Information display device
First Claim
1. An information display device displaying a virtual image on a windshield of a vehicle based on video image information, comprising:
- a display element displaying the video image information; and
a virtual image optical system displaying the virtual image in front of the vehicle as viewed from a driver'"'"'s point of view by reflecting a video image light emitted from the display element on the windshield,wherein the virtual image optical system includes;
a concave mirror disposed on an optical path of the video image light and between the display element and the windshield; and
a refractive optical element disposed on the optical path and between the display element and the concave mirror,wherein the concave mirror includes a reflection surface made of a metal film, having a high and uniform spectral reflectance with respect to a visible light, on a front surface of a base material at a portion where the video image light having passed through the refractive optical element is reflected onto a region of the windshield,wherein the refractive optical element has a shape that allows optical distance conversion and aberration correction to be performed for each virtual image of a plurality of virtual images and is disposed such that the each virtual image of the plurality of virtual images is established as the virtual image at a plurality of positions which include an upper position, a middle position and a lower position at separate line-of-sight directions and at separate distances from the viewpoint positions and which correspond to viewpoint positions of the driver from an upper portion to a lower portion of the windshield, and such that a video image light flux is separated to establish the each virtual image between the display element and the concave mirror,wherein the lower position among the plurality of positions of the plurality of virtual images is a proximal position in front of the windshield and on a side closer to the windshield, and the upper position is a distal position on a side farther away from the windshield,wherein the refractive optical element includes;
a first portion for establishing a first virtual image to be formed at the proximal position;
a second portion for establishing a second virtual image to be formed at the middle position; and
a third portion for establishing a third virtual image to be formed at the distal position,wherein the virtual image optical system further includes a cylinder mirror disposed on the optical path and between the display element and the concave mirror, andwherein the refractive optical element is a stepped filter disposed between the display element and the cylinder mirror and in proximity to a subsequent step of the display element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Provided is a small-sized information display device displaying video image information as a virtual image by use of an eyepiece optical system including a concave mirror having desired reflection characteristics in a specific polarization direction, where a liquid crystal display panel is used as a video image light source. The information display device has a liquid crystal display panel as a flat display forming video image information disposed therein, and includes a virtual image optical system including a member to be projected for displaying virtual images in front of a vehicle by making a video image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel reflect on the member to be projected. The virtual image optical system includes a concave mirror, and a reflective film of the concave mirror has desired reflection characteristics in a specific polarization direction, so that virtual images having uniform brightness and chromaticity can be obtained.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An information display device displaying a virtual image on a windshield of a vehicle based on video image information, comprising:
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a display element displaying the video image information; and a virtual image optical system displaying the virtual image in front of the vehicle as viewed from a driver'"'"'s point of view by reflecting a video image light emitted from the display element on the windshield, wherein the virtual image optical system includes;
a concave mirror disposed on an optical path of the video image light and between the display element and the windshield; and
a refractive optical element disposed on the optical path and between the display element and the concave mirror,wherein the concave mirror includes a reflection surface made of a metal film, having a high and uniform spectral reflectance with respect to a visible light, on a front surface of a base material at a portion where the video image light having passed through the refractive optical element is reflected onto a region of the windshield, wherein the refractive optical element has a shape that allows optical distance conversion and aberration correction to be performed for each virtual image of a plurality of virtual images and is disposed such that the each virtual image of the plurality of virtual images is established as the virtual image at a plurality of positions which include an upper position, a middle position and a lower position at separate line-of-sight directions and at separate distances from the viewpoint positions and which correspond to viewpoint positions of the driver from an upper portion to a lower portion of the windshield, and such that a video image light flux is separated to establish the each virtual image between the display element and the concave mirror, wherein the lower position among the plurality of positions of the plurality of virtual images is a proximal position in front of the windshield and on a side closer to the windshield, and the upper position is a distal position on a side farther away from the windshield, wherein the refractive optical element includes;
a first portion for establishing a first virtual image to be formed at the proximal position;
a second portion for establishing a second virtual image to be formed at the middle position; and
a third portion for establishing a third virtual image to be formed at the distal position,wherein the virtual image optical system further includes a cylinder mirror disposed on the optical path and between the display element and the concave mirror, and wherein the refractive optical element is a stepped filter disposed between the display element and the cylinder mirror and in proximity to a subsequent step of the display element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification