Vehicle display device

Abstract

A display device for a vehicle, comprising a display surface having a display surface for displaying information in the direction of a viewer and a rear surface located opposite thereto, and a light guide device having at least one light source, wherein the light guide device has at least one transparent light guide layer extending forward of the display surface and covering at least partially the display surface, and the at least one light guide layer has at least one light-emitting area in at least one partial surface area of ​​the display surface to emit light from the at least one light source in the direction of a viewer, and the at least one light-emitting area is configured to superimpose information displayed through the display surface by the emitted light.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device for vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] From the prior art, a display device for a vehicle is already known, comprising a display surface having a display surface for displaying information in the direction of a viewer and a rear surface located opposite the display surface.

[0003] In addition, it is known from the prior art that a dedicated surface area of ​​the display surface is displayed in the area of ​​a vehicle display device to display, for example, warning symbols and other guidance symbols for a viewer.

[0004] However, a disadvantage of this configuration is that, for example, the entire display unit must be operational to display a warning symbol, which requires particularly increased energy consumption. Another disadvantage is that providing a dedicated display area for displaying warning symbols reduces the actual surface of the display available for showing information. Another disadvantage of the prior art is that the display of warning symbols depends on the functionality of the entire display unit, and if it fails, warning or guidance symbols can no longer be displayed for the viewer. The problem to be solved

[0005] Based on the aforementioned disadvantages of known display devices according to the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved display device for displaying information and light signals for a viewer, wherein the display device according to the present invention can display light signals independently of the actual display surface for displaying information and in an area of ​​the actual display surface. means of solving the problem

[0006] The problem of the present invention is solved by a display device for a vehicle comprising a display surface having a display surface for displaying information in the direction of a viewer and a rear surface located opposite the display surface, and a light guide device having at least one light source.

[0007] According to the present invention, a light guide device has at least one transparent light guide layer that extends forward of a display surface and covers at least partially the display surface, wherein the at least one light guide layer has at least one light-emitting region in at least one partial surface area of ​​the display surface to emit light from the at least one light source in the direction of a viewer, and wherein the at least one light-emitting region is configured to superimpose information displayed through the display surface by the emitted light.

[0008] According to the present invention, by placing a light guide device in front of the actual display surface of the display surface, it becomes possible to output or emit an additional light signal toward a viewer through a light guide layer having a light-emitting area in a partial surface area of ​​the display surface. The light can be superimposed on the image information of the actual display surface through the at least one light-emitting area, and accordingly, the information displayed through the display surface is still visible in all areas, but is superimposed as an additional light signal for the viewer in the area of ​​the at least one light-emitting area.

[0009] In this regard, the light signal and the at least one light-emitting region may be configured such that information displayed on the display surface is completely superimposed by light emitted by the light-guiding layer through the light emitted through the at least one light-emitting region, and accordingly, only the light signal emitted through the light-guiding device is visible to the viewer in the area of ​​the light-emitting region. Furthermore, the display device for a viewer provided according to the present invention enables the output of a light signal through only the light-guiding layer even when no information is displayed on the display surface. Accordingly, the light-guiding device forms an additional layer independent of the actual display surface for outputting light information to the viewer. The output of light information to the viewer through the light-guiding device may be independent of the display of information on the display surface, and, for example, an optical warning signal may be output to the viewer. Alternatively, for example, to divert the user's attention to information displayed on the display surface or to emphasize specific information, the output of light information through the light-guiding device may be intentionally harmonized with the information displayed on the display surface.

[0010] According to the present invention, a display surface is configured to be transparent in at least a first region, and information displayed on the display surface can be projected onto the rear surface (12) of the display surface by a rear projection device (8).

[0011] Additionally, the display surface may be configured to be reflective in at least a second region, and information displayed on the display surface may be projected onto the display surface (11) of the display surface by a front projection device (8).

[0012] Of course, in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the display surface may be transparent over the entire front surface or reflective over the entire front surface.

[0013] According to the present invention, a display device may be provided to include a projection device (8) for projecting information displayed on a display surface. The projection device may be selected from the group consisting of an LCD projector, an LCOS projector, an LBS projector, or a DLP projector. The abbreviation LCD stands for "Liquid Crystal Display" and is intended to mean a liquid crystal display. LCOS stands for "Liquid Crystal On Silicone", LBS stands for "Laser Beam Scanning", and DLP stands for "Digital Light Processing".

