Holographic head up display

• US 5,917,459 A
• Filed: 01/17/1997
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Son, Jung Young, Smirnov, Vadim V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIEU, JULIE BICHNGOC
• Application Number:
  US08/784,534
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 359/13, 359/14, 359/15, 359/16, 359/20, 340/980
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0112 comprising device for genereting colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements

Abstract

A color holographic head up display which can be mounted on, for example, an airplane or automobile for projecting a color image displayed on a screen. The color holographic head up display in accordance with the present invention comprises an information display comprising a 2-dimensional array of pixels for displaying information to be projected, a relay optical system for relaying an image displayed on the information display, and a holographic combiner having holographic optical elements whose number is the same as the number of the pixels of the information display for delivering the image from the relay optical system to the viewing zone of the human eye, the holographic optical elements being arranged to correspond to the pixels of the information display. According to the present invention, the surrounding scenery and navigation information of a color image are simultaneously projected without noise due to intermodulation, and a high diffraction efficiency can be achieved.

Claims

1. A holographic head up display, comprising:

an information display comprising a 2-dimensional array of pixels for displaying information to be projected;

a relay optical system for relaying an image displayed on said information display; and

a holographic non-diffusive combiner having holographic optical elements whose number is the same as the number of the pixels of said information display for delivering the image from said relay optical system to the viewing zone of the human eye, the holographic optical elements being arranged to correspond to the pixels of said information display.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein said holographic combiner further includes a transparent glass or transparent plastic substrate, and the holographic optical elements are adhered onto the transparent glass or transparent plastic substrate.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the holographic optical elements selectively reflect any one of the lights of the red, blue, and green spectral bandwidths.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the size of the viewing zone is determined based on the lateral, vertical and focal length of said holographic optical element.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein said relay optical system makes each pixel of said information display incident upon the corresponding holographic optical element of said holographic combiner.

6. The display of claim 1, wherein the holographic optical elements have the characteristics of a lens or mirrors.

7. The use of the holographic head up display defined in claim 1 as a stop indicator of an automobile.