KR102598912B1 - Laser safety vehicle head up display - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle head-up display device equipped with a laser safety device is disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a head-up display device that provides augmented reality includes: an image generation unit (Picture Generation Unit) that generates a HUD image using a laser beam; a projection optical unit that projects the HUD image output from the image generator onto a windshield; a laser beam detection unit that detects a portion of the laser beam branched into a second optical path separate from the first optical path for generating the HUD image; and a display equipped with a laser safety device, including a control unit that controls the operation of the laser light source and the micromirror, and turns off the power of the laser light source when part of the laser beam is not detected by the laser beam detection unit. A device is provided.

Description

Laser safety vehicle head up display device with laser safety device

The present invention relates to a head-up display device for a vehicle to which a laser safety device is applied.

Recently, as cars become autonomous and become HMI (Human-Machine Interface), the application of Head Up Display (HUD), one of the important technologies, is increasing.

A head-up display is a device that provides vehicle driving information, navigation information, etc. in front of the driver while driving a vehicle or aircraft.

Generally, when driving a vehicle, the driver temporarily places his/her sight on the instrument panel to check vehicle speed, navigation information, etc. Assuming that it takes approximately 2 seconds for a driver to focus his or her sights on the dashboard and then fix them on the road ahead, if the vehicle was traveling at 100 km/h, the vehicle would travel approximately 56 m during that time, so an accident is likely to occur. There is.

To reduce the risk of such accidents, head-up displays for vehicles are being developed. By displaying instrument panel information (speed, mileage, RPM, etc.) or navigation information within the driver's field of view on the vehicle's front window (windshield), the driver can easily view the information displayed in front without moving his or her eyes while driving, thereby improving safety. Operation can be made possible.

In addition to instrument panel information and navigation information, the head-up display system uses augmented reality (AR) technology to provide drivers with lane markings, construction markings, traffic information markings, and warning signs indicating passers-by to provide assistance when forward visibility is poor. can be provided.

In the case of head-up display devices using augmented reality techniques, virtual images at longer distances and brighter clarity are required, so high-performance light sources are required, and the application of laser light sources is being developed. However, in the case of a laser light source, although the light's straightness, long distance, and visibility are excellent, there is a problem that it may cause harm to the human body depending on its intensity when shined directly on the human body.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0050811 (published May 16, 2018) - Vehicle head-up display device and control method thereof

The present invention is to provide a vehicle head-up display equipped with a laser safety device that detects emergency situations where the path of the laser beam is wrong, such as vehicle accidents, aging, breakdown, etc., and prevents undesigned laser beams from leaking to the outside. .

Other objects of the present invention will become clearer through the preferred embodiments described below.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a display device providing augmented reality includes: an image generation unit (Picture Generation Unit) that generates a HUD image using a laser beam; a projection optical unit that projects the HUD image output from the image generator onto a windshield; a laser beam detection unit that detects a portion of the laser beam branched into a second optical path separate from the first optical path for generating the HUD image; and a display equipped with a laser safety device, including a control unit that controls the operation of the laser light source and the micromirror, and turns off the power of the laser light source when part of the laser beam is not detected by the laser beam detection unit. A device is provided.

The image generator includes a laser light source that outputs the laser beam; a micromirror that generates and outputs the HUD image using the laser beam according to control from the control unit; a first optical unit disposed between the laser light source and the micromirror and advancing the laser beam along the first optical path; a second optical unit that projects the HUD image output from the micromirror to the projection optical unit; It includes a PGU housing inside which the laser light source, the first optical unit, the digital micro mirror, and the second optical unit are disposed, wherein the first optical unit reflects a portion of the laser beam along the first optical path. Another part, the first laser sub-beam, includes a first mirror that transmits and proceeds to a first sub-optical path among the second optical paths, and the laser beam detection unit is located on the first sub-optical path outside the PGU housing. It includes a first laser beam detector that is fixedly installed, and a first through hole corresponding to the first sub optical path is formed in the PGU housing, so that the first laser sub beam passes through the first through hole to the second light path. 1 It can be made to reach the laser beam detector.