[0014] According to the present invention, the display device may be further provided with a transparent cover substrate layer (3) that is positioned in front of the light guide device (2) in the direction of the viewer and covers the light guide device (2) at least partially. The cover substrate layer can protect the actual display surface from environmental influences and mechanical loads, and, for example, can serve to reinforce or support the actual display surface.

[0015] A light guide device (2), a display surface (1), and preferably a cover substrate layer (3) can be arranged to be laminated together. By laminating the display surface and the cover substrate layer, it is ensured that most of the surface of the cover substrate layer comes into contact with the display surface through the lamination. This ensures that the cover substrate layer cannot be peeled off from the display surface and further prevents the layers from moving relative to each other. Additionally, a bond is formed between the cover substrate layer and the display surface through the lamination, which increases the bending rigidity of the actual display surface and, in particular, the display surface.

[0016] The cover substrate layer may be composed of a cover glass layer.

[0017] The above-mentioned at least one light-emitting area may be configured to display a symbol. According to the present invention, the symbol is understood as, for example, an arrow, an exclamation mark, a warning symbol, a line, a square, a circle, etc.

[0018] The at least one light-emitting region of the light guide device can be formed by introducing an optical microstructure into a part of the at least one light guide layer.

[0019] The above-mentioned at least one light-emitting region of the light guide device may be configured to be formed by the introduction of an optical microstructure by nanoimprinting lithography.

[0020] Preferably, the above-mentioned at least one light-emitting region is formed by forming a microstructure on the surface of a light guide device facing the viewer and located opposite the display surface, for example, by nanoimprinting lithography. The advantage of forming the above-mentioned at least one light-emitting region by introducing a microstructure into the light guide layer facing the viewer is that the light from the at least one light source of the light guide device is emitted directly toward the viewer and does not need to be reflected back toward the viewer, for example, by a display layer.

[0021] Furthermore, the above-mentioned at least one light-emitting region may be formed by introducing nanoparticles into the light-guide layer in the above-mentioned at least one light-emitting region. The nanoparticles may be introduced, for example, into a defined region of the light-guide during the manufacture of the light-guide when the light-guide is in the form of a liquid thermoplastic resin, and the light-guide may be cured by cooling.

[0022] The above at least one light guide layer may be formed from a PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) or PC (polycarbonate) film.

[0023] The above at least one light source may have a defined light color, preferably a spectral color.

[0024] Additionally, the at least one light source may be configured to have at least one RGB light source, such as an RGB LED, to actively control the color of light incident on the at least one light guide layer. Providing an RGB light source has the advantage of being able to emit light signals of different colors to a viewer through the light-emitting area of ​​the light guide device using a single light source. For example, the RGB light source may be used to change the color of light according to a warning state for the viewer. For example, a green light signal may be used to convey to the viewer that there is no warning and, for example, that the vehicle's electronic systems are not detecting any faults. If a fault state occurs that does not require immediate action by the viewer, this may be indicated by a yellow or orange light signal (e.g., engine oil replenishment). In the case of an urgent warning, the color of the light may be output in red to provide an urgent warning to the driver via a light signal.

[0025] Preferably, at least one corresponding light source is assigned to each light-emitting region of the light guide layer, so that each light-emitting region is actively illuminated through the assigned at least one light source. This has the advantage that a plurality of light-emitting regions can be provided in the light guide layer, and these light-emitting regions can be used to output light signals independently of each other by the light source each is associated with.

[0026] Additionally, the display surface may be configured to consist of an LCD panel, and a backlight unit for backlighting the LCD panel may be arranged on the rear. Alternatively, according to the present invention, the display surface may consist of an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) panel or an e-ink (bistable) display. In the case of an e-ink display, it is particularly preferable that the e-ink panel is also illuminated by a light guide device.

[0027] Preferably, the at least one light source of the light guide device is positioned outside the area of ​​the display surface, wherein the light source preferably supplies light generated by the light source into the at least one light guide layer through at least one side of the at least one light guide layer.

[0028] A light guide device may be formed as a continuous light guide layer covering the entire surface of a display in the direction of a viewer, wherein, preferably, a plurality of light guide bodies are formed by introducing a concave portion or an incision portion into the light guide layer, and said light guide bodies are separated from one another by said incision portion or concave portion.

[0029] According to the present invention, a microstructure or microparticle introduced into the at least one light guide layer may be arranged or formed in the form of a symbol on the surface plane of the light guide layer.

