Holographic head-up display apparatus

• US 4,932,731 A
• Filed: 07/10/1989
• Issued: 06/12/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Ohtsuji, Shunji, Suzuki, Yoshiyuki, Suzuki, Masao, Ohtsuka, Tatsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parsons, David R.
• Application Number:
  US07/377,042
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 350/3.7, 350/174
• US Class Current: 359/13
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0109 comprising details concerning the making of holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0116 comprising devices for correcting chromatic aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements

Abstract

In a head-up display such that display images of instruments within a dashboard can be projected upon part of a windshield of an automotive vehicle, the holographic head-up display apparatus comprises a light emitting display unit; a transmissive hologram plate; and a reflective hologram plate. Since visible display images can be seen by the driver after having been passed through the transmissive hologram plate and reflected from the reflective hologram plate, blur of the display image due to chromatic aberration can be cancelled out, thus providing clear head-up instrument images.

Claims

1. A holographic head-up display apparatus which comprises:

(a) light emitting display means for generating visible display light;

(b) transmissive hologram diffraction grating means for transmissively diffracting the visible display light emitted from said light emitting display means;

(c) reflective hologram diffraction grating means for reflectively diffracting the visible display light transmissively diffracted through said transmissive hologram diffraction grating means toward an observer so that the observer can recognize a clear virtual image free from chromatic aberration of the visible display light emitted from said light emitting display means.

2. The holographic head-up display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said transmissive hologram diffraction grating means is formed by irradiating a hologram dry plate with two light sources located on the same side of said transmissive hologram diffraction grating means in such a way a first light source is located a distance L₄ away from a center of the hologram dry plate so as to correspond to a position of said light emitting display means relative to said transmissive means and a second light source is located a distance L₃ away from the center thereof under consideration of chromatic aberration of the visible display light.

3. The holographic head-up display apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said reflective hologram diffraction grating means is formed by irradiating a hologram dry plate with two light sources located on both sides of said reflective hologram diffraction grating means in such a way that a first light source is located a distance L₁ away from a center of the hologram dry plate so as to correspond to a position of the virtual image of the visible display light relative to said reflective means and a second light source is located a distance L₂ +L₃ away from the center thereof, where L₂ denotes a distance between said two, transmissive and reflective, hologram diffraction grating means.

4. The holographic head-up display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light emitting display means and said transmissive hologram diffraction grating means are arranged in or on a dashboard of an automotive vehicle, and said reflective hologram diffraction grating means is arranged on a windshield thereof.

5. The holographic head-up display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light emitting display means and said transmissive hologram diffraction grating means are arranged in or on a dashboard of an automotive vehicle, and said reflective hologram diffraction grating means is arranged on a dashboard thereof.

6. The holographic head-up display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light emitting display means and said transmissive hologram diffraction grating means are arranged on a ceiling of an automotive vehicle, and said reflective hologram diffraction grating means is arranged on a dashboard thereof.

7. The holographic head-up display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light emitting display means and said transmissive hologram diffraction grating means are arranged on a ceiling of an automotive vehicle, and said reflective hologram diffraction grating means is arranged on a windshield thereof.