Reflective display system for motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a reflective display system in a vehicle, comprising: a display device having a display surface for describing a display image; the instrument panel is provided with a concave part, the concave part is provided with a bottom surface, and a display surface of the display device is arranged on the bottom surface; the display surface is inclined rearward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display system for a motor vehicle for graphically representing driving-related and vehicle-related information, navigation information, communication information, and / or media information. The invention also relates to measures for suppressing glare caused by reflected ambient light incident on a display surface of a display device. Background Art

[0002] A plurality of display devices are installed in motor vehicles, which can be designed as simple light symbols, as instruments with pointers, or as screen images. The display devices are arranged so that the driver can obtain the information to be ascertained as quickly as possible.

[0003] In projection displays, such as head-up displays, it is also possible to project symbols or image information directly into the driver's eyes. In this case, a composite surface, particularly in the form of a reflective surface on the windshield, is used to reflect the light beams projected by the projection device, allowing the driver to perceive the image without changing their viewing direction. However, projection devices for head-up displays can require considerable installation space, and large-area displays in the form of head-up displays are difficult to implement, particularly in smaller vehicles, because the required installation space within the instrument panel, i.e., below the upper side of the instrument panel, is insufficient.

[0004] Furthermore, panoramic head-up displays are known that are constructed by arranging a display device on the upper side of the instrument panel. These display devices generate a luminous display image on their display surface, which is reflected from the lower area of ​​the windshield into the occupants' eye area. Such panoramic head-up displays are therefore effective without complex optical systems, and the reflected display image is visible to all occupants through the windshield. However, with such display devices, it is not possible to display specific image content only for one or a subset of occupants.

[0005] Conventional panoramic head-up display systems reflect the displayed image through a transparent area of ​​the windshield. This lacks the necessary contrast for image perception, making such displays unsuitable for legally mandated displays in motor vehicles as the sole display. To improve image contrast, reflection can be performed through the opaque lower area of ​​the windshield (also known as the black print area or glass base area). Because the upper edge of this black print area is legally required to limit the view vertically by at least 4° downward relative to the horizontal, the height of the black print area is limited. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a reflective display system for motor vehicles which is essentially free of optical devices (without beam shaping components), wherein the display image of the display device on the upper side of the instrument panel can be perceived by the occupants by reflection on a black printed area of ​​the windshield, the greatest possible height of the display image should be achieved, and at the same time it should be avoided that the user is dazzled by ambient light incident on the display surface or, in the case of bright displayed information, by directly viewing the display surface.

[0007] According to a first aspect, a reflective display system in a vehicle is provided, comprising:

[0008] - a display device having a display surface for depicting a display image;

[0009] an instrument panel having a recess with a bottom surface on which a display surface of the display device is arranged;

[0010] The display surface is inclined relative to the horizontal toward the rear with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0011] In addition, the windshield can extend rearward at an angle of between 45° and 65° relative to the perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein the lower section of the windshield is configured as a light-proof reflective surface, and the front wall of the recess directly follows the lower edge of the windshield or is offset rearward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at a distance of no more than 5 cm from the lower edge of the windshield.

[0012] When displaying images using such a reflective display system without optics and with a display area as wide as possible, the problem arises: designing the reflective display system so that the information can be visually displayed with sufficient contrast at all possible eye positions within the eye region (orbital region). Furthermore, the arrangement of the display system should minimize direct or indirect glare for the occupants.

[0013] The eye zone describes the possible position of the eyes of a vehicle occupant seated on a conventional vehicle seat. In particular, the eye zone is defined around the eye point according to standard 77 / 649 / EWG as the position V2 of the eyes in the vehicle interior. The eye zone can be oriented and constitutes an area around the eye point V2, which is defined, for example, as V2-200 mm to V2+2000 mm in the vehicle longitudinal direction, V2-100 mm to V2+100 mm in the transverse direction, and V2 to V2+150 mm in the vertical direction.

[0014] The above-mentioned display system may provide for the display device to be arranged on the bottom surface of a recess in the instrument panel, wherein the front wall of the recess (with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle) directly adjoins the lower edge of the windshield or is offset rearward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at a small distance of no more than 5 cm from the lower edge of the windshield. The arrangement of the recess near the lower edge of the windshield allows the entire height of the black printed area of ​​the windshield to be utilized as effectively as possible for reflecting the displayed image.

[0015] Arrangement of the display device in the recess prevents an occupant from directly viewing the display surface of the display device.

