JP7010200B2 - Display device, discrimination method and irradiation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a display device, a discrimination method and an irradiation method.

In recent years, image display technology using a projector has been developed. In addition, there is an increasing need to display an image in various places, as represented by projection mapping in which an image is displayed on an arbitrary object such as a building.

For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes the development of an interlayer film corresponding to an increase in the amount of information displayed on the glass of an automobile. Further, Non-Patent Document 2 describes a technique for projecting an image on various places in a focus-free manner.

Development of interlayer film corresponding to the increase in the amount of information displayed on the windshield of automobiles [Search on July 4, 2018], Internet <URL: https://www.sekisui.co.jp/news/2015/1274415_23166 .html> Xperia Touch (G1109) [Search on July 4, 2018], Internet <URL: https://www.sony.jp/xperia-smart-products/products/G1109/>

The technique described in Non-Patent Document 1 is specialized in the technique of displaying on glass, and the technique described in Non-Patent Document 2 corresponds only to the surface on which visible light is reflected. On the other hand, in the daily environment, a region that transmits visible light and a region that reflects visible light coexist. In order to comprehensively and centrally display information for such a region that transmits visible light and a region that reflects visible light, the region that transmits visible light and the region that reflects visible light are appropriately discriminated. Technology for displaying information is expected.

The present invention provides a display device, a discrimination method, and an irradiation method capable of appropriately discriminating an area of an irradiated surface and displaying information.

The display device according to the present invention has a first region that emits reflected light by receiving a visible light laser and a second region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength by receiving an ultraviolet light laser. The imaged surface is irradiated with image light. Further, the display device includes a laser light source unit, a light detection unit, a region determination unit, and a laser light source control unit. The laser light source unit irradiates the irradiation position of the irradiated surface with a laser beam selected from a visible light laser and an ultraviolet light laser. The photodetector detects the reflected light or fluorescence emitted by the irradiated surface by the laser beam applied to the irradiation position. The region determination unit determines whether the irradiation position is the first region or the second region according to the light detected by the photodetection unit. The laser light source control unit irradiates the visible light laser to the irradiation position determined by the region determination unit as the first region, and irradiates the ultraviolet light laser to the irradiation position determined by the region determination unit as the second region. Instruct the laser light source unit to do this.

The discrimination method according to the present invention is a first region on an irradiated surface that emits reflected light by receiving a visible light laser, and a first region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength by receiving an ultraviolet light laser. It is a method of discriminating between two regions, that is, a reference light irradiation step of irradiating a selected laser beam of a visible light laser and an ultraviolet light laser at an irradiation position of an irradiated surface, and a laser irradiated in the reference light irradiation step. It includes a detection step for detecting reflected light or fluorescence emitted from an irradiated surface by light, and a region determination step for determining whether the irradiation position is a first region or a second region according to the light detected in the detection step.

The irradiation method according to the present invention comprises a first region that emits reflected light by receiving a visible light laser and a second region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength by receiving an ultraviolet light laser. An irradiation method for irradiating an irradiated surface with image light, wherein the irradiation position of the irradiated surface is irradiated with a selected laser beam from a visible light laser and an ultraviolet light laser, and a reference light irradiation step. A detection step for detecting reflected light or fluorescence emitted from the irradiated surface by the laser beam irradiated in the step, and a region determination for determining whether the irradiation position is the first region or the second region according to the light detected in the detection step. The visible light laser is irradiated to the irradiation position determined to be the first region in the step and the region determination step, and the ultraviolet light laser is irradiated to the irradiation position determined to be the second region in the region determination step. It comprises an image light irradiation step of irradiating light.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display device, a discrimination method, and an irradiation method capable of appropriately discriminating an area of an irradiated surface and displaying information.

It is a top view of the automobile equipped with the display device which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which showed the example of the interior of the car which mounted the display device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which showed the irradiated area of the display device which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the windshield which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of the display device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of the light source part of the display device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart of the area determination process performed by a display device. It is a figure which shows the scanning image of the laser beam of the display apparatus. It is a graph which shows the example of the energy intensity of the laser beam irradiated by the display device, and the energy intensity of the light detected by the light detection unit. It is a figure which shows the example of the area distribution information generated by the area judgment processing. It is a graph which shows the example of the energy intensity of the laser beam irradiated by the display apparatus which concerns on the modification 1 of Embodiment 1 and the energy intensity of the light detected by the light detection unit. It is a graph which shows the example of the energy intensity of the laser beam irradiated by the display apparatus which concerns on the modification 2 of Embodiment 1 and the energy intensity of the light detected by the light detection unit. It is a flowchart of the area determination process performed by the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a graph which shows the example of the energy intensity of the laser beam irradiated by the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2, and the energy intensity of the light detected by the light detection unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of clarity, the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a top view of an automobile equipped with the display device according to the embodiment. The automobile 900 shown in the figure has a camera 901 and a display device 1. The camera 901 is a plurality of cameras that capture a peripheral image of the automobile 900. As shown in the figure, the automobile 900 has a camera 901R in the door mirror on the right side and a camera 901L in the door mirror on the left side. The camera 901R captures a peripheral image on the right side of the vehicle 900, and the camera 901L captures a peripheral image on the left side of the vehicle 900. Specifically, the camera 901R images the rear right from the right side of the automobile 900, and the camera 901L images the rear left from the left side of the automobile. Further, the camera 901 may include a camera arranged facing the front of the automobile 900 in order to photograph the front of the automobile 900. Further, the camera 901 may include a camera arranged facing the rear of the automobile 900 in order to photograph the rear of the automobile 900.

