Double directional image development head-up display optical system

• US 5,134,520 A
• Filed: 04/25/1991
• Issued: 07/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Souhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Jon W.
• Application Number:
  US07/691,333
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 350/171, 350/174, 350/169, 350/173, 350/452, 340/705
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0169 Supporting or connecting means other than the external walls
• 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 27/1046 for use with transmissive spatial light modulators
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/144 using partially transparent surfaces without spectral selectivity G02B27/147 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876

Abstract

A double directional image development HUD includes a combiner having individual spectral distributions perfectly separated from each other, wherein the image displayed on an LCDU is formed using green light with a sharp spectral distribution and using another color light with a different wavelength, and wherein light beams projected from the LCDU onto a combiner are perfectly divided into two beams, i.e., a reflection light beam and a transmission light beam both of which are perfectly separated from each other, thereby obtaining a clear projected image to be observed by the observers inside and outside the combiner without any contamination.

Claims

1. A double directional image development head-up display system comprising:

a combiner having its individual spectral distributions of reflection light and transmission light perfectly separated from each other;

an optical projector including a light source and display unit;

for projecting light beams representing a display of image data onto said combiner for reflection thereby and for transmission therethrough to provide observers with a developed image of the display; and

an image reversing means for reversing at least a part of the image to be displayed on the display unit with the reflection light, whereby the same or different image data are developed on the dual sides of the combiner at the same time so as to be correctly observed by the observers present on both sides across the combiner.

2. The head-up display system according to claim 1, wherein the development of an image projected from said optical projector onto one side of said combiner having the lower illuminance among the two sides thereof is performed using green light.

3. The head-up display system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the contents of the image displayed on said display unit in the optical projector are developed in blocks of each line on said combiner, the display contents displayed on the front side of the combiner and those displayed on the rear side of the combiner being developed on the odd lines and even lines alternately with the reflection light and the transmission light respectively.

4. The head-up display system according to claim 3, wherein said optical projector is provided with two kinds of color filters for respectively coloring light passing therethrough with two different colors, the lines of the image to be developed on the front side of the combiner and the lines of the image to be developed on the rear side of the combiner being respectively colored with said two different colors of light through said two kinds of color filters.

5. The head-up display system according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the display unit in said optical projector is a monochrome image, wherein the image to be developed on the front side of the combiner and the image to be developed on the rear side of the combiner are respectively colored with different colors of light through one or more color filters provided in said optical projector.

6. The head-up display system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein said optical projector includes a

7. The head-up display system according to claim 3, wherein said optical projector includes a Fresnel lens with its peripheral portion bent to develop a projected image in a wide angle of field on the combiner.

8. The head-up display system according to claim 4, wherein said optical projector includes a Fresnel lens with its peripheral portion bent to develop a projected image in a wide angle of field on the combiner.