WO2013093450A2 - Driver display system - Google Patents

Driver display system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013093450A2
WO2013093450A2 PCT/GB2012/053177 GB2012053177W WO2013093450A2 WO 2013093450 A2 WO2013093450 A2 WO 2013093450A2 GB 2012053177 W GB2012053177 W GB 2012053177W WO 2013093450 A2 WO2013093450 A2 WO 2013093450A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
driver
vehicle
looking
cameras
display
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2012/053177
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2013093450A3 (en
Inventor
Vincent Demarest
Original Assignee
Vincent Demarest
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Vincent Demarest filed Critical Vincent Demarest
Publication of WO2013093450A2 publication Critical patent/WO2013093450A2/en
Publication of WO2013093450A3 publication Critical patent/WO2013093450A3/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R1/00—Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
    • B60R1/20—Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
    • B60R1/22—Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles for viewing an area outside the vehicle, e.g. the exterior of the vehicle
    • B60R1/28—Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles for viewing an area outside the vehicle, e.g. the exterior of the vehicle with an adjustable field of view
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K35/00—Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
    • B60K35/20—Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
    • B60K35/21—Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor using visual output, e.g. blinking lights or matrix displays
    • B60K35/215—Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor using visual output, e.g. blinking lights or matrix displays characterised by the combination of multiple visual outputs, e.g. combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K35/00—Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
    • B60K35/20—Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
    • B60K35/21—Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor using visual output, e.g. blinking lights or matrix displays
    • B60K35/22—Display screens
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K35/00—Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
    • B60K35/50—Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K35/00—Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
    • B60K35/60—Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K35/00—Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
    • B60K35/65—Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
    • B60K35/652—Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive for left- or right-hand drive
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K35/00—Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
    • B60K35/80—Arrangements for controlling instruments
    • B60K35/81—Arrangements for controlling instruments for controlling displays
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R1/00—Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
    • B60R1/20—Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
    • B60R1/22—Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles for viewing an area outside the vehicle, e.g. the exterior of the vehicle
    • B60R1/23—Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles for viewing an area outside the vehicle, e.g. the exterior of the vehicle with a predetermined field of view
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K2360/00—Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards
    • B60K2360/20—Optical features of instruments
    • B60K2360/21—Optical features of instruments using cameras
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K2360/00—Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards
    • B60K2360/20—Optical features of instruments
    • B60K2360/33—Illumination features
    • B60K2360/334—Projection means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K2360/00—Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards
    • B60K2360/77—Instrument locations other than the dashboard
    • B60K2360/785—Instrument locations other than the dashboard on or in relation to the windshield or windows
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R2300/00—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle
    • B60R2300/10—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of camera system used
    • B60R2300/105—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of camera system used using multiple cameras
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R2300/00—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle
    • B60R2300/20—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of display used
    • B60R2300/205—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of display used using a head-up display
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R2300/00—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle
    • B60R2300/30—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of image processing
    • B60R2300/302—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of image processing combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R2300/00—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle
    • B60R2300/30—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of image processing
    • B60R2300/303—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the type of image processing using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R2300/00—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle
    • B60R2300/50—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R2300/00—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle
    • B60R2300/80—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the intended use of the viewing arrangement
    • B60R2300/8066—Details of viewing arrangements using cameras and displays, specially adapted for use in a vehicle characterised by the intended use of the viewing arrangement for monitoring rearward traffic