It is disposed behind the first mirror, and transmits a part of the first laser sub-beam traveling to the first sub-optical path, and reflects the other part of the second laser sub-beam to form a second sub-optical beam in the second optical path. It further includes a second mirror that advances the beam, and the laser beam detection unit includes a second laser beam detector fixedly installed on the second sub optical path outside the PGU housing, and the PGU housing includes the second laser beam detector. A second through hole corresponding to the sub optical path may be further formed so that the second laser sub beam passes through the second through hole and reaches the second laser beam detector.

The control unit operates the laser light source only when both the first laser beam detector and the second laser beam detector detect a laser beam, and at least one of the first laser beam detector and the second laser beam detector detects a laser beam. If the beam is not detected, it can be judged as an emergency and the power can be cut off.

A through hole that allows the first laser sub-beam or the second laser sub-beam to proceed may be formed in a component of the head-up display device disposed on the first sub-optical path or the second sub-optical path. .

Other aspects, features and advantages in addition to those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims and detailed description of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect of detecting an emergency situation in which the path of a laser beam is wrong, such as a vehicle accident, aging, or breakdown, and preventing undesigned laser beams from leaking to the outside.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a head-up display device to which a laser safety device is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a detailed view of the image generation unit;
Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of a head-up display device to which a laser safety device is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can make various changes and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to indicate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, the components of the embodiments described with reference to each drawing are not limited to the corresponding embodiments, and may be implemented to be included in other embodiments within the scope of maintaining the technical spirit of the present invention, and may also be included in separate embodiments. Even if the description is omitted, it is natural that a plurality of embodiments may be re-implemented as a single integrated embodiment.

In addition, when describing with reference to the accompanying drawings, identical or related reference numbers will be assigned to identical or related elements regardless of the drawing symbols, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of a head-up display device to which a laser safety device is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a detailed diagram of an image generating unit.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the head-up display device 100 includes a control unit 130, an image generation unit 110, and a projection optical unit 120.

Light corresponding to the image generated by the image generator 110 may be reflected by the projection optical unit 120 and the windshield 50 of the vehicle and provided to the user. A user can observe a virtual image (eg, a 3D virtual object) displayed on a virtual screen through the windshield.

The head-up display device 100 can provide augmented reality (AR). The head-up display device 100 can provide HUD information such as instrument panel information, navigation information, lane markings, construction markings, traffic accident markings, and warning signs indicating passers-by through augmented reality.

The image generation unit 110 is a Picture Generation Unit (PGU) and includes a laser light source 111 and a micromirror 113.

In the case of existing head-up display devices, there were products using LED and TFT LCD. However, in order to implement an augmented reality head-up display device using LED and TFT LCD, there was a limitation in that the quantity of LEDs had to be increased and the size of the TFT LCD had to be increased. As the number of LEDs increases and the size of the LCD increases, the size, weight, and power consumption of the device increase, making it unsuitable for eco-friendly cars.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to reduce weight and power consumption and implement a compact image generator 110 suitable for eco-friendly cars, the image generator 110 includes a laser light source 111 and a micromirror 113. You can.

The laser light source 111 may consist of a single white light source. Alternatively, the laser light source 111 may be a combination of three color light sources: red (R), green (G), and blue (B).

Through laser and optical system design, virtual images can be applied over long distances (e.g., 5.0M or more). In addition, by using a laser, an illumination system with good visibility and clarity and low power consumption is applied, and the overall power, weight, and size of the device are reduced, making it possible to miniaturize the image generator 110.

The micromirror 113 may be used as an image display unit including one or more display areas. Multiple images can be output from each display area. For example, the micromirror 113 may be a digital micromirror device (DMD).

