苹果申请车载AR专利，打造智能挡风玻璃

苹果向来对研发工作守口如瓶，尤其是涉及汽车技术时。但通过本月苹果递交的一项专利技术申请，我们能一窥苹果未来可能推出的有趣产品：智能挡风玻璃。

据搜寻苹果最新专利申请信息的博客Patently Apple透露，上周苹果在欧洲为一款增强现实（AR）技术支持的挡风玻璃系统申请了专利，名为“抬头显示器”（Heads-Up Display）。

企业申请专利提到的发明往往不会变为现实，但苹果研究的一些创意很有意思。值得一提的是，坐在不同车里的乘客可以使用该款AR挡风玻璃用FaceTime通话。

“在某些产品中，AR展示系统可纳入车载视觉通信装置，实现车内乘客和远处的用户沟通，也包括另一辆车的乘客。”上述苹果专利文件写道。

这项专利的另一个特色功能可能是，利用内置传感器监控眼球活动、心跳、身体姿势等信号判断司机和乘客的压力，然后AR挡风玻璃可以自动调节显示器为用户减压。但现在尚不清楚该产品将采取何种方式实现减压。

今年7月，苹果申请了另一项专利，涉及乘客和自动驾驶汽车的“个人行车舒适偏好”（personal comfort profiles）。苹果将根据乘客的偏好概况，通过各种方式指挥自动驾驶汽车。Patently Apple认为，AR挡风玻璃可能也会应用类似的技术。

苹果的智能挡风玻璃还可能运用外部传感器探测当前的行驶速度以及道路实际限速，同时展示在挡风玻璃上。

苹果首席执行官蒂姆·库克曾透露过些许苹果研发车用技术的计划，包括自动驾驶汽车。据媒体报道，苹果已经放弃制造苹果汽车的计划，改为提供自动驾驶汽车技术。去年库克承认，苹果在研发汽车技术，但并未排除自行制造汽车的可能。

起初有媒体报道，苹果计划2020年发布自有电动汽车，但新近报道称发布时间已推迟到2021年。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审校：夏林

Apple tends to be tightlipped about its research and development efforts, especially when it comes to car technology. But a patent filed by the company this month gives a glimpse into an intriguing product it may offer in the future: a smart windshield.

According to Patently Apple, a blog that scours the latest patents filed by the Cupertino giant, Apple filed a patent last week in Europe for an augmented-reality powered windshield system, which it termed a Heads-Up Display.

While innovations detailed in corporate patents often don’t see the light of day, some of the ideas that Apple is exploring are interesting. Notably, its AR windshield may allow passengers in different vehicles to conduct FaceTime calls with each other.

“In some embodiments, an augmented reality display system included in a vehicle enables visual communication between an occupant of the vehicle and a remotely located user, including an occupant of a separate vehicle,” Apple’s patent said.

Another feature could use internal sensors to detect stress in drivers and passengers by monitoring eye motion, heart rate, body posture, etc. The AR windshield would then automatically adjust its display to potentially reduce stress, although it’s not clear from the patent how the display would accomplish this.

Last month, Apple filed another patent for “personal comfort profiles” of passengers and autonomous vehicles. Apple’s technology would navigate an autonomous car in different ways, according to a passenger’s profile. The AR windshield might rely on similar technology, Patently Apple said.

Apple’s smart windshield may also use external sensors to detect the current speed as well as the posted speed limit, displaying both on the windshield.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said little about the company’s plans to create technology for cars, including autonomous vehicles. The company has reportedly backed away from plans for an Apple car, providing instead technology that would power autonomous vehicles. Last year Cook acknowledged that Apple is working on car technology, but did not rule out building its own car.

Apple was initially reportedly aiming to release its own electric car by 2020, but a more recent report claims that the launch date has been pushed into 2021.