VEHICLE DISPLAY DEVICE

Abstract

A vehicle display device (1) comprises a display device (3) provided in a dashboard (102) of a vehicle (100) and configured to emit desired visible information as display light (L), and an aspherical mirror (4) arranged on an optical path of the display light (L) from the display device (3) to a windshield (101) of the vehicle (100) and at a position visible from a viewing position (EP) of a driver (D). The aspherical mirror (4) reflects the display light (L) emitted by the display device (3) to the viewing position (EP), allowing the driver (D) to visually recognize the desired visible information as a virtual image (S).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle display device. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] In the related art, a vehicle such as an automobile is equipped with a vehicle display device such as a head-up display (HUD). For example, in the related art, the vehicle display device is configured such that a display image displayed on a display device is projected onto a windshield, a combiner, or the like via an optical system such as a reflection mirror, and thus a driver visually recognizes the display image as a virtual image (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). BIBLIOGRAPHYPATENT LITERATURE

[0003] Patent literature 1: JP 2018- 120 807 A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0004] As described above, in the vehicle display device that projects the display image onto the windshield, the display image may not be projected depending on the shape of the windshield. In other words, the vehicle display device described above must be designed according to the shape of the windshield for each vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been carried out in view of the circumstances described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle display device that is widely used without being affected by specifications (particularly, a shape of a windshield) of a vehicle. SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

[0006] In order to achieve the above-described object, a vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle display device provided in a dashboard of a vehicle, the vehicle display device comprising: a display device configured to emit desired visible information as a display light; and an aspherical mirror arranged on an optical path of the display light from the display device to a windshield of the vehicle and at a position visible from a viewing position of a driver, in which the aspherical mirror reflects the display light emitted from the display device to the viewing position to allow the driver to visually recognize the desired visible information as a virtual image. ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0007] According to the vehicle display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the display light emitted from the display device is reflected by the aspherical mirror to the driver's viewing position, and the desired visible information can be visually recognized by the driver as a virtual image. Consequently, the vehicle display device can be widely used without being affected by vehicle specifications (in particular, a windshield shape). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram (a side view) showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle display device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle display device; [ Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of an upper end portion of the vehicle display device; [ Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle display device as viewed from a driver's viewing position; [ Fig. 5] Fig. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how to deal with different gaze positions; [ Fig. 6] Fig. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a display mode of a virtual image; and [ Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a Fig. 1, and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an upper portion of a case portion is covered with an upper instrument panel portion. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, a vehicle display device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] A schematic configuration of the vehicle display device 1 is described below. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle display device 1 is an instrument device arranged on a dashboard 102 in a vehicle 100, such as an automobile, and can display various instruments. The vehicle display device 1 can display information of various instruments as a virtual image S, for example, as in a head-up display device. The virtual image S is formed on an extension line of an optical path so as to be present in front of and far away from the vehicle display device 1 in a vehicle traveling direction when viewed from a gaze position EP of a driver D.

[0010] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle display device 1 includes a housing portion 2, a display device 3, an aspherical mirror 4, and a light-shielding glass 5 (corresponding to a "light-shielding portion" of the present invention). The housing portion 2 accommodates and supports the display device 3 and the aspherical mirror 4 in an interior space thereof. The housing portion 2 is provided with an opening 2b that communicates between the interior space and the exterior space. The opening 2b is provided at a position of the housing portion 2 facing the driver D and is closed by the light-shielding glass 5.

[0011] In the present embodiment, the housing portion 2 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and an upper portion above a bent portion may be an upper portion 21, and a lower portion below the bent portion may be a lower portion 22. As shown in Fig. 1, in the vehicle 100, the housing portion 2 is provided such that the lower portion 22 is disposed in the instrument panel 102 and the upper portion 21 is erected from an upper surface 102a of the instrument panel 102.