Definitions

  • This invention relates to display systems for drivers of, typically, road- going vehicles where the driver sits behind a steering wheel and is assisted in terms of vision by door mirrors mounted outside on either side of the vehicle and a rear-view mirror mounted inside the vehicle pointing rearwards, which collectively provide the driver with a reasonable, but not complete, field of vision.
  • Newer vehicles now have much larger door mirrors than before to improve rear vision but these can also add to the blind spots in forward three quarter vision both to the right or to the left.
  • the present invention is derived from the realisation that there is a need to provide substantially better all round vision for a driver whilst looking forward without any substantial deviation of the driver's normal eye movement when looking straight head.
  • a driver display system for a road-going vehicle, the system comprising or including a plurality of forward looking, rearward looking and/or sideways looking cameras mounted inside or onto the vehicle, the cameras being linked to a display means positioned substantially within the driver's forward looking field of vision in which the driver can selectively switch between viewing the road and the display means with minimal eye movement and/or eye re-focusing.
  • the display system may include a control unit linked to the driver operated controls in or on the vehicle to selectively display a plurality of images on the display means, one for each camera to thereby collectively provide the driver with substantially all around vision whilst still looking generally straight ahead i.e. the display means is positioned within the driver's fringe vision when looking straight ahead.
  • the cameras are linked via a control unit to the display means, which may conveniently comprise two or three display panels positioned directly within the driver's forward line-of-sight, such as above or below, so that they may be selectively viewed by the driver with minimal eye movement and substantially no head movement.
  • the display means may conveniently comprise two or three display panels positioned directly within the driver's forward line-of-sight, such as above or below, so that they may be selectively viewed by the driver with minimal eye movement and substantially no head movement.
  • the cameras may be provided with wide-angle lenses which in combination a substantially 170° field of vision may be afforded to the driver whilst the driver is looking forwards at the display panels.
  • the controller is linked to driver operated controls in the vehicle, such as the steering wheel, so that when the vehicle is turning right, one of the display panels can show a sideways front view to the right and around the screen pillar, and another display panel a sideways rear right view etc. This is also particularly advantageous when driving in urban areas when forward vision is limited and blind spots are present when approaching 90° turns to left or right.
  • a fifth camera may conveniently be mounted adjacent the left hand windscreen pillar for safer overtaking when using e.g. a right-hand drive car on right-sided roads such as when a UK car is driven in mainland Europe.
  • the control unit may also include means for recording events by digital video recorder (DVR) for replay in the event of an accident.
  • DVR digital video recorder
  • There may also be a GPS unit to record the global position, time, date and speed from all four cameras in a continuous loop, such that all vehicle movement is recorded and can be used to provide evidence in the event of a collision.
  • the display means provides in its default mode a continuous view of the rear relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle and is selectively switchable to display instead forward left and forward right images simultaneously via a split display screen, this feature being particularly useful when the driver of the vehicle has limited visibility due to the presence of sideways obstructions, such as when emerging onto a main road from a side road where the driver's vision is restricted.
  • the display means is selectively switchable to display both a rearward view and a forward view from that side of the vehicle opposite to the driver's forward line of vision. This is particularly useful when e.g. a right-hand drive vehicle is being driven or is being driven forward on the right-hand side of the road, such as a British car being driven on the continent of Europe.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a first embodiment of a driver display system mounted within a road-going vehicle in the form of a car, and
  • Figure 2 is a schematic driver's view looking forward from the inside of the vehicle of Figure 1 .
  • Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of a preferred layout of a driver display system according to a second embodiment of the invention.
  • a wheeled road-going vehicle shown generally at 1 includes a generally flat roof portion 2 supported by respective pairs of front, central and rear roof support pillars 3, 4 and 5 and which also serve to frame front and rear windscreens 6, 7 and respectively opposite pairs of front and rear door-mounted windows 8, 9.
  • steering wheel 10 shown in outline
  • display means shown generally at 1 1 to be described with more particular reference in Figure 2.
