JP2010179854A - Head-up display for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head-up display for a vehicle, capable of making the visibility of display and visibility of a foreground compatible. <P>SOLUTION: The head-up display for the vehicle for providing information to a driver at virtual image display includes a display unit 11 for floodlighting a display light; and a separate reflection plate 2 provided separately from the front windshield 7 of the vehicle and reflecting the display light from the display unit 11 so as to be directed to the driver. In the separate reflection plate 2, the transmission of an upper transparent part 21 is made higher than a lower non-permeation part 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention belongs to the technical field of vehicle head-up displays.

  Conventionally, a combiner functioning as a half mirror is provided on the upper wall of the instrument panel separately from the front windshield of the vehicle, and a virtual image display and the foreground of the vehicle (scene in front of the vehicle) are visually recognized through the combiner.

  In some head-up displays, a colored layer is provided between two laminated windshields, and the colored layer portion is used as a reflective surface.

JP-A-11-28949 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-46926

  However, in the prior art, when displaying information on a transparent combiner, the foreground (landscape in front of the vehicle) is wrapped with the display, so that the visibility of the display is reduced due to the foreground. If the combiner is made opaque, the visibility of the display is improved, but there is a problem that the foreground that is wrapped with the combiner cannot be seen.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle head-up display that can achieve both display visibility and foreground visibility.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a vehicle head-up display, a display means for projecting display light and a front windshield of the vehicle are provided separately from each other, and the display light from the display means is supplied to a driver. And a separate reflecting means for reflecting toward the head, wherein the separate reflecting means has a higher transmittance at the upper part than at the lower part.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both display visibility and foreground visibility.

It is explanatory drawing of the system main structure of the head up display of Example 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a separate reflector in the head-up display of Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of display control regarding a transparent part and a non-transmission part in a head up display of Example 1. In the head-up display of Example 1, it is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the driver is looking at a display and a foreground. In the head-up display of Example 2, it is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the driver is looking at a display and a foreground. In the head-up display of Example 3, it is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the driver is looking at a display and a foreground. In the head-up display of Example 4, it is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the driver is looking at a display and a foreground. In the head-up display of Example 5, it is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the driver is looking at a display and a foreground.

  Embodiments for realizing the head-up display for a vehicle according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the first to third embodiments corresponding to the first to third embodiments and the fourth embodiment corresponding to the first to fourth embodiments. , 5 and will be described.

First, the configuration will be described.
First, the configuration will be described.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the main system configuration of the head-up display according to the first embodiment.
The head-up display according to the first embodiment mainly includes an opening 31 provided in the HUD unit 1, the separate reflector 2, and the instrument panel 3.
As shown in FIG. 1, the HUD unit 1 is provided behind the partition wall 6 that partitions the vehicle compartment side and the engine room of the vehicle and inside the front side of the instrument panel 3.

This position is between the ducts 5 inside the instrument panel 3 in front of the meter 4 as shown in FIG.
The HUD unit 1 includes a display 11. The display 11 displays an image, and projects the display on the separate reflector 2 as display light based on the luminance.
As a specific example, a liquid crystal display provided with a backlight is given.
Furthermore, an opening 31 is provided in a part of the instrument panel 3 to communicate the outside with the inside so as to ensure an optical path from the display 11 of the HUD unit 1 to the separate reflector 2.

  The separate reflector 2 is provided with a reflective surface that is inclined in the vehicle interior on the vehicle rear side of the front windshield 7 so as to be on the vehicle rear side as it goes upward with a predetermined interval.

Next, details of the separate reflector 2 will be described.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the separate reflector 2 in the head-up display of the first embodiment.
The separate reflector 2 according to the first embodiment includes an upper transparent portion 21 and a lower impermeable portion 22.
The transparent portion 21 has such a transparency that the driver can sufficiently see the foreground (scene in front of the vehicle) through this portion, and has a reflectivity that allows the driver to visually recognize the display light of the display 11 appropriately. Make things. The transparent portion 21 is provided on the upper part of the separate reflector 2.

The non-transmissive portion 22 is a portion that is not transmitted due to coloring or the like, and is a portion that is provided below the separate reflector 2.
In Example 1, the opaque portion 22 of the separate reflector 2 is black in color, has a light transmittance of approximately 0%, and a light reflectance of 10% or less.
The separate reflector 2 is composed of a black plate, a plate provided with a transparent plate (sheet) in front of the black plate, a plate provided with black plating on the surface of the transparent plate, the back side of the transparent plate (front of the vehicle) The side) may be black painted (evaporation etc.).

