hidden area, through the display element of the device.

Obviously, this procedure is executed in the control unit for each of the pillars A of the vehicle, that is, for each pillar A the steps of the described procedure are executed, whatever the number of pillars A that it comprises. This does not mean that the device cannot manage more than one Pillar A.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises:

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Receive information regarding the position of the driver in the vehicle, obtained by the sensor element of the device;

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Determine the driver's line of sight, based on the information received regarding the driver's position in the vehicle;

in which the processing of the received image is performed from the determined line of sight, so that the scale, depth and / or perspective of the received image is adjusted according to this line of sight.

In this way, the determination of the line of sight of the driver of the vehicle makes it possible to limit the processing of the image or images related to the area hidden by the pillar A. The pickup element (which as mentioned above) can comprise, for example , at least one sensor element for determining the position of the driver's eyes (from which it is easy to determine the position of the driver inside the vehicle) or a control keypad, similar to those that allow the control of the mirrors mirrors, through which the driver can manually adjust the processing of the images obtained, modifying the line of sight according to his preferences.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a computer program comprising program instructions that are executed in a computer system to perform the procedure to show a representation of the hidden area that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates to a driver. , such as the one described above.

Clearly, this computer program must be applicable regardless of the number of A-pillars that the vehicle comprises. Thus, in a normal situation, in which the vehicle comprises two pillars A, the computer program object of the invention must be able to receive information from the image capture elements of each of the pillars A, process them in a manner individual for each pillar A, generate a representation of the hidden area corresponding to each pillar A, and show each representation through the corresponding display element (for example, either a visualization element per pillar A; the same element

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of display with two display sub-areas, one for each pillar A; or a single display element that shows the representation of the hidden area of a pillar A in question, and that the conductor can switch from one representation to another (from one pillar A to the other) depending on his needs).

Said computer program may be stored in physical storage media, such as recording media, a computer memory, or a read-only memory, or it may be carried by a carrier wave, such as electrical or optical.

According to another aspect of the invention, a system is provided to show a representation of the hidden area that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates to a driver, said system being usable in a control unit of a device as described above. , this system comprising means for receiving at least one image referring to the hidden area that the pillar A generates to the driver, obtained by the at least one image capture element of the device; means for processing said received image; means for generating a representation of the hidden area, from the processed image; means to show the driver this representation of the hidden area, through the display element of the device.

Throughout the description and the claims the word "comprises" and its variants are not intended to exclude other technical characteristics, additives, components, steps or steps. For those skilled in the art, other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be derived partly from the description and partly from the practice of the invention. The following examples and drawings are provided by way of illustration, and are not intended to be limiting of the present invention. The numerical signs relating to the drawings and placed in parentheses in a claim are only intended to increase the understanding of the claim, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claim. In addition, the present invention covers all possible combinations of particular and preferred embodiments indicated herein.

Brief description of the drawings

For a better understanding of how much has been exposed, some drawings are attached in which, schematically and only by way of non-limiting example, a practical case of realization is represented.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a motor vehicle, in which the different types of existing pillars are indicated according to the state of the art;

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a device for removing blind spots or hidden areas that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates a driver, according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram that shows what a driver of a vehicle really has before him, when he, for example, wishes to perform a maneuver;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing what the driver of a vehicle would see, according to the situation of Figure 3, which incorporates the device object of the invention.

Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

Next, the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention will be carried out, in which the device of the invention is applied to a motor vehicle comprising two pillars A. Said description is made based on Figures 2, 3 and 4.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the device 20 object of the invention comprises two video capture cameras 21, 22 (camcorders) for the first pillar A of the vehicle (for example, pillar A on the driver's side); two video capture cameras 23, 24 for the second pillar A of the vehicle (for example, pillar A on the passenger side); a control unit 25 that receives the information (ie images or the like) captured by each of the cameras (and other elements of the device), processes it and obtains a representation of the area hidden from the driver for each of the pillars A of the vehicle; a first flexible screen 26 which is arranged substantially covering the first pillar A of the vehicle, through which the representation of the area hidden from the driver by said first pillar A is shown; a second screen 27 of flexible type which is arranged substantially covering the second pillar A of the vehicle, through which the representation of the area hidden from the driver by said second pillar A of the vehicle is shown; and a sensor element 28 for determining the position of the eyes of the driver 29 inside the vehicle, whose position is received by the control unit 25 of the device, with the intention of determining the line of sight of the driver 29 and having a parameter With which

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condition the processing of the images obtained by the video cameras of a specific A-pillar and obtain the appropriate representation of the hidden area corresponding to this Pillar A.