  • a rearward only looking camera 14 whose field of vision is defined as V3 and a pair of rear and sideways looking cameras 15, 16 mounted on respective sides of the rearward looking camera 14 and whose fields of vision are shown as V4 and V5 respectively.
  • a display system controller unit 17, shown in broken outline, is mounted centrally under the roof 2 of the vehicle 1 and is connected by wires or filaments (not shown) to the various cameras 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16.
  • the controller 17 is electrically connected to the steering column of the steering wheel 10 via sensor means (not shown) by which the rotational position of the steering wheel 10 can be relayed to the controller 17.
  • FIG 2 there is shown a simplified arrangement of the view from a driver's seat showing the steering wheel 10 behind and slightly below the display means 1 1 , which is itself composed of three display screens 18, 19, 20 mounted side-by-side just below the normal line of forward looking vision for driving the vehicle.
  • the cameras 12, 13 are respectively mounted on the lower left and right of the forward windscreen 6, only part of which is shown.
  • the viewer when driving in a forward direction, the viewer always sees in the central display screen 19 the rearward looking field of vision V3 from the rearward-looking camera 14, as well as corresponding images on the display screens 18, 20 representing, respectively, the fields of vision V4 and V5 taken from the sideways looking rear mounted cameras 15, 16.
  • This ensures that the driver always has a view of vehicles approaching from the rear, such as overtaking vehicles on the drivers right who may otherwise be unnoticed as a result of the presence of the rear pillar 5.
  • the same images appear on the display screens 18, 19 and 20, although it will be understood that for the purposes of e.g. parking within a confined space one or more externally mounted cameras may optionally be used instead and displayed on one or more of the display screens 18, 19, 20, where the controller 17 selectively overrides the normal functioning of the display system.
  • the sideways forward looking cameras 12, 13 can each selectively provide fields of vision V1 , V2 which are generally forward of the forward pillars 3 so that, for example, the driver may choose to display in the central display screen 19 only the rearward looking view from camera 14 and instead of the rearward side views afforded by cameras 15, 16, forward looking sideways views afforded by cameras 12 and 13.
  • This concept may conveniently form an automatic part of the driver display system when the control unit 17 senses movement of the steering wheel 10, such as when the vehicle 1 is engaged in an overtaking manoeuvre, changing from one lane to another.
  • turning to the right may provide, for example, images from cameras 13 and 16 to any one of the display screens 18, 19, 20 of the display means 1 1 , which may also continue to display the view from camera 14, but this time in the display screen 18 to the left, with the central display screen 19 showing the view from camera 16 and the display screen 20 to the right showing the view from the camera 13, although it will be understood that any suitable variation may be used.
  • the front cameras 12 and 13 may also be programmed for urban use to operate only when the vehicle has turned through e.g. 30 ° from the straight ahead position.
  • FIG. 3 there is a single rearward-looking camera 18 for continuously displaying a rearward-looking view V3 to the display means 1 1 unless selectively interrupted by means of a 3-way router switch 19 adjacent to steering wheel 10 which can selectively switch the displayed view to include either a forward-looking view V6 obtained from a camera 20 mounted within the vehicle behind the windscreen 6 remote from the display means 1 1 , or to a pair of left and right looking cameras 21 , 22 which display respectively leftward and rightward views V7, V8.
  • the switch 19 may be activated to provide a continuous rearward looking view V3 and a continuous forward looking view V6, but the latter being on the opposite side of the vehicle to the driver (not shown).
  • This has significant advantages for the driver, particularly when attempting to overtake a vehicle which would otherwise obscure the view of the driver from vehicles approaching in the opposite direction.
  • the driver of the vehicle 1 is approaching e.g. a road junction in which respective left and right views are obscured by e.g.
  • the router switch 19 activation of the router switch 19 to views V7 and V8 provide the driver of the vehicle with a clear view of what is on the road ahead without the driver having to drive the vehicle 1 part way onto the road being entered before a clear view is available.
  • the router switch 19 provides the driver with additional and useful views available on the display screen 1 1 whilst the driver maintains forward-looking vision, thereby significantly improving safety.
  • This arrangement can be supplemented by radar detection of oncoming vehicles from the driver's left or right, whereupon e.g. an audio warning signal could be activated as an additional safety enhancement.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Closed-Circuit Television Systems (AREA)
  • Fittings On The Vehicle Exterior For Carrying Loads, And Devices For Holding Or Mounting Articles (AREA)

