JP5145710B2 - Head-up display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a head-up display device in which visible light emitted from a display means is reflected by a combiner member toward a user to form a display image, and in particular, includes a plurality of display means or a user The present invention relates to a structure including a plurality of imaging means for imaging.

  Conventionally, as this type of head-up display device, a configuration in which a plurality of display units are provided and a plurality of display images are formed or a display image can be displayed in a plurality of colors is known (for example, Patent Document 1). reference). In a configuration including a plurality of display means, the optical axis of each display means may differ depending on the arrangement position. In order to solve this problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, a half mirror capable of selecting reflection or transmission of light according to wavelength is arranged on the optical path of the display unit, and the optical axes of the display units are integrated. A technique is disclosed.

Further, as a head-up display device, for example, as described in Patent Document 2 below, a device in which a photographing device for photographing a user is arranged on the optical path of the head-up display device is known. With such a configuration, it is possible to use the combiner and reflecting member of the head-up display device for photographing of the user, and reduce the number of dedicated members required for imaging, and the user (particularly, the simpler configuration). It is possible to calculate the position of the user's eyes by photographing the user's face). The calculation result of the user's eye position is used not only to adjust the position of the display image disclosed in Patent Document 1, but also to detect the user's line of sight or viewpoint, and to determine the state of the user such as looking aside or falling asleep. Is possible. Even in such a configuration, since the optical axis of the display unit and the optical axis of the imaging unit may be different, it is conceivable to use a method of arranging the half mirrors as described above and integrating the respective optical axes.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-91404 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-156646

  However, the method of integrating the optical axes by selecting transmission or reflection by the half mirror as described above is such that in the configuration including a plurality of display means, the optical axes are integrated with each display means when the number of display means or imaging means increases. There is a problem in that the degree of freedom of the arrangement position of the imaging means is limited because it must be arranged at a possible position.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a head-up display device capable of improving the degree of freedom of arrangement positions of a plurality of display means or imaging means, paying attention to the above-described problems.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a head-up display device in which visible light emitted from a display means is reflected toward a user by a combiner member, and a display image is formed. A plurality of imaging means for imaging a person from different directions, an image processing means for calculating the position of the user's eye based on an image taken by the imaging means, and a plurality of micro-arrays arranged and movable each A plane mirror, and the angle of the plane mirror is adjusted at predetermined time intervals or individually to reflect the visible light emitted from the display means toward the combiner member, and also reflected by the user and the combiner member And a micromirror device that reflects and controls the light beam to be sensed by the imaging means.

In addition, an infrared irradiation unit that irradiates infrared rays toward the user is provided, and the imaging unit senses infrared rays as the light rays.

The combiner member may be a vehicle windshield.

The combiner member may be a concave mirror disposed on a dashboard of the vehicle.

In addition, an adjustment unit that can adjust the image formation position of the display image is provided, and the image formation position of the display image is adjusted by the adjustment unit based on a calculation result of the image processing unit.

  The present invention relates to a head-up display device in which visible light emitted from a display means is reflected toward a user by a combiner member, and a display image is formed. It is possible to improve the degree of freedom.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, a head-up display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the head-up display device is mainly configured by a housing 1, first, second, and third display means 2, 3, 4, a micromirror device 5, and a concave mirror 6. ing.

In such a head-up display device, as shown in FIG. 1, display light (visible light) L1, L2, L3 emitted from the first, second, and third display means 2, 3, and 4 is windshield W1 (combiner). The virtual images (display images) V1, V2, and V3 are formed so as to be positioned in front of the vehicle (windshield W1 side) by being reflected toward the driver (user) D1 by the member.

  The housing 1 is made of a light-shielding synthetic resin material and houses the first to third display means 2 to 4, the micromirror device 5 and the concave mirror 6.

  The first, second, and third display means 2, 3, and 4 are arranged at different angles in the housing 1, respectively, and the shapes of the visible light LEDs 2a, 3a, and 4a that are light sources and the display image are formed. This is a well-known display means having liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, 4b and the like to be defined.

  As the visible light LEDs 2a, 3a, 4a, for example, chip LEDs can be applied and mounted on a wiring board (not shown). The visible light LEDs 2a, 3a, 4a emit white light.