Obviously, and as mentioned above, the number of video capture cameras present in each of the A-pillars of the vehicle will depend on the studies carried out by each manufacturer that intends to incorporate the device of the invention, taking into account, by example, the design of the vehicle. It may even be the case that some vehicle incorporates a single video capture camera for both A-pillars (for example, it can be a motorized camera, which captures images that affect one or the other P-A, depending, for example, on the position of the eyes of the driver of the vehicle).

Thus, for example, the use of two cameras in the present preferred embodiment aims to obtain sufficient information of the area hidden by the pillar A to achieve a good representation of it by the control unit (it is intended to achieve the best truthfulness, combining their images), as well as achieving redundancy in the event that one of the video capture cameras is damaged (in this way, the device continues to function even if one of the cameras is being repaired).

The arrangement of video capture cameras in the vehicle can also be very uneven. Thus, for example, with the intention of obtaining a better view of the area that is hidden from the driver by the A-pillar, in some vehicles it will be more convenient to arrange the cameras on the A-pillar itself, while in other vehicles it will be more convenient to arrange them in , for example, the rearview mirror housing on the side of the pillar A, so that the incorporation of the cameras in the vehicle does not imply a redesign of the structure of the pillars A.

On the other hand, the present preferred embodiment uses video capture cameras, but any other suitable image capture element, such as cameras, could be used. Obviously, a combination of different capture elements is also possible (for example, video capture cameras with cameras).

Each of the flexible screens 26, 27 are OLED (organic light-emitting diode - in English, Organic Light-Emitting Diode) based on OTFT (organic thin-film transistors - in English, Organic Thin-Film Transistors), although any other type of flexible or non-flexible screen could be used. The fact that a flexible screen is used makes it possible to cover the corresponding abutment A, so that it is possible to achieve a transparent effect of the abutment A (that is, the perception that the conductor 29 has is of continuity of the space in the line of sight of the driver). To do this, the representation of the hidden area must be done in an appropriate way, as will be described later.

The control unit 25 comprises a plurality of interfaces (not shown) for the connection of each of the video cameras 21, 22, 23, 24; an interface (not shown) for the connection of the sensor element 28; a computer program (not shown) which, from the information provided by the different video cameras for each A-pillar and by the sensor element, obtains the representation of the hidden area generated by each A-pillar; an internal ROM type memory (not shown), which stores at least the computer program and the information provided by the cameras and the sensor element; an internal RAM type memory (not shown), on which the computer program is executed; and a microcontroller (not shown), which is responsible for managing the execution of the computer program, inputs / outputs, interfaces, etc.

The control unit can also have different configurations. Thus, the control unit may, for example, be in the form of a single device that contains all the hardware (for example, contained in a box); the way in which part of the elements of the control unit are contained in the image capture elements themselves and / or in the display elements themselves, and the other part of said elements may be contained in a box, whose elements they are interconnected with the visualization and image capture elements through the appropriate interfaces; or all the control unit hardware is distributed among the display and / or image capture elements. In any case, whatever the form chosen, there will always be a control unit understood as the union of all its elements, whether or not they are distributed.

The computer program that is executed on the control unit 25 (more specifically, on the described RAM memory) comprises different modules:

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A first module responsible for receiving the information from each of the video capture cameras, for each A-pillar (this first module can be the same for both Pillars A, or a module can be implemented for each of the A-pillars );

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A second module in charge of receiving the capture of the sensor element relative to the position of the driver's eyes inside the vehicle;

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A third module that, from the capture of the sensor element received by the second module, determines the position of the driver inside the vehicle;

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A fourth module responsible for obtaining the driver's line of sight, based on the driver's position determined by the third module;

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A fifth module responsible for processing, for each pillar A, the information provided by the first module (related to the capture of cameras 21, 22; 23, 24) and by the fourth module (relative to the driver's line of sight) (again this module can be the same for both pillars A, or a module can be implemented for each of the pillars A);

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A sixth module responsible for obtaining, for each pillar A, the representation of the hidden area from the information processed and provided by the fifth module (also in this case, this module can be the same for both pillars A, or it can be implemented a module for each of the pillars A); Y

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A seventh module in charge of showing the representation of the hidden area obtained by the sixth module, through the corresponding pillar A screen (obviously, this module can also be the same for both pillars A, or one module can be implemented for each from them).

