US 11,699,250 B1
System and method for low visibility driving
Morgan Lee McCann, Royal Oak, MI (US); Joseph F. Szczerba, Grand Blanc, MI (US); John P. Weiss, Shelby Township, MI (US); Kai-Han Chang, Sterling Heights, MI (US); and Thomas A. Seder, Fraser, MI (US)
Assigned to GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed by GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed on Jul. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/862,859.
Int. Cl. G06T 11/00 (2006.01); H04N 9/31 (2006.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); B60K 37/00 (2006.01); G02B 27/01 (2006.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); G06V 10/58 (2022.01)
CPC G06T 11/00 (2013.01) [B60K 37/00 (2013.01); G02B 27/0101 (2013.01); G02B 27/0179 (2013.01); G06F 3/013 (2013.01); G06V 10/58 (2022.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); H04N 9/3135 (2013.01); B60K 2370/1529 (2019.05); B60K 2370/177 (2019.05); B60K 2370/21 (2019.05); G02B 2027/014 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0138 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0141 (2013.01); G02B 2027/0181 (2013.01); G06T 2210/12 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for low visibility driving, comprising;
receiving image data from a visible-light camera, wherein the image data includes an image of an area in front of a vehicle;
receiving sensor data from an object-detecting sensor, wherein the object-detecting sensor is configured to detect an object in front of the vehicle, and the sensor data includes information about the object in front of the vehicle;
detecting the object in front of the vehicle using the sensor data received from the object-detecting sensor;
determining whether the visible-light camera is unable to detect the object in front of the vehicle that was detected by the object-detecting sensor; and
in response to determining that the visible-light camera is unable to detect the object in front of the vehicle that was detected by the object-detecting sensor, commanding a display of the vehicle to generate a virtual image using the sensor data to identify the object in front of the vehicle, wherein the display is a multi-focal augmented reality (AR) display of the vehicle, the multi-focal AR display has a first image plane and a second image plane, the first image plane and the second image planes are at different locations, the first image plane shows a view of an outside world, a second image plane is reserved for displaying the virtual image, and the second image plane appears at a location farther on a roadway surface relative to the first image plane while the vehicle travels along the roadway surface, the second image plane starts at a first predetermined distance from the vehicle and ends at a second predetermined distance, the second predetermined distance is greater than the first predetermined distance, the second image plane includes a first linear boundary arranged horizontally relative to the roadway, the first linear boundary is at the first predetermined distance from the vehicle, the second image plane is delimited by a sloped linear boundary that starts at the first predetermined distance from the vehicle and ends at a third predetermined distance from the vehicle, the sloped linear boundary is obliquely angled relative to the first linear boundary, the third predetermined distance is greater than the first predetermined distance, the third predetermined distance is less than the second predetermined distance, and the second image plane includes a second linear boundary that is arranged parallel to the roadway, the slopped linear boundary is obliquely angled relative to the second linear boundary, and the second linear boundary starts at the third predetermined distance from the vehicle and ends at the second predetermined distance from the vehicle.