Abstract

A driver display system for a road-going vehicle (1), the system comprising or including a plurality of forward looking, rearward looking and/or sideways looking cameras (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21 and 22) mounted inside or onto the vehicle, the cameras being linked to a display means (11) positioned substantially within the driver's forward looking field of vision in which the driver can selectively switch between viewing the road and the display means with minimal eye movement and/or eye re-focusing.

Description

Driver Display System
This invention relates to display systems for drivers of, typically, road- going vehicles where the driver sits behind a steering wheel and is assisted in terms of vision by door mirrors mounted outside on either side of the vehicle and a rear-view mirror mounted inside the vehicle pointing rearwards, which collectively provide the driver with a reasonable, but not complete, field of vision.
It is well known that, for safety reasons, there has been a tendency to increase the strength of vehicles, especially to ensure that in the event of an accident in which the vehicles rolls over onto its roof it does not collapse onto the driver and any other occupants of the vehicle. Also, vehicle safety crash testing has led to an increase in the width of windscreen pillars, to the extent that they may constitute significant blind spots for the driver which can hide the presence of an approaching vehicle or cyclist, such as at a roundabout, leading to significant risk of accident unless great care is taken by the driver to look around the windscreen pillars.
Newer vehicles now have much larger door mirrors than before to improve rear vision but these can also add to the blind spots in forward three quarter vision both to the right or to the left.
Drivers of large vehicles such as lorries have a similar problem, especially when reversing, and it is now common practice to mount cameras at the rear of such vehicles linked to a display by which the driver can ensure that any reversing manoeuvre is carried out safely. This approach is now increasingly being used with passenger vehicles, including cars, as reversing aids. They may also optionally include audio alarms to provide a warning as the vehicle moves closer to an object.
However, despite these various improvements by the use of externally mounted cameras it will be apparent that they are prone to vandalism, the effects of weather, such as snow, frost and ice, and the build up of dirt and UV deterioration. In addition, they do not provide a solution to the driver's blind spot occasioned by the presence of windscreen pillars and door mirrors which require the driver's head to be turned and moved sufficient to ensure that the area behind the blind spot on each side of the vehicle is viewed before or during a turning manoeuvre.
The present invention is derived from the realisation that there is a need to provide substantially better all round vision for a driver whilst looking forward without any substantial deviation of the driver's normal eye movement when looking straight head.
According to the invention there is provided a driver display system for a road-going vehicle, the system comprising or including a plurality of forward looking, rearward looking and/or sideways looking cameras mounted inside or onto the vehicle, the cameras being linked to a display means positioned substantially within the driver's forward looking field of vision in which the driver can selectively switch between viewing the road and the display means with minimal eye movement and/or eye re-focusing.
The display system may include a control unit linked to the driver operated controls in or on the vehicle to selectively display a plurality of images on the display means, one for each camera to thereby collectively provide the driver with substantially all around vision whilst still looking generally straight ahead i.e. the display means is positioned within the driver's fringe vision when looking straight ahead.
Conveniently, there are two cameras mounted on or near the inside of the front windscreen of the vehicle for providing sideways forward vision on respective sides of the vehicle, and there are three cameras mounted on or near the inside of the rear windscreen of the vehicle, for providing rearward-looking vision and for providing wide angle vision to respective rear corners of the vehicle. The cameras are linked via a control unit to the display means, which may conveniently comprise two or three display panels positioned directly within the driver's forward line-of-sight, such as above or below, so that they may be selectively viewed by the driver with minimal eye movement and substantially no head movement. With this arrangement, when driving forward, the driver has a real-time view of events occurring behind i.e. at the rear of the vehicle and on either side of the rear corners of the vehicle as a result of the cameras mounted at the rear. Similarly when reversing the driver has a view of the rear plus either side of the rear without having to use e.g. mirrors mounted on either side of the outside of the vehicle, which may otherwise offer only a very limited field of vision, whereas the cameras may be provided with wide-angle lenses which in combination a substantially 170° field of vision may be afforded to the driver whilst the driver is looking forwards at the display panels.
In a refinement to this general concept, which is particularly useful for obviating or even eliminating the problem associated with the blind spots created by the presence of the windscreen pillars and door mirrors, the controller is linked to driver operated controls in the vehicle, such as the steering wheel, so that when the vehicle is turning right, one of the display panels can show a sideways front view to the right and around the screen pillar, and another display panel a sideways rear right view etc. This is also particularly advantageous when driving in urban areas when forward vision is limited and blind spots are present when approaching 90° turns to left or right.
A fifth camera may conveniently be mounted adjacent the left hand windscreen pillar for safer overtaking when using e.g. a right-hand drive car on right-sided roads such as when a UK car is driven in mainland Europe.
The control unit may also include means for recording events by digital video recorder (DVR) for replay in the event of an accident. There may also be a GPS unit to record the global position, time, date and speed from all four cameras in a continuous loop, such that all vehicle movement is recorded and can be used to provide evidence in the event of a collision.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the display means provides in its default mode a continuous view of the rear relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle and is selectively switchable to display instead forward left and forward right images simultaneously via a split display screen, this feature being particularly useful when the driver of the vehicle has limited visibility due to the presence of sideways obstructions, such as when emerging onto a main road from a side road where the driver's vision is restricted.
In an alternative or additional embodiment the display means is selectively switchable to display both a rearward view and a forward view from that side of the vehicle opposite to the driver's forward line of vision. This is particularly useful when e.g. a right-hand drive vehicle is being driven or is being driven forward on the right-hand side of the road, such as a British car being driven on the continent of Europe.
