Head-up display device

• US 20050024490A1
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Harada, Takeshi, Kageyama, Hideaki, Furuya, Yoshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,930,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/115
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence

Abstract

A head-up display device having an excellent appearance, which has a simple structure and an excellent design upon both nonuse and use, is provided. A cover having a shape equivalent to that of an aperture formed on an upper surface of a housing is attached on an upper surface of a retractable reflector. The cover slides on the upper surface of the reflector cooperating with a retractable motion of the reflector, thereby performing the opening and closing action of the aperture. When the reflector takes its falling-down posture, the reflector and its rotation shaft can be shielded from an eye range and the number of the parting lines can be reduced.

Claims

1. A head-up display device comprising:

a display element which is attached inside a housing and emits a specific image displaying light;

a retractable reflector pivoted on a part of the housing, the reflector taking a standing-up condition on which the reflector protrudes from an aperture formed on an upper surface of the housing to the outside of the housing or, alternatively, a falling-down condition on which the reflector is received inside the housing, on the standing-up condition the reflector changing a light path of the image displaying light that has passed through the aperture, thereby providing a final image information formed on the basis of the image displaying light to a specific eye range; and

a cover having a shape equivalent to that of the aperture, the cover being attached on an upper surface of the reflector and sliding on the upper surface of the reflector cooperating with a retractable motion of the reflector, and the cover closing the aperture on the falling-down condition of the reflector while the cover opens the aperture on the standing-up condition of the reflector, thereby performing the opening and closing action of the aperture.

2. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein an upper edge of the cover protrudes in front further than an upper edge of the reflector on the falling-down condition of the reflector, while the upper edge of the cover slides so as to form a plane flush with that of the upper edge of the reflector on the standing-up condition of the reflector.

3. The head-up display device according to claim 2, wherein the reflector includes:

a reflector rotation shaft that is a rotation center of the reflector and is pivoted on a part of the housing; and

a reflector guide pin which is displaced around the reflector rotation shaft as the reflector rotates,

wherein a cam, which connects the cover with the reflector, includes;

a cam rotation shaft that is a rotation center of the cam and is pivoted on a part of the housing;

a cam guide hole having a slit-shape, which displaces the cam in response to the displacement of the reflector guide pin, the reflector guide pin being inserted in the cam guide hole; and

a cam guide pin which is displaced around the cam rotation shaft as the cam rotates, wherein the cover includes a cover guide having a slit-shape extending downward, which slides the cover on the upper surface of the reflector in response to the displacement of the cam guide pin, the cam guide pin being inserted in the cover guide.

4. The head-up display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover is a foldable slide-type shutter, and the head-up display device further includes folding means provided inside the housing, the folding means performing the slide motion of the cover in such a manner that the cover is folded cooperating with the rotation of the reflector from the falling-down condition to the standing-up condition.

5. The head-up display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover includes:

a first cover which slides on the upper surface of the reflector; and

a second cover pivoted in the vicinity of an end of the first cover, the end facing the inside of the housing, the second cover cooperating with the first cover,

wherein the head-up display device further includes bending means provided inside the housing, the bending means performing the slide motion of the first cover in such a manner that the second cover is bent in a rotation direction of the second cover cooperating with the rotation of the reflector from the falling-down condition to the standing-up condition.

6. The head-up display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cover is a foldable slide-type shutter, and the head-up display device further includes folding means provided inside the housing, the folding means performing the slide motion of the cover in such a manner that the cover is folded cooperating with the rotation of the reflector from the falling-down condition to the standing-up condition.

7. The head-up display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cover is a foldable slide-type shutter, and the head-up display device further includes folding means provided inside the housing, the folding means performing the slide motion of the cover in such a manner that the cover is folded cooperating with the rotation of the reflector from the falling-down condition to the standing-up condition.

8. The head-up display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cover includes:

a first cover which slides on the upper surface of the reflector; and

a second cover pivoted in the vicinity of an end of the first cover, the end facing the inside of the housing, the second cover cooperating with the first cover,

wherein the head-up display device further includes bending means provided inside the housing, the bending means performing the slide motion of the first cover in such a manner that the second cover is bent in a rotation direction of the second cover cooperating with the rotation of the reflector from the falling-down condition to the standing-up condition.

9. The head-up display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cover includes:

a first cover which slides on the upper surface of the reflector; and

a second cover pivoted in the vicinity of an end of the first cover, the end facing the inside of the housing, the second cover cooperating with the first cover,

wherein the head-up display device further includes bending means provided inside the housing, the bending means performing the slide motion of the first cover in such a manner that the second cover is bent in a rotation direction of the second cover cooperating with the rotation of the reflector from the falling-down condition to the standing-up condition.