Full-windshield hud enhancement: pixelated field of view limited architecture

• US 8,427,395 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Seder, Thomas A., Szczerba, Joseph F., Cui, Dehua
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ghafari, Sepideh
• Application Number:
  US12/730,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0194 with combiner of laminated type, for optical or mechanical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A system projects graphics upon a transparent windscreen head-up display of a vehicle. The system includes a graphics projection system projecting light upon the transparent windscreen head-up display and the transparent windscreen head-up display emitting light in a limited field of view based upon the projected light. The transparent windscreen head-up display includes light emitting particles small enough that the transparent windscreen head-up display is substantially transparent.

Claims

1. System for projecting graphics upon a transparent windscreen head-up display of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a graphics projection system projecting light upon the transparent windscreen head-up display; and

the transparent windscreen head-up display emitting light in a limited field of view based upon the projected light and comprising light emitting particles small enough that the transparent windscreen head-up display is substantially transparent, each light emitting particle comprises a parabola shaped emitter created by;

a parabola shaped depression formed in an organic material and used as a shaping fixture for the parabola shaped emitter;

at least one layer of a reflective coating covering an internal surface of the parabola shaped depression;

a laser induced fluorescent (LIF) material filled within the parabola shaped depression inside the at least one layer of reflective coating that fluoresces visible wavelengths when irradiated by the projected light using the reflective coating; and

a transparent protective layer applied to cover the LIF material and the reflective coating.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display is a substantially full-windscreen transparent windscreen head-up display.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the limited field of view is oriented to display graphics only to a driver of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the limited field of view is oriented to display graphics only to a first row passenger of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display further emits light in a non-limited field of view.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the limited field of view is a first limited field of view;

and

wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display further emits light in a second limited field of view.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display emits the light in the first limited field of view from a first area of the transparent windscreen head-up display;

and

wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display emits the light in the second limited field of view from a second area of the transparent windscreen head-up display.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display emits the light in the first limited field of view from a predetermined area of the transparent windscreen head-up display;

and

wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display emits the light in the second limited field of view also from the predetermined area of the transparent windscreen head-up display.

9. The system of claim 1,

wherein each parabola shaped emitter allows the projected light from the graphics projection system to pass through the transparent protective layer, excite the LIF material creating visible light, and directionally emits the visible light from the parabola shaped emitter based upon the orientation of the parabola shaped emitter.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the transparent windscreen head-up display comprises parabola shaped depressions matching the parabola shaped emitters and oriented to create the limited field of view.

11. Method for constructing a transparent windscreen head-up display of a vehicle, comprising:

constructing a transparent substrate;

upon the transparent substrate, depositing a pixelated field of view limited architecture oriented to a desired limited field of view and comprising light emitting particles responsive to a projected excitation light, the particles being sized small enough that the transparent windscreen head-up display remains substantially transparent, each light emitting particle comprises a parabola shaped emitter created by;

a parabola shaped depression formed in an organic material and used as a shaping fixture for the parabola shaped emitter;

at least one layer of a reflective coating covering an internal surface of the parabola shaped depression;

a laser induced fluorescent (LIF) material filled within the parabola shaped depression inside the at least one layer of reflective coating that fluoresces visible wavelengths when irradiated by a projected light using the reflective coating; and

a transparent protective layer applied to cover the LIF material and the reflective coating.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transparent protective layer is UV transparent.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the light emitting particles each have a diameter between 0.5 nanometers and 500 nanometers.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the transparent protective layer comprises SiO₂ and the LIF material fluorescing visible wavelengths when irradiated with ultraviolet radiation.

15. Method for displaying graphics upon a substantially transparent windscreen head-up display of a vehicle, comprising:

defining a limited field of view oriented to an occupant of the vehicle; and

utilizing a pixelated field of view limited architecture oriented to the limited field of view to display graphics upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display, the graphics being visible only within the limited field of view and the pixilated field of view limited architecture comprising;

parabola shaped depressions etched upon the substantially transparent windscreen head-up display; and

parabola shaped light emitters filling the parabola shaped depressions, each parabola shaped light emitter created by;

a parabola shaped depression formed in an organic material and used as a shaping fixture for the parabola shaped light emitter,

at least one layer of a reflective coating covering an internal surface of the parabola shaped depression formed in the organic material,

a laser induced fluorescent (LIF) material filled within the parabola shaped depression inside the at least one layer of reflective coating that fluoresces visible wavelengths when irradiated by a projected light using the reflective coating, and

a transparent protective layer applied to cover the LIF material and the reflective coating.