An active light-emitting image source

Abstract

The application provides an active light-emitting image source, comprising: light control devices and a plurality of light sources; the plurality of light sources are arranged at different positions; the light control devices comprise collimating elements; the collimating elements cover one or more light sources and collimate and emit light emitted by the covered light sources. The active light-emitting image source provided by the embodiment of the application can collimate the light emitted by the light sources through the collimating elements, can direct the scattered light emitted by the light sources to the same direction, avoids the scattering of the light emitted by the light sources, and thus can improve the brightness of the light emitted by the light sources; compared with the traditional active light-emitting image source, the active light-emitting image source provided by the embodiment can ensure sufficient brightness under the requirement of the same brightness at a smaller power, and can reduce power consumption.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of display imaging technology, in particular, to an active light-emitting image source. BACKGROUND

[0002] The head up display (HUD) technology is to project vehicle information such as vehicle speed on the windshield or other glass by using the principle of optical reflection, which can avoid the distraction caused by the driver looking down at the instrument panel during driving, thereby improving the driving safety factor and bringing better driving experience.

[0003] The image source of the existing windshield display HUD is mostly a liquid crystal display (LCD). If the HUD adopts the traditional LCD image source, the brightness of the HUD display imaging on the windshield is low, and the brightness of the HUD display imaging on the windshield is generally ensured by increasing the brightness of the LCD image source, which not only leads to high power consumption of the image source, but also has large heat generation, thereby increasing the heat dissipation requirement of the HUD. SUMMARY

[0004] To solve the above problems, the purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide an active light-emitting image source.

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide an active light-emitting image source, which comprises a light control device and a plurality of light sources; the plurality of light sources are distributed and arranged at different positions; the light control device comprises a collimating element;

[0006] The collimating element covers one or more light sources, and is used for collimating and emitting the light emitted by the covered light source.

[0007] In the scheme provided in the above embodiments of the present application, the light emitted by the light source is collimated by the collimating element, which can unify the scattered light emitted by the light source to the same direction, avoid the scattering of the light emitted by the light source, and thereby improve the brightness of the light emitted by the light source; compared with the traditional active light-emitting image source, the active light-emitting image source provided in the present embodiment can ensure sufficient brightness under the same brightness requirement at a smaller power, and can reduce the power consumption.

[0008] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the following preferred embodiments are described in detail below, and the accompanying drawings are described as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0010] Figure 1 A first structural schematic diagram of an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0011] Figure 2 A second structural schematic diagram of an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0012] Figure 3 A third structural schematic diagram of an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0013] Figure 4 A fourth structural schematic diagram of an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0014] Figure 5 A fifth structural schematic diagram of an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0015] Figure 6 A sixth structural schematic diagram of an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0016] Figure 7 A seventh structural schematic diagram of an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0017] Figure 8 A first structural schematic diagram of a 3D active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0018] Figure 9 A second structural schematic diagram of a 3D active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0019] Figure 10a A first arrangement schematic diagram of light sources in an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0020] Figure 10b A second arrangement schematic diagram of light sources in an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0021] Figure 10c A third arrangement schematic diagram of light sources in an active light-emitting image source provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0022] Figure 10dA fourth arrangement of light sources in the active light-emitting image source is shown;

[0023] Figure 11 A first structure of the head-up display is shown;

[0024] Figure 12 An imaging of the conventional image source is shown;

[0025] Figure 13 A first imaging of the active light-emitting image source eliminating distortion is shown;

[0026] Figure 14 A second imaging of the active light-emitting image source eliminating distortion is shown;

[0027] Figure 15 An imaging of the head-up display on the windshield is shown;

[0028] Figure 16 A second structure of the head-up display is shown.

[0029] Fig. 104- light source, 105- light gathering element, 106- diffusing element, 107- collimating element, 108- direction control element, 110- light blocking element, 1061- light spot, 1062- focusing position, 1081- concave substrate, 1082- lens, 100- light control device, 202- blocking layer, 203- columnar lens layer, 701- windshield, 800- active light-emitting image source, 810- image source substrate, 801- conventional image source, 910- mirror, 920- curved mirror. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0031] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used only for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or an indicated number of technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second", etc. can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly and specifically limited.

[0032] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrally connected; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, the active light-emitting image source is used to ensure the imaging brightness due to its higher light efficiency than the passive light-emitting image source (such as liquid crystal display and the like). In addition, the existing active light-emitting image source generally only arranges the light source according to certain rules to generate a specific image on the surface. For example, the LED array arranged in sequence can form a gray-scale image by using the LED array that can emit different brightness; if the LED is a color LED that can emit red light, green light or blue light, a color image can be formed by controlling the on-off and brightness of the LED.

