Apparatus for improved contrast in a motor vehicle heads-up display

• US 6,486,856 B1
• Filed: 04/15/1999
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC
• Original Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Zink, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZAMANI, ALI A
• Application Number:
  US09/290,570
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 340/945, 340/815.42, 340/815.5, 340/825.06, 340/436, 340/438, 340/439, 340/701.2, 349/11
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence

Abstract

In an apparatus for improving the contrast in a motor vehicle heads-up display, the windshield, as viewed by the driver, is dark-tinted in a specific solid angle. Information shown by the heads-up display is visible to the driver in this specific solid angle. Furthermore, important information is visible when viewed in the specific solid angle, while other less important information is visible when viewed from a straight-ahead direction.

Claims

1. Apparatus for improved contrast of a heads-up display in a motor vehicle,

wherein a windshield of the motor vehicle, as viewed by a driver, is dark-tinted in a specific solid angle area, and

wherein first important information shown by the heads-up display is visible to a driver within the specific solid angle area, while second less important other information is visible is a non dark-tinted area in said windshield outside said specific solid angle area when viewed from a straight-ahead direction.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dark-tint is in a lower area of the windscreen when viewed straight ahead by the driver.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an area of the windshield has a printed tint.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an area of the windshield has a printed tint.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dark-tint of the windshield is an inner layer of the windshield.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the dark-tint of the windshield is an inner layer of the windshield.

7. Apparatus for improved contrast of a heads-up display in a motor vehicle,

wherein a first portion of a windshield of the motor vehicle as seen by the driver is dark-tinted in a specific solid angle, area and

wherein important information shown by the heads-up display is visible to the driver within the specific solid angle area, and

further wherein other less important information shown by the heads-up display is displayed to the driver when viewed in a straight-ahead direction in a second non dark-tinted portion of windshield.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the dark-tint is in a lower area of the windscreen when viewed straight ahead by the driver.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an area of the windshield has a printed tint.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the dark tint of the windshield is an inner layer of the windshield.

11. An improved contrast heads-up display for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a windshield viewable by a driver over a defined angle of view, a portion of the windshield over a specific viewing angle less than the defined angle of view being tinted dark; and

a heads-up imaging system which images display information within the defined angle of view, important information being visible within the specific viewing angle, with other less important information being visible outside the specific viewing angle is a non dark-tinted portion of the windshield.

12. The heads-up display according to claim 11, wherein the dark-tinted portion is in a lower area of the windscreen when viewed straight ahead by the driver.

13. The heads-up display according to claim 11, wherein the dark-tinted portion is a printed tint.

14. The heads-up display according to claim 12, wherein the dark-tinted portion of the windshield is a printed tint.

15. The heads-up display according to claim 11, wherein the dark-tinted portion of the windshield is an inner layer of the windshield.

16. A method of operating a heads-up display, comprising the acts of:

imaging display information within a defined angle of view over a windshield viewed by a driver using the heads-up display;

imaging a first important part of said display information within a dark-tinted portion of the windshield in a specific viewing angle less than the defined angle of view; and

imaging a second less important part of said display information outside the specific viewing angle is a non dark-tinted portion of the windshield.