[0016] That is, the display surface of the display device is arranged on the bottom of the recess so that the rear edge of the recess and the upper side of the instrument panel does not allow the display surface to be directly visible from the eye area of ​​the occupant. This in turn means that the recess has a corresponding depth.

[0017] The black printed area forms a blackened, i.e., opaque, region in the lower portion of the windshield and is used to reflect the display image of the display device, enabling the occupant (using one pair of eyes in the eye area) to perceive the display image in the black printed area with rich contrast without being disturbed by incident external light. The reflective surface has an upper edge that limits the viewing angle of the vehicle environment to no less than 4° downward relative to the horizontal for all eye positions within the defined eye area (orbital region) (4° applies only to the driver).

[0018] The line segment between the rear edge of the display surface (with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle) and the upper edge of the black printed area (in a direction perpendicular to the transverse direction of the vehicle) can have a shielding angle (in a direction perpendicular to the transverse direction of the vehicle) between 0° and 20° rearward relative to the vertical line. Thus, incident ambient light, at least in the angular range from -90° (toward the front) up to the shielding angle, does not reach the display surface.

[0019] In addition, the arrangement and design of the black printed area, the size of the recess and the size of the display surface of the display device are adapted to one another so that ambient light incident from an angle range between the shielding angle and the tilt angle of the windshield relative to the vertical or vertical line toward the rear (to the rear with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle) does not result in direct reflection into the eyes of the occupants as much as possible.

[0020] In particular, the upper edge of the reflective area can be arranged such that a first angle α with the surface normal of the display surface toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction satisfies the following relationship:

[0021]

[0022] Here, the first angle α corresponds to the angle between the surface normal of the inclined display surface and a line segment that is vertically located between the rear edge of the display surface and the upper edge of the reflection area. The second angle β corresponds to the angle of incidence of the line of sight from a pair of eye points to the front glass with respect to the surface normal of the front glass, and d corresponds to the minimum distance between the front edge of the display surface and the front glass.

[0023] The parameters of the above function can be -0.8 < A < -0.65, preferably A = -0.72; 0.3 < B < 0.5, preferably B = 0.38; and 65° < C < 75°, preferably C = 71°.

[0024] Alternatively, the angles can be selected as 17° < α < 53°, 60° < β < 80°, and 5 mm < d < 25 mm.

[0025] If ambient light or direct sunlight passes through the front glass and directly hits the display surface of the display device, then the inclination of the display surface causes the ambient light to be reflected onto the black printed area and then reflected from there to the absorption surface, or rather the reflection reliably deflects the ambient light in a direction outside the eye area. In this way, even for ambient light that is incident obliquely on the display surface, the occupant is prevented from being dazzled by the reflected ambient light.

[0026] Furthermore, through the recess, the rear wall (with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction) can be provided with an optically weakly reflective or light-absorbing absorption surface, and the ambient light incident from the outside can be reflected onto this absorption surface. This absorption surface thus acts as an elongated mirror to eliminate the ambient light from the display system, so that the ambient light does not reach the eye area. The edge formed by the recess and the upper side of the instrument panel thus serves on the one hand to prevent the occupant from directly observing the display surface of the display device, and on the other hand as the upper edge for the absorption surface.

[0027] In a further embodiment, such a display system can be formed over the entire width of the front glass. For this, it is sufficient that a plurality of display devices are arranged in corresponding recesses along the front glass, especially at intervals. Here, each display device is arranged at an angle according to the curvature of the front glass, so that a substantially horizontal image is perceived in the reflection area of the front glass.

[0028] Each display surface can be arranged at an obtuse angle to each other in the horizontal line according to the curvature of the front glass. In particular, in the case of a substantially rectangular display surface, each corner of each said display surface facing the front glass can have the same distance from the front glass.

[0029] As an alternative or in addition, the display surfaces can be tilted inwardly relative to the vertical, i.e. about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle (x-direction), so that in the case of multiple display devices the interior of the display surfaces is arranged parallel to the horizontal plane, and the display surfaces offset from the center point in the y-direction (lateral direction) are tilted with their outer edges upward or downward, so that a substantially horizontal image is perceived on the curved reflective surface of the windshield.

[0030] Additionally, the curvature of the front glass can be compensated by pre-distortion (deformation) of the display content, resulting in a seemingly continuous display image that appears to be suspended for the occupant.

