TRANSMISSIVE DISPLAY APPARATUS, MOBILE OBJECT AND CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20120242724A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: KUROZUKA, Akira, YAMAMOTO, Kakuya, KASAZUMI, Kenichi, SUGIYAMA, Keiji, KADOWAKI, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,698,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/697
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/52 Control of displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1334 based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/141 using ferroelectric liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/307 Reflective grating, i.e. Bragg grating

Abstract

A transmissive display apparatus includes a transparent display panel, a display unit which projects a display light toward a display area of the transparent display panel, a ratio change unit which is provided to the display area, is configured to be capable of changing a light transmittance, and is configured to be capable of changing a ratio of a light quantity of a rear face reflected light reaching a viewpoint relative to a light quantity of a front face reflected light reaching the viewpoint, and a control unit which alternately switches the ratio change unit between a first state and a second state. The ratio change unit lowers, in the first state, the ratio by reducing the light quantity of the rear face reflected light that reaches the viewpoint in comparison to the second state. The light transmittance increases in the second state in comparison to the first state.

Claims

1. A transmissive display apparatus, comprising:

a transparent display panel which transmits an extraneous light;

a display unit which projects a display light representing an image toward a display area set at a part of the transparent display panel;

a ratio change unit which is provided to the display area of the transparent display panel, is configured to be capable of changing a light transmittance, and is configured to be capable of changing a ratio of a light quantity of a rear face reflected light that reaches a viewpoint of an observer relative to a light quantity of a front face reflected light that reaches the viewpoint, the rear face reflected light being the display light having transmitted through a front face of the transparent display panel and having been reflected off a rear face of the transparent display panel, and the front face reflected light being the display light having been reflected off a front face side of the display area of the transparent display panel; and

a control unit which alternately switches the ratio change unit between a first state and a second state at a predetermined duty ratio, wherein

the ratio change unit lowers, in the first state, the ratio by reducing the light quantity of the rear face reflected light that reaches the viewpoint in comparison to the second state, and

the light transmittance of the ratio change unit increases in the second state in comparison to the first state.

2. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit adjusts the duty ratio to cause an hourly-averaged visible light transmittance in the display area of the transparent display panel to be a predetermined defined value or higher.

3. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the display unit to set a luminance of the display light projected from the display unit as a first luminance when the ratio change unit is in the first state, and to set a luminance of the display light projected from the display unit as a second luminance that is lower than the first luminance when the ratio change unit is in the second state.

4. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the control unit sets the first luminance and the second luminance to values according to the duty ratio so that an hourly-average luminance of the display light becomes a predetermined level or higher.

5. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit sets the second luminance to zero.

6. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transparent display panel includes an inner transparent plate, an outer transparent plate provided on an opposite side of the viewpoint relative to the inner transparent plate, and an intermediate film provided between the inner transparent plate and the outer transparent plate,

the ratio change unit includes a switching diffractive element which is disposed on the intermediate film and is configured to be capable of changing a diffraction efficiency and the light transmittance,

the control unit alternately switches the switching diffractive element, as the ratio change unit, between the first state and the second state at the predetermined duty ratio,

the switching diffractive element diffracts an incident light at a predetermined diffraction efficiency in the first state,

the diffraction efficiency of the switching diffractive element decreases and the light transmittance thereof increases in the second state in comparison to the first state, and

the switching diffractive element causes the display light, in which the rear face reflected light advances toward the viewpoint in the second state, to advance in a direction other than a direction toward the viewpoint by diffracting the display light at the predetermined diffraction efficiency in the first state.

7. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the ratio change unit includes a switching diffractive element which is disposed on a front face on the viewpoint side of the display area of the transparent display panel and is configured to be capable of changing the light transmittance and a light reflectance,

the control unit alternately switches the switching diffractive element, as the ratio change unit, between the first state and the second state at the predetermined duty ratio,

the light transmittance of the switching diffractive element in the second state becomes higher in comparison to the first state,

the light reflectance of the switching diffractive element in the first state becomes higher in comparison to the second state, and

the switching diffractive element reflects the display light, which transmits through the switching diffractive element and forms the rear face reflected light in the second state, such that the display light does not reach the viewpoint as the rear face reflected light in the first state.

8. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the ratio change unit includes a switching photochromatic mirror which is disposed on a front face on the viewpoint side of the display area of the transparent display panel and is configured to be capable of changing the light transmittance and a light reflectance,

the control unit alternately switches the switching photochromatic mirror, as the ratio change unit, between the first state and the second state at the predetermined duty ratio,

the light transmittance of the switching photochromatic mirror in the second state becomes higher in comparison to the first state,

the light reflectance of the switching photochromatic mirror in the first state becomes higher in comparison to the second state, and

the switching photochromatic mirror reflects the display light, which transmits through the switching photochromatic mirror and forms the rear face reflected light in the second state, such that the display light does not reach the viewpoint as the rear face reflected light in the first state.

9. The transmissive display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transparent display panel includes an inner transparent plate, an outer transparent plate provided on an opposite side of the viewpoint relative to the inner transparent plate, and an intermediate film provided between the inner transparent plate and the outer transparent plate,

the ratio change unit includes a switching light-shielding element which is disposed on the intermediate film and is configured to be capable of changing the light transmittance,

the control unit alternately switches the switching light-shielding element, as the ratio change unit, between the first state and the second state at the predetermined duty ratio,

the light transmittance of the switching light-shielding element in the first state becomes lower in comparison to the second state, and

the switching light-shielding element transmits the display light, which transmits through the switching light-shielding element and forms the rear face reflected light in the second state, at a light transmittance that is lower in comparison to the second state so as to decrease a quantity of light that reaches the viewpoint as the rear face reflected light in the first state.

10. A mobile object, comprising:

the transmissive display apparatus according to claim 1;

an operating unit which is operated by the observer;

a drive source which generates a drive force for traveling; and

a drive control unit which controls the drive source according to operations of the operating unit by the observer.

11. A control apparatus which controls an image display unit,

wherein the image display unit includes:

a transparent display panel which transmits an extraneous light;

a display unit which projects a display light representing an image toward a display area set at a part of the transparent display panel; and

a ratio change unit which is provided to the display area of the transparent display panel, is configured to be capable of changing a light transmittance, and is configured to be capable of changing a ratio of a light quantity of a rear face reflected light that reaches a viewpoint of an observer relative to a light quantity of a front face reflected light that reaches the viewpoint, the rear face reflected light being the display light having transmitted through a front face of the transparent display panel and having been reflected off a rear face of the transparent display panel, and the front face reflected light being the display light having been reflected off a front face side of the display area of the transparent display panel;

wherein the control apparatus comprises;

a control unit which outputs a control signal to the ratio change unit to alternately switch the ratio change unit between a first state and a second state at a predetermined duty ratio,

wherein the ratio change unit lowers, in the first state, the ratio by reducing the light quantity of the rear face reflected light that reaches the viewpoint in comparison to the second state,

and wherein the light transmittance of the ratio change unit increases in the second state in comparison to the first state.