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Thus, the procedure executed by the computer program is as follows, for each pillar A:

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From the first module described above, the computer program object of the invention receives the images obtained by the video cameras 21, 22; 23, 24 corresponding to pillar A in question;

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The computer program, from the second module described, receives the position of the eyes of the driver of the vehicle obtained by the sensor element 28;

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From the third module, the computer program determines the position of the driver inside the vehicle, taking into account the position of the driver's eyes received by the second module. In this case, this stage of the procedure and the previous stage could be considered the same stage, since the driver's eye position and the driver's position could be the same information;

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Once the driver's position is obtained, the driver's line of sight is obtained from the fourth module;

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Taking into account the line of sight of the driver obtained in the previous stage, from the fifth module of the computer program the images received by the first module are processed, so that the scale, depth and / or perspective of the the image received in accordance with this line of sight;

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From the processed images, it is necessary to generate the representation of the hidden area by the A-pillar in question, by the sixth module described; and finally,

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The computer program, through the seventh module, must show the representation obtained to the driver through screen 26; 27 corresponding.

From the figures 3 and 4 the true problem that the present invention intends to solve can be perfectly appreciated. As can be seen in Figure 3, when the driver 29 wishes to perform a maneuver with the vehicle (for example, joining a roundabout), if he looks through the front glass 31 or side 32 of the vehicle, he does not detect the presence of any vehicle (for example, a motorcycle 41, as seen in figure 4) due to the presence of the corresponding pillar A (in this case, the pillar A on the driver's side) arranged between both crystals 31, 32, which generates points blind or hidden areas.

With the incorporation of the device 20 of the invention into the vehicle, as can be seen in Figure 4, the conductor 29, through the flexible screen 26 arranged covering the pillar A (the driver has the sensation of transparency of the pillar A) , detects the presence of the motorcycle 41, so that it allows extreme caution when performing the maneuver, so as not to collide with the motorcycle.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described and represented, it is clear that the person skilled in the art will be able to introduce variants and modifications, or replace the details with other technically equivalent ones, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the claims. attached.

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Although also the described embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawing comprise computer systems and processes performed in computer systems, the invention also extends to computer programs, more particularly to computer programs in or on carrier media, adapted to put the invention into practice. The computer program may be in the form of source code, object code or

5 in an intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in partially compiled form, or in any other form suitable for use in the implementation of the processes according to the invention. The carrier medium can be any entity or device capable of carrying the program.

For example, the carrier medium may comprise a storage medium, such as a ROM, for example a

10 CD ROM or a semiconductor ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a floppy disk or a hard disk. In addition, the carrier means may be a transmissible carrier medium such as an electrical or optical signal that can be transmitted via electrical or optical cable or by radio or other means.

When the computer program is contained in a signal that can be transmitted directly by means of a cable or other device or medium, the carrier means may be constituted by said cable or another device or medium.

Alternatively, the carrier means may be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is embedded, said integrated circuit being adapted to perform, or to be used in the realization of, the relevant processes.

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Claims (22)

1. Device (20) to eliminate blind spots or hidden areas that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates a driver (29), characterized by the fact that it comprises:

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at least one capture element (21, 22; 23, 24) to obtain at least one image of the area that is hidden from the conductor because of the pillar A;

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a control unit (25) to process this obtained image and generate a representation of the hidden area from the processed image; Y

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a display element (26; 27) to show the driver (29) the representation of the hidden area.

2.

 Device (20) for removing blind spots or hidden areas that two pillars A of a vehicle generate to a driver (29) according to claim 1, comprising image capture elements (21, 22; 23, 24) of the areas that are hidden from the driver (29) because of the two pillars A of the vehicle.

3.