The micromirror 113 is implemented as a plurality of mirror units each responsible for one or more pixels, and displays the display area and position (or coordinates) of the HUD image (i.e., image containing HUD information) to be projected on the windshield 50. Based on the information, the plurality of mirror units may be individually turned on/off or the reflection angle may be adjusted. Through this DMD control, it is possible to create HUD images with a wide field of view (FOV) and high resolution.

The image display unit outputs an image using a laser beam output from the laser light source 111. The laser beam output from the laser light source 111 may reach the image display unit through the first lens 1121, the first mirror 1122, etc. included in the first optical unit disposed on the optical path.

The image display unit reflects the laser beam incident from the laser light source 111 and outputs an image in the direction of the second lens 114 corresponding to the second optical unit. The second lens 114 enlarges the image and projects it onto the corresponding projection optical unit 120. The image output from the projection optical unit 120 is displayed as a virtual image on the windshield 50.

The projection optical unit 120 may include an aspherical mirror. The image output from the micromirror 113 is reflected on the aspherical mirror and can be displayed on the windshield 50.

The control unit 130 supplies power to the image generator 110 and controls the operation of the image generator 110.

The control unit 130 may include a mirror control unit 131 and a laser control unit 132.

The mirror control unit 131 can control the individual operations of a plurality of digital mirrors included in the digital micromirror 113 to adjust the degree of reflection of the laser beam. By adjusting the degree of reflection of each color of the laser beam, various images can be output.

Since the image generated and projected from the image generator 110 is reflected only once through the aspherical mirror and projected on the windshield 50, the projected image is reversed left and right, the image projected from the image generator 110 must be It needs to be output with the left and right reversed. Accordingly, the mirror control unit 131 controls the image generator 110 to output the left-right reversed image.

The laser control unit 132 can perform on/off control of the laser light source 111, output intensity adjustment, etc.

The display height of the HUD information (or HUD image) corresponding to the driver's eye level, the PGU area and coordinate information corresponding to the display height of the HUD information (or HUD image) are stored in advance in the internal memory (not shown) in the form of a lookup table. You can.

The driver's eye height information may be entered directly by the driver, or may be automatically detected and entered by an eye height detection device (not shown) composed of a combination of at least one sensor (e.g. infrared sensor, camera sensor, etc.), or the driver may automatically detect and input the eye height information. The driver can also manually adjust the display height of the HUD information (or HUD image) without entering eye height information.

Therefore, the head-up display device according to this embodiment further includes information input means (e.g., switches, buttons, etc.) (not shown) or adjustment means (i.e., switches or buttons for adjusting the display height of HUD information) (not shown). It can be included. Or, the display height adjustment information of the driver's eye height information or HUD information is provided through at least one information input means or an information output means with an input function (e.g., a touch screen) provided in the AVN (Audio, Video, Navigation) device in the vehicle. You can also receive input.

In this embodiment, the laser light source 111 is applied as a light source for generating the HUD image. If the laser beam output from the laser light source 111 does not follow the designed path and deviates from the path, if it is irradiated directly into the eyes of the user (driver), it may cause harm to the human body or obstruct visibility, resulting in danger while driving.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a laser safety device that prevents external leakage of an undesigned laser beam in an emergency situation is applied.

Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of a head-up display device to which a laser safety device is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The head-up display device 100 includes an image generating unit 110, a projection optical unit 120, and a HUD housing 105 within which a laser safety device is disposed as a basic framework.

The laser light source 111, the first optical unit, the micromirror 113, and the second optical unit included in the image generating unit 110 will be sequentially arranged according to the first optical path (L1) designed within the PGU housing 115. You can.

The first mirror 1122 included in the first optical unit is implemented as a transflective mirror and is a micromirror such that part of the laser beam (the first laser sub-beam) passes and the rest proceeds along the first optical path L1. It can be reflected as (113). Alternatively, the first mirror 1122 may have a structure in which only a portion of the mirror coating is formed so that only a portion of the irradiated laser beam is reflected and a portion (the first laser sub-beam) passes through. That is, the first laser sub-beam travels along the first sub-optical path L21, which is one of the second optical paths.

