JP2010167830A - Vehicular head-up display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular head-up display device capable of reducing the number of part items, a space and cost. <P>SOLUTION: A light emitter 9 constituting a part of the head-up display device 5, a meter ECU 7 controlling a meter and the light emitter 9 and a radiator 8 radiating heat generated by a device of a meter unit 2 and the light emitter 9, are arranged on a meter base 6 of the meter unit 2. An optical path 12 is arranged in an instrument panel 1, and a diffusing plate 11 is arranged near a front window 4 of the instrument panel 1. The light emitted from the light emitter 9 is irradiated to the front window 4 by passing through the optical path 12 and the diffusing plate 11, and is displayed on the front window 4. When the light irradiated to the front window 4 is reflected and made incident on eyes of an occupant, the occupant visually confirms a flash light emitting image F over the front window 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle head-up display device that displays information on a front window of a vehicle.

  A conventional head-up display device for a vehicle includes a light projecting unit including a liquid crystal display (hereinafter abbreviated as LCD), a light emitting diode (hereinafter abbreviated as LED), etc. to form a light projecting unit. It is installed in the panel (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-185012

However, the defroster duct and the steering mechanism occupy a considerable volume in the instrument panel, and it was difficult to secure a space for accommodating the light projecting unit of the head-up display device.
Further, since the light projecting unit has a light source, it is necessary to dissipate heat generated by the light source, but it is difficult to ensure this heat dissipation.
In addition, a dedicated control device and a harness are required for the head-up display device, and the number of parts increases, resulting in an increase in cost.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a vehicle head-up display device that can reduce the number of parts, save space, and save costs.

The vehicle head-up display device according to the present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The invention according to claim 1 includes an information output means (for example, a light emitter 9 in an embodiment to be described later) having a light source and outputting information by light emission, and a light emitted from the information output means to a front window ( For example, an optical unit (for example, an optical path 12, a reflector 13, and a convex lens 15 in an example to be described later) that irradiates the front window 4) in an example to be described later is provided on the front window from the information output unit. A vehicle head-up display device (for example, a head-up display device 5 in an embodiment to be described later) for displaying output information, wherein the information output means is a meter unit (for example, a vehicle meter unit directly visible by an occupant) Vehicular head provided in meter unit 2) in an embodiment to be described later Tsu is up display device.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the information output means is provided on a substrate in the meter unit (for example, a meter base 6 in an embodiment to be described later) or a housing of the meter unit (for example, It is characterized in that it is provided on the upper surface (for example, the upper surface 2c in the embodiment described later) or the back surface of the housing (for example, the rear surface 2b in the embodiment described later).

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second aspect, the optical means projects the light emitted from the upper surface or the rear surface of the meter unit by the information output means on the instrument panel. It is characterized by irradiating the light on the front window of the vehicle by irradiating the part (for example, the light projection window 10 and the diffusion plate 11 in the embodiment described later).

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising heat radiating means for radiating heat from the light source (for example, a radiator 8 in an embodiment described later). The heat dissipating means is shared with the heat dissipating means for dissipating heat generated from other devices in the meter unit.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light source is a control means for controlling a meter of the meter unit (for example, a meter ECU 7 in an embodiment described later). ), The emission control is performed.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a part of the optical means (for example, a convex lens 15 in an embodiment described later) is provided in the housing of the meter unit. It is attached.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the optical means comprises a light guide means or a reflection means (for example, a reflector 13 in an embodiment described later). It is characterized by that.

According to the invention of claim 1, since the information output means is provided in the meter unit, it is only necessary to secure an optical path in the instrument panel, and the space occupied by the head-up display device in the instrument panel is reduced. can do.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, an information output means can be easily installed in a meter unit.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, the information by light can be displayed on a front window via the optical path in an instrument panel.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the heat from a light source can be thermally radiated without adding a new structure, and reduction of a number of parts and cost saving can be aimed at.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the light emission control of the light source can be performed without adding a new configuration, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 6, it becomes possible to install a part of optical means easily.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 7, the freedom degree of design of an optical path becomes large.

It is a schematic block diagram in Example 1 of the head-up display apparatus for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the alarm display displayed on a front window by the head-up display apparatus for vehicles of Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic block diagram in Example 2 of the head-up display apparatus for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram in Example 3 of the head-up display apparatus for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram in Example 4 of the head-up display apparatus for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the information displayed by the head-up display apparatus for vehicles.

