US-12617279-B2 - Auto-adjusting digital cluster utilizing machine learning database

Abstract

In accordance with exemplary embodiments, methods and systems are provided that include obtaining, via one or more sensors of a vehicle, sensor data pertaining to a steering wheel of the vehicle; determining, via a processor of the vehicle using the sensor data, whether a view of a display of the vehicle by a user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel; and adjusting, via instructions provided by the processor, one or more display images presented on the display, when it is determined that the view of the display by the user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel.

Inventors

• Hyejin Kim
• Donggyun Kim
• Sangyoon Keum
• Russell A Patenaude

Assignees

• GM Global Technology Operations LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240909

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A method comprising: obtaining, via one or more sensors of a vehicle, including one or more cameras of the vehicle, sensor data pertaining to a steering wheel of the vehicle; determining, via a processor of the vehicle using the sensor data in combination with a machine learning model stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium of the vehicle, whether a view of a display screen of a display system of the vehicle by a user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel, including based on a determination by the processor using the sensor data, including camera images from the one or more cameras, as to a position of a head of the user in addition to a current location of the steering wheel with respect to a reference point comprising an airbag cover on a pillar of the vehicle, and wherein the machine language model includes: a plurality of input layers with values from the sensor data and from a machine language database, including driver eye position, steering wheel position, and reference position, along with shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; a plurality of hidden layers for processing the plurality of input layers; and an output node that is generated from the plurality of hidden layers using each of the plurality of input layers, including the driver eye position, the steering wheel position, and the reference position, along with the shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; adjusting, via instructions provided by the processor, one or more display images presented on the display screen, including by (a) selectively centering prioritized information, including a speed of the vehicle based on the sensor data, within a visible portion of the display screen that is not obstructed by the steering wheel, and further by (b) selectively hiding deprioritized information behind the steering wheel such that the user is able to see the prioritized information in a centered manner without seeing the deprioritized information, when it is determined that the view of the display screen by the user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel; and controlling, via instructions provided by the processor, braking of the vehicle via a braking system of the vehicle, steering of the vehicle via a steering system of the vehicle, or both, based on the one or more display images of the display screen as adjusted by the processor; wherein: a magnitude of the re-scaling is based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement; and a portion of the one or more display images is conditionally hidden on the display based on whether the re-scaling was successful in alleviating obstruction by the steering wheel and further based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference point comprises a center of the airbag cover on a B-pillar inside a cabin of the vehicle.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the view of the display is obstructed further is performed by the processor using a three dimensional coordinate representation of the camera images representing a head of a driver of the vehicle that is utilized for an estimation of a line of sight between eyes of the driver and the display in combination with an estimated position of the steering wheel.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein: the step of obtaining the sensor data further comprises obtaining steering wheel position sensor data from one or more steering wheel position sensors of the vehicle; and the determining of whether the view of the display is obstructed is made by the processor based on the steering wheel position sensor data in addition to the camera images.
5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the one or more display images further comprises shifting, via the processor, the one or more display images to a different portion of the display screen that is not obstructed for the user by the steering wheel.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the one or more display images further comprises re-scaling, via the processor, the one or more display images to a different size so that the one or more display images are no longer obstructed for the user by the steering wheel.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the machine language model includes: a plurality of input layers with values from the sensor data and from a machine language database, including driver eye position, steering wheel position, and a reference position, along with shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; a plurality of hidden layers for processing the plurality of input layers; and an output node that is generated from the plurality of hidden layers using each of the plurality of input layers, including the driver eye position, the steering wheel position, and the reference position, along with the shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options.
8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the one or more display images further comprises re-scaling, via the processor, the one or more display images to a different size that is ninety percent of their original size, so that the one or more display images are no longer obstructed for the user by the steering wheel.
9. 9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the one or more display images further comprises re-scaling, via the processor, the one or more display images to a different size that is seventy percent of their original size, so that the one or more display images are no longer obstructed for the user by the steering wheel.
10. 10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling step comprises controlling, via instructions provided by the processor, the braking of the vehicle via the braking system of the vehicle based on the one or more display images of the display screen as adjusted by the processor.
11. 11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling step comprises controlling, via instructions provided by the processor, the steering of the vehicle via the steering system of the vehicle based on the one or more display images of the display screen as adjusted by the processor.
12. 12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling step comprises controlling, via instructions provided by the processor, both the braking of the vehicle via the braking system of the vehicle and the steering of the vehicle via the steering system of the vehicle based on the one or more display images of the display screen as adjusted by the processor.
