Image generation device

Abstract

To provide an image generation device that irradiates an image display region extended in the longer direction with light and has a higher utilization rate of a flux of light.SOLUTION: An image generation device 3 comprises: a plurality of light sources 31 provided along an arrangement direction D1; a concave lens 35 having a concave lens surface 34; and a lens 33 for causing light emitted from the plurality of light sources 31 to enter toward the concave lens 35. The lens 33 exercises control so as to direct light emitted from a first light source 311 located at an end of the arrangement direction D1 to a region other than a first concave lens region 341 of the concave lens surface 34 that faces the first light source 311.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to image generation devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an image generating device that generates an image for an image projection device. The image generating device includes a plurality of light sources, an optical element that transmits light from the plurality of light sources, and a liquid crystal unit that generates a predetermined image using the light from the optical element. The optical element has an incident surface that receives light from the plurality of light sources, and an exit surface that irradiates the light received at the incident surface onto the liquid crystal unit. The exit surface is formed by a single curved surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2023 / 085230 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to irradiate the image display area extending in the longitudinal direction with light, a concave lens is sometimes provided between the light source and the liquid crystal unit to spread the light from the light source in the longitudinal direction and irradiate it onto the liquid crystal unit. To further spread the light from the light source, it is preferable that the radius of curvature of the entrance surface of the concave lens be small. However, such a concave lens is thick and expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the smaller the radius of curvature of the entrance surface of the concave lens, the more likely it is that a portion of the light from the light source will be reflected by the entrance surface due to Fresnel reflection, reducing the luminous flux utilization rate.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an image generating device that illuminates a longitudinally extending image display area and has a higher luminous flux utilization rate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An image generating apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A plurality of light sources provided along the arrangement direction; a concave lens having a concave lens surface; a light control member that causes light emitted from the plurality of light sources to be incident toward the concave lens, The light control member controls light emitted from an edge light source positioned at an end in the arrangement direction so that the light is directed toward an area of ​​the concave lens surface other than an edge area facing the edge light source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an image generating device is provided that irradiates a longitudinally extending image display area with light and has a higher luminous flux utilization rate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a HUD provided on a vehicle, viewed from the side of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image generating device for a HUD. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating how light from a primary light source travels in the image generating device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image generating device according to a comparative example. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view showing the positional relationship between a plurality of light sources and lenses. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image generating device according to the first modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, descriptions of components having the same reference numerals as those already described in the description of the embodiments will be omitted. Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0010] In addition, in the description of this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the terms "left-right direction," "up-down direction," and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the head-up display (HUD) 2 shown in FIG. 1. Here, the "left-right direction" refers to a direction including a "left direction L" and a "right direction R." The "up-down direction" refers to a direction including an "upward direction U" and a "downward direction D." The "front-rear direction" refers to a direction including a "forward direction F" and a "rearward direction B." The front-rear direction in the HUD 2 and the front-rear direction in the vehicle 1 are the same. Here, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is defined as the forward direction. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the left-right direction refers to a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. The left-right direction also corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle 1.

[0011] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a HUD 2 provided in a vehicle 1, viewed from the side of the vehicle 1. The HUD 2 is configured to project a virtual image onto a windshield WS so as to be superimposed on the scenery ahead of the vehicle. At least a portion of the HUD 2 is located inside the vehicle 1. Specifically, the HUD 2 is installed in a dashboard DB of the vehicle 1.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the HUD 2 includes a HUD main body 20. The HUD main body 20 has a housing 22 and an exit window 23. The exit window 23 is a transparent plate that transmits visible light. Inside the housing 22, the HUD main body 20 has an image generation unit (PGU) 3, a HUD control unit 25, a plane mirror 26, and a concave mirror 28.

[0013] The image generating device 3 is configured to emit light for generating a virtual image. Details of the image generating device 3 will be described later.

[0014] The concave mirror 28 is disposed on the optical path of the light emitted from the image generating device 3 and reflected by the plane mirror 26. Specifically, the concave mirror 28 is disposed in front of the image generating device 3 and the plane mirror 26 inside the HUD main body 20. The concave mirror 28 is configured to reflect the light emitted by the image generating device 3 toward the windshield WS via the exit window 23. The concave mirror 28 has a concavely curved reflective surface, and reflects the image of the light emitted from the image generating device 3 and formed at a predetermined magnification.

