Car window assembly and display system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of automobile parts, and discloses an automobile window assembly which comprises automobile window glass, an optical waveguide layer and an optical machine, the optical waveguide layer is arranged in the automobile window glass, the optical machine is installed in an automobile window frame and used for being connected with an automobile machine control system of an automobile, and image information of the automobile machine control system is transmitted to the optical machine. Light emitted by the ray machine is reflected by the optical waveguide layer and then enters human eyes. By applying the technical scheme of the invention, the definition of picture display can be improved, and the display picture of the vehicle gauge and the vehicle window does not influence pedestrians outside the vehicle. The invention further relates to a display system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of automobile parts, and in particular to a vehicle window assembly and a display system. Background Art

[0002] The current side window display solution on the market is mainly to sandwich a layer of transparent OLED flexible film between the car window glass. The advantage of this mode is clear display, but the disadvantages are also obvious: (1) the current flexible OLED film does not meet the automotive regulations; (2) the transmittance of the OLED flexible film is low when it is transparent, and the transmittance is only about 45%; (3) the thickness of the OLED flexible film is less than 1mm, the attachment yield is low, and wrinkles are easily generated. Therefore, the attachment process of the OLED flexible film sandwich in the car window is difficult.

[0003] Another display solution for projecting side windows is to hide the projection light engine at a certain position of the sunroof and project the light onto the side windows. The main disadvantages of this mode are: (1) It is necessary to find a position at the edge of the sunroof to hide the light engine, which will affect the shape of the sunroof; (2) The clarity of the projection mode is poorer than that of the direct display mode; (3) This mode requires a semi-transparent reflective film or PDLC film (polymer dispersed liquid crystal, also known as liquid crystal dimming film) to be attached to the surface of the side window to improve clarity, but the side window with the film attached is difficult to pass the vehicle regulations (tested for 500 hours or 1000 hours at -40°C and 90°C); (4) Since the projection mode projects from the inside of the car to the outside of the car, the projected image will pass through the window glass and shine on the pedestrians or faces, seriously affecting the pedestrians outside the car. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle window assembly for solving the problems existing in the prior art, improving the clarity of the picture display, making it easier to achieve vehicle regulations, and the picture displayed on the side window will not affect pedestrians outside the vehicle.

[0005] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle window assembly is provided, which includes a vehicle window glass, an optical waveguide layer and an optical engine, wherein the optical waveguide layer is arranged in the vehicle window glass, and the optical engine is installed in the vehicle window frame. The optical engine is used to be connected to a vehicle control system of a car, and image information of the vehicle control system is transmitted to the optical engine. The light emitted by the optical engine enters the human eye after being reflected by the optical waveguide layer.

[0006] In an optional manner, the optical waveguide layer includes a coupling-in unit, a turning unit and a coupling-out unit. The light emitted by the optical machine is coupled in through the coupling-in unit and enters the turning unit. After the light is totally reflected in the turning unit, the light is coupled out through the coupling-out unit.

[0007] In an optional manner, the coupling-in unit includes a first grating, a first slit of the first grating is parallel to the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass, the turning unit includes a second grating, a second slit of the second grating forms a first angle with the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass, and the coupling-out unit includes a third grating, a third slit of the third grating is perpendicular to the first slit of the first grating.

[0008] In an optional manner, the first angle is 40° to 50°.

[0009] In an optional manner, two adjacent first slits are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances; two adjacent second slits are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances; and two adjacent third slits are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances.

[0010] In an optional manner, the optical waveguide layer includes glass and a coupling-in unit and a coupling-out unit arranged on the glass. The light emitted by the optical machine is reflected by the coupling-in unit, coupled out through the coupling-out unit and enters the human eye.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the coupling unit includes a plurality of semi-transparent and semi-reflective films, the glass includes a plurality of first glass strips arranged at intervals, the first glass strips form a second angle with the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass, the second angle is 30° to 60°, and each of the semi-transparent and semi-reflective films is respectively arranged on each of the first glass strips.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, the coupling unit includes a plurality of reflective films, the glass includes a plurality of second glass strips arranged at intervals, the second glass strips form a third angle with a vertical direction of the surface where the window glass is located, the third angle is 40° to 50°, and each of the reflective films is respectively arranged on each of the second glass strips.

[0013] In an optional manner, the semi-transmissive and semi-reflective film is connected to the first glass strip by coating or gluing, and the reflective film is connected to the second glass strip by coating or gluing.

