DISPLAY DEVICE SUITABLE FOR COLLISION WITH A PERSON, FOR A VEHICLE
The head-up display device addresses the issue of rigid display shells causing harm in collisions by incorporating a weakening area that allows the shell to disorient or separate, reducing deceleration and damage to the driver's head.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2021008999
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-08-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-08-27
AI Technical Summary
Existing head-up display devices in vehicles are rigid and act as 'hard points' during collisions, leading to significant deceleration and potential irreversible damage to the driver's head.
The display device features a shell with a weakening area that subdivides it into lower and upper subparts, allowing for disorientation or separation during a shock, thereby reducing deceleration and damage.
The solution effectively reduces the risk of significant damage to the driver's head by moderating the deceleration force during collisions, without the need for expensive or bulky actively deployable deflection covers or inflatable bags.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: DISPLAY DEVICE ADAPTED TO COLLISION WITH A PERSON, FOR A VEHICLE Technical field of the invention
[0001] The invention relates to vehicles, and more precisely to display devices which are intended to equip vehicle dashboards. State of the art
[0002] Certain vehicles, generally of the automobile type, comprise a dashboard, generally installed behind a windshield, and a display device of the so-called "head-up" type (or HUD ("Head Up Display")), fixedly attached to the dashboard near the windshield (possibly with the interposition of a cap), and arranged so as to display images containing information useful for driving for the driver.
[0003] Here, the term "head-up display device" means a device which makes it possible to display images intended for the driver in front of the latter and above the level where the upper end of the vehicle's steering wheel is placed.
[0004] Some of these display devices (head-up) comprise an electronic box which is capable of generating images to be displayed and a shell which is intended to be fixedly secured to the dashboard and which comprises a rear face to which is secured a screen capable of displaying these generated images. It will be understood that the rear face of the shell, and therefore also the screen, are oriented towards the driver (who is installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle behind the steering wheel), while the front face of the shell, opposite its rear face, is oriented towards the windshield and therefore towards the outside.
[0005] This shell comprises an upper part which emerges above the upper face of the dashboard and which is usually slightly inclined towards the rear above the upper face of the electronic box.
[0006] In order to withstand shocks and vibrations, the shell is generally made by molding a rigid and resistant plastic material, possibly with stiffening ribs. As a result, when a person's head hits the shell during a front impact, this shell constitutes a "hard point" on the person's path towards the passenger compartment. The deformation of the shell during the impact (or collision) with the head is in fact almost zero due to its excessive rigidity, and therefore causes the head to undergo significant deceleration which can cause potentially irreversible damage. Typically, the force generated by the shell is of the order of 10 KN while the average force generated in the vicinity of the shell is less than 5 KN.
[0007] In the presence of the drawback described above, it has been proposed to install an actively deployable deflection hood near the hull or to install an inflatable bag protection device (or "airbag") at the level of the vehicle's awning, but these solutions are expensive, bulky and cause excess weight.
[0008] The invention therefore aims in particular to improve the situation. Presentation of the invention
[0009] It proposes in particular for this purpose a display device of the so-called head-up type, intended to equip a dashboard of a vehicle, and comprising an electronic box capable of generating images to be displayed and a shell intended to be fixedly secured to the dashboard and comprising a rear face to which a screen capable of displaying the generated images is secured.
[0010] This display device is characterized by the fact that its shell comprises at least one weakening zone which subdivides it into lower and upper sub-parts and which is capable, in the event of an impact, of allowing disorientation or separation of the upper sub-part relative to the lower sub-part.
[0011] Thus, when a person's head hits the shell during a front impact, this shell no longer constitutes a hard point on the person's path towards the passenger compartment, because it only causes the head to undergo moderate deceleration, making it possible to avoid significant damage.
