IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,738,073
Granted Patent B2
US 12,738,073 · App. 18/983,899 · Granted Sep 15, 2026

System and method for pedestrian projection

Inventors: Vincent Pascual (Dublin, CA); Anat Litan Sever (Sunnyvale, CA); Alexander Granieri (Mountain View, CA)
Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
G06V20/58G06T7/20G06T7/70G06T11/60G06T13/80H04N5/74
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,738,073
App. No.
18/983,899
Granted
Sep 15, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle system of a vehicle may comprise one or more processors configured to receive sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors as the vehicle drives along a road, determine a location of a pedestrian based on the sensor data, perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a second vehicle indicating the location of the pedestrian, project an image onto the road based on the location of the pedestrian, determine movement of the pedestrian, and modify the image being projected onto the road based on the movement of the pedestrian.

Claims (44)

1 . A vehicle system of a vehicle comprising one or more processors configured to:

receive sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors as the vehicle drives along a road;

determine a location of a pedestrian based on the sensor data;

perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a second vehicle indicating the location of the pedestrian;

project an image onto the road based on the location of the pedestrian such that the image spans a width of the road;

determine movement of the pedestrian; and

as the pedestrian crosses the road, modify the image being projected onto the road based on the movement of the pedestrian such that the modified image only spans a portion of the width of the road that the pedestrian has not crossed.

2 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the image indicates a path for the pedestrian to cross the road.

3 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the image indicates that the pedestrian should not cross the road.

4 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the image indicates the presence of the second vehicle to the pedestrian.

5 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the image is a synchronized image generated by the vehicle and the second vehicle.

6 . The vehicle system of claim 5 , wherein the synchronized image comprises a first portion projected by the vehicle and a second portion projected by the second vehicle.

7 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to project the image onto the road behind the vehicle to indicate the location of the pedestrian to the second vehicle.

8 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

animate the image; and

modify an animation of the image based on the movement of the pedestrian and a location of the second vehicle.

9 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

receive the location of the pedestrian from the second vehicle; and

display information about the location of the pedestrian to a driver of the vehicle.

10 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

determine one or more environmental conditions based on the sensor data; and

transmit information about the one or more environmental conditions to the second vehicle by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

11 . A method comprising:

receiving sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors of a vehicle as the vehicle drives along a road;

determining a location of a pedestrian based on the sensor data;

performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a second vehicle indicating the location of the pedestrian;

projecting an image onto the road based on the location of the pedestrian such that the image spans a width of the road;

determining movement of the pedestrian; and

as the pedestrian crosses the road, modifying the image being projected onto the road based on the movement of the pedestrian such that the modified image only spans a portion of the width of the road that the pedestrian has not crossed.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the image indicates a path for the pedestrian to cross the road.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the image indicates that the pedestrian should not cross the road.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the image indicates the presence of the second vehicle to the pedestrian.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the image is a synchronized image generated by the vehicle and the second vehicle.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the synchronized image comprises a first portion projected by the vehicle and a second portion projected by the second vehicle.

17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising projecting the image onto the road behind the vehicle to indicate the location of the pedestrian to the second vehicle.

18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

animating the image; and

modifying an animation of the image based on the movement of the pedestrian and a location of the second vehicle.

19 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving the location of the pedestrian from the second vehicle; and

displaying information about the location of the pedestrian to a driver of the vehicle.

20 . The method claim 11 , further comprising:

determining one or more environmental conditions based on the sensor data; and

transmitting information about the one or more environmental conditions to the second vehicle by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 17, 2024
From: LITAN SEVER, ANAT; GRANIERI, ALEXANDER; PASCUAL, VINCENT
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 069611/0009 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20260170846A1 · Jun 18, 2026
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