Head-up display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10180571-B2
Application number	US-201515509765-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2015
Priority date	Sep 23, 2014
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

A head-up display apparatus includes a light source portion that projects light from a light source, a screen member that has a diffusion portion inclined with respect to a hypothetical reference line that extends along a projection direction of the light from the light source, and a light-transmissive optical element that is disposed between the light source portion and the diffusion portion and has a first optical surface exposed to the light source portion and a second optical surface exposed to the diffusion portion. The projection direction corresponds to a center of the image. The diffusion portion diffuses the light from the light source. A distance between the first optical surface and the second optical surface increases in a direction from a side on which the diffusion portion is closer to the light source portion to a side on which the diffusion portion is farther from the light source portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A head-up display apparatus mounted on a mobile object and projecting an image onto a projection member to display the image as a virtual image visible to an occupant, the head-up display apparatus comprising:
a light source portion that projects light from a light source;
a screen member that has a diffusion portion inclined with respect to a hypothetical reference line that extends along a projection direction of the light from the light source, the projection direction corresponding to a center of the image, the diffusion portion diffusing the light from the light source; and
a light-transmissive optical element that is disposed between the light source portion and the diffusion portion and has a first optical surface exposed to the light source portion and a second optical surface exposed to the diffusion portion, the light-transmissive optical element transmitting the light from the light source,
wherein:
a distance between the first optical surface and the second optical surface increases in a direction from a side on which the diffusion portion is closer to the light source portion to a side on which the diffusion portion is farther from the light source portion,
the light-transmissive optical element has a side surface between the first optical surface and the second optical surface, and
the head-up display apparatus further comprises a light-shield member that covers the side surface on the side on which the diffusion portion is farther, the light-shield member shielding the light from the light source, wherein
a horizontal direction of the mobile object is an X direction,
a vertical direction of the mobile object is a Y direction,
an xs direction is a direction in which the light from the light source corresponds to the X direction in a projection area of the diffusion portion,
a ys direction is a direction in which the light from the light source corresponds to the Y direction in the projection area of the diffusion portion, and
in the diffusion portion divided by a plane defined by the reference line and the xs direction, a side including the light-shield member is the side on which the diffusion portion is farther from the light source portion, and a side without including the light-shield member is the side on which the diffusion portion is closer to the light source portion.

2. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the light-shield member protrudes from the second optical surface toward the diffusion portion.

3. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first optical surface is curved to be dented in a direction from the side on which the diffusion portion is closer to the side on which the diffusion portion is farther.

4. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
an inclination angle that the second optical surface forms with the reference line on a side of the light source portion and the side on which the diffusion portion is farther is an obtuse angle.

5. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the diffusion portion diffuses the light by reflecting the light from the light source;
the second optical surface is inclined with respect to the reference line; and
a side on which the second optical surface is closer to the light source portion corresponds to the side on which the diffusion portion is closer to the light source portion, and a side on which the second optical surface is farther from the light source portion corresponds to the side on which the diffusion portion is farther from the light source portion.

6. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein:
the second optical surface is flat or curved to be dented in the direction from the side on which the diffusion portion is closer to the light source portion to the side on which the diffusion portion is farther from the light source portion.

7. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the light-transmissive optical element has a side surface between the first optical surface and the second optical surface; and
the side surface is performed with a reflection-suppressing treatment on the side on which the diffusion portion is farther, and has a lower regular reflectance than the first optical surface and the second optical surface.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Masayuki

Classifications

• G02B26/10

  Scanning systems · CPC title

• B60K2350/2052

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G02B26/101

  with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners (colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129) · CPC title

• B60R2300/205

  using a head-up display · CPC title

• B60K35/00

  Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles · CPC title