Image generating device and head-up display

Abstract

To provide an image generating device capable of preventing occurrence of glare.SOLUTION: A lens (120) includes: an incidence section (127A); an emission surface (123A); and a vertical wall surface (124A). The incidence section (127A) includes an incidence surface (122A), and a flange section (126A) provided continuously to the incidence surface (122A). The vertical wall surface (124A) connects the incidence section (127A) and the emission surface (123A). The vertical wall surface (124A) is shaped so as to spread outside from the center of the lens (120) as it is directed toward the incidence section (127A) from the emission surface (123A). A light shielding section (165) for shielding light that is reflected internally by the vertical wall surface (124A) is provided at least in one portion around a display device (130).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image generating device and a head-up display including the image generating device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the future autonomous driving society, it is expected that visual communication between vehicles and humans will become increasingly important. For example, it is expected that visual communication between a vehicle and its occupants will become increasingly important. In this regard, visual communication between a vehicle and its occupants can be realized by using a head-up display (HUD). A head-up display can realize so-called AR (Augmented Reality) by projecting an image or video onto a windshield or combiner, and allowing the occupant to view the image by superimposing it on the real space through the windshield or combiner.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an illumination device used for transmitting illumination of a liquid crystal display device as a head-up display. The illumination device includes a plurality of light sources and a polarization conversion element. The polarization conversion element includes a light-transmitting member that transmits light, a polarization separation film that transmits p-polarized light and reflects s-polarized light of the light incident on the light-transmitting member, and a reflecting portion that reflects the p-polarized light that has transmitted through the polarization separation film.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a head-up display in which a predetermined virtual image is displayed within an area in which the virtual image can be displayed by transmitting or blocking light using a liquid crystal display device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-4673 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-207263 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, there is room for improvement in preventing glare in lighting devices such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0007] In addition, light leaking from the liquid crystal display device may cause areas other than the virtual image in the virtual image displayable area to be perceived as faintly glowing. In particular, when the external light around the vehicle is weak, the brightness of the virtual image displayable area becomes higher than the brightness of the surroundings, and the outline of the virtual image displayable area becomes conspicuous, which may cause discomfort to vehicle occupants and distract the occupants.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an image generating device capable of preventing the occurrence of glare, and a head-up display including the image generating device.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an image generating device capable of making the contour of an area in which a virtual image can be displayed less noticeable, and a head-up display including the image generating device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] An image generating apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: An image generating device that generates an image for a head-up display, At least one light source; a substrate on which the at least one light source is mounted; a lens that transmits light emitted from the at least one light source; a display device that forms light for generating the image using light transmitted through the lens; the lens has an entrance portion having an entrance surface into which the light from the at least one light source is incident and a flange portion provided continuously with the entrance surface, an exit surface from which the light is emitted, and a standing wall surface that connects the entrance portion and the exit surface and has a shape that expands outward from the center of the lens as it moves from the exit surface to the entrance portion, A light blocking portion is provided around at least a portion of the periphery of the display device to block the light that is internally reflected by the standing wall surface.

[0011] According to the image generating device having the above-mentioned configuration, the light emitted from the light source and internally reflected by the vertical wall surface is blocked by the light blocking portion and does not enter the display device, thereby making it possible to suppress glare caused by the light reflected by the vertical wall surface becoming stray light.

[0012] A head-up display according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: The image generating device; At least one reflecting unit that reflects the light emitted by the image generating device so that the light is irradiated onto a windshield or a combiner; It is equipped with:

[0013] According to the head-up display having the above configuration, the occurrence of glare can be prevented.

[0014] An image generating apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: An image generating device that generates an image for a head-up display, A light source; a lens that transmits light emitted from the light source; a liquid crystal device that forms light for generating the image using light transmitted through the lens; The lens has an incident surface through which light from the light source enters and an exit surface through which light that has passed through the lens exits, and a light diffusion treatment is applied to at least a portion of the outer periphery of at least one of the incident surface and the exit surface.

[0015] According to the image generating device, the light reaching the outer periphery of the area in which an image can be formed on the liquid crystal device can be reduced by the light diffusion processing applied to the lens. As a result, even if an area other than the virtual image is faintly illuminated within the area in which a virtual image can be displayed by the head-up display, the brightness of the outer periphery of the area in which a virtual image can be displayed is low, so that the outline of the area in which a virtual image can be displayed can be made inconspicuous. Note that the "outer periphery" of the area in which a virtual image can be displayed or an image can be formed does not mean the part outside the area, but a part of the area near the boundary of the area.

[0016] A head-up display according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: The image generating device; and at least one reflecting portion that reflects the light emitted by the image generating device so that the light is irradiated onto a windshield or a combiner.

[0017] According to the above-mentioned head-up display, even if areas other than the virtual image are faintly illuminated within the virtual image displayable area that can be displayed by the head-up display, the brightness of the outer periphery of the virtual image displayable area is low, so that the outline of the virtual image displayable area can be made inconspicuous. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image generating device capable of preventing the occurrence of glare, and a head-up display including the image generating device.

[0019] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image generating device capable of making the contour of a virtual image displayable area less noticeable, and a head-up display including the image generating device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle system equipped with a head-up display (HUD) according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a HUD. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an image generating device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a lens holder of the image generating device of FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the image generating device in a state where a light blocking portion is not provided. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an image generating device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a lens of the image generating device shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an image generating device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a lens of the image generating device shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an image generating device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a lens holder of the image generating device shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration of the HUD. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken in the left-right direction, illustrating the configuration of an image generating device according to a [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the front-rear direction showing the configuration of the image generating device. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a visual field area of ​​a vehicle occupant; [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a lens of the image generating device as viewed from the liquid crystal device side. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the traveling direction of light emitted from a light source. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the traveling direction of light emitted from a light source. [Figure 21]FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken in the left-right direction, illustrating the configuration of an image generating device according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the front-rear direction showing the configuration of the image generating device. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the lens of the image generating device as viewed from the light source side. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken in the left-right direction, illustrating the configuration of an image generating device according to a seventh embodiment. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken in the left-right direction, illustrating the configuration of an image generating device according to an eighth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0022] In addition, in the description of this embodiment, for convenience of description, the "left-right direction", "up-down direction", and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the HUD (Head-Up Display) 20 shown in FIG. 2. Here, the "left-right direction" is a direction including the "left direction" and the "right direction". The "up-down direction" is a direction including the "upward direction" and the "downward direction". The "front-rear direction" is a direction including the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction". Although not shown in FIG. 2, the left-right direction is a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

[0023] A vehicle system 2 including a HUD 20 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the vehicle system 2. A vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle system 2 is a vehicle (automobile) capable of running in an autonomous driving mode.

[0024] 1, the vehicle system 2 includes a vehicle control unit 3, a sensor 5, a camera 6, a radar 7, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 8, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 9, a wireless communication unit 10, and a storage device 11. The vehicle system 2 also includes a steering actuator 12, a steering device 13, a brake actuator 14, a brake device 15, an accelerator actuator 16, and an accelerator device 17. The vehicle system 2 also includes a HUD 20.

[0025] The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the traveling of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured, for example, by at least one electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (for example, SoC (System on a Chip) or the like) having one or more processors and a memory, and an electronic circuit configured of active elements such as transistors and passive elements such as resistors. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). The CPU may be configured by multiple CPU cores. The GPU may be configured by multiple GPU cores. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). A vehicle control program may be stored in the ROM. For example, the vehicle control program may include an artificial intelligence (AI) program for autonomous driving. The AI ​​program is a program (trained model) constructed by supervised or unsupervised machine learning (particularly, deep learning) using a multi-layer neural network. The RAM may temporarily store a vehicle control program, vehicle control data, and / or surrounding environment information indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The processor may be configured to load a program specified from various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The computer system may also be configured with a non-von Neumann type computer such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Furthermore, the computer system may be configured with a combination of a von Neumann type computer and a non-von Neumann type computer.

