A method for operating a display unit of vehicle, wherein the display unit displays at least one display, comprises ascertaining the viewing direction of a driver using a gaze-tracking device; checking whether the viewing direction of the driver is directed at the display unit; checking whether traffic-relevant data are present; operating the display unit in an energy-saving mode when the view of the driver is not directed at the display unit and/or when no traffic-relevant data is present; and operating the display unit in a display mode when the view of the driver is directed at the display unit and/or when traffic-relevant data is present for display. A display unit is also disclosed.

In the case in which a loss of the viewpoint position of a driver occurs when a viewpoint position follow-up warping control is executed to update warping parameters according to the viewpoint position of the driver, and then the viewpoint position is re-detected, it is suppressed that the appearance of an image instantaneously changes in accordance with the update of the warping parameters and the driver is caused to feel uneasy. When the viewpoint loss in which at least one position of the right and left viewpoints becomes unclear is detected, a control unit, which executes the viewpoint position follow-up warping control, maintains, in a viewpoint loss period, the warping parameters set immediately before the viewpoint loss period, and, when the viewpoint position is re-detected after the viewpoint loss period, invalidates at least one warping process using the warping parameters corresponding to the re-detected viewpoint position.

The present invention provides improved methods and systems for assisting a user when interacting with a graphical user interface by combining gaze based input with gesture based user commands. The present invention provide systems, devices and method that enable a user of a computer system without a traditional touch-screen to interact with graphical user interfaces in a touch-screen like manner using a combination of gaze based input and gesture based user commands. Furthermore, the present invention offers a solution for touch-screen like interaction using gaze input and gesture based input as a complement or an alternative to touch-screen interactions with a computer device having a touch-screen, such as for instance in situations where interaction with the regular touch-screen is cumbersome or ergonomically challenging. Further, the present invention provides systems, devices and methods for combined gaze and gesture based interaction with graphical user interfaces to achieve a touchscreen like environment in computer systems without a traditional touchscreen or in computer systems having a touchscreen arranged ergonomically unfavourable for the user or a touchscreen arranged such that it is more comfortable for the user to use gesture and gaze for the interaction than the touchscreen.

A picture generation unit (PGU) used in a head-up display (HUD) includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having a plurality of light sources, a display unit disposed in front of the plurality of light sources and configured to form an image to be provided to the HUD, and a housing disposed between the PCB and the display unit and including an internal reflective structure configured to guide optical beams from the plurality of light sources to the display unit and to homogenize a light intensity of the optical beams incident on the display unit, wherein the internal reflective structure includes a plurality of first funnels respectively disposed of corresponding to the plurality of light sources, and a second funnel disposed of as a singular funnel in front of the first funnels in a form encompassing the plurality of first funnels.

Systems and methods for controlling a head-up display (HUD) in a vehicle are disclosed herein. One embodiment deactivates the HUD in response to a command from a driver of the vehicle; assigns a level of urgency to an item of information associated with a current vehicular context; and activates the HUD to display the item of information to the driver, when the level of urgency exceeds a predetermined threshold.

The head-up display apparatus includes a displaying device installed inside an instrument panel, an opening portion formed in the instrument panel, and a combiner disposed above the opening portion. An image of the displaying device is projected to the combiner through the opening portion. The displaying device is a segment display. The segment display includes a plurality of light sources and a character/symbol plate having a plurality of image informing parts. The combiner is made of a non-translucent dark plate or a semi-translucent dark smoke plate.

The various embodiments set forth a method for displaying information on one or more surfaces of a vehicle, the method comprising acquiring position data associated with a driver of the vehicle, calculating a current field-of-view of the driver based on the position data, determining a suitable surface for displaying visual information within the vehicle based on the current field-of-view of the driver, and projecting an element of visual information on the suitable surface.

A vehicular display control apparatus includes: a condition determination portion that determines whether a deviation prediction condition has been established, the deviation prediction condition being a condition based on which a deviation between a sensible speed for a driver and an actual traveling speed is predicted; a speed difference determination portion that determines whether a speed difference between the actual traveling speed and a speed limit is a switching determination value or larger, and whether a shortage of the traveling speed from the speed limit is the switching determination value or larger; and a switching control portion that switches a speed display indicating the traveling speed to an emphasized display in a case when the condition determination portion determines that the deviation prediction condition has been established, and also when the speed difference determination portion determines that the speed difference is the switching determination value or larger.

A HUD system and light source apparatus can be manufactured with miniaturization at low cost. A head-up display apparatus includes: an image display apparatus generating image light to be projected; an optical system performing predetermined correction to the image light emitted from the image display apparatus; and a concave mirror reflecting the image light corrected by the optical system to project it onto a windshield or combiner. The image display apparatus includes: a solid light source; a collimating optical system converting, into parallel light, the light from the solid light source; a lighting optical system configured by an optical member that polarizes a direction of a light beam generated by the collimating optical system and simultaneously expands a width of the light beam; and a display apparatus, the image display apparatus being configured to be arranged across and opposite the optical system on an optical axis of the concave mirror.

The present invention relates to a head-up display apparatus that projects an image of a displaying device forward. The displaying device includes a plurality of display surfaces. The direction of each of the display surfaces differs from the directions of the other display surfaces. At least one display surface is a reference display surface that projects an image in a vertical direction. Another surface is a stereoscopic inclination display surface that projects an image inclined relative to the image of the reference display surface.