Head-up display device and head-up display method

Abstract

A head-up display device (200) and method, the head-up display device (200) comprising: a visual positioning unit (210) for acquiring user's sight line information, and determining a target display area according to the sight line information, the target display area being a sub-area of ​​the overall display area corresponding to an image display unit (240); an image determination unit (220) for determining an image of a target content in the target display area, the target content being the content to be displayed in the overall display area corresponding to the target display area; an image control unit (230) for adjusting a light field, and generating a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content; an image display unit (240) for displaying the real image of the target content; and an optical unit (250) for forming a light beam based on the real image of the target content to generate a virtual image of the target content. The head-up display device and method can reduce the power consumption of the head-up display device (20), extend the life of the display element, and enable the user to obtain a good visual effect, which is conducive to improving driving safety.

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on May 15, 2020, with application number 202010412233.8 and application name “Head-up Display Device and Head-up Display Method”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of image processing, and more specifically, to a head-up display device and a head-up display method. Background Art

[0003] Head up display (HUD) technology, also known as head-up display technology, has been increasingly widely used in the automotive, aerospace and maritime fields in recent years. For example, in the automotive field, HUD technology projects important information about the car while driving onto the windshield, so that the driver of a vehicle equipped with a HUD device can see this information without lowering his head. This can help novice drivers who lack judgment of speed to control the speed and avoid speeding violations on many speed-limited roads. More importantly, HUD technology enables the driver to read the readings instantly without lowering or turning his head, always maintaining the best observation state, and avoiding accidents caused by the driver lowering or turning his head to look at the instrument and other information, and not being able to take effective measures in time due to an emergency ahead.

[0004] The current HUD technology fills the entire display area with all the information during driving. Too much information may interfere with the user's driving, and the power consumption is high under high brightness conditions, which will also reduce the life of the display elements of the HUD device. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a head-up display device and a head-up display method, which can reduce the power consumption of the head-up display device, extend the life of the display element, and enable the user to obtain a good visual effect, which is conducive to improving driving safety.

[0006] In a first aspect, a head-up display device is provided, including a visual positioning unit, an image determination unit, an image control unit, an image display unit and an optical unit; the visual positioning unit is used to obtain the user's line of sight information, and determine the target display area according to the line of sight information, the target display area being a sub-area of ​​the overall display area corresponding to the image display unit; the image determination unit is used to determine an image of a target content in the target display area, the target content being the content to be displayed in the overall display area corresponding to the target display area; the image control unit is used to adjust the light field, and generate a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content; the image display unit is used to display the real image of the target content; the optical unit is used to form a light beam based on the real image of the target content to generate a virtual image of the target content.

[0007] It should be understood that the visual positioning unit can use a camera to obtain head, face or eye images, and then parse the line of sight information through software, and then analyze the line of sight information to achieve line of sight positioning and tracking, and determine the target display area. The visual positioning unit can be an eye tracker system, Eye Tribe line of sight tracker, etc.

[0008] It should be understood that the image display unit may be a carrier for projection imaging, such as a diffusor or a screen.

[0009] It should be understood that the optical unit may include a lens or a lens group.

[0010] The head-up display device provided in the first aspect determines a target display area according to the user's line of sight information. The target display area is a sub-area of ​​the overall display area. Only the target content within the target display area is displayed, and the area outside the target display area is not displayed. This can reduce the power consumption of the head-up display device and extend the life of the display element. It can also make the displayed content more in line with the user's visual characteristics, avoid excessive redundant information interfering with the user, enable the user to obtain a good visual effect, and help improve driving safety.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the overall display area includes multiple sub-areas, each of the multiple sub-areas corresponds to a portion of the content to be displayed; and the target display area is one of the multiple sub-areas.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the plurality of sub-areas are obtained by dividing the overall display area in a fixed division manner or in an adaptive division manner, wherein the fixed division manner is simple and easy to implement, and the adaptive division manner is flexible and can be applied to more scenarios, and can be applied to AR scenarios.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the content to be displayed may include vehicle status content, road status content, navigation content, etc. The target content includes at least one of the vehicle status content, road status content, and navigation content.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the image control unit may include a spatial light modulator SLM. The image control unit may also include a light source. In this possible implementation, the SLM is used for image control, which has a simple structure and a fast modulation speed.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the image control unit may include a two-stage SLM, wherein the first-stage SLM is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second-stage SLM is used to load the image of the target content. In this possible implementation, the energy of the light is concentrated in the target display area for imaging, and the imaging brightness is high.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the two-stage SLM may be a two-stage LCOS element, wherein the first-stage LCOS element is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second-stage LCOS element is used to load the image of the target content. The LCOS element is easy to modulate and has a fast speed.

