GB2589728A

GB2589728A - Angle mirror for an armoured vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2589728A
Application number: GB2017203.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Krätzig Olaf
Original assignee: Gus Glass Safety & Co KG GmbH
Current assignee: Gus Glass Safety & Co KG GmbH
Priority date: 2019-11-25
Filing date: 2020-10-30
Publication date: 2021-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2040-10-30
Also published as: DE102019131812A1; DE102019131812B4; GB2589728B; GB202017203D0

Abstract

An angle mirror for an armoured vehicle is comprises a housing (9) with an outward sightline (2) directed substantially horizontally, an interior prism block (3) with an upper deflection surface (4), an upper deflection mirror (5) and an inward sightline (6) that is directed substantially horizontally at a lower deflection surface (7) with a lower deflection mirror (8). The upper deflection mirror (4) is designed as a semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror and has a means of looking vertically from above at the lower deflection mirror (8). An electronic display (12) with a display area (13) is arranged above the upper deflection mirror (4), the electronic display (12) being in a substantially horizontal direction and the display area (12) facing towards the lower deflection mirror (7). A second inward sightline (10) extends as a viewing sightline via the lower deflection surface (7) and the lower deflection mirror (8) through the upper semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror and in a straight line to the display area (13) of the display (2).

Description

Angle mirror for an armoured vehicle The invention relates to an angle mirror for an armoured vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

An angle mirror for an armoured vehicle having a housing with an outward sightline directed horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal, an interior prism block with an upper deflection surface, an upper deflection mirror and an inward sightline directed horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal towards a lower deflection surface with a lower deflection mirror is known from DE 102008061701 Al, in which the upper deflection mirror is designed as a semitransparent beam-splitting mirror and offers a means of looking at the lower deflection mirror vertically from above.

This known angle mirror for an armoured vehicle allows a vehicle driver to look at an instrument panel in the vehicle via the lower deflection mirror from the outside to the inside through the semi-transparent deflection mirror. When using the device, however, in order to obtain information about the vehicle the vehicle driver must look directly at the instrument panel arranged behind the deflection mirror and thus, he must refocus. Over time, this refocussing places a strain on the eyes and prevents the driver from registering the information on the display at high speed.

Another known angle mirror with image integration, disclosed in EP 2818907 B1, has a separate display inside the vehicle. However, its image is redirected at least three times by the prism and the lenses affixed to it and by 13 changes of medium from air to glass, glass to glass, glass to plastic and vice versa and by passing twice through a beam-splitting mirror, which adversely affects the quality and intensity of the image.

In a further known angle mirror disclosed in EP 2406680 B1, a display is arranged on the rear of the viewing-in of an angle mirror, wherein here the beam of light from the display also undergoes nine changes of medium but the total distance between the display area of the display and the eyes of the observer is short such that significant refocussing is once again required and, over time, whereby it is difficult to register the information on the display quickly after having looked out through the angle mirror.

The object of the invention is to provide an angle mirror for an armoured vehicle that is very eye-friendly and requires little or no refocussing of the eyes of the observer as his view is switched from looking through the angle mirror at what is actually happening outside to looking at the display.

This object is achieved by means of the features described in the preamble to the invention in conjunction with the technical features set out in the characterising part by arranging an electronic display with a display area above the upper deflection mirror, the electronic display being in a horizontal direction or a few angular degrees from the horizontal direction, wherein the display area faces towards the lower deflection mirror, and by a second inward sightline extending as a viewing sightline via the lower deflection surface and the lower deflection mirror through the upper semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror in a straight line to the display area of the display.

In this arrangement, the distance between the eyes of an observer and the display is such that the eyes can remain focussed on infinity and it is possible to look both out of the angle mirror and at the display area of the display simultaneously. The user is therefore able to register both the information on the display and the information from outside simultaneously.

Further advantages lie in the fact that the light of the display is unable to leak out in the form of undesirable stray light and that the single deflection at the lower deflection mirror of the lower deflection surface results in excellent image quality.

Further advantageous embodiments of the object result from and in combination with the subsidiary claims set out below.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a gas-filled space is created between the display surface and the upper deflection mirror, whereby according to the invention this gas may be ambient air or air from the vehicle interior, which may also be temperature-controlled or air conditioned, to which end the angle mirror may advantageously be provided with a circulation device by means of which the gas can be circulated.

Also conceivable is an advantageous alternative in which the gas is enclosed statically in the space such that no humidity is able to penetrate the space and so adversely affect the operation of the angle mirror.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a heating device can be arranged in the space and/or on the deflection mirror and/or on the display such that the angle mirror can be kept operational at any conceivable ambient temperature.

In this arrangement, the display is preferably held in an additional housing at the edge of and a certain distance from the prism block such that an additional housing of this type can easily be retrofitted to existing angle mirrors.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a transparent prism body made of glass or a plastic, such as transparent PMMA, for example, can also be fitted between the display area and the upper deflection mirror in order to avoid any unnecessary restriction of the range of applications of the electronic display configuration according to the invention.