13. 13 . A system comprising: one or more sensors of a vehicle, the one or more sensors configured to obtain sensor data pertaining to a steering wheel of the vehicle; a non-transitory computer readable storage medium of the vehicle, the non-transitory computer readable medium storing a machine learning model; and a processor that is coupled to the one or more sensors and to the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and that is configured to at least facilitate: determining, using the sensor data in combination with a machine learning model stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium of the vehicle, whether a view of a display screen of a display system of the vehicle by a user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel, including based on a determination by the processor using the sensor data, including camera images from the one or more cameras, as to a position of a head of the user in addition to a current location of the steering wheel with respect to a reference point comprising an airbag cover on a pillar of the vehicle, and wherein the machine language model includes: a plurality of input layers with values from the sensor data and from a machine language database, including driver eye position, steering wheel position, and reference position, along with shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; a plurality of hidden layers for processing the plurality of input layers; and an output node that is generated from the plurality of hidden layers using each of the plurality of input layers, including the driver eye position, the steering wheel position, and the reference position, along with the shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; adjusting, via instructions provided by the processor, one or more display images presented on the display screen, including by (a) selectively centering prioritized information, including a speed of the vehicle based on the sensor data, within a visible portion of the display screen that is not obstructed by the steering wheel, and further by (b) selectively hiding deprioritized information behind the steering wheel such that the user is able to see the prioritized information in a centered manner without seeing the deprioritized information, when it is determined that the view of the display screen by the user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel; and controlling, via instructions provided by the processor, braking of the vehicle via a braking system of the vehicle, steering of the vehicle via a steering system of the vehicle, or both, based on the one or more display images of the display screen as adjusted by the processor; wherein: a magnitude of the re-scaling is based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement; and a portion of the one or more display images is conditionally hidden on the display based on whether the re-scaling was successful in alleviating obstruction by the steering wheel and further based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement.
14. 14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to at least facilitate determining whether the view of the display is obstructed using a three dimensional coordinate representation of the camera images representing a head of a driver of the vehicle that is utilized for an estimation of a line of sight between eyes of the driver and the display in combination with an estimated position of the steering wheel.
15. 15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein: the one or more sensors further comprise one or more steering wheel position sensors of the vehicle that are configured to obtain steering wheel position sensor data; and the processor is further configured to at least facilitate determining whether the view of the display screen is obstructed using the steering wheel position sensor data in addition to the camera images.
16. 16 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to at least facilitate adjusting the one or more display images by shifting the one or more display images to a different portion of the display screen that is not obstructed for the user by the steering wheel.
17. 17 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to at least facilitate adjusting the one or more display images by re-scaling the one or more display images to a different size so that the one or more display images are no longer obstructed for the user by the steering wheel.
18. 18 . A vehicle comprising: a body; a drive system configured to move the body; a steering wheel; a display system having a display screen; one or more sensors configured to obtain sensor data pertaining to the steering wheel; a non-transitory computer readable storage medium of the vehicle, the non-transitory computer readable medium storing a machine learning model; and a processor that is coupled to the one or more sensors and to the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and that is configured to at least facilitate: determining, using the sensor data in combination with a machine learning model stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium of the vehicle, whether a view of the display screen by a user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel, including based on a determination by the processor using the sensor data, including camera images from the one or more cameras, as to a position of a head of the user in addition to a current location of the steering wheel with respect to a reference point comprising an airbag cover on a pillar of the vehicle, and wherein the machine language model includes: a plurality of input layers with values from the sensor data and from a machine language database, including driver eye position, steering wheel position, and reference position, along with shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; a plurality of hidden layers for processing the plurality of input layers; and an output node that is generated from the plurality of hidden layers using each of the plurality of input layers, including the driver eye position, the steering wheel position, and the reference position, along with the shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; adjusting, via instructions provided by the processor, one or more display images presented on the display screen, including by (a) selectively centering prioritized information, including a speed of the vehicle based on the sensor data, within a visible portion of the display screen that is not obstructed by the steering wheel, and further by (b) selectively hiding deprioritized information behind the steering wheel such that the user is able to see the prioritized information in a centered manner without seeing the deprioritized information, when it is determined that the view of the display screen by the user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel; and controlling, via instructions provided by the processor, braking of the vehicle via a braking system of the vehicle, steering of the vehicle via a steering system of the vehicle, or both, based on the one or more display images of the display screen as adjusted by the processor; wherein: a magnitude of the re-scaling is based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement; and a portion of the one or more display images is conditionally hidden on the display based on whether the re-scaling was successful in alleviating obstruction by the steering wheel and further based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement.