  In the separate reflector 2 of Example 1, the transparent portion 21 and the non-transmissive portion 22 are divided into upper and lower portions, and the boundary between them is a substantially horizontal boundary line. And in Example 1, this boundary line is set with the allowable invisible distance set for every vehicle type. The allowable invisible distance is an allowable value in a range in which the driver's front view is hindered by an instrument panel or a projection from the instrument panel determined for each vehicle type.

Next, the display control configuration of the transparent portion 21 and the non-transmissive portion 22 in the HUD unit 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of display control related to the transparent portion 21 and the non-transmissive portion 22 in the head-up display of the first embodiment.
The control unit 1a of the HUD unit 1 includes a vehicle information processing unit 12, an upper display content processing unit 13, a lower display content processing unit 14, and an output data processing unit 15. The display unit 11 of the HUD unit 1 includes a VRAM 111. Yes.
The display 11 temporarily stores the display data from the output data processing unit 15 in the VRAM 111 and performs display based on the data temporarily stored in the VRAM 111.

The vehicle information processing unit 12 inputs vehicle information necessary for display from the outside, for example, another controller of the vehicle, and processes the vehicle information for processing by the upper display content processing unit 13 and the lower display content processing unit 14. Output.
The upper display content processing unit 13 selects the content to be displayed on the transparent unit 21 from the input information, determines how to display based on a preset display format, and outputs the data The data is output to the data processing unit 15.

The lower display content processing unit 14 selects the content to be displayed by the opaque unit 22 from the input information, determines how to display based on a preset display format, and stores the data. The data is output to the output data processing unit 15.
The output data processing unit 15 performs processing for associating the data of the upper and lower display portions with the entire display, and generates and outputs image data.

  The upper display content processing unit 13 selects to display information when it is determined that it is necessary to obtain information that needs to be urgently transmitted to the driver or from the obtained vehicle information. To do. This difference is displayed in a blinking display color that is easy to see even if an alarm such as a mark or character is wrapped with the foreground, for example, green or a red color that recognizes an emergency. In the first embodiment, the display contents are divided according to the urgency, but the display contents may be divided according to the importance including the urgency.

  On the other hand, the lower display content processing unit 14 is a display color in which sufficient contrast is ensured with respect to the color of the non-transparent unit 22, and displays state information such as vehicle information, driving support information such as route guidance, or the transparent unit 21. Displays the supplements to the marks and characters displayed in, and the driver's actions for that.

The operation will be described.
[Visibility improvement effect]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the driver looks at the display and the foreground in the head-up display according to the first embodiment.
In the head-up display of the first embodiment, the separate reflector 2 is provided with the transparent portion 21 and the non-transmissive portion 22 and is displayed on the state information such as vehicle information, driving support information such as route guidance, or the transparent portion 21. A supplement to the mark or character and the action of the driver for the mark or character are superimposed on the non-transparent portion 22 and displayed as a virtual image.

FIG. 4 shows an example where the tree 101 is in front of the vehicle as the foreground. And the impervious part 22 is displayed as a virtual image with the inter-vehicle distance display 102 to the preceding vehicle as the driving support information. In the case shown in FIG. 4, the foreground tree 101 can be sufficiently viewed through the transparent portion 21.
The opaque portion 22 is colored, for example, black, and the display is displayed as a virtual image in a position overlapping with the display color having a strong contrast with respect to the opaque portion 22, so that the display visibility is very good.
And since the display content of the impermeable part 22 is not displayed in the transparent part 21 of the separate reflector 2, the visibility of the foreground seen through the transparent part 21 is ensured satisfactorily. Furthermore, since the boundary line between the transparent portion 21 and the opaque portion 22 is set based on the allowable invisible distance, ensuring a sufficient foreground through the transparent portion 21 improves the visibility of the foreground useful for driving.

In the head-up display of the first embodiment, for example, when information that is urgently transmitted to the driver, such as an alarm, is generated, the information is displayed in a display color that is easy to see even if it is overlapped with the foreground, or a red system that indicates emergency. Displayed in color.
In addition, the display that is urgently transmitted to the driver displays the virtual image superimposed on the foreground that the driver sees through the transparent portion 21 for driving, so that the driver can recognize the display contents very reliably.
In the example shown in FIG. 4, a warning that prompts the brake to operate when the tree 101 is detected as an obstacle by the inter-vehicle distance detection system (not shown) mounted on the vehicle and the distance to the tree 101 is shortened. A display 103 is displayed on the transparent portion 21.

