Holographic head-up control panel

• US 4,818,048 A
• Filed: 01/06/1987
• Issued: 04/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Moss, Gaylord E.
• Primary Examiner(s): MATAR, AHMAD
• Application Number:
  US07/000,788
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 350/174, 350/3.6, 350/3.7, 350/3.77, 350/3.83-3.85
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 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: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0408 Total internal reflection [TIR] holograms, e.g. edge lit or substrate mode holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2234 Transmission reconstruction
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2615 in physical contact, i.e. layered holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2222/13 Multi-wavelengths wave with discontinuous wavelength ranges G03H2222/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2223/16 Optical waveguide, e.g. optical fibre, rod

Abstract

A head-up holographic display for providing a display on a vehicle windshield of a control panel and indications of the vehicle operator'"'"'s manual movements and manual selection operations on the control panel. The display includes a number of edge-illuminatable hologram layers providing a background display and touch and activation indications. Signals from the control panel selectively illuminate respective layers and portions thereof in response to operations on the control panel to create a windshield display thereof. In a second embodiment, a head-up virtual image background display is provided by a first hologram and dots indicative of the driver'"'"'s finger position on the control panel are positioned on the background display by selective illumination of a second hologram.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a windshield in front of a viewer'"'"'s face;

a control panel means responsive to the viewer'"'"'s manual movements; and

means including a hologram means applied to said windshield for displaying an indication of said manual movements in a line of sight through said windshield.

2. The display of claim 1 wherein said control panel means is responsive to said manual movements to activate control functions and wherein said hologram means includes a hologram displaying a background representation of a said control function and a hologram display indicating the state of said function.

3. The display of Claim 1 wherein said hologram means includes:

a background hologram means for providing a plurality of illuminated areas corresponding to a plurality of parameters controllable on said control panel; and

a plurality of hologram means, each disposed over one of said areas for indicating the state of a respective said parameter.

4. The display of claim 1 wherein said control panel includes a plurality of switches responsive to touch and to depression for controlling said control functions, and wherein said hologram means includes:

a background hologram means for providing a plurality of illuminated areas corresponding to a plurality of control functions controllable by respective said switches; and

a first hologram means disposed over a first of said areas for displaying an indication that said switch has been touched.

5. The display of claim 4 further including a second hologram means disposed over one of said areas for displaying an indication that a said switch has been depressed.

6. The display of claim 5 wherein said background hologram means, first hologram means and second hologram means each are formed in a respective hologram film layer.

7. The display of claim 1 wherein said control panel means produces a plurality of control signals and wherein said means for displaying further includes means responsive to said control signals for generating said indication on said hologram means.

8. The display of claim 7 wherein said hologram means comprises a first hologram for generating a virtual image background display, and a second hologram means for providing a plurality of selectively activated virtual dot images on said virtual image background.

9. The display of claim 7 further including a microprocessor means responsive to said control signals to assign different control functions to said control panel.

10. The display of claim 9 wherein said hologram means includes means for configuring a plurality of displays and wherein said microprocessor means selects one of said plurality of displays in accordance with the control functions assigned to said control panel.

11. The display of claim 10 in which the hologram means shows only the functions of a reconfigurable switch panel but not their state.

12. A display comprising:

a windshield in front of a viewer'"'"'s face;

a control panel means responsive to the viewer'"'"'s manual movements; and

means for displaying an indication of said manual movements in a line of sight through said windshield,

wherein said manual movements include a touch movement and an enable movement and wherein said control panel includes a switch means providing a touch indication and an enable indication and wherein said means for displaying is operative to display an indication that said switch means is being touched and is thereafter operative to display an indication that said switch means has been enabled.

13. A display comprising:

a windshield in front of a viewer'"'"'s face;

a control panel means responsive to the viewer'"'"'s hand movements; and

means for displaying an indication of said hand movements in a line of sight through said windshield.