AU2005201740A1 - A Heads Up Display for a Vehicle - Google Patents

Description

o A Heads Up Display for a Vehicle 4 Field of the Invention This invention is directed to a heads-up display for a vehicle such as a car, and which enables driver information to be viewed on the windscreen in a simple manner. The oinvention will be described with reference to a car, but it should be appreciated that no particular limitation is meant thereby and the invention may be applicable in respect oof any vehicle that has a windscreen and where driver information would be considered advantageous.

0 o Background Art There are many instances where it is necessary to provide information to the driver of a vehicle in order for the vehicle to be driven in a safe and responsible manner.

There is no doubt that excessive speed is a major cause of vehicle accidents. For this reason, many modem cars are provided with a speed alert that will provide an audio signal and often a visual signal when a preset speed is exceeded. However, most older cars and some base model new cars are not provided with a speed alert.

In Australia at least, school zones have greatly restricted speed limit during school hours. Often, the speed limit is as low as 40 km per hour. However, the speed zones can be on roadways that are normally signposted at 60 km per hour, 80 km per hour, and sometimes even 100 km per hour. Studies have shown that many motorists fail to notice the speed zones and will drive through the restricted speed areas at the ordinary speed which can cause risk to children. One reason for this is that the restricted speed limits are only for certain time periods during the day and only during school days.

Thus, on weekends, the ordinary higher speeds are applicable. This can cause confusion amongst motorists, and even a good driver will occasionally fail to notice the restricted speed limit.

It is found that the speed alert system that is fitted to vehicles is not a satisfactory method to overcome the disadvantage. This is mainly due to the fact that amending the speed on the speed alert system can be somewhat fiddly. Also, once the speed has been adjusted, the system will immediately sound the alert signal as is usual for the vehicle to still be moving above the greatly reduced speed limit. It is not considered .4 safe to adjust the speed immediately after entering the lower speed zone, as this requires the driver to fiddle with the speed adjusting buttons of the system while moving through a school zone and this can be distracting to the driver. Also, the Oschool zone is usually relatively short in distance and most drivers will not bother adjusting the speed just for the relatively short school zone.

I Although the speed information given above is a good example of driver information, 0 there are many other situations where it would be advantageous to provide information to the driver of the vehicle which would not be easily obtained from the vehicle instrumentation. For instance, when travelling on country roads, the speed limit is usually 100 km per hour, but when entering a town, the speed limit can be quickly reduced to 60 km per hour or even lower. Although the reduced speed limits are clearly signposted before entering the town, these signs can sometimes be missed by a driver especially at night time. Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a simple system that would alert the driver to the reduced speed when entering a town.

There is also other information not necessarily essential to driving a vehicle, but which needs to be remembered by the driver. This information may comprise reminders to pick up people, purchase groceries, or go to certain places. This information is certainly not able to be obtained from the normal instrumentation of the vehicle. Typically, the driver will write a note of this information and will stick the note either to the windscreen, or somewhere on the dashboard. However, the note can be dislodged, particularly from the dashboard, and the information may not be seen by the driver as the driver is concentrating on the road.

Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a simple yet reliable means to remind the driver of a vehicle to do certain actions.

It is known to provide a "heads up" display on aircraft windscreens. It may also be known to provide this type of display on other windscreens including trains, racing O cars and the like. These displays usually require an electronic projection device which is expensive, and it is difficult to quickly and conveniently provide information to be displayed on the windscreen. Therefore, there would be an advantage if a heads-up display could be provided on a car windscreen which does not require an electronic projection device or other expensive electronic arrangements.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this Oreference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the n common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

0 O Object of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a driver information system that can be projected on a vehicle windscreen and which may overcome at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages or provide a useful or commercial choice.

In one form, the invention resides in a driver information system that comprises a display that can be supported by a vehicle, for instance on the dashboard or similar area, the display containing driver information in an inverted (mirror image) manner, the display being positioned by the vehicle such that a reflection of the display can be viewed on the windscreen by a driver.

The arrangement can be as illustrated in figure 3 where the display can be placed on the vehicle dashboard and will project an image onto the windscreen. The image will be the right way around.

An advantage of this system is that a type of heads-up display can be provided whereby the driver can view the information while looking through the windscreen. It is considered that this is much safer than having a note stuck to the windscreen or dashboard that needs to be viewed by the driver and which can distract the driver.

3 0 The display can be a simple card display or similar and it is not envisaged that the system will be anything other than a manual system. Thus, the system is inexpensive and reliable and does not require any electronic projecting devices and the like.

O Another advantage is that the system can be used virtually on all types of cars, commercial vehicles and the like as long as the display can be positioned in such a way that it can reflect off the windscreen and be visible to the driver. Thus, it is not envisaged that any wiring or electronic projection device needs to be attached to the car.