The display device 1 is a laser projector that displays a predetermined image by irradiating an irradiated area set in the room of the automobile 900 with a laser beam. As shown in the figure, the automobile 900 has two display devices (display device 1A and display device 1B).

The arrangement of the display device in the automobile will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the interior of an automobile equipped with the display device according to the first embodiment.

The display device 1A and the display device 1B are fixed to the ceiling above the driver's seat of the automobile 900, the display device 1A illuminates an image on the right front area of the room, and the display device 1B displays an image on the left front area of the room. It is set to illuminate. The display device 1A, for example, performs a predetermined process on the peripheral image on the right side of the automobile 900 captured by the camera 901R, and irradiates the image on the front right side of the room. Similarly, the display device 1B performs predetermined processing on the peripheral image on the left side of the automobile 900 captured by the camera 901L, and irradiates the image on the left front side of the room.

The display device 1 is irradiated with a first region that emits reflected light by receiving a visible light laser and a second region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength by receiving an ultraviolet light laser. Irradiate the surface with image light.

An example of display by the display device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the display device 1 irradiates a message image to the driver. The message image is an image displayed by the display device 1 to be recognized by the driver U by irradiating the image light. The figure shows the scenery seen by the driver of the automobile 900. As shown in the figure, a bicycle 801 is running in front of the left side of the automobile 900. Further, there is a pedestrian 802 in the traveling direction of the automobile 900. Further, another automobile 803 is traveling on the side road to the right front of the automobile 900. Further, the display device 1 is configured to be able to recognize these objects from the image data of the image captured by the camera 901 installed outside the automobile 900.

As described above, the display device 1 in the present embodiment irradiates an external object having a blind spot due to the A pillar or the door trim with a visible light laser based on the image captured by the camera, thereby irradiating the irradiated area. Can be displayed on.

Further, the display device 1 recognizes the pedestrian 802 existing in front of the automobile 900 based on the image captured by the camera. In order to make the driver recognize the existence of the pedestrian 802, the display device 1 displays the pedestrian 802 as a message image by surrounding the pedestrian 802 with a polygonal frame such as a rectangle. In this case, the display device 1 displays a rectangle surrounding the pedestrian 802 by irradiating the second region with an ultraviolet light laser.

In this way, the display device 1 displays a message image for causing the driver to recognize arbitrary information within the range of the driver's vision. At this time, the display device 1 irradiates the first region with a visible light laser and irradiates the second region with an ultraviolet light laser.

The irradiated area in the interior of the automobile 900 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an irradiated area of the display device according to the first embodiment. The irradiated area F91 is set on the right side of the area assumed as the driver's field of view in the front of the room of the automobile 900, and the irradiated area F92 is set adjacent to the left side of the irradiated area F91.

The irradiated area F91 is an area where the display device 1A irradiates an image. The irradiated area F91 includes a windshield 904, an A-pillar 905 on the right side, a side window 906, a dashboard, a door trim, and the like. Further, the irradiated area F92 is an area where the display device 1B irradiates an image. The irradiated area F92 includes a windshield 904, an A-pillar 903 on the left side, a side window 902, a dashboard, a door trim, and the like. That is, the irradiated area F91 and the irradiated area F92 include a region that relatively does not transmit visible light (A pillar, dashboard, etc.) and a region that relatively transmits visible light (side window and windshield). Includes. In the following description, a region that does not transmit visible light relatively is referred to as a first region. Further, a region that relatively transmits visible light is referred to as a second region. The left end portion of the irradiated area F91 and the right end portion of the irradiated area F92 may be partially overlapped or may be spaced apart from each other.

The combined region of the irradiated region F91 and the irradiated region F92 substantially coincides with the field of view when the driver is facing forward. By installing a plurality of display devices 1 and arranging images to be irradiated by the plurality of display devices in a state where the irradiation ranges are adjacent to each other, the display device 1 can suitably display a wide-angle image.

The A-pillar 905, the dashboard, and the like, which form the first region of the regions forming the irradiated region, are regions that do not transmit visible light. The first region has a function of reflecting visible light without transmitting visible light. Therefore, in the first region, the visible light emitted by the display device 1 can be reflected, and the reflected visible light can be visually recognized by the driver or the like. The surface of the first region may be made of a material containing a retroreflective material so that the visible light irradiated by the display device 1 can be suitably reflected.

The side window 902, the windshield 904, and the side window 906, which form the second region of the region forming the irradiated region, have a function of transmitting visible light and emitting light when receiving ultraviolet light having a predetermined wavelength. Have. The material having such a function is, for example, laminated glass having a self-luminous interlayer film.

The display device 1A and the display device 1B are arranged so as to illuminate the upper rear part of the driver in different directions. The display device 1A is installed at the upper left rear of the driver and illuminates the driver's right front. The display device 1A is installed so that the irradiated area F91 is included in the irradiation range. Similarly, the display device 1B is installed so that the irradiated area F92 is included in the irradiation range.

As described above, the irradiated region F91 and the irradiated region F92 have a first region that reflects visible light and a second region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence in the wavelength region of visible light by receiving ultraviolet light. And have.

Next, the principle of the self-luminous interlayer film of the windshield will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the windshield according to the first embodiment. The windshield 904 is composed of two glass plates 904G and a self-luminous interlayer film 904IM sandwiched between the two glass plates 904G. Further, the self-luminous interlayer film 904IM contains a light emitting material 904A. When excited by ultraviolet light having a specific wavelength, the light emitting material 904A emits fluorescence having a wavelength in the visible light region and has a property of transmitting light other than the ultraviolet light. That is, the self-luminous interlayer film 904IM emits light by irradiating the windshield 904 having the above configuration with predetermined ultraviolet light from the display device 1. As a result, the driver or the like on board the automobile 900 can visually recognize the image displayed on the windshield 904.

