JP2008164908A - Head-up display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head-up display apparatus, wherein the appearance is improved in terms of an external appearance design, and deterioration in visibility due to external light is suppressed, and further a degree of freedom in vehicle packaging is increased so as to be post-installed. <P>SOLUTION: The head-up display apparatus includes: a display device 12 for luminous display; a dimmer 13 overlaid on the display device; a light detecting part 14 for detecting the illuminance of the external light made incident on the window shield; and a control part 15 for controlling the drive of the display device so as to display various kinds of information such as a vehicle speed and an engine speed, and subjecting a dimmer to perform dimming control based on the external light illuminance signal output from the light detection part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a head-up display device for performing various displays on a window shield of an automobile.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a conventional head-up display device 1 includes a light source 3, a display 4, a plane mirror 5 and a magnifying mirror 6 incorporated in an instrument panel 2 provided in the front part of a vehicle compartment, a window, and a window. And a semi-transparent mirror 8 provided on a shield (front glass) 7.

The light source 3 is a so-called ultra-bright light source of about 3000 to 6000 cd / m ² , for example, and is disposed in the mounting space 2 a in the instrument panel 2, and emits light to display the display 4. Back lighting.

  The indicator 4 is disposed in the mounting space 2a, and is composed of, for example, a transmissive liquid crystal display panel, and performs various displays such as a vehicle speed and an engine speed as a transmissive display. Then, the transmissive display of the display 4 is brightly displayed by the light by the back illumination by the light source 3.

  The plane mirror 5 is disposed in the mounting space 2 a and reflects light incident from the light source 3 through the transmissive display of the display 4 to the magnifying mirror 6.

  The magnifying mirror 6 is disposed in the mounting space 2a, and reflects the light that defines the transmissive display reflected by the plane mirror 5 while being focused toward the semi-transmissive mirror 8 on the window shield 7. Here, the curvature of the magnifying glass 6 is selected so that the transmissive display of the display 4 is imaged on the semi-transmissive mirror 8. Note that an opening is provided on the upper surface of the instrument panel 2 in order to allow the light reflected by the magnifying mirror 6 and traveling toward the semi-transmissive mirror 8 to pass therethrough.

  In the head-up display device 1 having such a configuration, a predetermined transmission display such as a vehicle speed transmission display is performed on the display 4, and light emitted from the light source 3 and emitted from the light source 3 is transmitted through the display 4. The light passes through the display portion, is further reflected by the plane mirror 5, and enters the magnifier 6.

  Then, the light that defines the transmissive display incident on the magnifying mirror 6 is reflected by the magnifying mirror 6, converged based on the curvature of the magnifying mirror 6, and projected onto the semi-transmissive mirror 8. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, the driver D observes the projection image of the transmissive display projected on the surface of the semi-transmissive mirror 8 without moving the line of sight while driving, so that the display content by the transmissive display is displayed. For example, the vehicle speed display 9 (see FIG. 8B) can be visually recognized.

  By the way, in the head-up display device 1 having such a configuration, a transparent display of the display 4 provided in the mounting space 2a in the instrument panel 2 is displayed, and an opening provided on the upper surface of the instrument panel 2 is provided by back lighting. And projected onto the semi-transparent mirror 8. Accordingly, a relatively large opening 2b exists on the upper surface of the instrument panel 2, and the design of the instrument panel 2 is not good.

In addition, although an ultra-high brightness light source is used as the light source 3, the projection image of the transmissive display is hardly seen on the semi-transmissive mirror 8 due to the influence of external light. Thereby, the visibility of the projected image of the transmissive display is lowered due to the illuminance of the external light.
On the other hand, it is necessary to further increase the luminance of the light source 3, but this increases the size of the light source 3 and increases the weight.

  Furthermore, a light source 3, a display 4, a plane mirror 5 and a magnifying mirror 6 are necessary for the projection of the transmissive display, and these are accommodated in the mounting space 2 a in the instrument panel 2. It is complicated and the mounting space 2a becomes large, and the assembling work becomes complicated. For this reason, vehicle packaging will be restricted.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a head-up display device configured to be attached to an arbitrary place, for example, the upper surface of an instrument panel.
Patent Document 2 discloses a head-up display device in which external light is not incident on a display unit even when external light is incident.
JP 2006-205955 A JP 2005-326723 A

  However, since the head-up display device according to Patent Document 1 is disposed so as to protrude from the upper surface of the instrument panel, for example, it looks bad in design.