[0026] The sensor 5 includes at least one of an acceleration sensor, a speed sensor, and a gyro sensor. The sensor 5 is configured to detect the driving state of the vehicle 1 and output driving state information to the vehicle control unit 3. The sensor 5 may further include a seating sensor that detects whether the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, a face direction sensor that detects the direction of the driver's face, an external weather sensor that detects the external weather conditions, and a human presence sensor that detects whether a person is inside the vehicle.

[0027] The camera 6 is a camera including an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS), etc. The camera 6 includes one or more external cameras 6A and an internal camera 6B. The external camera 6A is configured to acquire image data showing the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 and then transmit the image data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 acquires surrounding environment information based on the transmitted image data. Here, the surrounding environment information may include information on objects (pedestrians, other vehicles, signs, etc.) present outside the vehicle 1. For example, the surrounding environment information may include information on attributes of objects present outside the vehicle 1 and information on the distance and position of the objects relative to the vehicle 1. The external camera 6A may be configured as a monocular camera or as a stereo camera.

[0028] The internal camera 6B is disposed inside the vehicle 1 and configured to acquire image data showing the occupant. The internal camera 6B functions, for example, as an eye tracking camera that tracks the occupant's viewpoint E (described later in FIG. 2). The internal camera 6B is provided, for example, near the rearview mirror or inside the instrument panel.

[0029] The radar 7 includes at least one of a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, and a laser radar (e.g., a LiDAR unit). For example, the LiDAR unit is configured to detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. In particular, the LiDAR unit is configured to obtain 3D mapping data (point cloud data) indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and then transmit the 3D mapping data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 identifies surrounding environment information based on the transmitted 3D mapping data.

[0030] The HMI 8 is composed of an input unit that accepts input operations from the driver, and an output unit that outputs driving information, etc. to the driver. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode changeover switch that changes the driving mode of the vehicle 1, etc. The output unit is a display (excluding the HUD) that displays various driving information.

[0031] The GPS 9 is configured to acquire current position information of the vehicle 1 and output the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0032] The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive information (e.g., travel information, etc.) about other vehicles around the vehicle 1 from the other vehicles and transmit information (e.g., travel information, etc.) about the vehicle 1 to the other vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is also configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure equipment such as traffic lights and marker lights and transmit travel information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure equipment (road-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is also configured to receive information about pedestrians from portable electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, etc.) carried by pedestrians and transmit vehicle travel information of the vehicle 1 to the portable electronic device (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication). The vehicle 1 may directly communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure equipment, or portable electronic devices in an ad-hoc mode, or may communicate via an access point. The vehicle 1 may also communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure equipment, or portable electronic devices via a communication network not shown. The communication network includes at least one of the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and a radio access network (RAN). The wireless communication standard is, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), LPWA, DSRC (registered trademark), or Li-Fi. The vehicle 1 may also communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure equipment, or portable electronic devices using a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G).

[0033] The storage device 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). Two-dimensional or three-dimensional map information and / or a vehicle control program may be stored in the storage device 11. For example, the three-dimensional map information may be composed of 3D mapping data (point cloud data). The storage device 11 is configured to output the map information and the vehicle control program to the vehicle control device 3 in response to a request from the vehicle control device 3. The map information and the vehicle control program may be updated via the wireless communication unit 10 and a communication network.

[0034] When the vehicle 1 travels in the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates at least one of a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal based on the driving state information, the surrounding environment information, the current position information, the map information, and the like. The steering actuator 12 is configured to receive the steering control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the steering device 13 based on the received steering control signal. The brake actuator 14 is configured to receive the brake control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the brake device 15 based on the received brake control signal. The accelerator actuator 16 is configured to receive the accelerator control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the accelerator device 17 based on the received accelerator control signal. In this way, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically controls the traveling of the vehicle 1 based on the driving state information, the surrounding environment information, the current position information, the map information, and the like. That is, in the autonomous driving mode, the traveling of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled by the vehicle system 2.

[0035] On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 runs in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 generates a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal in accordance with the driver's manual operation of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the steering wheel. In this way, in the manual driving mode, the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal are generated by the driver's manual operation, so that the running of the vehicle 1 is controlled by the driver.

[0036] As described above, the driving mode includes an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. The automatic driving mode includes, for example, a fully automatic driving mode, an advanced driving assistance mode, and a driving assistance mode. In the fully automatic driving mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs all driving control, including steering control, braking control, and accelerator control, and the driver is not in a state where he can drive the vehicle 1. In the advanced driving assistance mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs all driving control, including steering control, braking control, and accelerator control, and the driver is in a state where he can drive the vehicle 1 but does not drive the vehicle 1. In the driving assistance mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs some driving control, including steering control, braking control, and accelerator control, and the driver drives the vehicle 1 under the driving assistance of the vehicle system 2. On the other hand, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle system 2 does not automatically perform driving control, and the driver drives the vehicle 1 without the driving assistance of the vehicle system 2.

[0037] The HUD 20 is configured to display predetermined information (hereinafter referred to as HUD information) as an image toward the occupant of the vehicle 1 so that the HUD information is superimposed on the real space outside the vehicle 1 (particularly, the surrounding environment in front of the vehicle 1). The HUD information displayed by the HUD 20 is, for example, vehicle driving information related to the driving of the vehicle 1 and / or surrounding environment information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (particularly, information related to objects existing outside the vehicle 1). The HUD 20 is an AR display that functions as a visual interface between the vehicle 1 and the occupant.

[0038] The HUD 20 includes a picture generation unit (PGU) 24 and a control unit 25. The image generating device 24 is configured to emit light for generating a predetermined image to be displayed toward the occupants of the vehicle 1. The image generating device 24 can emit light for generating a changing image that changes according to the situation of the vehicle 1, for example.

[0039] The control unit 25 controls the operation of each part of the HUD 20. The control unit 25 is connected to the vehicle control unit 3, and generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the image generation device 24 based on, for example, vehicle driving information and surrounding environment information transmitted from the vehicle control unit 3, and transmits the generated control signal to the image generation device 24. The control unit 25 is equipped with a processor such as a CPU and a memory, and the processor executes a computer program read from the memory to control the operation of the image generation device 24 and the like. In this embodiment, the vehicle control unit 3 and the control unit 25 are provided as separate configurations, but the vehicle control unit 3 and the control unit 25 may be configured as an integrated unit. For example, the vehicle control unit 3 and the control unit 25 may be configured as a single electronic control unit.

[0040] 2 is a schematic diagram of the HUD 20 as viewed from the side of the vehicle 1. At least a portion of the HUD 20 is located inside the vehicle 1. Specifically, the HUD 20 is installed at a predetermined location inside the vehicle 1. For example, the HUD 20 may be disposed inside the dashboard of the vehicle 1.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 2, the HUD 20 includes a HUD main body 21. The HUD main body 21 has a main body housing 22 and an exit window 23. The exit window 23 is made of a transparent plate that transmits visible light. The HUD main body 21 has an image generating device 24, a concave mirror 26 (an example of a reflecting section), and a plane mirror 28 inside the main body housing 22. Note that, although the control section 25 of the HUD 20 is housed in the image generating device 24 in Fig. 2, the control section 25 may be disposed outside the image generating device 24 as shown in Fig. 14.

[0042] The image generating device 24 is disposed within the main housing 22 so as to emit light upward. The plane mirror 28 is disposed on the optical path of the light emitted from the image generating device 24. Specifically, the plane mirror 28 is disposed above the image generating device 24 and configured to reflect the light emitted from the image generating device 24 towards the concave mirror 26.

