Head-up display, and vehicle equipped with head-up display

• US 10,234,683 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okayama, Hiroaki, Kuzuhara, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilkes, Zachary W
• Application Number:
  US15/072,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7, 359633
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/023 for extending or folding an optical path, e.g. delay lines
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0145 creating an intermediate image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0165 associated with a head-down display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence

Abstract

A head-up display is mounted to a vehicle having a windshield, and includes a display element configured to display an image, a first optical system configured to reflect the image displayed by the display element and project the image onto the windshield; and a second optical system configured to reflect the image displayed by the display element and project the image onto the windshield. The image projected with the first optical system is projected onto the windshield at a position below a position of the image projected with the second optical system.

Claims

1. A head-up display to be mounted to a vehicle having a windshield and configured to allow an observer to visually recognize a virtual image, the head-up display comprising:

a first display element configured to display a first image;

a first optical system configured to reflect the first image displayed by the first display element and project the first image onto the windshield;

a second display element configured to display a second image; and

a second optical system configured to reflect the second image displayed by the second display element and project the second image onto the windshield,

wherein the first image projected by the first optical system is projected onto the windshield at a position below a position of the second image projected by the second optical system from a perspective of the observer during normal operation of the vehicle,

wherein the second optical system has a first mirror and a second mirror arranged in order along an optical path from the first display element to the windshield, the second optical system being configured such that the second mirror reflects the second image reflected by the first mirror and projects the second image directly onto the windshield,

wherein the second mirror has a reflection surface including a point, the point corresponding to a central position of the second image to be reflected by the reflection surface, and

wherein a normal line to the reflection surface of the second mirror at the point has a component in a forward direction of the vehicle, the forward direction being a direction in which the observer faces during normal operation of the vehicle.

2. The head-up display according to claim 1, wherein the second optical system is disposed vertically above the first optical system from the perspective of the observer during normal operation of the vehicle.

3. The head-up display according to claim 1, wherein the first optical system and the second optical system are configured such that a light flux of the first image generated by the first display element crosses a light flux of the second image generated by the second display element plural times on an optical path from the first display element to the windshield.

4. The head-up display according to claim 1, wherein the first mirror in the second optical system comprises a part of a front panel composing a front part of a dashboard of the vehicle.

5. The head-up display according to claim 1, wherein the second mirror in the second optical system comprises a part of an antireflection cover covering the first optical system in a dashboard of the vehicle.

6. The head-up display according to claim 1, wherein the second display element and the second optical system are disposed vertically above the first display element and the first optical system, respectively, from the perspective of the observer during normal operation of the vehicle.

7. A head-up display to be mounted to a vehicle having a windshield and configured to allow an observer to visually recognize a virtual image, the head-up display comprising:

a display element configured to display an image;

an optical member configured to reflect and transmit a light flux of the image displayed by the display element;

a first optical system configured to reflect the light flux reflected by the optical member and project the light flux onto the windshield as a first image; and

a second optical system configured to reflect the light flux passing through the optical member and project the light flux onto the windshield as a second image,

wherein the first image projected by the first optical system is projected onto the windshield at a position below a position of the second image projected by the second optical system from a perspective of the observer during normal operation of the vehicle,

wherein the second optical system has a first mirror and a second mirror arranged in order along an optical path from the first display element to the windshield, the second optical system being configured such that the second mirror reflects the light flux reflected by the first mirror and projects the light flux onto the windshield as a second image,

wherein the second mirror has a reflection surface including a point, the point corresponding to a central position of the second image to be reflected by the reflection surface, and

wherein a normal line to the reflection surface of the second mirror at the point has a component in a forward direction of the vehicle, the forward direction being a direction in which the observer faces during normal operation of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a windshield; and

a head-up display configured to allow an observer to visually recognize a virtual image, the head-up display including;

a first display element configured to display a first image;

a first optical system configured to reflect the first image displayed by the first display element and project the first image onto the windshield;

a second display element configured to display a second image; and

a second optical system configured to reflect the second image displayed by the second display element and project the second image onto the windshield,

wherein the first image projected by the first optical system is projected onto the windshield at a position below a position of the second image projected by the second optical system from a perspective of the observer during normal operation of the vehicle,

wherein the second optical system has a first mirror and a second mirror arranged in order along an optical path from the first display element to the windshield, the second optical system being configured such that the second mirror reflects the second image reflected by the first mirror and projects the second image directly onto the windshield,

wherein the second mirror has a reflection surface including a point, the point corresponding to a central position of the second image to be reflected by the reflection surface, and

wherein a normal line to the reflection surface of the second mirror at the point has a component in a forward direction of the vehicle, the forward direction being a direction in which the observer faces during normal operation of the vehicle.