Another advantage is that the system can have many different types of information Oand the driver can choose the information that is required and place this on the dashboard or some other place in the vehicle. For instance, in a particular embodiment, it is envisaged that the system may comprise a "flip book" and the like that may comprise any number of sheets, each sheet having desired information (e.g.

speed safety information), and the book can be flipped such that this particular sheet can be displayed on the dashboard, etc.

It is considered that the driver information system can be used on virtually all types of vehicles. While it is considered that a common type of vehicle will be a passenger car, it is also considered that the system can be used on other types of land vehicles such as commercial vehicles, trucks, lorries, agricultural equipment harvesters), tractors, water vehicles that have a windscreen such as boats, ferries, and even light aeroplanes where an electronic heads-up display would be too expensive. Therefore, it is not considered that any particular limitation should be placed on the type of vehicle that may benefit from the driver information system.

The display may comprise various means. In one form, the display may comprise a sheet member which may be rigid, substantially rigid or flexible. The sheet member may comprise a plastic sheet, a paper sheet, a cardboard sheet, and the like. The sheet member may be clear, substantially clear, or opaque. If the sheet member is opaque, the sheet member may be substantially white, black, or any colour. If the sheet member is substantially rigid, it can be used as a card. In this form of the invention, it is envisaged that the system will comprise a plurality of cards, each card containing different relevant information, and the driver can choose which card to place on the dashboard. The cards can be housed in a pouch, container, box and the like. If the sheet member is substantially flexible, a plurality of such sheet members may be tt~) o bound together in a book, folio, a flip book and the like. Again, each sheet member may contain relevant information.

The sheet members may be hinged together or contain fold lines to allow them to be folded.

The display may comprise a roll of material that can be unwound to present relevant o information.

It is also envisaged that the display may be permanently imprinted into a mat/cover or even a dash mat that can be placed on the dashboard. For instance, the information can be monogrammed/stitchedldyed or otherwise imprinted into the mat/cover. When not required, a cover can be placed over the information.

The size and shape of the display may vary but it is considered that the display should be of a size to enable it to be quite easily viewed by a driver. The display may be substantially rectangular when viewed in plan, or may be Circular, oval, triangular, have other polygonal shapes, or have an irregular shape. The display may have a length of between 10-60 cm and a width of between 10-60 cm although this can vary to suit the size of the dashboard, the type of vehicle and the like.

Although it is preferred that the display does not comprise an electronic projection (for the reasons given above), it is considered that the system may comprise some form of computerised tablet or notebook containing a display screen. A person can type or enter the information that is required into the computer and this information can then be displayed on the display screen in the mirror image. The device can then be placed on the dashboard. An advantage of this system is that a person can type whatever they wish into the computer, and the computer will display this in the mirror image on the display.

The display will typically be positioned on the vehicle dashboard as this is a convenient place to place the display. For most modem vehicles, the vehicle dashboard has a suitable size and shape to enable the display to be simply placed on

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o the dashboard. However, some vehicles have a dashboard that slopes down quite sharply. Therefore, the invention also envisages the use of some sort of support for the display if necessary, to enable the display to be supported on or by the dashboard.

The support may comprise a tray that can be attached to the dashboard or even simply positioned on the dashboard, and the display card, book etc) can be placed in the otray. It is envisaged that the support may comprise some form of attachment that can be angled or otherwise manipulated to position the display in the desired manner. The osupport may comprise a clip, a clamp and the like that can hold the display and which t may be angled or otherwise manipulated to position the display in the desired manner.

01 o The support may be attached to the vehicle dashboard or to another part of the vehicle.

Thus, if the dashboard is unsuitable, the support may be attached to a part of the windscreen, the side doors, the steering column, the rear vision mirror and the like.

It is considered that a suitable place for the display will be in front of the driver or slightly to one side of the driver. However, in a broad form of the invention, the information may be there for the benefit of the passenger, and therefore the display may be positioned in front of the passenger.

The driver information may comprise any information that may be suitable for the driver or even the passenger. The information may comprise numbers, letters, shapes, warning signals, combination of letters/numbers/shapes and the like. The information may comprise speed numbers, cautions such as watch your speed or "suburban street school zone" or "watch out- children are near" and the like. Of course, no limitation should be placed on the invention merely by the exemplification of a few different types of cautions. The information may also include information that is not directly relevant to driving the vehicle. This information may include reminders to pick up children, do shopping, be in a certain place at a certain time, to buy a present and the like. Therefore, this variety of information lends the system to comprise a plurality of cards or a flip-book etc to provide information that can be chosen by the driver.

It is considered useful that the information is in a contrasting colour to the background

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o of the display. Thus, the background may be white, and the information may be black, yellow, red and the like. It is found that a dark background, or even a black background provides advantages. For instance, if the information is in a contrast in colour to the black background (for instance yellow on a black background), the reflection on the windscreen will show the information only and will generally not oshow the rest of the display. Similarly, if the background is clear and the information is coloured yellow information on a clear plastic sheet), again only the oinformation will be projected onto the windscreen. This can provide less distraction ~to the driver.

