JP2021019329A - Wind shield display device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wind shield display device that can create a unified image with a virtual image and a real image when users visually recognize the virtual image and the real image at the same time.SOLUTION: In a wind shield display device in which video light for a real image display from a real image projection unit 2 and video light for a virtual image display from a virtual image projection unit 3 are projected on a wind shield 1, the virtual image projection unit 3 includes an image processing unit. The image processing unit performs control to change the distance between a user's eyes and the virtual image according to the positions of the user's eyes based on a signal from an eye information acquisition unit that acquires positional information on the user's eyes. This enables the user to visually recognize unified video made up of the real image and the virtual image for which the senses of distance are almost the same.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a windshield display device.

Conventionally, there is known a windshield display device that projects image light from a projector onto a windshield and reflects the image light in a predetermined direction so that a user can visually recognize a real image or a virtual image. Examples of this type of windshield display device include those described in Patent Document 1.

The windshield display device described in Patent Document 1 includes a windshield, a virtual image display that projects virtual image light, a real image display that projects real image light, and a virtual image display according to the speed of the vehicle. It is equipped with a control unit that switches to a real image display. As a result, the real image or the virtual image is displayed, and the user can visually recognize the real image or the virtual image.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0102550A1

However, this windshield display device is configured to execute control not to drive the other display when one of the virtual image display and the real image display is being driven. That is, this windshield display device is not supposed to display a virtual image and a real image at the same time.

Further, when the real image is visually recognized, the presentation position of the real image to be visually recognized by the user is the position of the windshield. On the other hand, when the virtual image is visually recognized, the presentation position of the virtual image to be visually recognized by the user is usually a space in front of the windshield. Therefore, when trying to visually recognize the virtual image and the real image at the same time, the user cannot adjust the congestion and adjustment of the eyes to the real image and the virtual image at the same time.

In view of the above points, the present invention has a configuration in which a virtual image and a real image can be displayed at the same time, and the virtual image and the real image presented to the user at the same time can be visually recognized as a unified image. It is an object of the present invention to provide a windshield display device.

In order to achieve the above object, the windshield display device according to claim 1 is a windshield display device that allows a user to visually recognize an image via a moving body windshield (1), and is a windshield and a real image display. The windshield is provided with a real image projection unit (2) that projects the real image light for the purpose on the windshield and a virtual image projection unit (3) that projects the virtual image light for the virtual image display on the windshield. It has a real image forming unit (1a) to be projected and a virtual image forming unit (1b) on which virtual image light is projected, and the virtual image projection unit has an image processing unit (31) for controlling the display position of the virtual image. Therefore, when the image processing unit executes the real image display and the virtual image display at the same time, the user's eye and the virtual image are based on the output signal from the eye information acquisition unit (5) that acquires the position information of the user's eye. Controls to change the distance to and from.

As a result, when the real image projection unit and the virtual image projection unit are driven at the same time, both the real image and the virtual image can be visually recognized by the user. In addition, by acquiring the position information of the user's eyes and changing the distance between the user's eyes and the virtual image according to the position of the user's eyes, the distance of the virtual image visually recognized by the user becomes about the same as the distance of the real image. It becomes possible to do. Therefore, it is a windshield display device that can display the virtual image and the real image at the same time, and visually recognize the virtual image and the real image presented to the user at the same time as a unified image.

The windshield display device according to claim 2 is a windshield display device that allows a user to visually recognize an image via a moving body windshield (1), and projects virtual image light for displaying a virtual image onto the windshield. A virtual image projection unit (3), a real image forming unit (1a) having a self-luminous element used for displaying a real image, and a windshield including a virtual image forming unit (1b) on which virtual image light is projected. The virtual image projection unit includes an image processing unit (31) that controls the display position of the virtual image, and the image processing unit provides the position information of the user's eye when the real image display and the virtual image display are simultaneously executed. Control is performed to change the distance between the user's eye and the virtual image based on the output signal from the eye information acquisition unit (5).

Even with this configuration, the same effect as that of the windshield display device according to claim 1 can be obtained.

The reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component or the like indicate an example of the correspondence between the component or the like and the specific component or the like described in the embodiment described later.

It is a perspective view which shows the windshield display device of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the windshield display device of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of a windshield. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the virtual image display in the case where only a virtual image display is performed. It is a figure which shows the state which the virtual image display in FIG. 4 was seen from another direction. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the control of the virtual image display when the real image display and the virtual image display are performed at the same time. It is a figure which shows the state which the virtual image display in FIG. 6 was seen from another direction. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the distance of a real image and a virtual image visually recognized by a user. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation example of the windshield display device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the windshield which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the control of the focal position of a virtual image at the time of performing the real image display and the virtual image display at the same time in the windshield display apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the outline structure of the windshield display device of 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the windshield which concerns on other embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, parts that are the same or equal to each other will be described with the same reference numerals.

