Head-up display device of holographic type

• US 5,640,275 A
• Filed: 02/22/1988
• Issued: 06/17/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomsopn-Csf
• Original Assignee: Thomson-CSF (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Bourguignat, Jerome, Migozzi, Jean-Blaise
• Primary Examiner(s): Moskowitz, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US07/167,482
• Time in Patent Office: 3,403 Days
• Field of Search: 350/3.7, 350/3.72, 350/3.85, 350/174, 359/13, 359/630
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0145 creating an intermediate image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements

Abstract

The device allows to compensate for the aberrations of the collimating and combining holographic optics by using a simplified scheme for the relay optics. Said relay optics comprises six lenses and a window; it is terminated at each end by a plane side and is disposed in a case. Said relay optics and the holographic optical element are determined taking into account average data for the thickness and curvature of the windshield. The accurate compensation for the windshield deviations is made at a closing glass plate whose thickness is varied. The Folding optical element is a simple reflecting plane mirror and has no correcting effect, which permits the translation along the optical axis of said relay optics and the cathode-ray tube generating the luminous image to be collimated.

Claims

1. A head-up display device comprising a generator of a luminous image to be displayed, a holographic optical element, a relay optics that produces an intermediate image of said luminous image in the focal plane of said holographic optical element, which element plays the role of a combining optics so that the observer sees both said luminous image collimated and reflected on this element and the outside world through this element, and a folding element with a reflecting surface disposed between said relay optics and said holographic optical element, said relay optics being made up of six lens elements numbered in their order of interposition in the optical path from said folding element to said generator of luminous image, these lens elements having the technical characteristics indicated in the following tables where the radius of curvature, the thickness and the coordinates of the top are expressed in millimiters and the angles in degrees, the top being the intersection of the axis of the optical path and the side of the element oriented towards said folding element, the indicated angles being those of tilt of said lens element about two perpendicular axes forming a reference trihedron with a third direction corresponding to the normal sighting direction of the observer:

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ Position of the lenses and window Element Top/X Top/Y Top/Z Angle θ

Angle φ

______________________________________ 31 67.2052 -112.3536 0 -18.65938 0 32 93 -185.4922 0 9.008556 0 33-34 160.5 -151.5743 0 -4.583662 0 35 201.5 -147.6652 0 -3.415327 0 36 221 -180 0 5.825859 0 37 318.7698 -175.6418 0 -39.82057 0 ______________________________________ Radii of curvature and thicknesses Element Radius Thickness ______________________________________ 31 99999 24 -179.16 32 161.53 30 4720 33 -55.08 5.5 84 34 -85.77 37.5 35 492.2894 18 -159.23 36 101.12 30 292.6 37 99999 5 99999 ______________________________________

2. A head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein said relay optics is made up of six lenses and one terminal window, said lenses including successively a plano-convex lens whose plane side is oriented towards said folding element, a convex lens, a concave lens, an achromatism doublet comprising a convex lens and a cylindro-convex lens, and a meniscus, said window being a glass plate with parallel sides positioned parallel in a plane of said generator where said luminous image is formed.

3. A head-up display device according to claim 2, wherein said six lenses and said window are mounted in a case fitted with a closing glass plate disposed in the optical path from said folding element to said holographic optical element.

4. A head-up display device according to claim 3, wherein said holographic optical element and said relay optics are determined taking into account the thickness of an average windshield mounted on the vehicle carrying said device and through which takes place the vision of the outside world by the observer, said relay optics being built so as to be standard and forming a replaceable element.

5. A head-up display device according to claim 4, wherein said folding element is a simple reflecting plane mirror.

6. A head-up display device according to claim 4, wherein the curvature deviations between said average windshield defined for the computation of said holographic optical element and said relay optics, and the real windshield mounted on said vehicle are compensated for by said closing glass plate whose thickness is variable and modified accordingly.

7. A head-up display device according to claim 5, wherein the curvature deviations between said average windshield defined for the computation of said holographic optical element and said relay optics, and the real windshield mounted on said vehicle are compensated for by said closing glass plate whose thickness is variable and modified accordingly.