Optical: systems and elements – Single channel simultaneously to or from plural channels – By partial reflection at beam splitting or combining surface
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-17
2003-11-18
Mack, Ricky (Department: 2873)
Optical: systems and elements
Single channel simultaneously to or from plural channels
By partial reflection at beam splitting or combining surface
C359S633000, C345S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06650482
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle-installed head-up display device, and more particularly to a vehicle-installed head-up display device which reflects a displayed image by a translucent reflecting means arranged in a visual field ahead of a driver and permits the driver to recognize a displayed image visually as a virtual image ahead of a windshield.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of such a device is shown in FIG.
10
. In
FIG. 10
, a light-emitting display
111
of e.g. a liquid crystal or fluorescent display tube is installed in a dashboard (not shown) so that its displaying screen is oriented forward of the vehicle. A reflecting mirror
113
is arranged oppositely to and at an angle formed with the displaying screen of the display
11
. The light of the image displayed on the display
111
is incident on the reflecting mirror
113
through an enlarging optical system
112
such as a Fresnel lens.
The reflecting mirror
113
reflects the light of the displayed image toward the inner face on the side of a passenger room of a windshield (front glass)
20
of the vehicle. The inner face is coated with a translucent reflecting film
21
capable of increasing the reflectance of the inner face as the occasion demands to raise the brightness of the displayed image reflected by the reflecting mirror
113
. Therefore, the driver can see the displayed image which is imaged far by the enlarging optical system
112
as an image
111
′ and reflected by a translucent reflecting film
21
as an enlarged virtual image
111
″ far ahead of the windshield.
Although not shown, the light emitting display
111
, enlarging optical system
112
and reflecting mirror
113
are installed as a displaying unit within a single case. Its outer size depends on the size (viewing angle) of the displayed image, displaying distance by the enlarging optical system and a visible range
30
. The visible range must be assured within an eye range
31
which varies according to a driving posture and physics of the driver. Assuming that the displaying distance is 2-3 m, in order to cover 95% to 99% of the eye range, the display unit must have an increased outer size and hence is difficult to be arranged in a dashboard having a limited space.
In order to obviate such an inconvenience, traditionally, since the visible range of a driver does not move so greatly during running, only a certain visible range is assured. For example, as shown in
FIG. 11
, an adjusting mechanism is added which serves to move the reflecting mirror
113
linearly so that its distance from the displaying screen of the display
111
varies. Otherwise, as shown in
FIG. 12
, another adjusting mechanism is added which serves to rotate the reflecting mirror
113
so that its angle formed with the display
111
varies. Thus, the visible range
30
can be moved within the eye range
31
.
As another example of such a device, the structure as shown in
FIG. 13
was proposed. In
FIG. 13
, a light-emitting display
211
of e.g. a liquid crystal or fluorescent display tube is arranged within a dashboard of the vehicle (not shown) so that its displaying screen is oriented toward the rear of the vehicle. A reflecting mirror
212
is arranged apart from the display
211
so that the reflecting face is opposite to the displaying screen. The reflecting mirror
212
serves to reflect the light of the displayed image (hereinafter referred to as “image light”) toward the displaying screen of the display
211
. The reflecting mirror
212
may be a concave mirror.
A translucent reflecting plate
213
is arranged between the display
211
and the reflecting mirror
212
. The translucent reflecting mirror
213
may be a half mirror which is inclined at a prescribed angle so as to transmit the image light from the display
211
and to reflect the light of the displayed image reflected by the reflecting mirror
212
toward the inner face on the side of a passenger room of a windshield (front glass)
20
of the vehicle through the opening above the dash board. The inner face maybe coated with a translucent reflecting film
21
capable of increasing the reflectance of the inner face as the occasion demands to raise the brightness of the displayed image reflected by the reflecting mirror
213
.
In accordance with such a configuration, the driver can visually recognize the displayed image on the display finally reflected by the windshield
20
as a virtual image
211
″ which is imaged as a virtual image enlarged by the curvature of the windshield at a position corresponding to the sum of the distances between the display
211
and the reflecting mirror
212
, between the reflecting mirror
212
and the translucent reflecting mirror
213
and between the reflecting mirror
213
and the windshield
20
.
However, in order to improve installation capability in the vehicle, any of the proposals cannot miniaturize the display device without reducing the size of the displayed image. Further, where the displayed image with a further increased size is required, an existing unit having only the function of adjusting the eye range cannot satisfy the requirement. Namely, an increased size of the unit which cannot be installed in the vehicle is necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above circumstance, an object of this invention is to provide a vehicle-installed head-up display device which can be further miniaturized and improve installation capability in a vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide a vehicle-installed head-up display device which can display a large image without being up-sized.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a a vehicle-installed head-up display device comprising:
final reflecting means located in a field of view ahead of a driver's seat, the final reflecting means being translucent;
displaying means capable of selectively displaying one of first and second images by light emission on a signal displaying screen;
first reflecting means for reflecting light of a displayed image toward a first reflective area of the final reflecting means;
second reflecting means for reflecting light of the displayed image toward a second reflective area of the final reflecting means, the second reflective area being adjacent to the first reflective area; and
optical path exchanging means for exchanging an optical path so that when the first image is displayed by the displaying means, only the light of the first image reflected by the first reflecting means is incident on the first reflective area, whereas when the second image is displayed by the displaying means, only the light of the second image is incident on the second reflective area, wherein
the first and second images one of which is selectively displayed are reflected by the first reflective area and the second reflective area of the final reflecting means so that a driver can visually recognize these images as virtual images ahead of a windshield.
In this configuration, the two images, one of which is selectively displayed on the single displaying screen of the displaying means, are reflected by the translucent reflecting means arranged in the field of view ahead of the driver's seat and can be visually recognized by the driver.
In a preferred embodiment, selective display of the first and second displayed images is made in a period shorter that the afterimage of eyes, and in synchronism with the selective display, the optical path is exchanged by the optical path changing means whereby the displayed images are visually recognized as a single virtual image.
In this configuration, the two displayed images can be visually recognized as a single virtual image by the driver.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a vehicle-installed head-up display device comprising:
final reflecting means located in a field of view ahead of a driver's seat, the final reflecting means being translucent;
displaying means capable of selectively displaying one of two images by ligh
Aoki Kunimitsu
Nakamura Go
Mack Ricky
Thomas Brand N
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
Vehicle-installed head-up display device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Vehicle-installed head-up display device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Vehicle-installed head-up display device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3149092