[0017] The specific implementation of the two-stage LCOS element may be: the first-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is a phase-type LCOS element, and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is an amplitude-type LCOS element.

[0018] The specific implementation of the two-stage LCOS element may also include: the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element are both phase-type LCOS elements.

[0019] The specific implementation of the two-stage LCOS element can also be: the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element are both phase-type LCOS elements, a first polarizer is provided between the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element, and a second polarizer is provided after the second-stage LCOS element.

[0020] In a second aspect, a head-up display method is provided, including: obtaining a user's line of sight information, determining a target display area according to the line of sight information, the target display area being a sub-area of ​​the overall display area; determining an image of a target content in the target display area, the target content being the content to be displayed in the overall display area that corresponds to the target display area; adjusting a light field, generating a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content; displaying the real image of the target content; and forming a light beam based on the real image of the target content to generate a virtual image of the target content.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, adjusting the light field to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area based on the image of the target content may include: adjusting the light field through a two-stage spatial light modulator SLM to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area based on the image of the target content.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the two-stage SLM is a two-stage LCOS element.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, a first-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is a phase-type LCOS element, and a second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is an amplitude-type LCOS element.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element are both phase-type LCOS elements.

[0025] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, a first polarizer is provided between the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element, and a second polarizer is provided after the second-stage LCOS element.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the overall display area corresponding to the image display unit includes multiple sub-areas, each of the multiple sub-areas corresponds to a portion of the content to be displayed; and the target display area is one of the multiple sub-areas.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the multiple sub-areas are obtained by dividing the entire display area in a fixed manner or in an adaptive manner.

[0028] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the target content includes at least one of vehicle status content, road status content, and navigation content.

[0029] According to a third aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program includes instructions for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0030] According to a fourth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0031] In a fifth aspect, a chip is provided, wherein instructions are stored, and when the chip is executed on a head-up display device, the head-up display device executes the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a head-up display scene.

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic block diagram of a head-up display device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a target display area and an overall display area according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a target display area according to an embodiment of the present application that changes with the user's line of sight.

[0036] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image control unit of an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image control unit of another embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of an image control unit according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 8 It is a schematic flow chart of a head-up display method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a head-up display scene is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the head-up display device can be installed near the windshield. Assume that in this head-up display scenario, there are objects A and B (for example, vehicles traveling in front, pedestrians passing by, etc.) in front of the driver or the front passenger and outside the windshield. The head-up display device can use the windshield or glass, reflectors, etc. near the windshield (collectively referred to as reflection units in this application) to image information such as driving speed and driving direction outside the windshield, so that the driver can see these driving information without lowering his head or turning his head. This application will be explained later using the windshield as the reflection unit as an example.

[0042] In the current head-up display devices in the industry, high brightness and low power consumption are a pair of contradictory requirements. The current head-up display devices cannot meet the user's expectations for high brightness and low power consumption. To achieve high brightness, higher power consumption is required, and at the same time, it is necessary to tolerate the reduction in the life of the display elements of the head-up display device. In addition, the head-up display device may interfere with the user's driving if it displays too much information.

[0043] In response to the above problems, the head-up display device and head-up display method provided by the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the technical solution of the present application can be applied to the automotive field, the aerospace field, and the navigation field. For example, the technical solution of the present application can be applied to vehicles, and can also be applied to other means of transportation such as airplanes, aerospace vehicles, and ships. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The present application refers to vehicles, airplanes, aerospace vehicles, ships, etc. as means of transportation, and the following description will take vehicles as an example. The technical solution of the present application can also be used in combination with augmented reality (AR) technology.