[0012] The display device 3 emits, as display light L, desired visual information to be visually recognized by the driver D of the vehicle 100 as a virtual image S. In the present embodiment, the display device 3 is arranged to be inclined with respect to a horizontal direction of the vehicle such that the display light L is emitted in a forward and obliquely upward direction. For the display device 3, for example, a display device used in a known head-up display device is used.

[0013] As an example, the display device 3 includes a light source; a display panel that emits incident light from the light source as the display light L; a condenser lens that is arranged on an optical path between the light source and the display panel and condenses the incident light from the light source toward the display panel; a light distribution lens that is arranged between the condenser lens and the display panel on the optical path between the light source and the display panel and distributes the light condensed by the condenser lens toward the display panel; and a wave plate for adjusting a deflection direction of the display panel.

[0014] The light source includes a light source substrate on which a plurality of light-emitting elements are intensively mounted at a position through which an optical axis of a condenser lens passes when viewed from an optical axis direction of the condenser lens, and each of the light-emitting elements is, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED). The display panel is a so-called liquid crystal panel and is made, for example, from a transparent or semi-transparent thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display. The condenser lens is made of a material with a high refractive index, such as glass or a transparent resin, and has a function of refracting light directed towards the outside inwards and concentrating the light at the light distribution lens. The light distribution lens is made of, for example, a material such as glass or a transparent resin, and has a function of refracting and distributing the light toward a display area of ​​the display panel.

[0015] The aspherical mirror 4 is a so-called concave mirror whose reflection surface is formed by a concave curved surface, and totally reflects the display light L emitted from the display device 3 toward the viewing position EP through the light-shielding glass 5 to allow the driver D to visually recognize the visible information as the virtual image S. Therefore, the aspherical mirror 4 is arranged on an optical path of the display light L from the display device 3 to a windshield 101 and at a position visible from the viewing position EP of the driver D, and is arranged to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle such that the reflection surface faces obliquely downward.

[0016] Further, the aspherical mirror 4 has a function as, for example, a magnifying mirror, and magnifies and reflects the visible information such that the visible information represented by the display light L after being reflected by the aspherical mirror 4 is relatively larger than the visible information represented by the display light L before being reflected by the aspherical mirror 4.

[0017] The light-shielding glass 5 is attached to the housing portion 2 to close the opening 2b of the housing portion 2 and is in a state of being erected from the upper surface 102a of the instrument panel 102. The light-shielding glass 5 is configured to transmit the display light L from the interior of the housing portion 2 to the outside, and to block or attenuate the incidence of external light SL, including sunlight, from the outside into the interior. A so-called smoked glass or the like is used as the light-shielding glass 5.

[0018] An upper end portion 5a of the light-shielding glass 5 protrudes beyond the upper surface 2a of the housing portion 2 in such a manner (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3) that the driver D is not able to move the housing section 2 at the viewing position EP (see Fig. 4) to be recognized visually.

[0019] A virtual image display operation in the vehicle display device 1 will be described below. First, the display light L emitted from the display device 3 moves toward the aspherical mirror 4. The aspherical mirror 4 reflects, through the concave reflection surface, the display light L incident from the display device 3 toward the viewing position EP of the driver D of the vehicle 100 through the light-shielding glass 5. Consequently, the visible information corresponding to the display light L is displayed as the virtual image S in front of the viewing position EP of the driver D. That is, the driver D can visually recognize the virtual image S as the visible information corresponding to the display light L in front of and far away from the vehicle display device in the vehicle traveling direction by visually recognizing the aspherical mirror 4 reflecting the display light L.

[0020] A difference in the driver D’s viewing position EP can be handled by the display device 3, as shown in Fig. 5. One method for coping with the difference includes, for example, changing an emission angle (reflection position) of the display light L, L1, and L2 from the display device 3 to the aspherical mirror 4, or changing a display position of the display panel in the display device 3.