[0012] The display device according to the invention may include other characteristics which may be taken separately or in combination, and in particular:
[0013] - its shell can be placed in front of the electronic box with its sub-part upper inclined rearwardly at an acute angle above an upper face of the electronics housing;
[0014] - the weakening zone can be located at a first level which is higher or equal to a second level at which the upper face is placed, in order to allow, during the impact, a disorientation or a separation of the upper sub-part towards the upper face;
[0015] - in the presence of the last option, the first level can be strictly higher on the second level;
[0016] - its hull may comprise a front face, opposite its rear face, and provided with stiffening ribs. In this case, the weakening zone can be defined in at least one of these stiffening ribs;
[0017] - in the presence of the last option, the weakening zone can be a local reduction of a thickness and / or an emergence distance from the front face of at least one of the stiffening ribs over a chosen length;
[0018] - in the presence of the last sub-option, the local reduction of the thickness and / or the local reduction of the emergence distance and / or the length can be chosen according to at least one parameter;
[0019] - alternatively, the weakening zone may be a local decrease of a hull thickness.
[0020] The invention also provides a vehicle, possibly of the automobile type, and comprising a dashboard installed behind a windshield and a display device of the type presented above and fixedly secured to the dashboard near the windshield. Brief description of the figures
[0021] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the attached drawings (obtained in CAD / CAM (“Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Drawing”)), in which:
[0022] [Fig-1] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view from the passenger compartment side, a part of a left front part of a vehicle comprising a windshield behind which is installed a dashboard comprising a display device according to the invention,
[0023] [Fig.2] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view from the rear side, an exemplary embodiment of a display device according to the invention, before it is fitted to a dashboard of a vehicle,
[0024] [Fig.3] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view from the front side, the display device of [Fig.2],
[0025] [Fig.4] schematically illustrates, in a sectional view in a vertical and longitudinal plane, a small part of the shell of the display device of figures 2 and 3, at the level of the weakening zone, and
[0026] [Fig.5] schematically illustrates, in a sectional view in a vertical and longitudinal plane, the display device of figures 2 and 3, after an impact having caused the folding of the upper sub-part of the hull. Detailed description of the invention
[0027] The invention aims in particular to propose a display device DA of the so-called head-up type, intended to equip a dashboard PDB of a vehicle V and comprising a shell CD capable of deforming or breaking when it is struck by the head of a person in order to limit the damage caused to the latter.
[0028] In the following, it is considered, by way of non-limiting example, that the display device DA is intended to be part of a vehicle V of the automobile type, such as for example a car (as illustrated non-limitingly in [Fig. 1]). But the invention is not limited to this type of vehicle. It in fact concerns any vehicle comprising a dashboard to which a head-up display device must be fixedly attached.
[0029] In Figures 1 to 5, the X direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which is parallel to the lateral sides comprising the side doors, the Y direction is the transverse direction of the vehicle, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, and the Z direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal directions X and transverse directions Y.
[0030] [Fig.l] schematically illustrates a part of a front part (here left) of a vehicle V comprising a windshield PB behind which is installed a dashboard PDB comprising a display device DA according to the invention. The dashboard PDB is installed in the passenger compartment H, inside which at least one driver (and possibly at least one other passenger) can be installed. Here, the dashboard PDB is installed behind a windshield PB, and the display device DA is installed close to this windshield PB. But the vehicle could not include a windshield, or could include a windshield having a (very) small vertical extension.
[0031] In the above and the following, the concept of "front" is defined in relation to the front end of the vehicle V, and the concept of "rear" is defined in relation to the rear end of the vehicle V (opposite the front end). Consequently, the front part (or face) of an element is (intended to be) oriented towards the front end of the vehicle, while the rear part (or face) of this element is (intended to be) oriented towards the rear end of the vehicle.
[0032] Figures 2 and 3 schematically illustrate an example of an embodiment of a display device DA according to the invention, before it is fitted to a dashboard PDB of a vehicle V. As illustrated, a display device DA, according to the invention, comprises an electronic box BE and a shell CD.
[0033] The electronic box BE is arranged so as to generate images to be displayed. It is coupled to the CD shell, for example by screwing and / or clipping, and can also be fixedly secured to the dashboard PDB, for example by screwing and / or clipping.
