Head-up display apparatus for vehicle

• US 9,874,746 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Matsubara, Takashi, Furugori, Hiroshige
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, David
• Application Number:
  US14/768,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20160004076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/191 Highlight information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1529 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/186 Displaying Information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/191 Highlight information
• 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 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0185 Displaying image at variable distance
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 : characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 : Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 : the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 : Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 : Avionics applications

Abstract

Proper display is performed in consideration of a characteristic that a vehicle head-up display device 1 is mounted in a vehicle. The vehicle head-up display device 1 for displaying a virtual image displays plural virtual images which are different in focal distance.

Claims

1. A vehicle head-up display device comprising:

a projection unit projecting light to form an upper virtual image display area formed in an area corresponding to an upper area of a front windshield or a projection face formed on a member that is provided so as to correspond to the front windshield, and a lower virtual image display area formed in an area corresponding to a lower area of the front windshield or the projection face formed on the member that is provided so as to correspond to the front windshield and display a virtual image in a front windshield corresponding area as an area corresponding to the front windshield; and

a controller

setting a focal distance of a virtual image to be displayed in the upper virtual image display area to be longer than a focal distance of a virtual image to be displayed in the lower virtual image display area,

setting the focal distance of the virtual image to be displayed in the upper virtual image display area to be a focal distance corresponding to a focal point of vehicle occupant'"'"'s eyes when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a target through the area corresponding to the upper virtual image display area,

setting the focal distance of the virtual image to be displayed in the lower virtual image display area to be a focal distance corresponding to a focal point of the vehicle occupant'"'"'s eyes when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a target through the area corresponding to the lower virtual image display area,

displaying a virtual image associated with information other than information relating to driving in the upper virtual image display area during stopping of a vehicle, and

prohibiting display of the virtual image associated with the information other than the information relating to the driving in the upper virtual image display area during not stopping of the vehicle,

wherein the controller is connected with an illuminance sensor to detect brightness of surrounding of the vehicle,

when the brightness is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, and when the vehicle is traveling, the virtual image associated with the information relating to the driving is displayed in the upper virtual image display area,

the focal distance of the virtual image in the upper virtual image display area is long when the virtual image is displayed in a condition that the brightness is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value,

wherein the front windshield is divided at a center in a lateral direction into a right area and a left area of the front windshield,

wherein the controller forms a right-side virtual image display area in an area corresponding to the right area of the front windshield and a left-side virtual image display area in an area corresponding to the left area of the front windshield which are away from one another, and virtual images to be displayed in the right-side virtual image display area and the left-side virtual image display area are different in focal distance.

2. The vehicle head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein with respect to a plurality of virtual image display areas formed in the front windshield corresponding area, the projection unit for projecting light is provided for each of the areas.

3. A vehicle head-up display device comprising:

a projection unit projecting light to form an upper virtual image display area formed in an area corresponding to an upper area of a front windshield or a projection face formed on a member that is provided so as to correspond to the front windshield, and a lower virtual image display area formed in an area corresponding to a lower area of the front windshield or the projection face formed on the member that is provided so as to correspond to the front windshield and display a virtual image in a front windshield corresponding area as an area corresponding to the front windshield;

a blind spot image projection unit projecting light to form a virtual image display area formed in the lower virtual image display area of the front windshield corresponding area so as to display a blind spot image for compensating a vehicle occupant'"'"'s blind spot; and

a controller

setting a focal distance of a virtual image to be displayed in the upper virtual image display area to be longer than a focal distance of a virtual image to be displayed in the lower virtual image display area,

setting the focal distance of the virtual image to be displayed in the upper virtual image display area to be a focal distance corresponding to a focal point of vehicle occupant'"'"'s eyes when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a target through the area corresponding to the upper virtual image display area,

setting the focal distance of the virtual image to be displayed in the lower virtual image display area to be a focal distance corresponding to a focal point of the vehicle occupant'"'"'s eyes when the vehicle occupant visually recognizes a target through the area corresponding to the lower virtual image display area,

displaying a virtual image associated with information other than information relating to driving in the upper virtual image display area during stopping of a vehicle, and

prohibiting display of the virtual image associated with the information other than the information relating to the driving in the upper virtual image display area during not stopping of the vehicle,

wherein the controller is connected with an illuminance sensor to detect brightness of surrounding of the vehicle,

when the brightness is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, and when the vehicle is traveling, the virtual image associated with the information relating to the driving is displayed in the upper virtual image display area,

the focal distance of the virtual image in the upper virtual image display area is long when the virtual image is displayed in a condition that the brightness is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value,

wherein the controller is connected with at least one camera device, which is mounted in the vehicle, and the blind spot image for compensating the vehicle occupant'"'"'s blind spot is transmitted from the camera device to the blind spot image projection unit, and

the blind spot image projection unit displays the blind spot image for compensating for the vehicle occupant'"'"'s blind spot in the lower virtual image display area of the front windshield corresponding area.

4. The vehicle head-up display device according to claim 3, wherein the front windshield corresponding area as area corresponding to the front windshield is divided at a center in a lateral direction into a left area and a right area,

the blind spot image projection unit displays the blind spot image in the left area of the lower virtual image display area, and

a focal distance of the blind spot image displayed in the left area of the lower virtual image display area is set to be shorter than a focal distance of the right area of the front windshield corresponding area.