[0043] The concave mirror 26 is disposed on the optical path of the light emitted from the image generating device 24 and reflected by the plane mirror 28. Specifically, the concave mirror 26 is disposed in front of the image generating device 24 and the plane mirror 28 in the main body housing 22. The concave mirror 26 is configured to reflect the light emitted from the image generating device 24 toward the windshield 18 (for example, the front window of the vehicle 1). The concave mirror 26 has a reflective surface curved in a concave shape to form a predetermined image, and reflects the image of the light emitted from the image generating device 24 and formed at a predetermined magnification. The concave mirror 26 may have, for example, a drive mechanism 27, and be configured to be able to change the position and orientation of the concave mirror 26 based on a control signal transmitted from the control unit 25.

[0044] The light emitted from the image generating device 24 is reflected by the plane mirror 28 and the concave mirror 26 and emitted from the exit window 23 of the HUD main body 21. The light emitted from the exit window 23 of the HUD main body 21 is irradiated onto the windshield 18. A part of the light irradiated from the exit window 23 onto the windshield 18 is reflected toward the occupant's viewpoint E. As a result, the occupant recognizes the light emitted from the HUD main body 21 as a virtual image (predetermined image) formed at a predetermined distance in front of the windshield 18. In this way, the image displayed by the HUD 20 is superimposed on the real space in front of the vehicle 1 through the windshield 18, so that the occupant can visually recognize the virtual image object I formed by the predetermined image as floating above the road located outside the vehicle.

[0045] Here, the occupant's viewpoint E may be either the viewpoint of the left eye or the viewpoint of the right eye of the occupant. Alternatively, the viewpoint E may be defined as the midpoint of a line segment connecting the viewpoints of the left eye and the right eye. The position of the occupant's viewpoint E is identified based on image data acquired by the internal camera 6B, for example. The position of the occupant's viewpoint E may be updated at a predetermined cycle, or may be determined only once when the vehicle 1 is started.

[0046] When a 2D image (planar image) is formed as the virtual image object I, a predetermined image is projected so as to become a virtual image at a single distance that is arbitrarily determined. When a 3D image (stereoscopic image) is formed as the virtual image object I, a plurality of predetermined images that are the same or different from each other are projected so as to become virtual images at different distances. In addition, the distance of the virtual image object I (the distance from the occupant's viewpoint E to the virtual image) can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the distance from the image generating device 24 to the occupant's viewpoint E (for example, by adjusting the distance between the image generating device 24 and the concave mirror 26).

[0047] First embodiment An image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the image generating device 24A, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the image generating device 24A includes a light source substrate 110 on which a light source 111 (a first light source 111A and a second light source 111B) is mounted, a lens 120 disposed above the light source 111, and a display device 130 disposed above the lens 120. The image generating device 24A further includes a lens holder 140 disposed above the light source substrate 110, a heat sink 150 disposed below the light source substrate 110, and a PGU housing 160 that houses each of the components of the image generating device 24A. The light source substrate 110, the lens 120, the lens holder 140, and the heat sink 150 are screwed to the PGU housing 160 by, for example, screws 161. The display device 130 is attached to the upper surface of the PGU housing 160.

[0049] The light sources 111 (first light source 111A, second light source 111B) are, for example, laser light sources or LED light sources. The laser light sources are, for example, RGB laser light sources configured to emit red laser light, green laser light, and blue laser light, respectively. The first light source 111A and the second light source 111B are arranged on the light source substrate 110, spaced apart by a certain distance in the left-right direction. The light source substrate 110 is, for example, a printed circuit board made of an insulator with electrical circuit wiring printed on the surface or inside of the board.

[0050] The lens 120 is, for example, an aspheric convex lens in which an entrance surface 122 into which the light from the light source 111 is incident and an exit surface 123 from which the incident light is emitted are both formed in a convex shape. The lens 120 is configured to transmit or reflect the light emitted from the light source 111 and emit it toward the display device 130.

[0051] The lens 120 in the first embodiment has a first region 121A that transmits the first light emitted from the first light source 111A and a second region 121B that transmits the second light emitted from the second light source 111B. The first light source 111A and the second light source 111B are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction. The first region 121A is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the first light source 111A. The second region 121B is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the second light source 111B. The entrance surface 122A of the first region 121A and the entrance surface 122B of the second region 121B are convex entrance surfaces that bulge slightly downward. The exit surface 123A of the first region 121A and the exit surface 123B of the second region 121B are convex exit surfaces that bulge upward. A right part of the first region 121A arranged on the left side and a left part of the second region 121B arranged on the right side are combined. The lens 120 is attached to the lens holder 140 so that the center of the light emitting surface of the first light source 111A is the focal position of the first region 121A and the center of the light emitting surface of the second light source 111B is the focal position of the second region 121B.

[0052] The display device 130 is a liquid crystal display, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device), or the like. The display device 130 forms light for generating a predetermined image by the light of the light source 111 transmitted through the lens 120. The display device 130 is attached to the upper surface of the PGU housing 160 with a light emission surface for emitting light for generating an image facing upward of the image generating device 24A. The display device 130 is attached to the PGU housing 160 from the upper surface side of the PGU housing 160, for example. The drawing method of the image generating device 24A may be a raster scan method, a DLP method, or an LCOS method. When the DLP method or the LCOS method is adopted, the light source 111 of the image generating device 24A may be an LED light source. Note that when the liquid crystal display method is adopted, the light source 111 of the image generating device 24A may be a white LED light source.

[0053] Lens holder 140 holds lens 120 in PGU housing 160 so that light emitted from light source 111 is correctly incident on incident surface 122 of lens 120. A detailed configuration of lens holder 140 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0054] The heat sink 150 is made of highly thermally conductive material such as aluminum or copper. The heat sink 150 is provided in contact with the rear surface of the light source substrate 110 in order to dissipate heat generated from the light source substrate 110.

[0055] 5 is a perspective view of the lens holder 140 as viewed from the lens 120 side. As shown in FIG. 5, the lens holder 140 has a pair of mounting parts 141 in which mounting holes 142 for screws 161 are formed, and a frame part 143 provided between the pair of mounting parts 141. The frame part 143 is provided with a light shielding part 144 capable of blocking light emitted from the light source 111. The light shielding part 144 is provided in the center part in the left-right direction of the lens holder 140 so as to connect between the front frame part 143A and the rear frame part 143B along the front-rear direction of the lens holder 140. The light shielding part 144 is formed integrally with the lens holder 140.

[0056] The light shielding portion 144 has a rectangular shape in a cross-sectional view (see FIG. 4). The light shielding portion 144 is provided so as to be disposed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B in a space 170 formed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B and the lens 120. The light shielding portion 144 can prevent the first light emitted from the first light source 111A from passing through the second region 121B of the lens 120, and can prevent the second light emitted from the second light source 111B from passing through the first region 121A of the lens 120. It is preferable that the surface of the light shielding portion 144 is painted black, for example, so that the light irradiated from each of the light sources 111A and 111B can be absorbed without being reflected.

[0057] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view along the front-rear and up-down directions of a first region 121A in lens 120. Note that the cross-sectional view of second region 121B of lens 120 has a similar configuration to the cross-sectional view of first region 121A shown in Fig. 6, and therefore detailed description and illustration will be omitted. 6, the first region 121A of the lens 120 includes an entrance portion 127A including an entrance surface 122A and a flange portion 126A provided so as to be continuous with the entrance surface 122A on the outer periphery of the entrance surface 122A. An outer surface 126A1 of the flange portion 126A is in contact with an inner surface 145 of the lens holder 140.