[0034] The CD shell is intended to be fixedly secured to the dashboard PDB, for example by screwing and / or clipping. It comprises front faces FV and rear faces FR opposite each other. The front face FV is oriented towards the outside, and therefore here towards the windshield PB. The rear face FR is oriented towards the passenger compartment H and a screen EA is secured to it. This screen EA is arranged so as to display the images generated by the electronic unit BE. It will be noted that the screen EA can, for example, be a mirror reflecting the images which are projected by the electronic unit BE or an electronic display screen (for example a liquid crystal panel or OLED) displaying the images transmitted to it by radio or wired means by the BE electronic box.
[0035] For example, and as illustrated, the CD shell can be placed in front of the BE electronic box.
[0036] According to the invention, and as illustrated in [Fig. 3], the shell CD comprises at least one weakening zone ZA which subdivides it into a lower sub-part SPI and an upper sub-part SPS.
[0037] When the shell CD is placed in front of the electronic box BE, its upper sub-part SPS can be inclined backwards at an acute angle above the upper face FS of the electronic box BE, as illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 2 and 3. But the upper sub-part SPS could make a right angle (90°) or an obtuse angle with the upper face FS of the electronic box BE.
[0038] The (each) weakening zone ZA is capable, in the event of an impact suffered by the hull CD, of allowing disorientation or separation of the upper sub-part SPS relative to the lower sub-part SPI.
[0039] It will be understood that a disorientation corresponds to a change in the initial angle that the upper sub-part SPS makes before an impact with respect to the lower sub-part SPI, and therefore to a deformation of the shell CD (by folding). This initial angle may be zero or non-zero (and acute), as in the example illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 2 and 3. An example of disorientation of the upper sub-part SPS with respect to the lower sub-part SPI after an impact is illustrated in [Fig. 5]. In this example, the initial angle before the impact is approximately 35° (see Figures 2 and 3), while the final angle after the impact is approximately 85° (see [Fig. 5]).
[0040] It is important to note that depending on the arrangement of the (each) weakening zone ZA and / or depending on the intensity of the shock on the shell CD, there may be either a disorientation (or deformation), or a separation (or rupture), or even a disorientation (or deformation) followed by a separation (or rupture).
[0041] Thanks to this (each) weakening zone ZA, when a person's head hits the shell CD during a front impact, this shell CD no longer constitutes a hard point on the person's path towards the passenger compartment H, because it only causes the head to undergo moderate deceleration because it can continue its path. This makes it possible to avoid significant damage (in particular irreversible damage). In addition, this purely passive solution avoids having to install an actively deployable deflection hood or an airbag protection device at the cowl.
[0042] For example, and as illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 3 and 4, the weakening zone ZA may be located at a first level which is greater than or equal to a second level at which the upper face FS is placed. This arrangement is intended to allow (and facilitate) during the impact a disorientation or a separation of the sub- upper part SPS towards the upper face FS. It will be noted that in this illustrated example the first level is strictly higher than the second level, but in an alternative embodiment it could be substantially equal to the second level.
[0043] Also for example, and as illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 3 to 5, the front face FV of the shell CD may comprise stiffening ribs NR, and the weakening zone ZA may be defined in at least one of the stiffening ribs NR.
[0044] It will be noted that in the example illustrated non-limitingly in [Fig. 3] the front face FV of the shell CD comprises numerous stiffening ribs NR which extend substantially perpendicular to the transverse direction Y and inclined relative to the vertical direction Z, and the weakening zone ZA is defined in all the stiffening ribs NR belonging to the upper sub-part SPS and extending into at least a part of the lower sub-part SPI. But this is not an obligation because the weakening zone ZA could be defined in a part of these stiffening ribs NR, possibly in several groups spaced from each other.
[0045] It will also be noted that in the example illustrated non-limitingly in [Fig. 3] the weakening zone ZA is defined along the transverse direction Y. But this is not obligatory. Indeed, it could be defined along a direction which is slightly inclined relative to the transverse direction Y (in the horizontal plane XY and / or in the vertical plane YZ).