[0034] Although the conventional active light-emitting image source improves the light utilization rate compared with the passive light-emitting image source, the active light-emitting image source still has a large observation angle, which still causes a certain degree of light waste. The present embodiment provides an active light-emitting image source, as shown in the figure, which comprises a light control device 100 and a plurality of light sources 104; the plurality of light sources 104 are distributed and arranged at different positions; the light control device 100 comprises a collimating element 107. The collimating element 107 covers one or more light sources 104, and is used to collimate and emit the light emitted by the covered light source 104. Figure 1

[0035] In the present embodiment, the collimating element 107 is used to adjust the emission direction of the light to be within a preset angle range, Figure 1 The present embodiment takes an example of one light source setting one collimating element 107. The light source 104 can be a LED, and one collimating element 107 is arranged on the surface of each LED to collimate the diffused light emitted by the LED, so that most of the light emitted by the LED is directed to the same direction.

[0036] ​Optionally, the collimating element 107 can be a collimating lens or a collimating film; the collimating lens includes one or more of a convex lens, a Fresnel lens, a lens combination (such as a combination of a convex lens and a concave lens, a combination of a Fresnel lens and a concave lens, etc.). Specifically, the collimating element 107 can be a convex lens, and the light source 104 can be arranged at the focal length of the convex lens, that is, the distance between the convex lens and the light source position is the focal length of the convex lens, so that the light rays emitted in different directions by the light source 104 can be parallel after passing through the collimating element 107. Alternatively, the collimating element 107 can be a collimating film, such as a BEF film (Brightness Enhancement Film, brightness enhancement film), which is used to adjust the emission direction of the light rays to a preset angle range, for example, to collect the light rays within an angle range of ±35° of the normal line of the collimating film.

[0037] Specifically, the light source 104 can be an electroluminescent device, such as a light-emitting diode (LED), an incandescent lamp, a laser, a quantum dot light source, etc., specifically, such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a mini light-emitting diode (Mini LED), a micro light-emitting diode (Micro LED), a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), an electroluminescent display (ELD), a cold LED light source (CLL), an electro luminescent (EL), a field emission display (FED), a halogen tungsten lamp, a metal halide lamp, etc.

[0038] The active light-emitting image source provided in the embodiment can collimate the light rays emitted by the light source through the collimating element, can unify the scattered light emitted by the light source to the same direction, and can avoid the scattering of the light rays emitted by the light source, so as to improve the brightness of the light rays emitted by the light source; compared with a traditional active light-emitting image source, the active light-emitting image source provided in the embodiment can ensure sufficient brightness under the requirement of the same brightness at a smaller power, and can reduce power consumption.

[0039] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, in order to further improve the brightness of the active light-emitting image source, the light ray control device 100 of the active light-emitting image source provided in the embodiment further includes a light ray collecting element 105. Referring to FIG. 1, Figure 2

[0040] ​The light gathering element 105 is arranged on the side of the collimating element 107 away from the light source 104, and is used to gather the light emitted by all the light sources 104 to the same position, i.e. Figure 2 a preset position 1062 in the light control device 100. As shown in Figure 2 , the light gathering element 105 can correspond to multiple collimating elements 107.

[0041] Optionally, in order to realize light gathering, in addition to using the gathering element 105, the light gathering of the light source can also be realized by adjusting the orientation of the main optical axis of each light source. As shown in Figure 3 , the light control device 100 further comprises a direction control element 108.

[0042] The direction control element 108 corresponds to one or more light sources 104, and is used to adjust the orientation of the main optical axis of the corresponding light source 104, so as to gather the light emitted by the light source 104 at different positions; as shown in Figure 3 , the light emitted by the light source 104 is gathered to a preset position 1062.

[0043] In this embodiment, the light emitted by the light source 104 is gathered by multiple direction control elements 108. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3 , light sources 104 are arranged at different positions, and Figure 3 seven light sources 104 are taken as an example to illustrate the arrangement of the light sources 104; correspondingly, seven direction control elements 108 are arranged to control the direction of the light emitted by the light source 104. As shown in Figure 3 , the direction control element 108 gathers the light emitted by multiple light sources 104 to a preset position 1062. Among them, Figure 3 , the preset position 1062 in this embodiment can also be a small area, i.e. only the light emitted by the light source 104 needs to be gathered into this area. Specifically, the direction of the light emitted by the light source 104 is adjusted by adjusting the orientation of the direction control element 108 at different positions, i.e. adjusting the orientation of the main optical axis of the light source, so as to realize light gathering.

