Vehicular display system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10300856-B2
Application number	US-201816105162-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2018
Priority date	Sep 1, 2009
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

A vehicular display system includes a single video display screen and a video processor operable to process captured video image data captured by a camera at the vehicle. The single video display screen includes a left display region at a left portion, a right display region at a right portion, and a middle display region between the left and right display regions. The display screen is operable to use each display region to display video images derived from a respective portion of captured image data. When the display screen is displaying video images at the right or left display region that are derived from the respective portion of captured image data, the single video display screen does not display video images representative of the other portion of captured image data at the other display region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular display system comprising:
a video processor configured to be disposed at a vehicle equipped with said vehicular display system;
a single video display screen configured to be disposed at the equipped vehicle for displaying video images for viewing by a driver of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, said video processor is operable to process video image data captured by a video camera disposed at an external portion of the equipped vehicle and having a field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle;
wherein said single video display screen comprises a left display region at a left portion of said single video display screen and a right display region at a right portion of said single video display screen;
wherein said single video display screen comprises a middle display region between said left display region and said right display region;
wherein said left display region, said middle display region and said right display region comprise separate portions of said single video display screen;
wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, said single video display screen (i) is operable to use said left display region to display video images derived from a left portion of video image data captured by the video camera, (ii) is operable to use said middle display region to display video images derived from a middle portion of video image data captured by the video camera, and (iii) is operable to use said right display region to display video images derived from a right portion of video image data captured by the video camera;
wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, said single video display screen displays video images at said left display region of said single video display screen that are derived from the left portion of video image data captured by the video camera in order to display video images representative of the scene occurring at a left side lane at the left side of the equipped vehicle responsive to an input selected from the group consisting of (a) actuation of a left turn signal indicator of the equipped vehicle, (b) detection of another vehicle in or approaching the left side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle and (c) a lane departure warning system of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, when said single video display screen is displaying video images at said left display region that are derived from the left portion of video image data captured by the video camera, said single video display screen does not display video images representative of the right portion of video image data captured by the video camera at said right display region;
wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, said single video display screen displays video images at said right display region of said single video display screen that are derived from the right portion of video image data captured by the video camera in order to display video images representative of the scene occurring at a right side lane at the right side of the equipped vehicle responsive to an input selected from the group consisting of (a) actuation of a right turn signal indicator of the equipped vehicle, (b) detection of another vehicle in or approaching the right side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle and (c) a lane departure warning system of the equipped vehicle; and
wherein, when said single video display screen is displaying video images at said right display region that are representative of the right portion of video image data captured by the video camera, said single video display screen does not display video images representative of the left portion of video image data captured by the video camera at said left display region.

2. The vehicular display system of claim 1 , wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, said single video display screen displays an icon to enhance the driver's cognitive awareness of the images displayed at the display region displaying.

3. The vehicular display system of claim 1 , wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, said middle display region of said single video display screen displays an iconistic warning responsive to detection of another vehicle in the left side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle or the right side lane adjacent to the equipped vehicle.

4. The vehicular display system of claim 1 , wherein said single video display screen comprises a reconfigurable thin film transistor liquid crystal screen that is backlit by a plurality of white light-emitting light emitting diodes.

5. The vehicular display system of claim 4 , wherein said single video display screen is configured to be disposed in an interior rearview mirror assembly of the equipped vehicle and behind a transflective mirror reflector of a transflective mirror reflective element of the interior rearview mirror assembly, and wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, any one of said left, middle and right display regions of said single video display screen, when displaying video images, is viewable by the driver of the equipped vehicle and is covert to the driver of the equipped vehicle when not displaying video images.

6. The vehicular display system of claim 5 , wherein the backlit reconfigurable thin film transistor liquid crystal display screen comprises at least 85,000 individually addressable pixels.

7. The vehicular display system of claim 1 , comprising dynamic contrast control of said single video display screen.

8. The vehicular display system of claim 7 , wherein the dynamic contrast control is operable to increase contrast within individual video image frames when the video screen backlighting is locally dimmed.

9. The vehicular display system of claim 1 , wherein said single video display screen is configured to be disposed in an interior rearview mirror assembly of the equipped vehicle and behind a transflective mirror reflector of a transflective electrochromic mirror reflective element of the interior rearview mirror assembly, and wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, any one of said left, middle and right display regions of said single video display screen, when displaying video images, is viewable by the driver of the equipped vehicle and is covert to the driver of the equipped vehicle when not displaying video images.

10. The vehicular display system of claim 9 , wherein said video processor is operable to at least (a) provide on screen display capability, (b) provide video decoding, (c) at least partially control dimming of the transflective electrochromic mirror reflective element, and (d) at least partially control the intensity of said single video display screen.

11. The vehicular display system of claim 9 , wherein the interior rearview mirror assembly is configured to selectively receive at least one accessory module therein to update the interior rearview mirror assembly to provide at least one new function or feature.

12. The vehicular display system of claim 1 , wherein, with said video processor and said single video display screen disposed at the equipped vehicle, said video processor processes video image data captured by a forward viewing video camera disposed at a front portion of the equipped vehicle

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Baur Michael J
• Blank Rodney K
• Larson Mark L
• Lynam Niall R

Classifications

• B60R2001/1253

  with cameras, video cameras or video screens · CPC title

• G08G1/09626

  where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map · CPC title

• B60R2001/1215

  with information displays · CPC title

• G08G1/167

  Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection · CPC title

• B60R2300/806

  for aiding parking · CPC title