Display device for vehicles

• US 5,646,639 A
• Filed: 06/06/1995
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Koie, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US08/468,978
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 359/630, 359/631, 359/632, 359/13, 359/14, 359/633, 340/980, 340/461, 340/525, 348/115, 348/118, 348/121
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A display producing a display image in a vehicle width mark form and an optical path changing device directing the display image to a windshield are mounted on a base. The base is driven by an arc drive portion along an arcuate path with an arc center which is an intersection of a first imaginary sight line and a second imaginary sight line. The imaginary sight lines are reflections of a first and second actual sight lines in which a driver looks at the image position. Since the arc center conjugates the image position, when the display and the optical path changing device move along the arcuate path, the display image projecting on the windshield changes, and therefore, the image does not move up and down from the ground. Further, when a distance between the display and the optical path changing device changes, since the base moves along the arcuate path, the display distance of the image changes and the image moves along the surface of the ground.

Claims

1. A display device for vehicles comprising:

a display projecting a display image;

optical path changing device directing said display image projected by said display to be formed on a transparent screen;

distance adjusting device adjusting a distance between said display and said optical path changing device;

position adjusting device adjusting a position of said optical path changing device; and

control device controlling said distance adjusting device and said position adjusting device so that adjusting operations of said adjusting device are interrelated;

wherein said control device moves said two adjusting device along an arcuate path so that said display image indicates the same outside position ahead of a windshield, irrespective of a height of eyes of a driver.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said control device moves said position adjusting device along the arcuate path having a center at an intersection of a first and second imaginary lines which are extensions of said optical path from said optical path changing device when said display image is directed to a first position and a second position of said transparent screen, respectively.

3. A display device for vehicles comprising:

a display projecting a display image;

optical path changing device directing an optical path of said display image projected by said display image to a vehicle windshield;

distance changing device changing a distance between said display and said optical path changing device so that said image is displayed to a driver at an outside position away from said windshield and the position of said display image displayed outside said windshield is changed by changing said distance between said display and said optical path changing means; and

arc moving device moving said display and said optical path changing device along an arcuate path having an arc center at an intersection of a first imaginary sight line reflected on and headed for said windshield and a second imaginary sight line reflected on and headed for said windshield, said first imaginary sight line being a reflection, at said windshield, of a first actual sight line in which said driver looks at said display image at a first position close to said windshield, said second imaginary sight line being a reflection, at said windshield, of a second actual sight line in which said driver looks at said display image at a second position away from said windshield, said arc center being located above said windshield.

4. The display device for vehicles according to claim 3, wherein said windshield includes a permeating reflection plate which passes and reflects light of said display image directed from said optical path changing device.

5. The display device for vehicles according to claim 3, wherein said display is moved away from said optical path changing means as a vehicle speed increases and closer to said optical path changing means as said vehicle speed decreases.

6. A display device for vehicles comprising:

a display projecting a display image;

optical path changing means directing said display image projected by said display to be formed on a transparent screen;

distance adjusting means adjusting a distance between said display and said optical path changing means;

position adjusting means adjusting a position of said optical path changing means; and

control device controlling said distance adjusting means and said position adjusting means so that adjusting operations of said adjusting means are interrelated;

wherein said control means moves said two adjusting means along an arcuate path so that said display image indicates different outside positions ahead of a windshield depending on a vehicle speed.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein said control means controls slope angle of said display image depending on a rotating angle of a steering wheel of a vehicle.