In other words, the operation of the head-up display according to the first embodiment will be described.
In the first embodiment, the display area of the separate reflector 2 is divided into an area that emphasizes viewing the foreground through transmission (transparent portion 21) and an area that emphasizes viewing visually (impermeable portion 22). It is divided. As a result, the visibility of the foreground that the driver sees for driving is ensured, and the display that the driver sees less frequently than the foreground is superimposed on the area (the opaque portion 22) that places importance on visual recognition of the display. A virtual image is displayed to improve display visibility.
Furthermore, information that is urgently transmitted to the driver is displayed in an area that is a part of the foreground that the driver is almost always looking at for driving, thereby reliably transmitting information to the driver.

  And it places importance on visually recognizing the display, and the boundary with the transparent portion 21 which is the upper end of the non-transmissive portion 22 provided in the separate reflector 2 as the non-transparent portion is positioned in consideration of the allowable invisible distance. Is set so that the invisible range does not affect the driving vision of the driver. Thereby, the visibility of a display and the visibility of a foreground are compatible.

Next, the effect will be described.
In the vehicle head-up display of the first embodiment, the effects listed below can be obtained.
(1) In the vehicle head-up display, the display 11 that projects display light and the front windshield 7 of the vehicle are provided separately from each other and reflects the display light from the display 11 toward the driver. Since the reflection plate 2 is provided and the separate reflection plate 2 has a higher transmittance of the upper transparent portion 21 than the lower non-transmission portion 22, both the visibility of the display and the visibility of the foreground can be achieved.

  (2) In the above (1), the control unit 1a for controlling the display content of the display unit 11 is provided, and the control unit 1a divides the display content of the display unit 11 according to the importance level, and separates the display with high importance level into separate reflection Since the virtual image is displayed on the upper part of the plate 2 and the low importance display is controlled to display the virtual image on the lower part of the separate reflector 2, the high importance display is a transmittance of the frequency that the driver sees frequently. The display is superimposed on the foreground at the top of the high area to ensure that the driver recognizes the display contents, and the display with low importance is displayed with high contrast at the bottom of the low transmittance and the driver sees less frequently. In addition, the visibility of the display can be improved and both the visibility of the display and the visibility of the foreground can be achieved.

  (3) In the above (1) or (2), the separate reflector 2 is formed by two regions of an upper transparent portion 21 having a high transmittance and a lower non-transmitting portion 22 having a low transmittance. Since the boundary between the upper transparent portion 21 and the lower opaque portion 22 is set based on the range in which the front lower portion is invisible, the transmittance is lowered and the contrast with the display light is increased to visually recognize the display. It is possible to improve the performance without affecting the driver's front view of the vehicle.

Example 2 is an example in which the separate reflector 2 is composed of a translucent upper part and an impermeable lower part.
The configuration will be described.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the driver looks at the display and the foreground in the head-up display according to the second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the separate reflector 2 is configured by an upper translucent portion 23 and a lower impermeable portion 22.
The translucent portion 23 has a transmittance slightly lower than that of the transparent state, and has a transmittance that allows the foreground to be sufficiently visually recognized.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

The operation will be described.
In the second embodiment, the driver sees a part in front of the vehicle through the translucent translucent portion 23. By making it semi-transparent, the display of a warning or the like that is displayed as a virtual image superimposed on the semi-transparent portion 23 has a strong contrast with the display background, and the display visibility is further improved. In addition, since the background of the translucent display is provided even when the outside light is strong, display visibility is ensured.

Explain the effect. The vehicle head-up display of the second embodiment has the following effects in addition to the above (1) and (2).
(3) ′ In the above (1) or (2), the separate reflector 2 is divided into two regions: a translucent upper translucent portion 23 having a high transmittance and a non-transparent portion 22 having a lower transmittance. Since the boundary between the upper translucent part 23 and the lower opaque part 22 is set based on the range in which the front lower part is invisible in the vehicle, the transmittance is lowered and the contrast with the display light is reduced. It is possible to improve the visibility of the display by increasing the value so that the driver's front view of the vehicle is not affected. In addition, it is possible to improve the visibility of display when the external light is strong.
Since other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

