Granted Patent B2

US 12,637,097 · App. 17/365,983 · Granted May 26, 2026

Inventor: Chao Wang (Offenbach, DE)

Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

B60W50/14B60K35/22B60K35/28B60K35/80B60K35/10B60K35/29B60K2360/119B60K2360/179B60K2360/191B60W2050/146B60W2554/40

Abstract

Claims (25)

1 . A method for assisting a user of an assistance system including at least one sensor to sense an environment of a vehicle, a processor, and a display mounted on the vehicle to display representations of one or more objects in the environment of the display, comprising the following method steps:

obtaining, from the at least one sensor, information on an environment of the display including a lane on which the vehicle is driving;

determining, by the processor, presence of objects in the environment;

displaying, on the display, a representation of the environment including the vehicle, the lane, and the objects determined, by the processor, in the environment, wherein real-world positions of the vehicle, the objects, and the lane are converted into a coordinate system of the display;

determining, by the processor, for at least one of the objects represented in the representation of the environment, a starting point for an indicator line from a direction of the at least one object relative to the display,

wherein the processor determines the starting point by calculating, as the starting point, a point of intersection between an outer edge of the display and a surface area, and

wherein the surface area extends from a vertical axis y through a reference point of the display and includes a direction vector pointing from the reference point to a center of the at least one object for which the indicator line is to be displayed; and

displaying, on the display, the indicator line connecting the starting point with the displayed representation of the at least one object,

wherein for at least one determined and displayed object an indicator bar including the starting point is displayed along the outer edge of the display,

wherein the indicator bar extends from an intersection point of the edge of the display and a first boundary surface area to an intersection point of the edge of the display and a second boundary surface area, and

wherein the first boundary surface area extends from the vertical axis y through the reference point and includes a left direction vector pointing from the reference point towards a first outermost perceivable boundary of the determined object in the horizontal direction and the second boundary surface area extends from the vertical axis through the reference point and includes a direction vector pointing from the reference point towards an opposite, second outermost perceivable boundary of the determined object in the horizontal direction.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein,

in case of coincidence of the first boundary surface area of a first determined object and the second boundary surface area of a second determined object, directly adjacent indicator bars are displayed using distinguishable characteristics.

3 . An assistance system for a vehicle comprising at least one sensor, a processor, and a display controlled by the processor, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense an environment of the vehicle, and wherein the processor is configured to:

obtain, from the at least one sensor, information on an environment of the display including a lane on which the vehicle is driving;

determine presence of objects in the environment of the display;

cause the display to display a representation of the environment including the vehicle, the lane, and the objects determined in the environment, wherein real-world positions of the vehicle, the objects, and the lane are converted into a coordinate system of the display;

determine, for at least one of the objects represented in the representation of the environment, a starting point for an indicator line from a direction of the at least one object relative to the display,

wherein the processor determines the starting point by calculating, as the starting point, a point of intersection between an outer edge of the display and a surface area, and

wherein the surface area extends from a vertical axis y through a reference point of the display and including includes a direction vector pointing from the reference point to a center of the at least one object for which the indicator line is to be displayed; and

cause the display to display the indicator line connecting the starting point with the displayed representation of the at least one object,

wherein for at least one determined and displayed object an indicator bar including the starting point is displayed along the outer edge of the display,

wherein the indicator bar extends from an intersection point of the edge of the display and a first boundary surface area to an intersection point of the edge of the display and a second boundary surface area, and

wherein the first boundary surface area extends from the vertical axis y through the reference point and includes a left direction vector pointing from the reference point towards a first outermost perceivable boundary of the determined object in the horizontal direction and the second boundary surface area extends from the vertical axis through the reference point and includes a direction vector pointing from the reference point towards an opposite, second outermost perceivable boundary of the determined object in the horizontal direction.

4 . A vehicle comprising the assistance system according to claim 3 .

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (13)