[0044] The present application provides a head-up display device. Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a head-up display device 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the head-up display device 200 includes a visual positioning unit 210, an image determination unit 220, an image control unit 230, an image display unit 240 and an optical unit 250. The visual positioning unit 210 is used to obtain the user's line of sight information, and determine the target display area according to the line of sight information. The target display area is a sub-area of ​​the overall display area corresponding to the image display unit. The image determination unit 220 is used to determine the image of the target content in the target display area. The target content is the content to be displayed in the overall display area that corresponds to the target display area. The image control unit 230 is used to adjust the light field and generate a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content. The image display unit 240 is used to display the real image of the target content. The optical unit 250 is used to form a light beam based on the real image of the target content to generate a virtual image of the target content.

[0045] The head-up display device provided in the embodiment of the present application determines a target display area according to the user's line of sight information. The target display area is a sub-area of ​​the overall display area. Only the target content within the target display area is displayed, and the area outside the target display area is not displayed. This can reduce the power consumption of the head-up display device and extend the life of the display element. It can also make the displayed content more in line with the user's visual characteristics, avoid excessive redundant information interfering with the user, enable the user to obtain a good visual effect, and help improve driving safety.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present application, the visual positioning unit 210 can use a camera or the like to obtain images of the head, face or eyes, and then parse the line of sight information through software, and then analyze the line of sight information to achieve line of sight positioning and tracking, and determine the target display area. The specific implementation of the visual positioning unit 210 can be based on existing visual positioning products. For example, typical visual positioning products include eye tracker systems, Eye Tribe line of sight trackers, etc. The visual positioning unit 210 can obtain the user's line of sight information in real time, or it can obtain the user's line of sight information in non-real time, and this application does not limit this.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present application, the image display unit 240 may correspond to an overall display area. The overall display area may include multiple sub-areas, each of which corresponds to a portion of the content to be displayed. The target display area determined by the visual positioning unit 210 may be one of the multiple sub-areas.

[0048] Specifically, the overall display area is divided into a plurality of sub-areas, which can be divided in a fixed manner or in an adaptive manner. In other words, the plurality of sub-areas can be obtained by dividing the overall display area in a fixed manner or in an adaptive manner.

[0049] In one example, the overall display area of ​​the image display unit 240 can be divided into multiple sub-areas in a fixed division manner, and each area fixedly displays a portion of the content to be displayed. That is, the sub-area corresponds one-to-one to the portion of the content to be displayed, and the correspondence can be set by the user or the manufacturer. The portion of content can be displayed in the form of an icon, that is, the sub-area corresponds one-to-one to the icon. For example, a sub-area fixedly displays a fuel gauge, another sub-area fixedly displays an odometer, and another sub-area fixedly displays a navigation map, and so on. The visual positioning unit 210 determines which sub-area the line of sight falls on based on the line of sight information, that is, the sub-area is the target display area, and displays the icon corresponding to the sub-area in the target display area. The specific determination of which sub-area the line of sight falls on can be determined by the visual positioning unit 210 based on calculations. Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a target display area and an overall display area according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] In another example, an adaptive division method can be used to divide a plurality of sub-areas from the overall display area of ​​the image display unit 240, and determine the target display area. That is, the sub-areas are divided according to the environmental information around the current vehicle, and a specific icon is displayed in the target display area where the line of sight falls. For example, if the user's current field of vision includes the road surface, the distant building, and the vehicle in front, the overall display area can be roughly divided into three sub-areas, corresponding to the road surface, the distant building, and the vehicle in front, respectively. If the user's line of sight is the ground, an area centered on the viewpoint can be used as the target display area to display the vehicle speed icon; if the user's line of sight is a distant building, an area centered on the viewpoint can be used as the target display area to display the building name icon; if the user's line of sight is the vehicle in front, an area centered on the viewpoint can be used as the target display area to display the vehicle distance icon. Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a target display area according to an embodiment of the present application that changes with the user's line of sight. Adaptive division can be applied to a scene combined with AR technology.

[0051] The content (i.e., target content) displayed by the head-up display device of some embodiments of the present application depends on the user. The user selects the display content through the line of sight according to his or her own wishes, rather than displaying all the content to be displayed. In one embodiment of the present application, assuming that there are m content modules to be displayed, and the power consumption required to display each content module is n, then the total power consumption required to display all content modules is m*n. If the solution of the present application is adopted, only one content module that the user's line of sight is focused on is displayed, and the required power consumption is n. Therefore, the head-up display device of the embodiment of the present application can maintain low power consumption and extend the life of the display element while maintaining high brightness.

