Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – Plural mirrors or reflecting surfaces
Patent
1992-02-11
1994-03-01
Ben, Loha
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
Plural mirrors or reflecting surfaces
359843, 359634, 180 90, 280771, G02B 510
Patent
active
052913384
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a head-down type optical device designed to deliver information to the driver of a motor vehicle.
Numerous devices have already been proposed for delivering optical information to the driver of a motor vehicle. For example, indicator lamps and instruments having moving pointers have been in use for a long time. More recently, light-emitting displays and liquid crystal displays have been proposed.
These tend to be preferred nowadays, in particular for reasons of appearance. However, their cost is often prohibitive when the display is to be large in size.
Systems of the so-called "head-down display" type are known in the field of aviation. The purpose of these systems is to project information to infinity or to a great distance in an equipment field of view situated immediately below the bottom line of view in the landscape field of view, without superposing information on the landscape. "Head-down display" type systems make it possible to acquire the projected information appreciably more quickly since they limit the accommodation or convergence that is required when passing from landscape to information.
However, the head-down type systems proposed for aviation are generally complex and expensive.
Proposals have also been made, for example in Document WO-A-8902611 for head-down type display systems that provide information to the driver of a motor vehicle.
However, the system described in Document WO-A-8902611 is also quite complex. In particular, it comprises a display associated with a source of illumination by means of a bundle of optical fibers.
The system described in Document WO-A-8902611 has not, as yet, given rise to an application in the field of motor vehicles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to propose a novel optical device for delivering information to the driver of a motor vehicle while eliminating the drawbacks of prior devices.
According to the present invention, this object is achieved by an optical device for delivering information to the driver of a motor vehicle, the device comprising a concave mirror placed below the bottom line of view in the landscape field of view, the concave side of the mirror facing the driver, and an imaging device designed to direct a light signal towards the mirror, wherein the concave mirror is defined by a portion of the surface of a torus, and the device includes means for adjusting its pointing direction about a horizontal axis.
The system proposed by the present invention is simple, robust, reliable, and cheap.
It enables any driver to adapt to it quickly even if the driver is not familiar with sophisticated systems.
In addition, because of the magnification provided by the concave mirror, it makes it possible to use an imaging device of small size. This disposition is advantageous because it reduces to cost of the display. It also makes an appreciable space saving possible.
According to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the light signal from the imaging device is directed towards the concave mirror by an auxiliary return mirror.
According to another characteristic of the present invention, the display is of the static type, e.g. of the LCD type, and a connector for connecting the display to a power supply and information-generating circuit is placed on one of the vertical sides of the display.
This characteristic makes it possible to make maximum use of the height-limited space available in the passenger compartment where the display set must be installed between the top face of the steering column and the bottom of the windshield. It is thus possible to make a display whose effective height is practically equal to the available height.
According to another advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the display device is of the static type and connectors for connecting the display to a power supply and information-generating circuit are placed on each of the vertical sides of the display.
According to another advantageous char
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patent: 4836651 (1989-06-01), Anderson
patent: 4962998 (1990-10-01), Iino
patent: 5059956 (1991-10-01), Iino
Patent Abstracts of Japan vol. 11, No. 84 (P-556) [2531] Mar. 1987 S. Okabayashi "Display Device for Vehicle".
Bezard Jean-Jacques
Bonutto Alain
Jury Catherine
Ben Loha
Jaeger
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