[0030] The display surface and the light guide device can each be formed of an elastically deformable material to implement a bendable or flexible display device for vehicles. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0031] The following drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of a vehicle display device according to the present invention. In the drawing: FIG. 1a illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention comprising a transparent display surface. FIG. 1b illustrates a second exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention having a reflective display surface. FIG. 1c illustrates a third exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention, wherein the display surface is formed by an LCD display having a backlight device. FIG. 1d illustrates a fourth exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the present invention, wherein the display surface is composed of an OLED panel having an optional cover layer. FIG. 2a illustrates a side view of an additional exemplary embodiment of a vehicle display device according to the present invention. FIG. 2b illustrates an embodiment of a display device according to FIG. 2A viewed as a front view from the direction of the viewer. FIG. 3 illustrates an additional display device according to the present invention as seen from the viewer's point of view. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0032] FIG. 1a illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a display device for a vehicle. A display device according to the present invention comprises a display surface (1) having a display surface (11) for displaying information in the direction of a viewer (9) and a rear surface (12) located opposite thereto. The display device also comprises a light guiding device (2) having at least one light source (21), wherein only a single light source (21) is shown in FIG. 1 for clarity. The light guiding device (2) has at least one transparent light guiding layer (20) that extends forward of the display surface (11) and covers the display surface (11) at least partially. In FIG. 1, the light guiding layer (20) covers the entire front surface of the display surface (1). However, according to the present invention, different embodiments may be provided in which only a portion of the display surface (11) is covered by the light guiding device (2).

[0033] Furthermore, the at least one light guide layer (20) has at least one light-emitting area (23) in at least one partial surface area of ​​the display surface (11) to emit light from the at least one light source (21) in the direction of the viewer (9). The at least one light-emitting area (23) is configured to superimpose information displayed through the display surface (11) by light emitted from the light guide layer (20).

[0034] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1a, the display surface (1) is transparent across the entire front surface, and information displayed on the display surface is projected onto the rear (12) of the display surface (1) by a rear projection device (8). In FIG. 1a, the image information emitted to the rear (12) of the display surface (1) by the rear projection device (8) is shown by a solid arrow, and the light emitted toward the viewer (9) through the illustrated light emission area (23) is shown by a dotted line.

[0035] An exemplary second embodiment of the display device according to the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1b differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 1a in that, according to FIG. 1b, the display surface (1) is configured to be reflective across the entire front surface, and information of the display surface (1) displayed through the display surface (11) is projected onto the display surface (11) of the display surface by a front projection device (8), as illustrated by the solid arrow in FIG. 1b. As illustrated, the projection device (8) may be placed outside the actual display surface (1), and particularly preferably in an area not visible to the viewer (9). The projection device (8) for projecting information displayed on the display surface (1) may be, for example, an LCD projector, an LCOS projector, an LBS projector, or a DLP projector.

[0036] As an alternative to the projection devices (8) described above, the display surface (1) may be configured to be an LCD panel, an OLED panel, or, for example, an e-ink display. Information to be output through the display surface (11) is not projected onto the display surface, but is generated within the display surface.

[0037] FIG. 1c illustrates a third exemplary embodiment in which the display surface (1) is composed of an LCD panel and further has a backlight unit (5) for backlighting the LCD panel on the rear surface (12).

[0038] FIG. 1d illustrates an additional exemplary embodiment according to the present invention in which the display surface (1) is composed of a self-emissive OLED panel.

[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 1d and FIG. 2a, the display device according to the present invention may also include a transparent cover substrate layer (3) positioned in front of the light guide device (2) in the direction of a viewer (9) and covering the light guide device (2) at least partially.

[0040] The cover substrate layer can be composed of a cover glass layer. Furthermore, the light guide device (2), the display surface (1), and preferably the cover substrate layer (3) can be arranged to be laminated together.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2b and FIGS. 3, the light-emitting area (23) of the light-guiding device (2) can be configured to display a symbol (25), for example, in the form of an arrow or a triangle.

[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 2, at least one associated light source (21) may be assigned to each light-emitting region (23) of the light guide layer (20), so that each light-emitting region (23) is actively illuminated through the assigned at least one light source (21).

[0043] As shown in the center of FIG. 3, a plurality of light sources (21) may be provided to illuminate a single light-emitting area (23).

[0044] As illustrated in all drawings, the at least one light source (21) of the light guide device (2) is located outside the area of ​​the actual display surface (1), and the at least one light source (21) may preferably be arranged to induce light generated by the light source (21) into the at least one light guide layer (20) through at least one side (27) of the at least one light guide layer.