[0052] In some embodiments of the present application, the image determination unit 220 may be used to provide an image of a target content in the target display area. The target content may include at least one of a vehicle status content, a road status content, and a navigation content.

[0053] The image determination unit 220 can determine the images of all the content to be displayed in the entire display area based on the information during the driving process. Because the content to be displayed changes in real time during the driving process of the vehicle, this solution can determine the images of all the content to be displayed in advance, and after capturing the target display area of ​​the user's attention, directly control the display of the image through the image control unit 230, which is conducive to improving the overall efficiency of the head-up display device and avoiding affecting the user experience.

[0054] The image determination unit 220 may also only determine the image of the target content in the target display area, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. This solution calculates the image of the target content after capturing the target display area of ​​interest to the user, and the amount of calculation is generally small. The image determination unit 220 with a faster processing speed may be configured to avoid affecting the user experience due to delays caused by calculations.

[0055] In some embodiments of the present application, the image display unit 240 may be a display screen, and the image display unit 240 may also be a carrier for projection imaging, such as a diffusor or a curtain, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present application, the optical unit 250 can project the image on the image display unit 240 onto a reflective unit (e.g., a windshield) for magnified display, so that the user can observe the virtual image. The optical unit 250 may include a lens or a lens group. The optical unit 250 may be based on an existing HUD optical system, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present application, the image control unit 230 modulates the light field according to the position of the target display area to illuminate the target display area. In some embodiments of the present application, the image control unit 230 may include a spatial light modulator (SLM). Using SLM for image control has a simple structure and a fast modulation speed. The image control unit 230 may also include other image control devices, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present application, the image control unit 230 may be based on a single-stage SLM, such as a single-stage liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) element. The embodiments of the present application may use a single-stage LCOS element to directly generate an image of the target content, and control the image of the target content to be imaged in the target display area. This solution requires a mechanical structure to adjust the light so that it only generates an image of the target content in the target display area, and does not display the image in other parts.

[0059] In some other embodiments of the present application, the image control unit 230 may include a two-level SLM, wherein the first-level SLM is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second-level SLM is used to load the image of the target content.

[0060] It should be understood that in each embodiment of the present application, the second-level SLM can only load the image of the target content, or can also load all the content to be displayed in the entire display area. Since the first-level SLM only illuminates the target display area, images in other areas will not be displayed.

[0061] Optionally, each level of SLM can be an LCOS element, that is, the two-level SLM can be a two-level LCOS element. Among them, the first-level LCOS element is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second-level LCOS element is used to load the image of the target content. Since the energy of the light is concentrated in the target display area for imaging, this solution has high imaging brightness. Moreover, compared with the existing image control unit that displays all the content to be displayed, it only needs to add one level of LCOS element without adjusting the optical-mechanical structure of the image control unit, and the manufacturing process is simple. In some other embodiments of the present application, the SLM can also be a liquid crystal display (liquid crystal display, LCD) or a digital micro-mirror device (digital micro-mirror device, DMD), etc.

[0062] In other embodiments of the present application, the image control unit may further include more levels of SLM, such as more levels of LCOS elements. Optionally, the image control unit 230 may further include other elements, such as a light source.

[0063] The specific structures of the image control units of several embodiments of the present application are described in detail below.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present application, the first LCOS element of the two-stage LCOS element of the image control unit is a phase-type LCOS element, and the second LCOS element of the two-stage LCOS element is an amplitude-type LCOS element. The first LCOS element is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second LCOS element is used to load the image of the target content.

[0065] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image control unit according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown in A, B and C in FIG. 1 , the image control unit includes a light source (for example, a fiber laser), a phase-type LCOS element as a first-stage LCOS element, and an amplitude-type LCOS element as a second-stage LCOS element.

[0066] During the production process of the image control unit, or before the image control unit leaves the factory, the image control unit can be calibrated. The purpose of the calibration is to find the correspondence between the multiple sub-areas in the overall display area and the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-level LCOS element (phase-type LCOS element), and save the correspondence. During the use of the image control unit, after determining the target display area, the parameters of the holographic phase distribution can be accurately and quickly changed by finding the correspondence to illuminate the target display area.