[0014] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a display system is provided, including an electronic exterior rearview mirror, a central control / passenger display screen, a vehicle control system and the above-mentioned window assembly, wherein the electronic exterior rearview mirror and the central control / passenger display screen are electrically connected to the vehicle control system respectively, and the vehicle control system is electrically connected to the window assembly, and the contents of the electronic exterior rearview mirror and the central control / passenger display screen can be projected onto the window assembly via the vehicle control system.

[0015] In the embodiment of the present invention, an optical waveguide layer 12 is arranged in the vehicle window glass 11, and an optical machine 13 is arranged in the vehicle window frame. The light of the optical machine 13 is reflected by the optical waveguide layer 12 and then displayed. The optical waveguide layer 12 used has high display clarity, which not only avoids the problem of the projection mode projected outside the vehicle and affecting pedestrians in the prior art, but also reduces the position that the optical machine 13 needs to occupy. In addition, when the display system of the electronic exterior rearview mirror fails, the display of the vehicle window can also be used as a backup, thereby improving driving safety.

[0016] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the embodiment of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the embodiment of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are specifically listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the optical path of the optical waveguide according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle window assembly of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the optical path principle of the vehicle window assembly of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the optical path of the optical waveguide according to the second embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a display system of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Explanation of the accompanying reference numerals: vehicle window assembly-10; vehicle window glass-11; inner glass-111; PVB glue-112; air layer-113; outer glass-114; optical waveguide layer-12; coupling-in unit-121; first grating-1211; first slit-1212; turning unit-122; second grating-1221; second slit-1222; coupling-out unit-123; third grating-1231; third slit-1232; first angle-a; second angle-b; optical machine-13; electronic exterior rearview mirror-14; central control / passenger display screen-15; vehicle control system-16; power supply unit-17.

[0024] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0027] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, if the meaning of "and / or" appearing in the full text is to include three parallel schemes, taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme that satisfies both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0028] First embodiment

[0029] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, the vehicle window refers to the side window of the vehicle and / or the sunroof of the vehicle, and the vehicle window frame refers to the side window frame and / or the sunroof frame. Therefore, the vehicle window assembly is installed on the vehicle door frame and / or the sunroof frame. This embodiment is described by taking the side window of the vehicle as an example; the vehicle window assembly includes a vehicle window glass 11, an optical waveguide layer 12 and an optical machine 13. The optical waveguide layer 12 is arranged in the vehicle window glass 11. Specifically, the vehicle window glass 11 assembly of the vehicle is composed of an inner glass 111, a PVB glue 112, an optical waveguide layer 12, an air layer 113 and an outer glass 114 from the inside to the outside; the optical machine 13 is installed in the vehicle window frame. The optical machine 13 is used to connect with the vehicle control system 16 of the vehicle. The image information of the vehicle control system 16 is transmitted to the optical machine 13. The light emitted by the optical machine 13 enters the human eye after being reflected by the optical waveguide layer 12. The optical waveguide layer 12 can use a diffraction optical waveguide or an array optical waveguide. In this embodiment, the optical engine 13 is, for example, a DLP optical engine or an Lcos optical engine, the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 12 is 1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 1 mm, 3 mm or 5 mm, etc. The size of the optical waveguide layer 12 is smaller than the size of the vehicle window glass 11, and the aspect ratio displayed by the optical waveguide layer 12 is, for example, 16:9, 8:3 or 3:2, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0030] In the embodiment of the present invention, an optical waveguide layer 12 is arranged in the vehicle window glass 11, and an optical machine 13 is arranged in the vehicle window frame. The light of the optical machine 13 is reflected by the optical waveguide layer 12 and then displayed. The optical waveguide layer 12 used has high display clarity, which not only avoids the problem of the projection mode projected outside the vehicle and affecting pedestrians in the prior art, but also reduces the position that the optical machine 13 needs to occupy. In addition, when the display system of the electronic exterior rearview mirror fails, the display of the vehicle window can also be used as a backup, thereby improving driving safety.

[0031] In an optional manner, the optical waveguide layer 12 uses a diffraction optical waveguide to display the image. The optical waveguide layer 12 includes a coupling unit 121, a turning unit 122 and a coupling-out unit 123. The light emitted by the optical machine 13 is coupled in through the coupling unit 121 and enters the turning unit 122. After the light is totally reflected in the turning unit 122, the light is coupled out through the coupling-out unit 123.

