US 10,315,566 · Granted 2019-06-11
The Windshield Display Patent That Puts Navigation Directly in Your Line of Sight
Imagine if your car's GPS directions appeared right on your windshield instead of on a tiny dashboard screen. This patent covers a system that projects driving instructions and graphics onto the glass in front of you, splitting the display into zones so you can see both guidance and other helpful info without looking away from the road.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a vehicle control device with a communication module that receives driving data, a display module that projects visual information onto a windshield display area, and a controller that manages what appears where. Specifically, it protects the method of dividing the windshield display into separate regions — a first region for path-guidance graphics and a second region for additional information — and the controller's ability to synchronize and display related graphic objects across both zones based on real-time driving information.
Why it matters
Heads-up displays (HUDs) on windshields represent a safety and user experience shift in automotive design. By keeping navigation and vehicle data in the driver's primary field of vision, this kind of patent-protected system reduces the cognitive load of glancing between the road and a dashboard screen. For automakers and tech suppliers, controlling this display architecture and regional division method is key intellectual property in an era where in-vehicle infotainment and driver assistance are competitive differentiators.
Real-world use
When you're driving with a modern car's navigation system, any turn-by-turn arrows or speed alerts that appear on or near your windshield instead of the dashboard reflect the type of display coordination this patent describes.
Original USPTO abstract
The present invention relates to a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle, and a method for controlling the vehicle. The vehicle control device includes a communication module configured to receive driving information regarding the vehicle, a display module configured to output visual information on a display region formed on a windshield of the vehicle, and a controller configured to control the display module based on the driving information to output graphic objects guiding a path of driving of the vehicle on a first region of the display region, the display region divided into the first region and a second region. The controller controls the display module based on the driving information to output on the second region at least one of the graphic objects output on the first region.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 10,315,566
- Filing date
- 2017-03-06
- Grant date
- 2019-06-11
- Assignee
- Lg Electronics Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- CHOI, Sunghwan, Kim, Ilwan, LEE, JAEHO
- CPC class
- B60Q9/008
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