Example 3 is an example in which the separate reflector 2 is composed of an upper part that is gradated so that the transmittance increases from the lower side to the upper side and an opaque part.
The configuration will be described.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the driver looks at the display and the foreground in the head-up display according to the third embodiment.
In the third embodiment, the separate reflector 2 is configured by an upper gradation portion 24 and a lower non-transmission portion 22.
The gradation portion 24 is configured to be gradationd so that the transmittance gradually increases from the lower end portion serving as the boundary with the non-transmissive portion 22 toward the upper end portion.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

The operation will be described.
In the third embodiment, the driver sees a part of the front of the vehicle through the gradation portion 24 whose transmittance changes vertically. In the gradation part 24, the contrast with the display of warnings or the like is strengthened at the lower part thereof, and the display is more surely recognized by the driver, but the visibility of the vehicle foreground seen through the upper part is enhanced. This suppresses the influence on the visibility of the foreground of the vehicle while allowing the driver to recognize a warning or the like more reliably than in the transparent state.

Further, since the transmittance is low below the gradation portion 24, the contrast is ensured so that the display is easier to see even when there is external light or the like.
Furthermore, lowering the transmittance below the gradation portion 24 prevents the boundary between the separate reflector 2 and the non-transmissive portion 22 from being noticeable by the driver. This contributes to the evaluation of the head-up display driver.

Explain the effect. The vehicle head-up display of the third embodiment has the following effects in addition to the above (1) and (2).
(3) ′ In the above (1) or (2), the separate reflector 2 includes an upper gradation portion 24 that is gradationally increased so that the transmittance increases from the lower side to the upper side, and a lower reflection portion that has a low transmittance. Since the boundary between the upper gradation part 24 and the lower non-transparent part 22 is set based on the range in which the lower part of the front part is invisible in the vehicle, the transmittance is lowered. It is possible to improve the visibility of the display by increasing the contrast with the display light so as not to affect the vehicle front view of the driver. Further, it is possible to improve the visibility of display when the external light is strong. In addition, the boundary between the upper part and the lower part can be made inconspicuous to the driver.
Since other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

Example 4 is an example in which the separate reflector 2 is composed of a translucent upper part and a lower part in which the transmittance is increased so that the transmittance increases from the lower part to the upper part.
The configuration will be described.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the driver looks at the display and the foreground in the head-up display according to the fourth embodiment.
In the fourth embodiment, the separate reflector 2 is configured by an upper translucent portion 25 and a lower gradation portion 26.
The upper translucent portion 25 has a transmittance sufficient for visual recognition of the foreground, for example, a transmittance of 70% or more and lower than the transparent transmittance.

The lower gradation portion 26 is configured to be gradation so that the transmittance increases from the lower end portion of the separate reflector 2 to the upper end portion that becomes a boundary with the upper translucent portion 25 as it goes upward. It should be noted that the transmittance of the upper end portion of the gradation portion 26 that is a boundary with the upper translucent portion 25 is equal to or lower than the transmissivity of the translucent portion 25 and close to the transmissivity of the translucent portion 25.
Note that the boundary between the translucent portion 25 and the gradation portion 26 is set based on the allowable invisible distance.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

The operation will be described.
In the fourth embodiment, the boundary between the upper translucent portion 25 and the lower gradation portion 26 is set based on the allowable invisible distance. That is, although consideration is given to the invisible distance sufficiently, there may be a region where the lower front of the vehicle can be visually recognized due to the driver's eye point variation or the like below the boundary position.
In Example 4, the lower part is the gradation part 26, and the transmittance of the upper end part is equal to or lower than the transmittance of the upper semi-transparent part 25, and is closer to the transmissivity of the semi-transparent part 25 than the lower end part. Therefore, depending on the conditions described above, the visual recognition area in the lower front of the vehicle can be increased even slightly, and the foreground visibility of the driver is improved in the lower part.
This further improves the visibility of the front lower side of the vehicle while making the visibility of the vehicle foreground and the visibility of the display compatible.

Explain the effect. The vehicle head-up display of the fourth embodiment has the following effects in addition to the above (1) to (3).
(4) In the above (1) to (3), the lower part of the separate reflector 2 is a gradation portion 26 that is gradually changed so that the transmittance increases as it goes from the lower side to the upper side. Thus, it is possible to further improve the visibility in the lower front of the vehicle while making the display and display visibility compatible.
Since other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

Example 5 is an example in which the separate reflector 2 is composed of a transparent upper portion and a lower portion that is gradated so that the transmittance increases from the lower side to the upper side.
The configuration will be described.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the driver looks at the display and the foreground in the head-up display according to the fifth embodiment.
In the fifth embodiment, the separate reflector 2 is configured by an upper transparent portion 27 and a lower gradation portion 28.
The upper transparent portion 27 has, for example, a transparent transmittance close to the upper limit of the material with a transmittance of 70% or more.