 Device (20) according to claim 2, comprising a display element (26, 27) for each of the two pillars A of the vehicle.

Four.

 Device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one image capture element (21, 22; 23, 24) is arranged on at least one pillar A of the vehicle.

5.

 Device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one image capture element (21, 22; 23, 24) is arranged in at least one rearview mirror of the vehicle.

6.

 Device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the image capture element (21; 22; 23; 24) comprises a video camera.

7.

 Device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit (25) comprises computer means for processing the image obtained, and computer means for generating a representation of the hidden area from the processed image.

8.

 Device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a sensor element (28) of the driver's position (29) in the vehicle, said element being connectable to the control unit (25).

9.

 Device (20) according to claim 8, wherein the control unit (25) comprises computer means for determining the position of the driver (29) in the vehicle, from the information provided by the sensor element (28); and computer means for determining the driver's line of sight (29), based on the determined position of the driver in the vehicle.

10.

 Device (20) according to claim 9, wherein the sensor element comprises at least one sensor element (28) for determining the position of the driver's eyes (29) in the vehicle.

eleven.

 Device (20) according to any one of claims 9 or 10, wherein the computer processing means treat the captured images so that they match in scale, depth and / or perspective with those corresponding to the determined line of sight of the driver ( 29).

12.

Device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the display element (26; 27) comprises a screen.

13.

 Device (20) according to claim 12, wherein the screen (26; 27) is of the flexible type.

14.

 Device (20) according to claim 13, wherein the flexible screen (26; 27) is arranged in the vehicle so that it substantially covers the entire surface of a pillar A, from the inside of the vehicle interior.

fifteen.

 Device (20) according to any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein the flexible display (26; 27) is a flexible display of the OLED type (organic light-emitting diode - in English, Organic Light-Emitting Diode) based in OTFT (organic thin film transistors - in English, Organic Thin-Film Transistors).

16.

 Procedure for showing a representation of the hidden area that at least one pillar A of a vehicle generates a driver (29), said procedure being executable in a control unit (25) of a device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized by the fact that it comprises:

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receiving at least one image referring to the hidden area that the pillar A generates to the conductor (29), obtained by the at least one image capture element (21, 22; 23, 24) of the device (20);

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Process said received image;

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Generate a representation of the hidden area, from the processed image;

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Show the driver (29) this representation of the hidden area, through the display element (26; 27) of the device (20).

17. Method according to claim 16, further comprising:

-

Receive information regarding the position of the driver (29) in the vehicle, obtained by the pickup element

(28) of the device (20);

-

Determine the driver's line of sight (29), based on the information received regarding the driver's position in the vehicle;

in which the processing of the received image is performed from the determined line of sight, so that the scale, depth and / or perspective of the received image is adjusted according to this line of sight.

18.

 Computer program comprising program instructions that are executed in a computer system to perform the procedure to show a representation of the hidden area that a pillar A of a vehicle generates to a driver according to any one of claims 16 to 17.

19.

 Computer program according to claim 18, which is stored in storage media.

twenty.

 Computer program according to claim 18, which is carried by a carrier wave.

twenty-one.

 System for showing a representation of the hidden area that at least 20 a pillar A of a vehicle generates a driver (29), said system being usable in a control unit (25) of a device (20) according to any one of the claims 1 to 15, characterized by the fact that it comprises:

-

Means receiving at least one image referring to the hidden area that the pillar A generates to the conductor (29), obtained by the at least one image capture element (21, 22; 23, 24) of the device (20);

-

Means for processing said received image;

-

Means for generating a representation of the hidden area, from the processed image;

-

Means to show the driver (29) this representation of the hidden area, through the display element (26; 27) of the device (20).

