IP Library Granted Patent US 12700335
Granted Patent B2
US 12700335 · App. 18/688,473 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Head-up display with reduced masking

Inventor: Nils Palm (Babenhausen, DE)
Assignee: Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH
G09G3/001G09G2340/0471G09G2354/00G09G2380/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12700335
App. No.
18/688,473
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method, a computer program comprising instructions and a device for reducing masking by a virtual image of a head-up display of a transport. The disclosure additionally relates to a head-up display for a transport in which such a method or such a device is used. In a first step, a horizon is determined. Afterward, an image to be displayed is subdivided into a plurality of partial areas. In this case, the partial areas are rectangular and their vertical extent varies over the area of the image to be displayed. For the individual partial areas, masking areas are determined and checking is carried out to ascertain whether the determined masking area exceeds a permissible size for at least one of the partial areas. If this is the case, a warning signal is output. Finally, at least one measure for reducing the masking is implemented in response to the warning signal.

Claims (24)

1 . A method for reducing masking by a virtual image of a head-up display of a transport, the method comprising:

subdividing an image to be displayed into a plurality of individual partial areas,

wherein the individual partial areas are rectangular and their vertical extent varies over the area of the image to be displayed;

determining masking areas for the individual partial areas; and

outputting a warning signal if one of the determined masking areas exceeds a permissible size for at least one of the partial areas,

wherein the horizon is a fixedly predefined horizontal line of the image data of the image to be displayed, and a vertical displacement of the entire image content to be represented is performed depending on a detected vertical eye position of an observe.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when determining the masking areas, a transparency of the individual partial areas is considered as a measure of the masking area.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein before outputting a warning signal, checking is carried out to ascertain whether the one of the determined masking area exceeds a permissible size for two or more adjacent partial areas.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the individual partial areas have a decreasing vertical extent from an edge region of the image to be displayed to a horizon.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein determining the horizon is carried out by determining an inclination of a means of transport.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein at least one measure for reducing the masking is implemented in response to the warning signal.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a display of image elements in the region of the horizon is prevented.

8 . A non-transitory computer readable media having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out steps for reducing masking by a virtual image of a head-up display of a transport, comprising:

subdividing an image to be displayed into a plurality of individual partial areas, wherein the individual partial areas are rectangular and their vertical extent varies over the area of the image to be displayed;

determining masking areas for the individual partial areas; and

outputting a warning signal if one of the determined masking areas exceeds a permissible size for at least one of the partial areas,

wherein the horizon is a fixedly predefined horizontal line of the image data of the image to be displayed, and a vertical displacement of the entire image content to be represented is performed depending on a detected vertical eye position of an observe.

9 . A device for reducing masking by a virtual image of a head-up display of a transport, comprising:

a subdividing module for subdividing an image to be displayed into a plurality of individual partial areas, wherein the individual partial areas are rectangular and their vertical extent varies over the area of the image to be displayed;

a processing module for determining masking areas for the individual partial areas; and

a warning module for outputting a warning signal if one of the determined masking areas exceeds a permissible size for at least one of the partial areas,

wherein the horizon is a fixedly predefined horizontal line of the image data of the image to be displayed, and a vertical displacement of the entire image content to be represented is performed depending on a detected vertical eye position of an observe.

10 . The device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the device is configured in a head-up display.

11 . The device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the device is arranged on a substrate of a display element.