[0015] It should be noted that the HUD main body 20 does not necessarily have to have the plane mirror 26. In this case, the light emitted from the image generating device 3 is incident on the concave mirror 28 without being reflected by the plane mirror 26.

[0016] Light emitted from the exit window 23 of the HUD main body 20 is irradiated onto the windshield WS. A portion of the light irradiated from the HUD main body 20 onto the windshield WS is reflected toward the driver's viewpoint E. As a result, the driver recognizes the light (predetermined image) emitted from the HUD main body 20 as a virtual image formed at a predetermined distance in front of the windshield WS. In this way, the virtual image displayed by the HUD 2 is superimposed on the real space in front of the vehicle 1 through the windshield WS, allowing the driver to visually recognize the virtual image object I as floating above the road located outside the vehicle.

[0017] The HUD control unit 25 is configured to control the image generation device 3. The HUD control unit 25 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, etc. When the processor executes a computer program read from the memory, the image generation device 3 operates.

[0018] Next, the image generating device 3 will be described in detail. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the image generation device 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the image generation device 3 includes a plurality of light sources 31, a lens 33, a concave lens 35 having a concave lens surface 34, and a display device 37.

[0019] The plurality of light sources 31 are arranged on the light source substrate 32 along the arrangement direction D1. Each light source 31 is, for example, a white LED light source. The light source substrate 32 is, for example, a printed circuit board in which electrical circuit wiring is printed on or inside a base substrate made of an insulating material. The arrangement direction D1 is, for example, the left-right direction. In this embodiment, four light sources, namely, a first light source 311, a second light source 312, a third light source 313, and a fourth light source 314, are arranged in a line along the arrangement direction D1, in this order, from the right end 32R to the left end 32L of the light source substrate 32. The first light source 311 is located closer to the end of the arrangement direction D1 than the second light source 312 (in FIG. 2, the right end 32R of the light source substrate 32). The second light source 312 is located closer to the center of the arrangement direction D1 than the first light source 311 (in FIG. 2, the center 32C of the light source substrate 32). The first light source 311 is an example of an edge light source. The second light source 312 is an example of a central light source.

[0020] The second light source 312 and the third light source 313 are provided line-symmetrically with respect to the center 32C of the light source substrate 32. The first light source 311 and the fourth light source 314 are provided line-symmetrically with respect to the center 32C of the light source substrate 32.

[0021] The lens 33 is configured to direct light emitted from each of the plurality of light sources 31 toward the concave lens 35. The lens 33 is formed of, for example, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate resin), COP (cycloolefin polymer), PC (polycarbonate), or silicone resin. The lens 33 is provided between the plurality of light sources 31 and the concave lens 35. In other words, the lens 33 faces the plurality of light sources 31 and also faces the concave lens 35. The lens 33 extends in a longitudinal direction parallel to the arrangement direction D1.

[0022] The illustrated lens 33 has a plurality of convex lens elements, each of which is convex outward. The lens 33 has a first lens region 331, a second lens region 332, a third lens region 333, and a fourth lens region 334, each of which has a convex lens shape.

[0023] Each of the lens regions 331 to 334 has a convex lens surface of a similar shape. The first lens region 331 is a region located at the rightmost end of the lens 33. The second lens region 332 is a region adjacent to the left side of the first lens region 331. The third lens region 333 is a region adjacent to the left side of the second lens region 332. The third lens region 333 is provided line-symmetrically with respect to the second lens region 332 about the center 33C of the lens 33 in the longitudinal direction. The fourth lens region 334 is a region adjacent to the left side of the third lens region 333. The fourth lens region 334 is provided line-symmetrically with respect to the first lens region 331 about the center 33C of the lens 33 in the longitudinal direction. In the following explanation, the first lens region 331 and the second lens region 332 will be mainly explained. The lens 33 is an example of a light control member.

[0024] First lens region 331 is configured to refract light emitted from primary light source 311. First lens region 331 is an aspherical convex lens corresponding to primary light source 311. Specifically, the incident surface of first lens region 331 (the surface facing primary light source 311) bulges slightly toward primary light source 311. The exit surface of first lens region 331 (the surface facing concave lens 35) bulges slightly toward concave lens 35. First lens region 331 is an example of an end control portion.

