Display device, and display method therefor

• US 9,927,610 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasazumi, Kenichi, Mori, Toshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): HOWARD, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US15/308,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20170059863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 359 13, 359630, 359631, 359632, 353 7, 353 8
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/23 using reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/25 using filters
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/29 Holographic features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/344 for additionally illuminating mechanical elements, e.g. pointers or control knobs
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/347 Optical elements for superposition of display information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 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 35/23 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: G02B 2027/0114 comprising dichroic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/015 involving arrangement aiming to get less bulky devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/141 using dichroic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/286 for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3016 involving passive liquid crystal elements optical properties of liquid crystals G02F1/0063; polarising elements associated with active liquid crystal devices G02F1/133528
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 : Holograms used as optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 : Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13471 : in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells G02F1/13475 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 : Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/326 : the image being transformed by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 : Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 : using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 : to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 : for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 : Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

This display device is provided with a display unit, a beam splitter, and a first mirror. The display unit emits a first image and a second image. The beam splitter has, incident thereon, the first image and the second image which are emitted from the display unit. The beam splitter transmits the incident first image and reflects the incident second image to project the first image and the second image on a display medium. The first mirror has, incident thereon, the first image which has been transmitted through the beam splitter. The first mirror reflects the incident first image to project the first image on the display medium.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display which projects a first image and a second image;

a beam splitter on which the first image and the second image emitted from the display are incident and which projects the second image to a display medium by transmitting the incident first image and reflecting the incident second image; and

a first mirror to which the first image which has passed through the beam splitter is incident and which projects the first image to the display medium by reflecting the incident first image,

wherein the display includes;

a first display element that outputs the first image,

a second display element that outputs the second image, and

a multiplexer that multiplexes the first image output from the first display element and the second image output from the second display element and subsequently emits the multiplexed images.

2. The display device of claim 1,

wherein the first image and the second image are projected to different regions on the display medium.

3. The display device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second mirror that reflects the first image and the second image emitted from the display, toward the beam splitter.

4. The display device of claim 1,

wherein the first mirror has light-converging ability.

5. The display device of claim 4,

wherein the beam splitter has the light-converging ability with respect to reflected light and does not have the light-converging ability with respect to transmitted light.

6. The display device of claim 1,

wherein the first image and the second image are emitted from the display at different timings to each other, and

reflectance of the beam splitter is switched such that the first image is transmitted and the second image is reflected.

7. The display device of claim 1,

wherein the first image and the second image have different optical wavelength distributions to each other, and

the beam splitter includes a wavelength selection mirror.

8. The display device of claim 7,

wherein the wavelength selection mirror includes a hologram.

9. The display device of claim 1,

wherein the first image and the second image are formed by light beams having different directions of polarization, and

the beam splitter includes a polarization beam splitter.

10. A display method of a display device including a display which is provided with a beam splitter and a first mirror, the method comprising:

emitting a first image and the second image to the display;

causing the first image and the second image emitted from the display to be incident on the beam splitter;

projecting the second image to a display medium by causing the first image to pass through the beam splitter and the second image to be reflected at the beam splitter; and

projecting the first image to the display medium by causing the first image which has passed through the beam splitter to be incident on the first mirror and to be reflected at the first mirror,

wherein the display is configured to;

output the first image via a first display element,

output the second image via a second display element, and

multiplex, with a multiplexer, the first image output from the first display element and the second image output from the second display element and subsequent emit multiplexed images.

11. A display device comprising:

a display which projects a first image and a second image;

a beam splitter on which the first image and the second image emitted from the display are incident and which projects the second image to a display medium by transmitting the incident first image and reflecting the incident second image; and

a first mirror to which the first image which has passed through the beam splitter is incident and which projects the first image to the display medium by reflecting the incident first image,

wherein the first mirror has light-converging ability, and

wherein the beam splitter has the light-converging ability with respect to reflected light and does not have the light-converging ability with respect to transmitted light.