TWI821044B - Head-up display - Google Patents

Abstract

A head-up display includes a display unit, a first optical module, and a second optical module. The display unit includes a first effective imaging area and a second effective imaging area disposed adjacent to each other for providing a first image beam and a second image beam respectively. The first optical module includes a first reflective surface, a second reflective surface, and a third reflective surface. The first image beam is sequentially reflected by the second reflective surface and the third reflective surface to the second optical module. The second image beam is reflected by the first reflective surface to the second optical module. The first image beam and the second image beam are respectively reflected to transmit out of the head-up display by the second optical module, and then transmitted to the target element so as to form a first virtual image and a second virtual image. By the first optical module, an optical path of the first image beam from the first effective imaging area to a position of the first virtual image formed by itself is greater than an optical path of the second image beam from the second effective imaging area to a position of the second virtual image formed by itself.

Description

heads up display device

The present invention relates to a display device, and in particular to a head-up display device.

Augmented reality head-up display devices for vehicles are generally designed to display images with two different contents. One type of image can present fixed driving information, such as vehicle speed, fuel level, mileage, speed limit, etc. Another type of image presents driving information that matches the road conditions, such as left and right turn symbols, landmark information, warning symbols, etc. The image with the first type of driving information is expected to be displayed at a closer depth, such as 2 meters, while the image with the second type of driving information is expected to be displayed at a farther depth, such as 8 meters.

In the current architecture of augmented reality head-up display devices, two picture generation units (Picture Generation Units, PGU) placed at different positions are usually used to generate images with different depths and image distances. However, due to the relationship between two image generation units, the overall architecture has disadvantages such as larger volume, higher power consumption, and higher cost.

The "prior art" paragraph is only used to help understand the content of the present invention. Therefore, the content disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph may contain some conventional technologies that do not constitute common knowledge to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field. The content disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph does not mean that the content or the problems to be solved by one or more embodiments of the present invention have been known or recognized by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field before the application of the present invention.

The present invention provides a head-up display device that can reduce system volume, reduce power consumption, and further reduce costs.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be further understood from the technical features disclosed in the present invention.

In order to achieve one, part or all of the above objects or other objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a head-up display device for projecting a first image beam and a second image beam onto a target element. The head-up display device includes a display unit, a first optical module and a second optical module. The display unit is used to provide the first image beam and the second image beam. The first optical module receives the first image beam and the second image beam from the display unit, and transmits the first image beam and the second image beam to the second optical module. The first optical module includes a first reflective surface, a second reflective surface and a third reflective surface that are adjacently arranged. The second optical module includes a free-form reflector. The free-form surface reflector is used to receive the first image beam and the second image beam from the first optical module. The first image beam and the second image beam are respectively reflected out of the head-up display device by the second optical module, and then transmitted to the target element to form a first virtual image and a second virtual image. Through the first optical module, the optical path of the first image beam from the display unit to the position of the first virtual image formed is greater than the optical path of the second image beam from the display unit to the position of the second virtual image formed, wherein The display unit has a first effective imaging area and a second effective imaging area arranged adjacently for generating a first image beam and a second image beam respectively, and presenting the first virtual image and the second virtual image formed outside the head-up display device. Different image content, and the first image beam from the first effective imaging area is sequentially reflected by the second reflective surface and the third reflective surface to the second optical module, and the second image beam from the second effective imaging area is reflected by the third A reflective surface reflects to the second optical module.

In an embodiment of the invention, the head-up display device further includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor is used to sense the position of the eye. The controller is electrically connected to the sensor and coupled to the second optical module. The controller receives the signal from the sensor and adjusts the deflection angle of the free-form reflector of the second optical module in response to the position change of the eye, so that the first virtual image and the second virtual image are clearly presented.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first image beam and second image beam from the first optical module are incident on the second optical module at different angles.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an obtuse angle is formed between the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface, and an acute angle is formed between the second reflecting surface and the third reflecting surface.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first reflective surface and the third reflective surface are not directly connected.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first optical module is a polygonal light-transmitting body. The first reflective surface, the second reflective surface and the third reflective surface are provided on three surfaces of the polygonal light-transmitting body.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first optical module further includes a polygonal light-transmitting body. The first reflective surface and the second reflective surface are provided on two surfaces of the polygonal light-transmitting body. The third reflecting surface is a plane mirror.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first optical module is a plurality of plane mirrors.

