Head-up display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11846775-B2
Application number	US-202117334009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2021
Priority date	Mar 5, 2021
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

A head-up display arranged to form a virtual image viewable from an eye-box area. The head-up display is arranged to received picture content within a sub-region of a substantially quadrilateral display area. The head-up display further comprises an optical relay system arranged to relay the received picture content to an eye-box of the head-up display such that a virtual image of the picture content is visible therefrom. The optical relay system comprises at least one optical component shaped in correspondence with the shape of the sub-region. The shape of the eye-box area is non-rectangular such as a corner-cropped rectangular shape or elliptical shape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-up display arranged to form virtual images viewable from an eye-box area, wherein the head-up display comprises:
a picture generating unit comprising an array of pixels arranged to form a substantially quadrilateral display area, wherein the picture generating unit is arranged to display picture content in a sub-region of the quadrilateral display area;
an optical relay system arranged to relay light from the sub-region of the quadrilateral display area to an eye-box area of the head-up display such that a virtual image of the picture content within the sub-region is visible therefrom, wherein the optical relay system comprises at least one optical component shaped in correspondence with the shape of the sub-region,
wherein the shape of the eye-box area is non-rectangular.

2. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the eye-box area comprises a substantially quadrilateral core shape and at least one cropped corner.

3. The head-up display as claimed in claim 2 wherein the quadrilateral core shape is a rectangle, optionally, wherein the long dimension of the rectangle is substantially horizontal during normal usage.

4. The head-up display as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one cropped corner comprises two or four cropped corners.

5. The head-up display as claimed in claim 4 wherein the two or four cropped corners are equal in size in at least one dimension, optionally, equal in size in two perpendicular dimensions.

6. The head-up display as claimed in claim 4 wherein each cropped corner has a size in a first dimension of 15% to 45% the maximum size of the eye-box area in the first dimension.

7. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the eye-box area has an octagonal shape or diamond shape.

8. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the eye-box area has a shape comprising at least five straight sides, optionally, at least six straight sides such as eight straight sides.

9. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the eye-box area has a substantially elliptical shape.

10. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sub-region of the quadrilateral display area comprises a quadrilateral core shape and at least one cropped corner, optionally, two or four cropped corners.

11. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sub-region of the quadrilateral display area has a shape comprising at least five straight sides.

12. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the quadrilateral display area is the array of pixels or corresponds to the array of pixels.

13. The head-up display as claimed claim 1 wherein the quadrilateral display area is a holographic replay field spatially separated from a display device comprising the array of pixels.

14. The head-up display as claimed in claim 13 wherein the display device is arranged to display a hologram of the picture content.

15. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the picture generating unit comprises a holographic projector.

16. The head-up display as claimed in claim 1 wherein the picture generating unit comprises at least one of a backlit liquid crystal display, a laser scanning display, a digital micro-mirror device, a fluorescent display, and a plasma display.

17. A head-up display arranged to form a virtual image viewable from an eye-box area, wherein the head-up display is arranged to receive picture content within a sub-region of a substantially quadrilateral display area, wherein the head-up display further comprises:
an optical relay system arranged to relay the received picture content to an eye-box area of the head-up display such that a virtual image of the picture content is visible therefrom, wherein the optical relay system comprises at least one optical component shaped in correspondence with the shape of the sub-region,
wherein the shape of the eye-box area is non-rectangular.

18. A method of forming virtual images viewable from an eye-box area, the method comprising:
forming a substantially quadrilateral display area, by way of a picture generating unit comprising an array of pixels, wherein the picture generating unit is arranged to display picture content in a sub-region of the quadrilateral display area; and
relaying light from the sub-region of the quadrilateral display area to an eye-box area of the head-up display, by way of an optical relay system, such that a virtual image of the picture content within the sub-region is visible therefrom, wherein the optical relay system comprises at least one optical component shaped in correspondence with the shape of the sub-region,
wherein the shape of the eye-box area is non-rectangular.

Assignees

• Envisics Ltd

Inventors

• Christmas Jamieson
• Spurr Michael
• Molina Daniel
• Mills Gary

Classifications

• G02B27/0101 Primary

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

• G02B13/0095

  Relay lenses or rod lenses (in instruments for viewing the inside of hollow bodies G02B23/2446) · CPC title

• G02B27/0081

  with means for altering, e.g. enlarging, the entrance or exit pupil · CPC title

• G02B27/0103 Primary

  comprising holographic elements · CPC title

• G03H1/22

  Processes or apparatus for obtaining an optical image from holograms (G03H1/26 - G03H1/34 take precedence) · CPC title