Man-machine interface for motor vehicle

• US 10,214,105 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Etudes Electroniques (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Etudes Electroniques (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: El Khoury, Ziad
• Primary Examiner(s): Faragalla, Michael A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bibbee, Chayce R
• Application Number:
  US14/362,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20140347303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/126 Rotatable input devices for instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1442 Emulation of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/145 Instrument input by combination of touch screen and hardware input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/29 Holographic features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/333 Lasers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/347 Optical elements for superposition of display information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/10 Scanning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/02 Diffusing elements; Afocal elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

Man-machine interface for motor vehicle comprising a display screen (6) and a control means on which the user of the vehicle can act in order to alter a parameter of the vehicle, characterized in that it also comprises displaying means (16) and a laser projector (14), the displaying means being designed to receive an image from the laser projector and to display it on the display screen.

Claims

1. A man-machine interface for a motor vehicle, said interface comprising:

a viewing screen and a control means, on which a user of the vehicle can act in order to modify a parameter of the vehicle;

display means and a laser projector, the display means being arranged in order to receive and display an image coming from the laser projector on the viewing screen, wherein the laser projector comprises;

three laser sources, each of the three sources being capable of emitting a monochromatic light beam of one of red, green or blue; and

a scanning device comprising at least one microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirror, wherein the at least one MEMS mirror turns about two rotation axes to carry out a scan;

wherein the display means comprise a diffuser screen of the exit pupil expander type, on which an intermediate image is formed from the projection of the image onto said diffuser screen by the laser projector; and

a three-dimensional mirror for deforming the intermediate image in order to adapt the intermediate image to the viewing screen,

wherein the three-dimensional mirror is a curved polygonal mirror,

wherein the interface is provided with a cover, the cover comprising a covering on the viewing screen, and wherein the cover closes the display means, the laser projector, and the three-dimensional mirror to be behind the viewing screen and the control means, and

wherein a position of a rear face of the cover is conditioned by an angle of inclination of the three-dimensional mirror with respect to a vertical axis such that an end of the three-dimensional mirror limits a thickness of the man-machine interface.

2. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional mirror has a nonplanar freeform reflection surface.

3. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means comprises a touch screen arranged on the viewing screen.

4. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means comprises a pushbutton or rotary button integral with the interface.

5. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pushbutton or rotary button is supported by the viewing screen.

6. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the viewing screen has a curved surface.

7. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the viewing screen has a frosted appearance.

8. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for driving the laser projector.

9. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness is less than 100 mm, wherein the thickness is defined by a distance between a plane tangent to the viewing screen and the rear face of the cover.

10. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a screen-printed ink configured to produce masking zones.

11. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a printed circuit board with a video card function.

12. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 11, wherein the three-dimensional mirror is arranged at a bottom of the cover, and the diffuser screen is interposed between the video card and the bottom of the cover.

13. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 11, wherein the video card function comprises a microcontroller configured to control a power supply of the laser projector and transmit data of the image to be projected onto the viewing screen.

14. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 9, wherein a height, corresponding to a projection of the three-dimensional mirror onto the vertical axis, is between 15 and 50 mm and the angle of inclination is between 5 degrees and 20 degrees.

15. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover comprises tabs configured to fasten the cover to the motor vehicle.

16. The man-machine interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering on the viewing screen is anti-reflection and polarizing.