(First Embodiment)
The windshield display device S1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the windshield display device S1 is applied to a transparent member in a moving body such as an automobile, that is, a display device that allows a predetermined user such as a driver to visually recognize various images via the windshield 1. Is suitable.

In addition, "to visually recognize the image through the windshield 1" means that the image light is projected onto the windshield 1 from the real image projection unit 2 and / or the virtual image projection unit 3 described later, and the image light is reflected or scattered. This means that the user can visually recognize various images.

Although the cross section is not shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity, the real image forming portion 1a and the virtual image forming portion 1b described later are hatched in the windshield 1, and the real image projection portion 2 and the virtual image projection portion 3 described later are used. The dashboard to be accommodated is omitted.

(Constitution)
As shown in FIG. 1, the windshield display device S1 of the present embodiment includes a windshield 1, a real image projection unit 2, and a virtual image projection unit 3, and provides a user with a real image, a virtual image, or both of them. It is a structure that can be presented. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the windshield display device S1 includes a control unit 4 that controls the operation of the real image projection unit 2 and the virtual image projection unit 3.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the image light projected from the real image projection unit 2 onto the windshield 1 is referred to as “real image light”, and the image light projected from the virtual image projection unit 3 onto the windshield 1 is referred to as “virtual image light”.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the windshield 1 includes a real image forming unit 1a on which real image light is projected from the real image projection unit 2 and a virtual image forming unit 1b on which virtual image light is projected from the virtual image projection unit 3. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the windshield 1 is arranged between the first glass base material 11, the intermediate layer 12, and the second glass base material 13, and is bonded to bond these members. It has a layer 14.

The first glass base material 11 and the second glass base material 13 are, for example, arbitrary glass base materials used for the windshield of a vehicle.

The intermediate layer 12 is mainly used to make the user visually recognize the real image by recording the phase modulation of the real image light or diffuse-reflecting the real image light when the real image light is projected from the real image projection unit 2. It is used. The intermediate layer 12 has an arbitrary configuration such as a phase modulation layer having an arbitrary hologram material, a light scattering layer having an irregular uneven shape, a periodic mirror layer including a micromirror array, and the like. That is, the intermediate layer 12 has an arbitrary configuration that functions as a transparent screen used for displaying a real image.

In this embodiment, an example in which the intermediate layer 12 is configured as a phase modulation layer having a hologram material will be described as a representative example. Further, since the configuration of the transparent screen used for displaying the real image is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted in the present specification.

The adhesive layer 14 is made of any transparent adhesive resin material such as PVB (polyvinyl butyral) resin.

When the windshield 1 is irradiated with image light from the vehicle interior side and the image light is reflected on both of the two outer surfaces having a front and back relationship, the user in the vehicle interior can use the two outer surfaces. Each of them can visually recognize the reflected light and recognize the image as a double image. In such a case, the visibility is lowered, and for the purpose of suppressing this, it is preferable that the windshield 1 is configured such that the two glass substrates 11 and 13 facing each other are not parallel to each other.

Specifically, in the windshield 1, one surface 11a of the first glass base material 11 facing each other and the facing surface 13a of the second glass base material 13 form an acute angle, that is, the angle formed by these surfaces is a wedge angle. It may be configured so as to be. Note that FIG. 3 shows an example in which the windshield 1 has a configuration in which the first glass base material 11 and the second glass base material 13 are substantially parallel to each other for easy viewing.

The real image forming unit 1a is a portion where the real image is displayed by projecting the real image light from the real image projection unit 2, and is, for example, a predetermined range of the windshield 1 as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the real image forming unit 1a plays a role of making the user visually recognize the image at the position of the windshield 1 by recording the phase modulation in which the hologram material is diffusely reflective with respect to the real image light. The real image forming portion 1a occupies a larger area than the virtual image forming portion 1b, and is arranged adjacent to the virtual image forming portion 1b.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the real image forming portion 1a is arranged with a gap from the virtual image forming portion 1b in the plane direction of the windshield 1, but the real image forming portion 1a is arranged so as to be in contact with the virtual image forming portion 1b without separating the gap. There may be. Further, the positions and areas of the real image forming portion 1a and the virtual image forming portion 1b on the windshield 1 may be appropriately changed.