  The liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, and 4b are provided with color filters having a red layer, a green layer, and a blue layer that are provided in accordance with display pixels on the front surface of a liquid crystal cell in which liquid crystal is sealed in a pair of translucent substrates. It will be. In addition, polarizing films (polarizing members) are attached to the front and rear surfaces of the liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, and 4b. The liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, 4b are provided in the housing 1, and are provided at positions where illumination light from the visible light LEDs 2a, 3a, 4a provided behind the liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, 4b is irradiated. The illumination light transmitted through the liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, 4b is emitted to the micromirror device 5 as display light L1, L2, L3, respectively. The liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, 4b are, for example, an arithmetic circuit (not shown) for measuring the vehicle speed and the engine speed based on output signals from a vehicle speed sensor and an engine rotation sensor provided in the vehicle, and a liquid crystal based on the calculation result. By means of a liquid crystal drive circuit (not shown) for driving the vehicle, the vehicle speed, the measured value of the engine speed, etc. can be expressed as numerical values. Note that the liquid crystal display elements 2b, 3b, and 4b are of the TFT type in this embodiment, and full color display is possible.

  The micromirror device 5 is formed by arranging a plurality of movable minute plane mirrors in a matrix, and the angle of each plane mirror can be adjusted at predetermined time intervals or individually by a drive circuit (not shown). The display lights L1, L2, and L3 emitted from the first, second, and third display means 2, 3, and 4 having different optical axes are integrated and controlled in the substantially same direction and directed toward the concave mirror 6. It is an optical member for reflection. When the micromirror device 5 is controlled every predetermined time, the first angle at which the display light L1 from the first display means 2 can be reflected toward the concave mirror 6 in a predetermined emission direction every predetermined time. First angle adjustment for controlling the plane mirror, and control the plane mirror to a second angle capable of reflecting the display light L2 from the second display means 3 toward the concave mirror 6 in the emission direction defined in advance. And a third angle for controlling the plane mirror to a third angle capable of reflecting the display light L3 from the third display means 4 toward the concave mirror 6 in the emission direction defined in advance. The control which performs adjustment and one by one is executed. When the plane mirrors of the micromirror device 5 are individually controlled, the first angle adjustment is performed on the plane mirror in the region irradiated with the display light L1 from the first display unit 2, and The second angle adjustment is performed on the plane mirror in the area irradiated with the display light L2 from the second display means 3, and the plane mirror in the area irradiated with the display light L3 from the third display means 3 is used. On the other hand, control for performing the third angle adjustment is executed.

  The concave mirror 6 is provided in the housing 1 so as to face the micromirror device 5, and reflects the display lights L1, L2, and L3 projected through the micromirror device 5 toward the windshield W1, and is operated. The angle adjustment means 6a (adjustment means) composed of a motor, a gear, etc. (not shown) is provided so that the person D1 can easily see the display lights L1, L2, L3 so that the angle can be adjusted. The imaging positions of the virtual images V1 to V3 can be adjusted by rotating the concave mirror 6 with the angle adjusting means 6a. The concave mirror 6 is formed of a reflective surface having a predetermined curvature in order to enlarge and display the display lights L1 to L3.

  In such a head-up display device, the micromirror device 5 is disposed on the optical paths of the plurality of display lights L1 to L3, and the angle of the plane mirror of the micromirror device 5 is adjusted at predetermined time intervals or individually to adjust the first to first. The display lights L1 to L3 emitted from the three display means 2 to 3 are integrated and controlled in a predetermined emission direction and reflected so that the virtual images V1 to V3 can be imaged. Therefore, since the emission directions of the display lights L1 to L3 can be freely adjusted by the micromirror device 5, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom of the arrangement positions of the plurality of display means 2-3.

  In the first embodiment, the windshield W1 is used as the combiner member of the head-up display device. However, the head-up display device to which the present invention is applied has a vehicle dash as a dedicated combiner member. A concave mirror may be provided on the board.

  Next, a head-up display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the head-up display device includes a housing 11, a display unit 12, first and second imaging units 13 and 14, a micromirror device 15, a concave mirror 16, and an image processing unit 17. , Mainly consists of.