[0067] The specific calibration process may be: loading a black-and-white image for the second-level LCOS element (amplitude-type LCOS element), wherein the position, size and shape of the white part in the black-and-white image corresponds to a sub-region; changing the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the phase-type LCOS element to change the position, size and shape of the light on the amplitude-type LCOS element, and using an optical power meter to detect the power of the light on the amplitude-type LCOS element; when the power read by the optical power meter is the largest, it indicates that the change in the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the phase-type LCOS element causes the sub-region to be illuminated, and the calibration of the sub-region is completed. Figure 5 A, B and C in the figure are examples of changing the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the phase-type LCOS element to change the position, size and shape of the light on the amplitude-type LCOS element.

[0068] During the use of the image control unit, the incident light emitted by the light source reaches the phase-type LCOS element. According to the correspondence between the calibrated sub-area and the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the phase-type LCOS element, the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the phase-type LCOS element can be adjusted to modulate the incident light. The modulated light hits the corresponding area of ​​the amplitude-type LCOS element, that is, the target display area. By adjusting the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the amplitude-type LCOS element, the image of the final desired target content can be obtained on the amplitude-type LCOS element.

[0069] In some other embodiments of the present application, the first LCOS element and the second LCOS element of the two-stage LCOS element of the image control unit are both phase-type LCOS elements, wherein the first LCOS element is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second LCOS element is used to load the image of the target content.

[0070] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image control unit in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, the image control unit includes a light source (eg, a fiber laser), a phase-type LCOS element as a first-stage LCOS element, and a phase-type LCOS element as a second-stage LCOS element.

[0071] During the production process of the image control unit, or before the image control unit leaves the factory, the image control unit can be calibrated. The purpose of the calibration is to find the correspondence between multiple sub-areas in the overall display area and the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-level LCOS element, and save the correspondence. During the use of the image control unit, after determining the target display area, the parameters of the holographic phase distribution can be accurately and quickly changed by finding the correspondence to illuminate the target display area.

[0072] The specific calibration process may be: loading a black-and-white image for the second-stage LCOS element, wherein the position, size and shape of the self-colored part in the black-and-white image corresponds to a sub-region; changing the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-stage LCOS element to change the position, size and shape of the light on the second-stage LCOS element, and using an optical power meter to detect the power of the light on the second-stage LCOS element; when the power read by the optical power meter is the largest, it indicates that the change in the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-stage LCOS element causes the sub-region to be illuminated, and the calibration of the sub-region is completed.

[0073] During the use of the image control unit, the incident light emitted by the light source reaches the first-level LCOS element. According to the correspondence between the calibrated sub-area and the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-level LCOS element, the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-level LCOS element can be adjusted to modulate the incident light. The modulated light hits the corresponding area of ​​the second-level LCOS element, that is, the target display area. By adjusting the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the second-level LCOS element, the image of the final desired target content can be obtained on the second-level LCOS element.

[0074] In some other embodiments of the present application, the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element of the two-stage LCOS element of the image control unit are both phase-type LCOS elements. A first polarizer is provided between the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element, and a second polarizer is provided after the second-stage LCOS element. The first-stage LCOS element is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second-stage LCOS element is used to load an image of the target content.

[0075] Optionally, the polarization directions of the first polarizer and the second polarizer may be orthogonal to each other. The combination of the two polarizers and the second-stage LCOS element may be equivalent to an amplitude-type LCOS element.

[0076] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image control unit according to another embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the image control unit includes a light source (for example, a fiber laser), a phase-type LCOS element as a first-level LCOS element, a first polarizer located between the first-level LCOS element and the second-level LCOS element, a phase-type LCOS element as a second-level LCOS element, and a second polarizer after the second-level LCOS element.

[0077] During the production process of the image control unit, or before the image control unit leaves the factory, the image control unit can be calibrated. The purpose of the calibration is to find the correspondence between multiple sub-areas in the overall display area and the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-level LCOS element, and save the correspondence. During the use of the image control unit, after determining the target display area, the parameters of the holographic phase distribution can be accurately and quickly changed by finding the correspondence to illuminate the target display area.