The laser safety device includes a second mirror 210 installed within the PGU housing 115. The second mirror 210 is disposed behind the first mirror 1122, that is, on the optical path (first sub optical path L21) through which the first laser sub-beam passes.

The second mirror 210 may be implemented as a transflective mirror like the first mirror 1122. Alternatively, the second mirror 210 may be a mirror on which only a portion of the mirror coating is formed.

The sub-beam (second laser sub-beam) reflected from the second mirror 210 travels in a different direction from the first laser sub-beam (second sub-optical path L22, which is one of the second optical paths). In the drawing, the second laser sub-beam is shown to be reflected from the micromirror 113 and intersect with the laser beam heading toward the second optical unit. However, this is due to the two-dimensional illustration, and the optical path will be adjusted so that they do not meet each other in three-dimensional space. You can.

A first through hole 1151 and a second through hole 1152 may be formed at each point of the PGU housing 115 through which the first and second laser sub beams are designed to travel.

Accordingly, the first laser sub-beam and the second laser sub-beam may pass through the first through hole 1151 and the second through hole 1152 of the PGU housing 115 and proceed to the outside of the PGU housing 115.

A first laser beam detector 220 is installed at a point where the first laser sub-beam meets the inner wall of the HUD housing 105. The first laser sub-beam, which is a part of the laser beam normally irradiated from the laser light source 111, passes through the first mirror 1122, which is a pre-designed optical path (first sub optical path L21), and passes through the second mirror 210. After passing through the first through hole 1151 and reaching the correct position, the first laser beam detector 220 can detect the first laser sub-beam.

A second laser beam detector 230 is installed at a point where the second laser sub-beam meets the inner wall of the HUD housing 105. The second laser sub-beam, which is part of the laser beam normally irradiated from the laser light source 111, passes through the first mirror 1122, which is a pre-designed optical path (second sub optical path L22), and is emitted from the second mirror 210. After being reflected, when it passes through the second through-hole 1152 and reaches the correct position, the second laser beam detector 230 can detect the second laser sub-beam.

Among the interiors of the HUD housing 105, various components for operating the head-up display device 100 may be mounted on the exterior of the PGU housing 115. Among these parts, in the case of parts disposed on the second optical path (the first sub optical path (L21) and the second sub optical path (L22)), the first through hole 1151 and the second through hole 1152 A corresponding through hole is formed so that the first laser sub-beam and the second laser sub-beam can proceed smoothly to the first laser beam detector 220 and the second laser beam detector 230 without interference.

When the first laser beam detector 220 and the second laser beam detector 230 detect the first laser sub-beam and the second laser sub-beam, the laser beam proceeds along a pre-designed path (second optical path) It can be seen that there is.

However, when the first laser beam detector 220 does not detect the first laser sub-beam or the second laser beam detector 230 fails to detect the second laser sub-beam, the PGU It can be seen that there is an abnormality in the alignment of the components arranged within the housing 115.

An abnormality in the alignment of components can be seen as a distortion or damage to a part due to an emergency situation such as a vehicle accident, deterioration, or breakdown. In this case, if the laser beam travels differently from the pre-designed optical path and leaks to the outside, it may cause harm to the user.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the laser sub-beam is not detected by either the first laser beam detector 220 or the second laser beam detector 230, the control unit 130 determines an emergency situation and the laser control unit 132 The power of the laser light source 111 can be turned off.

Through this, it is possible to prevent the laser beam from being irradiated directly into the user's eyes in an emergency situation.

In this embodiment, the description focuses on the case where there are two laser sub-beams, but this is only an embodiment, and the number (1 or N of 3 or more) or direction of the laser sub-beams may be changed depending on the optical design. Of course it is possible.

