Search

DE-102025111388-B3 - Virtual exterior rearview mirror

DE102025111388B3DE 102025111388 B3DE102025111388 B3DE 102025111388B3DE-102025111388-B3

Abstract

A rear-view imaging system for a vehicle comprises a left-side camera located on the left side of the vehicle, the left-side camera being oriented to view an area behind the vehicle as seen by an occupant in a driver's seat of the vehicle when the occupant looks at the apparent position of a left-side exterior rearview mirror of the vehicle, a display device for showing a left rear image in a first display area of a front left side window of the vehicle, wherein a line of sight between the occupant and the apparent position of the left-side exterior rearview mirror passes through the first display area, and a controller for controlling the operation of the display device to show the left rear image in the first display area.

Inventors

  • Tzvi Philipp
  • Yael Shmueli Friedland
  • Charles R. Quinn

Assignees

  • GM Global Technology Operations LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250325
Priority Date
20250213

Claims (8)

  1. A method for operating a vehicle (100), comprising: obtaining a left rear image on a left side camera (302) located on the left side of the vehicle (100), wherein the left rear image is of an area viewed by an occupant in a driver's seat of the vehicle (100) when the occupant is looking at the apparent position of a left exterior rearview mirror (210) of the vehicle (100); displaying the left rear image in a first display area (108) of a front left side window (206) of the vehicle (100), wherein a line of sight between the occupant and the apparent position of the left exterior rearview mirror (210) passes through the first display area (108); and displaying the left rear image on a rearview mirror (500) of the vehicle (100) when the image on the front left side window (206) cannot be viewed.
  2. Procedure according to Claim 1 , further comprising a display of the left rear image from a display screen located on the front left side window (206) within the first display area (108).
  3. Procedure according to Claim 1 , further comprising projecting the left rear image onto the front left side window (206) so that it appears to the occupant within the first display area (108), using a left side projector (306).
  4. Procedure according to Claim 1 , further comprising receiving a right rear image on a right side camera (314) located on a right side of the vehicle (100) and displaying the right rear image in a second display area (109) of a front right side window (208) of the vehicle (100).
  5. Rearview imaging system for a vehicle (100), comprising: a left-side camera (302) located on the left side of the vehicle (100), the left-side camera (302) being oriented to view an area behind the vehicle (100), i.e., from the perspective of an occupant in the driver's seat of the vehicle (100) when the occupant is looking at the apparent position of a left-side exterior rearview mirror (210) of the vehicle (100); a display device for showing a left-side rearview image in a first display area (108) of a front left-side window (206) of the vehicle (100), wherein a line of sight between the occupant and the apparent position of the left-side exterior rearview mirror (210) passes through the first display area (108); a rearview mirror (500) comprising a left mirror display screen (504) for displaying the left rear image when the image cannot be viewed at the front left side window (206); and a controller (104) for controlling operation of the display device to show the left rear image in the first display area (108) and operation of the left mirror display screen (504) to send the left rear image to the left mirror display screen (504).
  6. Imaging system for a view to the rear Claim 5 , wherein the display device further comprises a display screen which is arranged on the front left side window (206) within the first display area (108).
  7. Imaging system for a view to the rear Claim 5 , wherein the display device further comprises a left side projector (306) configured to project the left rear image onto the front left side window (206) so that it appears to the occupant within the first display area (108).
  8. Imaging system for a view to the rear Claim 5 , further comprising a right-side camera (314) located on the right side of the vehicle (100) to obtain a right rear image, and a second display device for displaying the right rear image in a second display area (109) of a front right side window (208) of the vehicle (100).

Description

The present disclosure relates to vehicles and in particular to a rearview system or a rear-view system which displays an image of the scene in the rear view at a position where it would be seen by a driver of a vehicle who would otherwise view the image in an external rear-view mirror. Vehicles are equipped with exterior rearview mirrors to reflect images of the area behind the vehicle to the driver, thus preventing or reducing blind spots. Exterior rearview mirrors tend to protrude laterally from the side surfaces of the vehicle. These side surfaces are generally designed aerodynamically to allow air to flow over them with reduced drag. The presence of exterior rearview mirrors disrupts this airflow. Therefore, it is desirable to replace the exterior rearview mirrors with an imaging system that provides the same imaging capabilities without disrupting the airflow over the surface. DE 10 2015 209 187 B3 Disclosure is made of a monitoring device for a motor vehicle in which the images from a camera device are displayed on a side window. The position of the display is automatically adjusted depending on the seating position and/or the camera's viewing direction. DE 10 2012 019 507 A1 The system reveals a vehicle equipped with an environmental sensor and a display for showing a detected sector. The prominence of the display is adjusted by a control unit depending on the predicted direction of travel of the vehicle, in order to direct the driver's attention to the relevant area as the situation demands. DE 10 2017 107 775 A1 This describes a situational awareness system with a rearview mirror that has right, left, and central side sections. The system also includes an imaging and display system to selectively project images from different cameras onto the corresponding sections of the rearview mirror. Summary A method for operating a vehicle comprises obtaining a left rear image from a left-side camera located on the left side of the vehicle, wherein the left rear image is of an area viewed by an occupant in a driver's seat of the vehicle when the occupant looks at the apparent position of the vehicle's left exterior rearview mirror. The left rear image is displayed in a first display area of a front left side window of the vehicle, with a line of sight between the occupant and the apparent position of the left exterior rearview mirror passing through the first display area. The method further comprises displaying the left rear image in a rearview mirror of the vehicle when the image in the front left side window cannot be viewed. In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the method further comprises displaying the left rear image from a display screen located on the front left side window within the first display area. In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the method further comprises projecting the left rear image onto the front left side window so that it appears to the occupant within the first display area, using a left side projector. In addition to one or more of the features described here, the method further comprises polarizing a light transmitted from the left side projector and/or projecting the left rear image from the left side projector onto the front left side window at an angle of incidence between 30 degrees and 40 degrees. In addition to one or more of the features described here, the method also includes moving or shifting the first display area on the front left side window. In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the method further comprises obtaining a right rear image from a right side camera located on the right side of the vehicle and displaying the right rear image in a second display area of a front right side window of the vehicle. A rear-view imaging system for a vehicle comprises a left-side camera located on the left side of the vehicle, the left-side camera being oriented to view an area behind the vehicle as seen by an occupant in the driver's seat of the vehicle when the occupant looks at the apparent position of a left-side exterior rearview mirror of the vehicle. The imaging system further comprises a display device for showing a left-rear image in a first display area of a front left-side window of the vehicle, wherein a line of sight between the occupant and the apparent position of the left-side exterior rearview mirror is established by the first The display area extends, and includes a rearview mirror that incorporates a left-side mirror display screen for showing the left rear image when the image cannot be viewed in the front left side window. The imaging system further includes a controller to operate the display device to show the left rear image in the first display area, and to operate the left-side mirror display screen to transmit the left rear image to the left-side mirror display screen. In addition to one or more of the features described here, the display device also includes a display screen lo