[0058] The first region 121A further includes a vertical wall surface 124A connecting the incident portion 127A and the exit surface 123A. In the example of the lens 120 of the first embodiment, the vertical wall surface 124A is formed on the upper and lower outer peripheries of the lens 120. The vertical wall surface 124A is formed to have a shape that spreads outward from the center of the lens 120 as it moves from the exit surface 123A to the incident portion 127A. In other words, the vertical wall surface 124A is formed inclined with respect to a direction VD (a direction along the center line of the lens) perpendicular to the surface of the light source substrate 110 on which the first light source 111A is mounted. The inclination angle θ of the vertical wall surface 124A is set to be 5 degrees or more, preferably 15 degrees or more. If the inclination angle θ is less than 5 degrees, it becomes difficult to remove the lens 120 from the mold when the lens 120 is molded by a mold.

[0059] At least a part of the periphery of the display device 130 is provided with a light shielding portion 165 that blocks light emitted from the first light source 111A and reflected internally by the vertical wall surface 124A. In the first embodiment, a part of the PGU housing 160 that holds the display device 130 functions as the light shielding portion 165. The PGU housing 160 is formed of, for example, a black resin so as to be able to block light emitted from the first light source 111A. For example, as shown in the optical path 112, the light emitted from the first light source 111A is reflected by the vertical wall surface 124A after entering the lens 120 from the entrance surface 122A of the lens 120. The light reflected by the vertical wall surface 124A is emitted from the exit surface 123A and then irradiated toward the light shielding portion 165 of the PGU housing 160 without entering the display device 130.

[0060] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the optical paths of light emitted from a primary light source 111A and a secondary light source 111B in an image generating device 24Z in which a light blocking portion 144 is not provided on a lens holder 140. As shown in FIG. The light emitted from the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B is incident on the incidence surfaces 122A and 122B of the lens 120. The shape of the lens 120 is a shape in which two aspheric convex lenses are connected in parallel, similar to the above-mentioned image generating device 24A, so that most of the light emitted from the first light source 111A is incident on the first region 121A of the lens 120 as shown in, for example, a first optical path 112A, and becomes parallel to the optical axis 115A and enters the display device 130. Similarly, most of the light emitted from the second light source 111B is incident on the second region 121B as shown in, for example, a second optical path 112B, and becomes parallel to the optical axis 115B and enters the display device 130.

[0061] However, since the image generating device 24Z does not include the light blocking portion 144, a part of the light emitted from the first light source 111A is incident on the second region 121B from the incident surface 122B as shown in, for example, the third optical path 112C. The light incident on the incident surface 122B from the first light source 111A travels in a direction different from the direction of the optical axis 115A and is incident on the display device 130 as shown in the third optical path 112C. Similarly, although not shown in the drawings, the light emitted from the second light source 111B and incident on the incident surface 122A of the first region 121A travels in a direction different from the direction of the optical axis 115B and is incident on the display device 130. In this way, light incident from the first light source 111A to the incident surface 122B of the second region 121B, or from the second light source 111B to the incident surface 122A of the first region 121A, enters the display device 130 as light that is not parallel to the optical axes 115A, 115B, and may cause glare for the driver of the vehicle 1.

[0062] In contrast, the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment includes a first light source 111A, a second light source 111B arranged at a certain distance from the first light source 111A, a lens 120 that transmits light emitted from the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B, a display device 130 that forms light for generating an image by the light transmitted through the lens 120, and a lens holder 140 that holds the lens 120. The lens 120 is composed of a first region 121A that transmits light (an example of first light) emitted from the first light source 111A, and a second region 121B that is connected in parallel to the first region 121A and transmits light (an example of second light) emitted from the second light source 111B. The lens holder 140 is provided with a light shielding portion 144 that is disposed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B in the space 170 between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B and prevents the light emitted from the first light source 111A from passing through the second region 121B and prevents the light emitted from the second light source 111B from passing through the first region 121A. This configuration can suppress glare that may occur when the light from the first light source 111A enters the lens 120 from the incident surface 122B and passes through the second region 121B, or when the light from the second light source 111B enters the lens 120 from the incident surface 122A and passes through the first region 121A. In addition, since the light shielding portion 144 is provided in the lens holder 140, the number of parts can be reduced compared to when the light shielding portion 144 is provided separately from the lens holder 140. This allows the image generating device 24A to be manufactured at low cost.

[0063] Moreover, according to the image generating device 24A, the first region 121A and the second region 121B of the lens 120 are aspheric lenses in which the entrance surfaces 122A, 122B and the exit surfaces 123A, 123B are all formed as convex surfaces. Therefore, the light emitted from the first light source 111A and the light emitted from the second light source 111B can be subjected to aberration correction by the lens 120 and made incident as parallel light on the display device 130. This can improve the generation accuracy of the virtual image object I.

[0064] In the image generating device 24A, the lens 120 has an entrance portion 127A having an entrance surface 122A on which light from the light source 111A is incident and a flange portion 126A provided continuously with the entrance surface 122A, an exit surface 123A from which the light is emitted, and a standing wall surface 124A which is a portion connecting the entrance portion 127A and the exit surface 123A and has a shape that spreads outward from the center of the lens 120 as it moves from the exit surface 123A to the entrance portion 127A. A light shielding portion 165 that shields light reflected internally by the standing wall surface 124A is provided at least in a part of the periphery of the display device 130. For example, if the standing wall surface 124A is not provided on the lens 120 in FIG. 6, the light emitted from the light source 111A and internally reflected by the lens 120 may become stray light and enter the display device 130. In contrast, in the case where the lens 120 is provided with the vertical wall surface 124A inclined outward from the emission surface 123A toward the incidence portion 127A as in the present embodiment, the light emitted from the light source 111A and internally reflected by the vertical wall surface 124A is irradiated to the light shielding portion 165 and is shielded by the light shielding portion 165. Therefore, the light internally reflected by the vertical wall surface 124A does not enter the display device 130. This makes it possible to suppress glare caused by the light reflected by the vertical wall surface 124A becoming stray light and entering the display device 130.

[0065] Moreover, the standing wall surface 124A rises from only a part of the outer periphery of the entrance portion 127A. That is, the standing wall surface 124A is provided on the outer periphery in the front-rear direction of the lens 120, but is not provided on the outer periphery in the left-right direction of the lens 120, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of glare while maintaining the size of the effective surface of the lens 120.

[0066] Moreover, by setting the inclination angle θ of the vertical wall surface 124A to 5 degrees or more, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of glare while ensuring the draft angle of the mold for lens molding. Furthermore, by setting the inclination angle θ of the vertical wall surface 124A to 15 degrees or more, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of glare.

[0067] Moreover, according to the image generating device 24A, at least a part of the PGU housing 160 is configured to function as the light blocking portion 165. This allows the light blocking portion 165 to be provided with a simple configuration, and also makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of glare.

[0068] Second Embodiment Next, an image generating device 24B according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9. Members with the same reference numerals as those in the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment have the same configuration as the image generating device 24A, and therefore their description will be omitted. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the image generating device 24B. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a lens 220 provided in the image generating device 24B, as viewed from the light sources 111A and 111B side.

[0069] 8 and 9, a light-shielding portion 225 capable of blocking light emitted from the light sources 111A and 111B is provided on an incident surface 222 of a lens 220 of the image generating device 24B. On both the left and right sides of the lens 220, mounting portions 226 having mounting holes 227 for the screws 161 are provided.

[0070] The light shielding portion 225 is formed by applying a textured surface to the incident surface 222. The light shielding portion 225, which is a textured surface, is provided in a strip shape in a predetermined region between the central portion in the left-right direction of the lens 220, that is, the incident surface 222A of the first region 221A and the incident surface 222B of the second region 221B. The light shielding portion 225 is provided so as to span a part of the incident surface 222A and a part of the incident surface 222B. The light shielding portion 225 faces the upper surface of the light shielding portion 144 provided in the lens holder 140. The light shielding portion 225 is provided so as to be slightly wider in both left and right directions than the width of the light shielding portion 144 in the left-right direction, for example. The light shielding portion 225 can prevent the light emitted from the first light source 111A from passing through the second region 121B, and can also prevent the light emitted from the second light source 111B from passing through the first region 121A.