Based on the above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the head-up display device is designed to use a single display unit to generate the first image beam and the second image beam. Therefore, the overall architecture of the head-up display device has the advantages of smaller size, less power consumption, and less cost.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The aforementioned and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. Directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only for reference to the directions in the attached drawings. Accordingly, the directional terms used are illustrative and not limiting of the invention.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of two virtual images formed by the head-up display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B , an embodiment of the present invention provides a head-up display device 100 for projecting a first image beam B1 and a second image beam B2 onto a target element T. In this embodiment, the head-up display device 100 is used on vehicles such as cars, for example. The target element T is, for example, a windshield of a car. The first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2 are reflected by the target device T to the eyes E of the viewer (for example, a driver of a vehicle), so that the viewer can see different imaging distances and different driving information in front of the target device T. The first virtual image VM1 and the second virtual image VM2.

In this embodiment, the head-up display device 100 includes a display unit 110, a first optical module 120 and a second optical module 130. The display unit 110 is used to provide the first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2. In detail, the display unit 110 has a first effective imaging area R1 and a second effective imaging area R2 that are adjacently arranged. The first effective imaging area R1 and the second effective imaging area R2 are used to generate the first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2 respectively, and the first virtual image and the second virtual image formed outside the head-up display device 100 present different images. Content (such as driving information). The first optical module 120 receives the first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2 from the display unit 110, and transmits the first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2 to the second optical module 130.

In this embodiment, the first optical module 120 includes an adjacent first reflective surface 120R1, a second reflective surface 120R2, and a third reflective surface 120R3. The first image beam B1 from the first effective imaging area R1 of the display unit 110 is sequentially reflected by the second reflective surface 120R2 and the third reflective surface 120R3 of the first optical module 120 to the second optical module 130 . The second image beam B2 from the second effective imaging area R2 of the display unit 110 is reflected by the first reflective surface 120R1 of the first optical module 120 to the second optical module 130 . The second image beam B2 does not pass through the second reflective surface 120R2 and the third reflective surface 120R3 of the first optical module 120 , and the first image beam B1 does not pass through the first reflective surface 120R1 of the first optical module 120 .

In this embodiment, an obtuse angle θ1 is sandwiched between the first reflective surface 120R1 and the second reflective surface 120R2, and an acute angle θ2 is sandwiched between the second reflective surface 120R2 and the third reflective surface 120R3. The first reflective surface 120R1 and the third reflective surface 120R3 are not directly connected, but the first reflective surface 120R1 is connected to the third reflective surface 120R3 through the second reflective surface 120R2. In this embodiment, one end of the first reflective surface 120R1 is connected to one end of the second reflective surface 120R2, the other opposite end of the second reflective surface 120R2 is connected to one end of the third reflective surface 120R3, and the second reflective surface 120R2 and the acute angle θ2 formed by the third reflective surface 120R3 faces the display unit 110 .

In this embodiment, the first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2 from the first optical module 120 are incident on the second optical module 130 at different angles. The second optical module 130 includes a free-form mirror 132 . The free-form surface mirror 132 is used to receive the first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2 from the first optical module 120 . The first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2 are respectively reflected out of the head-up display device 100 by the second optical module 130 and then transmitted to the target element T to form a first virtual image VM1 and a second virtual image VM2. Through the first optical module 120, the optical path of the first image beam B1 from the display unit 110 to the position of the first virtual image VM1 formed is longer than the optical path of the second image beam B2 from the display unit 110 to the second virtual image VM2 formed by it. The optical path of the position.

In this embodiment, the head-up display device 100 further includes a sensor 140 and a controller 150 . The sensor 140 is used to sense the position of the user's (driver's) eyes E. The controller 150 includes, for example, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable The present invention is not limited to a controller, a programmable logic device (PLD) or other similar devices or a combination of these devices. Furthermore, in one embodiment, each function of the controller 150 may be implemented as multiple program codes. These program codes will be stored in a memory, and the controller 150 will execute these program codes. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the functions of controller 150 may be implemented as one or more circuits. The present invention is not limited to using software or hardware to implement each function of the controller 150 .