  Embodiments of a vehicle head-up display device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings of FIGS.

<Example 1>
First, a first embodiment of a vehicle head-up display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. In the following description, the front-rear direction coincides with the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.
The vehicle head-up display device according to the first embodiment is an embodiment as a warning display device. For example, when an obstacle on the road (for example, a vehicle ahead) is detected by an infrared camera, the vehicle is intermittently flashed on the front window. It emits light to alert the passengers.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a passenger compartment when the front of the vehicle is viewed from the driver's seat. This vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, and a meter unit 2 including a speedometer is installed in a portion of the instrument panel 1 located in front of the driver's seat. Each meter of 2 can be directly visually recognized.

  In FIG. 2, symbol F indicates a flash emission image displayed by the vehicle head-up display device (hereinafter, head-up display device) of the present invention. The flash emission image F is displayed on the front side of the vehicle by the driver. It is set to be displayed at a predetermined position in front of the front window 4 on the front line of sight when the line of sight is directed. That is, the driver recognizes the flash emission image F through the front window 4 slightly above the meter unit 2.

Next, the configuration of the head-up display device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
The meter unit 2 is fixed so that its front portion is inserted into the instrument panel 1, and the front end of the instrument panel 1 reaches the front window 4.

  A meter base 6 is built in the front part of the housing 2a of the meter unit 2, a meter ECU (control means) 7 for controlling the meter is mounted on the rear surface of the meter base 6, and the meter base 6 has a front face on the front surface of the meter base 6. A radiator (heat radiating means) 8 for radiating heat generated by a device mounted on the meter base 6 such as the meter ECU 7 is provided.

  Further, a light emitter (light source) 9 is attached to the upper portion of the meter base 6, and the light emitter 9 is connected to the meter ECU 7 via the meter base 6, and is configured so that light emission is controlled by the meter ECU 7. Yes. The light emission control is, for example, control of the light emission cycle, the light emission duration, the light emission luminance, and the like.

  Further, the light emitter 9 is thermally connected to the radiator 8, and is configured so that heat generated by the light emitter 9 can be radiated through the radiator 8. That is, the heat radiating means for radiating the heat from the light emitter 9 and the heat radiating means for radiating the heat generated from the meter unit 2 are shared.

  In the instrument panel 1, a light projection window 10 is opened at a position close to the front window 4 ahead of the meter unit 2, and a diffuser plate 11 is installed in the light projection window 10. The light emitter 9 is attached to the light projection window 10 so as to face it. A transparent plate can be installed instead of the diffusion plate 11. In the first embodiment, the light projection window 10 and the diffusion plate 11 constitute a light projecting unit.

In the instrument panel 1, there is provided an optical path (optical means) 12 that linearly guides light emitted from the light emitter 9 to the light projection window 10. The optical path 12 may be a simple space, but is preferably composed of an optical fiber or a light guide resin capable of suppressing light loss.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a pillar-to-pillar pipe.

  In this head-up display device 5, for example, when an obstacle on the road is detected by an infrared camera, the light emission of the light emitter 9 is controlled by the meter ECU 7 in order to alert the passenger, and the light emitted from the light emitter 9 is emitted. The transmitted light passes through the optical path 12, passes through the diffusion plate 11, is irradiated on the front window 4, and is displayed on the front window 4. Then, when the light irradiated on the front window 4 is reflected on the front window 4 and enters the eyes of the occupant, the occupant visually recognizes the flash emission image F as if it is over the front window 4.

  In the first embodiment, the light emitter 9 constitutes information output means for outputting information by light emission, and the information in this case is alarm information by flash light emission. The optical path 12 constitutes optical means for irradiating light emitted from the information output means on the front window of the vehicle.

According to the head-up display device 5 of the first embodiment, since the light emitter 9 is provided on the meter base 6 of the meter unit 2, it is only necessary to provide the optical path 12 in the instrument panel 1, and the instrument panel 1 The space occupied by the head-up display device 5 can be reduced in the inside, the installation of the head-up display device 5 can be facilitated, and the inside of the instrument panel 1 can be effectively used for other devices. become.
Further, since the light emitter 9 is attached to the meter unit 2, the optical axis of the light emitter 9 is determined by installing the meter unit 2 on the vehicle body. Therefore, the optical axis of the light emitter 9 can be accurately set by accurately attaching the light emitter 9 to the meter unit 2 and accurately attaching the meter unit 2 to the vehicle body. There is no need to provide such as.