The side window 902, the windshield 904, and the side window 906 are not limited to the above-mentioned materials, and are not limited to those having a function of transmitting visible light and emitting light when receiving ultraviolet light having a predetermined wavelength. It may have the structure of. For example, it may be composed of a combination of a resin such as acrylic that transmits visible light and a light emitting material. Further, in addition to the above-described configuration, the side window 902, the windshield 904, and the side window 906 may have a UV cut layer having a property of blocking ultraviolet light on the outer surface side of the automobile. As a result, it is possible to suppress the leakage of the ultraviolet light emitted by the display device 1 to the outside, and it is also possible to avoid obstructing the view by fluorescing the entire surface due to the ultraviolet light contained in the sunlight.

Next, the configuration of the display device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the display device according to the first embodiment. The display device 1 has a control unit 10, a laser light source unit 20, a scanner unit 30, and a memory 40 as main configurations.

The control unit 10 is connected to the camera 901, the laser light source unit 20, the scanner unit 30, and the memory 40, respectively, and controls the operation of the display device 1. The control unit 10 is composed of, for example, a combination of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or other electric circuits. Therefore, for example, the control unit 10 can be referred to as a control circuit. The control unit 10 mainly includes an image data acquisition unit 11, an image processing unit 12, a region determination unit 13, a laser light source control unit 14, and a scanner control unit 15.

The image data acquisition unit 11 performs a process of receiving image data, which is data of a peripheral image of the automobile 900 captured by the camera 901, via a predetermined interface.

The image processing unit 12 recognizes a predetermined object from the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 11, and performs predetermined processing on the image data based on the information about the recognized object. An example of a predetermined process is a process of extracting image data of a recognized target object and generating irradiation image data for irradiating the irradiated area F91 and the irradiated area F92 with the extracted image data. The irradiation image data is image data of an image irradiated by the display device 1. Another example of a predetermined process is a process of drawing a frame surrounding the target object at the position of the recognized object as seen by the user, a process of drawing a frame surrounding the target object, or whether the recognized object is a pedestrian or a bicycle. It is a process to draw an icon or character information that displays the type such as "is". Further, the image processing unit 12 has a function of performing distortion adjustment, and performs distortion adjustment processing corresponding to the irradiated surface on the image data. The image processing unit 12 performs the above-mentioned processing to generate irradiation image data.

The area determination unit 13 performs an area determination process. In the area determination process, the area determination unit 13 acquires information regarding the irradiation position of the irradiated surface, which is the position where the laser light source unit 20 has irradiated the visible light laser or the ultraviolet light laser. The information regarding the irradiation position is information used when the scanner control unit 15 controls the scanner unit 30, and corresponds to, for example, the angle of the scanner mirror.

Further, in the area determination process, the area determination unit 13 instructs the light source unit to sequentially irradiate the irradiated surface with a laser beam having a preset wavelength. The laser beam having a preset wavelength irradiated by the display device 1 in the area determination process is referred to as "reference light". The area determination unit 13 acquires the signal generated by the photodetection unit 24 at the irradiation position where the reference light is irradiated. As a result, the region determination unit 13 compares the magnitude of the signal generated by the photodetection unit 24 with the preset threshold value, and determines whether the irradiation position irradiated with the laser beam is the first region or the second region. .. Further details of the area determination process will be described later.

The laser light source control unit 14 outputs a laser drive signal based on the irradiation image data to the laser driver 22 to control the output of the laser diode. As a result, the laser light source control unit 14 controls the output of light by the laser light source unit 20. Specifically, the laser light source control unit 14 is a red, blue, or green laser that is a visible light laser light source according to the color and brightness of each pixel included in the irradiation image data processed by the image processing unit 12. It controls the drive of the diodes 211R, 211B, 211G, and the ultraviolet laser diode 211UV. Further, the laser light source control unit 14 determines the state of the laser light source unit 20 based on the intensity of the laser light energy detected by the photodiode 23, determines the drive current value of the laser diode 211, and determines the laser driver 22. Performs APC (Automatic Power Control) processing to control.

Further, the laser light source control unit 14 operates in synchronization with the scanner control unit 15. More specifically, for example, the laser light source control unit 14 shares a horizontal synchronization signal for horizontal synchronization and a vertical synchronization signal for vertical synchronization with the scanner control unit 15, and is based on these signals. Determine the output of each laser. In this way, the laser light source control unit 14 and the scanner control unit 15 operate in synchronization with each other, so that the display device 1 controls the color and output of each pixel constituting the irradiation image data. The display device 1 can thereby generate a desired image.

Further, the laser light source control unit 14 has a wavelength selection unit 141. The wavelength selection unit 141 has a first wavelength of visible light corresponding to the first region in the first region based on the region distribution information which is information on the distribution of the first region and the second region on the irradiated surface. The second region has a function of selecting as light and selecting ultraviolet light corresponding to the second region as second wavelength light.