[0025] In this embodiment, when light emitted from a light source is directed toward an area other than a specific area, it means that the light from the light source is mainly directed toward an area other than the specific area, and also includes a small amount of light being incident on the specific area.

[0026] Second lens region 332 is configured to refract light emitted from secondary light source 312. Second lens region 332 is an aspherical convex lens corresponding to secondary light source 312. Specifically, the incident surface of second lens region 332 (surface facing secondary light source 312) bulges slightly toward secondary light source 312. The exit surface of second lens region 332 (surface facing concave lens 35) bulges slightly toward concave lens 35.

[0027] Each lens region is formed by being joined to an adjacent lens region. For example, a left portion of the first lens region 331 located near the right end 33R of the lens 33 and a right portion of the second lens region 332 located near the longitudinal center 33C of the lens 33 are joined to each other. In this way, the lens 33 is an integrated optical element in which each lens region is joined.

[0028] The concave lens 35 magnifies the image formed by the multiple light sources 31 and guides it to the display device 37. The concave lens 35 is configured to direct light emitted from the lens 33 toward the display device 37. The concave lens 35 is formed of, for example, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate resin), COP (cycloolefin polymer), PC (polycarbonate), or silicone resin. The concave lens 35 is provided between the lens 33 and the display device 37. The distance between the concave lens 35 and the lens 33 can be set appropriately. The concave lens 35 extends in a longitudinal direction parallel to the arrangement direction D1. The concave lens 35 has a concave lens surface 34. The concave lens surface 34 faces the multiple light sources 31 via the lens 33.

[0029] For ease of explanation, the concave lens surface 34 is divided into a first concave lens region 341, a second concave lens region 342, a third concave lens region 343, and a fourth concave lens region 344 from right to left.

[0030] The first concave lens region 341 is located at the rightmost position of the concave lens surface 34. The first concave lens region 341 faces the first light source 311 via the first lens region 331. The first concave lens region 341 is an example of an end region of the concave lens surface 34 that faces the end light source.

[0031] The second concave lens region 342 is a region adjacent to the left side of the first concave lens region 341. The second concave lens region 342 faces the second light source 312 via the second lens region 332. The second concave lens region 342 is an example of a central region of the concave lens surface 34 that faces the central light source.

[0032] The third concave lens region 343 is a region adjacent to the left side of the second concave lens region 342. The third concave lens region 343 faces the third light source 313 via the third lens region 333. The fourth concave lens region 344 is located at the leftmost position of the concave lens surface 34. The fourth concave lens region 344 faces the fourth light source 314 via the fourth lens region 334.

[0033] The display device 37 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a DMD (Digital Mirror Device). The display device 37 has an image forming surface 371 formed with a large number of pixels. The image forming surface 371 has an image display area that is long in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal direction of the image forming surface 371 is parallel to the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple light sources 31. The image generating device 3 is configured to form a virtual image using a part of the image forming surface 371 with light emitted from the concave lens 35.

[0034] Next, how light from primary light source 311 travels will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating how light from primary light source 311 travels in image generating device 3 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, in image generating device 3 according to this embodiment, first lens region 331 controls the light emitted from primary light source 311 so that it travels toward a region other than first concave lens region 341.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image generation device 3Z according to a comparative example. FIG. 4 also shows how light from the primary light source 311 travels. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the same components as those shown in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the image generation device 3Z according to the comparative example does not include a lens, unlike the image generation device 3 of this embodiment. Instead of a lens, the image generation device 3Z according to the comparative example includes a concave lens 35Z having a concave lens surface 34Z.

[0036] In the image generating device 3Z according to the comparative example, in order to irradiate light onto an image display area that is long in the longitudinal direction, it is conceivable to arrange multiple light sources 31 in an arrangement direction D1 parallel to the longitudinal direction and refract the light from each light source 31 so that it spreads in the longitudinal direction using a concave lens 35Z. However, the angle of incidence of light emitted from the light source with respect to the concave lens surface 34Z increases toward the end of the concave lens surface 34Z of the concave lens 35Z. For example, if light emitted from the primary light source 311 is incident on the first concave lens region 341Z of the concave lens surface 34Z facing the primary light source 311, the angle of incidence of the light incident on the concave lens surface 34Z will be too large. A large angle of incidence could result in Fresnel reflection. For this reason, it is not possible to spread the light in the longitudinal direction excessively.