Further, since the heat generated in the light emitter 9 can be dissipated through the heat radiator 8 without providing a dedicated heat radiator for the light emitter 9, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. be able to.
Furthermore, since a dedicated control device for controlling the light emission of the light emitter 9 is not provided and the light emission control of the light emitter 9 is performed by the meter ECU 7, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

<Example 2>
Next, Embodiment 2 of the vehicle head-up display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the head-up display device 5 of Example 2, the optical path 12 is bent at a substantially right angle in the instrument panel 1, and a reflector (optical means) 13 made of a mirror or a prism is provided at the bent portion. . The light emitter 9 is installed on the meter base 6 so as to face the reflector 13. When the reflector 13 is used in this way, the degree of freedom in designing the optical path is expanded.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same mode portions and the description thereof is omitted.

<Example 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 of the vehicle head-up display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the head-up display device 5 of the third embodiment, the light emitter 9 is provided not on the meter base 6 but on the upper surface 2b of the housing 2a of the meter unit 2, and is connected to the meter ECU 7 via the harness 14 and the meter base 6. ing.
The light emitter 9 can be provided on the upper surface 2c of the housing 2a depending on the design of the optical path 12 in the instrument panel 1 and the like.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same mode portions and the description thereof is omitted.

<Example 4>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the vehicle head-up display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the head-up display device 5 of Example 4, a convex lens (optical means) 15 is disposed on the optical path of the light emitter 9 installed on the meter base 6, and this convex lens 15 is the back surface 2 b of the housing 2 a of the meter unit 2. Is attached. In this way, the convex lens 15 can be easily positioned.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same mode portions and the description thereof is omitted.

[Other Examples]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, information by light emission displayed on the front window 4 by the head-up display device 5 is alarm information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, various information as shown in FIG. Information display is possible.
6A is an example in which a pedestrian detected by an infrared camera is displayed as silhouette as pedestrian information, and FIG. 6B is an example in which fuel consumption information is digitally displayed and displayed in a graph. Is an example in which the vehicle speed information is digitally displayed and the distance between the vehicles is displayed as an image. FIG. 6D is an example in which the outside air temperature information is digitally displayed. FIG. FIG. 6F is an example in which the fuel remaining amount decrease information is displayed as an icon, and FIG. 6G is an example in which the azimuth information is displayed as a symbol and displayed as characters.
When displaying such information, the information output means may be constituted by a light source, LCD, LED, organic EL panel, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instrument panel 2 Meter unit 2a Housing 2b Rear surface 2c Upper surface 4 Front window 5 Head-up display device 6 Meter base 7 Meter ECU (control means)
8 Radiator (Heat dissipation means)
9 Light emitter (light source, information output means)
10 Projection window (projection part)
11 Diffuser (light projecting part)
12 Optical path (optical means)
13 Reflector (optical means)
15 Convex lens (optical means)

Claims (7)

An information output means having a light source and outputting information by light emission;
Optical means for irradiating the front window of the vehicle with light emitted from the information output means;
A vehicle head-up display device for displaying information output from the information output means on the front window,
The vehicle head-up display device, wherein the information output means is provided in a meter unit of a vehicle that is directly visually recognized by an occupant.   2. The vehicle head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the information output means is provided on a substrate in the meter unit, on an upper surface of a housing of the meter unit, or on a rear surface of the housing.   The optical means irradiates light emitted from the information output means from an upper surface or a rear surface of the meter unit to a light projecting portion provided on an instrument panel, thereby irradiating the light on a front window of the vehicle. The vehicle head-up display device according to claim 2.   The heat radiating means for radiating the heat from the light source is provided, and the heat radiating means is shared with the heat radiating means for radiating heat generated from other devices in the meter unit. 4. The vehicle head-up display device according to claim 1.   The vehicle head-up display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light source is controlled to emit light by a control unit that controls a meter of the meter unit.   The vehicle head-up display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a part of the optical means is attached to a housing of the meter unit.   The vehicle head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the optical unit includes a light guide unit or a reflection unit.

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