[0045] As schematically illustrated in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the light guide device (2) may be formed as a continuous light guide layer (20) covering the entire surface (1) of the display in the direction of the viewer (9), wherein a plurality of light guide bodies (2) are formed by introducing a concave or cut portion (29) into the light guide layer (20), and the light guide bodies (2) are separated from one another by the cut portion or concave portion (29) so that incident light cannot be exchanged between the different light guide bodies (2) separated from one another. In the drawings, a light ray emitted from a light source (21) is shown by a dotted arrow.

Claims

Claim 1 A display device for a vehicle, comprising: a display surface (1) having a display surface (11) for displaying information in the direction of a viewer (9) and a rear surface (12) located opposite thereto; and a light guide device (2) having at least one light source (21), wherein the light guide device (2) has at least one transparent light guide layer (20) that extends forward of the display surface (11) and covers at least partially the display surface (11), wherein the at least one light guide layer (20) has at least one light-emitting area (23) in at least one partial surface area of ​​the display surface (11) to emit light from the at least one light source (21) in the direction of the viewer (9), and wherein the at least one light-emitting area (23) is configured such that information displayed through the display surface (11) is superimposed by the emitted light. Claim 2 A display device according to claim 1, wherein the display surface (1) is configured to be transparent in at least a first region, and the information displayed on the display surface (1) is projected onto the rear surface (12) of the display surface (1) by a rear projection device (8). Claim 3 A display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display surface (1) is configured to be reflective in at least a second region, and the information displayed on the display surface (1) is projected onto the display surface (11) of the display surface (1) by a front projection device (8). Claim 4 A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display device includes a projection device (8) for projecting information displayed on the display surface (1), and the projection device (8) is selected from the group consisting of an LCD projector, an LCOS projector, an LBS projector, or a DLP projector. Claim 5 A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display device further comprises a transparent cover substrate layer (3) positioned in front of the light guide device (2) in the direction of the viewer (9) and covering the light guide device (2) at least partially. Claim 6 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 5, the light guide device (2), the display surface (1), and preferably the cover substrate layer (3) are laminated together. Claim 7 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 6, the cover substrate layer (3) is composed of a cover glass layer. Claim 8 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 7, the at least one light-emitting area (23) is configured to display a symbol (25). Claim 9 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 8, the at least one light-emitting region (23) of the light-guiding device (2) is formed by introducing an optical microstructure into a part of the at least one light-guiding layer (20). Claim 10 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 9, the at least one light-emitting region (23) of the light-guiding device (2) is formed by the introduction of an optical microstructure by nanoimprinting lithography. Claim 11 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 10, the at least one light-emitting region (23) is formed by forming a microstructure on the surface of the light-guide layer (20) located opposite the display surface (11) and facing the viewer (9). Claim 12 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 11, the at least one light-emitting region (23) is formed by introducing nanoparticles into the light-guide layer (20) in the at least one light-emitting region. Claim 13 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 12, the at least one light guide layer (20) is formed of PMMA or PC film. Claim 14 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 13, the at least one light source (21) has a defined light color, preferably a spectral color. Claim 15 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 14, the at least one light source (21) includes at least one RGB LED for actively controlling the color of light incident on the at least one light guide layer (20). Claim 16 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 15, at least one corresponding light source (21) is assigned to each light-emitting region (23) of the light guide layer (20), and each light-emitting region (23) is actively illuminated through each assigned at least one light source (21). Claim 17 A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the display surface (1) is composed of an LCD panel, and a backlight unit (5) for rear-illuminating the LCD panel is disposed on the rear surface (12). Claim 18 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 17, the display surface (1) is composed of an OLED panel. Claim 19 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 18, the display surface is composed of an e-ink display. Claim 20 A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the at least one light source (21) of the light guide device (2) is disposed outside the area of ​​the display surface (1), and the at least one light source (21) preferably supplies light generated by the light source (21) into the at least one light guide layer (20) through at least one side (27) of the at least one light guide layer (20). Claim 21 A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the light guide device (2) is formed as a continuous light guide layer (20) that covers the entire surface (1) of the display in the direction of the viewer (9), and a plurality of light guide bodies (2) are formed by introducing a concave portion or a cut portion (29) into the light guide layer (20), and the light guide bodies (2) are separated from one another by the cut portion or the concave portion (29). Claim 22 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 21, the microstructure introduced into the at least one light guide layer (20) is arranged in the form of a symbol (25) on the surface plane of the light guide layer (20). Claim 23 A display device characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 22, the display surface (1) and the light guide device (2) are formed of an elastically deformable material.

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