[0037] However, as shown in Fig. 3, the image generating device 3 of this embodiment includes a lens 33 (first lens region 331) that controls the light emitted from at least the primary light source 311 so that it is directed toward an area of ​​the concave lens surface 34 other than the first concave lens region 341 facing the primary light source 311. This prevents the angle of incidence of the light emitted from the primary light source 311 with respect to the concave lens surface 34 from becoming too large, making it easier to spread the light in the longitudinal direction. In addition, Fresnel reflection can be suppressed, thereby increasing the luminous flux utilization rate of the primary light source 311. Furthermore, there is no need to reduce the radius of curvature of the concave lens surface 34, and the thickness of the concave lens 35 can be reduced.

[0038] First lens region 331 of lens 33 may control the light emitted from first light source 311 to be directed toward second concave lens region 342 (FIG. 3). In this case, second concave lens region 342 is a region other than the edge region facing the edge light source.

[0039] Furthermore, second lens region 332 of lens 33 may control the light emitted from secondary light source 312 to be directed toward a region other than second concave lens region 342 (FIG. 3). Second lens region 332 may, for example, control the light emitted from secondary light source 312 to be directed toward first concave lens region 341. In this case, first concave lens region 341 is a region other than the central region facing the central light source.

[0040] In this manner, the lens 33 may direct light emitted from the first light source 311 toward the second concave lens region 342, and may direct light emitted from the second light source 312 toward the first concave lens region 341. In other words, the lens 33 may direct light emitted from the first light source 311 located near the right end 32R of the light source substrate 32 toward the second concave lens region 342 located near the center of the concave lens surface 34. Furthermore, the lens 33 may direct light emitted from the second light source 312 located near the center 32C of the light source substrate 32 toward the first concave lens region 341 located near the right end 35R of the concave lens surface 34. By directing light from the second light source 312 located near the center 32C toward the right end 35R of the concave lens 35, the light rays can be gently bent, allowing the thickness of the concave lens 35 to be reduced. Furthermore, Fresnel reflection can be reduced.

[0041] The optical axis 311A ​​of the primary light source 311 and the optical axis 331A of the first lens region 331 do not have to coincide with each other. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the multiple light sources 31 and the lenses 33. As shown in FIG. 5, the primary light source 311 may be disposed such that the optical axis 311A ​​of the primary light source 311 is closer to the right end 32R of the light source substrate 32 than the optical axis 331A of the first lens region 331. In this manner, the optical axis 311A ​​of the primary light source 311 may be shifted toward one end along the arrangement direction D1 with respect to the optical axis 331A of the first lens region 331. The light from the primary light source 311 is refracted by the first lens region 331 and controlled to be directed toward a region other than the first concave lens region 341. For example, the primary light source 311 is disposed such that the optical axis 311A ​​of the primary light source 311 is closer to the right end 32R of the light source substrate 32 than the optical axis 331A of the first lens region 331. In this case, the light from primary light source 311 is refracted to the left by first lens region 331 and controlled to proceed toward second concave lens region 342 (FIG. 3). The greater the distance between optical axis 311A ​​of primary light source 311 and optical axis 331A of first lens region 331, the more the light from primary light source 311 can be refracted by first lens region 331.

[0042] The optical axis 312A of the secondary light source 312 and the optical axis 332A of the second lens region 332 do not have to coincide with each other. As shown in FIG. 5 , the secondary light source 312 may be disposed such that the optical axis 312A of the secondary light source 312 is closer to the center 32C of the light source substrate 32 than the optical axis 332A of the second lens region 332. In this manner, the optical axis 312A of the secondary light source 312 may be shifted toward the center along the arrangement direction D1 with respect to the optical axis 332A of the second lens region 332. The light from the secondary light source 312 is refracted by the second lens region 332 and controlled to be directed toward a region other than the second concave lens region 342. For example, the secondary light source 312 is disposed such that the optical axis 312A of the secondary light source 312 is closer to the center 32C of the light source substrate 32 than the optical axis 332A of the second lens region 332. In this case, the light from secondary light source 312 is refracted to the right by second lens region 332 and controlled to proceed toward first concave lens region 341 (FIG. 3). The greater the distance between optical axis 312A of secondary light source 312 and optical axis 332A of second lens region 332, the more the light from secondary light source 312 can be refracted by second lens region 332.