[0021] In the present embodiment, as described above, the visible information is magnified and reflected, so that the visible information represented by the display light L after reflection by the aspherical mirror 4 becomes relatively larger. Therefore, a displayable area DL of the visible information is larger than a frame of the light-shielding glass 5 (see Fig. 6). The vehicle display device 1 displays the visible information using a partial area (display area DI) of the displayable area DL within an area of ​​the frame of the light-shielding glass 5 (see Fig. 6). Therefore, the driver D visually recognizes only the visible information corresponding to the display area DI, and does not visually recognize a display frame of the visible information (in other words, a boundary line between the visible information and others). Consequently, the vehicle display device 1 can realize a so-called seamless appearance.

[0022] As the desired visible information in the present embodiment, map information, navigation information, and the like can be displayed in addition to the information of various instruments of the vehicle.

[0023] As described above, regarding a related-art vehicle display device that projects the display light onto the windshield, according to the present embodiment, the display light L emitted from the display device 3 is reflected by the aspherical mirror 4 to the viewing position EP of the driver D, and the desired visible information can be visually recognized by the driver D as the virtual image S. Consequently, the vehicle display device 1 can be widely used without being affected by specifications of the vehicle (particularly, a shape of the windshield 101).

[0024] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the incidence of the external light SL to the inside of the housing portion 2 can be blocked or attenuated by the light-shielding glass 5, it is not necessary to provide a hood portion or the like for excluding the external light in the housing portion 2. That is, the housing portion 2 can be designed without a hood.

[0025] Further, according to the present embodiment, since the light-shielding glass 5 is attached to the case portion 2 in a state erected from the upper surface of the instrument panel 102, the visibility of the driver D can be improved.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the upper end portion 5a of the light-shielding glass 5 protrudes beyond the upper surface 2a of the housing portion 2, the driver D is unable to visually recognize the housing portion 2. Consequently, a design in the vehicle 100 after the vehicle display device 1 is mounted is improved.

[0027] Further, according to the present embodiment as described above, it is possible to realize a hoodless design, a seamless appearance, and the like at low cost. <Andere Ausführungsformen>

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, sizes, numbers, arrangement positions, and the like of components in the above-described embodiment are freely selected and are not limited as long as the present invention can be implemented.

[0029] In the embodiment described above, the upper portion 21 of the housing portion 2 is arranged to be exposed on the upper surface 102a of the instrument panel 102, but as shown in Fig.As shown in Figure 7, the upper portion 21 of the housing portion 2 may be covered with an instrument panel upper portion 103. In this case, the upper end portion 5a of the light-shielding glass 5 preferably protrudes above an upper surface 103a of the instrument panel upper portion 103, such that the driver D cannot visually recognize the upper surface 103a of the instrument panel upper portion 103. Consequently, the design in the vehicle 100 after the vehicle display device 1 is mounted is improved.

[0030] Here, features of the embodiment of the vehicle display device according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following first to fifth aspects.

[0031] According to the first aspect of the present invention, a vehicle display device (1) provided in a dashboard (102) of a vehicle (100) comprises: a display device (3) configured to emit desired visible information as display light (L); and an aspherical mirror (4) arranged on an optical path of the display light (L) from the display device (3) to a windshield (101) of the vehicle (100) and at a position visible from a viewing position (EP) of a driver (D). The aspherical mirror (4) reflects the display light (L) emitted by the display device (3) to the viewing position (EP) to allow the driver (D) to visually recognize the desired visible information as a virtual image (S).

[0032] Regarding a related-art vehicle display device that projects display light onto the windshield, according to the configuration of the first aspect, the display light emitted from the display device is reflected by the aspherical mirror to the driver's viewing position, and the desired visible information can be visually recognized by the driver as a virtual image. Consequently, the vehicle display device can be widely used without being affected by vehicle specifications (particularly, a windshield shape).

