Head-up display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11846776-B2
Application number	US-202217870308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2022
Priority date	Jul 7, 2016
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a head-up display apparatus further reduced in size, the head-up display apparatus having: an image display apparatus including a light source and a display element; and a virtual image optical system in which light emitted from the image display apparatus is reflected by a windshield or a combiner of the vehicle so that a virtual image is displayed in front of the vehicle, wherein the virtual image optical system has a concave mirror and a distortion correcting lens, and the distortion correcting lens is disposed between the image display apparatus and the concave mirror, the concave mirror is disposed in a housing including an outer case along a shape of an effective light path area of the image light from the image display apparatus, and the image display apparatus is attached to part of an outer periphery of the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A head-up display apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
an image display apparatus including a light source and a display element so that an image is displayed on the display element so as to generate an image projection light to be emitted;
a virtual image optical system configured to reflect the image projection light emitted from the image display apparatus by a windshield or a combiner of the vehicle so that a virtual image is displayed in the front side of the vehicle; and
a housing in which the virtual image optical system is accommodated,
wherein the virtual image optical system includes a mirror,
the housing includes a bottom surface portion formed along an optical path of the image light that is emitted from the image display apparatus to the mirror, and an intermediate bottom that has a tilt angle different from that of the bottom surface portion and is formed along an optical path of reflected light reflected by the mirror.

2. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing includes a wall surface formed along a shape of an effective optical path region of the image light from the image display apparatus.

3. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the image display apparatus is attached to one portion of an outer periphery of the housing.

4. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing further includes side surface portions that rise from two side ends of the bottom surface and an upper side surface portion that rises from an end of the intermediate bottom surface portion.

5. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing is constituted by an outer case in which the mirror is accommodated, and an outer cover that is integrally assembled on an upper portion of the outer case and has a member for transmitting reflected light reflected by the mirror.

6. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the side surface portions, the intermediate bottom surface portion and the upper side surface portion forming the housing are formed so as to be separated outside from the outermost periphery of an effective optical path region of the image light, with a distance in a range from 1 mm or more to less than 15 mm.

7. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light source is provided with heat dissipating means.

8. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the heat dissipating means of the light source is positioned on the outer periphery of the housing.

9. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the heat dissipating means is a heat sink.

10. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mirror includes a mirror driver for driving the mirror.

11. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a substrate on which a controller for controlling operations of the respective parts including the light source and the display element is assembled is attached to one portion of the outer periphery of the housing.

12. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the light source and the display element constituting an image display apparatus is disposed so as to be tilted relative to an optical axis of the concave mirror.

13. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the mirror is held on a holding member or an outer case having an angle adjusting mechanism.

14. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
the angle adjusting mechanism is configured to adjust the angle of the mirror, to adjust a projection position onto a windshield, and to make the position of a virtual image seen by the driver adjustable in the vertical direction.

15. A head-up display apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
an image display apparatus including a light source and a display element so that an image is displayed on the display element so as to generate an image projection light to be emitted;
a virtual image optical system configured to reflect the image projection light emitted from the image display apparatus by a windshield or a combiner of the vehicle so that a virtual image is displayed in the front side of the vehicle; and

a housing in which the virtual image optical system is accommodated,
wherein the virtual image optical system includes a mirror,
the housing is constituted by an outer case in which the mirror is accommodated, and an outer cover that is integrally assembled on an upper portion of the outer case and has a member for transmitting reflected light reflected by the mirror.

16. The head-up display apparatus according to claim claim 15 , wherein
the housing includes a wall surface formed along a shape of an effective optical path region of the image light from the image display apparatus.

17. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the image display apparatus is attached to one portion of an outer periphery of the housing.

18. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the housing includes a bottom surface portion formed along an optical path of the image light that is emitted from the display element to the mirror, and an intermediate bottom that has a tilt angle different from that of the bottom surface portion and is formed along an optical path of reflected light reflected by the mirror.

19. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the housing further includes side surface portions that rise from two side ends of the bottom surface and an upper side surface portion that rises from an end of the intermediate bottom surface portion.

20. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the side surface portions, the intermediate bottom surface portion and the upper side surface portion forming the housing are formed so as to be separated outside from the outermost periphery of an effective optical path region of the image light, with a distance in a range from 1 mm or more to less than 15 mm.

21. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the light source is provided with heat dissipating means.

22. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein
the heat dissipating means of the light source is positioned on the outer periphery of the housing.

23. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein the heat dissipating means is a heat sink.

24. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the mirror includes a mirror driver for driving the mirror.

25. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising:
a substrate on which a controller for controlling operations of the respective parts including the light source and the display element is assembled is attached to one portion of the outer periphery of the housing.

26. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the light source and the display element constituting an image display apparatus is disposed so as to be tilted relative to an optical axis of the concave mirror.

27. The head-up display apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the mirror is held on a holding member or an outer case having an angle adjusting mechanism.

28. The head-up display apparatus according to claim

Assignees

• Maxell Ltd

Inventors

• Misawa Akio
• Shimoda Nozomu
• Kaneko Kazuomi
• Hirata Koji
• Sugiyama Toshinori

Classifications

• B60K35/50

  Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle (B60K35/231 takes precedence) · CPC title

• 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

• B60K35/415

  Glare prevention · CPC title

• B60K35/23

  Head-up displays [HUD] (optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01) · CPC title

• G02B27/0149 Primary

  characterised by mechanical features (G02B27/0176 takes precedence) · CPC title