Display device, display control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10996479-B2
Application number	US-201916581910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2019
Priority date	Oct 1, 2018
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

A display device includes: a light projection device configured to project light; an optical mechanism configured to be able to adjust an optical distance to a virtual image; a concave mirror configured to reflect light toward a reflector; a first actuator configured to adjust the optical distance; a second actuator configured to adjust a reflection angle of the concave mirror; and a control device configured to determine a target optical distance and a target reflection angle based on a vehicle state or a situation around a vehicle, control the first actuator such that the optical distance approaches the target optical distance, and control the second actuator such that the reflection angle approaches the target reflection angle. The control device performs predetermined control such that the virtual image becoming a double image when the target optical distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance is curbed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising:
a light projection device configured to project light including an image;
an optical mechanism provided on a path of the light and configured to adjust an optical distance between a predetermined position and a position at which the light is formed as a virtual image;
a concave mirror configured to reflect light passing through the optical mechanism toward a reflector;
a first actuator configured to adjust the optical distance;
a processor; and
a memory that stores program instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
determining a target optical distance based on a vehicle state or a situation around a vehicle,
in response to determining that a brightness around the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold and the target optical distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, controlling the first actuator such that the optical distance approaches the target optical distance, and
in response to determining that the brightness around the vehicle is less than the threshold and the target optical distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, controlling the first actuator such that the optical distance approaches the predetermined distance.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to determining that the brightness around the vehicle is less than the threshold and the target optical distance is greater than the predetermined distance, keeping a brightness of the image constant regardless of the target optical distance, and
in response to determining that the brightness around the vehicle is less than the threshold and the target optical distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, decreasing the brightness of the image as the target optical distance becomes shorter.

3. A display control method causing a computer of a display device including a light projection device configured to project light including an image, an optical mechanism provided on a path of the light and configured to adjust an optical distance between a predetermined position and a position at which the light is formed as a virtual image, a concave mirror configured to reflect light passing through the optical mechanism toward a reflector, and a first actuator configured to adjust the optical distance to
determine a target optical distance based on a vehicle state or a situation around a vehicle,
in response to a determination that a brightness around the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold and the target optical distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, control the first actuator such that the optical distance approaches the target optical distance, and
in response to a determination that the brightness around the vehicle is less than the threshold and the target optical distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, control the first actuator such that the optical distance approaches the predetermined distance.

4. A display device, comprising:
a light projection device configured to project light including an image;
an optical mechanism provided on a path of the light and configured to adjust an optical distance between a predetermined position and a position at which the light is formed as a virtual image;
a concave mirror configured to reflect light passing through the optical mechanism toward a reflector;
a first actuator configured to adjust the optical distance;
a second actuator configured to adjust a reflection angle of the concave mirror;
a processor; and
a memory that stores program instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
determining a target optical distance and a target reflection angle based on a vehicle state or a situation around a vehicle,
controlling the first actuator such that the optical distance approaches the target optical distance,
controlling the second actuator such that the reflection angle approaches the target reflection angle, and
in a second case, controlling the second actuator such that a position of the virtual image is moved to a lower side in a vertical direction relative to a first case,
wherein the first case is a determination that a brightness around the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold and the target optical distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, and the second case is a determination that the brightness around the vehicle is less than the threshold and the target optical distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance.

5. The display device according to claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise:
keeping the brightness of the image constant regardless of the target optical distance in a third case comprising a determination that the brightness around the vehicle is less than the threshold and the target optical distance is greater than the predetermined distance, and
decreasing the brightness of the image as the target optical distance becomes shorter in the second case.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Higashiyama Masafumi
• Kimura Takuya
• Kawakami Shinji
• Iwasa Tatsuya
• Kuwashima Yuji

Classifications

• B60K35/234

  controlling the brightness, colour or contrast of virtual images depending on the driving conditions or on the condition of the vehicle or the driver · 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

• B60R2300/308

  by overlaying the real scene, e.g. through a head-up display on the windscreen · CPC title

• G02B2027/0154

  with movable elements · CPC title

• B60R2300/205

  using a head-up display · CPC title