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings which,
Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a first embodiment of a driver display system mounted within a road-going vehicle in the form of a car, and
Figure 2 is a schematic driver's view looking forward from the inside of the vehicle of Figure 1 , and
Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of a preferred layout of a driver display system according to a second embodiment of the invention.
In Figure 1 a wheeled road-going vehicle shown generally at 1 includes a generally flat roof portion 2 supported by respective pairs of front, central and rear roof support pillars 3, 4 and 5 and which also serve to frame front and rear windscreens 6, 7 and respectively opposite pairs of front and rear door-mounted windows 8, 9.
Within the vehicle 1 is a steering wheel 10 (shown in outline) for a driver (not shown) of the vehicle, in front of which steering wheel 10 is mounted display means shown generally at 1 1 to be described with more particular reference in Figure 2.
Mounted at each lower corner of the front windscreen 6 are wide angle cameras 12, 13 whose respective fields of vision V1 , V2 are defined within the broken boundaries indicated on either side of the vehicle 1 .
Mounted centrally on the upper inside of the rear windscreen 7 are three cameras, a rearward only looking camera 14 whose field of vision is defined as V3 and a pair of rear and sideways looking cameras 15, 16 mounted on respective sides of the rearward looking camera 14 and whose fields of vision are shown as V4 and V5 respectively.
A display system controller unit 17, shown in broken outline, is mounted centrally under the roof 2 of the vehicle 1 and is connected by wires or filaments (not shown) to the various cameras 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. The controller 17 is electrically connected to the steering column of the steering wheel 10 via sensor means (not shown) by which the rotational position of the steering wheel 10 can be relayed to the controller 17.
In the general arrangement shown in Figure 1 it will be noted that no door or wing mirrors are provided on the outside of the vehicle 1 at or near the lower end of the pillars 3, therefore by their absence improving aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle 1 . However, it will be understood that the absence or presence of wing mirrors has no relevance to the fields of vision V1 , V2 afforded by the presence of the cameras 12, 13.
In Figure 2 there is shown a simplified arrangement of the view from a driver's seat showing the steering wheel 10 behind and slightly below the display means 1 1 , which is itself composed of three display screens 18, 19, 20 mounted side-by-side just below the normal line of forward looking vision for driving the vehicle. The cameras 12, 13 are respectively mounted on the lower left and right of the forward windscreen 6, only part of which is shown.
In operation, when driving in a forward direction, the viewer always sees in the central display screen 19 the rearward looking field of vision V3 from the rearward-looking camera 14, as well as corresponding images on the display screens 18, 20 representing, respectively, the fields of vision V4 and V5 taken from the sideways looking rear mounted cameras 15, 16. This ensures that the driver always has a view of vehicles approaching from the rear, such as overtaking vehicles on the drivers right who may otherwise be unnoticed as a result of the presence of the rear pillar 5. When reversing in a straight line the same images appear on the display screens 18, 19 and 20, although it will be understood that for the purposes of e.g. parking within a confined space one or more externally mounted cameras may optionally be used instead and displayed on one or more of the display screens 18, 19, 20, where the controller 17 selectively overrides the normal functioning of the display system.
In a refinement to the foregoing the sideways forward looking cameras 12, 13 can each selectively provide fields of vision V1 , V2 which are generally forward of the forward pillars 3 so that, for example, the driver may choose to display in the central display screen 19 only the rearward looking view from camera 14 and instead of the rearward side views afforded by cameras 15, 16, forward looking sideways views afforded by cameras 12 and 13. This concept may conveniently form an automatic part of the driver display system when the control unit 17 senses movement of the steering wheel 10, such as when the vehicle 1 is engaged in an overtaking manoeuvre, changing from one lane to another. In this scenario, turning to the right may provide, for example, images from cameras 13 and 16 to any one of the display screens 18, 19, 20 of the display means 1 1 , which may also continue to display the view from camera 14, but this time in the display screen 18 to the left, with the central display screen 19 showing the view from camera 16 and the display screen 20 to the right showing the view from the camera 13, although it will be understood that any suitable variation may be used.
Optionally, the front cameras 12 and 13 may also be programmed for urban use to operate only when the vehicle has turned through e.g. 30 ° from the straight ahead position.
Turning now to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown schematically with reference to Figure 3, there is a single rearward-looking camera 18 for continuously displaying a rearward-looking view V3 to the display means 1 1 unless selectively interrupted by means of a 3-way router switch 19 adjacent to steering wheel 10 which can selectively switch the displayed view to include either a forward-looking view V6 obtained from a camera 20 mounted within the vehicle behind the windscreen 6 remote from the display means 1 1 , or to a pair of left and right looking cameras 21 , 22 which display respectively leftward and rightward views V7, V8.
As will be apparent, where the driver of e.g. a right-hand drive vehicle is driving on the right side of the road, such as a British driver driving on roads in mainland Europe, the switch 19 may be activated to provide a continuous rearward looking view V3 and a continuous forward looking view V6, but the latter being on the opposite side of the vehicle to the driver (not shown). This has significant advantages for the driver, particularly when attempting to overtake a vehicle which would otherwise obscure the view of the driver from vehicles approaching in the opposite direction. Similarly, where the driver of the vehicle 1 is approaching e.g. a road junction in which respective left and right views are obscured by e.g. parked vehicles or walls and buildings, activation of the router switch 19 to views V7 and V8 provide the driver of the vehicle with a clear view of what is on the road ahead without the driver having to drive the vehicle 1 part way onto the road being entered before a clear view is available. In each instance, the router switch 19 provides the driver with additional and useful views available on the display screen 1 1 whilst the driver maintains forward-looking vision, thereby significantly improving safety. This arrangement can be supplemented by radar detection of oncoming vehicles from the driver's left or right, whereupon e.g. an audio warning signal could be activated as an additional safety enhancement.