The wavelength selection unit 141 performs a process of setting the output of visible light or ultraviolet light for each irradiation position corresponding to the pixel of the image irradiated by the display device 1, for example. The laser light source control unit 14 outputs visible light or ultraviolet light by outputting the area distribution information stored in the memory 40 and the laser light set by the wavelength selection unit 141 based on the horizontal synchronization signal and the vertical synchronization signal. Switch the output of. As a result, the display device 1 drives the visible light laser when irradiating the pixels included in the first region, and drives the ultraviolet light laser when irradiating the pixels included in the second region. In this way, by switching the laser beam based on the preset region distribution information, it is possible to efficiently perform the wavelength switching operation.

The scanner control unit 15 outputs a scanner drive signal to the scanner driver 32 to control scanning of the laser beam by the scanner 31. The scanner control unit 15 controls the operation of the scanner unit 30 according to the above-mentioned horizontal synchronization signal and vertical synchronization signal. Further, the scanner control unit 15 monitors the detection signal of the scanning angle detection unit (not shown) that detects the scanning angle of the scanner 31, and controls the scanning angle, waveform generation, fluctuation frequency, etc. of the scanner 31. conduct.

The laser light source unit 20 is mainly composed of a laser module 21 that outputs laser light, a laser driver 22 that drives a laser diode included in the laser module 21, a photodiode 23 that measures the amount of laser light, and a scanner unit 30. It has a light detection unit 24 that detects the intensity of the energy of the received light.

The details of the laser light source unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a laser light source unit of the display device according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the laser module 21 includes a red laser diode 211R, a green laser diode 211G, a blue laser diode 211B, an ultraviolet laser diode 211UV, and dichroic mirrors 212R and 212G corresponding to the respective laser diodes 211R, 211B, 211G, and 211UV, respectively. , 212B, 212UV. The laser light of each color output from the laser diode 211 is combined by the dichroic mirror 212 and output to the scanner unit 30.

The dichroic mirror 212R has a characteristic of reflecting almost 100% of the light of the red wavelength output from the red laser diode 211R. The dichroic mirror 212G has a property of transmitting almost 100% of the light of the red wavelength output from the red laser diode 211R and reflecting almost 100% of the light of the green wavelength output from the green laser diode 211G. As an example of its characteristics, the dichroic mirror 212B has a characteristic of transmitting almost 100% of the light of the red wavelength output from the red laser diode 211R and the light of the green wavelength output from the green laser diode 211G. Further, as an example of the characteristics of the dichroic mirror 212B, the dichroic mirror 212B has a characteristic of reflecting almost 100% of the light of the blue wavelength output from the blue laser diode 211B. The dichroic mirror 212UV has a property of reflecting about 98% of light having a red wavelength, light having a green wavelength, and light having a blue wavelength, and transmitting about 2%. Further, the dichroic mirror 212UV has a characteristic that the ultraviolet light output from the ultraviolet laser diode 211UV is transmitted by about 98% and reflected by about 2%.

With such a configuration of the dichroic mirror 212, about 98 of visible light and ultraviolet light (red wavelength laser light, green wavelength laser light, blue wavelength laser light and ultraviolet light) output from the laser diode 211. % Is incident on the scanner unit 30, and about 2% of these laser beams are incident on the photodiode 23. The laser driver 22 drives the laser diode 211 based on the laser drive signal from the control unit 10. The photodiode 23 measures the amount of incident laser light, and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 10. The arrangement of the laser diode 211 and the dichroic mirror 212 is not limited to that shown in the figure, and the same output may be made to the scanner unit 30 and the photodiode 23.

In addition to the above configuration, the laser light source unit 20 includes a beam splitter 213, a quarter wave plate 214, and a photodetection unit 24. The beam splitter 213 reflects light having a preset wavelength among the light received from the scanner unit 30. The beam splitter 213 has a polarization dependence, for example, transmits almost 100% of the laser light incident from the dichroic mirror 212UV side, and supplies the orthogonal polarization component of the light reflected from the outside and returned to the light detection unit 24. do. The 1/4 wave plate 214 is used to make the laser light emitted from the laser light source unit 20 substantially orthogonal to each other in a reciprocating manner, in order to suppress reflection on the outward path and efficiently guide the return light to the light detection unit 24. It is provided.

The photodetector 24 is a photodetector including a photoelectric conversion element that converts light received through the scanner unit 30, the 1/4 corrugated plate 214, and the beam splitter 213 into an electric signal. When the photodetector 24 receives light having a preset wavelength, the photodetector 24 generates a current according to the intensity of the energy of the light. The photodetection unit 24 supplies a signal corresponding to the current value of the generated current to the control unit 10.

For example, the photodetection unit 24 can have a function of detecting the intensity of fluorescent light emitted by the self-luminous interlayer film provided on the windshield. When the photodetection unit 24 detects the intensity of the fluorescent light, the region determination unit 13 determines that the detected position is the second region according to the signal supplied from the photodetection unit 24. On the other hand, when the photodetection unit 24 detects the intensity of the reflected light emitted when a predetermined visible light hits the interior of an automobile such as an A pillar, the area determination unit 13 is supplied from the photodetection unit 24. It is determined that the detected position is the first region according to the signal.

Returning to FIG. 5, the explanation will be continued. The scanner unit 30 irradiates the irradiated area with the laser light incident from the laser light source unit 20. The scanner unit 30 is mainly composed of a scanner 31 which is a scanning mirror unit that reflects the laser light output from the laser light source unit 20 and scans the irradiation position of the laser light, a scanner driver 32 for driving the scanner 31, and a scanner. It has a scanning angle detecting unit (not shown) and the like for detecting the scanning angle of 31. The scanner 31 has a vertical mirror 311 that reflects the laser beam and scans in the vertical direction, a horizontal mirror 312 that reflects the laser beam and scans in the horizontal direction, and the like. The vertical mirror 311 and the horizontal mirror 312 are configured by a MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) mirror or the like.

