Head-up display apparatus

• US 8,736,964 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ando, Hiroshi, Imahori, Hideaki, Fujikawa, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Thomas K
• Assistant Examiner(s): PASKO, NICHOLAS R
• Application Number:
  US13/649,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20130094092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 359/13, 359/14, 359/449, 359/451, 359/454, 359/455, 359/459, 359/599, 359/619, 359/620, 359/627, 359630-633, 353/38, 353/79, 345 7- 9, 348/115, 349/11
• US Class Current: 359/633
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/012 comprising devices for attenuating parasitic image effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/18 Diffraction gratings holographic optical elements G02B5/32, G03H; integrally combined with optical fibres G02B6/02057; for coupling light guides G02B6/34; integrally combined with optical integrated light guides G02B6/12; grating systems G02B27/44

Abstract

A head-up display apparatus forms a virtual image of a display image viewed from a viewpoint region by projecting the display image onto a projection face. The apparatus includes a screen member and an optical device. The screen member includes an image formation face that forms the display image. The optical device includes a reflection face, which receives and reflects the display image by the image formation face, to project onto the projection face. The image formation face includes, in a grid array, convex portions and concave portions, which are convex and concave from a virtual reference face and alternated with each other along x axis and y axis. A perpendicular line to the virtual reference face at any position of the image formation face passes through an outside of the reflection face of the optical device.

Claims

1. A head-up display apparatus to achieve a visual recognition of a display image as a virtual display image from a viewpoint region by projecting the display image onto a projection face of a display member,

the apparatus comprising:

a screen member including an image formation face that forms a display image; and

an optical device arranged separate from the screen member, the optical device including a reflection face, which receives and reflects the display image formed by the image formation face, to project the display image onto the projection face of the display member,

the screen member and the optical device being arranged in a predetermined three dimensional space having an x axis, a y axis, and a z axis, which mutually intersect orthogonally,

wherein;

the image formation face includes a plurality of convex portions and a plurality of concave portions along the x axis and the y axis,

each of the convex portions and the concave portions having a predetermined first length along the x axis and a predetermined second length along the y axis,

the convex portions and the concave portions being disposed in a grid array where one convex portion is disposed to alternate with one concave portion along each of the x axis and the y axis,

a virtual reference face of the image formation face being defined such that the convex portion has a convex face that is convex from the virtual reference face and the concave portion has a concave face that is concave from the virtual reference face; and

the screen member and the optical device are arranged such that a perpendicular line that is perpendicular to any position of the virtual reference face passes through an outside of the reflection face of the optical device.

2. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the screen member and the optical device are arranged such that a normal line that is normal to any position on the convex faces of the convex portions and the concave faces of the concave portions in the image formation face of the screen member passes through an outside of the reflection face of the optical device.

3. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a projector to project lights that are formed as the display image in the image formation face,

wherein the image formation face reflects the lights, which is from the projector, to the reflection face of the optical device while simultaneously diffusing the lights.