[0033] According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle display device (1) of the first aspect, at least a part of the aspherical mirror (4) is located above the instrument panel (102) and is arranged to be inclined downward with respect to a horizontal direction of the vehicle (100)

[0034] According to the configuration of the second aspect, similar to the first aspect, the display light emitted from the display device is reflected by the aspherical mirror to the driver's viewing position, and the desired visible information can be visually recognized by the driver as the virtual image.

[0035] According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle display device (1) of the second aspect, the vehicle display device further comprises: a housing portion (2) in which the display device (3) and the aspherical mirror (4) are housed; and a light-shielding portion (light-shielding glass 5) attached to the housing portion (2) to be located on the optical path from the aspherical mirror (4) to the viewing position (EP). The light-shielding portion (light-shielding glass 5) is configured to transmit the display light (L) from an inside to an outside of the housing portion (2) and to block or attenuate an incidence of external light including sunlight from the outside to the inside.

[0036] According to the configuration of the third aspect, since the incidence of external light to the inside of the housing portion can be blocked or attenuated by the light-shielding portion, it is not necessary to provide a hood portion or the like for excluding external light in the housing portion. That is, the housing portion can be designed without a hood.

[0037] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle display device (1) of the third aspect, the light shielding portion (light shielding glass 5) is attached to the case portion (2) in a state of being erected from an upper surface (102a) of the instrument panel (102).

[0038] Further, according to the configuration of the fourth aspect, since the light shielding portion is attached to the case portion in a state erected from the upper surface of the instrument panel, the visibility of the driver D can be improved.

[0039] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle display device (1) of the fourth aspect, an upper end portion (5a) of the light shielding portion (light shielding glass 5) protrudes beyond an upper surface (2a) of the case portion (2) such that the driver (D) is unable to visually recognize the case portion (2).

[0040] According to the configuration of the fifth aspect, since the upper end portion of the light-shielding portion protrudes above the upper surface of the housing portion, the driver is unable to visually recognize the housing portion. Consequently, a design in the vehicle after the vehicle display device is mounted is improved.

[0041] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0042] The present invention is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-210353) filed on December 27, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0043] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle display device that can be widely used without being affected by vehicle specifications (especially the shape of the windshield). The present invention with this effect is useful for a vehicle display device. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 vehicle display device 2 Housing section 2a upper surface 2b Opening 3 Display device 4 aspherical mirrors 5 Light shielding glass 5a upper end section 21 upper section 22 lower section 100 vehicles 101 Windshield 102 Dashboard 102a upper surface 103 upper dashboard section 103a upper surface D Driver EP Viewing Position L, L1, L2 indicator light S virtual image display device SL external light QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2018-120 807 A

[0003] JP 2022-210353

[0042]

Claims

[1] A vehicle display device provided in a dashboard of a vehicle, the vehicle display device comprising: a display device configured to emit desired visible information as a display light; and an aspherical mirror arranged on an optical path of the display light from the display device to a windshield of the vehicle and at a position visible from a viewing position of a driver, wherein the aspherical mirror reflects the display light emitted from the display device to the viewing position to allow the driver to visually recognize the desired visible information as a virtual image. [2] A vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the aspherical mirror is located above the instrument panel and is arranged to be inclined downward with respect to a horizontal direction of the vehicle. [3] A vehicle display device according to claim 2, further comprising: a housing section in which the display device and the aspherical mirror are housed; and a light shielding portion attached to the housing portion to be located on the optical path from the aspherical mirror to the viewing position, wherein the light-shielding portion is configured to transmit the display light from an inside to an outside of the housing portion and to block or attenuate an incidence of external light including sunlight from the outside to the inside. [4] The vehicle display device according to claim 3, wherein the light shielding portion is attached to the case portion in a state of being erected from an upper surface of the instrument panel. [5] The vehicle display device according to claim 4, wherein an upper end portion of the light shielding portion protrudes above an upper surface of the housing portion such that the driver is unable to visually recognize the housing portion.

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