Information providing method and information providing vehicle therefor

Abstract

A method of providing information about a predetermined external vehicle on a transparent display of an information providing vehicle, the method including: acquiring status information of the external vehicle; determining a display mode for displaying an object corresponding to the external vehicle based on the acquired status information; and displaying the object corresponding to the external vehicle on the transparent display in the determined display mode, wherein the display mode may include an augmented reality mode displaying an image obtained by overlaying a virtual image on an actual image of the external vehicle that is observed through the transparent display, and a map mode displaying the object corresponding to the external vehicle after mapping the object to a map.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of providing information about an external vehicle on a head up display (HUD) of a vehicle, the method comprising:
 receiving status information of the external vehicle from the external vehicle;   determining a distance between the vehicle and the external vehicle based on the status information of the external vehicle;   controlling the HUD to display an object corresponding to the external vehicle on a map image, when the determined distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance; and   controlling the HUD to display the object corresponding to the external vehicle to overlap with the external vehicle using an augmented reality technology, when the determined distance is less than the predetermined distance.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the status information of the external vehicle comprises at least one of location information of the external vehicle, route information, driving speed information, stoppage status information, used traffic lane information, and turning light manipulation status information. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance comprises a visible distance, from which a driver of the vehicle is capable of seeing the external vehicle with naked eye. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 when the determined distance is less than the predetermined distance, the method further comprising:   recognizing the external vehicle by using a camera based on at least one of outer appearance information and plate number information of the external vehicle; and   displaying the object corresponding to the external vehicle on the HUD so that the object corresponding to the external vehicle overlaps the actual image of the external vehicle.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the recognizing of the external vehicle comprises:
 selecting a plurality of candidate vehicles that are recognized through the camera based on at least one of the outer appearance information and the plate number information; and   recognizing the external vehicle from among the plurality of candidate vehicles based on eye information of a driver or input information of the driver.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the HUD is configured to operate to display the object corresponding to the external vehicle on the map image after mapping the object to a map, when the determined distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the HUD is configured to operate to change a scale of the map based on the distance between the vehicle and the external vehicle after the mapping of the object. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 recognizing a location of a driver's eyes; and   adjusting a display location or an angle of the object corresponding to the external vehicle, based on the location of the driver's eyes.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the external vehicle comprises a vehicle having a cross-certificate for exchanging location information with the vehicle. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving identification information of the external vehicle;   requesting the external vehicle to exchange location information based on the identification information of the external vehicle; and   receiving an acceptance message with respect to the request for exchanging the location information from the external vehicle.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 acquiring illuminance information outside the vehicle or illuminance information according to a direction of eyes of a driver of the vehicle; and   changing a color of the object corresponding to the external vehicle and displaying the object, based on the illuminance information outside the vehicle or the illuminance information according to the direction of the driver's eyes.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving and displaying information provided by a navigation device of the external vehicle from the external vehicle.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 acquiring defect occurrence information regarding the vehicle;   searching for a car repair shop to repair a defective part, based on the defect occurrence information; and   displaying information about a found car repair shop on the HUD.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying an image corresponding to at least one of information about a location where an accident occurred, accident occurring time information, accident occurring traffic lane information, and detour information on the HUD.   
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for providing information about an external vehicle on a head up display (HUD), the apparatus comprising:
 a communication device configured to receive status information of the external vehicle from the external vehicle; and   a processor configured to:   determine a distance between the vehicle and the external vehicle based on the status information of the external vehicle;   control the HUD to display an object corresponding to the external vehicle on a map image, when the determined distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance; and   control the HUD to display the object corresponding to the external vehicle to overlap with the external vehicle using an augmented reality technology, when the determined distance is less than the predetermined distance.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the predetermined distance comprises a visible distance from which a driver of the vehicle is capable of seeing the external vehicle with naked eye, and the processor is configured to adjust the visible distance based on at least one of weather information, illuminance information, and humidity information. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 recognize a location of a driver's eyes; and
 control the HUD to adjust a display location or an angle of the object corresponding to the external vehicle, based on the location of the driver's eyes. 
   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive identification information of the external vehicle from a driver via a user interface;   request the external vehicle to exchange location information with the vehicle; and   receive an acceptance message with respect to the request for exchanging the location information from the external vehicle via the communication device.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein, when a level of remaining fuel is equal to or less than a predetermined level, the processor is further configured to:
 search for a gas station that the vehicle is capable of reaching with the remaining fuel; and   display information about the searched gas station on the HUD.   
     
     
         20 . A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device of a vehicle, causes the computing device to:
 receive status information of an external vehicle from the external vehicle;   determine a distance between the vehicle and the external vehicle based on the status information of the external vehicle;   control a head up display (HUD) to display an object corresponding to the external vehicle on a map image, when the determined distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance; and   control the HUD to display the object corresponding to the external vehicle to overlap with the external vehicle using an augmented reality technology, when the determined distance is less than the predetermined distance.