  In the head-up display device according to Patent Document 2, the projected image on the display unit on the window shield becomes difficult to be seen due to the influence of external light, and the visibility of the projected image of the transmissive display is lowered due to the illuminance of the external light. In addition, retrofitting a vehicle that is not equipped with a conventional head-up display device requires a replacement of the instrument panel, as well as a degree of freedom in the space in which other parts are arranged in the instrument panel. Because there were few, it was difficult.

  The present invention was created in view of the above points, and improves the appearance, suppresses a decrease in visibility due to external light, further increases the degree of freedom of vehicle packaging, and can be retrofitted. The object is to provide a device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a head-up display device according to the present invention includes a display device that performs light-emitting display, a light control device that is superimposed on the display device, and light detection that detects the illuminance of external light incident on the window shield. And a control unit for controlling the dimming of the dimming device based on an external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit while driving the display device to perform various displays such as a vehicle speed and an engine speed. It is characterized by having.

In the head-up display device of the present invention, preferably, the control unit adjusts the transmittance of the light control device and the display luminance of the display device based on the external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit. The display device is preferably an organic EL element, and the light control device is preferably an EC element.
In the head-up display device according to the present invention, the control unit is preferably connected to the navigation device, and information such as road information is displayed on the display device based on the navigation information from the navigation device.
The head-up display device according to the present invention is preferably attached to the inner surface of the window shield via an adhesive in a state where the light control device is located on the back side of the display device when viewed from the vehicle interior.

According to the above configuration, the display device such as the organic EL element provided on the window shield performs light emission display, so that the driver can directly display the display device without moving the line of sight while driving. The display content can be visually observed.
Therefore, the conventional optical system including the light source, the reflecting mirror, and the magnifying mirror is unnecessary, and it is not necessary to provide an opening for allowing the light defining the display to pass through on the upper surface of the instrument panel. Thereby, the appearance of the design of the instrument panel is improved.
Further, since the above-described optical system is unnecessary and a high-luminance light source is also unnecessary, the installation space can be very small. Therefore, the assembling work is easy and the degree of freedom of vehicle packaging is increased.

  External light incident on the display device from the back side is dimmed based on the transmittance by a dimming device such as a liquid crystal or an EC (electrochromic) element, and the dimming device is detected by the light detection unit. The dimming control is performed on the basis of the external light illuminance signal, so that when the illuminance of the external light is high, the transmittance of the dimmer is reduced, and the display by the display device is always easy to see without being affected by the external light Thus, the visibility of this display content is improved.

When the control unit adjusts the transmittance of the light control device based on the external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit, for example, referring to a table registered in advance, the adjustment of the light transmittance of the light control device is quickly performed. Done.
When the control unit adjusts the display luminance of the display device based on the external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit, in addition to adjusting the transmittance of the light control device, for example, when the illuminance of external light is high, By increasing the display brightness of the display device, a more easily viewable display is performed. For example, when the display brightness of the display device is adjusted with reference to a previously registered table, the display brightness of the display device is quickly adjusted.

When the control unit is connected to the navigation device and information such as road information is displayed on the display device based on the navigation information from the navigation device, the information such as the road information is linked to the navigation device by the display device. Since the information is displayed, the driver can view information such as road information more safely by observing the display unit of the head-up display device without looking at the screen of the navigation device.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a control unit that controls the display device and the light control device by applying an adhesive to the back surface of the laminate composed of the display device and the light control device and affixing the adhesive to the inner surface of the window shield. If these are arranged and electrically connected, they can be used, so that they can be easily retrofitted to a vehicle not equipped with a head-up display device.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing a configuration of a head-up display device 10 for an automobile according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The head-up display device 10 for an automobile is provided in a predetermined area 11a of a window shield 11 of the automobile. The provided display device 12 and the light control device 13, a light detection unit 14 that detects the illuminance of external light incident on the window shield 11, and a control unit 15 that controls the display device 12 and the light control device 13. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the predetermined area 11a of the window shield 11 is set in an area that is easy to see from the driver and does not obstruct the driver's view, generally in the vicinity of the lower edge in front of the driver seat of the window shield 11. ing. And in this area | region 11a, the display apparatus 12 and the light control apparatus 13 are affixed on the inner surface of the window shield 11 so that it may mutually overlap. Specifically, the display device 12 and the light control device 13 are each formed in a film shape, and these film-like members are stacked to form a laminated structure. Then, an adhesive is applied to the back surface of the laminate, and the laminate is attached to the inner surface of the window shield 11. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a light control device 13 is disposed on the back surface of the display device 12 as viewed from the passenger compartment side, and an adhesive is applied to the back surface of the light control device 13.