[0044] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4 , the direction control element is a concave substrate 1081, and the light source 104 is arranged on the concave surface of the substrate 1081, and the plane where the light source 104 is located is tangent to the concave surface of the substrate 1081. By setting the shape of the substrate 1081, the direction of the main optical axis of the light source 104 can also be adjusted, thereby realizing the gathering function.

[0045] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5As shown, the direction control element 108 is a lens 1082 with an inclined angle, and the principal optical axis of the lens 1082 is oriented towards the preset position 1062. The orientation of the lens 1082 is used to adjust the principal optical axis of the light source 104.

[0046] Based on the above embodiments, when focusing is achieved using the light-gathering element 105 or the direction control element 108, the imaging brightness of the active light-emitting image source is very high, but the image size is small, and the viewing range is small, making it unsuitable for multiple viewers. In this embodiment, the light control device 100 also includes a diffusion element 106. See also Figure 6 or Figure 7 As shown, the diffusion element 106 is disposed on the side of the light focusing element 105 away from the light source 104, or on the side of the direction control element 108 away from the light source 104. The diffusion element 106 is used to diffuse the light emitted by the light source 104 and form a light spot 1061.

[0047] by Figure 7 For example, in this embodiment, multiple direction control elements 108 are used to converge the light emitted from the light source 104. For details, see... Figure 7 As shown, light sources 104 are installed at different locations. Figure 7 The example uses seven light sources 104; correspondingly, seven direction control elements 108 are provided to control the direction of the light emitted by the light sources 104. Figure 7 As shown, when the diffusion element 106 is absent, the direction control element 108 converges the light emitted by the multiple light sources 104 to a preset position 1062. Figure 7 Taking point 1062 as an example, the preset position 1062 in this embodiment can also be a very small area, that is, it is only necessary to focus the light emitted by the light source 104 into this area. Specifically, the direction of the light emitted by the light source 104 is adjusted by setting the orientation of the direction control element 108 at different positions, thereby achieving light convergence.

[0048] Meanwhile, if light from different locations is simply converged to a very small preset position 1062, the active light-emitting image source can only image within a very small area, making it inconvenient for the observer to view the image formed by the image source. In this embodiment, the light is diffused by the diffusion element 106, forming a light spot 1061 of a preset shape with a larger imaging range, thereby making it convenient for the observer to view the image source image over a larger area. Specifically, with Figure 7 Taking the leftmost direction control element 108 as an example, as follows: Figure 7As shown, when the diffusion element 106 is not present, the light A emitted by the leftmost light source 104 can be directed along the light path a to the preset position 1062. When the diffusion element 106 is set outside the direction control element 108, the diffusion element 106 disperses the light A into multiple light rays (including light rays A1, light rays A2, etc.) and disperses them into a range, namely the light spot 1061, so that the observer can view the image of the active light source within the range of the light spot 1061.

[0049] Optionally, the diffusing element 106 includes, but is not limited to, diffractive optical elements (DOEs), such as beam shaders. After light passes through the diffractive optical element, it diffuses and forms a light spot with a specific geometric shape. The size and shape of the light spot are determined by the microstructure of the diffractive optical element. The shape of the light spot includes, but is not limited to, circles, ellipses, squares, rectangles, and batwing shapes. The diffusion angle of the diffused light spot in the side-view direction can be 10 degrees, preferably 5 degrees; the diffusion angle in the front-view direction can be 50 degrees, preferably 30 degrees.

[0050] The system includes multiple direction control elements 108, each positioned at a different location to adjust the emission direction of light emitted from light sources at different locations. All light emitted from light sources at different locations points to the same preset position. Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 The number of direction control elements 108 is seven. One direction control element 108 can adjust the light emitted by one light source 104, or it can adjust the light emitted by multiple light sources 104. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0051] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 7 The diffusion effect of the diffusion element 106 is only illustrative. The diffusion element 106 can diffuse light into the area of ​​the light spot 1061, but it does not completely confine the light emitted by the light source 104 to the light spot 1061. That is, light A may form a larger light spot after passing through the diffusion element 106, and light emitted by other light sources 104 may form other light spots after passing through the diffusion element 106, but light emitted by all light sources 104 can reach the light spot 1061.

[0052] This embodiment provides an active light-emitting image source that uses a direction control element to converge light from different locations to the same location, thereby increasing the light brightness. At the same time, it uses a diffusion element to diffuse the light, thereby forming a light spot of a preset shape, which facilitates subsequent imaging within the light spot area. Thus, while increasing the light brightness, it can also expand the imaging range.

[0053] The direction control element 108 is used to adjust the outgoing direction of the light emitted by one or more light sources 104.

