Color head up display system

• US 4,560,233 A
• Filed: 02/06/1984
• Issued: 12/24/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qinetiq Limited (QinetiQ Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: The secretary of state for defence in her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain And Northern Ireland
• Inventors: Banbury, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corbin, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Propp, William
• Application Number:
  US06/577,369
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 340/702, 340/705, 340/980, 350/3.7, 350/3.72, 350/174
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0107 with optical power
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0116 comprising devices for correcting chromatic aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/28 using colour tubes tubes therefor H01J31/20

Abstract

A head up display system including a light emissive object at an object plane and a collimator and combiner to provide a collimated image for viewing at an eye plane overlaid on a view through the combiner. The object emits light in at least two chromatically separated emission wavebands and by a diffractive optical element in the light path from object plane to eye plane having narrow band reflection characteristics at each emission wavelength.

Claims

1. A head up display system including a light emissive object at an object plane, optics including a collimator and a combiner arranged to provide a collimated image of the object for viewing at an eye plane overlaid on a view through the combiner, the optics being arranged for optimum accuracy over a narrow band of wavelengths characterized in that the object emits light in at least two chromatically separated emission wavebands and by a diffractive optical element in the light path from object plane to eye plane having narrow band reflection characteristics at each emission waveband.

2. A head up display system as claimed in claim 1 and characterized in that the relative intensity of light emitted in each emission waveband is controlled to provide intermediate colors.

3. A head up display system as claimed in claim 1 and characterized in that an object is formed at a different magnification as light in each waveband is emitted.

4. A head up display system as claimed in claim 1 and characterized in that different geometrial correction is applied as light in each waveband is emitted.

5. A head up display system as claimed in claim 1 and including a diffractive optical element exhibiting a different focal length at each emission waveband such that light in each waveband from the object forms a correctly collimated color image at the image plane.

6. A head up display system as claimed in claim 5 and wherein a diffractive optical element exhibiting different focal lengths is constructed by recording spaced apart fringe patterns.

7. A head up display system as claimed in claim 1 and characterized in that the emission wavebands are at two contrasting colors.

8. A head up display system as claimed in claim 1 and characterized in that the emission wavebands are at three primary colors such that intermediate colors may be provided by additive mixing of the primaries.

9. A head up display system as claimed in claim 1 and including a cathode ray tube.

10. A head up display system as claimed in claim 9 and wherein the cathode ray tube has a phosphor of the penetron type.

11. A head up display system as claimed in claim 10 and wherein emission is restricted to wavebands of the penetron phosphor components and intermediate colors achieved by varying the writing speed or electrical drive to the cathode ray tube when each phosphor component is energized.