  The display device 12 has a known configuration, for example, an organic EL element, and is individually driven patterns so that various displays can be performed on a substantially transparent film-like base having a high transmittance. An electrode is formed. As a result, the display device 12 is appropriately controlled so that these pattern electrodes are selectively driven, and the organic EL element emits light to perform a desired light emitting display.

  The light control device 13 has a known configuration, and is composed of, for example, an EC (electrochromic) element or a liquid crystal (LCD). Is adjusted. Thereby, light incident on the back surface of the display device 12 from the outside through the window shield 11 is dimmed based on the transmittance of the dimming device 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light detection unit 14 is installed, for example, on the instrument panel 16 inside the window shield 11, and detects the illuminance of external light incident on the window shield 11 from the outside. The light detection unit 14 may use a conlight light detection unit that is already installed in an automobile.

  The control unit 15 controls the display device 12 described above to perform various displays such as the vehicle speed and the engine speed, and controls the display brightness of the display device 12 based on the external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit 14. adjust. Specifically, the control unit 15 refers to an illuminance-display luminance conversion table set in advance and appropriately adjusts, for example, the drive voltage so as to obtain display luminance corresponding to the incident illuminance represented by the external light illuminance signal. Alternatively, the duty ratio is adjusted appropriately. In this way, the display brightness of the display device 12 is adjusted. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the illuminance-display luminance conversion table is set in advance so that the display on the display device 12 does not become difficult to see with respect to the incident illuminance of external light. That is, the control unit 15 increases the luminance of the display device 12 in proportion to the increase in the incident illuminance of external light.

Further, the control unit 15 controls the above-described light control device 13 based on the external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit 14 to adjust the transmittance of the light control device 13. Specifically, the control unit 15 refers to the illuminance-transmittance conversion table set in advance, and adjusts the transmittance of the adjustment device 13 so that the transmittance corresponds to the incident illuminance represented by the external light illuminance signal. Do. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the illuminance-transmittance conversion table is used to display the display device 12 so that the transmitted light of the light control device 13 does not obscure the display of the display device 12 with respect to the incident illuminance of external light. It is preset to give the incident illuminance. That is, the control unit 15 decreases the transmittance of the light control device 13 in proportion to the increase in the incident illuminance of external light.
Various information such as the vehicle speed and the engine speed to be displayed on the display device 12 is input to the control unit 15 from, for example, a body computer on the vehicle side of the automobile, and the display device 12 is controlled based on this input signal. Light emission control is performed.

  The automobile head-up display device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and the control unit 15 drives and controls the display device 12 on the basis of various information such as input vehicle speed information. The electrodes are selectively driven. As a result, information such as the vehicle speed is displayed on the substantially transparent base. At the same time, the control unit 15 refers to the illuminance-display luminance table based on the external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit 14, and adjusts the luminance of the light emitting display by adjusting the driving voltage of the display device 12 and the like. With reference to the illuminance-transmittance table, the drive voltage of the light control device 13 is adjusted to adjust the transmittance of the light control device 13.

