Aesthetic display unit for a vehicle

Abstract

A method for providing one or more of a rear or a side view of a vehicle includes generating a video stream of images subsequently captured by at least one camera of the vehicle or of a virtual mirror device of the vehicle, processing the generated video stream, and displaying the generated video stream on at least one screen of a display unit of the vehicle or of the virtual mirror device.

Claims

1. A method for providing one or more of a rear or a side view of a vehicle, comprising: generating a video stream of images subsequently captured by at least one camera of the vehicle or of a virtual mirror device of the vehicle; processing the generated video stream; displaying the generated video stream on at least one screen of a display unit of the vehicle or of the virtual mirror device, wherein the processing comprises inserting a partial overlay into each image of the video stream that the inserted partial overlay is at least one of constant, selectable, and textured by an image processing unit of the vehicle for visually simulating a predetermined surface, so that the predetermined surface matches a surface surrounding the screen in which the inserted partial overlay simulates an inner surface for the vehicle, being configured as a class A surface and having a screen smoothly integrated therein for providing the one or more of the rear or the side view.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inserted partial overlay is textured by an image processing unit of the virtual mirror device of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the partial overlay is inserted dependent on at least one parameter characteristic for a driving situation of the vehicle including a characteristic for a driving velocity.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the partial overlay is inserted at any driving velocity exceeding a predetermined minimal driving velocity.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the partial overlay at least one of: covers up to around 30% of the screen, reduces the displayed video stream to a selected region of the screen, preferably determined by legal requirements and/or by the driver of the vehicle, and/or adapts the region of the screen displaying the video stream of images to the shape of an exterior mirror.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the partial overlay is contoured by the image processing unit to have at least one of: a concave rim section towards the vehicle body or to be dependent on at least one parameter characteristic for a driving situation, or at least one object being recognized by a pattern recognition module of the image processing unit.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a color management system of the image processing unit adjusts a coloring of each image of the video stream for compensating a tint caused by a plurality of tinted particles embedded in the screen.

8. A virtual mirror device for providing one or more of a rear or a side view of a vehicle, wherein the virtual mirror device comprises: at least one camera for subsequently capturing images and generating a video stream thereof; and a display screen for displaying the video stream, wherein the virtual mirror device is configured to perform a method comprising: generating a video stream of images subsequently captured by at least one camera of the vehicle or of the virtual mirror device of the vehicle; inserting a partial overlay into each image of the video stream, wherein the inserted partial overlay is at least one of constant, selectable, and textured for visually simulating a predetermined surface, so that the predetermined surface matches a surface surrounding the screen in which the inserted partial overlay simulates an inner surface for the vehicle, being configured as a class A surface and having a screen integrated therein for providing the one or more of the rear or the side view; and displaying the video stream on the display screen of the vehicle or of the virtual mirror device.

9. The virtual mirror device according to claim 8, wherein a display surface of the display screen is provided by at least one of a class A surface or having a bonded cover glass or plastic glass.

10. The virtual mirror device according to claim 9, wherein at least one of: the display screen is a liquid crystal display, or a plurality of tinted particles are provided by the display screen or a layer of the display screen.

11. An internal surface for a vehicle, comprising: a class A surface; and a screen integrated therein for providing one or more of a rear and side view using a virtual mirror device comprising: at least one camera for subsequently capturing images and generating a video stream thereof; and a display screen for displaying the video stream, wherein the virtual mirror device is configured to perform a method comprising: generating a video stream of images subsequently captured by at least one camera of the vehicle or of the virtual mirror device of the vehicle; inserting a partial overlay into each image of the video stream, wherein the inserted partial overlay is at least one of constant, selectable, and textured for visually simulating a predetermined surface, so that the predetermined surface matches a surface surrounding the screen in which the inserted partial overlay simulates an inner surface for the vehicle, being configured as a class A surface and having a screen integrated therein for providing the one or more of the rear or the side view; and displaying the video stream on the display screen of the vehicle or of the virtual mirror device.

12. A vehicle, comprising the internal surface of claim 11, wherein the internal surface is an internal surface of a door of the vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other aspects of the invention are shown in detail in the illustrations as follows.

(2) FIG. 1 is an internal partial view of a passenger compartment of a vehicle according to prior art;

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a detail of FIG. 1 referenced by II showing a conventional rear-view mirror;

(4) FIG. 3 is a virtual mirror device according to an embodiment of the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is the virtual mirror device shown in FIG. 3 with a first partial overlay;

(6) FIG. 5 is the virtual mirror device shown in FIG. 3 with a second partial overlay;

(7) FIG. 6 is the virtual mirror device shown in FIG. 3 with a third partial overlay;

(8) FIG. 7 is the virtual mirror device shown in FIG. 3 with a fourth partial overlay.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows an internal partial view of a passenger compartment of a vehicle according to prior art. The vehicle has a right front door 10 with an internal surface 1 being at least partly configured as a class A surface, i.e. a smooth surface without any edges therein, and an external conventional rear-view mirror 11. The internal surface 1 comprises a plurality of materials like fabric, leather, scratched metal and glass.

(10) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a detail of FIG. 2 referenced by II. The detail shows the external conventional rear-view mirror 11. The external conventional rear-view mirror 11 as usual has a mirror housing foldable relative to the door 10 and a reflective plate pivotably supported by the mirror housing. The reflective plate has a substantially flat section adjacent to the door 10 for providing a image of a scene behind the vehicle substantially without any distortion and an aspheric section distant from the door 10 for horizontally widening the field of vision (FOV).