In this embodiment, the controller 150 is electrically connected to the sensor 140 and coupled to the second optical module 130. The second optical module 130 has, for example, a driver (not shown) that drives the free-form reflector 132. . The controller 150 receives the signal from the sensor 140 and controls the driver to adjust the deflection angle of the free-form surface mirror 132 in response to the position change of the eye E, so that the first virtual image VM1 and the second virtual image VM2 are clearly presented.

Based on the above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the head-up display device 100 is designed to enable the display unit 110 to generate the first image beam B1 and the second image beam B2. The optical path of the head-up display device 100 is designed such that the first image beam B1 is reflected at least twice on the first optical module 120, and the second image beam B2 is reflected once on the first optical module 120, so that the first image beam B1 is reflected from the display The optical path from the unit 110 to the position of the first virtual image VM1 is greater than the optical path of the second image beam B2 from the display unit 110 to the position of the second virtual image VM2. Therefore, the overall architecture of the head-up display device 100 has the advantages of smaller size, less power consumption, and less cost.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first optical module in a head-up display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 2. The first optical module 120A of FIG. 2 is similar to the first optical module 120 of FIG. 1A. The main differences are as follows. In this embodiment, the first optical module 120A is a polygonal light-transmitting body, and the material of the light-transmitting body is, for example, glass. The first reflective surface 120R1, the second reflective surface 120R2 and the third reflective surface 120R3 are provided on three surfaces of the polygonal light-transmitting body. The advantages of the head-up display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention are similar to those of the head-up display device 100 in FIG. 1A , and will not be described again here.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a first optical module in a head-up display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 3. The first optical module 120B of FIG. 3 is similar to the first optical module 120 of FIG. 1A. The main differences are as follows. In this embodiment, the first optical module 120B further includes a polygonal light-transmitting body 122B, where the material of the light-transmitting body is, for example, glass. The first reflective surface 120R1 and the second reflective surface 120R2 are provided on two surfaces of the polygonal light-transmitting body 122B. The third reflective surface 120R3 is a plane mirror. In addition, the first reflective surface 120R1 and the second reflective surface 120R2 are connected, the first reflective surface 120R1 and the third reflective surface 120R3 are not connected, and the second reflective surface 120R2 and the third reflective surface 120R3 are not connected. The advantages of the head-up display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention are similar to those of the head-up display device 100 in FIG. 1A , and will not be described again here.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a first optical module in a head-up display device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 4. The first optical module 120C of FIG. 4 is similar to the first optical module 120 of FIG. 1A. The main differences are as follows. In this embodiment, the first optical module 120C is a plurality of plane mirrors, and these plane mirrors are separated from each other. That is to say, the first reflective surface 120R1, the second reflective surface 120R2, and the third reflective surface 120R3 are not connected to each other. However, in other embodiments, the plane mirrors can also be connected to each other. The advantages of the head-up display device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention are similar to those of the head-up display device 100 in FIG. 1A , and will not be described again here.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 5. The head-up display device 100D of Figure 5 is similar to the head-up display device 100 of Figure 1A. The relative position of the virtual image formed by the head-up display device 100D of Figure 5 is similar to the two virtual images of Figure 1B. The main differences are as follows. In this embodiment, the first optical module 120D includes a curved mirror 124 and a convex lens 126. For example, the curved mirror 124 is configured with a concave surface facing the display unit 110. The curved mirror 124 may be a free-curved mirror.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the first image beam B1 from the first effective imaging area R1 of the display unit 110 is reflected to the second optical module 130 by the curved mirror 124 . The second image beam B2 from the second effective imaging area R2 of the display unit 110 first passes through the convex lens 126 and then is reflected by the curved mirror 124 to the second optical module 130 . The convex lens 126 is not disposed on the transmission path of the first image beam B1.

In this embodiment, the optical path of the first image beam B1 from the display unit 110 to the curved mirror 124 is greater than the optical path of the second image beam B2 from the display unit 110 to the curved mirror 124 .