The virtual image forming unit 1b is a portion that reflects the virtual image light from the virtual image projection unit 3 in a predetermined direction toward the user's eyes. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the virtual image forming portion 1b is a predetermined region of the windshield 1 different from the real image forming portion 1a. The virtual image light reflected by the virtual image forming unit 1b is imaged at a position in front of the windshield 1 with respect to the user, and is recognized as a virtual image. That is, unlike the real image forming unit 1a, the virtual image forming unit 1b is configured so that the phase modulation is not recorded even when the light is irradiated.

When the intermediate layer 12 is made of the hologram material, the real image forming portion 1a and the virtual image forming portion 1b both have the basic configuration shown in FIG. 3, but the states of the hologram material are different. Specifically, in the real image forming unit 1a, the hologram material is exposed and is in a state where phase modulation can be recorded when it is irradiated with light. On the other hand, in the virtual image forming unit 1b, the hologram material is not exposed and is in a state of not recording phase modulation even when irradiated with light. That is, in this case, in the windshield 1, the real image forming portion 1a and the virtual image forming portion 1b are partitioned depending on the presence or absence of the exposure treatment.

The real image projection unit 2 is a projector used to project the real image light onto the real image forming unit 1a of the windshield 1 so that the user can visually recognize the real image at the position of the windshield 1. The real image projection unit 2 may be any projector such as a liquid crystal system, a DLP (registered trademark) system, or a laser light scanning system. DLP is an abbreviation for digital lighting processing. In the case of in-vehicle use, the real image projection unit 2 is arranged at an arbitrary location, for example, in the dashboard of the instrument panel.

The virtual image projection unit 3 is a display used for projecting the virtual image light onto the virtual image forming unit 1b of the windshield 1 so that the user can visually recognize the virtual image at a position in front of the windshield 1, for example. In the present embodiment, the virtual image projection unit 3 presents different images having a predetermined parallax to each of the left and right eyes of the user, and fuses these with both eyes of the user, thereby utilizing the parallax to create a three-dimensional image. It is a head-up display that can present a virtual image. This type of head-up display can be referred to as a "parallax display", a "3D-HUD", or the like.

Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the image display using the real image projection unit 2 is referred to as "real image display", the image display using the virtual image projection unit 3 is referred to as "virtual image display", and the real image display and the virtual image display are referred to as "virtual image display". Performing at the same time is called "both image display". It should be noted that this dual image display can be executed, for example, in the case of a so-called automatic driving state in which the automobile is driven based on a signal from the electronic control device without being operated by an occupant.

As shown in FIG. 2, the virtual image projection unit 3 includes an image processing unit 31 and displays an image corresponding to the video signal as a virtual image when a video signal is output via the control unit 4 described later. The virtual image light for this purpose is projected onto the virtual image forming unit 1b. In the present embodiment, the virtual image projection unit 3 is configured such that the image processing unit 31 can appropriately adjust the distance of the virtual image to be visually recognized by the user.

The image processing unit 31 is, for example, an electronic control unit having a CPU (not shown), a storage medium such as a ROM or RAM, an I / O, or the like. In the case of both image display, the image processing unit 31 performs a process of making the position of the virtual image obtained by the parallax image substantially the same as the position of the real image based on a predetermined output signal from the eye information acquisition unit 5 described later. .. As a result, the distance between the real image and the virtual image that the user sees becomes about the same, enabling a unified display, as well as congestion and adjustment of the user's eyes when viewing the images displayed in both images. The windshield display device S1 has a reduced load. The details will be described later.

The "distance of the virtual image" as used herein means the distance between the eyes of the user who is looking front at the virtual image forming unit 1b and the position where the virtual image is displayed. Further, the "distance of the real image" means the distance between the eyes of the user who is looking front at the real image forming unit 1a and the real image displayed on the real image forming unit 1a.

As shown in FIG. 2, when a video signal from the outside is input, the control unit 4 outputs various signals corresponding to the video signal to the real image projection unit 2, the virtual image projection unit 3, or both, and various images. Take control. For example, the control unit 4 outputs a video signal to the real image projection unit 2 in the case of real image display, outputs a video signal to the virtual image projection unit 3 in the case of virtual image display, and outputs a video signal to the virtual image projection unit 3 in the case of both image display. , The video signal is output to the real image projection unit 2 and the virtual image projection unit 3.

The control unit 4 is, for example, an electronic control unit having a CPU (not shown) or the like, like the image processing unit 31. In the case of in-vehicle use, the control unit 4 is, for example, a vehicle body ECU and is connected to each of the real image projection unit 2 and the virtual image projection unit 3, but is not limited to this, and is mounted on the real image projection unit 2 or the virtual image projection unit 3. It may be what is done.

