Head-up display and mobile body equipped with head-up display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016299342-A1
Application number	US-201615188648-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 21, 2016
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A head-up display includes: a plurality of light source elements which are arranged in a first direction and emit light; first lens which takes in from an incident surface the light emitted from the plurality of light source elements and emits the light from an emission surface; diffusion member disposed on a side of the emission surface of the first lens; a spatial light modulation element which takes in from an incident surface the light having been emitted from the plurality of light source elements and having passed through first lens and diffusion member, modulates the taken-in light in accordance with image information, and emits the modulated light from an emission surface; and an optical element which reflects the light emitted from spatial light modulation element. First lens changes an optical path of light emitted from each of light source elements such that the light emitted from the each of light source elements reaches the same area on the incident surface of spatial light modulation element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A head-up display comprising:
a plurality of light source elements which are arranged in a first direction and emit light; a first lens which receives through an incident surface the light emitted from the plurality of light source elements and emits the light from an emission surface; a diffusion member disposed on an emission surface side of the first lens; a spatial light modulation element which takes in from an incident surface the light having been emitted from the plurality of light source elements and having passed through the first lens and the diffusion member, modulates the taken-in light in accordance with image information, and emits the modulated light from an emission surface; and an optical element which reflects the light emitted from the spatial light modulation element, wherein the first lens changes an optical path of the light emitted from each of the light source elements such that the lights emitted from all of the light source elements are superposed on a predetermined area on the incident surface of the spatial light modulation element.

2 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein a focal length, in the first direction, of the first lens is set to a value equal to or greater than a distance from an optical center of the first lens to the spatial light modulation element.

3 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein a curvature, in the first direction, of the emission surface of the first lens is smaller on an edge part of the emission surface of the first lens than on a central part of the emission surface of the first lens.

4 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein a curvature of the emission surface of the first lens is different between in the first direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

5 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein a curvature, of the emission surface of the first lens, in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is smaller on an edge part of the emission surface of the first lens than on a central part of the emission surface of the first lens.

6 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , further comprising a second lens which is disposed on the emission surface side of the first lens and has an incident surface and an emission surface,
wherein at least one of the incident surface and the emission surface is a convex surface.

7 . The head-up display according to claim 6 , wherein a curvature of the emission surface of the second lens is different between in the first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

8 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein a focal length, in the first direction, of the first lens is smaller than a focal length, in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, of the first lens.

9 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein the first lens changes an optical path of the light emitted from each of the light source elements such that the light emitted from the each of the light source elements illuminates an entire area of the incident surface of the spatial light modulation element.

10 . The head-up display according to claim 1 , wherein the head-up display is equipped in a mobile body having a windshield.

11 . A mobile body comprising a head-up display, the head-up display including:
a plurality of light source elements which are arranged in a first direction and emit light; a first lens which receives through an incident surface the light emitted from the plurality of light source elements and emits the light from an emission surface; a diffusion member disposed on an emission surface side of the first lens; a spatial light modulation element which takes in from an incident surface the light having been emitted from the plurality of light source elements and having passed through the first lens and the diffusion member, modulates the taken-in light in accordance with image information, and emits the modulated light from an emission surface, and an optical element which reflects the light emitted from the spatial light modulation element, wherein the first lens changes an optical path of the light emitted from each of the light source elements such that the light emitted from all of the light source elements is superposed on a predetermined area on the incident surface of the spatial light modulation element.

12 . An backlight device for use in a head-up display including a spatial light modulation element and an optical reflection element, the spatial light modulation element including an incident surface and an emission surface, the special light modulation element configured to take in through the incident surface light emitted from the plurality of light source elements and having passed through a first lens and a diffusion member, modulate the taken-in light in accordance with image information, and emit the modulated take-in light from the emission surface, the optical reflection element configured to reflect the modulated take-in light emitted from the spatial light modulation element, the backlight device comprising:
a plurality of light source elements which are arranged in a first direction and emit light; a first lens which receives through an incident surface the light emitted from the plurality of light source elements and emits the light from an emission surface; and a diffusion member disposed on an emission surface side of the first lens, wherein the first lens changes an optical path of the light emitted from each of the light source elements such that the lights emitted from all of the light source elements are superposed on a predetermined area on the incident surface of the spatial light modulation element.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Asai Yosuke

Classifications

• F21V5/008

  Combination of two or more successive refractors along an optical axis · CPC title

• G02B5/0278

  used in transmission · CPC title

• G02B27/0101 Primary

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

• G02F1/133606

  including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members · CPC title

• G02B19/0028

  refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems · CPC title