The scanner driver 32 drives the scanner 31 based on the scanner drive signal from the scanner control unit 15. When the scanner 31 is composed of a vertical mirror 311 and a horizontal mirror 312, generally, the vertical mirror 311 operates at a scanning angle and a swing frequency controlled by the scanner driver 32, and the horizontal mirror 312 has a swing frequency. Due to its high value, it operates at the scanning angle and swing frequency due to resonance. The horizontal mirror 312 may operate at the scanning angle and the swing frequency controlled by the scanner driver 32 in the same manner as the vertical mirror 311.

The memory 40 is a rewritable non-volatile storage device such as an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or a FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory). The memory 40 is connected to the control unit 10, and according to the instruction of the control unit 10, arbitrary data is stored or arbitrary data stored in the memory 40 is provided to the control unit 10. Further, the memory 40 stores the area distribution information as rewritable information.

The area distribution information is information indicating whether the irradiation position is the first area or the second area for each irradiation position operated by the display device 1. In other words, the area distribution information is information that defines the irradiated area into a first area and a second area. The laser light source control unit 14 tells the laser light source unit 20 to irradiate the first region with a visible light laser and irradiate the second region with an ultraviolet light laser while referring to this region distribution information. Instruct.

Next, the area determination process performed by the area determination unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the area determination process performed by the display device 1. The flowchart of FIG. 7 shows the processing of the control unit 10 included in the display device 1. In the area determination process shown in the figure, the display device 1 irradiates the irradiated area with an ultraviolet light laser as reference light. In addition, the photodetector 24 detects the fluorescence emitted by the self-luminous interlayer film. When the light detection unit 24 detects fluorescence, the region determination unit 13 is configured to determine that the position where the fluorescence is detected is the second region.

When the area determination process is started, the control unit 10 first operates the scanner unit 30 and starts irradiating the laser beam to start scanning the laser beam (laser scanning) (step S10). More specifically, the laser light source control unit 14 included in the control unit 10 instructs the laser driver to irradiate the laser light set to irradiate in the region determination process.

Next, the scanner control unit 15 included in the control unit 10 increments the horizontal coordinate Hn from 1 to Hmax and increments the vertical coordinate Vm from 1 to Vmax. As a result, the laser beam irradiates the preset laser beam while sequentially scanning the irradiated area. In performing the above operation, the scanner control unit 15 included in the control unit 10 sets the coordinate Vm of the vertical mirror 311 to 1 (step S11). Further, the scanner control unit 15 sets the coordinate Hn of the horizontal mirror 312 to 1 (step S12). Step S11 and step S12 are reference light irradiation steps.

Next, the region determination unit 13 possessed by the control unit 10 detects the light received by the photodetection unit 24 when the horizontal coordinate Hn = 1 and the vertical direction Vm = 1 as the irradiation positions, and the intensity of the light energy is high. It is determined whether or not the current value Ab corresponding to the above exceeds the threshold value Ath (step S13). When it is detected that the current value Ab exceeds the threshold value Ath (step S13: Yes), the region determination unit 13 determines that the irradiation position is the first region (step S14). On the other hand, when it is not detected that the current value Ab exceeds the threshold value Ath (step S13: No), the region determination unit 13 determines that the irradiation position is the second region (step S15). The area determination unit 13 temporarily stores the information determined in step S14 or step S15 in the registry (step S16).

Next, the scanner control unit 15 increments the horizontal coordinates of the laser beam (step S17). The control unit 10 repeats the processes of steps S12 to S17 until Hn> Hmax.

Next, the scanner control unit 15 increments the coordinates in the vertical direction of the laser beam (step S18). The control unit 10 repeats the processes of steps S11 to S18 until Vm> Vmax. The processing from step S13 to step S18 is a detection step and an area determination step.

Next, the control unit 10 stops scanning of the laser beam (step S19), writes the area distribution information temporarily stored in the registry to the memory 40 (step S20), and ends the process.

Although an example of the area determination process according to the first embodiment has been described above, the area determination process is not limited to this. For example, in the area determination process, the entire irradiated area is scanned a plurality of times, statistical values of values generated by the photodetector 24 at the corresponding irradiation positions are calculated, and whether the calculated statistical values are used as the first region or the second region. May be judged. Further, the area determination process can be changed so as to be obvious to those skilled in the art, such as switching the processing order in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction in the process of scanning the irradiation position of the laser beam, or adopting an interlace method.

A state in which the display device 1 scans the laser beam will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a scanning image of the laser beam of the display device. The irradiated area F92 shown in the figure is shown in a rectangular shape in FIG. 2 in order to make it easy to understand the area irradiated by the display device 1B. The irradiated area F92 has the upper left as the origin, the horizontal direction is the H direction, and the vertical direction is the V direction. As shown in the figure, the upper left of the irradiated area F92 is the coordinates (1,1), and the upper right is the coordinates (Hmax, 1). Further, the lower left of the irradiated area F92 is the coordinates (1, Vmax), and the lower right is the coordinates (Hmax, Vmax). The display device 1B irradiates the laser beam while scanning the irradiated area F92 in order from the upper left coordinate (1,1) to the lower right coordinate (Hmax, Vmax).