Even if the real image projection unit 2, the virtual image projection unit 3, and the control unit 4 are connected to arbitrary in-vehicle parts mounted on the vehicle and perform various operations according to output signals from the in-vehicle parts. Good. The vehicle-mounted component can be, for example, a vehicle-mounted camera, a navigation device, a car air conditioner, or other electronic device.

The above is the basic configuration of the windshield display device S1 of the present embodiment. The windshield display device S1 adjusts the display position of the virtual image recognized by the user at the time of displaying both images based on a predetermined signal from the eye information acquisition unit 5 that images a predetermined area including the user's eye. It is composed.

The eye information acquisition unit 5 acquires information on the position of the user's eyes, and is an arbitrary imaging device such as a driver status monitor manufactured by Denso Corporation. The eye information acquisition unit 5 captures, for example, a predetermined space in which the user's face is assumed to exist, identifies the user's eyes by an arbitrary image authentication technique, and calculates the position coordinates thereof. The eye information acquisition unit 5 is connected to, for example, the virtual image projection unit 3, and outputs an electric signal corresponding to the calculated position coordinates of the user's eye to the image processing unit 31. The user's eye position information transmitted from the eye information acquisition unit 5 to the image processing unit 31 is used to calculate the distance of the real image and the distance of the virtual image presented to the user. The details will be described below.

(Adjustment of virtual image distance and its effect)
Next, control of the distance of the virtual image by the windshield display device S1 and its effect will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. In addition, in FIGS. 4 and 6, other members such as a transparent dustproof cover covering the virtual image projection portion 3 are omitted for easy viewing.

First, the virtual image display by the virtual image projection unit 3 in the case where only the virtual image display is performed in the windshield display device S1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the virtual image projection unit 3 projects the virtual image light onto the virtual image forming unit 1b of the windshield 1 and reflects the virtual image light toward the user's eye box. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, a parallax image, which is a pair of images of the right eye image and the left eye image, which is a predetermined parallax amount by the virtual image projection unit 3, is presented to the user. By fusing these parallax images with both eyes, the user recognizes a virtual image in the space where the parallax images are fused, for example, the space in front of the windshield 1.

The distance of this virtual image can be changed to an arbitrary value by adjusting the parallax distance in the parallax image by the image processing unit 31. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the image processing unit 31 is connected to the eye information acquisition unit 5 that images the user's face by arbitrary wiring or the like. Further, the image processing unit 31 acquires information such as the position coordinates in the passenger compartment of the user's eye and the interpupillary distance of both eyes from the output signal from the eye information acquisition unit 5, and based on the output signal, the parallax image By adjusting the parallax distance, the distance of the virtual image can be changed as needed.

Subsequently, a virtual image display by the virtual image projection unit 3 when both images are displayed on the windshield display device S1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the virtual image projection unit 3 projects the virtual image light which is a parallax image having a predetermined parallax by the image processing unit 31, and makes the user visually recognize the virtual image in the vicinity of the windshield 1. .. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the image processing unit 31 is for the right eye based on the signal from the eye information acquisition unit 5 so that the pair of disparity images are fused in the vicinity of the windshield 1. The display positions of the image and the left eye image are changed, and the parallax distance in the pair of parallax images is adjusted. By performing such control, the distance from the user's eye to the position where these images are displayed is substantially the same for the real image displayed on the real image forming unit 1a and the virtual image displayed near the windshield 1. Become.

Here, in the case of both image display, the distance of the virtual image is preferably within a predetermined range with respect to the distance of the real image from the viewpoint of reducing fatigue to the user.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the distance between the virtual image projected by the virtual image projection unit 3 and the user's eye is defined as the "virtual image distance L1", and the position of the real image projected by the real image projection unit 2 and the user's eye. Let the distance of be "real image distance L2". Further, it is preferable that the reciprocal of L1 is D1 and the reciprocal of L2 is D2, and the difference between the absolute value of D1 and the absolute value of D2 is within 0.3 for this virtual image distance L1. In other words, the virtual image distance L1 is preferably a value that satisfies the following equation (1).

| D1-D2 | ≤0.3 ... (1)
This is done by keeping the virtual image within the depth of field of the user in this state while the user is focusing the eye on the windshield 1 on which the real image is displayed, so that the real image and the virtual image can be simultaneously viewed. This is to allow you to focus. As a result, the user can clearly see the other image while the eye is in focus on one of the real image and the virtual image. Therefore, the user can simultaneously adjust the congestion and adjustment of the eyes to the virtual image and the real image, and the real image and the virtual image form a unified image with a sense of unity, and the effect of reducing fatigue on the user can be obtained.