ES 2 400 496 Al ES 2 400 496 Al SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 201100575 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 05/18/2011 Priority Date: REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: See Additional Sheet RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

56 Documents cited Claims Affected

X

GB 2417847 A (ELAN HOUSE LTD) 08.03.2006, page 3, line 3 - page 6, line 25; figures. 1-21

X

US 2007 081262 A1 (OIZUMI et al.) 12.04.2007, paragraphs [0017-0045]; figures. 1-21

X

US 7520616 A1 (OOBA et al.) 04/21/2009, column 3, line 1 - column 4, line 31; figures. 1-6,8,9,11-17,21

TO

7,10,18-20

X

JP 2004064131 A (HONDA MOTOR CO LTD) 26.02.2004, summary; figures. Extracted from the EPODOC database in EPOQUE. 1-6,8,9,11-17,21

TO

7,10,18-20

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims • for claims no:

Date of realization of the report 25.03.2013

Examiner P. Pérez Fernández Page 1/5

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE Application number: 201100575 CLASSIFICATION OBJECT OF THE APPLICATION B60R1 / 00 (2006.01) H04N7 / 18 (2006.01) G03B21 / 00 (2006.01) Minimum documentation sought (classification system followed by classification symbols) B60R, H04N, G03B Electronic databases consulted during the search (name of the database and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENES, EPODOC, WPI, PAJ State of the Art Report Page 2/5  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201100575 Date of Completion of Written Opinion: 03.25.2013 Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 1-4,6-15,18-21 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims 5.16.17 IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published. State of the Art Report Page 3/5  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201100575  1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

GB 2417847 A (ELAN HOUSE LTD) 03.03.2006

D02

US 2007 081262 A1 (OIZUMI et al.) 04/12/2007

 2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement Lack of Novelty Claim 1 Document D01 is established as the closest to the State of the Art. Said document D01 refers to "a system to visualize the blind spots of a vehicle" and contains: - capture elements (20, 22, 24) to obtain images of the area that is hidden from the driver because of a pillar of the vehicle structure (see page 5, line 21; figures 1, 3). -a control unit (40) (see page 5, line 21; figure 3). -a display element (52, 54, 56) to show the driver the representation of the hidden area (see page 5, lines 24, 25; figure 3). The object of the invention set forth in claim 1 has been disclosed identically in document D01. For the therefore, claim 1 lacks Novelty (Art 6.1 LP). Claim 2 The characteristics of claim 2 are set out in document D01 (see page 5, line 21; figures 1, 3). Accordingly, claim 2 is not new (Art 6.1 LP). Claim 3 The object of the invention set forth in claim 3 has been disclosed identically in document D01 (see page 3, lines 10-17; figure 1). Consequently, claim 3 lacks Novelty (Art 6.1 LP). Claims No. 4, 6 The characteristics of claims 4,6 are set out in document D01 (see page 4, lines 4-8; figure 1). Therefore, claims 4,6 are not new (Art 6.1 LP). Claim 7 The object of the invention set forth in claim 7 has been disclosed identically in document D01 (see page 5, lines 22-24; Figure 3). Accordingly, claim 7 lacks Novelty (Art 6.1 LP). Claims 8, 10 The characteristics of claims 8,10 are set out in document D01 (see page 6, lines 15-19). Consequently, claims 8,10 are not new (Art 6.1 LP). Claims No. 9, 11 The object of the invention set forth in claims 9,11 has been disclosed identically in document D01 (see page 5, lines 22-24). Therefore, claims 9, 11 lack Novelty (Art 6.1 LP). Claims No. 12-15 The characteristics of claims 12-15 appear in document D01 (see page 4, line 33-page 5, line 25; figures 1-3). Therefore claims 12-15 lack Novelty (Art 6.1 LP). Claims No. 18-20 The object of the invention set forth in claims 18-20 has been disclosed identically in document D01 (see page 5, lines 20-24). Consequently, claims 18-20 lack Novelty (Art 6.1 LP). Claim 21 The features of claim 21 appear in document D01 (see page 5, line 20-page 6, line 7; figure 3). Accordingly, claim 21 lacks Novelty (Art 6.1 LP). State of the Art Report Page 4/5  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201100575  Lack of Inventive Activity Claim 5 The placement of the image capture element in the rear-view mirror is obvious to the person skilled in the art. Consequently, claim 5 lacks Inventive Activity (Art 8 LP). Claims No. 16, 17 The method described in claims 16,17 is simply the logical mode of operation, and therefore obvious to the person skilled in the art, of the system contained in document D01. However, to illustrate this obviousness criterion, document D02 (paragraphs (0021, 0022)) can be seen. Therefore, claims 16, 17 lack Inventive Activity (Art 8 LP). State of the Art Report Page 5/5