Next, the intensity of the energy of the laser beam and the intensity of the energy of the light detected by the light detection unit 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example of the energy intensity of the laser beam irradiated by the display device 1 and the energy intensity of the light detected by the light detection unit 24. The graph shown in the figure is an example in which the laser beam is scanned in the irradiated region F92 shown in FIG. The horizontal axis of the graph shows the time, and the vertical axis of the graph shows the intensity of light energy. The display device 1 starts irradiating the laser beam from the coordinate (1,1) at the time t0, and reaches the coordinate (Hmax, 1) at the time t1. Then, the display device 1 scans from the coordinates (1, 2) to the coordinates (Hmax, 2) from the time t1 to the time t2, and repeats the scanning in the same manner thereafter.

The straight line L10 shown in the graph indicates a current value corresponding to the radiation intensity of the ultraviolet light laser, which is the reference light emitted by the display device 1 in the region determination process. Further, the polygonal line L11 shown in the graph indicates a current value corresponding to the intensity of light energy detected by the photodetector unit 24. That is, the display device 1 irradiates an ultraviolet light laser having a current value of A0 to detect the fluorescence of the polygonal line L11. The straight line shown across the polygonal line L11 indicates the threshold value Ath. When the current value of the light detected by the photodetection unit 24 exceeds the threshold value Ath, the region determination unit 13 determines that the irradiation position corresponding to the exceeding range is the second region.

Next, an example of region distribution information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of region distribution information generated by the region determination process. Area distribution information is superimposed on the irradiated area F92 shown in the figure. Each of the plurality of rectangles shown in the figure schematically shows the coordinates of the irradiation position. In the description of FIG. 10, low-resolution area information is shown for ease of explanation, but since high-resolution area information of one pixel unit can actually be obtained, for example, a staircase as shown in FIG. It goes without saying that the boundary line of the shape is not visible and is smooth enough. In the figure, the gray rectangle indicates that it is the second region, and the white rectangle indicates that it is the region that was not determined to be the second region. In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 of the display device 1 determines that the region not determined to be the second region is the first region. Therefore, the display device 1 determines that it is the first region or the second region for each irradiation position in this way, and stores the region distribution information generated by the determination result in the memory 40.

Although the first embodiment has been described above, the configuration of the first embodiment is not limited to the above example. For example, the photodetector 24 may detect the wavelength of light in addition to the detected intensity of light. When the light detection unit 24 can detect the wavelength of light, the display device 1 may irradiate at least one part of visible light and ultraviolet light together as reference light. As a result, the region determination unit 13 compares the intensity of the reflected light generated by the visible light with the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the ultraviolet light, and detects when the energy of the reflected light is stronger than the fluorescence. The irradiation position is determined to be the first region. Further, when the energy of the reflected light is weaker than the fluorescence, the region determination unit 13 determines that the detected irradiation position is the second region. Further, in this case, when neither the reflected light nor the fluorescence can be detected, the region determination unit 13 can set the irradiation position where neither of them can be detected as the region where the laser beam is not irradiated.

The display device 1 according to the first embodiment performs region determination processing according to the above configuration, and determines that the display device 1 is the first region or the second region for each irradiation position. Therefore, the display device 1 does not need to perform highly accurate position adjustment at the time of mounting. Further, when the position of the display device 1 changes due to vibration, change with time, temperature change, etc., the area determination process is performed again to irradiate the first region and the second region with the laser beam of the corresponding wavelength. Can be displayed. That is, the display device 1 according to the present embodiment displays visible light without omission in the first region such as the interior and pillars, and the visible laser light leaks to the outside in the second region such as the windshield to the surroundings. Dangerous laser light exposure can be prevented. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a display device capable of safely and appropriately displaying information on an irradiated surface provided within the viewing angle of the user.

<Modified example of the first embodiment>
Next, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 12. Modifications 1 and 2 of the first embodiment are different from the above-described first embodiment in the aspect of the laser beam to be irradiated in the region determination process and the aspect of the photodetector 24 associated therewith.

<Modification 1 of Embodiment 1>
A modified example 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The display device shown in the first modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that the display device shown in the first modification irradiates a preset visible light laser instead of the ultraviolet light laser as the reference light in the area determination process.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing an example of the energy intensity of the laser light irradiated by the display device according to the modification 1 of the first embodiment and the energy intensity of the light detected by the light detection unit 24. The graph shown in the figure is different from the first embodiment in that the polygonal line L12 is shown instead of the polygonal line L11 shown in the graph of FIG. In the graph shown in the figure, the range exceeding the threshold value Ath indicates that the photodetector 24 has detected the reflected light of the visible light laser. In this case, when the current value of the light detected by the photodetection unit 24 exceeds the threshold value Ath, the region determination unit 13 determines that the irradiation position corresponding to the exceeding range is the first region.

<Modification 2 of Embodiment 1>
The second modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the display device 1 shown in the modification 2, the reference light to be irradiated in the region determination process is light including both a visible light laser and an ultraviolet light laser. That is, the reference light is light that is sequentially irradiated by a visible light laser or an ultraviolet light laser based on a preset time pattern and a preset radiation intensity pattern.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing an example of the energy intensity of the laser light irradiated by the display device 1 and the light energy intensity detected by the light detection unit 24 according to the second modification of the first embodiment. In the graph shown in the figure, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the energy intensity of the laser beam as a current value. The polygonal line L13 shown in the graph is the energy intensity of the reference light. Further, the indications of R, G, B, and UV shown below the time display in the figure indicate the wavelength of the laser beam irradiated by the polygonal line L12. For example, from time t10 to t11, the display device 1 irradiates the R laser with a radiation intensity corresponding to the current value A2. From time t11 to time t12, the display device 1 irradiates the G laser with a radiant intensity corresponding to the current value A4. From time t12 to time t13, the display device 1 irradiates the B laser with a radiation intensity corresponding to the current value A3. From time t13 to time t14, the display device 1 irradiates the UV laser with a radiant intensity corresponding to the current value A4. Then, after t14, the display device 1 repeats the same pattern.