[0054] A point (x, y, z) on the plane where the direction control element 108 is located satisfies the following equation:

[0055] (x p -x0)(x-x0)+(y p -y0)(y-y0)+(z p -z0)(z-z0)=0.

[0056] Wherein, x p , y p , and z p represent the x-axis coordinate, y-axis coordinate, and z-axis coordinate of the preset position 1062 respectively, and x0, y0, and z0 represent the x-axis coordinate, y-axis coordinate, and z-axis coordinate of a known point on the plane where the direction control element 108 is located respectively.

[0057] In this embodiment, the plane where the direction control element 108 is located refers to the arrangement plane of the plurality of light sources 104 when the direction control element 108 is used to adjust the outgoing direction of the light emitted by the plurality of light sources 104. That is, the outgoing direction of the light is perpendicular to the plane where the direction control element 108 is located. If the preset position 1062 toward which the light is directed is set as a point P, the coordinates of which are (x p , y p , and z p ), and the coordinates of a known point M0 on the plane where the direction control element 108 is located are (x0, y0, and z0), then the vector corresponding to the outgoing direction of the light is:

[0058]

[0059] is the normal vector of the plane where the direction control element 108 is located, and (x0, y0, and z0) is a point on the plane. According to the point normal form equation, a point (x, y, z) on the plane where the direction control element 108 is located satisfies the following equation:

[0060] (x p -x0)(x-x0)+(y p -y0)(y-y0)+(z p -z0)(z-z0)=0.

[0061] Meanwhile, in order to ensure the convergence effect of the active light-emitting image source, the size of the direction control element 108 needs to be as small as possible, and the size of the direction control element 108 can be determined according to actual needs. The point (x, y, z) on the plane where the direction control element 108 is located satisfies the following value range:

[0062] where x1, x2, y1, y2, z1, and z2 are values determined according to the position of each direction control element 108, and the values of x1, x2, y1, y2, z1, and z2 corresponding to different direction control elements 108 are not completely the same; or,

[0063] The point (x, y, z) on the plane where the direction control element 108 is located satisfies the following value range:

[0064] where Δx1, Δx2, Δy1, Δy2, Δz1, and Δz2 are values determined based on the size of the direction control element 108.

[0065] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments, the light control device 100 further comprises a light blocking element; the light blocking element is arranged at the outermost side of the light control device, such as being arranged at the side of the diffusion element 106 away from the light source 104, and the light blocking element is used to limit the exit angle of the light emitted by the active light-emitting image source.

[0066] Specifically, the light blocking element physically blocks the propagation of light in certain directions through an array of raised barriers. By designing the height and width of the barriers, the angle at which an observer can see the light can be limited. In the present embodiment, the light blocking element of the active light-emitting image source can be directly arranged outside the diffusion element 106.

[0067] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments, the direction control element 108 further comprises a reflecting element; the reflecting element comprises a lamp cup; the lamp cup is a hollow shell surrounded by a reflecting surface, and the opening direction of the lamp cup is towards the collimating element 107; the tail end of the lamp cup away from the opening is used to arrange the light source 104.

[0068] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments, referring to Figure 8 The active light-emitting image source further comprises: a blocking layer 202, the blocking layer 202 is arranged at the side of the collimating element 107 away from the light source 104, and a predetermined distance is provided between the blocking layer 202 and the collimating element 107; the blocking layer 202 comprises a plurality of blocking units arranged at intervals.

[0069] In Figure 8For example, the active light-emitting image source includes 6 light sources 104, and the blocking layer 202 includes 5 blocking units. One light source 104 corresponds to one pixel unit. As shown in the figure, due to the existence of the interval between the blocking layer 202 and the light source 104, and the blocking layer 202 can block light, part (R1, R2, R3) of the light emitted by the light source 104 cannot reach the left eye position, so the left eye can only watch the light emitted by the pixel units L1, L2, and L3. Similarly, the right eye can only watch the light emitted by the pixel units R1, R2, and R3. Therefore, the blocking layer 202 can divide all the light sources 104 into two parts. The light emitted by one part of the light sources 104 can only reach the left eye position, such as L1, L2, and L3. The light emitted by the other part of the light sources 104 can only reach the right eye position, such as R1, R2, and R3. When displaying an image, two images with parallax are displayed by different light sources 104, so that the image watched by the left eye and the image watched by the right eye have parallax, thereby realizing 3D imaging.

[0070] The size of each blocking unit in the blocking layer 202 and the position between the blocking units are specially designed after precise calculation, and then imaging can be realized at a specific position. This way does not require the observer to wear special eyes to watch the 3D image, but the observer needs to be at a specific position to watch a better 3D imaging effect.

