Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Image superposition by optical means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-21
2004-06-15
Hjerpe, Richard (Department: 2774)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Image superposition by optical means
C345S009000, C359S630000, C359S634000, C359S742000, C362S494000, C362S140000, C362S268000, C362S293000, C362S510000, C362S309000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06750832
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to an information display system for at least one person.
Information display systems for persons or users can be versatilely employed. One example is for conveying information to the driver of a vehicle, for example of a motor vehicle. In order to inform the driver of information, for example about the traffic situation, electronic routing and information systems can be attached to the dashboard of a motor vehicle. The systems are preferably installed at optimally high positions, i.e. close to the windshield. Other devices for information display can be secured with a mount or a pivot arm to the right of the steering wheel, given left-hand steering, and optimally high at the dashboard. All of these installation measures, however, demand that the driver look away from the road to the information display system. Further, the driver must change the focal setting of its eye from infinite to the short distance to the display system. Persons having imperfect vision potentially need different eye glasses for this purpose. Moreover, the displays are usually small. Future studies indicate a large display that attached in the proximity of the windshield on the dashboard counsel. The problem of different distance vision is then in fact is diminished but not yet entirely eliminated. Moreover, large displays are expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information display system that presents information optimally well, wherein adequate legibility of an output display is also still assured given movement of the viewer. This problem is solved in an information display system according to the present invention.
Given the present inventive information display system, the information to be communicated to a person is generated on an output display at a location that is not critical for use. With the assistance of first and second optical means, the presentation of information generated by the output display can then be mirrored into the direction of view of the user and a virtual image of the presentation can be simultaneously generated at a distance from the user. Finally, an operating arrangement is advantageously provided with which the information to be displayed can be called in a simple way.
It is advantageous that the second optical means is a pane arranged in the direction of view of the user that, for example, is already present, in the case of a windshield in a motor vehicle.
In order to disturb the field of view of the user or driver as little as possible, it is advantageous to mirror the presentation of the information close to the bottom edge or to the top edge or perpendicularly aligned at the right-hand or left-hand edge of the pane.
In order to make the location of mirroring the information into the pane and, thus, the location of the virtual image adjustable, it is advantageous to likewise adjustably arrange the output display or to realize the first optical means such that they are pivotable. For example, a concave mirror can thereby be employed as first optical means, this being arranged in the viewing direction of the user and mirroring the presentation into the viewing direction of the user and which, moreover, can also be pivotably implemented in order to make the location of the creation of the virtual image adjustable. The concave mirror can then be arranged such that the output display can be closed with it.
The output display can be operated such that it generates a presentation of the information composed of at least two sub-regions, the one sub-region thereof exhibiting no interaction possibility with the user and the other sub-region exhibiting units or devices that can be addressed with the operating arrangement.
The output display can then be selected by the user via the operating arrangement and the information displayed thereat can be selected. The sub-regions can, for example, represent maps, excerpts from maps or possible settings of the operating arrangements. One sub-region can thereby represent a map and the virtual image can thereby represent a selectable, magnified excerpt from the map and the map.
It can be advantageous to implement the second optical means such that the virtual images can be seen by more than one person, whereby the persons can call the information to be displayed independently from one another with the operating arrangement. However, it is also possible that only one person can call the information to be displayed with the operating arrangement and, thus, can play the information for, for example, the driver of a motor vehicle, the driver needing this information at the moment and then not having to actuate the operating arrangement.
In order to have the presentations output by the output display always fall within the eye of the user, it is advantageous to provide a video camera directed onto the person that identifies the location of the eyes of the person or of the user and tracks them and correspondingly controls the first optical means, for example the concave mirror.
There are various solutions for the realization of the operating arrangement. An operating means having a navigator that can be operated blind, for example with operating elements and/or with voice input means, can be provided as an operating arrangement, as can an answer back arrangement that acknowledges the operating events and provides prompts for further operating steps that can be implemented.
It could be advantageous to implement the voice input means as a directional microphone. It is then advantageous to make the directional lobe for command input pivotable and to always align it to the mouth of the user, for example the driver. Such an operating arrangement can also be implemented such that a video camera directed onto the person and image recognition software are provided with which the position of the mouth of the user is identified and with which the microphone is accordingly controlled such that it is always directed onto the mouth of the user. When the operating arrangement is provided in a motor vehicle, it is advantageous to arrange the video camera in the area of the windshield and to align it onto the mouth of the driver in order to accordingly set the sensitivity maximum of the directional characteristic of the microphone toward the mouth.
In order to effectively implement the blind operation concept, an answer back arrangement is provided that advantageously exhibits an acoustic voice output. It is also advantageous that, given a number of operable devices, for example a motor vehicle and a telephone, a virtual image of the selected device is provided on a display.
In addition to comprising the voice output, the answer back arrangement can also comprise a visual display means, wherein the visual means can be arranged in the operating means but can also be arranged in the device to be operated. The devices to be operated can thus be displayed with the visual display means, but symbolized operating elements of the operating means that can be operated by the navigator can also be displayed.
It is also advantageous when the visual display means presents the operating events at the devices in that the symbolized operating elements can be dynamically changed by the operation. The operating means that the navigator comprises can be a hand-held operating device, for example a handset for remote control, that can additionally comprise a chip set for legitimization functions or similar functions.
Such a handset employable for the remote control of the devices to be operated is advantageously expediently fashioned when the software required for the operation, which is normally contained in the device to be operated, is automatically loaded into the handset when this is employed for operating the device for the first time.
The navigator of the operating means, however, can also be implemented as a control field that is advantageously arranged in the proximity of the hand position of the user. This solution is particularly meaningful when used in a motor
Hjerpe Richard
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Zamani Ali
LandOfFree
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