The average depth of field of a person is said to be in the range of 0.2 to 0.3 diopters. Further, the “neighborhood of the windshield 1” refers to a position of the windshield 1 or a position in front of the windshield 1 as viewed from the user, and a position having a virtual image distance L1 satisfying the above equation (1).

Further, the virtual image distance L1 and the real image distance L2 are, for example, axes of symmetry passing through the center of both eyes of the user in a plane whose normal direction is the vertical direction and an arbitrary plane passing through the virtual image forming portion 1b and both eyes of the user. The distance between the user's eye and the virtual or real image on a straight line along.

(Processing operation example)
Next, an example of the processing operation in the windshield display device S1 will be described with reference to FIG.

The windshield display device S1 executes the control flow shown in FIG. 9, for example, when the switch is turned on.

In step S101, for example, the image processing unit 31 determines whether or not the real image and the virtual image are displayed at the same time, and in the case of an affirmative determination, the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, in the case of a negative determination, the image processing unit 31 repeats the process of step S101 at predetermined intervals.

In step S102, the image processing unit 31 acquires the position information of the user's eye based on the output signal from the eye information acquisition unit 5. This user's eye position information is used to calculate each distance in subsequent steps S103 and S104.

In step S103, the image processing unit 31 calculates the real image distance L2 based on the acquired position information of the user's eyes and the position information of the windshield 1. The position information of the windshield 1 is stored in advance in a storage medium such as the image processing unit 31 or the control unit 4 in the form of coordinate data or the like in the vehicle interior, and is read in step S103.

In the following step S104, the image processing unit 31 calculates the virtual image distance L1 based on the acquired position information of the user's eyes and the position information of the virtual image. The position information of the virtual image can be calculated based on, for example, the parallax distance of the parallax image and the pupil distance of both eyes of the user. After step S104, the image processing unit 31 advances the processing to step S105.

In step S105, the image processing unit 31 determines whether or not the absolute value of the difference between D1 which is the reciprocal of the virtual image distance L1 and D2 which is the reciprocal of the real image distance L2 is larger than 0.3, that is, (2) below. Judgment is made as to whether or not the equation is satisfied.

| D1-D2 |> 0.3 ... (2)
In the case of an affirmative determination in step S105, the image processing unit 31 advances the process to step S106, and in the case of a negative determination, ends the process.

In step S106, the image processing unit 31 executes a correction process so that the virtual image distance L1 satisfies the above equation (1). Specifically, the image processing unit 31 changes the parallax distance of the parallax image presented to the user, and controls the display position of the virtual image obtained by fusing the parallax image to be in the vicinity of the windshield 1. Do. After step S106, the image processing unit 31 ends the process.

By executing the above-mentioned control, the real image and the virtual image are displayed so as to be within the depth of field when viewed from the user, and these images are in a unified state.

The above control flow is merely an example, and is not limited to this. For example, in step S101, the image processing unit 31 may determine whether or not both images are displayed, such as automatic operation, instead of determining whether or not the real image and the virtual image are displayed at the same time. Good. Specifically, in this case, when switching between automatic driving and manual driving of the vehicle is performed by a switch or the like, the image processing unit 31 makes the above determination depending on whether or not there is an output signal from the switch or the like. It is feasible. Further, the windshield display device S1 may be configured such that the control unit 4 executes the above control flow instead of the image processing unit 31.

According to the present embodiment, a windshield display device having a configuration in which a virtual image display and a real image display can be performed at the same time, and the virtual image and the real image presented to the user at the same time can be visually recognized as a unified image. It becomes S1. Further, in both image display, by adjusting the virtual image distance L1 with respect to the real image distance L2 so as to satisfy the above equation (1), the real image and the virtual image are kept within the depth of field of the user, and the effect of reducing fatigue is achieved. Can also be obtained.

(Modified example of the first embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 10, for example, the windshield 1 may have a configuration in which a portion of the virtual image forming portion 1b adjacent to the real image forming portion 1a is a boundary portion 1c capable of forming both a real image and a virtual image. .. Such a configuration is effective for making a continuous image without a break between the real image and the virtual image while forming a tiling display in which the real image and the virtual image are displayed side by side.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, assuming that the region where a virtual image can be presented in the vicinity of the windshield 1 is the "virtual image presentation unit 1ba", the position of the user's eye is within the range of the eye box in the virtual image presentation unit 1ba. If it moves arbitrarily within, it becomes narrower than the virtual image forming portion 1b.

Further, in the case where the entire area of the virtual image forming unit 1b has a small degree of reflection or scattering of the real image light from the real image projection unit 2, that is, a configuration in which it is difficult to display the real image, the space between the real image forming unit 1a and the virtual image presenting unit 1ba The part of is an area where neither a real image nor a virtual image is displayed. In this case, when both images are displayed, a break is generated between the real image and the virtual image, so that the sense of unity of the image may be impaired.