[0031] The display surfaces can be arranged at an obtuse angle to one another according to the curvature of the front pane, rotated about the z-direction, so that the average distance from the lower edge of the front pane is the same or as constant as possible.

[0032] In particular, the rotation angle about the z-direction can be between 0° and 25°.

[0033] The display surfaces can be tilted inward relative to the vertical, i.e., about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, in accordance with the curvature of the windshield. In the case of multiple display devices, a central display surface among the display surfaces is arranged parallel to the horizontal plane, and the display surfaces offset from the center point in the transverse direction (y-direction) are tilted with their outer edges upward or downward, respectively, so that a substantially horizontal image is perceived on the reflective surface of the windshield. The corresponding tilt angle can be between -22° (downward) and +22° (upward). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The following is a more detailed explanation of the embodiments with the aid of the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Figure 1a and 1b A schematic diagram showing a display system in a motor vehicle in a cross-sectional view and an interior view;

[0036] Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing sight lines used to depict direct dazzle suppression;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a line of sight, used to describe a display image of a display device;

[0038] Figure 4 a schematic diagram showing the boundaries of the angular range of ambient light incident on the display surface; and

[0039] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the path of a beam of incident ambient light, which is reflected twice onto a display surface;

[0040] Figure 6A schematic diagram showing the dimensional design and angle markings of the display device; and

[0041] Figure 7a and 7b A plan view of a motor vehicle and a schematic interior view are shown to illustrate the distribution of a plurality of display devices across the width of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Figure 1a and 1b A schematic longitudinal section and a view from the perspective of the driver of the motor vehicle are shown of a motor vehicle having a reflective display system 1. The reflective display system 1 has a display device 2, which is arranged on the substantially horizontally extending upper side of an instrument panel 4. The instrument panel 4 has a substantially horizontal upper surface 41, which extends substantially over the entire width of the motor vehicle 1 (perpendicular to the viewing direction).

[0043] The display device 2 comprises an upwardly oriented display surface 3 for depicting a display image. The display device 2 is arranged on the upper side of the instrument panel 4 and, in a conventional manner, below a section of the windshield 5 that serves as a reflective surface 8. The windshield 5 is inclined rearward in a manner known per se at an angle of between 40° and 60° to the vertical with reference to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0044] The instrument panel 4 has a substantially horizontal upper surface 41 which extends substantially over the entire width of the motor vehicle 1 (perpendicular to the viewing direction).

[0045] The reflective surface 8 can extend directly over the lower region of the windshield 5 over a substantial portion of its width. The reflective surface 8 forms the windshield base area, which can be configured as a black-printed area, i.e., opaque. The inner side of the windshield 5 can be reflective within the black-printed area. The upper edge 81 of the black-printed area, at which the windshield 5 becomes transparent, is typically at a height of between 8 and 25 cm relative to the lower edge of the windshield 5, depending on the inclination of the windshield 5. The upper edge 81 of the reflective surface 8 forms a line of sight with the lowest eye position in the eye region B, which is at least 4° downward relative to the horizontal.

[0046] The display device 2 is controlled by the controller 9 so as to output a desired display image as the display image, which should be perceived by the occupant after being reflected by the reflective surface 8 .

[0047] The display device 2 is preferably designed as a luminous display device, in particular as an LCD display unit with a high-brightness backlight, or as a micro-LED display unit, in order to provide a bright display image.

[0048] The display device 2 is located adjacent to the lower edge 51 of the windshield 5 or is spaced apart therefrom by a small distance, for example less than 5 cm, so that the display device 2 extends rearward into the interior 4 of the motor vehicle 1 .

[0049] As in Figure 2 As schematically depicted in the cross-sectional view, the display device 2 can be arranged in a recess 6 on the upper side 41 of the instrument panel 4 so that the occupant cannot directly observe (dashed line of sight S) the display surface 3 of the display device 2 and avoid being dazzled by direct display light from the display surface 3 to the eye area B.

[0050] The recess 6 forms an edge K with the upper side of the instrument panel 4. This edge is at a height relative to the display surface of the display device 2 disposed in the recess 6 such that the display surface 3 of the display device 2 cannot be directly viewed from any possible eye position within the eye zone B. The eye zone can extend around a position V2 according to standard 77 / 649 / EWG. For example, the eye zone can be defined starting from the eye point V2 at position V2. The eye zone can extend from V2-200 mm to V2+2000 mm in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, from V2-100 mm to V2+100 mm in the transverse direction, and from V2 to V2+150 mm in the vertical direction.

