Controlling automotive functionality using internal- and external-facing sensors

A method for providing appropriate automotive alerts, the method comprising:

• receiving interior sensor input from at least one internal-facing sensor, the interior sensor input indicating information about the actions of one or more automobile occupants including a driver;
• receiving exterior sensor input from at least one external-facing sensor, the exterior sensor input indicating information about one or more objects external to the automobile;
• based on both the received interior sensor input and the received exterior sensor input, determining that the driver was looking in a specified direction when an object external to the automobile triggered an alert;
• based on the direction the driver was looking and based on the location of the external object, determining an appropriate alerting action to perform;
• and
• performing the determined appropriate alerting action.

An automotive heads-up display projection system, comprising:

• at least one internal-facing sensor positioned within an automobile;
• at least one external-facing sensor positioned within the automobile;
• at least one internal heads-up display projector configured to project a heads-up display on one or more interior surfaces of the automobile;
• an information processing system that performs the following:
• receiving interior sensor input from the at least one internal-facing sensor, the interior sensor input indicating information about the actions of one or more automobile occupants including a driver;
• receiving exterior sensor input from the at least one external-facing sensor, the exterior sensor input indicating information about one or more objects external to the automobile;
• based on both the received interior sensor input and the received exterior sensor input, determining an appropriate action to perform;
• and
• performing the determined appropriate action.