Display apparatus and display unit

• US 9,599,816 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuzuhara, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US15/079,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 359/630, 359/13, 353/13, 353/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/011 comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/013 comprising a combiner of particular shape, e.g. curvature
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0181 Adaptation to the pilot/driver
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/10 with curved faces
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/62 Translucent screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display unit projecting an image to a light transmissive display member, and the display apparatus forms a virtual image of the image projected by the display unit on an opposite side to a user side. The display unit is configured to accommodate a display device displaying the image and a projection optical system that projects the image displayed on the display device to the display member in a housing. The projection optical system includes a first reflecting member disposed on a display device side and a second reflecting member disposed on an opening side in an optical path extending from the display device. A reflection surface of the first reflecting member reflecting the image displayed on the display device has a convex shape, and a reflection surface of the second reflecting member projecting the image to the display member has a concave shape.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising a display unit that projects an image to a light transmissive display member, the display apparatus forming a virtual image of the image projected by display unit on an opposite side to a user side with respect to the display member,

the display unit is configured to accommodate a display device that displays the image and a projection optical system that projects the image displayed on the display device to the display member in a housing including an opening through which projected light is output, the projection optical system includes a first reflecting member disposed on a display device side and a second reflecting member disposed on an opening side in an optical path extending from the display device to the opening,

the first reflecting member reflects the image displayed on the display device,

a reflection surface of the second reflecting member that projects the image to the display member has a concave shape of a free-form surface, and

the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member are disposed so as to satisfy a relation of 0.2<

D12/Lv<

1.3, where Lv is a length in a longitudinal direction of the virtual image of the image and D12 is an interval between the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member in a center optical path,

wherein when a reference longitudinal curve and a reference crosswise curve pass through the optical axis of the center optical path, the reflection surface of the second reflecting member includes at least two reflecting regions having different curvatures with respect to a point at which the reference longitudinal curve intersects the reference crosswise curve as a boundary.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member are disposed so as to satisfy a relation of 0.5<

D12/Lv<

1.0.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interval D12 between the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member and an interval DL1 between the first reflecting member and the image of the display device satisfy a relation of 3.0<

D12/DL1 in the display apparatus.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reflection surface of the first reflecting member has a rotationally asymmetric convex shape.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reflection surface of the first reflecting member has a convex shape.

5. A display unit that forms a virtual image of an image by projecting the image to a light transmissive display member,

the display unit comprising:

a housing including an opening through which projected light is output;

a display device that is accommodated in the housing and displays the image; and

a projection optical system that is accommodated in the housing and projects the image displayed on the display device to the display member,

wherein the projection optical system includes a first reflecting member disposed on a display device side and a second reflecting member disposed on an opening side in an optical path extending from the display device to the opening,

the first reflecting member reflects the image displayed on the display device,

a reflection surface of the second reflecting member that projects the image to the display member has a concave shape of a free-form surface,

the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member are disposed so as to satisfy a relation of 0.2<

D12/Lv<

1.3, where Lv is a length in a longitudinal direction of the virtual image of the image and D12 is an interval between the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member in a center optical path, and

when a reference longitudinal curve and a reference crosswise curve pass through the optical axis of the center optical path, the reflection surface of the second reflecting member includes at least two reflecting regions having different curvatures with respect to a point at which the reference longitudinal curve intersects the reference crosswise curve as a boundary.

6. The display unit according to claim 5, wherein the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member are disposed so as to satisfy a relation of 0.5<

D12/Lv<

1.0.

7. The display unit according to claim 5, wherein the interval D12 between the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member and an interval DL1 between the first reflecting member and the image of the display device satisfy a relation of 3.0<

D12/DL1.

8. The display unit according to claim 5, wherein a reflection surface of the first reflecting member has a rotationally asymmetric convex shape.

10. The display unit according to claim 5, wherein a reflection surface of the first reflecting member has a convex shape.