[0051] In addition, as in Figure 3 As schematically depicted in FIG, the display surface 3 of the display device 2 is arranged so that the display image to be output is reflected on the reflective surface 8 and can be perceived by the occupant for each eye position in the eye region B. The position of the eye region B, the angle of the front glass 5, the distance between the front glass and the eye region B, and the distance between the display surface 3 and the lower edge of the reflective surface 8 are adapted to one another so that the output display image can be fully perceived via the reflective surface 8 not only from the lowest position of a pair of eyes in the predetermined eye region B but also from the highest position of the pair of eyes.

[0052] The recess has a front wall 61 and a rear wall 62, wherein the rear wall 62 can be designed as an absorbing surface, that is, as a weakly reflecting surface. Preferably, the wall 62 is oriented so that it is not visible directly from the eye region B, nor can it be seen via reflection on the front window 5 or the reflective surface 8.

[0053] As in Figure 4As described in , the upper edge 81 of the reflective surface 8 can be arranged to extend directly above the rear edge of the display surface 8 with respect to the vertical line, or can be arranged more toward the rear, so that the first ambient light U1 in the first angle range W1 between -90° (forward) and a shielding angle from the vertical line is not directly incident on the display surface 3. The upper edge of the black printed area can be staggered further toward the rear, so that a shielding angle between 0° and 40° is formed relative to the vertical line between the rear edge of the display surface 3 and the upper edge 81 of the reflective surface 8.

[0054] In addition, directly incident second ambient light U2 in a second angular range W2 between 40° and 90° may be totally reflected on the inner side of the front glass 5 .

[0055] Furthermore, the edge K can additionally prevent ambient light from falling onto the display surface in the angular range between the angular ranges W2 and W3 and thus protect the display surface from overheating and from damaging light emissions.

[0056] The third ambient light U3 incident from a direction within a third angle range W3 , which is between the shielding angle and the low angle of the second angle range W2 , can reach the display surface 3 .

[0057] For example, the beam path of the light beam of the third ambient light U3 is Figure 5 As shown in FIG, the display surface 3 can be tilted rearward relative to the horizontal line so as to reflect the third ambient light U3 (the third ambient light is not totally reflected, shielded by the reflecting surface 8, or shielded by the edge K of the recess) onto the lower area of ​​the reflecting surface 8. From the lower area, the third ambient light is directed toward the absorption surface of the rear wall 62 of the recess 6. On the absorption surface, the third ambient light U3 reflected twice in this way is absorbed and therefore cannot cause glare to the occupants.

[0058] Figure 6 The angle marking of the reflection angle β on the reflection surface 8, the angle marking of the angle α of the line segment between the rear edge G of the display surface 3 and the upper edge 81 of the reflection surface, and the distance between the upper edge D of the display surface 3 and the front glass 5 are shown.

[0059] In particular, the upper edge 81 of the reflective area 8 can be arranged such that a first angle α with the surface normal of the display surface 3 in the longitudinal direction toward the rear satisfies the following relationship:

[0060]

[0061] Here, the first angle α corresponds to the angle between the surface normal of the inclined display surface 3 and a line segment that is vertically located between the rear edge G of the display surface 3 and the upper edge 81 of the reflection area 8, the second angle β corresponds to the angle of incidence of the line of sight from a pair of eye points to the front glass 5 with respect to the surface normal of the front glass 5, and d corresponds to the minimum distance between the front edge D of the display surface 3 and the front glass 5.

[0062] The parameters of the above function can be -0.8 < A < -0.65, preferably A = -0.72; 0.3 < B < 0.5, preferably B = 0.38; and 65° < C < 75°, preferably C = 71°.

[0063] Alternatively, the angles can be selected as 17° < α < 53°, 60° < β < 80°, and the distance d is selected as 5 mm < d < 25 mm.

[0064] As described in Figure 7a the schematic top view of the vehicle and in Figure 7b the interior view of the vehicle, a plurality of individual display devices 2 can be arranged in a plurality of corresponding recesses in the instrument panel 4, distributed over the width W of the vehicle or the width of the front glass 5. The substantially rectangular display devices 2 can follow the bending profile of the lower edge 51 of the front glass 5 here.