[0071] Optionally, the blocking unit of the blocking layer 202 is liquid crystal. When the liquid crystal of the blocking layer 202 works, the liquid crystal can make the light pass through; when the liquid crystal does not work, the liquid crystal is equivalent to a non-transparent baffle, which can also achieve the effect of blocking light by the blocking unit. Specifically, when the observer needs to watch a 2D image, the liquid crystal of the blocking layer 202 works, and the active light-emitting image source normally displays a 2D image. When the observer needs to watch a 3D image, the liquid crystal of the blocking layer 202 does not work, and different pixels (i.e., different light sources 104) of the active light-emitting image source display images with parallax, so that the observer can watch a 3D image at a specific position.

[0072] Alternatively, the blocking layer 202 can be a complete liquid crystal, i.e., the blocking layer 202 is not divided into multiple blocking units in structure, but by controlling the working state of the liquid crystal of the blocking layer 202, multiple spaced blocking units can be formed; that is, it can be determined which part of the blocking layer needs to block light (equivalent to a blocking unit) and which part needs to transmit light, and the blocking effect can also be achieved at this time. In addition, the working state of the liquid crystal in the blocking layer 202 can be controlled in combination with the position of the human eye, so that the blocking layer 202 can adjust which liquid crystal units are not working (i.e., block light) and which liquid crystal units need to transmit light (i.e., equivalent to no blocking unit) in real time following the position of the human eye, so that the observer can view the 3D image at any position, solving the problem that the observer can only view the 3D image at a specific position after the blocking unit of the fixed blocking layer 202.

[0073] On the basis of the above embodiment, referring to Figure 9 The active light-emitting image source further includes: a cylindrical lens layer 203, which is arranged on the side of the collimating element 107 away from the light source 104.

[0074] The cylindrical lens layer includes a plurality of vertically arranged cylindrical lenses, and each cylindrical lens covers at least two different columns of light sources 104; the cylindrical lens is used to direct the light emitted by one column of light sources 104 to a first position and the light emitted by another column of light sources 104 to a second position.

[0075] In this embodiment, the light emitted by different columns of light sources 104 is refracted to different positions by the cylindrical lens, so that 3D imaging can be achieved. Specifically, referring to Figure 9 As shown in the figure, Figure 9 is a top view, and in the vertical direction, the active light-emitting image source includes 12 columns of light sources, and each column of light sources includes one or more light sources (i.e., a column of light sources can include one or more LEDs); for simplicity of description, this embodiment takes each column including one light source 104 as an example. Among them, the cylindrical lens layer 203 includes 6 cylindrical lenses, and each cylindrical lens covers two columns of light sources 104; as Figure 9As shown, the uppermost cylindrical lens covers light sources R1 and L1. Based on the refractive properties of the cylindrical lens, by setting the curved surface of the cylindrical lens, light rays emitted from one light source can be directed to a first position after passing through the cylindrical lens, for example, light rays emitted from light source R1 directed to the right eye position; simultaneously, light rays emitted from another light source can be directed to a second position after passing through the cylindrical lens, for example, light rays emitted from light source L1 directed to the left eye position. By precisely setting the shape of the cylindrical lens, all light sources of the active light-emitting image source can be divided into two groups, with light rays emitted from one group directed to a certain position, and light rays emitted from the other group directed to another position. That is, as shown... Figure 9 As shown, the light emitted by light sources R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, etc. can converge to the right eye position, and the light emitted by light sources L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, etc. can converge to the left eye position. Thus, when two different light sources display images with parallax, the observer can view a 3D image from a specific position.

[0076] Optionally, in this embodiment, all light sources 104 are arranged in a close-packed manner to improve the resolution of the active light source imaging. For details, see... Figure 10a As shown, the light source 104 is circular in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are arranged in close stacks. Figure 10a In this process, all light sources 104 are mounted on the image source substrate 810. Figure 10a The image shows a close-packed arrangement of two circular light sources, and Figure 10a The dashed lines in (and below) Figure 10b and Figure 10d The dashed lines (in the diagram) are merely used to distinguish between the two close-packing methods and have no practical significance. In this embodiment, "the shape of the light source" refers to the shape of the light source as observed along the direction in which the light is emitted.