[0043] The third light source 313 and the fourth light source 314 can also be configured in a similar manner to the second light source 312 and the first light source 311 by left-right inverting their arrangement. In this way, the light that finally enters the display device 37 spreads in the longitudinal direction.

[0044] (Variation 1) Although the image generation device 3 of the first embodiment includes four light sources 31, the number of light sources 31 is not limited to four. The number of light sources 31 may be an odd number. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image generation device 3A according to Modification 1. In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are omitted to clarify the way light travels.

[0045] 6, in the image generating device 3A according to the first modification, five light sources, namely, a first light source 311, a second light source 312, a third light source 313, a fourth light source 314, and a fifth light source 315, are arranged on a light source substrate 32. These multiple light sources 31A are arranged in a line along an arrangement direction D1 in this order from the right end portion 32R of the light source substrate 32.

[0046] The first light source 311 is located closer to the end in the arrangement direction D1 than the second light source 312 (in FIG. 6, the right end 32R of the light source substrate 32). The second light source 312 is located closer to the center in the arrangement direction D1 than the first light source 311 (in FIG. 6, the center 32C of the light source substrate 32). The third light source 313 is located closer to the center in the arrangement direction D1. The fourth light source 314 is located closer to the center in the arrangement direction D1 than the fifth light source 315 (in FIG. 6, the center 32C of the light source substrate 32). The fifth light source 315 is located closer to the other end in the arrangement direction D1 than the fourth light source 314 (in FIG. 6, the left end 32L of the light source substrate 32).

[0047] In this modification, the third light source 313 is an example of a light source located at the center in the arrangement direction D1. Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the image generating device 3A taken along a plane including a line passing through the third light source 313 located at the center in the arrangement direction D1 and the center 35C of the concave lens 35A. The first light source 311 is an example of a first edge light source located at one end in the arrangement direction D1. The fifth light source 315 is an example of a second edge light source located at the other end in the arrangement direction D1.

[0048] The second light source 312 and the fourth light source 314 are provided line-symmetrically with respect to the center 32C of the light source substrate 32. The first light source 311 and the fifth light source 315 are provided line-symmetrically with respect to the center 32C of the light source substrate 32.

[0049] Lens 33A of this modified example has first lens region 331, second lens region 332, third lens region 333, fourth lens region 334, and fifth lens region 335. Each lens region is configured to transmit light from the facing light source. Concave lens surface 34A of concave lens 35A of this modified example has first concave lens region 341, second concave lens region 342, third concave lens region 343, fourth concave lens region 344, and fifth concave lens region 345. Each concave lens region faces each other. First concave lens region 341 is an example of a first edge region facing the first edge light source. Fifth concave lens region 345 is an example of a second edge region facing the second edge light source.

[0050] Lens 33A of this modified example controls light emitted from primary light source 311 to be directed toward an area of ​​concave lens surface 34A other than first concave lens area 341 facing primary light source 311. For example, first lens area 331 of lens 33A may control light emitted from primary light source 311 to be directed toward fifth concave lens area 345.

[0051] Similarly, lens 33A of this modified example controls the light emitted from fifth light source 315 to be directed toward an area of ​​concave lens surface 34A other than fifth concave lens area 345 facing fifth light source 315. For example, fifth lens area 335 of lens 33A may control the light emitted from fifth light source 315 to be directed toward first concave lens area 341.

[0052] As described above, the image generating device 3A of this modification also makes it easier to spread the light from the multiple light sources 31A in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, Fresnel reflection can be suppressed, thereby increasing the luminous flux utilization efficiency of each light source 31A. Furthermore, it is not necessary to reduce the radius of curvature of the concave lens surface 34A, and the thickness of the concave lens 35A can be reduced.