[0071] In this way, the image generating device 24B according to the second embodiment further includes the light shielding portion 225 of the lens 220 in addition to the light shielding portion 144 of the lens holder 140. With this configuration, light that cannot be completely shielded by the light shielding portion 144, for example, light such as that of the fourth optical path 112D shown in FIG. 8, can be shielded by the light shielding portion 225 of the lens 220. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the light from the first light source 111A from entering the second region 121B from the incident surface 122B, or the light from the second light source 111B from the incident surface 122A to the first region 121A, thereby further suppressing the occurrence of glare.

[0072] In the image generating device 24B of the second embodiment, the light shielding portion is provided with the light shielding portion 144 of the lens holder 140 and the light shielding portion 225 of the lens 220, but is not limited thereto. For example, the light shielding portion 144 of the lens holder 140 may not be provided, and only the light shielding portion 225 of the lens 220 may be provided.

[0073] Third embodiment Next, an image generating device 24C according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. Members with the same reference numerals as those of the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment have the same configuration as the image generating device 24A, and therefore their description will be omitted. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the image generating device 24C. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the lens 320 as viewed from the light sources 111A and 111B side. In the image generating device 24C, the shape of the lens 320 disposed on the upper side of the light source substrate 110 is different from that of the lens 120 of the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment. In addition, the lens holder 340 provided in the image generating device 24C is different from the lens holder 140 of the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment in that it does not include a light blocking portion.

[0074] 10 and 11, a light-shielding portion 325 capable of refracting light emitted from light sources 111A and 111B and entering lens 320 is provided on incident surface 322 of lens 320. Mounting portions 326 having mounting holes 327 for screws 161 are provided on both the left and right sides of lens 320.

[0075] The light blocking portion 325 is provided in the center of the lens 320 in the left-right direction. The light blocking portion 325 is provided in a third region 321C formed between the first region 321A and the second region 321B. The light blocking portion 325 is provided as a protruding portion protruding downward from the third region 321C toward the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B side below the incident surface 322A of the first region 321A and the incident surface 322B of the second region 321B. The light blocking portion 325 is integrally formed with the lens 320 as a part of the lens 320.

[0076] The light blocking portion 325 has, for example, a rectangular shape in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 10. The light blocking portion 325 extends along the front-rear direction of the lens 320. The light blocking portion 325 is provided so as to be disposed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B in the space 170 formed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B and the lens 120. The light blocking portion 325 transmits light emitted from the first light source 111A and transmits light emitted from the second light source 111B.

[0077] In this way, the image generating device 24C according to the third embodiment includes a light shielding portion 325 as a protruding portion protruding from the third region 321C formed between the first region 321A and the second region 321B toward the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B side on the incident surface 322 of the lens 320. According to this configuration, since the light shielding portion 325 is provided as a protruding portion protruding from the lens 320, the light emitted from the first light source 111A and traveling toward the second region 321B can be refracted by the light shielding portion 325 so as not to enter the display device 130, for example, as in the fifth optical path 112E shown in FIG. 10. Although not shown in the figure, in the same manner, the light emitted from the second light source 111B and traveling toward the first region 321A can be refracted by the light shielding portion 325 so as not to enter the display device 130. This makes it possible to suppress glare that may occur when light from primary light source 111A passes through second region 321B, or when light from secondary light source 111B passes through first region 321A. In addition, since light shielding portion 325 is provided integrally with lens 320, the number of parts can be reduced compared to when light shielding portion 325 is provided separately from lens 320. This allows image generating device 24C to be manufactured at low cost.

[0078] (Fourth embodiment) Next, an image generating device 24D according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. Members with the same reference numerals as those in the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment have the same configuration as the image generating device 24A, and therefore their description will be omitted. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the image generating device 24D. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a lens holder 440 provided in the image generating device 24D, as viewed from the lens 120 side. In the image generating device 24D, the configuration of the lens holder 440 disposed above the light source substrate 110 is different from that of the lens holder 140 of the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment.

[0079] 13, the lens holder 440 has a pair of mounting portions 441 in which mounting holes 442 for the screws 161 are formed, and a frame portion 443 provided between the pair of mounting portions 441. A reflecting portion 444 (an example of a light blocking portion) is provided on the frame portion 443. The reflecting portion 444 is provided in the center portion in the left-right direction of the lens holder 440 so as to connect between the front frame portion 443A and the rear frame portion 443B along the front-rear direction of the lens holder 440. The reflecting portion 444 is formed integrally with the lens holder 440.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 12, the reflecting portion 444 has a flared shape in which the width in the left-right direction increases toward the lower side in a cross-sectional view. That is, the width of the lower surface 444D of the reflecting portion 444 is greater than the width of the upper surface 444C of the reflecting portion 444. The left and right side surfaces of the reflecting portion 444 constitute a first reflecting surface 444A and a second reflecting surface 444B capable of reflecting the light emitted from the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B. The first reflecting surface 444A and the second reflecting surface 444B are formed as a concavely curved reflecting surface. For example, a metal such as aluminum is vapor-deposited on the first reflecting surface 444A and the second reflecting surface 444B. The reflecting portion 444 is provided so as to be disposed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B in the space 170 formed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B and the lens 120. First reflecting surface 444A reflects, toward first region 121A, the light emitted from first light source 111A and traveling toward second region 121B. Second reflecting surface 444B reflects, toward second region 121B, the light emitted from second light source 111B and traveling toward first region 121A.

[0081] Thus, according to the image generating device 24D of the fourth embodiment, the lens holder 440 includes a reflecting portion 444 having a first reflecting surface 444A and a second reflecting surface 444B that are concavely curved. The first reflecting surface 444A is disposed in a space 170 formed between the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B and the lens 120 at a position where the first reflecting surface 444A reflects light traveling from the first light source 111A toward the second region 121B toward the first region 121A. The second reflecting surface 444B is disposed in a space 170 at a position where the second reflecting surface 444B reflects light traveling from the second light source 111B toward the first region 121A toward the second region 121B. For this reason, as in the sixth optical path 112F shown in FIG. 12, for example, the light emitted from the first light source 111A and traveling toward the second region 121B can be reflected by the first reflecting surface 444A and can be made to enter the display device 130 as light substantially parallel to the optical axis 115A. Similarly, the light emitted from the second light source 111B and traveling toward the first region 121A can be reflected by the second reflecting surface 444B as shown in the seventh optical path 112G, for example, and can be made to enter the display device 130 as light approximately parallel to the optical axis 115B. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of glare without reducing the effective utilization rate of the light emitted from the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B.

[0082] Fifth embodiment An image generating device 24E according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15 to Fig. 20. Fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the left-right direction showing the configuration of the image generating device 24E. Fig. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the front-rear direction showing the configuration of the image generating device 24E. Members with the same reference numerals as those in the image generating device 24A according to the first embodiment have the same configuration as the image generating device 24A, and therefore their description will be omitted.

[0083] 15 and 16, the image generating device 24E includes a light source 111, a lens 420, and a liquid crystal device 230. The lens 420 is disposed above the light source 111. The liquid crystal device 230 is disposed above the lens 420.

[0084] The light source 111 is, for example, a laser light source or an LED light source. The laser light source is, for example, an RGB laser light source configured to emit red laser light, green laser light, and blue laser light, respectively. The light source 111 is mounted on a light source substrate 110. In this example, the light source 111 includes a first light source 111A and a second light source 111B. The first light source 111A and the second light source 111B are arranged on the light source substrate 110 at a certain distance apart in the left-right direction. The light source substrate 110 is, for example, a printed circuit board on which electrical circuit wiring is printed on or inside a base substrate made of an insulating material.