The lower gradation portion 28 is configured to be gradation so that the transmittance increases from the lower end portion of the separate reflector 2 to the upper end portion that becomes the boundary with the upper transparent portion 27 as it goes upward. Note that the transmittance of the upper end portion of the gradation portion 28 serving as a boundary with the upper transparent portion 27 is set to be equal to or lower than the transmittance of the transparent portion 27 and close to the transmittance of the transparent portion 27.
Note that the boundary between the transparent portion 27 and the gradation portion 28 is set based on the allowable invisible distance.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

The operation will be described.
In the fifth embodiment, the lower gradation portion 28 is configured so that the transmittance is gradationd so that the upper end portion is close to the transparent portion with respect to the upper transparent portion 27.
Therefore, it is sufficiently obtained that the driver visually recognizes the front lower side of the vehicle through the upper end portion of the gradation portion 28 below the separate reflector 2.

Explain the effect. The vehicle head-up display of the fifth embodiment has the following effects in addition to the above (1) to (3).
(4) ′ In the above (1) to (3), the lower part of the separate reflector 2 increases in transmittance as it goes from below to above so that the transmittance of the upper end portion approaches a transparent state. Since the gradation portion 28 is gradually changed as described above, it is possible to further improve the visibility in the lower front of the vehicle while achieving both the visibility of the vehicle foreground and the visibility of the display.
Since other functions and effects are the same as those of the fourth embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  As mentioned above, although the vehicle head-up display of this invention has been demonstrated based on Examples 1-5, it is not restricted to these Examples about a concrete structure, Each claim of a claim Design changes and additions are permitted without departing from the spirit of the invention according to the paragraph.

For example, in the fourth embodiment, the lower part of the separate reflector 2 is the gradation part 26 and the visibility in the lower front of the vehicle is improved in consideration of the allowable invisible distance. The boundary may be used other than the one set in consideration of the allowable invisible distance. If it does in this way, it has the effect which can improve the visibility of a driver's foreground of a vehicle.
Further, for example, in the first embodiment, the opaque portion 22 is colored black, but other colors may be used as long as the contrast with the display color can be increased.
Further, for example, in the first embodiment, the urgency is shown as an example of the importance for selection of display on the upper and lower parts of the separate reflector. However, a priority is set for each display content in advance, and the priority is set to this priority. It may be determined based on which one to display. In this way, the display that the driver wants to preferentially or the display that the driver should preferentially view is effectively and easily displayed, so that the display can perform driving support more effectively. Furthermore, the priority of each display content may be determined in consideration of the urgency (for example, addition or multiplication of data to priority data) to determine which one to display.

  The present invention can be used for a head-up display of a moving body other than a vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 HUD unit 1a Control part 11 Indicator 12 Vehicle information processing part 13 Upper display content processing part 14 Lower display content processing part 15 Output data processing part 2 Separate reflector 21 Transparent part 22 Impervious part 23 Translucent part 24 Gradation part 25 Translucent part 26 Gradation part 27 Transparent part 28 Gradation part 3 Instrument panel 31 Opening part 4 Meter 5 Duct 6 Bulkhead 7 Front windshield 101 Tree 102 Inter-vehicle distance display 103 Warning display

Claims (4)

In a vehicle head-up display,
Display means for projecting display light;
A separate reflecting means provided separately from the front windshield of the vehicle and reflecting the display light from the display means toward the driver;
With
The separate reflecting means has a higher transmittance in the upper part than in the lower part,
A head-up display for a vehicle. The vehicle head-up display according to claim 1,
Providing a control means for controlling the display content of the display means;
The control means divides the display content of the display means according to importance, displays a high importance display on the upper part of the separate reflection means, displays a virtual image, and displays a low importance display below the separate reflection means. Control to display a virtual image in
A head-up display for a vehicle. The vehicle head-up display according to claim 1 or 2,
The separate reflection means includes
Formed in two regions, the upper part with high transmittance and the lower part with low transmittance,
The boundary between the upper part and the lower part is set based on a range in which the front lower part is invisible in the vehicle,
A head-up display for a vehicle. The vehicle head-up display according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The lower part of the separate reflecting means is configured to gradually change so that the transmittance increases as it goes from below to above,
A head-up display for a vehicle.