In this embodiment, the curved mirror 124 is not parallel to the display unit 110 . The curved mirror 124 and the second optical module 130 are not parallel.

Based on the above, in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the head-up display device 100D reduces the optical path of the second image beam B2 by providing a convex lens 126, so that the optical path of the first image beam B1 is greater than the second image beam B2. of optical path. Therefore, the head-up display device 100D uses fewer optical components and the optical path is simpler. The remaining advantages of the head-up display device 100D are similar to those of the head-up display device 100 in FIG. 1A and will not be described again here.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The head-up display device of the sixth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment and the fifth embodiment. Please refer to Figure 6. The head-up display device 100E of Figure 6 is similar to the head-up display device 100 of Figure 1A and the head-up display device 100D of Figure 5. The relative position of the virtual image formed in Figure 6 is also similar to that of Figure 1B. The main differences are as follows. . The first optical module 120D of the head-up display device 100D in Figure 5 includes a single curved mirror 124. In this embodiment, the first optical module 120E includes a first reflective mirror and a second reflective mirror that are adjacently arranged. In the embodiment of FIG. 6 , the second reflecting mirror and the first reflecting mirror are curved mirror 124 and plane mirror 128 respectively. The curved mirror 124 may be a spherical mirror, an aspherical mirror or a free-curved mirror. The first image beam B1 from the display unit 110 is reflected to the second optical module 130 by the plane mirror 128 to generate a first virtual image with a farther image distance. The second image beam B2 from the display unit 110 is reflected to the second optical module 130 by the curved mirror 124 to generate a second virtual image with a closer image distance. Through the arrangement of the curved mirror 124, the optical path of the second image beam B2 is reduced, and the optical path of the first image beam B1 from the display unit 110 to the second optical module 130 is longer than the optical path of the second image beam B2 from the display unit 110 to the second optical module 130. The optical path of the second optical module 130.

In this embodiment, the curved mirror 124 and the second optical module 130 are not parallel. The curved mirror 124 is a free-curved mirror. The advantages of the head-up display device 100E are similar to those of the head-up display device 100 in FIG. 1A , and will not be described again here.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The head-up display device of the seventh embodiment is a modification of the sixth embodiment. Please refer to Figure 7. The head-up display device 100F in Figure 7 is similar to the head-up display device 100E in Figure 6, and the relative position of the virtual image formed in Figure 7 is similar to that in Figure 1B. The main differences between the head-up display device 100E in Figure 6 and the head-up display device 100E in Figure 6 are as follows. . In this embodiment, the first optical module 120F includes a first reflector and a second reflector arranged adjacently. In the embodiment of FIG. 7 , the second reflector and the first reflector are curved mirrors 124 and 124 respectively. Curved mirror 129 , the curvature of the curved mirror 124 is different from the curvature of the curved mirror 129 . The first image beam B1 from the first effective imaging area R1 of the display unit 110 is reflected to the second optical module 130 by the curved mirror 129 to generate a first virtual image with a farther image distance. The second image beam B2 from the second effective imaging area R2 of the display unit 110 is reflected to the second optical module 130 by the curved mirror 124 to generate a second virtual image with a closer image distance. Through the configuration of the curved mirror 124 and the curved mirror 129 with different curvatures, the optical path of the second image beam B2 is reduced, and the optical path of the first image beam B1 from the display unit 110 to the second optical module 130 is longer than that of the second image beam B2. The optical path of light beam B2 from the display unit 110 to the second optical module 130 .

In this embodiment, the curved mirror 124 and the second optical module 130 are not parallel. And the curved mirror 129 and the curved mirror 124 are both free-curved mirrors. The advantages of the head-up display device 100F are similar to those of the head-up display device 100 in FIG. 1A and the head-up display device 100E in FIG. 6 , and will not be described again here.

To sum up, in one embodiment of the present invention, the head-up display device is designed to enable the display unit to generate the first image beam and the second image beam, and through the design of the first optical module, the first image beam is The optical path from the display unit to the position of the first virtual image is greater than the optical path of the second image beam from the display unit to the position of the second virtual image. Therefore, the overall architecture of the head-up display device has the advantages of smaller size, less power consumption, and less cost.