[0078] The specific calibration process may be: loading a black-and-white image for the second-stage LCOS element, wherein the position, size and shape of the self-colored part in the black-and-white image corresponds to a sub-region; changing the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-stage LCOS element to change the position, size and shape of the light on the second-stage LCOS element, and using an optical power meter to detect the power of the light on the second-stage LCOS element; when the power read by the optical power meter is the largest, it indicates that the change in the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-stage LCOS element causes the sub-region to be illuminated, and the calibration of the sub-region is completed.

[0079] During the use of the image control unit, the incident light emitted by the light source reaches the first-level LCOS element. According to the correspondence between the calibrated sub-area and the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-level LCOS element, the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-level LCOS element can be adjusted to modulate the incident light. The modulated light hits the corresponding area of ​​the second-level LCOS element, that is, the target display area. By adjusting the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the second-level LCOS element, the image of the final desired target content can be obtained on the second-level LCOS element.

[0080] In various embodiments of the present application, the first-stage SLM may function to change the distribution of the light field, and the second-stage SLM may function to provide an image source. The light field is modulated by the first-stage SLM to illuminate the corresponding area of ​​the second-stage SLM, thereby achieving high brightness and low power consumption.

[0081] Phase-type LCOS only changes the phase of light without affecting the intensity and polarization state of light, and can change the distribution of the light field, and can also be used as a holographic imaging element. Amplitude-type LCOS can only change the intensity of light and can be used as a holographic imaging element. Therefore, in each embodiment of the present application, the first-stage SLM is set as a phase-type LCOS element, and the second-stage SLM can be either a phase-type LCOS or an amplitude-type LCOS.

[0082] The present application also provides a head-up display method. Figure 8 8 is a schematic flow chart of a head-up display method 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 800 includes the following steps.

[0083] S810, obtaining sight line information of the user, and determining a target display area according to the sight line information, where the target display area is a sub-area of ​​the overall display area.

[0084] S820: Determine an image of target content in the target display area, where the target content is content to be displayed in the entire display area that corresponds to the target display area.

[0085] S830, adjusting the light field, and generating a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content.

[0086] S840, displaying a real image of the target content.

[0087] S850, forming a light beam based on the real image of the target content to generate a virtual image of the target content.

[0088] The head-up display method provided in the embodiment of the present application determines a target display area according to the user's line of sight information. The target display area is a sub-area of ​​the overall display area. Only target content within the target display area is displayed, and areas outside the target display area are not displayed. This can reduce the power consumption of the head-up display device and extend the life of the display element. It can also make the displayed content more in line with the user's visual characteristics, avoid excessive redundant information interfering with the user, enable the user to obtain a good visual effect, and help improve driving safety.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present application, S830 adjusts the light field to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content, which may include: adjusting the light field through a spatial light modulator SLM to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content. Other embodiments of the present application may generate a real image of the target content in the target display area based on other image control devices, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0090] Optionally, in some embodiments, the light field may be adjusted by a single-stage SLM to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area; or the light field may be adjusted by a two-stage SLM to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area.

[0091] SLM can be LCOS, LCD, DMD, etc.

[0092] In some embodiments of the present application, a light field is adjusted by two-stage SLM to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area, and the SLM is an LCOS element. Among them, the first-stage LCOS element is used to illuminate the target display area, and the second-stage LCOS element is used to load the image of the target content. Optionally, the head-up display device may also include other elements, such as a light source. In other embodiments of the present application, the head-up display device may also include more stages of SLM, such as more stages of LCOS elements.

[0093] In some embodiments of the present application, the light field is adjusted by a two-stage SLM (e.g., a two-stage LCOS element) to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area based on the image of the target content, which may include: adjusting the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-stage LCOS element to illuminate the target display area; adjusting the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the second-stage LCOS element to generate a real image of the target content.

[0094] In some embodiments of the present application, the first-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is a phase-type LCOS element, and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is an amplitude-type LCOS element.

[0095] In some embodiments of the present application, the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element are both phase-type LCOS elements.