Description

INTRODUCTION The technical field generally relates to vehicles and, more specifically, to methods and systems for adjusting displays of vehicles for optimal viewing by a user of the vehicle. Many vehicles today include a display for viewing by a driver or other user of the vehicle, for example including a speed of the speed and/or other parameters relating to the vehicle and/or operation thereof. However, such existing vehicle systems may not always provide optimal viewing of the display by the user, for example when the user's view of one or more parameters of the display may be blocked. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved methods and systems for adjusting displays of vehicles, including for improved viewing by a user of the vehicle. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. SUMMARY In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method is provided that includes obtaining, via one or more sensors of a vehicle, sensor data pertaining to a steering wheel of the vehicle; determining, via a processor of the vehicle using the sensor data, whether a view of a display of the vehicle by a user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel; and adjusting, via instructions provided by the processor, one or more display images presented on the display, when it is determined that the view of the display by the user of the vehicle is obstructed by the steering wheel. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the obtaining of the sensor data includes obtaining camera images via one or more cameras of a driver monitoring system of the vehicle; the determining of whether the view of the display is obstructed is made by the processor based on the camera images; and the adjusting of the one or more display images is performed via the processor using a machine language model. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the camera images pertain to both the steering wheel and the user of the vehicle, in addition to a reference point that is used for determining whether the view of the display by the user is obstructed by the steering wheel; and the determining of whether the view of the display is obstructed is made by the processor based on the camera images of the steering wheel, the user, and the reference point. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the reference point includes a center of an airbag cover on a B-pillar inside a cabin of the vehicle. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the step of determining whether the view of the display is obstructed further is performed by the processor using a three dimensional coordinate representation of the camera images representing a head of a driver of the vehicle that is utilized for an estimation of a line of sight between eyes of the driver and the display in combination with an estimated position of the steering wheel. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the step of obtaining the sensor data further includes obtaining steering wheel position sensor data from one or more steering wheel position sensors of the vehicle; and the determining of whether the view of the display is obstructed is made by the processor based on the steering wheel position sensor data in addition to the camera images. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the step of adjusting the one or more display images includes shifting, via the processor, the one or more display images to a different portion of the display that is not obstructed for the user by the steering wheel. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the step of adjusting the one or more display images includes re-scaling, via the processor, the one or more display images to a different size so that the one or more display images are no longer obstructed for the user by the steering wheel. Also in an exemplary embodiment, a magnitude of the re-scaling is based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement; and a portion of the one or more display images is conditionally hidden on the display based on whether the re-scaling was successful in alleviating obstruction by the steering wheel and further based on whether the one or more display images represent a regulatory requirement. Also in an exemplary embodiment, the machine language model includes a plurality of input layers with values from the sensor data and from a machine language database, including driver eye position, steering wheel position, and reference position, along with shifting and centralizing, re-scaling, and conditionally hidden options; a plurality of hidden layers for processing the plurality of input layers; and an output node that is generated from the plurality of hidden layers using each of the plurality of input layers, including the driver eye position, the steering wheel position, and the reference position, along with the shifting and