However, the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention. That is, simple equivalent changes and modifications may be made based on the patent scope of the present invention and the description of the invention. All are still within the scope of the patent of this invention. In addition, any embodiment or patentable scope of the present invention does not need to achieve all the purposes, advantages or features disclosed in the present invention. In addition, the abstract section and title are only used to assist in searching patent documents and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” mentioned in this specification or the scope of the patent application are only used to name elements or to distinguish different embodiments or scopes, and are not used to limit the number of elements. upper or lower limit.

100, 100D, 100E, 100F: Head-up display device 110:Display unit 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, 120F: the first optical module 120R1: First reflective surface 120R2: Second reflective surface 120R3: The third reflective surface 122B: Polygonal translucent body 124, 129: Curved mirror 126:Convex lens 128:Plane mirror 130: Second optical module 132:Freeform reflector 140: Sensor 150:Controller B1: First image beam B2: Second image beam E:eyes R1: first effective imaging area R2: The second effective imaging area T: target component VM1: first virtual image VM2: Second virtual image θ1: obtuse angle θ2: acute angle

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of two virtual images formed by the head-up display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first optical module in a head-up display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a first optical module in a head-up display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a first optical module in a head-up display device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a head-up display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

100: Head-up display device

110:Display unit

120:The first optical module

120R1: First reflective surface

120R2: Second reflective surface

120R3: The third reflective surface

130: Second optical module

132:Freeform reflector

140: Sensor

150:Controller

B1: First image beam

B2: Second image beam

E:eyes

R1: first effective imaging area

R2: The second effective imaging area

T: target component

θ1: obtuse angle

θ2: acute angle

Claims (8)

A head-up display device for projecting a first image beam and a second image beam onto a target element, including: a display unit, a first optical module and a second optical module; wherein, The display unit is used to provide the first image beam and the second image beam; The first optical module receives the first image beam and the second image beam from the display unit and transmits the first image beam and the second image beam to the second optical module, and the first The optical module includes a first reflective surface, a second reflective surface and a third reflective surface that are adjacently arranged; and The second optical module includes a free-form surface reflector for receiving the first image beam and the second image beam from the first optical module. The first image beam and the second image beam are respectively reflected by the The second optical module is reflected out of the head-up display device and then transmitted to the target element to form a first virtual image and a second virtual image, wherein through the first optical module, the first image beam is emitted from the display The optical path from the unit to the position of the first virtual image formed is greater than the optical path of the second image beam from the display unit to the position of the second virtual image formed, The display unit has a first effective imaging area and a second effective imaging area arranged adjacently for generating the first image beam and the second image beam respectively, and the first image beam formed outside the head-up display device The virtual image and the second virtual image present different image contents, and the first image beam from the first effective imaging area is sequentially reflected by the second reflective surface and the third reflective surface to the second optical module, from The second image beam in the second effective imaging area is reflected by the first reflective surface to the second optical module. The head-up display device as claimed in claim 1 further includes: a sensor and a controller; wherein The sensor is used to sense the position of an eye; and The controller is electrically connected to the sensor and coupled to the second optical module. The controller receives the signal from the sensor and adjusts the second optical module according to the position change of the eye. The deflection angle of the free-form surface mirror is such that the first virtual image and the second virtual image are clearly presented. The head-up display device of claim 1, wherein the first image beam and the second image beam from the first optical module are incident on the second optical module at different angles. The head-up display device of claim 1, wherein an obtuse angle is formed between the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface, and an acute angle is formed between the second reflective surface and the third reflective surface. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the first reflective surface and the third reflective surface are not directly connected. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the first optical module is a polygonal light-transmitting body, and the first reflective surface, the second reflective surface and the third reflective surface are disposed in the polygonal light-transmitting body. On three surfaces. The head-up display device of claim 1, wherein the first optical module further includes a polygonal light-transmitting body, and the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface are disposed on two surfaces of the polygonal light-transmitting body. , the third reflecting surface is a plane mirror. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein the first optical module is a plurality of plane mirrors.

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