Full-windshield head-up display enhancement: anti-reflective glass hard coat

• US 8,830,141 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• 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): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhai, Kyle
• Application Number:
  US12/726,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/231 characterised by their arrangement or structure for integration into vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/235 with means for detecting the driver's gaze direction or eye points
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/425 Anti-reflection arrangements
• 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 1/105 : Protective coatings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/113 : using inorganic layer materials only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/115 : Multilayers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/14 : Protective coatings, e.g. hard coatings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 : comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0018 : with means for preventing ghost images anti-reflection coatings G02B1/11
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 : characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/208 : for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

A substantially transparent windscreen head-up display of a vehicle is configured to display graphical images from a light source. The windscreen head-up display includes multiple layers having an outer layer including a transparent substrate. The multiple layers further include a second transparent substrate layer including light emitting material, wherein the light emitting material emits visible light in response to absorption of ultraviolet light from the light source, and wherein the light emitting material includes a plurality of light emitting particles. The multiple layers further include an inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer.

Claims

1. A substantially transparent windscreen head-up display of a vehicle configured to display graphical images from a light source within the vehicle, the windscreen head-up display comprising multiple layers including:

an outer layer comprising a transparent substrate configured on the exterior of the vehicle;

an inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer configured on the interior of the vehicle, the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer comprising a plurality of ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers configured to refract ultraviolet light received from the light source without purposely reflecting any portion of the received ultraviolet light back toward the light source, wherein an index of refraction is attenuated from an outermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer to an innermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer, and wherein the ultraviolet light from the light source within the interior of the vehicle is sequentially refracted by the plurality of ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers beginning at the outermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer adjacent to the interior of the vehicle and ending at the innermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer;

a second transparent substrate layer disposed between the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer and the outer layer and configured to receive the refracted ultraviolet light exiting the plurality of sub layers, the second transparent substrate layer comprising light emitting material, wherein the light emitting material emits visible light in response to absorption of the refracted ultraviolet light exiting each sub layer of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer from the light source, and wherein the light emitting material comprises a plurality of light emitting particles.

2. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, further comprising:

an ultraviolet blocking layer between the outer layer and the second transparent substrate layer.

3. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the second transparent substrate layer further comprises a first, second, and third layer comprising light emitting material, wherein light emitting material in the first layer comprises red phosphor material, wherein light emitting material in the second layer comprises green phosphor material, and wherein light emitting material in the third layer comprises blue phosphor material.

4. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer protects inner layers of the windscreen.

5. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer reduces ultraviolet reflection back towards the light source.

6. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the outer sub layer of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer protects inner layers of the windscreen.

7. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers comprise at least one of SiO2, Si3N4, TiO2, and SiOxNy.

8. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the outermost one of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers comprises SiOxNy.

9. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer comprises MgF₂.

10. The windscreen head-up display of claim 1, wherein the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer is deposited on the windscreen using at least one of magnetron sputtering, physical vapor deposition, and chemical vapor deposition.

11. A substantially transparent full-screen windscreen head-up display of a vehicle configured to display graphical images from a light source within the vehicle, the windscreen head-up display comprising multiple layers including:

an outer layer comprising a transparent substrate configured on the exterior of the vehicle;

an inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer comprising three ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers configured on the interior of the vehicle, the three ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers configured to refract ultraviolet light received from the light source without purposely reflecting any portion of the received ultraviolet light back toward the light source, wherein an index of refraction is attenuated from an outermost one of the three anti-reflective sub layers of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer to an innermost one of the three anti-reflective sub layers of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer, and wherein the ultraviolet light from the light source within the interior of the vehicle is sequentially refracted by the three ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers beginning at the outermost one of the three ultraviolet anti-reflective sub-layers adjacent to the interior of the vehicle and ending at the innermost one of the three ultraviolet anti-reflective sub-layers;

a second transparent substrate layer disposed between the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer and the outer layer and configured to receive the refracted ultraviolet light exiting the plurality of sub layers, the second transparent sub layer comprising light emitting material, wherein the light emitting material emits visible light in response to absorption of the refracted ultraviolet light exiting each of the three ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers from the light source, and wherein the light emitting material comprises a plurality of light emitting particles.

12. Method to represent graphical images upon a substantially transparent full-screen windscreen head-up display of a vehicle configured to display graphical images from a light source, the method comprising:

monitoring informational inputs describing an operational environment for the vehicle;

processing the informational inputs to synthesize an operational environment model;

monitoring an occupant eye location;

converting the environmental model into the graphical images based upon the monitored occupant eye location; and

displaying the graphical images upon the substantially transparent full-screen windscreen head-up display, wherein the windscreen head-up display comprises multiple layers including;

an outer layer comprising a transparent substrate configured on the exterior of the vehicle;

an inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer configured on the interior of the vehicle, the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer comprising a plurality of ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers configured to refract ultraviolet light received from the light source without purposely reflecting any portion of the received ultraviolet light back toward the light source, wherein an index of refraction is attenuated from an outermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer to an innermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer, and wherein the ultraviolet light from the light source within the interior of the vehicle is sequentially refracted by the plurality of ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers beginning at the outermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer adjacent to the interior of the vehicle and ending at the innermost ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layer;

a second transparent substrate layer disposed between the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer and the outer layer and configured to receive the refracted ultraviolet light exiting the plurality of sub layers, the second transparent substrate layer comprising light emitting material, wherein the light emitting material emits visible light in response to absorption of the refracted ultraviolet light exiting each sub layer of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective layer from the light source, and wherein the light emitting material comprises a plurality of light emitting particles.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the windscreen head-up display further comprises an ultraviolet blocking layer between the outer layer and the second transparent substrate layer.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers comprise at least one of SiO2, Si3N4, TiO2, and SiOxNy.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the outermost one of the inner ultraviolet anti-reflective sub layers comprises SiOxNy.