(11) FIG. 3 shows a virtual mirror device 2 according to an embodiment of the invention for providing a rear and/or side view of a vehicle. The virtual mirror device 2 is configured as a rear-view mirror for displaying a scene behind the vehicle. The vehicle, in particular the virtual mirror device 2 of the vehicle comprises an external wide-angle camera 20 being directed rearward for subsequently capturing images 3 of the scene behind the vehicle and generating a video stream thereof. Furthermore, the vehicle, in particular the virtual mirror device 2 has an image processing unit 21 (hidden) for processing the generated video stream which is connected to the camera 20. The image processing unit 21 has a color management system (CMS).

(12) The image processing unit 21 is configured for horizontally narrowing a section of the FOV of the camera 20 in order to simulate the aspheric section of the conventional rear-view mirror 11. The vehicle, in particular the virtual mirror device 2 additionally has an internal display unit 22 for displaying the processed video stream on a flat rectangular screen 23 of the display unit 22. The screen 23 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) and has a display surface being configured as a bonded cover glass or plastic glass providing by a class A surface of the screen 23. The display unit 22 is connected to the image processing unit 21 and may accommodate the image processing unit 21.

(13) The screen 23 or a layer of the screen 23 comprises a plurality of tinted particles for providing a tinted appearance, i.e. a plurality of tinted particles are provided by the screen 23 or a layer of the screen 23. Accordingly, the color management system of the image processing unit 21 is configured to adjust a coloring of each image 3 of the video stream for compensating the tint caused by the plurality of tinted particles embedded in the screen 23.

(14) The image processing unit 21 is further configured for inserting a constant partial overlay 30 into each image 3 of the video stream. The partial overlay 30 covers up to around 30% of the screen 23 suppressing irrelevant issues of the scene behind the vehicle, i.e. around 70% of the image 3 remain visible to a driver of the vehicle supporting him in focusing attention to relevant issues of the scene behind the vehicle. In detail, the partial overlay 30 may reduce the displayed video stream to a selected region of the screen, preferably determined by legal requirements and/or by the driver of the vehicle and/or adapts the region of the screen displaying the video stream of images to the shape of an exterior mirror.

(15) FIG. 4 shows the virtual mirror device 2 with a first partial overlay 30. The partial overlay 30 has a black color and an angled rim section 31 for removing corner parts of the image 3, thus simulating the contour of the reflective plate of the conventional rear-view mirror 11.

(16) FIG. 5 shows the virtual mirror device 2 with a second partial overlay 30. The partial overlay 30 has a black color and a concave rim section 31 towards the body of the vehicle for removing corner parts of the image 3, thus even better simulating the convex contour section of the reflective plate of the conventional rear-view mirror 11. The partial overlay 30 may additionally be contoured dependent on a relevant object being recognized by a pattern recognition module of the image processing unit 21.

(17) FIG. 6 shows the virtual mirror device 2 with a third partial overlay 30. The partial overlay 30 has the same contour as shown in FIG. 5, but instead of a black color the partial overlay 30 with concave rim section 31 has a texture visually simulating a predetermined surface.

(18) FIG. 7 shows the virtual mirror device 2 with a fourth partial overlay 30. The partial overlay 30 has the same contour as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, but the partial overlay 30 with concave rim section 31 has a texture visually simulating a different predetermined surface.

(19) In an example embodiment the internal surface 1 has the screen 23, the screen 23 being smoothly integrated therein, and the predetermined surface simulated by the partial overlay 30 and/or the tinted particles embedded in the screen 23 match the internal surface 1 surrounding the screen 23 in order to provide a particular aesthetic appearance of the screen 23.

(20) During operation of the virtual mirror device 2 the camera 20 subsequently captures images 3 of the scene behind the vehicle and generates a video stream of images 30 thereof. The image processing unit 21 processes the generated video stream by inserting a constant partial overlay 30 into each image 3 of the video stream dependent on at least one parameter characteristic for a driving situation of the vehicle, preferably being characteristic for the driving velocity, i.e. the partial overlay 3 is, for instance, inserted at any driving velocity exceeding a predetermined minimal driving velocity of the vehicle while no partial overlay is inserted at lower velocities. Alternatively or additionally, the partial overlay depends on at least one object being recognized by the pattern recognition module of the image processing unit 21.

(21) The image processing unit 21 provides the partial overlay 30 with a texture for visually simulating the predetermined surface. The partial overlay 30 is contoured by the image processing unit 21 to simulate the contour of the conventional rear-view mirror 11. The color management system adjusts the coloring of each image 3 of the video stream for compensating the tint caused by the plurality of tinted particles embedded in the screen 23. The display unit 22 displays the processed video stream on the screen 23.

(22) In an example embodiment the predetermined surface matches the internal surface 1 surrounding the screen 23. Alternatively or additionally, the predetermined surface may be suited to be selected by a driver of the vehicle.

(23) The embodiments shown here are only examples of the present invention and must therefore not be understood as restrictive. Alternative embodiments considered by the skilled person are equally covered by the scope of protection of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(24) 1 internal surface 10 door 11 conventional rear-view mirror 2 virtual mirror device 20 camera 21 image processing unit 22 display unit 23 screen 3 image 30 partial overlay 31 rim section 32 focused image portion