In such a head-up display device, as shown in FIG. 2, the display light (visible light) L11 emitted from the display means 12 is reflected toward the driver (user) D11 by the windshield W11 (combiner member). Thus, a virtual image (display image) V11 is formed so as to be positioned in front of the vehicle (windshield W11 side). In addition, in the head-up display device, light rays (visible light in this embodiment) R11 and R12 reflected from the driver D11 are reflected toward the micromirror device 15 by the windshield W11 and the concave mirror 16, and the micromirror The driver D11 (particularly the face) is imaged by being reflected toward the first and second imaging means 6 and 7 under the control of the device 15. Therefore, the driver D11 can be imaged using the optical path of the head-up display device, and the driver D11 can be imaged with a simpler configuration. The control of the micromirror device 15 will be described in detail later.

  The housing 11 is made of a light-shielding synthetic resin material, and houses the display means 12, the first and second imaging means 13 and 14, the micromirror device 15, the concave mirror 16, and the image processing means 17. Is.

  The display unit 12 is a well-known display unit that is disposed in the housing 11 and includes a visible light LED 12a that is a light source, a liquid crystal display element 12b that defines a shape of a display image, and the like.

  As the visible light LED 12a, for example, a chip LED can be applied and mounted on a wiring board (not shown). The visible light LED 12a emits white light.

  The liquid crystal display element 12b is formed by disposing a color filter having a red layer, a green layer, and a blue layer provided in accordance with display pixels on the front surface of a liquid crystal cell in which liquid crystal is sealed in a pair of translucent substrates. . In addition, polarizing films (polarizing members) are attached to the front and rear surfaces of the liquid crystal display element 12b. The liquid crystal display element 12b is provided in the housing 11, and is provided at a position where illumination light from the visible light LED 12a provided behind the liquid crystal display element 12b is irradiated. The illumination light transmitted through the liquid crystal display element 12b is emitted to the micromirror device 15 as display light L11. The liquid crystal display element 12b includes, for example, an arithmetic circuit (not shown) that measures the vehicle speed and the engine speed based on output signals from a vehicle speed sensor and an engine rotation sensor provided in the vehicle, and a liquid crystal that drives the liquid crystal based on the calculation result. A driving circuit (not shown) can represent the vehicle speed, the measured value of the engine speed, and the like as numerical values. The liquid crystal display element 12b is a TFT type in the present embodiment, and full color display is possible.

  The first and second imaging means 13 and 14 are composed of a CCD camera or the like that senses a light beam and picks up an image (in this embodiment, a face image of the driver D1). It arrange | positions in the housing 11 so that the device 15 may be opposed. The first and second imaging means 13 and 14 may use infrared cameras that sense infrared rays as the light beams, and in such a configuration, infrared irradiation means including infrared LEDs or the like are separately provided in the vehicle. It is necessary to irradiate the driver D11 with infrared rays.

  The micromirror device 15 is formed by arranging a plurality of movable microscopic plane mirrors in a matrix, and the angle of each plane mirror can be adjusted at predetermined time intervals or individually by a drive circuit (not shown). The light beam reflected from the display means 12 toward the concave mirror 16 and the light reflected from the driver D11 with respect to the display means 12 and the first and second imaging means 13 and 14 having different optical axes. This is an optical member for reflecting R11 and R12 toward the first and second imaging means 13 and 14. When the micromirror device 15 is controlled every predetermined time, the display light L11 from the display unit 12 is reflected at the fourth angle at which the virtual image V11 is reflected toward the concave mirror 16 in the emission direction capable of forming the virtual image V11 every predetermined time. The fourth angle adjustment for controlling the plane mirror, and the light R11 that reflects the driver D11, the windshield W11, and the concave mirror 16 and irradiates the micromirror device 15 is reflected in the direction in which the first imaging means 13 can receive the light. A fifth angle adjustment for controlling the plane mirror to a fifth angle (that is, an angle at which the light ray R11 can be reflected in accordance with the imaging optical axis of the first imaging means 13), a driver D11, a windshield W11, and A sixth angle (that is, a sixth angle) for reflecting the light beam R12 reflected by the concave mirror 16 and irradiated on the micromirror device 15 in the direction in which the second imaging means 14 can receive light. Executes sequentially performing control and sixth angle adjustment which controls the plane mirror the ray R12 in the second reflective possible angles in accordance with the imaging optical axis of the imaging means 14), the. When the plane mirrors of the micromirror device 15 are individually controlled, the fourth angle adjustment is performed on the plane mirrors in the area irradiated with the display light L11 from the display unit 12, and the light ray R11 is irradiated. The fifth angle adjustment is performed on the plane mirror in the area to be irradiated, and the sixth angle adjustment is performed on the plane mirror in the area irradiated with the light ray R12.