Claims

Claims
A driver display system for a road-going vehicle (1 ), the system comprising or including a plurality of forward looking, rearward looking and/or sideways looking cameras (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21 and 22) mounted inside or onto the vehicle, the cameras being linked to a display means (1 1 ) positioned substantially within the driver's forward looking field of vision in which the driver can selectively switch between viewing the road and the display means with minimal eye movement and/or eye re-focusing.
A driver display system according to claim 1 further characterised in that the display means (1 1 ) provides in its default mode a continuous view of the rear relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle and is selectively switchable (19) to display instead forward left and forward right images simultaneously via a split display screen (1 1 ).
A driver display system according to claim 1 or claim 2 further characterised in that the display means (1 1 ) is selectively switchable (19) to display both a rearward view and a forward view from that side of the vehicle opposite to the driver's forward line of vision.
A driver display system according to any preceding claim further characterised in providing a control unit (17) linked to the driver operated controls in or on the vehicle to selectively display a plurality of images on the display means (1 1 ), one for each camera to thereby collectively provide the driver with substantially all around vision whilst still looking generally straight ahead.
A driver display system according to any preceding claim further characterised that there are two cameras (12, 13) mounted on or near the inside of the front windscreen (6) of the vehicle for providing sideways forward vision on respective sides of the vehicle, and there are three cameras (14, 15, 16) mounted on or near the inside of the rear windscreen (7) of the vehicle, for providing rearward-looking vision and for providing wide angle vision to respective rear corners of the vehicle. A driver display system according to any preceding claim further characterised that the cameras (12, 13, 14, 15, 16) are linked via a control unit (17) to the display means (1 1 ).
A driver display system according to claim 6 further characterised in that the control unit (17) also includes means for recording events by digital video recorder (DVR) for replay in the event of an accident.
A driver display system according to any preceding claim further characterised including a GPS unit to record the global position, time, date and speed from all cameras in a continuous loop.
A driver display system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3.
PCT/GB2012/053177 2011-12-22 2012-12-18 Driver display system WO2013093450A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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GBGB1122237.9A GB201122237D0 (en) 2011-12-22 2011-12-22 Driver display system
GB1122237.9 2011-12-22

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN104228684A (en) * 2014-09-30 2014-12-24 吉林大学 Device and method for eliminating dead zones of automobile A columns
WO2019025590A1 (en) * 2017-08-04 2019-02-07 Ahmet Ersal Mehmet Display for a vehicle windscreen
CN112154498A (en) * 2018-05-31 2020-12-29 矽光学有限公司 Method for processing image data of display screen
EP3672222A1 (en) * 2018-12-17 2020-06-24 Daniele Daviddi Wide angle forward view for a vehicle using cameras mounted on or in the vehicle's side mirrors
CN110194109A (en) * 2019-06-28 2019-09-03 广州小鹏汽车科技有限公司 A kind of method, image system and vehicle showing outside vehicle image

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GB201122237D0 (en) 2012-02-01

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