[0032] In an optional manner, the coupling unit 121 includes a first grating 1211, and the first slit 1212 of the first grating 1211 is parallel to the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass 11. The turning unit 122 includes a second grating 1221, and the second slit 1222 of the second grating 1221 forms a first angle a with the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass 11, and the first angle a is 40° to 50°, and the first angle a is preferably 40°, 45° or 50°, etc. The coupling unit 123 includes a third grating 1231, and the third slit 1232 of the third grating 1231 is perpendicular to the first slit 1212 of the first grating 1211. In this embodiment, the gratings (i.e., the first grating 1211, the second grating 1221, and the third grating 1231) are made by engraving a large number of parallel grooves on a glass sheet, the grooves are opaque parts, and the smooth part between the two grooves can transmit light, which is equivalent to a slit (i.e., the first slit 1212, the second slit 1222, and the third slit 1232), and light forms an image through the diffraction of light; the gratings here are small and dense, and are gratings used for imaging; therefore, the optical waveguide layer 12 in this embodiment is a glass waveguide plate, and the material of the optical waveguide layer 12 is ordinary glass or resin glass, wherein ordinary glass is made of soda ash, limestone, quartz and feldspar as main raw materials, which are mixed and melted, clarified, homogenized and processed in a glass kiln, and the molten glass liquid is flowed into the tin liquid surface for floating polishing molding, and then annealed to obtain a glass product; resin glass is an ethanol solution of an organic silicone resin prepolymer, and its appearance is transparent and light.

[0033] In an optional manner, two adjacent first slits 1212 are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances; two adjacent second slits 1222 are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances; two adjacent third slits 1232 are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances; in this embodiment, two adjacent first slits 1212, two adjacent second slits, and two adjacent third slits 1232 are preferably arranged at unequal distances, which can increase the uniformity of the brightness of the light output.

[0034] The principle of the optical waveguide layer 12 of this embodiment is as follows: the light emitted by the optical machine 13 enters the coupling-in unit 121 (first grating 1211), and the light enters the turning unit 122 (second grating 1221) after passing through the first grating 1211. Since the second slit 1222 of the second grating 1221 forms a certain angle with the horizontal direction of the window glass 11, the light is totally reflected in the second grating 1221. The totally reflected light enters the human eye after being reflected by the coupling-out unit 123 (third grating 1231). The light emitted by the optical machine 13 contains the media information (pictures, texts, or videos, etc.) encoded and decoded by the vehicle control system 16.

[0035] Second embodiment

[0036] like Figure 4As shown, the vehicle window assembly of this embodiment is substantially the same in structure as the vehicle window assembly of the first embodiment, except that the structure of the optical waveguide layer 12 is different.

[0037] Specifically, the optical waveguide layer 12 of this embodiment adopts an array waveguide mode, and the optical waveguide layer 12 includes glass and a coupling unit 121 and a coupling unit 123 arranged on the glass. The light emitted by the optical machine 13 is reflected by the coupling unit 121, coupled out through the coupling unit 123 and enters the human eye. In this embodiment, the material of the glass is ordinary glass or resin glass, wherein ordinary glass is made of soda ash, limestone, quartz and feldspar as main raw materials, which are mixed and melted, clarified, homogenized and processed in a glass kiln, and the molten glass liquid is flowed into the tin liquid surface for floating polishing and then annealed to obtain a glass product; resin glass is an ethanol solution of an organic silicone resin prepolymer, which is transparent and lightweight in appearance.

[0038] In an optional manner, the coupling unit 121 includes a plurality of semi-transparent and semi-reflective films, the glass includes a plurality of first glass strips arranged at intervals, the first glass strips form a second angle b with the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass 11, the second angle b is 30° to 60°, and the second angle b is preferably 30°, 45° or 60°, etc., each semi-transparent and semi-reflective film is respectively arranged on each first glass strip, wherein the semi-transparent and semi-reflective film is connected to the first glass strip by coating or gluing.

[0039] In an optional manner, the coupling-out unit 123 includes a plurality of reflective films, and the glass includes a plurality of second glass strips arranged at intervals, each second glass strip is vertically arranged in the vehicle window glass 11, and the second glass strip forms a third angle with a vertical direction of a surface where the vehicle window glass 11 is located, and the third angle is 40° to 50°, and the third angle is preferably 40°, 45° or 50°, etc., and each reflective film is respectively arranged on each second glass strip, wherein the reflective film is connected to the second glass strip by coating or gluing.

[0040] The principle of the optical waveguide layer 12 of this embodiment is as follows: the light emitted by the optical machine 13 enters the coupling unit 121, the light is reflected at an angle of 30° to 60° through a semi-transparent and semi-reflective film, the reflected light is reflected at an angle of 40° to 50° from the reflective film and then emitted and enters the human eye. The light emitted by the optical machine 13 contains media information (pictures, texts, or videos, etc.) encoded and decoded by the vehicle control system 16.

[0041] The structure and principle of the vehicle window assembly 10 of the present invention can also be applied to a sunroof. When applied to a sunroof, the optical engine 13 is disposed in a sunroof frame to reduce the space that the optical engine 13 needs to occupy.

