Automotive headup display apparatus

• US 5,157,549 A
• Filed: 03/07/1991
• Issued: 10/20/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Ohtsuka, Tatsumi, Suzuki, Masao, Itami, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARSONS, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US07/665,839
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 359/13, 359/14, 359/15, 359/19, 359/630, 359/631, 359/632, 359/633, 359/634, 340/705
• US Class Current: 359/633
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0109 comprising details concerning the making of holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/012 comprising devices for attenuating parasitic image effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements

Abstract

The automotive headup display apparatus contains an indicator and a reflection member and has an opening directed toward a reflection surface as on a windshield. A Fresnel lens is installed in the opening for enlarging a display image of the indicator. The reflection member is disposed facing and between the indicator and the reflection surface. The reflection member is coated with a hologram emulsion layer to have a wavelength selection capability such that only the rays of light with almost the same wavelength as display light of the indicator are reflected by the reflection membeer. With this arrangement, when external light should enter the indicator unit from the reflection surface on the windshield, those rays of light different in wavelength from the display light are not reflected toward the indicator, preventing the display of the indicator from being obscured as in the conventional apparatus.

Claims

1. An automotive headup display apparatus comprising:

an indicator unit installed in a dashboard, said indicator unit having an opening directed toward a reflection surface located in front of a driver'"'"'s seat;

an indicator contained in said indicator unit, said indicator providing a display light in the form of a display image, said display light having a particular wavelength; and

a reflection member contained in the indicator unit and positioned to reflect light from the indicator to the reflection surface, said reflection member being adapted to selectively reflect light of substantially the same wavelength as the wavelength of the display light of the indicator, said reflection member comprising a prism whose first face includes wavelength selection means to selectively reflect light of substantially the same wavelength as the wavelength of the display light of the indicator, the first face of the prism reflects the display image of the indicator toward the reflection surface, and a prism angle between the first face and a second face is so set that light entering the first face from the reflection surface side is refracted by the first face and then totally reflected by the second face;

whereby the display image of the indicator is reflected by said reflection member toward the reflection surface which further reflects the display image toward a driver so that the driver can see the display image within a viewing field of a windshield.

2. An automotive headup display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said prism has a third face coated with a light absorbing layer.

3. An automotive headup display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light direction restricting member disposed between the prism and the reflection surface to limit a range of direction in which light enters the prism from the reflection surface side.