In this modification, for the purpose of preventing such a situation, in the windshield 1, as shown in FIG. 10, the adjacent portion of the virtual image forming portion 1b that is adjacent to the real image forming portion 1a is for displaying the real image. It is said that the boundary portion 1c is capable of reflecting or scattering the real image light of.

The boundary portion 1c is a region in which the efficiency of real image formation is intentionally suppressed, for example, the degree of reflection or scattering of real image light in the real image forming portion 1a is set to 100, and the degree is 50. Further, the boundary portion 1c is a region in which the virtual image light from the virtual image projection unit 3 is also reflected, and although the display quality of the virtual image is slightly deteriorated due to the influence of the phase modulation unit used for reflecting or scattering the real image light, the real image forming unit 1a and It plays both roles of the virtual image forming unit 1b.

In this modification, the control unit 4 obtains the position information of the user's eye from the eye information acquisition unit 5, and is predetermined to the real image projection unit 2 and the virtual image projection unit 3 according to the position of the user's eye. Output a signal. Specifically, the control unit 4 outputs a signal corresponding to the position where the virtual image is displayed in the vicinity of the windshield 1 to the real image projection unit 2, and the boundary portion so that the real image is continuously displayed on the virtual image. Control is performed to change the display area of the real image in 1c. As a result, even when the position of the user's eyes changes to an arbitrary position in the eye box, it is possible to display a continuous and integrated image of the real image and the virtual image.

According to this modification, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is possible to display an image in which a real image and a virtual image form a continuous one image without a break. Further, even if the user changes the position of the face in the eye box, the windshield display device has a configuration that can maintain the continuity between the real image and the virtual image.

(Second Embodiment)
The windshield display device S2 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Although the cross section is not shown in FIG. 11 for easy viewing, the screen 33 and the corresponding virtual image described later are hatched. Further, in FIG. 11, for the same purpose, an arbitrary member such as a dustproof cover covering the concave mirror 34 described later, an image processing unit 31 connected to the light source 32 described later, and an eye information acquisition unit 5 are omitted.

The windshield display device S2 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the configuration of the virtual image projection unit 3 is different. In this embodiment, this difference will be mainly described.

In the present embodiment, the virtual image projection unit 3 has a light source 32, a screen 33, and a concave mirror 34, as shown in FIG. 11, in addition to an image processing unit 31 (not shown) connected to an eye information acquisition unit 5 (not shown). It becomes. The virtual image projection unit 3 has a configuration in which the relative distance between the screen 33 and the concave mirror 34 can be changed to an arbitrary value regardless of the parallax image, and the virtual image distance can be adjusted.

The light source 32 draws a virtual image to be presented to the user by continuously scanning the screen 33 with a laser beam, for example, and is an arbitrary light scanning type light source.

The screen 33 is an optical member that is irradiated with virtual image light from the light source 32 and displays an image that is the source of the virtual image. The position of the screen 33 can be changed by a drive unit (not shown). The light emitted from the light source 32 is directed to the concave mirror 34 through the screen 33.

The concave mirror 34 is an arbitrary reflecting member that reflects the light transmitted through the screen 33 to the windshield 1.

Next, the adjustment of the virtual image distance in the present embodiment will be described.

In the present embodiment, the display position of the virtual image, that is, the virtual image distance L1 is adjusted by changing the relative distance between the screen 33 and the concave mirror 34.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the virtual image is recognized by the user as the first virtual image when the screen 33 is placed in the first position, and when the screen 33 is placed in the second position. , It is recognized by the user as a second virtual image and projected at a position closer than the first virtual image. That is, the virtual image distance L1 decreases as the screen 33 approaches the concave mirror 34, and increases as the screen 33 moves away from the concave mirror 34. The position of the screen 33 is determined, for example, based on a signal output by the image processing unit 31 according to the position of the user's eyes.

By tilting the screen 33 in the direction of tilting toward the light source 32, the virtual image can be displayed along the surface direction of the windshield 1 as in the example shown in FIG. 6 in this embodiment as well.

Further, in the above example, the virtual image distance L1 is controlled by adjusting the relative distance between the screen 33 and the concave mirror 34 with the screen 33 as a movable portion, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the virtual image distance L1 may be controlled by arranging another optical member such as a lens (not shown) between the screen 33 and the concave mirror 34 and controlling the position of the optical member.

According to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, similarly to the modified example of the first embodiment, when the configuration of the windshield 1 is changed, the same effect as that of the modified example can be obtained.