If the display is placed on a vehicle dashboard, it is possible for the display background to be the same colour as the dashboard. The information can then be a contrast in colour, and it is found that the background will generally not be very visible on the windscreen.

Another advantage of the system is with night driving. There is no dispute that many errors occur at night time due to not seeing signs such as speed signs and the like.

Although the signs are clearly marked usually in reflective paint, sometimes the glare from streetlights or oncoming headlights, or in-car distractions such as children etc will cause a driver to miss the speed information.

It is found that a display placed on the dashboard in a manner described above has an unexpected and surprising extra benefit when driving at night time. It is found that as the driver passes underneath streetlights, the display appears and disappears from the windscreen. It is found that the streetlights will cause the display to reflect off the windscreen (and be viewed by the driver) and, as the vehicle drives between streetlights, the display disappears from view. It is also found that oncoming headlights can also illuminate the display temporarily. Thus, the display provides a "pulsating" display to the driver and it is found that this is extremely effective in providing the information to the driver in a safe manner.

It is also envisaged that the driver information system may comprise a plurality of displays supported on or relative to the dashboard or some other position in or even outside the vehicle.

In another broad form, the invention can comprise a driver information system for a vehicle that comprises a display containing driver information in an inverted (mirror image) manner, the display being viewable through the rear vision mirror of the ovehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings V) An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following 0 drawings in which: Figure 1. Illustrates a vehicle dashboard looking through the windscreen from the outside of the vehicle and showing a display containing driver information in an inverted (mirror image) manner.

Figure 2. Illustrates a driver's view looking through the windscreen and seeing the information reflected on the windscreen in a "heads up" display.

Figure 3. Illustrates schematically a side view of the dashboard showing the display on the dashboard being reflected off the windscreen.

Figure 4. Illustrates schematically a street lamp illuminating the display on the dashboard.

Best Mode Referring to the illustrations and initially to figure 1, there is illustrated a view of the interior of a car looking through the windscreen from the outside of the car. Figure 1 therefore illustrates a windscreen 10, a dashboard 11 a driver's seat 12. a steering wheel 13 and a wiper 14.

Positioned on the dashboard 11 and in front of the steering wheel is a display which in the particular embodiment comprises a laminated rectangular card. In the particular embodiment, the card has a black background, and speed information 16 in the form of'speed limits, and also speed information 17 in the form of a warning printed in reverse image, and in a contrast in colour such as bright yellow. It is also envisaged that the information can be provided in reflective printing, fluorescent o printing, or even luminescent printing.

Figure 2 is a driver's view looking through the windscreen 10 from the inside of the vehicle. The card 15 remains on the dashboard as illustrated in figure 1 but projects off the windscreen 10 such that an image is illustrated on the windscreen and in front oof the driver in the manner illustrated in figure 2 and which provides a heads-up display.

Figure 3 is a side view showing the card 15 placed on the dashboard 11 and the 0 information reflecting off windscreen 10 and towards the driver (not illustrated).

Figure 4 illustrates a night driving advantage. In this figure, there is illustrated a street lamp 20. As the car drives underneath the street lamp 20, the lamp will illuminate the display 15 which will then be reflected off the windscreen 10. The effect is that as the car drives underneath street lamps, the display will appear and disappear from the windscreen which is found to be a highly effective visual indication means.

As mentioned previously, no limitation should be placed on the invention merely by illustrating the display as a card or sheet of material.

It is envisaged that the driver will purchase a book containing separate sheets each with desired information. The desired sheet can then be chosen and the book with this sheet open can be placed on the dashboard to provide a visual indication. When not required, the book can be placed in the glovebox or somewhere else, or closed in a non reflective material and left on the dashboard. Alternatively, it is envisaged that the driver will purchase a set of cards possibly in a pouch or wallet or something similar and the selected card can be placed on the dashboard.

As mentioned previously, some form of mounting means may be provided to hold the 3 0 display in the desired position. This may be necessary for cars that do not have an adequately sized dashboard, or cars where the dashboard is steeply sloped and the like.

0 O The system is simple, reliable, relatively inexpensive, and extremely versatile.

cr Throughout the specification and the claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group of integers but O not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

O Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires in otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to 0 0 10 the value for the range qualified by the terms.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (7)

1. A driver information system that comprises a display that can be supported by the vehicle, the display containing driver information in an inverted S(mirror image) manner, the display being positioned in the vehicle such that a oreflection of the display can be viewed on the windscreen by a driver.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display is positioned on t the vehicle dashboard. 01 o

3. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the display comprises sheet material.

4. The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet material has a dark background, or is clear, and the information on the sheet material is in a contrast in colour to the background.

The system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the driver information comprises a speed warning or safety information.

6. A driver information system for a vehicle that comprises a display containing driver information in an inverted (mirror image) manner, the display being viewable through the rear vision mirror of the vehicle.

7. A system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 27 th day of April 2005 Christopher Stanley Huntington By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.