Color head-up display, in particular for a vehicle

• US 7,034,778 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Hähl, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jennifer T.
• Application Number:
  US09/628,922
• Time in Patent Office: 2,094 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 345/82, 359/630, 359/618, 359/646, 359/709, 359/717, 349/11
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133621 providing coloured light G02F1/133617, G02F1/133533 take precedence

Abstract

In a color head-up display, in particular for vehicles, in which the light from a light source (2) is transmitted through an at least partially light-transmitting display (3) and can be projected onto a windshield, a multiplicity of red, blue and green light-emitting diodes are arranged without packaging on a common support, and that a heat-dissipating device for cooling the light-emitting diodes is present.

Claims

1. A color head-up display, in particular for vehicles, in which the light from a light source (2) is transmitted through an at least partially light-transmitting display (3) and is projectable onto a windshield, wherein a multiplicity of red, a multiplicity of blue and a multiplicity of green light-emitting diodes (10–

12) are arranged without packaging on a common support (16, 17, 19), and wherein a heat-dissipating device (19) for cooling the light-emitting diodes is present, wherein the number of light-emitting diodes of one color is adapted to the spectral sensitivity of the eye and to the spectral efficiency of the diodes.

2. A color head-up display, in particular for vehicles, in which the light from a light source (2) is transmitted through an at least partially light-transmitting display (3) and is projectable onto a windshield, wherein a multiplicity of red, a multiplicity of blue and a multiplicity of green light-emitting diodes (10–

12) are arranged without packaging on a common support (16, 17, 19), and wherein a heat-dissipating device (19) for cooling the light-emitting diodes is present, wherein there are a plurality of displays (3) and a plurality of said light sources (2).

3. A color head-up display, in particular for vehicles, in which light from a light source is transmitted through an at least partially light-transmitting display and is projectable onto a windshield, wherein the light source comprises a multiplicity of red, a multiplicity of blue and a multiplicity of green light-emitting diodes arranged without packaging on a common support, and wherein the head-up display includes optical means for distributing light emitted by respective ones of the light-emitting diodes upon the at least partially light-transmitting display, and further includes a heat-dissipating device for cooling the light-emitting diodes, and

wherein the light-emitting diodes of the various colors are selected by color in accordance with the spectral sensitivity of the eye to cause an observer to experience a sensation of brightness, thereby to accomplish a dimming of the head-up display.

4. A method of dimming a color head-up display, in particular for vehicles, in which display the light from a light source is transmitted through an at least partially light-transmitting display and is projectable onto a windshield, wherein the method includes steps:

of providing the light source with a multiplicity of red, a multiplicity of blue and a multiplicity of green light-emitting diodes, and arranging the light-emitting diodes withot packaging on a common support;

distributing light emitted by respective ones of the light-emitting diodes upon the at least partially light-transmitting display; and

selecting individual ones of the light emitting diodes by color in accordance with the spectral sensitivity of the eye to cause an observer to experience a sensation of brightness, thereby to accomplish a dimming of the head-up display.