  The concave mirror 16 is provided in the housing 11 so as to face the micromirror device 15 and reflects the display light L11 projected through the micromirror device 15 toward the windshield W11. Further, the concave mirror 16 and the driver D11 and the windshield are reflected. The light rays R11 and R12 irradiated by reflecting W11 are reflected toward the micromirror device 15, and an angle formed by a motor, a gear, or the like (not shown) so that the driver D11 can easily view the display light L11. The adjusting means 6a (adjusting means) is provided so that the angle can be adjusted. The imaging position of the virtual image V11 can be adjusted by rotating the concave mirror 16 with the angle adjusting means 16a. The concave mirror 16 is formed of a reflecting surface having a predetermined curvature in order to expand the display light L11 and the light rays R11 and R12.

The image processing means 17 is disposed in the housing 11 and is electrically connected to the first and second imaging means 13 and 14. The image processing means 17 includes first and second imaging means 13.
, 14, and receives the face image of the driver D11 captured in different directions, and calculates the eye position of the driver D11 from the plurality of face images. Thus, by calculating the position of the eyes of the driver D11 based on the face images from a plurality of different angles, it is possible to calculate the position of the eyes with respect to the front and rear positions of the vehicle with high accuracy. The calculation result of the eye position of the driver D11 is transmitted to a control means (not shown). The control means has a function of automatically adjusting the virtual image V11 to be in a position where the driver D11 can be seen well by driving the angle adjusting means 16a based on the calculation result, for example. Note that the function using the calculation result of the eye position is not limited to the adjustment of the imaging position of the virtual image V11 described above. Is available.

  In such a head-up display device, the micromirror device 15 is disposed on the optical path of the display light L11 and the light beams R11 and R12, and the angle of the plane mirror of the micromirror device 15 is adjusted every predetermined time or individually to display the display means 12. The display light L11 emitted from the light is reflected in a predetermined emission direction so that the virtual image V11 can be formed, and the light rays R11 and R12 are reflected toward the first and second imaging means 13 and 14 having different arrangement angles, respectively. To do. Therefore, since the emission direction of the display light L1 and the light beams R11 and R12 can be freely adjusted by the micromirror device 15, the display means 12 and the first and second imaging means 13 and 14 disposed in the housing 11 can be adjusted. The degree of freedom of the arrangement position can be improved.

1 is an overview diagram of a head-up display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a general-view figure of the head-up display apparatus which is 2nd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 2 1st display means 3 2nd display means 4 3rd display means 5 Micromirror device 6 Concave mirror 6a Angle adjustment means
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Housing 12 Display means 13 1st imaging means 14 2nd imaging means 15 Micromirror device 16 Concave mirror 16a Angle adjustment means 17 Image processing means D1, D11 Driver (user)
L1 to L3, L11 Display light (visible light)
R11, R12 rays V1 to V3, V11 virtual image (display image)
W1, W11 Windshield (combiner member)

Claims (5)

A head-up display device formed by reflecting visible light emitted from a display means toward a user by a combiner member to form a display image,
A plurality of imaging means for imaging the user from different directions;
Image processing means for calculating the position of the user's eye based on the image picked up by the image pickup means;
A plurality of microscopic mirrors arranged and movable, each having an angle of the plane mirrors adjusted at predetermined time intervals or individually to reflect the visible light emitted from the display means toward the combiner member, and the use A micromirror device that reflects and reflects the light beam reflected by the person and the combiner member in a direction that can be sensed by the imaging means;
A head-up display device comprising: Infrared irradiation means for irradiating infrared rays toward users,
The head-up display device according to claim 1 , wherein the imaging unit senses infrared rays as the light rays. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the combiner member is a windshield of a vehicle. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the combiner member is a concave mirror disposed on a dashboard of a vehicle. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an adjusting unit that can adjust an image forming position of the display image, and the image forming position of the display image is adjusted by the adjusting unit based on a calculation result of the image processing unit. Head up display device.

Images