[0077] Since the light source 104 is generally a point light source, using a circular light source 104 can utilize the light emitted by the light source 104 most efficiently, improving light utilization. However, when the circular light sources 104 are arranged closely together, there will inevitably be gaps between the two light sources 104, thus reducing space utilization. To balance light utilization and space utilization, the light sources 104 can be arranged in a completely compact stacking manner. In this embodiment, "completely compact stacking" means that after compact stacking, there may be no gaps between the light sources 104. When the light source 104 is rectangular or hexagonal (preferably regular hexagonal), a completely compact stacking arrangement can be achieved. See also Figure 10b As shown, the shape of the light source 104 is rectangular, and multiple light sources 104 are completely and closely stacked. Figure 10b Two close-packing methods for rectangular light sources are shown. Alternatively, see... Figure 10cAs shown, the light source 104 is hexagonal in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are arranged in a completely compact stack.

[0078] While the hexagonal arrangement improves space utilization, it also slightly reduces light utilization. Optionally, the light source 104 is octagonal (preferably a regular octagon), and multiple light sources 104 are closely stacked, such as... Figure 10d As shown. Furthermore, since octagons cannot achieve a completely close packing, small light sources can be used to fill the gaps. Specifically, as... Figure 10d As shown, sub-light sources 1045, whose size matches the gaps, are additionally arranged in the gaps between the four light sources 104. The sub-light sources 1045 can be of any shape; Figure 10d illustrates this by using an octagonal sub-light source 1045 as an example. Since an octagon is closer to a circle than a hexagon, it has a higher light utilization rate and also a higher space utilization rate compared to a circular array.

[0079] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of the present invention also provide a head-up display (HUD), wherein the image source of the head-up display is an active light-emitting image source.

[0080] For details, see Figure 11 As shown, the active light-emitting image source 800 of the head-up display includes an image source substrate 810 and a plurality of light sources 104, and all the light sources 104 are disposed on the image source substrate 810 and on the same side of the image source substrate 810. Figure 11 As shown, all light sources 104 are located on the upper side of the image source substrate 810.

[0081] Traditional HUDs typically use passive light-emitting sources. Since the light from a passive light-emitting source must pass through a liquid crystal layer, its brightness is relatively low. To ensure sufficient brightness for the HUD's image, a higher power supply is required. The HUD in this embodiment uses an active light-emitting source, which does not require light to pass through a liquid crystal layer during imaging. This significantly improves the efficiency of the light source and reduces power consumption. Furthermore, active light-emitting sources eliminate the need for a liquid crystal layer, reducing manufacturing steps and simplifying the production process. Optionally, the image source can be any of the active light-emitting sources described above.

[0082] In addition, see Figure 10a to Figure 10d As shown, the light source 104 is circular in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are closely stacked and arranged; or

[0083] The light source 104 is rectangular in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are arranged in a completely compact stack; or

[0084] The light source 104 is hexagonal in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are arranged in a completely close-packed manner; or

[0085] The light source 104 is octagonal in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are closely stacked and arranged; or

[0086] The light source 104 is circular or octagonal in shape. Multiple light sources 104 are stacked closely together, and sub-light sources 104 of the same size as the gaps are set in the gaps between the four light sources 104.

[0087] For details, see Figure 10a As shown, the light source 104 is circular in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are arranged in close stacks. Figure 10a In this process, all light sources 104 are mounted on the image source substrate 810. Figure 10a The image shows a close-packed arrangement of two circular light sources, and Figure 10a The dashed lines in (and below) Figure 10b and Figure 10d The dashed lines (in the diagram) are merely used to distinguish between the two close-packing methods and have no practical significance. In this embodiment, "the shape of the light source" refers to the shape of the light source as observed along the direction in which the light is emitted.

[0088] Since the light source 104 is generally a point light source, using a circular light source 104 can utilize the light emitted by the light source 104 most efficiently, improving light utilization. However, when the circular light sources 104 are arranged closely together, there will inevitably be gaps between the two light sources 104, thus reducing space utilization. To balance light utilization and space utilization, the light sources 104 can be arranged in a completely compact stacking manner. In this embodiment, "completely compact stacking" means that after compact stacking, there may be no gaps between the light sources 104. When the light source 104 is rectangular or hexagonal (preferably regular hexagonal), a completely compact stacking arrangement can be achieved. See also Figure 10b As shown, the shape of the light source 104 is rectangular, and multiple light sources 104 are completely and closely stacked. Figure 10b Two close-packing methods for rectangular light sources are shown. Alternatively, see... Figure 10c As shown, the light source 104 is hexagonal in shape, and multiple light sources 104 are arranged in a completely compact stack.