[0042] The present invention also provides a display system, such as Figure 5As shown, the display system includes an electronic exterior rearview mirror 14, a central control / passenger display screen 15, a vehicle control system 16 and a window assembly. The specific structure of the window assembly refers to the above embodiment. Since the display system adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here one by one. Among them, the electronic exterior rearview mirror 14 and the central control / passenger driver display screen 15 are electrically connected to the vehicle control system 16 respectively, and the vehicle control system 16 is electrically connected to the window assembly 10. The contents of the electronic exterior rearview mirror 14 and the central control / passenger driver display screen 15 can be projected onto the window assembly 10 through the vehicle control system 16; in this embodiment, the display system also includes a power supply unit 17, which is electrically connected to the vehicle control system 16, and the power supply unit 17 is used to power the vehicle control system 16. The content displayed by the electronic exterior rearview mirror 14 can be projected onto the window assembly 10 after encoding and decoding through the vehicle control system 16. The driver can see the situation around the vehicle in real time through the window assembly 10, and it can also be used as a backup display of the electronic exterior rearview mirror 14; the content of the central control display screen or the depression angle display screen can be projected onto the window assembly 10 after encoding and decoding through the vehicle control system 16, and the passengers can realize the functions of watching audio and video entertainment or navigation through the window assembly 10.

[0043] The above are only optional embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the scheme of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle window assembly, characterized in that: The vehicle window assembly (10) comprises a vehicle window glass (11), an optical waveguide layer (12) and an optical engine (13); the optical waveguide layer (12) is arranged in the vehicle window glass (11); the optical engine (13) is installed in the vehicle window frame; the optical engine (13) is used to connect to a vehicle control system (16) of a vehicle; image information of the vehicle control system (16) is transmitted to the optical engine (13); and light emitted by the optical engine (13) enters a human eye after being reflected by the optical waveguide layer (12).

2. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical waveguide layer (12) comprises a coupling-in unit (121), a turning unit (122) and a coupling-out unit (123); the light emitted by the optical engine (13) is coupled in through the coupling-in unit (121) and enters the turning unit (122); after the light is totally reflected in the turning unit (122), the light is coupled out through the coupling-out unit (123).

3. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The coupling-in unit (121) comprises a first grating (1211), wherein a first slit (1212) of the first grating (1211) is parallel to a horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass (11); the turning unit (122) comprises a second grating (1221), wherein a second slit (1222) of the second grating (1221) forms a first angle with the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass (11); and the coupling-out unit (123) comprises a third grating (1231), wherein a third slit (1232) of the third grating (1231) is perpendicular to the first slit (1212) of the first grating (1211).

4. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first angle is 40° to 50°.

5. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: Two adjacent first slits (1212) are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances; two adjacent second slits (1222) are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances; and two adjacent third slits (1232) are arranged at equal distances or at unequal distances.

6. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical waveguide layer (12) comprises glass, and a coupling-in unit (121) and a coupling-out unit (123) arranged on the glass; the light emitted by the optical machine (13) is reflected by the coupling-in unit (121), coupled out through the coupling-out unit (123) and enters a human eye.

7. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The coupling unit (121) comprises a plurality of semi-transparent and semi-reflective films, the glass comprises a plurality of first glass strips arranged at intervals, the first glass strips form a second angle with the horizontal direction of the vehicle window glass (11), the second angle is 30° to 60°, and each of the semi-transparent and semi-reflective films is respectively arranged on each of the first glass strips.

8. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The coupling-out unit (123) comprises a plurality of reflective films, the glass comprises a plurality of second glass strips arranged at intervals, the second glass strips form a third angle with a vertical direction of a surface where the vehicle window glass (11) is located, the third angle is 40° to 50°, and each of the reflective films is respectively arranged on each of the second glass strips.

9. The vehicle window assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: The semi-transmissive and semi-reflective film is connected to the first glass strip by coating or gluing, and the reflective film is connected to the second glass strip by coating or gluing.

10. A display system, characterized in that: The invention comprises an electronic exterior rearview mirror (14), a central control / passenger driver display screen (15), a vehicle control system (16), and a vehicle window assembly (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic exterior rearview mirror (14) and the central control / passenger driver display screen (15) are electrically connected to the vehicle control system (16), respectively, and the vehicle control system (16) is electrically connected to the vehicle window assembly (10), and the contents of the electronic exterior rearview mirror (14) and the central control / passenger driver display screen (15) can be projected onto the vehicle window assembly (10) via the vehicle control system (16).

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