Vehicular extreme position display system

• US 5,576,724 A
• Filed: 06/01/1993
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukatsu, Yoshiaki, Ogawa, Shunichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/069,709
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6, 345/8, 345/9, 345/7, 350/3, 350/81, 340/980, 340/435, 340/436, 340/457.2, 340/457.3, 359/13, 359/14, 359/630
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• 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 30/35 using reflective optical elements in the optical path between the images and the observer

Abstract

A vehicular extreme position display system displays a stereoscopic image of a three-dimensional object near a vehicular extreme position. The system provides different levels in brightness on the displayed stereoscopic image to enhance the stereoscopic effect. The displayed stereoscopic image may be arranged to change in color and brightness depending on monitored background illuminance. Further, the display of the stereoscopic image may be arranged to automatically terminate when a preset condition is matched.

Claims

1. A vehicular extreme position display system in which an image of a display object is formed on a transparent member arranged at a front side of a vehicle so as to be displayed near an extreme position of the vehicle, thereby allowing an estimation of a distance between the image of the display object and an obstacle located forward of the vehicle for judging a distance between the extreme position of the vehicle and the obstacle, said vehicular extreme position display system comprising:

optical displaying means; and

said display object which is three-dimensional and in the form of a polyhedron having a plurality of surfaces and ridge lines between said surfaces;

wherein said optical displaying means includes light emitting means backward of said display object so that said display object transmits therethrough light emitted from said light emitting means;

wherein said display object includes light-transmittance changing means for providing different light-transmittance levels between at least some of said plurality of surfaces so that the image of the display object represented by the light having passed through said display object bears shading contrast and is thus formed on said transparent member as a stereoscopic image having the shading contrast, and wherein said display object is in the form of a frustum of quadrangular pyramid, and wherein said light-transmittance changing means decreases the light transmittance of the display object in the order of one of right and left side surfaces, an upper surface, a front surface, a bottom surface and the other of the right and left side surfaces with respect to an advancing direction of the light emitted from said light emitting means.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light-transmittance changing means is provided by forming said display object in a mold which is crimp-processed with different crimping degrees among surfaces of the mold, and wherein the crimping degrees increase in the order of one of right and left side surfaces, an upper surface, a front surface, a bottom surface and the other of the right and left side surfaces of the mold so as to provide said light-transmittance changing means which decreases the light transmittance of the display object in said order of the surfaces of the display object.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light-transmittance changing means is provided by processing said display object by shot blasting with different shot degrees among the surfaces thereof, and wherein the shot degrees increase in the order of one of the right and left side surfaces, the upper surface, the front surface, the bottom surface and the other of the right and left side surfaces.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light-transmittance changing means is provided by grinding said display object at different grinding degrees among the surfaces thereof, and wherein the grinding degrees increase in the order of one of the right and left side surfaces, the upper surface, the front surface, the bottom surface and the other of the right and left side surfaces.

5. A vehicular extreme position display system in which an image of a display object is formed on a transparent member arranged at a front side of a vehicle so as to be displayed near an extreme position of the vehicle, thereby allowing an estimation of a distance between the image of the display object and an obstacle located forward of the vehicle for judging a distance between the extreme position of the vehicle and the obstacle, said vehicular extreme position display system comprising:

optical displaying means; and

said display object which is three-dimensional and in the form of a polyhedron having a plurality of surfaces and ridge lines between said surfaces;

wherein said optical displaying means includes light emitting means backward of said display object so that said display object transmits therethrough light emitted from said light emitting means;

wherein said display object includes light-transmittance changing means for providing different light-transmittance levels between at least some of said plurality of surfaces so that the image of the display object represented by the light having passed through said display object bears shading contrast and is thus formed on said transparent member as a stereoscopic image having the shading contrast, and wherein said light-transmittance changing means is provided by forming said display object in a mold which is crimp-processed with different crimping degrees among surfaces of the mold.

6. A vehicular extreme position display system in which an image of a display object is formed on a transparent member arranged at a front side of a vehicle so as to be displayed near an extreme position of the vehicle, thereby allowing an estimation of a distance between the image of the display object and an obstacle located forward of the vehicle for judging a distance between the extreme position of the vehicle and the obstacle, said vehicular extreme position display system comprising:

optical displaying means; and

said display object which is three-dimensional and in the form of a polyhedron having a plurality of surfaces and ridge lines between said surfaces;

wherein said optical displaying means includes light emitting means backward of said display object so that said display object transmits therethrough light emitted from said light emitting means;

wherein said display object includes light-transmittance changing means for providing different light-transmittance levels between at least some of said plurality of surfaces so that the image of the display object represented by the light having passed through said display object bears shading contrast and is thus formed on said transparent member as a stereoscopic image having the shading contrast, and wherein said display object is made of a transparent resin, and wherein said light-transmittance changing means is provided by processing said display object by shot blasting with different shot degrees among the surfaces thereof.

7. A vehicular extreme position display system in which an image of a display object is formed on a transparent member arranged at a front side of a vehicle so as to be displayed near an extreme position of the vehicle, thereby allowing an estimation of a distance between the image of the display object and an obstacle located forward of the vehicle for judging a distance between the extreme position of the vehicle and the obstacle, said vehicular extreme position display system comprising:

optical displaying means; and

said display object which is three-dimensional and in the form of a polyhedron having a plurality of surfaces and ridge lines between said surfaces;

wherein said optical displaying means includes light emitting means backward of said display object so that said display object transmits therethrough light emitted from said light emitting means;

wherein said display object includes light-transmittance changing means for providing different light-transmittance levels between at least some of said plurality of surfaces so that the image of the display object represented by the light having passed through said display object bears shading contrast and is thus formed on said transparent member as a stereoscopic image having the shading contrast, and wherein said display object is made of a transparent glass, and wherein said light-transmittance changing means is provided by grinding said display object at different grinding degrees among the surfaces thereof.

8. A vehicular extreme position display system in which an image of a display object is formed on a transparent member arranged at a front side of a vehicle so as to be displayed near an extreme position of the vehicle, thereby allowing an estimation of a distance between the image of the display object and an obstacle located forward of the vehicle for judging a distance between the extreme position of the vehicle and the obstacle, said vehicular extreme position display system comprising:

optical displaying means;

a three-dimensional object to be projected by said optical displaying means so as to form a stereoscopic image thereof near a vehicular extreme position;

said optical displaying means including;

means for detecting illuminance around the vehicular extreme position;

means for selecting a different displaying color of said stereoscopic image depending on the illuminance as detected by said detecting means; and

means for setting the displaying color of said stereoscopic image as selected by said selecting means.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said optical displaying means includes light emitting means for emitting light onto said three-dimensional object, and wherein said setting means is arranged forward of said three-dimensional object in an advancing direction of said light so as to change a color of said light transmitted through said three-dimensional object to said selected displaying color.