Design-superposing display apparatus and vehicle display unit

• US 8,070,293 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Takeyoshi, Sugiyama, Tetsuya, Yabe, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Application Number:
  US11/893,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 353/11, 353/12, 353/13, 353/14, 353/28, 353/119, 353/30, 353/22, 353/23, 353/24, 353/120
• US Class Current: 353/13
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3144 Cooling systems cooling of liquid crystal cells in general G02F1/133382; cooling of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/16

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a design-superposing display apparatus for superposing a design above a part of a display surface of a display device. The design-superposing display apparatus includes a design display portion disposed above the display surface for accepting a transmitted light from a rear thereof; a light source disposed outside of the display device for emitting the transmitted light of the design display portion; and a light guide portion extending from the rear of the design display portion toward the light source and guiding the emitted light toward the rear of the design display portion.

Claims

1. A design-superposing display apparatus for superposing a design above a part of a display surface of a display device, the design-superposing display apparatus comprising:

a design display portion disposed above the display surface for accepting a transmitted light from a rear thereof;

a light source disposed outside of the display device for emitting the transmitted light of the design display portion; and

a light guide portion extending from the rear of the design display portion toward the light source and guiding the emitted light toward the rear of the design display portion.

2. The design-superposing display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light guide portion, has a hollow tube shape for reflecting the light emitted from the light source at an inner wall thereof.

3. The design-superposing display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light guide portion includes a first light guide portion and a second light guide portion, the first light guide portion being disposed between the design display portion and the display device, and the second light guide portion extending from the first light guide portion and having a cross-sectional area intersecting a light guide direction larger than that of the first light guide portion.

4. The design-superposing display apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second light guide portion intersects the first light guide portion with a prescribed angle so that the center light of the light source is reflected to the center of the design display portion.

5. A vehicle display unit having the design-superposing display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the vehicle display unit superposing a virtual image on a windshield projected with the display device on a foreground of a vehicle, a superposed image being recognized by a driver.