[0085] The lens 420 is, for example, an aspheric convex lens in which an entrance surface 422 onto which the light from the light source 111 is incident and an exit surface 423 from which the incident light is emitted are both formed in a convex shape. The lens 420 is configured to transmit the light emitted from the light source 111 and emit it toward the liquid crystal device 230.

[0086] In this example, the lens 420 has a first region 421A that transmits the first light emitted from the first light source 111A and a second region 421B that transmits the second light emitted from the second light source 111B. The first region 421A is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the first light source 111A. The second region 421B is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the second light source 111B. An entrance surface 422A of the first region 421A and an entrance surface 422B of the second region 421B are convex entrance surfaces that bulge slightly downward. An exit surface 423A of the first region 421A and an exit surface 423B of the second region 421B are convex exit surfaces that bulge upward. A right part of the first region 421A arranged on the left side and a left part of the second region 421B arranged on the right side are combined. The lens 420 is attached to a lens holder (not shown), for example, so that the center of the light-emitting surface of the first light source 111A is the focal position of the first region 421A and the center of the light-emitting surface of the second light source 111B is the focal position of the second region 421B.

[0087] Liquid crystal device 230 forms light for generating a predetermined image from light emitted from light source 111 and transmitted through lens 420. Liquid crystal device 230 is attached to the upper surface of PGU housing (not shown) with a light emission surface for emitting light for generating an image facing upward of image generating device 24E, for example.

[0088] The liquid crystal device 230 has, for example, a liquid crystal panel 231 and a drive circuit (not shown). Each of the pixels constituting the liquid crystal panel 231 is controlled by the drive circuit to either a state in which it transmits light that has passed through the lens 420 or a state in which it does not transmit light. By controlling the transmission and blocking of light for each pixel, light for generating a predetermined image is formed.

[0089] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a visual field V of an occupant in a state in which a virtual image object I1 is displayed by the HUD 20 so as to be superimposed on the real space outside the vehicle 1. Note that a part of the vehicle 1 (such as the hood) is included in the visual field V shown in Fig. 17.

[0090] A virtual image object I1 indicating vehicle speed information is displayed in the visual field V of the occupant. The liquid crystal device 230 forms light for generating an image indicating vehicle speed information by controlling the transmission and blocking of light for each pixel constituting the liquid crystal panel 231 so that the virtual image object I1 is displayed at a predetermined position in the virtual image displayable area R. Note that the rectangular frame indicated by the dashed line indicates the position of the virtual image displayable area R for convenience, and no frame actually exists. The virtual image displayable area R corresponds to the image formable area A shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 in the liquid crystal device 230. In this example, the image formable area A in the liquid crystal device 230 is an area in which the pixels constituting the liquid crystal panel 231 are formed, and the virtual image displayable area R corresponds to the shape of the liquid crystal panel 231.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the lens 420 in the fifth embodiment has a wave processing 424 on the outer periphery P1 of the exit surface 423. The wave processing 424 can be formed at the same time that the lens 420 is molded using a mold in which a portion corresponding to the outer periphery P1 of the exit surface 423 is formed in a wave shape. The wave processing 424 is an example of a light diffusion processing. In this example, as shown in FIG. 18, the wave processing 424 is applied over the entire circumference of the outer periphery P1 of the exit surface 423. That is, the wave processing 424 is applied over the outer periphery P1A of the exit surface 423A of the first region 421A and the outer periphery P1B of the exit surface 423B of the second region 421B. The light emitted from the outer periphery P1 of the exit surface 423 of the lens 420 is diffused by the wave processing 424 and reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable region A of the liquid crystal device 230 and its surroundings.

[0092] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the optical paths of light emitted from a primary light source 111A and a secondary light source 111B in an image generating device 24Z in which the outer periphery of an emission surface 123 of a lens 120 is not subjected to wavy processing.

[0093] 19, light emitted from primary light source 111A is incident on incidence surface 122A of lens 120. Since lens 120 is an aspheric convex lens similar to image generating device 24E described above, most of the light emitted from primary light source 111A is incident on first region 121A of lens 120, becomes light parallel to optical axis 115A, and enters liquid crystal device 230. For example, as shown in first optical path 112A, light emitted from the outer periphery of emission surface 123A becomes light parallel to optical axis 115A and reaches the outer periphery of the image formable region of liquid crystal device 230.

[0094] Similarly, most of the light emitted from the second light source 111B enters the second region 121B, becomes parallel to the optical axis 115B, and enters the liquid crystal device 230. For example, as shown in the second optical path 112B, the light emitted from the outer periphery of the exit surface 123B becomes parallel to the optical axis 115B and reaches the outer periphery of the image formable region of the liquid crystal device 230.

[0095] The liquid crystal device 230 forms light for generating a predetermined image by controlling the transmission and blocking of light transmitted through the lens 120 for each pixel constituting the liquid crystal panel 231. However, for example, if light leaks from a pixel that should be blocked in the liquid crystal panel 231 of the liquid crystal device 230, there is a risk that the area other than the virtual image object I1 in the virtual image displayable area R shown in Fig. 17 will be visually recognized as faintly glowing. In the image generating device 24Z, the outer periphery of the image formable area of ​​the liquid crystal device 230 is also irradiated with light in the same manner as other parts, so that the outline of the virtual image displayable area R may be noticeable.

[0096] 20 is a diagram showing the optical paths of the light emitted from the first light source 111A and the second light source 111B in the image generating device 24E. According to the image generating device 24E, the outer peripheral portion P1 of the emission surface 423 is subjected to the wave processing 424, and the light emitted from the outer peripheral portion P1 of the emission surface 423 is diffused by the wave processing 424 and enters the liquid crystal device 230 as shown in FIG. 20. This makes it possible to reduce the light that reaches the outer peripheral portion P10 of the image formable region A in the liquid crystal device 230. Therefore, even if the region other than the virtual image object I1 in the virtual image displayable region R shown in FIG. 17 shines faintly, the brightness of the outer peripheral portion of the virtual image displayable region R is low, so that the outline of the virtual image displayable region R can be made inconspicuous.

[0097] Furthermore, in the image generating device 24E, the lens 420 is subjected to wave processing 424 as a light diffusion processing. Therefore, it is possible to diffuse light with a simple configuration.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the lens 420 is subjected to the wave processing 424 as the light diffusion processing. However, the lens 420 may be subjected to the texture processing as the light diffusion processing. The texture processing may be formed by processing the lens 420 after the lens 420 is molded by a mold. In this case, too, it is possible to reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A of the liquid crystal device 230. Also, in the portion of the lens 420 where the texture processing is performed, a part of the light is blocked and does not exit. Therefore, compared to the wave processing, it is possible to further reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the wave processing 424 is applied to the entire circumference of the outer periphery P1 of the exit surface 423. However, the wave processing may be applied to a part of the outer periphery P1 of the exit surface 423. For example, when the area other than the virtual image object I1 in the virtual image displayable area R shown in FIG. 17 is faintly lit, the upper part of the rectangular outer periphery of the virtual image displayable area R is particularly likely to be recognized by the occupant. The wave processing may be applied to a part of the outer periphery P1 of the exit surface 423 that emits light that reaches a part of the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A of the liquid crystal device 230 corresponding to the upper part of the outer periphery of the virtual image displayable area R. In this case, since the brightness of the upper part of the virtual image displayable area R is low, the outline of the virtual image displayable area R can be made inconspicuous.