The polygonal line L14 shown in the figure shows an example of the intensity of light energy detected by the photodetector 24. The polygonal line L14 is a case where the reference light is applied to the first region including the retroreflective material. The photodetector 24 shown in the second modification detects a wide band of visible light (for example, a wavelength of 400 nanometers to 700 nanometers). Therefore, due to the reference light emitted to the first region, the photodetector 24 shows a radiation intensity pattern corresponding to visible light as shown in the figure.

When the reference light has a preset pattern as described above, the area determination unit 13 can determine that the detected light is not noise due to external light.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the second embodiment will be described. The display device 1 according to the second embodiment is different from the display device 1 according to the first embodiment in that the area determination process is performed while the irradiated area is irradiated with the message image as shown in FIG. Since the hardware configuration of the display device 1 in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the description thereof is omitted here.

The area determination process in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the area determination process performed by the display device. The flowchart of FIG. 13 shows the processing of the control unit 10 included in the display device. In the area determination process of the example shown in the figure, the display device irradiates the irradiated area with an ultraviolet light laser as reference light. However, unlike the case of the first embodiment, the reference light emitted by the display device 1 is emitted while displaying an arbitrary message image to the driver. That is, the display device 1 according to the present embodiment dynamically performs the area determination process while displaying the message image to the driver. The flowchart shown in the figure shows the area determination process performed in parallel with the message image display process. In the flowchart shown in the figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same processes as those in the first embodiment.

First, the control unit 10 starts scanning the laser beam by operating the scanner unit 30 and starting the irradiation of the laser beam in order to display the message image and perform the area determination process (step S10). Next, the control unit 10 reads the area distribution information stored in the memory (step S21).

Next, the control unit 10 scans the laser beam by irradiating the irradiated area with the laser beam while operating the scanner unit 30 by executing steps S11 to S18. At that time, the control unit 10 starts displaying the message image while irradiating the first region with the visible light laser and irradiating the second region with the ultraviolet light laser according to the read region distribution information. do.

In synchronization with this, the control unit 10 irradiates the reference light. The reference light has a preset radiant intensity. The radiant intensity of the reference light is such that the self-luminous interlayer film that receives the reference light is weaker than the case where the message image is displayed, and emits fluorescence exceeding the threshold value Ath when the photodetector 24 detects it. It is set.

The radiation intensity of the laser beam and the energy of the light detected by the light detection unit 24 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a graph showing an example of the energy intensity of the laser light irradiated by the display device according to the second embodiment and the energy intensity of the light detected by the light detection unit 24. The broken line L15 shown in the figure shows a current value corresponding to the radiation intensity of the ultraviolet light laser irradiated by the display device 1. The broken line L15 irradiates an ultraviolet light laser having a current value A8 when the display device 1 displays a message image on the second region, and irradiates an ultraviolet light laser having a current value A7 in other cases. It is shown that. That is, the display device 1 always irradiates the ultraviolet light laser having the current value A7 even when the message image is not displayed by the ultraviolet light laser.

The polygonal line L16 shown in the figure shows a current value corresponding to the intensity of light energy detected by the photodetector 24.

When the polygonal line L16 is located at zero current value, the photodetector 24 does not detect fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength. Therefore, the irradiation position corresponding to this period (for example, the period from time t22 to time t23) corresponds to the first region.

When the polygonal line L16 is located at the current value A5, the photodetector 24 detects fluorescence exceeding the threshold value Ath. The irradiation position corresponding to this period (for example, the period from time t21 to time t22) corresponds to the second region. In this case, the display device 1 does not display the message image in the second area. That is, the current value of the ultraviolet laser is A7.

When the polygonal line L16 is located at the current value A6, the photodetector 24 detects fluorescence exceeding the threshold value Ath. The irradiation position corresponding to this period (for example, the period from time t20 to time t21) corresponds to the second region. In this case, the display device 1 displays the message image in the second area. That is, the current value of the ultraviolet laser is A8. In order to display a message image that is easy for the driver to recognize, it is preferable that the fluorescence when the current value A5 is detected is not visible to the driver. Alternatively, it is preferable that the brightness value of the fluorescence on the irradiated surface in the case of the current value A5 and the brightness value of the fluorescence in the irradiated surface in the case of the current value A6 have a sufficient contrast.

Returning to FIG. 13, the explanation will be continued. After step S12, the area determination unit 13 included in the control unit 10 detects the light received by the photodetection unit 24, and determines whether or not the current value Ab corresponding to the intensity of the light energy exceeds the threshold value Ath. (Step S13). When it is detected that the current value Ab exceeds the threshold value Ath (step S13: Yes), the region determination unit 13 determines that the irradiation position is the second region (step S14). On the other hand, when it is not detected that the current value Ab exceeds the threshold value Ath (step S13: No), the region determination unit 13 determines that the irradiation position is the first region (step S15). The area determination unit 13 overwrites the memory with the information determined in step S14 or step S15 and updates the area distribution information (step S22).

When step S18 is completed, the control unit 10 determines whether or not to end a series of processes (step S23). If the series of processes is not completed (step S23: No), the control unit 10 returns to step S21, reads the updated area distribution information (step S21), and repeats the area determination process while displaying the message image again. .. On the other hand, when the series of processes is completed (step S23: Yes), the control unit 10 instructs the stop of scanning of the laser beam (step S19), and ends the series of processes.

