Vehicle display device

• US 9,939,638 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Yagi, Kennji, Ohata, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US15/238,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7, 345 8, 340439, 701532, 359630, 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 2027/013 comprising a combiner of particular shape, e.g. curvature
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

A vehicle display device according to the present invention includes a projecting direction changing mechanism that can adjust a light projecting direction in which display light including a certain image is emitted and a display control unit that changes a correction pattern for correcting the shape of the image according to the projecting direction adjusted by the projecting direction changing mechanism and corrects the shape of the image based on the correction pattern. With the vehicle display device according to the present invention, the display light including the shape of the image corrected by the display control unit is emitted and guided to a windshield, so that the display light reflected on the surface of the windshield is visually recognized.

Claims

1. A vehicle display device for emitting display light and guiding the display light to a windshield of a vehicle, the display light including an image having a shape, the display device comprising:

a projecting direction changing mechanism configured to adjust a light projecting direction in which the display light is emitted and guided to the windshield; and

a display control unit configured to change a correction pattern for correcting the shape of the image based on the projecting direction when the projection direction is adjusted by the projecting direction changing mechanism and correct the shape of the image based on the correction pattern;

wherein

the display light including the shape of the image corrected by the display control unit is emitted and guided to the windshield, so that the display light reflected on a surface of the windshield is visually recognized.

2. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein

the display control unit is configured to have a plurality of correction patterns, select one correction pattern from the correction patterns according to a segment corresponding to an eye level of a driver specified based on the projecting direction adjusted by the projecting direction changing mechanism, and correct the shape of the image based on the correction pattern.

3. The vehicle display device according to claim 2, wherein

the display control unit is configured to have a plurality of kinds of the correction patterns corresponding to a change in the image caused due to variations in a shape and a size of the windshield, and correct the shape of the image based on the correction patterns specified out of the plurality of kinds.

4. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein

the display control unit is configured to generate an uncorrected pattern that includes data of the image arranged according to predetermined coordinates, and

the display control unit is configured to correct the shape of the image by transforming the predetermined coordinates of the uncorrected pattern based on the corrected pattern.

5. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein

the windshield reflects the display light such that the windshield causes a distortion of the shape of image;

and

the display control unit corrects the shape of the image by distorting the image in an opposite manner to the distortion caused by the windshield such that the display light reflected on the surface of the windshield is visually recognized without the distortion caused by the windshield.

6. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display panel configured to emit the display light;

wherein

the display control unit is configured to command the display panel to emit the display light based on the shape of the image corrected by the display control unit.

7. The vehicle display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a mirror movably connected to the projecting direction changing mechanism and positioned relative to the display panel to receive the display light emitted by the display panel and to reflect the display light to the windshield.