[0096] In some embodiments of the present application, a first polarizer is provided between the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element, and a second polarizer is provided after the second-stage LCOS element.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present application, the head-up display method 800 may further include a calibration process. The calibration process includes:

[0098] Loading a black-and-white image to the second-stage LCOS element, wherein the position, size and shape of the white portion in the black-and-white image correspond to one of the plurality of sub-regions;

[0099] Changing the parameters of the holographic phase distribution on the first-stage LCOS element to change the position, size and shape of the light on the second-stage LCOS element, and using an optical power meter to detect the power of the light on the second-stage LCOS element;

[0100] When the power read by the optical power meter is the maximum, it indicates that the parameter change of the holographic phase distribution on the first-stage LCOS element causes the sub-area to be illuminated, and the calibration of the sub-area is completed.

[0101] Repeat the above steps for each of the multiple sub-regions until all sub-regions are calibrated.

[0102] In some embodiments of the present application, the overall display area corresponding to the image display unit includes multiple sub-areas, each of the multiple sub-areas corresponds to a portion of the content to be displayed; the target display area is one of the multiple sub-areas.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present application, the multiple sub-areas are obtained by dividing the entire display area in a fixed manner or in an adaptive manner.

[0104] In some embodiments of the present application, the target content includes at least one of vehicle status content, road status content, and navigation content.

[0105] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program includes instructions for executing method 800 .

[0106] The present application also provides a computer program, which includes instructions for executing method 800 .

[0107] The present application also provides a chip, in which instructions are stored. When the chip is run on a head-up display device, the head-up display device executes method 800.

[0108] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the execution of each step of the method described above can be implemented based on the corresponding modules, units and devices in the aforementioned product embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0109] It should be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in this document are only used for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application.

[0110] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0111] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0112] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0113] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0114] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0115] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0116] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A head-up display device, characterized in that: It includes a visual positioning unit, an image determination unit, an image control unit, an image display unit and an optical unit; The visual positioning unit is used to obtain the user's line of sight information and determine the target display area according to the line of sight information, wherein the target display area is a sub-area of ​​the overall display area corresponding to the image display unit; The image determination unit is used to determine an image of a target content in the target display area, where the target content is the content to be displayed in the overall display area and corresponds to the target display area; The image control unit is used to adjust the light field and generate a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content; The image display unit is used to display a real image of the target content; The optical unit is used to form a light beam based on the real image of the target content to generate a virtual image of the target content; The overall display area includes a plurality of sub-areas, each of the plurality of sub-areas corresponds to a portion of the content to be displayed; and the target display area is one of the plurality of sub-areas.

2. The head-up display device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The image control unit includes a light source and a spatial light modulator SLM.

3. The head-up display device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The image control unit includes a two-stage SLM.

4. The head-up display device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two-stage SLM is a two-stage LCOS element, a first-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is a phase-type LCOS element, and a second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element is an amplitude-type LCOS element.

5. The head-up display device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two-stage SLM is a two-stage LCOS element, and both the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element are phase-type LCOS elements.

6. The head-up display device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A first polarizer is disposed between the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element, and a second polarizer is disposed after the second-stage LCOS element.

7. The head-up display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The target content includes at least one of vehicle status content, road status content and navigation content.

8. A head-up display method, characterized in that: include: Acquire the user's sight line information, and determine a target display area according to the sight line information, wherein the target display area is a sub-area of ​​the overall display area; Determine an image of target content in the target display area, wherein the target content is content corresponding to the target display area in the content to be displayed in the overall display area; Adjusting the light field to generate a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content; Displaying a real image of the target content; forming a light beam based on the real image of the target content to generate a virtual image of the target content; The overall display area includes a plurality of sub-areas, each of the plurality of sub-areas corresponds to a portion of the content to be displayed; and the target display area is one of the plurality of sub-areas.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The adjusting the light field generates a real image of the target content in the target display area according to the image of the target content, including: The light field is adjusted by a two-stage spatial light modulator SLM, and a real image of the target content is generated in the target display area according to the image of the target content.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The two-stage spatial light modulator SLM is a two-stage LCOS element.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first-stage LCOS element of the two-stage LCOS element is a phase-type LCOS element, and the second-stage LCOS element of the two-stage LCOS element is an amplitude-type LCOS element.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element in the two-stage LCOS element are both phase-type LCOS elements.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that A first polarizer is disposed between the first-stage LCOS element and the second-stage LCOS element, and a second polarizer is disposed after the second-stage LCOS element.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that The target content includes at least one of vehicle status content, road status content and navigation content.

15. A means of transport, characterized in that: It comprises a head-up display device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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