[0053] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. The present embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0054] In the first embodiment, there are cases where the concave lens surface 34 is larger than the mounting area where the multiple light sources 31 are mounted on the light source substrate 32. In such cases, "each concave lens area faces the corresponding light source" can be understood as follows: That is, the area occupied by each lens area is projected onto the concave lens surface 34 in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction of the light source substrate 32 and the longitudinal direction of the concave lens 35. In this case, the projection surface of the concave lens surface 34, the corresponding lens area, and the corresponding light source can also be expressed as facing each other. The same applies to the first modification.

[0055] The lens 33A of the first modification controls the light emitted from the first light source 311 to be directed toward the fifth concave lens region 345, and the light emitted from the fifth light source 315 to be directed toward the first concave lens region 341, but the lens 33 of the first embodiment may also perform control in a similar manner. In other words, the lens 33 of the first embodiment may control the light emitted from the first light source 311 to be directed toward the fourth concave lens region 344, and the light emitted from the fourth light source 314 to be directed toward the first concave lens region 341.

[0056] Although lens 33 in the first embodiment has multiple convex lens elements, each of which is convex outward, lens 33 may have at least one convex lens element. For example, the entrance surface of lens 33 (the surface facing the multiple light sources 31) may be flat, and the exit surface of lens 33 (the surface facing concave lens 35) may bulge toward concave lens 35. The same applies to variant 1.

[0057] In the first embodiment, the exit surface (the surface facing the display device 37) of the concave lens 35 is flat, but the exit surface of the concave lens 35 may be a convex surface that bulges slightly toward the display device 37. For example, if the angle of the normal direction to the image forming surface 371 of the display device 37 is set to 0 degrees and light from the multiple light sources 31 is emitted so as to be diffused at an angle of more than 30 degrees with respect to the normal direction, the exit surface of the concave lens 35 may be a convex surface. The same applies to the first modification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 vehicle 2 Head-up display (HUD) 3,3A,3Z Image generation device 20 HUD main body 22 Housing 23 Exit window 25 HUD control unit 26 plane mirror 28 concave mirror 31,31A light source 311 First light source 311A,312A optical axis 312 Second light source 313 Third light source 314 Fourth light source 315 Fifth light source 32 Light source board 32C center 32L left end 32R Right end 33,33A Lens 33C longitudinal center 331 First Lens Region 332 Second lens region 333 Third Lens Region 334 Fourth Lens Region 335 Fifth Lens Region 331A,332A optical axis 34, 34A, 34Z concave lens surface 341 First concave lens area 342 Second concave lens area 343 Third concave lens area 344 fourth concave lens area 35, 35A, 35Z concave lenses 35C center 35R Right end 37 Display Devices 371 Image forming surface D1 Array direction

Claims

1. A plurality of light sources provided along the arrangement direction; a concave lens having a concave lens surface; a light control member that causes light emitted from the plurality of light sources to be incident toward the concave lens, An image generating device in which the light control member controls light emitted from an end light source located at the end of the arrangement direction so that it is directed toward an area of ​​the concave lens surface other than the end area facing the end light source.

2. The image generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the concave lens surface faces the plurality of light sources.

3. 2. The image generating device according to claim 1, wherein the light control member controls light emitted from a central light source located at the center of the arrangement direction so as to be directed toward an area of ​​the concave lens surface other than a central area facing the central light source.

4. The image generating device according to claim 3 , wherein the light control member controls the light emitted from the edge light source to be directed toward the central region and the light emitted from the central light source to be directed toward the edge region.

5. In a cross-sectional view of the image generating device taken along a plane including a light source positioned at the center in the arrangement direction and a straight line passing through the center of the concave lens, the light control member: controlling the light emitted from a first end light source located at one end in the arrangement direction to be directed toward a region of the concave lens surface other than a first end region facing the first end light source; The image generating device of claim 1, wherein light emitted from a second end light source located at the other end of the arrangement direction is controlled to be directed toward a region of the concave lens surface other than a second end region facing the second end light source.

6. 6. The image generating device according to claim 5, wherein the light control member controls the light emitted from the first end light source to be directed toward the second end region and controls the light emitted from the second end light source to be directed toward the first end region.

7. the light control member has an edge control unit that controls the light emitted from the edge light source so that the light is directed toward an area other than the edge area, The image generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical axis of the edge light source and the optical axis of the edge control unit do not coincide with each other.

Images