Display apparatus for automotive vehicle

• US 4,978,214 A
• Filed: 11/12/1987
• Issued: 12/18/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawata, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): HAROIAN, HARRY
• Application Number:
  US07/119,372
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 353/11-14, 353/74, 353/70, 353/75, 353/77, 353/78, 353/97, 353/98, 350/174, 350/283, 350/284, 340/705
• US Class Current: 353/114
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0169 Supporting or connecting means other than the external walls
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/00 Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the variable information is permanently attached to a movable support G09F11/00; abacus G06C1/00; slide-rules G06G1/00

Abstract

A display apparatus for an automotive vehicle for displaying a vehicular driving information, such as vehicle speed, fuel amount, engine coolant temperature and so forth, includes a light shield interpositioned between a semi-transparent projector panel, on which information containing virtual image is formed, and a transparent panel which covers a cavity formed in an instrument panel for receiving an optical image projector device. The transparent panel is so designed as to reflect lights, such as sun beam toward the light shield. With this construction, the sun beam and so forth reflected by the transparent panel can be absorbed by the light shield to maintain contrast of the virtual image formed on the projector panel satisfactorily high and thus may not affect to visibility of the displayed image.

Claims

1. A display apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a vehicular instrument panel and a front windshield comprising:

a display screen;

an image source for forming an optical image and projecting the optical image onto said display screen for forming a virtual image thereof, said image source being disposed within an image source receptacle for projecting said image out of an opening in said receptacle;

a light shield means disposed at a predetermined position of said image source receptacle adjacent an optical path for transmitting the optical image from said image source to said display screen, for absorbing light beams irradiated thereon; and

a transparent cover covering said opening of said image source receptacle and allowing said optical image to pass therethrough, said transparent cover having a curved surface disposed to reflect a sun beam, the curvature of said curved surface being so selected as to provide a reflecting angle of said sun beam so that the sun beam is irradiated toward said light shield so as to avoid influence of said sun beam on the definition of the virtual image displayed on said display screen.

2. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, which is designed for displaying vehicular driving information including a vehicle speed, remaining fuel amount and an engine or engine coolant temperature.

3. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said display screen is formed of a semi-transparent material so as to form said virtual image overlapping with the front sight of the vehicle.

4. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reflecting surface of said transparent cover is curved so as to concentrate the reflected sub beam onto said light shield member.

5. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the curvature of said reflecting surface of said transparent cover is formed into a parabolic surface.

6. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said light shield is colored in a black or equivalent dark color.

7. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said curvature of said reflecting surface of said transparent coveer is selected to reflect an image of said light shield member onto said display screen for forming dark a background for said virtual image to be established thereon.

8. A display apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a vehicular instrument panel and a front windshield comprising:

a display screen;

an image source for forming an optical image and projecting the optical image onto said display screen for forming a virtual image thereof, said image source being disposed within an image source receptacle for projecting said image out of an opening in said receptacle;

a light shield means disposed at a predetermined position of said image source receptacle adjacent an optical path for transmitting the optical image from said image source to said display screen, for absorbing light beams irradiated thereon; and

a transparent cover covering said opening of said image source receptacle and allowing said optical image to pass therethrough, said transparent cover having a curved surface disposed to reflect a sun beam, the curvature of said curved surface being so selected as to permit said optical image to pass therethrough and to be irradiated onto said display screen, and as to be provide a reflecting angle of said sun beam so that the sun beam is irradiated toward said light shield so as to avoid influence of said sun beam on the definition of the virtual image displayed on said display screen.

9. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 8, which is designed for displaying vehicular driving information including vehicle speed, remaining fuel amount and an engine or engine coolant terperature.

10. A display apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said display screen is formed of a semi-transparent material so as to form said virtual image overlapping with the front sight of the vehicle.

11. A display apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a front windshield comprising:

a vehicular instrument panel disposed in the vicinity of said front windshield of the vehicle, said instrument panel defining a recess adjacent said front windshield;

a display screen provided inside of said front windshield and in front of said recess of said instrument panel, said display screen being adapted to form a virtual image overlapping with a vehicular front view;

an image source for forming an optical image and projecting said optical image onto said display screen for forming said virtual image thereof, said image source being disposed within said recess of said instrument panel;

a transparent cover covering said recess and allowing said optical image to pass therethrough, said transparent cover having a curved reflector surface for reflecting a sun beam passing through said front windshield in a direction out of sight of a driver to a predetermined point so as to avoid influence of the sun beam reflected by said reflecting surface on the visibility of said virtual image formed on said display screen; and

a light shield provided within said recess and forming a part of a peripheral wall of said recess, said light shield being adapted to receive the sun beam reflected by said reflector surface for absorbing the irradiated sun beam thereon, said light shield being colored in a black or equivalent dark color and so disposed in relation to said transparent cover as to project an image thereof onto said display screen to form a dark background image thereon.