(Third Embodiment)
The windshield display device S3 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The windshield display device S3 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the real image forming unit 1a of the windshield 1 is composed of a transparent display instead of the real image projection unit 2 that projects the real image light. .. In this embodiment, this difference will be mainly described.

In the present embodiment, the real image forming unit 1a is a transparent display in which the intermediate layer 12 shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a self-luminous element such as a transparent OLED (organic light emitting diode) film.

The transparent OLED film can also be referred to as an "organic EL (electroluminescence) display". The OLED is configured such that, for example, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and the like are sequentially laminated between a pair of electrodes, and emit light by applying a voltage. To. The OLED is driven and controlled by the TFT, and together with the TFT, constitutes a main pixel arranged side by side on a transparent OLED film. The TFT (thin film) is an element that includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer, a semiconductor layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, and can control current on / off by adjusting the voltage of the gate electrode, and is arranged so as to be superimposed on the OLED. The transparent OLED film has a visible light transmittance of a predetermined value or higher, for example, when the main pixel is composed of a light emitting region composed of an OLED and a TFT and a transparent portion in which the OLED and the TFT are not arranged.

Since the configurations of OLEDs, TFTs, and OLED films and their materials are known, detailed description thereof will be omitted in the present specification. Further, the configuration of the OLED is not limited to the above example, and any configuration can be adopted.

A flexible wiring such as an FPC (not shown) is connected to the real image forming unit 1a. This flexible wiring is exposed from, for example, the surface direction end portion of the windshield 1. The real image forming unit 1a is configured to display various images on the windshield 1 by inputting various video signals and the like via the control unit 4 via the wiring. In the present embodiment, the control unit 4 executes the drive control of the OLED in the real image forming unit 1a.

In the present embodiment, for example, the windshield 1 is formed by the real image forming unit 1a by forming the intermediate layer 12 into one film configuration including a region that functions as a transparent OLED film and a simple transparent region that does not have any function. And the virtual image forming portion 1b.

Further, the transparent display arranged in the real image forming unit 1a does not have a function of displaying the real image by phase modulation or scattering of light, and does not easily hinder the reflection of the virtual image light for displaying the virtual image. Therefore, the virtual image forming portion 1b may have a configuration in which a transparent display is arranged in a portion adjacent to the real image forming portion 1a or in the entire area thereof. As a result, when displaying both images, the real image display area can be appropriately adjusted according to the position of the user's eyes, that is, the position where the virtual image is displayed, and the modification of the first embodiment is described above. The same effect as is obtained.

According to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment and its modifications can be obtained.

(Other embodiments)
Although the present invention has been described in accordance with Examples, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to the Examples and structures. The present invention also includes various modifications and modifications within a uniform range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including only one element thereof, more or less, are also within the scope and ideology of the present invention.

The control unit 4 and its method described in the present disclosure are provided by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. It may be realized. Alternatively, the control unit 4 and its method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring the processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit 4 and its method described in the present disclosure are a combination of a processor and memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor composed of one or more hardware logic circuits. It may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by. Further, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium as an instruction executed by the computer.

(1) For example, in the first embodiment described above, an example in which the windshield 1 is composed of two glass substrates 11 and 13 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the windshield 1 may have a configuration in which the intermediate layer 12 is arranged on the glass base material 13 via the adhesive layer 14. Even in this case, the windshield display device has a configuration that allows the user to visually recognize a real image, a virtual image, or both through the windshield 1. In this case, the windshield 1 is arranged so that the intermediate layer 12 faces the user who visually recognizes the image.

(2) In the first embodiment, the windshield 1 has a structure in which the boundary between the real image forming portion 1a and the virtual image forming portion 1b is clear, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the real image forming portion 1a, the degree of phase modulation or scattering of the real image light is changed stepwise in the adjacent portion, which is a portion adjacent to the virtual image forming portion 1b, as compared with the other parts of the real image forming portion 1a. It may be configured. Specifically, when the degree of phase modulation or scattering of real image light in a portion of the real image forming portion 1a different from the adjacent portion is set to 100, the degree of the degree of phase modulation or scattering of the adjacent portion is 80, 60, 40, 20 and so on. The configuration may change stepwise as it approaches the virtual image forming portion 1b.

(3) In the first embodiment, an example in which the intermediate layer 12 is made of a hologram material and the virtual image forming unit 1b does not record optical phase modulation has been described, but the present invention is limited to this. It's not a thing. For example, in the portion of the intermediate layer 12 corresponding to the virtual image forming portion 1b, the hologram material may be in a state of recording a phase modulation having an optically positive power. For example, among the hologram materials constituting the intermediate layer 12, the region desired to function as the real image forming portion 1a is processed under predetermined exposure conditions, and the region desired to function as the virtual image forming portion 1b is subjected to different exposure conditions. It can be partitioned by processing.