In addition, in this embodiment, even if a problem occurs in the head-up display device 100 as a whole or in individual components mounted within it, the power is turned off depending on whether or not N laser sub-beams are detected, and the laser beam proceeds along an undesigned path. This can prevent leakage to the outside.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art can vary the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that it can be modified and changed.

50: Windshield 100: Head-up display device
110: image generating unit 111: laser light source
113: Micromirror 120: Projection optical unit
130: Control unit 131: Mirror control unit
132: Laser control unit 105: HUD housing
115: PGU housing 1151: first through hole
1152: second through hole 1121: first lens
1122: first mirror 114: second lens
210: second mirror 220: first laser beam detector
230: Second laser beam detector

Claims (5)

In a vehicle head-up display device that provides an augmented reality HUD image,
An image generation unit (Picture Generation Unit) that generates the HUD image using a laser beam;
a projection optical unit that projects the HUD image output from the image generator onto a windshield of a vehicle;
a laser beam detection unit that detects a portion of the laser beam branched into a second optical path separate from the first optical path for generating the HUD image; and
A control unit that controls the operation of the laser light source of the image generating unit and the operation of the micromirror, and turns off the power of the laser light source when part of the laser beam is not detected by the laser beam detection unit,
The image generator includes a laser light source that outputs the laser beam; a micromirror that outputs the HUD image by adjusting the degree of reflection of the laser beam according to control from the control unit; a first optical unit disposed between the laser light source and the micromirror and advancing the laser beam to the micromirror along the first optical path and to the laser beam detection unit along the second optical path; A second optical unit that projects the HUD image output from the micromirror to the projection optical unit,
The first optical unit reflects a part of the laser beam along the first optical path to advance to the micromirror, and transmits the other part, the first laser sub-beam, to form a first sub-optical path among the second optical paths. a first mirror to advance along; and disposed behind the first mirror, transmitting a part of the first laser sub-beam traveling to the first sub optical path, and reflecting the other part of the second laser sub-beam to form a second laser sub-beam of the second optical path. It includes a second mirror advancing to the sub optical path,
The laser beam detection unit may include a first laser beam detector that detects the first laser sub-beam passing through the first mirror and the second mirror and traveling along the first sub optical path; And a second laser beam detector that detects the second laser sub-beam that passes through the first mirror, is reflected by the second mirror, and travels along the second sub optical path,
The control unit determines an emergency situation when at least one of the first laser beam detector and the second laser beam detector fails to detect at least one of the first laser sub-beam and the second laser sub-beam and detects the laser light source. block,
The control unit operates to provide the HUD image of the augmented reality only when both the first laser beam detector and the second laser beam detector detect a laser beam,
A head-up display device for vehicles that provides augmented reality HUD images with laser safety devices.
According to paragraph 1,
The image generator,
It further includes a PGU housing in which the laser light source, the first optical unit, the micromirror, and the second optical unit are disposed,
The first laser beam detector is fixedly installed on the first sub optical path outside the PGU housing,
A first through hole corresponding to the first sub optical path is formed in the PGU housing, so that the first laser sub beam passes through the first through hole and reaches the first laser beam detector. A head-up display device for vehicles that provides augmented reality HUD images with laser safety devices.
According to paragraph 2,
The second laser beam detector is fixedly installed on the second sub optical path outside the PGU housing,
A second through hole corresponding to the second sub optical path is further formed in the PGU housing, allowing the second laser sub beam to pass through the second through hole and reach the second laser beam detector. A head-up display device for vehicles that provides augmented reality HUD images with a laser safety device.
delete According to paragraph 3,
Components of the head-up display device disposed on the first sub-optical path or the second sub-optical path are characterized in that a through hole is formed to allow the first laser sub-beam or the second laser sub-beam to proceed. A head-up display device for vehicles that provides augmented reality HUD images with a laser safety device.