Head-up display apparatus

• US 5,162,928 A
• Filed: 07/29/1991
• Issued: 11/10/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kushibiki, Nobou, Kuwayama, Tetsuro, Taniguchi, Naosato, Yoshinaga, Yoko
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/737,806
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 350/3.64, 350/3.7, 350/3.72, 307/425, 307/427, 372/21, 372/22, 359/13, 359/14, 359/326, 359/328, 359/630
• US Class Current: 359/13
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of observing information includes the steps of converting a radiation beam into a visible harmonic beam conforming to the information and observing the information by the harmonic beam. An apparatus for observing information therethrough includes a source for producing a radiation beam conforming to the information, and a converter for converting the radiation beam into a visible harmonic beam, with the information being observed with the aid of the harmonic beam. In addition, a head-up display apparatus includes a source for producing a radiation beam conforming to information to be displayed, a converter for converting the radiation beam into a visible harmonic beam, and a beam combiner for receiving the harmonic beam and directing it in a predetermined direction to effect the display of the information by the harmonic beam.

Claims

1. A head-up display apparatus for displaying an image to a viewer, comprising:

a laser emitting an infrared beam;

means for producing a beam indicative of the image from the infrared beam;

a beam combiner; and

a non-linear optical element for converting the beam indicative of the image into a visible diffusion-harmonic beam and for directing the diffusion-harmonic beam to the viewer through said beam combiner, wherein

a visible image formed on said non-linear optical element and a landscape are combined by said beam combiner.

2. A head-up display according to claim 1, wherein said optical member reflectively diffuses said beam indicative of the image.

3. A head-up display according to claim 2, wherein said optical member converts the infrared beam into a secondary harmonic.

4. A head-up display according to claim 3, wherein said beam combiner comprises a hologram for reflectively diffracting the diffusion-harmonic beam.

5. A head-up display according to claim 2, wherein said optical member converts the infrared beam into a third harmonic.

6. A head-up display according to claim 5, wherein said beam combiner comprises a hologram for reflectively diffracting the diffusion-harmonic beam.

7. A head-up display according to claim 1, wherein said producing means includes means for modulating the intensity of the infrared beam in conformity with information indicative of the image.

8. A head-up display according to claim 7, wherein said laser comprises a laser array having a plurality of semiconductor lasers, and wherein the beam indicative of the image is produced from a plurality of beams from said laser array.

9. A head-up display according to claim 8, wherein said optical member converts the infrared beam into a secondary harmonic.

10. A head-up display according to claim 9, wherein said beam combiner comprises a hologram for reflectively diffracting the diffusion-harmonic beam.

11. A head-up display according to claim 8, wherein said optical member converts the infrared beam into a third harmonic.

12. A head-up display according to claim 11, wherein said beam combiner comprises a hologram for reflectively diffracting the diffusion-harmonic beam.

13. A head-up display according to claim 7, wherein said producing means has means for condensing said infrared beam onto said optical member and for two-dimensionally scanning it thereon, so that the beam indicative of the image is produced by effecting the scanning by said condensing means in synchronization with the modulation by said modulating means.

14. A head-up display according to claim 13, wherein said optical member converts the infrared beam into a secondary harmonic.

15. A head-up display according to claim 14, wherein said beam combiner comprises a hologram for reflectively diffracting the diffusion-harmonic beam.

16. A head-up display according to claim 13, wherein said optical member converts the infrared beam into a third harmonic.

17. A head-up display according to claim 16, wherein said beam combiner comprises a hologram for reflectively diffracting the diffusion-harmonic beam.

18. A method for displaying an image to a viewer through a beam combiner, said method comprising the step of:

generating a visible diffusion-harmonic beam indicative of the image by diffusing an infrared beam with a non-linear optical element;

making the diffusion-harmonic beam incident on the pupil of the viewer through the beam combiner; and

combining a visible image formed on the non-linear optical element and a landscape by the beam combiner.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the beam combiner comprises a volume type hologram.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the beam combiner reflectively diffracts the diffusion-harmonic beam.

21. A head-up display apparatus for displaying an image to a viewer, said apparatus comprising:

a beam combiner having a volume type hologram through which the image is displayed;

a semiconductor laser emitting an infrared beam;

a non-linear optical element provided between said semiconductor laser and said hologram;

a scanner, provided between said semiconductor laser and said non-linear optical element, for scanning said non-linear optical element with the infrared beam; and

a controller for projecting the image on said non-linear optical element by modulating the intensity of the infrared beam to be scanned in accordance with a video signal and for directing a visible diffusion-harmonic beam corresponding to the image from said non-linear optical element toward said hologram, wherein

a visible image formed on said non-linear optical element and a landscape are combined by said beam combiner.

22. A head-up display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said hologram causes said visible diffusion-harmonic beam to be reflectively diffracted and to be incident on the pupil of the viewer.

23. A head-up display apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said non-linear device reflectively diffuses said infrared beam to be directed to said hologram.

24. A head-up display apparatus for displaying an image to a viewer, said apparatus comprising:

a beam combiner having a volume type hologram through which the image is displayed;

a non-linear optical element; and

a laser array for projecting the image on said non-linear optical element with a plurality of infrared beams and for directing a visible diffusion-harmonic beam corresponding to the image from said non-linear optical element toward said volume type hologram, wherein

a visible image formed on said non-linear optical element and a landscape are combined by said beam combiner.

25. A head-up display apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said hologram causes said visible diffusion-harmonic beam to be reflectively diffracted and to be incident on the pupil of the viewer.

26. A head-up display apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said non-linear device reflectively diffuses said infrared beams to be directed to said hologram.