[0089] While the hexagonal arrangement improves space utilization, it also slightly reduces light utilization. Optionally, the light source 104 is octagonal (preferably a regular octagon), and multiple light sources 104 are closely stacked, such as... Figure 10d As shown. Furthermore, since octagons cannot achieve a completely close packing, small light sources can be used to fill the gaps. Specifically, as... Figure 10dAs shown, sub-light sources 1045, whose size matches the gaps, are additionally arranged in the gaps between the four light sources 104. The sub-light sources 1045 can be of any shape; Figure 10d illustrates this by using an octagonal sub-light source 1045 as an example. Since an octagon is closer to a circle than a hexagon, it has a higher light utilization rate and also a higher space utilization rate compared to a circular array.

[0090] Optionally, when HUDs are applied to passenger vehicles (such as automobiles), imaging is generally achieved using the windshield of the vehicle. However, since the windshield is not flat but has a certain curvature, direct imaging using the windshield will result in distortion. In this embodiment of the invention, the light source 104 of the active light-emitting image source is arranged according to a first distortion pattern, which is opposite to and corresponds to the second distortion pattern of the windshield.

[0091] See details Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, when a conventional image source 801 is used to image on the windshield 701, the conventional image source 801 can form a virtual image on the windshield 701. However, due to the second distortion morphology of the windshield, the virtual image is a distorted image. Figure 12 The grid pattern on the windshield 701 represents a distorted virtual image. In this embodiment of the invention, a first distortion pattern that corresponds to and is opposite to the second distortion pattern of the windshield 701 is determined, and the light sources 104 in the active light-emitting image source 800 are arranged according to the first distortion pattern, such as arranging each LED of the active light-emitting image source 800, to eliminate the distortion caused by the windshield. See details. Figure 13 As shown, in this embodiment, the light sources 104 in the active light-emitting image source 800 are arranged according to the first distortion morphology. Figure 13 In the active light source 800, each grid represents a light source 104, so that a virtual image without distortion can be formed on the windshield 701. The grid pattern on the windshield 701 in Figure 13 represents a virtual image without distortion.

[0092] Optionally, when the light sources 104 in the active light source 800 are arranged according to a normal arrangement rule, for example according to... Figure 10a to Figure 10d One arrangement method allows the image emitted by the active light-emitting image source 800 to be set as an image with a first distortion morphology, thereby forming a distortion-free virtual image on the windshield 701. See details... Figure 14 As shown.

[0093] In this embodiment, by arranging the light sources of the active light-emitting image source in a specific arrangement, the imaging distortion caused by the curved windshield can be eliminated, making the HUD image on the windshield more regular.

[0094] Based on the above embodiments, the active light-emitting image source 800 further includes a light-blocking element 110; the light-blocking element 110 can prevent the driver from directly viewing the head-up display screen. See also... Figure 15 As shown, the light blocking element 110 includes a plurality of light blocking grilles with preset heights, and the height direction of the light blocking grilles is towards the windshield.

[0095] Specifically, the light-blocking element 110 includes multiple light-blocking fences with preset heights. These raised fences form a fence array to physically block the propagation of light in certain directions. By designing the height and width of the light-blocking fences, the angle at which an observer can see the light can be limited. For a detailed explanation of the principle of the light-blocking fence, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 15 As shown.

[0096] See Figure 15 As shown, the height direction of the light blocking element 110's light blocking grille faces the windshield 701. The height direction of the light blocking grille refers to the direction from the light blocking element on the side of the light source 104 to the outside of the active light source 800, which is also the direction of the light emitted from the active light source 800. Figure 15 The light-blocking barrier is represented by a small rectangle, and the length of this rectangle is the same as the height direction of the light-blocking barrier mentioned above. When the head-up display is working, it forms a real image on the screen surface and a virtual image through the windshield 701. Due to the light-blocking element 110, the driver's eye (eye-4) cannot see the real image on the head-up display screen, but can only see the virtual image formed by the head-up display through the windshield 701. That is, the head-up display screen cannot be directly viewed from the user's position. Therefore, when the user is driving, the brightness of the real image formed by the head-up display screen can be avoided from affecting the user's vision or causing dizziness, thus improving driving safety.

[0097] Based on the above embodiments, see Figure 16 As shown, the head-up display also includes: a reflector 910 and a curved mirror 920; the curved mirror 920 has a concave reflective surface.

[0098] The reflector 910 is positioned in the emission path of the light emitted from the active light source 800. The reflector 910 reflects the light emitted from the active light source to the curved mirror 920; the curved mirror 920 reflects the light emitted from the reflector 910 to the imaging area. See also... Figure 16As shown, the curved mirror 920 reflects light onto the windshield 701, thereby forming a virtual image on the outer side of the windshield 701 for the driver to view. At the same time, the concave reflective surface of the curved mirror 920 can expand the imaging area of ​​the active light source 800, so that even if the screen of the active light source 800 is not large, the head-up display can still image over a large area of ​​the windshield.

