HEAD-UP DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20180017792A1
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: TAKAZAWA, Takashi, ANDO, Hiroshi, SAKAI, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/23 using reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/658 the instruments being ergonomically adjustable to the user
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/008 Systems specially adapted to form image relays or chained systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0145 creating an intermediate image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0159 with mechanical means other than scaning means for positioning the whole image
• 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 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

A head-up display device includes a housing, a projection unit projecting light representing an image, and an optical unit leading the light projected from the projection unit to a windshield of a vehicle. The optical unit includes a magnifying optical unit attached to the housing and reflecting the light toward the windshield, a screen attached to the housing and reflecting or transmitting the light toward the magnifying optical unit, and an incident angle changing unit changing an incident angle of the light that goes incident on the screen.

Claims

1. A head-up display device comprising:

a housing;

a projection unit projecting light representing an image; and

an optical unit leading the light projected from the projection unit to a windshield of a vehicle,

wherein the optical unit includes;

a magnifying optical unit attached to the housing and reflecting the light toward the windshield;

a screen attached to the housing and reflecting or transmitting the light toward the magnifying optical unit; and

an incident angle changing unit changing an incident angle of the light that goes incident on the screen.

2. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein:

a position of the incident angle changing unit is changeable with respect to the screen; and

the incident angle changing unit is provided by one of a reflecting mirror, a prism, or a lens each of which leads the light to the screen.

3. The head-up display device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a location acquisition unit acquiring a location of the incident angle changing unit; and

a correction unit correcting a distortion of the image according to the location of the incident angle changing unit, the image being represented by the light projected from the projection unit.

4. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein:

a position of the incident angle changing unit is changeable with respect to the screen;

the incident angle changing unit is provided by a reflecting mirror reflecting the light to the screen; and

the reflecting mirror is movable parallel to the light that goes incident on the reflecting mirror.

5. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein:

a position of the incident angle changing unit is changeable with respect to the screen;

the incident angle changing unit is provided by a reflecting mirror reflecting the light to the screen; and

the reflecting mirror is movable in an arc orbit with a point away from the reflecting mirror as a circle center.

6. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein:

a position of the incident angle changing unit is changeable with respect to the screen;

the incident angle changing unit is provided by a reflecting mirror reflecting the light to the screen; and

the reflecting mirror is movable in an elliptical orbit which maintains a constant length of a light path of the light.

7. The head-up display device according to claim 4, wherein

the reflecting mirror has a finite focal length.

8. The head-up display device according to claim 7, wherein:

the reflecting mirror includes a reflecting surface having an inhomogeneous curvature distribution;

a curvature of the reflecting surface at an incident position where the light goes incident on the reflecting mirror changes with a location of the reflecting mirror; and

a movement distance of an image forming position caused by a movement of the reflecting mirror with the reflecting surface having the inhomogeneous curvature distribution is set to be smaller than a movement distance of an image forming position caused by a movement of a reflecting mirror with a reflecting surface having a homogeneous curvature.

9. The head-up display device according to claim 1, further comprising

a reflection unit reflecting the light projected from the projection unit to the incident angle changing unit.

10. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein

the screen is provided by a reflective screen.

11. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein:

the optical unit includes two or more optical sets each including the screen and the incident angle changing unit; and

a direction leading the light to the windshield in one of the two or more optical sets is different from another one of the two or more optical sets.