Display device and adjustment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10976545-B2
Application number	US-201716320059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2017
Priority date	Sep 1, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A display device used in a vehicle for displaying virtual images includes: a display including a light source to emit image light and a screen on which the image light is projected; and a controller to adjust positions at which the virtual images are displayed. Images displayed on the screen are projected as the virtual images. The virtual images include first and second virtual images displayed at different positions. The display displays, on the screen, a first adjustment image that is projected to a display area of the first virtual image and a second adjustment image that is projected to a display area of the second virtual image. The controller adjusts a position of the display area of the first virtual image and a position of the display area of the second virtual image on a basis of the first adjustment image and the second adjustment image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A display device used in a vehicle for displaying virtual images, the display device comprising:
a display including a light source to emit image light and a screen on which the image light is projected;
a projection optical system to receive the image light from the screen and project the image light toward one of a windshield and a combiner of the vehicle to project, as the virtual images, images displayed on the screen; and
a controller to adjust the projection optical system, thereby adjusting positions at which the virtual images are displayed, wherein
the virtual images include a first virtual image and a second virtual image displayed at a position different from that of the first virtual image,
the first virtual image is displayed in a first virtual image area and the second virtual image is displayed in a second virtual image area,
the display displays, on the screen, a first adjustment image that is projected to the first virtual image area and a second adjustment image that is projected to the second virtual image area, and
the controller adjusts a position of the first virtual image area and a position of the second virtual image area by adjusting the projection optical system on a basis of the first adjustment image and the second adjustment image.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the controller adjusts positions in a height direction at which the virtual images are displayed.

3. The display device of claim 2 , wherein the second virtual image is displayed farther from the vehicle than the first virtual image.

4. The display device of claim 3 , wherein when a position in the height direction of the first virtual image area coincides with a position in the height direction of the second virtual image area, a first adjustment virtual image that is a virtual image of the first adjustment image is displayed in an upper direction of the vehicle from a second adjustment virtual image that is a virtual image of the second adjustment image.

5. The display device of claim 4 , wherein the controller makes positions in the height direction at which the virtual image of the first adjustment image and the virtual image of the second adjustment image are displayed coincide with each other.

6. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the controller adjusts an inclination angle of at least one of the virtual images.

7. The display device of claim 6 , wherein
a tick mark is drawn in at least one of the first adjustment image and the second adjustment image, and
the controller adjusts an inclination angle of the first virtual image area or the second virtual image area on a basis of a displayed tick mark.

8. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first adjustment image and the second adjustment image are simultaneously or alternately displayed as virtual images.

9. The display device of claim 1 , wherein
the second virtual image is displayed farther from the vehicle than the first virtual image,
the screen is movable between a first position at which an image on the screen is displayed as the first virtual image in the first virtual image area and a second position at which an image on the screen is displayed as the second virtual image in the second virtual image area, and
the controller moves the screen to the first position and causes the display to display the first adjustment image on the screen at the first position, and moves the screen to the second position and causes the display to display the second adjustment image on the screen at the second position.

10. An adjustment method for a display device used in a vehicle for displaying virtual images, the display device including a light source to emit image light, a screen on which the image light is projected, and a projection optical system to receive the image light from the screen and project the image light toward one of a windshield and a combiner of the vehicle to project, as the virtual images, images displayed on the screen, the virtual images including a first virtual image and a second virtual image displayed at a position different from that of the first virtual image, the first virtual image being displayed in a first virtual image area and the second virtual image being displayed in a second virtual image area, the adjustment method comprising:
displaying, on the screen, a first adjustment image that is projected to the first virtual image area and a second adjustment image that is projected to the second virtual image area; and
adjusting a position of the first virtual image area and a position of the second virtual image area by adjusting the projection optical system on a basis of the first adjustment image and the second adjustment image.

11. The adjustment method of claim 10 , wherein
the second virtual image is displayed farther from the vehicle than the first virtual image,
the screen is movable between a first position at which an image on the screen is displayed as the first virtual image in the first virtual image area and a second position at which an image on the screen is displayed as the second virtual image in the second virtual image area, and
the displaying comprises moving the screen to the first position and displaying the first adjustment image on the screen at the first position, and moving the screen to the second position and displaying the second adjustment image on the screen at the second position.

12. A display device used in a vehicle for displaying virtual images, the display device comprising:
a display including a light source to emit image light and a screen on which the image light is projected;
a projection optical system to receive the image light from the screen and project the image light toward one of a windshield and a combiner of the vehicle to project, as the virtual images, images displayed on the screen; and
a controller to adjust the projection optical system, thereby adjusting positions at which the virtual images are displayed, wherein
the virtual images include a first virtual image and a second virtual image displayed at a position different from that of the first virtual image,
the first virtual image is displayed in a first virtual image area and the second virtual image is displayed in a second virtual image area,
the first virtual image area is inclined so that an upper end of the first virtual image area is located farther than a lower end of the first virtual image area,
the display displays, on the screen, a first adjustment image that is projected to the first virtual image area as a first adjustment virtual image and a second adjustment image that is projected to the second virtual image area as a second adjustment virtual image, the second adjustment virtual image being farther from or nearer to the vehicle than the first adjustment virtual image, and
the controller adjusts an inclination angle of the first virtual image by adjusting the projection optical system on a basis of the first adjustment image and the second adjustment image.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kishigami Tomo
• Takeshita Nobuo
• Michimori Atsushi
• Nakahara Shota

Classifications

• B60K35/233

  controlling the size or position in display areas of virtual images depending on the condition of the vehicle or the driver · CPC title

• B60K35/10

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B60K35/90

  Calibration of instruments, e.g. setting initial or reference parameters; Testing of instruments, e.g. detecting malfunction · CPC title

• B60K35/60

  Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles (arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10) · CPC title

• B60K35/28

  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 title