Therefore, the predetermined display is performed at an appropriate position of the window shield 11, so that the driver observes the light emission display on the display device 12 without moving the line of sight while driving. Can be visually recognized. For example, when the external light incident on the window shield 11 is relatively large and the external light illuminance is high, the display brightness of the display device 12 is increased and the transmittance of the light control device 13 is reduced. Even if the light emitting display is affected by external light, the light emitting display is not easily seen, and the visibility of the light emitting display is always kept good.
Furthermore, the head-up display device 10 according to the present invention applies an adhesive to the back surface of the laminate composed of the display device 12 and the light control device 13 and affixes the adhesive to the inner surface of the window shield 11 to adjust the light intensity of the display device 12. Since the control unit 15 for controlling the device 13 can be used at any position of the vehicle and electrically connected to the vehicle, the vehicle of the present invention can be easily used for a vehicle not equipped with a head-up display device. The head-up display device 10 can be attached later.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an automobile head-up display device 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The automobile head-up display device 20 is the same as the automobile head-up display shown in FIGS. A display device 12, a light control device 13, and a control unit 15 having substantially the same configuration as the device 10 are provided, and the control unit 15 includes a body computer 21, a meter control unit 22, and a navigation device via an in-vehicle LAN of the automobile. 23. Further, instead of the photodetector 14, a conlight photodetector 21a connected to the body computer 21 is used.

  An external light illuminance signal, an engine speed, a cruising distance, and the like are input from the body computer 21 to the control unit 15, a vehicle speed signal is output from the meter control unit 22, and traffic information, intersection information, and the like are output from the navigation device 23. The road information and the like are input to the control unit 15 respectively. Here, the control unit 15 includes a changeover switch 15a, and by operating the changeover switch 15a, the various kinds of information described above are selectively switched to cause the display device 12 to emit light. As the changeover switch 15a, various mechanical and electrical switches can be used, and the switch 15a is installed in an arbitrary place where it is easy to operate during operation such as an instrument panel and a steering wheel.

  According to the vehicle head-up display device 20 configured as described above, the control unit 15 can cause the display device 12 to display the information selected by the operation of the changeover switch 15a among the various pieces of input information. it can. At that time, the luminance of the light emitting display is adjusted based on the external light illuminance signal from the photodetector 21a, the transmittance of the light control device 13 is adjusted, and the visibility of the light emitting display is kept good.

  As described above, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, it is needless to say that a plurality of pieces of information can be displayed on the display device 12 at the same time.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the appearance of the appearance design is improved, the deterioration of visibility due to external light is suppressed, and the degree of freedom of vehicle packaging is further increased, and the head is extremely excellent. An up-display device is provided.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of 1st embodiment of the head-up display apparatus by this invention. It is the schematic which looked ahead from the vehicle interior which shows the attachment state to the motor vehicle of the head-up display apparatus of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the window shield which mounted | wore with the head-up display apparatus of FIG. It is the graph which represented the display brightness control table of the display apparatus by the control part of the head-up display apparatus of FIG. It is the graph which schematized the transmittance | permeability control table of the light modulation apparatus by the control part of the head-up display apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of 2nd embodiment of the head-up display apparatus by this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the conventional head-up display apparatus. The head-up display device of FIG. 7 is shown, (A) is a schematic side view which shows a display state, (B) is the schematic which shows the example of a display.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,20 Head-up display apparatus 11 Window shield 11a Predetermined area | region 12 Display apparatus 13 Light control apparatus 14 Light detection part 15 Control part 15a Changeover switch 16 Instrument panel 21 Body computer 21a Light detector for Conlite 22 Meter control part 23 Navigation apparatus

Claims (7)

A display device for performing light emission display;
A light control device superimposed on the display device;
A light detection unit for detecting the illuminance of external light incident on the window shield;
A control unit for controlling the dimming of the dimming device based on an external light illuminance signal from the photodetecting unit while driving and controlling the display to display various types of vehicle speed, engine speed, and the like. A head-up display device.   The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts the transmittance of the light control device based on an external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit.   The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts display luminance of the display device based on an external light illuminance signal from the light detection unit.   The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is an organic EL element.   The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the light control device is an EC element.   The control unit is connected to a navigation device, and information such as road information is displayed on the display device based on navigation information from the navigation device. Head up display device.   7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light control device is attached to the inner surface of the window shield with an adhesive in a state where the light control device is located on the back side of the display device when viewed from the inside of the vehicle interior. The head-up display device described.

Images