[0100] Sixth Embodiment Next, an image generating device 24F according to a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 21 to 23. Fig. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image generating device 24F in the left-right direction. Fig. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image generating device 24F in the front-rear direction. Fig. 23 is a view of the lens 520 as seen from the light source 111 side. In Figs. 21 and 22, the image formable area A and the outer periphery P10 of the liquid crystal device 230 are omitted. In the sixth embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same members as those constituting the image generating device 24E of the fifth embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted for convenience.

[0101] 21 and 22, the image generating device 24F includes a light source 111, a lens 520, and a liquid crystal device 230. The lens 520 is disposed above the light source 111. The liquid crystal device 230 is disposed above the lens 520. The light source 111 is mounted on a light source substrate 110. The light source 111 includes a first light source 111A and a second light source 111B.

[0102] The lens 520 is, for example, an aspheric convex lens in which an entrance surface 522 onto which the light from the light source 111 is incident and an exit surface 523 from which the incident light is emitted are both formed in a convex shape. The lens 520 is configured to transmit or reflect the light emitted from the light source 111 and emit it toward the liquid crystal device 230.

[0103] In this example, the lens 520 has a first region 521A that transmits the first light emitted from the first light source 111A and a second region 521B that transmits the second light emitted from the second light source 111B. The first region 521A is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the first light source 111A. The second region 521B is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the second light source 111B. The entrance surface 522A of the first region 521A and the entrance surface 522B of the second region 521B are convex entrance surfaces that bulge slightly backward. The exit surface 523A of the first region 521A and the exit surface 523B of the second region 521B are convex exit surfaces that bulge forward. A right part of the first region 521A arranged on the left side and a left part of the second region 521B arranged on the right side are combined. Lens 520 is attached to a lens holder (not shown) so that the center of the light emitting surface of first light source 111A is the focal position of first region 521A and the center of the light emitting surface of second light source 111B is the focal position of second region 521B.

[0104] 21 and 22, the lens 520 in the sixth embodiment is subjected to a wave processing 524 over the outer periphery P2 of the incident surface 522. The wave processing 524 is an example of a light diffusion processing. In this example, as shown in FIG. 23, the wave processing 524 is applied over the entire circumference of the outer periphery P2 of the incident surface 522. That is, the wave processing 524 is applied over the outer periphery P2A of the incident surface 522A of the first region 521A and the outer periphery P2B of the incident surface 522B of the second region 521B.

[0105] When no wave processing is applied to the outer periphery P2 of the incident surface 522 of the lens 520, the light emitted from the light source 111 and irradiated to the outer periphery P2 of the incident surface 522 enters the lens 520, passes through the lens 520, and exits from the outer periphery P3 of the exit surface 523.

[0106] In contrast, in the image generating device 24F, a wave processing 524 is applied to the outer periphery P2 of the entrance surface 522. The light emitted from the light source 111 and irradiated to the outer periphery P2 of the entrance surface 522 is diffused by the wave processing 524 and enters the lens 520, so that the light emitted from the outer periphery P3 of the exit surface 523 can be reduced. This can reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A in the liquid crystal device 230. Therefore, even if the area other than the virtual image object I1 in the virtual image displayable area R shown in FIG. 17 shines faintly, the brightness of the outer periphery of the virtual image displayable area R is low, so that the outline of the virtual image displayable area R can be made inconspicuous.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the lens 520 is subjected to the wave processing 524 as the light diffusion processing. However, the lens 520 may be subjected to the texture processing as the light diffusion processing. In this case as well, it is possible to reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A of the liquid crystal device 230. Also, in the textured portion of the lens 520, some of the light is blocked and does not exit. Therefore, compared to the wave processing, it is possible to further reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the wave processing 524 is applied to the entire circumference of the outer periphery P2 of the incident surface 522. However, the wave processing may be applied to a part of the outer periphery P2 of the incident surface 522. For example, the wave processing may be applied to a part of the outer periphery P2 of the incident surface 522 so as to reduce the light that reaches a part of the outer periphery of the image formable area A of the liquid crystal device 230 corresponding to the upper part of the outer periphery of the virtual image displayable area R shown in FIG. 17. In this case, since the brightness of the upper part of the virtual image displayable area R is low, the outline of the virtual image displayable area R can be made less noticeable.

[0109] Seventh embodiment Next, an image generating device 24G according to a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image generating device 24G in the left-right direction. In Fig. 24, the image formable area A and the outer periphery P10 of the liquid crystal device 230 are omitted. In the seventh embodiment, the same members as those constituting the image generating device 24E of the fifth embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted for convenience.

[0110] 24, the image generating device 24G includes a light source 111, a lens 620, and a liquid crystal device 230. The lens 620 is disposed above the light source 111. The liquid crystal device 230 is disposed above the lens 620. The light source 111 is mounted on a light source substrate 110. The light source 111 includes a first light source 111A and a second light source 111B.

[0111] The lens 620 is, for example, an aspheric convex lens in which an entrance surface 622 into which the light from the light source 111 is incident and an exit surface 623 from which the incident light is emitted are both formed in a convex shape. The lens 620 is configured to transmit or reflect the light emitted from the light source 111 and emit it toward the liquid crystal device 230.

[0112] In this example, the lens 620 has a first region 621A that transmits the first light emitted from the first light source 111A and a second region 621B that transmits the second light emitted from the second light source 111B. The first region 621A is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the first light source 111A. The second region 621B is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the second light source 111B. An entrance surface 622A of the first region 621A and an entrance surface 622B of the second region 621B are convex entrance surfaces that bulge slightly backward. An exit surface 623A of the first region 221A and an exit surface 623B of the second region 621B are convex exit surfaces that bulge forward. A right part of the first region 621A arranged on the left side and a left part of the second region 621B arranged on the right side are combined. The lens 620 is attached to a lens holder (not shown) so that the center of the light emitting surface of the first light source 111A is the focal position of the first region 621A and the center of the light emitting surface of the second light source 111B is the focal position of the second region 621B.

[0113] In the lens 620 of the seventh embodiment, the textured surface 624 is applied over the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622 and the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623. The textured surface 624 is an example of a light diffusion treatment. In this example, the textured surface 624 is applied over the outer periphery P4A of the incident surface 622A of the first region 621A and the outer periphery P4B of the incident surface 622B of the second region 621B. The textured surface 624 is applied over the outer periphery P5A of the exit surface 623A of the first region 621A and the outer periphery P5B of the exit surface 623B of the second region 621B.

[0114] According to the image generating device 24G, the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622 is textured 624, so that the light emitted from the light source 111 and irradiated to the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622 is diffused by the textured 624 and enters the lens 620. Also, a part of the light irradiated to the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622 is blocked by the textured 624. This can reduce the light emitted from the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623. Also, the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623 is textured 624, so that the light emitted from the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623 is diffused by the textured 624 and enters the liquid crystal device 230. Also, a part of the light emitted from the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623 is blocked by the textured 624. This can reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A of the liquid crystal device 230. Therefore, even if the areas other than the virtual image object I1 within the virtual image displayable area R shown in Figure 17 are faintly illuminated, the brightness of the outer periphery of the virtual image displayable area R is low, so the contour of the virtual image displayable area R can be made inconspicuous.

[0115] In the above embodiment, the embossing 624 is applied to the entire circumference of the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622 and the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623. However, the embossing may be applied to a part of the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622. Also, the embossing may be applied to a part of the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623. For example, the lens 620 may be formed so that the area where the embossing is applied to the outer periphery P5 of the exit surface 623 is larger than the area where the embossing is applied to the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622. In this case, the light diffusion at the outer periphery P4 of the incident surface 622 is minimized to guide the light from the lens 620 to the liquid crystal device 230, while the light reaching the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A of the liquid crystal device 230 can be reduced.

[0116] In the above embodiment, the lens 620 is textured as a light diffusion treatment. However, the lens 620 may be wavy as a light diffusion treatment.