According to a particularly preferred and particularly ergonomic embodiment, the lower deflection surface is mounted on the housing such that it can be pivoted about a pivot axis so that a user is able to set his optimum angle for looking into the angle mirror.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the lower deflection surface takes the form of a lower prism block arranged in the housing with a lower deflection surface, it being possible to configure the interior prism block in one piece with the upper deflection surface and the interior prism block in one piece with the lower deflection surface, thereby continuing to maintain the essential advantageous of the invention.

A particularly advantageous feature of the angle mirror according to the invention is, however, that the upper deflection mirror, which takes the form of a semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror, makes it possible to see the image shown on the display and the exterior view superposed one on top of the other simultaneously, irrespective of whether the display image features simple vehicle data alone or also includes recorded exterior or other information.

An embodiment of the invention is described in greater detail below with reference to a drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a drawing of a view through a sectioned angle mirror with two different optical paths The angle mirror 1 for an armoured vehicle comprises a housing 9 in which is fitted a prism block 3 which, when a viewing window 17 is approximately vertical or slightly angled, has an outward sightline 2 that is aligned substantially horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal, wherein the side of the prism block 3 opposite the viewing window 17 is angled at approx. 45° and so forms a deflection surface 4 that is fitted with an additional deflection mirror 5, which in this arrangement takes the form of a semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror.

At its lower input side, the angle mirror 1 is fitted with a deflection surface 7 that can be pivoted about a pivot axis 15 and itself supports a deflection mirror 8 such that, the deflection surface 7 being pivoted about approx. 45°, the observer's line of sight along an inward sightline 6, which is directed horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal, is deflected vertically upwards as far as the upper deflection surface 4 or deflection mirror 5, where it is redirected horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal along an outward sightline 2. At the same time, however, an observer can also look through the deflection mirror 5, which is designed as a semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror, directly at the display area 13 of the electronic display 12 along a second inward sightline 10, which is also directed horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal and once again deflected upwards at the lower surface 7 or the deflection mirror 8.

In this arrangement, the display 12 is arranged in an additional housing 16 above the prism block 3 and its housing 9 and thus as far as possible from the eyes of an observer without having to redirect the inward sightline 10 more than once or pass it through various media of differing densities and angles of refraction.

The display 12 is held at the edge of and a certain distance from the prism block 3 in the additional housing 16, whereby a space is provided between the display 12 and the prism block 3 that is filled with a gas, which may be ambient air but may also be an enclosed volume of gas that can be connected via side channels (not shown) to the atmosphere inside the armoured vehicle, to which end the angle mirror 1 can be fitted with additional circulation devices (also not shown in the drawing).

A variant in which the space 14 under the display 12 is filled by a further prism block is also not shown in the drawing.

Also not shown is a further conceivable variant that is fitted with a further deflection prism rather than the lower deflection surface 7 with the deflection mirror 8, it then being possible to advantageously provide the prism block 3 and the additional deflection prism as one piece.

Claims

Claims 1 An angle mirror for an armoured vehicle, the angle mirror comprising a housing (9) with an outward sightline (2) directed horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal, an interior prism block (3) with an upper deflection surface (4), an upper deflection mirror (5) and an inward sightline (6) that is directed horizontally or at a few angular degrees from the horizontal at a lower deflection surface (7) with a lower deflection mirror (8), the upper deflection mirror (4) being designed as a semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror and having a means of looking vertically from above at the lower deflection mirror (8), wherein an electronic display (12) with a display area (13) is arranged above the upper deflection mirror (4), the electronic display (12) being in an approximately horizontal direction or a few angular degrees from the horizontal direction and the display area (12) facing towards the lower deflection mirror (7), and wherein a second inward sightline (10) extends as a viewing sightline via the lower deflection surface (7) and the lower deflection mirror (8) through the upper semi-transparent beam-splitting mirror and in a straight line to the display area (13) of the display (2).
2. An angle mirror according to claim 1, wherein a gas-filled space (14) is created between the display area (13) and the upper deflection mirror (5).
3. An angle mirror according to claim 2, wherein the space (14) is filled with air. 25 4.
An angle mirror according to claim 2, wherein the space (14) is sealed off from the outside and that the gas inside it is static.
An angle mirror according to claim 2, wherein a circulation device is associated with the angle mirror (1), wherein the gas can be circulated by the circulation device.
6. An angle mirror according to claim 2, wherein a heating device is arranged in the space (14) and/or on the deflection mirror (8) and/or on the display (12).
7 An angle mirror according to claim 2, wherein the display (12) is held in an additional housing (16) at the edge of and a certain distance from the prism block (3).
8 An angle mirror according to claim 1, wherein a transparent prism body made of glass or plastic is fitted between the display area (13) and the upper deflection mirror (5).
9 An angle mirror according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower deflection surface (7) is arranged on the housing (3) such that it is pivotable about a pivot axis (15).
An angle mirror according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, wherein the lower deflection surface (7) takes the form of a lower prism block located inside the housing (9)
11 An angle mirror according to claim 10, wherein an interior upper prism block (3) is made in one piece with the upper deflection surface (4), and the lower interior prism block is made in once piece with the lower deflection surface.
12. An angle mirror according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a beam of light from a display (12) is redirected only once on its way to the eyes of an observer.
13 An angle mirror according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the image shown on the display (12) and the view of the external environment are designed such that they can be represented simultaneously one superposed on the other.