Although the second embodiment has been described above, the second embodiment is not limited to the above configuration, and a visible light laser may be used as the reference light instead of the ultraviolet laser. Further, as in the first embodiment, a visible light laser and an ultraviolet light laser may be used in combination as reference light.

Further, the area determination process according to the second embodiment is not always performed, but may be performed intermittently. In this case, the irradiation intensity of the reference light used in the region determination process performed intermittently may be higher than that in the above example, and may be such that the driver or the like can visually recognize the reflected light or fluorescence. In this case, since the region determination process is performed intermittently, the photodetector 24 may be configured to detect high-energy light. As a result, the display device 1 can reliably perform the area determination process without deteriorating the safety of the driver.

According to the second embodiment, the display device 1 can perform the area determination process while displaying the message image on the irradiated surface. That is, the display device 1 according to the second embodiment displays visible light without omission in the interior, pillars, etc. while dynamically selecting the wavelength of the laser light, and the visible laser light is transmitted through the windshield or the like. It is possible to prevent dangerous laser light exposure to the outside by leaking to the outside. Therefore, the display device 1 according to the second embodiment can provide a display device capable of safely and appropriately displaying information on an irradiated surface provided within the viewing angle of the user.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit. For example, the above-mentioned display device can be applied not only to automobiles but also to moving objects such as trains, aircraft, and ships. Further, the display technology used in the above-mentioned display device can be applied not only to the above-mentioned mobile body but also to a house or outdoors.

1 Display device 10 Control unit 11 Image data acquisition unit 12 Image processing unit 13 Area judgment unit 14 Laser light source control unit 15 Scanner control unit 20 Laser light source unit 21 Laser module 22 Laser driver 23 Photo diode 24 Light detection unit 30 Scanner unit 31 Scanner 32 Scanner Driver 40 Memory 141 Wave Selecter 211 Laser Diode 212 Dycroic Mirror 213 Beam Splitter 214 1/4 Wave Plate 801 Bicycle 802 Pedestrian 803 Other Cars 900 Cars 901 Cameras 902, 906 Side Windows 903, 905 A Pillars 904 Windshield F91, F92 Irradiated area

Claims (8)

Image light is emitted to an irradiated surface having a first region that emits reflected light by receiving a visible light laser and a second region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength by receiving an ultraviolet light laser. It is a display device that illuminates
A laser light source unit that irradiates the irradiation position of the irradiated surface with a selected laser beam from the visible light laser and the ultraviolet light laser, and the laser light source unit.
A photodetector that detects the reflected light or fluorescence emitted by the irradiated surface by the laser beam irradiated to the irradiation position, and the photodetector.
A region determination unit that determines whether the irradiation position is the first region or the second region according to the light detected by the photodetection unit.
The visible light laser is irradiated to the irradiation position determined by the region determination unit as the first region, and the ultraviolet light laser is applied to the irradiation position determined by the region determination unit as the second region. A laser light source control unit that instructs the laser light source unit to irradiate
Display device. Further comprising a scanner having a scanning mirror for scanning the irradiation position on the irradiated surface.
The photodetector detects the reflected light or the fluorescence emitted by the irradiated surface via the scanner.
The display device according to claim 1. The region determination unit instructs the laser light source unit to sequentially irradiate the irradiated surface with reference light having a preset wavelength.
The photodetector detects the light emitted by the irradiated surface at the irradiation position where the reference light is irradiated.
The display device according to claim 1 or 2. The reference light instructing the region determination unit to irradiate the laser light source unit is light including the visible light laser and the ultraviolet light laser.
The display device according to claim 3. The reference light instructing the region determination unit to irradiate the laser light source unit is based on a preset time pattern and a preset radiation intensity pattern of the visible light laser or the ultraviolet light laser. Light that is emitted sequentially,
The display device according to claim 3. When the laser light source unit irradiates the image light including a message image to the user, the region determination unit determines whether the irradiation position is the first region or the first region according to the light detected by the photodetector. Judge whether it is two areas,
The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A method for discriminating between a first region on an irradiated surface that emits reflected light by receiving a visible light laser and a second region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength by receiving an ultraviolet light laser. There,
A reference light irradiation step of irradiating the irradiation position of the irradiated surface with a laser beam selected from the visible light laser and the ultraviolet light laser,
A detection step for detecting the reflected light or the fluorescence emitted from the irradiated surface by the laser beam irradiated in the reference light irradiation step.
A region determination step for determining whether the irradiation position is the first region or the second region according to the light detected in the detection step.
Distinguished method. Image light is emitted to an irradiated surface having a first region that emits reflected light by receiving a visible light laser and a second region that transmits visible light and emits fluorescence of a predetermined wavelength by receiving an ultraviolet light laser. It is an irradiation method to irradiate
A reference light irradiation step of irradiating the irradiation position of the irradiated surface with a laser beam selected from the visible light laser and the ultraviolet light laser,
A detection step for detecting the reflected light or the fluorescence emitted from the irradiated surface by the laser beam irradiated in the reference light irradiation step.
A region determination step for determining whether the irradiation position is the first region or the second region according to the light detected in the detection step.
The visible light laser is irradiated to the irradiation position determined to be the first region in the region determination step, and the ultraviolet light laser is applied to the irradiation position determined to be the second region in the region determination step. The image light source control step that irradiates the image light and irradiates the image light.
Irradiation method including.

Images