[0099] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An active light-emitting image source, characterized in that, The active light-emitting image source does not contain a liquid crystal layer for imaging; The active light-emitting image source includes: a light control device and multiple light sources; Multiple light sources are distributed and arranged in different locations; the light sources are configured to output light for grayscale or color images; The light control device includes a collimating element; the collimating element covers one or more light sources for collimating and emitting light emitted from the covered light sources. The light control device also includes a light blocking element; The light blocking element is disposed on the outermost side of the light control device. The light blocking element is used to limit the emission angle of the emitted light from the active light source so that the observer cannot directly see the screen of the head-up display. The light blocking element includes multiple light blocking fences with preset heights. When the image from the active light-emitting image source is located on the windshield, the height direction of the light-blocking fence is towards the windshield; When the windshield has a second distortion shape, the arrangement of the plurality of light sources is in a first distortion shape, and the first distortion shape and the second distortion shape are opposite and corresponding.

2. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 1, characterized in that, The collimating element is a collimating lens or a collimating film; The collimating lens includes one or more of the following: a convex lens, a Fresnel lens, and a lens combination.

3. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 2, characterized in that, The light control device also includes a light focusing element; The light-gathering element is disposed on the side of the collimating element away from the light source, and is used to converge all the light emitted by the light source.

4. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 3, characterized in that, The light control device also includes a direction control element; The direction control element corresponds to one or more light sources and is used to adjust the orientation of the main optical axis of the corresponding light source, thereby converging the light emitted by the light sources at different positions.

5. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 4, characterized in that, The number of the direction control elements is multiple, and different direction control elements are set in different positions to adjust the emission direction of the light emitted by the light source at different positions. The emission direction of the light emitted by the light source at different positions all points to the same preset position.

6. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 5, characterized in that, The direction control element is used to adjust the emission direction of light emitted from one or more light sources; Point on the plane where the direction control element is located Satisfy the following equation: ； in, These represent the x-axis coordinates, y-axis coordinates, and z-axis coordinates of the preset position, respectively. These represent the x-axis coordinates, y-axis coordinates, and z-axis coordinates of a known point on the plane where the direction control element is located, respectively.

7. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 6, characterized in that, Point on the plane where the direction control element is located It satisfies the following value range: ; among them These values ​​are determined based on the location of each direction control element, and different direction control elements correspond to different values. The values ​​are not exactly the same; or, Points on the plane where the direction control element is located It satisfies the following value range: ; among them The value is determined based on the size of the direction control element.

8. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 4, characterized in that, The direction control element is a concave substrate, and the light source is disposed on the concave surface of the substrate, with the plane of the light source being tangent to the concave surface of the substrate.

9. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 5, characterized in that, The direction control element is a lens with an inclined angle, and the main optical axis of the lens is oriented toward the preset position.

10. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 4, characterized in that, The direction control element also includes a reflective element; The reflective element includes a lamp cup; the lamp cup is a hollow shell surrounded by a reflective surface, and the opening of the lamp cup faces the collimating element; The end of the lamp cup furthest from the opening is used to house the light source.

11. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 4, characterized in that, The light control device also includes a diffusion element; The diffusion element is disposed on the side of the light focusing element away from the light source, or on the side of the direction control element away from the light source. The diffusion element is used to diffuse the light emitted by the light source and form a light spot.

12. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A blocking layer is disposed on the side of the collimating element away from the light source, and a preset distance is provided between the blocking layer and the collimating element; The barrier layer includes multiple barrier units spaced apart.

13. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 12, characterized in that, The blocking unit is a liquid crystal; or The barrier layer is an integral liquid crystal, and multiple spaced barrier units are formed by controlling the working state of the liquid crystal cells of the integral liquid crystal.

14. The active light-emitting image source according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A cylindrical lens layer is disposed on the side of the collimating element away from the light source; The columnar lens layer includes a plurality of vertically arranged columnar lenses, and each columnar lens covers at least two different columns of light sources; The cylindrical lens is used to direct the light emitted from one column of light sources to a first position and the light emitted from another column of light sources to a second position.

15. The active light-emitting image source according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The light source is circular in shape, and multiple light sources are closely packed together; or The light source is rectangular in shape, and multiple light sources are arranged in a completely compact stack; or The light source is hexagonal in shape, and multiple light sources are arranged in a completely close-packed manner; or The light source is octagonal in shape, and multiple light sources are closely stacked together; or The light source is circular or octagonal in shape, with multiple light sources stacked closely together, and additional sub-light sources of the same size as the gaps are set in the gaps between the four light sources.

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