Specifically, for example, non-patent documents (Boaz Jessie Jackin, Lode Jorissen, Ryutaro Oi, Jui Yi Wu, Koki Wakunami, Makoto Okui, Yasuyuki Ichihashi, Philippe Bekaert, Yi Pai Huang, and Kenji Yamamoto, "Digitally designed holographic optical" A spatial light modulator (SLM) is used to record any phase modulation in a small area of the hologram material, such as element for light field displays, "Opt. Lett. 43, 3738-3741 (2018)). The use of stitching methods can be mentioned. As a result, the hologram material is in a state of recording phase modulation such that it has a scatterable phase modulation for forming a real image in one region and an optically positive power for forming a virtual image in another region. It is said that.

Even with such a configuration, the virtual image visually recognized by the user can be magnified and projected farther than the windshield 1. In this case, since it is not necessary to use a magnifying optical element such as a concave mirror used in a conventional head-up display device, the virtual image projection unit 3 can be made smaller and the mountability on a moving body is improved. Is obtained.

(4) In the first embodiment, the virtual image projection unit 3 is used as a parallax display, and the distance of the virtual image is controlled by adjusting the parallax distance of the pair of parallax images based on the output signal from the eye information acquisition unit 5. An example has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the virtual image projection unit 3 may be configured to generate motion parallax by adjusting the position of the parallax image in the image, and to control the distance of the virtual image by using this motion parallax. Also by such a method, it is possible to keep the difference between the distance of the virtual image and the distance of the real image within a predetermined range.

(5) In each of the above embodiments, the description has been made on the premise that the windshield 1 is a part of an automobile, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the windshield 1 may be part of another mobile body such as a motorcycle, train or aircraft.

1 Windshield 1a Real image forming unit 1b Virtual image forming unit 1c Boundary part 2 Real image projection unit 3 Virtual image projection unit 31 Image processing unit 4 Control unit 5 Eye information acquisition unit

Claims (6)

A windshield display device that allows a user to visually recognize an image via a moving body windshield (1).
With the windshield
A real image projection unit (2) that projects real image light for displaying a real image onto the windshield, and
A virtual image projection unit (3) that projects virtual image light for displaying a virtual image onto the windshield is provided.
The windshield includes a real image forming portion (1a) on which the real image light is projected and a virtual image forming portion (1b) on which the virtual image light is projected.
The virtual image projection unit includes an image processing unit (31) that controls the display position of the virtual image.
When the image processing unit simultaneously executes the real image display and the virtual image display, the user's eye and the virtual image are based on an output signal from the eye information acquisition unit (5) that acquires the position information of the user's eye. A windshield display device that controls to change the distance to and from. A windshield display device that allows a user to visually recognize an image via a moving body windshield (1).
A virtual image projection unit (3) that projects virtual image light for displaying a virtual image onto the windshield, and
A real image forming portion (1a) having a self-luminous element used for displaying a real image and the windshield including a virtual image forming portion (1b) on which the virtual image light is projected are provided.
The virtual image projection unit includes an image processing unit (31) that controls the display position of the virtual image.
When the image processing unit simultaneously executes the real image display and the virtual image display, the user's eye and the virtual image are based on an output signal from the eye information acquisition unit (5) that acquires the position information of the user's eye. A windshield display device that controls to change the distance to and from. The real image forming portion is arranged in the plane direction of the windshield without separating the virtual image forming portion.
A portion of the virtual image forming portion adjacent to the real image forming portion is designated as an adjacent portion.
The adjacent portion allows the user to visually recognize the real image when the real image light is projected, and directs the virtual image light toward the user's eyes when the virtual image light is projected. The windshield display device according to claim 1, wherein the boundary portion (1c) can be reflected in the direction of. It further has a control unit (4) that controls the drive of the real image projection unit.
The windshield display device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls to project the real image light on the boundary portion based on the information of the user's eyes. When the real image display and the virtual image display are executed at the same time, the image processing unit controls the distance between the user's eyes and the virtual image to be within a predetermined range with respect to the distance between the user's eyes and the real image. The windshield display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The distance between the user's eye and the virtual image is the virtual image distance (L1), the reciprocal of the virtual image distance is D1, the distance between the user's eye and the real image is the real image distance (L2), and the reciprocal of the real image distance. As D2
The fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the image processing unit changes the virtual image distance so that the virtual image distance satisfies | D1-D2 | ≤0.3 when the real image display and the virtual image display are executed at the same time. Windshield display device.

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