[0065] Each display surface 3 can be rotated about the z-direction, that is, for example, in the case of a plurality of display devices 2, an intermediate display device among the display devices 2 can be arranged parallel to the horizontal plane and with its length dimension parallel to the transverse direction (y-direction). Each external (offset from the midpoint in the width direction) display device 2 can be arranged in the horizontal line with an angular displacement δ about its longitudinal direction, such that the layout is adapted to the curvature of the front glass 5. In particular, the angular displacement δ can be between 0° and 25° about the z-direction, where 0° corresponds to the transverse direction.

[0066] In addition, as described in Figure 7b the display surface 3 is inclined about the longitudinal direction (x-direction) relative to the vertical line, that is, for example, in the case of a plurality of display devices 2, an intermediate display device among the display devices 2 can be arranged parallel to the horizontal plane, and each external (offset from the midpoint in the width direction) display surface 2 is inclined with its outer edge upward or downward at an inclination angle ε. This inclination angle can be between -22° and +22°. This allows a substantially distortion-free description of the information via the reflection surface 8 in the case of a curved front glass 5.

[0067] In order to better compensate for the glass curvature, the display image described on the display device 2 can be transformed by means of the controller 9 in order to describe the reflected display image to the occupant substantially without distortion.

[0068] Reference Signs List

[0069] 1 Reflective display system

[0070] 2 Display device

[0071] 3 display surfaces

[0072] 4 Dashboard

[0073] 41 upper surface

[0074] 5 front glass

[0075] 8 Reflective surface

[0076] 81 Upper edge of the reflective surface

[0077] 9 Controller

[0078] 6 recess

[0079] 61 Anterior wall

[0080] 62 posterior wall

[0081] U1 First Ambient Light

[0082] W1 First angle range

[0083] U2 Second Ambient Light

[0084] W2 Second angle range

[0085] U3 third ambient light

[0086] W3 third angle range

Claims

1. A reflective display system (1) in a vehicle, comprising: - a display device (2) having a display surface (3) for depicting a display image; - an instrument panel (4) having a recess (6) with a bottom surface on which the display surface of the display device (2) is disposed; - the display surface (3) is inclined rearward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

2. The reflective display system (1) according to claim 1, wherein: The front glass (5) extends rearward at an angle between 45° and 65° with respect to the perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein a lower section of the front glass (5) is configured as a reflective surface (8) that is light-impermeable or has a transmittance of less than 30%. The front wall of the recess (6) is directly adjacent to the lower edge of the front glass (5) or is offset rearward with a spacing of no more than 5 cm from the lower edge of the front glass (5) with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

3. The reflective display system (1) according to claim 2, wherein: The rear wall of the recess (6) has a height that does not allow direct viewing of the display surface (3) when at the position of a pair of eyes in the normal eye region of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat.

4. The reflective display system (1) according to claim 3, wherein: The rear wall of the recess (6) is provided with an optically weakly reflective or light-absorbing surface.

5. The reflective display system (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: A line segment between the rear edge (G) of the display surface (3) and the upper edge of the reflective surface (8) has a first angle α between 17° and 53° with the surface normal of the display surface (3).

6. The reflective display system (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: A line segment between the rear edge (G) of the display surface (3) and the upper edge (81) of the reflective surface (8) has a first angle α with the surface normal of the display surface (3) in the vertical direction toward the rear, and this first angle satisfies the following relationship: wherein the second angle β corresponds to the incident angle of the line of sight from a pair of eye points to the front glass (5) with respect to the surface normal of the front glass (5), and d corresponds to the minimum spacing between the front edge of the display surface (3) and the front glass (5), and A, B, and C are predetermined parameters.

7. The reflective display system (1) according to claim 6, wherein: For parameter A, -0.8 < A < -0.65, preferably A = -0.72; and / or for parameter B, 0.3 < B < 0.5, preferably B = 0.38; and / or for parameter C, 65° < C < 75°, preferably C = 71°.

8. The reflective display system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: Over the entire width of the front glass (5), a plurality of display devices (2) - especially at intervals from each other - are respectively disposed in a corresponding recess (6).

9. The reflective display system (1) according to claim 8, wherein: The display surfaces (3) are arranged at an obtuse angle to each other in the horizontal line in accordance with the curvature of the front glass (5); and / or the display surfaces (3) are inclined inward with respect to the perpendicular, i.e., around the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, such that in the case of a plurality of display devices (2), an intermediate display surface among the display surfaces (3) is arranged parallel to the horizontal plane, and the display surfaces (3) offset from the midpoint in the lateral direction (y-direction) are respectively inclined upward or downward at their outer edges, so that a substantially horizontal image is perceived on the reflective surface (8) of the front glass (5).

Images