Aerial display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11491871-B2
Application number	US-201916296295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2019
Priority date	Sep 14, 2016
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

An aerial display device is mounted on a vehicle and displays information toward a driver seated in a driver seat of the vehicle. The aerial display device includes a display panel and a reflector array. The display panel including a display surface that emits images as light, the display panel being orientated such that the display surface faces toward the driver seat, the display surface including a screen display area and an aerial display area located next to the screen display area. The aerial display area is located at the upper edge portion of the display surface in an installed orientation. The screen display area is a part of the display surface located below the aerial display area. The reflector array forms the light emitted from the aerial display area as an aerial display image in midair above to the aerial display area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aerial display device, mounted on a vehicle, that displays information toward a driver seated in a driver seat of the vehicle, comprising:
a display panel including a display surface that emits images as light, the display panel being orientated such that the display surface faces toward the driver seat, the display surface including a screen display area and an aerial display area located next to the screen display area;
an aerial imaging element that forms the light emitted from the aerial display area as an aerial display image in midair next to the aerial display area; and
a reflecting mirror that reflects the light emitted from the aerial display area toward the aerial imaging element, wherein
the reflecting mirror reflects the light emitted from the aerial display area upward, and
the display surface faces the aerial imaging element in a front direction, and the aerial imaging element is positioned above the reflecting mirror and images the aerial display image toward the front direction.

2. The aerial display device of claim 1 , wherein
the aerial display area is located at an upper edge portion of the display surface in an installed orientation,
the screen display area is located below the aerial display area, and
the aerial imaging element is arranged so as to form the aerial display image in midair above the aerial display area.

3. The aerial display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a dark color transmissive member that covers the aerial imaging element to conceal the aerial imaging element from the driver seat side and that transmits the light emitted from the aerial imaging element.

4. The aerial display device of claim 2 , wherein
the aerial display area is defined horizontally at an upper edge portion of the display surface, and
the aerial imaging element images the aerial display image in a horizontally elongated manner by imaging the light emitted from the aerial display area.

5. The aerial display device of claim 2 , wherein
the aerial display area is defined to include a region of the display surface which is hidden by a steering wheel of the vehicle when viewed from the driver.

6. An aerial display device for mounting in a vehicle, comprising:
a display panel including a display surface that emits images as light, the display surface being divided into a screen display area and an aerial display area located next to each other;
a reflector array arranged to receive the light emitted from the aerial display area, the reflector array including a plurality of reflective mirror elements that form the light received from the aerial display area as an aerial display image in midair next to the aerial display area, and
a reflecting mirror that reflects the light emitted from the aerial display area toward the reflector array, wherein
the reflecting mirror reflects the light emitted from the aerial display area upward, and
the display surface faces the reflector array in a front direction, and the reflector array is positioned above the reflecting mirror and images the aerial display image toward the front direction.

7. A vehicular aerial display system for a vehicle, comprising:
a vehicular dashboard;
the aerial display device of claim 6 mounted in the vehicular dashboard and oriented such that the display panel faces a rear direction of the vehicle; and
a steering wheel attached to the vehicular dashboard, the steering wheel including a rim portion, wherein
when the aerial display device is viewed from the rear direction of the vehicle:
the rim portion of the steering wheel is disposed in front of the aerial display area of the display panel,
the aerial display area is disposed above the rim portion of the steering wheel, and
the screen display area is disposed below the rim portion of the steering wheel.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Tane Seigo
• Tamura Satoru

Classifications

• B60R11/02 Primary

  for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof · CPC title

• G01P1/08

  Arrangements of scales, pointers, lamps or acoustic indicators, e.g. in automobile speedometers · CPC title

• G02B30/35

  using reflective optical elements in the optical path between the images and the observer · CPC title

• G02B27/0101 Primary

  characterised by optical features (G02B27/0172 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K35/00 Primary

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