Head-up display device

• US 9,819,920 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kenji, Miyake, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sim, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/895,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1526 Dual-view displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1526 Dual-view displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1529 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• 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 27/0179 : Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/48 : Laser speckle optics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/317 : Convergence or focusing systems electronic adjustment of convergence H04N9/3185; convergence or focusing arrangements for cathode ray tubes H04N9/28; means for automatic focusing of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 : Video signal processing therefor

Abstract

A head-up display device including a screen; a projector that projects a visual image to the screen using a projection lens; an image generator that generates a virtual image of the visual image to be visually recognized by a user from the visual image projected to the screen; and a processor that is programmed to: decide a position at which the virtual image is generated; and move the projection lens and the screen in a front-rear direction along an optical path, wherein the processor moves the projection lens and the screen along the optical path based on the position decided.

Claims

1. A head-up display device comprising:

a screen;

a projector that projects a visual image to the screen using a projection lens;

an image generator that generates a virtual image of the visual image to be visually recognized by a user from the visual image projected to the screen; and

a processor that is programmed to;

decide a position at which the virtual image is generated;

move the projection lens together with the screen in a front-rear direction along an optical path, the projection lens and the screen being moved along the optical path based on the decided position; and

adjust a focal point of the visual image projected from the projection lens on the screen by moving the projection lens and the screen in different directions from each other along the optical path.

2. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to:

decide a distance from the user who visually recognizes the virtual image to the virtual image as the position at which the virtual image is generated;

decide a position of the screen in the optical path on the basis of the decided distance; and

move the screen to the decided position.

3. The head-up display device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is programmed to:

decide a position of the projection lens in the optical path on the basis of the decided position of the screen; and

move the projection lens to the decided position of the projection lens.

4. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to:

acquire a distance from the user to an object; and

decide the position at which the virtual image is generated on the basis of the acquired distance.

5. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein:

the processor is programmed to determine whether or not movement of the projection lens and the screen has been completed; and

the projector projects the visual image after it is determined by the processor that movement of the projection lens and the screen has been completed.

6. The head-up display device according claim 1, further comprising:

a stepping motor that moves the projection lens and the screen along the optical path;

wherein the processor is programmed to move the projection lens and the screen by transmitting to the stepping motor a pulse signal for moving the projection lens and the screen from a current position to a target position.