[0117] Eighth embodiment Next, an image generating device 24H according to an eighth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 25. Fig. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image generating device 24H in the left-right direction. In Fig. 25, the image formable area A and the outer periphery P10 of the liquid crystal device 230 are omitted. In the eighth embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same members as those constituting the image generating device 24E of the fifth embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted for convenience.

[0118] 25, the image generating device 24H includes a light source 111, a lens 720, and a liquid crystal device 230. The lens 720 is disposed above the light source 111. The liquid crystal device 230 is disposed above the lens 720. The light source 111 is mounted on a light source substrate 110. The light source 111 includes a first light source 111A and a second light source 111B.

[0119] The lens 720 is, for example, an aspheric convex lens in which an entrance surface 722 onto which the light from the light source 111 is incident and an exit surface 723 from which the incident light is emitted are both formed in a convex shape. The lens 720 is configured to transmit or reflect the light emitted from the light source 111 and emit it toward the liquid crystal device 230.

[0120] In this example, the lens 720 has a first region 721A that transmits the first light emitted from the first light source 111A and a second region 721B that transmits the second light emitted from the second light source 111B. The first region 721A is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the first light source 111A. The second region 721B is an aspheric convex lens corresponding to the second light source 111B. The entrance surface 722A of the first region 721A and the entrance surface 722B of the second region 721B are convex entrance surfaces that bulge slightly backward. The exit surface 723A of the first region 721A and the exit surface 723B of the second region 721B are convex exit surfaces that bulge forward. A right part of the first region 721A arranged on the left side and a left part of the second region 721B arranged on the right side are combined. Lens 720 is attached to a lens holder (not shown) so that the center of the light emitting surface of first light source 111A is the focal position of first region 721A and the center of the light emitting surface of second light source 111B is the focal position of second region 721B.

[0121] Lens 720 in the seventh embodiment is processed so that the radius of curvature becomes larger as it goes outward at outer periphery P6 over the entire circumference of outer periphery P6 of exit surface 723. This processing is an example of light diffusion processing. In this example, outer periphery P6A of exit surface 723A in first region 721A and outer periphery P6B of exit surface 723B in second region 721B are processed so that the radius of curvature becomes larger as it goes outward.

[0122] According to the image generating device 24H, the outer periphery P6 of the exit surface 723 is processed so that the radius of curvature increases toward the outside, so that the light emitted from the outer periphery P6 of the exit surface 723 is diffused and enters the liquid crystal device 230. This can further reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image formable area A of the liquid crystal device 230. Therefore, even if the area other than the virtual image object I1 in the virtual image displayable area R shown in FIG. 17 shines faintly, the brightness of the outer periphery of the virtual image displayable area R is low, so that the outline of the virtual image displayable area R can be made inconspicuous.

[0123] In the above embodiment, the outer periphery P6 of the exit surface 723 is processed so that the radius of curvature becomes larger as it goes outward over the entire circumference. However, the outer periphery P6 of the exit surface 723 may be processed so that the radius of curvature becomes larger as it goes outward in a part of the region. For example, the outer periphery P6 of the exit surface 723 that emits light that reaches a part of the image formable region A of the liquid crystal device 230 corresponding to the upper part of the outer periphery of the virtual image displayable region R shown in FIG. 17 may be processed so that the radius of curvature becomes larger as it goes outward in a part of the region. In this case, since the brightness of the upper part of the virtual image displayable region R is low, the outline of the virtual image displayable region R can be made inconspicuous.

[0124] In the fifth to eighth embodiments, the image generating devices 24E, 24F, 24G, and 24H include a first light source 111A and a second light source 111B as the light source 111. The lenses 420, 520, 620, and 720 include a first region 421A, 521A, 621A, and 721A and a second region 421B, 521B, 621B, and 721B. However, the image generating devices 24E, 24F, 24G, and 24H may include one light source, and the lenses 420, 520, 620, and 720 may have one region that transmits light emitted from the light source. Alternatively, the image generating devices 24E, 24F, 24G, and 24H may include three or more light sources, and the lenses 420, 520, 620, and 720 may have three or more regions that transmit light emitted from the corresponding light sources.

[0125] In the above fifth to eighth embodiments, the lenses 420, 520, 620, and 720 are aspheric convex lenses. However, the lenses 420, 520, 620, and 720 may also include lenses of other shapes.

[0126] In the fifth to eighth embodiments, the image generating devices 24E, 24F, 24G, and 24H may include, for example, a heat sink provided on the rear surface of the light source substrate 110. The heat sink can dissipate heat generated from the light source substrate 110. The image generating devices 24E, 24F, 24G, and 24H may also include a diffusion sheet or the like between the lenses 420, 520, 620, and 720 and the liquid crystal device 230.

[0127] In the fifth to eighth embodiments, the lenses 420, 620, and 720 have the outer peripheries P1, P5, and P6 of the exit surface 423, 623, and 723 that are light-diffusing. The lenses 520, 620 have the outer peripheries P2 and P4 of the entrance surface 522, 622 that are light-diffusing. However, if the lenses 420, 620, and 720 can reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image-formable region A of the liquid crystal device 230, the light-diffusing process can be applied to the portions of the exit surface 423, 623, and 723 other than the outer peripheries P1, P5, and P6. If the lenses 520, 620 can reduce the light that reaches the outer periphery P10 of the image-formable region A of the liquid crystal device 230, the light-diffusing process can be applied to the portions of the entrance surface 522, 622 other than the outer peripheries P2 and P4.

[0128] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiment. The present embodiment is merely an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0129] In the first to eighth embodiments described above, the light emitted from the image generating device 24 is configured to be reflected by the concave mirror 26 and irradiated onto the windshield 18, but this is not limiting. For example, the light reflected by the concave mirror 26 may be irradiated onto a combiner (not shown) provided inside the windshield 18. The combiner is formed, for example, of a transparent plastic disk. A portion of the light irradiated onto the combiner from the image generating device 24 of the HUD main body 21 is reflected towards the occupant's viewpoint E, similar to the case where light is irradiated onto the windshield 18.

[0130] In addition, the vehicle driving modes have been described as including the fully automated driving mode, the advanced driving assistance mode, the driving assistance mode, and the manual driving mode, but the vehicle driving modes should not be limited to these four modes. The vehicle driving modes may include at least one of these four modes. For example, the vehicle driving modes may be executable in only one of them.

[0131] Furthermore, the classification and display form of the vehicle driving mode may be appropriately changed in accordance with the laws or regulations related to autonomous driving in each country. Similarly, the definitions of the "fully autonomous driving mode", the "advanced driving assistance mode", and the "driving assistance mode" described in the description of the present embodiment are merely examples, and these definitions may be appropriately changed in accordance with the laws or regulations related to autonomous driving in each country.

[0132] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-078252 filed on April 27, 2020 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-088277 filed on May 20, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. An image generating device that generates an image for a head-up display, A light source; a lens that transmits light emitted from the light source; a liquid crystal device that forms light for generating the image using light transmitted through the lens; the lens has an incident surface on which light from the light source is incident and an exit surface from which light transmitted through the lens exits, An image generating device, wherein at least a portion of an outer periphery of at least one of the entrance surface and the exit surface is subjected to a light diffusion treatment.

2. The image generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the light diffusion processing is a wave processing.

3. The image generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the light diffusion finish is a grain finish.

4. The light diffusion processing is applied to at least a part of the outer periphery of the incident surface, The image generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the light diffusing treatment is applied to at least a partial area of ​​an outer periphery of the exit surface.

5. An image generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; A head-up display comprising: at least one reflecting portion that reflects the light emitted by the image generating device so that the light is irradiated onto a windshield or a combiner.

Images