[0046] It will also be noted, as illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 3 and 4, that when the front face FV of the shell CD comprises numerous stiffening ribs NR in at least one of which the weakening zone ZA is defined, the latter (ZA) may consist of a local reduction in the thickness and / or the emergence distance from the front face FV of at least one of the stiffening ribs NR over a chosen length. The thickness of a stiffening rib NR is understood here along the transverse direction Y, the emergence distance is understood here along a direction perpendicular to the face FV, and the length is understood here along the general direction of a stiffening rib NR.
[0047] It will be understood that in the presence of this option, the weakening zone ZA can be defined either only by a local decrease (or reduction) in the thickness of at least one of the stiffening ribs NR over a chosen length, or only by a local decrease (or reduction) in the emergence distance from the front face FV of at least one of the stiffening ribs NR over a chosen length, or even both by a local decrease (or reduction) in the thickness of at least one of the stiffening ribs NR over a chosen length and a local decrease (or reduction) in the emergence distance from the front face FV of at least one of the stiffening ribs NR over a chosen length. This third alternative is the one illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 3 and 4 (hl represents the local reduction in the emergence distance, the thickness of the stiffening ribs NR has become zero locally (total reduction), and 11 represents the length along which the two reductions take place).
[0048] For example, the local reduction (hl) of the emergence distance and / or the local reduction of the thickness and / or the length (11) can be chosen as a function of at least one parameter. Among the parameters which can be taken into account, we can notably cite the material from which the CD shell is made (for example polycarbonate (or PC) or polypropylene (or PP)), the minimum misorientation angle, the need to obtain a break between SPS and SPI, the mechanical strength of the CD shell, and the resistance to vibration stresses.
[0049] In a variant embodiment not illustrated (with or without stiffening rib(s) NR on the front face FV), the weakening zone ZA could be a local reduction in the thickness of the shell CD (along the longitudinal direction X) and not in the thickness of its possible stiffening rib(s) NR. In particular, the weakening zone ZA could be defined in a zone of the front face FV which is devoid of stiffening rib NR, by a local reduction in the thickness of the shell CD. In this variant, it is possible to have one (each) weakening zone ZA consisting of a local reduction in the thickness of the shell CD (along X) over a chosen width (along Y) and / or over a chosen length (direction perpendicular to Y in the plane of the front face FV).
Claims
Claims
1. Display device (DA) of the so-called head-up type and intended to equip a dashboard (PDB) of a vehicle (V), said device (DA) comprising an electronic box (BE) suitable for generating images to be displayed and a shell (CD) intended to be fixedly secured to said dashboard (PDB) and comprising a rear face (FR) to which is secured a screen (EA) suitable for displaying said generated images, characterized in that said shell (CD) comprises at least one weakening zone (ZA) subdividing it into lower (SPI) and upper (SPS) sub-parts and suitable, in the event of an impact, for allowing disorientation or separation of said upper sub-part (SPS) relative to said lower sub-part (SPI),characterized in that said shell (CD) is placed in front of said electronic box (BE) with its upper sub-part (SPS) inclined backwards at an acute angle above an upper face (FS) of said electronic box (BE).,
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said weakening zone (ZA) is located at a first level which is greater than or equal to a second level at which said upper face (FS) is placed, in order to allow during said impact a disorientation or a separation of said upper sub-part (SPS) towards said upper face (FS).
3. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said first level is strictly greater than said second level.
4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said shell (CD) comprises a front face (FV), opposite said rear face (FR), and provided with stiffening ribs (NR), and in that said weakening zone (ZA) is defined in at least one of said stiffening ribs (NR).
5. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said weakening zone (ZA) is a local reduction in a thickness and / or an emergence distance from said front face (FV) of at least one of said stiffening ribs (NR) over a chosen length.
6. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said local reduction in thickness and / or said local reduction the emergence distance and / or said length is / are chosen according to at least one parameter.
7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said weakening zone (ZA) is a local reduction in a thickness of said shell (CD).
8. Vehicle (V) comprising a dashboard (PDB) installed behind a windshield (PB), characterized in that it further comprises a display device (DA) according to one of the preceding claims, fixedly secured to said dashboard (PDB) near said windshield (PB).
9. Vehicle according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it is of the automobile type.